Chapter 2: Doom or destiny
The sound of the alarm going off woke up Juliette. The first rays of sun illuminated her brand new bedroom; the one where she had slept in for the past two days. In a matter of minutes, an orangish hue caused by the sunlight took over the room. It was just seven a.m., but the King Star was already out and prompting the people in town to wake up. That's one of the many things that surprised Juliette and her family during their first two days in Alola; unlike in Anistar City, the inhabitants of Paniola Town woke up very, very early. The previous day Mainard got startled by a man screaming outside early in the morning. It turned out he was just a farmer guiding a herd of Mareep.
With a quick movement, Juliette turned off the alarm and left her bed. As much as she loved being in bed, she had no trouble waking up so early. She was used to it after all. Going to school always required her to wake up around 7:30 a.m. At least in Kalos, because she still didn't know how school would work in Alola. She was free from the suffering of going to school until next week, mostly because they were all still busy with the move. Some boxes were still closed and things still needed to be organized. As far as she was concerned, Juliette was pretty much done.
Getting dressed didn't take her too long. Juliette never was the kind of girl who worried too much about fashion and how she dressed. The only two items of clothing she cared about were the Zygarde themed cap and shoes her father gifted her on her 13th birthday. She wore them every day, rain or shine. Besides that, Juliette put on a simple white shirt with ruffles on the neckline and a pair of jean shorts. After fixing her bedhead, she was ready to go downstairs. Juliette knew that she wouldn't have much to do today anyways, besides watching the television or playing with her Pokémon.
For better or for worse, Juliette was entirely wrong about that. She absentmindedly descended the stairs while thinking about how her freedom would soon be over and that she would be in the same situation as she was in Kalos. Her mind would have been occupied for a longer time by these thoughts that appeared like a summer storm if it wasn't because a certain someone was waiting for her at the foot of the stairs.
"I knew you would be up already!"
"Grandma!" The girl exclaimed with a smile. "I see you decided to get up too. Didn't you say you would be up a bit later?"
"Yes, but I changed my mind." Édith had one of her famous smiles on her face. "You see, we've been here for a couple of days already and, while I understand that a house move takes time, I think we should go see what this place has to offer!"
Juliette wasn't sure how to take that. Her grandmother wanted to go out so early in the morning?
"What are you hiding?" she asked jokingly.
"Nothing, I swear!" Édith averted her gaze from Juliette's thoughtful stare.
"Does it have to do with the Sina and Dexio interview from the other day?" Juliette asked with a questionable tone.
"Sorry to disappoint you but no, it doesn't." The woman maintained her cheery expression.
"Well, what is it then?"
"In one of the touristic leaflets I got in the port, they talked about a place called Sunrise Café that's right there in this town! Plus, according to the reviews on TourGuide, the food is really nice so I thought that maybe we should have breakfast there."
"Sounds great! But…" Juliette looked around the room. "What about Mom and Dad?"
Édith made a gesture with her hand. "Oh, you already know your dad! He won't wake up until ten or so. As for your mom, she'll probably eat something while at work so don't worry!"
Our protagonist never doubted her grandmother, so she thought that it would be worth a shot. The only bad thing was that they would undoubtedly come across people both in the street and in the café itself. Since they were in Paniola Town, the few times Juliette went outside people would stare at her with an inquisitive look, presumably guessing that she was an outsider. Luckily for her, the peak of her cap kept them from seeing her entire face. Sometimes she felt that she was too exaggerated trying to hide from people like that, but she couldn't help it.
As soon as Édith got the house keys, the two of them were already on the street and under the Alolan sun. The peculiar smell of the town hit them like a Double Slap, but that was nothing they wouldn't get used to! The whole place was very lively for 7:15 a.m.; lots of farmers and breeders were talking to each other, little kids and their Pokémon playfully ran around the place, and the sound of pushing wheelbarrows could be heard. That made Juliette get an idea. She opened her bag― which she quickly fetched from her bedroom while Édith looked for the keys― and let her two Pokémon out of their Poké Balls.
