Author's Note: This is my second story that has hit one hundred thousand words! And I've only done one and a half of the anime episodes so this story is far from over. Thanks for all the follows/favorites and reviews! They are what keep me motivated to continue this story. This chapter will feature a couple of flashbacks and is more serious than the previous lighthearted chapters so be ready for all of that. Also I lied, this chapter isn't the fireworks festival, it'll be the next one. I originally did mean for the festival to be here but it never happened. Instead, I decided to give Lana and Mallow the spotlight. It's more so showing the development of their character because of Sun's inclusion. They barely get any development in the anime so I thought I'd change that. This will go for Kiawe and Sophocles , too in future chapters. One last thing, I done did it again. I got Moon out of the picture only because I made her mean but then Lana came along. Now Lana and Lillie are in my head on who Sun should be with. Enough of my rambling, enjoy the chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. That is all.
xxxxx
Sun began to stir from his slumber. He let out a yawn and tried to rub his eyes with his hands. He could only lift up one but struggled to do the same with his left.
"Hrng!" He could hear someone growl on his left side before he felt something tug his arm painfully.
"Ow!" Sun yelped, instinctively attempting to retract his left arm in pain.
"Hrng!" The pain further increased, making Sun want to get out of there to make it stop. He tilted his head to see what was causing the excruciating pain. His question was answered when he saw Moon laying beside him, now fully awake too.
"Stay…" She snarled in a sinister tone. Her eyes turned red to add to her already frightening presence. To add to this, Moon yanked his arm to the point that he felt it almost come out of its socket.
Sun frantically nodded his head. The red in her eyes vanished and the heavy scowl on her face turned into an innocent smile, as if nothing happened. She affectionately nuzzled his arm, sprouting the familiar trio of hearts beside her face. Her eyes closed, indicating that she had fallen asleep again.
"Why me?" Sun whimpered, staring at the window tearfully. He could hear someone knocking on the front door but ignored it. The lingering pain was getting to him. To pass the time until Moon would wake up, Sun watched the floating hearts circle above the two.
Meanwhile, the already grumpy Lana opened her door. The door was knocking and her mother asked her to open it since she was tending to the twins. As for Lana, the reason for her grumpiness led to one girl, and her name was Moon.
She cringed when she thought about the fight that took place yesterday.
Yesterday afternoon...
It was noon, Lana had just finished reading through her whole diary, trying to see if she had any more embarrassing secrets that she wrote in there.
She had a ton.
Lana threw her diary at the wall. The heat radiating from her face was growing. Not of embarrassment, but of anger. Everyone assumed that she never got angry because she was shy. That wasn't true, everyone had their limits and Lana just reached hers.
The blue haired girl got up from the couch and marched over to her room, knowing that Moon was still sleeping.
"Moon!" Lana shouted, opening her door harshly. Seeing that she was still asleep, Lana resorted into using a technique that she used in her a few days ago.
"Owie!" Moon cried out, a stinging pain on her cheek. Her eyes narrowed at Lana as she placed a hand over her cheek. Since Sun wasn't in the house, Moon could finally let it all out.
"What do you want?" Moon hissed, shades of her temper when she first arrived in Alola flaring up.
"Y-you… read my diary!" Lana fumed. "You read it when I wasn't in the house. That was a complete invasion of my privacy! How could you do that!?" Her eye twitched when Moon carelessly shrugged.
"I got bored," She answered lazily. "Now how about you leave and let me continue sleeping."
"This is my room!" Lana said angrily. "Don't act like this isn't a big deal. You read my diary! One of the things I can tell anything to. But now you read it and even gave it to Harper and Sarah. I want an apology now!" She demanded.
Moon furrowed her eyebrows. "Apologize? For What?" She didn't let Lana speak. "For reading about your little crush on Sun?" Moon dropped the nickname for the boy.
Lana lost her tough demeanor since Moon just proved her theories correct. She knew about her biggest secret that she wanted to keep hidden.
Moon didn't stop there. "That's right. I know about your stupid crush on Sun. And I'm going to tell you right now." Moon got up from the bed and stood in front of Lana. "Don't get in the way. Sun. Is. Mine!" Moon declared, pressing her forehead against Lana's aggressively.
"W-why are you being so mean?" Lana asked softly. "I-I thought we could be friends."
"Friends!?" Moon sputtered. "Please! If Sun wasn't here then I would've been gone from here the minute that I arrived. The only friend I need is Sun, plain and simple." Moon's eyes turned into hearts. "And then one day, we'll be more than just friends! I can see it now, Sun and I will get married as soon as we come of age. We'll settle down in Vermilion City and have two kids, one boy and one girl. I've already picked out the names, Sol and Luna!" She cooed, hugging herself and closing her eyes.
"B-but Sun might like someone else," Lana responded, shattering Moon's vision. "He did go out with Acerola before. I saw them hanging out near the shopping mall in Iki Town." Unfortunately for Lana, she chose the wrong words to say to Moon.
"If I was in his life before, he wouldn't have ever gone out with this Acerola chick I keep hearing about!" Moon snapped. "Besides, who else would Sun like? You? Don't get me started." She arrogantly tilted her head up, appalled by the mere idea. "You'd never even try anything forward with Sun. Unlike me, I've actually been making it clear to Sun how much I like him," She boasted, patting herself on her chest proudly.
"Right…" Lana muttered, causing Moon to explode.
"Pipe down, why don't you? And don't even try to deny it. You'll never be as confident as me. I mean, this is coming from the girl who gets flustered by a boy touching her arm."
