Chapter 11: Word of mouth
The hall of the Battle Royal Dome was full of people waiting for an anticipated event to start. Today's Royal counted with Masked Royal's presence. He made the announcement the day before and it caught his fans by surprise. No one wanted to miss this afternoon's Royal; not even Juliette and her friends.
Although they weren't there to see Masked Royal. They would have attended regardless of his participation.
A week or so ago, Lillie overheard Gladion signing up for an upcoming Battle Royale over the phone. Proud of her brother, Lillie couldn't help but tell Luana about it. However, much to Lillie's dismay, Luana took that as an invitation. Luana let Hau in on the news and the boy was pumped at the idea of watching Gladion battle. Then she told Juliette about it. Since she didn't have to do anything in particular, it wasn't hard for Luana to convince her to go. Lastly, she called Anakalia and after some persuasion, the athlete agreed to go with them.
So now they were here—accompanied by their respective Pokémon and talking to kill time until the Battle Royal started.
"I can't wait to see Gladion's reaction when he notices us in the crowd." A mischievous grin adorned Hau's face.
Lillie, who sat on a loveseat, shook her head. "I doubt he'll be too happy, he still thinks I don't know about the Battle Royals..."
"One could always use some support from their friends, don't you think?" Luana sat next to Lillie.
"You're right, but you know how he is."
Anakalia threw a hand in the air. "I don't care if he notices us or not. We're still going to have fun watching the event."
Meanwhile, Hau approached Juliette. "Hey Julie, have you ever been to a Battle Royal before?"
Juliette, who was distracted by watching people come and go, turned around in the blink of an eye. "Who, me? I only heard of them briefly before moving here. I never thought of attending one."
"People all over Alola are passionate about them," Luana joined the conversation from her seat. "The ambiance is amazing. You might like the experience."
"Oh, I'm sure of it." Although having lots of loud people around me isn't my idea of an amazing ambiance.
"You're lucky your first Royal has Masked Royal in it." For a split second, Anakalia went starry-eyed. "He's the best, I even got an autograph from him once!"
Luana nodded. "He's good, yes, but we came here to cheer for Gladion."
"I'm still not sure about this being a good idea…" Lillie lamented to herself.
After hearing Lillie's words, Hau decided to start a conversation with her. "I'm curious about why Gladion is so into Battle Royals."
"He didn't talk with me about it, but I think it's because it gives him something to focus on. Seeing my brother put so much passion into something makes me feel happy for him." A slightly sad smile escaped Lillie's lips.
"So, it's more or less like a hobby, right?" Hau asked.
"Yes...something like that."
Before Hau had time to answer, the public address system boomed across the hall: "The Battle Royal is about to start. Attendees–human and Pokémon alike–must enter the arena in an orderly manner." When everyone thought it was over, the voice continued: "One more thing: please, don't fling objects at the battlefield, especially not beach balls."
Luana jumped to her feet and grabbed Lillie by the hand. "Let's go!" Together, they ran towards the entrance.
"Wait, I'm going to trip!" Lillie held her bag close as Luana dragged her along.
The others followed suit. Juliette held Poppy in her arms. Smaller Pokémon probably have to sit on their Trainer's lap, she told herself.
People entered the stadium. Juliette and the others sat on the sixth row of the northern stands.
"I chose this location for us because it's where I always sit," Lillie said, making herself comfortable.
"The sight from here is more than decent to me." Hau sat down with his Komala in his arms. He looked down at the Pokémon, who was sound asleep. "This guy is gonna miss all the action!"
Unlike Komala, Luana's Alolan Raichu was awake. "Aren't you excited, Nanea?" she asked her Pokémon in a baby voice.
Nanea squealed in response and looked at the ring with expectation. Meanwhile, Juliette looked over at Halbert and chuckled upon seeing his legs dangling in the air.
Before people had time to react, the lights went down and music began to play. A spotlight illuminated the center of the ring and a man walked in from one of the corners.
"It's starting!" Hau tapped Lillie's shoulder and pointed at the battlefield.
The crowd screamed and whistled. Some chanted the names of their favorite competitors. Those chants included Gladion's name. Lillie smiled to herself.
