Pokémon Radiant Sun
One of the hardest things to do with this story is show restraint.
I really wish I could get to some of the most sought after parts as quick as possible. Guzma, Lusamine, Gladion, all that stuff. Really I wish I could write and update faster, but I just can't. Granted I'm going to throw in some brief snippets, flashbacks, and cameos to help with that, but still!
Oh well. I'll just have to take solace in the fact that when the chapters and scenes that I'm looking forward to the most do come…They'll be bloody amazing because they'll have even more passion thrown into them than usual!
So yeah, this chapter Lillie FINALLY reunites with the crew. I'm worried this chapter might be too fluffy, but it's been a while since we've had some Sun/ Lillie adorkableness so I'm not too fussed about how it turned out. I've managed to figure out a few ways to keep Lillie around with Sun and co. longer this time and not mess with future events all that much, so that's awesome for the second and third island (and fourth, but that's obvious). Things should be a bit easier now that we're getting close to wrapping up Tutorial Island and the next few chapters will be...interesting to say the least.
Also, this story has over 20,000 views! in less than five months! Just...wow. You all are amazing. Thank you, seriously, for everything.
Shoutout to a Guest reviewer, Anasazi Darkmoon, BraviaryScout, Madame Rodoshe, Cottonmouth25, Raikou927, Sai Og Sus, and BouncingFish, as well as a new reviewer known as DAUNTEDSUPERIER. Thanks so, so much for your feedback and support!
Enjoy.
Chapter 24: Blossom
Hugh downed his second bottle of ice cold water with relief, wondering how on earth the people in Alola dealt with the heat here. Spring and summer back home were never this bad, even at their worst.
Vivian and Noah somehow made dealing with the heat look easy, but for him? It was awful. He had to admit that seeing someone like Sun struggle in the heat made him feel a little better about his difficulties with it. Doc managed to get around the heat issue thanks to his magical coat or whatever the hell it was that he said that he was using to deal with the heat of Alola.
After another hour of melting in the heat, Hugh finally spotted a Braviary soaring through the sky with a familiar figure sitting on its back. Hugh hopped off of his seat and walked forward just as the bird touched down, with its Trainer hopping to the ground and patting the bird on the head before returning it. The teen Trainer looked over at Hugh as he approached with a sheepish expression.
"You're late." Hugh said pointedly to the teen, who laughed nervously.
"Come on man. I'm here, aren't I?"
"Two weeks, Nate. Two weeks I've been bumming around this place waiting for you." Hugh said to the teen with a small smirk, who grinned back at him. He had messy brown hair and dark brown eyes with a cheerful grin on his face. Nate extended a hand to Hugh, who took it and pulled his friend forward, pulling him into an embrace. It lasted for a few moments before they separated.
"How've you been?" Nate asked his best friend as Hugh began walking away.
Hugh shrugged as Nate caught up to him. "Not bad. Been doing some exploring while Noah gets himself back under control. Avoiding Vivian so I don't strangle her. Training up my team and helping some rookies out, at least until you called me. You know how it goes."
"Yeah, I do. So, rookies huh?" Nate asked.
"Yeah. They're good kids, and they both have some serious talent. They're also pretty interested in what's been going on with Cipher, too. One of them was from Celadon City, actually, so that makes sense." Hugh remarked to his friend, who frowned.
"If they saw what happened to that city, I can't imagine how much suffering they're going through right now." Nate said with a small sigh.
"Sun's a tough little guy. Yeah, he's pretty upset by it, but I think he'll pull through. He kinda reminds me of you." Hugh remarked with a chuckle, making Nate give him a look.
"Right, as if anyone could remind you of how great I am." Nate said with a wide grin, making Hugh snort in amusement as the two rounded a corner, a breeze from the sea blowing past them both.
"Even if the heat is brutal, it's really nice here…The atmosphere in Alola compared to Unova is like night and day." Hugh commented as they continued their walk.
"Or the sun and moon."
"…How does that follow the analogy at all?"
"I'm…not sure. Forget I said it."
"Alright…But I understand what you mean. It's nice though, not be reminded constantly what happened there. This place really does have a relaxing aura around it. I can see why so many famous people flock here for vacations. Did you hear that this is where Grimsley was hiding out? I hear there's even a few Gym Leaders vacationing nearby." Hugh said to Nate, with the teen looking interested.
"I think they deserve it. Gym Leaders go through a lot of crap." Nate replied with a shrug. "That said, there's a lot of non-famous people we know coming here. Looks like you'll just have to keep an eye out for them."
"I'll do that. I know there's a certain scientific weirdo we both know who's itching for the chance to battle some strong Trainers here in Alola." Hugh remarked, making Nate burst out into laughter. The boy took a few moments to compose himself.
