Pokémon Radiant Sun
Alright, so I'm following up last chapter with one that I think ended up being pretty good and is much longer.
Updates may be a day later than I would like for a little while, since I'm working considerably more hours than I'm used to at my job and on top of that, I'm beginning work on one of my other stories that I have been admittedly been neglecting for a bit. That said, I'm proud to announce that this has become my primary story on this site, and will continue to get weekly updates and all that good stuff, at least until I find out whether or not this Air Force thing will work out.
However, should I be able to go and enlist (something that I've wanted to do for years), rest assured I'll be taking several measures that will ensure fairly consistent updates while I'm away from things, because I'd rather not let people wait for several months for chapters if I don't have to.
In other news, I'm debating just doing a Q and A thing in at the end of the chapter from now on just to handle all of the questions I get asked. I'm also tempted to drop some kind of hint about Sun's team, since that gets asked about a lot…
But then I remember that spoilers suck, so yeah, not happening anytime soon. Sorry folks, but I'm not budging on that bit. Loving the constant suggestions and recommendations by people, though. Its always fun hearing people's thoughts on potential team members and the like. I'm hoping that the team I have crafted will be one that meets people's expectations, because I spent a lot of time getting this thing right. Even if the naming thing still gives me trouble.
Fun fact, I named Penny after my Pikipek in my first runthrough of Pokémon Sun. Though I named her Penelope then, I just nicknamed her Penny for short in this since I kept misspelling Penelope like an idiot.
More fun name facts to come! Also, let me know if a Q and A thing should be implemented, because again, at this point, it may just be necessary. Again, feel free to guess how things will work out. You'll get your answers sooner or later.
Shoutout to the fantastic people who reviewed since last update, which includes danlagunas14, Cottonmouth25, Dunka99, and Sai Og Sus, as well as two new reviewers in the form of a new guest reviewer known as NullSilver2005 and a new reviewer known as Ignac0. Thank you so much for your support!
Enjoy.
Chapter 12: Hau and Lillie's Magical Tour of Wonder
"I don't know about you two, but I'm ready for a nice walk around Hau'oli. Especially that lovely beach they have, bzzzt!" Rotom piped up as Sun and Lillie caught up with Hau, who was chatting with a woman animatedly.
Sun took in the sights around him, feeling a bit awed at the sight of the massive skyscrapers ahead of him reaching into the air. A long road stretched alongside the beach, extending outwards further than he could see. The city expanded outwards from there, and Sun realized it was quite a bit bigger than he first assumed. The boy then turned his attention back to Hau.
"This guy has no off-switch, does he?" Sun said to Lillie as Hau then decided to run ahead further and sprinted down to the beach, splashing in the crystal clear water and laughing giddily. Lillie simply replied with a little smile and continued walking.
"BEACH TIME! YEAAAAHHH!" Hau bellowed, throwing his arms apart with a laugh while every single person on the beach just stared at him like he was crazy.
"Seriously…Come on, Hau…" Sun muttered, feeling a bit embarrassed to be travelling with the excitable child at the moment. Lillie actually laughed that time before a voice caught both of their attentions.
"Hey, you!"
Sun turned around and saw a woman walking towards him, wearing a friendly smile. "You don't look like you're from around here. I bet you came from somewhere pretty far away, huh?"
"Yep. Celadon City, in the Kanto region." Sun replied with a smile of his own.
"Well, if that's the case, then let me teach you something really important to help you out! It's the proper way to greet someone in Alola." The woman did a brief demonstration, extending her arms and hands out and waving at Sun with both arms while saying, "Alola!"
"Is that it?" Sun asked, after repeating the gesture back to the woman.
"Yep! It's just that easy! Anyways, you have fun here in Alola. See you around!" the woman waved to Sun and Lillie, walking past them and heading into one of the nearby buildings.
"There is quite a few people about." Sun noted, looking at the packed beach not too far away.
"Well, this is the biggest city in Alola. There's plenty of tall buildings, a Stadium, a few parks and stuff too. It's not as big as Saffron or Castelia, but it's pretty neat though! It even has its own tourist bureau!" Rotom explained as he floated around the child before flying into his backpack.
"That's right." Sun looked over a Lillie, who had been listening silently. "Hau'oli City is quite a large and heavily populated city. It has two Pokémon Centers dedicated to it completely, as well as a large variety of stores and restaurants for both locals and tourists to enjoy. You really couldn't have picked a better place to settle down at in Alola…" Lillie thought about it for a moment before adding, "The other cities and towns are nice too, of course!"