Lana gulped, "I-I don't know what you're-"
"Don't play coy." Moon picked up her cell phone from underneath her pillow. "I'm pretty but that doesn't mean I'm not smart. I just so happen to have a couple of entries from that silly diary of yours. This one dates back to nearly five years ago! So you two met when Sun was six, I presume?" She didn't wait for Lana to respond. "Meh, that's the past. The present is what's important. But this is some pretty juicy stuff. Let me read it."
Moon smirked and began reading from her phone. "Today's been one of the most greatest days in my life. I made two friends today. There's this girl who's dad runs Aina's Kitchen and her name is Mallow. And then there's this really nice boy who helped me and Mallow out. His name is Sun. I wonder if we can spend more time together. All three of us." Moon began to burst into laughter. "This is rich! But wait! There's more!"
"Please stop…"
"Ahem." Moon cleared her throat. "Earlier today, Sun and I were out fishing by my house and we were accidentally touching elbows! I couldn't move a muscle and I don't think he noticed it because we stayed like that for the rest of the day. We didn't catch anything today, but Sun did catch something, and that's my…" Moon's face scrunched up in disgust. "Seriously? Ugh, that's so cheesy."
"What are you trying to prove? Haven't you embarrassed me enough?" Lana was staring at the floor, not daring to meet Moon's eyes.
"Sure I have," Moon answered nonchalantly. "But this ought to teach you a lesson on being careful on who to have your eyes set on. There's way more where that's coming from. Like this." Lana could only stand and watch as Moon was reading her life out loud. She wanted to desperately stand up to her but found her legs unable to move.
Regardless, Moon continued, "Sun's done something awful today. I found out that he's joined forces with Team Skull. I don't think I can ever forgive him for this. After all that we've been through, he goes and stabs all of us in the back. I don't want to tell Harper and Sarah about it, it'll break their hearts as much as it did to me. I thought we had this special connection but I guess he doesn't feel the same way. Even if he did do all of this, I don't think my feelings for him will go away anytime soon," Moon finished reading with a frown on her face.
Lana's face burned redder each second. This was one of the main reasons she wanted to keep her diary hidden. If Sun were to find it… Lana would hide in her house all day.
Moon's frown switched into a menacing grin. "You know, I have Sun's number. I wonder what he would say if I were to send these pictures to him." Like Moon planned, Lana started to freak out.
"N-no!!!" Lana shrieked. "If you do then I'll never be able to show my face in public again! Sun will tell everyone!"
"That's the plan. With you out of the picture, I'll have Sun all to myself," She chuckled dryly. "Now… which picture should I send. I know! How about all of them!" Moon cackled evilly and began to insert every picture of Lana's diary in the message.
"Stop!" Feeling a boost of confidence surging within her, Lana sprung into action and grabbed hold of Moon's phone.
"Hey! Let go!" Moon and Lana had a tug-of-war going on with a phone. Lana found herself being overpowered and was losing her grip. Tears started to brim at the corners of her eyes. The possibility of her biggest secret coming out without her consult.
"Hiyah!" Moon won the battle and yanked her phone from Lana's grasp. Unfortunately for Moon, the power of her yank was too much for her to handle and she accidentally let her phone fly from her hands. The two girls watched as the phone soared through the air and landed with a splash on the small pool of water that Lana let's her Popplio swim in.
"Phew." Lana sighed in relief. All evidence of her secret was gone. Now all Lana had to do is safely secure her diary better.
"My phone!" Moon cried out, seeing her device fry up underwater. "Why you…" She faced Lana with a furious expression on her face.
Just then, the door opened and Lana's mother came in.
"What's going on in here? I can hear you two yelling from the kitchen." Lana hurried over to her mother and hugged her body.
"I don't want Moon in my room anymore! Kick her out of this house!" Lana sobbed quietly on her mother's side.
"Whatever. I hate this room anyway. I'll just go bunk with my Sun." Picking up her bag, Moon stormed out of the room.
"There there." Lana's mother patted her daughter's back comfortably. "I'll go have a talk with Sun and Moon. We can't kick Moon out you know."
"Why not?"
"If we do, I don't think Sun would appreciate that so much. He'd probably go with her too. You wouldn't want Sun to leave, would you now?"
"No…" Lana answered sadly, knowing that that could most likely happen.
Lana's mother smiled and ruffled her daughter's hair. "Cheer up, dear. I'm sure whatever you two were fighting about wasn't that bad." She left Lana to her own thoughts.
"You have no idea…"
Present
Lana could feel the heat rush to her face because of the cause of the fight. It was all because of her secret crush on a boy and his name just so happened to rhyme with fun.
It just sort of happened. She couldn't recall when. They didn't spend so much time together when they got older but that was a different story when they were younger. The trio of Sun, Mallow, and her would be seen hanging out with each other every day.
Mallow would mention how she broke Sun out of his shell and that she would do the same to Lana. To Lana's amusement, it wasn't Mallow who faded away her shyness.
It was Sun.
Maybe that was why she admired him so much. He was there when Lana fought off the Team Skull members from her soon-to-be partner, Popplio. Lana vividly remembered the day that they first fully met.
Flashback
It all began on a bright sunny day…
Lana was sitting on the outside of Aina's Kitchen. Her mother was in the restaurant helping out the owner of it. So while she waited for her mother to finish, Lana sat on the grass and pulled some of the green strands out.
This was normal for Lana. She didn't have any friends due to her shy nature. Occasionally her mother would take her to the park so she could interact with the other kids her age. But Lana ended up playing with the sand in the sandbox alone.
One kid caught her eye. There was this boy with long black hair that one time came over to play in the sandbox too. They were minding each other's business. Well, the boy mostly was. Lana curiously watched the boy, not knowing if she should say anything. She didn't notice him call out to her until he playfully tossed a handful of sand in her pail.
