The Pokemon Whisperer: Alola
"I… I can't understand what you're saying!?" Dom said out loud his voice filled with fear.
Fear coursed through Dom's body. He had NEVER not been able to communicate with a Pokemon before. Even when he encountered Deoxys with Brenden back in Hoenn he was able to understand that Pokemon, and it was from outer space! His fear was interrupted by two things, one was a small green lifeform slamming into him, the other was a soft voice.
"Are… are you okay?" He turned and saw the blonde-haired girl with the hat.
He got his first good look at the girl, and Dom figured his earlier assessment of her being extremely pretty. She was taller than most girls, Dom estimated she was around 5 feet 10 the same height as him. She had on a white dress, with her large frilly hat, over her long cascading blonde hair.
Dom slowly managed to get up to his feet, his leg shaking from the scratch down the back of it. "Y… yeah I'm okay. I've been through a LOT worse trust me." He said to her confidently, smiling through the pain.
"Pew!" The Pokemon said in his arms.
He looked down and couldn't help but smile. "Ha, and what's your name buddy?" He asked, hoping for a response.
"Pew!" It went happily, and Dom sighed in disappointment.
"His name is Nebby… well at least that's what I call it. Now, back in the bag mister!" She said forcefully as Dom handed over the small Pokemon.
"Pew!" It said happily darting its way back into her bag.
The girl sighed and closed the bag and turned back to him. "So… what's your name?" Dom asked her.
She shook her head back to reality. "Oh right, my names Lillie." She said nervously.
Dom smiled and held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you Lillie, my names Dom!" He said trying to ignore the pain coursing through his leg.
Lillie however saw through his disguise. "Are… are you okay? You look like you're having trouble standing?" She said concerned.
Dom rubbed his head. "Oh, don't worry about me I'm-."
"DOM!" Treecko yelled happily jumping into his chest, causing him to fall over again.
The gecko Pokemon climbed up and hugged around his neck. "OH, DOM I THOUGHT YOU WERE A GONNER! I have no idea what I would've told Mother, and father would have been SO disappointed in me if I let you die! I don't know what I would've done with myself if-."
Dom laughed and petted the young Pokémon's back. "Haha don't worry buddy I'm alright. Now… you need to get off you're crushing me." He said strained.
The Hoenn Pokemon quickly jumped off his chest and Lillie came over. "Are you okay!?" She asked him.
He groaned as he saw blood start to trickle from the back of his leg. His chest and back would be fine, but he needed to get his leg looked at now.
"Y…Yeah, just can you help me up?" He said, as she nodded holding out her hand.
Together they pulled him up. He managed to stand on both feet shakily. If he could make it back to town he knew he would be okay. Lillie looked concerned in-front of him, and he shot her a pained smile.
"Haha see good as new." He said with a forced smile.
Lillie sighed and Nebby juggled around in her bag. She looked back at Dom with desperate eyes. "P…please! You can't tell anyone what you saw, you can't tell anyone about Nebby. Promise!" She asked him, basically pleading.
Dom smiled and laughed a little. "Haha, don't worry. I know a thing or two about keeping secrets, yours is safe with me." He said to her smiling again.
Lillie blushed slightly and nodded. "Th… thank you. And also thank you for you know… saving Nebby. You hurt yourself doing it, I… I feel bad for that." She said sadly.
Dom shook his head. "No worries, I've gotten hurt a lot worse for a lot less believe me. I couldn't just let them attack a defenseless Pokemon." He said.
"Hey I helped too!" Treecko piped up climbing to Dom's shoulder.
Dom laughed and pet the gecko Pokemon. "Yes, and Treecko helped too. Treecko this is Lillie, Lillie meet my partner Treecko." He said happily.
Treecko gave a wave a smile. "A pleasure to meet you Miss Lillie."
Lillie giggled as of course Dom knew all she heard was 'Treecko, Treecko.'. He always found that fact amusing. Thinking of that made a jolt of fear run down him again. He wasn't able to communicate with Nebby. He needed to know more about it, especially after what the legendary Pokemon had told him, it couldn't be a coincidence that he heard that from the legendary, and all of a sudden met a Pokemon who, for the first time he couldn't communicate with.
Lillie giggled lightly and pet Treecko to the grass-types absolute delight. "Haha, it's nice to meet you Treecko."
Dom smiled but cringed again when he felt pain jolt through his leg. He looked over at Lillie with another forced smile. "Well. Let's get you and Nebby back to town. I'm supposed to be looking for the Kahuna."
Lillie nodded. "Yes, I was just about to ask if maybe you could… escort us back? After what happened I… I-."
