Chapter 3 - Arc 1 (Melemele Island) Icarus
For a while, Selene simply lay there and let the sun heat her skin. She tossed an arm across her face to keep it from hurting her blue eyes, but there she remained, unsure if she wanted to stand up. She was half-convinced she was just in a very lucid dream and just needed to wait until Elio inevitably burst into her room and wrenched the blankets from her sleeping form. Maybe her jetlag had been far worse than she had given it credit for…
The warmth of the sun faded, and she moved her arm to figure out why. Lillie peered down at her with questioning green eyes and her wide sunhat blotted out the sun. "Are… you sure you're okay?" she asked tentatively. She stumbled when her right leg started to give way and her shoe accidentally met Selene's right arm.
Yelping, Selene scrambled to her feet and rubbed the angry, red splotch on her forearm, issuing an irritable, "Yep, just fine!" Is this shit normal for Alolans? Why is she so calm?
Lillie raised her injured foot from the ground and stepped back, hopping to keep from falling over the shiny stone Selene had noticed earlier. "Sorry," she mumbled under her breath and eyed the shiny thing suspiciously. Temporarily, Selene forgot all about her near-death experience from minutes ago and curiously cocked her head at the girl in white. Why is she so… guarded? Selene wondered. She ran from me when I called out to her. She's suspicious of a shiny rock, for Arceus' sake… "You should take that stone," Lillie said suddenly.
Selene hauled herself to her feet and swooped down to pick the crystal up. "This? Why?" she asked immediately as she rolled it between her fingers. It was smooth and clear, like glass, but flashed with a rainbow of colors when the light struck it appropriately. Deep in its center, a jagged, zigzagging line cut through. It was certainly interesting, but it was still just a fragment of crystal…
Lillie cleared her throat and Selene watched dubiously as she bumped her forehead against Nebby's round, dark little face, earning a squeak of happiness from the little cloud. She swiftly opened her bag and then tucked him inside while he was distracted. Slamming the cover over it, she clamped her arm down on the bag and breathed a laborious sigh. Cutting her eyes at Selene, she cagily supplied, "That looks like a Z-Crystal of some kind. I told you that pokémon that saved you and Nebby was Tapu Koko. The Tapus sometimes give those crystals to humans… usually a big deal when they do." She limped away and started like she was going to head back down the trail but paused with her back to Selene. "We should go back to Iki Town. But before that, I need you to promise me something."
"Huh?" Selene scoffed in disbelief. Who was she to be making demands right then? "I just saved that little pokémon you're holding. I don't think—"
"After you chased me up to there and I fell over trying to run away from you," Lillie bitingly reminded her. She staggered in place slightly. "I just need you to promise not to tell anyone about Nebby. Please."
"Why…? I can't just not tell anyone about what just happened!" Selene exclaimed incredulously. "That was incredible! It blasted a hole into that bridge! What kind of pokémon is that? Where did you get it?" Selene snickered. "Maybe I can have that as my starter instead of whatever I was gonna get in Iki Town."
Lillie whirled around so fast that she nearly fell over on her hurt leg. "You can't tell anyone!" she repeated with such conviction her voice wavered, her eyes narrowed to nothing more than green slits. Her glossy white hat cast a long, dark shadow over her face and made her look deadly serious despite her petite size. Selene was stunned into silence at the outburst and she reared back. As if something dawned on her then, Lillie's shoulders slacked, and her eyes widened. "Wait, starter from Iki Town? You were about to start on the Island Challenge?"
"Well, yeah," Selene said lamely. Just what was so special about Nebby that Lillie would snap at her like that? Suddenly, she wasn't so sure if she wanted to find out… "Kukui came and got me and my brother, Elio, and was going to take us to the Kahuna…"
"You really are new here… And you know Kukui and Hala." Lillie whispered and visibly relaxed. She drew a long breath and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I thought… I don't know… Are you that new family that moved in just past the Hau'oli outskirts?"
"I guess, unless you have more Kanto people that just moved in… wait, who's Hala?"
"He's the Kahuna," Lillie answered carefully. "Listen, let's head back to Iki Town… You can tell Kahuna Hala and Kukui about what happened here, but nobody else, understand?"