"So my question is why Doc is checking out this Island so much for? Isn't he trying to help Professor Burnet with something?" Nate asked Hugh, who shrugged.
"Yep. Well, he's helping both Kukui and Burnet while looking into something for Sycamore. I don't know the specifics though, but he said he'll tell us about it soon. I'm glad he's around though. He's weird, like I said, but he's a better Trainer than I am and he's a genius on top of that. It's reassuring that he's here. I'm still hoping he can help turn things around for us in Kanto and Unova, given enough time here." Hugh admitted as he stuck his hands in his pockets.
"Well, Zoey is gathering the Gym Leaders of Kanto and preparing to unleash hell there. We're giving Neo Team Plasma all they can handle in Unova. It feels like they're overstretching themselves…Cipher's main setup is in Unova, but their attention is on Kanto. Just this shift is helping us make headway since they're transferring resources to smothering Kanto while the country is reeling from the Celadon attack." Nate said as the two of them sat down underneath an overhang, providing them a respite from the heat.
"Well...I wish I was back home with you guys, and not here." Hugh said finally, closing his eyes. The teen felt a hand on his shoulder and opened his eyes to see his best friend looking at him with a worried look.
"Hugh…You know why I asked you to come here. Noah needed the medical help and I figured some time away from the fight would be good for you. I don't trust Vivian with a whole lot, so that's why I asked you to go with them both. I can trust you with anything. Besides…With Aria gone, you didn't need to be in that mess. You were really broken up about her vanishing. I figured some sun and beaches would cheer you up a bit."
"I'm surprised you didn't say Aria died instead of vanished. Vivian and Noah gave up hope on seeing her ever again. Why haven't you?" Hugh asked, his tone becoming bitter. Nate squeezed his friend's shoulder, smiling at him.
"Because I'm stubborn like that. I'm not going to give up. Not after what Wes did for us. Not after the sacrifices that he and Aria and everyone else made for us. I'm going to stop those monsters or die trying." Nate said firmly as he let go of Hugh, making his friend smile a little. He was reminded briefly of their constant battles and their own adventures a few years ago. They were best friends from childhood and had that friendship strengthened in the fires of battle against Neo Team Plasma when they resurfaced a few years ago.
"Yeah…They'd want us to keep up the fight, wouldn't they?" Hugh muttered, shaking his head a little.
"Yep. But I didn't come all this way to discuss this. I actually wanted to give you something that I found back in Unova." Nate said as he reached into his pocket.
"What could be so important that you had to personally come here, alone?" Hugh joked with a smile. Hugh's smile dropped as Nate pulled out a pendant from his pocket and dangled it in front of him with a sad smile on his face.
"Look familiar?" Nate asked quietly, taking in the expression on Hugh's face. His best friend had always worn his emotions on his sleeve, and it showed at times like this. Pain, sorrow, grief, and wonder were plastered on Hugh's face as he stared at the pendent hanging from Nate's fingers.
"That's…" Hugh whispered, but he couldn't get the words out, instead reaching for the broken pendent. It had a thin silver chain that was heavily damaged, but still wearable. At the front of it was a beautiful heart-shaped ruby that was noticeably cracked down the middle, as if showing a broken heart.
"The heart pendant you bought Aria at the PWT. She bought you the topaz heart pendant you've got on right now, right?" Nate said after a moment, handing the pendant to his friend who looked at it with reverence.
"I found that on a trip to Nimbasa three weeks ago. I was scouting with Clay and…we found a section of the city that was weirdly damaged. Looked like signs of some kind of struggle, which is weird since no one can stay in that city for long without the cold or Neo Team Plasma getting them. So we looked around and eventually found that necklace…But we also found traces of temporal distortion. That's why the area looked unchanged even months after the struggle. Time's messed up there." Nate said to Hugh, who was suddenly jerked out of his reverie.
"Temporal distortion? Then…" Hugh trailed off for a moment before realizing what his friend was implying.
"I think Cipher's Shadow Celebi got to her. That thing's been causing trouble for ages, so it was only a matter of time before it upped its game. I mainly came here to give you that." Nate said as Hugh stared down at the pendant in his hands, threading the slender silver chain through his hands for several moments.
"So…she's really gone then." Hugh sighed shakily, shutting his eyes. He silently draped Aria's pendant over his own, wearing both around his neck. To Hugh's surprise, his best friend pulled him into another tight embrace.
"I'm so sorry, man. Really I am. We didn't find a body, so there's a chance she's still alive but…It's unlikely." Nate muttered as he broke apart from Hugh, who seemed to look genuinely lost.
