Who I Am - Lightning99
Chapter 19:
Akala Island
It was not long after they docked on Akala that the rag-tag group paraded onto the moonlit streets of Heahea City, Akala's coastal city. They browsed along the promenade's pavement peering into shop windows, pointing at anything worth noting. The tranquil evening was livened with their carefree chatter.
Lillie was overjoyed seeing how different Akala was to Melemele. Akala was almost cut into two islands, one of the few things she already knew. The main body was twice or thrice the size of Melemele, covered in more forestry and a much more diverse landscape. A gigantic volcano, Wela Volcano, the same one Kiawe constantly mentioned, poked into the clouds from the centre of the island, and to the north-west, there was what appeared to be giant tidepools. The second, smaller island was a simple mound of mountainous forestry connected by a small road.
Lillie listed all of the places on a mental post-it-note. It was her side-goal to explore the whole island, to try some new things, in the way she wanted to become more physically active and more confident.
Much like Hau'oli, Heahea City fronted the sea. Heahea was not what a normal city looked like: the seafront was one expansive, straight road outlining the Island. Inland there stood various shops – a boutique, a florist, a tourist board, restaurants – that peered out across the sea, and then all of the housing and further businesses lay behind. There were some white office buildings – one of which they saw Kukui wander into before after left – and many houses, all built behind the promenade, implanted in the forestry. There was a beach, too, situated like a back garden to the city.
It seemed Heahea City was quite affluent. Each building's architecture was posh, designed with pristine square and arched muntin windows, pillars, small window gablets, and balconies. Lillie had not picked up on that fact before Ash revered how grand they looked. That made Lillie flush in embarrassment. Such extravagant design was normal to her. She had not told anybody about her previous luxurious lifestyle, so she was worried.
Lillie did not fear a harsh rebuttal if she revealed herself for keeping it a secret. She simply did not want her friends to act differently around her, to better their manners or posture to that of the statues in her yard, stiff and tense. It was a complicated situation because sharing her past stopped her from getting to properly know her friends, something she had wanted to do for a while. She was only concerned. But there was one period of her past she would never unveil. The hard part.
The group frolicked around the streets for about an hour until fatigue blew across them as if embedded in the salty sea breeze. Mallow yawned widely, embarrassedly covering her mouth and turning away from Ash who, Lillie noticed, had been rubbing his left shoulder all day as if it ached. Lillie, sympathising with Mallow, suggested they find a place to stay for the night. She too felt exhausted. It had been a long day.
Kiawe took leadership. He led them to the Tide Song Hotel, a gigantic marble mansion with pointed ocean blue rooves topped by flagpoles and fronted by a grand canopy. White banners painted with royal blue silhouettes of Water-Type Pokémon were draped below the second-floor windows. Some were strung up the flagpoles, whipping in the wind.
The interior was just as magnificent: waxed marble floors designed like bricks, a glittering fountain topped by a blue bouquet, golden printings covering the walls. Everything was spotless and glaring. To Lillie, the glowing white was not a comforting sight.
Fifteen minutes and a big discussion on who would pay the most for the pricey rooms later – Ash ended up spending a lot of his battle reward money – they had procured two double rooms for themselves.
Lana raised the question that Lillie had been considering as they ascended the pristine marble-gold lift. "How are we going to decide who stays in which room? One of us might have to sleep on a settee or something."
"We've got two rooms, so one for the boys and one for the girls?" Ash suggested.
"No, no need for that," Kiawe said, "I'm heading back home, hence why I did not contribute to the payment."
"Ehh… Ash you sly guy, sneaking a chance to share a room with a lovely lass," Lana said. "I see, I see."
"Hmm? Is that so strange? I've shared rooms with my travelling companions before. We're friends, right?" Ash replied.
Lana palmed her forehead. "Of course, you would be that dense…"
"I get what you're insinuating, Lana, I'm just more mature," Ash quipped, earning him laughs. Lana looked pleasantly pleased with his rebuke.
The lift door slid open with a ping and they wandered along the third floor, peering up at the numbered plaques above every door.
"Ah, found them!" Ash said as they stopped outside rooms three-nineteen and three-twenty.
"I… umm… I don't mind sharing with Ash if you two don't want to," Mallow tentatively said to Lillie and Lana.
Lillie had not a moment to voice her nerves on the matter as Lana looped her arm around Mallow's and dragged her into room three-nineteen.
"Sorry, I'll be taking Mallow. We've gotta talk about some things. I hope you don't mind, Lillie," Lana said.