"Noted. Now, what should we go see first?" Sun asked before another voice called out to him. Hau had somehow gotten behind them and wrapped an arm around both children's shoulders, grinning ear to ear.
"Heya! Look at the buildings and the beaches, Sun! Hau'oli sure is something, eh? Ain't no better place to live than Alola!" Hau laughed as he hung off of their shoulders.
"Debatable. Kanto's my home and I know it's pretty great. I've also heard that Kalos is nice too, but I'll have to give it to this place for a strong first impression." Sun admitted with a grin.
"That said, you two are way too slow. We'll never give Sun a proper tour at this rate!" Hau lamented, closing his eyes in mock distress.
"Hau, we arrived at the city in the late afternoon. We weren't expecting to give Sun a full tour…Just the highlights would have been nice." Lillie said to the eager boy.
"Well, it would take a while to explore the whole city. Especially since you both walk so slow…How about we just explore the inner city today and check out the Shopping District and the Marina later?" Hau said to Lillie and Sun.
"You're the experts. I'm fine with whatever." Sun shrugged, looking over at Lillie, who seemed somewhat uncomfortable with Hau hanging off of her now.
"I suppose that could work. Though if we plan on staying in this city for a little while, we should book rooms at the Pokémon Center. Though I'll admit I'm unsure if we'd be able to get rooms, since this city is pretty lively and gets a great deal of trainers coming through it…" Lillie trailed off, unsure.
"We can head there first. I'm just kinda doing whatever, at the moment, so I'll just tag along with you two if you're alright with that!" Hau said cheerfully.
"Well, let's make our way to the Pokémon Center. After that, we can do a bit of looking around before retiring for the night. I'm not a fan of being out in the city late at night." Lillie admitted quietly, putting a hand on Nebby's bag just to get her point across.
"No worries, Lillie. I wouldn't let anything happen to you!" Hau promised, separating from the two of them and giving the girl a wide grin.
"I know, Hau…But I still want to be careful," Lillie said quietly.
"We'll both keep an eye out, OK?" Sun chimed in, looking at the both of them. "Now let's get going. We're burning daylight."
The trio looked at the sun in the sky and after a quick check of the time, saw that it wasn't even three hours until sundown. With that, the trio set off towards the Pokémon Center…before Hau immediately sidetracked them.
"Hey, look at that!" Hau bounded ahead and pointed at a large and colorfully decorated building. Flowers and colorful signs hung on the window, showing off pictures of people and Pokémon with happy expressions on their faces.
"Hey Sun. Come in here with me real quick. I've got a good idea of something cool you could do!" Sun started in surprise as Hau grabbed his wrist and excitedly pulled him into the building while Lillie watched on in bemusement.
"Pew?"
Lillie looked down at the Cosmog staring up at her. She reached into the peg and scratched Nebby's head, making the Pokémon coo happily. Lillie smiled at that before looking towards the building her two peers had gone into and said, "Yeah, Nebby…Some things never change."
Sun managed to yank his wrist away from Hau by the time they got up to the counter of the building, where a receptionist was watching the two of them with a smirk on her face.
"Hey, miss! Is it true that you can get a special gift from here if you have a Rotom Dex?" Hau asked the woman.
"Well, aren't you the well-informed one?" the woman remarked, her smirk becoming a smile. "You'd be right, young man. Barely anyone has a Rotom Dex right now, but we do have a special item for those lucky few who do have one. Professor Kukui sent some items out to us just last week, since he's going to be promoting the Rotom Dex and offering it to more and more trainers in the upcoming months."
The woman bent down and pulled out a large box. She opened it and took out a small red lens-like device. She asked for Sun's Rotom Dex, which he handed over to the woman at the counter. After a few moments of fiddling with it, she had the new item attached to the Rotom Dex.
"This is a Poké Finder. Gotta say, it's a pretty awesome bit of hardware for just a Pokédex." The woman at the counter remarked, flashing them both a smile.
"Wow, that's so awesome!" Hau said excitedly, looking down at Rotom. "So what does it do? I only heard about it, but not what it does exactly."
"The Poké Finder is a special tool that lets you take photos. It's designed for taking pictures of Pokémon, but it functions just like a regular camera as well, so it can take pictures of whatever, in all honesty. Rotom should be able to point out areas where you can get a good picture."
