Lillie

Lillie gripped the fishing pole tight, her hands shaking, a movement just barely perceptible. Hana stood further up on the lapras's neck, following Lillie's gaze as she stared into the shifting water. Numerous dark shapes flitting about below the surface, occasionally tearing into the surface of the water as they churned about. She could see the bobber floating along the surface some twenty feet away from her.

The movements of the wishiwashi were growing faster and faster over time, hundreds of dark shapes coalescing slowly. From the shore, Lana was yelling something to her, but her voice was lost over the din of the boiling, bubbling water. Excitedly, Lillie pulled at her loose tank-top, adjusting it for the fifth or sixth time.

The boiling pots of Brooklet Hill were some of the largest in Alola, massive circular pits of water that surged and churned after rainfall, spilling into each other. As Lana had lectured endlessly, numerous water pokemon called this place home, including the Totem of the Water Trial. The `Ohe`o Gulch is its proper name, she would say. Brooklet Hill is more of a tourist thing.

Lillie breathed in sharply, stabilizing her hands. Hana's cheeks flashed with electricity, the pokemon's furrowed brow growing more annoyed with every passing second. Lana's lapras, a temporary gift for the duration of the trial, tossed its head as if unnerved by the movement around them.

"S-Steady, Hana," she said to the pichu, stumbling over her words. His expression softened just slightly, but he kept his focus.

The bobber dipped and Lillie gasped. She pulled heavily, the hooked fish struggling in the water. She could just barely make out its shadowy body as it thrashed just under the surface. Around it, the numerous other shapes were spinning chaotically, encircling the caught fish. Lillie leaned back, tugging hard on the fishing pole. She pumped hard, reeling with her left hand. The bobber raced towards her, punctuated by the irregular fighting of the catch.

Five feet away now. She gave it one last mighty pull, leaning far, far back, gritting her teeth as she put all of her weight behind it. The head of the pokemon poked above the water, the small, unhappy face of a wishiwashi staring back at her, its eyes downcast.

Weak and small, but only just for a moment.

The pool of water erupted around her as hundreds more wishiwashi jumped into the air, each converging onto the captive fish. Lillie felt the fishing pole rip out of her hands as the mass of fish condensed together, the vague shape of a much, much larger animal starting to take form. Lana's lapras roared, tossing its head and shaking its body. Lillie stumbled, catching herself on one of the pokemon's shell spikes.

"Now, Hana!" she shouted. Hana leaped towards the mass, his entire body coated in a sparking fuzz of energy. He spun in midair, the electricity coalescing into his tail. The pokemon slammed its tail down into the circular blob of wishiwashi, electricity arcing into them. Lillie watched as tens of the pokemon scattered from the main herd, but the main form remained. The fish shape had faded into a formless blob.

"Keep it up!" she yelled. Hana jumped up, looking for another target. It landed a few feet away on another clump of wishiwashi, instantly discharging electricity as it touched down. The platform of fish melted away and Hana stumbled, sinking into the water, a sharp yelp cut off as it vanished.

"Hana!" Lillie cried out in alarm. The pokemon was gone. She watched the school of wishiwashi carefully, looking for any sign of him. A spark of yellow underneath the water. Lillie sucked in a lungful of air. Her heartbeat thrummed heavily in her chest, a sudden fear taking firm hold.

"Wait, Lillie! No!" she heard Lana cry from the shore. No time to think.

Lillie jumped.

The water was cool against her body. Immediately she felt the pull and tug of the wishiwashi. She opened her eyes, staring about herself into the blurry blue. To her right, the school of fish as it struggled to come together again. But where was...

Another flash of yellow. Lillie felt a tingle against her skin and she dove further down.

Oily, slimy bodies of wishiwashi brushed against her skin as they started to reform the school. Lillie pushed the thought to the back of her mind as she swam deeper into the pool towards the faint yellow light. It faded out and Lillie grit her teeth, kicking her legs.

The water grew more violent with every passing second. She focused on Hana, extending a hand out and brushing against the sand and rock floor. Another pulse of yellow light just a few feet away. She kicked towards it. Hana struggled along the pool bed, the poor pokemon having sunk like a stone. Lillie gathered the panicking pichu up, pressing him close to her chest. She curled around, planting her feet against the sand and pushing up.

She was almost to the surface when the wishiwashi hit her.

The entire school impacted her heavily, tossing her effortlessly through the water. Hana struggled in her grip, but Lillie held fast to him. She righted herself, glancing about to make sure she knew where up was. A burst of electricity – directed into the water in front of them – but the shock still ran through Lillie's body. She stifled a gasp, her chest feeling like fire.