"Actually, I don't," Selene replied venomously as she fell into step next to Lillie. She tried to aid her in walking down the trail, but Lillie shrugged her off and hobbled ahead. Annoyed, Selene continued from behind, "I don't understand why I can't tell anyone about that. I think I remember my dad telling me the Tapus are basically your gods and Nebby seems really special. Why can't I talk to anyone about that? That makes no sense! Surely someone wants to—"
"You're nosy," Lillie puffed aggravatedly. "But if you must know, it's because there are bad people out there that want to hurt Nebby… and possibly me."
That shut Selene up real fast. She stumbled to a stop and waved her hands wildly. "What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded stridently. "Are you in some kinda legal trouble? Should I not be anywhere near you?" Arceus, she felt like she had befriended an Interpol fugitive!
Tiredly, Lillie asked, "Are you done…?" At Selene's mutinous glare, she repeated herself with a smirk. "Are you?"
"Only if you explain," Selene triumphantly asserted. She crossed her arms and started to prance ahead of Lillie. "You know. Since I saved Nebby's life and all."
"With the help of a god," Lillie muttered under her breath. Panting from the exertion of hopping along with her one good leg, she added, "All I can explain is that there are people out there who want to hurt Nebby because he's rare. But he can't do anything really in the way of battle… only when he's upset or scared. It takes a lot out of him. I don't need you to care about me. I just need you to agree you won't tell anyone for his sake."
Well, she's not intense at all, Selene thought with a twinge of morbid amusement. Deciding she didn't really care that much anyway, she sighed. "Fine, I won't tell anyone other than Hala and Kukui."
Finally, they reached Iki Town again, and the canopy overhead opened back up to a hot, azure sky. Lillie tugged at her sunhat, pulling it farther down her face, and she grunted to Selene. "Thanks, I guess," she sighed, "I better go find Kukui… Please, don't tell anyone about Nebby. I doubt I'll be seeing you again. You don't want to be seen with me."
Selene didn't have a chance to ask why or assist Lillie before she started limping across the clearing in the middle of the town. Concerned, she watched as others in the town had their eyes drawn to Lillie. Rather than step forward and offer her assistance for her clearly injured leg, they just… stared, watching her closely as she staggered over to Kukui. He was on the other end of a row of wooden homes and had his hands planted to his hips as he talked loudly with a burly man in an orange, floral shirt. If her injury and the looks were bothering her, Lillie wasn't making it known. As she came to a stop next to the professor, the townsfolk abruptly averted their gaze and hushed whispers replaced the dull roar of chatter from moments ago. Selene thought that was so strange, especially after how Kukui had talked her and Elio's ears off about how everyone in Alola helped one another out…
Deciding she didn't care about Lillie's warning, Selene skirted across the town and landed with a proud hop in front of Kukui. He was hunched over and whispering in husky, quick Alolan to Lillie by the time she arrived. Lillie jerked her head up and gave Selene a confused, almost frightened, stare. "What are you doing?" she hissed.
Kukui snapped his head to look at Selene, then, too. "Oh, hey, cousin! You should talk to the Kahuna, yeah?" he grinned goofily and gestured to the burly man a few feet away from him. "Need to talk to him about choosing your starter pokémon, yeah!"
Lillie's gaze dropped to her shoes. She muttered something else to Kukui in thick, practiced Alolan. She sounded just as fluent as Kukui, though Selene supposed she couldn't have known if that was the case or not… Kukui sighed and patted Lillie's shoulder.
"Selene, was it?" Kukui started again.
Selene perked up and maybe skimmed her eyes up and down Kukui's abs again. He still had no right to be allowed out and about without a shirt. "Oh! Yeah?"
"This is my assistant, Lillie," he smiled warmly as he clapped her shoulder again. Lillie groaned and shut her eyes. "She's been stayin' with me for a while, yeah, while she gets up on her feet. Maybe she can help you learn Alola a bit when you get your starter?"
"What?" Lillie sharply barked and widened her eyes at Kukui like he'd lost his mind. "Have you forgotten—"
Kukui dug his fingers into her shoulder and gave her a patronizing look. "Lillie. Let's not talk about that here, okay?"
"Talk about what?" Selene wanted to tear her hair out! What was everyone being so secretive about? It was driving her crazy! "Come on, if it's about that little blue pokémon, I won't say anything to anyone, I swear!"
