Alola readers once again! Brav is back with another chapter just in time to avoid having a once a month issue again.
I will admit that I got a Switch with Sword and Shield, having been playing both of those in lieu of the time I've been supposed to be writing. If anything, it's further fueled my drive to startup a Sword/Shield fic and I've already got ideas swimming around in my head for such a thing all in a sandbox document. Obviously the finish of this fic will likely be top priority before I start on anything else. I'd hate to leave it unfinished with an ending that I'm not satisfied with.
Anyways, let's get to the chapter. Before I do, there is an explicit scene in the later half. You have been warned.
Following this; there will be some darker chapters with some additional M rated things and I'm likely to be turning this up to the appropriate M rating as those chapters approach. Enjoy the chapter and wash your damn hands.
Boys will be boys.
I should have figured that out a long time ago.
I convinced Hapu who had picked me up at Malie City to try and make the trek on my own. That was before I heard all of this awful news and I should've already known that Elio and Hau were right in the thick of it.
I took the longer way, reaching Tapu Village and heading to the Aether House. Acerola said it was safe, but I'm not sure if there were any members Mother had stationed there to look for me.
At least the ocean looked nice and inviting! It seemed like it was very fun when I saw two people on sharpedoes racing one another!
I've always had that feeling that something is watching over me. Maybe it's the tapu...let's just say that I think Elio was sent by them. I feel so grateful for him.
The Aether House was a small building that seemed to stick out like a sore thumb.
Surrounded by the rolling hills that ascended up to the mountains, it was a lone man-made structure that was visible just at the edge of the small town of the Tapu Village.
A fence surrounded it, allowing for a small flower garden and a lush green lawn that had a couple of worn toys strewn about. Part of the grass was worn away with dirt instead and Elio could see scorch marks to where a pokemon battle once was.
He could see that it was still a fairly new building, compared to the other structures in the Tapu Village that needed varying degrees of touchups after battling the elements constantly for years. Like the Aether Foundation involved in its name, the house was a mix of black and a pearly white with hints of gold trim around the door and front columns. The inside smelled slightly of fresh lavender, likely from a cleaning agent.
Nobody had answered the door as Elio, Hau and Leilani approached. Jangmo'o trotted eagerly at his trainer's side as the young vulpix peered cautiously out of the top of his backpack.
"Well...this looks like the place." Hau said with uncertainty. He glanced around. "I mean, it's got Aether in its name and looks like a place the Foundation would set up."
"I've never been to the Aether Paradise." Leilani added from behind them. "But I've heard it's an amazing place."
It is. But something there felt...odd. I can't place it exactly.
"Should we knock?"
"Well it's the polite thing to do."
"That's not wrong." Elio sighed and rapped his knuckles twice on the surface. A few moments later, they heard something unlatch and the door cranked open.
They were all expecting to see Acerola, not a kid that could've been six or seven years old.
Why is there a kid answering the door?
"Um," The little boy glanced at the three strangers on the doorstep rather timidly. "Hello?"
"Hey there." Elio softly said, trying to appear as nonthreatening as possible. "We're looking for Acerola. Is she home?"
"No." The boy's eyes flashed up to them with suspicion and a surprise amount of defiance. "What do you want?"
"Well we met up with Acerola and she said to wait for her here."
"She's not here. And she also told me not to talk to strangers."
Smart kid. Elio thought to himself.
"What's your name?"
"Hunter."
"That's a nice name. Mine's Elio. Now we're not strangers anymore."
He heard a low growl in the back and Hunter paused, eyes wide. Next to his leg, Jangmo'o's eyes lit up at the sight of the kid and he bounded excitedly in front, wagging his tail and staring eagerly at the kid like an expectant puppy.
Hunter's apprehensive demeanor changed in an instant the moment he saw the little dragon. "Hiiiii! Oh my goodness he is so adorable!" Jangmo'o was more than happy to give the kid signs of affection as he playfully nuzzled and circled Hunter, causing the kid to laugh.
"This means battle!" Hunter whipped out a poke ball from his pocket, releasing a small bipedal pokemon that was gold in color with yellow striping and a pair of holed prongs that looked like horns on its head.
"Oooh! It's a new pokemon! Bzzt!" Rotom Dex chimed in, "Elekid. Electric pokemon. When it's in a house, power outlets serve as its baby bottles. An elekid's mood improves with the sound of thundercrashes. Elekid is an electric type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
Jangmo'o stepped forward, already prepped for battle. Sun was in the middle of wondering if it was okay to battle in such close confines with expensive looking furniture and flooring.
He didn't have to time to contemplate as Hunter's elekid jumped forward, throwing a thunderpunch attack. Jangmo'o nimbly dodged to the side, glancing back at Elio for orders.
"Headbutt!"
The little dragon planted one foot down in mid-stride and used his head to ram into the opponent's midsection. As soon as he did, a spark of static electricity reached over, covering Jangmo'o himself and he twitched, having activated the static ability.
"Use low kick!"
Elekid lunged forward, sweeping its foot out and catching Jangmo'o to topple him. It swung its arms around, causing the horns on its head to crackle and it unleashed a thundershock attack.
Elio was surprised when Jangmo'o took the initiative on his own, throwing up a protect barrier that shielded him from the thundershock. He squeaked when the paralysis rendered him immobile, but managed to recover just in time to dodge another low kick.
"Use bulldoze." Elio called out. His eyes gleamed as he slammed his front feet into the ground, creating a shockwave that disrupted and stunned elekid enough to cause it to faint.
"Woah." Hunter's eyes went wide. "You're too strong! I tried really hard. I'm just a kid."
"So I won yeah?" Hau's voice came from his left and he didn't realize his best friend had also been locked in a battle with a girl who had a rather affectionate yungoos clinging to his shin. "So why is this little guy still gnawing on me?"
"I'm sorry." Hunter looked a bit remorseful.
"That's okay kid." Elio knelt down and smiled at him. "If I was your age, I would've done the same thing. But you were being careful to help your pokemon and friends right?"
Hunter nodded and before he could say anything else, the door had opened behind them and Acerola bounded in.
"I'm back everybody!"
"YAY!" The teens heard a chorus of cheers as nearly twenty children of varying age rushed out from the rooms in the hallways. They all looked to be no younger than five, but no older than nine or ten. They surrounded Acerola as she made her way over to the counter of the main kitchen, putting up several full grocery bags.
"You all were good for our new guests?"
"Yeah!"
The three of them watched as Acerola handed out the food to the kids and they all carefully and orderly put everything away. Two of them stacked the fridge with the perishables while another handled the frozen food, clearing out room in the very back. The pantry was open and another one was handing food off to two more.
Wow. It's kind of like how I expected an orphanage to be. Older kids have chores to do.
