The Second Petal – She Loves Me Not?!
"Would you like to come with us when we go to visit the ruins? I mean…little Nebby here seems to like you quite a bit, Sun…"
"Pew!"
"Uh, yeah sounds like a plan, Lillie."
"I'll be at the Tide Song Hotel if you decide to come…"
"Okay, I guess I'll meet you there in a bit."
"I'm supposed to be meeting someone there for dinner…"
"Oh, uh, no problem. I can wait."
"Someone very important to me…"
"…"
"Are you alright, Sun…? You look a little pale. Is the heat getting to you?"
"Uh, nope. I'm fine…Everything is, uh, fine."
Everything was not fine.
Heahea City Pokemon Center, Akala Island, 5:09 PM
"Zzzt! Red alert, captain, red alert! Our girl izzz definitely going on a date tonight! Maybe…an old lover?"
"Oh, shut it Rotom." I snapped back. "Lillie is not going on a date tonight. And what do you mean, 'our girl'?" Seated at the Pokemon Center café bar, I was trying my hardest to relax, just slowly sipping a glass of Pinap juice, but my electronic companion was not having it.
Hovering over the stool next to me, Rotom responded with a pixelated frown. "My point izzz," he buzzed, "Lilzzz izzz up to something, and you should check it out. Zzr." I shook my head furiously.
"First, her name is Lillie, not Lils. And second, I'm not going to spy on her. She's not doing anything weird, and it's just wrong. Now let me drink my juice in peace."
"Zzt. Even the bartender knowzzz that something fishy izzz going on."
"Your talking Pokedex is right, you know."
"What the…"
The grey-haired man behind the counter chuckled and leaned closer. "I've seen it before, you know?" he murmured quietly to us. "You think you have the girl of your dreams…but really she's going behind your back, flirting up all of the guys in Alola…."
I was about to tear my hair out. "She's not the girl of my dreams!" I snapped. "We're just friends! And if she wants to go…flirt…with someone very…important…to…her…"
"Litten got your tongue? Zzr?"
"Aw, poor lad. Have a free refill, on the house. Love is the struggle of the young."
"I'M NOT IN LOVE WITH HER!"
Tide Song Hotel, 5:46 PM
"The sun in day, the moon in night…
I love each one in turn…
Sunlight at noon and streetlight at night…
They kiss my skin and I yearn…"
"Zzt. Thizzz izzz it. The Tide Song Hotel."
"…Whoa."
Saying that the Tide Song Hotel was impressive would be an understatement. The building was at least five stories tall, the walls intricately decorated with paintings of various marine Pokemon. A white flag emblazoned with the outline of a Horsea waved above the hotel, set against the vivid blue backdrop of the Alolan sky. In front, a large circular fountain ran with clear, clean water. To top it all off, two native Alolan girls in traditional wear stood out front, waving, dancing, and singing.
"We wait to welcome you anytime!" they sang as Rotom and I entered through the large double-doors. "Come to the Tide Song Hotel!"
"I wouldn't mind having one of thozzze girlzzz follow me around all the time," Rotom buzzed to me quietly after we had passed them. I rolled my eyes and kept walking.
"Lillie said she was meeting someone for dinner here. So all we have to do is find the restaurant, get a table around the same time Lillie does, and we'll be good, right?"
"Soundzzz like a plan to me, zzp. What time do you think Lilzzz izzz meeting her lover though?"
I sighed. "No idea. We'll just have to guess and get lucky."
"You know who elzzze izzz getting lucky tonight?"
"Shut it, Rotom! We're almost at the restaurant! Get back in the bag."
"Zzt. Okay, lover boy." Reluctantly, Rotom packed himself up in my bag, which I made sure to zip up tight. After taking a moment to compose myself, I headed over to the uniformed man stationed at the entrance of the restaurant.
"Uh, hello," I greeted sheepishly. The man, middle-aged and lanky, returned a curious look.
"Alola. What can I do for you today, young sir?"
"Would you, uh, happen to have any reservations open for...say…7 PM tonight?"
"Hmm…Please allow me to check." He turned to a large book and began thumbing through the pages. I held my breath: maybe there was hope.
My heart instantly dropped into my stomach, however, when he closed the book and responded. "I'm sorry, young sir," the employee started politely, "but if you wanted a table for tonight at 7 PM, you would have needed to make a reservation in 2006."
I was speechless for a moment. My jaw dropped, and almost fell straight off onto the floor. "2006?! That was ten years ago!" I was basically shouting at the poor man, to the dismay of a few guests standing nearby. He simply sighed and hung his head.