Dom shook his head with a smile. "No problem lets get going-."
He took one step forward before falling onto his knees right into the blonde-haired girl. He gripped her two arms in an attempt not to fall any further as he felt pain course through his leg.
"D…Dom, are you okay?" She asked him, blushing wildly.
"Dom are you okay!?" Treecko asked wildly running to his side.
Dom groaned as Lillie blushed more and, in her panic, moved and he fell to the ground face first into the dirt.
"Oww…." He mumbled into the dirt.
Lillie must have immediately felt bad because she ran and knelt down to his side.
"Oh my god Dom I… I'm so sorry!" She said frantically helping him back to a sitting position.
As her arms moved, Dom notice multiple light scars on her upper arms, and felt himself heat up with embarrassment, not knowing what they were from. She gingerly held him up, like she was scared to touch him, and he winced in pain grabbing his left leg.
"It's okay. It's okay. I… I guess it's a little worse then I thought." He said finally turning to look at his left calf.
His eyes widened, and he heard Lillie yelp at the large gash with blood oozing out. Poor Treecko next to him gulped and looked like he was going to faint.
Dom looked at the small gecko Pokemon. "Treecko stay with me bud, go and grab my bag." He said, having dropped it before he went on the bridge.
He looked over and Lillie was still knelt next to him, looking at his leg in concern.
Dom tapped her hand and she pulled it towards her and looked at him with her concerned green eyes. He gave her a reassuring smile.
"Don't you worry I'll be just fine. I'm going to need your help though." He said to her reassuringly.
"H…how are you so calm? Your leg is bleeding like that and yet… you don't seem worried at all?" She questioned him.
Dom chuckled and laid down on his stomach, not breaking eye contact. "Well it's because I have been through a LOT of shit, and I learned that sitting down and worrying never gets you anywhere. If you have a problem, it's always better to try and do something about it, then sit around and worry." He said with a bright smile as Treecko ran to his face with the bag,
"Wow… I wish I could be like that." She said looking up down to the ground.
Dom shook his head. "Don't you worry Lillie. I may not have known you long, but I know for a fact that anyone can be like that! Now… I really do kinda need your help." He asked pleadingly.
Lillie shook herself back into focus and looked at Dom's face and nodded. Dom smiled at her and riffled through his bag.
"Do you know how to disinfect a wrap a cut by any chance?" He asked the blonde girl.
She looked at him nervously as he pulled out a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide, a hand towel and a bandage wrap. He learned really quickly on his first journey cuts and scrapes like this were common and you always needed to be able to clean them out. Treecko gathered the items in his arms and walked over to her.
"I... I don't know. I've read a book about it and have done it for Pokemon before." She said timidly.
Dom nodded reassuringly. "It's the same thing! Just pour the peroxide on the cut, let it bubble and disinfect, and when its done wipe it off. Do that a few times, and then wrap the bandage around it, easy as pie!" He said happily.
Lillie nodded but still seemed hesitant. Dom watched in anticipation as she carefully unscrewed the bottle of peroxide and hovered it over his bleeding leg. Her hand was shaking, and she finally looked back at Dom.
"I…I'm sorry I don't know if I can do this. Maybe I should… go and get someone from the village." She said getting up.
Before she did Dom gently grabbed her wrist. Her face went red and she looked at him. He shook his head. "Don't worry Lillie it's okay! I trust you. You can do this!" He said trying to sound reassuring again.
Dom didn't notice the girls face go as red as a tomato berry, but he did see her nod her head. He smiled again.
"Good, now first if it helps carefully just wipe off the blood. Treecko will help you out, right buddy?" He said looking to the Hoenn starter.
"I'm on it!" He said walking over and grabbing the hand towel and wiping away as much blood as he could.
It wasn't bleeding as bad, but Dom knew it needed to be cleaned out now rather then later. He may have just met the girl, but he knew he didn't really have any choice, seeing as he didn't want her to have to carry him all the way back to Iki Town. He also just had a very good feeling about the girl, she seemed like the last person who would try to hurt him.
"Awesome, you're doing great! Now fair warning I may cringe a little, but I'll be fine, just clean it out a few times then wrap the bandage around." He said trying to ignore the pain.
She slowly nodded her head and Treecko ran over to his head.
"Me and you both know you're going to scream right?" He said to him.
Dom scoffed and shook his head. "What are you talking about? This is something I've had done a bunch of times before-. OOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"
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Dom with a little help from Lillie, managed to hobble his way back into town with the bandage wrapped around his leg. She had managed to clean it out and wrap it, and he could walk now, with a slight hobble. With Treecko on Dom's shoulder, they eventually made it back to Iki Town, where they were greeted by Professor Kukui.
