A/N: Thank you to everyone who has favourited and followed this fanfic. I'm surprised it's still been getting a lot of attention since the time I've updated it. Due to other commitments and a lot of rewriting, I wasn't able to finish this chapter as quickly as I'd wanted to. But at least I managed to upload this chapter now. I hope it'll hold you over in the meantime until I have the chance to update this again. And that the ending is more satisfying to last chapter's cliffhanger... XD
Chapter 5: A Rowlet and a Regret
The trio didn't stop running even after they could no longer hear the voices of the grunts or their footsteps following them, even over the sounds of their collected huffing and puffing. It wasn't until they'd reached the Trainer's School gates that the group slowed to a stop, all of them simultaneously hunching over and breathing heavily while steadying themselves with their hands on their thighs.
'Great…' Viola raised an arm to her forehead and wiped it across, shuddering at how greasy it felt as she quickly glanced behind her. 'Now I'm sweating for a different reason.'
Viola watched Rotom Dex catch up and then hover beside her with a loud sigh, choosing that as her moment to speak up and glance between her other two companions. "Is everyone okay?"
Hau briefly raised one of his hands in the air to show he'd heard Viola before responding, keeping his back to everyone for now. "I'm good."
"I'm okay too," Lillie answered next as she righted her posture and looked down at her bag. "Nebby? Are you okay?" When an excited and muffled "Pew!" followed seconds later, Lillie placed a hand to her chest. "Thank goodness."
"Whew!" Rotom Dex wiped one of its arms across its forehead, its eyes drooping. "That wazzz a close one! It'zzz a good thing you used that other Pokemon, Viola! Zzt-zzt!"
Viola frowned at Rotom Dex when this was said. "Other Pokemon-?"
"Woo!"
Viola was cut off by a loud hoot, which was quickly followed by the source landing on her left shoulder. At seeing the owl-like Pokemon from earlier blink at her with its black eyes, Viola shrieked and immediately moved backwards, forcing the Pokemon to also cry out and flap its wings to stop itself from falling. Lucario's pokeball slipped from Viola's grasp as Lillie and Hau turned to look at her, witnessing the girl losing her balance and then falling over onto her bottom. But it landed safely in her lap soon after, remaining undisturbed for the time being.
Viola stared up at the unknown Pokemon with multiple blinks while it hovered above her, her gaze remaining fixed even when it flew towards her and landed in her lap as well. Now that she could get a good look at it she was starting to notice specific things about its appearance she hadn't before, such as the green leaf-like markings on its wings and chest and its beak being white on top and orange on the bottom.
"That Pokemon…" Lillie mumbled as she approached Viola and crouched beside her, resting her arms on her thighs. "It's a Rowlet."
"Rowlet?" Viola repeated while watching Rowlet lift one of its wings and clean underneath it.
Rotom Dex loudly cleared its throat to grab the trio's attention, loading the relevant data and image on its screen before it began to talk. "Rowlet: The Grass Quill Pokemon. A Grass and Flying type. It stores energy during the day using photosynthesis while becoming active at night. It has strong legs that it uses to pelt opponents with vicious kicks. It likes tight, dark places and has been known to use a Trainer's pocket or bag as a nest."
"Cool…" Hau said as he approached Rotom Dex, giving the Pokedex a light tap on its screen and prompting it to move back with a shriek. "You're really something, Rotom Dex."
However, Lillie frowned at hearing the last part of the Pokedex entry, with Viola sliding her bag off her arm and putting it on the ground so she could fish out Rowlet's pokeball. "A Trainer's bag, you say…" Lillie glanced at Viola when she pulled out the pokeball. "You know, Professor Kukui has a Rowlet. Earlier today in his basement, I noticed Rowlet's pokeball was missing from the incubator. But I assumed the professor had taken it out."
Viola stared at Lillie with three forced blinks. "Wait, really? 'cause I don't recall seeing any missing. When I entered the basement there were eight."
"Didn't the professor move it?"
"No. The incubator was open, but there were definitely eight pokeballs in there. And the professor never went by it at all. We were too busy discussing Mega Evolution." Viola's brow furrowed. "Although… I did put my bag next to the incubator."
Lillie's eyes widened slightly at that, causing her and Viola to slowly turn their heads to Rowlet, who responded to their stares with the tilt of its head and a loud "Woo!". The trio silently locked eyes for a good minute before Lillie's and Viola's drooped. "Lillie?"
"Yes?"
"This is Professor Kukui's Rowlet, isn't it?"
"… I think it is."
Viola smacked her free hand to her forehead and closed her eyes, letting out a loud groan as she did so. "For Xerneas' sake…"
Hau laughed loudly and wrapped his arms around his middle, hunching over slightly when tears sprung to his eyes. "So Rowlet somehow snuck into your bag? That's funny!"