"I'm so glad you guys could make it!" Acerola spun around excitedly as a pokemon came to her side. It was gray color with reddish eyes and an orange mouth. Elio was a little bit unsettled by its appearance.
"Another new pokemon detected! Boy am I getting lucky today! Bzzt! Banette. Marionette pokemon. Resentment at being cast off made it spring into being. Some say that treating it well will satisfy it, and it will once more become a stuffed toy. Banette is a ghost type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
"LaChaise," Acerola asked. "Do you mind getting everyone ready for the night while I prepare dinner?"
The banette nodded and floated to the center, where it gestured to the hallways. Obidently, the children chatted to one another and walked down.
They're so well behaved.
"You guys like?" Acerola asked as she went over to the kitchen. "I tell you, running an orphanage with all these little ones gets exhausting."
"But you're barely older than some of them." Elio pointed out.
"Maybe. But once they get older, I can get them to help me out since we'll more than likely be getting more orphans and kids of employees."
Leilani glanced around, seeing the modern but worn interior. "You raise kids of Aether Foundation staff?"
"Oh all the time." Acerola said. "Lots of kids have a mother or a father...even both. It's just fate that I happened to be here for everyone. Many really have no way to go or know their parents well."
Elio felt a pang of sadness when she said that.
All these kids, some of their parents not even involved in their lives. They're just dumped here like they're undesirable or just a problem to get rid of.
If anything, it made him more grateful that he had parents who kept and loved him, even after he had found out that he was an unplanned child.
I won't do this to my children if I ever have them. They wouldn't deserve something as bad as what these kids are going through.
"It's stressful but if I can be the person to make a difference for these kids in their lives, then I'd do it. I was brought up the same way after I lost my parents." Acerola looked sad and forlorn. "That's why I want to keep smiling. To make sure that there's always the bright side in life no matter what gets thrown at you."
Leilani nodded, having experienced the same thing. "It's okay Acerola. I lost my mother years ago too. She disappeared and nobody knows what happened to her. I miss her every day."
"I lost my dad." Elio added.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Well...he isn't dead, if that's what you were thinking. He was just...not right...and he needed help."
"You never told us what eventually happened to him." Hau said.
"That's because I didn't know until I called Mom about it after I got that unexpected call from him back on Akala Island."
"Oh."
Elio sighed, accepting glasses of water that Acerola had handed to everyone. "So after Mom and Dad got into another one of the big fights that was the breaking point, she and her grandfather, the chief of Dad's station had all gotten together to give him an ultimatum."
"Wait, your tutu was your Dad's boss?" Leilani asked.
He nodded. "Yup. You know, one of those kinds of things that makes it awkward when you sleep with your boss' daughter. Long story short; the chief and all the others at the station gave him that ultimatum to seek help and rehabilitation from his alcohol addiction or,"
"Or what?" Elio saw that the others were leaning in, listening intently for him to finish.
"Or he had to surrender his badge and uniform...for good."
Hau blinked. "So what did he choose."
"He chose to go to rehab. That was where he must've called me from. After so long of therapy and gathering up the courage. He apologized to me...and I turned him down. That must've destroyed everything he was working towards."
"Well what's stopping you from calling him back?"
"I don't know. Maybe just the slim part of hope that my father can be back to the person I looked up to and loved. I want so badly to think that if I do pick the phone up, that it could happen...but there's also the possibility that it would all be for nothing with no turning back."
"You didn't want to risk ruining yourself if your father had changed for the worse." Acerola said. "I completely understand."
"So what are you going to do?"
"I'm not sure." Elio said. "Should I put myself through all of that again?"
Hau spoke up again. "If you ask me? Yes."
He gestured around to the others. "You may be the only person here who's spoken to both their parents. Maybe the only one who could still reconcile. My mother is gone and my father wants nothing to do with Alola."
"I'm sorry Hau, I never knew."
"I know. I never told anyone."
Maybe I will. Lillie wants me to do it and seeing how I still have both of them within a phone call away. We all have families torn apart by one thing or another. It would be a disservice if I didn't at least try. Perhaps one day.
"Maybe I will. But I want to finish this trial and all the others. Have something to show that I've become better, not worse."
"Elio," Leilani started. "I think your father would still be very proud of you no matter where you are. Just...reach out to him. Don't leave him hanging there and hope he isn't going to stop trying. It's not fair to him."
"You're right."
Elio stood up and finished his drink. "Okay. Once I finish the island challenge. I will call my dad."
Dinner was a rather simple affair. Acerola's previous grocery run had a mixture of frozen and simple to prepare meals. The kitchen boasted a rather impressive amount of space, smooth marble countertops and a wide sink. The girl was still a little bit short, so she had a small booster stool to help her height problem when having to prepare meals.
Already she had a large pot of water under heat and a few boxes of uncooked spaghetti noodles by large baking trays.
"Need some help?" Elio asked. Since they had broken up for an hour to settle down and supposedly meet the trial captain, he felt a little awkward in sitting around doing nothing while other people were busy working on food.
"Oh I'm good!" She spun around happily, while sprinkling salt into the pot. "I'm used to having to prepare food all the time for twenty plus kids!" As she worked, LaChaise the banette was grabbing a large stirring spoon and handed it off to her like an assistant.
"Wow. You must be pretty good at it."
"I try and brag, but it's mainly all things that can be easily prepared. We don't exactly have a big budget here." She pointed to some of the worn furniture. "Some of this stuff has been here before I even arrived."
Elio found himself saddened by the negligence. This place is supposed to be sponsored and assisted by the Aether Foundation. They can't even take care of the kids their staff have...guess they have bigger fish to fry.
"I'm sorry it's like this." It feels like that typical rundown orphanage where the kids have no support and become delinquents like Team Skull.
Sun wouldn't have been surprised if a number of the grunts in the gang had come from a place like this where they were already set up to fall short before they even started.
"Do you school them?"
"No. We have some tutors from the Foundation who come five days a week for the different age groups."
"So I guess it's all sort of good. At least they get private teachers to help, so they're prepared with what they want to do with their lives."
"And these kids always love it when trial-goers come here for the next part of the island challenge. It really means the world to them."
"I'm glad I can help out." Elio said. "So...about it. Where can I find the captain?"
"You've already met her."
"What? When?" He stopped when it dawned on him. "It's you? What? Why did you make me think it was someone else?"
"No reason," The purple haired girl stuck her tongue out at him. "I just wanted to mess with you."
Instead of getting angry like others; Elio merely chuckled lightly. "Alright. Ya got me there. So does this mean I have to schedule it with you now?"
"Yeah. How about we do it first thing tomorrow morning?"
"That works for me."
"Great! Hope you're not afraid of ghosts." Beside her, LaChaise chuckled darkly.
Those aren't very comforting words. But now I know this is a ghost type trial. I don't have any dark type pokemon...not anymore after I let Grimer go. But I do have dark type moves.