"Ah Dom, I've finally found you! I see you found my assistant-. Good Arceus boy what happened?" He asked, seeing Dom's wrapped leg.
Dom laughed it off, but Lillie stepped up. "It's my fault Professor. I brought Nebby up to the ruins when we were attacked by a group of Spearow on the bridge. Dom and Treecko saved Nebby and me… but the bridge was destroyed." She explained.
Kukui sighed in relief. "Well don't worry about the bridge, I'm just glad the two of you are alright! Like I said you found my assistant Dom, she's actually who I was looking for." He said happily.
Dom nodded and turned to Lillie. "Oh, so you're the Professor's assistant? That's really cool." He said with a smile.
She nodded. "Yes, the Professor has been kind enough to let me stay with him the last few months. I run errands and help him with his research."
Kukui nodded his head happily. "Lillie's been a great help! Although that cute little Pokemon of yours is gonna keep getting you into trouble!" He said in an obviously joking way.
Dom laughed, and Lillie shook her head. "No…no worries Professor Nebby is all safe. Right Nebby?" She said looking into her bag.
"Pew!" Nebby happily cried however she was on the ground floating around behind Lillie as opposed to being in the bag.
"Oh! Get back in the bag you!" Lillie scolded, gaining a laugh from Dom, Treecko and Professor Kukui.
Lillie safely got the cloud Pokemon back into her bag when a girl rang out. "The Kahuna is back! Kahuna Hala has returned!"
The three turned and down the path into the center of town towards them was a man who looked exactly like Dom pictured a Kahuna looking like. He wore a bright yellow Alolan shirt with tropical flowers on it and walked towards them in open toed sandals. The large man stopped next to Kukui and laughed heartily.
"Haha Kukui! How are we doing this fine day my good man?" He asked loudly.
Kukui smiled and turned to Dom and Lillie. "Well Hala I brought young Dominic Harper here to meet you! He's Richard Harper's son remember him?" He asked the old man.
The Kahuna laughed and nodded his head. "Hahaha of yes I do! It's a pleasure to meet you lad, my name is Hala the Kahuna of Melemele Island!" He said holding out his hand.
Dom shook his hand and smiled. "Nice to meet you sir, my names Dom and this here is my partner Treecko." He said gesturing to the gecko Pokemon.
"Aw you're calling me 'partner' I'm so touched!" Treecko said on his shoulder, making his trainer roll his eyes.
The Kahuna nodded his head and looked like he was about to say something else before he noticed Dom's wrapped leg. "Good heavens boy are you alright? What happened to your leg?" He asked.
Lillie nervously stepped forward again. "It's my fault Kahuna Hala… you see Nebby jumped out of the bag and ran onto the bridge to the ruins. We were both attacked by Spearow. Dom saved us and got Nebby from the bridge but… it was destroyed. I'm so sorry." She told the old Kahuna.
Hala shook his head. "Fear not young ones, bridges can be rebuilt I'm simply glad you're both alright. I must ask however, if the bridge was destroyed with you on it, how are you standing here?"
Dom stepped in to explain. "Well you see Nebby and me were falling, when out of nowhere this really powerful looking Pokemon swooped down and saved us. It was like it was in a shell, it was orange, had a yellow mohawk. It dropped Nebby and me back up top."
Hala's eyes widened and he and Kukui looked at each other. The Kahuna turned back to the young man.
"Tapu Koko!" He said.
"Tapu what now?" He asked.
"He's one of the Island Guardians I was telling you about Cousin! One of the four legendary Pokemon that protect the four Islands of Alola!" He said excitedly.
"You should feel honored lad! Tapu Koko rarely intervenes in matters, he must have seen something really special in you." He said with admiration.
Dom gulped and he and Treecko looked at each other nervously no doubt thinking the same thing. For you are the only one who can save the world from being consumed by endless darkness. The words rang through Dom's head as he paled, which thankfully went unnoticed by the three people around him. Between those words from the Island Guardian, and encountering a Pokemon who he can't communicate with, he was shaken. He decided not to tell the Kahuna and Kukui yet, he would need to make some calls first.
He straightened himself out and looked back to Hala, Kukui and Lillie. "Wow, I feel it. Meeting a legendary Pokemon on my first day, what's better then that!" He said happily.
The two grown up laughs, and Lillie managed a small smile. Hala looked down at the boy. "Well you Dominic as thanks for helping out, and as a welcome present here to Alola, allow me to grant you your first Alolan Pokemon!"
