The website has unfortunately shat itself, so I can't currently see any new reviews or stats for this story. I hope you guys are enjoying it, still! Also, sorry for the late chapter! Driving home took a lot longer than expected since the missus and I went to visit her family after my own family reunion. In fact, I'm sitting here at a Buc-ee's posting this chapter since we ain't quite back yet. Driving across the USA is fun!
I*A*C
Lusamine frowned as she stared at the burnt bacon sitting in front of her. Her eyes wandered over to the burnt sausage, then the burnt toast, and then the somehow still cold eggs that had been cooking with the toast for eggs-in-a-basket. Her eye twitched as her brain tried figuring out that one. "Oh, don't worry so much about it, Young Mistress," it didn't help that, while she was frustrated, Head Chef Marika was just so darn friendly! Why wasn't she being scolded for her failure!? "It's no worry, since you've never done cookin' before! Ya just take the bad, toss 'er out and try again!" Lusamine let out a tired sigh, wiping the sleep from her eyes. Almost an hour of trying to cook breakfast, and still nothing to show for it.
It'd been three days since she'd seen Tai exercising out in his tent, and he'd been doing that every evening for two hours up until now. She hadn't really talked to him since she'd broken down on Tuesday, but she'd still gone to school and stuff. She'd never actively avoided him, though. She still met his looks with a smile, and always said hello to him in the mornings when he woke up, and goodnight before they went to sleep. She knew he was still worried about her, but that was ok. Soon, everything would be just right.
If she could stop burning the darn food! And the eggs were still runny!
"Young Mistress," Victor spoké ball from the kitchen's doorway, getting both Lusamine and Marika's attention. "The Young Master has been woken up and will be arriving at the dinner table, shortly. Shall I inform him that there will be a special breakfast prepared for him, today?" The girl shared a look with the chef, worry and concern running through her mind. Marika smiled, the hefty woman rolling her eyes in amusement.
"Just do your best, Young Mistress," the woman told her, gently resting a hand on Lusamine's back. "Remember, cook it with love, and a pinch of following the recipe and you'll do just fine." Right, just follow the recipe. Lusamine took a deep breath, then sighed before turning to her butler.
"Please do, Victor," she told him, watching the old man smile. "It'll be ready in just a few minutes, so please tell him to also be patient."
"Of course, Young Mistress," Victor acquiesced, and left as Lusamine once more turned back to the stove in front of her. She glared at the flickering blue flames under the pan supports. Okay, one more time, and with feeling. Lusamine gently patted down her apron, wiping her hands dry.
She reached over to the counter on her right, grabbing the first pan and sticking it over the smaller burner. She grabbed a couple strips of bacon and tossed them on, just like Marika had shown her. Spread apart enough to be easy to flip, later. Then she grabbed the second pan and, after setting it on the larger burner, grabbed a knife and slid it through a bit of butter, then melted the butter onto the second pan. She kept an eye on the bacon as she grabbed a ceramic mug, and took two eggs and cracked them carefully into the container.
After making sure that no egg shells had made it into the mug's contents, she poured in just a little bit of whole milk before setting those down, taking a fork, and whisking everything together in the mug. After everything had been properly whisked, she poured the mixture onto the second pan.
Then, she grabbed some of the already diced ham, onions, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and spinach in threw them into the egg mixture as it began to cook. Finally, she let go of the breath she'd been holding, looking over everything. She frowned. "I'm forgetting something," she mumbled, before her eyes landed on the toaster. "Right!"
"You've got it, Young Mistress," Marika praised her as Lusamine took two slices of bread and stuck them into the toaster, rotating the dial for a little bit less time than she'd left them in for the last time. "Very good! Alright, once you have more experience you can start workin' on cookin' other things at the same time. Fer now, though, just you focus on them there eggs and bacon, alright, Young Mistress?"
"Yes, Merika," Lusamine replied, determination pushing out her earlier frustration. She watched carefully the bacon, using the tongs to flip them over once they'd cooked on one side and gotten a bit shriveled. She struggled a bit with the large cooking tool, but thankfully Marika was there to help her. "Was that good?"
"Just perfect, darlin'," the dark-skinned woman told her, smiling all the while. "That young man is such a lucky fella! It ain't too common these days that a girl goes outta her way to cook for a boy she likes. Hmph! Nowadays, they're all about goin' to fancy diners and some such." Lusamine didn't really get what Marika was talking about, but she nodded, regardless.
After just a few moments, Lusamine gently folded the egg over itself to complete the omelet. It was Tai's favorite thing to eat in the mornings, along with bacon, orange juice, and buttered toast. He asked for it almost every morning, and never seemed to get tired of it. The eggs were... well, not undercooked this time, but there were some singes at the edges. The bacon actually looked crispy and yummy, and the toast was- Pop! -just ready. It was a little burnt, but not as bad as it was before. Lusamine took the toast and slathered it with butter, just how she knew Tai liked it.