He asked if he could borrow her shovel since he forgot his. Lana nervously handed him her shovel. The boy smiled warmly at her, making Lana not want to look up until he left. From that day on, the blue haired girl watched the boy with keen interest. The thought of introducing herself to him came in her mind at times but they were quickly dismissed since Lana believed that he wouldn't have cared. Her low self-esteem was one of the major roadblocks in making friends.
A Mudray was in front of her. It wasn't doing much, just waiting for Lana's mother to come back too. It resorted into poking its mouth in the dirt, making a small hole.
"What are you doing?" A voice said, startling Lana in the process. She tilted her head up to see a green haired girl about her age. She wore a pink shirt, white shorts, and mint green overalls. She had her hands on the railings bars, staring at her with a wide smile.
"What are you doing?" The girl repeated. Lana couldn't find the words to respond, sputtering up some random words.
"Yo," Another voice said. A boy was sitting on top of the railing with a calm smile on his face. This was the same boy that she met in the playground before. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt with a picture of a Ninetales on it and black cargo shorts. On his head was a black cap with a blue outline on the edges. It had a poké ball like symbol on it.
Seeing him made Lana even more unresponsive. Noticing this, the green haired girl got up from her crouching position and skipped down the stairs. She stood beside Lana, slightly bended down and stretched out her hand.
"I'm Mallow, from Aina's Kitchen! Nice to meet you! Who are you?" Mallow introduced herself cheerfully. The boy made his way down the stairs too and came closer to the shy girl.
"And I'm Sun. Like the sun in the sky! We met before but we didn't talk. What's your name?" Sun asked, annoying Mallow. What Lana didn't know at the time was that the two were in an argument.
"Hey! I asked her first!" Mallow said to Sun.
"And I asked her second. What's your point, green?" Sun shrugged, brushing Mallow off.
Mallow pouted and stomped her foot to the ground childishly. "I told you I hate that nickname!"
"I know, green."
"Stop it! How would you like it if I call you a dumb big star?!" Mallow crossed her arms, glaring slightly at Sun.
"I wouldn't like that at all!"
"L-lana," Lana said quietly. This caused the two bickering kids to stop and face her. Mallow grinned and grabbed Lana's sleeve.
"Let's go!" Mallow dragged her up and was about to take off.
"Hold it!" Sun gripped Lana's other sleeve. "Where are you going with my new best friend?"
"Best friend?" Lana whispered to herself, feeling a warm feeling in her chest.
"And when did she become your new best friend!?" Mallow screeched.
"When my old one got on my nerves and splattered flour all over my face!" Sun retorted, stunning Mallow long enough for her to lose her grip on Lana's sleeve. "Come on Lana, my new best friend. I know the perfect spot to take you."
Lana blushed, not used to having a boy so close to her.
"She's my new best friend! I invited her first!"
"I met her first so that means I known her the longest. You're a complete stranger to her so she'll be going with me." Sun clasped his hand over Lana's to ensure her position with him. He unknowingly caused Lana to have a tingly shock go through her hand.
"No! She's with me!" Mallow grabbed Lana's other hand and the two started to pull on each side of Lana. The blue haired girl could only suffer the wrath of the two as she was pulled left and right.
"Kids? What's going on over there?" Abe called out. Sun and Mallow stopped their fighting and smiled innocently at the restaurant owner. They both looked at each other and grinned madly.
"Dad, we're going to go play with Lana!" Mallow replied back to her father, hooking her arm around Lana's left arm with Sun doing the same with her right.
"And then we're going to take over the world!" Sun added in.
"Sure!" Abe chuckled, knowing that Sun was joking around. Maybe. Well, he wasn't sure when it came with Sun most of the times.
"Don't go too far!" Lana's mother advised the three.
"Sure!" Sun and Mallow replied, giggling as they took Lana with them. The three were running for a few minutes.
"This way! This way!" Lana didn't know what was going on. She could only hope that she wasn't going to get hurt.
"Jump!" Before Lana could register what was said, she tripped and slid under a big log. She tried to squeeze her way out of there but found herself stuck.
"Lana!" Sun and Mallow knew the place well and hopped over the log. Seeing their new friend in danger, they both landed in front of her and each grabbed a hand.
"Pull!" The two started to pull with all their might so they could rescue their new friend. Lana could feel herself start to slide out of there, inch by inch until-
"Wah!" Lana popped out from under the log and crashed into someone.
"Yay! You're free!" Lana slowly pushed her hands up the unfamiliar surface and opened her eyes. She was met with the sight of Sun's pale blue eyes and his smiling face. Lana realized that their faces were a few inches apart.
"Ah!" Lana tumbled to the side. Her head was dizzy. She was breathing rapidly, her heart beating faster than it normally would. What was this new feeling?
"Come on!" Sun picked her back up. "We're not that far now!" With a yelp, Lana was forced to run along with her two new mischievous friends.
A few minutes later, they came at a stop near a bush that was covering the view in front of them.
"Here we are! This is our favorite spot!" Lana gasped, marveling the beautiful sight. There was a large patch of flowers everywhere. Trees surrounded the area and a bright shine of sunlight brought more life to their surroundings.
"Sit with us!" Lana, Mallow, and Sun sat on the soft comfortable flowers. Lana was admiring the view, not paying attention on what Sun and Mallow were doing.
"There! A bracelet!" Lana felt something around her wrist. She blinked, bringing in her wrist closer so she could examine the flower bracelet that Mallow gave her.
