Alola readers! Brav is back with another chapter!
A little special commencement before I start; today is actually the two year anniversary of this fic! I'm amazed at how big this project has gotten and am proud of myself for still sticking to it. Nothing else I've written has been this long with this amount of effort.
Now we are finally getting to the Hano Grand Resort and starting the point where the Aether Foundation comes in. So without further ado...
It's been years since I've been to the Hano Grand Resort, but I imagine a lot has been changed.
The most famous resort on Akala Island, we used to stay on family vacations for a few days when work got too hard for Mother and Father at the Paradise. It's one of my favorite places in Alola. All of my vacations, she would take me and my brother to the pools…a different one every day!
But judging how the Hano Grand Resort cordoned a big portion of it off for construction…that means new exciting stuff is coming! I wonder what it could be!
Elio and Hau went off to meet Faba. I hope they don't mention me because that would make things really bad. But I couldn't tell either of them why I couldn't go…so…
So I'll have to pray that they don't and nothing happens.
Elio hadn't been inside the most famous hotel and resort in the Alola region before, but he had heard the stories.
Even if a tourist wasn't staying at the epitome of Alolan luxury, it was often quoted that no trip to the island chain was complete without a visit to the Hano Grand Resort. Akala Island had many well-known resorts that served as ideal getaway destinations that lined its bigger populated centers on the southwest coast. Some were located even further away, using the expanse of land to their advantage in hosting differing activities.
However none were able to compete with the Hano's rise up as the elite among the industry. The demand was continuing to rise with no signs of slowing down or stopping and the hotels and resorts of the three primary islands were constantly updating to keep up with the booming trends.
The biggest attraction to Hano's obscene amount of success was its publicity. Famous actors, actresses, politicians, singers and celebrities of all kinds had booked their stay here. Most notably was the Kalosian Grand Duchess Diantha, a lifelong career actress and trainer who starred in multiple critically acclaimed motion pictures for her wide variety of characters and voice roles. Diantha was also at one point, the champion of the Kalos region. Having been the host to arguably the region's most iconic individual; the increase in revenue and spotlight in the Alola tourist scene increased dramatically.
The actual resort itself was not just the tall peach-colored tower sitting majestic in its spot between a set of beautiful mountains and the sapphire blue ocean. He could see that its color was accented by the sun as it began to settle into the end of afternoon and the beginning of evening. By now, the sky was beginning to set and create its picturesque orange glow over the horizon.
Elio sighed in relief, enjoying the view. The sunset was one of his favorite things since moving here. Since finally listening to everyone's advice on embracing Alola as his new home; he slowly began to admit that the island region had burrowed its way into a special place within his heart. The weather, the scenery, such welcoming people… It was absolutely beautiful.
That sunset is something I'll never get tired of.
The resort's entrance was two separate roads split by a well-maintained garden of multicolored hibiscus flowers. Sidewalks led right up to two elongated granite fountains on either end of the entrance that gushed water into a pebble base and pool just in front. There were four statues of two men and two women. Elio knew they represented something, but he was unable to tell.
"Welcome to the Hano Grand Resort!"
"Welcome and please, feel at home! Experience the premium of luxury, the Alolan way!"
The price to get both those fountains and stone slabs is probably more than what I'll end up making in a year.
Both the roads and flanking sidewalks were close to neatly trimmed grass and swaying palm trees that towered overhead. They led the way into a metal bridge that made Elio realize that not only did it isolate the resort from the others, but the entirety of the property was on an island within proverbial spitting distance. It was almost as if none of the competitors
Crossing the bridge to its entrance after touching down by the city's main street; the resort had to go up at least thirty five stories as the tallest building on the island. No doubt that it gave a breathtaking view of a large portion of Akala from the panoramic top floor. The beginning courtyard had multiple pools and fountains with a school of fish pokemon swimming inside. Their fins were elegantly gold and orange and each had a sharp horn on their foreheads.
"New pokemon detected! Bzzt!" Rotom said, flying over to Elio's side to show him the image. "Goldeen. Goldfish pokemon. When the weather grows warm, they form groups and swim upriver. This sight serves as a poetic reminder that spring has arrived. Goldeen is a water type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
Elio stuffed his talkative pokedex back into his pack and crossed the courtyard. Over on the far fountains, he noticed more schools of goldeen and a pelipper flying close to the ground. A pair of kids were laughing and tossing up bits of bread that the bird was more than happy to eat. He even heard one say they wanted to fly inside the pokemon's large bill.
A roundabout was under one of the roofs where a pair of limousines awaited arrival from guests coming or going from the world famous hotel. He couldn't see them, but heard the soft tunes of a plucking from a musical instrument in a calming tune that seemed to melt right into the island breeze.
Staff had already cleared all of the canopies and tents from the Kumu Reef Triple Crown and the news of the incident was coupled with Sabine Joyeux earning herself the most points and a comfortable lead in the women's.
Elio felt quite bitter at hearing that over the news. He was still mad as well at missing the FBC draft.
