I decided to separate this chapter into two parts. The latter part doesn't fit with the tone in the beginning, so I think I made the right decision separating it. It'll take a bit longer but I'll release the second part soon once I'm finished revising it. I rewrote it like four times already. This is a very important part so I want to get it just right.

June 28th

"You ready, John? We don't want to be late for the festival!"

"I think so," I responded from the bathroom, combing my hair. I wore my usual white button-up shirt, blue tie, and dress pants. I was meeting more people, so I should aim to make the best first impression possible. "What about you?"

"As ready as I'll ever be! Come on, you've been there for a while already!"

"Not everyone can be as good-looking as you, jerk!"

Kukui laughed at that. After adjusting my tie and slicking back my hair, I stepped out to see Kukui waiting for me, arms crossed. He was still in his same outfit as usual, making me raise an eyebrow.

"Do you ever wear a shirt?" I asked.

"Only in Unova and Kanto," Kukui said with a smirk. "We're in the summertime, John. In Alola. Why would I wear a shirt?"

Point taken. I wouldn't wear a shirt if I were as built as him.

"Got your citizenship card?" Kukui asked.

"Right here." I held up the piece of plastic from my new wallet proudly. It had taken another week and a half, but I barely passed the exam. My card had come just a few days ago so I didn't have to carry around a bunch of papers anymore.

Passing the test probably would've taken longer if Kukui hadn't sat me down and personally taught me everything. After our days at the pokemon school, he'd sit me down and conduct the crash course he'd been developing all this time for me. The college-like curriculum included everything pokemon that was common knowledge. This included household pokemon names in Alola and internationally, which pokemon you can use for rides, and more. He also taught me famous figures in power that I should know, like the champions of each region.

Eve barked at me from the top of the stairs. She kept jumping around, antsy.

"Just hold on a moment, girl," I said, avoiding her jumping at me when I reached the top. I didn't need her to topple me back down the stairs and break my spine. "Don't make me put you in the ball."

Eve whined at that. I just chuckled and picked her up, nestling her in my arms. "How far did you say Iki Town was, Kukui?"

"It's just a 30-minute walk," Kukui replied. We both exited his beach house. Kukui locked the door, and we went up the hill to a dirt path. "We can take the scenic route too. The tourists love the path to Iki Town as much as the town itself."

We kept following the dirt path underneath the orange glow of the evening sky.

"You've adjusted here pretty quickly," Kukui commented when we took a turn to climb a grassy hill. There usually were people around here at this time, but I guess they were all at the festival. "It's honestly kind of impressive."

I just shrugged my shoulders while reflecting on the passing weeks. Samson turned out to be a pleasant surprise. He did end up scheduling that meeting with the teachers about the bullying and gave the most brutal dressing down I have ever seen in my life. I definitely didn't take any vindictive pleasure in that brutal massacre. Not at all, I promise.

"That smile of yours is creepy, John," Kukui said, his face scrunched up in disgust. He leaned slightly away from me. "Why can't you smile normally?"

"My smile's fine, thank you very much."

"You look like you want to murder somebody," Kukui deadpanned. "What are you even thinking about?"

"Just the pokemon school. Being a volunteer hasn't been all that bad. Good to see that first day was just something that was out of the ordinary."

"The teachers coming in certainly lightened our workload," agreed Kukui. "I'm just glad Hau's doing okay after that whole fiasco."

I nodded. Hau and Hiroki were still awkward around each other. It was apparent that Hau hadn't forgiven Hiroki, and Hiroki didn't know what to do around Hau. I kept them separated for now. These things needed time before things could finally begin to heal. At least Hiroki didn't bully anyone anymore, so that was a significant improvement.

Hau also gushed about his grandfather whenever I talked with him. It wasn't hard to see that Hau saw him as his role model. I was just relieved that there wasn't anything suspicious with Hala and that Hau was perfectly comfortable with him.

We walked in a companionable silence after that. I passed by a bunch of exotic-looking flowers on the way. Upon closer inspection, I was startled when one of the flowers opened its eyes and glared at me.