Acerola shooed him outside as she continued to prepare dinner. The sun was beginning to lower and set in the sky. Hau and Leilani sat together on the steps up to the orphanage's front door talking quietly amongst themselves when Elio emerged. Beside him, both vulpix and Jangmo'o saw the others and scampered off to join in on the fun.
"Hey." Leilani smiled at him as he sat on her other side. "So what's up?"
"Can't complain. I got the details for the next trial."
Hau perked up from her other side. "Oh really? Who's the captain?"
"Acerola."
"What? You're pulling my leg."
"No I'm not."
"A'ole pololei."
"So when are you set to do it?"
"Tomorrow morning."
"That's not bad."
"Yeah."
Silence fell over the group as they carefully watched the kids run around in an intense game of tag alongside their small pokemon.
"Hey Elio."
"Hmm?"
"I'm sorry to have brought up those uncomfortable things regarding your dad." Leilani said. "I'm with Lillie when I say you should at least try to reconcile with him. Give him a chance."
"I will. It's just a matter of when I'll be mentally ready to talk to him. I don't think right now is a good time either. Just too much going on." Elio glanced at Hau. "And I'm sorry about hearing on your own parents. Guess my dilemma pales to how yours has panned out."
Hau smiled, no offense taken. "At least you have that opportunity like I won't."
"And it scares me."
"About having to face him?"
Elio glanced back out to the field. "No. More like the coming of age. Here we are on the island challenge, doing all these trials as trainers and it's all preparing us to be recognized as adults. Soon enough, we'll be old enough that we'll have to be independent."
"That's all part of growing up though." Leilani said. "What's wrong with that?"
"It scares me. Everyone's going to look at me differently, act differently. What if I'm not prepared for it?"
"And you think I'm not afraid of the change?" Elio glanced over at the alolan girl. "You're absolutely wrong. Back when I was a kid or a teenager, I didn't have to worry about bills and other responsibilities. I just had to be a kid. Now that we're all starting to turn into adults, we're all having to turn a new leaf into the next chapter of our life."
She paused. "And like you, I'm afraid to stumble or fall."
"Me too." Hau said.
"I know. It's rather bad to think we don't want to grow up, but we can't stop ourselves from aging. We're all going to be adults in less than three years, whether we like it or not."
"The things we would do to be kids again."
"For sure. There's a lot I'd do differently."
"Really? Like what?"
"Like not get hurt in basketball." Elio said. "So maybe I could be doing what Ed's doing. Basking in all that stardom as the shiny new player on the Hurricanes."
"You'd really want that?" Hau asked. "If you do that, then there's a chance you would've never come here and gotten to where you are now. There's that chance you would've never met me, Leilani, Professor Kukui, the captains, Lillie."
Elio stopped at Hau's words, almost ready to think of something to counter it, but couldn't. His friend was right.
That injury changed the course of his life as did a hundred...or even a thousand other things to lead to him sitting on the front of an orphanage on an island region with two people he regarded as close friends.
It's both amazing and frightening to think how things have played out so specifically.
I don't know what my life would be like if I did get to go pro basketball. Would I be a worldwide phenomenon? A bust? Would I never have met Lillie and instead find myself surrounded by girls all the time?
Suddenly with all the people and things that had happened to him; the thought of being a star basketball player seemed a tad less appealing.
It feels so hard and so bad imagining a life without Lillie. She's just too...loveable? I love everything about her.
"It's also hard," he continued. "Because when we're all adults and doing our own thing, what's going to happen to our parents? My mother isn't going to have anyone around the house besides Meowth. I don't really want to be known as that guy who lives with his mother, but I guess that's why the breakup between her and Dad really stings. Now she's going to be living alone again after I'm away."
"Maybe it's just a time where you have to learn to let those people go." Leilani said. "No, it's not something you want to do, but it's necessary. Your parents won't be around forever to take care of you...rather...I see it. You take care of your parents."
"Yeah."
A few minutes had passed when they saw a slim male figure approaching the orphanage. The kids paid the man no attention, but the three teens were already a bit wary with pokeballs in hand in case the intruder had any ill intent.
He was well dressed for someone in Alola, lacking the colorful tourist clothes for a simple white kimono that wouldn't have stood out in Malie City. His jet black hair was fashioned as if it were a pair of wings with silver streaks.
Something didn't sit right with him on his gait or appearance. But the kids spotted and yelled and waved happily at him. He looked over waving back before his gaze locked on them and made his way over. The kids all greeted him like an old friend and he gave pleasantries back, patting some of the younger ones on the head. Behind him, a black bird pokemon followed closely with a crest that resembled a fedora.
"Ah you must be new around here." The man regarded them all with icy blue eyes. "Trial goers I'm assuming. Otherwise, I'd wonder why you would bother to come to this desolate sad place."
"This is my home." Leilani's tone started to turn cold and both boys knew that she didn't take kindly to anyone talking down on it. "Watch yourself."
"Oh." The man seemed unperturbed by her confrontational behavior. "I don't mean it like that. With news that the infamous Raijin spotted and a wildfire that was out of control, I was wondering what had happened."
She started at him again, before her own brown eyes softened and lit up in recognition. "Hold on...I know you. You're Big G."
"Big G?" Hau and Elio asked at the same time. "Who's that?"
"Most people call me Grimsley."
Grimsley. Wait...I've heard of that name before.
"You're one of the Elite Four." Elio blurted out, causing Hau to recoil in shock at the reveal.
"Wait, you are?! I didn't even know we had an Elite Four yet!"
Grimsley chuckled. "Oh no. The Unova region's League...and it is now former member. I've opted to step down to start the next chapter of my life." He gestured to the bird behind him. "This is my partner honchkrow, Elias."
"And I'm Elio'zzz partner! Rotom! Bzzt! You know why I'm out and about. Zo let'zzz get down to buzzzzinezzz to defeat the Hunzzzz! Honchkrow. Big boss pokemon. It is the evolved form of murkrow. Its murkrow goons take care of most of the fighting for it. The only time it dirties its own hands is in delivering a final blow to finish off an opponent. It will absolutely not forgive any failure or betrayal by its goons. Honchkrow is a dark and flying type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
"But Big G?" Hau asked. "Is that your nickname from your time at the Unova League's Elite Four?"
Elio knew about the Unova League; the main competitive governing body in the distant heavily urbanized Unova region. It was known for being one of the more difficult ones, but the recent surge of the Neo Team Plasma terrorist group had put them under much scrutiny for their inaction against the faction that eventually led to one of their cities being frozen over right in the middle of summer, causing death and millions of dollars worth of damage to the infrastructure. Last he heard; they were still recovering after Neo Team Plasma had fragmented with the leadership captured or killed.
"Mantine Surfing."
That explained how Leilani knew him.
"You're an amazing surfer." She said quietly. "Even though you didn't come onto the scene until two years ago."