"So…Now what?" Hugh asked quietly. Nate stood up and offered a weak smile to his friend, extending him a hand. Hugh looked at it for a moment before steeling himself and reaching forward, grasping his friend's hand and getting hauled to his feet.
"We keep fighting, that's what. I'll keep up the fight back home. You keep doing your Island Challenge here. Get stronger and sort out your feelings. Get Noah a bit healthier. Make Vivian get her act together. Find more support for us back home and even for Kanto. Get intel however you can. And help Doc find some kind of magic bullet to win this fight once and for all." Nate said with a fierce grin. Hugh looked at his friend for a moment before a small smirk graced his lips.
"Well said." Hugh said simply, stuffing his hands in his pockets. With that, the two friends began walking along the docks, hoping to catch up a bit more before Nate had to leave and Hugh had to continue on his journey. As they walked, however, Hugh was instinctively reaching for the two pendants resting on his neck, the two hearts that now rested there, his fingers brushing them both. Despite the pain, he felt some small comfort at the weight of the second damaged, but still intact, heart there. One that was a dull yellow, made of gold. The other a dark red, made of a ruby with a single crack down the middle of it.
Even if she was gone…He'd carry a little piece of her with him from now while he got stronger. Soon enough, he'd become powerful enough to ensure no one else disappeared like she did again.
"Magnezone, use Protect!" Kukui finally yelled out after being chased around the cliffs for about ten minutes. Sun and Hau were sitting down and watching the two birds chase the man around before he finally called out a strange metal Pokémon and had it create a barrier around him. Penny and Oliver slammed into it uselessly a few times before both of them began chirping at each other.
"Have you learned your lesson about child endangerment yet, Professor?" Sun called to the man.
"I'm having a talk with your mother when we get back to Iki Town, young man!"
"She'd do the same thing as I did, but send her Pidgeot after you." Sun retorted, though he was grinning now.
"This also doesn't help us find Lillie at all, you know!" Kukui called from his protective bubble. He then became aware of the fact that Penny and Oliver were now circling overhead, which made Kukui a little nervous.
"He's right you know. Better that we find Lillie sooner rather than later." Hau remarked as Sun looked over at him. Sun then looked back to the Professor and waved to his two birds, making them both return to him.
"So, I'm guessing that since you both are walking on this path that you cleared your first Trial, yeah?" Kukui asked as the shield around him vanished and he recalled his Magnezone.
"Yep. I beat Totem Gumshoos and Hau beat the Totem Alolan Raticate." Sun confirmed as the Professor Kukui walked over to them both, panting slightly. Both of Sun's birds were giving the older man similar looks that promised further bad times should their Trainer give them the command, so he ignored them both and grinned at the two children.
"Guess I can teach you both about Z-Power as a bit of a reward! Woo!" Kukui cheered as Sun crossed his arms.
"Lillie is still missing." Sun pointed out, making Kukui laugh sheepishly.
"True, true. But this is still important info. I'll give you a brief rundown as we walk. She's got to be somewhere on these cliffs. We can return to where I think we teleported from and look from there." Kukui said to the two boys, who both nodded. After teleporting to another section of the cliffs with the Professor's Starmie, Kukui launched into an explanation of the Z-Crystals and how they worked as the trio made their way through the area, searching for the lost assistant. Kukui gave a demonstration with his Rockruff along the way, which impressed Sun and Hau greatly. Sun decided to equip his Normalium-Z on Penny, since she was a Normal-type and would benefit more from it. The bird chirped happily as Sun clipped it onto her Attachment Collar.
Kukui warned the two of them about the strain that using a Z-Move can have on both Trainer and Pokémon, and heavily discouraged attempting to do two Z-Moves within the same battle, because it took a toll on the body and could have serious long-term effects on their health. Sun wondered if that was why the Professor looked so ragged sometimes, despite his endless energy.
"Is it possible she backtracked the way that you came before you teleported back to where we were?" Sun asked the Professor after about an hour of walking with no luck.
"Maybe. I think I'll go check out that way, actually. You two keep looking around." Kukui released his Starmie and had it look at the both of them. After a few moments the red gym in the middle of its body glowed several times before Kukui nodded.
"There. Both of you have a Mind-Lock with my Starmie, so it'll be easy to find you both again so long as you remain on this Island."
"Don't you have a Mind-Lock on Lillie with Starmie, though? Can't you find her that way? Or call her on her phone?" Sun asked the Professor, who shook his head and was about to speak when Hau interrupted.
"What's a Mind-Lock, again?" Hau asked, sounding a little confused.
"A Mind-Lock is an ability that a Psychic-type Pokémon or a Pokémon with psychic abilities can use to locate a Pokémon or person that they've come into contact with. With some training, they can locate whoever they wish with a flick of their mind. It's pretty handy, especially when you're teleporting all around Alola like I do," Kukui explained cheerily.