All of it put together, she placed it gently on the kitchen's back counter. "Young Master Taiyo's food is ready!" Marika shouted for her, making the girl jump a little. She never realized how loudly the woman could bellow. A maid came and took the dish she'd laid out, as well as filled a glass full of orange juice, before giving the blonde girl a smile, a wink, and heading off to deliver the food. "Why don't you go get comfortable out there, and we'll have yer breakfast ready in a jiffy, Young Mistress?" Marika asked, helping Lusamine take her apron off.
"Thank you for helping me so much," Lusamine told the woman, who responded with a motherly smile and a hand on her left hip.
"Oh, think nothing of it, Young Mistress," Marika replied. "Now, you go out there and take care of your boy. Have a nice day at school, y'hear?"
"Of course, miss Marika," Lusamine told her, moving to the kitchen door and out into the dining room. As expected, her parents and Tai were both seated at the table, with her daddy reading the paper and Tai finishing off his plate. Lusamine blinked, a bit sad she didn't have the chance to see him eat. Then again, when was the last time he'd eaten that fast?
"Ah, there you are, sweetie," her daddy noticed her when he looked up. Tai turned to face her, a smile on his lips. "Kind of you to finally join us." Lusamine gave her daddy a nod before looking towards her best friend.
"Was breakfast good?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady and even. Tai thought for a moment, his eyes wandering to the ceiling. He always did that when he was trying to recall something.
"Different, but still good," he told her, and Lusamine felt her heart flutter. "I take it you had something to do with my 'Special, Loving Breakfast', today?" Her cheeks flushed at the description, and despite the glare from her, Victor still sent her an earnest smile. Perhaps she could forgive him... "Thanks, Lucy. It was good! The bacon was a little under-done, but the rest of it was spot on." The girl smiled after a moment, realizing that he didn't mean anything bad by criticizing the bacon.
"I'm happy you liked it," Lusamine replied, sitting down on the seat next to Tai's. It was her happy thoughts, knowing that Tai had enjoyed the first of hopefully many meals she'd make for him, that clouded her mind all through her own breakfast. By the time the happiness had run its course, and she was willing to pay attention to the table's conversations again, her daddy and Tai had started talking about plans for the weekend.
"Since summer break will start tomorrow, I'll probably do a bit of shopping," Tai told her daddy when he'd asked about his plans. "I'm planning on doing some hiking and camping, and should be back after a few weeks. I'd like to do some exploring around Alola, and see if I can catch a Pokémon."
"Ah, that's right," daddy replied to the boy, a smile on his lips. "You've recently finished your poké balls, correct?"
"All but a few," Tai replied, shaking his head. "But I should be able to finish the last few in an evening with a bit of help. Even if I don't finish them, that's fine. It just means I'll for-sure have some left when I get back." Wait, Tai was leaving? That shook the last of the bliss from Lusamine's mind as she focused on the conversation.
"Hm, sounds reasonable," her daddy told the boy, digging into the last of his bacon and toast. "You'll stay safe, then, won't you? Nothing overly dangerous, like going to Poni Island?" Her daddy leveled a hard look at Tai, and something seemed to pass between them, but Lusamine couldn't understand what it was.
"Nothing I'm not positive I can't come back from," Tai told the older man. He seemed to accept that answer. "Like I said, I should only be a couple weeks. I was thinking about going to visit Malie City, first, then checking out Hokulani Observatory. Maybe spend some time out in the rocklands around Route 12. I hear there are mudbray native to the area."
"Mudbray are quite reliable," daddy replied, humming wistfully. "They're quite docile, too. At least, for the most part." The man glanced at his watch, and hurriedly downed the last of his toast. "Mm, I've got a business meeting in an hour," he excused himself, giving mother a kiss. Lusamine went over to hug her daddy, still thinking about what had just been said. "I also have a meeting with a rep from Helios Incorporated, this afternoon. Just a quick meet and greet; formalities. If he shows up before I get home, just be polite." Lusamine hugged her daddy before he left for work, sitting back down next to Tai once he'd gone.
"So," she began, looking at the object of her admiration. "When are we gonna go camping?"
"We?"
"Mhm!" Lusamine nodded eagerly, seeing his eye twitch slightly. "You surely wouldn't leave me behind, all on my lonesome, would you? We're best friends, so it's only natural I'd come with you, right? Besides, if you're out in the wild without a Pokémon, that could be really dangerous! Better to have me and Lily looking after you, too!"
"Uh, well, you see-"
"Even if you weren't in danger all the time," Lusamine added before he could even try to come up with a comeback. "You're gonna spend a few weeks out, right? What if you run out of food or something? You'll need to get more, right?"