"What little blue pokémon?" Elio's muffled voice carried from behind her ear. Hearing Lillie squeak in surprise, Selene flinched and whirled to face him, puffing her cheeks in frustration. He just snickered at her. "I thought you'd want to find an island boy," he teased, "but I see you found a little blond girl instead. She's cute, though, you got good taste."
If looks could kill, Selene was certain Lillie's scowl might have vanquished Elio on the spot. "Oh, I'm sorry. Was she supposed to be finding you a cute little island boy?" she asked sweetly.
Elio lurched in place and just blinked at her. Selene doubled over in laughter, forgetting entirely about her frustration with everyone's secrecy in her shock. "Sh-she was not!" he defended himself hotly in an unusually shrill tone of voice. "I don't swing that way!"
"That's too bad," Lillie taunted with a half-lidded expression, like she was enjoying this far too much, "you look like you'd make some island boy really happy." She winked at him.
Professor Kukui floundered for something to say, and finally, he just waved his hands in the middle of the group. "Okay, okay, that's enough," he laughed uneasily. Exasperated, he looked over Elio and Selene and then gestured to the man in the orange floral shirt. "Go talk to Kahuna Hala, okay, cousins? Tell him you're tryin' to start your Island Challenge!"
"Sure," Selene answered dutifully and skipped away to go talk to him. She still wasn't so enthused about that. Maybe she could ask this Kahuna why they needed to go on this Island Challenge so badly…
"Yeah, sure, but I don't swing that way!" Elio repeated himself furiously as he joined his sister's side. Selene patted him on the back, and he regarded her scathingly. "What?"
"You're really not helping your case by getting so worked up," she coyly informed him.
His face flamed red. "But I don't!"
"Waaaait! Wait for me!" Hau called as he sailed across the dirt pathway leading into Iki Town's core. He landed with a smack of his orange sandals against the sand and skid to a stop in front of the wooden platform in the center of the town. Eyes from all over trained on him and he heard the crowd ripple with laughter. From the platform, a couple of teens, a boy and a girl, he didn't recognize watched him with dubious, blue eyes. Kahuna Hala stood in the center of the platform and laughed hardily at Hau's entrance.
"About time you showed up," Hala laughed and crossed his arms. "Come on up here, Hau! You're just in time for me to send ya off with these two!"
Hau rubbed the back of his neck shyly and hopped onto the wooden platform. He stood next to the girl and waved eagerly at her. "Alola! My name's Hau!" he offered in Galarish since that was what Hala had been using. After all, they only did that when there were others around that didn't understand Alolan, and these two didn't look familiar. He hoped he would be able to keep up with what these newcomers were saying when they spoke… he didn't understand Galarish that well despite Hala's best efforts and he really didn't want that to throw a wrench in plans to make friends with them. They looked to be about his age. It really was a miracle from the Tapus that his new Kantonian neighbors were about his age! He hoped he would make good friends with them!
"Hey there," the girl spoke first with a quick wave of the hand. "I'm Selene!" With a lopsided smile, she jabbed a thumb back at the boy. "And the idiot behind me is my brother, Elio."
Arms crossed, Elio smirked and remarked, "Don't mind her, she lashes out when it's about that time of the month." That earned him a slap on the arm, and he laughed uproariously. "Why are you booing me? I'm right!"
"We're about to go through a ceremony or something, and in front of all these people!" Selene hissed back at her brother. She slipped into an unfamiliar tongue and chided him in that.
Hau just took a decisive step away from them and folded his arms behind his head. I have no idea what they were talking about, but they seem fun! I hope I can get to know them better… Man, I really, really hope I can…
Hala cleared his throat noisily and clapped his hands together, causing the three teens in front of him to jolt and look to him. People around Iki Town whispered excitedly as they, too, gathered in a tight circle around the wooden platform. The sky overhead had begun to darken slightly as evening settled in.
"Anyway… Welcome, Selene, Elio, and Hau to the start of your Island Challenge! This tradition is extremely important to the people of Alola and, especially for you two," Hala gestured to Selene and Elio, "we are so glad you could participate in it with us! To prove your worth to the Guardians of Alola, all in Alola must traverse the four islands—Melemele, Akala, Ula'Ula, and Poni—and beat the trials found on each. These will test your mind, your body, your heart, and your soul."
