Alola readers! Brav's back with another chapter again! This one's shorter than most, but I know we've all been waiting to see what happens in the aftermath of that huge cataclysm that happened when I last updated. I hope everyone is staying safe, especially given what's been happening across America recently. In the meantime; read up on the latest of Elio Northstar's antics and another good dosage of HeavenlySnowShipping.
Also, this story has finally passed Advanced Commando as my most viewed fanfiction of all time. Thank you all for making this my most successful story in pretty much all statistics! Seriously, you guys rock.
Enjoy and wash your damn hands.
Elio shook his head as he rubbed a dressing onto some scrapes on his arm. "No officer, I don't remember seeing this Raijin anywhere else. Seeing him here on Blush Mountain was the first time I've seen anyone with that kind of capability."
"Hmm." The uniformed policeman was busy scribbling down notes on a dog-eared pad. "And you said he went through this Ultra Wormhole?"
He nodded, pretty sure that the tidbit of information was going in one ear and out the other. "I've seen these ultra beasts enter and exit through those types of portals, but never a human being." He was also pretty sure whatever Raijin was, he wasn't human.
"Alright." The officer jotted something else down. "Thanks for the statement kid, I'll-" He stopped, listening to his earpiece. "Huh, it sounds like some representatives from the Aether Foundation want to speak with you about your experience with this ultra beast."
All Elio got was a sympathetic shrug. "Looks like you're gonna have to be here a little longer kid. Sorry."
The boy resisted the urge to groan out loud, but made no move to try and escape as the officer left and locked the door behind.
The trio had made it to the Tapu Village right after emergency services had finally began to show up. Since fire trucks couldn't go on the unstable terrain that deep into the woods, the small fire station at the Tapu Village had used their fleet of firefighting pelippers to combat the worst of it until the larger force from Malie City could arrive. The police had formed a search team for both Raijin and the wiry ultra beast, but had come up with nothing even at the site where Elio, Hau and Leilani had caused part of a landslide to bury and stop it for good. He didn't even want to look at the news outlets, which were likely exploding with coverage on the disaster that had unfolded.
So what? Did it just disappear?
He paid no attention to the residents who had given him odd looks as he practically sprinted inside the pokemon center. Hau and Leilani had arrived minutes before, already warning the staff of his coming and had gurneys ready for the injured.
He didn't even get a chance to see his pokemon and whether or not they would be alright before the police arrived and started questioning the three of them in separate conference rooms.
Both of the island kids came off much better than him. Leilani's only injury was a few scrapes and the fact her antivenom cocktail was finally gone. Hoolapanai hadn't been healed since she had captured him, but it was a quick recovery. Hau was in the best shape with nothing other than heat rash all on the back of his arms and face. Neither weren't as involved or close to the fire as him.
Lucky.
But Elio himself was injured a little, his pokemon of Arclight, both vulpix and Jangmo'o.
And I've gotten no word if they're okay...alive or what. I've been stuck here for almost two hours waiting for people to talk to. Remind me to never get into an incident like this again.
Arclight was the worst of his worries. While he was surprised at her sudden evolution, the factor of her not being able to produce electricity and drop like a sack of dirt was extremely alarming.
She wasn't dead, but he felt as if he had put her through all of it.
Or was she? He didn't want to think about the thought of sending one of his pokemon to their deaths.
He had sat there for another mind numbing fifteen minutes before he heard the door unlock, allowing two uniformed white and gold members of the Aether Foundation to enter. He could see from the gear and sealed off helmets and gloves that these were no ordinary field agents. He couldn't even see their faces which were covered by pale gold domed visors which ended up making them just as alien or foreign as Raijin was.
"Hello Mister Northstar." One of them greeted him curtly and folded his arms. The smaller one was about his height and sat down on the opposite chair. "We're both agents of the Aether Foundation's Ultra Beast Response Unit. I understand you've encountered a suspected ultra beast and have built up a bit of a combat record in fighting them since the incident at the Paradise."
The commendation was flattering, but he felt it was more like coincidentally being in the wrong place and the wrong time. "I like to call it unlucky."
"And we have one more person who would like to speak to you." The second agent placed a small disk device on the table and turned it on. Instantly, the top began to glow white and expand into a projection image. A figure was visible in a rather elegant office with a beautiful backdrop of the ocean and bright Alolan sky. Elio's own eyes went wide when he saw the details sharpen into a rather familiar face.
"Hello Elio." Lusamine's teeth seemed to sparkle as she smiled at him. "How are you today?"
Miss Lusamine is calling me? Why?
Then he remembered she had declared that the Foundation was going to undergo a new task in preserving and containing the Ultra Beasts. These two were probably members of that team.
So maybe they're here to offer me a job?
"Miss Lusamine. It's...good to see you again. I'm alright." His hand drifted to the scrape on his arm, which would likely be gone within the day. "Can't say the same about some of my pokemon. They got hurt and one's seriously injured."
Lusamine gasped, putting a hand to her mouth. "I-I'm sorry to hear that. Once we are done here, I will make sure that you are informed immediately of your pokemon's statuses in the center."
"Thank you. I would appreciate that."
"Now onto the more pressing matters. You claimed in your statement to the police department that the entity you battled appeared to have the similar extraterrestrial properties as the Ultra Beast you battled and encountered here on the Paradise. What kind of similarities?"
