It’s late afternoon when I pull the loose, dark green top to fit my body and strap the beige belt bag around my hips. After sleeping for almost twelve hours straight, the world seems to be turning slower. My worries are still there, but they’ve changed for the better since Zir and Conia offered to help me train and Amethio made a sound of approval.
My team is rested, my things are sorted, and I’ve packed up my remaining Poké Balls to give them to Lillie later. Thanks to the Explorers’ resources, I don’t need them anymore and I couldn’t cope with another Pokémon in the same ball as Coro and Ying, anyway. Besides the Great Balls I’ve already given her, I’m sure she won’t say no to a few more, albeit simpler ones.
I take one last breath before tightening my side ponytail and finally leaving the room. Breakfast is already done. My only destination for the rest of the day is the Pokémon Center. I’m going to visit Mirra and hope that Lunala’s blessing helps – that I wasn’t just dreaming.
The warm air of the outside world, combined with the salty sea breeze, makes me groan. I briefly shield my gaze with my hand and look up at the Canyon, which looks impressive even from a distance. Then I make my way to Mimikyu.
The Pokémon Center is only a few minutes away from the airship and yet I’m sweating buckets as I step under the cool ventilation at the entrance and stop to dry my clothes. Nurse Joy is already waving to me, so I give her a small smile. She accompanies me to the room where my Pokémon is resting. Quietly, she tells me she’ll be back in a few minutes to discuss further action. Until then, I have time to tell Mirra about my little adventure.
Just like last time, I settle down on a chair next to her cot and place one hand on the ugly pink sack. A light blue sheen trickles down on her like powdered sand.
“I’m back,” I begin softly. “We were able to save Lillie’s mum. And Nebby ... you don’t even know it ... unfortunately... It was the Pokémon we wanted to save together with Lillie. After we tried to summon a legendary Pokémon, it evolved and became Lunala.” My fingers stroke the fabric. “I think that made me realise that my ability is limited to legendary Pokémon. Beings with very special missions in life ... at least I think so.”
Whether each of these creatures has a mission in life is just a guess on my part. Ultimately, I don’t even know what Lunala’s purpose is. On the other hand, it could be the connection of different dimensions and thus worlds, and therefore the management of every soul trying to jump from one place to another.
Sighing, I shake off the thought. “Anyway, everything turned out well and everyone did their best. Besides, I think I finally know how to work on myself and that ... we’re all going down this path together. You, me, and the rest of the team.”
“Travelling far?” Her sudden voice sends an electric shock through my body.
“You ... are awake...”
“I tired, but here.” A black claw creeps out from under the fabric and rests on my hand. “Happy, you here.”
“How could I not be here?” I bow my head. “You’re part of the team. My job is to wait for you when you need that time. I...” Swallowing is difficult. My eyes are burning. “I’m glad you’ve woken up. How are you?”
“I better,” she replies. “I been good? In fight?”
“You were fantastic...”
“Heard voice. You were unhappy.”
“Because that should never have happened.” I squeeze her black mass. “You should never have to sacrifice yourself for me. You deserve more than that. Together ... we’ll always find a way out from now on, okay?”
“Okay.” Her little eyes sparkle moistly and the pink fabric darkens at the edges.
“You still need a new costume ... if you want one.”
“I happy if okay.”
“It’s always okay.” My eyelids lower. “What kind would you like? Pikachu again?”
“Like?” She straightens up slowly and although I’d love to stop her, I have to trust she knows her limits. “You like Pikachu?”
“I don’t know... I’ve never seen one in real life and from what you read in articles, they’re nothing ... special.” I briefly put a hand on my cheek. “It’s fine with me if you don’t wear a costume. I like you just the way you are, Mirra.”
“I ugly,” she replies.
“Do you feel more comfortable in a costume?”
Instead of answering, she nods. It’s her decision, and if she’s not ready for life without a costume, then I’ll set up an entire wardrobe for her if necessary.
“Zorua,” she finally utters. “Zorua is pretty. You like Ying. But she tall now. I small. I weak, but sturdy.”
“You shouldn’t try to replace someone.” A smile creeps onto my lips. “Just be you.”
“Mirra is Mirra. But Mirra pretty like Zorua then.”
“Then I’ll make a Zorua costume for you.”
This time the gleam in her eyes seems to sparkle with joy and I’d love to hug her tight and let the others out, who care at least as much about Mimikyu as I do. But Nurse Joy will give me hell if I put Mirra through too much at once.
When the door opens a little later, I’m still holding Mirra’s claw. Joy is standing in the doorway, Mimikyu’s Great Ball in her hands, a brief look of astonishment on her features. It’s a change in her usually friendly face that disappears as a relieved smile flits across her lips. “I see the patient has woken up. That’s nice.”
