I sneak towards the door slowly, my mind working to come up with all the possible outcomes as the face of a stranger peers into my home from a window. As hard as I try, I can't their face into a recognizable one, my fear engulfing me and making it nearly impossible to think straight as I prepare myself to defend my home. My cheeks are hot as adrenaline continues to pump through me, and my arms shake as my fingers clutch at the bo staff. Finally, the person notices me creeping up to the door, their face becoming clearer as I approach. The look of their rising concern quickly diminishes, and they smile at me, appearing relieved.

Confused by the expressions, I place my staff by the window, still within reach should I need it, and open the door slightly to find my friendly mail carrier, Sam, waiting on the other side. My fear finally diminishes and allows my mind to pull up a recognition of their face.

"Oh, Arceus," They exclaim when they see me appear behind the door. "I thought you were sick again when you didn't answer." They say, then, looking closer at my frightened, sweating face, tears still drying on my reddened cheeks. "Wait, are you sick? Should I get your neighbors?" They ask, their own fear beginning to mount. They back up slightly and make ready to sprint for help.

"No," I choke out, then clear my throat. "No, you just scared me, that's all," I say, hoping I sound more confident than my shaking body lets off. "You've come to pick up your Mudsdale, correct?" I ask, changing the subject swiftly at Sam's unconvinced look. I open the door more widely and invite the young person inside. "I've got its ball just downstairs in my lab. Go ahead and take a seat. I'll grab it for you." I say as I head towards the stairwell.

Sam steps inside, ducking slightly, to avoid hitting their head on the door frame. "Thank you." They say politely. Walking carefully to the couch, the unnaturally large person sits down with a soft grunt.

Hop, still next to me, growls at the newcomer, ears flat against her head. She follows so close to me now that I nearly trip on her as I navigate the stairs. I reprimand her gently when we reach the bottom, not wanting her to be rude to our guest, but also glad that she is so protective at the same time.

With the Mudsdale's PokéBall in hand, I walk back up the stairs to find my massive guest had scooted over on the couch and was staring out the back window; the curtain raised slightly as they peered outside, eyebrows crinkled in concern. They rise swiftly and politely to their feet when they notice my return. A look of pain crosses their face at the sudden movement. Their hands shoot to their side, gripping at their rib cage, gasping in surprise at the remembered injury.

"Hey, hey," I say, one hand raised and rushing over to the pained form. Setting my hand on Sam's arm, I push gently, indicating that they return to their seat. "Sit back down. Did you just get discharged?"

They nod their head, unable to answer yet and return to the couch, slightly winded.

"I don't have any issues watching your Mudsdale for a bit. You didn't have to come here so quickly. In fact, I was told you wouldn't even be here until later in the day. So why on earth would you come straight over?" I scold them, annoyance flaring in my voice from all the emotions I had been experiencing this morning.

Sam's orange eyes flash in shame at my tone, and they lower their head, any confidence they seemed to have, vanishing at my reprimand. "I'm sorry, ma'am." They say quietly, sounding down-trodden. "I-I was just worried about it," they stammer, glancing at the PokéBall, still in my hand, then the young person raises their eyes slightly but doesn't look me in the face.

"Your job isn't making you run your route today, are they?" I ask incredulously at the idea, still unable to control my voice.

"No, ma'am. They told me to take a few weeks off to recover."

I work hard to soften my tone after a push of air through my nose. "We've talked about this, don't call me ma'am."

"I'm sorry, Professor Ashoka."

I give a small laugh to try to ease the tension in the room. "Sam, please, just call me Sashi. That's what I prefer."

"I'm sorry, Sashi." They correct themself.

I sigh and shake my head, slightly bemused. "You're perfectly alright. Why didn't you have a family member come pick up your Mudsdale? I can't imagine any of them would want you traveling about in your condition." I say, finally dropping off the rest of my scolding tone and speaking more kindly. They don't answer but instead duck their head, looking ashamed.

Very well. Maybe the family is busy, I think to myself, pondering their reaction.