Elio took a deep breath, almost reiterating what he said to the law enforcement, except this time the people listening would be much more interested. Lusamine was less so when he described Raijin, but once he mentioned the creature it was with, he saw her attention span sharpen in the blink of an eye.
"I'm less sure about this Raijin guy. The thing that was with him was about ten to twelve feet tall. Body was extremely thin and it bent at unnatural angles. Almost like it was made of wires."
"I see." Lusamine's interest seemed to continue growing and Elio could feel it across the projection. "That description matches that of the strong magnetic pulses and fields that have spiked energy levels across Blush Mountain. Tell me, did it use electrical energy?"
"Yes. Lots of it."
"How deliciously unexpected." Elio raised an eyebrow at her strange remark, but then again, there were times she seemed strange in general. "We've classified what we've seen based on encounters and designed this as UB zero four."
"Zero four?"
Judging by the apprehensive glances both Aether members gave one another told Elio that Lusamine had said something that was likely considered classified to outside ears.
"Yes. The Ultra Beast you encountered at the Paradise has been classified as UB zero one. The better we can classify their capabilities, the better we can harness and summon more."
That means there's at least two other ultra beasts that have been encountered before. Aether is aggressively documenting them, seemingly to protect the people, but Lusamine seems more interested in them than just that. As his thoughts flew on takeoff speed; Elio immediately felt alarms go off in his head.
"Miss Lusamine if I may?"
"Of course child."
"Why do you want these Ultra Beasts to come here to Alola?"
The Aether President opened her mouth, but shut it again as if she was stunned by his question.
"I don't mean any disrespect to you or your Foundation, but I believe you're looking at this the wrong way."
"I...I'm afraid I...I don't understand."
Elio leaned forward. "From my own experience, these beasts are highly dangerous, violent and have extraordinary power. If it weren't for Hau and Leilani's help this time around, it's possible we or our pokemon could've been seriously hurt or killed. I'm not sure having even more of them running rampant around is exactly a good thing. If anything, the Foundation should look at getting them back to their original world, wherever that may be."
"The more we study the Ultra Beasts' behavior and bring them here, the better we can understand them and find a way to send them back."
Hold on. This is kind of counterproductive thinking. If you can open a rift to bring more of these Ultra Beasts here, then why can't you do the same to return them?
"That may be true, but in doing so, you're endangering everyone who lives on these islands. This Ultra Beast started a massive wildfire on the side of Blush Mountain for whatever reason and it nearly got me and my friends killed. I'm lucky to be alive right now."
Lusamine seemed satisfied with his argument, giving a slow nod. "I understand your concerns Mister Northstar and we'll take it seriously moving forward. However the means of our research into opening and closing Ultra Wormholes have been severely limited by our missing test subject for almost a year now. We've had no success in locating it and have no other means to transport Ultra Beasts to and from their worlds."
These things don't attack because they're aggressive outright. They're attacking because they're scared. Dropped into somewhere completely foreign with a culture shock and no understanding of who people are, why they are there and how they got there.
"Tell me." Lusamine's voice brought him out of his thoughts. "Have you seen or heard anything related to a pokemon called cosmog?"
Cosmog? Does she mean Nebby?
Elio was about to answer when he suddenly remembered Gladion's words just yesterday.
Cosmog isn't a powerful pokemon. But it has the power to summon pokemon so terrifyingly strong that you can't even fathom.
Suddenly, the boy realized that Lillie wasn't just protecting Nebby from some thugs in Team Skull.
She's protecting it and on the run from the Aether Foundation. But how? How did she get her hands on it in the first place?
"Elio?"
"Huh?" His own musings had taken too long and Lusamine had noticed him drifting off in thought. "Oh I'm sorry. Um...no. I haven't heard of anything."
"I see." Lusamine's expression darkened. "Cosmog's power was our only method of transporting Ultra Beasts to and from this world to theirs. Reclaiming it is on the top of our priorities. The sooner we are able to use its abilities; the sooner we can begin sending the beasts back to their original worlds. I would be most in your debt if you would help us reclaim it."
"I will keep my eyes out for it." Elio said, still unable to swallow the lump in his throat while trying to digest the information. "If I see something. I will inform you or one of your associates as soon as I can."
She made to say something else, but he heard the catchy Five-0 theme coming from her cell phone ringing. "Please do and thank you Mister Northstar for sharing this valuable information with me. My team and I will benefit greatly from your statements. In the future, I'd like to have you back at the Paradise as an honored guest when you have the time."
"Um, you're welcome Miss Lusamine."
She nodded at him, picking up the phone while terminating the connection. Both of the Aether members stood up, thanking Elio before leaving and had the door open.
Elio stood up, stretching his legs and shoulders before finally being told by one of the pokemon center's staff that he was allowed to leave.
Good because I need a shower, food and a ton of bedrest. And I need to find out about my pokemon.
The nap could wait. Both Hau and Leilani had rented rooms and he hadn't seen either of them since the ordeal and when he was taken aside for questioning.
Elio spent close to a half hour in the shower, seeing the water running turn into a mixture of gray and brown as the dirt and ash sloshed off his pale skin. The amount he was scrubbing off his body was rather nasty. Like the other times where he was exhausted, he braced both his hands against the wall, breathing steadily and letting the hot water run down his back and through the drain.
His thoughts went to the Ultra Beasts and was beginning to see the connection between them and Nebby.
Somehow the little pokemon had the ability to bring or return these creatures back to their original worlds. He didn't know how it worked, but suddenly the little one in Lillie's duffel that she tried to keep hidden was the key piece behind everything the Aether Foundation was researching.