"Well, I was planning on-"
"You'll need money, and someone to cook for you!" Lusamine was on a roll, now, her voice raising with every sentence. "Well, I can do both of those for you! I mean, keeping track of your money and stuff. A-And cooking for you!" Tai smiled, but it was a weak one. It looked like he was still being stubborn.
"I mean, I can survive on my own, you know," he said, though it even sounded weak to her. Time to bring out the big guns.
"D-Do you not want to spend time with me?" Lusamine asked, summoning tears to her eyes. "I-I just wanted to spend our summer together! I was so excited to be able to play with you and go to the beach and stuff! Am I really that annoying?"
"N-No, no, not at all!" Tai practically shouted back, waving his hands defensively. "I just... Ugh- I mean- F-Fine, you can come with me," he finally came to his senses. Lusamine sniffed, wiping away the tears from her eyes.
"Really?"
"Really," Tai said with a sigh, closing his eyes in frustration. That was fine, he'd realize that this was for the best, eventually. While Lusamine knew better than anyone that he was super strong and capable... he was kind of accident prone. Well, not so much accidents. Disasters. Yeah, disaster prone. Even if she couldn't quite measure up to him, it wouldn't hurt for her to come along and make sure he was okay.
"Now, now, the two of you ought to be finishing up," Victor gently reminded them, glancing at their clock on the wall. "It's almost time to leave for your last day of school for the year! Aren't you excited?"
"Absolutely!" Tai cheered, jumping up to his feet off of the chair. "Two-and-a-half months of nothing but free time! Man, I missed this!" Lusamine smiled, rising as well once her breakfast had been finished off. "Can I just never grow up? Please? That would make things so freaking easy."
"Hah, if only, Young Master," Victor replied with a hint of humor to his voice. "No, we all must grow old eventually; much as many of us may not wish it. Save for appealing to the Lord of Time, perhaps."
"Yeah, like any of us would have any luck finding Dialga, of all Pokémon," Tai grumbled and rolled his eyes, but there was still a smile on his face. "Hey, dumb question, but do you think there's only a single Dialga out there, or at least a couple?" Both Victor and Lusamine shot him confused looks. Dialga?
"If you're referring to the Lord of Time," Victor corrected Tai, "then I'm afraid that ancient history only points to the existence of one. Though, to imagine a multitude of him... Hm, that's a chilling thought. Perhaps we're lucky that only one exists."
"Interesting," Tai hummed in thought. Lusamine looked him over, trying to get an idea of what he was thinking of, but couldn't really narrow anything down. Knowing Tai, it could be anything on-topic, to some genius plan, to whatever mundane thing he'd just come up with. It was hard for her to tell, sometimes. She'd apparently been very wrong about his thoughts, before.
"Hey, let's get going," Tai tugged her along by her hand as he spoké ball, and Lusamine realized she'd slowed down a bit while thinking. She picked up the pace, not wanting to think twice about what she'd just thought about.
School was, as one would expect on the last day, chaotic and hectic. Still, most of the day was for independent study, so she, Tai, and Mohn had decided to meet up in the school's 'computer lab' to do some research and hang out. Lusamine watched as Mohn and Tai set up a couple of laptop PCs, talking with one another about one thing or the next. She had another PC open, the screen shining back a website about Malie City, Ula'Ula Island, various information about the two, as well as a store for hiking and camping gear. Since she was going to be traveling with Tai for a bit, she figured that she should get a head start on their trip. As far as she knew, she and her family had never gone camping before. Nor did they own any gear for camping. As mother said, an unprepared woman was hardly a woman at all.
So, she was looking up exactly what they might need to make a couple weeks of camping the most comfortable it could be. Most forums had pointed her to, a store page dedicated to diehard travelers and trainers. Some of the prices were outrageous, but they assured customers of their quality and sturdiness. Lusamine was having a bit of trouble with telling how trustworthy this stuff was, but it was a start. After all, were backpacks supposed to look that weird? And who actually wanted to set up a tent on the side of a cliff? What was a 'mess kit', too? There was so much stuff here...
"These are the videos I've been using," Lusamine heard Tai tell Mohn, and she looked up from her own screen to what they were talking about. Tai's screen had MewTube on it, and there was the military guy on the screen that Tai used for his exercises. "His name's SergeantSnowpoint, and he's got these exercise videos I've been using to get stronger. He's got some shorter ones for food and lifestyle advice, too."
"Wow, so that's why you look like you've gotten skinnier!" Mohn admired, looking between his friend and the guy on the screen. "Do you think I could, uh, do this too?"
"Well, it won't be easy," Tai admitted, chuckling. "But I think you can. You just gotta be willing to put in the work. Any reason why you want to, though?"
"Oh, uh, well, you know how Lusamine and me lost on Tuesday, right?" Lusamine felt a stab in the gut at the reminder as Mohn replied. "Well, I was thinkin' about how Gladen and me could get better, so I looked it up, and the web says that doing physical trainin' with your Pokémon is supposed to help 'em get a lot stronger! I tried that, but couldn't really keep up."