"This is Paniola Town! What do you guys think?" Juliette smiled at Halbert and Poppy.
The Frogadier and Bulbasaur left out happy little cries and jumped around. Suddenly, they were joined by a small dog Pokémon. "I believe that's a Rockruff!" Édith said, intrigued by the unfamiliar Pokémon. She amused by the scene.
"Yes, it is!" Juliette recalled reading an article about the Pokémon on the internet. She educated herself about some of the Pokémon native to Alola shortly before the move.
After the three Pokémon played for a bit, Halbert and Poppy went back to following their Trainer and her grandmother. "The café is not too far from here. Maybe we can take a small stroll on the way there," Édith suggested after greeting a random passerby.
"Eh, I'd prefer going there directly." Juliette avoided looking at people; she still didn't feel like talking to strangers.
Her grandmother laughed. "Come on Julie, don't be like this! You can't hide in your shell forever."
Halbert and Poppy made a loud vocalization in agreement with the elder. Juliette had no problem admitting they were right. Deep down she thought that too. But it was easier said than done. How would she do that, especially now that she was in a brand new place where she knew no one besides her family? Well, her family and that guy who lives in front of her. She already saw him a few times from her bedroom, but she was careful so that he would not be able to spot her. It wasn't like Juliette was spying on him, but she just didn't want to give any explanations.
For her part, Édith had no trouble approaching people. She greeted almost everyone she saw with an energetic "Alola!", accompanied by the famous rainbow shaped gesture. People greeted her back with the same level of enthusiasm and in some cases even more, especially in the case of young children. Foul smells aside, walking around the town proved to be very entertaining, even for Juliette. She was distracting herself taking a good look at the landscape around her, imagining what it would be like if they were in the Wild West era. However, things would most likely not be much different.
"Hey, Juliette!" Her grandmother's voice made her snap out of her thoughts. They were standing in front of a middle aged woman. "This is my granddaughter, Juliette. We came from Kalos only a couple of days ago."
"I see! I knew you two weren't familiar. Welcome to Alola!" The woman addressed Juliette with her greeting. Édith looked at her granddaughter as if she was anxiously waiting for her to say hello back. A tumbleweed rolled by right beside Juliette like an unexpected guest.
"...Alola!" The girl finally managed to respond, rainbow gesture included. Édith smiled proudly as the other woman returned the gesture.
After they parted, Édith placed a hand on her granddaughter's shoulder. "See? It's not that hard! Soon you'll begin to realize that people in Alola are very different compared to the ones in Kalos. Almost everybody agrees that Alolans are really warm and welcoming."
"I guess almost everybody can't be wrong then!" After realizing that what she said sounded like something straight out of a commercial, Juliette left out a hearty laugh.
The little group walked around the town for a bit more until they finally came across their destination, Sunrise Café. Besides being a little wider, the building didn't really stand out from the rest of constructions in the town. A wooden sign with a sunrise and the name of the café painted on it swung around obnoxiously on a pole that stood in front of the building. Édith opened the door swiftly, which made a bell that was placed right above it ring noisily. Juliette was startled by the sudden ringing sound.
Don't be ridiculous, Juliette. It was just a bell.
The interior of the building was unsurprisingly rustic looking. The ambience in the building was very cozy. Country music played at a low volume on a radio placed in the bar as people talked to each other, minding their own business. Nobody really seemed to notice the newcomers and that was a relief for Juliette. Besides the humans, there were quite a few Pokémon too.
"This is a Pokémon friendly café. Isn't that great? You did well letting Halbert and Poppy out!"
"I noticed. There were quite a few of these in Kalos too…" Juliette didn't care to hide the nostalgia in her voice. There is a sign in the front of the café that said "Feel free to sit yourselves! We'll be there for you momentarily!" Following the sign's orders, Juliette and her grandmother were able to sit themselves at a table by a window.
Édith smiled. She felt the same way as Juliette, after all. "Then we can comfortably say that there's a bit of Kalos in Alola."
