Chapter 20 - "This Is Ancient."

"Welcome to Ula'ula Island! Enjoy your stay!" a woman with a bright smile and nice simple Alolan dress said as Cyan and Kala got off of the boat. She handed them a flyer.

Kala flipped through the flyer quickly, looking to see if there was any new information that she wasn't already aware of. As she thought, nothing new.

"I think you're gonna like Malie City," Kala said. "In fact, almost all of Ula'ula Island is a beautiful sight."

Cyan smiled and clapped his hands together. "That's all of Alola, ya goof!"

Malie City was different from the places that they had already visited before, but it was something that felt very familiar to Cyan. The buildings appeared eastern in style. All of the houses had thatched roofs and were made of wood, and the people used sliding doors to go in and out of them.

Cyan almost felt himself welling up. "Maybe I'm a little more homesick than I thought. It's so beautiful here!"

Kala laughed. "I told you. Malie City's architecture was heavily influenced by Johto. I know that Kanto and Johto are pretty close, so I figured this would be a good place for you to visit."

"I never want to leave," Cyan said. "My culture and your culture together in one place. It's magical. It's almost like a dream."

The two continued into the city a little bit more, and Kala pulled out the flyer from before. On the inside was a map of the city, making it easy for her to explain everything. "So, there's actually a gym here, but it's not an official one. And then there's a famous recycling plant that's managed by people and Pokémon. You can't go wrong with Ula'ula's malasadas. Or we can go to Malie Garden."

"Garden?"

"I've never been there myself, but I've heard that it's beautiful. I really want to go there and then the library."

"Let's do it!"

Malie Garden was unlike anything Kala had ever seen before. It was mostly small bodies of water surrounded by neatly cut grass and beautifully built bridges. Some small statues, covered in a dark green moss that were built many years ago stood guard near the edges of the water.

In the middle of the garden was a wooden gazebo where a wedding was currently taking place. The bride, dressed in red traditional eastern clothing, was having her pictures taken. The mixture of the shade and some of the light that trickled through alongside the ponds and small trees in the background were sure to make the perfect wedding photos.

"What kind of wedding do you want?" Cyan asked.

Kala's eyes widened. She wasn't expecting a question like that to come so suddenly from Cyan. He looked at the bride with a certain gleam in his eye.

"What a dumb question. I'm too young to be thinking about that kind of thing."

Cyan laughed. "But you're a girl. Don't you think about that kind of thing a lot? Your future husband, and your kids, and whatnot?"

Kala blushed. "I mean, I have thought about it. It's just weird to talk about with you."

"Why is it weird with me?"

"Because you're younger than me! You wouldn't understand!"

"I'm only younger by a few months…"

"Still!"

Cyan laughed nervously. "You don't have to answer the question if you don't want to. But if you were to ask me, I'd say I'd want a wedding like this one. I see my bride wearing a beautiful kimono, and I'll wear a white tuxedo. But I want the pictures to be taken at night time."

"Night time?"

"Yeah!" Cyan exclaimed. "Imagine the moonlight reflecting off of the water. Wouldn't that be so beautiful? I mean, you have to find the right type of cameraman to take the proper pictures at night though."

"You've put more thought into it than I have, I think," Kala said. "I just want a traditional Alolan wedding. Very simple. It'd overlook the ocean, and it'd happen during the sunset. It'd be lit by torches, and it'd be beautiful."

Cyan laughed again. "Not bad. Not bad. I guess." He walked over to the edge of the gazebo and looked at the water, his reflection smiling back at him. "Thank you for bringing me here, Kala."

"Of course. I'm kind of the perfect tour guide."

"You know, the next place that I want to go is Johto. It's been my dream since I was a kid. I want to go to Ecruteak City."

"I've never heard of it," Kala replied. "Maybe you can take me there one day?"

"Maybe!"

They were silent for awhile.

"But…" Kala said quietly. "I don't think I could leave Alola. I love it here too much, and sharing the culture with someone else has been very rewarding. I think that my place in life is here."

"You have to do what makes you happy."

Kala looked at both of their reflections. The water was clear and still enough that it was almost like a perfect mirror. Smaller Water-type Pokémon swam peacefully under the water, creating tiny ripples.

"How about that library?" Cyan suddenly asked.

