This one is an actual scene (the word count jumped by 500 from Lillie's and 1200 from Tsuki's...hahaha... ¿^^), so hope you enjoy. :)

In response to the anonymous replier Matrix Unknown, not exactly what you're thinking, and I'd say he doesn't gain the belly until he's in his later 30's. If you want to chat (or get a direct response), could you respond via account? That way I know you'll see it, and that would make me feel better.

I love every review that I get (and that you are reading this series), but I can't respond directly to anonymous reviews and that makes me feel bad.

The idea about why the starters are with Hala as opposed to Kukui (the regional professor) comes from a conversation I had with a friend. What do you think? Do you think each Kahuna has a set of starters with them? It's easy to image Hala or Olivia with them, but Hapu or Nanu?

* This short contains no spoilers (at least I think so, if I'm wrong, please message me and explain. Rating is K. Friendship theme. Edited once.

~IG

(PS:I'd love it if you'd review, so I know what I could improve upon.)

Hau

"So you're staying with Kukui?" I had asked between mouthfuls of musubi one day as we were eating lunch. Tsuki had looked up from her boxed lunch, twirling chopsticks in-between her fingers with skill.

"Yes. The Professor and his wife are kind enough to allow me to stay with them." Lillie said, nibbling on the packaged sandwich. The trees above us rustled slightly as a flock of pikipeck landed on them, eying our food with interest. I laughed, tearing off a piece of my musubi and throwing it to where they could take it without fear of us. Lillie's bag gave a slight wiggle and out came a curious,

"Pew?"

"Hush." Lillie placed a hand in the bag to reassure the little pokemon inside. How Nebby stayed quiet throughout all of class was really weird. When we were everywhere else, she was trying to get out and explore, even being able to slip out of Lillie's bag without any of us noticing. She was so curious!

"What's it like? I know his house's a mess!"

"Really, Hau?"

"It's true! That's why the starters stay at my place!"

"What is the lab like?" Tsuki asked, picking a sausage up with her chopsticks. I jumped in before Lillie could answer.

"You've never been, have you Tsuki?" She shook her head. "Do you think the Profes' would mind if we came over to hang out?" Lillie blinked, then began to twiddle her fingers.

"I don't know...I wouldn't want to impose more than I already have."

"How about tomorrow?" I had suggested, and Lillie agreed to ask.

That was the event that lead Tsuki and I to following Lillie back to the Professor's house beyond the Tsubaki's house. The lights from Hau'oli City's outskirts disappeared as Kukui's house appeared, the beach a hop-skip-and-jump away.

"We are close to the beach." Tsuki noted.

"Yes, that's where Professor Burnet found me."

"We should go one night when we don't have school!" I wouldn't have minded ditching, but Tsuki and Lillie wouldn't have gone along with it, and going alone was no fun. The three of us climbed the steps to the house, Lillie unlocked the door, stepped inside, and we followed. She relocked the door behind us.

"Professor! I'm back!" Lillie called, glancing around. There was no response. "I guess he's still out working." I'd been to Kukui's place before, but the fusion of house and lab was cool and odd. A glass tube of water with Luvdisc swimming in it could have been decoration if there hadn't been a panel with knobs and buttons attached. A colorful rug hung on the wall, but I knew there was a giant burn mark behind it. I glanced beside me, to see what Tsuki how reacting, but she was still at the doorway, undoing her shoes.

"Come on, Tsuki!" I called, but she didn't look up as she undid her second shoe.

"Patience is virtue." I chuckled, tucking my hands behind my head.

"Well the night waits for no one." Her eyes twinkled at my counter, and she placed both shoes next to the door before joining Lillie and I. Lillie pointed up to a loft above a closed-off room.

"That's where I'm staying." It was impossible to see anything, so I turned to ask, "do you want to see it?" She had beaten me to the punch.

"Yeah!" I climbed the ladder that connected it to the rest of the house first, checking the area out as the girls followed behind. A futon had been converted into a bed, and a dresser and bookshelf were shoved against one of the rails. Pokémon toys were pushed into one corner, next to a red and green beanbag.

"Whoo! This is your place?!" I threw myself into the beanbag. "Sweet!"

"Pew!" Nebby echoed my enthusiasm.

"Nebby!" Lillie grabbed her bag, but it was empty, and the pokémon in discussion was floating by Tsuki's legs, bobbing upside down. "How'd you get out?"