What did make him excited about that was Edmund Dahm was selected fourth overall…by his hometown Hurricanes. They had traded up one slot with the Blackthorn Highlanders to select the best player available to help their struggling team.
And I'm so busy; I can't even send him a stupid text of congratulations! Why?!
There was a flight of stairs to his right; leading down to the pristine sandy beach that stretched around the bend of the shore. Waves gently crashed upon the sandbar which was covered by chairs and multicolored umbrellas to shield beachgoers from the harsh rays. Further up, he saw a big patio with beach chairs that had easy access to some awesome looking pools. There were several bars and standing restaurants all along as it curved around with the beach. Extending a ways over the side over the beach was a large sail-like object that was held in place by cables, providing a huge amount of shade over a part of the beach.
A mezzanine promenade hugged the side of the building where the sunroof cover extended from. He could see gaslights lit up and laughter coming from an occupying group.
One of them had a little pikachu snoozing soundly and Sun found himself blocked off by a man who must've been his accomplice as he tried to approach. He learned that that was Mister Chuuster…apparently a television star in many cute commercials as well as the hit series Detective Pikachu.
Okay…now I know Mister Chuuster…seen him in some ads while we were watching Five-0.
Hau texted him a few minutes ago, saying he was at one of the restaurants by the pools on the far side of the resort and gave him general directions. It was a better option to go straight through on the many promenades that started on the mezzanine.
But he wanted to help relieve some of the stress. Even if that meant walking on the beach where he had done CPR on Leilani.
His thoughts drifted to the surfer. Lillie texted him that she was formally discharged from the hospital a couple of hours and taken back home to Melemele Island with Makoa.
She was far from happy, having to leave in crutches and an appointment in several weeks to renew her prescription for the antivenom formula.
He was pretty sure he knew why Hau was upset over her, but he still wanted to confirm those suspicions first.
His bare feet touched the warm sand and he let out a content sigh, feeling its silkiness and parting on his touch. Sun always loved the fact that beaches in Alola were always the best, but there was just something about how well maintained Hano Grand Resort kept it that set it on an entirely new level.
It's almost like I'm walking on a cloud.
Elio made note of the board displaying the rules while on the beach, finding out several ones that were surprising.
Glass is prohibited at all times on the beach. Plastic and cans only.
No littering. Go figure.
Pokemon battles aren't allowed?! What kind of insensitive prick wrote that?! What if I'm just chilling on the beach with my girl and some other douche trainer starts hitting on her?
Oh wait, it has to have a sanctioned referee.
I guess I could understand it. Kind of a disturbance to other people who want to relax.
It made more sense when he further read that there were complete courts for pokemon battles located close to the resort's golf course.
Please be aware that wild pokemon do inhabit the beach. Catching pokemon is allowed provided you adhere to the Universal Trainer Rules & Guidelines.
"Wait, a second. You can't battle, but can catch wild pokemon? Alright then."
He took steps forward, going closer and closer to the ocean. It beckoned him, caressing the shore with soft white hands before pulling away.
Touching the wet sand caused him to involuntarily shiver before his body adjusted and he let the next wave rush past, feeling it erode away surrounding his ankles.
A bump in the sand a little off to his right caught his attention and he cautiously approached, likely knowing a pokemon was hiding right there.
His intuition was right as he cleared the sand away and saw the creature move slightly underneath. A brown spoke popped out and the pokemon slowly shook itself free.
A staryu!
"Look! It'zzzz a new pokemon!" Rotom half sung and declared, floating closer for analysis. "Staryu. Starshape pokemon. No number of injuries can bother staryu. Its amazing regenerative powers return it to its previous state in half a day. There are folktales in many places of stardust falling into the ocean and becoming staryu. Staryu is a water type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
Elio guessed it was just best that he left the pokemon alone. Staryu was one of Cerulean City gym leader Misty's strongest pokemon and he knew that it could learn some very powerful water type attacks and even a variety of others as well.
As much as I'd love to have one, I can't replace Nani. She's already the water type cornerstone on my team.
Continuing on, he headed back up the stairs to another big dining area, but this one was far busier and less formal. People were eating more casual food, dressed in touristy clothing and even swimsuits. It was almost like a U-shaped dining area with a bar situated opposite. As he passed, he watched with amazement at the bartender as he flashily flipped bottles of different colored liquids to put on a show as he mixed a customer's drink. Next to him, a small pink and blue humanoid pokemon was waving its hands around, using a psychic attack to move bottles into his trainer's hand.
"Oh wow! Bzzt!" Rotom buzzed aloud while they walked. "A Mime Jr. bartending? Bzzt! Thizzz callz for a new entry again! Bzzt! Mime Jr. Mime pokemon. When this gifted mimic surprises an opponent, Mime Jr. feels so happy that it ends up forgetting it was imitating something. Mime Jr. is a psychic and fairy type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
He could see so many different restaurants; a sushi bar, Kantoan café, another restaurant that had soups, salads and sandwiches and an outdoor grill. The sound and smell of sizzling of meat made his mouth water.
