Alola readers! I'm currently out of town on a temporary assignment. But I've got this chapter up and ready to go! It's one that I put some extra attention into because it's low-key one of my favorites. I definitely believe you'll all find something to love in this one.
Elio was quick to cheer me up after I had that run in with Kaiser. He's definitely a lot more scary than I thought, but I realized he wouldn't be able to hurt me there. I'm just glad he was gone right before Sun was there. And I have to admit that I'm really bad at eating ramen. But leave it to Elio for making it so much simpler. I know little things like this seem trivial, but it means the world to me when someone like him cares for me so much. There's been times where I swear I don't deserve someone like him.
We finally got to experience the Draconid Festivus! And what made this one special was that it was right in time after the legendary pokemon Rayquaza destroyed a catastrophic meteor that could've caused great damage to the world. Luckily Brendan Maple; Elio's own idol had stopped it and seeing the legendary pokemon honored there made me grateful that it protected everyone.
Did I mention I've never seen Elio's basketball skills firsthand until now?
Elio excused himself and homed right in on Lillie who was still sitting completely unmoving and staring ahead at the chair on the opposite end.
"Hey, sorry I'm so late." He sat down and grinned at her. "I'm not sure why things take as long as they do."
Lillie didn't respond.
"Hey," he repeated. "Are you okay?"
She shook her head, but didn't say anything.
"Lillie. I'm here. Say something. Joke's over."
"He was here?"
"He?" Elio's eyes narrowed, as if he was ready to punch some punk's nose bloody. "Who?"
"The people...who want Nebby. They were here. They saw me." She shivered despite the restaurant being a warm temperature. "They were here to take it away."
"You mean the guy who came to Kukui's lab?" Elio asked. "Baldy?"
Lillie wanted to laugh at the moniker Sun had given Kaiser, but she recalled the threat he had thinly veiled at her if anyone else was involved. I can't get Elio involved in this. It's not his fight...and he wouldn't trust me after this.
"I'm so sorry Elio." She whispered quietly, staring at the ground. "I never wanted it to come to this."
"Don't worry about it. We're friends remember? We trust each other right?" When she nodded, he went on. "Besides, whoever wants to get to you and Nebby is going to have to go through me. Nebby's our little baby too."
Her heart fluttered as he said that. Our baby. She immediately thought of them looking at the cosmog sleeping in a crib like a pair of loving parents.
No stop. He doesn't think of you that way.
"I know. I'm glad I left it to sleep back at the hotel. Speaking of which, do you have a place to sleep tonight?"
"What like I'm some bum?" He opened his phone. "Of course I do, I'll just rent a room at the center and," his face fell, "It's all full. Probably people staying for the Festivus. Guess I'll sleep like a bum after all"
"Well you're lucky." Lillie gave him a smile. "Nebby's been sleeping in one of the beds. It can sleep with me and you can take the other."
Elio paused as he read the menu. "Really? You got a room with two beds?"
"Yeah I didn't believe it either."
"Sure, I'll take you up on that."
At that moment, the petite waitress; the only one in the entire shop circled back to them, refilling their teas and taking their orders. Lillie realized she hadn't looked at the menu at what she wanted.
"What are you wanting?" Elio asked to help speed up her decision. Although she was polite, they couldn't hold her up on a flip-flop of what she wanted to order. "Something basic? Rich? Hearty?"
"What did you order?"
Lillie looked at their signature dish. "The Hoenn tonkotsu."
Huh, a rich pork bone broth with kakuni cubes, scallions, braised onions, nori, a soft-boiled egg and narutomaki. That does sound good.
"I guess I'll have that." The waitress nodded, scribbling it down and heading straight for the kitchen.
"So how do you know so much about ramen?" Lillie asked.
Elio shrugged. "There's a ton of places that specialize in just ramen. I know people give it a lot of backlash since you can buy those foam cups and instant packets for dirt cheap, but there's so much more than that. I love going to little shops or stands where they specialize in just these noodles and broth. They're always these small places, but always crowded and people go there for the food."
She glanced down at her side of the table, seeing a napkin and a pair of long black sticks. "These are chopsticks?"
"Yup." Elio picked his up, twirling them around in his fingers before snapping them together at the thinner end. "You ever eat with them before?"
"No." She meekly said. "I hope they have forks."
"Place like this? Doubt it. Here. I'll show you." He reached over to her side of the table, showing his hand gripping the two sticks. "See? Easy."
Lillie mimicked his posture, but grunted in aggravation when one of the sticks came loose and fell onto the table.
Elio noticed it and gave an encouraging nod. "You're not going to perfect it first try. Again."
"Talking to me like your pokemon?"
"You won't believe how much Jangmo'o wanted to smash his head down when he tackles."
"There'zzzz a pozzzibility he hazzz learned headbutt!" Rotom Dex piped up from inside his backpack.
Elio reached over and reached inside, causing the haunted device to go silent. "That's beside the point. Just keep on trying. Don't give up."
Lillie nodded. "Well mother always wanted me to learn how to eat properly. She never taught me chopsticks."
She was right; her posture was ramrod straight, shoulders square, elbows off the table and she always set her napkin parallel to its side with an inch in between. A big difference to him where he leaned forward, looking more into the conversation...and the beautiful blonde opposite him. One looking at them both would not only see how striking of a couple they were, but also the difference in upbringing.
"Lillie, just relax." He soothed her. "We're at a ramen shop, not having a dinner with the Chairman of the Galar League."
"I can't." She softly said. "I can't have bad manners or habits."
"It's not a crime. I do appreciate your good mannerisms, get loose. If you're worried about looking bad...don't. You look fantastic."
Lillie smiled and Elio locked eyes with her.
If she looks this good at sixteen, then I want to know what she looks like ten years older.
"I want to try again." She declared, grabbing the chopsticks. Again, one of them slipped out of her hand, but she caught it in time, wiggling it back into her grip.
Elio stood up, walking to her side and leveling himself.
