FEARFUL OF THE NIGHT

By: Cy Mendoza

CHAPTER 2

FLATMATES

Chip plopped into the lab chair and faced a large screen. "Hey, Rotom, do you think you could connect me to Professor Oak? I'm not really sure how to use Professor Kukui's computer… looks like it's unlocked, though." He wiggled the mouse and the screen flickered on.

"Placing call to the Kanto region, zzr!" Rotom said, resting one of its limbs on the computer's screen. The call application opened, and a dialing notification spun in the center of the screen. A moment later, the professor's face appeared on the screen. Rotom flailed in delight. "Profezzzor!"

"Chip! Hello! Oh, Rotom? Is that you?" Professor Oak leaned closer as Rotom floated next to Chip's face, waving excitedly. "It looks like you made it to Alola in one piece! That goes for both of you, I'm so glad to see you've gotten there safely, Chip."

"It was a long boat ride," Chip said, wrinkling his nose. "I got seasick a lot."

"Well, that happens sometimes. I'm not the biggest fan of ship rides myself, that's why I usually fly everywhere. Now, I see you have Rotom over there with you. Did you know Rotom was bred by me? Just six weeks ago, in fact. I never would have expected it would be with you! But I don't think I could have chosen a better keeper for it. I know you'll take good care of it, won't you?"

"Of course I will." Chip glanced at Rotom, who seemed to be soaking up the professor's presence. He wondered if it missed its breeder. It didn't seem sad, just excited to see Oak again, so maybe it hadn't established a very strong bond with him. Chip hoped Rotom didn't miss him too much—he knew what it felt like to miss someone, and he wouldn't wish that on anyone.

"And I'll take good care of him!" Rotom said, grinning widely.

A pokemon in the background screamed for attention on Oak's end of the call, and the professor turned to look at it, shushing it quietly. Chip couldn't see what it was from the angle of the camera. He hoped he wasn't distracting the professor too much from his work, though. "Well, I won't take up too much of your time. I just wanted to let you know I'd gotten here safely."

"It's quite alright, Chip! Feel free to call me anytime. Though I imagine you'll be out on your own journey soon, won't you? I wish I could have given you a pokemon before you left on the ship, but the timing wasn't right… I didn't have any eggs close to hatching. I'm sure you'll get a wonderful one from the kahuna over there in Alola, though."

"That's what I'm hoping will happen tonight." A smile spread across Chip's face. "When I get it, I'll call you and show you, okay?"

"Very well! You take care and try to stay out of trouble, Chip. And make sure Rotom stays out of trouble, too!"

The call disconnected as Chip leaned back in the chair. Rotom spun in a circle beside him, a delighted look on its face. "I'm glad I got to talk to the profezzzor again! We should call him more often. Did you know you can place callzzz from the computer in each pokemon center? Maybe we could call him every time we reach a new pokemon center!"

"I think I've heard that, but we don't want to bother him, Rotom. He's always busy with his research," Chip said, sliding out of the chair and pushing it closer to the desk. He headed back over to the corner where his bed was set up and plopped down on it again. Rotom followed, the smile remaining on its face. "I think I'm going to take a nap until Professor Kukui comes back, okay? I don't need an alarm clock though, so don't worry! No zapping!"

Rotom made a little x motion over its screen. "Cross my circuitzzz, no zapping!"

Much to Chip's surprise, he fell into sleep much quicker than he would have expected. It must have not been a very deep one though, because the moment he heard the door clicking closed in the level above, his eyelids fluttered and consciousness jogged from dreamland. He groggily opened his eyes and listened to the sound of footsteps above creaking on the wooden floors. Thoughts of returning to sleep crossed his mind when he realized it could be Kukui up there with news about his ceremony. That was enough to jolt him out of grogginess, and he sat up. Rockruff grunted and lifted its head, looking at him. It must have joined him sometime during his nap.

Rotom had leaned against the wall beside Chip's bed, its arms missing. Its eyes were presumably closed, with just white instead of blue, and the magnifying glass on its screen was rotating slowly. Chip watched the screen for a moment, mesmerized, when another couple of creaking footsteps upstairs caught his attention. He gave Rotom a little poke on the screen and the ghost's eyes opened.

"Zzr?"

"Someone's home," Chip said. "Let's go upstairs and find out who."

Chip pushed the sheet closed, then ambled toward the stairs. Rockruff followed after him, with Rotom not far behind. As Chip reached the last stair, he saw someone in a large white sunhat approaching the loft and beginning the ascent to the top of it. It was a girl, so it must have been the professor's assistant. Chip waited until she'd gotten safely onto the loft before he left the stairs, afraid that if he called out to her, she might get scared and fall.