"I don't find it difficult. Just like riding a sharpedo."
Elio and Hau shared a glance. "You ride sharpedo in Unova?"
"And here. They're incredibly fast. I'm surprised you Alolan natives don't know about that." He looked at the boys. "How about I take you on?"
What does he mean by that? Grimsley produced a silver coin from...somewhere within his robe and flipped it between his thumb and pointer. He glanced at Sun.
"Heads or tails?"
Elio was about to pick one, but he paused not exactly sure how to respond to such an abrupt thing. It was further supported when he saw Elias tense beside his trainer.
"Neither."
Grimsley actually smiled, flicking the coin with his long thumb. It spun gracefully in mid-air as Elias flapped his dark wings, swooping over and snatching it away.
"You're quite the perceptive one. I was indeed planning for Elias to snatch it out of the sky. Like his younger self; a honchkrow is indeed attracted to glittering, shining objects. Very well." Both boys gave him their ride pagers upon his request and got them back after he fiddled with them for a brief moment. "I now have give you the ability to register and summon sharpedo to use."
"All right!" Hau pumped a fist. "I like the sound of that! Say Elio, why don't I take you on too?"
"On a battle?"
"No, not that. A race! With sharpedo!"
"You guys race with sharpedo?"
"Yeah! I used to see it all the time as a kid on the North Shore of Melemele Island and-"
"Hau!" Leilani cried out. "That's something we don't need the adults to know about!"
"Oh...sorry." He glanced over at Grimsley, who was listening with a thin smile of amusement on his face. "Too late now."
"You relax. I won't tell a soul. In fact I'd like to wager in on this too. Even though I'm supposed to be done with my gambling habits. Alder would kill me if he found out."
"Yeah what do you say?" Hau spread his arms out to Elio. "Can you beat me at a sharpedo race?"
Elio glanced out at the ocean, noticing several large rocks that obstructed most of the pathways. "Well, isn't that a little tricky if you're going fast?"
"Not really." Leilani said. "Sharpedo have strong heads and they can easily smash through cracked rocks and it's not hard to ride...especially if you've been on a jet ski before."
He raised an eyebrow at her. "You've ridden one of these before?"
"Of course. Why do you think I'm so hono about all this on the North Shore?" She brushed her dark hair with one of her hands. "Besides, it was a good way to impress all the boys."
We better get going before Hau drools any more.
By now, all the other kids had started to congregate around, all excited to see something going on.
"You've got quite the audience," Grimsley gestured to all of them. "Why not?"
Hau had been trash talking about the lap ever since they made their way down to the dock after changing into their ride gear and calling up a pair of sharpedo.
Rotom was more than happy to handle the new entry before he could mount his ride.
"Sharpedo. Brutal pokemon. It is the evolved form of carvanha. Its bloodthirsty temperament and rows of razor sharp teeth can crush iron have given it a reputation as the "bully of the sea". A sharpedo's dorsal fin is considered a delicacy; giving it a sad history of being a victim of overfishing. Sharpedo is a water and dark type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
The bright yellow and orange saddle sat behind the creature's dorsal fin which acted as an extra handle. Controls were spaced in between and Elio found himself leaning slightly forward as he put his feet in the slots as if he was riding a motorcycle. He found the handle could be cranked to idle the pokemon forward and the other side to make it really take off. At first it was unnerving. He had already known not to touch the skin with his bare hands, as it was incredibly abrasive.
"Pretty great huh! Now watch how fast sharpedo can go." Hau stuck his tongue out at Elio, maneuvering his own beside him. "I'm gonna leave you in the dust here. So eat my bubbles!"
"Keep on talking like that Hau and you'll eat your words too."
Leilani resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the boys showing off their overcompensated libidos. She and Grimsley sat on Symphony's back as she floated in between.
"Alright, so it's one lap around the island, through the pass and right back here! First one across wins!" As she said this; the kids watching from the shoreline began to cheer loudly with the pokemon joining in. Even the vulpix and Jangmo'o were with them, not really sure what was happening, but they just wanted to see Elio do his best.
"On your mark!" Leilani waved her hand as Symphony tilted her head back, beginning to inflate a bubble.
"Get set!" The bubble was bigger. Beside him, Hau moved forward slightly, revving the handle.
Symphony's bubble popped. "GO!"
The kahuna's grandson cranked the throttle and was off in a flash. Sharpedo's mouths opened up, allowing it to intake seawater and jet it out from their gills and rear which allowed it to go incredibly fast. Elio immediately hit his own throttles and was off right behind him.
His sharpedo opened its mouth, already ingesting seawater and propelling it behind them in a furious foamy white wake. It sounded like a high pitched motor.
Hau was only a couple of seconds in front of him, already turning to the left. In front of him were some jagged cracked rocks and he steered his own ride towards them. Sharpedo slowed down just a fraction and lowered its head, blasting through the obstruction effortlessly and sending the fragments into the water.
While it was incredibly fast, the ride pokemon going at its maximum speed had poor handling and could only make the bare minimum of turns unless it slowed down significantly. As he rounded the corner behind Hau, he gunned the throttle as they reached open water with much more room. As he locked it onto maximum speed, he caught up to Hau in no time.
"You're not winning this!"
"You bet your ass I am."
Neither of them noticed the group of boats that were in the water ahead of them until a couple of seconds later.
"Oh shit!" Elio cranked the steering to the right, causing his sharpedo to dip, avoiding a speedboat, but the wake showered the occupants. "Sorry!"
Another scream of surprise caught his attention and he couldn't see the people he almost ran into again by narrowly steering away. Looking over where he last saw Hau, he could see the other boy in a similar struggle.
At least we're both on an even playing field. But why do all these boats have to be so close together in open water where we're going at top speed.
"On your right!" Elio yelled, causing another boat to quickly fire up its engine and maneuver out of their way. Still, it had been better than Hau fared in having to go around a rather large fishing boat. Better to do that than ram it in two.
"See you later pal!"
As he crossed into the next section, a group of tentacool scattered and he even caused a large red octillery to jump out of the water in surprise. He made a hard left just as the octopus pokemon shot a blob of purple ink right where he had stood, almost costing him his vision.
"Haha!" Hau's laugh brought him back to his senses when the other sharpedo overtook him in a flash. He banked left, causing the spray underneath the right fin to fly directly into Elio's face.
"Gah!" Salt water immediately burned the delicate tissue of his eyes and he quickly wiped droplets from his brow and blinked to clear them of tears.
"Instant karma my brah!" Hau's voice was drowned out by the motor roar as he zoomed off.
The brief blinding caused Elio to speed closer to shore and he eased off the throttle, now able to execute a tighter turn to go out from the cove. But as he did, he spotted more of the jagged rocks. Instead of turning away, he gunned it heading straight for them, as it had the best angle for a straight shot of catching up to Hau. Sharpedo lowered its head and plowed straight through two rows, barely breaking acceleration.