That's why she's hiding it all the time.
He suddenly felt protective again. Not just for Nebby, but Lillie as well. There was something about those members that sat with him as he spoke to Lusamine and he couldn't help but feel just a slight bit unnerved by their imposing stature despite the cordial demeanor both had exhibited. If they were anything like Lillie said as bad people, then he guessed that they would use any show of force to get whatever they wanted.
When I see her again, I don't want her going anywhere unless it's with me or Hau. I don't trust anyone else with this.
When he first met the blonde, he had agreed with her to keep word of Nebby's existence as a secret. Although he had lied to Lusamine about denying any knowledge, there was no way he was going to break that promise he made back on Mahalo Trail. He felt bad for lying in the first place, but leaning on his own judgment, he had considered it to be the far lesser of the two evils.
It also made his faith and admiration in the Aether Foundation start to waver.
It was nearly five in the evening as Elio finished wolfing down two full plates of spaghetti, a big helping of garlic bread and tapu cocoa when he sat back in the center's cafeteria, pushing his plate across the table with a satisfied groan.
I didn't even realize how hungry I was. Garlic bread is good, but nothing compared to Mom's.
"Do you think you've eaten enough food? Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed from his side. "You were chowing down like a munchlax!"
"I don't think I can move to be honest." Sun said and patted his stomach. "Maybe Nani can carry me back to my bed where I can sleep?"
"Maybe, but you ztill wanted to check up on the pokemon right?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that."
"What about dezzzert? Bzzt!"
"I don't feel like dessert today. Maybe meet up with Hau and Leilani, walk around the Tapu Village, see what is around here." The Aether House, where Acerola had told them to meet up with her, was located just a twenty minute walk outside the town.
He dispensed his tray and headed for the center's main lobby, checking with the receptionist on his pokemon.
Since the alolan vulpix he had captured was his seventh pokemon in the party, he was technically unable to use it in battle due to the limit of six. That didn't stop him from rushing in and getting it looked at. With many members of his team either injured or knocked out, he was worried sick about their status and hadn't heard anything, even hours after turning them in.
Elio opened his backpack and set the smaller vulpix down that had buried itself in his pack. It glanced around with curiosity, sniffing with its blunt snout on the floor before curling up by his foot to sleep.
Technically it was still a wild pokemon. Elio was pretty sure that he had captured its older sibling and it didn't really want to be separated. At the same time, there was no sign of a mother or father that he could tell. So either the siblings were on their own or the parents had escaped.
Maybe when we're all relaxed and recovered; we'll go back and see if we can find them.
The vulpix perked up as Elio gently picked it up and cradled it in his arms. It was only a kit, couldn't have been more than a couple of months old. Despite the protectiveness of their ninetales evolution, vulpix were very docile and curious pokemon, which made them excellent choices for early pets and companions.
In a way, he envied the little one. It had been shielded from the worst of everything. The pelt was a pristine white with incredibly soft fur and he saw that it didn't shed as much as the fire-type cousins did back in Kanto. Instead of the curled brown tails, the alolan subspecies had wispy ones as if they were heavenly clouds clustered together.
"That izzz a wonderful zpeciezzz of Alolan vulpix!" Rotom buzzed from next to him. "Did you know that the people here call it Keokeo?"
"Keokeo?" Elio said aloud. "They literally call it "white"?"
"Yezzir! Bzzt!"
"Well you're a special one. Aren't ya?" Elio smiled, gently brushing its head and back with his hand. Instead of the warmth he expected from touching a mammalian pokemon, it actually felt cool as if he had made contact with something refrigerated. "Your big bro or sis is going to be okay."
"Big sister! Bzzt!" Rotom said. "The alolan vulpix you captured izzz a female! Bzzt! This little one izzzz alzo female!"
"So they are sisters."
"Correct!"
Elio was about to say something else when he heard the nurse call his name, crossing over to where he sat with a tray. He read her badge that said Eva.
Looking over it, he was relieved to see a premier ball and a standard poke ball on it.
Arclight's nest ball isn't there. What happened to it?
"I'm afraid I have both good news and bad news. The good news." Nurse Eva had told him. "Both your Jangmo'o and Vulpix are fine. Minor injuries that could be quickly healed. Vulpix's leg sustained some moderate bruising, but she will be able to walk comfortably the next day. She's very lucky you found her. If your story is correct, she could've been buried underneath."
Elio's blood ran cold at the thought of that happening. "It was Jangmo'o that heard them. He ran down and rescued her little sister here."
"That's so sweet." Eva's demeanor turned serious, "But I also have some bad news. Concerning your vikavolt."
Arclight.
"W-what's wrong?" Elio asked. "Is she going to be okay?"
"We don't know. Your vikavolt's clinically healthy, but she's exhibited behavior much like evolution exhaustion."
Elio was familiar with the term. Whenever a pokemon evolved, there was a chance that it would remain in a lapse of intense fatigue and would have a much lower amount of activity than normal. He was fortunate that all of his pokemon evolving in the middle of a battle didn't exhibit those traits and he was also sure that it couldn't have happened at a worse time in a life-threatening scenario.
"But she'll be up and at it in a couple of days right?" The symptoms would only persist for that amount of time before the evolved pokemon returned to normal.
"We're not sure. She's giving off extremely unusual readings after we scanned her with an MRI machine."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Elio's impatience was starting to get the better of him, as was his worry. "Is she going to be okay or what?"
