Chapter 12: The Lies We Tell
"May the bridges you set ablaze light the path to mental contentment."
~ Clan Leader Adaman, Hisuian Tribe Diamond ~
Moon's time with Lillie was nothing short of enjoyable. In fact, though she was loath to admit it out loud, having Lillie sleep over three whole days was without a doubt one of the happiest moments in recent memory for Moon. Sure, maybe the fact that she had a crush on Lillie played a part in that – she wasn't so far in denial as to claim it didn't – but there was something else about it that just made her forget about her troubles. Playing video games, introducing Lillie to cable television, showing her just just how easy it was to do nothing at all, they were all things about having friends Moon had missed dearly. She wouldn't admit it, but when she focused on keeping Lillie happy, she didn't have to worry about herself as much.
Even after catching her forcefully throwing up dinner in the bathroom. If anything, it gave Moon the drive to make sure that they were both equally distracted.
Though initially unsure, she had decided not to inform her mother for a plethora of reasons, from saving Lillie the embarrassment, to avoiding any future awkwardness between the three of them. A voice in her head said that this was probably something adults could handle better than a fourteen year old, but a much snarkier, much more rebellious voice, insisted that adults couldn't be bothered to even explain the basics of who Lillie was. Of course, even her spiteful spirit of youth knew that deep down, this was far out of her hands to help with. Lillie needed professional help, and Moon had as much professionalism as workplace gossip.
She did try, of course. After getting Lillie back to bed and making sure she was asleep this time, Moon had stayed up for hours combing through websites and forums about how to help with whatever it was Lillie had. Bulimia? Well, that had been the first thing that came up on the internet, but everyone seemed to say that bulimia focused on eating a lot before making yourself puke, and Lillie hardly ate at all. There was rumination disorder, which had to do with regurgitating undigested food, anorexia, cyclic vomiting syndrome, and other lovely things that made Moon feel wonderful after reading through them.
How did you help someone with something when you didn't even know what they had? Lillie became completely unresponsive if Moon brought up the event, shaking her head and repeating, "I don't want to talk about it." Which was fair, Moon understood that reluctance all too well, but it made it difficult to decide what to do, or how to help. She had finally decided that the best person to confide in would be Professor Burnet, but as she was back in Heahea, that wasn't an option. Her second best option was Professor Kukui, but as she soon discovered, the professor wasn't quite as keen to talk.
He had arrived the next morning back in Hau'oli, but asked Moon's mother if she wouldn't mind keeping Lillie for a few more days while he focused on some work-related projects. Naturally her mother didn't mind, but even she noted a peculiarity in the way Kukui was avoiding Lillie. Whenever Moon would hover over her mother's shoulder while she was on the phone, flashing signs and mouthing that she had important questions for Kukui, there was always some reason for her to be brushed off when her mother vocalized it. However, whenever Moon brought this up to her mother, it was waved away as the professor being genuinely busy.
Moon wasn't buying it. She didn't need a reason, she just thought it was tauroscrap, but the secrets were starting to ramp up in full again. Her mother seemed to be on the phone far more frequently, often walking out to the veranda and staying out there for hours at a time. Moon tried to listen, being the nosy little instigator that she was, but her mother had long since caught on and never spoke above a shallow breath when she had to take a call. It was bad enough Kukui was being evasive, but her mother too? It was beginning to infuriate her.
So, Moon decided the best thing she could do was to follow the internet's advice: be supportive, encourage her to talk to someone about it and seek help, and let Lillie know that she could always talk to her about it. Which to Moon felt like a whole lot of nothing wrapped up in a bow, but until Kukui started giving her the time of day, was probably her best shot. So she focused on distractions; trying to get Lillie to smile whenever she could, or even just to keep them both content. Sometimes it was simply playing a game while Lillie read, or going out and visiting the beach when Moon's nausea was light.
She had been dismissive of the beachfront after spending almost every day there her first three months, but sometimes you needed a break from something to remind you how much you loved it. There was no sight like the endless ocean meeting the boundless sky, and the horizon was where those two beauties met and kissed their greetings and farewells, day and night. Lillie would often join her, and Moon reveled in taking her to meet the neighbors she had grown to know in Alola. Perhaps it was because she got to show off a part of Alola that was hers, and hers alone.
The Ohtoris were naturally welcoming to both girls, with Mrs. Ohtori insisting Moon was practically the neighborhood stray with how often she swung by, a title Moon was quite proud of. Sodas and stories were shared as Moon regaled her first week and a half as a trainer, with Lillie shyly adding in the parts Moon forgot about. Mrs. Ohtori's wife insisted they take some cookies with them as they left; Mrs. Ohtori herself agreed on the grounds that she was almost certain they were burnt, and couldn't stomach another to appease her wife.
They stopped by the berry bar by the boardwalk, and Moon introduced Lillie to the pleasure that was Alolan shaved ice, as well as its owner, Ms. McConnell. Lillie had initially declined, but Moon insisted it was a delicacy tried at least once, though too late did she remember that her friend was suffering from a medical issue regarding food that she knew next to nothing about. Before she could backtrack and skip the shaved-ice, Lillie had already taken a small bite of her cone and the smile that broke out after trying her first bite was enough to tell Moon that maybe she hadn't completely messed up.
Moon had brought out Chlorine to try some Alolan ice herself, and Ms. McConnell smiled warmly as she gave her a little sample cup for her pokemon. She was a tall woman around the age of Moon's own mother, with thin glasses and chocolate hair pulled up into a bun that she kept up with pins, but her smile was genuine and sprightly.
"You chose a water-type as your starter, hm?" she asked, and Moon nodded as she held the cup up to her pokemon. "Hah, good choice. My first pokemon, Marina, was an oshawott. A particularly snarky one, at that, though that was probably because I raised her on the road." She cocked her head at Chlorine, nodding and smiling as the pokemon barked excitedly atop Moon's head. "Oh? I see. Yes, yours is much sweeter, and from what she says, you've been taking good care of her too. She clearly likes you a lot – but she can tell you're stressed. She's worried about you, you know."
"You talk as though you can speak to pokemon, Miss," Lillie noted, looking between Chlorine and Ms. McConnell. The berry-bar owner smirked and gave a little shrug as she turned and started mixing another set of shaved-ice cones.
"Pokemon – not just psychic types – are very good at picking up the emotions of people, even if they aren't sure how or why you feel that way. If you're stressed, they will be too," she said simply, handing both girls another set of cones to deliver to her son. "Remember that they're a lot like us; humans can be hard to understand too, you just have to be willing to have the patience to try and understand, even if you're not sure how or why."
They naturally visited Moon's favorite lifeguard, Kai, and both girls were introduced to his sister Faustine who ended up being mute, speaking in sign language for Kai to translate. They bequeathed them their shaved-ice cones, with Kai showing his thanks by teaching Moon how to curse in sign language. They were, for the most part, straightforward.
"Yeah, I went to the ol' HTTC." Kai nodded as Moon successfully mastered the use of signing 'taurosshit', while Lillie had told the siblings about their journey around Hau'oli. "Trust me cousin, you best be glad you grew up in Kanto for that part of your life. You got the regular seven to three, and then another two hours after in the trainer school? Hated it." He shook his head morosely. "Was like cram school, but instead of numbers and history, you got to learn how bad you are at pokemon battling."
His sister rolled her eyes at this, flashing a group of symbols and hand gestures that Kai took notice of, unimpressed.
"What did she say?" Lillie asked, looking genuinely curious. Kai only rolled his eyes back at his sister.
"She's saying I'm mad because all the girls in my class beat me," he grumbled, raising his head back up to face the ocean. He gave the girls a smirk however. "But joke's on her, I let the girls in my class win to gain their favor. She's just mad nobody thought she was cute enough to do that for her."
The symbol his sister gave him needed no translation; Moon recognized the single-finger gesture instantly.
After that, they sat on the edge of the shoreline, letting the water run up to their toes with their shoes beside them as they ate their ice and watched the waves lap before them. Moon had ordered her usual sour blue rawstberry, while Lillie had settled on a blend of almond and vanilla that was titled "Silver Fox Ninetails." They ate in relative silence for a time, letting the sounds of wingull and children splashing around a distance away be their ambiance. If Moon glanced at Lillie the right way when she wasn't looking, she thought she almost looked truly, genuinely happy. She could almost pretend they were on a little date.