"Shit!" I let out a small yelp when the pokemon flew away suddenly. Eve jumped from my arms and started sniffing the flowers suspiciously. Now that I had a better look, it was the same species of pokemon that Joy had with her. "They camouflage well like that!"

"They do. I forgot Comfey usually make their way to Melemele this time of year," Kukui said, watching more Comfey fly out of the flower patches. "They make good healers if trained properly and can be valuable in any team." Kukui paused. "Come to think of it, is there any pokemon you want to have, John?"

"Yeah. Nothing too specific, but I would like a decent psychic type," I answered. I watched with a small amount of amusement when the Comfey decided to link together in the air and do a little dance. It still kind of amazed me that there were pokemon that could fly without any need for wings or gliders. They just kind of have levitation for some reason.

Kukui narrowed his eyes at me. "That isn't for the reason I think it is, right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"John, we already discussed this. There are laws against psychics reading other people's minds and memories. Even then, only the strongest psychic types can do that."

"You can't just tell me that and expect me not to worry about it," I said, crossing my arms. "There could be that one crazy person that can forcefully mind-rape someone, consequences be damned. You also said those laws were only placed recently. Why weren't these safeguards put earlier?!"

"Mainly because a group of people were exploiting loopholes in previous laws to conduct unlawful checks in a few regions. The fear was only exacerbated when reports of a cloned pokemon in Kanto also manipulated people's memories, so the international community decided to clamp down hard on using psychic verification methods."

I blinked once. "Did you just say that a clone did that?"

"Yeah?"

"Like…true genetic cloning?"

"That's what it is."

"Cloning that could be done on humans and pokemon?"

"Theoretically, but it is still outlawed all the same." Kukui gave me a strange look. "Everything okay with you, John? You're acting kind of weird."

I just shook my head and tried to stop my racing thoughts. I walked on ahead of him. "Yup. Completely fine. 100% wonderful here."

This fucking world man…

The walk was uneventful after that. Kukui showed me all the tourist spots that were on the path and I'll admit, the sights were beautiful to look at.

There was a cliff face that Eve especially liked. The cliffside was surrounded by exotic flowers and held a clear ocean view with the sun slowly setting. The ocean reflected a ray of gold that traced into the horizon while the waves crashed below us. It was serene and calming. I could imagine myself lying down here and taking a nap, to be honest.

I made a note to return to this spot with Eve since it wasn't that long of a walk.

Soon, we saw a wooden arc over a set of stairs. A pair of torches were lit on either side.

"Looks like we made it on time!" Kukui said with a smile. "Come on! Everyone should be waiting for us now!"

We climbed up the steps into town. Iki Town was sleepy and homely if I had to describe it. They still had dirt paths for us to walk on. The homes were log cabins with tiled roofs. I could see a bright light within the windows of most of them. It was far too bright, ruling out candles. I guess you can't escape the throes of modernization completely.

There were many people here already, both tourists and townsfolk alike. The tourists outnumbered the natives. Not by much, but it was noticeable when you looked at how the tourists dressed stereotypically. The townsfolk had more traditional garb, on the other hand.

A few stalls were already set up with activities and food, which looked savory. I didn't eat dinner, so I'd be stopping by later.

"Kukui! John! You made it!" A familiar voice made us turn around. Samson was walking towards us, a garland of flowers around his neck and a straw hat on his head. He certainly looked festive. "Welcome to the Iki Town festival, John! I don't think you need any introduction, Kukui."

"Nope. This town was practically my second home for a while," Kukui chuckled. "Speaking of which, Hala still lives in that run-down shack?"

Kukui thumbed the largest building that was behind the massive stone plaza. Despite its large size, it was also made of wooden logs but looked more worn down than the other buildings. There were patches of planks on the walls and roof, suggesting that the building suffered a sizeable amount of disrepair at one point.

"You know it. He still won't allow us to install an electrical unit in it. Can you believe that!?" Samson started laughing. "Poor Hau must be suffering, living in such an archaic building."

"Oh, I can believe it," Kukui said. His words had a strange tone, and he was no longer smiling. "That's Hala, alright. Rigid and unbending as ever."

