Chapter 26 - Arc 2 (Akala Island) Our Place on the Totem Pole

"Oh, hi, and what the hell are you?" Elio asked as he bent down to observe the little Grass-type at his shoes. It had tiny, scythe-like leaves for arms, and blinked up at him with round, innocent eyes. When he reached to pet it, it jabbed one of those bladed leaves at his shoe, and darted away with a series of delighted, playful squeaks. Hearing the rustling of various bushes around himself, Elio carefully examined his surroundings, and found there were tons more of those pokémon looking at him through the underbrush.

His Rotom Dex hovered around him and focused on one, snapping a photograph of it, just as Elio had asked it to do whenever it spotted a new pokémon. Buzzing for a moment, his Rotom Dex then said, "Fomantis, the Sickle Grass Pokémon. When the sun rises, Fomantis spreads its four leaves and bathes in the sunlight. The tip of its head has a pleasant aroma…"

"Okay, so it's a nice-smelling houseplant that can walk," Elio dryly joked. His Rotom Dex turned so its blue eyes were facing him—scowling at him, really—and he rolled his eyes back at it. "I'm joking!"

At least it was cooler in the Lush Jungle than it had been at Wela Volcano Park, thanks to the shade of the leafy canopy overhead… Though, he had no idea what the ingredients were that Captain Mallow was requesting he find. He had never been much of a cook himself and the only one he recognized on the list Mallow had merrily handed him was "Big Root," which was as self-explanatory as it got, anyway. Of course, as he thought back to when Mallow had given them their assignments to participate in her trial, he smirked. Macho burst from a bush nearby, proudly holding a large mushroom in his teeth, and Elio laughed. "I'm glad you know more about what's on this list than I do."

As the Torracat proudly sauntered up to him, Elio recalled how, upon arriving in Lush Jungle and meeting Mallow, Hau had all but lost the ability to speak. At least, it sounded as if he did. He had slipped entirely into Alolan as he spoke to her and that had gotten Selene and Mallow to giggle at him. He hadn't needed to speak Alolan, though, to recognize the way Mallow had winked at Hau and the list of ingredients she had slipped him had also included a personal note to him (which he had blushed furiously at and refused to let the rest of them see).

Of course, the amusing thoughts ultimately led somewhere less funny. Truthfully, Elio found it insane that Selene could somehow understand Alolan now—especially given the fact she still couldn't speak it—but more than that… He had to admit, it was a little upsetting to now suddenly be the odd one out. They still mostly spoke in Galarish, and he appreciated it and knew that Hau especially had to make such an effort to do so, but… still. He felt bad for feeling left out as well because Selene had been unwilling to talk about the very end of her vision. All she had told them was that it had clearly not been part of Hau's memory, and it had involved Tapu Koko. Clearly, whatever had transpired in her mind's eye, it had been traumatic, and it wasn't as if he needed to know all the minute details to understand something was very, very wrong, and that they needed to find a way to help her. Yet, he still wished she could tell him…

He sighed and motioned for Macho to follow him as they searched for the next item on the list. "Tiny Mushroom," he announced dryly. "Oh boy. I wonder which one. There's only a million different kinds because we're in a freaking jungle…" Somehow, based on Mallow's coyness from earlier, he got the sense that she perhaps didn't know exactly what she was doing or maybe she did, and was intentionally sending them on a wild Swanna chase.

Selene's power wasn't all they had talked about before continuing their journey, though. There were now no secrets between them. Lillie's past with the Aether Foundation, the predicament with Nebby, the fact Gladion was her brother, Hau's control of electricity, his bloody past with his parents—it had all been lain bare for one other on the Wela Volcano Park mountainside. It had been a hard, tiring discussion (ironic, considering that was the day Selene had spent 'resting' prior to them continuing their hike up to Kiawe's trial for Hau and Elio to take him on). But in the end, he felt they were all closer for it, and at least Lillie had said that there was a book at a library in Konikoni City that served as a record of all the Captains' and Kahunas' abilities from over the centuries, which could help them understand the extent of Selene's ability, such as how to control it or how it could be activated. Following Mallow's trial, they had planned to head for Konikoni to find out what they could regarding their parents. Hau, Elio, and Selene would do that as well as take on Olivia while Lillie would head to the library to look at said book.