“It is,” I confirm. “How long will she have to stay here?”
“You can take her with you,” replies Nurse Joy. “She would have been discharged today, anyway. There’s nothing more we can do. Your Mimikyu is out of danger. Now she just needs to regain her strength.”
A quick glance at my partner gives me relief. Lunala’s blessing will help her get back on her feet. The nights will be restful for her and maybe she’ll be as good as new in a month’s time.
“You should give your Pokémon the rest it needs. Being so close to death is unsettling for many. Take good care of each other and try to process what has happened.”
Process it. Don’t swallow it and tuck it away somewhere in the back of your mind. One difficulty that needs to be overcome.
As soon as Nurse Joy gives us both the “okay”, I stow Mimikyu in her ball and make my way back to the ship. Despite the improved conditions, the heat is not a bit more bearable and I have to dry my hands several times on my knee-length jeans before I dare to touch the wheel.
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In the lounge, Zir is dusting a few shelves while his Rhydon balances the books. Conia is sitting on the sofa, sipping a cup of tea as if she can’t be bothered. Yet her gaze immediately turns in my direction as soon as I cross the threshold.
“How is Mimikyu?”
“She’s awake and has been officially discharged,” I reply before nodding at Zir. “Spring cleaning in summer?”
“A lost bet,” Conia smirks. “By the way, Lillie turned up earlier. She’s in your room. You ... should see her.” Her eyelids droop for a moment. “She wanted to wait for you.”
“All right.” I raise my hand briefly to say goodbye to the situation before disappearing into the corridor where our room is.
As soon as I arrive, I knock so as not to startle Lillie before I enter. I am greeted by the scent of fresh flowers, closely followed by a sunny breeze in a sky-blue dress. With half her hair tied back in a pretty knot at the back of her head, Lillie’s wondrous green eyes scrutinise me as if we are meeting for the first time.
“Domino, you’re back!” The book in her hands slides into a small box. Next to it is the bag in which Nebby once spent a lot of time – full of clothes. “How is Mirra?”
“She’s recovering well. I was allowed to take her with me.” Although I can understand her curiosity, I don’t want to talk about Mimikyu in these seconds. I’m more concerned about Lillie’s neatly packed things. “Are you sorting things out?”
The smile on her lips fades. “I’m not good at sorting out.”
“How’s your mum?”
“She’s recovering. But she’ll need follow-up treatment. A fusion with a Pokémon ... is dangerous.” She glances at the box. “Treatment, far away from here.”
“And that’s why you’re packing your things...”
It’s obvious, and yet I don’t want to admit it. We haven’t had much time together and even fewer opportunities to really get to know each other. I don’t want to say we haven’t become friends, but we could learn a lot more about each other. Many questions remain unanswered. I don’t know what her favourite colour is or which Pokémon she finds cute apart from Nebby. The travelling and my focus on preparing for my wish to become a professor have prevented late-night girl talk. We were both far too excited and far too tired. Now we’re met with missed opportunities.
When Lillie finally nods, I feel my heart sink.
“Guzma made a few phone calls and was referred to a guy called Bill. He knows a thing or two about fusing with Pokémon ... at least he used to and, more or less, still does.” Lillie casually squats down and closes the handy box. She’s bought ten times more in her short time with the Explorers than I have. “We could reach him with an email and ... he offered to help us. But we have to go to Kanto for that.”
My hands clench into fists. “So ... you’re going on your own journey.”
“I will.” Her gaze lifts. “Gladion and I ... we’ll accompany Mum until she’s better. At least I’ll be there every step of the way. And while I’m at it, I’ll start training Pokémon and ... I’ll learn more. I want to help the Pokémon as quickly as possible. And I want to be able to protect someone when it counts.” She pulls herself back to her feet. “You’ve helped me out of trouble so many times when I was stuck. The others have also stepped in when I couldn’t do anything. I ... don’t want to be rescued from the easiest situations anymore.”
She feels the same as me. We both want to go one step further and not be a burden to anyone. That means our paths must part, no matter how nasty the feeling in my stomach revolts.
“And the three of you will manage?”
A restrained giggle escapes her. “Guzma will join us. He says he’d like to help my mum because she was so good to him before all these things happened.”
“And you think that’s safe?”
“He made breakfast this morning.”
“Guzma can cook?”
“No!” This time she has to laugh. “The toast was so burnt Gladion had to show him how to set the toaster properly. Then he burnt his hand on the pan and the fried egg was still uncooked, but he did his best. I saw mum looking happy for the first time in years and ... somehow it was a wonderful moment, even though not everything is resolved yet.” Her cheery glow fades. “My brother and mum ... are very awkward with each other. Gladion is only accompanying us because he wants to make sure we get to Bill safely. After that, he wants to go his own way. I just hope ... that he and mum ... have made up by then.”
