3-3: mark of the damned


Selene awoke with a violent shudder as the morning light fell over her eyes. Her arms clumsily shielded her face as the girl half squinted, half glared at the offending window that had let the accursed rays in. The bitter scent of lightning and metal lingered on her tongue as she swallowed once, only for her face to twist into a pained grimace.

"Gross…" the girl murmured, propping herself up into a barely passable sitting position. A searing pain shot up her arm, and Selene let slip a pathetic whimper before she bit down on her lips in an attempt to will herself not to cry. The girl instinctively looked down, wondering why the hell she was in so much pain when the sight of tightly wrapped bandages made her remember.

Right, Selene thought weakly. Yesterday wasn't a dream. Nebby. The bridge. Spearow. My arm. All of that happened. And the only reason I'm still here is because -

A wave of nausea shot up into the girl's mouth, the acidic burn of bile making the girl instinctively gag. Letting out a strangled sputtering noise, the girl repeatedly thumped her chest with one hand while clawing at the thin blanket on her frame with the other. A wild swing launched the measly piece of fabric an impressive two feet away from her person, though Selene was more preoccupied with how that action had not provided her with any relief.

The warm, humid air did little to ease how her flesh burned and screamed as if hell itself was trapped underneath her unbearably damp skin and clothes. Helplessly, a hand clung to her shirt, right above where Selene's heart was weakly fluttering against her ribcage. The frantic beat maddeningly pulsed under her skin, burrowing itself into the deepest recesses of her mind where it lingered like an incessant buzz.

Arceus. What's wrong with me?

Feeling uneasy, Selene found her eyes following the soft whistle-like snores of her two pokemon, both somehow still asleep pressed together in the cramped space between her own body and the back of the couch. After she had fallen asleep last night, Watmel and Liechi must have woken up and crawled under the blanket, Selene mused.

The thought coaxed a faint smile from the tired girl, for a moment, overcome with a powerful sense of relief and gratefulness. Hesitantly, afraid almost, Selene's fingers ghosted across Watmel's face, the rowlet instinctively nuzzling up into its trainer's hand with a pleased hum. The feel of the soft, fuzzy down soothed the girl, reminded her that this time she hadn't failed her pokemon.

Then her pinkie brushed against the rough bandages wrapped snugly around the rowlet's wing, the texture an almost painful against her fingertips.

The white stood out against the bodies of her pokemon with such sudden glaringness that Selene couldn't help but flinch. She took in a sharp inhale, only to be overcome with violent shivers as the bitter scent of herbal salve lodged itself in her throat. The girl lurched forward and retched, but nothing came out, no matter how much she begged her body to rid itself of the guilt that seemed to fill her lungs.

Selene had willingly put her pokemon into a dangerous situation without any regard for the consequences. And for what?

Hau's face, childish and innocent and hopeful and maddening, came to mind, and somehow, the girl managed to stop herself from letting out a contemptuous chuckle.

How petty.

How childish.

How selfish.

She hadn't tried to save Nebby out of the goodness of her heart. Selene had been more spurred on by a brief but powerful flash of envy. Desperately, blindly, she had been reaching out for something, anything to prove that she had at least a drop of worth, a reason for being loved. Wasn't it funny how, in doing so, all the girl had done was prove that she was every bit as ugly as she had been two years ago?

Yes, Selene was every bit as horrible, responsible, deliberate as the accursed classmates who had brought about the death of her father's dewgong.

"No… I'm not like them… I'm not like them…" she tried to protest weakly. The quiver of her voice made it clear that she had already made up her mind, already given up, even as her heart tried to argue otherwise.

"We… we hadn't meant for her pokemon to die!" her classmate had insisted shrilly.

Eleven year-old Selene had wanted to scream, shout, get angry. But when she looked inwards, searching for something scathing with which she could bludgeon the other girl, she had found nothing. She'd cried her heart out the day before when her father's dewgong had flatlined, when Selene had been left with only a dead, bloodied corpse and not a single drop of emotion. The girl had been hollowed out so thoroughly that even breathing and standing exhausted her.

Fortunately, Selene didn't have to say anything as the principal proceeded to shout at the trio of her classmates. However, as the man had raised his voice, Selene had been the only one to quiver.

It hadn't made sense. She was the undeniable victim in all this. If she didn't make sense, if she just cried when asked to speak, if she threw a fit - no one would blame her.

So why was it like this? Selene couldn't help but think as she side-eyed her classmates. Though they had the decency to look a little cowed as the principal yelled at them, the moment he stopped to let them speak for themselves, the other children immediately became angry, indignant, offended.

As if they were the ones that had been wrong. They tried to grasp at their last lifeline: they hadn't meant to do it, but, but, but -

What on earth did you think was going to happen? Eleven year old Selene had wanted to shriek. You handed over my father's dewgong to someone in a back alley, for what? Less money than you get from your monthly allowances!?

Instead, the girl only sniffled a bit more before snorting down a sob. Helplessly, her shaking hands balled into fists. Her, speaking up. What a joke. The principal began to scream back at them all - yes, Selene included - about how the scandal would ruin the school's pristine reputation because her dewgong had killed at the hands of yet another rumored rebirth of Team Rocket. It would be practically impossible to hide such a thing from the media.

Nevermind that a little girl's pokemon had died. Nevermind that there had been so many moments where her classmates could have stopped to think, no, this is wrong. Nevermind that not a single bystander had stepped in. Nevermind that it didn't take much effort to have basic human decency. Nevermind that lives couldn't be returned once they were lost. Nevermind that an apology didn't amount to anything against the reality already written, protected by onwards march of time.

Rage filled Selene from head to toe for a glorious second, only to sputter and die out when it found nothing left in her to fuel its hunger.

When the principal had impassively told her classmates that they would be expelled for their involvement, Selene had almost wished she could feel a sick sort of glee as the other children began to cry and beg as if their lives depended on it. But instead, she felt nothing, and it hurt.

What good were their tears, she had thought, if they couldn't bring the dead back to life?

A frown overtook Selene's face as that uncomfortable memory came back to her, much more vividly than she would have liked.

What would she have done if either or, Arceus forbid, both of her pokemon had perished the night before?

The girl would have to bury another pokemon and live with the fact that there were so many times where she could have stopped, that her petty, unwarranted rage at a boy who did nothing wrong that had done nothing but gotten her pokemon killed, that she had somehow managed to repeat the very thing that had forced the move to Alola in the first place.

Selene looked at her side over at Watmel, taking the rowlet into both of her hands. The pokemon was so small, so trusting of her, that it would probably be very easy for Selene to give the rowlet a powerful enough squeeze to -

She could almost hear bones snapping under the pressure, and in her morbid imagination, the sound was that of a tree's rattling death cry as its trunk slowly ripped in two.

Was this what her father's dewgong had experienced during that hellish hour?

The girl frantically shook her head, so sickened by herself that she almost threw up onto her lap. Selene gagged for a moment before swallowing the vomit that had made its way up into her mouth, grimacing at how the acidic taste stung and burned as it was forced back down the walls of her throat.

Why… Why had she even thought of something so awful?

Her eyes began to water, but before a single drop could land onto Watmel and potentially wake it up, Selene had turned away, putting a hand on her mouth to muffle her sobs. The other gently rested the rowlet back onto the couch, and the girl was thankful to find that the pokemon had not stirred.

Not even as the trainer it trusted above all else treacherously contemplated murdering it in its sleep.

Oh god.

The thought made Selene kneel over, a flash of white-hot guilt screaming up her arteries and veins. Her heart felt like it was going to explode any second, and the fact that it didn't only prolonged the anxiety, only left her feeling more and more stressed, afraid, ashamed and oh god, oh god, oh god -

She really had done that.

What the hell was wrong with her?