"You're telling me." Samson turned to me. "How have you been, John? We haven't spoken recently. I'm afraid our duties keep us apart despite working in the same building."

"Getting used to life," I answered with a shrug, ignoring the pang that went through my heart. Eve barked in agreement. "I'm starting to get the hang of the whole assistant thing. I hope to do more now that I have my citizenship."

"Congratulations on that, by the way." Samson leaned forward conspiratorially. "Did you have Kukui speed up the bureaucracy for ya?" he whispered loud enough for Kukui to hear.

"Alright, that's enough." Kukui pulled me away from the laughing principal. "There's still some stuff that I want to show John."

"Have fun, you two!" Samson called to us cheerily. Kukui just sighed.

"That old man gets too much into it sometimes," Kukui muttered. "Moving past that, the festival hasn't started yet, so why don't we get some food?"

We went to a stall that was serving a variety of meals. I was eating a vegetable skewer while Kukui was eating some dessert puff. Eve was gnawing on a chicken kabob on the ground.

Wait, was that meat made from pokemon?

I looked at the vegetable skewer that I had been eating. I had seen some pokemon that looked like flowers and even desserts. Was I eating a pokemon now? Did that technically count as me being a carnivore or omnivore?

…Actually, I don't want the answer to any of those questions. Better not to think about what I've been putting in my stomach for the past month.

"I missed this so much," Kukui moaned while shoving the whole confectionary in his mouth. I leaned away from the slightly gross display. "They taste exactly how I remember them."

"Hey, leave some as an offering for Tapu Koko!" the stall owner said with a pleased smile.

"You got it, my good man!" Kukui said cheerfully, giving the owner two finger guns as we left the stall.

"Tapu Koko?" I asked idly, looking at another stall while throwing my finished skewer in the trash. It seemed they were still setting up some sort of game.

"Oh! I didn't explain what this festival is about to you yet?" Kukui looked behind me and waved. "Why don't you explain it to him, Ilima?"

"Tapu Koko is the guardian of this island, Mr. Doe. Iki Town usually holds these festivals to appease and thank Tapu Koko for protecting us," Illima explained when I turned around in surprise. He gave us the Alolan wave. "It's nice to see you, Professor Kukui and Mr. Doe."

I nodded. Was this Tapu Koko a deity that the Alolan people worshipped? Though I had a weird relationship with religion, I'll admit it was interesting to see the different cultures of this world.

"Didn't expect to see you here," I commented. I noticed Ilima was still wearing his school uniform. It's good to see I wasn't the only one dressed unnecessarily formally for this event.

"You too, Mr. Doe," Ilima said with his serene smile. "You are new to Alola, yes? Enjoy yourself here. You won't find a culture like this anywhere else."

"Are you here by yourself?" I asked Ilima. I didn't notice anyone with him. "Where are your parents?"

Ilima's eyes dimmed. "Ah…they were too busy to come, unfortunately."

"Did you walk here by yourself then?" I asked with no small amount of concern. What kind of parents allowed their children to roam outside the city like this? Especially when wild pokemon wandered around?

"I assure you that I can handle myself, Mr. Doe," Ilima assured with a small amount of amusement. "Those on the island challenge have traveled the entire region when they were younger before."

"I heard about that," I said. I remember being floored that there was a rite of passage that children of 11 years go around the region to participate in trials. "But hasn't that been canceled for the past two years now?"

Ilima nodded grimly. "That's partially why I returned from my study abroad in Kalos. I originally wanted to stay longer but I realized Alola needed me more."

Kukui suddenly snapped his fingers. "Wait a minute! That's why you looked so familiar! You're Alola's normal clan heir! Nermal's son, right?"

Ilima nodded with a small smile. "Indeed I am. I didn't mean to hide it from you, but I wanted an unbiased learning experience at the pokemon school, so I purposefully asked Principal Oak to change up my records on file. I didn't want to be singled out for special treatment."

My eyes were wide. Ilima was some sort of defacto royalty around here? I had heard that there were ancient clans still around in Alola, who still commanded a majority of influence in the present. I didn't think that Ilima would be part of one of them.

