I let Caleb take on Kiawe's trial first. My mindset wasn't quite there since our talk on Royal Avenue. When we walked up the Volcano I kept replaying his words over and over again in my racing mind. Even when Caleb and I talked about random crap like our favorite food and whatnot, I was still in a trance. I don't know if he could tell, eh, he probably did.
He telling me that he was alone before meeting me kind of threw me for a loop. I've known Caleb for only a couple weeks. He's been so positive, confident, and kind. He doesn't give off this vibe of having been alone. I don't get it, but I can't even ask him to explain how such a thing was possible.
Also, I'm kinda trying to ignore the feeling I have in my stomach since the moment on the bench. When he held my hand, it sent a bit of a jolt into my chest. It was like waking up in the hotel room yesterday all over again.
But god, so much has happened since then it feels like that freak out occurred a week ago.
I'm just taking this instance one step and one breath at a time. I don't know exactly what I'm feeling or why I am but it's kinda scary.
I don't want to lose the only friend I have here.
Kiawe's trial seemed dumb. It was literally a find the odd one out challenge. I don't know what that has to do with being a Pokemon trainer.
Caleb's Jangmo-o dispatched the Salazzle with ease though.
For all intents and purposes Caleb was back to his normal self after conquering the 2nd trial on Akala Island. Meanwhile, I had to wait until tomorrow, which I wasn't planning on doing.
"I look forward to see you tomorrow, Cameron," Kiawe said to me with a dull look on his face. He doesn't seem to know how to smile.
I shook my head. "Go Mudbray!"
"What are you doing?" Caleb asks me confused.
"He has a Pokemon. All of these trial captains have a Pokemon with them. I'm not waiting another day to complete my trial when I can easily complete it with a good ol' fashioned Pokemon battle right now."
A fire scourged into the pit of my stomach.
"That's not how this works," Kiawe said calmly.
"Why not? This is your trial. You created it, did you not? You can change it how you see fit," I said firmly.
Caleb kept his eyes locked on me but I was locked on Kiawe.
"You will come here tomorrow and complete the same trial that Cameron did." Kiawe turned around and attempted to leave.
"Why not prove your worth to the Island Guardian? You do this trial for it, do you not?"
He stopped in his tracks. I watched as his muscled shoulders rose and fell as he breathed. "Yes."
"Then give your Deity a battle. A battle on the highest point of Akala Island."
My tone was that of anger and desperation. I wasn't angry. I was feigning that to get my point across. In observing Kiawe I could tell he respected the Deity greatly. He took the dancing seriously. He took this all seriously. I believed challenging his respect and love for the Guardian would be enough to get what I want.
It worked. Kiawe reach to his belt and picked his Pokeball.
"It'll be a one on one battle. Your trial has begun!" He turned and threw his Pokeball releasing a Marowak. It was just like those Alolan Marowak that were dancing during the trial.
I grinned.
"Marowak, Bone club!"
"Dodge it Mudbray." Mudbray jumped out of the way of the Bone thrown by Marowak. "Now Mega Kick!"
Mudbray gallops towards Marowak and connect with it's hind legs into the face of Marowak. Marowak quickly gets up and looks pretty upset.
"Boomerang!" Marowak again throws the bone. I know that this is not a simple attack. That bone will come back and try to hit Mudbray again.
Mudbray dodges the first attempt but before the bone can come back I tell Mudbray to tackle Marowak. It seems to stun Kiawe a bit causing him to not react in time. Not only does Marowak get hit by Mudbray but the bone also hits it when it arrives back.
Marowak gets up slowly but is looking very mad. It is breathing much more heavily than it was and then out of nowhere it charges towards Mudbray.
"Mudbray, jump!" Mudbray jumps, barely missing Marowak's charge. However, Marowak looks up and jumps into the air and clocks Mudbray with it's Bone. Mudbray lands with a thud on the ground. Marowak again charges and hits Mudbray as it gets up.
Kiawe looks over at me with the same tightened face. I look down at Mudbray as it struggles to stand.
"This is over. Marowak, finish Mudbray with a Headbutt and Bone Club."
I watch as Marowak charges as Mubray looks up. Mudbray digs its front legs into the dirt as it tries to stand. Mudbray looks at me as Marowak closes in. It's like its waiting for me to give it the go ahead.
Right before Marowak strikes Mudbray I yell, "Mega Kick now!" In a quick jolt of movement Mudbray kicks off the ground and hits Marowak stopping it's charge. It hurts both Mudbray and Marowak but Mudbray is the one standing.
"Hmph." Kaiwe groans. He tosses me the emblem to my amulet and leaves with his Marowak. No congratulations or anything.
Caleb is at least happy for me. He tells me that the battle was awesome and that Tapu Lele would be proud. I knew nothing about the Guardian Deities. I didn't know the name of Akala's deity until Caleb just said it. So I asked him what were the names of the other two.
"Ula'Ula's is Tapu Bulu and Poni Island's is Tapu Fini." He told me that Tapu Bulu is quite the Deity and doesn't accept shit from anybody. Apparently people built on or near the sacred land of Tapu Bulu and it destroyed what was built.
As we walk down the Volcano an audible noise is heard from above. We look up and see a figure floating in the air over the Volcano. The figure is, for some reason, looking to the West, Southwest. It isn't moving at all.
"Oh my god. That's Tapu Lele," Caleb says in awe. I grab my Pokedex and point it and it confirms what Caleb has just said.
"What is it doing?" I ask hoping maybe he knows.
"I have no clue. It-it's just floating up there looking at something."