"Yes, in more ways than one." Juliette was yet again referring to the interview her grandmother had shown her earlier. Thinking of the interview, Juliette decided to bring up the subject. "By the way, when will you tell me more about the Zygarde thing? It's been two days already."
"Hehehe... You really are eager, aren't you? Zygarde means a lot to you and I'm aware of that." Édith smiled again. "Just to give you some relief, I'll tell you this: You'll learn more about it after you spend some time at the new school, d'accord?"
Silence is golden and an image is worth a thousand words. Juliette's expression said everything she thought about her grandmother's "deal." But she didn't insist, she was never the kind of individual who tries to contradict an older person. "D'accord."
Shortly after that exchange, the waitress appeared. She was a young, slender girl in her older teens, a little above Juliette's age. She wore a simple white shirt with a black bow around her neck, black dress pants, and black flats. "Alola! Welcome to Sunrise Café. My name is Luana and I will be your waitress for today."
"Alola!" The two females greeted her, as well as Juliette's Pokémon. The aforementioned was still trying to get used to greeting people like that.
Luana smiled at them. "I don't recognize your faces. Are you two new from around here? Tourists?"
Juliette looked at her grandmother trying to convince her to be the one to speak, but the playful little kick the older woman gave Juliette under the table left her know that it wouldn't happen. "Yes…and no. We've only been there for a couple of days. We just moved here."
"Oh, wow! Welcome to Paniola Town! Where did you all come from?"
Juliette briefly averted her gaze from the girl, as if to collect her thoughts. "Kalos."
Despite Juliette's unintentional dryness, Luana kept her cheerful tone. "Really? I was born there!"
"Really?" That suddenly piqued Juliette's interest. "We are from Anistar City. You?"
"I was from and born in Lumiose City!" The waitress's bright smile was contagious. "I have seen Anistar City a couple of times. I loved the sundial!"
"Yes, that was my favorite place too. That and Terminus Cave, it wasn't too far from there."
Luana nodded slightly, her smile unmoving. Then she shifted her attention to Halbert and Poppy. "I'm guessing you got your Pokémon back in Kalos, right?" she said as she pointed a black pen at them.
"Yes. The Frogadier is named Halbert and Poppy is the Bulbasaur." She didn't know why, but Juliette suddenly felt a little at ease by talking with the young girl she had just met.
"I see. They're adorable!" As Luana stared at Halbert closely, she frowned. "How did Halbert get that scar on his face?" Juliette frowned.
"It's from the battle where he evolved. A classmate's Garchomp did it to him."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. But he still looks like a strong boy!" Luana patted Halbert's head, a gesture he seemed to enjoy. "You know, my grandfather has a Greninja. Isn't it a big coincidence?"
"It is, indeed." Juliette said with a tiny smile.
Suddenly, the waitress facepalmed. "Whew, we were talking so much that I totally blanked out! I almost forgot you were there to eat!" Luana laughed. "What would you like to drink?"
Édith took the floor this time. "Just a glass of water for me, thanks."
"And a soda for me, if that's possible."
"Sure thing!" Luana started writing down the orders. "And the Pokémon?"
"Is there something special you'd recommend?" Édith asked excitedly.
"Actually, yes! We have Moo Moo Milk straight from the town's ranch and let me tell you, everyone seems to like it!"
Édith turned to look at her granddaughter. "They are your Pokémon, what do you say?"
"Sounds good! Moo Moo Milk for them, then." The teen nodded approvingly.
"Alright! I'll be back with everyone's drinks in a bit." Luana smiled again before walking towards the bar.
A light silence fell. Édith looked at her granddaughter with a big smile, her eyes were sparkling. "See? It's not that hard!"
"Wow, you're acting like it's such a big deal!" Juliette joked.
The older woman covered her mouth with one hand and giggled. "Well, it is! I hope to see you approach more people from now on."
"Technically I didn't approach her, she approached us. It's her job!"
"Come on, you already know what I mean!"