"Is there anything that you're looking for in particular?" Cyan asked as the two approached the library. They walked through the massive doors, and somehow, someway, the library was even quieter than Malie City.

Kala nodded and then motioned over for Cyan to follow her. She went to one of the directories, a machine with a touchscreen. Kala typed in a few keywords, and eventually, she found what she was looking forward. On the side of the kiosk was some scratch paper where Kala could write down the location of her book. She took her notes, and then the two were off again.

The library in Malie City was rather small, but it was two stories. On the first floor, there were students studying, and it was designated as a quiet area. Kala's book was going to be found on the second floor, which allowed for people to talk. Students who were studying in groups sat at large tables where they could work on projects together. Kala and Cyan mostly ignored them as they continued to look for the book.

They weaved through the bookshelves, and Cyan tried to quickly read the title of every book that they passed by, but his English reading skills weren't the best, and a lot of what he saw ended up being a blur.

"Right here," Kala said as she came to a stop. She started to sift through the various books before her finger landed on an old book with worn down brown bearings. She slowly pulled it out, and the smell from the old paper wafted through the air.

"This is ancient," Cyan whispered.

Kala chuckled. "It may as well be. This is called The Light of Alola. I've wanted to read it since I was a kid."

"What's so special about it?"

"Every region has their legends, and this book documents Alola's legends from the past. When I was little, my mom used to tell me the story about Solgaleo and Lunala. This book has more of the story to it though," Kala said as she walked away. She placed the heavy book down on the table and opened it up.

"In Kanto, there are the three legendary birds," Cyan said. "But besides being really strong, there's no story about them… I think."

"Give this a listen," Kala said, ignoring Cyan. She then began to read.

"The empty sky broke asunder,

a hole appearing where had been none.

A single beast appeared from in it;

it was called the beast that devoured the sun.

The king of Alola bowed before it:

the beast that shone so like the sun.

The island guardians fought against it,

But it the end the beast had won.

Then did the beast that devoured the sun

shine its light on the line of kings

Then did the beast that had won

bring nature's gift to bless all things.

Beast of sun and beast of moon.

Through their union, they brought new life.

A fragile heir in Alola born

that island guardians would keep from strife

The ancient kings sang their thanks

for Solgaleo with song of flute.

Two tones rang out across the altar.

a perfect pair, ever after mute."

Cyan looked at Kala and smiled nervously. "I… I don't get it. I'm sorry. It sounds nice though!"

"The first few lines are about the legendary Pokémon Solgaleo coming to Alola. It came out of nowhere. A portal opened in the sky, and it emerged."

"I see."

"And the king of Alola was impressed with Solgaleo's power, but the Tapu's wanted to fight with Solgaleo. They had a battle, but Solgaleo won."

"So strong…"

"And then, and this part is confusing, but Solgaleo then gifted the Tapu's with something. I'm not sure. I think it gave its light to Alola."

Cyan thought for a moment. "Well, the light in Alola is beautiful, so that makes sense."

"The next line talks about how Solgaleo with Lunala, and they created a new Pokémon. They gave the Pokémon to the guardians to protect. This Pokémon would eventually grow to be the guardian of Alola. I'm not really sure what this part is talking about though."

"Me neither."

"And then the last part talks about the sun and moon flutes. The king paid tribute to Solgaleo and Lunala by playing the flute for them. Because of this, everyone in Alola learns to play the flute at a young age. It's become part of our tradition."

Cyan took a closer look at the page and then flipped it over. The next page was missing, having been torn out. "What's up with that?"

"I'm not sure. I wasn't even aware that there was more to the legend."

Cyan grinned. "But nonetheless! This was fun! I want to learn more about Alola!"

"Shh!" someone hushed.

Cyan recoiled and grinned. "Sorry."

Kala nodded and chuckled quietly. "I'm sure we'll learn more as we go. Maybe if we're real lucky, we'll get to meet Solgaleo and Lunala."

"That would be life changing."

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

This is the halfway point of Awakening Alola. The second half is going to focus on Kala a lot more. You'll see!

I'm going on a small vacation to Tokyo tonight, so I won't be posting for the rest of this week. However, Happy New Years! Next week, I'll start posting the first couple chapters for Logan and Yurie's newest adventure. For the time being, it's called "Kickin' It In Kanto." If you've submitted an OC in my reviews, check your DM/PM because I messaged you about them for more details.

I'll see you next year!