Iki Village had been built a millenia ago, mom had always said. When the settlers had first found the islands, they asked the trees for their wood, then they asked the bugs for their edge, then they asked clouds for their rain - and then, they built Iki Village on the spot.

As I looked over the town, It seemed like nothing had changed since then.

Single floor longhouses of dark wood rested on grassy ground, all decorated in geometric carvings and braided rope tassels. Lanterns and sconces lit the night up and cast the crowd in a dim, billowy glow. Stands were set against the houses, manned by human and pokemon residents alike selling popular drinks and hearty street food. On a large raised platform of earth near the center, Oricorio from all four islands danced in sync to the rhythm of drums and songs played by local bands.

The start of the Tapu Festival drew near.

I hadn’t met with Hau again over the weekend, nor had I gotten any news of our missing group member - but as soon as he caught sight of my arrival, he had insisted on giving me a tour across the village and making me take samples from every stand. Before I could even get an objection in, I found I had already been given a cup of shaved ice coated with pomeg syrup, then a slice of deep fried Chansey egg and finally, of course, a berry-filled malasada. Then the boy had pirouetted back into the faceless crowd and I had lost sight of him since.

Four islands’ worth of teenage crowd buzzed around the village like a swarm of nerves and anxiety, waiting for the proper send off from the Kahuna. Teenagers with their parents, their peers and their pokemon partners mingled together, drowning the air in chattering noise. Teens of Ula’Ula gossiped near a mochi stand, a Poliwag in the arms of one and a Spinarak on the head of another. Over there, a girl in overalls with thick ponytails was riding atop a Mudsdale– wait, was that her starter pokemon? Was that allowed?

I blinked repeatedly as I considered the implications of a second-stage pokemon as an allowed starter pokemon for the challenge, then shook my head to dispel the distracting thoughts. I settled back and leaned against the lamppost I had been lingering around for the past half hour, sugary drink in hand. I took a sip. Tapioca pearls and brown sugar melted on my tongue.

“– Selene!”

I looked around in surprise. Pushing through the crowd, a stout ginger boy rushed to my position, huffing in exhaustion. Last time I had seen Sawney Corrigan, it was in class as we had received news of our assigned partners for the challenge, and it seemed like he had been grouped with what teachers and counselors would call ‘problem students’. He carried his Grubbin in his hands who gave off squeaks of displeasure.

“Selene, you gotta help me,” he pleaded, and I flinched as he clasped my shoulders in his hands. “Help me hide under the tarp.”

“Wuh, what? Why?” I stammered in confusion, but the boy wasn’t waiting and already started to move boxes from under a stand.

Though he paused, and turned to me with the slightest bit of concern “Oh, by the way, did you find your third missing partner?”

I hadn’t, it had turned out. Neither Hau nor I had been given any news of ‘Lilianne Athier’, whoever they were “Eugh. No, not yet. Though if we don’t get any contact from them come tomorrow, I think the teachers should be able to help us, at least.” Sawney seemed pleased with my answer, and he turned back to his task.

Curious, I asked, “Uh. What are you hiding from?”

“The twins. They’ve been hounding me all evening,” he said, and crouched, his bug under one arm, already shimmying under the stand and deeper under the food tables. A few perched Pikipeks looked curiously at the scene. “And what’s worse, they figured out my username–”

“Ohhh, Sophocleeeees~”, a shrill voice sing-sang. A chill went up my spine.

Sawney somehow shimmied even faster, and soon enough the portly boy had completely disappeared under the stands.

Out of the crowd, two similar-looking teenagers emerged. One boy and one girl, one clearly rocking Skull Punk gear, hair short and electric blue, the other in relaxed baggy jeans, tank top and beanie, long hair dyed bubblegum pink. Rui and Tuula Tuari; the Tuari twins. At the boy’s feet, a Rattatta - the local Alolan variant - scampered between their legs and sniffed the air.

“Sophocleeees~” Tuula trilled, looking around playfully. “Where are youuu?”

The other twin, Rui, searched around with boredom and frustration on his face, hands in his pockets. Then his eyes locked on me, and he quickly pointed in my direction. “Yo! Matsu! You seen Sawney around?”

“Um, no?”

“Come on, don’t bullshit me,” the boy insisted. “We saw him come this way. My phone’s outta power and he’s got an electric bug. Do us a solid.”