As they raced close to the shoreline of the opposite tiny island, the activity had apparently disturbed several other pokemon.
Elio saw one emerge from the top, a pair of purple rotating stars with a red gem core in the center.
A starmie! Misty had one of those as her ace pokemon!
The starmie spun its front, unleashing a flurry of smaller gold shaped stars headed directly for them both as if it were a machine gun going off.
He hit the throttle again, allowing sharpedo to quickly accelerate back on track and he managed to get past the starmie before it could get a bead on him.
Whew that was close.
Hau was immediately in his sights as he caught up and he attempted to sideswipe Elio again when he got too close. He was being smarter this time, staying at an arm's reach as the two began to match speed. They were now approaching the pass, where the waterway was more bendy and would have to sacrifice the speed for agility and handling. Just like some parts of the Velocity Circuit races in Galar and Kalos that involved airborne pokemon.
Easing off their throttles again, Elio and Hau were still going at a considerably fast speed and thankfully there were fewer obstacles here.
Sun could see the mouth of the opening where they would get back out to the ocean again and immediately devised a plan. He kept the pace, staying on Hau's heels as they rounded the final corner, staying to the left as he leaned into the turn, keeping a faster speed with the best possible way of not needing to steer.
As soon as they got close to the mouth, he moved his sharpedo to the right as Hau glanced behind...to his own right. Elio was already moving to the left and used his own foot to half push and half kick the saddle askew. Hau let out a yell of surprise and he wobbled, slowing down and nearly crashing into the bank. He didn't see him behind as he sped off, approaching the final corner to turn and gun for the finish line.
Hau nearly spun out like a racecar driver, but his sharpedo growled in frustration and he had a lot of ground...or water to cover now that Elio had a head start and a perfect opportunity to make it in first. He was about to curse him for playing a dirty trick, but he had remembered he had done something himself that was just as bad.
Eye for an eye I suppose.
As he pursued Elio, he glanced around the water to see if there was anything he could work in to help level the playing field. There were wingull, pelipper, a few frillish idly drifting, a pod of wailmer too far out, a lone gyarados and some scattered wishiwashi.
A gyarados?
Even more so, his luck happened to be in the form of a fishing boat that was also nearby.
You are so going down brah.
"So long Hau. This win is mine." Elio smirked to nobody in particular as he saw the "finish line" quickly approaching. Leilani was waving with Grimsley nodding in approval. On the shore, the kids were jumping up and down, further egging him on to complete the race.
A roar brought him out of his thoughts as he turned around, seeing a rather angry gyarados swinging its fin in a nasty aqua tail attack that caused a huge splash in the water. Sharpedo was going too fast to change course and their buoyancy was enough to ride the top of the wave as it passed over, causing them to jump out of the water and cut their speed almost instantly.
"What?!"
Like a boat's engine that had no water to propel itself forward; the sharpedo strained as the momentum from being in mid-air. Elio found himself losing grip on the handles and stopped, seeing that the safety straps had been stretched to their limit.
Then it snapped.
He felt himself go free, arms waving about before he plunged down, barely straightening his body to enter the water in time to avoid injury by belly flop.
The bigger worry was the gyarados. He didn't have any pokemon on him since he didn't expect to have to battle anything while on the little race.
Sharpedo had landed a ways away from him and he quickly approached, causing Elio to have a slightly bit of panic before the pokemon tilted to the side, allowing him to grab the handles and gun it for the finish line. He made sure he was firmly in place since he had no tether strap to prevent him from accidentally falling off again.
Hau was beaming at him as he said farewell to his own sharpedo when Elio pulled up to the dock and dismounted. He thanked the pokemon for the ride and gave it a poke bean before sending it off. Back up further down, he could see Grimsley rolling his eyes and handing a wad of cash to Leilani.
"Mahalo." She smiled knowingly at him.
Oh funny. You guys bet on us.
"Well how was that?"
"Hurts." Elio grunted, partially annoyed he was still dripping wet. At least I brought a change of clothes.
The kids were all crowded around Hau, all cheering and praising him for a job well done. Only Jangmo'o and the vulpix came to him, but they looked rather excited as well.
Elio crouched down and scratched under his chin as the sisters nuzzled him.
"Thanks guys. I appreciate it from both of you."
Dinner was a rather fun affair. Acerola and the orphans all did a job that worked together like a well-oiled machine. Some set the table, others got the younger ones in their booster seats and they all took time and turns to get helpings of spaghetti and ground beef.
Conversation was lively, nobody shouted and for the most part, a lot of the kids were well behaved. That was probably nothing more than a pipe dream compared to how chaotic elementary schools could be with rambunctious kids constantly tiring out the chaperones monitoring for anything unusual.
Acerola was a decent cook and Elio saw that she used pre-made marinara; something his own mother would've outlawed and been appalled to see.
Grimsley joined them for dinner and left after helping Acerola and some of the older kids to clean up the dishes before taking his leave. Elio was more than happy to lend a hand and they had gotten all the dirty bowls, silverware in the automatic dishwasher and hand scrubbed everything else in a matter of minutes.
Many hands make light work.
It didn't take long for him to feed the rest of his pokemon. Acerola had plenty of different feed varieties so there was something for everyone. What was most surprising was the fact Jangmo'o refused having his own bowl softened up and happily ate away at the solid food. It wasn't hard like candy, but it was a good thing he was starting to grow. He was already an eating machine, constantly needing a dragon type feed that had high density lean proteins mixed in its formula.
All and all; it seemed like it was going to be another calm night. Elio would go to get his next trial done.
But something tugged at him that just felt amiss. People have always said that everyone has that sixth sense of something dangerous or bad that was about to happen or in the midst of actually happening.
With all the kids put to bed and Acerola staying up late in case one of them came back feeling sick, the orphanage room felt strangely eerie and empty. They made small talk about pokemon and life in Alola, but Elio still had that sinking feeling in his gut that something was just not right. It wasn't anything wrong with the house though.
"I think I'm going to go and get some air." He declared, not bothering to see if Acerola said it was alright or not. She gave him key which he could use to access the side entrance after she officially locked it.
Jangmo'o and the two vulpix were snuggled together with the rest of Elio's pokemon in the main lobby. The little dragon and the two white foxes perked their heads up when they heard him leaving.
"You guys stay here." He pointed at the bedding where Nani opened one eye in mild annoyance of someone bothering her sleep. Akela, Torracat and Rufflet couldn't have been bothered. "I'll be back."
Elio eased the screen door open and heard the sound of clicking paws across the hard floor. Glancing down, he saw them right behind him. Jangmo'o and Vulpix looked up at him expectantly while the little one trailed behind in her sibling's footsteps.
Fine. "Ugh, to hell with it. Come on guys. Let's go for a walk."