"Here, hold this one here." His hand touched hers, gently moving her fingers into place. "You're going to keep this one as still as possible. You move this one."
He took out a small chocolate from his backpack, unwrapping it and setting it on the napkin. A gesture to it. "Eat the chocolate."
Lillie's brow furrowed in concentration. She reached forward, the sticks in her right hand gripping the chocolate. Elio's own heart surged as the tips of the utensils finally grasped both sides. It slipped through at first, but she reset her posture and tried again. Her hand shook slightly.
"You're doing great." He slipped his arm next to hers, unaware of the blonde blushing again from so much skin contact. His felt incredibly soft and slightly warm. "Remember, you don't want to grip it too tightly, or else the food gets crushed.
Lillie wasn't sure what was going to get crushed; the chocolate or her own stability. Just having him close was enough to drive her nuts.
I can do this. Slow...easy.
She cupped a hand underneath her chin, finally bringing the carefully held chocolate up to her lips.
Elio's smile widened as she chewed on the confection thoughtfully. It wasn't the fact that she enjoyed one from the box he had bought for her before hitting the ramen shop; she was starting to get better at using chopsticks.
"Wow...I did it!"
"Heck yeah you did. You're already a pro."
"I just started."
"We all have to start somewhere. Right?"
"Right." She clicked the chopsticks together. "Thank you Elio...for teaching me a new skill. I can't wait to show Professor Kukui and Burnet that I don't need just a fork or spoon."
"Forks are for losers." They both laughed at that, just as the waitress arrived back, placing two black stone bowls in front of them both. Elio looked over and practically salivated at the mouth upon seeing their meal.
Steam curled cutely from the bowls and they could see long weaving noodles that were swimming in milky golden broth. Elio knew that the tonkotsu soup was made from pork bones simmered for almost an entire day. It was a rich, hearty base that was perfect for a balanced flavor for a pallette not suitable for stronger tastes. He wasn't sure how much spice Lillie tolerated, so he urged her to a neutral option.
Lillie saw multiple toppings; cubes of burgundy colored meat known as kakuni, green scallions, onions, two egg halves that looked soft-boiled and a white object that had a swirly pink pattern in the center. On the side, propped up like cards were three long sheets of nori.
"Come on!" Elio smiled at her, already having a mouthful. He had grabbed another bunch in between his chopsticks, lowering his head a little to take another bite. She instinctively flinched hearing him slurp a good portion of the noodles into his mouth.
He stopped mid-bite at seeing her uneasiness, it didn't take him long to figure it out.
"Don't like slurping?"
"It's...bad manners...at least what I was taught."
"Well it's wrong here." Elio said. He wasn't being condescending, rather informing. "I understand, it's noisy, rude and it gets soup everywhere, especially if you're obnoxious about it. But it's okay to slurp here. In a ramen place, if you slurp a little bit, it shows you're really enjoying your food."
"Really?" Lillie glanced at him. "So you're saying you won't look at me badly if I do?"
"Not at all."
The two of them continued to eat in silence. Elio later pointed out to her that the patrons that sat facing the wall were adjacent to the kitchen. It was reminiscent of the tiny ramen bars that were in big cities like Saffron, Celadon and Goldenrod. A small slat would open up and all the customer would see were a pair of hands delivering the bowl in front of them with napkins and a pair of chopsticks.
"That's the local ramen for Alola." Elio said, looking at another customer. Instead of the milky tonkotsku they were eating, the other ramen was more clear, having sliced green onions and small cubes of pink meat in thinner broth. "It's called saimin."
"I kind of like this better."
"Me too."
Lillie giggled again as she sipped, ate and felt the tension of being found slip away. Elio was amazing at being a conversationalist, never talking too much about himself. However she was more inclined to listen to all the adventures he was having.
She never mentioned how much she missed him when he was in all of those...or how she longed to experience them for herself.
In the middle of another bite, she glanced up to see Elio watching her with a bemused expression playing across his features. Almost instinctively, she began to smile and giggle.
"What's so funny?"
Elio couldn't help cracking a smile himself. "It's nothing."
"Yeah right." She coyly smirked back at him. "I know what look on your face."
"It's nothing I swear." He was clearly struggling to keep a poker face.
"Come on!" She pressed him. "Spill it already."
"Nope."
"Then I guess I'm just going to have to pout until you tell me."
"Go right ahead. You won't last three seconds."
"Hmph." Lillie shook her head, not believing his words. She went back to eating, but found him staring at her just after a couple of bites.
Ahhh! Just the way he looks at me….
Her jaded facade quickly gave away and she could suppress another giggle. Elio's own expression lit up, knowing he had won.
"Okay maybe I was wrong. You lasted longer than three seconds, but it wasn't even thirty."
"You're so mean. I don't like you anymore."
"Oh sweetheart, stop falling in love with me already. Honestly, it's embarrassing."
Falling in love? Are we?
The thought was possible. Lillie had read more than her share of romantic themes; how women meet the man of her dreams and get whisked away to live happily ever after with a family and children together.
The blonde felt her stomach begin to feel full and she had finished her bowl save for quite a bit of soup. Elio was still going strong, somehow continuing to talk and eat at the same time without slowing a bit. He grabbed it with both his hands when he finished the noodles and drank the soup, wiping his mouth and giving a hearty grin. All while launching into a deep analysis of how he lost to Guzma.
"This is where I have the advantage." He brought out the Rotom Dex and opened up a recorded film that showed Cicindel the golisopod and Torracat battling. "Cicindel's got weapons it can use in both close and long range. Move within striking distance and he can use his claws. Stay away and he launches a volley of those homing pin missiles. It's one of those pokemon that has a way to get at us no matter what. This film is gonna give me a lot of helpful hints."
Lillie had tuned out his conversation, her own mind wandering just on his claim that she should stop falling in love with him. She knew that he had jokingly said it, but it was still left to wonder if it was for real or not.
Of course one of the topics she had always thought about was getting married. Like every little girl, she dreamt of finally walking down an aisle to finally be with that perfect, special someone.