“Yeah, and I doubt your little weed can help us charge our phones,” Tuula snarkily remarked, then she looked at Petal and did a doubletake, surprise apparent on her face. “Sick moves, tho. She’s a dancer?”

At my feet, my Oddish shimmyed and swayed, bouncing their body from side to side in rhythm with the beat. Their eyes were closed in concentration and entranced by the music; nothing unsurprising for me, but admittedly nobody had met my pokemon outside of school. Rui’s rattata didn’t seem too surprised at least, only giving Petal a cautious sniff then staying put.

“Yeah, uh, they, they do love to dance. That’s an oddish thing,” I remarked.

“Cool. What do they dance to?”

They dance to whatever I’m listening to at the time, I thought, but I could never say that since I mostly listen to videogame soundtracks! But before I could give some other answer–

“Whoa Tuula, they’re shmooving! What’s got them hyper all of a sudden?” Rui said, lifting his chin in my direction. “Huh?”

Petal was most active at night, and it was clear it was the first time either of the twins had seen my Oddish so mobile. Under their intense attention, I managed to stammer “Uh, that, I’m not so sure? I think it might be a poison-type thing, it makes their chemistry all jumbled up.” I fiddled with my fingers, and continued “They absorb light from the night sky instead, though that’s the simple explanation, and uh, there’s a lot that goes into.”

“Huh. Wild. Poison-type, huh.” Rui looked down at my grass-type, one eyebrow raised, thinking something over. I felt fingers snapping rudely right next to my face, as Rui’s twin Tuula called me back to attention.

“Hey. Matsu. I asked you something.” Snap. Snap. “Your grass type. The one dancing up a storm, what does she– augh- what do they listen to?”

I scrambled through my memories for an answer that wasn’t too cringe, and eventually came up with “Kalosian house dance music, I guess;” which was true, sort of.

“Damn. Okay, okay.” she leaned back and gave me a smile, hands on her hips. “Kind of hipster tastes, but alright. We’ll have them meet my Spinda– that’s my starter– sometime later and dance to some real shit, alright? I’ll get your contacts from Sawney once we catch him!”

“Huh?” Wait, did I just agree to something, there?

But the gangly girl didn’t wait for a response, turned to her brother, flicked his forehead and went “Focus up dumbass, we got a nerd to catch!”

Then she immediately plunged back into the crowd to search for Sawney once more, r.

Rui recoiled and rubbed his forehead, then turned to follow his sister– but not before reaching over to flick my forehead and then disappearing after his sibling just as suddenly, rattata in tow.

Ouch!

What the heck!

I rubbed my forehead, bruised and confused by the whirlwind of awkwardness that had been this whole interaction. Sawney was nowhere to be seen, and the Tuari twins had disappeared as well - I couldn’t imagine having to deal with them on a daily basis! Better him than me, I guess, I thought to myself, then went to find somewhere I could be alone for a bit.

----------------------------------------

Packed closer to the seafront but not too far away from the main plaza, a pair of public washrooms could be found, usually visited by tourists enjoying the beach. Away from the music, the food and the people, it seemed that other loners had claimed spots on the shaded beach for themselves. The washroom I had found, however, was completely empty.

Sweet solitude. Free to gather my thoughts.

Petal had stayed on the plaza and was having a good time. Good for them. I knew they’d find their way back to me, when they were done.

I leaned over the wash sink. Gathering water in my hands, I splashed up my face and rinsed it as much as I could, then looked at myself on the mirror. Dark eyes framed by shoulder-length black hair stared back at me - I don’t think I really stood out much in comparison to any other person with outlandish hair color around. I think.

Thinking back to the interaction I had with the Tuari twins; was that okay?

Had I said anything weird? I don’t think I did, but I could never tell when interacting with someone. There was always some facet of social etiquette that seemed to escape me, like people were speaking in a foreign language I didn’t know the local lingo of.

I wanted to think that the interaction was positive, though. Tuula had implied she wanted to meet again? Maybe show off some new music to Petal and I? That could be fun, I thought, and maybe Sawney could be there so he (and also I) wouldn’t be alone with the twins. I didn’t want to get my forehead flicked again.

Sure, we had the Island Challenge right around the corner, but that didn’t mean we had to stop taking time to relax, watch movies, or play video games, right–

“--did that?? No way! Lame!”

