A/N: This is another long chapter. A lot happens though so I hope you like it.
I have never seen Heahea City like this since being here. The entire city had transformed into this beautifully festive place. There was music playing on these large speakers all over the main road. Women were dancing, men were dancing and doing tricks with fire, kids were running around. It was really spectacular.
Kiawe was actually leading the dancing with his Marowak.
Caleb and I were wearing traditional masks. They sorta looked weird, but cool at the same time. They were nothing like you would see in Hoenn. In fact they kinda looked like artifacts that you could find at a collector's shop. They also looked like some of the statues or totems here on Alola. Maybe not exactly the same but definitely similar.
Our masks were in a light-brown color. Some people had painted over portions of their masks.
One of the cool things I noticed was that so many people had Pokemon following them or on them. I always have Skitty out of his ball but Caleb kept all of his Pokemon in their Pokeballs until he noticed what everyone was doing, so he let out his Litten.
While we walked I saw another Alolan Variant. It was Persian. God that poor Pokemon looks so ugly. It's cheeks look like it has berries just stuck in them. Yeesh.
"So how are you enjoying Akala?" a woman's voice says from behind.
"Oh, Olivia. Um it's pretty cool," I respond.
Caleb just looks at her and smiles. Guess the question was just meant for me since I'm the newbie to Alola.
"That's good."
"Wait, how did you know who I was?" I asked realizing I'm wearing a mask.
She laughed. "Honey, your Skitty is unique. Anybody can recognize him." Skitty has taken this brief break to lay down on the stone ground. Typical.
"I see you two are almost done with the trials here on Akala," she says taking notice of our Island Challenge Amulet.
"Yup. We'll be off to face Mallow tomorrow," Caleb joyfully says back.
"Be careful. Lurantis is a formidable Totem Pokemon."
I've never faced off against a Lurantis but I'm guessing it's the evolved form of Fomantis. So a grass type. My Oricorio should be able to handle it.
I might be too confident about that, actually.
Olivia tells us about the battles they hold here. They take place at around 9 PM after the Ceremony for the Guardian takes place. Before Olivia left I took this time to ask her about something that's been on my mind for a few days now.
"Um, Tapu Lele. We saw it floating over the Volcano for a long time a few days ago. You know, the day Ho-oh flew over."
Olivia's smile disappeared from her face. A newer smiled reappeared. This was not a genuine smile.
"Tapu Lele must've sensed Ho-oh from afar. It's not everyday the God of the Sky comes to Alola."
Either she was lying or she doesn't know.
"But, the other Guardians weren't out like Tapu Lele was. They only appeared around the time Ho-oh roared. Then when Ho-oh left so did the other Guardians." I was determined to challenge Olivia on this.
She didn't meet my gaze.
"Ah don't lie to the kids Olivia," another voice says nearby. Professor Burnet and Liko remove their masks as they stand nearby. Professor Burnet has an Oricorio by her side and Liko has a Stufful. He looks at me and nods.
"What do you mean?" Caleb asks. Well at least he's interested too.
Professor Burnet and Olivia share a brief glance.
"Tapu Lele sensed danger. What, I'm not entirely sure," Olivia said reluctantly.
I looked over at Caleb and then at Burnet and Liko for a possible elaboration. When Liko looked at Burnet I knew there was more to the story.
"We don't know exactly what Tapu Lele sensed. I assure you it's nothing you have to worry about," The Professor added.
Nothing like a condescending response simply because we are kids. Before I can moan and groan about it Liko suggested we head down the road and get some food. Caleb looked at me and nodded. He gave me the impression that we should enjoy tonight and worry about this crap at another time.
There were quite a few food vendors lined up. As I walked up to each of the vendors, because I was friggin starving, I learned that the people running them are from different regions. I was able to get some tasty pasta from a Hoenn vendor. It reminded me of home even though it wasn't the same.
Caleb got a seafood dish from a Kanto food vendor. We had several plates of food causing us to deal with what I like to call a food coma. There was no moving. We were all Skitty after eating.
Which was fine, actually. The salty sea breeze kept the temperature nice and cool. That's when Liko appeared out of nowhere. His mask had been painted since I last saw him. It had dashes of blue and green all around it. It was pretty cool.
"You two should go get your masks painted. Add your personality to it."
Caleb and I shrugged at each other.
Liko, with his Stufful, walked us towards Route 4. There was a few tents set up just near the sign for Route 4. There were many people sitting on chairs getting their masks painted. So many vibrant colors used. I was actually excited.