I know this is not the time...or the place. But could I see it? Me and Elio in love? Married together? With children? I've always wanted to have kids, but I don't know if I'll be a good mother like my actual one.
"How is Torracat?" Lillie asked, to change the subject. She was horrified to see his extensive grievous injuries and couldn't fathom how he could fight dirty like that.
"He's fine. Just a little down because he got beat like that. Basically on light duty for a couple of days." Elio sounded a little worried that his starter pokemon was taking the loss a bit too seriously, but he could see how invested Torracat was in for beating Cicindel.
We went up against him with a Z-move and still ended up losing. To what end?
"I know you'll find a way." Lillie whispered. She leaned forward and clasped his hands with hers. "You always do."
He squeezed her hand, saying nothing, but the tender expression on his face told her that he was more than grateful for her support.
Both teenagers slept soundly in Lillie's hotel room. Elio was more than happy to finally be sleeping on a soft bed, compared to the frequently used ones back at the pokemon centers. In the morning; he went back to the pokemon center to retrieve his other pokemon that were still receiving treatment.
Lillie decided to sit on the bed, waiting for him to come back and flipped on the television. There was an advertisement for Alola Smoothie; a big brand name of blended fruit drinks that were tailored to fitness enthusiasts or casual refreshments. The local news network came online with the familiar reporter Jessie Nomora sitting at her desk.
"Alola Alola and thank you for joining us today. It's finally time for the Draconid Festivus, celebrated worldwide by the ancient Draconid people as thanks to the powerful dragon pokemon that live alongside us. This year is a special one because of their most powerful deity; the legendary pokemon Rayquaza answered the call and saved humanity from a cataclysmic meteor earlier this year with the aid of the champion of the Hoenn region."
Jessie pulled up a clip that was viewed from a nearby orbiting satellite that had captured the moment of Brendan flying on Rayquaza's back. He was battling a large orange and teal bipedal pokemon that seemed to be able to regenerate itself and fire deadly looking laser beams from a crystal set in its chest.
That's Brendan!
"Footage covered from other orbiting installations had revealed a pokemon unlike any other encountered. The Mossdeep Space Agency classified the pokemon as: Deoxys. Brendan successfully caught the pokemon and returned safely, saving most of us who were unaware of the danger."
Jessie smiled. "We here in Alola have our own connection to the Draconid people. More than two hundred years ago; the famed explorer Lochagos who was of Draconid origin reached the shores of Melemele Island in his ship after weeks of journeying east. Lochagos established a trade link between the mainlands of Kanto and finally breaking the region's time of being in isolation from the rest of the modern world."
The screen faded from the footage to a black and white illustration of Captain Lochagos aboard the Ad Astra. He was a thin, tall man in a crisp naval uniform which looked Galarian in origin with a dark jacket and white flannels. A tricorne hat was perched atop his silver hair that was pulled into a ponytail style from that time.
"Captain Lochagos' influence brought commerce and modernization to Alola and has been responsible for making it into the tourist paradise it is today."
"And we hope to see you all at the Draconid Festivus tonight! Held in Malie City, we've got events, music, food and more! Don't forget to have a dragon kite that will be released into the sky as part of tradition!"
Dragon kite?
"As every year, we fly large kites of dragon type pokemon and then release them into the air where they will burn in the sky as a reminder of dragon type pokemon's power that drives us all to live life as best we possibly can."
"Oh I want to do that!" Lillie smiled, already thinking that maybe she and Elio could get a big kite and fly it together. "But which one would we get?
"In other news; authorities seized containers at the Malie City marina which contained exotic pokemon specimens in the newest development in illicit smuggling and underground fighting rings. The raid took place at eleven thirty PM yesterday with police and harbor patrol arresting thirteen; eight of which are believed to have ties to Team Skull."
Lillie stopped as she saw one of the containers partially open as the reporter on-site described the scene. There were several pokemon she didn't recognize that were caged in large metal boxes, all encumbered and squished together. But the one thing she saw in most of their expressions was aggression.
Those pokemon...treated like some slaves. And then they fight to the death for people's amusement. She realized that it was just like what actual pokemon battles were like; except it was life or death like a gladiator arena. And done against their will.
"The Alolan government reminds any visiting trainers to declare whether they are in possession of species not indigenous or ecosystem supportive to minimize the impact of invasive species. Many of the pokemon seized are native to foreign regions and not officially in the Alola's categorized pokedex."
The screen switched to Malie City's chief of police as he gave a statement regarding the matter. "We're working closely with the kahuna of the island and the pokemon ranger agency to ensure that all of the pokemon seized are cared for properly and arranged to be sent back into the wild of their respective ecosystems. Authorities are still rallying up everything that was set to be smuggled and do suggest that non-native pokemon could still be around on the island. Contact us if you do sight one."
"Malie City harbor authorities stated that a pair of dreadnaw have not been accounted for. Dreadnaw are highly aggressive pokemon with incredibly strong jaws and armored shell. Do not engage this pokemon and report it to the authorities immediately upon sighting."
Lillie heard the lock to her room click and sat backwards, as Elio entered and shut the door behind him.
"Hey," he greeted breathlessly. "You're up. Guess someone had a nice nap."
I really want to throw a pillow at him or something. I can't help he's so darn handsome.
He looked at the television, where the news was still covering the smuggling bust. "You heard about that?"
"Yeah. Awful isn't it?"
"It is. Trafficking is a lucrative business and it's not going away anytime soon. I'm just glad they made this stop. Show them it's not going to be tolerated here."
She followed his gaze back to the screen, now showing names of those arrested in the bust with many believed to have ties to Team Skull. "Did you see that?"
"What? That some of them are in Team Skull? Yeah I did."
"You're taking on all these horrible people. It makes me worry a lot."
Elio was about to brush it off when he did see that look of fear and uncertainty in his eyes.
"I'll be fine."
She shook her head. "I'm not convinced. You put yourself at risk like this all the time...but who's going to look after you?"