I recognized that voice.

A ball of anxiety formed at the pit of my stomach.

I really, really didn’t want to interact with those two girls. Where was Petal– oh no. Petal was at the plaza.

A pair and their pokemon entered the washroom, and it took everything from me not to look at them.

Two girls, loudly talking to each other. The one leading the conversation had this platinum silver hair– don’t look at me, I don’t exist, don’t notice me– and a bird pokemon on her shoulder. The spicy scent of sunscreen started to permeate the room.

The girls noticed me and stopped talking.

There was a pregnant pause.

I mechanically went through the motions of cleaning my hands, doing my best to ignore their presence - but the sound of footsteps and the scent of sunscreen moved behind then around me, both girls taking position at my sides.

A zzzzip and a rustle as the girls retrieved skincare products from their bags, and started to apply something to their faces.

“Eugh. This stinks in here.” said the girl on my left.

“I know, right? So gross. Like sweat and shit.” said the girl on my right.

A pause.

The girl on my left leaned close and loudly sniffed my shoulder.

“Oh, I think it’s just you.”

I stiffened, but didn’t give them any reaction. That’s how it works, right? If I don’t react, if I don’t give them fuel for their fire, they should stop, right?

Sun and stars, the room smelled so much like sunscreen. The girls giggled and carried on with their skincare.

“You know, Selene. Your weed is really spazzing out on the dance floor.”

“What are you feeding it, anyway? Are you spraying it with Ether drinks? That’s gross. That’s like, pokemon abuse. They should take away your license for that.”

I don’t do that, and they would not take my license. If I ignore them, they’ll go away.

This washroom is really small, I realized. The voices really bounced and echoed on the walls. It’s like I’m stuck in a small damp room with two devils at my sides.

“Wait, so, that’s her official starter, then? Wowww. Doing the Alolan Island Challenge with a foreign pokemon, no less. No pride as an Alolan, then. Figures!”

Petal isn’t my starter because they’re from Kanto - they’re my starter because they’re my best friend and they were given to me for therapy when I was 10, you idiot. I didn’t ask for them to be Kantoan, they just are. I love Alola as much as you do. I can’t tell those girls that, though. That– that would just make things worse. That would just give them stuff to make rumors with.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

The room was getting smaller and smaller. A cloying chemical fog overpowered everything.

“You know - she’s mixed-race, right? They should only let her do only half of the Challenge, then. That’s only fair. She’s only half Alolan. She barely belongs here.”

I want to scream.

I had been thinking to myself– as soon as I would be on the road, this would stop. If the people I travel with are nice, if they’re good at the challenge, I can maybe have a good time. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe people would still say those kinds of things about me.

Why would they do this, then? Do they get a kick out of it? Does it make them feel good? How is this fair?

What do I do, then? What do I say? Do I tell them– do I scream at them that they’re wrong? I wouldn’t– I couldn’t. I couldn’t scream at anybody. But I kept thinking about it.

My knees felt weak. The light above the wash sink seemed to dim. There’s nobody outside, and I’m alone. Petal is so far away and cannot help.

I want to scream, and I have to stay silent. I keep thinking but no one is listening.

If I think loud enough, would they start to hear it?

Someone else entered the room. I didn’t pay attention who.

I felt a hand gently push me towards the exit– not that of the two girls that had been jeering at me this whole time, but someone else entirely, with a soft voice I couldn’t register.

The two girls in the room reacted. Words were exchanged, and the girls backed off. I was guided outside.

----------------------------------------

I breathed.

In, then out.

Clean air, finally. The mild temperature of Iki village at night. The lights of the celebration gently lit up the way, and the stars in the night sky twinkled.

My face felt hot and wet. I wiped it with my wrist absentmindedly and noticed that my other arm was gently interlocked with someone else’s. My gaze followed the arm to a shoulder, then to a face.

Concerned, patient green eyes stared back. Long golden bangs framed her white skin and cascaded around her shoulders. A pristine white dress and sunhat fluttered in an unseen wind, and a small handbag rested on the other side of her. She was very pretty.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Uh, I,” I started, ready to lie, then snorted and sneezed, and honesty slipped out despite me. “I’m not. B-but I think I’m getting better.”

