Who I Am - Lightning99
Chapter 6:
The Festival of Honouring
Hala's grandson, Hau, donned a smile more beaming than the late afternoon sun when Ash met him. He introduced himself while hopping from foot to foot, his cactus-green hair, tied like the top of a pineapple, bobbing side to side, his sandal-like shoes scuffing the dusty ground. He couldn't stop shouting aloud his enthusiasm and desire to receive his first Pokémon.
Ash found him easily likeable, but his bubbly feverishness was slightly trying and a little bit nostalgic, too. His constant moving and inability to sit still reminded Ash of how he had been in the run-up to meeting his first Pokémon and how he had been early into his journey. He had grown out of that state of childlike unfamiliarity, and his excitement after that had been out of pure passion, but Ash couldn't help pitying everyone who had had to put up with him back then.
At least he didn't come in his pyjamas, Ash thought, reminiscing on that fateful handicap that had thrown him and Pikachu together. Unlike he had, Hau wore the proper attire for a novice trainer: shorts, a t-shirt, a bag.
Ash had been surprised, though, when he saw Hau. Since he would be receiving his first Pokémon that day, Ash had expected a young boy around ten or eleven, but Hau looked Ash's age. He was curious why Hau was only starting his journey now.
As he and Hau chatted – Hau did most of it, and all he talked about was who his first Pokémon would be – people constructed the festival around them. They pitched tiki-torches nestling vivid flames along the pathways and strung flowering wreaths of pink and red roses, plumerias, and multi-coloured hibiscuses on the fences and doors. Refreshments tables lined the outskirts, and some paper lanterns rested on the fences and archways.
The festival started a short while after that. Hordes of people from the city crammed into the small town, wandering, hollering at each other under the orange sky of early dusk. Ash could not believe how everyone seemed to know one another, how they mingled and laughed without a shred of unfamiliarity. It was as if everyone knew each other.
However, before the event started, Hala stepped onto the octagonal platform, backdropped by a giant, cracking and spitting bonfire.
"Welcome to the annual Festival of Honouring, everybody!" he said, and he didn't need a microphone for his voice to quiet everyone down. "Today, we are gathered to convey our gratitude and respect for Tapu Koko, our Guardian Deity who spends his days protecting our island and keeping the peace. Tapu Koko is a known fighter, so we will be battling, pitting our best moves against one another in friendly competition to please our guardian. Enjoy tonight as best you can, everybody, and let's make this festival a grand success!"
Ash instinctively joined the cheering and whistling, a genuine smile on his lips, his thoughts aeons away from the past events. Pikachu yelled from his shoulder, too, and Ash knew he was ok.
When the shouting calmed, Hala squinted straight at Ash rather than his grandson.
"To start, we have a special battle for everybody! Ash, Hau, to your sides of the stage, please," he instructed. Ash glanced at Hau, they shared a nod that he understood as a wish of good luck, and he eagerly approached his side.
To Ash, battling in the view of such a large crowd was routine; he was nonchalant to the muttering and staring. Lillie had told him not to be nervous, but he couldn't have been even if he wanted to. He thought Hau would be nervous in his inexperience, but he, too, was springing on his toes. That insouciance to the stares fit his character perfectly, Ash realised.
"Before you stands Hau, grandson to the Kahuna. Come up here, Hau!" Hala announced. Hau dashed onto the stage, waving like a celebrity, enticing a roar from the crowd you would hear at a concert or Poké-Sports game. It was clear to Ash that Hau was well known. It made sense, related to the Kahuna as he was, who, Ash noticed, regarded Hau with pride.
"Today, we witness young Hau of Iki Town receive his first Pokémon. Here are the three starter Pokémon he may choose from!"
From his jacket, Hala brandished three Pokéballs and tossed them onto the stage. A small, round owl with a leaf crest on its chest and huge eyes popped out from the first ball. From the second ball came a small, black-furred cat marked with candy red fur in sections, with golden eyes. From the final ball came a small, blue pinniped Pokémon, like a miniature sea lion with a pink ball nose. Its eyes were big, round, and playful.
Respectively, Hala introduced them. "This first one is Rowlet, the Grass-Type starter Pokémon. Next is Litten, the Fire-Type starter. Finally, we have Popplio, the Water-Type starter. Who will you choose, Hau?"
"I've always wanted Rowlet as my partner!" Hau said doubtlessly. Somehow, Ash knew he would choose Rowlet.