"When a charjabug evolves into vikavolt, the nervous synaptic system that courses the electrical energy is switched from its outside shell to the inside on an electric sac, similar to the external ones you see on pokemon like pikachu. The evolution process is triggered when charjabug becomes exposed to an area with strong magnetic interference."
"Like Blush Mountain."
Eva solemnly nodded. "However a lot of times, charjabug also evolve when they're ready and mature enough to do so. Dating your vikavolt, we've determined that it evolved one to two weeks earlier than it permitted."
"It evolved early?"
"Yes. Many trainers on their island challenge find that they can't evolve their charjabugs this early unless all of the conditions are met. From what we've glimpsed at yours, we're seeing a rapid aging process that is rather abnormal for it."
That sounds bad.
She saw that Elio had a blank expression. "It basically means that something triggered your charjabug to evolve well before it was ready. Think of it like a ten year old kid who is suddenly six feet tall from experiencing puberty growth early."
"Oh man." His face fell. He knew exactly what the reason was.
"We faced off against this strange thing...and it...it tried to shoot everything around us with lightning. Charjabug...she jumped right in to counter and absorb it. She evolved into vikavolt and then just fell flat on the ground."
The nurse put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."
"What can I do?" Elio hated being sidelined, unable to help or provide any support as his pokemon suffered. "Surely there has to be something?"
"We're going to prep her for surgery and insert a jumpstart battery to aid in her ability to generate electricity on her own without the use of a charjabug. We will also try to expose her to radiation from an evolutionary thunderstone, seeing how it evolves charjabug into vikavolt found in the Galar region. I'm sorry to say this, but until she's able to again; she won't be at full strength to battle. I recommend you to stop using her in any form of battle immediately if you want her to make a full recovery."
"How long will this take?"
Eva shook her head. "I'm not sure. It could take just a few days or up to several weeks. Something like this is delicate and we don't want to make the wrong move. She will be in good hands. The Aether Foundation is sending bug type specialists to consult with us and see if we can be minimally invasive and maximize an optimistic outlook."
"Whatever you need me to do." Elio said. "Just make sure she's okay. Arclight has been one of the pokemon I've been with the longest." He stopped. "Can I see her?"
"Of course. This way."
Elio scooped up the little vulpix and put the other two pokemon on his belt. Since Arclight was in the care of the center, he had one open slot which the newly captured alolan vulpix had filled. He made sure for Rotom Dex to remind him about her abilities and capable moves later.
Eva led him to one of the wards where he could see through a window. The ward was a sterile white with accents of a dull mint hue that seemed a bit depressing.
Arclight calmly laid on a table where she was restrained in place by wires and straps. Two other nurses had her hooked up to a monitor, showing a cascade of numbers and vital signs.
As much as it pained him to see his pokemon like this, he kept trying to convince himself that they were going to do everything they could to save her and make sure she would be able to battle again. He saw how thrilled she was whenever he sent her out to battle the totems, kahunas or other trainers. He couldn't think of himself and his conscience if he were ever to take that away.
He put a hand up to the glass, making up for not being able to be at her side as she went through all of this.
Be strong. Arclight. We'll be back to zapping our opponents into submission before you know it!
Her golden eyes flickered when she saw him before the nurses began to apply a sedative, putting her in stasis.
"And that's the last I saw of her." Elio said.
Hau and Leilani cradled mugs of tapu cocoa, staring at him with blanched faces and avoiding his own gaze. The three of them sat at the barstools in the pokemon center's cafe. Just beside them, Hau's Noibat, Symphony the Primarina, Jangmo'o and both vulpix were running around in a tight circle, busy playing with one another.
He sort of envied them, blissfully ignorant of the grim atmosphere in the room.
"I'm sorry Elio." Leilani whispered. "That's so awful."
"Yeah." Hau added. "If there's anything you ever need brah...we're here for you."
"Both of us."
"Mahalo guys." Elio said quietly. "For real."
"So what exactly was that thing?" Leilani asked. "I've never seen a pokemon like that ever before."
"An ultra beast." Elio replied. "Creatures from another dimension. They travel between their world and ours by a portal called an ultra wormhole. At least that's what the Aether Foundation is calling it."
"I've never seen anything like it."
"I know. They're incredibly powerful and dangerous and I'm pretty sure we were going to be outmatched if you didn't step in in time."
"I've never seen so much electricity come from one pokemon before. Not even a zapdos. Granted I haven't seen it in person, but I've watched footage online. Unreal. Raw. Unlimited power."
"Yeah, you wouldn't want to get hit by that thing." Hau said.
Elio nodded. "I never told you guys about one time my dad had to deal with super high voltage electric currents."
"Really?"
"Yeah. It was a fire to a residential building in the southwest part of Cerulean called Lafayette. There were people still trapped up on the upper floors and the only way through at one particular hall. It would've been a cakewalk, except for the fact that active electrical wiring was dangling from the ceiling."
"Oh no." Leilani gasped.
"Time wasn't on his side, so my dad had to face the wall and slowly step sideways through a gap that was less than a foot, all with gear that weighs like sixty total pounds. He said that he could literally feel a tingling sensation from the conduits at his feet as he walked."
"That sounds extremely dangerous."
"It was. But it was also either to do that and risk yourself or let the people trapped die. Dad knew what he signed up for. He said that it was among the scariest and most harrowing fires and rescues he's ever done in his life."