The ring announcer began his speech. "Welcome to today's Battle Royal! The name's Mike Duffer and I'm excited to introduce today's contenders!"
"Coming from the yellow corner we have Kelsey and her Ampharos!" Duffer extended his arm towards said corner.
Kelsey came in followed by her Ampharos. She blew kisses at the crowd, who received them with loud cheers.
Mike continued, "Now coming from the blue corner, Gladion and his Silvally!"
That was it. That was the moment Lillie and the others waited for. Gladion marched forward with his eyes fixed on the ring. His partner did the same thing, not allowing all the noise around them to agitate him.
Hau smirked. "Look at him, serious as always."
"He's so focused, I love it!" Luana clasped her hands together.
"He has the right attitude for this," Anakalia said, "No wonder he's so good at Battle Royals."
Lillie cleared her throat. "There's one thing I forgot to say." She folded her hands in front of her. "Please, don't cheer too loudly or call out Gladion's name. I don't want him to know that we are here."
"Aww, why not?" Luana pouted.
Lillie shook her head in response.
"Alright, but I can't guarantee anything."
"That's fine by me," Juliette said without taking her eyes off the ring.
While Lillie bargained with Luana, the third contestant was introduced: a male Ace Trainer and his Aggron.
"Finally," Mike continued, "the moment everyone is waiting for. Let's give a warm welcome to the one and only, our very own Masked Royal and his Incineroar!"
While Juliette and the others limited themselves to applauding, the crowd erupted into a roaring symphony of yelling, clapping and whistling. The noise made the floor vibrate, but no one seemed to care. Especially not Masked Royal and his Incineroar, who basked in the attention. The Pokémon showed off his muscles for the audience, earning himself both boos and acclamations. Meanwhile, his Trainer stood in the second rope, greeting his fans.
"Now that everyone's here...let's get ready to battle!" Mike stepped down the ring and left, leaving the competitors free to start.
The Ace Trainer decided to take the first turn. "Aggron, use Stone Edge on Incineroar!"
The audience gasped.
"That's such an obvious move." Anakalia shook her head. "Is this his first time in a Battle Royal?"
Masked Royal smirked as he watched Aggron prepare the attack. "That's bold of you. Incineroar, retaliate with Darkest Lariat."
Incineroar swung his arms and began spinning like a top towards Aggron. He dodged the rocks that Aggron sent flying at him. Before the Steel-type could react, Incineroar crashed into him and sent him against the ropes.
"Wow, that looks brutal!" Hau slammed his hands on his thighs, but he immediately regretted the gesture.
Aggron tried to stand up, but Ampharos karate chopped his head with a Brick Break. Unable to take it anymore, Aggron fainted.
"That was short-lived," Juliette said just as the Ace Trainer withdrew his Aggron.
"Indeed," Anakalia agreed, "I bet I was right that this is actually his first Battle Royal."
The Ace Trainer left the ring with his head tilted down, avoiding eye contact with the crowd.
"I can't help but feel a bit bad for him." Luana followed the Trainer with her eyes.
As soon as the first fallen Trainer retired, the battle continued.
Gladion crossed his arms. "Silvally, use Multi-Attack on Ampharos."
Enveloped in a light brown aura, Silvally charged towards the Electric-type at high speed. He struck Ampharos and left her lying on the canvas.
"Oh no, Ampharos!" Kelsey brought her hands to her chest.
Ampharos struggled to get up. She tried supporting herself on the ropes and then on the floor, but all her attempts failed. Ampharos fainted.
Kelsey sighed and approached her Pokémon. She withdrew Ampharos and spoke to her Poké Ball, "At least we took down one of them." She then headed for the exit, waving goodbye at the crowd as people applauded her in response.
"I'm not surprised that Gladion and Masked Royal are the last two standing," Hau said.
Lillie answered without taking her eyes off the ring, "They are the strongest, after all...and I'm not saying this because Gladion is my brother."
On the ring, Gladion and Masked Royal were ready to continue with the battle.
"Looks like everything I heard about you is true." Masked Royal crossed his arms in a defiant stance and stared at his opponent. "Show me what you got."
"Don't worry, I won't hold back just because you're the fan-favorite." Gladion held his gaze.
"I like your attitude...but let's not waste more time! Incineroar, go with Cross Chop."