"O-Oh, n-no not at all," Lillie replied, shaking her head lightly. The prospect of sharing with a boy was unnerving to her, but she was keen to try new things, to breach her comfort zone. Also, she didn't want to intrude on Mallow and Lana's best-friendship. She and Lana were not yet as close as she was with Mallow. Lillie felt more comfortable around Ash than Lana.
"Thanks!" Lana said and hastily shut the door.
For a moment, the trio in the hall remained quiet. "What was that?" Ash asked, leaning up against the door.
"Who knows," Kiawe replied, flicking his eyes knowingly towards Lillie.
"Oh well. I hope you don't mind sharing with me, Lillie." Again, Lillie shook her head. Ash smiled, then turned and opened the door. "Oh, then again, it should be beneficial. I can help you out with your fear more easily this way."
Lillie was surprised to hear Ash say that, so much so a quiet remark of surprise squeaked from her lips. "Y-Yes, that does sound like a good idea!" Lillie exclaimed.
Ash held the door for Lillie and she graciously entered the room before him.
The room was quite large. A long rectangular desk ran along the left white wall. A full-body mirror stood at the end of the desk. Opposite were two single beds and a bedside table between, and a small lamp on top. Facing the door there was a large wall of glass sliding doors that were parted, leading onto a balcony. The curtains were blowing in the breeze.
"Woah!" Ash cried, relinquishing his bag onto the mahogany floor as he ran onto the balcony. Ash grabbed onto the stone barrier and leaned forwards. "What a view!"
"You two get settled. I'll go and see what's going on with the other two," Kiawe said, and wandered back into the hall.
Lillie placed her bag gently onto the desk, allowed Nebby free, and followed Ash, standing beside him. She looked out at the view of the ocean: a couple of Lapras were slowly gliding across the sea, some Mantine and Mantyke were darting out of the water, flipping and spinning, then dunking their heads back in. In the distance, Lillie could vaguely see the outline of a small island.
"Wow…" Lillie echoed Ash's surprise.
Out of the corner of her eye, Lillie saw Ash once again reach his right arm across his body to massage his shoulder. Almost simultaneously, Pikachu made a similar movement.
"Are you ok?" Lillie asked, gesturing his shoulder.
"Oh, this? Yeah, I'm ok. For some reason, my shoulder is aching a bit. It may have just been from lifting something a bit heavy when setting up the boat. Nothing to worry about." Ash gripped a fist and flexed his arm, grinning.
Comfortably accepting Ash's answer, Lillie turned away to watch the night-time ocean.
After Lana heaved her through the door and slammed it, Mallow squirmed free of her hasty arm-lock. She spun around and stared at her bluenette best friend as she paced across the room.
Mallow was exasperated. Sharing a room with Ash was her best chance to get closer to him and it could have provided the privacy she needed to disclose her feelings. The fact that Lana had so rudely yanked that opportunity from her felt as if she had prevented her from cooking. It was like a betrayal.
"What was that?" Mallow asked, slumping down onto the edge of a bed. She folded her arms across her midriff, trying her hardest to look angry. It was hard for her: she was not the type of person to be truly angry.
Lana shrugged. "I'm just stopping you from moving too quickly," she said whilst flopping back onto the other bed, her body bouncing on the squishy surface. "I don't want to have a repeat of the events last year when you thought you loved that boy. I can't remember his name; I never cared for him, but the one that cheated on you. Who even does that as a fifteen-year-old?"
"We were stupid kids! I didn't know what I was talking about! You think Ash would do something like that?!" Mallow asked, dismayed that Lana would even suggest such a thing.
"No, not the same thing. I just mean you could get hurt. It's only been a year."
"Lana, you've been around Ash for nearly a month now. Surely you know by now how nice of a person he is," Mallow vouched.
"You're being naïve, Mallow. Ash is an insanely nice person, but that's not what I mean. What if he doesn't give you the answer you want? Also, it's a bit difficult to make an opinion on somebody when you don't know much about them. We know he's nice and compassionate, but what if there is more that you don't like?" Lana said with a lot more emotion in her voice than normal. It sounded like a mix of desperation and frustration. Then, Lana added, "Heck, why do you even like him?"
To her shock, Mallow couldn't form a concrete answer. She had thought it would have been easy but when she parted her lips, she had to stop. The only reason that filled her mind was physical attraction and his kindness. Was that enough of a reason?
"I… I'm just attracted to who he is. There doesn't have to be a reason for it. And learning more about your partner is a fun part of a relationship…" Mallow argued, feeling a little disheartened.