"Very well! However, only when you have chosen each other can you truly call yourself partners. Now, let's see if Rowlet decides to choose you," Hala said, and he returned Litten and Popplio.
Nodding, Hau backed up a few steps, looking into Rowlet's big eyes. Hau hunched, placed his hands to his knees, and waited. And he waited. Rowlet tilted its head ninety degrees, stared at Hau, and Hau waited some more. He waited for almost two minutes, the silence around them becoming tenser by the second.
Ash didn't quite know what he was seeing. He had never heard of such a ritual to receive a starter Pokémon. Alola was intriguing.
Eventually, after another minute, Rowlet slowly stepped towards Hau. When he was at his feet, Hau picked up the small owl Pokémon. He stood and lifted Rowlet gently in his arms, who hooted excitedly. The tenseness transformed into the loudest cheering yet, surprising Ash since it was such a simple gesture.
"Ho! So Rowlet has chosen you, too, Hau. Congratulations! From now, you are an official Pokémon trainer!" Hala said, and he started clapping. Following Hala's lead, the large crowd filling Iki Town erupted into cheers. They shouted compliments at Hau, displaying a wide-scale camaraderie Ash had felt numerous times before. He felt a pang of reminiscence, of yearning.
Placing Rowlet back on the stage, Hau crouched again. "Nice to meet you, Rowlet! From now on, we'll be partners!"
"Roooowlet!"
"We've got our first battle straight away, so let's do this!"
Hau nodded to Hala, and the elder continued.
"Before Hau stands Ash – one who has met with Tapu Koko." That little fact instigated a little disruptive chatter.
"What?!"
"Hah! What a curious thing Tapu Koko is!"
Ash ignored it. Whenever somebody heard he had met a Legendary Pokémon, they always talked. It was not out of the ordinary, for him at least.
"You ready, Pikachu?" Ash asked.
"Pika! Chu, pika!"
"Hah, yeah, let's not do another Snivy. But, don't go all out, alright?" Ash asked, stepping up onto the stage, beside which Lillie watched, surrounded by a group of teens.
"As long as we have a good time, we can call this a good battle, eh?" Hau said, grinning.
Ash nodded. "Yeah. Let's have a good one!"
Hala stepped back.
"For all life on our islands and for those who undertake the island challenge with joy in their hearts, we pray for your protection, for them and all Melemele. May this first Pokémon battle be an offering to our island's guardian deity – Tapu Koko. Ash! Hau! Bring forth the power of your Pokémon! Let the battle begin!"
Either startled by the sudden occasion or contemplative about his first battle, Hau hesitated, a rookie mistake Ash immediately recognised. But, because he wanted to provide Hau with a memorable first battle, Ash stole those moments of hesitation, those moments to think – giving him no time to think mimicked a typical battle perfectly, and what better way was there to learn?
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash called, swiping his arm outwards unintentionally, an automatized performance his body remembered over the years.
Springing weightlessly into the humid air, Pikachu gyrated, lightning materialising and cracking and fizzing around his tiny frame. Shouting aloud in determination, Pikachu unleashed the attack at a down-sized intensity as Ash had suggested, more the power of an average Pikachu. He was not an average Pikachu.
Facing his first-ever attack, Hau was stunned into action. Ash knew the feeling: a sudden realisation that you were in a battle, a shock that gave you a mindwipe, making redundant whatever simulations you had practised outside of the pressures of a battle. It was difficult to keep a clear head during your first battle, especially against a more experienced opponent.
Ash knew as much because he had felt it during his first real trainer battle, as he imagined everybody did. He remembered the tenseness and the confusion of not knowing your opponent, not yet versed at calculating them or their strategies. Then he remembered the anxiousness that made you step second, that made you unsure what move to use. He remembered those juvenile feelings fondly.
"Ah!" Hau yelped, "Rowlet, dodge it and use Tackle!"
The small owl tried, but the command was too stalled; the bolt hit Rowlet.
Rowlet fell hard on the wooden stage, then slowly recovered. After he rolled onto his feet, Rowlet charged at Pikachu with Tackle, whose nerves did not falter.
Across the battlefield, Hau's face brightened, his panicked look returning to that excited one he had worn the rest of the day. Ash knew the battle started now, not at the first move. With that realisation, he felt slightly guilty that the Thunderbolt had hit, seeing as it was Hau's first battle.
Ash allowed Pikachu to endure the Tackle, using it to gauge Rowlet's power. His small partner skidded across the wood on his paws only a metre or two; his endurance was beyond a low-level starter. Pikachu had faced ten times that.