"Pew...?" Nebby twirled around, and moved towards a box of multicolored blocks.

"Honestly," Lillie sighed, "sometimes I wonder how much Nebby understands, and if it knows why it shouldn't slip out of my bag." She set said bag down and sat on the futon's edge. Tsuki had tucked her feet under her and was leaning on the futon's edge.

"She does..."

"She's just curious-" We both stopped and looked at each other. Tsuki quickly looked down at her folded hands.

"Maybe."

"Pew! Pew pew!" Nebby bounced from square to square, happy to be out of the bag. Then abruptly, Tsuki asked,

"What does Nebby eat?" Lillie blinked, turning to look at Nebby. She had stopped bouncing and was smiling at us, like usual. Lillie sweatdropped.

"I've never seen it eat." Well, this was weird.

"We should remedy that!" I declared, throwing my fist into the air. "Anyone got food on 'em?"

"I don't." Lillie shook her head. "But the Professor has food downstairs in the fridge.

"I don't have food either."

"I believe I have a candy..." Tsuki pulled her watermelon bag towards her and checked the pockets. "Here," in her palm was a round candy in a blue wrapper.

"Alright!" I scooched over as Tsuki unwrapped the candy and offered it to Nebby. The little gas pokémon examined the food item curiously, hand-like limb moving over it before it picked the candy up into it's body.

"Wow..."

"Whoa..." Fixated, I watched the candy dissolve like it had been dropped in a muk, small chunks breaking off to float through Nebby's body like an asteroid field.

"Do you like that, Nebby?" Lillie asked, and Nebby bobbed her head up and down.

"I should bring some candy next time we hang out!" Nebby perked up at my declaration.

"Pe-ew!" Small pieces of candy went flying in my direction. I yelped, but didn't block in time and pieces of candy found themselves on my face. I blinked. Nebby blinked. Tsuki stared. Lillie's hands were covering her mouth. Nebby tilted her head.

"Pe-ewp?"

"Pffffff...Ha-ha-ha-ha!" I cracked up, despite the candy stuck to my face. Tsuki's eyes were dancing in mirth, and Lillie's soft giggles reached my ears.

Finally, we settled back to normal. I was picking pieces of the candy off my face and threw them in the trash while Tsuki stroked Nebby's head. Lillie's hands had dropped into her lap, and a bright smile was on her face.

"You know, I don't think I've ever seen you smile." The smile faltered, and she looked down at her folded hands.

"Really?"

"Hmm." Tsuki nodded in agreement.

"Is it...bad?" She glanced between us.

"Different, but not bad." My new best friend decided.

"Nah, it's kinda cute." Both girls stared at me. "What?" Lillie's face slowly began to resemble a tamato, while Tsuki continued to stare at me, and I suddenly found I couldn't tell what she was thinking.

"Oh...um...thank you...I guess..." Tsuki broke eye contact to glance at Lillie, before letting her breath out. What did I say wrong?

"Should we get started on today's homework?"

"Yes! That's a good idea!" Lillie retrieved her bag and pulled her binder out. I got my stuff out with less enthusiasm.

A couple hours later, we heard footsteps coming up the porch. Lillie tensed, while Tsuki and I rose to watch a shadow approach the door. The lock rattled, before a tall, familiar figure entered the room with Rockruff behind him, kicking his shoes off as he shut the door.

"Hey, Kukui!" Lillie rose to join us, and I leaned on the loft's rail, grinning down at Kukui.

"Professor!"

"Alola, Professor." Tsuki swept her arms in greeting.

"Yo, cousin! Kids!" Kukui grinned, dropping his bag to the couch. "How was school?"

"Boring, but hanging out here's been more fun!"

"School isn't boring, Hau!" Lillie said.

"Well don't forget education's good for your life!" Kukui laughed, and Rockruff gave a happy bark. "Oh yeah, I was thinking about having opihi for dinner, with mochi for desert! How's that sound? Good, yeah?" Lillie gave a small smile. I liked that she was considering Tsuki and I friends.

"That sounds good, Professor."

"Oh yeah, Hau, Tsuki! Invite your families! They're welcome to join!"

"Sweet!" Grandpa loved opihi more than me, because my heart would always belong to the malasada.

"Mochiii..." Tsuki looked like she was going to start drooling. I laughed. What a night this was going to be.