Lana sighed, and her voice softened. "I get that, Mallow, I do. I pulled you in here because I'm worried that, if you share a room, you will rush into things without thinking them through. You always do that. I think you should at least learn more about Ash before you rush into it. You know, a little about his past, some of the things he likes doing. Just to get a real idea about everything."
"Is – Is that why you've been acting strange around Ash this entire time? You've been suspicious of him?"
"That's part of it," Lana said. "But the other reason is that you've been hurt so many times throughout your life, from that boy and the way some of those girls in school treated you because they were jealous of you and your looks, to your mum's passing. You're such a nice person, Mallow–"
"I just don't want anybody I care about to go through something similar…" Mallow muttered. She was getting emotional now, a rare occurrence. Mallow didn't often let herself get in such a way around other people. If she, the supposed strong one in the group, showed too much emotion, the others would too. At least, that's how she saw it.
"I know, Mallow. I don't want to see you hurt. I guess I was just wary because you took such a liking to him so quickly and–" Lana said, stopping at a knock on the door. It opened and Kiawe peered inside.
"Is everything ok?" Kiawe asked, surveying the two.
Lana sighed and rose to her feet. "I'm only looking out for you, Mallow. How about we all head into the other room and have a bit of a chat? That way, you can make a more grounded decision."
"Yeah," Mallow said tearfully, wiping at her eyes, "I'd like that."
"Come on, Kiawe. You're joining too," Lana said, dragging Kiawe by the arm as she left. Kiawe's confused stuttering was only silenced when the door swished to a close behind them.
Mallow waited a little longer to collect herself. She had so many questions. Was everything she thought a lie? Was she that vain to like someone on looks alone? Lana's words deeply confused her.
By the time she entered the other room, her friends were sat lazily across the beds, except Lillie who maintained her proper posture, holding her dress down over her legs. Ash's grin was the first thing she noticed as she entered, a gesture that made her heart do a Teeter Dance. She sat beside Lillie, joining the already progressing conversation Lana was uncharacteristically leading. Knowing that it was for her sake, Mallow was moved. Lana truly was her best friend.
"I swear I've told you before, but my reason for wanting to become an Island Kahuna is to follow in my Grandfather's footsteps. He was the Kahuna of Akala in his day. He even gave me my Charmander as a starter Pokémon, which is rare for Alola," Kiawe said.
"Talking about starter Pokémon – Ash, I've been curious about this for a while. How did you come to have Pikachu as your partner? Aren't starter Pokémon always either a Fire, Water, or Grass Type?" Lana asked, winking at Mallow.
Ash chuckled. He glanced fondly at Pikachu. "Ah, thinking about it sure takes me back! You're right. Usually, you get either of those three types. Thing is, on the day I was going to get my starter Pokémon, I slept in."
"You what?!" Kiawe cried, aghast.
"Yeah, I slept in. By the time I got to–" Ash hesitated, his face twisting faster than a flicker of lightning. His smile reformed just as quickly. "Professor Oak's lab, all of the starters had already been taken by other trainers. Pikachu here was the fourth Pokémon, the one you usually wouldn't be allowed to have. I can see why too: Pikachu was the most stubborn and moody Pokémon ever when we first met. You can still see that stubbornness now. To this day, Pikachu has never gotten back into his Pokéball. He refuses to. He hates it."
"Pika! Pikachu!" his partner complained, causing Ash to laugh. Mallow found herself joining in too. The way Pikachu pouted was too cute.
"Hey, it's true! He wouldn't even fight a Pidgey for me, and he laughed in my face the moment I failed to catch one," Ash explained. "It wasn't until we had to fight off a whole horde of Spearow – and Pikachu took 'em all out in one go after being supercharged by a bolt of lightning – that we bonded. Since then, we've been inseparable."
"I cannot imagine either of you seriously arguing. You get along so well," Lillie pointed out.
"We've been together for just over six years now, so, yeah, we know each other pretty well."
"Six years?" Mallow asked.
"Yep, six years of adventuring," Ash confirmed.
"How have you been adventuring for so long? Surely Kanto is not that big," Lana said.
Ash shook his head, readjusting the pillow behind his back. "Believe it or not, we've been to seven different regions so far."
"Seven?!" Kiawe exclaimed.
"Yep, seven regions in total if you're counting Alola. Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and now Alola," Ash listed, lifting his fingers respectively. "In that order. You could count the Orange Islands as somewhere I've explored too. Just – jeez. I'm in the seventh year of my journey… Has it really been that long?"
"Y-You've really been to all of those different places?" Lillie asked, looking shocked. Mallow shared her apparent feelings. She could hardly imagine a world outside of Alola, yet Ash had explored six other regions and an archipelago. Mallow found herself wondering just what he had seen, what he had done. She understood Lana's earlier statement perfectly. There was so much more to learn about Ash.
