Oricorio statuettes on the dashboard of Miss Lou-Ann's truck rattled as she drove us across the bumpy Iki Town road.
Hau's aunt had finally introduced herself and her Pikipek properly– and once Lilliane, Tuula, Rui & I finally got our Pokemon back from the center, we were ushered into her car and driven back to the Hau household.
My Oddish fidgeted in my lap as we sat in the car, clearly anxiously happy about our safety and hugging me with half of their leaves. I absentmindedly petted the top of their head as Iki Town longhouses passed by. Mom and dad had brought me there once or twice in the past but still, it staggered me how green this place was – while the road was concrete, the sidewalks were not, with creeping plants growing on the walls and long grass bursting from every crevice. The bushes and trees teemed with scampering Pokemon I thought I'd only see in the wild; Bounsweet, Grubbin, Caterpie and even a Mankey–
I still felt on edge. Hau was taken care of at the center, we had arrived safely at home – but it's not like I had had a chance to sit and relax. I couldn't be the only one anxious about our arrival. Rui tugged on the side of his Skull-brand tank top as his freshly healed Rattata looked out the window like he was keeping watch. Tuula didn't seem particularly stressed, looking something up on her phone with a nonchalant expression. Her Spinda swayed as it listened to something on her headphones. Lilliane had taken a brush out and was combing her hair, her Cleffa helpfully holding out a hand mirror for her.
"You know, it's kinda funny," Tuula remarked, "just a few days ago you were ready to clock Hau over the head."
Rui balked and elbowed his sister as he whisper-shouted a shush.
"I'm just saying– you were real vocal about how unfair it is to be the Kahuna's grandson!" And there Rui was now trying to physically stop his sister from speaking out as she gleefully held him at distance with her arms. "Funny how things turn out!"
Rui shot back through clenched teeth, "Shhhhut up!"
"Language, young man," Hau's aunt warned us. "I can trust you won't be using those words around the little ones, hm?"
The twins stopped fighting on the dot, and quickly returned to a neutral position. "...No, ma'am."
Taking on the Grand Trial against the Kahuna was one thing – spending time with him and his family out of the blue was another.
It was difficult to reconcile this with my growing anticipation.
"Aight, get off now," Miss Lou-Ann drawled. The plastic Tirtouga charm hanging from her rearview mirror dangled to a stop. Her weight quit the vehicle and her Pikipek flapped to land on her shoulder.
On the outskirts of town, large grass fields filled our view. Herds of Miltank and Tauros grazed the meadow as Cottonee roamed above, and we could see a set of pole houses arranged together with tall pointed roofs. The fields were massive and endless around us, and beyond, we could see the rolling hills and mountains of central Melemele.
Was this connected to the Melemele Meadow, then? It didn't have the strange… vibe that the Meadow carried with it. The fields of the Meadow had been so thick with Grass and Fairy types that it had made the idyllic landscape almost dreamlike– this was just normal pasture.
We walked the path to Hau's house and Petal jumped off my arms to walk on their own two feet, eyes wide at the grassland around us. Lou-Ann beckoned us further, we walked under an arch beyond the fence and deeper into the farm, following a path around the house– huh.
In the field, standing in rows, were a group of about two dozen fighting types – Makuhita, Meditite, Pancham, a few odd ones like a Steenee and an Elekid – all facing the same direction. A massive scarred Hariyama stood in front, monitoring their movements.
The Hariyama moved to a Meditite that stumbled in their movements - so they kneeled and brought a massive hand to the smaller Pokemon's limbs, correcting their stance, giving them advice in a few grunts and growls. The other Pokemon executed a set of martial arts movements in unison, limbs coiled and tensed. With synchronized shouts and cries, the mass of 'mons punched, they kicked, sweat drifting off their forms as the evening sun cast its last lights.
"Aye, it's about that time, ain't it." Miss Lou-Ann remarked. "Don't mind the wild 'mons that much. They know not to cause problems."
An unspoken breath was released, and Lilliane's voice rang out in a disbelieving tone, "...You have wild Pokemon here?"
"Just as much as you have Rattatas in the street and Bounsweet in the bushes, I reckon." This wasn't very convincing to our shared glances, and so Hau's aunt added with a huff, "Don't make those faces! We have a ton of Pokemon here. The herds in the fields are registered as part of the ranch; all the adults have what's remaining of their personal teams, and Hariyama here is watching them like a Talonflame." She pointed at the mass with a finger. "None of them are steppin' out of line."
That shut us up. Still, the synchronized grunts of the Fighting-types filled the silence, and Miss Lou-Ann resumed her walk to the porch of the door.