"My apologies, but this is a high class establishment after all…Would you even happen to have a tuxedo?"
"Well…"
"How about a spare 100,000 Pokedollars…"
"Uh…"
"For the tip?"
Pokemon Center, 6:37 PM
"Aye. That's unfortunate lad. Love is expensive, you know."
I could only groan at the bartender's words as I downed my glass of Pinap juice, the third in the last fifteen minutes. My only consolation was that Rotom was in sleep mode in my bag, so at least I didn't have to deal with his shenanigans for a bit.
"Women are just trouble," lectured the stocky man behind the counter. "I was married for a while, to this real nice girl…Kind and pretty, you know…? Turns out, she was seeing a sailor behind my back!"
"Is this supposed to be making me feel better? Because it's not."
He shrugged and chuckled. "Well- Oh, hang on for a bit, son," the man said as he turned away from me and moved to serve another customer. "Will it be the regular today, Miss Mallow?"
I heard a light giggle. "You know it," responded a voice from beside me, inexplicably happy and feminine. "Nothing beats a hot Tapu Cocoa!" As the bartender turned to prepare the drink, I saw, out of the corner of my eye, a flash of green.
"You're Sun, right?" asked the girl inquisitively as she sat down on the stool next to me. "I think we've met before, but in case you forgot, I'm Captain Mallow!" Her words were basically bursting with enthusiasm, which did cheer me up a bit.
"Oh," I started as I turned my head to face her. "Yeah, I'm, uh, Sun. We met at the harbor, when our boat pulled in yesterday. Good to see you again, Captain Mallow." She reacted with a beaming grin, causing me to blush a bit.
Captain Mallow was quite an attractive girl, with flowing dark green hair and matching eyes, and she was wearing the same cute overalls that she had been wearing when I had first seen her. In her hair, just above her right ear, a pretty pink flower was comfortably nestled. Remembering my conversation with Lillie back in Melemele Meadows, I wondered what sort of meaning it had…
"Please, call me Mallow!" she exclaimed energetically, loud enough to draw some curious stares from others in the Pokemon Center. The bartender let out a hearty laugh.
"Captain Mallow is a regular here at the café," he explained as he placed a steaming mug of Tapu Cocoa next to the girl. "But not everyone is quite used to her youthful energy yet!" I took a good look at Mallow: though she was taller than me, she did look pretty young. She couldn't have been…more than a year or two older than me, if I had to guess.
"Oh, stop it you! You need lots of energy to be a captain!" she said as she took a deep gulp of cocoa. "Hot! Hot! Hot!"
I smiled. Leaving a few Pokedollars on the counter, I was about to get up and go when I felt something pull hard on my sleeve.
"Hey you…" muttered a much mellower Mallow, her voice a whisper compared to before.
"Do you want to…go on a date?"
...
It took me a moment to make sure I had actually heard her correctly. "Huh?" Looking at her face, I could see that the green-haired girl's cheeks were as red as lava. Mallow pouted and turned away.
"Well…I'm feeling a little lonely tonight, alright?!" she shot back, trying to look serious with her arms crossed. "Do you want to go out to dinner, at the Tide Song Hotel? They have really good seafood!"
"Well, uh, I…"
"Y-yes or no?!" Her tone was an adorable mix of nervous and aggressive, and I really didn't know how to respond.
…
Oh, what did I have to lose?
"…Sure?"
Mallow instantly returned to her normal enthusiastic self. "Really?! That's great!" she shouted as she grabbed my arm and started pulling me towards the door. "Let's go!"
"W-w-wait!"
"Ah, young love," muttered the bartender as he picked up a nearly full cup of still-hot cocoa, while watching the captain drag me away.
And like that, I was on a date with Captain Mallow.
Tide Song Hotel, 7:01 PM
"The ocean breeze dances over Heahea on the day I spend with you.
The blue roofs stretch on unbreaking, as endless as the sea itself.
The Lumineon dance upon the waves, our cheeks flame like the setting sun.
Come here to hear the song of sea. Come here to hear the song of life.
I wait to welcome you anytime…Come to the Tide Song Hotel!"
"Uh, Captain Mallow?"
"Hey, call me Mallow! And what's up, Sun?"
"I don't even have a tuxedo or anything…or, uh, money…"
"Don't worry about it! As a captain, I get to eat here for free! And I always come here dressed in my usual clothes, so don't sweat it!"