"So we can just teleport to Lillie then!" Hau exclaimed, but Kukui shook his head.
"Starmie doesn't have a Mind-Lock on her, actually. My Abra does, but I loaned it to a friend who's also on Melemele Island conducting some studies. Having too many Mind-Locks on a Pokémon at once can have some negative effects on their memory and powers, so I try to keep a handful of Pokémon that can teleport around to help ease the stress. We'll have to hunt down Lillie the old-fashioned way." Kukui explained with a rueful laugh.
"Why can't we just call her then?" Sun asked, pulling out his cell phone.
"Her cell phone is dead and I have the charger on me. I keep telling her to charge her phone before we set out for the day, but she's…got other things on her mind I guess." Kukui said with a shrug, but added, "We've never had this happen before. I'll have a discussion with her when we find her so that this doesn't happen again."
"So do we have any kind of game-plan here?" Sun asked the Professor.
"We should split up. You both have my number, right?" Two nods answered him. "Then we'll call each other as soon as we find her. We can cover more ground this way. Sun, you should probably have Oliver and Penny help in the search as well. My Rockruff can help as well, since he has such a good sense of smell. This strong wind may throw it off a bit, but it still shouldn't take long for us to find Lillie." Kukui said as he called out Rockruff.
With that, the trio split up and began searching for the wayward girl. It didn't take long for Sun to get bored as he walked along the cliff, avoiding the Spearow that lunged at him in a manner that made his now-healed shoulder twinge slightly as if from some kind of pain memory. Oliver soared above him while Penny scouted ahead. Hau backtracked towards the way they had come while Kukui teleported towards Iki Town and was working his way up from there. Sun had chosen to venture forward from where they were so as to find their friend as quickly as possible.
"Where could Lillie have gone? It's not like Route 3 iz all that big…Though it iz a little bit bare. Maybe pick up the pace a little?" Rotom remarked after about twenty minutes. Sun agreed with the Pokédex and was admittedly pretty worried about his friend, especially with Team Skull out and about. He began speed-walking at the Rotom Dex's urging until he heard a familiar cry alert him.
"Pi piki!"
Sun looked up and saw Penny soaring down to him. The bird jerked her head towards a cave entrance in the distance that Sun had spotted a few minutes ago and the boy smiled in response.
"Did you find her in there?" Sun asked the bird, receiving a sharp nod in reply.
"Fantastic work, Penny."
"Dar!"
"You too, Oliver. If you had let me finish, I was going to thank you too."
"Dar…trix dar!"
"I'm going to assume that was bird for 'Sun I apologize for being rude, you're the best Trainer ever.'" Sun replied to his starter with a grin, earning a smack in the back of the head from his Dartrix. Sun quickly ran to the cave entrance, huffing and puffing and making promises he wasn't planning on keeping about exercising more, before he spotted a sign.
"Melemele Meadow…'A place where the Oricorio dance.'" Sun read aloud as Penny and Oliver hovered beside him. Sun ventured into the cave itself and was surprised when a consistent breeze began flowing by him. Within the area, however, Sun was struck dumb at the beauty within. Trees, grass, and other fauna all flourished along the sides of the massive meadow that stretched out before him, tucked away within the cliff itself. A sea of golden yellow flowers were in full bloom ahead of him, extending outward almost endlessly like an ocean before him.
Directly ahead of him was Lillie, standing at the edge of the rock path with a worried look on her face. Sun took a moment to smile in relief, noting how the girl looked almost picturesque when standing next to the flowery meadow with the sunlight streaming down on her from above. Sun felt a strange emotion well up within him that he promptly brushed aside as he walked over to his friend just as she took a step forward.
"Nebby! Nebby, come back! Please!" Lillie shouted over the meadow, her voice desperate and filled with frustration. Sun's smile took a hit at Lillie's upset tone as he approached the girl, who finally spotted her friend and sagged with relief.
"Ah…Sun…" Lillie smiled weakly before looking behind her. "Nebby ran off into the meadow here. I don't understand why it gets up to such trouble. You would have thought that the incident at the bridge would have taught it to behave better but…"
"Some Pokémon are just like that. Oliver's only just now starting to not act like a total butthead." Sun remarked as the Dartrix and Pikipek flew over to Lillie, chirping greetings to her. Lillie's smile widened as she beheld the two birds, petting and stroking them both as she knelt down to their level.
"You both look like you're doing well. And look at you, Oliver! You evolved! I'm so happy for you!" Lillie said to the Dartrix, who puffed up his chest in a proud manner while Penny giggled at the other bird.