"Yep."
"I've never even left Alola!" Kiawe exclaimed.
"I don't think any of us have," Mallow said.
"What kept you busy for so long?" Lana asked.
"Normal trainer things, really. Seeing Pokémon and filling the Pokédex, meeting and battling loads of Pokémon and people, challenging the gyms and the Pokémon Leagues, that sort of thing. A few unique experiences here and there."
"Which region was your favourite?" Mallow keenly asked.
"I'd either say... Sinnoh or Kalos. I'm not including Kanto since that's my home and I may be a bit partial to choose it. They're total opposites, though. Sinnoh is colder with more snow and Kalos is hot. Not quite as hot as Alola. Though, I don't love them because of the scenery. It's because the people – sorry, some of the people I met, the Pokémon I caught, and the adventures I had were amazing. There was this one time in Sinnoh…" Ash said and began delving into stories of his past, excitably detailing events in thorough detail.
Ash explained what he did on his adventures, humorously re-enacted scenes from his battles, and described some of his other friends so accurately that Mallow could visualise them. She felt slightly jealous learning of everything he had done with them. She inwardly flinched at the times he mentioned his female companions. His descriptions made them out to be model-esque in appearance, and more talented than a stadium of people. Mallow hoped he was exaggerating.
Then, after sneaky prompts from Lana, Ash delved into talking about himself. His favourite colour was blue, he loved macarons and doughnuts – something Mallow was delighted to hear as she could bake both – and he had once taken part in Coordinating. The more Ash explained, the more delighted Mallow was. To her, the small tidbits of information were key facts. The more she learned, the more she was certain her feelings were not a fluke. They were genuine.
Ash continued talking for an hour until it was eleven, and there was one thing Mallow noticed that was slightly out of the ordinary. Something that slightly worried her. At times, when talking about certain aspects of his past, Ash would almost wince. It was barely noticeable, but she saw it a few times. It was as if he was omitting something, that he felt pain whenever he spoke about it. Then, sometimes, he would stop himself mid-sentence, as if he were about to reveal something he shouldn't have. While that worried her, Mallow was still captivated by him.
As she went to bed that night, Mallow felt a lot better about herself. The storm of confusion Lana had tossed her feelings into beforehand had cleared. Mallow decided that she wanted to continue to learn about Ash as best she could from that day on. As sleep permeated into her consciousness, she decided her feelings were real.
It was morning by the time the plane landed in Alola. During the final two hours of their flight, Dawn's heart and mind had been working overtime. She was jittery. She physically felt her heart pounding. Her euphoria and desperation to reunite with Ash delivered her into delirium, and for about an hour straight she needlessly wondered how Ash was, where he was, what he had been doing.
Then, in the way a person would blissfully anticipate a date, she toyed with various scenarios of her reunion that may or most-likely-may-not come true. She decided to keep calm at first, then she realised she wouldn't be able to and opted to tackle him with a hug. But that would go against public decorum, so she thought of something else, then something else, until her head was frazzled and incoherent. She was thinking too much, but she was just that excited to have her best friend back. She could not stop smiling.
After disembarking, Dawn, Brock, and Clemont sprinted past an exotic signboard posted with the message 'Alola to Alola' and ran into Team Rocket, who were waiting at the escalators.
"Where is he?!" the trio shouted at the three without even greeting them. Dawn sent her eyes on a voyage around the room. She felt a twinge of disappointment when she didn't see Ash.
"It's nice to see you twerps again too," Meowth said sarcastically.
Brock marched up to James and grabbed his hand for a strong handshake, while Jessie merely flicked a purple-nailed hand towards them, lazily. She looked exhausted.
"Unfortunately, he is not with us, but we can take you to him," James said.
"Please!" Clemont shouted, bowing forwards at almost ninety-degrees, sticking his hand out for it to be shaken.
Jessie, ruffled, spun on her heels. "Alright, follow us. Just – stop bowing," she muttered, as if embarrassed. Dawn could not hold in her laughter seeing Jessie act so coy. It was if she was a different person. "Shut it you!" Jessie yelled. Or not.
It was balmy outside the conditioned airport, a tropical heat that melted Dawn's icy, Sinnoh-accustomed skin. It had been a long time since she had visited a place so summery, so much so that she discarded her scarf and sleeveless pink jacket, tying both around her waist. She had underestimated Alola. Clemont must be boiling in his jumpsuit, she thought.