I look into their face. They tower above the average man and their large body is already filled out with undefined but clearly powerful muscles. Even so, their demeanor tells of a much younger person than they appear.

"How old are you, Sam?" I say, unable to stop myself from asking the sudden question.

"Fourteen," They mumble, fingers clutching gently onto the PokéBall of the Mudsdale that I had placed in their hands.

I nod my head at the quiet answer, shocked to think about just how much taller they may grow. "Well, I don't think it would be wise for you to ride Mudsdale at the moment, not at least until you have healed up some," I comment. "How about we call your parents and have them come pick you up."

They flinch slightly at my words, and I squint my eyes as the teenager answers me quickly. "No, no. That's alright. I can walk. I don't live that far away." They make to stand, but I grab them, my hand small and weak against the Ursaring-sized shoulder.

"Sit down," I say, a bit more fiercely than I meant to. Sam obeys immediately and without hesitation, like a scolded Growlithe pup. "At least stay here for a bit and rest." I soften my voice once more, annoyed at myself for speaking harshly again. I feel a small fire ignite in my stomach at their reactions to my previous questions, but choose to not question the worried teen.

Trying to think quickly, I pull a PokéBall from my belt and show them the red and white object. "I'm not sure if you know this, but I have a horse Pokémon as well. Her name is Sugar." I say. They nod their head but don't seem to take much interest in the comment. "Did you know that my Sugar and your Mudsdale are already best friends?" I tried.

This strikes a chord with the downcast person. They raise their head and look at the ball in my hand with interest now. "Really? Mudsdale has a friend?"

Encouraged by the improvement in their attitude, I continue. "Yes, how about we head outside, and you can meet her. She loves people too. We could let the two play for a bit before you leave, if you'd like."

Sam nods their head, eyes starting to sparkle at the idea, their confidence returning once more. We make our way outside, and I let out Sugar, and Sam releases their Mudsdale. Seeing her friend, my Rapidash canters over to the large brown horse and nips it playfully on the flank, already excited to play a game.

"See? Best friends already, wouldn't you say?"

My guest laughs at the sight of the two pachyderms as they tag each other and then run off, enticing the other to catch them. Sugar, with her small stature, and whose body is built for speed, slowing down her run so the massive workhorse could keep up. I smile at the swift change in attitude I see in Sam, pleased to have made such quick progress.

"Sam, can you watch these two for me," I ask, turning and raising my head to look them in the face. "I'm going to put some tea out for us."

"Of course," They say, the smile on their face growing happily as they watch the crazy antics of the galloping horses.

I swiftly walk back into my home and close the door behind me. Then, snatching up my phone, I dial my neighbor's number. I can already feel a mixture of fear and fury rising in my stomach, making my hands quake.

"Professors Kukui and Burnet's residence. Kukui speaking," the cheerful young man answers

"Kukui," I begin, "It's Sashi. I-"

"Sashi," He interrupts me. "What's up? Did you want me to bring you over some lunch?"

"Not now Kukui," I shoot the offer down quickly and a bit more harshly than I meant to. "I have Sam here right now, and we've just had a very worrying conversation," I say, the words tumbling out.

"Cool off." Kukui stops me, sounding slightly suspicious and apprehensive, the cheer in his voice vanishing with uncharacteristic swiftness. "What did you two talk about? What's wrong?"

I take a deep breath, slowing down and calming myself to talk. "Sorry." I apologize quickly. "Sam came here to pick their Mudsdale up. I mentioned that they shouldn't be wandering around injured as they are. Then I asked if I could call their parents to pick them up and, do you know what they did? They flinched. Sam flinched." I spit the words out in disgust. "I want you to tell me who Sam's parents are." My anger rises as I describe the events, fury mounting at the idea of the kind teenager being mistreated in any way. "If they are hurting that sweet young child in any way I'll-"

"Woah, Sashi. Calm down." Kukui interrupts me again with slight relief over the phone. "I think you've jumped to a conclusion here without knowing the full story."

"Oh really?" I ask, wholly unconvinced, still not ready to halt my desire to defend the teenager.