"No, it's not. The professor's probably wondering where his Pokemon is." Viola huffed and sat up straight. "I need to go to Iki Town to give Rowlet back right now."
"What about Lucario?" Lillie asked, prompting Viola to glance at the pokeball still in her lap. "Doesn't it need tending to first? It was acting strangely before."
"Yeah…" Hau agreed, scratching the side of his head as he watched Rowlet stare at the pokeball and then peck at it. "I'm not sure what happened either. But it didn't look right to me."
Viola gulped at that, briefly recalling the fear on Lucario's face and in its body language from before. 'They're right. Lucario was really shaken up. I should make sure it's okay.' Her gaze switched to Rowlet, who had since chosen to stare at her bag for the moment. 'But I have another Pokemon here that doesn't belong to me. I don't want to get in trouble with Professor Kukui if he thinks someone stole it…'
When Viola stayed silent and chose to repeatedly look between Rowlet and Lucario's pokeball instead of speaking up, Hau and Lillie shared a quick glance, their brows furrowed. But after a few seconds Hau forced a smile and stepped towards them, crouching opposite Lillie on Viola's other side. "Hey, I can take Rowlet to the professor. You should go to the Pokemon Centre and check on Lucario."
Lillie's and Viola's eyes widened slightly at the offer, with the latter turning to Hau before she spoke. "Are you sure? I don't want you getting in trouble."
Hau's smile widened as he gave Viola a thumbs up with both hands. "I'm heading to Iki Town anyway. And it's one less thing for you to worry about. I promise you can count on me."
Viola continued staring at Hau without blinking for a little while longer. Eventually she let out a loud sigh and held up Rowlet's pokeball, responding to Hau as she prepared to send the Pokemon back inside it. "You don't have to do that. But considering the situation I'll take you up on your offer. Thanks."
"You're welcome!"
"Rowlet, return."
Viola expected Rowlet to disappear the same way Lucario did at saying the familiar phrase. Instead she and Rowlet ended up having a silent stare down, with nothing happening. The blonde briefly scowled, but soon cleared her throat and moved the pokeball closer to Rowlet's face to try again.
"Ahem. Rowlet, return!"
A few seconds passed, but the only thing that happened in that moment was Rowlet hopping closer to the pokeball and pecking at its lid once, tucking its wings in at its sides. Viola's eye twitched and Lillie's and Hau's eyes drooped. But Rotom Dex was bolder, floating down to the pokeball and then giving it three hard taps with one of its arms. "Is it broken? Zzt-zzt!"
"No," Viola answered, letting out a loud sigh. "We just have a very stubborn Pokemon who refuses to go back inside its pokeball…" Her gaze momentarily locked with the pokeball in her lap. 'Just like a certain Pokemon I know.'
"I wonder why Rowlet doesn't want to go inside," Hau said, turning to Lillie while scratching his head. "Does it normally act this way?"
Lillie shook her head, watching Rowlet look towards Hau's bag with the tilt of its own head. "Not at all. It's usually well behaved, so this is a surprise…"
Viola picked up Lucario's pokeball and returned it to her bag. "We can't wait for it to come around. If it won't return to its pokeball, then I'll just have to-"
Viola was interrupted by a loud and high-pitched "Woo!", followed by Rowlet flapping its wings and propelling itself forward at Hau's back. Viola and Lillie gaped as Rowlet dived headfirst into Hau's bag, causing Hau to jump to his feet and twist his body some to try to get a look at what was going on. The top half of Rowlet's body was now inside the bag, but its bottom half and feet were still visible for now. "H-Hey, Rowlet! Whatcha doin' back there?!"
Lillie was the first to recover, quickly covering her mouth with a hand to muffle a giggle at seeing Rowlet's feet wildly kicking in the air. "Rotom Dex did say Rowlet likes to use bags or pockets as nests."
Hau's body slumped forward at this. "Aw, man. I guess that's what I get for forgetting to zip it up properly."
Viola's eyes went wide at Lillie's words, prompting her to snap her fingers while watching Rowlet continue to squirm around. "That's it!" Lillie and Hau watched with matching blinks as Viola suddenly stood up and quickly moved to Hau's side, with Lillie getting to her feet and moving back in response. "If Rowlet won't go inside its pokeball, then Hau's bag is the next best thing!"
Hau opened his mouth to interject, but by the time Viola acted and shoved Rowlet the rest of the way into his bag all that left Hau were stammered noises, with Lillie closing an eye as she winced at Rowlet letting out a muffled "Woo!" as the blonde zipped Hau's bag up all the way.