The outside air was less muggy than when the sun shined and he could still feel himself breaking out in sweat the moment he left the air conditioned inside.
The road was deserted of cars and he could see all the way to the Tapu Village by a row of dimly lit streetlights. The calming melody of the ocean waves crashing against the shore was sure to lull anyone to sleep. As far as he could tell, there was nothing physically out of place or unusual.
Everything seemed to tranquil, as Alola was known for.
So why did he still feel uneasy?
Elio sighed, closing his eyes and relaxing for a moment. All three pokemon following him did the same, imitating their trainer.
But then Jangmo'o stopped, glaring down the road and crouching low. Vukpix followed his lead and the two pokemon prowled side by side, glaring into the underbrush like they were sensing a threat.
"What is it?" Elio whispered. Immediately, the younger vulpix made a fearful whine and he automatically scooped it up into his backpack where she peered out.
With barely enough light from the moon illuminating the ground and the streetlamps' glow only penetrating just a few feet off the road, it was like walking in near pitch-blackness.
Then he heard it.
"Help! Someone!"
It was a woman's voice...and there was no denying the terror in it.
It was Elio's own instincts to spring into action whenever someone or something was in peril, but he forced himself to resist running off to be a savior once again.
He set the little vulpix on the ground, pointing to the Aether House just twenty feet behind them. "Go and get my pokemon. Acerola too."
While she was still technically quite young; she was smart enough to both get the message and took off, making her way back into the front yard.
Jangmo'o and Vulpix trailed him as he briskly moved down the sidewalk. The argument escalated as he went and soon enough to his own horror; he recognized both voices.
The male's voice he had heard back on Akala when he had hid from Team Skull by ducking into Gladion's motel room by complete accident. It was the same large grunt who was bragging about his own sexual exploits to a couple of others. Just remembering about it back then made him feel sick to his stomach.
It was the female's voice that really threw Elio into a panic. He had quickly put two and two together to know what the grunt's intentions were.
"What do you think you're doing?! Stop it right now!"
"You're making this too hard blondie!" The male's voice cajoled. "Just let me off with the bag and maybe I'll let you go!"
"No! I won't give you anything!"
"Well that's a shame because you are an absolutely fine piece of work! How about I forget that bag and cash huh? Maybe you're a much better prize!" The grunt leered down at a terrified Lillie, who seemed to shrink back against a rock that the thug had intentionally cornered her at. Even from his own position as he approached, the way he looked at her made his own skin crawl. He couldn't imagine what was going through her head.
"No! Please!" Lillie pleaded and he could easily see the raw fear in her green eyes and voice. She struggled some more, but resigned and put her arms in front of her chest in a vain attempt to protect herself. "Please don't do this! You don't have to!"
"Oh of course I don't have to! I want to do this! We're gonna have a helluva time and fun together! It's gonna be great hearin' ya scream and moan like that."
Elio was still a tantalizing distance away from the two and he'd probably end up being spotted well before being able to do anything.
However, if this sick prick does anything else to further violate her; I'm ready to rush up and tear his throat out through his mouth in the most painful way possible.
And judging from what he was seeing as he carefully made his way over, they both believed they were alone and nobody was coming.
"You're a little bitch calling for help like that!" The grunt sneered and leaned closer. "Sorry, hot stuff. Ditch all that hope you've got. 'Cause nobody's coming for you."
He roughly had grabbed Lillie, shoving her bag aside onto the ground. Nebby's own "pew" cries for help as it struggled to get out were heard as the two humans struggled. For a girl as frail as her; Lillie was putting up quite a fight, using the rock to her own advantage and sinking further in. She grunted and whimpered although finally giving out as the grunt's superior strength won out and her back was pinned to the rock's face. The thug leaned closer, using his own weight to pin her between himself and the rock, causing her legs to tilt upward.
The grunt had a knife out and held it against her neck in a thick ropey muscled arm. Lillie's own eyes widened with terror and glistened with tears rolling down her cheeks as the thug put a beefy hand over her mouth, muffling anything she might say. The cold steel dug harshly into her skin while he used his free hand, drawing it down towards her thighs with the intent to start undoing her dress.
Lillie is afraid of knives! That sent Elio over the edge. He approached directly from behind as a human eye is drawn to peripheral movement.
He was no fighter, attending some martial arts classes when he was a kid and knew a few basic strikes to defend himself, but this was different. It wasn't self defense, it was attacking someone who was attacking someone else. Someone he cared about.
Someone he loved.
And there was no way he was going to stand idle and let some degenerate have his way with her, while she was helpless. Lillie's safety was on the line and getting her away from the thug and his knife was a bigger priority.
Elio planted one foot on the ground and used his own body weight and momentum to shoulder charge into the crook of the grunt's side. He hadn't been expecting to get hit so abruptly and toppled down, barely catching his balance in a stumble. While he was in between them, he used his free hand to shove Lillie down on the ground and whirled around to face the surprised would-be rapist. She fell hard, but he was relieved when he glanced back just for a second and saw her moving again.
"Ooh! Are we following the script here? A trainer rushes in to save the helpless girl! I saw her first!"
"Shut up." Elio snapped icily, eyes blazing with anger. "And don't put your dirty hands on a woman like that ever again."
The grunt gave a scornful snort and attacked straight away, throwing a wide hook lightning punch that Elio barely blocked in time with his arm. As he did, the guy stabbed forward with the knife's wicked blade. Elio locked his own elbow in around the wrist, preventing it from being stabbed in his ribs, but left it inches from his cheek.
The grunt was a full head taller than him and much heavier, but he wasn't going to let that intimidate him. His safety was threatened and more importantly; Lillie and Nebby's were too.
Sun tried to throw a punch, but it was hastily aimed while still trying to wrest control of the knife. It hit the top of the guy's collarbone and he made a growl to shrug off the blow and kept at it. Elio found himself pulled along when the grunt himself pulled back, shoving him against the rock similar to how he had pinned Lillie. He came back with another stab, this time aimed up high straight for Elio's throat.
His own hands lashed out faster than his brain registered, grabbing the arm and blocking it. Both of them grunted and their limbs shook as they doubled their focus and strength. Clearly at the disadvantage; Elio writhed, wiggling in any possible attempt to free himself or gain an edge, but he was in such a narrow confine that he couldn't do it without the grunt countering his move.
A threatened growl from behind caught the grunts attention as he saw both Jangmo'o and Vulpix confronting him.
"I got something for ya! Knock 'em up and once you're done, don't let that blondie escape. We're not done yet!" He threw out two pokeballs, containing a scrafty and a golbat. Immediately both went on the attack.
Elio hadn't used Vulpix in a battle before and she stood still, not really contemplating having a battle without a trainer to instruct her. Luckily Jangmo'o stepped in, throwing up a protect bubble to shield them from the scrafty's brick break and the golbat's poison fang.