Incineroar ran up to Silvally, but Gladion was quick to react.
"Crush Claw."
"Did he just tell his Pokémon to counter a Fighting-type move with a Normal-type one?" Hau looked back and forth between Lillie and the ring.
Lillie was imperturbable. "You'll see."
Silvally leaped before Incineroar could strike him. He smashed his right claw down onto Incineroar and sent him against the ropes. Despite that, it didn't take long for the Fire-type to get back on his feet.
"My brother uses that attack first against his strongest opponents," Lillie explained, "That gives him a chance at lowering their defenses."
Luana clasped her hands together. "That's so clever!"
Juliette observed Silvally as he used Crunch on Incineroar. Everything from its swift movements to his unique appearance fascinated the girl. She decided to ask Gladion about how he got that Pokémon once the chance presented itself.
Meanwhile, on the ring, Incineroar got up once again. Silvally's attack had barely made a scratch.
"I can tell your Incineroar is in good shape," Gladion said with a slight smirk.
"So is your Pokémon. I don't think I've seen one like that before, what do you call him?"
Gladion went tense. He frowned at the man. "That's not important right now."
"Ah, sorry." Masked Royal cleared his throat. "Let's continue then. Incineroar, Darkest Lariat!"
Like the first time, Incineroar began spinning, this time towards Silvally.
Gladion crossed his arms. "Silvally, throw him off balance and use Multi-Attack."
Obeying his Trainer's command, Silvally put out one of his front legs. Incineroar couldn't see that and tripped, falling flat on his face. Incineroar bared his teeth as he tried to turn around, but Silvally attacked him before he could get a look at him. This time, Incineroar couldn't get up so easily.
Hau's mouth was agape. "Wow... That's just...wow!"
"For someone battling against Masked Royal himself, he's full of confidence," Anakalia said as she watched with attention.
Lillie didn't say anything. Instead, she nodded and smiled with pride.
Masked Royal nodded in approbation. "You're going all out, I like that! It's time I do the same." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When Masked Royal opened his eyes, they burned with determination. "Incineroar, time to get outraged!"
The audience gasped before bursting into cheers. Lillie went pale.
"What does that mean?" Juliette asked.
"It means Incineroar is going to use Outrage," Lillie's voice quivered.
Luana exhaled. "That's a powerful and brutal move...I hope Incineroar isn't too rough on him."
"It might be a powerful move, but keep in mind that Incineroar will end up getting confused," Hau said, "He'll start hitting himself instead."
"You're right...although I'll feel bad for Incineroar too if that happens."
Anakalia shrugged. "That's just how it goes, Lua."
While Juliette and the others talked, Incineroar got himself increasingly worked up. His eyes began glowing red with anger of an unknown source. When Incineroar reached her breaking point, he charged for Silvally.
"There he goes." Hau held his breath.
The situation at hand didn't faze Gladion. "Counter his hits. Don't let him touch you."
Before Silvally had time to acknowledge his Trainer's order, Incineroar threw him on the canvas. He unleashed a punch storm upon poor Silvally, who had a hard time trying to hit back. Incineroar's hits were far too quick and intense.
Lillie, who watched the battle impassively until then, shook ever so slightly. She gripped the arms of her seat.
"You're shaking! Are you alright?" Hau gave his friend a worried look.
"I'll be fine. I'm just...worried about my brother's Pokémon."
"He'll be alright, I'm sure." Hau patted her back a couple of times.
As Incineroar punched Silvally, the latter got to strike and slash his opponent a few times. They rolled over a couple of times, never letting up from hitting each other. Then, Incineroar got off Silvally. He faltered a couple of times as he tried to get up and stumbled on his feet once, but he still did it. When Incineroar stood, the audience noticed something: he looked disoriented. Soon, he was thrashing around.
Hau pumped a fist. "Yes! Incineroar is already confused. This won't last much longer."
Little did Hau know that he was right, but not for the reason he imagined.
Silvally had gotten up and stood his ground. The beating left him aching and bruised, but he wasn't going to allow that to stop him.
Gladion kept a close eye on him. "Now's our chance, Silvally. Hit him with Multi-Attack."
Silvally charged for Incineroar as fast as his injuries allowed him. Just as he was going to reach Incineroar, his attack misses because of the aforementioned losing balance and falling.