"Here's my gift!" Then, Lana could feel something being wrapped around her head. "A flower headband for your headband!" Lana patted her head and felt the small flowers brushing against her fingers. She was already wearing a yellow headband so it was weird having another flowery addition to it.
"Honestly, I didn't even notice that you already had that yellow headband on. If I did, I would've made you something else. And it's a bit too big," Sun admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "I hope you still like it."
"Sun's gifts are always the best!" Mallow chirped. "He gave me this." She pointed to the stem that was around her head. It had a pink flower that hasn't fully grown yet. It's been like that for a year, making Sun and Mallow wonder why it hasn't grown. It may have been due to the lack of soil. Who knows?
"It's lovely, Miss Aina's Kitchen and Big Star." Mallow and Sun exchanged glances before laughing.
"No, call me Mallow!" Mallow gave her an assuring smile.
"And call me Sun!" Lana looked to her left and saw Sun smile heartily at her.
Lana shifted her gaze between the two but set her eyes on the boy. "S-s-s…" Lana whole face shined a bright rosy red. Sun's smiling wasn't helping her either. The blue haired girl gave up and stared down at the flowers, beyond embarrassed.
Mallow and Sun looked on, worried for their new friend. The sound of wings buzzing filled their ears. The three kids turned their attention to the pokémon flying by and wandering off into a different direction.
"Wow. It's a Cutiefly!" Sun informed them, an awestruck gaze on his face.
"Let's chase it!" Mallow suggested. Sun nodded and the two got up.
"Come on, Lana!" Sun held out a hand to her with Mallow doing the same. Seeing no other option, Lana complied and took both of their hands.
"Onwards!" Mallow and Sun laughed happily as they chased the Cutiefly with Lana.
On the way, they didn't notice Lana crack a small smile.
Present
That day was one she'd never forget. After being alone for quite some time, she finally made some friends. Lana recalled the time when she and Mallow went back to the Grandpa Forest with their friend, Ash. When he asked about how they knew the place, Mallow told him what went down but completely cut Sun out of the story. It was a bit shocking, considering how he put himself on the line when an Abominable came aggressively. The pang of guilt was definitely there during Mallow's explanation.
"Coming!" Lana shouted to the person knocking on the door. She didn't realize that she spaced out for a while. She opened the door and was surprised to see who it was.
"Alola, Lana!" Ash Ketchum greeted his friend.
"Alola, Ash!" Lana smiled. "Not to be rude but what are you doing here in the morning?" She asked.
Ash was looking in through the doorway. "Sun's still staying with you, right?" Lana nodded. "Lillie's gathered all of us up and asked that you and Sun come with us too! It's for the fireworks festival today!" He said excitingly.
"Pika! Pika!" Pikachu cried out, equally ecstatic for the festival.
"Oh… well." Lana knew it'd be rude of her to make Ash go get Sun himself. "I'll go get him. Wait here please." She left Ash outside the house and walked towards the guest room.
'Calm down, Lana. Just because Moon is there doesn't mean you should worry. She's probably still sleeping.' Lana thought to herself. She wasn't looking forward to seeing Moon again after the whole incident, but she was going to have to get Sun.
"Sun?" Lana quietly opened the door and called out his name. Her heart dropped when she saw him. There he was, laying down on the mattress with her least favorite person. Moon was hugging Sun's arm, a gentle smile on her face as she slept soundly.
Sun's head perked up. "Lana! Great timing! I need you to help me-" Lana abruptly closed the door, cutting Sun from whatever he was going to say. She pressed her back against the door and skidded down to the floor.
Moon was right. She was making it very clear to Sun how much she liked him. She was being very forward, something that Lana could never accomplish. Maybe Moon was right, maybe she should just get over Sun. Her chances weren't even there to begin with.
Remembering that Ash was still waiting for her outside, Lana glumly got up and returned back to the front door.
"So is Sun coming out or…" Ash trailed off so Lana could answer his question.
"Yes! Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed. "I must question him some more!" Apparently, Rotom wasn't giving up on its investigation yet.
"Rotom!" Ash hushed the pokédex. He was aware that it was supposed to be a secret since Mallow and Rotom did their best to hide it from him. One look at Lana showed the she didn't care. Something was bugging her.
"What's wrong Lana?" Ash asked, genuinely concerned for his friend.
"Nothing," Lana mumbled, keeping her eyes down. "As for Sun, he's…" She stopped, her fists clenching up. If there was one thing that she'd always remember about Sun, it's the encouraging speech that he gave her.
'If you keep on letting people push you around, you'll never make any real life decisions on your own. If you want something then you have to try your hardest to get it. Be more assertive Lana! More independent! More tough! You can't be depending on me always being by your side, Lana. If you can do things on your own then I'm sure you'll be the brave confident girl you always want to be!'
Sun was right. If she wanted something then she'd have to work hard to get it. And she knew exactly what she wanted.
With newfound determination, Lana spoke. "...we'll meet up with you all. We have to get ready first."
Ash didn't know why she suddenly reverted back to her usual self. But it was good to see her not sad. "Great! We''ll meet you at the Marina! See you there, Lana!" Ash waved her goodbye and went off with Pikachu in tow.
Rotom, however, stayed. "If you see Sun doing anything suspicious then you let me know-"
"Rotom!" Ash hollered its name from afar. Rotom didn't stay around after that.
"Anything suspicious?" Lana inquired. It didn't make much sense to her so she shrugged it off and closed the door. Taking a deep breath, Lana headed back to the guest room and stood by the door.
'Okay Lana, just tell Sun to stop cuddling with Moon and get up so we can meet the others.' Just like before, Lana quietly opened the door and slowly came inside. Something changed.