Man, I've really got to stop thinking like this. It was a shame she enjoyed it so much.
After finishing her shaved-ice, Lillie stared at the sky for a few moments before finally breaking the silence. "I will admit, Alola is much more lively than I initially thought it to be. Perhaps I didn't give it the credit that it deserves, being stuck inside with the professor for most of my time here. Everyone is so welcoming, and you carry yourself with such comfort and ease that I would easily believe you had lived here your whole life, had you not told me otherwise." She did not look at Moon then, even though Moon gazed at her. "When I walk through the sand and the boardwalk with you, there is a sense of belonging you radiate that I find myself a tad bit envious of."
Moon blinked, turning back to stare at the ocean that stretched onwards before them. "I… huh. I mean, I appreciate it. It's taken me months to get this tan where I want it," she admitted, pulling back her sleeve slightly with a smirk. Her smile faded. "But jokes aside, yeah, I get what you mean. Alola kinda has this… this natural sense of connection. I felt it back when I first saw the ceremony in Iki, actually, but I couldn't really put a name on it. It's just this kinda… feeling that binds everyone…"
"And everything," Lillie finished, nodding in understanding.
"It's all connected in harmony and respect, for the land and the people," Hau agreed solemnly, nodding his head as he stuck a bite of shaved ice into his mouth. Both girls jumped, with Lillie grabbing onto Moon's arm and letting out a slight squeak as they turned to see Hau in the flesh, sitting calmly beside them. He waved his hands out in the traditional greeting, spoon still in his mouth as he managed a slightly muffled, "Awowa shishtas."
Lillie let out a sigh of relief, peeling her fingers from Moon as she realized her nails had dug into her arm, hastily apologizing. Moon hadn't even noticed.
"Hau! Goodness, you gave quite a start! Oh, it's lovely to see you again. I haven't seen you since the trial at the cavern!" She gave Hau a smile and a bow of the head, while Moon leaned forward and flashed him the shaka; he grinned, returning the gesture. Moon hadn't been terribly aware of any real closeness between Lillie and Hau, given how Moon and Hau could usually carry an entire conversation through a day of travel, but maybe travel had a way of bringing strangers together. Traveling the island brought out something within people, something that could only really be understood by the ones you traveled with.
"Likewise, sister, likewise!" Hau grinned, grabbing Lillie's hands and shaking them together. "Glad to see you out enjoying the beach, yeah? You looked like you'd been kissed by a muk last I saw you, good to see you getting some sun!" Lillie gave a small chuckle that leaked her embarrassment, and Moon decided to interject to save her friend from having to explain.
"What's shaking, Hau?" she interjected. "Did you finish Ilimia's trial? I mean, I figured you had, otherwise you probably wouldn't be here, but you know." Hau nodded at that, sticking his spoon in his cup and pulling a small crystal from his pocket that held out for them to see. It was translucent with a symbol directly in the center; a circle with two semicircles on either side that were split at their ends, separating each. It looked like a target.
Moon took out her own. She'd forgotten about it entirely, along with the trial itself since she'd arrived back home. The crystal had remained locked in her Z-Ring along her wrist as nothing more than an accessory since then, but now she could compare it to the one Hau showed. Without the "Z-Power" flowing through it from the trial, hers looked exactly the same.
"Sure did. Took three tries, actually. He'd only let me try once a day, too, so I'd have to trudge back to the pokemon center, then back to the site. Heck of an exercise." He shook his head and stuffed the crystal back in his pocket and groaned, letting out a yawn. "Then I had to learn that dance for the crystal while I was all exhausted and junk – oh, I won on the third try because I just kept giving Haupia a butt-ton of x-speed capsule vitamins until he was fast enough to zip under that thing's feet-
"Wait, aren't those things like fifteen bucks a pop? I thought we ran out of money."
"Hm? Oh, yeah. I had to sell the rest of my pokeballs for it," Hau explained casually. "But I got real lucky, some hiker came barrelling down the path trying to buy pokeballs off anyone around, said he saw some albino growlithe and ran out of balls trying to catch it. He gave me double what I paid for them." Hau nodded sagely, looking off towards the sea again. "Wonder if he caught it."
"What kind of dance was it that Ilima taught you?" Lillie asked curiously. "You said it had something to do with the Z-Crystal?" Moon could tell where this was headed. Honestly, she didn't care if Ilima had taught Hau an effective way at tangoing a pissed-off machoke into submission; she wasn't interested. Partly because it came from Ilima, and partly because it was dancing. Hau, however, smacked his forehead with his palm.
"Oh! Right, Tapu above, I skipped right over that! Yeah yeah yeah, okay, stand up," he instructed, dusting his shorts off. "Forgot all about it – you were supposed to learn about this after the trial, but you had to rush off so Ilima asked me to teach you. Whole reason I stopped by – well, aside from seeing my sisters again." Both girls stood, though Lillie took several steps back as Hau extended both his fists outward. "Okay, so the dance begins-"
"Woah, kakali kakali," Moon interrupted, raising her hands and stepping back beside Lillie. "I uh, I don't dance. Like, at all. I am the music girl, not the dancing girl."
Wait, didn't I put 'Learn to dance' as my seventeenth objective on the to-do list? Damn! Whoever wrote that thing is a freakin' moron.
Hau raised an eyebrow, giving her a rather skeptical look. "You don't dance? Don't be lolo sister, you're Alolan, yeah? Trust me, you can dance." But Moon shook her head fiercely, feeling a tinge glow in her cheeks that had nothing to do with the sun.
"No, dude, I'm serious. I cannot dance, like, at all," she insisted to the surprise of her friends. She realized this was out of nowhere and she was getting really self-conscious about it, but the thought of her dancing in front of someone, especially the people she liked, made her queasy. "Like, the only times I've danced are at the festivals back in Kanto, and that was when I was like nine. Pretty sure I tripped over every yukata and kimono I saw. If I try to dance, I'm gonna look like a freaking idiot, I mean it." Lillie frowned at that from out the corner of Moon's eye, and Hau just shook his head. "Why do I have to dance anyway? What is this even for?"
"Told you man, 'Z-Moves'.Remember what gramps said, before we set off?" Hau said, tapping his Z-Ring and adding a deep rumble to his voice. "What we call 'Z-Power', will unleash your potential, as well as your pokemon's, if you can channel it properly. Look how wise I am, hmmm." Neither Moon nor Lillie laughed. He sighed, giving his eyes a good roll. "Hey, if you lived with the guy, you'd know that sounds just like him, yeah? Point is, Z-Moves let you channel the energy of the islands themselves, and let that energy flow through your 'mon! It's like injecting a kid with a sugar rush, and then letting them burn it all up when they dropkick another kid through a window!"
Lillie looked utterly confused, and slightly horrified, but Moon nodded. "See, now you're making sense."
"Exactly," Hau said. "Being able to use the light of the islands is a big deal - there's a reason they don't just give these Z-Rings out to anyone. Heck, Tapu Koko made sure you got one! Try and let someone tell you ain't Alolan then, huh?" He smiled while Moon fiddled with the Z-Ring around her wrist, looking down at it. It suddenly felt a lot heavier. "I'm sure the professor or my grandpa could tell you more, stuff like whether Z-Moves inspired our dancing or the other way around, all the cool smart stuff. But the point is, Z-Power is ingrained in the culture, sister! You wanna show everyone you're the real deal, yeah?"
Moon bit her lip and glanced away, shrugging. It wasn't like dancing was a super big deal for her; there was no tragic slip-up in front of the school, no embarrassing moment of being caught by a crush, she just never danced. Not in front of anyone, at least. Sure, she did a little groove now and again while waiting for the microwave, or bopped to the beat of her music when she was home alone with Chlorine, but that was different. That wasn't dancing, with meaning and purpose as an art form, that was her goofing off when nobody was looking.