"Use Leafage!" Hau called next, jumping into the air instead of his Pokémon, and there it was, the same excitement igniting in Hau that Ash himself felt every time he battled.
Rowlet spawned a vortex of leaves from his sharp quills, sending them spiralling towards Pikachu like a baby Leaf Storm.
"Pikachu, duck-and-roll, then Iron Tail!" Ash calmly said, and, like a movement during a parkour improvisation, Pikachu hunched under the attack, his tail steeling mid-dodge. "Left," Ash called, spotting a stream of leaves changing course. "Right!"
As soon as Pikachu bypassed the move due to Ash's expert vision, he reclaimed his balance and swivelled, batting Rowlet away faster than was conceivable.
"Retreat with Quick Attack!" Ash called, and Pikachu obliged. He could not stay still and wait for a counterattack, no matter that Hau was a rookie.
After some unexperienced seconds of tumbling through the air, the small bird extended his wings to stabilise himself, flapping them in wait for the next move Hau instructed.
"Use Tackle!" Hau called, his enthusiasm electric. The crowd around him roared their encouragement, but nothing like the deafening sounds of a Pokémon League. Ash was unaffected by the overwhelming support for his opponent.
"Pikachu, wait for it! Wait…" Ash muttered, squinting at Rowlet's rapid charge. "Now!" he instructed. Pikachu leapt away from the attack just as Rowlet lunged, and the bird crashed into the stage, rolling a short distance. Instead of following up with a Thunderbolt, Ash refrained, remembering he would not go all-out. "Nice work!" he told Pikachu instead.
"Gah! Rowlet, Leafage!" Rowlet clambered to his feet. He released more swirling grass arrows from his wings. They jabbed Pikachu this time, knocking him higher into the air.
"Use the spin to your advantage! Electro Ball!"
"Rowlet, fly up and use Tackle!"
Rowlet soared, shortening their distance by the second. Pikachu's attack missed by a millimetre, and Rowlet surged on. The Tackle hit, and Hau instructed Rowlet to do it again, and it hit again, but when the third rep came, Ash was ready, recalling an escape route from the library written in his head.
"Pikachu, Draco Meteor Climb!" Grinning as wide as Ash, Pikachu slapped his tail onto Rowlet when he was close enough, propelling himself upward, mimicking Foul Play.
"Finish it with Thunderbolt!" Ash called, punching the air with his fist. Pikachu spun, electrified, and unleashed the move. Rowlet's unbalance in the air stopped him swooping away, and that sealed the match.
Electrocuted, Rowlet crashed down onto the platform, laying still for a few moments before Hala called it, and the crowd exploded into awed cheers and consolations to Hau's performance. It seemed they knew it was unlikely he'd win his first-ever battle.
"The winner is Ash!"
The challenger, Ash added in thought, reiterating that short and uplifting quote he had heard too many times, yet the surge of accomplishment hit him just as profoundly every time. Though, a part of him realised he had probably not held back enough, as wrapped up as he had been in the battle.
"Ahhhhhh, no waaaaay!" Hau yelled over the noise, dropping to his knees dramatically. Suddenly, Hau leapt to his feet and yelled, "That was awesome!" He picked up Rowlet and charged at Ash, who crouched down to pet Pikachu, then looked up to meet him.
"Dude, what the hell is Draco Meteor Climb?! Where do you come up with something like that?! And how could you dodge that Leafage so well?! C'mon, you gotta tell me!"
Ash laughed, "It's all about training and experience. The more you gain, the more you'll learn. The Pokémon world is a place of endless things to experience, and when you see new things, take them as your inspiration. Your adventures are only just beginning, right? Nobody's amazing right from the start. It takes time. But that was a good battle. You handled Rowlet well."
"You think? Nice! You hear that, Rowlet? We're not too shabby! Phew, that was a great battle, Ash. I had a blast fighting you."
"Same here," Ash said and clasped Hau's hand in a firm shake. The crowd applauded the sportsmanship.
Kahuna Hala marched towards the pair, sonic booms resonating with each clap he gave.
"What an excellent battle, congratulations to both of you! Hau, you have now properly taken your first step of many along the road of a Pokémon trainer, and the first step towards overtaking your father! Surely with such a battle, Tapu Koko will be–"
"Ko-ko-kooo!"
"Woah, no way!"
"Tapu Koko – can you believe it?!"
"That's never happened before!"
Hala looked back at the forest as if searching for Tapu Koko. He rose a brow, then looked at Ash and smiled.