"I can take care of myself."
"I know. But that doesn't stop me from worrying. These are really bad people who do these poaching. They're the people that the Aether Foundation is trying to stop."
"And they're in Team Skull." Elio finished for her. "Look, you're right. There's some awful members of Team Skull. Thugs of every kind you could imagine, no denying it at all. But a lot of them are just wayward kids and young adults. Some don't know their way around and got thrust into the real world with no warning. It isn't their fault."
He flipped off the television and sat on the bed next to her, eyes level and unblinking. She almost shuddered in his grip, but still found herself unable to tear away from the boy's steel gray pupils.
"And it still stands. I won't let anything happen to you by Team Skull or anyone else. They're all going to have to go through me first. I'm going to ask you this. You ever wonder why I picked this bed?"
Lillie saw no real significance and shook her head.
"It's because my father did it as well. For any room that he and my mother slept together inside; he would always be the one closest to the door to lead her to safety or confront an intruder. Whatever the reason, a danger would have to go through a man to get to his wife."
He saw her lip quiver and she quickly wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Luckily, her head was to the side and she couldn't see the blush creeping on his pale features.
This feels wonderful. Having her in my arms. It's just...right. Can't really explain it, but this is where I want to see myself and Lillie...forever.
"Elio, that's so sweet of you." She whispered. "I never knew that...and I can't really say anything to how much I appreciate you doing that."
All this time. He was protecting me?
"You don't have to face anything alone." He continued, slowly stroking her back to continue soothing her. "If something or someone is going to confront you...they're going to have to confront me too."
The weather again was a light overcast as Elio and Lillie made their way down to the Malie City's marina. Festivities were already underway as throngs of people were starting to head in the same direction.
"Hey guys!"
They both turned and saw a rather winded Brady Wainwright catching up to them. Out of his casual school uniform, he wore a cleanly pressed pair of slacks and a polo shirt that had a designer patch over the breast pocket.
He looks a little nervous. Elio observed.
"Hi Brady!" Lillie beamed at him again, a little too much to his liking. "How have you been?"
"Uh great. I guess. You guys made it. Elio? Did you pass the trial?"
"Yup." He unlocked the Z-crystal slot on his side and proudly showed the electrium Z. "Mission accomplished."
"Wow! You're living the dream man. I'm happy for you."
Elio nodded. "How are things with your family?"
"Fine. Could be better."
Did they really not let him come and enjoy himself?
"Look I gotta get going. Maybe I'll see you guys at the stands."
"Okay then." Lillie said. "See you later!"
Brady waved as he took off back the way he came. Elio's eyes trailed him as he left, unaware that Lillie was still watching him.
"What is it Elio?"
"Huh?" He snapped out of his staring and shook his head. "It's nothing. Never mind."
Something about him seemed off.
"Say, what about we go and see what this festival is all about?"
As he turned to face her; he extended his hand out. Lillie gasped in surprise, gently gliding her fingers over his before they firmly clasped together and walked into the center of the gathering.
The crowds didn't seem to disperse at all as Elio and Lillie continued to explore. Large open canopies had been set up all along the end of Banyan Street all the way to the edge of the marina terminal. The ferry service was still running, but instead docked at the farthest pier away to both reduce traffic and not disturb the party with its loud horn.
"Pew?" They heard Nebby coo from inside her bag.
"I know Nebby." Lillie said, slipping it open and seeing the saddened cloud pokemon rather down from being cooped up. "It's still too dangerous for you to be outside."
"Pew."
"Are you hungry?"
"It's a baby pokemon Lillie." Elio reminded her. "It's always hungry."
He stopped, opening his backpack to pull out a canister of pokefeed. Having a full team meant he had to keep their energy up somehow and buying those heavy bags were cumbersome and expensive. Luckily, the many pokemon centers also included feeding as part of their checkup service which helped ease the burden of having to constantly buy food for their teams.
However this canister was specifically for Jangmo'o. Since he was still a very young one; it was rich in fat and proteins with a formula specifically done by breeders to be fed to newly hatched or infant stage pokemon.
Most of it had that brownish black kibble appearance, but adding a little bit of water made it into a sludgy paste that was easier for them to eat.
"Nebby's not quite a baby, so I think it can eat these whole."
He offered a handful down to the cosmog, who perked up at the sight of the food. Dropping it at the bottom of her bag, he zipped it back up and left it to happily chow down.
"I wish I could have Nebby tag along to see all the sights, sounds and everything." Lillie longingly said as they continued to walk. "I love how everyone seems so lively and happy."
"It's a festival celebrating happiness and gratitude. Considering the involvement in saving the world, I think it's something a little extra everyone is going to do in thanks for being alive."
Elio let out Akela, Torracat and Jangmo'o to stretch their legs and walk with them. Immediately, the small dragon sniffed the ground curiously before wandering over to another quadruped dragon that had a bluish gray body and long tufts of dark hair covering its eyes.
"Watch him please." He asked Akela, who nodded and walked to stand by his babysitting job.
"Bzzt! There'zzzz zo many exotic pokemon here! Bzzt!" Rotom said as he drifted between the two teens. "The Festivuzzzz bringzzzz in pokemon that aren't native to Alola or itzzzz 'Dex!"
"So does that mean you don't have data on them?"
"I do, however my storezzz are limited and my current software edition doezzz not allow me to do my usual entriezzz. I can ztill tell you the pokemon'zzz type and habitable area."
Jangmo'o happily nuzzled the larger dragon before walking back to them with Akela. His eyes were wide with excitement and wonder as he took in the marvelous world around him.
"That wazzz a deino. Deino is a dark and dragon type native to the Unova region! Bzzt! Additional information is available after catching this pokemon."
"He's kind of cute." Lillie said.
They spent the next hour browsing the hawkers selling and trading goods like a mini market. One lady sold various fragrances of incense while another had rare herbs with a sign that said she was willing to barter and trade.