"I am quite surprised to see you so disconcerted," Lillie said, her voice kind and uplifting. "You seem so outgoing and free-spirited, after all. Is it really so different from when you perform your music in front of others? Even then, there is a dance to the way you skip around during a battle, is there not?"
"I mean, kinda? That's more of me just skipping to the beat to get a better view of the field." Moon grimaced and rubbed the back of her head; to think Lillie of all people would call her out. "It's not- I mean, it's not really the same. Like, when I play the ukulele, nobody's attention is on my fingers or the strings. Like I'm sure people might glance there, but that's not where everyone is attuned to, you know? They're focused on hearing it, not looking at it. Dancing though is like, everyone is looking directly at you, it just feels more… embarrassing, I guess. I just don't know without looking really stupid – more stupid than I'm willing to be." She blew a tuft of hair out from her eyes and shrugged her shoulders again.
Lillie seemed to understand this. She smiled and nodded before cocking her head ever so slightly, and with the brightest, most earnest smile, she asked, "Would you like me to teach you?"
Moon felt her soul shrivel up and die, only to be reborn again. "Youwannateachmetowhatnow?"
"I asked if you would like me to teach you the basics of dancing," Lillie answered without missing a beat. "It's important to your culture and your trials that you learn how to dance to activate the ring, correct?" Moon gave a weak little nod. Was it hot out? Or was it cold? Hoo boy she couldn't tell. "Then I would be most happy to help you. I may not know Alola's traditional dances, but confidence and technique with the movement of the body can be taught no matter what form the dance may take. While it's true that music is the universal language of the soul, dance is undoubtedly another, and I would very much like to have a conversation with you."
That was it, oh that was it. Moon was dying, she was gone, she had no more mortal coil and was done: she had seen everything there was to see, no doubt about it. Her head felt so light she worried she might actually float away, like a drifloon. Or maybe a drifloon was yoinking her away itself. That seemed a much better comparison. She swallowed, certain the beach's sand had dried out her throat, and nodded.
"Yeah. Yeah, alright. I'll dance with you. Sometime."
This girl is going to be the death of me.
"Chee-hoo, sister! Let me show you how it's done then." Hau nearly punched Moon in the chest as he thrusted his arms out again. With surprising smoothness and fluidity, he leveled his hands flat at an angle – from shoulder to waist – and both Moon and Lillie watched with silent awe as a sort of translucent glow began to spin at the base of his feet like a gust of air; yet there was only the ocean wind gliding past them. The spiraling light slowly grew beneath him, like a dimmed spotlight slowly being cranked to life. It was far weaker than the one the raticate had exuded at the trial.
Hau took two quick, rhythmic breaths, and beat his right fist to his chest while his left did the same to his head – and he immediately doubled over into the sand. The light vanished, hardly noticeable in the afternoon sun to begin with, and Hau groaned as he rolled onto his back and clutched his chest. Several beachgoers glanced over but paid the trio little mind Lillie and Moon were at his side in a second, Lillie's mouth agape with bewilderment and concern, while Moon struggled and failed to hold back the stupid chuckle that rose from her belly.
"Oough, oh Tapu, knocked out my own air…" Hau grumbled as he took deep, raspy breaths. "Okay, don't… don't hit yourself in the chest like that, but you… you get the idea, right? That's the dance… woooh, that's the one for the Normalium-Z crystal." He groaned and rolled over in the sand, raising his head and giving it a shake. "I'm not too good at them myself, to be honest-
"Hadn't noticed," Moon interjected with a smirk. Lillie huffed at her.
"I should probably just get good and practice the dance for the battle with the kahuna, but like… that's so much work." He climbed to his feet and groaned again, picking up his shaved-ice cup and heading towards a trash can while Moon's stomach dropped like a sack of bricks. "But at the same time, he's probably expecting that I use it – or would he expect for me to just wing it and not use it?" He looked up towards the sky in thought for a second before noticing Moon's open mouthed stare of horror. "What?"
"We gotta battle the kahuna…" she mumbled, and wobbled slightly in the sand. Truly the first convenient time her fatigue and nausea had ever shown up. "Oh dude, holy sharpedo… I forgot we have to battle your grandpa, man. Ugh… when do we have to battle him?" She ran her hand through her hair and groaned as she realized she was woefully unprepared for that kind of encounter. She had been so distracted by her doctor's appointment, Lillie's health issues, secret shenanigans between what seemed like everyone except her, police detectives, and Kukui's distant attitude, that it had utterly slipped her mind until this point.
She had barely made it through her trial, and that was with both Hau and Lillie helping her in some way. True, she had tackled that problem head on instead of thinking outside the box, but a battle was entirely different. It was a duel, between the head of the island and herself, and all she had to show for it was three battle ready pokemon, and one with no training whatsoever. She had witnessed the man stop a full grown tauros with his bare hands, and she had to beat that?
Hau grimaced as she spoke, teeth clenched as a light hiss escaped his lips. "Aah, haha… shoot. Yeah, sorry, you uh… you were supposed to be told this by Ilima too, but you had to… leave." He scratched the back of head and gave a weak shrug, trying to smile. "It's the day after tomorrow? I think? It's at Iki again, like the trial ceremony was."
Two days. Two days to train. Two days to practice this weird dance. Two days to learn how to actually be a pokemon trainer instead of flinging commands at the wall and seeing what stuck. It was hardly even two days; she had the rest of today and tomorrow, and then maybe an hour or two the day of the battle. Could she manage that? Suddenly her fingers felt tingly, and the weight in her chest was more like the lurch when an elevator started moving.
She could do this, if she actually sat down and tried. There was nothing she couldn't do after all.
I don't know how to quit.
She focused her attention back on Lillie and Hau. "Okay. Okay yeah, this is doable. But I really, really might need your guys' help for this one. Lillie, I know it'll be a straight duel between me and the kahuna, but if you can teach me like, any way to not trip over my feet when I try and dance? That'd do wonders." Lillie beamed and nodded as Moon turned to Hau. "Hau, I know you're probably gonna be busy training too, but-"
"Hm? Oh, nah. I was just gonna go in and see what happens to be honest." Hau shrugged. "But I'll train with you if you want, sister. What friends are for, right? Just remember," He slugged her shoulder in a friendly manner and grinned, "A'a i ka hula, waiho i ka maka'u i ka hale. It means to dare to dance, and leave the shame at home. Also I uh, know what pokemon he uses so, you got that going for you!"
"Is that cheating? Actually, no, don't answer that, I might feel bad," Moon insisted, though Lillie rolled her eyes. "Alright, I'm not too dizzy or nauseous yet, so let's get some training in while I can still move around. There's gotta be a stretch of unoccupied beach around her somewhere…" They grabbed their belongings and started for the boardwalk, eyeing the shore as the afternoon sun hung high above them. They dumped their trash with Hau and Lillie exchanging explanations about what the other had been up to since the trial.
Moon listened in for a while, though for once she didn't contribute to the conversation. Something bugged her about the whole ordeal; would the other trial-goers be there to face the kahuna, or did the kahuna face them as they came? If it was to be the latter as she suspected, and the battle was held on a date set specifically for her and Hau, why had nobody told her until the last minute? Someone should have told her or her mother ahead of time; the kahuna, Kukui, someone. It just seemed unconventional given how everything else had been relayed to her so far.
She glanced back at Hau and Lillie behind her. Hau had brought out his litten, Alonzo, to stretch along his shoulder and Lillie was scratching the cat's head as they walked. Moon smiled. Maybe she was just letting her nerves get to her. She'd had to leave the trial early due to getting Lillie help after all, so maybe it was just a bump in communication. It was one of those moments in life where it seemed like things were rocky, but in reality everything was probably fine and if she just waited and let it come to pass, she'd come out on top. Unburdened and unworried like she always was.
She sighed; of all the people that might have been lying to her, she herself was without a doubt the biggest offender. She always had been.
"I think you're getting the hang of it, Moon. Nebby, the contour please – we'll do 'Sunkissed' since your tan is strong."
"Easy for you to say, you don't even like battles."