At that moment Dom's mood completely changed. He wasn't scared about some life altering destiny he apparently had. He was lacking in the human friend department, but he was always excited to meet a new Pokemon.
"Thank you so much! Haha you hear that Treecko!?" He said excitedly to the Hoenn starter.
Treecko seemed even more excited then Dom. "Ho-ho yes! I can lead your new team to the promise land! Just like dad did yes!"
Kukui and Hala smiled at the young trainer, but what he didn't notice was the blonde girl behind him trying with all her might to not blush again.
Hala led the three of them to the stag where he produced three Pokemon from his belt. "Alright my Pokemon! Let's have a look at you!"
He tossed the three balls and the three starter Pokemon from the Alola Region popped out. The first one was an owl Pokemon that Dom pegged as the grass type right away. The second was a small black and red feline Pokemon on four legs, Dom placed it as the fire type. Finally, was a small blue Pokemon with a large pink nose that clapped its front fins happily. By default, Dom knew this was the water starter.
Dom knelt down and Hala spoke up again. "Now here we have Rowlet, a grass/flying type."
"It is SO nice to meet you my friend, my names Rowlet AKA the most popular starter and BEST out of this lot!" Rowlett said arrogantly while spinning around, gaining groans from the other two Pokemon.
Dom and Treecko sweat dropped, as he tried not to give away that he could understand them. Hala continued.
"Next we have Litten, the fire type." He said gesturing towards the small feline Pokemon.
Dom looked at the Pokemon with a smile, but to his surprise the small cat Pokemon didn't say anything and just sheepishly nodded its head in affirming and took a few steps back.
Before Dom could figure out more, Hala went on with his introductions. "And finally, here we have Popplio, the water type!"
"You wanna see me make a balloon!? I can make such big balloons!" The water type squeaked happily, blowing a balloon out of its nose.
"Crazy fruit cake…" He heard Rowlet mumble.
Dom over the years found it easier and easier to pretend he couldn't understand what Pokemon say. However, he had to suppress a laughed with a cough as Hala came up next to him.
"Alright lad take your pick!" The old Kahuna said happily.
Dom knelt down to eye level with the Pokemon. "Hey how's it going you guys!" He said happily.
Rowlet hoped in front of him. "Trust me pal, you can NOT go wrong picking me! I'm the so much more powerful then that fruit cake, and this loner over here." He said gesturing towards Popplio and Litten.
Dom pretended he didn't hear what the owl Pokemon said and turned to the other two, which led Popplio to jump up now.
"Pick me, pick me! I'll make you balloons! REALLY big balloons!" It said happily, blowing another balloon that popped in its face.
Dom looked at the two, but then his eyes fixed on Litten, the small cat having yet to speak up. "What about you little guy?" He asked the fire-type.
Litten looked up nervously. "I… I think you'd be better off picking one of these guys. Me I… I'm too weak." The Pokemon said sadly.
It took a lot of self-control for Dom not to inquire further. He remembered that nobody except Kukui knew he could understand what they were saying. He looked over to Treecko on his shoulder who was examining the three as well.
"Mhmm what do you think buddy?" He asked the grass type.
Treecko scratched its chin, "Mhmm well this guy over here is a little too arrogant for my liking, besides you already have a super awesome, powerful grass-type if I do say so myself!" He said proudly.
"Oh yeah buddy!? I'll take you on right now!" Rowlet squeaked from below.
Dom resisted the urge to laugh, and Treecko ignored the Alolan grass-type. He pointed over to Popplio.
"This guy… gives me the creeps." He explained.
"BALLOONS!" The water-type squealed out happily, blowing another balloon.
Dom had to agree with Treecko as the two partners looked at Litten, who seemed to flinch at their gaze. Treecko and Dom looked at each other and nodded.
"I pick Litten!" Dom said proudly.
Litten looked up at him completely stunned. While Hala clapped the young trainer on the back. "Excellent choice lab! Now make your way to the center of the stage. You and Litten must connect, and only then can you truly become partners!" He explained.
Dom nodded and made his way up onto the stage with Treecko walking on two legs next to him on the ground. Litten slowly but surely made its way across the stage from him, with a stunned looking Rowlet, and an out of it Popplio looking on. Dom kneeled down and smiled over at the small cat.
"I… I don't know. I… I'm not nearly as strong as Rowlet, or even Popplio even though he's well… out of it most of the time." The cat said uncertainly looking down.
Dom heard what he said and spoke up. "So Litten, so you wanna come with me? I promise if you come with me we'll have a great time and you'll becomes super strong!" He said happily.