Elio found himself drawn to the Draconid people's rugs; carefully crafted and woven pieces of carpet in a myriad of colors, but an incredible attention to detail. Some of the biggest ones were as long as eight feet and five feet wide. But the patterns were all explained to tell stories; from the maker to old legends.
So far the one going for the most money was one of a blue sky. A single figure was at the bottom of a pillar holding a sword pointed skyward. Above him was a massive serpentine dragon creature, colored dark green with orange accents. Two long streamlined things sprouted from its large jaw.
"Rayquaza." Elio thought about it for a moment and stared again. "The destruction of the meteor."
No wonder it's priced so high.
Jangmo'o kept sniffing the ground eagerly as he growled and glanced at his surroundings. As his trainer passed by the berry stands, some of them had fallen askew onto the floor which he was more than happy to clean up.
Another small pale slug pokemon was also slinking close by when he stopped and saw the lizard growling at it. It quickly scurried away.
Akela growled at the younger pokemon and gestured back to Elio and Lille, who were walking away. He didn't have the same patience.
By now, Elio and Lillie were at the side of the basketball court that was close to the harbormaster house. Both of them were happily eating sticks of sweet dango treats as they browsed through another vendor selling Draconid style clothing.
Again, Sun appreciated the time these craftsmen took to making them as authentic and something to be well-loved.
"These are really cool." Lillie was in the middle of looking at a rather fancy black dress that was adorned around the midriff with a belt made from the skin of a dragon. Putting his hand on it; he could feel its dry unusual softness, but also a rough part as the scales parted at the touch.
"That looks really nice on you."
"Thanks." Lillie blushed at his compliment.
"If we ever go to dinner again, I want you to wear something like that. So people can see how amazing of a person you really are."
Lillie's blush deepened. "T-thanks Elio. I...I want to get something for you too."
And I think I know what I'm going to get for her.
Elio showed her a dark obsidian colored bracelet that was similar in size to his Z-ring. Unbeknownst to him, he failed to notice the niches on the large outer section like a watch. But he did see some words engraved into the face.
"Ad astra."
"Ad astra?" Lillie took it from him and examined it under the soft light. "Huh."
"It means to the stars." Elio explained. "That we can aspire to do anything we set our hearts and minds to. There's no better place to shoot for."
"You'll get this for me?"
"Yes."
"I love it." She put her arms around him and tenderly hugged his side. "Mahalo."
"A'ole pilikia."
Elio paid for it and handed it off to her, who slipped it firmly on her left wrist.
"See? Now you and I have something similar on. And it looks really good on you."
The next one that attracted their attention was an arcade-like game with flashing lights. But what caught Elio's attention on it were the orange basketballs being hurled towards a set of hoops at the end.
"Ooh basketball." Lillie playfully elbowed Elio's side. "You think you can ace that one?"
He looked at her with the hints of a knowing smirk tugging at his features. "You think?"
Lillie couldn't help shouting with joy as Elio released the last ball that sailed right through the air to go through the basket. His fifth consecutive shot on the middle tier difficulty earned him a small amount of money which he gave to Lillie.
"Well that was fun." He said, shaking his arms, but even in the heat he wasn't even panting or showing any signs of fatigue. "What do you want to do next?"
"I don't know. Maybe get our kite soon. I'm sure the lighting is going to be fun."
"Yeah I know." He scratched his pokemon, earning purrs of affection from them before standing up. "Well it's all up to you."
"Hey you."
Elio and Lillie turned around at the sharp voice to see a man staring at them intently. He felt a little uneasy and stepped in front of Lillie just as a precaution.
"You're a cheat."
"A what?"
"A cheat." The man stumbled and it took Elio that gait to realize that he was definitely under the influence. Beside him, Torracat and Akela tensed, sensing their trainer's unease.
"You've got some remote control in those basketballs that lets you hit them all. There's no way you're that good."
"Maybe I'm just lucky." Elio's gaze sharpened and he didn't budge while remaining in front of Lillie. She was his priority while he dealt with this unexpected confrontation.
"So you say. But I don't believe it. Anyone can win when they cheat." He slid in a bill for the slot and picked up a basketball.
The first mistake Elio made was not grabbing Lillie's arm and pull her into the crowds behind them to disappear from the drunk, but he had stupidly remained there to watch for his own amusement. He had chucked the ball and it fell right onto the floor and rolled into the retrieval slot without even going anywhere close to a basket.
"Cheating huh?"
"Damn thing's rigged."
"Elio, we should get out of here."
"Now I'll give you a thousand bucks if you can make all of these at the max point from back there." He pointed to roughly where they were standing.
Elio's basically one of the best basketball players. Why is he stooping down like this?
"Okay." Elio picked them up and walked back. "If you insist."
"Come on Elio, this isn't worth it." Lillie pleaded.
She's right. It isn't, but I'm just going to be doing it for my own amusement.
He was aware of the murmurs from the crowd, likely guessing that they recognized him from the skills showcase a few weeks ago.
The basketball was just slightly smaller than the ones he was used to, but it had the same weight and aerodynamics that its normal counterpart possessed.
Elio crouched on the ground, bending his knees slightly and jumped, just a couple of inches off the ground, releasing the ball in a perfect arc. It sailed through the air, passing right through the hoop and out the net. There was no slamming against the rim or backboard. His aim was perfectly spot on.
"No way." Someone murmured.
Nobody noticed the growing smirk on Lillie's face as she beamed at the intoxicated man. He had picked a fight he was already doomed to lose.
Instant regret. You have no idea how good of a player Elio is.
He accepted another ball from her, springing back up and releasing it in another perfect shot. The voices among the gathering crowd were growing, clearly amazed at his skill. The challenging man let out an irritated huff, muttering something about getting lucky.
Two more were aimed and shot straight through the hoop and then the drunkard decided to mess with him.
As Elio drew back to shoot the last basket that would win him the grand prize; the man lunged forward, screaming something that was indistinguishable to all their ears. His arms flailed wildly, a typical distraction to a player at the free throw line.