“Okay. Do you want to sit? Anything to eat, or drink? I only have zero calorie snacks, though.” she held out a hand to her side, and with a Stella, snacks please, some movement happened around her bag and a little pink nubby hand poked out of the bag and handed a plastic box.

We found a nearby bench and sat. She gave me snacks and a bottle of water, and slowly my wits seemed to come back to me. I looked at her again, a pretty girl I had never seen around school before - was she from one of the other islands?

“Are you feeling better?” she said with a small smile, and I nodded, and her smile widened. “I’m glad. I’m sorry I didn’t find you earlier, I’ve been asking around for you. You are Selene Matsu, right?”

I blinked, then gave her another nod. She knew me? Her eyes lit up, she stood and gently lifted up the hem of her dress in a curtsy. To her side, a little shape popped out of her handbag as a Cleffa smiled and nodded back at me as well.

“I wish we could have met in better circumstances, but here we are. My name is Lilliane Athier. It’s nice to meet you.”

Her!

“It’s you! You’re, you’re the third member in our group, right? With Hau and I?”

“That’s me.” she said, and sat back down, dusting off her dress. “I apologize for not reaching out sooner. I’ve been caught up in administration for the Challenge, and things got a little out of hand.”

“No! No, it’s okay,” I cut her off– this didn’t matter. She had gotten me out of whatever that was, so she might have been my savior for what it’s worth. I certainly owed her, I thought. “Don’t mention it.”

She seemed surprised, raising a hand. “Oh! Alright, then.” and her expression relaxed into a smile. “I’m not– I’m homeschooled, and I’ve only been in Alola for half a year, so… there was a lot of papers to sign, for me to participate in the Challenge this year.”

That caught my attention. I couldn’t help my curiosity, and asked “Wh-where are you from, if that’s not rude to ask?”

“My family is from Kalos. My parents got called here to continue their pharmaceutical research, and we had no choice but to move.”

“Oh, whoa. What are they researching?”

She made a sort of pout, and her shoulders raised in a noncommittal shrug. “I don’t know. Medicine for Aether, I suppose.”

I let the subject drop - but still, that seemed impressive. Aether was basically the biggest medical supplier of the archipelago. I absentmindedly munched on one of the gifted biscuits– and wow, those were so dry. I immediately parched my throat with water.

“--ffa!”

A little pink ball of fur squeezed itself out of Lilliane’s purse– then popped out and rolled into her lap. The little Cleffa righted herself up, looked up with an embarrassed smile and introduced herself with a “Cleffa” and a little curtsy motion of her own, all prim and proper.

“...and that’s Stella,” Lilliane concluded.

She was so cute. I held out my hand to shake hers, and she instead leaned into my touch, soft short fur like velvet against my palm.

Fairy-types are fascinating. While I hadn’t read anything specific about the Clefairy line– what was it that we had learned in class? right– each fairy-types generally belong to one of two groups: endofairies, fairies from Myth, or exofairies, fairies from Moon. One makes their own rules, another ignores them. Stella, I assumed, belonged to the latter, as when she jumped off from my lap, she slowly floated down to the ground as though gravity only affected her half as much.

----------------------------------------

The exhibition match was about to start.

We had returned to the plaza. Petal had noticed that something was amiss, but didn’t have the time to pester me about it.

The crowd was at its most restless. The ground started to tremble. Centered on the raised earth platform of the village plaza, periodic shocks pushed against a translucent field.

The crowd moved as one, attracted to the action, and I felt one of Petal’s leaves slap me on the leg, spurring me forward. I grabbed Lilliane’s hand and my heart quickened as I followed the crowd rushing to find a good spot to watch the fight.

The crowd was enormous. Since Lilliane and I had been hanging a little further away, we were near the back of the crowd, but the raised ground of the center stage was high enough that we could all see.

On stage, a new dance was about to play. On one side, a fearsome Hariyama, a seven foot tall behemoth of muscle criss-crossed with scars, his jabs sending out shockwaves with every swing. Behind them, his trainer, an older resident with a broad frame and a focused expression, one arm stretched forward– our home island’s Kahuna, I suddenly recognized. On this side, but off the stage, was the Kahuna’s family: his children and grandchildren– and my eyes widened when I recognized one excited Hau, cheering loudly for his grandfather. Well.That certainly puts things into perspective.