Still, my respect for Ilima grew exponentially. To discard every advantage and take the hard path to prove that you could do it to any potential detractor. That deserved merit, even if it was something I'd never personally do.

"Though, I think that doesn't matter because the two of you are excellent teachers." Ilima bowed his head low towards us. "Professor Kukui and Mr. Doe, thank you very much for answering every question I had whenever I asked. It must've gotten annoying at one point, but you never refused me."

"Thank him," I said, pointing at Kukui. "I was just the messenger boy most of the time."

"You are too humble, Mr. Doe," Ilima said with a slight chuckle. "Whenever Professor Kukui wasn't present for volunteering, you'd make sure the information would be available to me the day after I asked. That must've taken a lot of time and research at night since some of the content I ask is high level, I assume."

I rubbed the back of my head in mild embarrassment. It wasn't like I was being entirely altruistic here. His questions gave me more direction in researching pokemon, so I was also learning alongside him.

After teaching him for two weeks and seeing his drive to learn, I was confident about one thing.

Ilima was the type of student professors would kill to have as an assistant.

"I would ask that you continue keeping this a secret. I don't want my peers to treat me differently," Ilima said with his finger on his lips.

"You won't hear a peep out of us," Kukui promised, miming zipping his lips. "However, there is one question I must ask now that I know who you are." There was a strange gleam in Kukui's eyes. He looked greedy for the answer. Ilima looked like he was expecting this and made a motion to continue. "Have you challenged the totem pokemon for the right to become a trial heir of Melemele yet?"

Ilima's smile became brittle. "Ah…I would if I knew where the totem pokemon was. It escaped from our scouts a while back, and we're having trouble locating it."

Kukui frowned. "Hala hasn't ordered a search party?"

"He refuses to acknowledge it. The normal clan has filed many complaints, but they were all unanswered."

Kukui growled slightly. "That old fool…"

A horn blared. We turned to the plaza to find Hala standing on top of it. Hau was right next to him, clutching his jacket.

"Everyone! May I have your attention!?" The festival-goers started gathering in front of the stone tiles, us included. When it seemed that everyone was paying attention, Hala continued. "I must thank you all for showing up!"

There were cheers abound. I was pushed from side to side while the attendees went wild.

"Once again, this festival wouldn't exist without you all here! Make sure to take some food and leave enough for an offering for Tapu Koko at the end!" More whooping and cheers ensued. "Before I let you loose to enjoy all of the stalls, I just have one thing I want to say."

The crowd went silent when Hala gently brought Hau out in front of him. The boy looked on the ground and tightly grasped the hem of his shirt. Hala put his hands on the child's shoulders and steeled his expression. "My grandson, Hau, recently turned nine years old." There were a few congratulations called out from the crowd. "Seeing him turn another year older has caused me to reflect on many things in my life. My wife passed away a long time ago. My daughter, Hau's mother, was also tragically taken away from us when Hau was just a baby."

The crowd was listening with rapt attention. Hala continued. "Going through another year without them made me reflect on the many mistakes I have made in my life. If there is one thing I want you all to take from this story, you shouldn't ever neglect your family. This festival is as much about honoring your family and friends as it is thanking Tapu Koko for protecting us so that we can enjoy those luxuries. And enjoy those luxuries you should. Never take your family and home for granted. Live life with them as much as possible because you never know when they could be taken away from you. That is all that I wish to say. Now enjoy yourself!"

If the crowd was rowdy before, they were deafening now with screams and cheers. I just stood there silently while everyone else jumped around me. The sounds around me became muted until they merged into tinnitus in my ears.

Friends and family, huh…

I didn't realize I walked away until someone tapped my shoulder. I saw a little kid holding a large camera with a photo dispenser behind me, his expression hopeful.

"Excuse me, mister! Do you want me to take a picture of you and your pokemon?" the kid asked with a slight lisp.

Eve barked at me enthusiastically. She looked like she wanted one badly. Who was I to deny her wishes?

"Alright. How much for it?"

"Five pokedollars, mister!"