Viola smirked at her handiwork while Rowlet shrieked and twisted itself around repeatedly inside the bag to try to find a way out, reaching out to Hau to place Rowlet's pokeball in his closest hand. "There. You can get Rowlet back to the professor now."
Hau stood up straight and gripped at one of his bag straps, peeking over his shoulder at his squirming bag with a squint. "Er… Is Rowlet gonna be okay in there?"
"It's only temporary. I'm sure it'll be fine."
"… Alright." Hau shook his head and sighed as he adjusted his bag straps, eventually giving a small smile. "I'll explain everything to Gramps and the Professor, so hurry on to the Pokemon Centre."
"Thanks again, Hau. When Lucario's been checked over we'll meet you there." Viola waited until Rotom Dex had floated back into her bag before walking over and picking it up from the ground, putting it over her shoulder again. "Be careful, though. Keep your eyes peeled for "Team Skuntank"."
Hau chuckled and tried to muffle it with his hand over his mouth. "… It's Skull."
"Oh, I know."
Hau switched his gaze to Lillie as Viola prepared to walk off. "Look after her, Lillie."
Lillie smiled slightly and glanced back at Hau when she went to follow behind Viola. "I'll do my best."
With Hau giving the pair a quick wave in passing and running on ahead with a tight grip on his bag, the three children remained unaware of a Pokemon with a black and orange body, white markings and a yellow shell split in half between its arms observing them from a safe distance, its eyes intently focusing on Viola and Lillie as they made their leave of the area.
After Lillie and Viola arrived at the Pokemon Centre on Route 1 the latter wasted no time in handing over Lucario's pokeball to the Pokemon Centre's nurse. She'd thought it was unnecessary at first, given Lucario and Salandit had barely battled enough for the former to sustain serious damage. But then she went ahead with it anyway as a precaution, keeping in mind how super effective the attack type had been. While the nurse took the pokeball to the back the two girls were left to wait around until Lucario was returned, resulting in the pair seating themselves at one of the tables opposite each other. Due to being the only ones present in the building at the moment Lillie took the opportunity to open her bag on her lap and let Nebby float around their table, with Viola deciding to get a quick look around.
'This is the first time I've set foot inside a Pokemon Centre since coming to Alola. I never realised how different they were to the ones in Kalos. They still have a counter for medicine and other supplies in the same place as the ones I know.' Her eyes wandered to the brown, wooden counter just ahead of them, to the left of the Pokemon Centre's desk. 'But instead of a seating area and changing room they have a café. How convenient.'
Out of the corner of her eye Viola took notice of Lillie staring intently at her from across the table, prompting her to turn her way with a raised brow. She also noted Nebby had placed itself on top of Lillie's bag and was peeking at her from over the table edge. It was just about tall enough for its eyes to be visible. "… What's the matter?"
"Hm?" Lillie said with a forced blink, only to close her eyes tight and shake her head before responding. "Sorry. I got lost in thought."
"Was it about those knuckleheads attacking us? Because if you're worried-"
"No, no! It's not that!" Lillie raised her hands slightly and waved them about, quickly stopping after a few seconds and looking away. "I just… I feel terrible about what happened."
Viola rested her elbows on the table and placed her hands under her chin with a quiet huff, keeping her gaze focused on the other blonde as she did so. "You don't need to be. It's not like you knew they were going to show up."
"But still," Lillie placed her hands to her chest, her shoulders slumping. "I can't stop thinking about the look of fear in Lucario's eyes. And I feel responsible for it. I should have moved you and Lucario away sooner…"
Viola silently stared at Lillie for the time being, her eyes widening slightly at the sudden ache she felt ripple in her chest. But soon she was closing her eyes and lowering her head, her next words after her thoughts spoken quietly. 'Geez. Déjà vu is hitting me hard today.' "If anyone should be feeling bad, it's me." Lillie raised her head and looked to Viola with a slight gape. "You and Hau told me to get away and I didn't listen until things got worse. What happened to Lucario was on me. You two had nothing to do with it."
Lillie frowned at Viola's words, her hands falling to her lap. "You couldn't have known Lucario would do that-"
"I didn't." Lillie fell quiet and flinched at Viola's abrupt interruption, with Nebby lowering itself behind the table a little. "But I suspected its reaction would have been negative anyway, so I should have acted sooner. Lucario's instinctively protective. It would jump at any chance to battle against scum like them, even without Calem."
Lillie's frown deepened at the unfamiliar name. "Calem?"
Viola's eyes opened when she realised what she'd said, quickly sitting up and looking away to the desk. 'Crud. Slip of the tongue.' "… Never mind. Forget I said anything."