Facing them was a pokemon unlike any other. Science struggled to fit those of Its kind into the usual classifications, while residents of the island called It our guardian and our god. It moved in flashes, gliding through the air like thunder through a storm. Its form shifted, looking at once like a humanoid, at once like a bird, at once like war itself; It shone in white, yellow and orange through the night as though illuminated by Its own sun.

Tapu Koko radiated with power, and Kahuna Hala answered the challenge.

Silence reigned across the village for a moment. Tapu Koko slowly floated down to the raised ground of the center stage. Visible sparks and arcs of electricity traced from Its form to the dirt floor below and the space around It shimmered and brightened.

Stillness.

Both exploded in motion: Tapu Koko bolted across the stage with a booming sound, leaving behind a streak of light and clouds of dust. Kahuna Hala let out a word I didn’t hear and his behemoth of a partner reacted in half a second, stance wide, massive hands outstretched forward. Thunder met palm. The attack collided in a shower of sparks and a rumble shook through the plaza. The Hariyama had not given any ground. While he maintained the fighting stance with control and composure, spasms went up his arms and the air around his hands shimmered with heat.

The Tapu attacked impossibly fast once more, then twice more, then three times after that– the tip of a spear, the edge of sharp talons, a strike of thunder– attacks so fast that our eyes couldn’t keep up, that images of the Tapu flickered around the Hariyama, that light flashed across my eyes so many times and I had to look away. With every strike, sparks shot off from the impact point, and with every spark, twitches shot through the fighting type.

Another shout from the Kahuna, then the light show halted. The Hariyama met Tapu Koko’s offense with flowing blocks of his hands and arms that pushed his opponent back each time until he suddenly lurched forward and had the Tapu’s arm in his grasp. In one violent move, he jabbed the Tapu with his fingertips, a flash of purple meeting the Tapu’s silver wing– wait, what happened there? And in another abrupt motion, he spun around and launched the guardian in a semi circle above his head and into the ground. Before Hariyama could let go, his hand tensed and cramped with sparks and the Tapu exploded with lightning, shocking through the fighting type and smashing against the stage’s protective field. The Hariyama grimaced in pain, electric arcs bouncing across his form, he smashed the Tapu into the earth and the ground broke.

Around the stage, Oricorio swayed - pink ones, Pa’u Oricorio from Akala, those with the psychic typing - and the see-through field around the stage strengthened.

Trainer, pokemon and opponent resumed their waltz of war.

As I watched, my breath quickened, my hair rose across my skin, my heartbeat sped up and rang with every blow that the Tapu landed on the mighty Hariyama– what is this feeling? Why am I so restless? I felt jittery, excited, tingling at the end of my arms and legs like I could break into a run at any second. Around me, the other spectators were transfixed in a similar fashion, the light of the attacks glinting and sparkling across the eyes of the audience, drawing gasps and cheers. Beyond that, the band and musicians had started playing a rousing, hopeful tune, while voices in the crowd had begun to chant along.

Stomps from humans and pokemon resounded throughout the audience, first discordant then gradually rhythmic and harmonious, in time with the music and with the fight and with something deep within ourselves– I hadn’t meant to, but I was stomping along as well.

On stage - I had lost sight of the action for just a second - the Hariyama looked weathered. His waist cloth looked in tatters, burnt marks where the electric attacks had hit, and his breathing was rough and ragged. The Tapu was harder to gauge… Perhaps It looked more excited? Bouncing from side to side, its form shifting to humanoid and rolling its shoulders. The Hariyama ducked low and the Tapu tensed, and I did, and we held our breaths for the next attack.

The Hariyama lurched forward and his foot hung in the air for half a second– half a second out of rhythm, and then a heavy stomp, and half of the field flipped upwards.

Feet-thick sections of earth and rock lifted and crashed into the ground, sending a wave of earth and rock above the unrecognizable stage. Kahuna Hala didn’t stop. Another order, and the Hariyama kicked it up a notch, punched the falling debris of earth into the Tapu, boulders ten times my weight crashing into a shimmering green field around the guardian and burying It fully under earth.

Then he stepped back.

A rumble. The tomb of rock rattled.

Hariyama flexed and tensed all the muscles on his body, flesh bulging across his form and pained exertion showing on his face.

A quake and a crash. Cracks widened on the mound of stone, and jets of pressurized salt water started to leak out. Grey clouds gathered.