Elio had forgotten how hungry he was and doubled his search for Hau. He found the island boy sitting at a table for two, slightly isolated from everyone else. There was a plate of a burger and fries in front of him with a glass of water that sat in a puddle of condensation.
He was making no effort to eat or drink, just staring forlorn at the ocean and beachgoers below.
As Sun approached, he could tell that Hau was trying to hide his sadness. Sensing him nearby, he put on a fake smile. Elio smiled back, now seeing that he was relaxing a bit.
"Hey."
"Alola Elio!" Hau's enthusiasm was a bit forced, something he had found rather unusual. "You made it!"
"Hey brah." The two exchanged their signature handshake before he sat down across from him. "How's it going?"
Hau smiled again. "You know, same old stuff."
Elio pointed to the half-eaten burger. "Where'd you get that from? I'm starving and that looks super appetizing."
"Oh, the place is right up there. You still have to pay though."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because when you go there, most people won't be paying. They did the all-inclusive. You know," he spread his hands out to the entire building. "Paying a higher price, but it's basically unlimited food, drinks and passes for all of the resort's activities."
"Sounds really cool." Elio stood up. "I'll be back."
The burger stand was right in between the taco grill and a chocolatier on the other end of the restaurant line on the promenade. Sun was sure that there were even more options on the inside, having heard from a passerby that there were more than fifteen different places to eat while staying on the grounds.
He paid for his meal and took a stand with a number on it, being informed that his food would be brought out to him. By the time he arrived back, Hau had gotten him a glass of water.
"Thanks." Elio sat back down and sipped thoughtfully. "I'm thirsty like crazy."
He decided to address the overhanging elephant in the room. "Soooo…are you wanting to talk about it?"
"Talk about what?"
"Back at the hospital," he pointed out. "You looked to be in distress."
"It was nothing. I got it handled."
"Right." Elio rolled his eyes. "I believe you."
Hau looked hurt when he said that.
I didn't mean that to be hurtful. I'm just trying to figure out what's going on.
"I'll handle it okay?" That came out a little less friendly, almost shocking him with that statement. His mouth turned into a mumble. "Girls can be so clueless."
Sun nodded in agreement. "Sometimes they can be. Did something happen between you and Leilani?"
Hau nodded absently. "Yeah…I sort of…kissed her."
"Oh." The two fell into awkward silence at that revelation. He finally knew why Hau's own reaction was the way it was.
"She didn't take it that well."
"I guess you could say that. It kind of spiraled out of control. She wanted to go back to surfing."
"Can you blame her?" Elio asked him. "Everyone here loved her and wanted her to succeed. Having the support of an entire region mounts a lot of pressure on your shoulders."
"I just don't understand why she had to be so stubborn. I told her to take things easy after everything, so did the doctor. She didn't want to listen."
Well girls can be just as stubborn as boys sometimes.
Elio remained silent.
"So I tried to tell her that she needed time to recover, reload and come back next season. Even if she was able to compete later on, there would be no chance for her in contention for the championship. There was no point. She didn't listen."
"Well sometimes, people don't like to be told they're wrong. In fact, I'm sure everyone in the world is like that. The difference is whether you choose to sit and let things fester, or mount a comeback."
Hau looked at him. "I think she had thought I was trying to get her to give up."
"Were you?"
"What?! No!" He looked bewildered at that allegation. "I would never tell her to give up on her dreams!"
"Okay calm down there." Sun flashed him a knowing grin. "I just wanted to make sure."
"But I would want to maybe take a step back and appreciate how lucky I was. Because in all other situations; Leilani could've…died."
A heavy silence followed between the two boys. Even with the chatting and laughter of tourists around them, they were quietly reminiscing the magnitude of the life or death situation. Neither wanted to dwell on it, but the memory wouldn't just leave willingly.
"But what do I do?" Hau bemoaned, putting his face in his hands. "I felt like I just screwed up all those years of friendship with her over her favorite sport! Oh, by the tapu! She might not even speak to me again!"
"I'm afraid that's out of your hands Hau."
Elio sipped his water. "I'm not saying I disagreed with what you did…hell…probably would've done the same thing if it were me and Lillie in your place." Upon saying that, he immediately felt a heat sensation rise in his cheeks.
Crap! Keep going! Say something!
"So good job."
AAARGH! Seriously brain! What the hell?!
"Wait really?" Hau stared at him as if he had grown more heads than a dodrio.
"Well…um…no." Elio was trying to find a way to recover. "But you basically put the ball on her side of the court. So it's all out of your hands. If she wanted something like that from you, she will tell you." He knew that Hau hated doing nothing about it.
"Don't assume everything is lost though." He assured him. "I think Leilani does like you too and you'd be an amazing match, but she's going through a lot of rough patches right now. The best thing to do…is to give her some space. You're not going anywhere," his stomach took the opportunity to rumble. "She isn't going anywhere either."