Dropping to his knees next to a tree to observe the base and see if he could spot any mushrooms to tuck away in the bag wrapped around his left wrist (which honestly reminded him of a reusable grocery bag), he shook his head in disbelief as he remembered what Lillie had told them about the Ultra Recon Squad. "They warned me not to tell anyone. But I am sick of being so dishonest," Lillie had growled. "Nebby can open wormholes to other dimensions. Yeah, yeah, get it out of your system, but I'm being serious. If my mother gets ahold of Nebby, it could be disastrous, and here's why…"

While it had taken the majority of that day before he had even considered believing that story, he had ultimately decided he would be stupid not to believe her. He was in a region where his sister could view someone's memories like yesterday's news and Hau could zap him into next week if he wanted to, not to mention he had seen how Lana, for example, could manipulate the very substance of the world around herself. There was no telling where the bounds of Alola's weirdness were. For all he knew, wormhole travel was the least of it. He rolled his eyes and snatched a handful of small mushrooms from the base of the tree. "Guess that'll do," he shrugged.

What had been even harder to get over, though, was how the Aether Foundation—a group he had known as a respectable humanitarian and pokémon activism group that had stakes in every region across the world—was apparently led by a woman who, put simply, had been a child abuser. Lillie had spared no details in explaining how her father had gotten mixed up in some sort of experiment and there had been an accident in the lab, and following that, her mother had hated them. Yet… Lillie had also said, "Even knowing all of that, though… You shouldn't hate Aether." She had groaned and hung her head. "I hate even saying that, but it's true. There are thousands and thousands of people who work for that organization that have no idea about Lusamine and everything going on in the labs, and there are even more pokémon than that they help across the world, even if the Aether Paradise building in particular… does more harm than good." She had sadly smiled back up at Elio then. "They do help people, too, you know. There's an orphanage on one of these islands. A lot of homeless kids in Alola just ended up in Skull because there was nowhere for them to go unless they lived near Heahea, Konikoni, or Malie, and even then, they filled up fast… I'd love to just say Aether is evil and we need to, like, sink the whole organization or something, but I can't say that. That's why I have to stay hidden and keep Nebby away from them, from my mother… I'm sure someone will fix Aether eventually… even if that day's far away from now…"

Ultimately, that had led to her explaining that she had intended to work with Kukui until she earned enough money and learned enough about the world to safely leave Alola, but he had forced her to travel with Selene and Elio for some plan of his. She had no idea what the plan was, just that he wanted Selene and Elio to bond with her and Hau so they wouldn't leave Alola before his plan was through. That had pissed Elio off; he knew Kukui was up to no good, but that had to have been a new low, using Lillie like a pawn in whatever game he was playing… Of course, beyond the anger, there was that concern, the understanding that he truly didn't know what game Kukui was playing. There was no telling… and they had more than enough on their plates making it unreasonable to waste energy worrying about it. So, there was a distant, constant fear that they were playing right into his hands, and they had no idea.

He clenched his jaw. Whatever game Kukui was playing, if it turned dangerous, Elio would be ready to put him in his place. Elio knew he didn't do much right, but fiercely defending his family was one he felt he was truly good at—as a plus, it was guilt-free, too!

Looking down at Macho, Elio planted his hands on his hips. "Big Mushroom, Tiny Mushroom, Big Root… I think that's it for what she told me to look for. Let's go take her on, then," Elio crooned at the Torracat. Macho yowled in excitement and bent into a playful position, flexing his claws against the leafy ground. The way his yellow eyes lit up in excitement made Elio smile nervously.

He, Hau, and Selene had talked before they had come to the Lush Jungle, and the conclusion they had reached was that their pacifism simply wasn't viable. Terrified of that thought, Elio had initially given pushback when Selene suggested they simply battle with intent to take down the opponents as swiftly as possible. To that, she had given him a calm, cool stare. "Elio…" she had trailed off and chuckled sadly. "It's okay. It'll be okay… I… I know you're not the same as you were back then. I'm sorry for yelling at you over it, I wasn't mad about the Ekans, I was just… scared." She had swallowed hard and nodded. "But you need to listen to me, please. This isn't… this isn't a game. This stuff is scary, and we need to be strong to get through this and find Mom and Dad… My Rotom Dex says that Macho's evolutionary line loves to battle. Vulpix and Ninetales are special attackers, so they can keep a good distance on the battlefield… But even if they don't, and trust me on this, I've read that pokémon don't resent trainers that battle with them as long as they're kind to them and keep them healthy outside of battle." She had laughed and crossed her arms. "And I know you haven't had a lot of time to show it lately, but I know you just want to pet and cuddle that Vulpix anyway and you slip Macho treats when we're not looking."