Dom knew that would give away his secret, but when Litten still looked unsure Treecko nodded his head to the fire-type.
"Believe me Litten, if you wanna become strong, Dom's the one that'll get you there!" He told the fire-type reassuringly.
The cat sighed and looked up into Dom's eyes. "Well… okay." He said as he walked towards Dom.
Dom smiled and picked up the small fire cat with a smile. "Awesome, thanks Litten. We're going to get really strong together!"
The cat finally managed to crack a smile. "Well… I hope so!"
Dom smiled and let Litten down next to Treecko who right away put his arm around the small cat. "Alright kid welcome to the team! Now, let old Treecko here show you the ropes and tell you a little more about our trainer here!"
Dom rolled his eyes at Treecko calling Litten 'kid' knowing full well Treecko couldn't be much older then his new Pokemon. Hala, Kukui and Lillie all were waiting for him after he walked off the stage. Hala handed Dom Litten's pokeball and smiled.
"Congratulations my boy!" The old Kahuna said as the group watched Treecko explaining things to Litten.
Kukui was next to speak up. "Congrats cousin! Maybe you want to consider taking on the Island Trials next!" He said happily.
The peaked Dom's interest. "Island trials?" He asked.
"Four Islands!" Kukui said holding up four fingers. "All the Islands have what are called Island Trials. You face a few challenges run by Trial Captains. After you beat all of Trial captains challenges you battle the Island Kahuna in a Grand Trial! You beat all four Kahuna's and you're named an Island champion." Kukui explained.
"So, it's sort of likes Pokemon Gyms then in other regions? After you complete the trials do you compete in a Pokemon League?" He asked the Professor.
Kukui shook his head. "Actually cousin, Alola doesn't have a Pokemon League! Not till now! You see I'm in the process along with the Kahuna's of forming and hosting the first ever Alola League, open to all Kahuna's and trainers who complete the Island Trials! What do you say cousin? Want to take a shot at being the first ever Champion of Alola?" He asked.
Dom nodded his head in understanding. He didn't come to Alola particularly looking for something like this. However, with what Tapu Koko told him ringing in his head, he knew he would have to do it. He wasn't sure about this whole prophecy thing yet, but he had a feeling that these Island Trials were going to be his best chance of finding out more about it. He had no idea why he was this scared. He's faced down two crazy evil teams and saved the world from ending but… both of those times he more so tagged along with his friends. Now all the focus was on him.
Part of him wanted to say no to these Trials, and just go hide in his house for a few months before he turned 18 and could finally move back to Kalos, build is house, the ranch for his Pokemon and live out his life in peace. However, that one line still rang in his head.
For you are the only one who save the world from being consumed by endless darkness.
One thing Dom had learned over the years, was it wasn't smart to ignore what was basically an order from a legendary Pokemon.
Dom put on a fake smiled and nodded at the people in front of him. "That sounds like fun! I'd love to be apart of it!" He said happily.
Kukui smiled and nodded along with Hala. "Great idea lad! After all you were saved by Tapu Koko, perhaps one day you'll meet him again on your Island Trial!" Hala suggested.
"I hope." He mumbled before Kukui spoke up.
"Awesome cousin! How about you stop by my lab tomorrow and I'll get you everything you need to get started." He said happily.
Dom gave a small nod. After the days events it still wasn't that late. After the boat ride, unpacking and playing with Treecko and the whole ordeal on the bridge, Dom wanted to get small nap in. He also felt he desperately needed a shower.
He turned to Kukui. "Thanks Professor I really appreciate it. Hala, thank you so much for Litten, and Lillie." He said turning to the blonde who jumped slightly at her name.
He gave her the biggest smile he could. "Thanks for patching me up." He said.
The girl nervously smiled and nodded. "It… it's no problem really! Thank you… again so much for helping Nebby." She said to him.
He nodded his head happily. "Haha no problem. Now, if you guys don't mind I really need to get home and take a nap." He said laughing.
"No problem lad! But please, you must come back later tonight for the festival." He said.
"Festival?" He asked the Kahuna.
Hala nodded. "Indeed! At the start of every Island Trial season we have a festival here on Melemele. Two trainers who are starting their Island Trial battle in honor, and to please our Island Guardian Tapu Koko." He explained.
Dom nodded. "I guess I'm one of the trainers then? Sounds like fun, I'm always up for a battle." He said happily.
Kukui smiled and nodded. "Sounds good cousin! I'll send Lillie to get you when the festival starts, and she'll show you the way. Right Lillie?" He asked the blonde girl.