"Ho! You heard it yourself! Tapu Koko's song of approval! Now, everybody, let's get on with the festival!"
Descending the steps as the crowd scattered, Hau walking at his side, Ash heard a female's voice say, "That's him, Lillie, the guy I was talking about!" He looked and saw Lillie smiling his way. It was a congratulatory expression. Ash smiled back before venturing into the equally congratulatory horde, his mind set on sitrus berry juice. The hot weather had left his throat parched.
Ash did not notice the small puppy Pokémon gazing at him, amazed, scampering amongst the swinging feet of the crowd to follow him.
Ash had toured to countless festivals and celebrations throughout his travels. Each one was spectacular, yet similar in its main elements: large gatherings of people and buoyant expressionists, with decorations and food and drinks.
Of all the events he had attended, Ash ranked The Festival of Honouring highly. He associated Iki Town's festival to the gatherings in Pallet Town that had occurred every so often during his youth when the town's residents would amalgamate their small neighbourhoods to celebrate key events and traditions. Iki's smallness yet comforting conviviality was, in Ash's head, Pallet Town's.
As ever, he wandered, gobbled food and swigged drinks. He blended into the atmosphere, enjoying the festival as anyone else did, chatting to Hau until he left to meet some friends. After that, Ash was left alone to wander on foot, and he did that for a while, simply watching, but soon enough, his mind began to wander too.
He saw Lillie talking to two girls, one of which he recognised from the shop he had visited earlier in the day, and Hau was with two boys; Ash did not want to impede their talks, so he kept away. Hala and Kukui stood to the side, glancing his way sometimes, and Pikachu was entranced by what appeared to be a ketchup bottle. That was typical of him, Ash thought, and then the fact that he had nobody to talk to became all too consuming. He remembered he was alone out in Alola, present by happenchance, a ghost invading the intimacy pervading the entire plaza.
The adrenaline-like energy he had amassed from saving Lillie on the bridge, chatting with people, and his fleetingly joyous battle seemed to have finally deflated. The thoughts, the constant aching, the inescapable dampening of his mood: everything Ash couldn't ignore the previous day slammed into him in a rush. Luckily, his ghostliness prevented anyone from seeing the way he gripped his chest and clenched his eyes, trying to stop himself from breaking in the eye of the excitement.
He had had time to comprehend everything now, enough time for the consequential hysteria to subside and the hollowness to cement itself in him. Maybe, as had happened that afternoon, a period of intense activity would suppress it for a while, but he knew that hollowness would always haunt him, a shadow enclosed around his heart, lingering.
Ash decided to find Samson, if only to find something to do again, perhaps a way to rebuild whatever blockade he had unconsciously built that afternoon.
About an hour into the festival, when the sun was a semi-circle over the horizon, and some people started battling again, Ash finally found Samson alongside Kukui and Hala, gossiping something serious, it appeared.
Ash called in greeting, helping Pikachu down to the ground to scamper back into the crowd, who was undoubtedly searching for more food to sate his invisible emotions that Ash felt.
"Ah, Alola, Ash! Have you been looking for me – Seaking?!" Samson asked, pulling another face. Ash was going to get tired of those puns very quickly.
"Yeah," Ash replied, "I thought I would come and ask you about fixing my Pokégear."
"Ah, actually, Professor Kukui is the one I said can help you," Samson said.
"A Pokégear, eh? Nah, not me, but I think Molayne could help you out! He's a whizz with steel and circuitry. He may need to get some parts from abroad, but he should be able to help," Kukui said.
That was the first piece of good news.
"Thank you, Professor. As soon as he can do it, please," Ash said. He slipped the device off his wrist and passed it to Kukui, who placed it into his lab coat pocket.
"No worries, kid!"
Ash thanked Kukui again and turned back into the crowd because finding such a quick resolution was not enough to clear his mind. He was desperate to get away before they noticed something was wrong, seeing as they all stared quizzically, calculatingly, at him.
When Ash disappeared behind the crowd's wall, he didn't see Hala frown or ask, "Samson, if I may return to what we were saying, who is Ash?"
He didn't see Samson shake his head or hear him say, "I couldn't tell you. All I know from watching him is that he's different."
Another hour passed. It was one of nothingness for Ash, who was trying desperately to conceal himself. He watched the battles for most of it, nit-picking their performances like a petty critique. He sighed when he realised the extent to his experiences compared to most, especially those so far estranged from the rest of society, was vast. It was probable that most of the people there had not crossed the borders of the deep-sea secluding Alola.