Lillie kicked again, forcing herself to the surface. She broke through, gasping in air heavily. Her hands shot up, thrusting her pichu up above her head. The yellow rat sputtered, coughing, a light and weak sound. Hana shook his head and Lillie smiled up at him. The pokemon frowned back.

A tug against her foot and she was pulled under.

Immediately she was aware of the massive presence. A huge, dark shape pressed against her side as it swam past her. Hana started to spark again, the pokemon sending painful jolts through Lillie as he wriggled in her arms.

Lillie immediately swam back upwards. She could see the now-fully formed wishiwashi school out of the corner of her eyes as it turned, rushing back to her. Lillie broke through the surface again, grabbing wildly at Lana's lapras.

The pokemon craned its neck down, clamping its teeth down on Lillie's tanktop and pulling up, carrying her back up onto its shell. The motion nearly tore Lillie's over-shirt off. Lillie hastily deposited Hana and pulled the tanktop over her head, throwing it onto the lapras's shell. Now she stood in only a form-fitting black undershirt and black bikini bottoms. Lillie shook her head. This was not the time to be embarrassed.

"Thank you," Lillie said, patting the lapras's neck.

The dark shape leaped from the water, the condensed mass of wishiwashi arcing through the air as it jumped up and over Lillie and the lapras. It splashed down on the other side, sending huge ripples throughout the entire pool.

"Hana, please, just like we planned," Lillie said, giving the pichu a quick scratch behind one of his ears. He shook his head, staring back at her with his typical annoyed expression. "As soon as it opens its mouth…"

Without giving her time to finish her statement, the school of wishiwashi leaped again, this time directly at her. Lillie shrieked, grabbing hold of one of the lapras's spines. Hana, already coated in a cloud of electricity, squatted down. The school of wishiwashi opened its massive maw and Lillie saw it – the Waterium Z. Hana leaped forward as the wishiwashi soared directly at Lillie.

The pichu jumped right into the wishiwashi's open mouth and the creature clamped down. A loud burst and popping noise and the school of fish fell apart, arcs of electricity jumping back and forth among the many now-paralyzed fish. Hana dropped into the water and Lillie jumped right back in again.

This time she grabbed up her pokemon mere moments after he sunk below the surface. She swam back to the surface, pushing aside the twitching and disabled bodies of the many, many fish pokemon. Lillie hit air and breathed in deep, holding Hana up above the water. Triumphantly, the pichu held a small blue crystal to the sky.

The Trial was over.

Lillie coughed and sputtered as the lapras lifted her out of the water again, placing her on its shelled back. She collapsed against one of the spikes, hugging Hana close to her chest. The pokemon coughed and wheezed as her rested against her. Hana clutched the Waterium Z close.

For the first time since the trial had begun, the water was still. Lillie absently looked about for the fishing pole Lana had lent her, but it was nowhere to be seen. She sighed. Hopefully it wouldn't be expensive to replace.

When they reached the shore, Lana came running up, her mouth wide open in shock and awe. Lillie climbed down slowly off the lapras's back, her entire body sore. She snatched her soaked tanktop from the pokemon's back and wrung it out onto the rocky shoreline.

"That was amazing!" the short girl shot her arms out wide, beaming. "When you said you had a plan to take it down, I did not think you would do that! Your pichu was very cool!"

The normally reserved girl reached a hand out to Hana, who was lazily closing his eyes as he lay in Lillie's arms. As Lana ruffled his fur, the pokemon perked up, staring at her. He emitted a few weak sparks in protest, but then slumped back down again.

"I...I think I've worn him out." Lillie smiled at her pokemon.

"We should head back." Lana returned her lapras to its ball and peered anxiously over the boiling pots. "Who knows when the Totem will wake up, and it might be angry."


"We're back!" Lana called into the empty doorway. She cocked her head as she waited for a response. "I guess Harper and Sarah already had to go home."

Lillie kicked off her slippers and adjusted the towel she'd tied around her waist. The Trial House bordered Route Eight, nestled into forested hills at the end of a long, winding path. It was a relatively minimal hiking distance from Brooklet Hill, and a couple shops were further up the road, connected to the pokemon center. Lana had said that center was the only one on the entire northern edge of Akala Island.

"I'm gonna hop in the shower," Lillie said, her still-wet feet padding over the tile floors. Lana nodded in affirmation.

"I will get started on dinner. We have to celebrate, after all! Let Koa out so he can stretch his legs."

Lillie smiled at the Trial Captain, who quickly bounded towards the living room. She pressed against Koa's ball and the pokemon appeared in the entryway. He lazily blinked, looking about. Lillie rubbed his armored head. Realizing they were at the trial house, Koa wandered off.

Lillie turned down a hallway, running one hand along the wall. This had been her home for the last two weeks, but soon she'd have to move on again. Hana had fallen asleep in her arms on the walk back, the pokemon curled up against her chest.