She set a gym bag with a PokeBall emblem on the side down on the sofa bed, then sat down beside it and sighed. She unzipped it, and a strange looking pokemon popped out the moment she did. It looked like a cloud, but it was a deep purple and black color, like a galaxy. Its face was pure black, and its eyes and mouth were white.

The strange pokemon floated down from the sofa, then turned toward the stairs, looking at Chip. It then let out a delighted noise and bounced, waving at him. "Pew!"

"What—" She gasped, turning toward the stairs to see Chip standing there watching. "Wh-Who are you? What are you doing in the professor's home?" She tried to move so that she was standing in front of the strange pokemon, blocking Chip's view of it, but it put her precariously close to the edge of the loft, and the pokemon leaned to the side to look at Chip anyway with a smile on its face.

"Um…" Well, this was awkward. "I guess the professor didn't tell you I was going to be staying here…"

She stared at him in panic for a moment, then slowly her expression calmed, though she was still frowning. "Wait, you're that boy…the boy from Kanto. No… I mean, yes, Professor Kukui did mention something about you coming to stay here temporarily…"

This recognition seemed to calm her, though she still looked stressed, turning quickly and whispering something to the pokemon behind her. It let out a cry of unhappiness then disappeared into the gym bag she had sitting on the sofa bed. She zipped the bag, slid the strap over her shoulder, then climbed down from the loft. As Chip stood there, staring in bewilderment, she stopped in front of the loft's ladder and glanced down.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you like that, I just didn't remember Professor Kukui had invited anyone in," she said. She then looked up, her face darkened by shadows cast from the sun hat. "I'm being so rude, I know. I'm sorry. My name is Lillie. I'm… the professor's assistant. He was kind enough to offer me a place to stay three months ago."

Chip stepped away from the stairwell and approached her, Rockruff and Rotom following after him. He stopped and smiled. "It's okay. My name is Chip, by the way, and yeah, I'm from Kanto."

"And I'm the Rotom PokeDex!" chirped Rotom, floating out from behind Chip. It waved at Lillie, who looked at it peculiarly. Rockruff shook its head and dashed over to the couch, so it could climb up and look out the window, presumably awaiting the professor's return. "Do you mind if I snap a picture of the pokemon in your bag, zzr? I like collecting photographs for the PokeDex!"

"No!" Lillie gasped, taking a step back as she gripped the bag's strap. "There's nothing in my bag."

Rotom blinked, frowning. It didn't understand why someone wouldn't want their pokemon photographed, and even more so, it didn't understand why Lillie would lie to them when they very clearly saw the pokemon enter the bag. It floated closer to Lillie, waving its arms a little. "Why not? Zzzm? If it doesn't like the flash, I can turn the flash off. I promizzze!"

"Um, Rotom, I think you might be scaring her," Chip said, putting a hand on Rotom's screen and gently pushing it back. "If she doesn't want you to take pictures, then she doesn't…"

"But that'zzz an illogical argument," Rotom said, perplexed.

"Shhhh," Chip said. He looked at Lillie with an embarrassed smile. She was looking at both of them suspiciously, her knuckles white as they gripped the strap of the bag. Whatever was in there—well, whatever pokemon, at least—she seemed incredibly defensive of it. Chip wasn't sure why, but he figured she had her reasons, and those reasons were none of his business. "I'm sorry, Rotom's just excited. It got into the PokeDex today and seems to really love the camera."

"I think I… I'm afraid I have some errands to attend to." Lillie was stiff, and her speech was more formal than it had been a moment ago. "It was so very nice meeting you, Chip. I hope to see you around more when the professor's back here."

Her gaze was darting toward the door. Chip felt a sinking feeling of sadness that she wanted to get away from him so badly (or maybe she just wanted to get away from Rotom). But he just shrugged and nodded, giving her a little wave. "It was nice meeting you too. Um… if you need anything, let me know! Like, if you need help being an assistant or something! I saw some of the roof shingles were missing, so, um…"

The conversation was quickly turning awkward and Lillie looked more and more like an animal trapped in a corner. Chip backed up a little bit, giving her space, and on second thought, reached to pull Rotom closer to him so it would stop hovering closer to her like it was trying to look into the bag. Rotom wiggled in his grip, but he held onto it tightly.

"That would be wonderful! Thank you. Um, goodbye!" Lillie backed toward the door, and hurriedly disappeared outside.

The moment Lillie disappeared outside, Chip moved to the window, looking through the streaks of duct tape to see what she was doing. She stopped outside, breathing heavily, then shook her head and walked up the path toward the hill. He watched her until she disappeared, then looked down at Rotom with an awkward laugh. "That went well."

"I think she'zzz scared of you seeing that pokemon in her bag," Rotom said, wiggling in his arms until it could break free, then it floated in front of Chip's face.

Chip laughed, nudging Rotom out of the way so he could still see between the streaks of duct tape on the window. "I know. I got that loud and clear."