I handed over the currency and walked over to Eve. I knelt beside her while she put her paws on my knee. Her furry cheek was pressed against my smooth one. There was a flash, and a photo was dispensed out of the slit of the camera.

"Thanks." I took the picture from the kid and gave it a look. The black picture soon brightened to show a picture of me and Eve. Eve barked in happiness while I slightly frowned.

I dug through my pocket until I pulled out the picture of Silva and me. Idly, I compared the two images.

…They really did look similar. I was in the same pose that I did with Silva. Of course, Silva was larger than Eve, so I wasn't leaning down as much, but both of their cheeks were pressed to mine in the same way. I was even wearing similar clothing in both of them.

"John? Are you okay?" Kukui asked, his voice uncharacteristically soft. I didn't realize he was by my side.

"Huh? Why do you ask?" I looked at him, pocketing both pictures. Why was my vision so blurry all of a sudden?

"It's just…well…" He gestured around his eyes.

I touched the area around my eyes and found moisture building up. I whirled around instantly, wiping my eyes with my sleeve furiously. Eve pawed my pants, whining in distress.

"I-I'm fine. That was just…I didn't…" I looked down at the ground while my fists trembled. "I'm fine."

Kukui gripped my shoulder firmly but didn't say anything. He stood with me in quiet solidarity while I tried to gather my composure.

This was just all sorts of embarrassing. Why did Kukui have to be the one to catch me in my moment of weakness?

"...Thanks," I said to him quietly. I kneeled to Eve. "Sorry for worrying you, girl. I was just thinking about some memories."

Eve looked at me, her eyes shining. She nosed my forehead while I wrapped my arms around her back, sharing an awkward hug.

"I don't want to pry, But the offer I made you the day we met still stands," Kukui said in that same soft tone. "If you need to talk about anything, you can come to me."

I nodded slowly, still not trusting my voice. Kukui gave me a small smile.

"We're at a festival right now." Kukui gestured to all the stalls and activities that were set up. It seemed they were taking customers now. "It would be a disservice to all of them if we didn't try them out at least once."

"Shouldn't you talk to Hala?" I croaked. I hated how hoarse my voice sounded.

Kukui looked nervously at where Hala was standing. "That can always wait. Let's forget about our worries and have some fun right now," he said a bit too quickly. Kukui held his hand out to me.

I looked between his hand and at the stalls. I took it. "Let's do it."

And have fun we did. The two of us tried out all the available stalls. Kukui was comically bad at every game he played. Or he was purposefully throwing. Ilima had found us at one point, and we invited him over since he was all alone. Ilima ended up destroying us in every game after that. The only game that Kukui had both of us beat was Magikarp fishing, where we had to use nets to catch a flopping Magikarp. Somehow, the professor was able to capture every slippery bastard.

Either way, it was a great time. For a small moment, I forgot about all my circumstances and just let loose. After trying to disguise my lack of knowledge and background for so long, curbing rumors about me at the pokemon school, and just trying to learn about this enormous world, I needed a break from it all. The festival was the perfect distraction. I could worry about the next day later. Now was the time to focus on catching that damn piece of shit Magikarp!

The evening soon turned to night, and the only light source we got was from the numerous torches surrounding the plaza. Most of the tourists had already left, leaving only the locals to enjoy the end of the festival.

"You should've seen your face," Kukui teased, holding a large plushie of a Stufful. "You looked like you were about to strangle that stall owner when that Magikarp jumped out of your net and slapped you in the face."

"Those things don't make sense!" I hissed. My cheek was slightly red from the tail slap I so courteously received from that overgrown Karp. "How do they even jump that high?! The forward momentum and muscle power needed don't correlate!"

"Magikarp's only useful ability is its jumping power," Ilima chimed in. "If they didn't have that, I'm sure they would have gone extinct long ago."

I just grumbled and decided to change the topic. "What are you going do with all that?" I asked, tilting my head at the filled sack of plushies he held.

"I'll probably donate it to Melemele's Aether Orphanage. The children there would want it more than me. I already have enough."