"It's alright Silvally," Gladion encouraged him, "This ends here. Strike no—"
"You got this, Gladion!" Luana couldn't handle it anymore. She put everything her voice had into cheering for her friend.
Even Hau's Komala got startled by the yell, but he fell asleep right after.
"Luana, no!" Lillie took her hat off and covered her face.
"What?" Gladion mouthed as he scanned the crowd, looking for the source of that familiar voice. Soon, he spotted Luana and the others.
Masked Royal preyed on Gladion's distraction. "Incineroar, time to finish this. Use Cross Chop, I know you can do it!"
The confusion still held onto Incineroar, but his Trainer's voice resonated in his mind. In a moment, he could see through the fog of his confusion. Incineroar ran up to Silvally and struck him with crossed arms. That blow made Silvally stumble and fall. He tried to get up one, two, three times. Sadly, Silvally ended up fainting.
His Trainer stood still and gave him an incredulous look. Cursing himself for looking away from the battle, Gladion approached Silvally. He crouched next to him and patted his head. "Don't worry, you did a great job today."
Gladion got up and returned Silvally to his Poké Ball. He didn't hesitate to throw a harsh glare towards his friends.
"From here I can tell he doesn't look happy..." Hau said.
Lillie was still covering her face. "Of course he isn't..."
Masked Royal walked towards Gladion with his hand extended for a handshake. "You and your Pokémon make a great duo, kid. No wonder Battle Royal fans are so excited about you."
"We do what we can," Gladion said, returning the gesture. He let go of his opponent's hand. "My Pokémon and I are looking forward to beating you one of these days."
Masked Royal chuckled. "If you didn't get distracted, that day could have been today. You might be luckier next time, but I won't make it easy for you."
"Neither will I."
After that exchange, Gladion left the same way he arrived: not looking at anyone and with his eyes fixed on what was in front of him. This time, it was the exit to the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Masked Royal and Incineroar received the crowd's love. They posed together for the journalists that gathered around the ring. Those men and women fought their own battle; the battle for the best picture.
Lillie put her hat back on and stood up. "I think it's time to leave."
Not wanting to get up just yet, Luana sighed. "Do you guys think it's my fault that Gladion lost?"
"No, it's not," Hau comforted her, "Even if you didn't say anything, he could have always gotten distracted by something else."
Meanwhile, Juliette called out for Lillie. "What should we do now? Are we going home?"
"I'm not sure. When I come on my own, I tend to go back home right away."
Luana raised her index. As usual, she got an idea right then and there. "I got it! How about we go get dinner together? We can convince Gladion to come with us."
"If I was in his shoes, I wouldn't be in the mood to go have dinner with friends," Anakalia said.
Hau raised a shoulder. "We can always try."
With their next step already set, the rest of the group got up and left. Their Pokémon followed closely to avoid getting lost in the crowd. Although people kept leaving, the venue didn't seem to get empty.
Once in the hall, Lillie and the others waited for Gladion to come out. They discussed where to go for dinner while they waited.
"Wasn't there a Malasada Shop around here?" Hau asked.
"Yeah, but it might close soon." Anakalia glanced at the glass door that opened to the street. "It's nighttime already."
"Don't worry," Luana said, "I heard of a great restaurant called Zappy's. It's not too far from here."
"Isn't that the one with Togedemaru as its mascot? I heard the salads there are great."
"They sure are. Then, will you stay with us?"
"Sure." Anakalia nodded. "I had an intense training tension this morning, so I'm free for the rest of the day."
Luana clapped her hands. "Awesome!" She crouched in front of Nanea. "They have pancakes too."
The Alolan Raichu jumped up and down with joy.
Meanwhile, Lillie preferred to stand aside from the group. She had her back turned on them, her eyes downcast. She sighed and Hau couldn't help but notice.
"Don't worry Lillie," he said as he approached her, "I'm sure Gladion will understand."
"I don't want him to get mad at me. He doesn't know I watch his battles, he probably thinks I don't even know that Battle Royals exist."
"I'm sure the reason he didn't tell you is that he knows you don't like Pokémon battles."
Struck by those words, Lillie looked at Hau right in the eye. "I didn't consider that..."