"Your father was a good man before he let himself go Elio." Hau said. "He's already done something I don't think I can ever stomach to do myself."
Firefighting is one of the hardest jobs out there. It takes its toll, both physically, mentally and emotionally.
"I don't think I ever want to get shocked by electricity." Leilani added. "Just thinking about it gives me chicken skin."
"No. You don't ever want something that strong going through your body. When it does, electricty courses, so it's going to be looking for an avenue to exit out."
"Exit out?"
"Yup. Think of a part on your body where it extends or protrudes out."
Hau glanced down at his shorts and made a startled squeak. "You're joking."
"No." Elio was dead serious. "I'm not. It could be that or your ass too. There's been reports of people fried to a crisp with an arc of electricity literally coming out of their butt."
"That's horrifying."
Leilani sighed. "I'm glad I don't do that job. And big props to your father."
Suddenly we all don't have an appetite anymore.
"So what happened with that turtonator?" Hau asked, a little less pale than before and wanting to change the subject as soon as possible. "First we see it all angry and throwing fire everywhere, next thing we know, you've caught it and it helps us bury that thing."
The alolan girl took out the poke ball, gazing at it with a smile. "I don't know...I just felt like we had a connection together. Hoolapanai was lost, confused...angry." She let out a mirthless chuckle. "Almost sounds like myself just weeks ago. The first thing I wanted to do was to go back out on the waves...maybe just pretend to myself like nothing happened. But when I went out there after my sternum healed; I realized that everyone was trying to bring me back out of my fantasy and into reality. Everyone was right. I was nowhere near ready. And it was like that for Hoolapanai. He only wanted for things to go back to normal, but being confused and scared, he lashed out at anything trying to calm it down, missing the real purpose."
"Wow. It's amazing how the two of you quickly bonded after that!" Hau exclaimed. "Pokemon are something else!"
Leilani nodded. "I...well...I never got around to officially thank the both of you for saving my life. A genuine thank you," she glanced at Hau. "Without all the drama and screaming."
These two screamed at each other back at the hospital? Damn.
The kahuna's grandson nervously scratched the back of his head. "Well...you were fiercely determined to go on a board once you got the opportunity."
"I know. I feel so embarrassed how I reacted to you."
"Don't be."
"I can't help it Hau. I'm sorry." Leilani said. "You didn't deserve any of that."
"Well I kind of kissed you without warning. It was uncalled for."
She automatically licked her lips when he mentioned that. "I...I don't really know what to say. You...you were my first."
"I'm sorry for that too." Hau looked embarrassed and rightfully so. "I feel really bad for stealing it."
"It wasn't all bad." Leilani said. "I...I kind of liked it."
Her gaze drifted to Elio.
The lull in the conversation was prime for his own quip. "Oh so now you want me to kiss you too?"
So sudden and unexpected caused the three of them to laugh out loud. Elio couldn't suppress a grin spreading across his face. The pokemon had stopped playing, looking curiously over at their trainers after hearing the outburst.
"Elio! That's not how this works?"
"How what works? I get a free kiss out of it and you'll see why I'm so much better here than Hau. He's so overrated."
Hau grinned himself, finally catching on that it was just playful banter. "Oh really Mister Northstar? How about I go and smooch Lillie and see how you feel?"
"You wouldn't dare."
"Try me."
"Boys," Leilani said. "Since we're on the topic of romance, why don't you do something about Lillie? She seems really into you."
Elio's face went red. "I...I don't know. If I do end up asking her out or something like that, she could say no and it would ruin anything between us."
"Or she would say yes and you'll be crawling back to thank us that you didn't make some bone-headed decision."
"Maybe."
"It's just my observation," Hau said. "But it sounded like that Brady kid had a thing for her. He liked to read like she does. What happens when some guy swoops in and steals her right under your nose?"
"Hau, we've argued this before. She's tied up with Nebby and that other thing. It's not a time for her to go looking around for a boyfriend."
"It's never too soon. That's all I'm saying. But there is such a thing as being too late."
Elio narrowed his eyes. "You don't happen to be having a bet on this do you?"
"What?" Hau suddenly turned flustered. "No! No! We don't! I swear by the tapu!"
He did a deadpan. "Right because that's totally convincing."
"Hau's right though." Leilani said. "Lillie needs a strong young man like yourself to protect her."
"That's already half my job as a trainer. I know it sounds like a job, but she's my friend and I can't let anything happen to her." He stared at Hau to make sure he got the additional point behind it too.
"Regardless of what happens. I think you two will be absolutely adorable as a couple."
Everyone's trying to put me and Lillie together. Maybe I ought to just stop fighting the reality of it all and let it happen naturally.
"Thanks." Elio said. "So, to absolutely change the subject. Leilani, back on the trail, you said something about the story of Pelei and Kamalono'a?"
Her face lit up in recognition. "Oh right! So you do remember all of that! Maika'i loa!"
"Yeah me too." Hau added. "It's one of the most common and famous love stories to come out of Alola. That and the soldier who went off to war."
"Hau, we're talking about mythology here. Anyway, everyone knows about that story. Just like the one on Kiawe's trial. The demigod Kamalono'a falls in love with the goddess of fire Pelei who dwells in Mauna Wela. Kamalono'a, the demigod defeats the mo'owahine after it lures Pelei and nearly kills her. They get married and live happily ever after right?"
"Yeah, that's it."