"I wonder why though? Zz-zzz?"

"Were you able to see what kind of pokemon it was? Since you're in the PokeDex and all."

Rotom frowned. "No, I wasn't able to get a good look at it."

So the mystery would continue. Chip paced a little bit, wondering why Lillie was so defensive. Rotom leaned to the left and right, watching his movements. There was clearly something special about that pokemon in Lillie's bag, but Chip couldn't fathom what it was. Most trainers that had rare pokemon were eager to show them off and brag to others that they had something special. Lillie, on the other hand, looked like she didn't want anyone to see what she had. But why?

About a half hour later, the door opened, revealing the professor. "I hope I didn't keep you too long!" Kukui said.

"Oh no, it's okay—ah, Lillie stopped by earlier. I don't think she likes me much, though…"

"What? Why would you say that?"

"She ran right out the door when she saw Chip, zzt!" Rotom said.

"Is that so?" Kukui glanced between Chip and Rotom.

"I saw the pokemon she kept in her bag, and she got really defensive."

Kukui rubbed his chin. "I'll tell her you're no threat to her or her pokemon, and she'll calm down. She's just not keen on strangers seeing it."

"But why?" Chip asked. "What's the point of hiding a pokemon?"

"If the wrong people notice she has it, they'll try taking it from her."

"Steal it?" Chip and Rotom said at the same time.

"You know, if I'm honest, cousin, I don't know. She really believes she's in danger, and I took her in because she had nowhere else to go. She said her family rejected her and people were chasing her now. Whether her story's true or not, making sure she's happy and safe is all that matters to me."

Chip couldn't fathom someone stealing a pokemon. That just didn't happen. Sure, sometimes parents would tell children stories about Team Rocket stealing pokemon to make them behave at night, but those were just stories, and that was all the way back in Kanto. Alola seemed like such a perfect paradise, one where nothing like that ever happened. Lillie was just paranoid, right? Just like the professor said, no one knew whether her story was true or not.

"Has anyone stolen a pokemon before?" Chip asked.

"No, and I'd like it to stay that way," the professor said. "But enough of this depressing talk, you don't want to miss the ceremony for your first pokemon partner, right? The kahuna said he understood where you were coming from, and he's going to set it up tonight!"

"Really?" Chip exclaimed. "I'm so excited! Do we go now? Um, wait, let me change!"

When Chip returned, Kukui glanced toward him and flashed a thumbs up sign. "You look great, cousin. The kahuna's going to be impressed you're taking this so seriously."

"It's an important night," Chip said, running his fingers back through his blond hair. "I want to look my best!"

The professor led Chip through a pathway heading north, one absent of tall grass. Chip knew that tall grass mean wild pokemon, and he'd been told from a very young age never to wander into the tall grass lest he get hurt. It was something his brother had repeated over and over, and he even had the faintest memories of his parents saying the same thing. His mother's face, framed by red hair, and his father's bright amber eyes glowing in the dark skin of his face were images seared into his consciousness.

Rotom followed beside Chip as he walked, and when he glanced over at the ghost's screen, there was a map on it. There was a small, yellow marker moving north up a pathway on the map, catching Chip's attention. He reached to pull the ghost out of the air as he walked, not wanting to stop and risk falling behind the professor.

"Thizzz is the map of Melemele Island," Rotom said. It was weird hearing it speak when there wasn't a mouth on the screen.

"What's that?" Chip asked, pointing to the yellow marker.

"It'zzz a chip."

Chip stared at Rotom.

"A potato chip! You know, a thinly sliced potato that'zzz been—"

"I know what a potato chip is," Chip said, putting his hands to his face for a moment before drawing them downward. He let out a heavy sigh, then laughed. "You have a unique sense of humor, don't you?"

"Sure do, bucko!" Rotom said, rotating in the air.

"Hurry along!" Kukui called from ahead. Chip jolted a little, then dashed after him, Rotom following quickly behind.

Up ahead, he could see the thatched roofs of buildings. A sign that he passed read 'Iki Town,' and the first thing he noticed was a massive stage in the very center of it. A couple of people milled around the stage, excited for the celebration. Chip tried to guess who might have been the kahuna. He wasn't sure what a kahuna looked like, but he figured it must have been an elder of some sort, or maybe just a very experienced trainer.

Kukui frowned as he approached the stage, looking around. "Ah, darn… where did he go?"

"Huh?" Chip asked.

"The kahuna said he'd be here. Oh, no matter, I'm sure he's around here somewhere. I'll wait here to make sure we don't miss each other, and if you don't mind, can you go up that trail and check the ruins? Sometimes the kahuna will commune with the island guardian before starting a new trainer's ceremony. He probably just didn't expect us to come back so fast. Don't worry, Rotom will show you the way." The professor sat on the edge of the stage.