"So, why not just wait for Nebby to just get this out of its system and fly back over here?" Sun asked Lillie. The girl seemed horrified of the idea.
"What if a wild Pokémon attacks it? It doesn't have any moves it can use to battle!" Lillie exclaimed worriedly, clutching her bag as she watched her strange little Pokémon from across the meadow. Sun joined her in watching the Pokémon, but Rotom got their attention.
"Sun, you better hurry up and just save Nebby yourself, zz-zzt! We little Pokémon can use all the help we can get!" Rotom chimed in before going back into Sun's backpack.
"Then I'll go over there and grab it. Do you want to come with me?" Sun asked his friend, who hesitated.
"I…I don't have any more Repel. I used the last of my supply when I arrived at the meadow." Lillie said quietly, looking away.
"I'll keep you safe. Promise." Sun said to his friend with a smile. Lillie looked back at Sun for a moment before nodding slowly. Together they began walking to the edge of the path, where the yellow flowers awaited them. Sun could see a few Cutiefly fluttering through the flowers and there were several areas where Pokémon were barely visible through the flowers, as if waiting for the chance to leap out at them. Sun hopped across a few rocks and made his way down from the ledge, landing in the thick field of flowers below. He turned around and extended a hand to Lillie to steady her as she looked over at him. Taking a shaky breath, the girl took the first step and grabbed Sun's hand before carefully joining him within the flowers.
"There you go. Come on." Sun said to his friend as the two of them began their trek to the Cosmog. Lillie stayed as close to Sun as possible, brushing against the boy and glancing all around her. Sun could almost feel how uncomfortable and upset she was at the whole situation, and that was on top of having been alone without any kind of protection or help for a few hours. It was no wonder she was scared. He probably would've felt really stressed out if he were in her shoes.
"You can hold onto my arm if you need to, Lillie." Sun said quietly, looking to his side and offering the girl a comforting smile. Lillie looked into Sun's stormy eyes but shook her head, though she did smile a little at the boy.
"Thank you, Sun. But I'll be okay. I'm with you, after all." Lillie said quietly as she walked a bit faster to keep up with her friend so that she could walk alongside him. Sun felt a strange joy in him at the girl's words, so he grinned back at his friend and decided to talk with her to ease her mind.
"So, how've you been? I haven't seen you in a month." Sun started off as he saw Oliver and Penny soaring overhead, watching for any signs of Pokémon being hostile.
"I've been well. The Professor is doing his research and I help how I can. Professor Burnet swung by last week and I got to spend some time off with the both of them…I can't help but feel grateful for how good the two of them have been to me." Lillie said quietly, sounding a little awed as she reflected.
"Why wouldn't they treat you well? You're a great person who's in a rough spot." Sun said to his friend, making her smile a little wider.
"You really think I'm a great person? Why?" Lillie asked Sun, her smile fading a little.
"Same reasons I told Hau when he asked what I thought of you earlier today, actually. You're kind, selfless, intelligent and reasonable. You're a great friend and you've gone above and beyond for me ever since we've met, doing nothing but support and help me. You are the first friend I ever had, Lillie. I think that makes you a great person in my eyes." Sun explained matter-of-factly as he saw Penny and Oliver shoot into the flowers and begin fighting a flock of Cutiefly that had been glaring at Sun and Lillie. Oliver dispatched some with Razor Leaf while Penny used Peck on the stragglers.
"I…Wow." Was all Lillie could manage to say, a pink tinge coming to her cheeks. Hearing all of that from someone that she admired was a bit overwhelming. She felt a rare bit of pride within herself that her friend felt so strongly about her character and friendship, even if she felt she wasn't all that great herself. Lillie and Sun continued to walk side by side as they made their way through the field of flowers. Oliver and Penny continued to protect the duo from wild Pokémon, but not once was Lillie scared or worried, because she was with Sun. She felt a bit more comfortable and at ease as she walked with her friend through the rather beautiful meadow. Lillie figured that to some people the area might have looked romantic…
Lillie shut her eyes, trying to snap herself out of her daydreams. It was okay to do that when she was wandering around with the Professor. Not when the boy you were thinking about is less than six inches away from you!
Eventually the duo reached a small rock platform where the Cosmog had been seemingly waiting for them. Sun helped Lillie up the rocky pathway again, wondering how she navigated her way through the wilds in boots like hers, and was surprised when Nebby flew back towards Lillie with a happy look on its face.
"Pew!" the Pokémon cried out, nuzzling Lillie as the Pokémon flew into her arms. Lillie hugged the Pokémon before holding it out before her.
"Oh, you! Stop making me worry so much!" Lillie said in a firm voice, making Nebby look at her with confusion in its eyes.