She nodded her head. "Yes… of course." She said nervously.
Dom nodded and was about to start the walk back to his house when another voice rang out. "I'M HERE GRAMPS I'M HERE!"
The group turned around and a boy who may have been a year or two younger then Dom ran up to them his hands on his knees panting. He had dark skin and green hair tied back. He wore yellow shirts and a dark shirt and looked to Dom like a serious surfer.
His head shot up, and his eyes fell on Dom. "New face haha. Nice to meet you, I'm about to get my Pokemon wanna have a battle!?" He said excitedly.
Dom laughed and nodded, before Hala spoke again. "Easy boy haha, you can't rush into battle without at least introducing yourself."
The kid laughed. "Haha yeah you got a point gramps. Nice to meet you my names Hau! I'm here to get my first Pokemon and start my Island Trial." He explained.
Dom smiled at Hau's excitement. It reminded him of himself when he got his first Pokemon all those years ago in Hoenn after he moved there from Kanto. Hau looked down and saw Litten and Treecko by his feet.
"Wow a Litten and a Treecko! They're so cool!" He said excitedly.
"Haha don't give him a big head." He said looking own at Treecko who shrugged.
"What can I say? I am super cool." The gecko said.
Dom rolled his eyes and Hau shot back up to him. He looked Dom in the eyes, and out of nowhere his eyes widened. He broke into a huge smile and looked like he was going to burst from excitement.
"Oh Arceus…. ARE YOU DOMINIC HARPER!?" He shouted excitedly.
Crap. Dom thought to himself. "Uhh yeah haha, that's me." He told the excited boy.
Kukui laughed, while Hala and Lillie looked confused before Hau went on.
"Oh, Arceus I'm your biggest fan! I've been following you since you won the Hoenn League two years ago! Then last year in the Kalos League! Your Sceptile and Greninja are AWESOME! If I were to get my Kalos League program from last year would you sign it!?" He asked desperately.
Dom laughed nervously and nodded. "Uh sure, as long as you don't well you know… put it out there that I'm here. I don't really like all the attention if you know what I mean." He asked the boy.
Hau fake zipped his lips. "Your secret is safe with me! I can't believe I'm going to get to battle one of the heroes of Kalos! I'm so excited!" He said almost jumping up and down.
Dom laughed nervously again at the praise before registering what he said. "Haha so I guess that means you're battling at the festival tonight?" He asked.
He nodded with a smile never leaving his face. "You bet! I've been waiting to start my Island Trial for a while, I just need to get my first Pokemon and I'm all set. So how about that battle now!?" He asked.
Dom laughed and shook his head. "Haha sorry I just got off the boat this morning. I need to take a nap and start unpacking. Don't worry though I'll give you that battle tonight."
He smiled. "Awesome! Sounds like a plan!" He said excitedly.
Dom turned to Kukui next. "Thanks for everything Professor, you too Kahuna Hala, I'll see you all tonight!"
Kukui nodded. "No problem cousin! Lillie why don't you show Dom back to his house? It's near route one right outside Hao'oli City." He explained to the blonde.
She nodded. "Right, Dom… are you ready to go?" She asked.
Dom nodded his head happily as he saw Treecko still explaining everything to Litten. He looked back up at the blonde with a smile. "All ready, let's get going!"
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"So, Dom… you must really be famous if Hau got so excited seeing you." Lillie said as they approached his house.
Dom laughed nervously. His popularity was something he didn't really like too much. He had met trainers with the same level of success as him who were arrogant jerks. He didn't want Lillie to get the wrong idea about him.
"Well I'm not really famous… to be honest I hate all the attention I get." He said to the blonde.
She nodded in understanding. "Hau said you won the Hoenn League and Kalos League? I don't know much about all of that, what are they?" She asked curiously.
Dom tilted his head in slight surprise. He knew some people didn't pay attention to competitive battling, but he was sure almost everyone knew about Pokemon Leagues.
"Well I actually placed second in the Kalos League. You see in other regions all the towns have these places called Pokemon Gyms run by a gym leader, super powerful trainers. If you want to enter the Pokemon League you need to go around and beat 8 gym leaders to get Gym Badges. If you get 8 badges you can enter the Pokemon League and it's a tournament to see who the best trainer in the region is for that year!" He explained remembering his days fondly.
She nodded her head. "Oh… that sounds… exciting."
He nodded. "It is. If you win the Pokemon League you can challenge the Elite Four, the strongest trainers in the Region and if you beat all of them you face off against the regional champion. The Regional Champion is the strongest trainer in the region, and if you win the league then beat the Elite Four you can challenge them for the title!"
