Who I Am - Lightning99
Chapter 6:
The Festival of Honouring
Hala's grandson, Hau, donned a smile more beaming than the late afternoon sun when Ash met him. He introduced himself while hopping from foot to foot, his cactus-green hair, tied like the top of a pineapple, bobbing side to side, his sandal-like shoes scuffing the dusty ground. He couldn't stop shouting about receiving his first Pokémon.
He was easily likable, but his bubbly feverishness and inability to stand still was slightly trying. But that was only because it made Ash reminisce on the time he met his first Pokémon. He couldn't quite look Hau in the eyes when he realised that he, too, had been just as excitable – even worse if the memories of his journey through Kanto were correct. It was an understandable excitement, but he still couldn't help pitying everyone who had had to put up with him back them.
At least he didn't come in his pyjamas, Ash thought with a smirk. He caught Pikachu's eye and changed his mind. Perhaps he should have turned up late. That was how he and Pikachu had met, after all, a fateful handicap that was now their greatest strength. But no, Hau wore the proper attire for a novice trainer: shorts, a t-shirt, a bag.
Ash had been surprised, though, when he met Hau. Since he would be receiving his first Pokémon that day, he had expected a young boy around ten or eleven, but Hau looked his age. It made him wonder just why he had waited this long to begin his journey.
As he and Hau chatted – Hau did most of it, and all he talked about was who he would pick as his first Pokémon – people constructed the festival around them. They pitched tiki-torches nestling vivid flames along the pathways and strung flowering wreaths of pink and red roses, plumerias, and multi-coloured hibiscuses on the fences and doors. Refreshments tables lined the outskirts, and some paper lanterns rested on the fences and archways.
A short while after that, hordes of people from the city arrived, cramming into the small town. They wandered about, hollering at each other under the orange sky of early dusk. Ash couldn't quite believe how the entire group mingled and laughed as if they knew everything about everyone. And that was only during the prelude before Hala stepped up onto the octagonal platform, backdropped by a giant, cracking and spitting bonfire, to introduce the event.
"Welcome to the annual Festival of Honouring, everybody!" Hala said, opening his arms wide to all. Though everybody had been chatting and Hala didn't shout, they quietened in a matter of seconds.
"Today, we are gathered to convey our gratitude and respect for Tapu Koko, our Guardian Deity who spends his days protecting our island and keeping the peace. Tapu Koko is a known fighter, so we will be battling, pitting our best moves against one another in friendly competition, to please our guardian. Enjoy tonight as best you can, everybody, and let's make this festival a grand success!"
Ash instinctively joined the cheering and whistling, a genuine smile on his lips, his thoughts aeons away from the past events. Pikachu yelled from his shoulder, too.
When the cheering calmed, Hala squinted straight at Ash rather than his grandson.
"To start, we have a special battle for everybody! Ash, Hau, to your sides of the stage, please," he instructed. Ash glanced across at Hau. They shared a nod that Ash understood as a wish of good luck, and he eagerly approached his side of the platform.
To Ash, battling in the view of such a large crowd was routine; he was nonchalant to the muttering and staring, and he had been ever since his very first League challenge. Lillie had told him not to be nervous earlier, but he couldn't have been even if he wanted to. He that Hau would be nervous in his inexperience, but as he stopped one his side, he was bouncing on his toes.
"Before you stands Hau, grandson to the Kahuna. Come up here, Hau!" Hala announced. Hau dashed onto the stage, waving like a celebrity, enticing a roar from the crowd you might hear at a concert or Poké-Sports game. Such a reaction made sense, related to the Kahuna as he was. Who, Ash noticed, regarded Hau with pride.
"Today," Hala continued, "we witness young Hau of Iki Town receive his first Pokémon. Here are the three starter Pokémon you may choose from!"
From his jacket, Hala brandished three Pokéballs and tossed them onto the stage. A small, round owl with a leaf crest on its chest and huge eyes popped out from the first ball. From the second ball came a small cat with golden eyes, its fur primarily black with candy red patches on its face, whiskers, forehead, and in rings around its legs. From the final ball came a small, blue pinniped Pokémon, like a miniature sea lion with a pink ball nose. Its eyes were big, round, and playful.
"This first one is Rowlet, the Grass-Type starter Pokémon. Next is Litten, the Fire-Type starter. Finally, we have Popplio, the Water-Type starter," Hala said, gesturing at each respectively. "Who will you choose, Hau?"
"I've always wanted Rowlet as my partner!" Hau said immediately, confirming all of the ranting he had been doing earlier.