Hau squirmed in place, struggling to keep still; he couldn't believe this was finally happening! It had been so many years of Hala talking up his journey across Alola… Of course, he wasn't destined to become a Captain, so he had been forced to wait until he turned eighteen to start his Island Challenge. He curiously peeked at Selene and Elio to catch their reactions. Selene had a look of wonder about her round, pale face, while Elio still had his arms crossed and looked almost bored. Hau worriedly wondered why that was… Didn't Elio know how important the Island Challenge was? One's success or failure in the rite of passage could define their entire future! He frowned slightly and focused back on Hala. What if Elio didn't know? That probably meant Selene didn't either… Oh, Tapus, was he going to have to be the one to explain to them? Although Hau was excited, he would be the first to admit his nervousness wasn't all hopeful anticipation…
"First, you three must choose a starter pokémon, a symbol of Alola's virtue of caring for others," Hala continued. He reached into his pockets and pulled three Poké Balls free. Tossing them to the wooden platform, he added, "Of course, your pokémon must choose you as well. Pokémon are friends, but your starter is your other half. Wait for your partner to choose you and then you may choose to accept it."
In front of them, a Popplio, Litten, and Rowlet appeared in a flash of red light. Their Poké Balls bounced back into Hala's hands and he dispatched them as fluidly as he retrieved them. Then, he started to chant, as did everyone else in the town. Hau knew what the words meant, of course; they were repeating a phrase in Alolan, one that meant, "May the Tapus be with you." The melodic, almost singsong whispers sent chills up his spine and he surreptitiously dropped his hands from behind his head. He watched the pokémon closely as they curiously inspected the prospective trainers before them.
The Popplio raised its snout and surveyed the humans before it. With a couple barks beneath its breath, it eyed Hau and tilted its head. It abruptly clapped its flippers together and scurried across the platform toward him, spurring the Rowlet next to it to flutter into the air. The Rowlet landed on Selene's shoulder and twirled in a circle there… While the Litten… well, it sprawled on its side and licked its back, left leg. Hau cast a furtive glance to Elio and noticed him bounce his leg nervously. After a few tense minutes of it merely grooming itself, Litten lazily waltzed over to him at last, rubbing its crimson fur against his anxious foot.
"Well! It seems the starters have taken quite a shine to you three already!" Hala laughed. "Now! Island Challenger Hau! Do you accept Popplio as your partner?"
"I do!" Hau exclaimed as he reached down and scooped up the Popplio in his hands. He snickered as it blew a blue bubble from its mouth, which burst and lightly misted his face with water. "I think I'm gonna name you… Popper!" Popper barked in agreement and pressed his round nose to Hau's chin.
"Island Challenger Selene! Do you accept Rowlet as your partner?"
"Uh, I do…" she answered much less enthusiastically than Hau. She was awkwardly looking over the pokémon on her shoulder like she wasn't sure what to make of it.
"Is this a wedding or something?" Elio butted in as he stroked the fur of the Litten still rubbing his heels. Harsh Alolan whispers befell him, and he clamped his mouth shut, shooting uncertain looks around the gathered townsfolk. He seemed like he wanted to say something more, but kept him quiet anyway. Hau felt a rush of secondhand embarrassment… He supposed Elio didn't know any better, but he had to wonder how he wouldn't have gotten the impression now wasn't a time to make jokes… The Island Challenge sendoff was a respectful ritual…
"Island Challenger Elio," Hala stated a little pointedly, "do you accept Litten as your starter?"
"Yes, sir," Elio answered meekly. Selene pressed her lips to a thin line and her cheeks slowly reddened. Hau thought she might have looked almost angry…
"Then, it's settled!" Hala announced to the applause of the gathered townsfolk. "Welcome, you three, to Alola's Island Challenge!"
Selene and Elio both immediately turned to one another and inspected their respective starters. Hau watched them almost longingly as he idly held Popper in his arms. They started talking rapidly to one another in words he didn't understand. Then, there was pressure on his shoulder and he anxiously looked up to see Hala looming over him.