The two arrived in-front of Dom's house, where Treecko eagerly showed Litten inside no doubt heading right for the Cheez-it boxes.
They stopped, and Lillie went on. "Oh so… since you won the one league did you challenge the Elite Four?" She asked.
He shook his head, remembering how disappointed he was at that time. "No… you see I moved around a lot when I was growing up. We lived in Kanto first, then moved to Hoenn, after a few years there I won the Hoenn League but before I could challenge the Elite Four we moved to Kalos, and the after I competed in the League there we… moved here." He said sounding sad.
Lillie seemed to feel bad. "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't mean too-."
"No don't worry it's okay. You didn't do anything. I just really liked it in Kalos, I had some good friends there… and a girlfriend." He said sadly.
Dom was busy looking down the ground to notice Lillie blush furiously and frown. "If… if you were so happy why did you move here?"
Dom scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Ugh, my Dad got a job with the stupid Aether Foundation as a head scientist. Those guys rub me the wrong way, it's like they're TOO nice-. Hey Lillie, are you okay?" He asked her.
Dom saw the color completely drain from her face. She seemed absolutely terrified, and he knew something was wrong. When he mentioned the Aether Foundation was when she froze up. He wanted to know what was wrong, but he didn't want to pry. He didn't know the girl well enough.
He held his arms out because she looked like she was about to fall but she managed to stabilize herself. "I…I'm okay don't worry. If your dad does that… what about your mother?"
Dom froze and looked down, kicking a rock he saw. "She uh… she died when I was 9. I don't know what happened, you see all I heard was an explosion in the lab my parents had in our house. I… I just don't remember anything after that. Next thing I know I'm waking up on the couch and my dad told me my mom was gone. No body, no nothing, it's like she just disappeared." He explained feeling himself well up.
Lillie's eyes widened, and her face fell. She waved her hands. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry I didn't mean to make you have to talk about it. I didn't know." She said apologizing.
Dom blinked away the tears he was about to let loose and shook his head, returning a smile to his face. "You're right you didn't know. You have no reason to apologize haha. So, are you going to watch my battle at the festival tonight?"
She bit her bottom lip nervously, which Dom found surprisingly cute. He shook the thought from his head when she spoke up again.
"Well… I never really liked watching Pokemon battles because I don't like seeing Pokemon get hurt… but I'll definitely go watch your battle!" She said her voice sounding more excited at the end.
Dom felt his stomach flutter a little and he found himself smiling like a goofball no doubt. "Thanks that… that means a lot. So, you'll come get me before it starts?"
She nodded her head. "Yes, it'll be around 8pm when the sun starts to set. I…I'll see you then." She said injecting some excitement into her voice.
Dom nodded and have her a final smile. "Awesome I'll see you then! It was awesome meeting you today Lillie. I'm glad I found a friend here."
At the word 'friend' her eyes widened. "F…friends?" She asked him.
Dom laughed like she was joking. "Of course! You know I think the whole almost falling off a bridge and seeing a legendary Pokemon together incident really brought us together." He said jokingly.
She looked like she was reaching out to hug him, which he wouldn't have minded, but stopped herself. Instead opting to smile at him. "T…thank you. You have no idea how much that means."
He chuckled again and shook his head. "Haha no problem Lillie. Now I gotta go and make sure Treecko didn't open more then one box of Cheez-its again, or worse that he hasn't gotten Litten hooked-."
"Wait!" She said before he could open his door.
He turned back around, and she looked at the door nervously. "I… I was wondering if I could ask you something?"
"Sure, what's up?" He said without a second thought.
She bit her lip nervously again, making Dom realize that must be what she does when she was nervous.
"I… I noticed how after you saved Nebby from the bridge you were… well it seemed like you were talking to him. You seemed really scared when it didn't understand you." She started.
Dom froze and felt a trickle of sweat run down his head. The quiet, shy girl must have been a lot more observant then she appeared.
She went on when he didn't answer. "And just the way you talk to your Treecko, how scared you got when Tapu Koko was speaking." She said slowly.
He sighed and looked around making sure nobody else was around them. He took a few steps closer and sighed.
"You see Lillie I was… uh born with a gift. That's what some people call it. I… have the ability to… talk to and understand what Pokemon are saying." He told her.
Her eyes widened and she for the first time since he met her seemed really excited. "That's so amazing! What's it like? I would love to understand what Pokemon are saying." She said excitedly.
Dom laughed a little. "Haha, well it is pretty cool. Get's me into trouble sometimes. But Lillie… on a handful of people know about it. I… I don't like people knowing… you can't tell anyone. Please…" He practically begged.