She was the one who deserved to die. She was the one who deserved to die! But she was a coward who could never go through with such a thing even though better people, better pokemon had died despite being so much more worthy of life than her -

A firm grip on her shoulder made Selene start, and she looked behind herself, only to have a water bottle nudged into her face. Her mother's hitmonlee, quietly regarding her with its dark, beady eyes, stood above her and held her steady.

"It's nothing," the girl said stiffly, pointedly making a show of turning away to avoid making eye contact.

She moved to stand, but the pokemon gently pressed her back down. The water bottle pressed against her cheek, cool and pleasant. Selene let out a frustrated groan before swiping the water bottle, opening it so that she could take a clumsy, long swig. Water dribbled down the girl's lips, chin, then onto her neck, though she paid it no heed.

When her mother's hitmonlee swabbed her dry with the blanket she had discarded earlier, Selene was almost disappointed to find that she still leaned into the touch. Even though she'd done her best to avoid physical contact for two years, the girl supposed that the decade before then - when Hitmonlee had been her primary caretaker while her mother worked for hours on end - could not be erased so quickly.

But when Selene made a motion as if to stand, Hitmonlee moved to put its hand onto her arm to steady the girl. Though it only intended to gently pull Selene up to her feet, the girl angrily swatted it away.

"I don't need the help!" the girl snapped, taking a few steps before suddenly feeling quite disoriented on her feet.

Selene would have fallen over had Hitmonlee not caught her with an extended leg. While she refused to meet the amused "I told you so" the hitmonlee was probably shooting her, the girl suddenly felt very childish and ashamed of herself. A wave of disappointment washed over her, and as if she really had been struck by the ice-cold ocean, Selene started to shake.

She wasn't getting better. She was just hiding behind her failures, promising improvement that wasn't going to happen. She was going to waste everything that her mother and the professor had done for her -

Selene took a deep breath and willed herself to halt that train of thought.

Calm down. At the very least, you can stop yourself now.

After a few seconds of silence, she let out a long sigh and finally spoke.

"I'm sorry."

Her mother's hitmonlee only patted her reassuringly on the back, not bothered by the outburst at all. Selene thought of her mother, of the professor, of having to put up with an emotional wreck pretending to be a child, and she couldn't help but wonder how they even found the patience to even deal with her.

Out of love?

No, that didn't make sense. Maybe her mother and Hitmonlee were obligated to look out for her because that was what family was doomed to do. But the professor, why would he even -

"...Thea, please don't misunderstand things. I would never try to use your daughter to forward my agenda."

Oh god.

Helping a family he didn't know personally with paperwork for Alolan citizenship when he didn't have to, when he was a busy man with research to do. A VIP cruise that she and her mother did not deserve that he probably paid for out of his own pocket. So many hours spent on getting to know a girl who could offer him nothing towards his goal of building a league, giving an outsider a rare Alolan pokemon, treating a teenage shut-in as if she was someone he genuinely cared about -

"I know you wouldn't, Professor!" Her mother had laughed. "That's what I'm here for, no?"

Oh god.

"No," Selene said weakly, trembling from head to toe. She shook her head frantically, trying to dispel the treacherous thought.

She thought of the professor's smile, of the way his eyes had softened at the edges, of the laughter trickling into his voice, of the tilt of his head as it turned her way. He had been looking at her - Selene, Moon, a girl who was by no means special.

"It can't be..."

Or so she had childishly liked to think.

Selene thought of the professor's smile. Of her heart beating faster. Of all the promises that she had made over the past year, that she had been determined to keep because she had promised him that she would get better for him and her mother.

"That can't be it…"

The professor dreamed of building a league. Her mother was a single mother looking for work, boasting almost a decade's worth experience with the managerial branch of the Kantoan Pokemon League and almost five years with the illustrious Silph Co.

And Selene, Selene was -

Selene was her mother's daughter.

(And why did that thought hurt so much?)

Tears collected on her lashes, balancing precariously on the ends as the girl weakly shook her head in denial. She wiped them away before they could fall, trying not to focus on how disgusting they felt against her heated face.


Her mother's hitmonlee gave her five minutes to collect herself before it did its best to smooth out her hair and clothes, the pokemon's fingers too large for such a delicate task. Selene did not say anything the whole time, face blank and unchanging.

She continued to remain unresponsive even as her mother's pokemon gently tugged the girl to her feet, allowing herself to be dragged along by the hitmonlee down hallways and into a large dining room, where everyone - the Kahuna, the professor, her mother, Hau, Lillie, and a few of their pokemon - seemed to be finishing up breakfast.

Selene froze up, suddenly feeling very unclean and self-conscious.

"M-Morning," she managed, nervously raking a hand through her hair. She tried to not shiver at the faint oiliness it left on her fingers, hoping that it would go unnoticed until the girl found time to shower later that day.

"Nice of you to finally join us, Selene," Hala said with a low, deep chuckle, looking up from the newspaper he was currently perusing.

She could see the professor's familiar hat slowly turn her way, and the sight brought with it an overwhelming sense of anxiety. To the professor, Selene thought with dim horror, the girl was probably no more than a bargaining chip, the best way to appeal to her mother and get what he needed. She wouldn't be worth his time otherwise. The professor's dream for a league was one that had persisted for years. Befriending a shy Kantoan girl was probably one of the easier things he'd have to do towards that goal.

And for whatever reason, that thought hurt so damn much. Logically, both the professor and her mother benefited from the arrangement. If things worked out, everyone involved would win.

So why was her heart in a chokehold? Why did her lungs suddenly lose the will to keep going? Why did the thought of the professor succeeding in his goals make her want to cry?

Don't think about it. Not now. Don't let him know. Don't let him know. Don't let him know what an awful kid you are.

She would have to face the professor sooner or later, but the girl wasn't ready yet. Surely, if Selene looked him now, her eyes would betray all her innermost doubts and treachery. At times like now, the girl couldn't help but curse the fact the professor seemed to read her better than she could herself.

"Selene!"

With the girl distracted, two colorful blurs rushed at her, causing Selene to start and step back. One managed to barrel right into her stomach, ducking under the leg Hitmonlee had extended to snag the other by the shirt.

Selene let out a very undignified squeak as Lillie clung tightly to her torso, stiffening more and more as the blonde girl squeezed tighter and tighter. Awkwardly, the older girl patted Lillie on the back, letting the younger girl blubber nonsensically and soak the front of Selene's shirt with tears.

"Oh, I'm s-s-so sorry, I'm so sorry…" Lillie sobbed. "I didn't… I d-didn't mean for that to h-ha-happen! I didn't want you to get h-hurt because, because…! W-when you got stuck, I was so scared, and when Hau and I left we heard the most awful scream and I thought, I thought - oh, I'm so glad you're alive!"

The blonde girl let out a loud wail before burying her face back into Selene's shirt, incoherent apologies lost amongst all her blubbering. The shock of Lille's nose pressing into her chest made Selene let out such a violent shiver that even Lillie could not overlook it. When the young girl worriedly looked up at her, faintly crushed by what she probably thought was a rejection, Selene used that opportunity to gently pry Lillie off of her. The way Lillie's wrists felt even thinner, smaller, more fragile than her own unsettled the Kantoan girl.

"Sorry," Selene muttered with an embarrassed flushed. "I'm just… really ticklish is all."

Lillie nodded, and the way her furrowed brows almost instantly relaxed told Selene that the girl understood the sentiment. For whatever reason, that fact did not comfort her at all.

Well, it wasn't a lie, Selene thought bitterly. The girl really wasn't used to physical contact, so even the slightest of touches felt foreign and unwelcome. That thought process felt like a crime of sorts, however, especially in this situation.

"But it's all right," she continued. "After all, I was the one who decided to walk onto that bridge."