Despite his mock dismay, he had been truly reassured at her words, grateful, even. Though… it did feel strange to be so reassured by his younger sister. It further made him feel out of place. He had always felt like he was the one that was supposed to reassure and help her, but lately, it felt as if she were doing that more and more for him. It wasn't a bad thing, she clearly didn't seem to resent him for it, but… oh, what a mess of thoughts!

Making his way back to the center clearing of the Lush Jungle Mallow had told them to reconvene at once they found their ingredients, Elio shook away his weighing thoughts and waved easily at Mallow as he neared her. She was waiting patiently near a large, black pot. "You're the first back," Mallow commented coolly. "Now, we wait for your friends."

Putting back on the playful façade he was so good at, Elio beamed at her as he curiously stepped closer. "So, you got something for Hau, huh?" he asked tauntingly as he sniffed the fumes rising from the pot. Shocked to find the scent potent and tangy, he jumped back and coughed in a desperate attempt to avoid doing so into the stew. All he could hear as he spluttered and rubbed his face to try to soothe his now-rapidly running nose was Mallow madly giggling.

"Something like that," she replied in a voice laced with faux sweetness. When he looked up at her, he found her narrowing her eyes at him almost teasingly. "So, what's your game, hmm? Elio, right, the funny guy?"

Bristling a little more than he'd have liked, he forced out a chuckle. "Hah, yeah. I think I am, anyway. And you? Mallow, right? What's your game, 'pretty lady?'"

"Yep! And I know how to cook and everything!" she shot back without skipping a beat. Some Fomantis scurried out of the bushes around them then, and Selene and Hau followed in short order. The Fomantis gathered around Mallow's feet and waved their tiny arms at the two trainers, squeaking and huffing irritably.

Hau and Selene shared a look and giggled to each other before Hau mumbled something in Alolan at her that only served to make her cackle harder. Elio's lip twitched in mild aggravation as Mallow clapped her hands at them. "Why, hello, boys and girls, thanks for showing up again so kindly with my ingredients. Bring those to me. You, too, Elio~!"

Rolling his eyes, Elio walked closer to her pot, careful to not get close enough to catch any of the steam meandering into the sky and held out his bag to her. Hau and Selene did the same and Mallow graciously accepted all three, then poured the ingredients without so much as looking them over to ensure they were what she needed into her pot. The three challengers all glanced to one another, as if thinking the same confused thoughts about that, but Mallow only bounced in excitement as the stew boiled higher and the steam grew to be too thick to see through.

"Thank you! My Totem Lurantis will love this! She's been hiding in the Lush Jungle lately, you know. Won't come out. I think she's just being moody, though." She shrugged and coyly cracked a half-smile at Hau. "Women, am I right?"

"Uh… r-right?" he laughed nervously. Selene facepalmed and Mallow only laughed harder as the steam from her pot seemed to shift more to smoke. A harsh scent hit Elio's nose and he wrinkled it, backing away. There was loud chattering from deeper in the jungle, and more Fomantis burst from the undergrowth, gathering around the base of the pot and even their feet. One ran up to Macho at Elio's side and curiously waved a scythe at his nose, making him sneeze, accidentally shooting a small ember at it. It squeaked and rolled away, but Elio worriedly bent low to snatch it up immediately. "Hey, hey, you okay?" he asked it quietly in Kantonian, examining the little burn on the Fomantis' side. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to get the memo that he was merely concerned for it, as it swiped a sharp leaf at his finger and cut it open, making him yelp and inadvertently drop it to the ground.

When he cursed under his breath and anxiously looked at the Fomantis, worried he had hurt it worse by dropping it, he heard Selene shout for him to watch out. He moved just in time to see a pokémon that looked like a taller, pinker version of the Fomantis loom over him. Its arms were far longer—and deadlier—and it twitched antennae at him in a way that he somehow automatically knew to be angry. It was so, so much taller than he thought it should have been, and an emerald aura pulsed over its entire body. Macho launched himself at Elio's chest and bowled him out of the way as the pokémon raised one of those long, clawed arms to swipe at Elio, the blow landing on Macho's side instead with an audible rip!

"Maybe I was a little mean…" Mallow uncertainly snarked from a distance, sounding much less confident about then. She waved animatedly over her pot and then disappeared, as if huddling behind it. "Sorry, Lurantis! I didn't mean it! Good to see you again!"