Before they had time to continue the subject, Luana came back with their orders. Halbert and Poppy started gulping down the Moo Moo Milk right away while the humans talked about what they wanted to eat. The waitress recommended them a mango pie, which was her favorite of the menu according to her own words. After Juliette and her grandmother settled for the aforementioned pie, as well as order another mango pie for Juliette's Pokémon, the waitress left with the promise of coming back in a little bit.
Someone turned up the volume of the country music playing on the radio. Now it was loud enough to where a normal conversation would be slightly difficult. Two older men dressed as cowboys danced together in front of the bar, and people clapped along with the music and their dance. Most of the people's conversations could not be overheard now. Édith and Juliette didn't really pay attention to them; they were too focused on their own little trivial conversations as well as sipping their own drinks, and discreetly observing the other Pokémon in the café. While many Pokémon preferred to stay close to their Trainers, like Halbert and Poppy, others freely ran around the establishment and nobody seemed to mind. A few Rockruff ran around the café. A closeby Alolan Meowth, who was observing the Rockruff, hissed when the dog Pokémon got too close to it. This reminded Juliette of how in Kalos, while Pokémon friendly cafés were a thing, there were some places where the presence of the creatures was frowned upon. High-class restaurants were the major offenders. After around ten minutes, Luana was back with everybody's share mango pie.
"Sorry about the music! This tends to happen a lot, but the people around here enjoy these kind of things," Luana hollered, yet maintaining her cheery demeanor. She had to raise her voice very high to be overheard. "I hope you enjoy the pie. When you're finished, come see me by the bar. You can pay upfront and be on your way!"
"How kind of you!" Édith exclaimed. "An old woman like me has no time to waste… Just kidding!"
Luana giggled at Édith's humorous remark, while her granddaughter gave her a bewildered look. When the waitress left, they started eating.
"This is really good!" Juliette marveled after taking a bite.
"Isn't it? No wonder she recommended it." Édith took another bite of the pie. "We should definitely come here often." She glanced at Halbert and Poppy, who were marveling at their slices of pie and scarfing it down as if they haven't eaten in ages.
"I… I agree," Juliette agreed with her grandmother. If it was for the food, Juliette didn't mind the idea of coming to Sunrise Café often and as far as she saw, the service seemed to be really nice. Besides, her Pokémon were showing their approval of the place and if her Pokémon liked it, then she would do her best to bring them here as often as possible.
As she ate her succulent breakfast, Édith was discreetly observing Juliette's attitude. The girl looked pretty content for an introvert in a place full of strangers, but perhaps it was because she was too focused on her food to think about that. But for better or for worse, the girl's peace was about to be interrupted. Her grandmother noticed out of the corner of her eye a boy that sat a few tables away from them. He appeared to be around the same age or slightly older than Juliette. The elder already knew what she would be doing next. It was emfait accompli./em
"Hey, see that boy sitting over there?" Édith pointed in the boy's direction. "Isn't he cute?"
Juliette stalled for a few seconds before looking at the young man her grandmother was referring to. When she glimpsed at the boy, she almost choked on the bite of pie she just ate.
It was him. The guy she had been seeing from her window. Getting to see him in the flesh at last— and not behind the glass— felt weird to say the least. After discreetly gazing at him for a couple of seconds, Juliette turned to address her grandmother. "Well… I guess. What's your point?"
Édith laughed noisily at her granddaughter's comments, which made Juliette sink down on the table in embarrassment. Her face started to flush. Does she want to be heard by everyone or what?
"Why don't you go and say hello? It won't hurt, you know."
The girl sighed and took a quick look at her Pokémon, who were still devouring their respective slices of pie. All she could think of was that her grandmother was yet again pushing her to approach someone she didn't know. She knew her grandmother did it with the best of intentions in mind, but it still made her feel a bit uncomfortable. On top of that, Juliette felt intimidated by the idea of walking towards the boy and introducing herself, even if that was all she had to do. She had always relied on someone else to do it for her in the past, but this time that wouldn't happen.
Or maybe it would.
