The next morning I got up early and decided to get some food for us, leaving Skitty behind. But not before I took a stroll to enjoy the early morning ambiance.
In doing so I came across the beach that starts route 15. To the north I see a Pokemon Center and a couple of trailers. Most of all I see Team Skull thugs walking about on the beach like they own the place.
"I hate those cretins," a girl in purple says as she looks up to the north as well.
"Yeah, same," I say calmly.
The girl looks at me and introduces herself as Acerola.
"I see you are a trial-goer. Have you faced Mimikyu yet?"
I shook my head. She chuckled lightly as she waved for me to follow her. We walked back towards Tapu Village and walked towards the south. She brought me to this road that was badly damaged. This entire route looks like it was bombed.
This must be what I heard Tapu Bulu did. Damn, I really hope I don't get on it's bad side.
"There is an abandoned megamart a little bit down the path. Go inside and battle Mimikyu. Oh and get a picture of it. That's your task."
I rolled my eyes.
"Wow, you guys really ran out of ideas for trials, huh?"
"Hey! I resent that!" Acerola shot back.
I apologized after realizing that she was the one who came up with the trial. Whoops.
Anyways I took my somewhat tired self and went to the Mart. The path there was a little dangerous but short nevertheless. The mart, however, was scary. There were multiple ghost Pokemon playing with the goods inside and when they saw me they stopped doing what they were doing.
The chills that went up my spine when all of them looked at me nearly made me leave. they stared at me for like 15 seconds until they went back to doing whatever they were doing before I walked in.
That's when I saw this little Pokemon that looks like Pikachu. It caught me looking at it and ran away so I followed. I followed it all the way towards the back of the store. I was finally able to take a picture of it. That's when it just stood in front of me like it was waiting.
I looked around the store and realized the ghost Pokemon were also watching me.
This is fine.
"Go Toxapex!"
Might as well see what I got going for me with this Pokemon.
"Poison Sting," I order Toxapex to use. The poison sting hits Mimikyu whom just sits there and takes the hit. Then I hear an alarming noise come from it and a shadow appears behind Toxapex. Toxapex is hit with whatever that attack was.
I tell Toxapex to use bite but it doesn't move. Instead Toxapex uses Poison Sting again. Mimikyu dodges and gazes at Toxapex.
I tell Toxapex to use Poison Jab but instead it goes to bite Mimikyu. Mimikyu dodges and uses Shadow Claw sending Toxapex back a few feet.
"Dammit Toxapex. Would you listen to me! Use Scald!" Toxapex looks back towards me and then at Mimikyu. Just as it's warming up an attack a shadow appears behind it again.
"Slide to the left now!" Toxapex dodges the attack and looks at me briefly. Then it hits Mimikyu with a Scald attack and then a Poison Jab.
A loud noise erupted from Mimikyu as it glared at Toxapex and me. Then out of nowhere it ran and disappeared.
"Congra-"
I jump up and scream as someone speaks.
Panting, I yell, "What the hell, Acerola!? Don't sneak up on me like that!"
She lets out a boisterous laugh and then clears her throat. "Oh boy you should've seen your face. Hehe."
I run out of the Megamart after a Haunter yells in my ear scaring me even more. Acerola follows me and continues to laugh at my expense.
"Boy, you sure do frighten easy."
"I hate ghosts," I say gasping for air.
"Anyways. I was going to say, before you screamed like a baby, congrats for completing the trial. Now you can face Nanu, the Kahuna of Ula'Ula Island."
I rolled my eyes and didn't say anything. I took the emblem she handed me and placed it on my amulet and walked away.
"Hey! Where are you going?" she wailed. "How rude!"
I ignored her because I really just wanted to get away from that mart. When I got back up to Tapu Village she was right behind me huffing and puffing.
"You can't say thank you?!" Her face was a shade of red. She stood in front of me with her hands on her hips and pouted.
"Thank you. Can I go?"
"Gosh. You are so rude."
She storms off in the direction of Route 15 and I tentatively walk over to the Malasada shop to get some breakfast. To be honest, I'd probably be nicer if I had eaten breakfast.
So I got a few orders of Malasada and went up to the Hotel room where Caleb was throwing on some clothes. Yes, I got a look at his body and yes I felt terrible about it.
"Where were you?" he asked with a tired smile on his face.