Leilani flashed a dark grin. "Well that's what the people of Akala and Melemele Island believe, hence probably the story they tell tourists because of the happy ending."
Elio was now much more curious. "Everyone loves a happy ending."
"Of course they do. Now, the people of Ula'ula Island tell a much different story and it doesn't end as good."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. But instead of them marrying and living happily ever after, they get into disagreements, since it's never said who won the war between the warlords of Akala or Ula'ula. Kamalono'a also tried to impress Pelei's sisters and succeeded, but she wasn't so easily allured."
"Oh that makes sense!" Hau said. "Neither island wants to believe they're on the losing side."
"Right. So in the after part of the conflict, Ula'ula has been divided into two sections. One side that belongs to Kamalono'a is associated with peace and fertility, yielding great bounties of crops."
"The one that rains frequently." Elio concluded. "The side where Malie City is located." He didn't add that now seeing a folk tale associated with the drastic change from its rainy climate to a hot and dry one on the other side of the island to be incredibly freaky.
"And the other is the side of the volcano, opposite of Mauna Lanakila. It belongs to Pelei."
"That makes sense. Active lava floes, dry climate."
Leilani nodded. "And it's said that you should never bring beef, leather or horns across the stretch of the island close to the Alanui o nā iwi a lauoho. It brings bad luck whenever you go there."
"The Trail of Bones and Hair?"
She nodded again. "The magnetic interference that the volcanologists and geologists say there can make cell phones and other communication devices spotty. And it's been bad enough that they made part of the highway that goes in between Blush and Mauna Lanakila to connect the eastern part of Ula'ula."
Elio gave her a dubious look. "That sounds like superstitious stuff and coincidental." Despite saying that, he had no intention of testing it out.
"You can say what you want, but there's been countless stories of cars breaking down or people getting injured there for no reason at all."
"And before I came to join you, I saw this huge red and black pokemon."
"What? No...you couldn't have."
"It had horns, a ring through its nose and a bell on its tail. It was like throwing rocks everywhere."
"Tapu Bulu." Hau breathed.
Wait, THAT was Tapu Bulu? The guardian god of Ula'ula Island? Here? In a place where it's supposedly forbidden to go?
"That's so strange." Leilani said. "Despite the legends forbidding anything associated with Kamalono'a...Tapu Bulu still wanders about. And those weren't rocks. They were seeds."
Elio's eyes went wide. "So Tapu Bulu wasn't defiling sacred ground; it was restoring the burned land. But why? If that side belongs to Pelei, why is it there?"
"I don't think we'll ever know." Hau said. "The guardians of Alola are capricious and often do things on their own accord. Tapu Bulu could've entrusted other pokemon to carry seeds attached to them as they return, but it decided to do it by itself."
All three of them fell silent, thinking about the events. The thought of surviving such a huge disaster was still fresh and settling in their minds.
"I'm just glad we're through that." Hau groaned, finishing his drink. "I've had enough of everything already."
"Are you guys wanting to turn in? It's getting late and we can get to Aether House in the morning." Elio glanced at Leilani. "Unless you've got some other plans?"
"Right now? Not really. I was going to get back out there, but I also have to bite the bullet and get ahold of Doctor Hansen."
"Wait, I thought he prescribed you three months worth of that drug?"
"Yeah, but I kind of...threw two months of it away." She looked away sheepishly. "I was being a complete nunoao when I did that."
Elio noticed how she was like his father in the beginning, refusing to follow a doctor's orders to continue their line of work.
"I've been so frustrated...surfing more than half my life. I realized that I could still make my own path besides being a trainer. I never made it past Olivia when I went on my own island challenge. With this…I don't feel like I've really accomplished anything for myself."
"Don't say that," Hau said. "You've done so much with your life already."
"Yeah." Elio added. "Before you got hurt; were you satisfied with where you were at?"
Leilani shook her head.
"Then use that as a drive to better yourself. Yeah, it sucks not being able to do anything, but the more you impede yourself by ignoring the doctor's orders, the more you're going to delay your recovery."
"My mother would say the same thing." Leilani said. "I suppose I share her stubbornness."
"Look, you're making it a big deal. This is one of those things where you have to suck it up and admit you're wrong. Once they're done telling you that this is for your own good, don't let it happen again."
"I just never knew the pain and lapses would be as bad as they described. One moment, I'm perfectly fine...the next, I'm on the floor."
"And no alcohol involved."
They all laughed at that. Leilani's face broke into an embarrassed smile.
"I'll call the doctor tomorrow. I'm tired too."
Not wanting to take any chances of her falling again; both Elio and Hau brought her back to the rented room at the pokemon center. All of their pokemon had been returned to their balls and he scooped up the younger vulpix, placing her inside his backpack.
"Thank you both." She shot Hau a knowing look. "I didn't want to take any chances."
"I'm here for you." Hau said quietly. "I don't ever want to lose you again."
Elio wasn't sure how their relationship was going to progress, given how badly he had seen them the last time. For now, they appeared to at least going as friends. However, he wasn't sure what kind of toll it would take on Hau if Leilani remained undecided. The boy wore his emotions on his sleeve and he was worried if she wasn't ready or took too long; he'd become heartbroken and devastated.
Did he fall for her too hard?
There was no doubt that Leilani was an incredibly pretty girl. Her bubbly personality along with her fit, trimmed figure were more than enough to catch the eye of the opposite gender. Both her and Hau had grown up in the small community of Iki Town and were supposedly close as kids, but drifted apart as they got older.