"Sunny…" Moon muttered in her sleep. She was cuddling with a large pillow. Sun was out and about, sitting on the other bed while clutching his arm. He finally noticed Lana and lightly scowled.
"What the heck, Lana? I try to ask for your help and you shut the door on me?" It was then that Lana remembered they didn't leave on the best terms. The last time they interacted ended with Sun getting hit by a vase.
Moon began to stir a little, causing Sun to yelp and bolt out the door. Lana followed, confused, and gently closed the door.
"Phew!" Sun collapsed on the couch and sighed. "I thought I'd never get out of there."
"What do you mean?" Lana questioned. She thought Sun loved to be with Moon.
Forgetting about being upset with her, Sun started to vent out his frustration. "It's Moon. She's being so clingy lately and I don't like it. She wouldn't even let me get up from bed. I knew she'd do this without my consent. Back when we traveled together in Kanto, we often slept outside and I'd always wake up with her sleeping bag next to mine. She's great and all but I like my personal space to not be invaded all the time," Sun finished.
Lana mentally cheered at this. Moon's tactics weren't working at all on Sun! In fact, Sun hated it!
"But she's my best friend so I can't stay mad at her forever," Sun said with a smile, recalling their time together.
"O-oh." Lana's disappointment was evident in her voice.
"Hey! Wait a minute!" Sun snapped his fingers and pointed an accusing finger at Lana. "You smashed your stupid ugly vase at me!"
"You gave me that vase!"
"And you destroy my gift to you!?" Sun shouted before blinking. "Haven't we already had this discussion?"
"Yes!" Lana groaned.
Sun slumped over the couch. "Ugh." The two were silent for a while. Sun raised both his hands to the air. "Say, remember when I got you that vase?" He asked softly.
"During my seventh birthday. You said you made it all by yourself and worked very hard on it." Lana had a small smile on her face.
"Wow. You remember after all those years?" Sun chuckled, astonished with her memory.
She giggled. "It was a gift from you. That's why I kept it for so long." Lana blushed, realizing what she said. "O-oh I-I-"
"Relax," Sun said. "I think it's pretty cool." She was not expecting that answer. To save herself from further embarrassment, Lana changed the topic.
"A-ash came over a few minutes ago. He wanted us to go to the Marina with him."
Sun jumped up from the couch. "Sweet! I can ask him how the battle with Nanu went! And with the festival coming up, we should get there in a hurry! Come on!" Sun dashed to the door and was about to head out to the Marina only to realize that Lana wasn't beside him.
"Something up?" He turned to see Lana still in the same spot.
"I'll be right back!" Before he could say anything, Lana ran to her room. Being a polite houseguest, Sun waited patiently for her. When she did come out and became visible to his view, Sun couldn't help but gasp at what she was wearing.
"I-Is that the…" Sun couldn't believe it.
"Yes." Lana clasped her hands together and looked Sun in the eye. She did her best to ignore the fast thumping noise in her chest. "It's the flower headband you gave to me as a child."
"Wow. Y-you still kept that old thing. Wow. Just wow." Sun huddled up next to her and inspected every inch of it. It was a little roughed up but you could only see it if you looked up close. Nevertheless, it was still maintained in great condition.
"It's very special to me. It's a symbol of my first real friendship." Lana was about to mention that she kept Mallow's gift too but knew it would have ruined the moment.
Sun stared at Lana intently, finding a new appreciation for her. If it was that special to her then she must've really cared about their friendship before.
"Hehe. Gee Lana, you know how to make a guy get the feels." Sun laughed awkwardly, feeling a warm sensation spread around his body. He felt proud that his gift was really important to her.
"R-really?" Lana squeaked, believing that his words had some other context in it. Regardless, it made her feel happy.
Sun pulled out a poké ball. "It's a long walk from here if we go on foot. Ninetales has been itching for a good run. I'm sure she wouldn't mind giving us a ride. What do you say?" Sun closed his eyes and had a big grin on his face.
'I don't think he hates me anymore.' Lana thought. 'But I still wonder why. Well, if he doesn't hate me then I shouldn't either. Maybe if we get close enough, I could ask him why. Until then...'
"Sure!" Lana responded joyfully. Sun nodded and released Ninetales from her poké ball. The ice-type pokémon barked as a form of greeting.
"Hey there, girl!" Sun petted Ninetales' head, much to her delight. "You mind giving us a ride to the Marina? Your training has made you very strong. You up for it?"
Ninetales barked, as if saying that she's up for the task. The fox pokémon bended her upper body down so the two can get on.
"Thanks!" Sun got on her first and patted the spot behind him. "Let's not keep Ash waiting!"
Lana quickly took her seat behind Sun, wrapping her arms around his midsection. Sun did the same but with Ninetales' neck.
"I really do need a ride pokémon." Sun made a mental note of that. "Or at least have some sort of equipment for you. But I don't think there are any for some pokémon of your size." He liked to travel a lot. Especially when he was taking his Island Challenge. The thought of getting a ride pokémon occurred to him a few times, but he'd forget about it later on.
"If you want, you could borrow my Lapras whenever you want," Lana offered.
"I might just take you up on that offer," Sun replied. His intention with the offer would be beneficial for him. Though, he didn't reveal it to Lana.
Ninetales, being used to Sun's weight, got easily adjusted to Lana's small body like the last time when the two rode the fox pokémon when escaping the Officer Jenny in the park. Her training with Sun made her boost her physical strength.
With that, Ninetales sprinted to the direction of the Marina, carrying the two laughing trainers.
Elsewhere...
Nearby, a duo of mischievous people along with their cocky pokémon were currently flashing their new purchases.
This was Team Rocket's own, Jessie, James, and Meowth.