"Got breakfast," I say holding up the bag of Malasada.
"Was it busy?"
I shook my head as I placed the 5 bowls on the table up against the wall. I shot a message over to Lana telling her to come on by for breakfast.
"Then what took you so long? I've been up for a half hour and you haven't been here."
"Oh I kinda got caught completing the trial nearby."
He tilted his head, "Without me?" he asked sarcastically. "Gees, some friend you are." The smirk betrays his words causing me to lightly chuckle.
Lana walks in an bellows a yawn.
Last night after the library I was constantly wondering how Lana seems to know what happened 4 years ago. Yeah, she's slightly older than Caleb and I but it's weird. She just seems like a typical trainer.
She knows about Team Skull, Sol, and this Nihilego thing. But she doesn't seem like she should. So who the hell is she? I also don't trust her following Caleb and I.
...
After Caleb took on Acerola's trial we spent the rest of the day and evening relaxing at Tapu Village. It was really good to just relax with all of our Pokemon out of their Pokeballs. Well, Lana didn't let hers out, which I thought was strange but that's Lana.
After dinner Acerola invited us over to her home which happened to be in this large white building. She said it was the Aether House. Gladion had given her full control over it. Acerola homes injured Pokemon and takes care of them.
Up at the top floor of the building we all sat around listening to music, singing and just having a good time. Well except for Skitty. Skitty was being Skitty and picking on Oricorio. Skitty kept poking at Oricorio and getting it agitated.
I tried to reprimand Skitty but Skitty is a devious shit. That's when Grimer acted on it's own volition and engulfed Skitty in it's sludge. When Grimer spat Skitty out Skitty had sludge dripping all over it. Lana and I laughed at Skitty while Caleb just smiled.
"Hey do you guys want anything from the cafe?" Caleb asks.
We all decline.
"Do you want me to come?" I ask him.
He smiles and declines by joking that he isn't 5 years old and doesn't need his mommy to walk him everywhere. I rolled my eyes and snickered.
A couple minutes later there was a lull in the music. Acerola was sitting with her Sableye, so I decide to walk over and apologize for being rude earlier. She graciously accepted.
"So are you nervous about competing in the Pokemon League?"
"I don't even know if I'll make it to the Tournament."
Acerola chuckled. "Oh please. You don't think I know who you are?" She chuckled again at my bemused face. "Gladion told me that you are a fantastic trainer. You and your friend actually."
"He did? You speak to Gladion?" I ask her.
"Mhm. He helps me out here. He told me last week you'd make your way here. It wasn't an accident that we were both at the beach this morning."
I'm going to ignore the fact that I feel a little uncomfortable with being watched and just go with it.
"Why would he tell you about me in the first place?"
Her face slightly dropped from her usual peppy self. "He was worried. He said Team Skull has it out for you."
It was strange to have someone else other than my mother or Caleb worry about me. I never even thought Gladion would. Nor do I understand why. He is truly an odd guy that I just can't quite understand.
We hear a screech from outside, which sounded like a Pokemon, and ran over to the window. We looked down and watched as a white boat made it's way through Route 15 to Route 16. Nothing at ground level seemed off so we went back to the couch.
"Has Gladion always been a mysterious person?"
She chuckled and nodded her head.
"Why?" I ask.
"Because that's how he is. His family is one big mess. He doesn't have anybody. I mean he has Silvally but, I mean, it's a Pokemon."
He's alone.
"He used to work with Team Skull."
"What?"
She nods her head affirming that I heard her right. "He was a paid-for mercenary of sorts. He broke rank quickly and helped take down Team Skull in the end."
"I see." It makes more sense but it's still odd learning more and more of the connections between him and Guzma.
Honestly, everything that I've learned the last couple days has been insane. Alola's past is one big clusterfuck and I'm not even close to understanding it. There is something that is missing that'll connect all of these pieces but I don't know what. Everything I've learned is interconnected like a web but there is no center point. It's a little disconcerting when trying to understand it.
Someone comes up from the elevator panting and tries to get Acerola's attention.
"A kid...um Team Skull. They kidnapped him."
I looked over at Lana and like a bolt of lightning I realized that Caleb hadn't come back. Before I asked the man if it was Caleb he said there was a severely injured Torracat at the Pokemon Center.
That was all I needed to know.