It was the next evening, one day before she and Hau faced off against the kahuna. Moon was exhausted from training, which only infuriated her because she hadn't accomplished that much. Though she'd taken Lillie's unintentional advice and started teaching all of her pokemon musical drills for different formations and techniques, the fact of the matter was that a day and a half wasn't enough time for Moon to properly strategize and familiarize her pokemon with clever techniques and attack combinations. That, along with her ridiculous fatigue and nausea back and forth made it to where she had only been able to practice for an hour at a time before needing another hour to rest, mentally and physically.
"True, but I do recognize that you're pushing yourself quite hard and are battling quite differently from when you first did at the trainer ceremony." A brush lightly patted at her cheeks, spreading powder gently beneath her cheek bones. "Regardless of how I feel about pokemon battling, I think your effort to it should really be noted."
"If effort guaranteed success, I'd be champion of Alola," Moon grumbled.
They had been busy fulfilling Moon's promise of allowing Lillie to do her makeup, with assistance from Nebby, and although she much preferred just drowning her eyes in liquid eyeliner and throwing on some dark lipstick, she had agreed to let Lillie do as she pleased with her twenty different shades of blush and foundation. She was gentle, but meticulous in the way she applied the makeup that told Moon she had a lot of practice. Judging by the way she was softly smiling and turning her head, Moon got the feeling she didn't get to practice on others often.
"That is… a dishearteningly true statement. Close your eyes, please." Lillie mumbled as she brought out the eyeshadow. "But, I have been thinking of your predicament. Surely the kahuna will go easy on you to some degree? If you all are expected to surpass him in battle, it stands to reason that novice trainers such as yourselves would not receive the full force of one as experienced and trained as the kahuna of the island. Am I correct?"
Moon nodded. She'd thought about that too, of course, and Hau had even assured her that the kahuna wouldn't decimate her or anything. Still, she didn't exactly think it fit with the idea of testing them all that he'd go down easy. She'd still have to put in the effort, and come out by more than just the skin of her teeth, as she had with Ilima's trial. But that was tomorrow. Tonight, she was supposed to rest up for the big challenge. First though, she wanted to have a bit of fun to take her mind off of things.
So it was in the middle of said makeup-session when Moon had a brilliant idea. Inspired by Professor Kukui's gas-station antics, she had hopped up from the stool in the bathroom and returned with a bottle of water, her phone resting in the other hand.
"Do be careful, your gloss is still setting," Lillie said, gently dabbing a brush against her kit. "Let me get some finishing powder on first and then you'll be good to go, okay? Honestly, you look quite beautiful when you put just a bit of effort into how you look." Moon held back her internal screaming and managed to shake her head.
"Oh no, this isn't for me, and it's no regular water bottle," Moon insisted, settling back on her stool. Lillie raised an eyebrow as Moon set her phone against the sink with the front-facing camera turned on. "This is the conduit for a very special type of trick, a bit of dark Alolan magic hailing from the furthest reaches of the islands. This… is my people's greatest secret, and their curse." She raised her hands dramatically and leaned towards Lillie with her eye jutting out, but Lillie just sighed.
"Moon, I know I give off the impression of a naive and gullible young woman, but I'm old enough to know that magic is not real." She took the water bottle and set it back down, but Moon swiped it back up and frowned.
"You're keeping a mysterious pokemon that can blow up bridges with its raw blueberry looking space energy, and you can't suspend your disbelief for a magic trick?" As if to back up Moon's claim, Nebby chimed happily and bounced loftily over their heads. Lillie looked up at her pokemon, then down at Moon, and sighed.
"Oh, very well. Go on then. Why are you taking a video, though?"
"Gotta show off my stylist, duh," she joked, sticking her tongue out as she put her head next to Lillie's. She regretted it immediately since her lips were still glossy, but she pressed on. Moon gleefully pulled out a coin from her pocket, sticking it underneath the bottle, and swiping a washcloth to throw over the top. She turned to Lillie and raised her hands once more.
"Alright, okay, okay. I'm gonna say the magic words – ancient, passed down words from my family, mind you – and when I do, the coin will have passed through the bottle, to the inside." She threw the washrag over the bottle, and looked back to see that Lillie now seemed intrigued enough to give her her full attention. She was watching Moon and her hands carefully, eyes flickering between them and the bottle to decipher how the trick was done.
Perfect.
Moon turned back to the bottle and wiggled her fingers. "Mahalo ke Akua ʻaʻole ʻoe e ʻōlelo Alolan!" She made one final flourish and whipped the washcloth off, peering her eye into the bottle to stare down inside. She clapped her hands and leaned back, giving Lillie a smug look as she held the bottle down. "How's that for some Alolan magic, huh?" She nodded her head towards the bottle for Lillie to check, and her friend's eyes widened.
"Wha- did you really?" Lillie leaned over the counter and peered into the bottle, just in time for Moon to squeeze the bottom and send a miniature geyser of water shooting up directly into her face. Lillie let out a gurgled gasp as she stepped backwards, and Moon completely lost her composure as she burst into hysterics atop the stool. Her breath grew thin and wheezy as she pounded her own knee, looking up at the sopping wet face of her friend who stared back in utter shock as water dripped onto the tiles.
"Gotcha!" Moon snorted, descending into giggles once more at the sight of Lillie's face. "You- you look like a delcatty that fell into a pool, hehahaa! Oh, oh God, I'm sorry, that was too good. I'm sorry- augh, shit!" Moon slipped off the stool and landed with a thwump on the floor, pain coursing through her backside, but this only caused her to laugh even harder. She could no longer enunciate words properly, and had completely descended into lunacy.
Hehe, hehehahaha! Lunacy. Moon. Hueheuehue- Oomph!
Moon was slid out into the hall like an oversized shuffleboard puck, and she stopped laughing just as the door slammed shut behind her with an emphasized, "Hmph!" from the other side. Her phone slid out from under the door just as Moon sat up, shaking off the last of the giggles as she looked back at the bathroom door. Did she just get kicked out of her own bathroom? By her guest? Someone, somewhere, probably would've been aggravated by that, but Moon knew she deserved it.
"I'll uh, I'll see you back in the room," Moon called, receiving no answer. Her smile became a grimace as she turned the recording on her phone off. "I uh- heh, too far? Too far. Sorry." Yep, it was official, she was the stupidest girl on the planet. Well, the region, at least. The island? Maybe in Hau'oli. Eh, nobody was perfect, right? She got to her feet and dusted herself off, trying to mentally shake off her embarrassment as she walked into the kitchen and veered towards her room. Lillie had already removed her makeup for the night after all, no harm no foul, right? She was just playing a prank, and trying to cheer up her friend. Who wouldn't cheer up from getting splashed in the face?
Moon sighed and hit her head against the wall, looking down at her recording. Her thumb hovered over the delete button, but she didn't press it.
You're a moron.
As she reached for her door she heard her mother out on the veranda, far from her usual spot as she stood against the railing. Another phone call, one that had already been going on for half an hour and would probably continue for another half hour, no doubt. She almost closed her door behind her until she did a double take, and realized that she could hear her mother. Her nosy teenage instincts set into motion, and she creeped up to the glass door of where she could see her mother leaning over the railing with a beer in one hand, and her phone in the other.
Finally, her mother had dropped her guard! After ensuring that Meowth was nowhere around to give her away, she crept just close enough to make out the words and stilled her breathing. Years of slippery teenage eavesdropping would ensure her victory here tonight.
"-enough is enough. No- no, absolutely not. I've had enough. I'm folding, I can't keep going along with whatever antics you're playing at here." This conversation had been going on a while; Moon spotted an already empty bottle on the railing. "I was willing to help, willing to play along for your sake and for hers, but this is my limit, because now you've gotten Mahina roped into all of this too. I draw the line at my daughter."
Her mother went silent, and Moon pressed her ear to the glass even harder. There was only one person she could be talking to: Professor Kukui. That, or a bill collector.
"You know, you keep saying that over and over like it's supposed to placate me, Ku, but all it's starting to do is piss me off. She's not even fifteen yet. Don't you think she's got enough on her shoulders as it is without… whatever the hell this is on top of it? God knows it'll get worse." Her mother's voice rose, and she took another swig of her bottle. "The whole reason we came to Alola was to make things less stressful for her, not to add to it! I buckled when she wanted to do the trials, and you know, maybe I should've stood my ground then, but I didn't. You really think she's going to be able to travel across the islands when just playing at the beach makes her nauseous?"