I sat in this chair while Caleb was yards away in another tent getting paints. Liko was behind me babysitting Skitty for me.
The lady that was doing the painting looked to be fairly old. She was definitely older than my grandparents back in Hoenn. But she seemed so calm and peaceful.
"Where are you from, young man?"
"Hoenn."
"Ah, you come from a land beyond Alola. How lovely. Do you miss it?"
"Yeah. I miss it a lot sometimes," I said as she started to paint. I couldn't see what she was doing because the mirror on the table was facing away from me. I couldn't feel if she was actually painting because she was so gentle.
When she painted she kept the paint to the side of me so I couldn't see what she was dipping the brush into. She made sure to keep the color hidden from me and told me not to look. Instead she told me to close my eyes and just relax.
So I did as she asked me more questions.
"Is that your Skitty with the Boy and his Stufful?"
"Mhm," I respond.
"What does Skitty mean to you?"
I had to think for a moment about that. I told the lady that Skitty meant a lot to me. I told her how I would do anything to protect him and how I saved him back in Hoenn. I'm not sure why I said so much but it felt right.
"Do you miss anybody?"
"Yes," I responded. After a short pause I continued by saying, "My dad. I miss him a lot."
"Hmm, I see," she said.
She didn't ask another question for a while. She just kept on painting. Then she asked one final question. "Do you know who you are?"
I thought it was a weird question at first so I just sat in the chair and thought about. I mean yeah I know who I am. I'm Cameron Alistar. Then it hit me that she probably wasn't asking about that in particular.
I opened my eyes and looked at her. "No."
She smiled and told me to close my eyes again. I could hear Caleb with Liko behind me. I guess Caleb's mask is finished. A few minutes later so was mine.
She told me to open my eyes and when I did I saw her smiling. She seemed so content wit her work that I was desperate to see it. The old lady looked over my shoulder and nodded. Caleb and Liko approached us and look at my mask. Caleb smiled and Liko just kept looking at it.
Caleb's mask had a mix of dark and light blue. There were also speckles of black along the forehead. I had no clue what that meant.
"You ready to see what it looks like?"
The old lady grabbed the mirror and turned it around. I looked into the mirror and saw what she did.
My mask too had dark and light blue as it's main colors. However, there was something significantly different than mine compared to Caleb's. There were lines of red along my cheeks with black dots in them. The top corners of the mask were painted yellow. I had no clue what this all meant. It kind of looked organized but messy.
It was beautiful, too.
I paid the lady and thanked her. Even though I didn't fully understand why she painted it this way and how it reflected my personality I was happy with it.
We arrived back at Heahea City just after the ceremony began. Kiawe was joined by a group of other men and they were doing tribal dances. The choreography was unlike anything I've ever seen. I had to record it.
Carl would love it.
The ceremony lasted about 30 minutes, ending when Olivia gave a speech and offered her thanks to Tapu Lele.
"How cute is this?" a man from the back said.
Guzma. And he had a bunch of his stupid Team Skull Grunts with him including Castor and Iwika. Guzma walks up to the little stage set up in front of Tide Song Hotel where we were gathered. He looks at Olivia and scoffs.
"This whole little festival for that pathetic Guardian is so sickening." A loud gasp erupts from the citizenry. "If anything you should be having a festival in honor of me. I'm the big, bad boss of Team Skull."
"You are nothing!" I yell.
I quickly make my way to the front of the crowd and glare at Guzma. Skitty, for some reason, rushes in front of me. He looks ready to attack Guzma.
"Ho ho, it's that little boy from Melemele Island and his wretched Skitty. Hmm, now that I think about it. Your Skitty could net Team Skull quite the cash. I wonder how much a shiny Pokemon from Hoenn would cost?" His grin angered me.
Skitty growled and hopped on the stage. Guzma looked at Skitty and laughed. Then he reached back and called forth his Golisopod. That's when I saw a Pokeball fly towards the stage and out came a Jangmo-o. Caleb then appeared next to me with a focus on his face I had never seen. Jangmo-o stood next to Skitty when 2 more Pokeballs appeared. A Litten and a Popplio.
Castor and Iwika stood near Guzma who laughed.
Caleb and I hopped up onto the already crowded stage and stood behind Litten and Popplio.
"Focus Blast!" Guzma yells.
Caleb and I yell at our Pokemon's to dodge. Olivia and her Nosepass grab Caleb and I and drag us back off the stage. The blast will be too much.