"Also, do we have to, uh, link arms like this?"
"You're my date! Of course we have to!"
I just had to wonder how ridiculous we looked, two…kids, basically…strutting into this fancy restaurant wearing overalls and t-shirts. As we passed through the entrance of the restaurant, the uniformed man from before gave me a funny look, and raised his eyebrows. I just shrugged in response, Mallow still dragging me by the arm.
She led me to an open table with only two seats, smack-dab in the middle of the room, and graciously pulled my chair out for me. Muttering a quiet "thanks", I couldn't help but feel extremely self-conscious as I sat down. I'd never been on an "official" date before…And it didn't help that we were getting a fair number of stares from the other patrons, who were decked out in their fancy suits and dresses.
"What do you want to eat?" Mallow asked cheerfully, apparently oblivious to the attention we were attracting. "I'm thinking…the crab special? Oh, oh, maybe the lobster!"
I laughed awkwardly and opened my menu. It was the type of place that didn't even have the prices on display, so I knew that it was far out of my regular budget…
"Um…I'll try…the Kalos pasta?"
Mallow gave a toothy grin. "Good choice!" she remarked. "I really love the use of spices and seasoning on that…My family owns a restaurant, you know? In Konikoni City! One day I might take over the restaurant, but…" Captain Mallow went on rambling and knowing her, it would be a while before I got a word in, so I decided to take the moment to look around.
The restaurant, like the rest the Tide Song Hotel, held an atmosphere of elegance and serenity, without being over the top. The lighting was dim, sustained only by candlelight from the chandeliers and on the tables, an effort to seem romantic I assumed. Around us, middle-aged and elderly couples and groups sat chatting, sipping wine, and taking delicate bites of delicious-looking food.
One girl, however, stood out like a sore thumb, easily catching my full attention. Dressed in a beautiful white gown with her blonde hair up in an elaborate bun, she was significantly younger than most of the other patrons. The girl was sitting alone at a table for two in the corner, her blushed cheeks only visible by the warm glow of the candle in front of her.
…
It was Lillie.
"Sun? Hello? Anyone home?"
"Huh? What?" I nearly fell out of my chair. It had completely slipped my mind that Lillie would be here too…I guess I had gotten too wrapped up in Mallow's antics to remember?
Captain Mallow gave me a sad pout. "I thought we were on a date," she said wistfully. "But you won't even pay attention to me!" Her forest-green eyes were starting to tear up, and a few people were giving us weird looks. This was not good. Not good at all.
"No, no, no!" I protested. "Sorry! I, uh, just got…caught up in how beautiful you look!" I internally prayed that it sounded more confident out loud than it did in my head…
Mallow wiped her eyes in the palms of her hands.
"R-really?" she sniffled.
"Of course! I really like the…flower in your hair!" In the distance, behind Mallow, I saw Lillie standing up from her table. In front of me, however, Mallow gave a wavy smile.
"T-thanks. I found it in the woods where my trial is…"
"Oh, uh…did you know…flowers have different meanings and stuff?" By now Lillie was halfway out of the restaurant, and I was all too tempted to follow her.
"Really? What does this one mean then?" Mallow pointed to the pink bud in her hair. I gulped.
"I, uh…it means…"
Mallow leaned in, her wide eyes looking expectantly at me.
Lillie was almost out the door, her beautiful white gown trailing behind her.
"It means…"
Mallow leaned closer.
Barely a hint of white flickered in my peripheral vision. My legs tensed, readying to jump up and follow.
…
"It means you're composed and pure and elegant!"
...
I'm such a terrible person.
...
But I didn't get up and leave.
"Really, Sun?!" Mallow exclaimed excitedly as she grabbed my hands with hers across the table. "That's soooooo sweet of you!"
I looked away and chuckled sheepishly. "Oh, well…"
Lillie was nowhere to be seen, but her date had also never shown up…
"Waiter! Two bottles of Alolan palm wine, please!" Mallow called loudly, to my surprise and the surprise of the staff.
"Wha- Mallow, aren't we a little…young for that…?"
"Nonsense!" she assured as a uniformed waiter reluctantly brought out two fancily decorated bottles and filled both of our glasses to the brim. Just how much could captains get away with...?
"Cheers!"
"Uh, cheers." Our glasses clinked, white wine swishing around inside like water in a stormy sea.
Sometime later
"Come here to hear the song of sea. Come here to hear the song of life.
I wait to welcome you anytime…Come to the Tide Song Hotel!"