Lillie saw Viola's jaw tense during her attempts to not make eye contact again, so she decided to stay quiet and focus on Nebby. The Nebula Pokemon had turned to face her with drooped eyes and arms, its mouth quivering as it stared up at her from her lap. The sight made Lillie force a smile and reach out to pat Nebby gently on the head, which Nebby responded to by closing its eyes.
The pair sat in silence for a while, neither girl daring to look at the other. After Nebby had glanced between the two at least five times Viola let out a loud and long sigh and leaned back in her seat, folding her arms. "… I'm sorry."
Lillie turned her gaze to Viola and tilted her head. "For what?"
"For my attitude. I'm frustrated and… I shouldn't be taking it out on you."
"… It's okay."
"No, it's not. This wasn't supposed to happen." Viola pulled her arms closer to her body, her hands clenching and shaking as she tried to keep her tone even. "The whole point of coming to Alola was to get away from my problems back home. Yet already I've encountered two idiots from a bad group who nearly hurt you guys, and I haven't even been here a day."
Lillie stayed silent and watched Viola fidget, placing her shaking fists on the table and staring down at its wooden surface. "I'm such a fool. I spent the entirety of my time with my friends depending on them for protection and I've become too comfortable in that role. I underestimated those guys and put you and Hau in danger, as well as Lucario and Nebby. If it hadn't been for Rowlet, who knows what would have happened. It's like I haven't learnt my lesson from before…"
Viola didn't say anything more after that, continuing to focus on the table at feeling tears prick at her eyes. 'Coming to Alola was a bad idea. I was wrong to think everything was going to be fine. It's like my past decisions are coming back to bite me.' Her bottom lip jutted out as she surpressed the urge to cry. 'Stupid Team Flare-'
Viola's thoughts were interrupted when she felt a hand gently place itself over one of her fists, causing them both to stop shaking immediately upon contact. Her face relaxed as she raised her head to see Lillie partly leaning over the table, her green eyes fixated on her brown ones. Nebby observed the pair quietly, having since moved onto the table beside Lillie to avoid her in her current stance. Neither of the girls spoke at first, but after a while Lillie became the one to break the silence.
"I get it."
Viola quickly blinked her tears away, her response momentarily delayed. "Huh?"
"You're upset because you think you could have done more if you were a Pokemon Trainer." Viola's eyes widened, prompting a weak smile to appear on Lillie's face. "We don't know much about each other. But that doesn't mean I can't recognise feelings I know all too well."
Viola glanced at Nebby for a few seconds before she responded, her thoughts flitting back to her first encounter with Lillie. 'Wait, could she mean…?' "You… You've felt the same way?"
"Sometimes, yes." Lillie retracted and sat upright in her seat again, her smile shrinking slightly as she turned to Nebby watching her. "Since meeting Nebby, I've had similar doubts. It's not like other Pokemon and there's little information about it. All I want to do is learn more so I can help it return home. But…" Lillie put her hands in her lap and clenched them a little. "…I can't do it on my own."
Viola turned to Nebby at this and frowned, watching the Nebula Pokemon tilt its body at what Lillie had just said. "Return home? What do you mean?"
"It's hard to explain." Lillie paused to swallow and rub at her throat with a hand. "But all you need to know is that Nebby was with people who wished to abuse its power when I found it."
Viola's mouth and hands twitched, doing well to keep her thoughts to herself for now. 'That's practically the story of my first journey. It still makes my blood boil hearing that. Especially because of how small and innocent Nebby is. I can only imagine what that poor Pokemon has gone through…'
"I was on my own right from the beginning, so I've been relying on others to do the things that I can't. Like Kahuna Hala, Professor Kukui… even Nebby itself." Nebby floated over to Lillie's side, prompting the blonde to look up when she felt Nebby lightly poke her arm with one of its arms. "The only reason it's rescued is because it used its abilities to help me escape."
Viola raised a brow at that, her gaze briefly switching to Nebby as it continued to poke at Lillie's arm. 'It did? Then again, I haven't seen Nebby use any moves yet. I assumed it didn't have any…' She focused on Lillie again. 'Still, now I understand what she meant last night. She said she couldn't be at home right now and it's because of this. Wherever she took Nebby from, she's probably put herself into a lot of trouble.'
Lillie raised the finger of her closest hand to gently stroke Nebby across its head, causing it to smile widely. "I haven't been able to help Nebby at all since coming to Melemele Island. And the one time I tried to do it by myself, I put Nebby in danger with wild Spearow."
Viola perked up at recalling the conversation between Lillie and Hala, sitting up straight in her seat. "Oh. That's the reason you were trying to get to those ruins you were talking about?"