Another pause; Moon silently lamented her inability to hear the other side of the phone.
"Oh don't give me that shit, don't give me- no, because you know what? That's on you. If you didn't want this kind of thing interfering with your whole league business and your reputation, then maybe you should have thought about that before getting into a problem with legal ramifications. Textbook definition of having cake and wanting to eat it too." Her mother stood up straight suddenly, and Moon scooted away from the glass door. The distance didn't matter however, as her mother's voice came through the glass clear as day. "It's not! Her! Responsibility! And you know what? It's not mine either, Kukui. You just keep asking for more and more, but fuck me… what about us, huh?"
Her mother's voice paused, and when she next spoke it was with a much softer and gentler tone, one that Moon had to strain to hear again."No. No, of course not. Lillie's a great kid, and I'd go to bat for that kid any day of the week like she was my own; it's not that I'm blaming her for this. I fucking… feel for that kid to the stars and back." Her mother let out a sigh and set the beer down, rubbing at her eyes with her free hand. "But when I get federal investigators knocking on my door in the middle of broad daylight, what am I supposed to say, huh? It's a miracle the kids were down at the beach when it happened!"
Moon stiffened from her hiding spot; it was like a thunderbolt had shot through her body and landed straight in her stomach, sending little bolts of weighted electricity through the rest of her body. She knew exactly who had pulled up to her door that afternoon, and the thought made that weight in her gut all the heavier.
"Of course I told them – what the fuck else was I supposed to do, huh? I can't risk getting dragged off for aiding and abetting, just so you can safely work on your stupid eyesore of a league!" Her mother's voice rose for a moment, but she quickly caught herself and seemed to take a breath. "So, I'm done. I told them to come and get her tomorrow night, because Moon has her challenge with Hala, and she doesn't need that lingering over her and messing her up. I want her to end her island challenge on a high note before I pull her out, because I know this is gonna fucking destroy her on top of it..."
"Oh don't you start too. You're just like Hala; all this about how important our culture is, how sacred our traditions are and that Mahina experiences them. Well, have either of you thought that maybe the strain from going around the island and doing these stupid trials might be the deciding factor for whether her condition worsens or not?" Moon's teeth grinded against one another as she listened to her mother. "I get that I'm her parent and neither of you are, but fuck man, I'm the only one here who seems to be worried about her health! But yeah, you know what? Let's have her scale Mount Lanakila, have her risk getting wound up in your legal troubles! Who gives a fuck?! Cause it sure ain't you!"
Her mother sighed one last time. The pause was poignant. "Look… Lillie is a wonderful kid, but if I have to choose between her and my daughter? It'll be Mahina, every time. I'm sorry, Ku." Her mother held the bottle up to her lips and leaned her head back, downing the last of it with ease, but Mahina didn't stay around to watch her polish it off. The end of the phone call had drawn near, and she found herself quickly sneaking straight to her room before she could see it come to a close. Or maybe, she didn't want to risk the chance that it would keep going, and she would have to listen to more. She slipped inside, changed into a pair of slim-fitting red shorts and a dual-toned night shirt, and promptly climbed into bed despite it being barely nine-thirty.
So, the secret was out. Well, one of them at least, the one she had been trying to decipher for the past six days. Professor Kukui knew about Lillie being wanted by the police, and not only did he know, he was trying to pretend he didn't know so that way he could continue his job as a professor, and as the head of this pokemon league they were building. Yet, it sounded like he still wanted to help Lillie, but couldn't risk getting in trouble for doing so. Moon laid in her bed, thinking about that part, over and over. Trying to wrap her head around it.
Then her thoughts crossed over to what her mother had said about pulling her from the challenge. That alone made her cheeks burn red with frustration, to the point that tears welled up in her eyes. Nobody told her anything. Nobody explained things, nobody tried to help her understand, everyone just acted in their best interests and dodged around her; and the afterwards was just collateral damage that they'd count as an acceptable cost to whatever the hell was going on. But if she tried to fight for her best interests? Oh, then she was only thinking of herself instead of the bigger picture. It was only acceptable to be selfish when you were an adult, it seemed.
Why are you trying to pull me out? Haven't we been through this already?
There was a knock at her door a few minutes into her frustrated pondering and for a moment she feared her mother caught her and wanted to talk. She wasn't scared because of the risk of getting in trouble; she was scared of what she might say. Instead, she heard Lillie's voice whisper into the dimness of the room.
"Moon?"
Rather than answer, Moon remained silent and facing the wall to give off the impression she was asleep. She had turned the light off after she had changed, leaving only the lamp beside her bed on, and Moon heard Lillie gently creep into the room as she too slid into the bed right beside her. There was slow, cautious rustling, before the unmistakable sound of a page being turned told Moon that Lillie was reading. A twinkle gave away Nebby's presence, as did the slight bit of pressure it gave as it gently nestled in between the both of them. For a moment, Moon wondered if Lillie would say something, or if some part of her would give away the fact that she was actually awake. Nothing happened, and somehow that made Moon grow even more frustrated.
She wanted to visibly mope, to make Lillie feel like she was ignoring her, to make up for the secrets and lies being kept and thrown around because of her. A hard feat to look aggravated when she was facing away, pretending to be asleep.
This is all your fault. Moon clenched her teeth as Lillie turned another page beside her. Any other time, Moon would have been ecstatic that Lillie's elbow brushed her back, but now it only made her ornery. You and your stupid pokemon that you stole are making my life worse, and it already sucks pretty fucking bad. The only thing I wanted was to learn firsthand about my region and take part in the challenge, and now you're ruining that for me. I should have told those detectives about you like any other kid would have, but no, I had to be a stupid gayass for you.
Nebby let out a little yawn, and Moon had the sudden, petty, cruel inclination to kick at Nebby and play it off as her jolting in her sleep. Lashing out would feel good, and she could feel bad about it later. Deep down, a part of her knew that she didn't really mean these thoughts, that she probably wouldn't turn her helplessness into cruelty, that directing her anger at Lillie and Nebby wasn't fair. But since when was life fair? Moon clenched her teeth as her skin started to itch beneath the blanket. She was a walking showcase of how life wasn't fair, and that was a really selfish way of thinking, and she knew it, and she hated it.
And that made her even more frustrated.
She wanted to calm down and let her pettiness fade, but it was so much easier to grasp onto her frustration and wield it like a weapon. Nothing could hurt you when you swung around hard enough. The alternative was to let it stew, simmer, and settle, at least in the moment. Or moments. Minutes. An hour? How long until she fell asleep? Another page turn. Not fast enough. Maybe if she thought about everything that ticked her off that would help her fall asleep faster, that sounded like a foolproof plan.
Yet slowly, surely, the anger faded as it always did, especially towards Lillie and Nebby. She cared for the both of them, enough to know any intrusive thoughts towards either of them were misplaced. Anger turned to apathy, apathy to remorse, and remorse to fatigue. The medicine helped as it always did, so much so that when Lillie yawned and turned off the lamp, Moon was barely even aware of it until she heard Lillie set her book into her bag and rustle around slowly in the bed. Her movements were gentle and cautious, as though silently maneuvering out of bed was a practiced art for her, and Moon heard little footfalls step onto the floor.
"Moon?"
Moon remained silent, be it out of dedication to the act or lingering unwillingness to talk, she didn't know. There was the jingling of light metal like that of jewelry, and what followed startled Moon out of her divisive slumber so much so that her eyes darted open – unseen as she faced the wall.
"Ahem, dear Original One. It's me, Lillie. I hope you can hear me, even if I haven't done this, and I'm not exactly at home… but I'm somewhere better." There was a soft pause, followed by the familiar sound of Lillie letting out a breath. "I'm um, feeling… lost? Perhaps not lost, just unsure about how I'm supposed to move forward – but also hopeful! I am certainly hopeful, especially in your presence." She gave a nervous chuckle and shifted from where Moon suspected she was kneeling beside the bed. "I suppose I should just thank you for the blessings you've given me. You've blessed me with safety, food that is as delicious as I am undeserving of it, and most of all… f-friendship."