Elio groaned and hopped back to his feet. Selene and Hau bolted to his side and each pitched a Poké Ball, the prior sending out her Sandshrew and Hau sending out a Fletchinder. Macho yowled at the Lurantis as he bounced back to his feet, ignoring the deep, crimson laceration on his left side as he joined the other two pokémon in front of Elio. Staring at the bleeding cut, Elio froze.

"Aisu, Ice Punch!" Selene yelled, a determined expression on her face. Elio vaguely recalled that she had finally chosen a nickname (the full name was 'Aisubōru,' which was Kantonian for 'ball of ice…' Elio remembered laughing like hell at hearing her pitch that idea) for the pokémon on their day of rest on the mountainside, in her attempts to earn her pokémon's trust back. "Show 'em ingredients weren't all we found!"

Clearly, it had worked. The Sandshrew bent low to the ground, then curled into a ball and rocketed at the Lurantis, unfurling at the last second to hit the tall pokémon with a blast of ice. It shrieked and raised an arm to the sky, and somehow, the warbling sound it was making only grew more grating.

"Mana, Flame Charge!" Hau yelled. The Fletchinder, who Elio had been with Hau when he caught it on their trek up Wela Volcano Park, circled overhead some, then dove down at the Lurantis. Flames enveloped his body as he slammed into the Lurantis' head, causing it to fall silent. In a fit of anger, the Totem raised both its arms and sliced them over Mana's body in an X-pattern. He was knocked clear of the sky and landed in front of Hau, a few feathers falling loose of his body, but he got back into the air without even waiting for an order from Hau. X-Scissor, Elio thought dazedly, Bug-type… not great on a Fire- and Flying-type… so, he should be fine…

Macho then impatiently turned around and nipped at Elio's pants. Looking down, Elio's mouth dried out as he spotted the bloody cut on his side again. The Torracat gave him a hard glare, looked back out at the battlefield, then back up at him again. He pleadingly lowered his ears and gave a plaintive, begging mew.

"You… still really want to battle, don't you?" Elio breathlessly asked.

Macho jumped up and pressed his front paws to Elio's shins, the fiery pendant on his chest burning brightly as he nodded vigorously.

He closed his eyes. Okay… okay. I can do this. "Right. Macho, Fire Fang!"

He felt the weight of Macho leave his legs and he dared to open his eyes in time to see him launch himself at one of the Lurantis' arms, clamping flaming fangs around the extremity. Sinking his teeth in, the Lurantis shook out its arm a few times, trying to dislodge him, but Macho held firm until a new pokémon joined the battle… or, at least, Elio thought it was a pokémon. It looked more like a wreathe of flowers floating in the breeze, but it circled the Lurantis, leaving a soft, green glow in its wake. When the Totem finally fought Macho off by throwing him at Hau's Fletchinder (making both land in a pile a few feet away from the battle), the burn wound left on its flesh was quickly soothed by the green glow.

"This one's tough!" Selene called warningly.

"Get rid of Comfey!" Hau exclaimed, pointing at the flowery wreathe. "Attack it, not Lurantis! It heal Lurantis!"

"Got it!" Elio replied, feeling that same, wild excitement he had gotten from his trials on Melemele return. Smiling, he pointed at the Lurantis and yelled, "Macho! Fire Fang, again, let's get rid of this pants-wearing bug!"

Maybe this wasn't so bad after all…

"Aisu, Ice Punch again! On the Comfey!"

"Macho, keep that Fire Fang up, this time on the… flower… thing!"

"Mana, Acrobatics!"

Hau had to admit, battling alongside Selene now that she could understand him so much better was amazing. Unlike earlier in their journey, he felt as if he were finally part of the group, working in harmony alongside them. Maybe he didn't quite operate on the same wavelength as Selene and Elio did, but he seemed to have found his own rhythm with both, and that was still a wonderful feeling.

Their pokémon seemed to have found it, too. After his Fletchinder dove down on the Comfey, he circled back around to in front of Hau. Macho followed his attack, snapping teeth around the Comfey's body and shaking it out with fiery jaws. Aisu barreled at him and Macho kindly held the Comfey out for the Sandshrew to slam into its target with a tiny arm cloaked in ice. Letting go of the Comfey (who blew away into the forest with the breeze), Macho darted back in front of his trainer, affectionately meowing at Aisu and Mana as he did. Mana chirped repeatedly and shook out his feathers proudly and Aisu nodded in return.