Lillie nodded as she looked to Viola. "The Ruins of Conflict, yes. Nebby seems attracted to them for some reason and I thought going there would reveal why." She quietly huffed and closed her eyes. "I shouldn't be complaining when I know what the solution to my problem is and how easy it is to get. But-"
"-your dislike of Pokemon getting hurt is stopping you, right?" Viola said, shaking her head and huffing. "Yeah. You do get me." The blonde turned her gaze to her bag hanging on the back of her chair, her eyes drooping with another huff. "I think I'm more frustrated with myself because I've had plenty of opportunities to obtain a partner, and I rejected them all to "go against the grain". I feel like that decision came back to bite me a few months ago; although given the circumstances I couldn't be sure." She closed her eyes. "But it looks like karma has followed me all the way out here too… It's like I can't escape my regrets at all."
Lillie opened her mouth to speak, wanting to question what Viola had meant by that. But she never got the chance when a loud and familiar bark beat her to it. The two girls and Nebby turned to the reception desk to see Lucario slowly walking into the area with its pokeball between its paws, its eyes partly open and its body slumped. Just behind it was the Pokemon Centre's Nurse—a young woman with her pink hair tied into twin tails and wearing a pink and white hat and shirt with short frilly sleeves, along with a pink apron. While the nurse resembled the appearances of the ones Viola knew from Kalos (with slight differences in hairstyle), she could clearly see that the uniform she was wearing was suited to Alola's current climate in comparison to the uniforms she was more familiar with.
The moment her gaze landed on her friend Viola jumped up from her seat and jogged over to the approaching Aura Pokemon, while Lillie reacted slower in favour of standing up and securing her bag over her shoulder again, ushering Nebby back inside with a hand and then zipping it up.
"Thank you for waiting," the nurse said with a smile, once Viola was standing in front of Lucario. "We didn't find any injuries, so we've restored your Pokemon to full health."
Viola loudly sighed and placed a hand to her chest, with Lillie approaching them after making sure Nebby was secured in her bag and she'd collected Viola's bag from the back of her chair. "I'm glad." 'At least Lucario is okay physically. Can't say the same for its emotional state though…'
The nurse's smile faded, quickly being replaced with a slight frown. "But you need to be more careful around anyone from Team Skull in future. You're not the first trainer to end up here because of them."
Viola nodded to that, deciding not to correct the nurse regarding her facts about herself. 'Lillie wasn't kidding then. It sounds like they've been bothering other trainers for a while now. I should speak with Hala at Iki Town about them if he's there.' "I will. Thank you so much."
The nurse gave a quick bow before walking away back to the reception desk, allowing Viola to return her focus to Lucario. Lucario was staring at her with a scowl, clearly not looking pleased with what it had just endured. But Viola could tell there was no trace of its former fear in its eyes.
Lillie stepped round to Viola's side with a furrowed brow, becoming the first to speak up. "Are you alright, Lucario?"
Lucario quickly glanced at Lillie and gave a stiff nod to acknowledge and answer her question. But when it faced Viola again it grumbled, reaching out the pokeball for her to take. Viola's body slumped at this reaction, because she immediately knew why Lucario looked the way it did now. 'Ah. It's grumpy because I put it in its pokeball. Of course… But at least that distracted it from what happened.'
The blonde didn't say anything at first, taking the pokeball from Lucario and keeping it in her hands for now. However, after a few seconds of silence, Viola lost her composure and lowered her head, her next words coming out quietly and cracked. "I'm sorry." Lucario's and Lillie's eyes widened at this, seeing Viola's body begin to tremble. "I know you don't like being cooped up in there. But I had no choice. I couldn't stand the thought of you getting hurt or taken."
Viola's grip on the pokeball tightened, her jaw clenching as she fought against the urge to break out into sobs. "I've already lost one friend to bad people. I can't lose you too."
Lucario's eyes glistened at Viola's last words, looking like it was about to cry too. The Aura Pokemon stepped closer to Viola and put its paws on top of her hands, causing the blonde to fall still and raise her head again. Surprised brown stared into teary red without saying a word. There was no need to. Viola knew Lucario could read exactly what she was feeling.
'Maybe if it had been me who'd picked you, things would have turned out differently. You wouldn't have frozen up like that. You wouldn't have been looking for someone who wasn't there. You would have placed your trust in me.' Her gaze briefly fell to her hands, a weak smile appearing. 'Although it looks like you do anyway. We're not partners, but you still stay by my side. Sometimes I wonder if I deserve your loyalty even now…'
Viola broke the silence by clearing her throat, stepping away from Lucario and looking off towards Lillie to avoid eye contact with it. "Just promise me you won't be that reckless again against other trainers, okay?"