"I feel like I was a little selfish, the last few times. Praying just for me and Nebby's happiness and safety. I want to extend that to my friends, though… Hau, and Moon, and her mother, and Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet, even if the Professor doesn't seem to like me anymore… ahah." Another nervous laugh. It tore Moon's heart in two, her anger forgotten and fizzled. Guilt, hot and uncomfortable, rose fresh from the grave when anger was left to die. "Can you look out over them like you have me, please? Keep both of the professors safe, and bless Hau with… hopefully a healthier diet, but good food all the same. For Moon and her mother…"
"Can you bless them with good luck? I think they could both really use it right now," Lillie breathed, her voice so soft that Moon could barely hear it despite being a few feet away. "Ms. Kanoa has been so nice to me, taking me in and feeding me like I was her own. I nearly cried when she helped me brush my hair the other night because it just felt… so gentle. Like a mother should be. Help her be strong in whatever adversity she has to face, be it her job or simply providing for her and her daughter? She deserves it… the um, your guidance. Not adversity." Lillie took a shaky breath, as though that part of her prayer had physically sapped her. "And for Moon…"
Of course. She was praying for her. What else would a sophisticated girl like Lillie do when she had problems, but pray to the albino mudsdale in the sky? Moon tensed where she lay. What would she say? Maybe she knew Moon had been thinking awful thoughts, and this was her way of making her feel bad? That thought alone was ridiculous, but Moon forced herself not to shake or tremble with frustration; or was it anticipation? She hated when people prayed for her, and so many people had that it made her roll her eyes.
Prayer, in Moon's eyes, was simply offering sympathy and help without actually sympathizing or helping.
And yet there in her bed, fueled with the frustration of a life she had no control over, Moon couldn't force herself to scorn Lillie for it. There was nobody to impress, no reason to make herself feel good or accomplished, just a girl who thought Moon was asleep, offering a plea for mercy and kindness to the void of a darkened room. It was merely a kindness. The desire to help, even when she knew Lillie had no idea how in the world she could. Moon stared at the wall, wondering if Lillie felt as helpless as she did, and that this was her attempt at even the smallest fraction of control; to plead.
"I think she's going through a lot right now," Lillie finally said. "And I… don't really know what it is. I may not always understand your plans, but I trust in your wisdom and your love. She's a nice girl, even if I don't understand her completely either, but I can tell that she's hurting from something. If you can't expedite the challenges she's facing, then please… give me the strength and compassion to repay the kindness she's shown me. Let me be a good friend to her, let me listen more thoughtfully, and strengthen my shoulders so I can try to help bear whatever pain she carries so heavily."
Lillie shifted once more; again came the jingling of something like a small chain. All was silent for a few moments, until she gave a light, forced cough. "I um, I think that's all for tonight. Thank you for listening to my humble prayer. May your guiding light lead us to a place of safety and peace, in trails of your divinity we so follow. Thus it is." Moon closed her eyes as she heard Lillie stand up and crawl slowly back into bed beside her. There was a whisper of "Goodnight, my dear." to Nebby, and the shifting that came with rolling over as Lillie's breath grew steady and calm.
Lillie fell asleep within minutes, with Nebby nestled in the gap between their pillows as the sounds of gentle breathing became the only real disturbance within the room. Moon laid there in silence, rolling to her back as the darkness covering her ceiling greeted her as it had many times before; an old friend that sat alongside heavy thoughts and a burdened conscience like a patio did with a rocking chair and an ashtray. It had waited patiently for her, knowing one day she would come back. Knowing sleep would evade her. The barely visible ceiling had to do nothing more than exist; Moon's mind would take care of the rest
Her thoughts detained her for hours, finally allowing her to look away from the ceiling in the early hours of the morning, when at last she was allowed to fall asleep. She was sure her dreams were wacky and surreal, but they zipped by in a flash so fast that she was not allowed to enjoy them; they were over before she knew they were even occurring as dainty hands gently shook her awake. Lillie smiled at her as the sun crept through the blinds, beaming like the early morning star itself in a way that Moon could not help but reciprocate immediately. For a moment she was so groggy that she forgot why she felt so terrible, and why she had slept so little.
Then it came flooding back to her.
Suddenly her morning became a blur instead of a slog. She was eating oatmeal across from Lillie while her mother darted about the kitchen, tending to the morning duties of feeding Meowth while and getting dressed for work while Moon ate in silence. Something soft and fuzzy brushed her leg, and she glanced down to see Nebby floating beneath the table as it hid from Chlorine in what was likely a game of hide and seek. Guilt immediately pulsed within Moon's chest, and she pulled her legs up close to her chest, away from Nebby.
"Moon?" Lillie asked softly from across the table. "Are you okay? You're unusually quiet. Did you sleep okay?"
Hell no.
"If I had to guess, I'd say it's nerves," her mother said, smiling as she swept by wearing her work jumpsuit. "For all that bravado, you sure do like to get those last minute jitters, don't you? Try to eat, kiddo. You'll thank me when your stomach's not wriggling mid-battle." She patted Moon on the shoulder as she passed, but Moon merely grunted. If she looked at her mother, her face might give away her frustration from what she had heard the night before.
"Oh… well, I know it doesn't mean much coming from me, but I certainly believe in you," Lillie said as she finished her bowl. Moon closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she shoveled her oatmeal into her mouth and quickly downed a glass of orange juice. It was a sweet gesture from Lillie. It meant everything, and she was reminded of the prayer she had overheard the night before. She wished she could focus on it, but other concerns were strumming up a growing cacophony inside her head.
"She doesn't need that lingering over her and messing her up," her mother had said. Well, so much for that. Why bother putting forth the effort when whether win or lose, her mother planned to pull her out of the island challenge afterwards? Why do anything when she was going to lose the two things that had distracted her from all of the horrible things her body was being forced to go through yet again? Come tonight she would lose both her friends, and her major means of experiencing her culture. Lillie and Nebby would be taken away, Hau would continue on with his trial, and she would be left alone again. Days spent wasted and wallowing in the beach, drowning in waves of ocean spray and blistering tans.
These were the same thoughts that had strung her up through the night, and her few hours of sleep had done little to alleviate them. She barely noticed as she and Lillie squeezed into the front of her mother's truck, with Moon squished in-between the two of them as her mother refused to let her sit in the bed of the truck all the way to Iki Town. It was an uncomfortable silence, at least for Moon, but at least she could play it off as her nerves for the approaching battle.
"Will um, will the Professor be in Iki Town by chance, Ms. Kanoa? For the battle?" Lillie asked as they turned onto the highway. Moon's mother took on a bit of a surly look and sighed, readjusting her mirror.
"I honestly doubt it. He's far too preoccupied with his league business…" Moon's mother grumbled. She blew her frustration out with a huff and shook her head, managing a smile. "Try not to worry about it, Lillie. It's not because of anything towards you, okay? He's just got his priorities all jumbled up right now. It isn't you, I promise." The car went silent as Lillie nodded with a small smile, drumming her fingers along her lap as they drove. Moon wasn't sure if she wanted Kukui to appear either; she didn't know if she was mad at him or not.
When she glanced at Lillie staring out the window, she realized that she had never managed to help with Lillie's throwing-up problems either. It had been cast aside; forgotten in the wake of more prominent problems that could be handled in the moment. Lilie didn't want to talk about it. Her mother didn't know about it. Kukui, from the sounds of it, wouldn't want to know about it. So was that it then? Something to be forgotten about, left behind as nothing but a memory after tonight?
Moon didn't want that. She wouldn't allow that kind of outcome, flat out. It burned within her to do everything she could to prevent that from happening, but how could she? For the time being, she got nauseous and tired just from moving around too much, and to try and prevent the police from taking Lillie wouldn't end well for her, no matter how much her rebellious little heart yearned for it. Convincing her mother to not give her up seemed the best course of action; but if her mother thought Lillie was a danger to her in any way, then she stood little chance.