"Vulpix!" Elio shouted between ragged breaths as he continued trying to find an edge. "You're going to have to battle on your own here!" He managed to disorient the grunt by flinging a bit of dirt at his face and dove forward to tackle him to the ground. "Follow Jangmo'o's lead!"
He couldn't see the fighting that the four pokemon were doing, keeping his focus on the knife wielding crazy. The grunt had flipped it in his hand so he carried it like a switchblade.
Oh come on man. That's all for show and to look cool.
Elio decided to throw him a curveball. He rushed forward in the little space he had as the grunt reacted just a little bit too slow. His shove knocked him off balance and both his hands went for the knife.
It proved costly as the grunt growled in annoyance, grabbing a fistful of Elio's long hair with his free hand and giving it a hard yank. He couldn't help the agonozing cry that burst from his mouth, but despite that, he had to keep control of the blade as it would've hurt him far more than getting a patch of hair pulled.
Jangmo'o was keeping the scrafty busy and he slammed his paws into the ground, giving it a rough shake for a bulldoze. Vulpix stayed by his side and she suddenly saw their struggle with the knife.
Jumping into the air, she opened her mouth and spat a swirling mess of powder snow that quickly locked onto the blade. The metal easily absorbed the coldness, turning it a frosty white down far past the safe touching temperature and the grunt let out a painful scream, dropping the weapon as if it were burning or a venomous pokemon.
With the knife out of the picture, Elio lashed out with his feet, kicking at the grunt's knees and using the backwards momentum to try and topple him over again. The two kept their arms locked, struggling to gain an edge. He was surprised he lasted this long in an actual fight, but probably had to guess this was a person who thought their size was intimidating enough to actually not have to fight.
There's no stopping this guy. I have to take him down for good.
"Fuck you kid!" The grunt snarled. "Thanks for interrupting me before I got my fuck!"
"Oh yeah? Too bad! She's mine so back the fuck off!" Elio's anger flared again and before either of them knew what happened; he reared his head back and savagely rammed the crown of his head into the bigger man's face. The hit clearly did its job, evidenced by the blood streaming from his nose and lip that soaked the white bandana over his features. As he let out a roaring cry of agony, Elio's hand reached out for something...anything he could use for a weapon. His hand felt a looped strap and he grasped it, swinging something a little bit heavy as hard as he possibly could.
The object arced through the air, connecting with the grunt's temple on the side of his head with enough force to knock him out cold. He made no sound other than an explosive whoosh and his limbs went limp almost immediately, collapsing rather harshly on the ground as if someone had flicked off a power switch that operated his body.
Elio breathed a small sigh of relief, noticing that Jangmo'o was watching him intently with gleeful eyes. The two of them were still battling the grunt's pokemon, so he immediately switched to trainer mode to deal with the other threat.
Both the golbat and scrafty were momentarily stunned to see their trainer go down and Jangmo'o used the opportunity to knock the golbat aside and resume his attack on the scrafty. He used another bulldoze attack, tipping the baggy lizard pokemon to the side before putting his own paws on the sides and smashing the hard scale on his head inwards with a metallic clang.
Was that iron head?
As the scrafty stumbled backwards, Vulpix landed by her comrade, forming a pink orb of energy in her mouth and shooting it directly at their quarry. It struck home, sending dirt up in an explosive cloud that clearly knocked it out. She fired another one at the recovering golbat, who flew around it, but he couldn't avoid Jangmo'o's headbutt that gave it the same fate as its comrade.
And that looked like moonblast!
Sun's heart still hammered in his chest as he willed himself to get up and dash over to Lillie's side. She was sitting up on the side of the rock, staring blankly ahead and shaking alarmingly bad.
"Lillie!"
She didn't say anything or even look at him. Just stared straight ahead blankly as if she were mute.
"Lillie!" He repeated.
Oh no! She's still scared!
"Lillie!" Elio cried. "It's okay!" He reached to grab her shoulders, but stopped himself. Seeing as she was nearly sexually assaulted, there was a chance he could make things worse if a male touched her...even if he was without ill intentions.
"Elio?!" She gasped, eyes still widened with justified fear. "Elio? Is that you?"
"Yeah!" He nodded. "Yeah it's me! Are you okay?"
Lillie's eyes remained wide as Elio examined her. Aside from some loose clothing where the grunt had tried to take it off and a small redness on her alabaster neck where he had pressed the knife blade against her skin, she seemed alright. He breathed out another big sigh of relief.
"Elio...it was horrible." She flung her arms around him, pressing her own body against his in the fiercest embrace she could possibly muster and cried into him. It was a sad, melancholic wail that terrified the boy. "I...I'm so sorry!"
"Lillie...it's okay….it's okay." He said, trying to soothe her. "You're safe now."
"He...he was gonna,"
"That's not happening anymore. You're never going to see him again. I promise." Elio whispered. He gently put a hand on her back, mind a little blank from having his crush desperately in need of comfort. And he was here for her. "I'm here. I'm here to protect you and Nebby."
"Nebby?"
They separated and went over to the duffel bag, which had been partially ripped and torn in the struggle. Elio zipped it open, spotting the little cloud pokemon inside. Nebby gave a sad cry and looked to have had a bruise on the top of its head.
Oh no...I must've accidentally hit him with Nebby.
"Nebby." Elio breathed, gently taking it out and giving it a gentle hug. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"Pew."
"It won't happen again. I promise."
Nebby isn't hard like a rock. So what in the world was in the bag that knocked the guy out cold? More importantly, what was she doing out this late at night by herself?
Lillie softly approached him. "I'm sorry Elio. I...I told Hapu that I thought I could go and explore a bit on my own...even though it was probably a reckless decision on my part because I have no pokemon...but then Nebby tried to get out of my bag and that horrible person from Team Skull cornered me and...I."
"Lillie stop." Elio, held up a hand. "You don't need to explain anymore." Truth be told, he just didn't want her getting even more upset at herself for getting into that predicament. He just wanted her to overcome and put the bad memory away from the rearview.
"But you got hurt because of me."
Guess I got a little scuffed. Elio examined himself, not really feeling any big injuries. Besides; she was the bigger concern than him. "I don't care what happened to me. You're safe and sound. That's all that matters."
She shuddered and hugged him again, her shaking starting to gradually steady now that her own crush was here to help calm her down.
"Thank you Elio. You saved me."
"Come on, let's get you somewhere safe and you can rest up." He glanced back at her bag, once pristine when he first met her. Now it was tattered and ripped with a couple of holes, dirt marks and the strap had been irreparably frayed and disconnected with one end. It was a total loss. "And I'm sorry about your bag."
"It's okay." She sniffled. "At least Nebby will have to find another place to hide."
Beside them, the cloud pokemon almost looked a little remorseful now that the bag it hid in for so long was destroyed in pieces.