"Still, that was like really cool of you! Shucks, I wish I could have been able to do that," Hau said cheerily from where he dangled a foot off the ground, his shirt caught on Hitmonlee's foot. The boy seemed unconcerned about his predicament, even as the pokemon eyed him cautiously. "I know I said I was going to save Nebby, but I don't think I actually could have stepped on that bridge."

Selene could feel trickles of heat rush up to her cheeks. "It… it was really a silly thing to do. I even said we should have gotten an adult, but I went and did that."

"No, seriously!" Hau chirped, shooting her a thumbs up. He looked over at the adults, who were regarding the children with amusement from where they remained seated at the dining table, and began to gesticulate wildly. "Selene just walked down the bridge like she owned the place, and she threw her pokeballs like BAM! And she looked almost as cool as Tutu when she gave her pokemon orders and I seriously think she could have gotten it done had her arm not slipped - Oh, how's your arm doing? - and I wanna be like that too!"

Selene's stomach flopped a little, and she wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing as tiny smiles wormed their way onto everyone else's faces.

I could have died, Selene wanted to say, though she knew that would only ruin the moment and make things awkward again. Then again, holding her tongue wasn't a particularly new task for her.

"I'd love to give you a hug because I can't even tell you how happy I am that you're safe, but..." Hau smiled sheepishly. "If you're ticklish, then I shouldn't do it, as much as I want to!"

Selene could hear her mother coo adoringly at the youthful sincerity in those words, and it touched her as well. Even though the boy had said that, Selene was pretty sure Hau was itching for a hug. She wanted to give him that, though the girl wasn't sure why.

"Actually, since Lillie got a hug…" Selene began slowly, giving herself time to back out if she got cold feet, " ...You can have one too."

Awkwardly the girl opened her arms, not exactly sure what she was to feel when the boy looked more contemplative than she had expected.

Hitmonlee finally set the boy down, and after giving the pokemon an excited wave, Hau walked up to her. He looked up at her with big eyes that almost made the girl reel and look away. It had to be a crime to be that blindingly adorable.

"I won't hug you if you don't want it," he said. "But can I do this instead?"

He reached out his hands towards her, and with a confused nod, Selene hesitantly extended her own. Without warning, the boy quickly took her hands into his, giving them a gentle but firm squeeze before immediately releasing them.

"Wow," he said innocently. "Your hands are really cold. But I could still feel your pulse, so you're definitely alive! Hey, you alright?"

Unsure of exactly what face to make, Selene remained speechless until she heard snickers coming from the adults, prompting her to blush fiercely. That made her mother choke on her drink, and as the woman let out snorting and sputtering noises, Selene dimly thought she deserved it.

As for what Hau had done… it wasn't unpleasant. In fact, the whole thing was so innocent and sweet that the girl burst into uncontrollable giggles, joining the adults in enjoying the moment.

"H-Jey," Hau began, startled by all the chuckling in the room. He looked from his grandfather to the professor with his hands up in the air in surrender. "Did I do something wrong? Is that a no-no back in Kanto?"

Selene wasn't sure why, but this… this was actually kinda fun. After taking a look at the rather scandalized look on Lillie, the girl turning from Hau to Selene in disbelief, the Kantoan girl revised that thought. This was actually really nice.

"You've left out poor Lillie," Selene said mischievously, trying not to kneel over with laughter at how the girl's expression became even more affronted. "Just… Just look at her face!"

As Hau eagerly looked over in Lillie's direction, looking so genuinely hopeful that Selene had to lean on Hitmonlee for support, the blonde girl began stammered and frantically waved her hands, insisting to Hau that no, he didn't have to. He walked over and did the exact same thing anyways, all while sporting that trademark Hau smile that only promised the purest of intentions.

Everyone else in the room burst into hysterics. Selene looked around at her mother pushing away her glass of water, a wide grin on her face, at the professor removing his glasses so he could wipe the tears away from his eyes, at Hala gripping at the dining table for support as he chortled heartily, at the light flushes on Lillie's and Hau's faces, and the girl couldn't help but wish that the moment could last forever.

But a horrified shriek came from the front room, causing everyone to pause. The sound of crashing and something shattering against the wooden floors made the girl flinch, and she did it once more as a frazzled rowlet flew into the room, panickedly scanning the room for its trainer. Upon spotting the girl, Watmel let out a relieved cry, flying into the crook of her neck, where its tears damped her skin.

"Watmel…" the girl said slowly, shocked at how overcome with emotion the pokemon was. The rowlet shivered as it let out a whimper, and the girl quickly brought a hand up to gently stroke the pokemon. At her feet, she could feel something poke at her feet, and Selene found her grubbin expectantly looking up at her. She bent down to pick Liechi up, quashing the ticklishness she felt as the pokemon's little legs wriggled against her chest.

"H-Hau," Lillie squeaked. "Y-you can l-l-let go now."

As everyone's attention was once again directed at the two younger children, Selene took the opportunity to swipe an empty seat at the table, plopping herself between the professor and her mother. The girl reached over for the pitcher of berry juice, eyeing the leftovers and deciding that she wasn't feeling particularly hungry.

A minute after she had poured herself a glass, her mother's hitmonlee shoved a plate in front of her with what seemed to be the last piece of toast, its narrowed eyes making it clear that the pokemon was not going to accept her having just liquids for breakfast.

"I'm good," the girl said weakly, trying to nudge the plate away. The hitmonlee held the plate in place, shooting its charge's child an unimpressed look. The pokemon's gaze remained on Selene even as her mother's meowth climbed upon onto Selene's chair, leaning over to try and swipe the toast.

"No, really. I don't think I'll be able to eat right now," Selene said a little more strongly. Hitmonlee automatically swatted Meowth's paw away before the latter could even touch the food. The pokemon let out an indignant meow in response. "Still not used to the Alolan atmosphere, hehe."

The hitmonlee regarded Selene for a moment before shoving the plate towards the center of the table, Meowth letting out an annoyed yowl as the food remained far out of its reach. Then, Hitmonlee roughly picked up Meowth and tossed it through the doorway and out of the room.

"The air feels a lot more humid…" her mother said thoughtfully, waving lightly at her meowth as it sailed through the air. "Nothing like last night."

Professor Kukui, who had been watching the incident with faint amusement, let out a derisive snort. "Yeah, right. It's the same as usual, Thea - You were just too busy making off with half the betting pool yesterday to even notice."

Selene choked on her juice, a hand immediately going for her throat. Hitmonlee pried the cup from her hands, patting her firmly on the back until the coughing subsided.

"Oh, don't give me that look, Selene!" her mother giggled shamelessly, looking far too proud of what she had accomplished. "I was just trying to keep in spirit!"

"Yes," Hala agreed with a wide smile. "Your mother insisted that it would be in your best interests to take the attention off you, so she urged that the celebration go on."

"Though I've got to say," the professor chimed in, "your mother sure is the life of the party."

Hala laughed heartily. "She gave young Kukui here a good run for his money in a three on three battle while giving most of the people betting a heart attack!"

Selene's mother began cackle deviously, a hand daintily going up to her mouth. "Oh, you're flattering me, Kahuna! I still lost, and if it was a full six on six, it wouldn't have been anywhere near as even!"

"Still, I guess that means you haven't lost your touch," Selene commented, taking a nice long sip of her juice to have an excuse to remain quiet. Professor Kukui sheepishly laughed, going on about he'd never seen a hitmonlee extend its legs that far.

Though she was loathe to admit that she could feel such a thing upon hearing that her mother had had fun the night before, the comments bothered Selene quite a bit. Back in Kanto, her mother had been lively, yes, but…

Selene felt a twinge of guilt. Her mother was usually so busy with work that free time was a rarity, even though she worked from home. After all, her mother was a single parent who had done everything she could to ensure that her daughter would live a happy life.

This is what you've taken away from her, she couldn't help but think, and this made her lose the ability to stomach drinking any more of the berry juice. Selene pretended to yawn, using that moment to innocuously stretch her arms forward and push her half-empty glass away from her.