"Well, I think it's a great thing that you're still trying to make it an option," Tai told the boy, who had deflated at his admission. Mohn perked back up a bit. "I'm sure Gladen will appreciate the effort, too. Besides, I think you'll be a lot happier if you do this with me."
"W-Wait, you wanna do these exercise things with me?"
"Of course!" Tai smiled, holding out his fist to the blonde boy. "Besides Lucy, you're my friend, too. You stood up for me on Tuesday, and I can appreciate that. I'll help ya any way I can, ya know?"
"Th-Thanks, Taiyo!" Mohn replied, a bright smile spreading across his face. "I promise you that we'll be stronger than everyone else!"
"I'll hold you to that," Tai replied as Mohn finally bumped his fist against his own. "Whatcha got on there? Looks like something new."
"Oh, I was just lookin' through some old Hisui legends," Mohn pointed at the screen. "Somethin' about 'Fallers'. Pretty cool stuff, right? Can you imagine, people being sent back to the past, and stuff? Or even completely different worlds!" Tai was silent for a split second longer than he should have been. Mohn didn't notice it, but Lusamine definitely did.
"Hah, that's pretty crazy stuff," he agreed. "Something like a wormhole to another world... Think it's really possible?"
"Well, my pa says that Alola's got a buncha stories about these kinds'a things back in the past," Mohn explained. Tai was silent, so he continued. "Stuff about weird creatures 'n all that. Real cool stuff!"
"Yeah, I bet," Tai mumbled, obviously thinking about something. Mohn noticed it too, because he stopped talking to give Tai a worried look. Tai blinked, noticing that Lusamine and Mohn were staring at him. "Oh, uh, sorry. Just thinking about something. Nothing really important." That was a lie. As she shared a look with Mohn, Lusamine could tell that he knew it, too. Still, she decided to ignore it, for now. If it was really important, she was sure that Tai would tell them, eventually.
"Hey Tai, could you help me with something?" Lusamine decided to call him over, breaking the awkward silence between the three of them. He nodded, getting up from his chair to come around and look at her screen. "I'm not really sure what I should get for our camping trip. Do you?" Tai's eyes ran over her PC screen, taking in every detail with a steel focus. His bottom lip quirked to the side, a sure sign that he was taking in every detail he possibly could.
"Two of these hiking backpacks, two hammocks, two bedrolls, a pair of mess kits, the burner, rope, and one of these tents," Tai listed off quickly, and it took a moment for Lusamine's brain to catch up with what he'd said. She wrote everything down on the pad she had beside her PC.
"Oh, um, why hammocks if we're gonna have bedrolls?" Lusamine asked.
"A hammock can double as rope in a pinch," Tai explained, watching her to make sure she wrote everything down. "That, and sometimes we might want to not sleep on the ground. Grab the tarp, too. Good for if we get some rain, or something." Lusamine nodded, adding that to the list.
"Anything else?"
"Nothing we can't get, tomorrow," Tai told her, shaking his head. "Things like food we can pick up at the store. We'll want nonperishables like canned food, energy bars, that sort of thing." Lusamine nodded, thanking him before he went back to his seat. She went back to her planning, looking into forums about what Pokémon were common on Ula'Ula Island, especially around Route 12. Tai and Mohn continued to talk for a bit, but after a few minutes, Tai packed up his PC, getting her and Mohn's attention.
"Just gonna sit over there," Tai told them, explaining himself at their confused expressions. "I love you guys, but I'm never actually gonna get what I want done if I stick around." There was a smile on her face as he spoké ball, and Lusamine couldn't help but gently fidget with the silver ring on her right hand at his words.
"Well, uh, we'll be right here," Mohn told him, giving Lusamine a quick glance.
"I'll see you at lunch?" Lusamine asked, getting a nod and a wave from Tai as he moved over towards the back of the room, setting down his PC and focusing on whatever it was he wanted to look up. Lusamine was dying with curiosity, but stomped it down. She wouldn't be a very good friend if she just snooped into whatever he was doing, right?
"Is it me, or is he kinda off, to ya?" Mohn asked, his voice soft. Lusamine shook her head, a frown across her lips.
"It's none of our business," she told him, looking back at her own PC screen. "If he wants to be all mysterious, then he can do that. Has he steered us wrong, yet?"
"Uhh... do you want me to-?"
"Don't answer that."
I*P*C
Ultra Wormhole. No results found. Wormhole. About 9,900,000 results found. Dimensional Rift. About 3,200,000 results found. Other Worlds. About 680,000,000 results found. I grimaced, looking at the first few pages that showed up on Porygle. Nothing that really stuck out to me as useful. Fallers. 573 results found. I scanned the few articles that existed, noting that most of them seemed to be research papers from various professors and doctors from Regdon's past. Fallers weren't a particularly uncommon phenomena, but definitely not a well-known one, it seemed. It was... the strangest thing.