Before she could react, Juliette saw her grandmother get up from her chair and walk towards the guy. For a split second, she contemplated the option of hiding under the table, which would have been a comical yet vacuous move. She resigned to wait and see what her grandmother had in mind as she partially covered her face with one hand.
"Hey!" Édith approached the boy with the familiar Alolan gesture. The boy sitting at the table returned the gesture.
"Alola!" he answered with a friendly tone. Hearing the boy's warm voice increased Juliette's need to hide under the table, but she resisted.
"I just moved here a few days ago with my family!" Édith was not wasting her time. "Today I decided to check out the town and I brought my granddaughter with me." She turned around to look at Juliette with a smile. A smile that didn't go away, even when she saw the girl practically hiding her whole face behind her hands.
Even if she didn't want to, Juliette knew that she had no choice but to approach the boy and her grandmother. "You are a making a mountain out of a Drilbur hill, you stupid girl!" She scolded herself as she finally mustered enough courage to leave the chair. Although it was very hard for her to do so. She did her best to hold her head high while she walked towards them.
Once she was right next to Édith and in front of emthat guy,/em Juliette didn't know how to proceed. Especially now that she was able to take a closer look at her neighbor. She found herself irremediably attracted to his brown eyes. He observed her, as if he was expecting her to at least say emsomething./em Juliette didn't realize that she was standing there like a scared Gogoat until her grandmother gently nudged her. Like someone turning on a switch, Juliette finally became full aware of her surroundings and deigned to go back to the real world.
"Alola!" she said without hesitation, gesture and all. See? It wasn't that bad...was it?
"Alola!" Her neighbor greeted back. "Your grandmother told me that you moved here recently. Where are you from?"
"We are from Kalos and, uh, we came here only a couple of days ago." Juliette didn't care that her grandmother had already said that in one way or another. She just didn't know what to say or do.
"Kalos? I have a friend from there as well!" His smile made the girl want to lower her guard. What was with Alolan people and their attitudes that almost made her feel at ease?
"What a coincidence! We have been talking to someone who also comes from Kalos. Right?" Juliette's question was directed to Édith, but she refused to say anything. Instead, she just nodded and smiled on.
"Being able to stay close to your roots in somewhat way is always nice." Juliette was stunned. That sounded incredibly mature for a boy his age. Back in Kalos, her male classmates still laughed at scatological jokes. "By the way, the name's Kiawe."
"I'm Juliette… Nice to meet you." She tried to contain her smile, but the action caused her face to twist into a strange expression. Knowing that she most likely made a weird face towards the boy, she let the smile go.
"And I'm Édith, her grandmother. But you already knew that!" Édith said with a small giggle.
The introvert within Juliette was raging. The silence that emitted between the three was too much for Juliette. "We should keep having our breakfast, right grandmother?" she spoke out loud.
The older woman emitted a small groan of exasperation. "It's not like anyone will eat it while we are away or anything!"
However, she wasn't completely right. Halbert and Poppy had already finished their servings were now hungrily staring at the rest of the mango pie on Juliette and Édith's dishes, which both had a little less than half remaining.
Juliette shrugged slightly, showing her palms. "I really think we should go back before they eat it all!"
"Okay, I grant you that. I don't want anyone to deprive me of finishing off that delicious pie!" Édith turned her attention to Kiawe. "I guess we'll be seeing each other around. It was nice meeting you!"
"Yes, that would be nice indeed. It was a pleasure meeting you both as well."
"Yeah...right." The words came out of Juliette's mouth sporadically. "Oh Halbert, don't do that! Now we really must go. Goodbye!"
Halbert was confused since he wasn't doing anything that could earn him a scold, besides staring at the lonely pie slices on the table. Édith was just as puzzled and she manifested it as soon as she and her flustered granddaughter sat down at their table.
"Why did you act so weird?" Édith asked with an amused laugh and in a quiet tone.
"Because I don't know him at all?" Juliette said, looking away from her grandmother's stare.