"So, so cool. Look at you, Rotom! It's like you have a whole 'nother partner, Sun!...I mean besides your Pokémon partners, that is." Hau amended a moment later.
"But…Rotom is a Pokémon. It's just inside the Pokédex."
"…So I guess it is a Pokémon partner then, huh?"
"…Yes?"
"Do I get a say in the matter?"
"Sure Rotom. Go ahead."
"I'm the greatest Pokémon partner ever…Of all time. Bzzt!"
"Well, whichever way you look at it, you're pretty darn lucky. I'd give this place a look around if I were you. I'll be waiting for you outside when you're done!" Hau departed with a wave, leaving a bewildered Sun behind.
"Your friend sure is excitable." The woman behind Sun remarked, putting her hands on the counter with an amused smirk.
"That's an understatement. Thanks for your help, by the way." Sun said to the woman, giving her a smile before departing the building, not seeing much else of interest. Admittedly some of the advertisements for Alola caught his eye, but he'd be seeing them all anyway, so they didn't really matter to him.
Sun made his way outside and saw Hau leaning against a tree, grinning over at him. The boy walked over to Sun and said, "Told you that you'd get something cool."
"I don't think that was exactly what you said, Hau, but I won't tell you're wrong." Sun said with a small chuckle before Hau looked over Sun's shoulder and waved behind him. Sun turned around and saw Lillie walking towards them both.
"So how was the tourist bureau?" Lillie asked the pair of boys.
"It was awesome! We got Sun's Rotom Dex upgraded! Now it can take pictures!" Hau replied with a cheery grin.
"That's great! What a wonderful helper you are, Rotom!" Lillie said with a happy smile. She walked over to Sun and Hau and peered down at Rotom, who suddenly flew up and let out a cry before taking a picture of the trio.
"Huh?" Lillie looked confused as Rotom giggled and flew back into Sun's backpack.
Hau giggled and said, "Now, what was that for Rotom? First you snag a cheeky pic of us, and then you hide in Sun's bag? Shame on you! Hehehe!"
"Finderzz keeperzz and this Poké Finder is mine!" Rotom declared from within Sun's bag.
"Maybe Rotom wants to just show off its new camera function and take more photos…You should definitely try it out when you get the chance." Lillie suggested to the group.
Sun gave the girl a nod at that, before saying, "So now what?"
"Follow me! Enough feasting with our eyes! It's time to feast with our stomachs!" Hau declared.
"Hau, we need to get to the Pokémon Center. I don't want to sleep in the streets tonight." Lillie deadpanned, making Sun snicker in response. Lillie smiled at Sun's reaction, but still regarded Hau with slight exasperation.
"Fiiiine. But we're still getting some kind of snack along the way." Hau offered the two other children a grin before bounding forward eagerly. Sun and Lillie looked at each other, shrugged in unison, and made their way after the boy. To their surprise, though not really, Hau was sidetracked within seconds by a ice cream cart on the sidewalk they were walking down.
"Just what I need on a hot day like this!" Hau declared, looking back at his two companions.
"Hau, I thought you said you were hungry. Ice cream isn't really all that filling." Lillie said dryly as Hau bounded back towards them.
"Ehh…I mean you're right, as always, Lillie…But that doesn't mean I'm not still getting ice cream. Now what flavors do you two want? I'll buy!" Hau asked the two other children.
"Hmm…Pecha Surprise, if they have it." Sun said to Hau, who turned around to face the vendor, who did in fact have the ice cream. Lillie took a chocolate ice cream on a cone while Hau got vanilla in a cup with sprinkles. Hau paid the vendor after receiving three spoons and with that, the trio set off down the street, with Lillie and Sun thanking the other boy for the treat.
"No problem. Just make sure to enjoy it. Ice cream always tastes better with company." Hau grinned, showing off an ice cream mustache that made Sun giggle. Lillie pointed out what was so funny to Hau and the boy quickly whipped his face off with a napkin that the vendor had given him.
"So, Pecha Surprise, huh? What's that taste like?" Lillie asked curiously, eyeing the pink colored ice cream. Sun offered his ice cream to Lillie, allowing her to take a small sample of it with her un-used spoon. The girl tried the ice cream, and was surprised to find it a bit bitter, but incredibly sweet.