"Very well! However, only when you have chosen each other can you truly call yourself partners. Now, let's see if Rowlet decides to choose you," Hala said, returning Litten and Popplio to their Pokéballs.
Nodding, Hau backed up a few steps, looking into Rowlet's big eyes. He hunched his shoulders, placed his hands on his knees, and waited. And he waited. Rowlet tilted its head ninety degrees, stared at Hau, and Hau waited some more. He waited for almost two minutes, the silence around them becoming tenser by the second.
Ash watched intently, trying to figure out this new Alolan ritual. It was certainly interesting, allowing the Pokémon to accept the trainer, too.
Eventually, after another minute, Rowlet slowly stepped towards Hau. When he was at his feet, Hau picked up the small owl Pokémon. He stood and lifted Rowlet gently in his arms, who hooted excitedly. The tenseness transformed into the loudest cheering yet, which made Ash flinch.
"Ho! So Rowlet has chosen you, too, Hau. Congratulations! From now, you are an official Pokémon trainer!" Hala said. He started clapping, each slap of his hands somehow thunderous. Following Hala's lead, the large crowd filling Iki Town erupted into cheers; they shouted compliments at Hau, displaying a wide-scale camaraderie Ash had felt numerous times before. He felt a pang of yearnful reminiscence.
Placing Rowlet back on the stage, Hau crouched again. "Nice to meet you, Rowlet! We'll be partners from now on!"
"Roooowlet!"
"We've got our first battle straight away, so let's do this!"
Hau nodded to Hala, and the elder continued.
"Before Hau stands Ash – one who has met with Tapu Koko."
"What?!"
"Hah! What a curious thing Tapu Koko is!"
Ash ignored the disruptive chatter generated by that little fact. People always talked whenever they heard he had met with a Legendary Pokémon. It was not out of the ordinary. For him at least.
"You ready, Pikachu?" Ash asked.
Pikachu nodded and replied via a series of cries.
"Hah, yeah, let's not do another Snivy. But don't go all out, alright?" Ash asked, stepping up onto the stage, beside which he noticed Lillie watching, surrounded by a group of teens.
"As long as we have a good time, we can call this a good battle, eh?" Hau said from across the platform, grinning.
Ash nodded. "Yeah. Let's have a good one!"
Hala down off the platform. He clapped his hands together and lowered his head.
"For all life on our islands and for those who undertake the island challenge with joy in their hearts, we pray for your protection, for them and all Melemele. May this first Pokémon battle be an offering to our island's guardian deity – Tapu Koko." He snapped his head up. "Ash! Hau! Bring forth the power of your Pokémon! Let the battle begin!"
Hau hesitated from the offset. Whether he was startled by the sudden occasion or thinking too much about what to do, it was a rookie mistake Ash immediately recognised. He thought, for a moment, to give Hau that thinking time. But he stole those moments of hesitation instead for one simple reason: he wanted to provide Hau with a memorable, insightful first battle. What better way was there for him to learn?
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash called, swiping his arm outwards unintentionally, an automatized performance his body remembered over the years.
Springing weightlessly into the air, Pikachu spun, lightning materialising, cracking, and sparking around his tiny frame. He shouted, then unleashed the attack at a down-sized intensity as Ash had suggested earlier. This was more the power of an average Pikachu.
"Ah!" Hau yelped, jolting, his eyes flying wide.
Ash knew the feeling: a sudden realisation that you were in a battle, a shock that wiped your mind and made you forget whatever simulations you had practised no matter how many times you had practised them. He remembered the tenseness and the confusion of not knowing your opponent, not yet versed at calculating them or their strategies. He remembered the anxiousness that made you step second, that made you unsure what move to use. It was difficult to keep a clear head during your first battle.
"Rowlet, dodge it and use Tackle!" The small owl tried, but the command was too late. The Thunderbolt hit Rowlet with ease.
Rowlet clattered onto the wooden stage, bouncing then rolling along it. He slowly rolled onto his feet, recovered, then charged at Pikachu with Tackle, who faced it without moving. Behind them, Ash could see Hau's face brightening, replacing his panicked expression with that excited one he had worn the rest of the day.
The battle started now.
Ash allowed Pikachu to endure the Tackle, using it to gauge Rowlet's power. But he didn't need to see Pikachu skid only a metre or two backwards to know that his endurance was far beyond a low-level starter.
"Use Leafage!" Hau called next, jumping into the air instead of his Pokémon, and there it was: the same excitement igniting in Hau that Ash himself felt every time he battled.