Sure, history was a subject in school, but it barely had an hour's total worth of time dedicated to it over the course of the entire school week. Even the bookstores lacked a lot of real detailed history books; Laventon's memoirs notwithstanding. Most of everything came down to legends, myths, and oral traditions of great battles and fierce Pokémon from ancient times. Even history a mere two-hundred years ago was hardly talked about. I'd never really focused on that before, preferring to study the pure basics of this world so I could figure out how to exploit it, but now it'd finally caught my full attention.
Prince of the Stars. Lord of Time. Every time I searched up a legendary Pokémon. Rayquaza. No results found. Lord of the Skies. About 700,000 results found. It was... confusing. What Aster had told me was the first clue, but that was fine. I could live with people maybe not knowing Cosmog's name. However, Vic of all people not knowing Dialga's name? Wasn't this something cleared with the whole Sinnoh and Hisui thing, way back when? How does someone just lose a name like that? Especially one revered as a god?
I typed in the letters again, even though I knew what the result would be. I just had to be sure, though. Dialga. No results found. Nothing. I narrowed my eyes at the PC as if it had offended me. Just what the hell was going on with the history of this world? No, I had some other things I could use.
Ancient Alolan Kingdom. About 2,000 results found. Not a lot. Kalos-Galar War. About 500 results found. Okay, that made sense since it was over three-thousand years ago. Still, only five-hundred? I looked through the pages. Ugh, most of them were unproven theories on forums and fanfiction. Well, historical fiction, but close enough. Love on the Battlefield, a Galarian knight and a Kalos noblewoman- nope, stopping right there. I did not want to explain to Miss Luka why I was looking into badly written smut on my last day of school.
"So, as it stands," I mumbled to myself, staring at the screen in front of me. "Regdon's ability to write down its own damn history is botched. Majorly. But why?" Was it simply a lack of interest? A lack of resources?
Most of the major professors of each region studied Pokémon, that was certain, but did none of them look into the history of the world, itself? There could only be so much you could learn about Pokémon before it became redundant, right? I hummed, hands flying across the keyboard.
Professor Oak. No results found. Kanto Professor. About 8,700,000 results found. Okay then, let's see. Professor Leidon Evergreen. Age, fifty-four. Six sponsored trainers. Huh, looks like Samuel Oak is one of them. Okay, that's interesting. Three-time Professor-Of-The-Year Award winner. That's a bit odd, but whatever. Accreditation... Let's see, Celedon Regional College and Saffron Regional University. Doctorates in... Social Histories. Well, that answered my question. Oh, and Pokémon Theory, but I assumed that was a given. Let's see, published books...
Pokémon Mentorship: A Guide to Training Newly-Purchased Pokémon. Who Let The Growlithe Out: Training Strays and Pre-Owned Pokémon. Pokémon. Pokémon. Pokémon. Where the fuck are his history books!? That's his first fucking degree, isn't it!? I growled, trying to calm down the twitch I could feel in my right eye. Social Histories. It was right there. Why wasn't he using it!?
Okay then, professor, who the fuck is funding your research? Come on, come on. Professor Evergreen funders. Professor Evergreen's primary source of grant income is often through the Inter-Regional Board of Research Investments. Made up of various Pay Day 500 companies, the board- Okay, so let's look up this board, then. Pay Day 500.
Let's see... Okay, so Solaris Incorporated is one of them. Neat. Lailani Corporation, too. That's the name of one of Team Solar's companies, right? Or maybe they just work together? Ugh, more to look up later. Anderson-Balsam Construction and Demolitions. Heh, A-B-C-D. Wait, Anderson? Who's that? Eh, another thing to look up later. Jeez, I should start writing this shit down. Come on, why can't lists just start with the top ten at the very top of the website? Aaaaaand here we go.
I frowned as I looked over the names at the bottom of the list. Enterperial Company. The Kanto League SOE. The Johto League SOE. League after league after league. So these were the top fucks who were likely funding Evergreen, huh? I could imagine they were doing the same for other professors. Well, no wonder he focused on Pokémon research; they probably weren't being funded for much else. Which begged the question...
Professor Akeakamai. About 7,000 results found. Professor Lutoni Akeakamai... privately funded, huh? So, not by the research board. I'd have to ask Mohn if he could get us into the lab sometime, wherever that might be. I glanced over at the time on the small clock on my PC. Almost time for lunch. How long had we been here, for? Eugh, and I still had things I wanted to look up. Hm... Okay, last thing for now. Just how exactly had that entire debacle with Lailani Corp. go down in the public eye?