"Okay." Hau looked a little better at that statement. "Thanks Elio. Thanks for being a best friend."
"It's what we do right?" They bumped fists. "You're a brother…not just a best friend."
Elio looked around, still seeing his order number stand unmoved and nobody seemed to have the urgency to head in their direction.
They did say they would bring the food out to me.
"Where is my burger?" He demanded. "I'm starving!"
As if on cue one of the employees had made his way over and set a tray in front of him before taking the order number back to the kitchen area.
Elio stared at the sandwich and metal container of fries.
"I thought you were hungry."
Oh yeah right.
He picked it up by the wrapper that had the Hano Grand Resort logo and cautiously took a bite. Hau was watching him with amusement when he stopped.
"So?" He asked. "How is the burger?"
Elio stared at him. "This is the best burger I've ever eaten in my whole life."
"Right? It's definitely worth the thirty dollars."
This food is THIRTY dollars?!
Elio shrugged and took another bite, popping a fry in his mouth afterwards. Heh, it's totally worth it.
Even though it was going into the evening, activity at the resort was still present as Elio separated from Hau to relax at the beach and wait for their tour from the Aether Foundation to arrive. A group of tourists were out on an open space, all with waiting cameras watching the daylight fade away to catch the iconic sunset. Further up on the mezzanine, away from the casual dining area were several dinner tables full of couples dining on something elegant with uniformed garcons tending to their needs. In front of him; a pair of honeymooners laughed as they ran through the surf, holding hands without a care in the world.
Elio noticed a shovel that appeared to be left behind at a less people-dense section of the beach up close to the treeline and a black fence. He reached out to pick it up, intent on sending it to lost and found.
"Woah there hotshot! Bzzt!" Rotom floated close by and scanned the shovel. "Be careful about shovelzzzz zitting on the beach! Bzzt!"
"What's the matter?" Elio asked. "Is it like possessed or something!"
"Precizzzely! Bzzt! Often timezzz abandoned shovelzzz are uzzzed as bait by the pokemon sandygast. Even the zign for the rulezzz and guidelinezzz explained to deztroy all zandcazzztlezzz and leave unattended shovelzzz alone. Bzzt!"
Armed with that new piece of knowledge, he still cautiously approached, wanting to know anyway. For safe measures, he sent out Akela to help guard him. The werewolf sniffed the ground around the shovel, prowling in circled around it as if daring for the sandygast pokemon to make a move.
Sure enough, it sensed the two presences and emerged from the sandbar, swiveling around to face them in a dark mask that covered its tan eyes.
The sandygast's main body was simply a moving mound of sand that almost looked liquid in appearance. Its maw was wide open in a tunnel that ended in a hole on its back. Elio could see no other internal organs or features without getting close.
Always approach wild ghost pokemon with caution. He reminded himself from the studies back in school.
"And here'zz my analyziz! Bzzt! Sandygast. Sand heap pokemon. It likes the shovel on its head, so sandygast will get serious and fight any children who come to take it back. Sandygast is a ghost and ground type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
Well then let's catch it. I don't have either a ghost or ground type on my team and I want to try out this new bulldoze TM I got from the Konikoni marketplace.
"Akela!" At the mention of his name, his faithful wolf leapt forward, extending his front paws and baring his teeth in a low growl.
The sandygast hissed loudly before launching a trio of green glowing tendrils. Akela saw this coming, deftly using his hind legs to dodge the attack. As it readied another mega drain; Elio went right on the offensive, ordering a sucker punch. The lycanroc dashed forward, swinging a fist coated with black wisps of energy. It took a significant portion of the sandygast's energy down and he was afraid he'd take it out before he had the opportunity to catch it.
"Use bite!"
Akela snarled again, lunging forward and ferociously snapping his jaws open to reveal four long fangs. The sandygast didn't seem to show either fear or anger…or anything for that matter. Instead, it widened its own mouth and shot out a swirling spiral of sand that caught the werewolf in mid-lunge. It struck with enough force to send him tumbling back, however he was quick to recover and stand on his legs again to flex his arms. Smaller grains of sand pelted his body, causing him to growl in annoyance.
Even though it was a ground move; Elio was somewhat relieved to see that it didn't do as much damage as he believed.
That was a sand tomb attack. It's keeping him trapped and consistently damaged…plus it was a super effective move. Now that I think about it…Rufflet would've been the far better choice since his normal and flying typing makes the ghost and ground moves useless.
The wild pokemon used the brief opportunity to use harden to boost its physical defenses before launching another mega drain. This one hit right on target, thanks to Akela ensnared inside the tomb. Some of his energy was drained to replenish sandygast's own.
"Get out of that sand tomb!" Elio said. "Sucker punch once you do!"
Akela's eyes flashed with determination and he finally managed to use a clawed hand to swat away the irritating particles. Elio knew the sandygast was trying to keep the sand tomb up and sucker punch had its highest power when the opponent was readying an attack themselves. He dodged the next swirl of sand to clock the ghost atop the head.