"Good, huh? It's my favorite kind. It's pretty neat that they have it over here in Alola." Sun grinned as he took a bite of ice cream.
"Yep! It's a good one, alright." Hau replied as he shoved another spoonful into his mouth. With that, the trio continued their tour of the city. Hau pointed out several local restaurants in the area, with the group even getting pizza at another street vendor along the way. Sun decided to buy lunch for his companions, since they had treated him already and it made them even.
Hau kept up a running commentary while Lillie chimed in every now and with additional info. Sun couldn't stop grinning though, feeling truly at home for the first time since he got here.
According to Hau, it would normally take a two or three hours to get the Pokémon Center on the western side of the city on foot, so the trio quickened their pace as they walked around so they wouldn't have to be walking around too much at night and could still get to the center at a reasonable time.
Sun was amazed at the sights around him. Vendors on the beachfront called out to them, selling jewelry and special Pokémon accessories and the like while Wingulls soared overhead, cawing out greetings to each other. Beachgoers and citizens alike walked alongside the trio of children as they took in all that Hau'oli City had to offer.
"Oh my!" Lillie suddenly began walking hurriedly in another direction just as Hau and Sun were about to cross another street. Curious, the two boys went after their female companion, only to find her standing outside of a music shop that had just opened from the looks of it. The "GRAND OPENING" banners also kind of helped.
"'Seaside Melodies Music Store'…Seems like a nice enough place." Hau remarked, eyeing the building with some interest. Sun was looking at Lillie though, who was wearing a massive smile on her face.
"I can't believe there's a new music store in Hau'oli! The only other one is down by the Marina. I wonder what all they have." Lillie wondered aloud, barely contained excitement gleaming in her eyes.
"Uh…Lillie?" The girl turned around to see Sun smiling at her and Hau trying not to laugh. Hau continued speaking, saying, "As much as it pains me to say this, we should really get back to our tour. We can hit a few of the shops tomorrow."
Lillie actually pouted, looking very disappointed as her excitement was brought to a screeching halt. Sun felt a bit bad, since they weren't going to the store because of him.
"Hey Lillie, when we go out more to explore the city tomorrow, how about we both check it out together? How does that sound?" Sun suggested to Lillie, who brightened up considerably and nodded at that.
The trio set off once again, this time taking a slight detour from the main ocean-side path to go a bit further into the city. After getting a cab, the children were deposited in front of a massive circular dome with several seashell emblems and statues of Pokémon, including one that Sun recognized as Tapu Koko.
"Welcome to the Seashore Stadium, the pride of Melemele Island!" Hau declared, running ahead of them and throwing out his arms with a cheery grin. Sun listened to him before taking in the massive structure properly. A series of white marble stairs lay before them, leading into the stadium itself. Many posters were advertising a series of matches and even a tournament in two weeks' time. The stadium itself was painted white with an aquamarine flowing water motif circling around the stadium itself. It was a grand structure that showed off just what kind of city this was.
"The inside is even more impressive." Lillie piped up, smiling faintly at the building. "Inside there they not only do Pokémon battles and tournaments and the like, but they also hold sporting events and even live concerts. The Professor took me to one last month, and it was quite enjoyable."
"Really? Huh…Maybe I'll go in there sometime. You said they have tournaments and stuff here, too, right?" Sun asked Lillie and Hau.
"Oh yeah. A friend of mine competed in one while I watched in the stands with Tutu. They usually do things for all kind of levels of trainers. Some pro tournaments, some rookie tournaments, and everything else besides. It's a lot of fun!" Hau said to Sun, putting his hands behind his head with a smile.
"I'll keep an eye out for events then. Maybe once my team gets a bit stronger, we can see what's out there for us to win." Sun replied, giving them both a grin. The trio then bid farewell to the Seashore Stadium and continued their tour of Hau'oli. Lillie and Hau continued talking about the sights around them, with Lillie pointing out important facts about buildings while Hau told stories and made remarks about the landmarks and the like.
All in all, it was a really enjoyable experience for Sun. His parents, well his Mom anyway, encouraged him to keep an open mind and in cases like this, it was proving to be a boon for the child as he took in all of the sights and sounds of the seaside city. When the trio of children took a moment to sit down outside of a large cooperation building, Sun couldn't help but let out a content sigh, drawing the attention of Lillie and Hau.