A human's eye is quick to catch peripheral movement outside their main focus, hence why it was common at basketball games for fans to have "thunder sticks", brightly colored inflatables that were beaten together to create a blur of movement to distract a player at the line. The same was with defense and blocking. Moving arms quickly could be just enough to throw off a shooter's accuracy.
Elio had hours of practice being under this type of duress and held the team's second-best free throw percentage behind Edmund Dahm.
It wasn't hard to sense the man coming at him, so Elio paused, closing his eyes to reset his focus. When he opened them again, the drunk was standing opposite him with a growing smirk on his face.
Cheap beer. Nasty. If you're going to drink yourself hammered, at least get something with a little bit of taste.
With a wrinkled nose, Elio calmly shifted to the side to get a clear view of fire. The man moved with him, arms out in an attempt to block. Unfortunately, his inhibited senses caused him to move a bit sluggishly as if he was stuck in a lag.
Sun moved forward, dribbling the ball with excellent control and blowing past him in a motion so quick; everyone watching had blinked, seeing him almost vanish. The man spun around, running to keep up when Elio stopped, crouching to shoot again. As he made a move for the ball; the boy dashed forward again…
The man spun around in another attempt to stop him and the second time proved too much as he stumbled on one leg, falling to the ground.
Lillie's mouth dropped open in amazement and awe...as well as admiration.
Okay now you're just showing off.
Elio dribbled a couple of times before he stopped at the edge of the stand, casually flicking his arm to send the basketball sailing home. The machine gave a courtside buzz, causing the crowd to cheer loudly.
"Whew." He had his hands on his knees and dusted himself off, collecting the reward of money from the game. "That was fun."
Meanwhile the drunken man glowered at the two of them, a scowl gracing his features.
"Okay maybe you're a little good. But you're cheating I swear!" Before they could say anything else, he had gotten up and stumbled yet again past the crowd and out of sight.
Elio sighed just as other people were congregating around him, giving congratulations as well as voicing their own impressions of his ball skills.
"You're awesome!"
"Have you ever considered going pro?"
"Think you could teach me how to play like that?"
Maybe they recognize him from the skills showcase? Lillie moved forward through the crowds with his pokemon to stand by him. He was already deep in conversation with a bunch of kids who were all staring at him starry-eyed.
He's so good with everyone.
After a few minutes, the crowds began to disperse back to the Festivus. Lillie put her arm around Elio and hugged his side.
"That was really sweet of you. Taking the time to humbly acknowledge those that admire you."
"What about you?" He raised an eyebrow playfully.
"What? You know I already admire you. I admire you a lot."
"You're great Lillie. I wish I could talk to you all day about how great of a person you are. How you've changed my entire outlook on this pinap infested hellhole. It's still a pinap infested hellhole, but it's home now and going back to Kanto...it won't feel the same."
"It's our home Elio. And I'm proud to be an Alolan like you."
"I could talk about you all day to everyone...but I'd probably run out of breath and lose my voice."
"Thank you."
The teens were interrupted by a flash coming from their side and jumped in surprise to see Rotom Dex floating in front, showing a picture of the two of them leaning the side of their heads on one another for comfort. His arm was securely around her side.
To many who were watching; they had the impressions of a very striking couple.
"Rotom!" Lillie scolded. "That's not nice."
"I'm juzzzzt trying to capture the momentzzzz for you two! Bzzt! Besidezzz, you will thank me later when you play the photo reel at your wedding reception! Bzzt!"
"What!" He saw the blonde's face turn red. "No! Stop!"
"That's enough Rotom." Elio grabbed him before he could cause any more mischief and stowed him away in the bag again. "I'm going to keep that photo though."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Who knows? We'll be able to reminisce about our friendship when we're older."
"That's true."
Lillie glanced back at the festivities, starting to see some dragon pokemon kites take to the air from the edge of the pier. "Looks like the kite flying has started. Want to get one?"
"Of course. We were going to share remember?"
They ran into Hau while waiting in line to get a kite. Both boys did their usual high five handshake and embraced in their "bro" manner.
"Did you guys get your kite yet?" Next to him; his noibat fluttered his wings happily before landing on the ground and greeting Jangmo'o. Torracat and Akela looked a little bit more tired, but stayed close by their trainer.
"We just got in line."
"Well get there quick! I got the noivern one!" Hau proudly displayed a much larger dark batlike pokemon with large circular ears and purple wings. "It's noibat's eventual evolition and perfect for the dragon type on my team!"
"Maybe we'll find one for Jangmo'o's evolution. He's got to have one."
Lillie nodded eagerly agreeing with the idea. "I'll get in line."
Elio watched her leave before turning back to Hau. "So what's up? You seem a little upset."
"Upset? How?"
"I dunno. You're not as cheerful."
"Damn, you had to come at me like that."
"It's not like that!" Elio corrected himself. "I dunno. It's just...my best friend doesn't seem like himself."
Hau opened his mouth to reply, but shut it, closing his brown eyes as he cradled the noivern kite close to his side. Noibat flew back up to his trainer's shoulder and cooed softly.
"It's Leilani."
That confirmed Elio's suspicions and he shivered at the thought.
"Is she in trouble?"
"No...well not really."
"Oh?"
Hau sighed. "Leilani's been kind of defying Doctor Hansen's orders to stay put and rest up. She went to Suicide Gulch on the south side of Ula'ula to keep practicing."
"Suicide Gulch?" Elio's blood went cold at the name. "That sounds like an accident waiting to happen."
"Actually when the tides are up high, it's perfectly safe like right now. It's a small spot where hard rock have unnaturally sharp edges and people have cut themselves and bled to death while trying to surf there."
That sounds like a screw you type of beach.
"Waves are rough and unpredictable, plus many dangerous water type pokemon lurk there. Only the best surfers are ever allowed."
"So what happened there?" He felt a bit relieved that Hau said nothing bad happened.
"Leilani was practicing when she was confronted by Sabine Joyeux."
Oh that bitch.
"Sabine? Her main rival right?"