She glanced at her mother, watching her navigate through the light morning traffic with relative ease. Was she worried about it as much as Moon was, or was she content knowing her mind was made up? Deep down Moon knew her mother was doing what she thought was best. That didn't make the suddenness of it all any less however, there was still the lingering sense of unfairness that this had all just come out of nowhere. She had convinced her mother to let her travel the islands; she knew what it had meant to Moon, and had even helped her prepare. She knew Lillie needed their help, knew that Moon had a crush on the girl, and had even said that she liked Lillie like one of her own.
So why was she trying to take that all away?
"Alright, we're here," her mother announced, the truck rocking as it rolled into the same patch of dirt that the professor's had on her first visit. Iki was different from the last time she had been there; there were no pahu drums beating, no excited conversation from bustling spectators, and no colorful stalls set up for celebration. As she climbed out beside Lillie, it was clear to see that while the initial challenge ceremony had gathered the whole town, now only twenty to thirty people seemed to be lingering around the town's center.
That was the cost of being last, she supposed. All the other challengers had probably already gone through the kahuna, well on their way to completing the trials, and the crowds had probably been much bigger than. Frankly, she should've been glad she had anyone coming to watch. She figured that the kahuna's grandson taking him on the same day as her played a part in that. Moon sighed as she realized this might be the last time she saw Hau for a while, if her mother pulled her out of the island challenge. A trumbeak flew overhead, giving out a squawking cry Moon wanted to pretend was mournful.
Focus on the problems you can deal with now. If you're getting dragged down out of the race, go down swinging, she told herself. She'd think of a way, surely, to convince her mother to change her mind about all of this. She had already once before, after all. In the meantime though, she had a performance to get through: beating the kahuna in a pokemon battle. Her hands gripped the neck of her ukulele. If there was one thing she knew how to do, it was make a racket.
"Alright you two, looks like that'll be where you face the kahuna." Her mother nodded as she came around the front of the truck, tucking her phone into her purse. Lillie and Moon followed after her as the three of them filed in with the locals of Iki Town all gathering towards the top of the hill, where the lama wood arena awaited her. "Huh, quite a crowd. Forgot how many people enjoyed watching the challengers face the kahuna. Guess it's not everyday this stuff happens, huh?"
Moon shrugged. "You should've been here during the initial ceremony. There was like, at least a hundred or more people gathered around. Food stalls, music, all kinds of local pokemon. It was nice." Her mother nodded solemnly, looking around with a look of remorse as the people funneled around them.
"I bet. I'm sorry I wasn't here for that, Moon." She sighed, putting a hand on her daughter's shoulder. As much as Moon wanted to, she didn't pull it away. "Nothing would have made me happier than to be here and see you get your pokemon, and for Tapu Koko to bless you of all things, it just… living in Alola is so expensive, and I've got to take all the hours I can get." She squeezed Moon's shoulder, smiling. "But, I'm here now. Go on and show the kahuna I didn't raise no quitter, alright?"
Moon sniffed. That was rich. Which was funny, because they were not rich. Her mother stopped as they arrived at the top of the hill, and stood on her toes.
"Ah, that's the kahuna. I have to go speak to him about something for a minute; I'll leave you to get ready then, alright? I'll be watching you soar, Moonbeam." She gave Moon a parting squeeze before walking around the small crowd to approach the kahuna in the distance. He was on the phone, staring off into the distance with an uncomfortable look on his face as he pinched the bridge of his nose. That meant it was just Moon and Lillie.
The two of them glanced at each other, and Moon forced herself to smile. She just needed to distract herself for a while, and get her head in the game.
"Shall we try and find Hau, then? Before the battles begin, that is."
"Sounds good."
They started walking around the opposite edge of the clearing, looking around for the familiar sight of a bobbing ponytail and cheerful smile as they deftly dodged between people and pokemon alike. They were quiet for a moment until they had distanced themselves from the crowd, with Lillie speaking up as the noise level dropped once more.
"I will admit, I had considered simply staying back while you and Hau had your battles with the kahuna. You already know I garner no joy from watching pokemon fight one another, no matter the reason," she said, glancing back towards Moon as they paused beside an unlit torch. "However, I decided it was important that I support the both of you given that we are – that is, I hope it isn't presumptuous to assume that we're good enough friends to warrant cheering you on. It also didn't feel right, asking to remain at your house as a guest while you and your mother are absent."
The sudden thought of Lillie being taken away from her home while she was in the midst of her battle, never getting the opportunity for so much as a goodbye, stuck with her. She reached out and took Lillie's hand, looking her in the eyes as she gave what she hoped was a friendly squeeze, and smiled.
"I'm really glad you're here," Moon said. She hadn't expected it to come out so sincerely, but she meant it. She wasn't scared of anything, but she was terrified of losing her friends. Lillie's cheeks erupted into a flush of red as she looked down at their hands, and her eyes began to dart every which way except for the direction of Moon's own.
"W-Well, think nothing of it, I'm merely trying to do what we promised, and erm, being a good friend and I'm trying to learn from your example and-"
"Cheeeeeee-hooooo! There's my two favorite sisters, knew you two had to be around here somewhere!" Both girls were caught off guard as Hau practically slammed into them, grabbing them around the shoulders and wrapping them in a big hug that made their shoulders slam against one another. "Just in time too! We're the last challengers of the trial to face the kahuna, so he's just gonna do us rapid fire, one after the other. Bullet seed style, yeah?" He gave them both a pair of finger guns, grinning as he glanced over to where the platform sat.
"Got your Z-Crystal ready?" he asked Moon, lifting his litten off the ground. On its forehead was a translucent gray crystal, and Moon had to stifle a giggle as she released Chlorine from her own ball. The Z-Crystal looked like the glued-on sequins girls had enjoyed playing with when she was younger.
"Primed and ready," she confirmed, thumbing the crystal onto the back of Chlorine's head. "Uh, should we like… go over anything, or…?".
"Oh, good point, good point. Remember, he always starts off with his mankey, and likes to use his crabrawler as his ace. He's got Z-Crystals of his own too, likes his fighting-types for sure." Hau nodded as he listed off the kahuna's pokemon. They had already gone over this during their training, but even Moon wasn't against a refresher in a situation like this. Lillie pulled out the rotom-dex and began tapping onto various entries, landing on mankey first.
"Well, let's see. These pokemon have something called an 'anger-point', which acts as a sort of adrenaline boost whenever they're struck," Lillie read off the screen. "Your best bet is to… it says to whittle down its stamina and strength, rather than trying to land more impactful strikes. If that makes sense." She gave Moon an apologetic smile, holding the rotom-dex close. "I don't really get it, but… I truly hope you win, Moon. Did you and Hau ever get a handle on the dance?"
Moon let out a feral little noise. Lillie had indeed promised to teach her how to dance, but as Hau was the only one who knew how to do the "Z-Move" dance, Moon had only been able to spend a little time on actually activating her Z-Power. So far she'd had no luck aside from her third attempt in which she thought her foot started to glow, only to realize it was the sun coming out from behind the clouds. The move was considered an unreliable backup.
"N-not quite, but uh… I think the fourth-toe technique you told me about helps me stay balanced though, so that'll-" Moon was cut off by a deep, trumpet-like blowing of a conch shell that resonated throughout the entire plaza, drawing everyone's attention towards the platform. The kahuna stood there, no longer in conversation with Moon's mother, a conch shell to his lips as he blew another short blast that echoed out for everyone to hear. All eyes turned to him, and a silence slowly washed over the crowd.
The first battle was about to begin.
"Alola," he greeted, his voice as deep and booming as the conch shell he blew. He made the overhead gesture of greeting with his hands, and everyone returned one of their own. "And welcome to what will be the last set of Grand Trials on Melemele Island for this year's Island Challenge." Rather than a series of clapping or cheering, a unified shout rang out through the small crowd.
"Pōmaikaʻi!"
The kahuna smiled. "Pōmaikaʻi, indeed. The end of their trials here, marks only the beginning of their challenge as a whole. These trial-goers have proven themselves victorious against the tasks set forth by our local Captain, Ilimia Sada, displaying their respect for our land, for the pokemon that reside in it, and for all of us who live alongside them." He gave a curt nod and turned towards the direction of Moon, Lillie, and Hau, all of whom felt the sudden weight of the town looking directly at them. Moon gulped. What was a musician without an audience after all?