We look to out west but can't see anything noticeable. Unfortunately part of the volcano is blocking out view along with some high trees.
"Is this strange?" I ask Caleb.
He looked at me with concern on his face. "Yes. The Guardian Deities don't typically make themselves apparent to the eyes of civilians. They are reclusive in nature. This, um, this is beyond strange."
"But Tapu Koko came to the funeral for Rockruff," I argue.
"Yes, but Tapu Koko is a bit eccentric. Plus, the people responsible for that invaded it's sacred land. Different circumstances for a very eccentric guardian."
We continued to stand there for a few moments and Tapu Lele didn't move a muscle. Caleb tapped my shoulder and motioned us to just keep walking. He was starving and we hadn't had dinner. To be honest I was hungry too.
As we walked down Route 6 I kept looking up from time to time. Tapu Lele was still over the mountain. It hadn't moved at all.
So damn strange.
In Heahea City there were a few people looking up and taking pictures. Tapu Lele was still up there. I looked in the direction it was looking since there was nothing blocking my view any longer. It seemed to be staring in the direction of an artificial island. I think that is the Aether Foundation based on what Caleb has told me.
I looked over towards Melemele Island to see if Tapu Koko was hovering about the island, but he wasn't. It was just Tapu Lele being weird.
Caleb and I head into the Malasada Restaurant and get a big bowl for us to share. As we eat we see some dark clouds begin to move over the island. Then it begins to rain.
As we eat Caleb brings up my match with Kiawe.
"Did you always plan to battle Kiawe?"
"No. I planned to battle the one after him," I responded not knowing who the last trial was.
"Why didn't you take on Kiawe's trial first like we agreed to?"
I shrugged.
He looked at me with his fork hanging above the bowl. He just stared for a few moments and then dug into the bowl to get some Malasada. After he ate what was on his fork he spoke again.
"My brother was my best friend. I didn't lie or exaggerate that," he said quietly looking down at the bowl of Malasada. "He was my only friend."
I wanted to ask how that could be but instead I asked, "So you had nobody after he died?"
"No. I never really got along with people my age. Plus, I'd been bullied by some."
A small crackle of thunder echoed the evening sky.
"By who?" I asked.
"They don't live in Alola anymore. There were three boys. All three went to Kalos some 5 months ago."
I thought about what he said for a moment. Why would anyone bully him? I couldn't pick out anything in particular except for maybe his sincerity or even his dead brother but that would be beyond vicious. I decided not to ask an instead let him talk.
"It was hard for me to trust anybody. Still kinda is, actually." Now he was looking at me.
"So why did you approach me that day on the beach in Hau'oli city?"
"Because the night before. Before our battle. I heard what Castor said to you. At that moment I had made my mind up that I was going to approach you."
I absorbed his words as a silence grew between us.
"So you trusted me?"
He chuckled a little bit and shook his head. "Not one bit. I trust you now, but then I was taking a risk. My mom always said sometimes you have to take a risk in order to find what you are looking for."
"And what is that?"
"What everyone else is looking for, happiness." He finally dug back into the bowl of Malasada as another small crack of thunder echoes outside. "That's what you are looking for too, right?"
"Yeah, I guess I am."
I definitely was. I just didn't know it. I'm on this Island Challenge to prove to myself that I can succeed at being a Trainer. I'm trying to do something, to be something. I'm trying to make my dad proud of me. That is all connected to my happiness.
After a loud clap of thunder the rain just stopped. The dark clouds break up allowing peaks of sunlight from the setting sun to peak through the clouds. That's when Caleb and I grab our bags and head out. A rainbow had appeared just to the South of Heahea City.
Caleb and I snap a couple pics of it until someone yells, "What is that!?" We look over and see a man pointing towards the south.
The setting sun has lit up the sky and water with an orange shade. However, above the sea is a rainbow. In the vicinity of the rainbow a colorful object is flying towards Akala Island.
"Could it be?" I say.
I feel like my eyes are betraying me but they aren't. As the Pokemon gets closer I'm almost certain it's Ho-oh.
"It's Ho-oh," I say to Caleb. His face lights up and hurries up next to me. He takes out this stick and places his phone on it.
"Come on, Cam. We gotta get a picture with the legendary Pokemon," he says excitingly.
He hold the stick out so it's facing up at us. Once Ho-oh appears just over out touching shoulders Caleb snaps a few pictures. He takes his phone off the stick and goes through the pictures. They are pretty awesome.
I am wearing this light blue tank top and Cameron is wearing a casually striped beige shirt. Meanwhile, Skitty is in my arms trying to sleep. Ho-oh is directly above our shoulders in between our heads.
The moment of joy vanishes for a moment when I look up and see Tapu Lele up in the sky. It is still directly over the mountain.
A loud roar bellows from the South as Ho-oh flies over the Aether Foundation's island. That's when Caleb points to the Southeast towards Ula'ula Island. Tapu Bulu is floating next to Mount Manakila. To the west Tapu Koko is also floating over Melemele Island. Tapu Fini floats high above Poni Island as well.
All four Guardian Deities are facing the same direction. Meanwhile, Ho-oh continues to fly over Akala Island.
As Ho-oh disappears to the north Tapu Koko and Tapu Fini disappear. Tapu Bulu turns towards Akala for a brief moment before flying up to the sky and disappearing.
Tapu Lele, however. It continues to hover above the Volcano looking straight towards the Aether Foundation. I thought maybe Tapu Lele sensed Ho-oh when Ho-oh appeared.
Clearly I was wrong. It senses something else.
What? I do not know.