"Hey, Selene," the professor began, and Selene nearly jumped from her seat. For a moment the girl worried that the man could somehow read her mind, though Selene brushed that worry off as something a bit too paranoid for even her to believe.

The girl told herself to act natural as she rested her head down on the table atop her folded arms, turning to her right as she lazily looked over at the professor. Selene had a pretty good idea about where this conversation was going. After all, she'd heard the adults talking about it last night.

"Yeah?" she replied innocently.

"How…" the professor paused for a moment, as if he was considering one last thing before he committed to his words. "...How would you feel about doing the Island Challenge?"

Behind her, Selene could hear her mother's chair scrape against the tile floor, and the girl could imagine the woman donning that face she always made when she tried to pretend as though she wasn't interested in the conversation. A face that looked a little too uninterested, a posture that was a bit too stiff, a position that made it a little too clear that she was pretending to stare off into space. Coupled with some painfully deliberate hair twirls and fingernail examinations, her mother was no master of subtlety.

"Island Challenge?" Selene repeated slowly, pretending that she did not know what that meant. The words tasted bitter on her tongue, even more so when she inhaled through her nose and found the air gross in her mouth. "What's that?"

"Well, it's not like the traditional gym gauntlet you'll find in most regions, though I can make a very basic analogy," the professor began to explain, a reassuring smile making its way onto his face. However, it only made Selene's blood run cold.

Remember the league. You… you are only your mother's daughter. Nothing more. Nothing less.

"We have trial captains, not gym leaders, and trials, not gyms. And the biggest difference is that trials do not always involve battling the trial captain. Instead, you'll participate in other challenging activities that require you to work with your pokemon as a team."

"... I see," the girl said slowly, hoping the discomfort in her voice could be written off as her struggling to wrap her head around the idea. She couldn't bear to look at the professor, lest he figure out her true thoughts, so Selene looked past him at Hau and Lillie, who were feeding Nebby berries by hand.

"So don't worry if you're not a good battler. These trials often require creative thinking and good teamwork! And because the Island Challenge is a rite of passage for Alolan youths, the trials aren't too difficult."

"Though," the professor added with a sly wink, "I think you don't have to worry on the battling front."

Nebby hovered back and forth on the table between the two children, mouth open wide to swipe berries from their fingers.

"I think you're flattering me," Selene said distractedly. Both Hau and Lillie were smiling ear to ear as they talked, which was mostly Lillie nodding and giving short responses as Hau excitedly waved his arms around, gesturing with his hands. How cute.

For a second, the Kantoan girl let her gaze drift back towards the professor. However, when she met his eyes, Selene found herself overcome with fear and shame, and so she retreated back to the comforting sight of Nebby, Hau, and Lillie sifting through a bowl of assorted berries.

The face that the professor had been making… She hadn't kept her eyes on him long enough to remember what it was, but the girl found that she didn't have the confidence to risk another glance. Selene had a feeling that no matter what expression the man had, it would hurt her all the same.

"So, how many?" she asked, thinking a little harder on what the professor had said. Battling was a bit too stressful for her tastes, but that didn't necessarily mean that the trials would be any less difficult. Who knew what they could throw at her?

The thought left Selene a little anxious because even if she didn't have to prove her battling prowess, she would have to make up for it in other areas. The girl liked to think she was relatively book smart. Creativity, on the other hand…

The girl grimaced, remembering how she had been told again and again that she'd probably never be the artistic type. Just keep up with your books, her teachers and classmates had said. Not all people have creative talent. It's okay if your imagination is a little lacking.

Selene thought of the thin glaze that veiled their eyes whenever they looked at her work. The pity. The acceptance. The disappointment.

No, it's not.

"Oh, don't worry!" the professor laughed. "You're not going to have to do like fifty trials or anything, cousin. There's seven trials open at a time on all of Alola, and once you complete all the trials on one island, you earn the right to challenge the Grand Trial of that island's Kahuna. There's four islands, so there's four Grand Trials."

"Mhm."

There was a drawn-out pause, but the girl made no attempt to look up at the professor. It frightened her to confirm, much less think about, the expression that he would be making.

"Anyhow, once you complete all seven trials and the four Grand Trials, you'll battle all four Kahunas in a row. If you succeed, then you're granted the title of Island Challenge Champion."

That piqued Selene's interest. If anything, it sounded much like the Elite Four gauntlet in other regions, but -

"Doesn't that mean that most people are Island Challenge Champions?" the girl asked, instinctively looking towards the professor as she always did when she had a question for him. Her heart nearly stopped as Selene realized what she had done, but thankfully her face somehow remained impassive.

The professor blinked before remembering that Selene was technically an outsider to Alolan culture, no matter her paperwork now said.

"That's right!" the professor said with a proud smile. "Smart girl."

Selene did not blush at the comment, though out of habit, she turned her face away so she wouldn't have to look at the man. "That's interesting."

"How so?"

"Well, the title of Champion holds less weight." The girl blanched at how culturally insensitive that sounded, cursing the horrible choice in words. "I-I-I don't mean that in a b-b-bad way! I just think that sort of thing acknowledges every person's journey. In Kanto and, if I'm not being presumptuous, other regions, being Champion is like becoming a legend…"

"So," Selene explained, "when I hear the word Champion, I think of the greats - Red, Blue, and Lance."

The professor let out a low whistle. "Oh, I know what you mean. Lance feels like a battler on a whole 'nother level. Even with the lack of diversity on his team, I swear that man has a counterattack prepped for any plan you can come up with."

"So I guess, I'm not used to 'Champion' being used in that kind of context." She shook her head, almost wanting to laugh at the thought that she could hold such a prestigious title. "But it's nice. It means even someone like me can be 'Champion'."

Not that it held as much meaning as it did back home - no, back in Kanto. Still, the thought made the girl smile, albeit a little sadly. So many of her classmates had childishly declared that they were going to be Champion.

In the past decade, there had not been one person who had managed to beat Lance after Red and Blue.

How many dreams had been died slow, miserable deaths over that period of time? How long did it take for a trainer to give up? To finally realize that they didn't have what it would take? That they didn't have the talent, the personality, the luck to make it any farther than they currently had.

Besides, even if you did make it past the gauntlet of gyms, there were just enough people qualified to challenge the Elite Four - not so many that the feat could be trivialized but just enough so that it wasn't the sort of thing people would be bothered to remember your name for unless you were a local - that only those who made it to the Champion would receive any form of press.

And with the Elite Four standing in the way, the number of those hopeful prospects dwindled down to the tens each year. That was fewer people than your average classroom.

From a logical standpoint, dreaming of being Champion was asking for the impossible. So it was funny to Selene, how on this island region so far, far away from the rest of the world, Champion was a title that most of the public probably owned. It felt like cheating almost because Selene too had once dreamed of standing on that glorious stage before the eyes of everyone: powerful, confident, unyielding -

The professor began to open his mouth, seemingly troubled by whatever face Selene had been making in response to her thoughts, when distant, frantic knocking on the door at the front made everyone pause.

"Excuse me," Hala said calmly, rising from his seat to go answer the door. When he returned, he was followed by a young woman wearing a light blue shirt with four colored right triangles on it, arranged to form a trapezoid. She halted by the doorway, even when the Kahuna motioned for her to enter into the dining room.

"Thank you for the offer of breakfast, Kahuna, but I must decline," the woman said breathlessly, looking quite agitated for whatever reason. "There's something that you must know."

The old man only raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"It's… It's Tapu Koko."

Selene felt her breath hitch. But why? What did that name even mean to her? Why did she suddenly feel the urge to get up and run far, far away?

"Ta-Tapu Koko?" she asked unconsciously.

"Melemele's Guardian," the professor whispered, his face unnervingly serious. "The pokemon that saved you."