"I'm glad Alola has cities like this. I was a bit worried I'd never get to be surrounded by buildings like these again!" Sun declared with a laugh, gesturing to the skyscraper above him.
"Guess you like cities a lot, huh?" Hau remarked with a laugh.
"I lived in Celadon City my whole life, Hau. I might not have gotten into the city a lot, but I definitely liked seeing the sights. The tall buildings, the parks…Miss Erika even let me watch some of her Gym Battles." Sun said fondly, remembering the Gym Leader of Celadon. She was a quiet and very kind lady who was best friends with his mother, so he got to see her quite a bit, and more importantly, got to see her battle a lot too.
"Looks like you've got a lot of pride in your hometown...home city? Eh, you know what I mean." Hau grinned at Sun, who grinned right back at him.
"Something like that, though I think it's more like I have a lot of good memories of home. I will say though, this place is really nice so far. Good food, awesome buildings and beautiful beaches…Did you both know I never saw a beach before coming here?" Sun said to Hau and Lillie, who both looked surprised.
"That's incredible. Well, you don't have to worry about that in Alola. Plenty of beaches all around!" Hau laughed as he gestured to the beach ahead of them. The trio then began walking once more, going across the street as cars hummed around them. A distant rumble in the distance caught their attention, however.
"Looks like a storm." Lillie said quietly, eyeing a mass of rain clouds brewing in the distance. Dark grey and extending over the sky like a blanket, it looked like the tropical region was in for a stormy night.
"Oh yeah, but that happens from time to time. I mean, Alola's awesome and all, but even we have to have some rough weather every now and then." Hau said with a shrug, still smiling.
"Might be a good idea to stop the tour and get to the Pokémon Center as soon as possible. Hotels in this city have to be ridiculously expensive and I'm not a fan of staying in the streets either. Especially with weather like that coming our way," Sun said to the two other children. Both of them nodded, and with that the trio FINALLY made their way towards the Pokémon Center for real this time, with absolutely no sidetracking or distractions involved-
"Hau, drop the Skitty right now! You're making a scene!"
"It's so cute though, Lillie!"
"We need to get to the Pokémon Center! Stop harassing random people on the street!"
For the most part, anyway.
Hau'oli City Pokémon Center
"Wow…this place is crowded." Sun stated as he looked around the Pokémon Center. The building was a bit larger than the last one he had been in, and even then it was filled with people. Some were lounging on couches, some were watching TV nearby and others were eating dinner, but regardless of what they were doing, there was just a lot of people in the building.
"Yeah…Getting a room probably isn't going to happen." Hau said with a small frown, crossing his arms. Lillie walked past him and went straight to the counter, apparently having other thoughts.
"I'm going to go get my Pokémon checked out." Sun told Hau, earning a nod in reply. The two boys made their way to the counter, where after a short wait, they saw the kindly Nurse Joy who took all of their Pokémon and began their checkups. Sun turned and saw that the storm clouds outside were now directly above them. Sun knew it was only a matter of time before the storm hit them. Lillie returned a short time later, though she confirmed that she was unable to get them a room. Deciding to just rest for a bit, the trio found some nearby chairs in the café to sit in and before long, they were drinking Moomoo Milk and listening to the sound of the rain roaring outside as the storm crashed down into Hau'oli City. Sun took the moment of peace to regard his two companions.
Hau was fidgeting, seemingly unable to stop moving with his ever-present grin on his face. He seemed so happy and just thrilled with everything that was going on. From walking around a city he was probably very familiar with to getting ice cream, he just seemed like someone who just enjoyed life in general with a positivity that Sun admired. He was a firm believer in optimism and always smiling, so he found a bit of solidarity in knowing someone else who was a bit like him.
Sun looked over at Lillie, who was watching the rain fall outside the window with a smile. Lillie, on the other hand, was Hau's foil. She was calm, collected, and seemed nervous a good bit of the time. Unsure of herself, but he felt unsure of that assumption. He felt like he really didn't know her too well yet, but he liked her quite a bit. She was friendly, kind, and was someone who got along well with.
Yes, Sun would definitely be looking forward to spending more time with Lillie and Hau in the city before sorting out the Island Trials he had to go though. He wasn't exactly sure what he had to do, but he figured he could just ask Lillie about it later. He could have done it now, but she looked strangely content just watching the rain with her little smile on her face.