"Serving that boy must be the greatest thing that has ever happened to us. We're rich!" Jessie exclaimed gleefully. She sported multiple jewelry dangling on her neck. She also had three expensive rings on her hands.
"I'll say! Sunny boy is money boy!" James added in. He wore a new pair of gloves of a soft finer fabric with a golden watch on his left hand. There was a gold belt buckle on his belt and several shiny golden chains on his neck.
"I feel like a million poké dollars!" Meowth said. Although he wasn't wearing anything, he frequently flashed a toothy smile, presenting his golden grill on his teeth.
"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet cried out with his sunglasses that had jewels embedded in them. Mimikyu didn't have anything fancy as none of them knew what it wanted.
Their moment of happiness was ruined when the familiar Team Rocket transmitter started to shake.
"Ah! Not out in the open!" James panicked. The trio quickly rushed over to a nearby set if bushes and trees. The device opened up and revealed a purple hologram. It revealed a women in a violet suit that matched with her hair. She wore glasses that were over her violet eyes.
This was Matori, also known as the boss' secretary.
"It's time for your regular report," Matori said in her usual stern voice.
Jessie chose to speak for her partners. "We're doing just fine! If you can't see that then you need a new pair of glasses," She taunted while also showing her new accessories.
Matori for once actually appeared surprised. "I see. So you three have accumulated in a wealthy amount of finances. Have you invested in buying new equipment that'll assist you other than wearing it?" She inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"O-oh! Um…" Jessie didn't have an answer for that.
"And how did you gain such vast amounts of wealth?" She pressed on, bringing her head in closer.
James stepped in. "Sunny boy helped us!"
Meowth elbowed his side. "You dolt! His name is Sun. Not this sunny nonsense!"
Matori's interests arose. "This Sun, you don't mean the boy who was almost the champion of the Alola region?"
Jessie shrugged. "That's what we heard. What's it matter to you?" Just then, a loud voice could be heard behind them.
"Woohoo!" Meowth poked his head up to see Sun and the twerpette riding on a Ninetales at a fast speed.
"That was just him," Meowth informed them, getting back in their hiding spot.
Matori turned around for a minute before facing them. "The boss wishes to speak with you three." She stepped to the side. The boss was there, sitting in his desk. The serious expression on his face told the trio that this meant business.
"I've got a new mission for you three," He said with no emotion in his voice. "Follow that boy, report back any intel you get of him. When you gather enough information, you will let me handle things from there. No questions asked."
"But what are you going to do with h-" James started before he was cut off by the boss slamming his fist on the desk.
"No questions asked! Do I make myself clear?" He repeated louder. The trio gulped and nodded. "Good. I advise you three to keep an eye out while you're spying him. He has multiple targets on his back. Don't get caught!"
"Yessir!" Jessie, James, and Meowth shouted in unison.
"One last thing. Add that Decidueye of his to that list of pokémon you're planning on getting. This is your new mission," The boss finished, letting Matori take over once more.
She pushed her glasses back. "If you want to impress the boss then this is your chance. This is your biggest mission yet. Don't let him down." The call ended, leaving the trio in a stunned silence.
"I knew there was something about that boy," Jessie said, breaking the silence. "But why does boss have so much interest in him?
"You heard him, no questions asked," James reminded her.
"You think this Decidueye is stronger than that Pikachu?" Meowth questioned out loud.
"Whatever the deal may be." Jessie didn't answer the question. She got up from their hiding spot. "We can finally gain the recognition we so rightfully deserve!" James nodded in agreement.
"Right. And I can replace that rotten Persian and sit on boss' lap instead!" Meowth declared.
"Then we'll accomplish this mission! We're Team Rocket and we can do anything!" Jessie claimed.
"Yeah!" James and Meowth said at the same time.
"We'll each get what we want!"
"Yeah!"
"It's a kid. We should complete this in no time!"
"Yeah!"
"We… should really buy that equipment," Jessie sighed, not looking forward to not being able to buy the expensive crown she had her eyes on.
"Yeah…" James and Meowth agreed without the enthusiasm in their voice.
At the Marina...
"Where are they!?" Mallow impatiently tapped her foot to the ground. Her, Ash, Lillie, Kiawe, and Sophocles were waiting at the Marina.
"Sun and Lana will be here. Lana said so herself," Ash replied calmly.
Mallow reeled back. "What do you mean?" Before Ash had the chance to answer, Lillie gained their attention.
"There they are!" True to her word, the group turned to see the two riding on Ninetales. Ash and Sophocles smiled while Mallow, Kiawe, and even Lillie were confused by what they were seeing. Sun was with Lana?
"Yo, Ash!" Sun waved a hand to the air, seeing his friend. His face fell when he saw the others there too. Specifically, Kiawe and Mallow.
"Woah woah woah! What are they doing here?" Sun asked Lana as they stopped once they were near the group.
"Guess I might've left the part out by accident," Lana admitted. Ash told her the others were going to be there. She failed to inform Sun about this.
"Something's stirring! Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed, watching the scene unfold.
"Lana, what are you wearing!?" Mallow demanded, though knowing full well what is it. "Nevermind that, why are you wearing that stupid thing?" Sun could feel the anger boil in his veins. Mallow was striking a nerve by messing with Lana. He was so used to defending Lana back in the day, this time was no different.
"Stupid? Way to hurt my feelings, green." Sun faked a hurt expression that switched to a mean glare.
"I wasn't talking to you!" Mallow shot back.
"Well now you are!" Before it could escalate any further, Ash stepped in between them.