She flicked the light switch on and closed the door gently behind herself. The bathroom was a humble affair. She could see familiar mold growing at the baseboards. It couldn't be helped, really. This area was just so humid. She set Hana gently down on the bathroom counter and his eyes gingerly flickered open. The mouse pokemon yawned wide, baring two pairs of sharp canines.

She stared at herself in the mirror and her breath caught.

"Mother would kill me."

She really would. Lillie tugged at the loose-fitting white tanktop that didn't quite cover her black bathing suit bottoms. It was modest, but probably not as modest as Mother would have wanted it. She lifted one arm, turning and staring at the long, open sleeves of the tanktop. It belonged to Lana's dad – not much that Lana owned really fit Lillie – and was quite clearly designed for men, though this one probably for men of smaller stature. She could see the form-fitting black undershirt through the open sleeves of the tanktop, the dark fabric clinging tight to her stomach and sides.

She tried to smile at herself. It wasn't a bad look, right?

"Mother would definitely kill me."

It's not like I'm going out all over the place like this. I was swimming. Even so, she felt a guilty press in the back of her mind. She knew exactly what Lusamine would say if she saw her daughter dressed like this. At least only Lana had been going out to Brooklet Hill with her.

Lillie absently ran a finger over the long, jagged scar on her left thigh. The teeth marks ran along her skin where Koa had bite down and then tore. She remember the dark shape in the night, the pain. She'd nearly died, and here she was adventuring with the pokemon that almost killed her. Lillie looked down to her right foot, flexing the toes. Another large scar that ran between her big toe and second toe, then up and over the top of her foot. The bite circled entirely around, with tooth punctures on the bottom of her foot as well.

Ugly, wretched wounds that would take years to fade, if at all.

She undressed. Hana rummaged around the bathroom counter, absently sniffing at his surroundings. Lillie gathered him up and stepped into the shower, letting the cool water wash over them both. Hana squirmed and squirmed under the spray of the shower at first, but Lillie held fast to him, stopping the pokemon from fleeing.

"Oh no!" Lillie scratched behind his ears. "Not more water!" She giggled and Hana stared at her, his expression utterly unamused. "I'm not about to let you get sick just because you didn't clean up properly after a battle."

The pichu wriggled out of her arms and climbed up onto her shoulder, digging his head into her hair. Lillie stepped under the stream of water and she felt Hana recoil. She giggled, reaching over her shoulder and petting the pokemon again.

Hana was never much interested in getting washed. When Lillie finally turned the water off and stepped out of the shower, the pichu dived for Lillie's hanging towel. Lillie wrapped it around the pokemon, rubbing his fur dry. Lillie laughed as the pokemon buried his way into the white cloth.

Lillie dressed herself in the bathroom – just a simple shirt and pair of jeans – and walked out into the hallway, Hana perched on her shoulder. She could already smell Lana's cooking: rice and the lingering scent of spam.

"You're making musubi?" Lillie asked as she walked into the kitchen. Her hair was still somewhat damp and she pulled it back away from her face. Hana sniffed at her, extending one paw to bat at the blonde strands.

"Yes!"

Lana had cooked a pot of rice and was laying it out into a plastic rice press. She pressed down, creating a thin pancake of rice, twice as long as it was wide. Then she gingerly sliced into a loaf of spam – straight from the can, of course, uncooked – and lay it out on top of the rice loaf. With another layer of rice on top of that, Lana removed the rice press and placed the three layers – rice, spam and rice – onto a roll of nori. With quick, practiced hands, Lana snatched up a small shaker of furikake and sprinkled some over the rice. Then, after a quick dab of her hands under some cold water, she rolled the nori over the rice and spam, encircling it entirely.

The result? Lana's delicious musubi, a delicacy Lillie had grown to crave over the last two weeks.

Lillie sat at the living room table, stretching far backwards, letting her t-shirt ride up her stomach. It'd been a long, long day. A long week, really, even if most of it had been independent training. Koa ran up to her, sniffing at her legs while Hana rushed about the table, nose up in the air.

When Lana walked over carrying a plate full of musubi, both pokemon stood at alert. Koa waited patiently at Lillie's feet while Hana ran about the table, at one point jumping up to Lillie's shoulder and then jumping back down again.

"Alright, alright." Lillie held out a hand to the electric mouse pokemon. "Settle down."

Lana set down the feast and smiled. Finally, the water trial was over.


"I know it's tradition, but it isn't quite necessary." Lana's eyebrows were furrowed with concern. She sat up straight, hands in her lap, her voice formal as it always was. The sun was setting, illuminating the lower half of the trial captain in a hazy orange. Koa and Hana had curled up together on the couch, the pichu leaning its head against the bagon's chest.