Elio didn't know anything about them when they were younger, but he couldn't help imagining them together as a wonderful couple. Judging from her own behavior, especially when they were at the Battle Royal Dome, the feelings were not just one-sided. She liked him too...but he wasn't sure in that manner.
Please say yes or something. He silently willed. You have no idea how good things will be when you finally do.
"The bed is fine." Leilani grunted. Both boys gently lowered her onto the top blanket. "Thank you both."
"You're welcome." Hau said. "Get some rest okay?"
"Wait," she called as they both got up to leave. "Can you both...um...stay for a little while?"
Elio raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter? Everything okay?"
"Yeah yeah...it's just...I feel a bit nervous being here by myself. I almost died in the water weeks ago and I almost died today. Do you both mind...staying for a little while? Until I fall asleep?"
He expected Hau to jump at the idea, but the kahuna's grandson shook his head. "Leilani, I don't know about that. The pokemon center rooms all have a lock if you're worried about someone breaking in. And if you want to do the deadbolt, we can send out Burly to close it behind us. We're in the rooms next door too."
"No. Please. Stay. Both of you."
"Okay." Elio said. "But if Hau snores, we're throwing him out again. Deal?"
"Hey I don't snore!"
"Yes you do. Stop denying it."
"Alright fine." Both boys gently climbed into the bed as well, claiming a pillow on either side.
I don't know if I'm okay with this. But...we're only going to be here until she falls asleep. An hour tops. She'll probably be out in a few minutes anyway.
"Thank you." She mumbled, her eyes already closed and breathing relaxed.
Elio watched as Leilani subconsciously rolled over on her side to face Hau, away from him. Her arms slowly grabbed the boy's side, pulling him towards her.
Hau waited for a couple of seconds, quite red in the face as his own crush was basically holding onto him in her sleep. Sun could see him move his head up.
"Alola." Hau had barely whispered before leaning in close to the side of her head. Only after staying still for a couple of seconds and lying back down did he realize he had planted a kiss on her cheek.
They've been amicable since meeting up again and he hasn't given up on his heart.
Elio would've woken Hau, but he had suddenly realized that he wouldn't be able to without waking Leilani either. And even more strangely was the fact that Hau's normal light snoring that was sometimes a bother when they slept close by...was gone.
That is so strange.
He felt his body demanding sleep as well, so he adjusted the pillow under his head and drifted off into the dreams.
Elio found something warm and soft pressed against the side of his face and opened his eyes. He smelled something rather pleasant, a hint of vanilla...which was a common and popular fragrance among women.
He immediately stiffened, realizing that his head was up against Leilani's lower back. His arms were around her waist as he spooned her from behind in his sleep.
Oh no. No…..no!
Sleeping in the same bed with Hau and Leilani felt strange, even though he did something similar with Lillie. Strangely, it felt like he was napping alongside close friends...not someone like the blonde.
Could that be him and Lillie in the future?
Hau stirred from across Leilani and he gasped out loud, suddenly realizing the closeness he had to his own crush.
Apparently, he didn't see sleeping like this in the same way I did.
Their posture was rather comical. The surfer girl's hair fanned out behind her as she had moved to rest her head on Hau's shoulder in the crook of his neck. Her arms were similar to what his were, but instead they were around his upper back.
She was basically in a big group threesome hug between the two boys...and they slept through all of it.
Trying his best not to wake the others, he slipped on his backpack and quietly exited the room.
I think it would be good to give them some time alone.
Elio grabbed a quick breakfast in the dining area before giving the medical ward a visit to Arclight. She was still sedated in the ward's intensive care section and the staff tending to her had given no updates on her prognosis. True to the word of the center's staff; he saw a couple of people dressed in Aether Foundation uniforms inside the room, looking at a monitor displaying several bits of information.
It wasn't all bad though. Sometimes no news is good news. I'll be more than happy to help out if it means the Foundation gets more research in preventing this from happening to other trainers.
I just hope that something like this doesn't mean I have to pay trainers insurance.
Trainers insurance was as exactly as it sounded.
The Tapu Village was a small town with no building taller than three stories. It was essentially a stop right next to the highway with clusters of structures, homes and businesses before it snaked further around the island. A sign was on the onramp, indicating the distance to the next settlement on the west side of Ula'ula called Po Town.
Another part of the roads branched off and headed up the slope to the towering mountain peak that disappeared into the clouds above. Elio already knew that this was the base of Mauna Lanakila; the highest point of Alola. As much as he wanted to go up there and explore, he knew that the pokemon league that Professor Kukui was establishing had not yet been completed. He had said that it was a top secret project that only him and the rest of the staff had been keeping under wraps and would reveal it in a grand broadcast. There wasn't much of a timetable as to when it would happen.
But Elio was already determined to challenge it.
Vulpix sniffed the ground as Elio reached the edge of the town, right at where the wilderness began. There were still trails of brown smoke from the aftermath of the huge fire the previous day. Firefighters were still hard at work, but had defeated the majority of the damaging blazes alongside many different water and ground pokemon assisting.
He had been a man of his word on the promise. Despite catching the older one, he was going to allow them to go back to their homes. It was an unwilling catch in his eyes.
The younger fox crawled around by her older sister. Elio had also let out Jangmo'o to say good bye to his friends, but the three of them were already engrossed in a game of tag, chasing each other around.