"Now can focus Lurantis!" Hau exclaimed to Selene and Elio, beaming. He gave Elio a look, brown eyes glinting mischievously. "Firium-Z?"

Elio's expression lit up. "Oh, I almost forgot about that! Oh, oh man… I haven't done this before… Er, Macho, catch this!" He briefly dug in his pockets for a red-orange Z-Crystal, then pitched it at the Torracat, who leapt into the air to catch it in his teeth. He landed and lowered himself to the ground, poised for the next move, yellow eyes narrowed cruelly at the Lurantis as his tail excitedly swished back and forth.

The Totem, while Elio awkwardly tried to recreate Captain Kiawe's Firium-Z dance, raised an arm to the sky, which started to glow a bright green. Hau's eyes widened and he shot a look to Selene. "That's Leaf Blade!" he shouted at her in Alolan. "It's going to be busy charging for a while! Let's attack it while Macho gets prepared for a Z-Move!"

"Gotcha!" Selene replied. "Aisu, Ice Punch on Lurantis, one more time!"

Hau pumped a fist into the air. "Mana, Flame Charge!"

Finishing the Fire-type pose, Elio grunted and hollered, "Macho, Inferno Overdrive!"

As a crimson aura enveloped Elio's body, Hau's Fletchinder divebombed the Lurantis, striking its bladed arm. The glowing didn't falter, and the Lurantis swatted Mana away with her free claw. Selene's Sandshrew rolled around the Lurantis' feet a few times before surprising it by striking the back of its legs with an icy, clawed paw. The frigid touch crept up her legs, and a frost started to spread across her body, slowing her movements as Aisu rolled back toward Selene.

The crimson aura left Elio's body through his Z-Power Ring, where the crystal embedded in the bracelet glowed with the power of flames before spitting a flash of orange light out at Macho. The Torracat pulsed with the glow and his entire body soon caught flame. Yowling to the sky, he bolted at the Lurantis just as it brought that bladed claw down. The flames surrounding Macho grew in size until he looked like a living comet as he leapt from the ground and struck the Lurantis' bladed arm. The flames burst and engulfed the Lurantis from head to toe, and Hau was forced to cover his eyes as the scene ahead grew too bright to watch.

When he sensed the brightness had dissipated, and he heard a loud thump whose vibrations nearly jostled him off his feet, Hau dared to move his hands and saw that the Lurantis had fallen to her back, still as still could be. Macho had also collapsed to his right side near her feet, and both he and the Lurantis were singed black with ash. Smoke curled off their bodies and into the sky. The trees nearby were singed as well, but interestingly, not smoldering. After a few seconds, Mallow peeked from behind her steaming pot, and blinked dubiously at the scene.

"Arceus on a bike," Elio gasped, drawing Hau's attention to him. He was clutching at his shirt—which, his entire body was also singed—and his right leg twitched, then gave out, sending him to his knees. He grunted as he hit the ground harshly. Laughing through pants for breath, he said, "Now that… really takes it out of you, huh…? Whew…" He stopped to cough, then looked up at the blackened battlefield. "Wait, Macho!"

"He's okay!" Mallow eagerly explained as she pranced out from behind her pot, as if she had never been hiding in the first place. Hau immediately cracked a grin at her and snickered to himself, all as he watched her make her way over to Elio's fallen Torracat. She gave the three of them a thumbs-up after she looked him over, then announced, "Congratulations, guys! You won! That was an incredible battle! You beat the oldest Totem Pokémon in Alola!" With that, she pressed a palm to Macho, and closed her eyes. A soft, green glow started at her shoulder and slowly made its way down her arm, spreading over the downed pokémon in the end.

"Wait, it's over already…?" Elio asked dazedly. "Huh…"

"Elio, need help?" Selene asked her brother. Hau knew he should have asked, too, but he was too busy watching, fascinated, as Mallow worked.

"Nah—ow!" Elio yelped as he attempted to stand back up on his own. Rubbing his right leg, he grinned nervously. "Just kidding, actually, help would be great…"

Rolling her eyes, Selene moved to his right side and helped support him but struggled to fully hold him up on her own. "Uh… Hau, a little help?"