Lailani Corp. Explosion. Let's see... According to sources, a large explosion went off in the warehouse district of Po Town at around 2:17 AM on Monday morning after what experts say was a gas leak caused by wild Pokémon. Huh, so it was being covered up, then. No sign of Team Solar being mentioned, either. Expected, but still surprising. Lailani Corp. has had troubles in the past regarding the exploitation and overworking of Pokémon during their manufacturing processes. It's believed that some of these very disgruntled Pokémon rebelled in the tunnels below the warehouse district, causing the explosion.
Mayor Nagahu, Councilman Lumati, and Kahuna Taha have all come out publicly decrying the corporation's mistreatment of Pokémon. However, when asked about the tunnels underneath the warehouse district, only Councilman Lumati- My eyes narrowed as I reread the sentence over and over. Only Councilman Lumati spoké ball of any assurances to investigate the matter in due time.
A formal investigation has been opened against Lailani Corp., as well as the contractor responsible for the designs and plans of the warehouse district. As of yet, nothing has been made public. This was being hidden. Swept under the rug. I just had that gut feeling inside of me. The Kahunas and government bodies of Alola... Could I trust them? In fact, why hadn't Aster contacted them about Lucy's kidnapping? Why was Team Solar able to run free around Alola in the first place?
Team Solar, Hau'oli City. No results found. Team Solar. About 300 results found. That little... And most of these look like small forums. Stolen Pokémon. Thugs beating up innocents. Ah, an old news article. Team Solar Debuts In Galar, Police Raid Base Shortly After. They call this a local thing, and the follow-up says they get shut down within the month. Hm... Prime Minister Seamus proclaims the end of Team Solar, the short-lived gang of violent thugs. How big... is Team Solar?
I frowned as I heard the bell ring across the school for lunch. I made sure to close all of my tabs, and erase the search history as best as I could before closing the PC and putting it away. Lucy and Mohn met me at the door, and I gave them both a warm smile to ease any worries they might have.
"Are you both ready for some food?" I asked them as we walked to the cafeteria. "I sure hope so, because I'm starving!"
"Tai, we had breakfast only a couple of hours ago!" Lucy teased me, earning a laugh from both myself and Mohn. "Wow, you're a bottomless pit, aren't you? How am I ever gonna cook for you and keep you fed?"
"Oh, I'm sure you'll figure it out!" I told her, allowing myself to lift my own spirits as I spent some time with my friends. Team Solar was worryingly big, and while these things I'd found could certainly be coincidence, a part of me wasn't so sure. My mind began formulating an idea; one that concerned me a great deal. Just where did the influence of Team Solar end? Did it even have a limit at all? Were they really pulling strings from the shadows, or was I letting my own paranoia get to me...?
"Tai?" Lucy asked, getting my attention. "Is something the matter?" Urgh, I'd spent too much time thinking about Team Solar. Sorry guys.
"Yeah, just fine," I told the two of them, trying to get rid of their concerned expressions. "Just feeling my brain drift off. Food is good for thought, ya know?"
"You get like that too!?" Mohn asked, eyes wide. "I thought it was just me! Yeah, when I haven't eaten in a bit, I get super loopy and stuff!"
"I think that's because food is used to provide stuff for your brain to think," Lucy told us, looking off in thought. "Some foods are better for keeping a healthy brain, so it's important to eat a lot of different kinds of food to balance everything out."
"That's the same thing that SergeantSnowpoint says," I realized aloud. "So I guess you and him are on the same wavelength." We arrived at the cafeteria while we talked, and Lucy shot me a happy smile at the compliment. The cafeteria was a large room with about forty tables, each one able to fit around sixteen kids, each. They were set in four columns of ten. At the far end of the room was the kitchen, where kids could get paid meals if they hadn't brought their own. The kitchen was always open during school and club hours, so kids could grab quick snacks between classes if they needed an extra boost. On the opposite wall of where we'd come from, the large double-doors leading out to the playground and unofficial battle field were open. I could already see some kids eating outside, since the weather was nice today.
"Should we eat outside, too?" I asked my friends, getting agreements from both of them before we headed through the doors. I think this was the first time we'd ever actually eaten out on the playground, and not at our table in the cafeteria. I looked up at the sky, and while there were a few clouds, it was a bright and sunny day. "Man, feels nice out."
"Yeah, there's a nice breeze!" Lucy agreed, giggling as her skirt wafted against her legs from the ocean air. "Hey, there's a spot over there by the fence that we can eat. Under that tree!" She pointed in the direction of a large tree by the chain-link fence that separated our school from the road running by it, and the three of us headed in that direction.
"Hey, look! It's an eevee!" Mohn pointed out the small creature as we got closer to the tree. It was behind the fence, walking along the sidewalk by the road. "Hey, and it's a weird color, too! Are eevee usually pale like that in Alola?" I felt my heart race in excitement as we got closer, and my brain realized my eyes weren't deceiving me. A shiny eevee! I grabbed at my backpack, but realized I'd left all my poké balls at home in preparation to head out to Ula'Ula. Dammit!