Lucario barked in agreement, prompting Lillie to hand Viola her bag, which Viola nodded to her for. "Good. Right then." The blonde put Lucario's pokeball away and her bag back over her shoulder. "That's our cue to go to Iki Town to check on Hau. I hope Rowlet hasn't been giving him trouble…"
Lucario tilted its head at the mention of "Rowlet", prompting Lillie to giggle as the trio prepared to leave. Due to being in the pokeball the whole time, she and Viola obviously knew Lucario had no idea about what had transpired prior to coming to the Pokemon Centre. "Don't worry. We'll explain everything on the way."
The walk from the Pokemon Centre on Route 1 to Iki Town was thankfully uneventful for our trio. With no sign of the Team Skull grunts from before Viola and Lillie were able to catch Lucario up on previous events without worrying about any further ambushes; although they still kept their guards up just in case. By the time the group were entering Iki Town, Hau was running towards them from the opposite steps with a wide grin on his face, carrying a dark blue, seal-like Pokemon with a white snout in his arms.
"Viola! Lillie!" The trio stopped once Hau did, his head turning to Lucario when he noticed it was behind the two girls. "How's Lucario?"
"It's fine," Viola answered, briefly peeking back at the Aura Pokemon. "Returning it to its pokeball actually distracted it. It was back to normal by the time it emerged."
Hau chuckled a little, bringing his held Pokemon close to his chest and prompting Viola to focus on it. "I'm glad everything worked out."
"Is that your chosen Pokemon?"
"It sure is."
"Aw," Lillie said, leaning forward to lightly poke the Pokemon on its round, pink nose, which the mentioned Pokemon clapped its fins at. "I see you chose Popplio."
Hau's grin widened as he looked down at Popplio, who barked as it looked back up at him. "Yeah! Its little stunts won me over. It's such a playful Pokemon."
Viola leaned down towards her bag and placed her hand close to her mouth, whispering to Rotom Dex still inside. "Psst! Rotom Dex! Look up "Popplio"."
Rotom Dex slowly floated out of Viola's bag until it was hovering just above its opening, bringing up the relevant image and information on Popplio while also whispering. "Zzzt! Popplio: The Sea Lion Pokemon. A Water type. It snorts bodily fluids from its nose to create balloons and water bubbles to send at its opponents. It practices daily to make its bubbles grow in size, making it famous for being a hard worker."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome! Zzt-zzt!"
Viola watched Rotom Dex lower itself back into her bag before listening back in to the conversation between Lillie and Hau, with the former placing a finger to her chin.
"I'm surprised at your choice. I thought you'd choose Rowlet. It is a Flying type and best suited for beating Kahuna Hala with, since his specialty is Fighting type Pokemon."
Lucario's ears twitched at this, with Viola catching its movement out of the corner of her eyes. 'Hala's Pokemon are all Fighting types, huh? Can't blame Lucario for reacting to that. Its first trainer was a Fighting type Gym Leader, after all.'
Hau let out a forced chuckle and glanced behind him to where he knew Hala and Kukui were before he'd come rushing over, spying the mentioned pair making their way down the steps towards them. "Well… I was gonna pick Rowlet. But-"
"Woo!"
Hau was interrupted by a loud hoot from Rowlet, causing Lillie and Viola to lean round him and witness the bird Pokemon flying straight towards them with Kukui and Hala in tow. Viola and Lucario both backed up when Rowlet moved past Hau and created a small gust in its wake, which Hau and Popplio turned away from as it hit them in the face. Next thing Viola knew Rowlet was slowing down and hovering before landing on her closest shoulder, leaving her blinking repeatedly and moving her head away from it. "Huh?!"
Kukui laughed as he and Hala stood just behind Hau, keeping his hands in the pockets of his lab coat. "Would you look at that. Rowlet really has taken a shine to you, hasn't it?"
"P-Professor…" Viola stuttered and trailed off, her gaze dropping to the floor as she took a moment to find her words and raise her hands in front of her chest. "I'm sorry. I swear I didn't know Rowlet was in my bag."
"Not to worry. Hau already explained everything." Kukui looked between Viola, Lucario and Lillie as the former of the three let out a quiet sigh. "It turned out to be for the best. I'm relieved Rowlet was there to help you."
Viola closed an eye when she felt Rowlet nuzzle her cheek with the top of its head and let out a contented "Woo," with its own eyes closed as it did so. "Me too." She noted Rowlet's head felt gentle and warm against her skin. 'Wow. Rowlet feels soft, like a feathery pillow.'
Lucario's eye twitched while watching Rowlet being affectionate towards Viola, yet it stayed still and silent as Viola stepped forward towards Kukui, attempting to reach out her shoulder to get the Grass Quill Pokemon as close to the professor as she physically could. It was still nuzzling away against her cheek. "I'm sure you want Rowlet back though. You know, to save it for someone else to use."