"Oh, what the hell…"
I pulled myself up and groggily rubbed my eyes. Sunlight poured in through the wide glass windows. My head was pounding like crazy, and it was pretty hard to think straight. Probably went a little too crazy on the wine last night…
…
Last night? I- I couldn't even remember anything about last night.
"Mmmm," mumbled a voice lying next to me. "That's some tasty malasada."
I froze. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of dark green, on the pillow next to mine. A body rustled next to me under the covers.
All at once, I was hit with a wave of realization. I was in a hotel room. In bed. With Captain Mallow.
...
"Ahhh!"
Crying out, I tumbled sideways, out from under the white sheets, but luckily hit a nicely carpeted floor.
"Huh? Sun?" Mallow called out suddenly. She peered over the edge of the bed at me, her hair a mess and a curious look on her face. I swallowed.
"What-what happened last night?!"
Mallow scrunched her face up, as if deep in thought. "Well-"
"Roff!"
The girl was interrupted by a small cry from the corner of the room. Out of nowhere, a Rockruff ran up to me and began affectionately rubbing against me with the stones on its neck, which hurt a bit.
"This, uh, isn't my Rockruff…Is it yours?" I asked, genuinely confused. Mallow shook her head, looking as lost as I was.
I picked myself up, extremely embarrassed, flustered, baffled, etc. "So, uh, I'm going to go now," I said, excusing myself and setting the dog Pokemon aside. "Thanks for dinner, and, uh, see you around."
"Oh...okay. Bye, Sun!" Mallow's face was bright red, a warm smile on her face. I gave her a small wave before eagerly leaving the room.
SLAM.
I leaned up against the hotel room door after shutting it tight, and took a deep breath. I'd have to ask Rotom what had happened later…
…
Wait…
…
"WHERE ARE MY PANTS?!"
Pokemon Center, 1:07 PM
"We did all of that?!"
Rotom gave me a mischievous grin on his screen. "Zzt! You two dove into the ocean in only your underwear, stole a Rockruff from the poor hotel guy that hazzz to walk people'zzz Pokemon, and bought at leazzzt 10,000 Pokedollarzzz worth of clothing."
I took a sip of juice, my head still pounding. "And then…?" I groaned.
"Zzzt-zzt! Captain Mallow got you guyzzz a hotel room, and then you stayed up for a while crying to her about how Lilzzz doezzzn't love you. You said something like-"
"I think I've heard enough Rotom, thanks."
"We've all had our nights, lad," consoled the bartender as he neatly put away a set of glasses. "Though most of us not as young as you!" He gave a spirited laugh, and Rotom buzzed in amusement. I just put my head face down on the counter in shame.
"Are…you okay, Sun?"
"Just leave me alone," I responded woefully, without looking up.
…
"Ow!" I shouted as Rotom shocked me, popping straight up in my seat. "What was that for…?! Oh, uh, hey…Lillie."
The blonde girl, now back in her usual yet pretty white dress and hat combo, had a concerned look on her face. "You seem very tired," she said, a hint of worry in her tone.
"Oh, uh…It was a rough night. I'll- I'll leave it at that. How was your, uh, da- I mean meeting, yeah your meeting." Lillie returned a pout so adorable that even Rotom couldn't look her straight in the face.
"They never showed up, but oh well."
"Aw, I'm sorry about that Lils."
…
Lillie's face turned bright red, but she didn't say anything. I cursed at Rotom under my breath: I hadn't meant to call her that. It had just sort of…happened.
"So," Lillie coughed, obviously trying to change the subject. "How was your date?"
"Heh?"
"With Captain Mallow? You know...I saw the way she was looking at you..."
I cleared my throat, hoping my cheeks weren't as red as I thought they were. "Uh...I didn't know you-"
"It was very sweet. You could tell she really cares about you!"
Lillie turned around. "I wish someone would look at me the same way..." she murmured quietly as she walked away, probably not realizing I had heard.
...
...So she doesn't have a lover...?
(Ro)Tom's Afterword
Zzt. Thizzz chapter izzz a little different from the otherzzz...Probably more fictional and out there! We wanted to try something new, so please, let uzzz know how you liked it! Tell uzzz what you'd like future chapterzzz to be like, either low-key and realizzztic or more on the adventurouzzz side!
Alzzzo, bonuzzz pointzzz to anyone that can name the flower on Mallow'zzz head and say what it actually means! Becauzzze we couldn't find it anywhere :[