Sun simply shut his eyes and leaned back in his chair for a time…only for a loud voice to startle him from behind after just a few minutes of relaxing.
"Well, well! Looks like we meet again!"
Sun got to his feet and turned around, and saw himself face to face with a familiar-looking woman with dark hair wearing a black trench coat and cradling a violin in her hands. Her dark blue eyes regarded Sun with amusement as he finally remembered her.
"Oh…It's you. Uh…Vivian, right?" Sun said to the violinist, who smirked back at him.
"Yep! I'm glad you remembered my name. Though, I guess I probably left a strong first impression, huh?" Vivian grinned at the boy before looking at his companion, who was taking in the older girl with a dazed look as he stood up. Sun briefly wondered where Lillie was, since she was no longer at their table, but then Sun saw her talking with Nurse Joy at the counter. Sun then turned his attention back to Vivian.
"Someone's star-struck." Vivian remarked, waving a hand in front of Hau and snapping him out of his daze.
"Hey there! I'm Hau! What's your name?" Hau said cheerily, putting both of his hands behind his head.
"Vivian Elise Delacourt. And it's nice to meet you." Vivian replied politely, offering Hau a wider grin that matched his own.
"So, what brings you here, Vivian? Weren't you going to spending time with your friends or something?" Sun asked the older Trainer.
"Indeed. Right now my two partners in crime are off exploring the island at the moment, sadly, so I'm stuck here by myself. I mean, I could track them down, but that's too easy. So I figured that I could just hang around the city and see what kind of trouble I could get into. And then I met you two!...Well, three. I believe your adorable companion is making her way back here." Vivian pointed behind the two children, who turned around to see Lillie walking back towards them both.
"I managed to get one room, finally, since they just had a vacancy open up. It's not ideal, but we'll have to make due." Lillie said with a small smile to Sun and Hau before turning to Vivian. "Umm…I don't believe we have met."
"No, we haven't. The name is Vivian Elise Delacourt. Charmed." The older trained offered Lillie a disarming smile before addressing all three children. "I'm not surprised you three had trouble getting a room. With that nasty storm about to hit, most would rather just avoid it than risk toughing it out on the route. Even if there's a good bit of cover out there."
"You sound really experienced…But I can't help notice your accent, Miss Vivian. Are you visiting Alola from another region?" Lillie asked Vivian. Sun didn't notice it before, but the young woman did have the slightest tilt to her voice, which he now recognized as a slight accent.
"Yep. I'm from Unova. Specifically, Accumula Town I'm just visiting this place to recharge and see the sights. Two of my cohorts came with me, but they're off doing the Island Challenge since that seems to be the thing around here. I can't be bothered." Vivian shrugged at that, before saying, "Not my thing. I only beat the gyms back home out of boredom anyway. How about you three? What brings you out here?"
"Hau and Sun are currently doing the Island Challenge as well. As for me, I'm accompanying Sun for a short while since he's still new to the area. We all decided to explore the city together," Lillie explained to Vivian, who turned to the younger girl and gave her a critical look.
"Darling, you don't have to lie to me. Which of these boys are you crushing on?" Vivian asked in a serious tone. Lillie blinked in surprise for a moment before blushing deeply.
"Hey, leave her alone!" Hau said to the older Trainer, stepping forward. Vivian ignored him and actually walked forward, grabbing Lillie by the shoulder and moved her very close to Hau. She then took a few steps back eyed the pair of them while Sun watched on from the side, bemused.
"Nah. I'm not feeling you two. He's obviously enjoying being close to you, but the feeling doesn't seem mutual." Vivain moved Lillie away from Hau and sighed, muttering something under her breath before her smile returned.
"Ah well. Sunny boy and his entourage it is then. You three are so green I'm surprised people aren't trying to use you to evolve Eevee." Vivian laughed as she reached over to Hau and ruffled his hair, which surprisingly got him to grin at him.
"Wow, you really like messing with people, don't you?" Hau asked the other girl.
"Well duh. It's fun. And I think I've earned it at this point. My darling Heroine and her mentor, Prince Badass, aren't around anymore, so I need more people to mess with. You three are perfect targets- I mean, victims…I of course, meant associates that may one day become friends, god-willing." Vivian took in the bewildered expressions of the trio of children before laughing again.
"Correction...You are really, really weird…" Hau stated, completely confused.