This kid was just a little saint-in-training, wasn't he?

"Well, isn't that nice! Let me help you out with that!" Kukui put his Stufful plushie in Ilima's bag.

Another horn was blown. All of the remaining festivalgoers turned to the plaza once more. I held Eve in my arms so she didn't get trampled while everyone went to the plaza again.

"I hope you all enjoyed the festival!" The locals cheered in response. "We are ready to wrap things up with two remaining events. We still need to make our offerings to Tapu Koko, but before that, let's entertain our deity with our timely-honored tradition of a pokemon battle! Who here is brave enough to rise to the challenge?"

I hid myself away in the swarm of raised hands. I noticed Eve squirming in my arms as if she wanted to participate. I didn't know why she wanted to fight so badly, but I wasn't about to risk anything in front of all these people.

Ilima stepped forward immediately, his hand raised. Hala noticed him immediately.

"Ah! Ilima, come forward, lad!" Ilima stepped on the plaza. "Anyone want to challenge this young man?" Hala pointed at one person in the crowd. "How about you, Ernest?"

"Sure, I'll try it," one person said with a cocky tone. "It shouldn't be that hard."

"Be careful, Ernest. I wouldn't underestimate Ilima," Hala warned. Ernest just shrugged and stepped on the plaza.

Kukui just chuckled while I frowned. I should've expected that since Ilima was a shining example of a student, he would also be a proficient battler. However, I couldn't deny my curiosity about what pokemon Ilima had. He never showed them off at school.

The two of them faced each other. Both palmed their pokeballs while the audience waited with bated breaths.

"Trumbeak! Show them why we're the strongest in Iki Town!" Ernest threw his pokeball, and a slightly big bird with a multi-colored beak came out, squawking. I discreetly opened my pokedex and found out it was the evolved version of Pikipek, the pokemon Kukui showed me the first day we met.

"Eevee, show them the fruits of our training!" A brown, fox-like creature jumped in front of Ilima. It looked absolutely adorable and not at all ready for a death match.

"This will be a quick one-on-one battle," Hala said, raising his hand. He chopped down. "Begin!"

"Let's end this quickly with Peck!" The Trumbeak's beak started glowing white before he dived towards Eevee.

"Do a little side hop!" Ilima shouted. The little fox barely jumped to the side, letting the bird miss his jab right next to it. "Counter with Quick Attack!"

Eevee jumped forward with speed, slamming straight into the bird's side. Trumbeak fell with a cry, rolling across the plaza.

"Lucky hit," Ernest grumbled. "Shake that off, Trumbeak! Hit em' with the Echoed Voice!"

"Baby-doll Eyes to weaken the attack!" Eevee's eyes instantly shined pink. The Trumbeak's throat muscles slackened, but the attack was still unleashed. Eevee skidded back from the force of the soundwaves but looked relatively unharmed. "Quick Attack again!"

Eevee shot across the field in another unnatural burst of speed and nailed Trumbeak straight in its gut. Once more, the bird fell back with a cry of pain.

Ernest growled. "Take to the air and use Supersonic!"

Trumbeak flapped its wings and shot to the sky. The bird's throat bulged once again.

"As if I'll let you do that! Interrupt Supersonic with Swift!" Ilima commanded.

Glowing stars surrounded Eevee's body. Ernest started to panic.

"Cancel Supersonic and try to defend yourself!" Ernest shouted to no avail. The projectiles assailed the Trumbeak. It took me a moment to realize those stars were practically the pokemon's version of homing missiles. No matter how hard Trumbeak tried to navigate them, he either got clipped by the stars one way or another.

After his failed escape from the stars, Trumbeak crashed on the ground, unmoving. Ernest returned Trumbeak with some grumbling while Eevee hopped in Ilima's arms for a hug.

"And there you have it folks! The victory goes to Ilima! This goes to show you why you shouldn't underestimate youngsters like him! Everyone is equal on the battlefield!"

Ernest held his Trumbeak and glared at Ilima. "Kid just got lucky. I only went easy because this was a festival."

"We're welcome to have another battle later if you want?" Ilima offered, holding his hand out to the seething man.