The moment the group awaited and dreaded came.
"There he is!" Luana pointed at an opening door.
Gladion walked out of one of the doors reserved to the contenders. It didn't take long for him to spot his sister and everyone else. He approached the group with a groan. "What is everyone doing here?"
Lillie lowered her head. "I'm sorry, you weren't supposed to know..."
Hau got between Lillie and her brother. "Before you lecture us, we've planned to go somewhere for dinner. Will you come with us?"
"I'd rather go home now. I'm tired." Gladion tried to leave.
"Oh no, you're not going anywhere." Luana grabbed Gladion by the hand and dragged him towards the exit.
"Time to follow the leader." Hau walked along with everyone else.
That evening, the sidewalks of Royal Avenue were packed with people. Almost everyone came from the Battle Royal Dome. Others were there for other reasons, such as shopping, going out to eat, or a simple nightly walk.
Spotting a familiar face in such a crowded street should be hard, but Juliette saw someone that stood out to her. "Isn't that Professor Kukui?"
"You're right!" Luana sprinted towards where Kukui; still dragging Gladion along with her. Nanea floated behind her. After dodging the people successfully, Luana, Gladion, and Nanea reached Kukui. "Hi, Professor!"
Everyone else got to them shortly after. At that moment, Kukui looked like a little kid who just got caught making mischief. "Hey, kids... How is everyone doing?"
"We're doing great," Hau said, "We just finished watching a Battle Royal, it was awesome!"
Kukui went pale. He blinked a few times. "Really? How was it?"
Gladion sighed.
"Well…" Lillie sheepishly looked at her brother. "My brother participated in it and he did great, but Masked Royal won in the end."
"Ah, that's a pity." Kukui looked at Gladion. "I'm sure you'll win instead next time."
"So, what are you doing around here?" Luana asked.
Kukui gave the girl a wide-eyed look. "Me? I'm...I just went shopping and now I'm going back home."
"You went shopping? Where are the bags?"
"I don't have them because the delivery service brought them home for me." Kukui glanced at his wristwatch. "It's getting late, I'm going home. Be safe out there and don't go home too late. See you on Monday!" As soon as he had said that, Kukui strode away from his students and into the crowd. He soon disappeared among the people.
"He sure is in a hurry." Anakalia and her Machamp walked again.
"Is it just me or was he acting weird? Luana cocked an eyebrow.
"It's always weird to see your students outside school and vice versa, so I guess it's that."
"Yes, but he doesn't ever mind seeing us outside school."
"He said he had to go home," Hau chimed in, "so maybe he is in a hurry like Anakalia said."
"You're right." Luana nodded.
The sextet resumed ambling through the streets. The restaurant wasn't too far away now, but they were about to make a second stop. They came across two other familiar faces. This time they were Kiawe and his Marowak. He just got done closing the supermarket and he was still wearing his uniform.
Anakalia approached her boyfriend and gave him a peck on the lips. "We found you just in time."
"We're having dinner at Zappy's. Want to join us?" Luana offered.
"Oh, sure! Today was hectic at work and I'm starving."
Luana gestured Kiawe to follow her and Anakalia. "Let's get going, then."
Kiawe joined the group. Now they were seven; thirteen counting the Pokémon.
As everyone walked, Kiawe situated himself next to Juliette. He tapped the girl's shoulder and she let out a gasp.
"I didn't mean to startle you," Kiawe said, "I wanted to talk about something with you."
"What is it?"
"I saw something strange earlier today. It was as I reached the supermarket, in the parking lot.
"It was a small, green creature. I'm not sure if it can be called a Pokémon, I've never seen anything like it."
Juliette furrowed her brow. "A small and green creature, you say? Was there something else that stood out for you?"
"Now that you mention it, I remember it seemed to have only one eye. However, the strangest thing is that I haven't seen it since then. It didn't seem to be able to move, so I don't know where it could have gone."
Surprise dawned on Juliette's face. She walked closer to Kiawe. "That was a Zygarde Cell. As you know, I'm looking for those...but the fact that you saw it confuses me." Juliette talked out loud to herself, "I thought they could only be seen with the device..."
"What device? If you don't mind telling me, of course."