Caleb's Litten jumps away from his spot but Skitty doesn't. The Blast is close to hitting him.
"Skitty! Dodge it now!"
Skitty didn't listen.
"No! Skitty!"
It what seemed like an eternity Skitty stood his ground. Skitty's tail flashed as he turned and swung his tail at the blast. A bright flash of light exploded from the connection of Skitty's tail and the blast. Then, in what surprised everybody, the Focus Blast was deflected up into the air. Skitty stood in his place unaffected by the attack.
Skitty began to charge before a Silvally jumped on the stage in front of Skitty.
Gladion appeared out of the Hotel and walked towards the stage.
"Tch tch tch. Guzma, you haven't changed one bit, huh?" He looked over at Castor and Iwika and scoffed.
"Little boy, Gladion. Are you going to be this brat's hero?"
"I'm no hero, Guzma."
Guzma chuckles. "No, no you aren't."
Gladion cocked his head and sighed. "Take your band of degenerates and leave. Now."
"Or what? What are you going to do?"
Gladion snickered, "You know full well my Silvally outclasses anything you can send my way. Now get out. Do not test my patience."
"Screw you!" Castor yells from behind Guzma. Guzma looks behind him displeased. He looks at me and then at Gladion.
Guzma recalls his Golisopod and tells Castor and Iwika to withdraw as well. They are reluctant to do so but abide anyways.
"Tell Lusamine I said hello," Guzma says to Gladion. Gladion's expression doesn't change. He just glares at Guzma who is smiling. Eventually Guzma and the rest of Team Skull leave.
Gladion recalls his Silvally and turns towards me. He looks at me for a bit as if he was studying me.
"Thank you," I say to him.
He looks over to Olivia who doesn't give away how she feels. There is a tension between them that I can't decipher.
He looked back at me and smiled slightly. Then he turned and left us. He likes to do that a lot. just leave without really saying goodbye.
"Well that was something," Olivia said out of nowhere.
Caleb and I dispersed from the stage with our Pokemon as Olivia tried to recapture the spirit of the festival. It was awkward for a bit but the people of Akala wouldn't let Team Skull ruin their night. They danced, sang, and battled the night away.
...
Caleb and I got in on some of the battling as well. Even Liko joined us. It was good to get some training in especially with my Oricorio and Grimer.
After the battles we went to a drinks vendor and got a nice fruit smoothie. Liko split from us because he was tired. At the time the festival was starting to die down, but even at 11 PM it was still going on. It was just a little more quaint than it was a couple hours ago.
Caleb and I went to the pier where only an elderly man was. He was with his Wingull sitting on a bench looking out towards the sea.
The Island where they were building the new Pokemon League was lit up as they built. The lights poured down from high poles onto the island. I was able to see something I hadn't seen before. That's when I reached into my backpack and grabbed my binoculars.
"Holy shit! Is that a Golem?" I asked. I turned and looked at Caleb who was smiling under his mask. "What in the incarnation happened to them?"
Caleb burst into laughter at my exuberance.
"Yeah, they look pretty weird compared to the Kanto form. They are electric/rock types here."
My jaw dropped. Caleb laughed again.
"Damn. That's cool. I want one."
Alolan Golem would scare my mother, for sure.
We sat by the pier for a little longer, enjoying the nice breeze. It was just before midnight when Caleb took off his mask and reached into his bag. He pulled on a little brown bag and held it in his hand for a bit.
Then he turned to me and handed it to me.
He looked nervous.
I opened the little bag and pulled out a necklace. I looked at it and felt my heart drop. My throat immediately closed.
The necklace was holding an ornament of a Sceptile.
"Happy Birthday, Cam." Caleb's voice rough but as sincere as can be.
The memories of my dad and his Sceptile rushed my through my brain. I wanted to cry. I would've cried normally. But I looked at Caleb, afraid to look at me, and smiled as I put the necklace around me. I took off my mask and placed it in my bag and hugged Caleb.
"Thank you," I said as I held him tightly.
That is when it became clear to me. I enjoyed hugging Caleb. It made me feel warm inside. I didn't feel alone.
But there was more to it. As I held him the idea of liking him entered my mind as a possibility. Maybe this is why I feel so lost sometimes with him. Maybe this is why I don't know who I am. I am different. I think.
I don't know. Still.
But I wasn't going to panic about it anymore. I'll have to talk to him about it. How and when? I don't know. With all the unknown there is one thing I did know; I was scared. Not panicked, but scared nevertheless.