Suddenly, Selene couldn't think. She could see Hala's mouth moving, the woman biting her lip, the way Hau and Lillie had gone deathly still but -

"...How strange..."

On her shoulder, Watmel had begun to shake, nervously twittering in her ear. It nipped at her earlobe, trying to get its trainer attention. Liechi's feet wriggled against her bare thighs, the quiet bug pokemon uncharacteristically making loud clicking noises as it squirmed in her lap. Selene inhaled and almost choked on the lightning and thunder that had seeped their way into the air.

Just like they had the night before.

"Sorry," the girl mumbled, rising to her feet. She held her grubbin in her arms but found the pokemon had suddenly become much heavier. Why…? "I… I need to use the bathroom."

Selene stumbled out of the room before anyone could say a word, trying not to crash into the walls as she made her way down the hallway, desperately yanking open doors in an attempt to find the right room.

On her fifth attempt, she was greeted to the sight of cool tile, marble, and porcelain, and the girl dove for the toilet, dropping Liechi (who let out a surprised noise) in the process.

Just in the nick of time.

Watmel let out a distraught cry as the meager breakfast Selene ate sloshed into the water, and worriedly, the rowlet scooted close to its trainer's face once the girl was done. She quietly sobbed as a sole shaking arm kept her face an acceptable distance off of the seat, barely able to keep herself on her knees.

Watmel raised a wing to wipe its trainer's tears away, only be stopped by the girl's other arm.

"I'm fine," Selene insisted. "I'm fine."

Liechi wriggled its way back into her lap, looking up her with concern.

"I swear, I'm fine."

But when Watmel moved to dry her face once more, she did not stop the pokemon, too caught up in the fear that had seized her in mind and body.


Iki Town was holding its breath, and the almost but not quite silence was driving Selene mad.

The girl couldn't help but fearfully let her eyes flit between the town residents, who whispered softly at Hala and the Guardian that preceded the Kahuna. Only he and Selene's mother kept their heads high in the group that was slowly being led through town by Tapu Koko.

Next came Hau, Lillie, and the trial guide, who had their heads pointed down towards their feet, seemingly too afraid to look up. At the end of the small group, on Selene's left side, the professor had inclined his head so his gaze reached just short of Tapu Koko. However, the girl swore she spotted his dark eyes shifting her way, and suddenly feeling a mix of shyness and apprehension, Selene nervously squeezed her mother's arm, hovering closer to the taller female on her right.

"Don't worry," her mother said gently, and Selene remembered how her mother had said that she would do anything for her daughter so long as the girl made an effort to voice it -

She thought her mother's crumpled body, smoking like Watmel's and Liechi's. A split-second flash of lightning that would probably be quicker than the life leaving her body. The scent, the smell, the sight of death -

Arceus. She would have puked again had there been anything left in her stomach.

Fortunately, no one was in the mood to point out the fact that Selene was looking more miserable than usual, too caught up in the almost oppressive pressure that radiated off of Tapu Koko. It felt even worse for Selene. Additional dread and anxiety weighed down on the girl at the thought of being in the presence of the pokemon that had tried to kill her.

Yes, it seemed to everyone else that the guardian deity had saved her life before, but how else could Selene interpret what it had done upon the clearing? The thought made her quiver and shake, fearful of what it could do to her without protest from the town residents.

And then -

"The one saved by Tapu Koko is that one."

All eyes in the town concentrated on Selene, their gazes crawling over her like bug pokemon. It left the girl unable to breathe properly, unable to do anything but look at the ground, where there was nothing that could look right through her and pick her apart like some lab specimen.

Running wasn't an option. Where the hell could she go in this forest of strangers, their horrible whispers lingering like a hazy, thick fog she couldn't see past? Mouths moved, but their words, their voices were her own. It was a voice borne of contempt, dripping words of honied hate. And as eyes roved over her, Selene couldn't help but think they were waiting for her to falter, slip up, fall to her knees so that they could tear her to pieces.

She was supposed to take it. She wasn't supposed to say anything. She was supposed to deny the way her body screamed in fear like it had the night before on the bridge and after on the clearing. There was no place for her to cry and beg for mercy as she had back then.

If Selene did those now -

(Children who looked at her as if she had been the monster. Who walked around her like she was shards of glass that would cut their feet. Who did not like a breathing reminder of their own bloodied failures as useless bystanders.)

Nothing good would come out of it.

"So Tapu Koko, what do you want?" Hala said, adopting a tone that sounded too friendly. It was if he was greeting a friend that he hadn't seen for a long time and not a powerful pokemon that had fought in battles beyond the man's comprehension.

The guardian pokemon eyed the Kahuna for a long moment, though the old man did not buckle underneath the intense gaze. To everyone's shock, Tapu Koko pushed past Hala, and to Selene's evergrowing dread, as Lillie, Hau, the trial guide, and even the professor moved to the side in deference, the Guardian of Melemele stopped just before her.

Why? Selene wanted to scream. She was just a thirteen year-old girl clinging to her mother's arm. What was she to a pokemon to whom her entire lifespan was probably just a blink of the eye?

Selene's eyes fell to her feet as she submissively dropped her hands to rest in front of her, overcome with fear. Just the memory of those pupils - unreal, inhuman, unyielding - made the girl feel so insignificant, unworthy, helpless. Just one wrong move and she could be dead before her brain could even process it.

Without warning, Tapu Koko snatched her hands in a hard, bony grip, and the girl felt her entire body stop. Her limbs were unwilling to move as Tapu Koko lightly tugged her its way. Why the guardian deity wasn't using force was beyond her, but when a wave of gasps rolled through the crowd, Selene became more preoccupied with how her stomach lurched as though she had been caught in an actual wave. Desperate for even the smallest bit of comfort, Selene's eyes searched for her mother's flip flops, afraid to look up should that be a cultural taboo.

Why is this happening to me?

Tapu Koko let out a bone-chilling rattle that shook the air, and before anyone could say or do anything, it released her hands, leaving behind deep red indentations that stung horribly. As Selene bit back a pained hiss, she was overcome with a sense of weightlessness, the pokemon swooping down to pick her up into its arms instead.

Selene felt herself go rigid, her heart beating helplessly beneath a frozen cage of bones. Her head shook uncontrollably as the muscles in her neck tensed up, an invisible pressure pushing against her skull from all sides. The girl thought of bones crackling like wood in flame, of blood smearing against skin like thick paint, of a life ended as casually as plucking a flower from its stem.

Don't look up, Selene. Don't look up.

But Selene could feel her body working against her, her neck slowly turning upwards against its will. The girl forced her eyes shut, her face scrunched together to hold her eyelids in place as the blood beneath pulsed in time with the electricity that radiated off of Tapu Koko in invisible waves.

After what felt like an eternity of her holding her breath, Selene felt herself be set down on her feet, the Guardian placing her upon the ceremonial wooden platform where Hau had been chosen by his popplio the night before.

Selene shivered as the insidious whispers crept into her ear once more. Childishly, she wondered if she can pretend to pass out, just so that she could be free from this situation that she wanted nothing to do with. But every inch of her seemed to be screaming, as if her body had gotten a mind of its own and was refusing to let her run away any longer. Her joints felt like they should have given out the way they trembled, yet she here remained, precariously standing like a tower of cards.

She dared a look over where the people she knew were, even as a crowd began to trickle into the plaza around the platform. All heads turned towards Hala, who had come to a stop just before the stairs leading up to the platform. The Kahuna thoughtfully regarded Tapu Koko, the pokemon not taking its eyes off the man it had worthy of the title decades ago. Slowly and deliberately, the Guardian drifted to the center of the platform before shooting up in the air above that point.

Hala angled his head so he could squint up at the Island Guardian bathed in sunlight, going silent for a moment before he let out a short but hearty laugh.

"It seems as though Tapu Koko would like young Selene specifically to offer it a battle."