Hau nodded. "Sabine wanted to know if she knew the person who stole her towel. She claimed that an expensive piece of her equipment is missing and wanted it back. Obviously, there was a lot of tension."
"Wait, how do you know all of this?"
"Because I saw it happen. I've went to Suicide Gulch and watched her keep practicing and she keeps on wiping and not able to stand on her board. She's frustrated." Hau's face fell with hurt. "She's mad that some little thing might cost her career, so she's being all defiant and trying to prove that an injury like this isn't going to ever slow her down."
"You've watched her?" Elio asked.
He nodded. "I've wanted so many times to show myself. To tell her how scared I am about losing her. To tell her that I see her as more of a friend. I...just can't do it. I couldn't bring myself to face that shame that I've been rejected."
"You weren't rejected. She never officially said anything about not wanting to be with you. Like I said in the hospital; she's gone through something traumatic and needs to recover from that. You're not helping her by trying to get closer...in fact, it might end up pushing you two further apart."
"That's why I couldn't go out to face her." Hau said. "I knew that doing so would make things even worse than they already were." He looked at him in the eye. "What do I do Elio?"
I still don't see how Sabine fits into all of this.
"Why don't you tell me what about this thing Sabine was after? The towel."
I actually know very much about it. Hope Mom's cleaned it up by now.
"She said she saw someone who fits your description take one of her specialized towels while knocking down the rest of her display. You know; destroying her image."
"And Leilani denied it?"
"Of course she did. She was fully aware you were that person, but wasn't going to rat you out to someone with the likes of her."
"Sabine probably didn't take that well."
"She did not. She pushed Leilani."
Elio felt his anger spike at that. Hau could see his brow furrow just from thinking.
"Pushed her?"
"Yeah. Pushed her right on the thigh where she had been stung." Hau hung his head down. "I don't think I've ever heard her scream that painfully."
Damn.
"Is she okay?"
"After she injected herself with that band on her leg, it numbed it. But that's the concern I've got. The only person who can administer doses of that antidote is Doctor Hansen. And we both know what he's going to say to her when she's used all of it up."
Elio smothered his anger towards Sabine. "We'll give the towel back to her. The one she so desperately needs."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. I'm going to go to the bathroom and wipe my ass with it first."
Hau made a face. "That's a little over the top."
"You're right." Of course I'm not going to do that. Unlike that bitch; I have standards. Just entertaining the idea.
"I was going to see if she was coming to the Festivus and I looked for her. No sign."
Elio put a hand on his shoulder to reassure him. "You tried brah."
"I know."
"Sabine's not getting out of this unscathed either. She's raked up an amount of drama that's unseen in the World Surfing League, so you bet the officials are going to be taking notice. Even if she's clean; a lot of people aren't going to be reacting favorably."
"So like a dirty player."
Elio nodded. "Dirty players also get a lot of reaction and attention. Sabine could be after that too. She's incredibly popular in Kalos."
"Then what do I do?"
"I told you already Hau. Give her time. She needs to figure things out before proceeding. When she's ready; she'll go to you."
"I feel so powerless."
"I wish I could sympathize and say I know what it's like...but I don't know."
And it makes me feel bad.
"The good thing about this is that you still care about her. She may not like it all, feeling like she's obligated to take on this by herself, but nobody can. She knows it and I imagine she'll figure it out sooner or later." He gazed at Hau. "Be there for her when it happens. Don't chide or scold her for not seeing it. Just offer a comforting hand and a shoulder to cry on."
Hau smiled at him. "You have no idea how much of an adult you sound like. If I were officiating this; I'd say you've already aced it in the maturity department."
"You're funny."
"No I'm serious brah."
"Serious about what?" Lillie returned, holding a folded kite in her hands that was a bit bigger than Hau's. "Did I miss something?"
"Um."
"No?"
"Oookay." Lillie rolled her eyes, obviously not buying it, but not choosing to press the issue either. "Well I found this one. It's an altaria. A pokemon native to the Hoenn region."
"Good choice." Elio really didn't care which one he flew with her, as long as she remained happy.
"Thanks. So how've you been Hau?"
"Oh you know." The kahuna's grandson gave a nonchalant shrug. "Hau stuff."
She made to reply, but they were cut off by soft notes of a flute instrument piercing the night.
"That's the music of the flying kites." Hau said. "Let's get going."
They joined hundreds of others as they unfolded their large replicas of various dragon pokemon and took to the air. No breeze was in the harbor, so there were a few bird pokemon who were using light gusts and tailwinds to assist the event. Elio let out Rufflet to join the flock and let the little eaglet eagerly participate.
Jangmo'o looked in awe at the great and mighty dragons. He loped through the crowd, listening to the tales of each as they danced overhead like watchful warriors. Torracat and Akela too, were observing the gathering, taking it in just as he was.
Elio quickly helped Lillie assemble the kite and both held one tether cord as it flew amongst the others. Hau was off to their left, flying his noivern one while a trio of men were flying a blue and purple tri-headed pokemon known as hydreigon.
People gathered on the far side, taking out their cameras and filming the whole spectacle. With so many species of all shapes and sizes of dragon pokemon, it was a breathtaking scene.
The speakers from somewhere came alive with the sound of rushing water and the synchronized part of oars striking its surface.
"Years and years ago." A spiritual booming male voice resonated over the marina. "Captain Lochagos sailed from the port of Hulbury in the Galar region in search of new lands to connect. With the intention of reaching the shores of Kanto and Johto, he voyaged for months before storms forced his fleet south and erroneously led him to the tropical waters of the region we call Alola."
Elio glanced at the front of everything, now recognizing a tall male statue covered in a military uniform of centuries ago. A long curved sword was at his side and he was flanked by a massive battle-scarred haxorus.
Another unova native dragon. They're kind pokemon, but fierce warriors.
"Lochagos brought many gifts to the people already residing here. And in turn, their thirst for knowledge about the other brought Alola into the modern world as we know it today."