Tuula's Spinda, Love Tax, waddled up in front of its trainer, rolled its shoulders like a boxer preparing itself for a match. Only two or three days ago, it had been slapped in the head by a Fearow and had fainted on the spot.
Tuula put her arms behind her back and innocently asked, "So… they're just here to train?"
"Hm-hmm. Every other day, around the afternoon, yes."
"And it's just– wild Pokemon from routes and junk, and they just come here and it's cool."
"Yyyyup."
"...Say I wanted me and my Pokemon to join 'em, they'd be fine with it?"
Lou-Ann visibly paused there, and her head tilted toward the younger girl. She seemed to chew on her thoughts for a second, then just shrugged and responded with, "I s'pose so. Knock yourself out."
"Okay! Thanks lady!" And without another word, Tuula brazenly walked up to the Hariyama, Spinda at her heels. Lou-Ann just shed off her jacket and turned to the open doors of the house, calling out to people inside.
I unfroze– I'm not sure how long I had stood there just watching the display, and now I turned to see the other teens in various states of surprise. There's a level of recklessness that I couldn't help but fear and admire, there, as her Spinda seamlessly joined the other off-typed 'mons like the Steenee and the Elekid and attempted to mirror their movements. The Hariyama – Kahuna Hala's Hariyama, it had to be – began adjusting LT's motions as training continued in kind.
A part of me couldn't believe how simple it had been for her to just– to just walk up to such a respectable Pokemon and ask them to join their lesson. I tried to look to the others for support, but found only Rui's frowning pout as he buried his hands deeper in his pockets and continued through the entrance to the house.
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"...Your older cousin will be back at the house after dinner, okay? You'll have to be patient. I'm sure he'll have lots of stories to tell you." Hau's aunt spoke gently to the two boys as we filed into the room, and I couldn't help but feel like I was intruding on something private.
The inside of Hau's home felt old and cherished – the structure was all wood, with wide rooms and walls covered in photographs and trinkets. Here, a small bowl housed sets of keys, a medal and a wooden figurine; on the floor, colorful woven rugs in intricate patterns cushioned our steps; on the wall, photos of the family at a gathering or surfing on Mantine. There, next to a living room table with discarded drawings and crayons, two younger boys had come up to Lou-Ann and their excited voices filled up the space.
She rose her voice, calling out to someone else in the house. "Dad! Mom! We have guests!" She stood up then and turned to us, before adding in a quieter tone of voice, "Y'all want anything to eat or drink? We'll have dinner in not too long, but I imagine you're probably famished after all that traveling. Sit anywhere you like."
"Uh, nah, I'm good. I'll just stand." Rui tugged on his shirt as even he looked unsure of where to place himself.
The two young boys walked to Lilliane then and asked her questions in squeaky voices– my attention was caught by soft steps at the back of the room, as a Poliwhirl and a smaller Poliwag walked up to the table to clear the crayons and drawings. Their eyes caught mine and they gave a friendly wave, which I tentatively retaliated.
A duo of scampering Mienfoo slipped from under the table and away out of the door, tippi-tapping paws thundering out.
Above, I heard multiple footsteps and low muffled grumbling – some human and some not. Hau's aunt moved away in another room– it occurred to me that the people that she had called to were likely to be Hau's grandpa– the Kahuna, then, and once more a chill went up my back. The voices faded and the footsteps moved.
I looked one way – Rui leaning against a wall, Rattata at his side, being sniffed at by a Mienfoo – and another – Lilliane was sitting on a chair, lending out a brush to one of the boys to comb her Cleffa with – and my attention caught something else still, a trio of footsteps as multiple younger voices called out.
I stepped out of the room and back into the corridor.
Breathe, Selene, breathe. Leaning against the wall, I felt the comforting touch of my starter's leaves around my hand. I looked away and outside, gaze unfocused.
This was a lot of people.
Breathe.
I think I had prepared myself to meet– maybe Hau's Grandpa, maybe his parents– but now it finally occurred to me that his entire family lived here among these houses, that these were his cousins and relatives, that the Kahuna and his wife were right around the bend–
I felt myself drowning.
My back slid across the wall until my butt touched the ground, and Petal nestled themselves between my legs and worriedly held my head. I buried my face in their leaves, hugged them tight and drowned everything out.
Mint. Pepper. Dirt. An Oddish has an aroma that is every smell at once. It's like they're trying to mimic the smell of every cooking herb in the pantry, and the bouquet they end up with is simply overwhelming – but it's just chemicals. There's nothing harmful to it.
Breathe.
The torrent of anxiety slowly receded. I just needed to anchor myself to the now and hang on to shore.