"Ah, no," I said, regaining my bearings as the eevee saw us staring at it, and began to stare back. We stopped at the tree, watching the little fox trod up the road. "That's a shiny. A rare variant that's a different color from normal eevee. I wonder what it's doing out here in the open? Last I checked, most wild shiny Pokémon tend to hide away from humans." This one was just watching us as we watched it.
"I wanna catch it!" Lucy shouted, reaching for her own backpack. "I think I have a poké ball with me! Uh, where is it?" As Lucy searched her back, Mohn and I sat down by the tree.
"Well, bad luck for us, I guess," Mohn complained, but accepted our rotten luck. I guess he didn't have a poké ball ball, either. That stunk. It seemed like Lucy was in the same boat, because I heard her moan in frustration and set her bag down beside us.
"Sorry, Lucy," I reached over, gently patting her back. "Hey, maybe we'll see it another time when you can catch it."
"Good luck with that, Taiyo," Mohn shook his head as he spoké ball, still a bit dejected about our luck. "Chances are, someone'll catch it by then. Oh, there it goes." We watched as the eevee took off running up the road, and all collectively sighed in disappointment. "Welp, no sense being so broken about it." Mohn opened his lunch bag, pulling out a sandwich and a banana. Lucy and I followed his example, deciding to focus on food to get over our tragic loss.
"So Mohn," I spoké ball up as we began eating, getting the boy's attention. "Lucy and I will be heading to Ula'Ula Island to camp during the first part of summer break, but we got no idea what you'll be up to. Got any plans?"
"Oh, I'm gonna help my pa at the lab," Mohn replied, taking another bite of his sandwich. "I can't do a lot, but I can push buttons, carry boxes, and other stuff to help. Pa says that Professor Akeakamai's workin' on a big project ta open a hole to a whole other world! He says it'll take a bit, but I wanna see how they do it."
"Man, a portal to a whole different world, huh?" I asked, giving it some thought. I wondered briefly if I could go back to my old world that way, but decided against going down that trail of thinking. No, my life there had ended. It was best if I focused on the here and now. I might miss some of the things and people back there, but there'd be no telling what had changed. I definitely had...
"Tai, look out!" Lucy yelped, and I immediately began to lean forward, trying to avoid whatever she was worried about. Unfortunately, it still hit me head on as I felt fluff and fur slam into me with the force of a Tackle attack, knocking me over onto my back on the ground.. I heard happy squealing as whatever had slammed into me began nuzzling against me, blocking my view with its fur.
"It's the eevee!" Mohn shouted as I finally reached up, grabbing the little fuzzball by the waist and lifting it up above me. The little cream-colored fuzzball looked down at me, wriggling in my hands as I held it aloft. "I thought it ran away!"
"It must've run around into the schoolyard," I mumbled, looking up at the Pokémon. I grunted as Lucy and Mohn both helped me sit up, noticing a crowd of kids run up to us.
"Hey, I saw it first!"
"No, I did!"
"Butt out, that 'vee is mine!"
"Oh Arceus, it's so cute, I wanna die!"
I stared at the little fox, the happy expression not fading as its eyes looked back up at me. "Seems like you caused quite a racket," I told it, earning a happy bark in response. I chuckled, setting the eevee down on my lap and petting its soft fur. It relaxed, almost melting into my lap as it closed its eyes and... purred? Huh, ok then. I turned to the crowd of kids, before glancing over at Mohn. "Hey, can you get a teacher? This is gonna get ugly." Mohn nodded, running off to grab someone.
"Hey, let go of that eevee!" one of the kids shouted, a boy that looked a year or two older than us. "I saw that thing first, and I'm gonna catch it!" Various shouts of outrage were sparked by that, as the kids began to scream and argue with each other and at me as everyone made claims to the Pokémon in my arms. All the while the eevee enjoyed my petting without any other care in the world.
"Sorry about this, Eevee," I told the Pokémon. It opened its eyes, looking up at me. "Ah, seems like your presence here has caused a bit of a mess. Once the crowd clears out, we'll get you on your way." The eevee blinked, seemingly confused. What was up with it? "You're just here to hang out, right?"
The eevee yipped and shook its head, leaping from my lap and turning to face me. What was it doing...? It continued to yip and bark at me, its expression shifting to confusion, then frustration, then sadness. It stared at me as it stopped talking, and I offered the creature a gentle smile.
"Sorry, I couldn't understand any of that," I told it, and the eevee took a step back. "I get that you're upset about something, but I need you to be a bit clearer. Is something wrong?" The eevee gently shook its head, taking another step back. I reached forward, trying to make sure that the other kids wouldn't get any funny ideas. "Please, let's just talk about this, Eevee. I'm sure I can help you with whatever's bothering you." The eevee shook its head ans ran away from me, dodging between the legs of the kids behind it.