As soon as he leapt to the side again; Elio pulled a poke ball from his backpack, clicking open the capture matrix and tossing it out. The device opened, its targeting system locating the pokemon's signature to capture and suck it inside in a flash of light.
The poke ball settled onto the sand as the trainer and his own pokemon watched. It shook once.
It shook twice.
Sun was expecting a third shake when the ball burst open unexpectedly. The sandygast was now much angrier than before, kicking up another sand tomb.
He was in the middle of yelling at Akela to dodge the move when the werewolf seemed to take the brunt of the attack. A wave flash washed its way over his body before coalescing into an energy form in his hand.
Akela swung back, passing straight through the ghost.
"Woah there! Bzzt! That wazzzz counter!"
Akela learned counter?
"Amazing work buddy." Elio reached back in his backpack for another pokeball. Just as he did, the sandygast sensed its moment and vanished into the ground. Akela jumped forward in an attempt to foil it; however he had missed and skidded across the beach with a grinding halt.
"Where did it go?" Sun looked around, wondering if it maybe used something like dig to escape. A sinking feeling in his gut told him it had fled for good.
The lycanroc picked itself up from the ground and slowly made his way over, head drooped in disappointment.
Elio sensed it too and gave him a friendly hug on the shoulder. "Don't get too upset about it. I'm not."
He got a low growl in return and a friendly nuzzle on his chin.
"Heh. I know right?"
Akela sniffed the ground before poking through the boy's bag. It puzzled him for a moment before he realized what his pokemon was doing.
The egg.
Elio hadn't neglected the gift egg from Dallas Kahananui back at the ranch. There was no timetable of when it was going to hatch or anything else other than the fact Akela's former trainer was protecting it and got lost in a nasty storm. Dallas had found him as a rockruff defending it from salandit thieves.
It was only natural that when he added him to his team that he take the egg as well.
And he still had no clue on what pokemon was inside.
Whatever it was, it was important to Akela and his old trainer.
The werewolf seemed to be relieved as he took the incubation chamber out and the egg continued to sit inside perfectly centered on top of the small cushion. A quick look at the temperature control put it at slightly warm, which was ideal for a baby pokemon's development.
I wonder what kind of pokemon it is. And why was it so important?
Elio continued his walk along the beach when he was pulled aside again for one of the most unusual tasks he had even heard of.
"Excuse me young man, but do you happen to be a trainer?"
Sun turned to the man standing at the lifeguard post wearing a resort uniform waving politely at him. Looking around, he saw nobody else exactly close by. He must be an employee.
"Um yes. Why you ask?"
"I was wondering if you would like to do a little work for me."
We still haven't heard from this Aether guy. I guess we got time. "Uh…okay sure. What you got?"
"We're short on pyukumuku chuckers right now! Would you like to become one?"
The title caught his attention. "Pyukumuku chucker? What's that?"
"I'm one of the staff responsible for keeping Hano Beach clear for our guests. Since they do pay top dollar to stay here; it's an utmost priority that we maintain such a pristine image for them. The pokemon pyukumuku sometimes wriggle up on our beach from the sea. We can't just leave them there! They shrivel up in the sun while on dry land and our guests often get grossed out seeing them! They're also quite easy to step on and when you have bare feet, it's a painful experience!"
"Ouch." Sun winced at that. He had an incident similar to that once when he was a child, so he could correlate fairly well.
"So we end up with no choice but to chuck the pyukumuku back into the sea!" He looked at the trainer again. "It's pretty easy and the beach seems clear, but we haven't swept it for a few hours so some are bound to have wriggled back onto shore! It shouldn't take that long!"
"Alright," Sun was pretty sure Hau was just about finishing up with his grand trial if he hadn't won already and figured he had some time to kill. "I'll do it!"
"Muku?" He heard the tiny squishy pokemon squeal before whipping his hand up and throwing it back into the ocean as hard as he could.
So while the sea cucumber pokemon known as pyukumuku chucking was a good way to exercise his arm and earn a sum of easy money, they weren't the most competent pokemon. They hated being picked up or touched by a human and tried wriggling around. The pokemon's slimy body made it quite an uncomfortable experience and one of them even spat out a nasty greenish goo that splattered all over his arm. They were incredibly slick and any mishap in handling them could cause him to get quilled by the razor spines that adorned the top of its body.
"Pyukumuku." The Rotom-Dex had echoed in his head upon the first encounter with the unique pokemon. "Sea cucumber pokemon. Its entire body is covered in its own slime. If you accidentally step on one, you'll slip, and it will get mad and smack you! These Pokémon line the beaches. The sticky mucous that covers their bodies can be used to soothe sunburned skin. Pyukumuku is a water type. Additional information is available upon catching this pokemon."
"Ugh," He wiped it off in disgust before dipping his arm underneath the ocean's waterline, cleaning it off as best he could. Despite its nasty texture, people said that the pyukumuku gunk over their bodies was also a good moisturizer and used in soothing sunburn relief. That was something he was susceptible too if he neglected to regularly apply sunscreen.