The professor's confidence pushed away most of Chip's reservations as he headed toward the trail. He stopped in front of it and looked upward; the trail seemed to be on an incline, up toward what looked like a mountain. Rotom floated in front of him with the map still visible on its screen, and from what Chip could see, the trail was a sure shot north until it reached a bridge crossing a chasm.

When he reached the top of the trail, he did a double take upon seeing who was on the other side of the bridge: Lillie!

"Hey! Lillie!" Chip called out, waving.

Lillie looked up in surprise, then smiled awkwardly, offering a small wave in return. "Hello, Chip. I was just on my way to your ceremony..."

Chip crossed the bridge and moved past her, glancing into the rocky cavern it led to. "Did you see the kahuna at all?"

"No, I'm sorry," Lillie said, reaching the other side of the bridge, where she waited with her gaze fixed on her feet. "Um, do you mind if I walk with you back to Iki Town?"

"Oh, yeah, sure! Man, I wonder where the kahuna is..." The boy shrugged and headed back.

The bridge was rickety, but Chip hadn't noticed until one step resulted in a sharp crack. He froze, looking down at the rotted wood beneath his feet. Another couple of cracks filled the air.

"C-Careful," Lillie said. "Hurry, grab my hand—"

The board snapped beneath him.

"Chip!" Rotom yelled, panicking as it darted all around him. "Jump! Now! ZZT!"

Adrenaline pulsed through Chip's body. He could feel the bridge breaking beneath him and the sudden uncomfortable feeling of a free fall as he tumbled forward, one hand scrabbling for the nearest wooden plank. The half of the bridge slammed against the rock face with Chip barely holding onto it. The impact jostled him, but he barely felt anything beyond blind panic.

"Chip! No!" Lillie dashed to the edge of the cliff, looking down at him in panic. The ropes holding the bridge to the poles on either side of her had frayed, but they seemed to be holding him—for now. Chip's hand shook as it took his entire weight.

"Rotom! Help him!" Lillie cried.

Rotom trembled, looking at her in shock, before it flew down the gorge. Chip reached with his other hand to grab the wooden plank. Splinters dug into his fingers, but he still couldn't feel much. His whole body trembled as he dangled there.

The rope started to fray some more, jerking the bridge down slightly.

"Climb!" Rotom squeaked.

Chip felt like he was in a daze. His fingers felt stiff, almost like they were breakable, and his body only seemed to get heavier and heavier. The space above him where he could see Lillie's face was so narrow, like he was staring through a tiny hole. But Rotom's shout snapped him out of the daze, and he shakily reached up for the next wooden plank. It creaked in his grip, but held his weight, so he slowly reached for the next.

"You have to go faster, Chip!" Lillie cried. "The rope's not going to hold!"

Chip looked down at the rushing current beneath him, and the jagged stones with their tips pointed up toward the sky—up toward him. The realization that he was staring death in the face hit him just then, and he forced himself upwards, grabbing onto the next wooden plank. He climbed up, up, until one of the planks snapped in his grip. He let out a yelp, almost falling from the bridge as Lillie's screams filled his ears.

Rotom grabbed hold of his shirt and tugged upward. Chip used the upward mobility to grab the wooden plank again, and as he looked up, he saw the rope fraying nearly to its limit. Lillie reached her hand out, straining. Chip just needed to climb one more rung. He felt Rotom's tug, the ghost taking a slight bit of his weight with its pulling, and forced himself up one more plank until he could reach Lillie's hand.

The blood on his hands made his grip slick, but he managed to keep his hold on Lillie's hand, and the girl pulled with all her might until Chip could reach the edge of the cliff with his other hand. Rotom tugged as well, and finally—after what felt like a lifetime of terror-filled moments—Chip rolled onto the safety of the rocky ground, his heart threatening to pound out of his chest.

"Are you okay?" Lillie asked, her shoulders trembling.

"Chip! Zzzt!" Rotom circled around the boy in worry, three exclamation points on its screen.

Chip felt the pain come like a punch to the gut. He grunted a little bit and pushed himself up, his entire body shaking as he struggled to stay standing on wobbly knees. Rotom darted up to his side to help support him. "I… I think I'm okay. I think I'm okay. Just shaken up."

As the adrenaline started to die off, Chip took a couple steps forward, finding his legs weren't shaking quite as much. Lillie looked at Chip with worry in her eyes, carefully putting an arm around his waist. "Here, l-let me help you..."

"Let'zzz get you back to Iki Town," Rotom said, its voice trembling as the map filled its screen. "The profezzzor will know what to do."

A/N: Did you enjoy Lillie's introduction? Looking forward to seeing more Lillie? Or are there other characters you want to see? Comment below and let me know!