"Hello there." He interrupted their playtime and squatted down. Jangmo'o was the first to come up to him, nuzzling his outstretched hand with his head. Elio scratched his chin, making the little dragon purr happily. Both vulpix sat down, looking at him expectantly.
"How about some treats?" They all looked excited, rushing forward. Jangmo'o opened his mouth and tried to eat a poke bean whole, but his jaw wasn't exactly big enough to eat the entire thing. Elio took it from him and broke it up into smaller pieces, amused at his pokemon's antics. Next to him, the younger vulpix watched as the older one managed to break the bean in half and nudged the smaller piece towards her sister.
You take very good care of your sister there. I admire that. I never had an older or younger brother, but Ed was kind of that person when we were kids.
"I'm glad you guys are all safe. But I also took you against your will."
Wait, when has that ever stopped me from catching Arclight when she was a grubbin?
He held out vulpix's poke ball, opening it back up to reveal the capture matrix. The mechanism was a multi-faceted metal cube that held the workings and safe housing of a pokemon. When a pokemon was outside of its ball; a trainer wanting to release them would break the device, essentially freeing them from the bond.
"I'd like to see it so that you can go and be with your family again. Both of you."
The vulpix paused, glancing up at Elio with uncertainty. Even Jangmo'o was puzzled at his trainer's expression.
Rotom floated by his side. "Bzzt! Are you zure it'zzz a good idea? Bzzt!"
"Yes. If they want to go back to their parents, brothers and sisters, I don't want to stop them." He glanced back at the sisters. "But...if they want to stay; I'm perfectly fine with that too."
"You managed to make thezzze two pokemon very happy in the zhort time you've had them! Bzzt!" The haunted 'Dex said. "If I were to have any input, Bzzt! I think you zhould keep them! I do not think they have any other family until they met you! Bzzt!"
I mean. I've gathered all these pokemon who had likely never met one another and we're all in this together as a family.
"You two have nowhere to go huh? Lost your parents or something?"
The older vulpix nudged her sister and glanced back at him. The younger one had already finished her poke bean and curled up against his side to sleep. Jangmo'o quizzically cocked his head to the side as he gave Elio that same endearing stare he kept on giving ever since he was hatched.
Elio smiled and scratched his chin again. "You did really good out there buddy. I'm proud of you for being so brave."
Jangmo'o squeaked happily as he rubbed his head scale against Elio's leg As he did, it made a rather pleasant metallic humming sound.
"Heh. I love you too."
He sighed. "Well, perhaps you can come onboard to train and become a stronger Vulpix. I'll admit that I've never thought I'd be getting one as an ice type. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to like it. I've always wanted to see what ice can do!"
The older vulpix let out a soft cry of happiness and bounded on Elio's lap to happily nuzzle him with her head. He brushed her back, enjoying the incredibly soft and cool feeling. As he did; he saw that the younger sister had woken up, looking a little sad that she had been left out.
For a moment, Sun had forgotten that she was still technically a wild pokemon. She faithfully followed her older sibling and was probably so young that she didn't really experience being in the wild and having to fend for herself.
"Come here." He beckoned to her. "You deserve a hug too."
As he embraced the two newest members of his family, Jangmo'o had jumped in as well...he tried to think about a way where the two of them were able to spend time together, but also for the younger sibling to become more independent.
She shouldn't have her sister to care for her all the time. She needs to grow on her own.
He could capture and trade her off to another trainer, maybe Hau or Leilani. Neither of them had ice types on their team and it just felt...wrong to give up a pokemon they had caught themselves and bonded with for a time in exchange for a juvenile vulpix. Another trainer? There were offers on a trade board in town where one could post up a pokemon willing to be traded and others could put in their offers.
But the thought of having the little vulpix go into the hands of someone he barely knew, didn't sit well with him. Most of the time; other trainers were ordinary, kind people, but there was always that bad batch that sullied it for everyone.
Maybe that's why I've never traded with anyone yet. I care too much about the pokemon and worry that it isn't going to a place where it's comfortable.
Or...he could show it to Lillie.
She had told him the last time they had met that she wanted to begin the steps to being a trainer. The pokemon was new and despite her cold typing, she had a warm heart and would be a faithful companion for life.
"Hey you," he whispered to the younger vulpix. She looked over at him, aqua blue eyes wide with intrigue.
"I've got someone I'd like you to meet."
Poor Arclight. And that is where we end the chapter. Not the most exciting one, I'll agree, but I promise things will kick up next time as we close in on the next trial and a lot more dramatic and intense things.
Translations
Maika'i loa! - Excellent/Splendid
Alanui o nā iwi a lauoho - Trail of Bones and Hair
Nunoao - Moron
The actual highway with the superstitious legend of the mo'owahine is the Nu'uanu Pali, a section off Hawaii's Route 61 highway on the island of Oahu. Like it was explained in Kiawe's trial 30 something chapters ago, it is a Hawaiian version of a siren taking on the appearance of a beautiful woman to lure unwary men to their deaths.
There are also many iterations of the stories and folktales depicting the love story of Kamapua'a and Pele, which I aimed to try and put in two main versions that are told on the different islands. One being the happy one where they are lovers, marry and have a daughter and there are others where they are enemies. The Nu'uanu Pali pass on Route 61 is on Pele's "side" of Oahu and it's been considered bad luck or superstitious to bring pork through the pass.
As always, thanks for reading and reviewing. You give my writing purpose.
Brav