"Okay," Sun went back to the staff member after throwing the last one he could find back, "I've combed the beach and tossed quite a few back to the water. I don't see anymore."
"Great! The beach is safe once again for our guests! You're a hard worker on that too! I know you're a trainer and all, but you throw like a pro!"
He gave off a sheepish smile, remembering all too well what it used to be. "Yeah so in addition to battling; I used to play basketball and football in school. We'd play catch after practice a lot, so I developed a good throwing technique."
That statement was quite true and ironically; he was unable to throw pokeballs properly right at the start of his island challenge. Now it was like second nature.
"I see. Those pyukumuku are one of Alola's most famous pokemon! Sadly, most tourists don't understand their appeal. No matter how many times we toss them back into the sea, they come right back up in a couple days like clockwork. If you have some free time, we'll pay handsomely for another sweep of the beach for pyukumuku chucking!" He paused, "Oh I forgot…here's your pay. You've earned it!"
Elio stared wide-eyed at the big packet of bills, "Holy…you pay that much to for someone to throw pyukumuku?"
"Pyukumuku chuckers are always in demand kid! Alola! See ya around!"
"Alola!" Sun bade goodbye and started up the ramp to the resort's entrance. He stared at the fat payment he had gotten from a rather easy job.
If mastering the island challenge doesn't work out, I might consider a career change to a professional pyukumuku thrower.
Elio waited until the last of the daylight slipped over the ocean's horizon and the warm temperature in the air began to drop. Wind started picking up and he was beginning to consider putting on a light jacket.
The change didn't seem to deter many, but a lot of the guests had gone inside to retire for the night. Yet the outside was still lively as he began to notice fewer children out and about. If he had to guess, families put their kids to bed before enjoying an evening out with the older and more mature crowds.
Elio was already amazed at the grand spectacle of the resort and he knew he would be floored by the interior. The inside of the Hano's lobby was absolutely indeed grand. It stretched several stories up with dark rich wooden walls, showing multiple balconies of the first few floors before the rest disappeared behind the ever tall ceiling. At the back were six big glass elevators, three on each side showing their cars full of people moving up or down on various points. To either side were entrances to pools, restaurants and enormous fountains, including one at the far end. There was an array of brochures tailored to tourists on the different things to do while on Akala from shopping to cruise charters to tickets for battles at the Royal Dome.
The floor was well maintained, with fancy tiling and opulent carpets. A pair of valets, bellhops and girls dressed in traditional Alolan garb all greeted him warmly as he walked through the entrance. Overhead, there was relaxing beach music played in speakers overhead, giving it a paradise vibe.
Elio couldn't help but grin at one of the girls greeting him in the lobby as she sat on one of the chairs to play a tiny instrument that looked like a guitar.
That's a…uku…lele? An ukulele right?
She smiled back at him, strumming her fingers across the strings to create a beautiful tune that immediately soothed just about every bit tension inside his body from the other day. Her mouth opened and she began to softly sing.
"I don't wear shoes upon my feet."
"To be at ease is such a treat."
"I smile at everyone I meet!"
"That's the Alolan in me!"
Browsing around further, he came across another walkway that led out to the big building he had seen on the right of the big promenade behind the mezzanine he was previously at. The concrete structure was still being built, evidenced by the large machines parked and few toolboxes scattered about, but there was a stand depicting what Elio could only describe as an open-faced three story building with twenty little "cells" or units on each floor. A massive tall net surrounded the open side with colored squares and circles that looked like pits in the ground.
"Stunning isn't it?" A woman's voice said from behind.
Elio turned to see her. She didn't look much older than him, perhaps in her late twenties, but her figure was graceful and athletic. Her outfit was a sky blue with a collar peeled open and a similar colored visor that kept her silvery hair away from her eyes.
"Um…yeah. It is."
The woman laughed. "Of course my father has to keep on top of the game here."
Sun looked back at the expanse of the resort. "Your dad did this?"
"My father is the founder and chairman of the Hano Grand Resort." She replied. "It was his dream to have tourists and people from all around the world to experience Alolan paradise and hospitality. Now this golf driving range is but another fantastic addition I'm excited to unveil when it finally opens!"
"I feel like I've seen you before."
"Perhaps you do. The winds often favor the grateful."
The woman chuckled at Sun's confused expression. "I use that term whenever I'm out there golfing or battling. Your accent tells me you too are a visitor." She stuck out her hand. "My name is Kahili Driver. I compete in the Women's Masters Cup of Golfing."
Sun noticed the pokeballs on her hip belt. "And I'm guessing a trainer too."
"It's always a pleasure to meet another island challenger."
"You did the island challenge?" His eyes went wide with admiration. "That's amazing!"
"It feels like yesterday too and it's not an easy task. But yes, I was once a trial captain and eventually the island challenge champion of Alola and it's one of my proudest accomplishments."