"Yes. Sashi, did you ask Sam about their parents, or just make an assumption." The line goes silent as my neighbor waits for me to chew on his words. Then he continues; "Unfortunately, Sam's parents passed away about two years ago. The town has been taking care of them since then. They aren't in any danger, but they were probably surprised to have the question asked. Everyone here is aware of the situation, so it can't be very often that Sam meets someone who doesn't already know." Kukui says.

I stand, phone in my hand, and think about the life the poor teenager must have been through for a moment.

"So, how about that lunch? Do you want me to bring you any food?" The man asks.

"No, it's far too early for lunch just yet. Thank you, though. I think I'll try to talk to Sam for a bit and maybe apologize." I respond.

"Alright, well, give me a call when you're ready to eat then." He replies.

Kukui and I finish our phone call quickly, and I head to the kitchen and throw a kettle onto the stovetop to boil some water for tea. Then I stand back and lean against the counter.

I think about the polite nature of young Sam. They had always spoken to my husband and me in a very courteous manner. They were hardworking and devoted to their job, consistently delivering letters to my and my neighbor's houses. And always with a smile and good conversation, if they had the time. They had even offered to help with simple house chores, like when they helped Kabir and I clean our home before the movers arrived. Or, just yesterday, when they offered to assist me in repairing the fence around my yard.

My mind returns to my first morning in Alola. When I was poisoned, it had been Sam who had come into my home and carried me to the neighbor's house. Who's to know how long it would have been before Kabir made it back home then? Maybe I would have gotten sicker by the time he arrived. Perhaps I would have even become irreversibly ill. Either way, it's quite possible that Sam's actions saved my life that day.

A loud whistling pulls my mind back into the real world. The kettle was ready. I grab two cups from the cupboard and make Sam and me a steaming mug. Holding a tray, I throw some sugar and cream onto it, unsure of how the young person liked to take their tea. Then, with caution, so as not to drop the piping mugs, I pull the door to my home open and head outside.

Sam and I stayed on the benches for a long time, talking and watching our horse Pokémon play. Finally, the sun reaches across the sky, sitting right above our heads before they announce that they should get back home.

"I should probably get some sleep." They say apologetically, all shyness from the conversation earlier that morning gone. Their orange eyes are alight once more with the contented happiness I have come to know, though they keep flashing quick glances into my backyard.

"You're probably right," I answer. "But, let me call you a cab. You should try to limit your activity for now." I say, reaching for the phone in my pocket.

"Oh no, it's okay," They turn down the offer, their trash-lid-sized hands giving a slight wave in the air. "I like to walk."

"Sashi may not be a doctor, but she knows more about medical care than you." The sound of my twin's voice says, having emerged silently from the front door. She was standing behind us and had the look of a mother scolding a naughty child, arms folded across her chest.

"Please," they say. "I really don't mind walking. Besides, it's such a lovely day." The young person tries deflecting.

"I don't care if it's the nicest weather this world has ever seen; you aren't walking, and," she adds as Sam opens their mouth to protest. "You aren't riding that Mudsdale either. That's an order from a doctor." She finalizes with a shake of a finger and a squint of her eyes.

Sam merely gives me an amused look and shrugs but agrees with my sister anyway. We call the massive teenager a cab and, when it arrives, we bade them and their Mudsdale, stored safely in its PokéBall, a good day.

"Come back anytime so our Pokémon can play again!" I call affectionately to the teenager.

"I will!" Sam says, poking their head out the window and waving back, but not before I see them wince in pain at the movement, knowing it must have hurt their broken ribs.

"Well," Anya says, turning to me after we watch the cab disappear at the bottom of the hill. "Himiko and I are going for a walk into town for lunch and a few errands. Why don't you join us." She nearly commands, indicating her daughter, who had been wriggling with impatience during the interaction.

"No, I need to get back to my research," I say, shaking my head slowly and thinking about my discarded work.

My sister squints at me slightly, but I turn around without comment and head back inside, Hop still standing closely, now constantly vigilant for any new sounds or sights.