"Ho! Allow me to properly greet the young adventurers who are continuing our ancient traditions, proudly displaying their spirit, their strength, and the bonds they have forged with one another, and their pokemon." He raised a foot into the air, only to stomp it back down with his hands outstretched as though he expected to stop another stampeding tauros. "I am Hala Kaleohano! Kahuna of Melemele Island, and I accept your challenge! Mahina Kanoa, daughter of Alola, rise to the platform!"
Moon felt a weight like a bowl full of poi drop into her stomach, but she quickly cast it aside. She would not fear this. As much as she had secretly hoped Hau would go first, she would not let fear control her; she was the one in control. The kahuna welcomed her with respect, and it would have been nothing short of disrespectful to ignore that respect. Beside her, Lillie gasped softly and let out a groan as she clutched the rotom-dex to her chest.
"Oh, I thought we'd have more time to prepare! Oh, I'm so sorry Moon. I know it's not much, but I believe in you. I truly do. You're undoubtedly as much a force of nature as the wind or rain, so um… go make a storm!" She gave Moon a small embarrassed smile that betrayed no sign of concern or fear; only hope. "I'll try not to look away too much."
Hau slapped her on the back. "Show that Alolan spirit you're so proud of, and you'll knock gramps' socks off. Ah wait, he don't wear no socks. Auē, go for the sandals then!"
Moon smiled and gave them both a shaka before turning towards the platform once more. Everyone was staring at her: the crowd, the kahuna, her mother. She even spotted a few people standing in the open doorways of their homes, watching from a distance as she slowly approached. Each step was heavy and slow, but she forced her feet forward as invisible bags of sand and bricks seemed to weigh her down. She passed her mother, whose smile was small but nodded her encouragement in a way that told Moon that truly did believe in her. Even though Moon knew she planned on having her withdraw, even though she was mad at her mother for her secrets, she nodded back.
I'm going to prove you wrong. For whatever that's worth.
She stepped up the wooden planks, ascending the platform until she stood above the rest of the crowd and was dwarfed only by the kahuna himself. His stare was deep and gave nothing away, likely because she couldn't meet his eyes beneath the caterpies he called eyebrows. Moon took a deep breath as she looked out at the arena before her, and the opponent who awaited her.
"Mahina Kanoa. You have come very far, further than most, for this challenge," the kahuna announced. "I do not think any in recent memory have trekked across regions and oceans to partake in the island challenge. That is commendable in its own right. Your thirst for the stories and histories of our people speaks to your dedication." He turned to the crowd once more, raising his arms outward in offering. "Let none say that one can only know the land by growing up on it!" There was another bout of cheering and whooping, but Hala's face suddenly lost its encouraging smile in the midst of it, and he stepped closer to Moon.
"Young Mahina," he whispered, "It is custom for me to give you advice on your challenge going forward before our duel, however, you wear your concerns so brazenly upon your face that I would be remiss to not offer my ear." He was a foot away from her now, staring down upon her with a face that remained as stoic and unreadable as ever, yet his voice held such sincerity. "We kahunas are not just officials and guardians of the island's ruins, but spiritual leaders and confidants of the concerns regarding our people. You are a daughter of Melemele. I would have you speak to me, should you seek it."
Moon was taken aback; was this really the best time for a pep talk? As she looked around however, she found that the audience did not seem expectant or confused at the whispering between her and the kahuna. Her first instinct was to decline and just get on with the fight, but she realized it wasn't everyday she had the opportunity to voice her concerns to someone. Especially since the people she wanted to vent to were the exact people who she was having a problem with. Hadn't she been silently pleading for a third party to ask for advice? What did she have to lose?
Moon sighed and gave a small shake of the head. "It's… my mother, and Lillie. Mom wants to take me out of the challenge because she's worried I'm strong enough to get through it, or something… and I think I'm about to lose Lillie as a friend, probably forever. And neither one is my fault, but there's still nothing I can do about them."
The kahuna nodded solemnly; neither of these were a surprise to him it seemed.
"I'm tired of being coddled, and not having any control or autonomy because of how other people feel," she said firmly, wanting to stamp her foot into the platform. "It's my remaining time. I deserve a right more than anyone to decide how I get to spend it. I want to travel the islands, I want to prove that I'm worthy of being Alolan – and even if all the islands accept me as I am, I won't accept myself until I make that standard." Despite this, a low sigh left her lips as she looked to the ground. "I can't just waste away and do nothing, but there's nothing I can do. Not without making life harder for other people."
The kahuna nodded again, looking as though he was closing his eyes as he lowered his head (his eyebrows made it rather difficult to tell.) "I see. I cannot tell you your path, young Mahina, but I suspect you do not wish for that even if I could." He hummed quietly for a second in thought, until finally he raised his head and spoke once more. "Perhaps you worry too much about the path you are taking, but in truth, I do not think the path is so important; your destination will be the same. The true question is, are you strong enough to walk that path? You must spend the candle, or go forth in darkness."
Moon blinked at the kahuna, trying to wrap her head around what he was saying. "So, if I'm going to end up at the same place no matter what… I should just decide what to do, otherwise I'll spend the rest of my life going back and forth?" He did not nod; that would've been too straightforward, but Moon felt strangely satisfied with the answer. He turned to the crowd once more, looking at the various faces that stood around the platform in wait. Moon could feel their eyes on her back, and it made her skin prickle until the kahuna placed a large hand on her shoulder.
"This journey is as much about self-discovery as it is about testing your capabilities," he said, his voice now raised just enough so that those in the audience looked up at his words. "In the heart of every challenge lies the seed of transformation, a spark that ignites the light of greatness within us all. Pokemon call it evolution. We call it growth. You honor the legacy of our ancestors, who faced their own trials with grace and determination." The crowd let out another whooping cheer, but the kahuna hadn't finished yet.
"As you stand before me, poised and ready to engage in this most sacred battle, know that you do not stand alone," he announced, brandishing his arm out towards the rest of the town. "The spirit of Alola, of love, respect, and compassion, flows through each and every one of us, connecting us to one another and to the land that sustains us. It is that connection, that joined love, that we give the name of 'alola'." He stepped back to his position, hands flexed and at the ready as he reached for the pokeball on his belt.
"What flows through you, young Mahina?"
Moon watched as the kahuna released a bright beam of light that transformed into a puffed-up mankey that bounced from foot to foot as it stared her down in anticipation. The crowd let out an excited cheer; even if they had seen him battle the other challengers, seeing the kahuna battle at all must've warranted excitement. Did that same excitement flow through her?
Moon thought about the prayer she had overheard from Lillie the night before. She thought about the little bit of time they had spent training for this battle, she thought of speaking to the people she had grown to like in Melemele. She thought of Ms. McConnell, of her son and daughter, of the Ohtoris, and how she truly enjoyed every moment she got to speak to each of them. She thought of the guy at the convenience store in town who hardly spoke a word to her, but always flashed her a shaka. She thought of her doctor, who was able to not drown in the details and always managed to show Moon the big picture.
Images of palm trees and sprawling mountains laden with wildflowers filled her mind; the smell of the salty ocean breeze and the muskiness of thick Alolan foliage from Route 2. She remembered the smell of a hotdog in a tupperware bowl set thoughtfully beside her bed on her first night in Alola. She thought of laughing stupidly when Hau had gotten zapped by his own pichu, of Lillie's soft lullaby hum when she put Nebby to sleep. She thought of cuddling Chlorine and playing with Kickback, and scratching Calliope's head as she strummed a few chords on her bass guitar late into the night.
She thought of her mother weeping into her lap six months prior, sobbing horrifically while she sat emotionless in a sterile blue hospital gown. She felt the desperate clench of Lillie's fingers around her as they hugged one another in her bathroom, sat against the tub while bile swirled down the toilet.
What flows through me?
Moon grinned and leveled her ukulele in one hand, with a pokeball in the other. "Let's find out."
A.N: Special thanks to FreeBHoney for beta-ing!