"Pew?"
"Oh…Never mind. Thank you again, Sun, for your help. You too, Oliver and Penny." Lillie said as the two birds landed nearby. Both of them chirped at Lillie, who smiled at them both.
"Here Sun. Let me at least heal your Pokémon for you, after all their hard work." Lillie offered. A quick healing session later and Oliver and Penny looked ready to take on anything. Sun was a bit surprised at how well-prepared Lillie was, and asked her why she kept so many healing supplies on her. He was a Pokémon Trainer and he didn't have nearly as much stuff as she did.
"I always carry lots of Potions on me to keep Nebby healthy…You know, just in case. It's the best that I can do, since I'm not a real Trainer or anything…" Lillie mumbled, looking away from Sun.
"I bet you'd be a fantastic Trainer if you wanted to be." Sun said firmly to his friend, making her look at him in surprise. Sun looked so certain as he said those words that she felt confused.
"How can you be so sure?" Lillie asked slowly.
"Because you share a bond with Nebby just like the one I have with Oliver and Penny. You love that Cosmog. You want to help it grow and achieve its full potential, right? That's what being a Trainer is all about. The only difference between you and me is that my Pokémon are kept in balls and you keep yours in a bag. You're not a Trainer, and that's okay. No one is or should be pressuring you to be one and I don't think anyone thinks less of you for not being one anyway." Sun replied with a shrug. Lillie hugged Nebby close to her chest, thinking about what Sun said. Sun then started as a rumbling noise suddenly rang out from his stomach, making the boy chuckle sheepishly as Lillie looked at him in confusion.
"Guess we skipped lunch when we decided to go look for you." Sun remarked as Lillie giggled at him a moment later.
"Well, no one says we have to leave right away. We can eat here for a bit and then regroup with the others." Lillie suggested, earning a nod from Sun.
A few minutes later, the two friends were sitting on a blanket overlooking the meadow and enjoying some snacks that Lillie had brought along. Sun fed some Poké Beans to Nebby, Penny, and Oliver who simply just relaxed as their Trainer caught up with their friend. Lillie explained the ins and outs of the Professor's research to Sun, who was fascinated by what his friend explained. He definitely needed to seek out Kukui for some tips before he battled the Kahuna. Lillie also took some time to explain some facts about the meadow that they were in, including the fact that the Flying-type Pokémon Oricorio could change its appearance by feeding on the Yellow Nectar that was within this area. Sun recounted his own adventures, including the conversations he had with Hugh and his mother. Lillie was captivated by his description of the showdown against Gumshoos, and was beaming by the time Sun had finished his story.
All too soon, Sun and Lillie had to leave their comfortable little nook and begin heading back out onto the route to rendezvous with Kukui and Hau, who had just been told the news. Lillie and Sun quickly made their way back across the flowers with Penny and Oliver running interference, and stopped to catch their breath when it was clear they were out of danger.
"Well…That was a nice little side quest." Sun panted, grinning a little at his companion.
"This isn't an RPG, Sun. Stop being a nerd." Lillie panted as well, though she was chuckling as she did.
"Didn't peg you as a video game kind of girl, Lillie." Sun said to his friend as he slowly recovered, standing upright.
"I'm not really, though some of the people I knew back home were fond of them. I grew to like a few since I got to watch and sometimes play them. Books are better, but I can appreciate video games since they're also ways of telling a compelling story. It's just in a more interactive manner," Lillie replied with a shrug before she looked down at the Pokémon in her arms.
"Now…please get back into the bag, Nebby. I know that Sun's looking out for us and that there's no one around, but that still isn't an excuse to be careless." Lillie said to the Cosmog in her arms. Nebby nodded and slipped back into its bag, much to Lillie's relief.
"Well…I guess we should be going now." Lillie said after a moment, looking back over the meadow. She'd like to come back here someday. When the moment of panic was gone and she had a chance to appreciate the beauty of the place with a friend, she found that she quite enjoyed her time here. Lillie turned around and began walking with Sun, and she continued to talk.
"I can't convey how happy I am to see a familiar face. Being alone out here was…frightening, to say the least. I worry so much about Nebby, since I can't really do all that much for it." Lillie said quietly as they began to make their way back out onto the path. "I mean, I always get lost so quickly. I have a terrible sense of direction. I can't figure out the roads here…I can't even buy my own clothes!"
"Didn't we go shopping back in Hau'oli? I'm pretty sure you bought some clothes that day, didn't you?" Sun asked the girl, who actually scoffed.
"Socks, Sun. I bought socks and a pair of sunglasses. Those things are not that hard to pick out." Lillie said ruefully, her smile becoming a little bit less pronounced.