The man shot Selene a big, encouraging smile, and like that, Iki Town let out an exhale full of incessant chatter and excited whispers that made the girl squirm from where she stood unworthily above everyone else. Where she had no choice but to take everything in without betraying a single emotion.

What the hell. WHAT THE HELL.

She, the not-even-a-pokemon-trainer, was supposed to provide a battle worthy of a Legendary Pokemon? Who was she supposed to battle? What would happen if what she offered was not deemed good enough?

She… she was going to be publicly humiliated…

All because…

All because she had given into a pride she didn't really have in the first. All because she had felt resentment towards a boy who had meant no harm. All because an act of goodwill had sparked a reaction out of spite.

"Has the Guardian ever wanted repayment for something like this?"

Stop.

"The last time the guardian supposedly appeared before people was back when - oh my! - was when the Kahuna took his son with him to visit the Ruins of Conflict!"

Please stop.

"I don't think Tapu Koko has ever been so… close to a human before. This puts the Kahuna's relationship with the guardian to shame."

Shut up.

"That girl… she's not a native-born Alolan, right? Her mother had a really strong Kantoan accent -"

Shut up, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP -

"Well, a battle needs two trainers, right?" Hau's voice rung out, loud and pure amidst the gossip-filled din.

Selene looked over in disbelief at the young boy, who did not cower as everyone's heads turned towards him. He let out a sheepishly big grin, one that actually managed to soothe the anxiety that had seized her whole. And just like that, suddenly, Hau was the one in, no, sharing the spotlight with her, drawing away much of the attention as whispers about the Kahuna and scandals and a father long gone went here and there.

A twinge of guilt struck the girl. So Hau had lost his father too.

It made the girl feel a little more ashamed for holding a grudge against the boy, a kid who was just… good all around. Selene found herself overcome with gratefulness, and for a moment, she thought she was going to cry.

No, don't, she told herself. Not in front of everyone. You'll just attract attention again, except this time, it's guaranteed to be bad.

You are not a victim of unfortunate circumstance here. You have been chosen by a legendary pokemon.

Do not anger it.

The younger boy excitedly jogged over and up the platform, the crowd parting for the boy. The way they regarded him with reverence almost made the girl shiver. How unnerving. Unbothered by the attention, Hau gave her a huge thumbs up and a wide grin, coaxing out Selene's first genuine smile since the news about Tapu Koko had broken. She nodded once in acknowledgment but gave in with a smile after seeing the delighted look on Hau's face.

Then, everyone grew silent.

Tapu Koko drifted down to circle around the Kahuna's grandson, the air growing heavy and crackling with electricity. Hau managed to keep a smile on his face even as the Guardian narrowed its eyes at the boy and made a show of nudging him around. Hau stumbled a few steps in random directions as Tapu Koko prodded him, sparks flying wherever it made contact.

Nervously, Selene's eyes searched for any telltale sign of that horrible column of light from before. Surely Tapu Koko wouldn't kill him here on the spot, right? Even if she did catch onto what the Guardian planned on doing…

Then again, what could she or anyone hope to do if that was what the pokemon willed?

Selene found herself tensing up again, thinking of smoking feathers and a faint burning scent.

Don't hurt him, Selene pleaded silently. Please, if anyone, anything is listening, please -

Its eyes.

Arceus, those eyes.

From over Hau's shoulder, for just a second, Tapu Koko snatched her gaze, forcing her to look right at it. Its pupils were the sky in its entirety - twilight, sunset, noon, daybreak, and everything in between, and the sight unsettled Selene, who was more used to looking down at the ground and the shadows cast by the light from above.

After a minute-long inspection that lasted forever to Selene, Tapu Koko seemed to accept the volunteer, nodding once before letting out a sharp cry.

Thank Arceus, Selene thought tiredly, letting out a breath she hadn't known she'd be holding. A cheer rang through the crowd, a tremor that seemed to shake the platform they stood on.

Shooting back up into the air, Tapu Koko let out a powerful roar, tendrils of electricity shoot from its body in wide arcs, plunging down and around the platform. Selene stiffened, feeling a tingle of lightning on the back of her neck as she realized what the Guardian had created - a cage. Fearfully, the girl took the tiniest of steps forward, imagining herself dying a pathetic yet violent death should she be clumsy enough to trip and fall back through the electric barrier.

"Why, this...!" Hala said excitedly, a tone that did nothing to ease Selene's growing state of panic. Surely, this was dangerous, right? "It seems that Tapu Koko would like our youths to offer it a traditional sumo-style match!"

A powerful cheer rang through the crowd, charging the area with so much energy that Selene stumbled forward another step.

What the hell. What the hell!? The girl thought in disbelief. How can everyone be okay with this?

Desperately, Selene turned her head, searching for the comfort of her mother's face. Her mother shot her a gentle, encouraging smile, but the girl's gaze was immediately drawn to how her mother's hands were weaved together, fingers squeezing each other so tightly that Selene could see the woman's arms tremble. Following the length of her mother's arm, the girl found a hand bearing a simple ring clasping the woman's shoulder, and it was like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water on Selene.

The professor -

"I, Kahuna of Melemele, am honored to act as a referee for a battle of offering to our guardian deity Tapu Koko!" Hala boomed, his voice carrying superbly over the audible buzz of Tapu Koko's electric cage. Started, Selene immediately turned her head back to face Hau.

"The rules are as follows: two pokemon per trainer, switching will be prohibited, and a round will end when pokemon faints or is thrown out of the arena! Hau, Selene - do you understand?"

"Yes!" the two shouted in unison.

Hau shot her a wide grin. Gods, how could someone so young be so brave? "Let's do our best, Selene!"

"Same to you," the girl responded, already going for a pokeball with one hand.

"Now..." Hala said slowly, letting the tension build until it reached a point of no return. "Let us begin!"

In the time it took the two children to throw their pokeballs and release their pokemon, Selene realized three things.

First, there was no need to go to the trouble of rendering the other pokemon unable to battle. Not when the fastest way to victory was to force the opponent out of the arena.

Secondly, this was the first time she would be seriously battling against another trainer. Shit.

And finally, even from where Selene stood so far beneath the Guardian, the girl swore the pokemon had narrowed its eyes at her, as if threatening her to win… or else. The thought almost reduced Selene to tears, and she repeated to herself that she was only seeing things, clinging to the mantra for the sake of her nerves.

Liechi clicked its mandibles readily as its opponent materialized before it, small and yellow. Selene immediately recognized the pokemon as a pichu, the sight almost making Selene snort out loud. To think the Kantoan immigrant was the one using an Alolan pokemon while the grandson of the Kahuna had a pokemon best known as the baby form of the quintessential Kantoan pokemon, pikachu. How ironic.

"Pipi!" Hau shouted. "Keep away from Grubbin and use Thundershock!"

The pichu dashed towards Liechi, firing small bursts of electricity from its cheeks. The thin arcs of electricity seemed to skip across the platform, and while her grubbin did its best to move out of the way, the sheer volume of attacks was more than the bug pokemon could hope to avoid with its mediocre agility.

Though Liechi did not seem particularly bothered by the individual attacks, Selene knew better, gritting her teeth in frustration.

What a horrible match up.

What the pichu lacked in firepower, it would make that difference negligible so long as it kept its distance and remained outside of Liechi's attacking range. And with the pichu's superior mobility and reaction time, it was clear Hau was probably planning on whittling Liechi down until the grubbin fainted.

The girl's eyes swept over the battlefield, searching for something she could work with to turn the tables. Dammit, her grubbin didn't even have the option of using Dig on this platform, and she couldn't even order the pokemon to try and hide underneath it because leaving Tapu Koko's field would count as a loss.

"String Shot, Liechi!" the girl commanded, not wanting to leave her pokemon hanging. "And don't stop unless you need a breather!"