Kukui's grin faded, prompting him to side-glance Hala and lock eyes with the elderly kahuna as if awaiting permission for something. Hala maintained that eye contact for a solid few seconds before giving the professor a slight nod, allowing Kukui to focus on Viola after loudly clearing his throat. "Actually, Viola… I think Rowlet is better off staying with you."
Viola, Lucario, and Lillie gaped at Kukui, with the latter being the quickest to recover at stepping forward to Viola's side. "But Professor, Viola isn't a-"
"She isn't a Pokemon Trainer. I know, Lillie." Lillie closed her mouth and blinked at Kukui's interruption, her cheeks flushing a light pink. "But the thing is, Rowlet's grown attached to Viola. It clearly wants to be with her."
"What?" Viola said after finding her words, lowering her shoulder as she turned her head to Rowlet, who tilted its head and forced a blink in response. "That can't be true. It hasn't been around me long enough to form a bond, right?"
"The prof's not wrong." Viola switched her gaze to Hau when she heard the boy speak, seeing a goofy-looking smile spread across his face. "When I let Rowlet out of my bag, the poor thing couldn't stay still. It kept circling the town in the air until it saw you. You're the reason why it wouldn't go back to its pokeball."
"A Pokemon's bond with a human is a powerful one," Kukui continued, quickly reaching out a hand to give Rowlet a pat on the head. "and that is especially true for Pokemon who choose their partners. I can't deny I'm curious as to why Rowlet has chosen to place its trust in you so easily. So it's only fair I don't stand in the way of that." Kukui peeked at Lucario just behind Viola and Lillie. "Also, for your own safety, it might be wise to keep Rowlet with you in future. Team Skull could strike again."
Hala hummed in agreement with Kukui and folded his arms across his middle, shaking his head. "That Team Skull… They must have mistaken you for an island challenger, young Viola. Even though you're not in possession of an island challenge amulet."
"Island challenge amulet?" Viola repeated.
"Yeah," Kukui replied. "Pokemon Trainers who take part in the island challenge are given an amulet to help Trial Captains and Kahunas identify them from regular trainers or tourists."
"The same also applies to Team Skull," Hala added, briefly closing his eyes. "They don't pose a serious threat to the wellbeing of Alola and its residents. But they are known for targeting island challengers and stealing their Pokemon on all four of Alola's islands."
Viola gasped while Lucario's eyes widened. "All four islands? How many of them are there?"
"A lot, apparently," Hau answered with a frown. "There are rumours many of their members are former island challengers who failed the island challenge."
'Seriously? They target current island challengers just because they weren't able to complete it themselves?' Viola's eyes briefly narrowed at that. 'Talk about petty. But at least they aren't on the same scale as Team Flare. That would have been a cause for concern.'
Hala placed a hand on Hau's closest shoulder, prompting Hau to look back. "As the island kahuna, I can only do so much to keep them in check. Therefore, I agree with Kukui. I think you should take Rowlet as a precaution, child. But do not feel pressured to do so. If you decide not to, I'm sure my grandson will be happy to help you, now that he has his own Pokemon partner."
Hau grinned and nodded. "Sure, Gramps. I don't mind."
Viola and Lucario exchanged glances at this, with the former's brow furrowing at her friend as she recalled its earlier breakdown. 'They're not wrong. Lucario has no problem going up against wild Pokemon. Yet if we ever ran into those grunts again… we'd be in trouble. They were willing to send their own Pokemon after us even when I refused to battle. They can't be taken lightly.'
The blonde dared to peek over at Lillie then, who was silently watching her with a furrowed brow of her own. In doing so she recalled their previous conversation, prompting her hands to clench at her sides. 'I have my reasons to not become a Pokemon Trainer and she has hers, but that doesn't mean she should be affected by my choice. Hau has a partner who can protect him now. Lillie doesn't. And since I'm probably gonna stay in her care for a little while longer…'
Hau, Hala, and Kukui chose to stay quiet during that moment, seeing Viola's actions as a sign that she was thinking through their words carefully. They chose to observe until Viola faced Kukui again, straightening out her posture and lifting her chin up.
"Professor," she began, maintaining eye contact with Kukui as she addressed him. "if we hadn't run in to Team Skull today, I would have refused to take Rowlet." Kukui's brows raised. "I have my reasons for not wanting to go down the trainer path, and for the time being that decision of mine still stands. But," Viola glanced at Rowlet with a small smile, staring back into its curious eyes. "out of respect for Rowlet's feelings and also as a precaution, I'll hold on to it for the time being."
Lucario's and Hau's mouths fell open, and Lillie gasped and muffled it with her hands, none of the trio having expected Viola to agree. But Kukui responded with a quiet sigh and slumped shoulders, a wide grin eventually appearing. "That's all I ask."