"Don't worry, Hau. The Tapus chose you, remember?" his grandfather said in soft Alolan. He smiled wide and rubbed his grandson's back. Hau knew the words should have been comforting, but all they did instead was bring back a flood of blurry memories, a rush of uncomfortable feelings, and a wave of something akin to despair. He hated it when Hala said that to him. Granted, he had dealt with it for years at that point, and it no longer would ruin his entire day to hear it, but it was still unpleasant… He shrank at the words and just stared down into Popper's innocent eyes. The little Popplio slapped its flippers against his chest playfully and he couldn't help but give a weak smile. The Tapus didn't choose me, unlike Popper. He felt a swell of pride in his chest that threatened to overwhelm him with emotion. It felt so nice to be chosen by someone, even if it was just this little Popplio… He hoped he and Popper had a long life together ahead of them.
There was a sense of relief when Hala stepped away. To Elio and Selene, he said, "Now, I'm sure your folks will wanna know about your new partners! You should make sure to go tell 'em… Say, wait a second. Selene, what's that you've been holdin' in your hand?"
"Oh! Oh, my Arceus, I almost forgot!" Selene exclaimed and held up a gleaming crystal. Hau blanched as he saw it. A Z-Crystal? he thought. How does she have one? Didn't they just move in…? "I got this earlier! I met this girl named Lillie up on the bridge in that trail over there," she vaguely gestured toward Mahalo Trail, "and I helped save a… a pokémon in danger, and then Tapu… Tapu… um, the Tapu of this island came and helped us out! It dropped this off after me!"
Lillie? Hau felt his heart flutter. So, Selene had met Lillie! Hau liked Lillie. He didn't know much about her, admittedly, and she was difficult to talk to, but he still appreciated what little time together they did have… It wasn't that Lillie was still standoffish with him, although that had been the case at first. It was because Lillie had never gone on her Island Challenge. She was eighteen, had never gone on one, and never intended to. The people of Iki Town hadn't taken kindly to that sort of discourse and they shunned her. Hala didn't like Hau to talk to her for that reason, either… The Tapus chose you. Every time Hala would catch him interacting with Lillie, Hau would be chided with that reasoning. It hurt, if he were honest, because Lillie was one of the few people he had met his age that he felt as if he could actually talk to. Although being the grandson of a Kahuna meant his peers respected him, it also meant they didn't see him as an equal… Most Hau's age felt inadequate in comparison. Hau didn't like that… he didn't feel any different than any of them…
"Tapu Koko did that?" Hala sounded skeptical. "May I see that, Selene?"
"Sure…" Selene dubiously handed him the glittering crystal.
Hala admired it momentarily and then nodded. "Yep, that's certainly a Z-Crystal, alright. Say, can I hold onto this 'til tomorrow, Selene?"
"Sure," Selene shrugged, "not like I know what to do with it, anyway."
Hau jerked his head back to face Popper and he just wanted to melt into himself. Everyone knew what a Tapu giving someone a Z-Crystal meant! It—
Hala's laughter broke his train of thought. He hadn't expected that at all, but there he was, throwing his head back in uproarious laughter. "No, I don't think it means much of anything to you. But that's alright. I can fashion it into something useful for you and your brother, there, though! Now, hurry along, back to tell your parents. Just make sure you come along for the festival tomorrow, alright?"
"Got it," Selene nodded determinedly. Elio didn't have a reply and just curtly nodded along with his sister. Together, holding their respective starters, they marched down Iki Town's dirt paths and into the outskirts of town.
Hau watched them go with an intense, brown stare. They seemed to get along well together… He didn't have any siblings. Or, well, any family outside of Hala, for that matter. Even if he hadn't understood the jokes they made among one another earlier, he kind of wished he could be part of it… Popper pushed his nose to Hau's chin again and he chuckled. Grinning down at the Popplio, he proudly said, "You know what? Maybe we can be part of it, cousin. Let's go battle 'em!"
After all, what was a better way of getting to know someone than a friendly battle? Of course, he had an ulterior motive. Secretly, he hoped to use their lack of cultural understanding to his advantage.
He desperately hoped they wouldn't be intimidated by his relation to Hala and, since they were on their Island Challenge, Hala wouldn't mind him finally having them as friends…
As he raced after them, Popper tucked safely in his arms, he felt so happy at the idea of finally having some close friends that he felt like he could have touched the sun if he jumped high enough.
QOTD(s): What are your impressions of the cast so far? Elio, Selene, Hau, Lillie?