Rowlet spawned a vortex of leaves from his sharp quills, sending them spiralling towards Pikachu like a baby Leaf Storm.
"Pikachu, duck-and-roll, then Iron Tail!" Ash calmly said, and, like a movement during a parkour routine, Pikachu hunched under the leaves, his tail steeling mid-dodge. "Left," Ash called, spotting a stream of leaves changing course. "Right!"
As soon as Pikachu bypassed the move, he reclaimed his balance and swivelled, swatting Rowlet away with Iron Tail faster than he could dodge.
"Retreat with Quick Attack!" Ash called. Pikachu obliged, dashing back into a ready stance at Ash's side who, despite Hau being a rookie, kept his focus on him.
After some unexperienced seconds of tumbling through the air, Rowlet extended his wings to stabilise himself. He started flapping them, hovering in wait.
"Use Tackle!" Hau shouted; his enthusiasm so electric Ash could almost feel it. The crowd around him roared their encouragement as Rowlet soared, but to Ash, it was nothing like the deafening sounds of a Pokémon League.
"Pikachu, wait for it! Wait…" Ash muttered, squinting at Rowlet. "Now!" he instructed. Pikachu leapt away from the attack just as Rowlet reached him, and the bird crashed into the stage, tumbling a short distance.
Instead of following up with a Thunderbolt, Ash refrained. "Nice work!" he told Pikachu instead.
"Gah! Rowlet, Leafage!" Rowlet clambered to his feet, releasing more swirling grass arrows from his wings. They jabbed Pikachu this time, knocking him up and into the air.
"Use the spin to your advantage! Electro Ball!"
"Rowlet, fly up and use Tackle!"
Rowlet soared, shortening their distance by the second. Pikachu's attack missed by a millimetre, and Rowlet surged on. The Tackle hit, and Hau instructed Rowlet to do it again, and it hit again, but when the third rep came, Ash was ready, recalling an escape route from the library of his memory.
"Pikachu, Draco Meteor Climb!"
Grinning as wide as Ash, Pikachu slapped his tail onto Rowlet when he was close enough, propelling himself upward in a mimicked Foul Play.
"Finish it with Thunderbolt!" Ash called, punching the air with his fist. Pikachu spun, electrified, and unleashed the move. Rowlet's unbalance in the air stopped him swooping away, and that sealed the match.
Electrocuted, Rowlet crashed onto the platform, laying still for a few moments before Hala called it, and the crowd exploded into awed cheers and consolations to Hau's performance. It seemed they knew it was unlikely he'd win his first-ever battle.
"The winner is Ash!"
The challenger, Ash added in thought, reiterating that short and uplifting quote. He had heard it so many times, yet the surge of accomplishment hit him just as profoundly. Though, a part of him felt a little guilty for not holding back just a little bit more.
"Ahhhhhh, no waaaaay!" Hau yelled over the noise, dropping to his knees dramatically. Before his frustration could even register, though, Hau leapt to his feet and yelled, "That was awesome!" He picked up Rowlet and charged at Ash, who crouched down to pet Pikachu.
"Dude, what the hell is Draco Meteor Climb?! Where do you come up with something like that?! And how could you dodge that Leafage so well?! C'mon, you gotta tell me!"
Ash chuckled.
"It's all about training and experience. The more you gain, the more you'll learn. The Pokémon world is a place of endless things to experience, and when you see new things, take them as your inspiration. Your adventures are only just beginning, right? Nobody's amazing right from the start. It takes time. But that was a good battle. You handled Rowlet well."
"You think? Nice! You hear that, Rowlet? We're not too shabby!" Hau said, patting Rowlet's head. He lifted his hand. "That was a great battle, Ash. I had a blast fighting you."
"Same here," Ash said. He clasped Hau's hand in a firm shake, and the crowd applauded around them. Kahuna Hala marched towards the pair, sonic booms resonating with each clap he gave.
"What an excellent battle! Congratulations to both of you! Hau, you have now properly taken your first step of many along the road of a Pokémon trainer and the first step towards overtaking your father. Surely with such a battle, Tapu Koko will be–"
"Ko-ko-kooo!"
"Woah, no way!"
"Tapu Koko – can you believe it?!"
"That's never happened before!"
Hala looked back at the forest as if searching for Tapu Koko. He rose a brow, then looked at Ash and smiled.
"Ho! You heard it yourself! Tapu Koko's song of approval! Now, everybody, let's get on with the festival!"