"There's no need to be fighting guys! Today is supposed to be a fun day!" He pointed out. Thankfully, this caused one of them to stop fighting. Mallow turned her back against Sun and crossed her arms.
"Better listen to your boyfriend, green," Sun snarled, not giving up. "Seems like he's the only one that can control that nasty attitude of yours!"
"Sun, knock it off." Ash tried to calm down his friend. But even he couldn't control Sun's temper.
"Come on, green. What? Are you too scared to talk now? I thought you had all these nasty things to say to me so come on." Sun put his hands in his pockets. "I'm waiting. Now is a perfect time to tell me."
The others glanced around awkwardly, not knowing how to handle the rising tension.
Still, Mallow didn't budge.
"Really? Nothing? Go on, make me look bad. If there's a jerk around here then it'd be you. You're even trying to start something with Lana of all people. And for what? Because she's wearing something I gave to her? If so then let me remind you, you're doing the exact same thing but no one is calling you out on it. So stop picking on Lana!" He finished, taking deep breaths from how much he was talking in so little time.
"You want me to say something?" Mallow slowly turned around, her face visibly reddening from anger. "Why don't you stay away from Lana?! You changed her! A few days ago you hated her and now you're suddenly so friendly with her!? I don't buy it," Mallow said coldly.
"Take it easy, Mallow. It's not worth it." Even Kiawe wanted to stop this argument. He didn't like where this fight was going. If Sun and Mallow let their emotions out, there was bound to be a lash out.
"Sun?" Lillie wasn't used to seeing them so furious. It was a rare sight. What was so suppose to be a trip to the Aether Paradise was turning out to be a big fight.
Sophocles didn't know what to say. He knew this talk was coming. When Sun and Mallow would finally bring out their fueling rage that came from the past.
As for Ash, he was watching on helplessly. These two were his friends. If he even had a chance to break the fight apart then he would have to pick a side. That was a choice he didn't want to make.
Suddenly, a person that nobody expected to speak up did so.
"Sun. Mallow. Stop it," Lana requested softly. The two turned to see what she had to say. "This isn't you. This isn't us. Don't you two remember all those times we spent together. We used to go to the park everyday until our parents came to pick up us. We went on many adventures together. Grandpa Forest, the shopping mall, we even wrecked Aina's Kitchen twice! We were so close but then we drifted apart. Now you two are at each other's throats. Can't we all just go back to the way things were? As friends?"
The area went quiet after her little speech. Ash, Sophocles, Kiawe, and Lillie didn't speak because it wasn't any of their business. It was between them personally.
Mallow was speechless. She didn't expect Lana to be the one to make her reconsider their past together. She was right, they were closer together. Her, Lana, and Sun. Mallow thought they'd stay friends forever. Then Lillie came along and Sun started to spend more time together with her instead of them. That was what drifted them apart. The trio became a duo. Mallow and Lana still hung out but it wasn't the same without Sun.
Speaking of Lillie, Mallow was still on bad terms with her. Which was fine. It's better that way. A thought drifted across her mind at times whether things would've changed if Lillie wasn't in the picture. Maybe Sun would have stuck around her and Lana.
Maybe he wouldn't have become a part of Team Skull.
Lana was half right about something. This wasn't them. But if that were true, what were they? What happened, happened. Sun betrayed her trust and he couldn't care less about it. They were enemies, and it'll probably stay like that forever.
There was a tinge of betrayal that struck Mallow. Lana was with Sun. How could she have forgiven him? After everything he did. She forgave him, just like that. And now they were defending each other. But to Mallow, it felt like they were both against her. Sun was supposed to be the bad guy. He was intentionally trying to provoke her. He even went so far as to accuse her of picking on one of her oldest friends. To Mallow, she didn't do anything wrong. She just asked a question.
Reflecting back on it, she could've asked a little nicer than she did. But seeing that flower headband struck a nerve in her. She thought Lana would never wear it again. Granted, she still wore Sun's gift everyday but that wasn't the point!
So why did she wear it then?
Flashback
"Hey, Mallow!" Said a four year old Sun. "Don't you want anything for your birthday?"
"Nope!" A young Mallow chirped innocently. "Dad already got the present I wanted. There really isn't anything else I want."
"But I'd feel bad if I didn't get you anything for your birthday," Sun sighed, playing with some of the flowers on the ground.
The two were currently at their favorite spot. The party was about to begin soon and Mallow's father gave them permission to go play until the party was ready.
"Don't worry about it. It's alright," Mallow replied. She appreciated that he cared. Something caught her eye. "Wow! Look!"
"Hmm?" Sun squinted his eyes to see what she was looking at. "That thing? It's not even a flower yet!"
Mallow pouted, "Well duh! But I never seen a flower fully grow before! Maybe I should take it." Mallow was about to reach for the undeveloped flower until Sun lightly smacked her hand.
"You can't take it out! It needs soil, water, and plenty of sunlight. It'll grow better here," He informed her.
"But I want it!" She wailed before coming up with a devious idea. "I know. You can give me that as a birthday present!"
"Eh!?" Sun gasped. "You want some flower as a present?! Why not something expensive like the moon or your very own restaurant," Sun suggested.
"No! I want this and that's final!" Mallow firmly declared.
"B-but how am I supposed to keep it alive?" Sun whined.
"You're going to have to figure it out yourself."
"Aww!" Sun groaned. How was he going to keep this flower alive all by himself? This was going to take a long time and he didn't want his hard work to be wasted.
"If I do it, you have to promise me you'll wear it forever! Even when your hair turns all white!"
"No problem!" Mallow replied, not seeing an issue that.
Present
It was a promise she made in her childhood. Sun probably forgot it by now, so why hadn't she?