Ernest ignored the offered handshake. "You won't win next time."

He stormed off and mingled with the crowd. The crowd cheered while Ilima took a bow. Eve barked excitedly, squirming in my arms.

Ilima stepped down from the plaza and walked over to where I was. He looked up at me with an expectant smile. "How did you think I did, Mr Doe?"

I gave him a nod. I didn't want to give him my true thoughts on the matter. "You gave that man the run-around. Not your first battle?"

"I've done some battling back in Kalos," Ilima answered with a shrug. He looked a little frustrated. "I'm not satisfied with easy wins, however. The people I've battled in school or around the area aren't enough. I feel like I've reached a plateau in my skill level and don't know how to break past it."

Seeing Ilima looking this frustrated looked wrong. He could usually figure out things quickly, so this issue must have plagued him for a long time.

I clenched my fist in my pockets. Should I give him advice? But then he'd battle more. But in this society, battling determines status. I would be stifling him due to my preconceptions.

Damned if I do. Damned if I don't.

In the end, I went with my gut instinct.

"I think you're casting your net a bit too short, Ilima," I said. Ilima tilted his head at me, his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, so I elaborated. "You've only ever battled the people in front of you, right? You've never sought challenges for yourself?"

"I've been too busy with my studies to consider such a thing," Ilima confessed. "I've tried to get stronger wherever possible, but I always prioritized my learning."

"Reading books is fine, but you'll learn more if you look at the wider world," I explained. "Don't get stuck in your head. Meeting new people and experiencing more events outside the school will broaden your horizons. I'm sure if you use the pokenet, there'll be some resource that will help you out."

Ilima hummed, deep in thought. I continued. "You have to evaluate which is more important to you now. Even then, make sure to take breaks too. You're still young. Someone like you shouldn't have to do all this soul-searching yourself."

"Good advice, John," Kukui said with a smile. "You sound like you're talking from experience."

I stayed silent. Ilima looked up at me, his earlier frustration gone.

"I agree with the Professor, Mr. Doe. Thank you for imparting this lesson to me," Ilima said with another bow. For defacto royalty, he bowed a lot. "I'll make sure to think upon what you said."

I shifted my feet uncomfortably. I didn't deserve his praise. Not when the advice I had given him was something I sparsely followed myself. "Loosen up a little. We're at a festival." I said.

"Speaking of which…" Kukui looked over at the end of the plaza. Hala was standing at the end with his arms crossed. Hau was still clutching at his jacket. He gave me an enthusiastic wave, which I returned. "I need to speak with Hala. I delayed this long enough." He patted my shoulder, though I noticed his hand shaking slightly. "Give an offering for Tapu Koko for me!"

Kukui jogged towards Hala. I saw everyone gathering food scraps and other items while lining up at the plaza. A bonfire had already been set up on the plaza. "Hey, mind telling me what I'm supposed to do now?"

"We're now giving offerings to Tapu Koko. Get something you have eaten already and offer it on the bonfire," Ilima explained. "Since you're a citizen here, you should practice this too."

Ilima went to the line while I tried to find the stall owner I was at previously. After acquiring another vegetable skewer and the dessert Kukui was eating earlier, I entered the line. There were many people, so I knew I would be here for a while.

Each person took their own sweet time on the plaza, muttering prayers. A few dancers chanted and circled the plaza as the bonfire blazed on.

I was never one for traveling since I was on a tight budget 90% of the time back in my world, so seeing rituals like these was a surreal experience. Not bad, per se. I was enjoying myself, seeing all the festivities.

I saw Ilima standing at the plaza when it was his turn. He dropped some food and muttered a prayer himself. He saw me within the line and gave me a wave.

I was halfway across the line when I felt a firm grip on my shoulder. I turned and looked up to see Hala. Eve started growling and hid behind my legs.

"It's good to see you and Kukui made it," Hala said cheerfully. His grip on my shoulder was tight. I was hoping that he wouldn't offer me a handshake. I don't think my fingers would survive round two. "For a second, I was worried you two wouldn't show up!"