After those words, people either dispersed or crowded the steps of the platform, watching as Ash and Hau descended them side by side. As he did, Ash heard a female voice say, "That's him, Lillie, the guy I was talking about!" He looked and saw Lillie smiling his way. It was a congratulatory expression, and Ash smiled back before venturing into the equally congratulatory horde, his mind set on sitrus berry juice. More than the hot weather had left his throat parched.
Ash did not notice the small puppy Pokémon gazing at him, amazed, scampering amongst the swinging feet of the crowd to follow him.
Ash had toured to countless festivals and celebrations throughout his travels. Each one was spectacular, yet similar in its main elements: large gatherings of people and buoyant expressionists, with decorations and food and drinks.
Of all the events he had attended, Ash ranked The Festival of Honouring highly. It was like the gatherings in Pallet Town that had occurred every so often during his youth, when the town's residents would amalgamate their small neighbourhoods to celebrate key events and traditions. Iki's smallness yet comforting conviviality was, in Ash's head, and only for the evening, Pallet Town's.
As ever, he wandered, gobbled food and swigged drinks. He blended into the atmosphere, enjoying the festival as anyone else did, chatting to Hau until he left to meet some friends. After that, Ash was left alone to wander, and he did that for a while too, simply watching, and absorbing the atmosphere.
Sometime later, he saw Lillie talking to two girls, one of which he recognised from the shop he had visited earlier in the day; nearby, Hau was chatting to two boys. Seeing how occupied they were, Ash moved away. As he did, he spotted Hala and Kukui stood to the side, glancing his way, and noticed that Pikachu was entranced by what appeared to be a ketchup bottle. That was typical of him, Ash thought as he leaned against one of the fences and simply watched.
It was then, when he had stopped wandering on foot and watched the people in front of him chatting and laughing and hugging, that his mind began to wander instead. It reminded him that he was alone out in Alola, present by happenchance, a ghost invading the intimacy filling the entire plaza. That was when the thoughts, the aching in his chest and the images of his friends' faces slammed into him in a rush.
He had had time. Not a lot of time, but enough time for the immediate hysteria to subside, for him to comprehend what had happened. He breathed in and out deeply. Saving Lillie on the bridge and his fleetingly joyous battle must have filled him with enough adrenaline to distract him, but it seemed to have finally faded. Because now that it and the hysteria were gone, he felt a strange hollowness in his chest. He at least took some comfort in how that lonesomeness stopped anybody from seeing the way he fluttered his eyes, rubbing them and sniffing.
If only to find something to do again, Ash decided to find Samson. Perhaps talking to him could rebuild whatever blockade he had unconsciously built that afternoon.
It was two hours into the festival at that point. The sun was a semi-circle over the horizon, and some people started battling again. Ash found Samson alongside Kukui and Hala, gossiping something serious, it appeared.
Ash called in greeting, helping Pikachu down to the ground to scamper back into the crowd, who was undoubtedly searching for more food to sate his invisible emotions that Ash felt.
"Ah, Alola, Ash! Have you been looking for me – Seaking?!" Samson asked, pulling another face. Those puns were going to get old very quickly.
"Yeah," Ash replied, "I thought I would come and ask you about fixing my Pokégear."
"Ah, actually, Professor Kukui is the one I said can help you," Samson said.
"A Pokégear, eh? Nah, not me, but I think Molayne could help you out. He's a whizz with circuitry and that sorta stuff. He may need to get some parts from abroad, but he should be able to help," Kukui said.
"Thank you, Professor. As soon as he can do it, please," Ash said.
"No worries, kid!"
Ash slipped the device off his wrist and passed it to Kukui, who placed it into his lab coat pocket. At least he had some good news. He thanked Kukui again and turned back into the crowd, giving them a quick goodbye. They were all staring quizzically, calculatingly, at him, so he disappeared as quickly as he could.
He didn't see Hala frown at his back or hear him ask, "Samson, if I may return to what we were saying, who is Ash?"
And he didn't see Samson shake his head or hear him say, "I couldn't tell you. All I know from watching him is that he's different."
The next hour was one of nothingness for Ash, who was trying desperately to conceal himself. He considered leaving a few times, but what else would he do then?
Instead, he watched people battle for most of it, nit-picking their performances like a petty critique. He sighed when he realised, he was probably more experienced them most of them, especially given that they were so far estranged from the rest of society. It was probable that most of the people there had not crossed the borders of the deep-sea secluding Alola. But he wondered why they would even need to. Alola was a paradise.