"Well you didn't know the waitress either, but you seemed pretty chill to me! Tell me, is it because of how cute he looks? I swear, if I was younger..."
"No!" Juliette was quick to interrupt her grandmother's statement, red as a Tamato Berry while doing so. "Okay, maybe it was partially because of that. But it's also because he is our neighbor."
"Oh, really? And how do you know that?"
"I… I have seen him from my window a few times already," she said hesitantly.
Édith smirked. "Well, then that means you two could become friends eventually." She relaxed her smile a bit. "You see, you know that I'm doing this for the best of you. I made you talk to so many people today because I want you to trust someone besides your family."
Édith didn't need to explain her reasoning. Juliette knew very well what her grandmother's intent was and she was immensely grateful for it. She was just a bit hesitant to open up to others, is all. Deep down she also knew that if she didn't approach anyone she would never make friends. Not reliable ones, at least. "There's a time and place for everything."
"Yes, but you should make an effort on your part too!" Having said this, Édith went back to eating her breakfast.
Juliette did the same after answering her grandmother with a smile and a nod, thinking about how she already made a big effort by addressing a handful of strangers. First in the streets and then in the café itself. It was true that people in Alola seemed different from Kalosian folks, but Juliette felt that it is just a charade.
The two finished the rest of their breakfast. However, this did not happen in complete silence. With Édith around, silence was an impossible feat. This was a good thing to Juliette either way, for that she cannot tolerate awkward silences.
As Luana informed them earlier, Édith and Juliette got up from their table and and approached the bar, followed by Juliette's Pokémon in pursuit. The waitress had recently delivered an order to an old man sitting close to the bar. His Pokémon, a mellow Midday Forme Lycanroc, sat across his lap taking a nap. Luana turned on her heel and spotted the two approaching her. She greeted them as they neared. "How was the pie? Great, right?"
"Indeed! I would ask for another piece if we had more money for it!" Édith rubbed her belly as she spoke.
Despite Juliette's antisocial demeanour, she had something to say about the meal. "I really liked it, too. My Pokémon enjoyed it as well." The girl picked up her Bulbasaur and snuggled the Pokémon close. Luana hesitantly patted the Pokémon on the head, a gesture that Poppy enjoyed.
"Hehe, I'm glad you all had a good time there. Are you going to foot the bill already?"
"Yes! How much is it?" Édith asked as she got her wallet ready.
"Let me see…" Luana calculated the price on a small cash register. A wooden figure of a Rockruff stood on top of it. "Alright! That will be 3,350 pokédollars," she said with a wide smile.
"Oh darn, I only have small change! This will take a little while." The elderly woman laughed under her nose, rummaging through her purse. After nearly a minute, she managed to gather the appropriate amount.
"Thank you very much! I hope you and your Pokémon have a nice day—"
"Same to you!" Juliette and Édith answered, not letting Luana finish.
"...and I hope to see you around!" She was addressing to the both of them, but Luana stopped to look at Juliette while maintaining her smile.
Socialize with the same people over again and risk being weird or saying wrong in front of them? Yeah no, I don't like that idea. Despite the inner turmoil, Juliette managed to reply back. "Uh… Sure!"
Just when Juliette thought the social interactions were finally over, more surprises await. She spotted Kiawe out of the corner of her eye, waving goodbye to them. The boy noticed that they were leaving. Juliette shyly waved back, while her grandmother waved energetically. As the two left the café, they briefly spotted Luana approaching Kiawe with a pen and paper as well as a very wide smile across her face; asking him what would he like to order. Finally being away from all social interactions, Juliette let out a big sigh of relief.
Now that she had a good taste of how Alolan people behaved, Juliette wanted to believe that things emmight/em go well at the new school. That was a thought that she could not stop thinking about. Days were going by quickly and the time to go back to school was getting closer. She dreads that day because she fears that things would and will go wrong, just like before. It didn't matter that her family tried to reassure her; she still worried.
Maybe there will be some positive surprises there… I have to believe that. It's my small glimmer of hope. My hope for change is the last thing I want to lose.