"Eh. I get that a lot. It's fun." Vivian replied with a shrug. Sun opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the sound of Nurse Joy calling for him and Hau over the intercom to retrieve his Pokémon. Hau and Sun departed, leaving Lillie alone with Vivian.
"So…What's that ladies' deal?" Hau asked Sun.
"No idea. I found her randomly standing outside my house one night. She's really weird, but also kind of nice in her own way, I think. She's bizarre." Sun admitted, not quite sure what to say about Vivian Elise Delacourt. Sun and Hau got their teams from Nurse Joy and made their way back over to where Lillie and Vivian were chatting to each other. When Sun and Hau rejoined them, Vivian began speaking again.
"So, are you three going to be in the city much?" Vivian asked the trio.
"I guess so. I really want to see as much of Alola as I can. I'm not in much of a rush, so I kind of want to take my time with things and enjoy the sights. You know?" Sun said to Vivian, receiving an understanding nod in response.
"Oh yeah, absolutely. It's what I did with my journey. It took me ages to beat all of the Unova Gym Leaders, just because I messed around so much. I even did it with a team of three." Vivian replied, smirking slightly at the amazed expressions on the three children's faces. Sun then noticed something happening ahead of him and quickly stopped paying attention to Vivian while the others continued talking.
"Just three Pokémon? That's…incredible!" Hau sputtered, unable to understand how that was possible.
"Less Pokémon to handle meant I could spend more time getting them strong. The fact that it took me two and a half years to do it helps. I wasn't in much of a rush either, like I said." Vivian explained, grinning at them now. "I'm sure you'll be able to do it much quicker, if you work hard enough."
"Hmm…" Hau closed his eyes and put a hand on his chin, as if in deep thought. He then grinned and opened his eyes, stating, "I accept your compliment and thank you for it! You're a really weird kind of nice, aren't you?"
"See, someone gets it!" Vivian laughed finally, drawing the attention of a few of the nearby Trainers.
"I guess you get all kinds of people in Alola, don't you?" Lillie remarked quietly with a small smile, still a bit thrown off by the girl's odd behavior but was glad she was at least friendly to an extent. She then noticed that Sun wasn't participating in the discussion and looked over at the Kanto-native, but he was standing a short distance away from them, facing the other direction. Vivian noticed this as well and turned around with a confused look on her face.
"Hey, Sunshine. Can you…Wait a moment." Vivian walked over to the boy and looked him in the face before stepping away, a strange look on her face now that may have been worry.
"What's wrong…Why could he…?" Vivian trailed off as she turned around, catching sight of something that Sun was staring at that caught her attention as well. Hau and Lillie had walked over to their companion in that time, however.
"Sun? Are you OK?" Lillie asked worriedly as the boy stared ahead, unmoving. Lillie delicately moved around the boy to look up at his face, and saw that he didn't even register her words, maintaining eye contact with something ahead of him. Lillie then saw Sun's fists clenched tightly as a slight tremor wracked through the boy.
"Whoa…What's up with him? Is he OK?" Hau asked, worried now. He looked Sun up and down, seeing the strange look on his increasingly pale face. The boy noticed Sun hadn't stopped looking forward, so he followed his gaze and saw that he was watching something on the TV a short distance away, something that had attracted a small crowd (including Vivian) muttering amongst themselves.
"Check out the explosions! Wow, it looks like a movie…Wait, that's AlolaWatch News! What's going on there? What are they reporting on?" Hau wondered aloud, walking forward. Lillie joined Hau and moved forward to better hear what was going on while Sun stayed where he was, watching the screen transfixed.
"-absolute chaos out here in Celadon City as the attacks began about twenty minutes ago. Fires have broken out all across the city, destroying buildings and making the roads impossible to navigate. After weeks of threats from Cipher, it looks like the group has finally acted on its promises of destruction for Kanto!" the reporter yelled at the camera from inside of a helicopter. The camera then panned down and showed a shot of Celadon City at night, except the city was glowing from fires erupting down half of the city and quickly growing. Screams rang out through the air, getting picked up by the broadcast and sending shivers down the spines of those watching.
A horrific screech filled the skies as a wave of air smashed into the helicopter, making the camera wobble slightly, but not enough for it not to catch sight of a massive flaming bird-like figure to suddenly leap from the streets and into the sky, sending a deluge of fire down onto the fleeing citizens below as their screams echoed into the skies above.
Celadon City was burning to the ground.