Lillie took a deep breath and stood up. "I...thought about how I could help you out on your journey."
Maybe we could go on a date. Maybe I could hold you in my arms and kiss you like our lives depended on it.
Elio shook his head at the overbearing going through his head. I'd be no better than the waste of space that just tried to rape her.
"So I got you something! I bought them without even thinking!"
She picked up the damaged duffel and showed him a handful of black, red and gold poke balls. Elio instantly knew what they were.
"Luxury balls?" He glanced up at her again as she handed them over to him. "Lillie, you know how much these things cost? They're not cheap!"
"I know! I know! But...you deserve to have them. Luxury balls say they can help make a pokemon grow more friendly and they...look really cool. It's the least I could do for you saving me."
I would've saved you for free. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat. "Lillie I….mahalo. I'll put them to good use."
Elio insisted on walking her on the lighted path once they were done tightly binding the grunt's wrists with the straps from Lillie's bag and securing his knocked out pokemon to a tree where he couldn't escape. They made a call to the Tapu Village police station and stayed by for a short while to give their statements to the patrol officers who pulled up and dragged the still-unconscious grunt into the back of the cruiser.
The younger vulpix bounded out to the front of the Aether House as they walked into the main room and ran to greet her older sister. Jangmo'o just stood in between the two teens, glancing up endearingly at Elio.
"Lillie!" They turned to see Acerola, Hau and Leilani running out to greet them. "Are you alright?"
She slowly nodded. "Yes, I am. Thanks to Elio."
"Thank the tapu." Leilani said, bringing Lillie into a tight hug. "After Acerola got the call from the police about everything...I didn't want to think something like that could've happened to you. It could've happened to any of us."
Elio was not surprised at how close the two girls seemed to have gotten since he first met them. He began to wonder when they both took him to the Battle Buffet in Hau'oli City where it was a subtle contest for his attention.
Women fighting over me? Poor me.
"Thank you Leilani." Lillie smiled, despite another fresh wave of tears falling down her cheeks. "Thank you all for everything."
"Guess the superhero Elio saves the day again." Hau pumped a fist. "All he's missing is a cape."
"Cape? No. I'm not a superhero."
You're incredibly modest. Lillie thought to herself. "Yes you are a superhero. Elio, you're my superhero."
Jangmo'o squeaked from in between his legs and he rubbed his head against his ankle. Elio watched him and put his hands on his hips. "Are you doing that for a poke bean?" His abrupt change in the conversation elicited a round of laughter from everyone.
"Yes yes, you can have one."
Lillie's eyes were drawn to the two vulpix that sat patiently beside him as everyone was starting to bid good nights to the others. "Oh...those are yours too?"
"I caught the older one to save her from a fire. The smaller one is her sister. Never officially caught her, but she's tagged along. I don't think they have parents."
Just like all of us here. Who would've thought?
"She's...she's really cute." Lillie smiled. "You've got yourself some amazing pokemon."
The boy noticed Nani stirred and she uncoiled herself from her corner to slither over. Her red eyes stared at Elio as she circled him, glancing furtively up and down his body. He had realized that she was checking him over for injuries. Satisfied, she slithered back to the corner and coiled back up to sleep by the rest of his team.
"Well...why don't you take care of her sister?"
Lillie's eyes went wide. "What? Me?"
He nodded. "Sure. You said it yourself that you want to learn how to be a trainer. Why not start now?"
"Well I...I. Maybe. But I don't have a trainer passport or license."
"You don't need to have one right away and who cares about documentation when you start out. I'm sure when Professor Kukui sees how good you've been taking care of a pokemon besides Nebby, then he'll be more than happy to make you one officially!"
Lillie opened her mouth to try and talk him down, but she couldn't find a counterargument.
"I guess so." She nodded again, this time more firmly. "I will do this."
The blonde thrust a hand out at the vulpix. Both sisters cocked their heads in confusion.
"What's wrong?" Elio asked her.
"I'm telling them to come to me."
"By doing that?" He chuckled slightly, seeing that she had a bit to learn still. "Pokemon are smart, but at the same time, they don't think like we do. Here."
He guided her to sit on the ground, moving over to the softer plush rugs by the furniture with the Vulpix and Jangmo'o following.
"Just stay calm okay?"
"Right." She shivered. "I...I...I have never touched a pokemon before...not for a long time...except for Nebby."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Strange right?"
"Well Vulpix here is an absolute sweetheart. She would never hurt you. Just sit down, invite them over. Let her come to you on her terms."
Elio sat next to her, gesturing for the older one and Jangmo'o. Of course, knowing their trainer...they happily scampered into his arms and playfully showered him with affectionate nudges. The younger one stood there, looking as if it wished it could have the same thing.
"Here." Lillie softly whispered, holding out a hand that looked much more like a gentler touch. She blushed lightly as Elio added his own hand, intertwining it with hers to help ease the young pokemon. "It's okay."
Vulpix crept forward, carefully coming up to Lillie's hand. Both teens could hear her sniff curiously as she put her nose close to the girl. Satisfied, the fox pokemon slowly moved again, inching closer and closer to Lillie's hand.
As it gently pressed its head against her palm, she winced as if it was going to attack or bite her hand. But it never happened.
Lillie slowly exhaled and opened her eyes, moving her fingers away from his to gently pet the top of the pokemon's head.
"See?" Elio whispered softly. "She trusts you and she likes you too!"
Lillie tried to stifle a giggle as the vulpix curled up beside her and closed its eyes.
"Now how do we catch it?"
"You'll battle it."
She gave him a look of disbelief. "Here? Now?"
Elio shook his head. "No. We'll do it tomorrow morning before I head off to the trial."
Lillie felt a flutter of excitement in her stomach. Not only would she be catching her first pokemon as an unofficial trainer, but he would be the one teaching her. "I'd like that. It's funny how this all started. When I met you. I had to help show you the ropes of being a trainer...even though I was never one myself."
"And now I'm teaching you." He finished for her. "Funny how fate works."
"Yeah it does."
He let her sit in silence before slowly standing up and picking up the little one with one hand to set her down by the rest of his team.
"Come on. Let's get you cleaned up and ready for bed. I'm exhausted."
Exhausted from fighting, racing Hau and all the other crazy things. I'm just looking forward to a smooth sailing trial and a scheduled match with the Island Kahuna. With all the insanity that happened today, there is no way tomorrow can top this.
Elio would find out in the next twenty-four hours how wrong that thought would turn out.
Whew! That's a wrap and a much longer chapter than I anticipated! A lot that happened and a lot to happen! We've got a trial to address next chapter and also maybe where Lillie begins to take those first steps into being a trainer herself!
Translations:
A'ole pololei - Yeah right
Hono - Discreet/secretive
As always, mahalo for reading and reviewing. You give my writing purpose.
Brav