She nodded furiously. "Of course not! I won't I promise but… you said that you couldn't understand Nebby?"
Dom shook his head, still miffed about the whole situation. "You're right. I asked him if he was okay but… I couldn't understand what he said. I… I've never met a Pokemon that I couldn't understand before! If you don't mind me asking… where did you meet Nebby?" He asked her.
She bit her lip again and looked around to also make sure nobody was around. "Well… I saved Nebby a few months ago from being experimented on. We were escaping, and he used the same power he used on the bridge to help us escape. I washed up on the beach and Professor Kukui's wife Professor Burnet helped me and brought me to him." She explained.
He wanted to ask more about her rescue of Nebby, but he didn't want to pry information out of her. The fact the poor Pokemon as being experimented on gave him a base to go off of. He was also quite impressed with the fact the girl who looked so timid and well non-violent went to rescue the little guy.
Dom scratched the back of his head. "Do you know anything else about him? I've met Pokemon from space before even and I was still able to talk to them." He said still miffed.
Her eyes widened again at the comment and Dom silently scolded himself for just throwing that information out.
"Well Nebby is really a Pokemon called Cosmog. I… I'm worried that people will try to use his power and hurt him. I… I don't know where he's from, I think it has something to do with the shrines. I… really want to protect him." She finished explaining looking down at her bag which housed a sleeping Nebby.
Dom had a whole new respect for the blonde-haired girl standing in front of him. He didn't know the entire story, but he knew she had to be exceptionally brave. He thought about what she said. If it was a new undiscovered Pokemon, it would make sense that he couldn't understand it. Perhaps its spoke a different dialect? It was something he'd have to ask Professor Sycamore or his friends about.
He looked back up at Lillie when she spoke up again. "I… I was wondering Dom if you could… help me with that. Will you help me protect Nebby? I… I'll go with you for your Island Trial! I'll already be with Professor Kukui helping show you around. I won't be a burden I promise!" She said now sounding more determined.
Before Dom could answer she went on. "I… I may not be a trainer, but I still want to help Nebby get back home. And I think if I were to go with you on your Island Trials I could find out how! I… I'll do everything I can not to be a burden on you I swear! I'll… I'll try to find some ways to help you if you'll have me I-."
"Woah, woah, woah Lillie calm down! Of course, you can come with me!" Dom said cutting her off.
Her eyes widened, and Dom saw the jubilation in her eyes. "Are… are you sure!? I… I don't want to burden your trial or anything…"
Dom shook his head to stop her. "There's no way you'd ever be a burden! Traveling together with friends is always more fun then alone. Don't you worry Lillie together we're going to get Nebby back home!" He said confidently.
For the first time Dom saw her give him and wide smile. She nodded her head. "Thank you… so much! I… I need to get back to the Professor's but… you have no idea how much it means to me Dom." She said happily.
Dom laughed and nodded. "Of course, what are friends for!"
"Friends… you're right. I… I'll see you in a few hours!" She said happily.
Dom felt his stomach rustle a little at her cute smile and nodded back. "Yeah, just knock and me or Treecko will answer. I'll see you soon!"
"Bye Dom."
"Bye Lillie!" He said waving to her as she made her way back down route one.
Dom sighed as he turned the knob and entered back into his house. He looked over to the table and his jaw almost dropped to the floor.
"How many boxes did you two open!? I was outside for like FIVE minutes!" He shouted.
On the kitchen table Litten and Treecko were looking back up at him with wide panicked eyes. Multiple boxes of Cheez-its open and spilled onto the floor. Dom bought a bunch of boxes before moving, knowing how much Treecko liked them, however he didn't expect them to be out THIS quick.
Treecko laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "Hehe, hey Dom how was your talk with Lillie?"
"Don't try to change the subject you little green idiot!" He shouted looking at the Cheez-its now scattered on the floor.
Litten spoke up next. "I'm sorry Dom… Treecko showed me them and they were just SOOO good!"
Dom sighed and started to pick up the multiple empty Cheez-it boxes around his kitchen floor before going to get a broom. As he swept up the cheese snack his thoughts couldn't help but wonder to a certain blonde-haired girl, and her purple cloud Pokemon.
Alola was certainly going to be an interesting adventure.
Episode 3: A Taste of Alolan Battles!
Next episode, Dom has his first battle in the Alola region against Hau, grandson of Kahuna Hala! Will he be able to shake of the rust and win his first battle in Alola!? Also, to help answer his questions Dom enlists the help of some old friends…