"I wouldn't say that," Sun remarked, smirking. "I wonder if that's why Hau doesn't like to wear shoes. He has trouble picking out socks!"
"…You're silly."
"I know. It's fun."
Lillie giggled at that, becoming a bit more upbeat, which made Sun smile a bit more. He didn't know why, but he always felt happier when he saw that his female companion was also happy. He wondered why that was, and chalked it up to being a friend thing.
"But…Then there's you Sun." Lillie began to Sun, but Sun's confusion cut her off.
"What about me?" Sun asked.
"You just completed your first Island Trial. You beat the Verdant Cavern Trial on your first attempt, barely a month after becoming a Pokémon Trainer. These Island Challenges…You know, I read something in a book once that the Island Challenges were once a journey made to prove yourself and gain the strength to battle against the Guardian Deities of Alola." Lillie explained as they continued walking.
"Like Tapu Koko," Sun chimed in, making the girl nod.
"Yes…" Lillie hummed for a moment before saying. "The people in Iki Town say that Tapu Koko loves Pokémon battles, don't they?"
"Yeah. Seems like it loves a good fight. I wonder how it's doing." Sun wondered aloud, smiling a little.
"I wonder if we could meet Tapu Koko once more. Maybe we could find the answer as to why it saved you and Nebby that day, Sun." Lillie said quietly, looking over to her friend.
"Pew!" Lillie yelped as Nebby squirmed in its bag, letting out a loud coo. Lillie grabbed the bag and eventually Nebby calmed down, making Lillie sigh. After a minute of walking Lillie spoke up again, though her voice seemed subdued.
"It's all happening so fast, Sun. I try and keep up, but I keep stumbling along this path I'm on…I try and I try but it just doesn't ever seem to be enough." Lillie sighed as Sun cast a look at his friend, who seemed quite downcast. It worried him a lot. Even when he was feeling bad about stuff, he didn't get like this, did he?
Sun wondered just how long Lillie had been carrying whatever burden she had decided that she had to bear. He knew that, similar to him, she was struggling with something awful in her past. He wondered if whatever was wrong tore at her from the inside every single day. From the looks of it…He wasn't too far off. He looked forward, in deep thought.
"Lillie, do you want a hug?" Sun suddenly asked, looking back over at her. Lillie looked over at the boy in surprise, to see if he was messing with her, and to her surprise he actually seemed completely serious. Lillie looked at him for a few moments and, to Sun's own surprise, she nodded. The two stopped walking as Sun moved closer to Lillie and wrapped his arms around her, hugging the girl around the middle and pulling her close to him. Lillie did the same, slowly wrapping her arms around Sun and sighing as the two children embraced. After a few moments she rested her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes.
"It's so difficult, Sun…I just don't understand why things have to be like this. I just feel like giving up sometimes…why is everything such a struggle?" Lillie asked in a whisper, sounding like she was close to tears. Frustrated, upset at herself for reasons the Kanto-native didn't understand.
Sun didn't reply, as he was wondering the same thing himself as of late and knew what it was like not knowing why life had to be so difficult. Why things seemed so hopeless sometimes, no matter how hard people tried. Regardless, he patted the girl on the back and held her in his arms for a while as she calmed down, trying to show her through his actions that she was not alone and that he was supporting her through whatever she was going through. Sun felt an odd warmth suffuse his body as he held his friend, and even felt his face getting a bit hot. He thought back to his conversation earlier with Hau, and how he had described Lillie in detail…he had called her really, really pretty.
Sun felt himself blush, realizing that someone so pretty and wonderful was pressed up against him in a tight embrace. He ignored the warm shivers he felt, instead focusing on hugging Lillie a bit tighter since the girl had sighed again.
"Thank you, Sun. I'm so sorry…I hate people seeing me like this." Lillie mumbled, pulling her chin off of Sun's shoulder. The boy grinned at his friend and lightly tapped her on the nose, making her blink in surprise as she pulled herself away from the boy.
"Boop." Sun chuckled, making Lillie smile after a moment and giggle in response, which made Sun smile wider and increased the warmth he felt in his chest. He stepped forward hugged Lillie again, making the girl squeak rather adorably in surprise. She returned the hug before they finally separated, both of them embarrassed and smiling.
"W-we should get going. Thanks for cheering me up Sun. I needed that..." Lillie said quietly as she walked past him, looking away from him with blush on her cheeks. Sun felt a bit proud of himself for improving the girl's mood and quickly caught up with her.
"Anything for a friend," Sun replied cheerily, putting his hands in his pockets.
"Pew pew?"
Sun looked down at the Cosmog floating beside them and laughed, amazed that the small Pokémon had escaped its bag yet again. Lillie looked down at the Pokémon, her blush fading a bit as she sighed.