James, Jessie, and Meowth led them across the town – which was undeniably beautiful in Dawn's opinion, vivid by the sun's grace – to the Poké-Center. As they ascended the stairs and followed to room ninety-nine, Dawn's heart hammered again. Her library of anticipatory scenarios slipped her mind, which was much too cloudy to think. She just wanted to see Ash now, to know he was ok, to know he was alive.
"Here," James said and knocked on the door. Team Rocket stepped aside, and Dawn joined the boys in throwing the door open.
"Ash!" the trio yelled, charging into the room.
"What the hell?! Who are you?!" a groggy stranger yelled back at them from inside. A beat later, Dawn realised there were a man and a woman in the room, both on one bed, entangled, squinting as if they just woke up. "Get out!"
Hurriedly, Dawn scurried back out into the hall, yelling her apologies back at them with a crimson complexion. Brock slammed the door after them.
Tensely slow, like a serial killer in a horror film, Dawn, Brock, and Clemont turned around to Team Rocket, glaring harder than a Scary Face. Jessie, James, and Meowth, on the other hand, looked pale and horrified, their faces contorted in such a way that they should have broken their cheeks and jawbones.
"What was that?!" Brock asked heatedly.
"I thought you said Ash was in there!" Dawn cried.
"B-But he was in there! I-I have no idea where he–" James replied, then glanced, shocked, at Jessie.
"He wouldn't have…" Meowth muttered.
"What are you talking about?" Clemont asked.
"…He may have gone to the next island over," Jessie whispered, just loud enough that they could hear.
"What?!" Dawn shouted this time. "You didn't stop him?!"
"We tried," James said. "We had nothing to say to stop him leaving."
"How about 'Your friends are coming over to see you'?" Clemont suggested.
"Oh…" Meowth muttered. "Yes, that could have worked."
"Ughhh!" Dawn groaned. She backed into the wall and slumped down it. She was so embarrassed. "Why was their door not locked?!"
"We should have known you'd be this incompetent…" Brock muttered.
"Don't worry," James said. "There are boats out to Akala every four hours during the week. The next one will leave at four o'clock. Though, it may be hard to get tickets now. The boats are not that big."
"Then lead the way!" Dawn demanded, leaping onto her feet. "I want to see Ash as soon as possible."
Team Rocket led them through the city again, around the beach and across the pier, to a large glass building towards the coast. It was the Melemele Tourist Bureau.
Wandering inside, they had to wait painfully in line to reach the counter. However, Dawn felt another wave of disappointment slash her when they asked for tickets.
"I'm sorry, our earliest available ferry to Akala is tomorrow evening at eight o'clock."
"Seriously?" Dawn breathed, frustrated. That was just their luck. It seemed Team Rocket's conversion to the good side did not dampen their bad luck. Maybe it was karma and they were affected too by making up with them.
"Unfortunately. You see, Wednesday evening is Royal Mask's first Battle Royal after his hiatus. As such, everybody from all over Alola is keen to watch it in the stadium. So, all of our ferries are booked," the lady explained.
"Ah, I see. A region-wide event is taking place. In that case, three tickets to your earliest available ferry, please," Brock asked with a calm head. It seemed he, unlike Dawn, was able to control his eagerness. That was a sure change from his attitude when he thought Ash was dead.
After purchasing the tickets – Team Rocket purchased their own tickets for the same boat – they slouched out of the bureau, their spirits snuffed. Dawn slumped onto a bench, her head tilted back, the back of her palm pressed to her forehead. "I can't believe our luck. Now we have to wait until tomorrow to see Ash," Dawn said, pouting.
"It's very frustrating. It's making me way too nervous; the apprehension I'm feeling is too much. How's he going to react to seeing me?" Clemont agreed.
"Hmm. In that case, why don't we head to a restaurant for a little while? I'm sure a bit of food will help ease your worries," James suggested.
"I could go for food," Brock agreed. "A jelly-filled doughnut sounds like a nice dessert."
"Heh, just wait until you try a malasada!" Meowth commented.
"How come you're coming to Akala with us?" Brock asked as they made their way through town.
"Well, we've passed our trials to get into the Police Force, and now we feel safe to explain some things to Ash, and you of course. We want everybody to be together when we explain."
"Really?" Dawn asked. "Is it something bad?"
"Who knows?" Jessie answered.
"We can't say for sure," James said.
Fifteen minutes later, they were all sat within a booth munching on new concoctions of food Dawn had never tried before. While it was tasty, Dawn couldn't bring herself to enjoy it to the fullest given her disappointment. Waiting another full day felt like it would be too hard. She wouldn't be able to sleep that night.