"It's something Sina and Dexio gave it to me to store the Zygarde Cells and Cores. Now that you mention it," Juliette said, taking the Cube out of her bag, "I didn't look at it all day."
As soon as Juliette took the device out, the radar went off. Luana was quick to go take a look.
"What is that?" she asked.
"This is the Zygarde Cube. Sina and Dexio gave it to me to store the Zygarde Cells and Cores. It also has a radar that shows their location and it looks like it found one."
Anakalia looked over Juliette's shoulder. "That's neat! It should make the task easier."
"Will you show us how it works?" Hau bounced on his toes. "I want to see what collecting a Zygarde Cell is like."
Juliette looked at Luana. The girl gave her a Rockruff-eyed stare. There was no choice.
"Alright, follow me," Juliette said heading for the spot the Cube marked.
The whole group followed Juliette. She hoped a hole would open beneath her so she could disappear and hide. I never thought I'd have this much of an audience. I'm sure I look like a tour guide or something.
The Cell was on the corner of a ring of pink hibiscus bushes. Once the group got there, Halbert and Poppy flanked Juliette. She crouched in front of the spot the Zygarde Cube marked.
"How do you collect the Cells?" Lillie asked.
"By pressing this button here." Juliette pointed at it. "Now, watch this: if you blink, you might miss it."
A green light came out of the device and revealed a Zygarde Cell for everyone to see. Juliette's cheeks went pink from the "Aahs" and "Oohs" around her. Gladion was the only one unimpressed by what was going on in front of him. All the Pokémon–except Halbert and Poppy–kept a distance from the odd being, not knowing what to do. The screen signaled that Juliette had just obtained her third Cell.
"So that was a Zygarde Cell? They are so cute!" Luana's eyes sparkled.
"It looked so different from how they depict Zygarde in paintings and such," Hau said.
"That's because it's only a small part of him." Juliette put the Zygarde Cube inside her bag.
"Then, if you gather many Cells, will you get to see the Zygarde we know off?"
The girl's face lit up with a smile. ""Who knows, it'd sure be great if that happened."
"How many Cells do you have so far?" Kiawe asked.
"I only have three. My mother doesn't want me to wander too far off until I get permission to navigate Trial sites and a Ride Pager. I actually filled out the paperwork for those already, so now I'm waiting to get them."
"Oh, I see," Kiawe said. "I hope you get that soon so your journey can start at last."
"Thank you."
Now that the dust was settled, the group headed for the restaurant again. Juliette and Kiawe lagged behind the others. The boy had something else to tell his friend.
"I have a short shift tomorrow morning, so I thought you could come with me. We can see if we find that Zygarde Cell after I'm done."
"Really?" Juliette's eyes looked down to her left for a moment. How would that work? "What will I do in the meantime? Besides, you'll be busy and I don't want to bother you."
"You won't bother me, on the contrary. I think having a friend from outside of work will make the day go by faster."
Juliette's cheeks turned pink. "Well...your boss might not like the idea. What if he tells me to leave?"
"I doubt it, sometimes he even brings his nephew over to help us. We are a bit understaffed lately."
"It shouldn't be a problem, then." Juliette nodded.
By the time the conversation was over, Juliette and her friends were already at Zappy's. They crossed the door and walked into a big place full of families and groups of friends, just like theirs. Almost everyone there had their Pokémon there. In some of the tables there was nothing but Pokémon. They all were next to the tables their respective Trainers occupied.
A waiter came and led the group and their Pokémon to two tables where everyone would fit. The man even offered a high chair for Hau's Komala, who was still sleeping. Once everyone placed their orders, a new conversation started.
"Kiawe," Luana began, "if only you didn't have to go to work today, I would have dragged you to the Battle Royal with us."
"So that's what you came to do in the Avenue. How did it go?"
"It was great. Gladion and Masked Royal took down the other two Trainers right away. See these paper napkins?" Anakalia took two napkins from the dispenser on the table. "This is what they did with them." She scrunched them up and threw them over her head.
"That was very...descriptive," Kiawe said. "Which one of them won?"
"Masked Royal did, although I admit that if I had contained myself, Gladion could have won." Luana looked at Gladion and put her hands together. "I'm truly sorry for distracting you. I can't promise it won't happen again, but I hope it doesn't have the same outcome."