Hala took a deep breath, then went in a fighting stance of his own, his partner and him taking pose in sync– what is this? What are they doing?

The deafening sound of earth grinding against itself, the acrid scent of the ocean and ozone in the air, until–

The prison of earth exploded. Furious weather raged out, sea water and thunderclouds surging like a geyser, the elements forming into an outstretched claw of storm and sea. In the claw’s center, Tapu Koko shot out coming head to head with the Hariyama.

Hala punched the air, and with a sound like gunfire, the Hariyama struck Tapu Koko in perfect unison.

Then the claw closed on the two of them, and overwhelming nature crashed against the Hariyama.

Mist and sea water flooded the area and obscured our vision. We held our breaths. Chanting and music stopped.

Slowly, the fog dissipated.

The stage was wrecked. Gravel and boulders littered the floor, and dissipating water streamed in the cracks, pooling against the edges of the protective field. The ground was scarred with lightning burns, radiating out like great branches.

At its center, the guardian floated, staring at the unconscious, charred and soaked form of the Hariyama.

Hala thumbed a pokeball and recalled his pokemon, then turned to the Tapu and bowed deeply. Tapu Koko stared for a moment, and gave a curt nod. Then It left, flying off into the sky.

Wow! I couldn’t help but think, looking at the carnage. Battlers are crazy!

Hala gave a sigh, and turned to a procession of pokemon on the Tapu’s side of the stage, clad in paw-made robes and trinkets. Incineroars, Lycanrocs, Ribombees and other pokemon bowed deeply to the Kahuna, then turned north to the Mahalo trail where the Tapu had flown off to.

For a moment, all was silent. Then the Kahuna spoke.

“Battling,” Hala said, “is a conversation.”

He turned to us fully, his grave expression regarding us with tired eyes.

“Battling with pokemon is how we communicate. It is how we say hello. It is how we show our best skills. It is how we give our thanks.” His shoulders tensed, and his eyes narrowed.”The Island Challenge is here to teach you how to talk.”

“Children of Melemele, children of Akala, children of Ula´ula, children of Poni. May the Tapu see you, and may they bless your journey to adulthood.”

This was it, wasn’t it? This was how this would start. With an incredible display of power, and with words of wisdom from the Kahuna.

Wow, my hand hurt real bad for some reason.

Why did my hand hurt so much?

I looked to the side where Lilliane was, and found her looking away, eyes closed, expression locked in something like pain.

Her hand laced in mine was squeezing hard, or maybe had been for some time, and pressure was just registering in my nerves.

“Lilli– uh, ouch– are you okay?”

She seemed to come to her senses. Her eyes opened and she jerked her hand away, then turned to me with this blank, neutral expression, smile plastered on her face.

“Mhmm,” she nodded, “I’m fine,” she lied.

A crackle of static sounded through the plaza.

A newcomer came onto stage, avoiding the cracks and the wreckage, to stand near the Alolan elder. A stout man with a receding hairline and a blue sleeveless tweed vest fiddled with something on his lapel, and another scratchy sound let us know that the newcomer was wearing a microphone.

A rumble of murmurs and conversation started to echo out around us.

“Ahem. Splendid performance, mister Hala. Good show,” he started, gave a few polite claps, then turned to face the crowd. “and good evening to you all. My name is Burke Fairfax, and I will be acting as official Kalos correspondent on behalf of the Pokémon League”

“As you are well aware, this year, Alola is joining the Pokémon League with the occident’s greats; Kalos, Galar, Paldea, others.” He paused, “Regions whose primary educative systems culminate in a year long trial; the Gym Challenge. The Gym Challenge filters out the good from the bad. Then the good compete to find out who is best. It is finally time for Alola to join this time-honored tradition.”

Restlessness and excitement reverberated through everyone in the plaza.

“In ten months’ time, this year’s Island Challenge will come to a close, and Alola’s first ever League Conference can begin.”

And then the crowd practically exploded in boisterous cheer.

I couldn’t help but be swept up in the moment, as Lilliane and I clapped with everyone else, but when I turned to look at her smile seemed as hollow as it had been a moment ago. Behind the Kahuna, Hau and the younger members of his family seemed genuinely ecstatic.

Kahuna Hala did not let his family see his deepening frown.