The grubbin fired a thick line of silk, wildly swinging its body to follow its opponent. The pichu let out a surprised squeak as it narrowly hopped over the sticky material, sprinting towards the edge of the platform to increase the distance between the two pokemon. By the time, the pichu had reached the edge of the wooden platform, Liechi's String Shot was now missing by a laughably large margin.

And all this time, Selene thought in frustration, Hau's pichu has managed to sneak in countless Thundershocks. Dammit, Selene, focus on figuring out a counterattack while Liechi buys you precious time!

Hau cheered, pumping a fist into the air. "You're doing a great job, Pipi!" The crowd joined in alongside the boy, and the sound drew forth a resentment in Selene that tasted like bile and smelled like blood. The girl suddenly thought of an audience rooting for the hero to finish the villain once and for all.

Focus, focus! Think of Liechi, who needs you right now.

Right. Liechi.

The grubbin had paused the attack to catch its breath, clicking its mandibles impatiently as it eyed its opponent. Selene could tell that that Liechi was starting to be worn down from trying to evade the barrage of Thundershocks from how it seemed to heave with each breath.

"Aim where Pichu will be!" Selene offered, feeling pressured to say something.

Liechi paused for a moment as if it hadn't heard its trainer correctly, before resuming its spew of silk, aiming ahead of the pichu's path.

The tiny pokemon let out a squeak of surprise, narrowly dodging the attack with a twist into the air. The pichu then ungracefully landed face-first on the wooden platform, though it managed to throw itself out of the way from the continued Sting Shot and clumsily break back into a sprint.

How cute, Selene thought amusedly. Just like back on Mr. Fuji's -

Of course! That's how we can take this round!

"Keep going!" the girl shouted to Liechi. "Trust me - you're almost there!"

The crowd let out low murmurs, confused as to why she would insist on doing a strategy that seemed to not be working. A flash of panic shot across Hau's face, eyes looking from Liechi to his pichu in an attempt to figure out what the girl was planning. Quickly, he shook his head, doing his best to regain his composure.

"All right, Pipi! I don't know what Selene's planning, but make sure you stay away from Grubbin!"

The mouse pokemon let out a cry of assent, sticking close to the edge of the platform as Liechi slowly found itself centering itself upon the stage, trying to adjust the timing of its attack by firing from a consistent distance. The pichu continued to display impressive acrobatics as it flipped over, through, and beneath the flying lines of silk.

The crowd, judging from the murmurs, seemed to be of the opinion that Hau was still in the lead, and perhaps it looked that way, but -

Selene was grateful that Liechi had trusted her enough to follow her order, as strange as it sounded. The trap had been set.

This time, as the pichu landed, the platform was now caked with such a thick layer of silk that as the pokemon moved to jump upwards, its foot caught on a thick strand. With a shriek, the pichu tripped facefirst onto the silk-covered platform, letting out little squeals as it entangled itself in the string. However, the more it struggled, the more it became trapped in the material.

"Wow! You sure are patient, Selene!" Hau whistled in admiration. "Cool plan, but Pipi and I can get through this!"

Selene did her best to hold back the urge to grin. Plans were about more than just the immediate situation. After all, this battle would be at least two rounds long, and thus, it would be important to think ahead as well. Even if a pokemon wasn't actually in battle, their previous efforts were always instrumental in leading up to the current moment.

If Liechi somehow lost this round, the stage was already set for Watmel to handle the rest. After all, neither Pichu or Popplio could fly, and by now the entire platform was covered in a respectably thick mess of silk.

Even in defeat, Liechi will do her part, Selene thought triumphantly. Not that I'm going to settle for defeat.

Hau raised a hand and pointed at her grubbin. "Pipi, let's finish this with Volt Tackle!"

Volt Tackle? Even better! Selene mentally cackled.

As the pichu began to build up electricity for the attack, the stray sparks slowly cut through the silk that had it trapped. The crowd cheered louder and louder, excited for what appeared to be the end of the round.

The little mouse pokemon enveloped itself all the energy it could muster, and with a determined cry, the pichu jumped to charge at its opponent.

Selene smiled. There it was, the opportunity to turn things around.

"Liechi, Electroweb!"

With its mandibles, the grubbin clamped down on the silk facing the pichu, charging it with electricity. The foreign current jumped with ease across the grubbin's conducive silk, crossing the distance between the pokemon in a blink of an eye.

The voltage overwhelmed the mouse pokemon, scaring it so badly that it lost its focus and sent all of its stored electricity flying in random directions. Panicked, the pichu jumped backward into Tapu Koko's electric barrier, letting out a pained shriek as it crashed into the much stronger current of energy. All the nearby voltage seemed to concentrate on the pokemon as if it was a foreign, unwelcome object, but the pokemon ended up dropping back onto the platform, the pichu shivering from the shock.

Huh, Selene dimly thought. She had thought that would have done the trick.

But no matter.

For a split second, Selene saw unfiltered surprise flicker across Hau's face, his smile dropping for a moment, but he shook his head and began to speak. "Pipi, use -"

"Toss Pichu out of the arena!" the girl shouted, startling and cutting her opponent off. With a nod of its body, the grubbin fired a String Shot that attached to the writhing pichu, reeling it in as fast as it could.

Futilely, Hau ordered his pichu to use Thundershock once more, but the pokemon struggled to concentrate enough energy to fire off an attack, much of the electricity dispersing into the air as tiny sparks. The weak bolts of electricity that it did manage to create went off in wildly random directions, fizzling out before they could get anywhere near Liechi.

"But how?" Hau sputtered. Closing his eyes, he shook his head and schooled his face into a more determined expression. "Pipi! Just give me your best effort!"

The crowd too seemed equally confused, and feeling a momentary burst of pride, Selene spoke up.

"Hey, Hau!" the girl shouted, making sure to speak over the sounds of his pichu's struggling. "Pichu are classified as baby pokemon for a reason!"

The boy's brow furrowed for a moment, troubled. Then, it hit him. His eyes were widening. His mouth went slightly open without him realizing it. His cheeks flushed lightly.

Too late.

Liechi finished reeling the pichu in, the mouse pokemon now clamped tightly in its jaws with a powerful Vice Grip. The electric mouse squirmed and tried to discharge electricity to no avail, letting out a cry as the grubbin flung it out towards the electric barrier with one powerful motion.

This time, thanks to the force of the throw, the electric mouse instead went flying through the field, landing somewhere in the crowd as the onlookers roared with glee at the rapid turnaround.

Selene felt her face go red, but for an entirely different reason than she was used to. When was the last time she had felt so proud of something she'd done herself? When had there been so many people cheering her on for it?

You deserve this victory, she told herself. You managed a great strategy there.

Thankfully, Selene probably knew pichu better than the boy himself did. Though the girl hadn't ever owned a pichu, back at Mr. Fuji's home, she had experience working with one.

Baby pokemon, she had learned in both theory and application, were species of pokemon that were distinguished by their limited developmental growth. This meant that reaching full maturity did not provide these species with full or effective use of the basic skills that would help them in battle. As a result, these pokemon were typically poor battlers, held back by their inherent physical limitations.

Thus, species of pokemon classified under this category were most common in areas of the wild where their parent species or other benevolent species inhabited, relying on their presence because they were unable to defend themselves on their own.

Pichu, for instance, lacked the ability to effectively and efficiently control their electricity. At times, they even struggled to carry electric in their pouches without it leaking. Selene had learned the hard way that foreign currents would terrify a pichu, disrupting its ability to concentrate and hampering its already poor handling of its own power. On top of the usual crying, the pokemon could short out or continually discharge, both of which would only upset the pokemon even more. As a result, pichu were best raised away from other electric pokemon, lest they continually scare each other.

Selene had capitalized on these traits, putting her knowledge to excellent use.