After he had watched enough battles, Ash walked away from the crowd and spotted two peculiarly dressed people talking at the steps.
"So, this is what they call a festival," the taller one said in a deep, almost robotic voice.
"It does look like people are having fun," the shorter one, commented in an equally robotic, but higher-pitched, voice.
"Not that they should," the man replied, "this is no time to celebrate. But the aura measurements are pretty high. Maybe it is not an awful idea to have this festival."
"Are they?" the girl asked, leaning over to check something in the man's hands.
Ash didn't know why he stopped to eavesdrop on them, but he realised he was probably intruding, so he walked away. He caught one last thing before he departed.
"Indeed, this is an extraordinary event in terms of aura. It is only thanks to The Blinding One that this place is overflowing with such brilliance, though it is left in such a state now, so dark and enfeebled. We cannot contain The Blinding One in our world, but if it did come here…"
It was nearly dark now; the timeless horizon had finally disappeared. While the nature around them quietened down, the sounds of the festivities did not, and neither did Ash, who found himself wandered around the area again. He noticed Pikachu speaking with some species he had not seen before; a small bird, a puppy, and another that looked like a black Ratatta. Though, for the final one, he wondered whether he was just too tired and was mistaken.
Then, Ash saw Lillie sitting alone at the crest of the steps where the oddly dressed duo had been, looking out across the sky. Where they had gone, he didn't know, but he approached Lillie.
"Hey, Lillie," Ash said, giving her a light way.
She jumped. "Oh! Ash, hello!"
"Can I join you?"
"O-Of course!" Lillie said, smiling. "How are you finding the festival?"
"It's good, yeah. I like the quaintness of it," Ash responded. Anticipating Lillie's surprised reaction, he said, "I only mean it's calmer than festivals in big cities."
"Oh, I see! Yes, you're probably right. You must have been to a few?" Lillie said, looking down.
"Yeah, one or two…" Noticing her dipped head, Ash changed the topic. "I was wondering if you could tell me about Alola. I've had my fill of the festival, and I'm interested."
That immediately made her brighten up.
"Y-Yes! Of course! What do you want to know?"
Ash shrugged, "Well, anything. It's up to you."
Lillie nodded. She turned face-on to him, resting her legs against the steps to comfort the position.
"Ok. As you've probably heard, Alola comprises four main islands: Melemele Island, Akala Island, Ula'Ula Island, and Poni Island. Each island has their own Guardian Deity, each of which overlooks their island's safety and protection. Tapu Koko overlooks Melemele, Akala has Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu is on Ula'Ula, and Tapu Fini overlooks Poni Island. Each of them has its own special powers, so, for example, Tapu Koko is very fast and strong with electric and special attacks, while Tapu Lele has the ability to heal any injury or scar, They are all very rare to see, however.
"The Tapu appoint Island Kahunas. They are powerful trainers that lead and protect everyone with and on behalf of the Tapu. Kahuna Hala, as you know, is Melemele's Kahuna.
"As for the culture in Alola, there is a tradition that we have known as the Island Challenge. During the Island challenge, trainers will travel over each of the four main islands, taking on Trials and Grand Trials along the way to–"
"Trials and Grand Trials?"
"Yes! S-Sorry…"
"It's ok," Ash said, smiling.
"T-The Island Kahunas, with the blessing of the Tapu via a move called Nature's Madness, which can control any aspect of nature, train what are known as Totem Pokémon. These Totem Pokémon are twice or three times the size of normal Pokémon, and the aim of each Trial is to clear the challenges, then find and defeat the Totem Pokémon. Throughout the years, the Kahunas have also appointed Trial Captains, people that oversee each challenge and train the Totem Pokémon on behalf of the Kahuna.
"Lately, however, there aren't as many Trial Captains so the Island Challenge is more independent. But do you see that group of people over there?" Lillie pointed to the people she had been with earlier.
"Yeah."
"The green-haired girl is Mallow, the short girl is Lana, the short boy is Sophocles, and the taller boy is Kiawe. They're, umm, my friends. They are looking to become trial captains of a few different trials, so they and some other people around the islands will be filling the missing spaces in about a year. They're only in training at the moment.
"I-I went a little off track there, but those are the normal trials. A Grand Trial is a battle against that Island's Kahuna. When you complete a Trial or a Grand Trial, you receive a Z-Crystal as a reward."
"Oh, that's one of the stones Tapu Koko gave me, right?" Ash asked.