“And if not, then maybe another day,” I reply. “Some things take time. Not everyone can just jump over their shadow. I’m sure one day you’ll be reunited as a family. Maybe not like the old days, but you’ll feel you’re in the right place and I think ... that’s what matters.”
“Thank you...” She kneads her hands, lips pressed together. It takes a blink before she takes a shaky breath and steers our conversation in a different direction. “Are you going to visit your father before you leave Alola?”
He hasn’t contacted me since I left. He probably still thinks that someone will soon find me scared and abandoned and take me home. He’s too stubborn to give up after such a short time. And admittedly, I’m no less stubborn. So I shake my head.
“If he wants something, he can contact me.”
“Don’t you think he’s worried?”
“He’s probably dying of worry,” I reply. It’s always been like that. My father knows little other than fear and caution towards me – as if I am a porcelain vase. “But I think that’s exactly what he needs. He has to learn to cope with this worry and believe that I can manage. I have something to prove to him and he ... needs to learn I won’t let him lock me up.”
“I hope one day you can reach out to each other.”
We probably will. Until then, I want him to try and catch me as soon as he realises I’m doing great without him. I will show him I can grow – beyond myself and his demands.
“The others have already said goodbye to me,” Lillie explains before pulling a Rotom out of her bag. It seems completely different to the device she used before. “I thought ... we could keep in touch.”
Without saying anything back, I reach for my Rotom Phone and connect with Lillie. Even if she’s no longer sharing this room with me, we’ll still have a connection and maybe things will feel less lonely then.
“Tell me about all your successes ... and your family.” Without further ado, I dig the Poké Balls out of my bag. “It’s not much ... but I’ve been collecting them for years so that one day I can put together my team. They’re just Poké Balls, but I think ... they were the start of my big plan. I hope they’ll help you make great friends among Pokémon.”
I drop them into Lillie’s open hands and she clutches them tightly to her chest, as if they are worth much more than the Great Balls I left her. “I’ll do my best! And you too! Tell me about all the adventures you have. Maybe one day we can go on one together ... when I’m stronger.”
When we are stronger. Without Amethio, I probably wouldn’t last four weeks out there. Reality has proven that being a trainer and discovering the world are two hard steps to be prepared for. As someone who hasn’t attended Pokémon school, I start off helpless. The arrogance of being able to do everything no longer exists. Alola has put me in my place.
“Do you want me to help you carry the box out?” We have to move on, and it’s probably easier if I take the first step. But Lillie points to her bag.
“If you want to help, you can take this. You’re not allowed to lift anything heavy.”
Curse that shoulder. So I grab the bag and hang it on the “healthy” side before Lillie lifts the box and I open the door to the corridor for her. Neither of us says another word until we have left the airship. The silence weighs heavily and despite the certainty that she won’t change her mind, part of me hopes Lillie will stay with us for a little longer.
But Gladion is waiting outside the ship, his hands tucked into a pair of black shorts; a green tank top on his body for a change. He greets me briefly before taking the box and Lillie relieves me of the bag. Then she looks at me one last time.
“See you soon, Domino.”
I can’t reply in time before she turns away from me with a flourish. Her blonde hair flows like the night we met, leaving me speechless and at a loss for words to say goodbye. I can only look after her. It’s the first time I’ve consciously parted ways with a friend. It’s harder than I could ever have imagined. I want to run after her, grab her wrist and hug her, begging her not to go.
“Are you okay?”
My whole body shrinks into itself as Conia suddenly puts a hand on my shoulder. It takes a few breaths before the shiver leaves me and I nod.
“How much longer are we going to stay?” Lillie is gone. It’s time for me to make plans.
“I don’t know.” She puts a finger to her chin. “Amethio said it might take us a fortnight to get out of here. The tasks Master Gibeon gave him seem to be time-consuming.”
I let out a sigh. The fact he probably hasn’t told anyone what to do means none of us is needed to help. This means I can waste time with Mirra’s new costume and maybe learn more about the Pokémon of other regions. With a bit of luck, I’ll get enough different species in my skull to decide which moves are the right ones in a battle. On top, there’s my upcoming training. Time will fly by – hopefully.
“By the way, you’ll be meeting Hamber soon,” Conia continues. “If possible, our next stop will be the main headquarters in Unova. That’s where you’ll get your uniform.”
I press the air between my lips again. It takes a while to get to Unova. I remember spending ages on a ship when we travelled to Alola. The airship will be quicker, but I don’t expect to arrive within a day.
Straightening my shoulders, I finally turn to Conia completely. “Are we going to do some training?”
“If you’re ready for some losses?”
We share a smile, and in those breaths, I know I’ll grow alongside the Explorers. A little more with each passing day. Until eventually they can rely on me.