"First round goes to young Selene!" Hala bellowed over the din. "She will go into the next round with Grubbin while Hau sends out his second pokemon!"

Selene looked down Liechi, who had turned a bit to face its trainer, and managed to stop herself from grimacing. In spite of their victory, the grubbin seemed quite worn down, the steady stream of Pichu's electric attacks taking its toll.

"You did amazing, Liechi," Selene said gently, smiling as wide as she could for her pokemon. Her grubbin deserved all the praise in the world for not losing faith in her judgment. "Thank you. Now, let's keep it up, all right?"

The grubbin nodded eagerly, determined to win as it let out a stream of excited clicks. While the sight almost drowned the girl in the affection she felt for the pokemon she had only gotten last night, Selene knew that it wouldn't do to get her expectations up. It wouldn't do to underestimate an opponent, much less one coming in fresh against her already tired pokemon.

This round was probably not going to go as well as the last one, given the fact Selene knew absolutely nothing about any native Alolan pokemon other than her own. And while Liechi did have a supereffective move to use against Hau's popplio, Selene understood that battles weren't as simple as rock, paper, scissors.

"Let's go, Marmar!"

With a blinding flash of light, Hau released his popplio with a dramatic throw. The seal pokemon landed on its tail, spreading its flippers outwards in a grand flourish. With a delighted cheer, Hau began to clap for his pokemon, the crowd joining him when the popplio bowed in response.

Selene felt her stomach lurch, finally remembering that she was under the scrutiny of so many eyes. During the round, it was easy to get caught up in what was happening in front of her or in her head, trying to devise a plan of attack. The crowd was just that - a crowd. A single entity that could be pushed to the back of her mind as unimportant to the grand scheme of the battle itself.

But now, in this short interlude, she had become so conscious of their presence. Each and every one of them could be focused on her, scrutinizing her in even the most casual of manners, and she wouldn't be able to fix any mistakes before they were filed away in someone's mind, out of her reach.

Shit. Did she remember to smile? Was her posture okay? Oh god, her mother and the professor -

No. Selene, focus on the battle in front of you. Any and every detail can help you end the match a second sooner.

Almost immediately, the girl's eyes caught on the way the popplio grimaced in discomfort upon lying itself down upon the layer of now electrified silk, propping itself up higher off the platform.

All right, that was a start. It would help even the playing field, and now that Selene observed the opponent pokemon more closely, the popplio appeared like it would be far less agile than a pichu. Maybe things could be wrapped up soon if she was a quick thinker.

"Round two begins now!" Hala bellowed, and with that, Selene restricted her focus to everything on the platform with her.

"Liechi, go in for a Bite!"

"Marmar, Baby-Doll Eyes!"

Baby-Doll Eyes? The girl repeated incredulously in her head. What the hell was that move?

The moment Selene saw the popplio's eyes grow big and watery, the girl realized the move was probably similar to Fake Tears in distracting the opponent in preying on the protective instincts most pokemon were born with. She opened her mouth to warn her pokemon, but the grubbin had already made eye contact. Entranced by the move, Liechi came to a complete halt.

"Go!" Hau shouted, cupping his hands together.

Selene couldn't believe her eyes. An enormous water bubble formed from the popplio's nose, floating into the air. With a powerful leap, Hau's popplio twirled into the water bubble, while forming more to quickly fill up the enclosed space.

What the hell!?

"Liechi, focus!" Selene said, scrambling to wrap her head around what had happened so that she could move to figuring out how to retaliate. Hau's popplio was now safely swimming in the uppermost bubbles, far out of Liechi's reach.

With a violent shudder, the grubbin snapped out of its daze, looking up at the floating orbs of water with as much confusion as its trainer.

"Marmar, Bubble!"

A barrage of Bubble attacks went crashing down on the platform, and where they landed, the resulting sprays conducted the electricity still left in the silk, severely hurting her grubbin.

Shit! How was I supposed to see this coming? Damn it, you wasted your chance! Selene, say something!

Say something, damn it!

"Electroweb!" Selene managed to get out, having no plan other than to go for the supereffective move.

This time, Liechi had to charge up the attack, which gave the opponent popplio an opening to fire a few more Bubbles at it. The grubbin fired an electrified web upwards, the attack crashing through the first few layers of bubbles before it faced enough resistance from the orbs of water and gravity to go plunging back down onto the platform.

With a shocked cry and nowhere to run, Liechi was trapped under its own attack, taking the full brunt of the voltage with violent writhing.

How ironic, Selene thought, having resigned herself to the situation she had put her pokemon in. Just like Hau's pichu.

When the electricity seemed to finally calm down, Liechi had yet to move from its spot, and like a tidal wave, Selene felt the air, the platform, the world shaking as the crowd roared with glee, the crescendo reaching through her skin and bones to grasp her organs firmly.

Look at that.

In the corner of Selene's eyes, she could make out the proud smile on Hala's face as he spoke, the words falling upon deaf ears.

It took you only minutes to bungle your lead up.

Hau shot a proud thumbs up to his popplio.

You're not actually good at this, idiot. Why were you getting so proud last round when all you did was rely on niche and extremely situational knowledge?

Liechi, where it still lay on the ceremonial platform, disappeared in a flash as Selene felt herself return the grubbin to its pokeball.

You told yourself you knew better than to think that mindlessly using supereffective moves would work in battle!

A hum at the back of her head, beckoning her to look up. Eyes as endless as the sky. Lightning and thunder that tasted like blood and steel.

Not all people have creative talent. It's okay if your imagination is a little lacking.

Selene refused to arch her head upwards, her gaze pointed down at her feet instead.

Give up already. You're not meant for stuff like this.

Her arm trembled, but as she went to ball her hand into a fist, it was stopped by something solid. Watmel's pokeball.

Right, Watmel.

Watmel, who had been given to her for the sake of helping out her slump. Watmel, who had always been by her side for as long as she had her. Watmel, who had looked at her tears and tried to wipe them away. Suddenly, she thought of the man who had brought them together, standing in the middle of the road, looking at her, bathed in the moonlight.

"What makes you say that? Don't you have faith in your pokemon?"

"I think you and Watmel have the potential to be great battlers, but I won't force you into doing anything that you don't want."

"Well, you never know. The battle isn't over until one party can't fight, whether that's by choice or not."

"Right," the girl breathed. Why did that memory seem so long ago? It was only yesterday. "Choice."

The word tasted of all the anger she had been trying to pretend didn't exist, that she had been disguising as grief, disgust, and self-pity. At the Guardian who had put her under this damned spotlight. At the awful children who had ruined her childhood in under than a day. At the man who had broken her heart -

No.

At the girl who repeatedly smashed her own heart to pieces, crying when she stepped on the shards she created herself.

Selene hurled the rowlet's pokeball into the air, the motion a challenge to her urge to give up on herself as soon as she ran into anything resembling a difficulty, much less a failure.

It's not over. Not yet. As long as I'm given a second, third, fourth chance -

I'll take it, even if I don't deserve it.

"Round three, begin!"

The road to getting better is not supposed to be beautiful.


Hau and Selene's battle based around details given the pokedex entries in the games, so I took creative liberties there. For the sake of my sanity, I won't be nicknaming all the characters' pokemon, just Hau, Selene, and later, Gladion's. Feel free to pretend the rest have their own cute names though.

You're also probably noticing the... interesting role that Tapu Koko is playing in this story, and well, let's just say that it's nothing like what happens in the games. I've made some drastic changes to how certain elements are portrayed in this novelization, the other big one being Team Skull.

The Guardian Deities are treated as the highest authority in Alola. The Tapus are exceptionally strong, and the people of Alola revere and do not question their power. The names of their ruins hints at what they were said to preside over - Conflict (Melemele), Abundance (Ula'ula), Life (Akala), and Hope (Poni). As for what they aim to do... let's just say they don't adhere to human expectations.