"That's right. These Z-Crystals and a Z-Ring allow a trainer and a Pokémon to upgrade a certain move to a more powerful move, known as a Z-Move. Actually, there is a legend in Alola that states a Legendary Pokémon and the Tapu created the Z-Crystals, that in the past there was a giant battle, and at the end of it, a Legendary Pokémon sacrificed itself to save Alola. From its body, crystals with the ability to store energy were uncovered, and the Tapu used their abilities together to power the crystals, creating Z-Crystals."
"A Legendary Pokémon, huh…"
"Oh, yes! I forgot about Alolan variants! Over in Alola, some Kantonian Pokémon have migrated, so they have had to change to meet the demands of the environment here. For example, Vulpix is a Fire Type in Kanto, but in Alola, it is an Ice Type! I-I find that interesting. It is what Professor Oak is studying."
Lillie kept explaining things about Alola until she saw Ash's smile, a weave of being impressed and entertained. She timidly looked down.
"S-Sorry…"
"No, no, it's ok! I was just admiring how smart you are and how much you seem to like talking about it. I'm always moving around, so I don't have much time to sit down and study things like that. I learn by experience, so it's nice to listen for once," Ash said.
"T-Thank you. I never really get to talk about things much either, so it's nice to be able to." Lillie smiled, and it was a picture of pure happiness.
"Thanks for explaining all that, too. Knowing more about Alola will help me choose what I want to do next."
Lillie parted her lips to reply when a piercing whistle sounded in place of her voice. The sound came from a stream of red shooting into the sky. Ash and Lillie watched as the light exploded, scattering fluorescent stars of red across the beautiful darkness.
"Fireworks?!" Lillie asked, looking up at it with eyes that were a perfect depiction of childlike zeal.
Another followed, this one ocean blue, then a yellow one, sizzling up in a zigzag of light, like a thunderbolt. Ash lay back to watch the fireworks adorn the night, completely forgetting their conversation. There were loud, booming fireworks that exploded into spheres of colour; fast, scattering bursts; and slow, delayed ones that left him in suspense for the grand explosion, a multicoloured collage bursting in the sky.
Lillie lay beside Ash, watching them too, her long hair sprawled across the ground as if not even touching it, her eyes mesmerised by the sight as if it were her first time seeing them. Ash glanced at Lillie, suddenly realising how pleasing it was to experience that beautiful sight with a new friend.
The thought gave him a momentary jolt, in which it seemed like the next firework paused in the sky before exploding. He pondered that fact when it did explode, that realisation, and came to a quick conclusion. If Lillie was a new friend, he would not allow what happened last time to recur. He had to protect the friends he had left with everything he had, everything he was. That was his new promise to himself.
The pair watched the fireworks shoot and explode until the festival's end, settled into a friendly silence talking would only ruin. And when they finished, Ash escorted Lillie to Kukui and left for the Poké-Center. He reserved room ninety-nine and changed into his sleeping vest and shorts. After a short conversation with Pikachu, he crashed almost instantly, Pikachu doing the same at the bottom of his mattress.
Under the beauty of the stars, the Alolan airport doors slid open to a trio of tropically clad characters: a blue-haired man in a palm tree t-shirt, a purple-haired woman in a purple cropped top, and a Kantonian Meowth with shades over his large eyes. They looked like models strutting out onto a catwalk until they stepped from the doorway and stumbled onto the ground in a dishevelled heap, groaning.
"Jet lag…" James muttered, pressing a palm pressed against his head.
When they recovered from their momentary vertigo, they hatched a plan to find a Poké-Center to sleep in for the night. It didn't take them long to find it amongst the scarce city, and they stepped inside to talk with Nurse Joy.
Being able to step through the door undetected, not ostracized from the place for the reputation they had reaped, was a welcomed experience to James. It seemed they were unknown out in Alola. More pleasing, in fact, was Nurse Joy's kindness towards them rather than being glared at as they had been in other regions, even when their Pokémon were injured. They secured a room without any hassle and locked the door to room one hundred behind them.
"Phew, thank Arceus that went off without a problem! It looks like we're really on our own out here," Jessie said, flopping onto the bed nearest the window that James wanted.
"Yeah, well, I can't be happy about that knowing that Ash is gone," James replied, sitting on the edge of his bed, leaning against the wall. "Can you believe how obsessed we've been?"
James put his head in his hands. When he received no reply, he looked towards Jessie. She was asleep, Meowth too. James sighed again. He drew across the curtains and tried to sleep, hoping he would feel better in the morning.