"I'd like to battle you. Care for a one on one in the trainer arena?" Elio stated firmly. He knew that just by conquering the island challenge alone meant he wouldn't stand a chance at this state. It mattered little; he wanted to see how strong someone could get and how much he could fare.
Kahili's own blue eyes lit up with a fire seen in trainers when the excitement of a battle was talked. "I'd take you up on that, however I must soon be going. Who knows," she gave him a wink, "Perhaps the winds will have us testing our strength against one another on a higher scale."
Aww, that's disappointing.
"I understand," he finally said. "I do too. Maybe next time?"
"Maybe next time." She stopped and reached down into her pocket. "Here. A little gift from one island challenge to another."
Elio reached out to catch a tiny object that she had tossed his way. It was another sky blue object the same shape as the other Z-crystals he collected.
He quizzically glanced at her after seeing the feather emblem in the center. "I didn't do any trial."
"There is no flying type trial anymore…unless one is created. But that is the Flyinium Z, the crystal that will correspond to flying types and convert them into Supersonic Skystrike. I'll teach you the pose."
Kahili formed her X with her arms before spreading them out as if wings. She squatted down, throwing her left fist skyward and her right fist tucked by her chest.
"Easy enough."
"There is nothing like having complete control, domination and superiority of the skies. Use it well, island challenger."
"Welcome to the Hano Grand Resort." The receptionist greeted him as he approached the counter after parting ways with Kahili. "Unfortunately, we are quite tight on available lodging. Would you still like to request a room?"
"No," Sun said, looking around the lobby for the green goggled man, "I'm actually waiting for this guy from the Aether Foundation. He wore a labcoat with these big green sunglasses or goggles whatnot."
"Oh yes," the woman said and pulled up a datapad. "He called earlier today saying he would be picking up a couple trainers from here."
"Okay, thanks." Elio paused, "Oh…and just out of curiosity…how much does it cost to spend a night here?"
The receptionist stared at him. "Which suite? Standard, Deluxe or Kahuna?"
"Um…standard?"
"Well on occasion, we do have standard rooms open for walk-ins and quick reservations, but we often get booked several months in advance. Depending on the floor and other amenities such as the all-inclusive package…our standard suite can go from a minimum of four thousand up starting from the lowest floor."
"WHAT?!"
"Ah…there you are child." That similar voice said as the strange green goggled man approached Sun from behind. "I was hoping you would take up my invitation. Again, I do have to apologize for the delay. The blasted heat and lots of people were making any travel to and from difficult around these parts."
"I tried to bring a couple friends, but not sure if they're going to show up."
"If you're talking about your boardshorts friend, I extended an invitation to him as well once he finished his Akala Island grand trial!" He paused, putting a gloved hand to his gray bearded chin. "Ah forgive me child. I have yet to introduce myself. My name is Leon. You may call me Faba."
"Well it's nice to meet you Faba." Although the boy was put a bit off by the slight pompous attitude the Aether person gave off; from the narrowed eyes, puffed chest and a habit of raising his head so that he looked down at the other person. Yet he had been polite if cordial thus far, which prompted a slight bit of respect from the younger one.
"I told you that I would show you someplace astounding yes? Well, that would be Aether Paradise! Just as its name suggests; Aether Paradise is a veritable utopia for pokemon that floats far out into the sea surrounding Alola. It is completely artificial, made entirely by human technology for the preservation and protection of endangered pokemon species!"
"Sounds incredible,"
"It quite is child. Of course I'm a grown educated adult who keeps his promises. So I'll prove to you that everything I just described is very real with a tour of our facility! You'll come, won't you?"
"Yeah sure." Elio agreed, "Maybe when I finish my island challenge, I could find some way to work for you guys?"
"I shall definitely put in a good word for you!" Faba beamed at him. "After all, you've done much to assist us when you rescued that slowpoke from Team Skull."
"Wait!" Both Sun and Faba turned to see Hau bounding into the resort's atrium. His boisterous entrance earned him a few looks of ire from the other guests and hotel staff, but he seemed to ignore them. "You gotta take me too!" Behind him, they saw Professor Kukui and even Kahuna Olivia follow in closely.
Elio raised an eyebrow at Hau as he entered. It's like he flipped a switch and he's back to his normal cheerful self. You can't just make something like that up.
"Oh?" The Aether "Chief" seemed to be surprised at the gathering that was escorting the trial-goers. "Even Kahuna Olivia has come to see you off?"
"Of course! As kahuna, I look after all the trialgoers who come to my island. It's almost like I'm a mother lycanroc looking after all my own little rockruff pups! Not that I've got any…I'm not even married." She looked at the two boys, putting her hands on her hips. " Now listen up you two. Your greatest opponent will always be yourself. Your greatest allies are always the pokemon at your side. I wish you the best of luck on the remainder of your island challenge and you are more than welcome to come back to Akala whenever you wish!"
"Thanks kahuna!" They both said in unison. Hau regarded the professor. "What about you Professor? You coming along too? The more the merrier right?"
"Yes of course." Faba agreed. "I don't even remember if the renowned Professor Emilio Kukui has seen our extraordinary Paradise! These islands aren't the only paradise around here in Alola!"