Of course, he had heard and seen none of that, with his gaze locked firmly on Mallow ahead of them. He sighed and cocked his head, failing to notice as his Fletchinder landed on his shoulder, at least until the pokémon jabbed him in the head with his beak. "Ow!" Hau whined, immediately raising a hand to soothe the flare of pain in his skull. Mana clicked his beak at him a few times and flew closer to Elio and Selene, and at last, he realized they needed his help. "Oh! Sorry!" he apologized with a laugh, immediately going to support Elio's left side.

"No need, Hau, I'll help," Mallow sweetly said, and when Hau looked up again, he saw she had made her way over to them. She flashed a smile at them all, but winked specifically at him, and all that resulted in was him unceremoniously dropping hold of Elio, forgetting all about him, in his eagerness to wave back at her. There was just something so alluring about Mallow, and it wasn't the fragrances from anything she had cooked, he was pretty sure…

Selene squeaked as she was pulled harshly back to the ground with Elio's exhausted body. Mallow giggled and leaned down, pressing a palm to Elio's shoulder. As the familiar green light enveloped him, Macho trotted up to the group, looking as healthy as ever.

"Thanks, Hau," Elio sarcastically muttered (not that Hau heard him at all).

As Hau admired Mallow, though, he frowned when he saw a splotch of wet crimson on Mallow's right side, as if she were bleeding beneath her green blouse. "Uh, Captain Mallow?" he nervously called to her in Alolan, eyes upturned in concern. "Are you bleeding…?"

As she finished with Elio, she panted hard and the light running down her arm vanished in an instant. When she stood to her full height again, he noticed her left leg was twitching and she looked exhausted. Despite that, she shot Hau a warm smile and wink. "It's okay, Hau," she reassured him confidently in Alolan, "just a scratch, no need to worry~" She gritted her teeth then, though, it clearly taking some effort to remain upright as she glanced behind herself and at the fallen Lurantis. With a twinge of anxiety, Mallow shouldered a brown bag to her front and dug for something in it. "Here, Grassium-Zs," she said distractedly, handing a fistful of the green crystals out to them, "take those… and then, um, can you two head out of the Jungle and Hau can stay with me for a little while…? I'll show him the pose and he can show you guys!"

"Mallow?" Hau called again, concerned at the abrupt shift in her personality. Although she still sounded bubbly and confident, something had definitely changed, and her urgency to get rid of the Kantonians concerned him. He unsteadily accepted a Grassium-Z nonetheless. "What's wrong…?"

"Yeah, why do you want Hau to stay and not us?" Elio asked guardedly as he was finally able to stand up.

"Please," Mallow insisted almost pleadingly to them. A shuddery breath escaped her, and her left leg nearly gave out. "Just… I need Hau's help with something, that's all."

Selene and Elio nervously looked down at Hau, who glanced between the weakened Captain and the downed Lurantis behind them. Gnawing his lower lip, he felt Mana land on his shoulder again and reassuringly rub his head against the side of Hau's. Sighing, Hau smiled up at Selene. "I'll be okay," he told her in Alolan, "she's a Captain, it's fine. You and Elio go find Lillie and I'll catch up, ae, cousin?"

Selene relaxed and dipped her head in acknowledgment. "Okay… C'mon, Elio. Let's go."

"What did he say?" Elio asked sharply.

"Just for us to go," Selene answered with a shrug. She recalled her Sandshrew and sent Bowtie out instead while Elio briefly examined Macho. Satisfied he was okay, Elio and Selene soon disappeared, out of Lush Jungle.

"So, what did you need help with?" Hau innocently turned to ask Mallow, but found she was gone, no longer next to him as she had been mere seconds ago. Blinking in confusion, he jerked his head to look at the fallen Lurantis and found Mallow had rushed back to its side and was desperately trying to share her healing abilities with it. The green light, however, paused at her fingertips and refused to progress over the pokémon's body. Sensing something was deeply wrong, especially given the distraught expression on Mallow's face, Hau's eyes widened and he picked his way closer. Swallowing hard, his eyes darted up and down the singed Lurantis, trying to spot anything that might explain what was happening, but he found nothing. It just looked tired and burnt, like Macho had been… "Mallow," Hau whimpered, "what's wrong, what's going on?"

"She's gone," Mallow burst, somewhat collapsing atop the fallen, lifeless pokémon. The green light dissipated from her arms and she wrapped them around her face, shielding herself from view. Muffled, she sniffled, "That's why I sent your friends away… I thought Lurantis was just avoiding me because she just does that, but… I think she was sick beforehand… She was old… Y-you and your friends were great, b-but… she… she went down really fast and I knew something was wrong th-then… and then…"

Feeling as if a stone sank from his throat to his heart, Hau's arms dropped to his sides. He struggled to find his voice for a second. "We… did we… did we, um… kill… her…?" A knot twisted in his chest at that thought, and his mind ran wild as he blanched and overlooked the lifeless Lurantis with a newfound reverence.