Ash found himself asking why they would even need to. Alola was a paradise.
Ash then walked away from the crowd and spotted two peculiarly dressed people talking at the steps.
"So, this is what they call a festival," the taller one said in a deep, almost robotic voice.
"It does look like people are having fun," the shorter one, a girl, commented.
"Not that they should," he replied, "this is no time to celebrate. Anyway, the aura measurements are pretty high, so maybe it's not an awful idea to have this festival."
"Are they?" she asked, leaning over to check something in the male's hands.
Ash didn't know why he stopped to eavesdrop on them, but he realised he was probably intruding, so he walked away. He caught one last thing before he departed.
"Indeed, this is an extraordinary event in terms of aura. It's only thanks to The Blinding One that this place is overflowing with such brilliance, though it is left in such a state now, so dark and enfeebled. We cannot contain The Blinding One in our world, but if it did come here…"
It was nearly dark now; the timeless horizon had finally disappeared. Things quietened down in tandem with nature, though the sounds of the festivities did not.
Boredom making him restless once more, Ash wandered around the area again. He noticed Pikachu speaking with some species Ash had not seen before; a small bird, a puppy, and another that looked like a black Ratatta. Ash wondered whether he was just too tired and was mistaken.
A minute later, Ash saw Lillie sitting alone at the crest of the steps, where the oddly dressed duo had been, looking out across the sky.
"Hey, Lillie," Ash said, giving her a light way.
The timid girl jumped. "Oh! Ash, hello!"
"Can I join you?"
"O-Of course!" Lillie said, smiling. "How are you finding the festival?"
"It's good, yeah. I like the calmness of it," Ash responded. Anticipating Lillie's surprised reaction, he said, "I only mean it's calmer than festivals in big cities."
"Oh, I see! Yes, you're right, not that I have ever been to any. You must have been to a few?" Lillie said, looking down.
"Yeah, one or two…" Noticing that made her a little upset, Ash changed the topic. "So, I was wondering if you could tell me about Alola. I've had my fill of the festival, and I'm interested," Ash said.
That immediately made her brighten.
"Y-Yes! Of course! What do you want to know?"
Ash shrugged, "Well, anything. It's up to you."
Lillie nodded, grinning. She turned face-on to him, resting her legs against the steps to comfort the position.
"Ok. As you've probably heard, Alola comprises four main islands: Melemele Island, Akala Island, Ula'Ula Island, and Poni Island. Each island has their own Guardian Deity, each of which overlooks their island's safety and protection. Tapu Koko overlooks Melemele, Akala has Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu is on Ula'Ula, and Tapu Fini overlooks Poni Island. Each of them has its own special powers, so, for example, Tapu Koko is very fast and strong with electric and special attacks, while Tapu Lele has the power to heal any injury or scar, but it is rare to see. Well, they all are."
Ash wondered if that related to non-physical injuries.
"The Tapu appoint Island Kahunas. They are powerful trainers that lead and protect everyone with and on behalf of the Tapu. Kahuna Hala, as you know, is Melemele's Kahuna. As for the culture in Alola, there is a tradition that we have known as the Island Challenge. During the Island challenge, trainers will travel over each of the four main islands, taking on Trials and Grand Trials along the way to–"
"Trials and Grand Trials?"
"Yes! S-Sorry…"
"It's ok," Ash reassured her, smiling comfortingly.
"T-The Island Kahunas, with the blessing of the Tapu via a move called Nature's Madness, which can control any aspect of nature, train up what are known as Totem Pokémon. These Totem Pokémon are twice or three times the size of normal Pokémon, and the aim of each Trial is to clear the challenges and find and defeat the Totem Pokémon. Throughout the years, the Kahunas have also appointed Trial Captains, people that oversee each challenge and train the Totem Pokémon on behalf of the Kahuna.
"Lately, however, there aren't as many Trial Captains, so the Island Challenge is more independent. But, do you see that group of people over there?" Lillie pointed to the people she had been with earlier.
"Yeah."
"The green-haired girl is Mallow, the short girl is Lana, the short boy is Sophocles, and the taller boy is Kiawe. They're, umm, my friends. They are looking to become trial captains of a few different trials, so they and some other people around the islands will be filling the missing spaces in about a year. They're only in training at the moment.
"A-Anyway! Those are the trials, but a Grand Trial is a battle against that Island's Kahuna. When you complete a Trial or a Grand Trial, you receive a Z-Crystal as a reward."
"Oh, that's one of the stones I Tapu Koko gave me, right?" Ash asked.