"That didn't bother me." Gladion crossed his arms. "What bothers me is that I've been watched by all of you without knowing. You could have asked beforehand, at least."
Hau chuckled, "This is exactly why we didn't tell you."
"Wait," Anakalia took a stern tone, "so you're saying you're fine being watched by thousands of strangers, but the idea of being watched by your friends and sister bothers you?"
"It's just...I didn't want to drag people into it. Since when do you all know that I take part in Battle Royals?"
"Well..." Lillie lowered her head. "I've known for a few months already, but the others learned about it only recently."
"Last week I heard you sign up on the phone. I told Luana about it because I was excited, but she told everyone and we came to watch you battle."
"She even told us not to be loud so we wouldn't bother you, but I couldn't help it."
Gladion facepalmed and exhaled. "Then, next time any of you come to see me battle, just tell me beforehand."
"You won't mind?" Her mouth hung open.
"I prefer knowing that my friends are seeing me over getting startled by them mid-battle."
Hau guffawed, "Did you guys hear that? He called us his friends!"
Gladion shot him a dirty look.
"Okay, okay! I'll be quiet." Before anyone had time to take the floor, Hau spoke again, "Actually, let me tell you something else: I'd like to battle you in a Royal someday."
"Now we're talking. I'll be looking forward to that day." Gladion addressed Kiawe next. "I'd like to battle you someday, too."
"I like the idea. I'm sure battling the two of you will be interesting."
The group engaged in miscellaneous, short-lived exchanges among each other.
Gladion wasn't talking to anyone, so Juliette saw that as the perfect chance to ask him about his partner Pokémon. "Gladion?"
"Yes?" The boy looked up at Juliette.
"I...you see, I wanted to ask you about your Pokémon, the one in the Royal."
Gladion's expression closed up but, since Juliette avoided eye contact with him, she missed that.
"I never saw one like it and I wanted to ask about where you–"
Gladion cut her short, "I don't feel like talking about it."
"I'm sorry..."
The waiter came with everyone's orders. Anakalia had the first salad she saw on the menu. Meanwhile, others had foods such as sandwiches or pizza. The Pokémon ate various treats such as Poké Puffs and Poké Beans.
Luana started yet another colloquium. Someone must have wound her up that morning. "I can't believe how close the summer holidays are. Soon, we'll be able to hang out a lot more."
Hau leaned forward. "We should go to the beach one of these days."
Juliette followed the conversation in silence. She was eating a small cheese pizza. Does that count me too? It feels odd to finally be part of a friend group.
"I'm curious, what are everyone's plans for the weekend?" Luana asked.
"Earlier today I saw what turned out to be a Zygarde Cell," Kiawe said, "so tomorrow I'll be helping Juliette look for it."
Juliette wiped her mouth with a napkin. "It'd be unfair if I was the only one getting help, so I'd like to help you tomorrow in your shift."
"It's not necessary, you know I'm glad to help you."
"Yes, but...I want to do something in return."
"It's a good idea." Luana spread a hand. "The sooner you finish, the sooner you can get out, right?"
Hau slammed his hands on the table in excitement. "How about Luana and I come over to help? The more, the merrier."
"You guys are right. Besides, I know my boss thinks we could use some extra help."
"It's settled, then. Now I can't wait for tomorrow!" Luana brushed her palms together.
"Man, I wish I could help. If only I didn't have that training session tomorrow, I'd be there too."
"It's alright Ana," Kiawe said, "you can always come some other time."
Lillie smiled and nodded. "That sounds like a nice plan. My brother and I will spend the weekend with our mother. It's been so long since the last time we did that..."
Her brother snickered, "Watch her having to attend an emergency like last time."
Hau spoke with his mouth full, "Your mother sounds like a busy woman."
"You can't imagine to which extent." Gladion addressed his sister next, "Lillie, don't forget we must go to bed early today."
"Yes, I know. We'll go home as soon as we have dessert."
Juliette found herself wanting to tell Gladion about her struggle with having a workaholic parent. She wanted to tell him he wasn't alone in that regard. She also knew better than trying to dig further into that topic. Juliette could tell that Gladion didn't like talking about it.
Maybe next time.