"What?" Mallow almost squeaked, looking up at him with round, watery eyes. Her face was streaked with tears. "No… no, like I said, I think she was sick beforehand," she tried to chuckle, which only induced another sob to wrack her body. "But… I didn't want your friends thinking they did, and I knew I'd have an easier time explaining to you alone…"

"You… could have just sent me away, too, but you didn't," Hau nervously said, biting his lip, still staring at the pokémon. "Is there anything I can do…?"

"Just… just stay with me…?" Mallow asked hoarsely. "Tapu Lele will come to… to choose a new Totem, and take care of this one… and…" She slowly moved away from the Lurantis, scooting away from it without ever standing up. She still looked exhausted. "And I just don't want to be alone… I'm sorry, I'm a Captain, and I am not making a great first impression—"

"Hey, hey, it's okay!" Hau cut her off, caught somewhere between a smile and a grimace as he skirted the Lurantis to sit down next to her. Wanting to do anything he could to make her feel better in such unfortunate, chance circumstances, he uncertainly looped an arm around her, but recoiled when he felt something wet touch him. Looking down, he stared in shock at the crimson, bloody stain on her blouse. He swallowed hard. "Mallow…?"

"It's my power," Mallow explained lamely, sounding less than proud of herself right about then. "I'm a healer, but I heal by taking the wounds to myself. That's why I can't heal myself and that's why I'm not all that useful, anyway. I can't take anything that could kill me or seriously maim me, so I'm basically just a less convenient Max Potion…" She side-eyed Hau and then wiped her face clean, letting out a shaky sigh. "And now… I just thought she was being old and mean and refusing to come see me like she always does, and I let her battle while she was sick, and… just… What if Tapu Lele blames me?"

Hau sat close to her again, this time ignoring the slight discomfort that came from the blood that had soaked through her clothes, likely from where she had healed Macho. Shaking his head, Hau adamantly insisted, "It's not your fault this is happening… Didn't you say the Lurantis was old…? Totem Pokémon serve until they die… That's not your fault. If it was just genuinely ill and shouldn't have been battling, I'm sure it wouldn't have battled us… Tapu Lele will select another and all's going to be okay, um, Captain Mallow…"

"I am a good Captain…" Mallow whimpered. "Or… or so I thought… but Tapu Lele, she's… she's…" Taking a deep breath to try to regain her composure, Mallow brushed hair out of her face and looked at Hau apologetically. "Sorry, I know this isn't exactly the kind if date you had in mind when you read my note, huh?"

Hau's heart ached as he remembered the cute, flirty message she had scribbled on the bottom of his ingredient list. He missed that playfulness and confidence. The absolute terror in her eyes right then was just so… sad. He shook his head. "Tapu Lele is coming for the Totem Pokémon, not you," Hau reassured her, then laughed halfheartedly. "Don't worry about that last part, I'll stay here until Tapu Lele comes to deal with the Totem, okay?" And if she decides to hurt a hair on your head for whatever reason… He stuffed his hands into his pockets quickly just in case his anger got the best of him. He hated this; he hated looking at Mallow and seeing how terrified she was of the pokémon deity she supposedly served, to the point that a normal part of Captainship—occasionally overseeing the passing and replacement of a Totem Pokémon—was so stressful. He hated knowing even more that she had good reason to be; Tapu Lele was renowned across all four islands for its flagrant cruelty, bordering on ignorance to the existence of humans save for participating in her duties for the Island Challenge. He truly believed Mallow hadn't made an egregious mistake and that this Lurantis had just passed from age. He hoped Tapu Lele would, too.

Chancing grabbing her right hand despite knowing he was having to concentrate particularly hard to keep from accidentally firing off volts of electricity, Hau squeezed it reassuringly. I'm not gonna let fear own me. If Tapu Lele tries to hurt you, I'm fighting back. She's not my Tapu.

She clutched his hand back and gave a forced little laugh. "Thank you, Hau…"

"Ae, of course, Captain Mallow."

"…You can just call me Mallow, if you want…"

He nodded and chuckled. "'Kay then, Mallow."

And there, they waited.