Kukui shook his head, "Sorry cousin. Wish I could but I've got my own business to attend to. You go and see all the amazing things and tell me all about it some other time! I'll see you guys later on Ula'ula Island!"
After waving goodbye to Kukui and Olivia, Faba led the two out of the resort on the other side down past an enormous golf course to a long pier with many different boats tied up at the docks. They ranged from small sailboats to the huge megayacht that likely belonged to one of the billionaires that was staying at the Kahuna suites.
"You brought your own boat Mister Faba?" Hau asked.
The older man chuckled, "Our grand vessel that will take us to Aether Paradise is the ferry. Don't worry about paying for a ticket; I'll handle that. Did you know your trainer passports will grant you unlimited free passage to any of the respective terminals? Provided of course that you've completed the appropriate trials required."
Honestly I don't see the point in all that. I mean…I suppose riding the ferry is great and all, but why do that when I can just call a charizard at almost any time?
The sun had finally slipped over the horizon entirely and the overhanging sky had now been overtaken by the dark blue night. A few clouds hung overhead, but like a normal Alolan evening, many shimmering stars could be seen dotting in a fantastic cosmic display. A ferry terminal conveniently located at the marina close to the resort to provide guests with instantaneous access to the other islands. Faba slid a badge around his neck into a kiosk and handed both boys tickets that were verified just as a vessel was pulling into port. The crew was fast, extending the gangplank, holding the boarding passengers briefly to let the arriving ones disembark before quickly checking everyone on and casting off.
A safety announcement came over the screens close to the lounges in the interior before the ferry began to pull away. Elio and Hau stood at the window, seeing Professor Kukui waving frantically.
"Bye Professor!"
"See you on Ula'ula Island!"
Ula'ula is the name of the next island? I wonder what trials there will be…what kind of interesting stuff we'll find. Only time would tell.
Faba was all deep in conversation to Hau, chatting away almost without a limitation on how important he was for the Foundation. Elio believed that the green goggled man had finally met his match in the talkative department when Hau was constantly talking to him about non-pokemon topics. He had already told three stories about comical attempts in buying and eating malasadas. Although he saw that Faba seemed rather uninterested by that, yet he kept a smile and a presence that portrayed someone quite intrigued.
It was a bit deceptive, but in his shoes, he would've done the same thing.
Sun scratched his head and breathed deeply, leaning over the rail and taking an odd curiosity to look out at the froth that the ship churned in its wake from the stern. Ten minutes elapsing into the ferry ride; Akala Island had disappeared over the ocean's horizon and there wasn't much else to see in the dark sky. Even the resident wingull and pellipper were absent, likely taking residence in their nests to sleep.
There was a monitor that projected the ferry's location in between the destinations and Elio could see that the place of Aether Paradise was situated roughly in the center of the four main islands of Alola. They were heading on a southwest course, already nearly to their destination. He could see a little timer bar on the bottom, indicating they would be arriving in roughly ten minutes.
Elio passed Hau sitting on a seat and looking outside. Faba took one an aisle behind and he could hear the older man mumble something about Hau talking too much.
Depends on how you see it. Should've seen him earlier where I only got a peep out of him.
"You good brah?"
"Yeah." Hau nodded and smiled again. "I'm fine."
"You don't have to hide it Hau. We're all feeling for Leilani."
He realized the other boy was seeing right through his mask and sighed. "I guess so. I'm feeling really bad for yelling at her."
"I know you do. But like I said, best way to be supportive is to give her some space and time before being ready to help her recover. While I've never seen tentacruel stings on humans, I've seen other bad injuries and the victims often need a lot more support than they think."
"Okay. I promise."
"She's in good hands and I know you'll be back by her side the moment she wants you. In the meantime," he clapped his friend on the back. "What do you say we enjoy ourselves with this tour and the next island? We've been overdue a battle for quite a while huh?"
"Huh," Hau realized they hadn't faced off since Paniola Town. "You're right. We should do that at the Paradise or when we get to Ula'ula. I've got some new pokemon I want to show you. How does a five on five battle sound?"
"I'm down for it. You're going down though."
"No I'm not!"
"We'll save this for later." Elio said, noticing a lighted structure approaching in the distance. "Looks like we're here."
Alright. Time to see what this Aether Foundation is all about.
And that is where I will close the page on this chapter! We're finally here the Aether Foundation part! It's funny to think this story has come so far...and it has so far left to go.
No translations this chapter, but the ukulele is an instrument in the guitar family made by Hawaiians that was adapted from the Portuguese machete (a small guitar-like instrument) which greatly influenced Hawaiian culture due to Portuguese immigrants from Madiera & the Azores. Its popularity today is primarily due to native Hawaiian songwriter Israel Kamakawiwo'ole who is influential in traditional and modern Hawaiian music. His famous song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" is sung with an ukulele.
As always, thank you for reading and reviewing. You give my writing purpose.
Brav