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Voices and footsteps from within the living room. Pitter-patter, once more, from critters moving about. Outside, the distant sounds of wind, of synchronized cries and disciplined grunts, exchanges between eager students and a stern master.
You are here, Selene.
"You doin' alright, little lady?"
My toes momentarily curled in my boots. I exhaled and looked up to the masculine voice.
Soft grey eyes. The man standing over me looked with a concerned, weary gaze, dark, greying green hair tied back. His hand rested heavily on a harness handle worn by a Furfrou who stood by the man's hip. He leaned over the canine like he bore a great weight, and it occurred to me that that wasn't by choice; I read "SERVICE MON" embroidered on the side of the Furfrou's harness.
"Y-yes, sir. I'm okay."
His eyes squinted, searching. Loud voices rang out from the other room and a shudder went through my body, unable to stop myself.
Petal turned around and fixed the towering man with a focused glare. They studied the man, reaching out with a leaf to poke his leg, and seemed to consider something, focus swapping from the man to his helper. In their back, they signed to me covertly, [Good].
He simply looked down at my Oddish curiously and released a low chuckle. "You're a little warrior, aren't you? Fierce and scary, too. I heard that the last leg of the journey was difficult; your trainer must be tired." His voice was low and soothing, and he turned his attention to me next. "You need your mom or dad to get you?"
I–
I kinda wanted to go home.
It had been over a month since we had left Hau'oli and I missed it terribly – this room and this bed was nice, but I yearned for my room and my bed, look at my stupid posters on the walls, pet my Meowth and hug my mom tight.
My eyes looked out the door out into the meadow. Soft wind blew waves across green fields. The Miltank and Tauros roamed playfully, dots of color on the verdant landscape.
Out there, a teenage girl stood alongside her starter in a clumsy fighting stance. Her and so many fighting types stood side to side in synchronized motion under the watchful eye of the Kahuna's Pokemon. She threw a punch in the air, parried a blow to her side, and attempted a roundhouse kick that had her falling tail over tea kettle and making a mess of herself in front of many strangers – but she just laughed it off, accepted her Spinda's help to get herself up, and got right back to practicing.
This was silly. I was hiding in the corridor because I was overwhelmed by Pokemon and children? Others out there were boldly making a fool of themselves or showing up with punk gear in front of the island Kahuna.
I would be fine.
"I'm– I'm okay. I can stay for the night." I locked eyes with the man and shook my head no. "And, uh, Lilliane and I have to meet up with Hau as soon as he's feeling better, anyway. Plan for the Grand Trial and everything."
The man released a sigh he'd been holding, and his face softened into a gentle smile.
"I'm very thankful for your help with my son."
Oh. OH!
"He has… big, big shoes to fill, I'm sure you figured. So I'm glad he's got responsible people to keep him in check. You call me Kekoa, ya hear? And you stay here as long as you like."
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Mr. Kekoa talked with me for a while.
We ended up chatting about our respective experiences with assist Pokemon – his Furfrou, Jasper, was one that was assigned to him five or so years ago and had been helping him with everyday tasks since then. His "arms and legs", he'd called her.
It was hard to think of Petal as just my assist Pokemon – they are my best friend, my starter, and they helped me as much as I helped them. But I could see where he was coming from, and I could tell how much trust he shared with the canine. I couldn't exactly ask how his injuries came to be – I wouldn't be polite to pry – but I hadn't spent a month with Hau and learned nothing; his dad had been some kind of training prodigy during his time, and evidently he had hurt himself in a major way– in a way that the medicine of the time wasn't able to heal.
For a time, I recounted our travel through the first trial and route 3, and he told me of Hau's family and their lives.
"...We have some more cousins on the other islands, so during festival days it gets real crowded real quick. You already met my sister – Hau's aunt – but my younger sister, her husband and children and all of their pokemon also live in the other house. Can't blame ya if you got a little overwhelmed."
I had rejoined Lilliane, Rui and a wincing Tuula that had injured herself during practice. Hau's aunt was applying a numbing ointment onto her ankle, as Tuula's Spinda hovered around its trainer like a worried child.
Eventually, the rest of the family had filed in.
Miss Lou-Ann had directed her young children and duo of Mienfoo to sit at a table fit for their height. A cheery stocky man, Lou-Ann's husband, arrived with the plates and cutlery and gave a firm handshake to us guests. A Hawlucha opened the door and a mousy middle aged woman entered – Hau's other aunt – after which a Poliwhirl waddled in with bundled babies and a Poliwag.
A real carnival of faces that Mr. Kekoa assured me I didn't need to memorize.