The groups applauded and the kite flyers shifted in the wind, adjusting slightly as the airborne objects tugged in an attempt to free themselves from being grounded.
"Lochagos spent the remainder of his days in Alola, with the help of the people to finally establish a trade network between Kanto and Johto. Over time; our region flourished despite its isolation."
"The birthdate of the Alola region's modern founder isn't the only thing we celebrate on this night."
Elio felt Torracat tug his leg.
"Not now buddy." He and Lillie grunted as they fought against the pull of their altaria kite.
Akela growled lowly.
"Can it wait?"
Another growl. He glanced down. "Okay, what is it?"
Both pokemon gestured around them.
What's the matter? Akela, Torracat. Jangmo'o.
Wait. Where's Jangmo'o?
"Where did he go?" Elio asked worriedly. "And you let him out of your sight?"
No stop. It's not their fault. Let's just find him and be over with.
"Lillie."
"Yeah?"
"Jangmo'o's gone missing." Elio whispered since he didn't want to disturb the speech. "I'm going to find him."
"But this kite needs two people." She protested, not wanting him to leave so suddenly.
"Have Hau help you. I gotta get him before he gets lost."
Before she could say anything, he was already telling Hau and slipped out underneath everyone to head towards the back.
I don't even know where to look.
Torracat and Akela bounded behind him, also looking frantically for their missing comrade.
Elio was irritated at his own pokemon who should've been looking after Jangmo'o.
No...I shouldn't. It's my fault for not paying attention.
"Just a couple of months ago, we received word that our world was in peril from a cataclysmic meteor destined to collide with the earth."
Where did you go?
"Thanks to the efforts of our own deity, the sky high pokemon known as Rayquaza. Rayquaza bonded with the champion of the Hoenn region; Brendan Maple in a last ditch effort to save our world. We owe him a great debt that may never be fully repaid."
Elio clapped his hands as many in the crowds applauded at the mention of Hoenn's strongest trainer. He wasn't going to let his idol down.
Not after he gave me a hat tip on Festival Plaza. Never.
Elio shouldered past three women in colorful robes before he finally got a look outside. Multiple people. Multiple pokemon.
"Rotom?"
"Oh zo now you need my azzziztance! Bzzt!"
"Rotom!"
The haunted 'Dex ignored the warning. "I'm juzzzt trying to help you when you azzzzk Miss Lillie to marry you! Bzzt!"
"Can you stop being an annoying housewife for a second and help me?"
"Of courzzze! What doezzz thy mazzzter require?"
"Damn computers."
"I heard that. Bzzt!"
Elio rolled his eyes again. "I've lost track of Jangmo'o. Can you find him?"
"Why yezzz I can. Each pokeball hazzz a unique signature attuned zpezifically to that pokemon and any regiztered pokedex to that trainer can track pokemon within the general vizzzinity! Bzzt! It workzzz by matching-"
"Rotom," Sun cut him off. "I appreciate you explaining things out. But this isn't a raid. I don't need to know the mechanics behind this. Can you find him?"
"Yezzz I am searching now. Okay! Jangmo'o's signature is one of thezzze forty six located here."
Elio stared at the screen, seeing back at the crowd where many of the other people's pokemon were at.
"I thought this tracked him down specifically?"
"You didn't lizten when I wazzz trying to explain. The procezzz is fairly new and many zignaturezzz look alike when pokemon are regizzztered to their trainerzzzz. Looking for an individual one can take time for me to filter out."
"Oh." Elio felt a little bad for rushing. "Sorry. I guess that means we have to go digging."
"The dragon type is among the most powerful of all pokemon types." The voice continued in its story. "Raising these beasts is not easy. And many who have the patience and skill required to train one of these types of pokemon will be rewarded."
Elio scanned the crowd again when suddenly a flash off something scaly caught his eye. A light had reflected off Jangmo'o's head scale.
And he was right at the feet of the Lochagos statue.
How did he get over there?
"It takes more than just grit to succeed."
He ran forward, trying to get through the crowd as quickly as he could before Jangmo'o could disappear. If he was fast enough; maybe he could get him off without disturbing the ceremony in any way.
"It takes heart."
Jangmo'o let out a cry as the audiences applauded.
And then he was surrounded by a mysterious white and black energy.
Elio glanced down at a similar glow, seeing it coalesce around his Z-ring.
What the?
"Sylveon, use swift!"
With a cry, a pink and white quadruped pokemon leapt onto the side of the Lochagos statue to face Jangmo'o. The little lizard looked around, finally setting his gaze on a woman in a robe and the pokemon in front.
The sylveon flicked its long and wavy ribbons that trailed at its side. Each one fired off a small star shaped projectile that pelted Jangmo'o's side.
The moment the first one hit, Elio felt a sharp pain in his ribcage. Followed by another.
And then another.
And then another.
And then another.
Alright. That's a wrap. What did you all think? I think I've made it pretty clear that I love ramen noodles. And I'm not talking about the packs or cup ones.
Translations:
A'ole pilikia - You're welcome/no problem
Kakuni - Braised cubes of pork belly
Nori - Dried seaweed
Narutomaki - Narutomaki is a cake made from fish paste that is white in color with a pink swirl pattern.
Tonkotsu - Tonkotsu is a style of ramen with a soup of simmered pork bones for twelve hours or longer. It is a rich, thicker and hearty broth with a gold milky texture and is extremely popular in the Japanese region of Kyushu (Hoenn in the Pokemon universe)
Shoyu - Shoyu is a style of ramen with a soup based on soy. It is thinner than tonkotsu with a chicken or vegetable based broth with soy sauce. It is extremely popular in the Japanese region of Hokkaido (Sinnoh in the Pokemon universe)
Saimin - Saimin is a style of noodle soup that is a hybrid of Japanese ramen and Vietnamese pho. It has a thin vegetable based broth with thinner noodles like vermicelli. Frequent toppings include narutomaki, SPAM and even chunks of hamburger patties.
As always, mahalo for reading and reviewing. You give my writing purpose.
Brav