"That's right. These Z-Crystals and a Z-Ring allow a trainer and a Pokémon to upgrade a certain move to a more powerful move, known as a Z-Move. Actually, there is a legend in Alola that states a Legendary Pokémon and the Tapu created the Z-Crystals, that in the past there was a giant battle, and at the end of it, a Legendary Pokémon sacrificed itself to save Alola. From its body, crystals with the ability to store energy were uncovered, and the Tapu used their abilities together to power the crystals, creating Z-Crystals."
"A Legendary Pokémon, huh…"
"Oh, yes! I forgot about Alolan variants! Over in Alola, some Kantonian Pokémon have migrated, so they have had to change to meet the demands of the environment here. For example, Vulpix is a Fire Type in Kanto, but in Alola, it's an Ice Type! I-I find that interesting – it's what Professor Oak is studying."
Lillie kept explaining things about Alola until she saw Ash's smile, a weave of being impressed and entertained. She timidly looked down.
"S-Sorry…"
"No, no, it's ok! I was just admiring how smart you are, how much you know about all of this, and how much you seem to like talking about it. I'm always moving around, so I don't have much time to sit down and study things like that. I learn by experience, so it's nice to listen for once," Ash said.
"T-Thank you! I never really get to talk about things much either, so it's nice to be able to." Lillie smiled, and it was a picture of pure happiness. Ash could not match her at that time.
"Thanks for explaining all that, too. Knowing more about Alola will help me choose what I want to do next," Ash said.
Lillie parted her lips to reply when a piercing whistle sounded in place of her voice. The sound came from a stream of red shooting into the sky. Ash and Lillie watched as the light exploded, scattering fluorescent stars of red across the beautiful darkness.
"Fireworks?!" Lillie asked her eyes a depiction of childlike zeal.
Another followed, this one ocean blue, then a yellow one, sizzling up in a zigzag of light, like a thunderbolt. Ash lay back to watch the fireworks adorn the night. They completely forgot about their conversation. There were loud, booming fireworks that exploded into spheres of colour; fast, scattering bursts; and slow, delayed ones that left him in suspense for the grand explosion, a multicoloured collage bursting in the sky.
Lillie lay beside Ash, watching them too, her long hair sprawled across the ground as if not even touching it, her eyes mesmerised by the sight as if it were her first time seeing them. Ash looked at Lillie, knowing their conversation was gone, but it was pleasing to experience a beautiful sight with a new friend.
Ash pondered that fact: Lillie was a new friend. If that were true, he would not allow what happened last time to recur. He had to protect the friends he had left with everything he had, everything he was. That was his new promise to himself.
The pair watched the fireworks shoot and explode until the festival's end, settled into a friendly silence talking would only ruin.
After the fireworks stopped, Ash escorted Lillie to Kukui and left for the Poké-Center. He reserved room ninety-nine and changed into his sleeping vest and shorts. After a short conversation with Pikachu, he crashed almost instantly, Pikachu doing the same at the bottom of his mattress.
Under the beauty of the stars, the Alolan airport doors slid open to a trio of tropically clad characters: a blue-haired man in a palm tree t-shirt, a purple-haired woman in a purple cropped top, and a Kantonian Meowth with shades over his large eyes. They looked like models strutting out onto a catwalk until they stepped from the doorway and stumbled onto the ground in a dishevelled heap, groaning.
"Jet lag…" James muttered, pressing a palm pressed against his head.
When they recovered from their momentary vertigo, they hatched a plan to find a Poké-Center to sleep in for the night. It did not take them long to find it amongst the scarce city, and they stepped inside to talk with Nurse Joy.
Being able to step through the door undetected, not ostracized from the place for the reputation they had reaped, was a welcomed experience to James. It seemed they were unknown out in Alola. More pleasing, in fact, was Nurse Joy's kindness towards them rather than being glared at as they had been in other regions, even when their Pokémon were injured. They secured a room without any hassle and locked the door to room one hundred behind them.
"Phew, thank Arceus that went off without a problem! It looks like we're really on our own out here," Jessie said, flopping onto the bed nearest the window that James wanted.
"Yeah, well, I can't be happy about that knowing that Ash is gone," James replied, sitting on the edge of his bed, leaning against the wall. "Can you believe how obsessed we've been?"
James put his head in his hands. When he received no reply, he looked towards Jessie. She was asleep, Meowth too. James sighed again. He drew across the curtains and tried to sleep, hoping he would feel better in the morning.