Rowlet closed its eyes with a loud "Woo!" and raised its wings slightly, giving the side of Viola's face a quick nuzzle. Hala let out a hearty laugh and placed his hands on his hips. "What an eventful day this has been! And here I thought seeing Tapu Koko flying about again was surprising enough."
"Tapu Koko?" Hau, Lillie, and Viola all repeated at the same time, with Lillie and Viola sharing a glance soon after. 'That's the guardian Pokemon, isn't it? Wasn't the kahuna investigating the same behaviour from it yesterday?'
"It's still around? That's really strange." Kukui commented, frowning and placing a hand to his chin. "It's not like Tapu Koko to be active like this two days in a row."
"Weren't you planning on visiting the Ruins of Conflict again, Gramps?" Hau asked as he turned around properly to face Hala, prompting Hala to nod.
"I was. I have yet to uncover Tapu Koko's continued presence." Hala tilted his head at his grandson. "Care to join me, Hau? Battling the wild Pokemon on Mahalo Trail with Popplio makes for good practice for your first trial."
Hau smirked slightly and balled his hands into fists, hugging Popplio closer to his chest. "Count me in! Popplio and I need to get a head start if we're gonna beat you!"
Hala laughed as he patted and then ruffled the top of Hau's head, quickly pulling away. "Very well. We'll be going then."
Hau swirled around to face Lillie and Viola when Hala turned around and started walking away, leaning forward on his toes towards the latter of the pair. "I'm still rooting for a battle with ya, Viola. If you ever change your mind and need a training buddy, you know where to find me and Popplio."
Viola snorted with the slight raise of her shoulders, placing a hand to her hip with a slight smirk of her own. "We'll see about that, Hau."
"It was nice meeting you. See you both later."
"Bye, Hau," Lillie replied as she watched the boy run after his grandfather after giving them a wave, prompting Viola to turn to her with a raised brow and blink.
"You're not going with them?" Lillie shook her head, keeping her eyes on the pair's retreating backs. "Why not? Didn't you still need to go to the ruins?"
"I do." Lillie looked down at her bag with a weak smile, giving its side a gentle pat at seeing it squirm slightly from Nebby's movement. "But I think it's best to wait until the kahuna isn't busy."
Viola frowned at Lillie's response, but relaxed her expression when the other blonde turned her way again. "I'm surprised though." She stretched out her finger to stroke under Rowlet's chin, causing the Pokemon to ruffle its feathers and close its eyes with a contented "Woo." "I didn't think you'd agree to the professor's offer so soon."
"Neither did I." Viola shrugged her shoulders, with the movements causing Rowlet to fidget a bit. "But then again, in the words of Professor Sycamore: you need to accept ways of living and thinking that sometimes conflict with your own to broaden your horizons."
Lillie and Lucario blinked simultaneously at this, while Kukui briefly smiled and stepped closer to Viola, passing her Rowlet's pokeball. "Wise words from a wise man."
Viola nodded as she accepted the pokeball and put it away in her bag. "Indeed."
"I'm just about finished up here, so I'll be heading back to the lab for now." Kukui glanced between Viola and Lillie before looking up at the blue and clear sky. The sun had lowered a little since the last time he'd looked, but it was still daylight. "Are you two going back to Hau'oli City to continue sightseeing? The afternoon's still young."
Viola and Lillie shared a silent glance for a moment, waiting for one of them to verbally respond. When the silence dragged on for a while, though, the pair spoke up at the same time, both having the same answer. "No."
Kukui's brows raised at this, until Viola faced him and gave a slight smile, rubbing at the back of her neck with a hand. "There's probably still some places Lillie hasn't shown me yet. But I think encountering Team Skull today has given us enough excitement. Right, Lillie?"
Lillie copied Viola's expression, gripping at her bag strap. "… Right."
Kukui nodded in understanding, turning away to the entrance of the town. "Fair enough. Then shall we?"
With Kukui taking the lead, the group of five (six, if Nebby was counted) made their leave of Iki Town, with Viola and Lillie walking side by side, Rowlet remaining sat on Viola's shoulder, and Lucario walking just behind them. Viola, Lillie and Rowlet were oblivious to the Aura Pokemon staring at the back of the Grass Quill Pokemon, its eyes narrowing and mouth twitching when Rowlet side-stepped closer to Viola's head.
As they left Viola dared to peek at Lillie from the corner of her eyes, seeing the other blonde walking with her head lowered and gaze focused on the dirt path in front of them, the words from their earlier conversation returning to her mind again. The longer Viola stared at Lillie, the more similarities she could see between them. She felt like she was staring into a mirror.
'I think a talk with Professor Sycamore is in order soon. Maybe he can make sense of my muddled thoughts.'