At some point during dinner, Kahuna Hala and Hau's Grandmother had come in, sitting on the far end of the table– and before I could blink, dinner had ended, and we were shown our rooms for the night.
Washed and clothed, we had all unrolled futons and bedrolls onto the floor and found ourselves talking deep into the night, waiting for Hau's return. Oran Juice the Dunsparce had been fed and then rolled himself into a little ball, snoozing immediately; Petal the Oddish had scampered off to explore the nearby plains and gather some tasty starlight for the night.
On one side of the room, Killer the Rattata and Love Tax the Spinda chased after one another, jumping off Rui's prone form on his futon. On the other side, Lilliane's Pokemon were resting on the open windowsill, looking into the night sky.
"I can't believe the Kahuna said nothing about your clothes, you fucking goon."
Tuula's sneering tone immediately raised Rui's heckles, and he retaliated with, "At least I didn't sprain my ankle doing push ups or whatever!"
The two continued bickering off– but in all honesty, looking at the Skull logo on Rui's discarded tank top, I should have figured that that could have been a problem. If anybody would have had beef with a rebel movement from ten years ago, it would have to be the Kahuna at the time.
"I'm not sure I follow. Are those improper to wear?" Lilliane asked as she pointed.
"Um." Oh. She didn't know? "Erm. Skull was an art movement from, uh. The 20s to the 30s." People argued that it wasn't over– it was still very recent. "A lot of their messages are about calling for a reform of the government and education, that sort of thing. Pretty rude to wear in front of the island Kahuna, you know."
"It's like a fashion statement," Tuula added. "Wearing Team Skull stuff is like screaming at everybody in sight 'The Challenge sucks!' then flipping them off and doing a backflip or whatever."
Lilliane's face settled into a frown, clearly mulling onto this information– she probably hadn't been taught the same history at school. "I… I don't think he minded. He seemed nice."
I couldn't tell. In the whirlwind of people that we had met, it felt like I had completely missed my chance to talk to the Kahuna this evening. I'm not sure what I would have asked but after speaking with Hau's dad, I wondered if his granddad would have tried to give us the same treatment.
The door opened with a creak and all of us quieted–
A bandaged, grinning Hau entered the room, a plate of crispy manjus in his hands. Loa the Torracat slinked back inside, head low, gauze around her waist and bandaid on her chin. The armband that Hau had given her was still on her arm, a patch of earthy colors on her dark fur.
"Evening, dudes and dudettes. Catch!" Hau threw a pastry in my direction and I scrambled to catch it properly.
The teen boy settled next to us, wincing as the motion pulled on his bandages. Lilliane worriedly got up to grab the pastries from him and give him a hand. "...Are you feeling better?"
"It stretches and stings a little, but I'll be alright." He sat criss-cross applesauce as his Torracat pawed the wardrobe, pushing it open and slinking inside. When she was done, she was settled in a pile of clothes, peeking at us from inside with one eye. "Sorry for not being there to show you around– everything went well?"
"My dumbass sister sprained her ankle training with your granddad's 'mon, but nothing other than that." An indignant 'Hey!' sounded from Tuula, and their bickering resumed.
"Glad to hear it. I, uh–" He sighed and rubbed the back of his head; beyond embarrassment, he seemed genuinely regretful. "I'm not gonna lie, I got kinda blasted by my dad and granddad when I got back, so..." He closed his eyes. "I'm grounded."
Uh-oh.
Our faces paled. For how long? And where? I couldn't help but imagine the worst possible scenario– they wouldn't keep Hau from doing the rest of the Challenge, would they?
He must have seen the growing panic because he quickly cleared the air. "Okay, uh, let's be clear. It's just for a bit until we take on the Grand Trial, alright? I'm just– not gonna be visiting you guys in Hau'oli or training around on Route 1 any time soon, is what they meant."
Lilliane and I leaned back as we released the breath we didn't know we were holding.
"What we did– everything that happened, it was real dangerous, you know? And, well… the scar is gonna stick."
Lilliane deflated at that, wringing her hands together. "I'm sorry, I should have done better–"
"No, no! Don't blame yourself on this! It would have been way worse if you weren't there to do the healing moves on me, you know? I'm really thankful." He gently put a hand on her shoulder. "You saved my skin, for real. And hers', for that matter."
He motioned at his Torracat, lounging on a little nest of clothes, stoic but present. Her eyes locked on Lilliane and she gave a slow nod, then looked away once more.
"I'm stuck at home for a bit, but– we shouldn't let this stop us from training, yeah? And we're going to need it. After all...
"We got the Grand Trial next week."