Mallow looked at Lana, and then at Sun. One thing she knew it was that Sun taught Lana how to stand up for herself. She applied those skills just now and boy did it make an impact.
'Sun and Lana. Sun and Lana.' Mallow kept repeating that phrase in her head. Since they appeared to be hanging out again, if it was genuine or not, it didn't change the fact that the duo of her and Lana will be gone. The way she was acting would surely steer Lana the other way. The process will start over again. Sun was going to spend more time with Lana while they leave her in the dust.
Mallow would still have her other friends but these were her oldest friends. That's what made them different. They were practically always there in her childhood. She thought she understood Lana. So why did everything change in the matter of days? What was her deal with Sun now?
Would it work on her?
Would they finally reconcile? Would they be friends again? Would they go back to having fun again together. Would they be a trio again? Would they-
"Get real, Lana. That's never going to happen," Sun stated unemotionally.
Of course they wouldn't. Why would she even think that they would!? Sun was always there to ruin everything.
"B-but didn't you like those times together?" Lana did her best to convince him.
"That's the past, Lana. Things change. You changed. Green changed. Everyone here changes. Even me." Sun shook his head and prepared to walk off. "Everything can't always go the way you want, Lana. Things happen that changes us into who we are today. You have to accept that. We can't be that trio of friends anymore. As for who's fault it is, I say it's equally all of ours." Sun started to walk away.
"I'll see you at the festival. If I don't then it probably means I'll be away for a while." With those final words, Sun got on Ninetales and began going in a random direction. Anywhere was fine, he just needed a break. A break from the group of students.
"G-guys…" Lillie croaked out. "We're still up for the-"
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Mallow said with a stone face. She sighed heavily and started to run away.
"Mallow!" Ash hollered before he went to chase after her.
Lana had her head down the entire time. "Deep down, I knew this was going to happen. I just wanted everyone to get along again. Sun was right, people change."
Kiawe quickly made his way over to his friend. "Are you going to be alright, Lana?" He asked worriedly.
"I-I… I just want to go home," She pleaded. Nodding at her request, Kiawe released his ride pokémon, Charizard, and the two departed from the Marina without another word.
"S-sophocles?" Lillie turned to the last person that was still there. "Do you t-think Sun's going t-to be at the festival?" She remembered his final words.
Sophocles did his best to smile. "I don't know. But you shouldn't worry, Lillie. He's still going to be here. Sun wouldn't try to leave Alola a third time," He chuckled dryly before frowning. "I'm going to go look for Sun. Maybe I can cheer him up." Sophocles went off to the direction that Sun left, leaving Lillie by herself.
The blonde girl thought that this would've been a fun day. Even with her mother joining. But now everything turned into a disaster.
Since her mother was waiting for her, Lillie had no choice but to board the ship on her own.
Later...
Once Lillie arrived to the Aether Paradise, she could see her mother waiting for her along with Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet.
Lillie got off the ship and immediately ran to her mother and hugged her tightly. She pressed her face in her chest, the tears now finally spilling out.
"Lillie!" Lusamine gasped, bringing her daughter in closer, in an effort to console her. "What's going on? Why are you crying?"
"Where is everyone?" Professor Kukui asked, looking on concerned along with his wife.
"E-everything i-is ruined!" Lillie said in between sniffles. "There w-was this b-big fight and everyone w-went away."
"Slow down, Lillie." Lusamine stroked her head soothingly. "Take your time. When you're ready, you can tell us what happened." Lusamine held on to Lillie for as much time as she needed. The professors stood there, ready to give in their share of support too.
What no one noticed was a hovering device zooming past them, coming from one of the windows of the Aether Paradise.
At the Hau'oli marketplace...
Mina was sitting down on her favorite spot in the Hau'oli marketplace. It was a circle area filled with grass and a large tree. This was one of the places that she could fully relax and paint in peace.
She had some of her paintings on display. This was so she'd have a reminder of what she was capable of doing. Nothing was too hard for her to paint.
Flying a few feet above her was her pokémon, Ribombee. Mina had a special talent that she could perform with her pokémon partner.
Yesterday, she didn't have her out due to her human partner, Sun. The first time that they met he insisted on her not having her pokémon out around him as it brought up bad memories that could sidetrack a mission. Now that she wasn't with Sun, Ribombee was free from her poké ball.
Today was supposed to be a relaxing day. That was until.
"Ugh. Phone's ringing," Mina groaned. This was the call she was waiting for. The call where the boss will demote her. All because of that little menace, Sun. "Might as well get it over with. I could always go hurt Sun after this."
Mina picked up her phone and answered the call.
"Reporting in to Agent Mina!"
"Yessir. What is it that you require from me." Here it comes. Mina was being polite, hoping that the boss would take it easy on her.
"Is Elite Agent Sun with you?"
"No sir." Mina almost yelled at the boss. She hated it when he reminded her of the ranks. Sun was higher up which still baffled her to this day.
"Then you shall inform him that I called. He already knows what I'm about to tell you," The boss said. "I'm also sending the new recruit back to deliver you two something essential. Do you understand?"
"Yessir." Mina was annoyed that the rookie was coming. She hoped that she wouldn't screw up again.
"On to the reason why I called you. Tell me Mina, have you ever heard of Ultra Beasts?"
xxxxx
Second Author's Note: Everything I said last chapter about the festival will happen next chapter. Even Ash and Mallow going together. It'll probably be one of my shorter chapter since I don't think I can write nine or ten thousand words solely on a festival. But the end will lead up to a new mini arc that I'm making dedicating to Sun. Here's a little hint, it'll show a different side of him that Mallow and Kiawe would expect of him. Stay tuned!