"Nebby…Can you please get in the bag?" Lillie asked the Cosmog. Nebby looked at her with a confused expression on its face before leaping up to Lillie, hopping into her arms.
"Guess it wants to be carried like that for a bit." Sun said with a snicker. The girl smiled and hugged the Pokémon, making it nuzzle her.
"You know, that little Pokémon may give you a lot of trouble…But it really does love you, doesn't it?" Sun asked Lillie. Cosmog let out a cry of agreement, closing its eyes in contentment as Lillie beamed at Sun before hugging Nebby again.
"It's part of why I want to help Nebby out. I want to help it learn more about itself and why it's here. And if I can do that…Maybe I can help stop some bad things from happening. Maybe I can help make things right…Maybe I can save…" Lillie trailed off, her smile fading away as she looked contemplative. Sun decided to snap her out of that with another hug, which made the girl squeal in surprise as her earlier blush returned.
"I've decided every time you look sad, I'm hugging you." Sun stated as he and Lillie stood there, as Nebby made a strange sound that almost resembled laughter. Lillie felt a mixture of happiness and embarrassment that Sun was trying so hard to cheer her up. That he cared that much about her happiness.
"S-sun, you don't have to do that." Lillie stammered, turning around to face the boy who was still embracing her.
"Does it make you uncomfortable at all?"
"Well…No, actually. I don't really like people touching me all that much, but…Well…" Lillie's blush intensified and she looked away, and Sun felt a bit of confusion.
"Well?"
"It's nothing I just…um, I like hugs...from some people…" Lillie finished lamely and quietly, looking back at him with a small smile that didn't quite answer the question, her cheeks bright red. Nevertheless, Sun let go of her with a wider smile.
"Good. If it doesn't bother you and helps cheer you up, then I'll be happy to give you a hug whenever you need one." Sun said cheerily as Lillie shook her head.
"Could you not do it in…um, public? I already get several remarks about the both of us…um…being a…couple." Lillie couldn't help her blush deepening even further as Sun sighed, nodding.
"Yeah, I got a lot of crap from Hau and my Mom about it. It's…annoying. And a little frustrating and confusing too," Sun admitted with a rueful smile as Lillie nodded. "I was considering talking to my Mom about some things when I got back home."
"Really? Like...what, exactly?"
"Um…I'd rather get really specific here." Sun replied as he averted his eyes, a bit embarrassed now. This didn't work as Lillie walked a bit ahead of him to be able to look him in the eyes with a curious expression, her own blush fading as Sun's face began to grow a bit red.
"Now I'm even more curious. Are you sure you can't tell me? I…You're a very good friend of mine, Sun. You can trust me with anything, you know what, right?" Lillie asked Sun, her curiosity evident in her voice as well as some concern. She was obviously just trying to help and was wanting to show Sun that she could be just as supportive in their friendship as he had been.
Part of Sun wanted to just try and explain some of the confusing emotions he was feeling towards his friend, but another part of him was worried that his friend would ridicule him for them. That maybe he'd lose a bit of her respect if he did that. Hau had laughed at him when he said that Lillie was pretty. What would she say if he told her that? Would she be happy? Flattered? Angry? Hurt? Would she want to be his friend anymore? He didn't want to do anything that might hurt her or their friendship, so he decided to just explain why he couldn't tell her what he was hiding.
"I just think it's something I should talk about with her before anyone else. It's nothing serious, okay? Just some…guy questions. I don't have my Dad around to talk to about this stuff so…You know, my Mom is the next best person." Sun explained slowly, trying to relieve Lillie. The girl did nod after a moment, smiling at him.
"Alright." Lillie said simply, as if that closed the matter. Sun felt a small rush of affection for the girl, glad that she had stopped asking about something when she knew that Sun definitely wasn't comfortable discussing it. After a few moments he realized something about his friend that he knew he could tell her.
"Just so you know, Lillie…I think besides my Mom, I trust you above anyone else right now." Sun said after a moment, drawing the girl's attention to him again. Lillie beamed this time and after a moment stepped forward and hugged Sun herself, surprising the boy enough to where he didn't even have a chance to return the embrace.
"I'm happy to be someone you can trust and count on, Sun." Lillie said brightly as she stepped away from her friend, grinning shyly at him now and feeling a bit proud of herself for coming out of her shell a little bit there. This had been the first time in a while that she had initiated any kind of physical affection towards anyone, so maybe this was a sign that she too was growing stronger like her friends were.
Regardless, Sun smiled at her words and the two exited the flowery meadow in a comfortable silence, warmed by both the sun shining overhead and the happiness they felt with each other's company.