"But there are other trainers out there, right? I didn't have much of a chance to battle anybody in Heahea City or Paniola Ranch," Lillie stated. Because I'm trying to stay away from cities, she added in her head.

"Yes, but..." Lana sighed. "I am not Ilima. I will not demand a strict adherence to tradition. I am not used to this week-long introduction regardless."

"So not all the trial captains do this?"

"Only the first one is supposed to," Lana stated. "But as the Melemele Trials are cancelled until further notice, the Kahunas have moved up the Akala Trials." The girl shook her head. "I am sorry I have not been around much the last week. I was not intending to take anyone on for the trial until everything was sorted out, but Ilima insisted."

"Oh, don't worry about it!" Lillie tried to reassure her. "Honestly, it was a bit relaxing to not have anyone breathing down my neck. Ilima was… intense."

Lana smiled at that. "They say he is as fierce as a Kyogre, and I am not joking about that!" She paused, brushing a strand of blue-black hair behind her ear. "I can see why he so highly recommended you. Your pokemon may not be the most powerful, but you use them well."

"But that's also why I have to travel Route Eight," Lillie insisted. "I need to get stronger. I'll need more pokemon and more experience."

"Why are you so set on this?" Lana asked.

"Because…" Lillie paused. She glanced over at her two pokemon curled up on the couch.

"There are more trainers in Heahea City than there are along any of the routes. I know tradition dictates that trial goers must walk the sacred paths, but..." Lana rested her head in one hand. "Your situation confused me. You have no trainer license, yet you have pokemon. Ilima took you on as a student and you passed his trial. You have no ride pager, either."

"I..."

"It is not my place to question you about your origins, so I won't," Lana stated, holding up one hand. "However, you should understand that the further you progress along the trials the more people will know your name. If you are running from something or someone, the trials may likely be the way they find you."

"But I..." Lillie stopped, turning her head down. "I don't know what else to do."

Lana smiled at her. "Kiawe and Mallow do not host easy trials, and they will not hold an introductory week of training the way the first trial captain is required to host. You must be fully prepared from the start. Are you sure you want to do this?"

After a long pause, Lillie finally responded. "I don't have any other choice right now."


"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Lana asked again. Lillie slung the tent over her shoulder, staring back at the trial captain. They stood outside of the pokemon center, the early morning mist just now being chased off by the rising sun.

Lillie nodded. "It's just a short trip," she said, trying to sound confident.

"You have your… you have your..." Lana looked her up and down, checking and rechecking what Lillie had just bought. "Your knife, your backpack, spare pokeballs, food, a first-aid kit, a tent..."

Lillie readjusted her new backpack. It was heavy, but not unmanageable. It fit her well – the shop owner, Sam, had apparently been supplying trainers for quite a long time. Lana finally stopped, seemingly satisfied after checking Lillie for the third time.

"I'll be okay, Lana," Lillie tried to reassure the trial captain.

"Right, well, uhm," Lana bit her lip. "There's three paths along Route Eight to get to Wela Volcano Park. You can follow the coast. There are a couple beaches, but it's mostly cliffs. Plenty of bird pokemon if you are interested in them. There is also the main road: most of the trainers will be along there. Lastly, there is a mountain path that runs through the forest. Many pokemon live up there, so it is quite dangerous."

Lillie nodded, listening carefully.

"Stop worrying, Lana." Lillie smiled at the trial captain. "It'll be okay. I'll be fine."

Right?


Author's Note: I'm really pushing for a Monday/Friday release schedule, but it's difficult to keep that kind of consistent writing going. I'll try it as long as possible, but it's likely updates will slip into once a week territory in the future, especially if I wind up getting a second job. I'll keep all of you posted. For now, though, enjoy your two updates a week! Also, if you have any constructive criticism, please tell me. Considering how this story is turning into a rather large, wide tale with a lot of plot threads hanging about, if you guys find any inconsistencies, holes, problems, etc., it's important to let me know. Also, let me know if Lillie's character is working for you. I know that she's already changed quite a bit from where she was supposed to be in the games, and this story is largely all about making her tougher as a person. I want to make sure every step of the process is believable to my audience.

Wolflyn - There's the idea of each character's chapter being a premiere of its own considering how separate each character is in the story. Acerola is on Ula`Ula Island trying to get back into her regular day-to-day routine, Lillie is on Akala Island progressing in the trial challenge, and Gladion is... well... wherever he is. I hope you enjoyed Lillie's reintroduction as much as you enjoyed Acerola's. I know people really like the side characters - it's the most consistent feedback I get - so I hope that Lillie is as compelling as they are.

UmbranPrince - You'll find out about Luna! Her reasons for existing will be revealed! However, I will point out that the corpse found in Chapter Two was indeed confirmed to be Luna's body.