"I recently became a citizen, so it would be pretty ignorant of me not to," I responded, trying to hide my discomfort. "You organized this pretty well. I had a lot of fun seeing and participating in everything." Eve growled again, making me frown and kneel to her. "What is up with you, girl? You are being very rude right now."

"Don't mind her. I don't think I will ever get on her good side," Hala said with a hearty laugh. "I appreciate your attitude, John. It's nice to see someone taking the culture of Alola seriously." Hala paused, and his grip on my shoulder softened. "Hau has nothing but praise for you. Thank you for taking care of him at school."

I resisted the urge to narrow my eyes. Did Hau tell Hala about his bullying, or was this something else?

"It's nothing. I'm just doing my job." I looked around him. "Where's Kukui? I thought he wanted to talk to you?"

"I asked him for a quick favor," Hala answered. A bit too quickly. "Now, I know that the two of you are very busy. Why don't I let you get your offerings done so that the two of you can leave quickly?"

I looked at the line, shortening at a snail's pace. "You sure? Won't your folks get mad that I'm getting a free pass?"

"I'm positive. Everyone here loves Kukui. They'll understand if I grant this boon his assistant."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Well, if you're offering. Thanks for this."

"Before I take you, might I ask you to do something?" Hala dug through his clothes and opened his palm in front of me. A small wooden idol sat cleanly in his hand. I could tell it was expertly carved. It was perfectly symmetrical and smooth, with no stray wood chips sticking out. "Add this to your offering, John. Since you are new here, I want you to have the best possible first impression. Offering these idols to Tapu Koko is very important to us, and I want you to have the honors."

I gingerly took the idol from him, balancing it away from the skewer. "Alright. I'll make sure to do that. Is there anything I should do when I'm at the plaza?"

"Just drop your offerings in the bonfire and speak your deepest wish in your mind. That is all."

My deepest wish. I didn't even know what that was.

Hala took me to the plaza. I thought the people in line would be annoyed, but they gave me bright smiles instead. A few even recognized me as Kukui's assistant with excitement.

I was climbing up the plaza's steps before I crouched near Eve. "Why don't you stay with Ilima for a bit, girl? I'll be right back."

Eve whined but obeyed. She hopped down from the steps and bounded towards Ilima. The young student gave me a thumbs-up and ruffled her fur.

I approached the bonfire with my vegetable skewer and the wooden idol. The heat from the flames in the steel bowl warmed my face as I dropped both in the flames. The bonfire grew larger for a quick second before calming. There were cheers when I dropped the idol in, which I ignored. I clapped my hands together and closed my eyes, concentrating on my thoughts.

Memories flitted throughout my mind's eye. I saw the people that I cared about in clear detail.

I saw my mother, who had sacrificed so much for us when our financial situation wasn't ideal, so we could experience the comforts the other kids my age had. I'd never be able to pay her back.

I saw my older brother, who had sacrificed his opportunity for higher education to make sure I would get one instead. He had been a little dumb, but that was his charm, and he never resented me whenever I taught him something he didn't understand. I'd never be able to teach him more science like he had always wanted to learn.

I saw my beloved professor, who had taught me that dreams could be reached. I immediately banished his image away. I didn't deserve to think about him. Not after what I did. Not after I had lost the chance to apologize by coming here.

And lastly, I saw my beloved Silva. The dog who got me through my dark times with his playful smile. He was part of the reason I was in this situation, but I could never blame him. Not when he was always trying so hard for my sake. I could only hope he found a new owner who cared for him better than I ever could.

I realized my wish now.

I wish…that I could go home. Back to the good old days.

A lightning bolt struck the bonfire in front of me, causing me to fly away and slam at the plaza's edge.

There were a lot of screams and shouts. The ash cloud kicked up in front of me made me cough violently. Through the stinging of my eyes, I saw a shadow of a floating figure in the ash cloud.

"So. You are the one I have been sensing all this time." A deep voice said, its disembodied tone rattling within my skull. Red eyes shone through the debris cloud. "Come, Outworlder. It is time for your judgment."

A/N: A god has descended. Things are about to go down.