The kids all yelped and began to give chase, but a loud Clap filled the air before they could. I watched as Miss Harper addressed the kids, scolding them for causing such a ruckus. Meanwhile, the eevee fled from the playground, seeming upset. Had I said something wrong? It rounded a corner around the building, out of sight. I frowned, hoping the little guy would be okay. After all the excitement had died down, I finished my lunch and relaxed with Lucy and Mohn, who had come back from getting Miss Harper. Still, that eevee filled my thoughts for the rest of the day. It'd seemed to be happy, then got so upset. I wondered why.
I*A*C
The man adjusted his tie, grumbling to himself all the while. Damn mankey suits. He wasn't fit for these kinds of things, but his boss had demanded it of him. He took a quick look around as he walked up to the door. Immaculate. Beautiful. Spotless. This mansion was all he could ever hope to want. A shame it belonged to snot-nosed ingrates who took it all for granted. The man plastered on his best smile as he knocked on the door of the large estate.
The breeze was nice, and the setting sun allowed the temperature to dip slightly. What he wouldn't give to be at the beach right now, hitting up some cute tourist girls at the tiki bar. Maybe after this blasted meeting. His eyes narrowed as he saw the curtain to one of the rooms on the second floor shift. Had someone been watching him? Well, it wasn't like he was recognizable like this. Even he had to admit, he cleaned up pretty good.
The door opened, revealing an old man with a bushy mustache, like a herdier. He was dressed in tragically stereotypical getup, and bowed slightly in greeting before waving the man in. "You must be Mister Almus," the butler greeted him. "My name is Victor, the Head Butler of this fine estate. Please, allow me to escort you to Master Balsam's office. He's still out, but should be arriving home, shortly."
"Oh, no worries," the man replied, his tone far more relaxed and jovial than he felt. Disgust welled up inside of him at the sight of the gorgeous chandelier, the marble floors, and the pristine, white pillars on either side of the foyer. "I have plenty of time, after all. I wouldn't want to be a burden, you know?"
"Please, think nothing of the sort, Mister Almus," Victor replied. His cheerful tone made the man want to strangle him. How dare he be happy? "Right this way, sir. Could I interest you in some refreshments, perhaps? Miss Marika has some cookies in the oven for the Young Mistress and her friend, but I'm certain I could sneak a few for you, if you'd like." The man's fist clenched briefly at the mention of the little, blonde brat. He regained his focus quickly enough, though.
"Hah, well, if you insist," he replied, keeping the smile on his face. The two men arrived at the office in short order, and Victor invited him inside.
"Please wait here while I fetch you some fresh cookies. The Master keeps some bourbon on his desk for guests, so please help yourself to a glass if you so desire."
"That's appreciated, Victor," the man told the butler, glancing over at the glass container full of amber liquid. "I might do just that." Victor left, leaving the man to his thoughts. He looked around the room, taking it all in. Dark oak accents, a forest green carpet, and a mahogany desk laid before him. Bookshelves filled with all sorts of texts. He probably didn't have enough time in the year to get through it all. Aster was an ambitious bastard, he'd give him that. The man looked to his left, noting the map of Alola on the wall. There was a small hole where Po Town was, right where the warehouse district would be. So, this was where they'd done it. The man gently reached for his poké ball ball, but refrained. No. Not yet. The boss wanted an in, not a wrecked building. After all, there was no guarantee that this would be where the Prince of the Stars would be.
The man poured himself a glass of bourbon on the rocks, and some fresh sugar cookies were brought in a few minutes later. He sat on the comfy chair in front of Aster's desk, doing his best to relax. Aster was a crafty man, and it wouldn't do to let himself slip, here. This was his punishment, after all. For failing, and jeopardizing everything. The man's grip tightened around his glass, reliving the last few days in his mind. His body still felt weak, and phantom pains raced across his limbs. No, the boss had been greatly disappointed.
The door opened behind him, and the man stood. Before him stood his greatest enemy, an easy smile on his face as he reached out to the man. "Ah, glad to meet you. You're the rep from Solaris, right? My name is Aster Balsam, but I'm sure you knew that, already."
"Good to finally meet you, Mister Balsam," the man replied, grinning at the hated man before him. "Malik Almus, the pleasure is all mine. I hope our dealings together will be fruitful."
I*A*C
And that's a wrap! Some questions are asked, and few are answered. Not only that, but Malik is back, and ready to cause more trouble for our heroes. Another short chapter, but I'm also writing this before I leave, so it is what it is. I'm uncertain if I should write another 'filler' chapter before Tai and Lucy head off, but I guess I'll be deciding that in a few minutes. I hope you guys enjoyed this! The extended A/N should be up by the time I write this, so if you got here, thanks for sticking around! If this is your first time reading, thanks for sticking around as well! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please, leave a review so I know what you guys think, and feel free to follow and favorite since that helps, too. Hope to see you guys in the next one!