TEEN: Dreams That You Dreamed (Ch. 7)

[AceTrainer14]

​

Banner by @canisaries

Pua Kealoha dreams of a life beyond the confines of his small Alolan town and their repressive way of living. When a string of newcomers arrive in town, he is suddenly presented with a gateway to the outside world. As his newfound freedom clashes with those around him, Pua must choose between his family, his future, and his dreams, before an outside threat makes the choice for him

This is Dreams That You Dreamed

Contains strong language and themes around sexuality and parental conflict that some may find triggering (not now, but in the future)

Contents:

Spoiler

DAWN
The Golden Hour (here)
New Boy
The Paradise Professor
Walk Beneath the Stars
The Lesser Routine
Working Classless

(COMING SOON)
DUSK

MIDNIGHT

Awards:

Spoiler

The Golden Hour

April 2011

It took a few seconds for the first bell chimes to reach him up in the valley, but in an instant, Pua knew he was dead.

"Shit!" He leapt to his feet, kicking up a cloud of dust that added to the filth already coating his skin. "Rocky! Here boy, come here boy… Rocky!"

"Ruff!"

Pua eyes darted across the thick field until he saw a scruffy brown face buried amongst the green. He lunged forward and grabbed his Pokémon in one swift movement; it made his back twinge in pain, but Pua knew however much he suffered in the next few minutes would be nothing compared to what his mother would inflict on him if he was late.

"We need to run, okay? You ready for that?"

"Ruff!"

Pua laughed. "Good boy." He put the puppy down and, without any hesitation, Rocky started running. Pua's laugh died on his face as he watched the Rockruff sprint away, a cloud of dust trailing behind him. There was no way he could possibly keep up with that pace. Then the second clang of bells hit him, and Pua knew he had no choice.

Praise Arceus for inventing the bubble bath, he thought with a grimace and started sprinting.

He should have realised the time earlier. Now that his head was out of the dirt, Pua could see the sun had sunken, pulling the colour away with it and leaving only dusky yellows pooled on the horizon; he had been out here at least six hours, roughly four and a half hours longer than he had promised.

In Pua's defence, it wasn't his fault. It was Ikaika's. He was the one who had told him about the nest of Bagon, so really, Pua should point his mother in Ikky's direction when she inevitably wanted to unleash her rage. Admittedly, Pua could have gotten some more information as to the Pokémon's exact location before searching the entirety of Route 3 for them, but surely he couldn't be blamed for their elusiveness.

Who the fuck am I kidding. She'll never buy that. Pua groaned, whether from his current pain or the one he knew was coming he couldn't tell, but it felt good to groan. It echoed over the valley as he bolted across the bridge, joining the thud of his feet slamming against the wood. Rocky was already out of sight, and the bells had rung for the fourth time; no matter what he did now, what excuse he came up with, he was going to get punished.

"Ruff!"

Pua skidded to a stop. It felt good to stop, but that lasted a second before the pain settled. His body already hurt from a solid day crawling through caves and fields, and his decision to try and run several kilometres in mere minutes without stretching was only making that pain worse. His ribs felt like they had collapsed and were trying to crush his lungs; his nose and throat burnt; his stitch crawling further up his chest. He groaned as he turned slowly, and groaned again as he craned his neck back. At the top of a vertical cliff face, on the outer boundaries of Iki Town, was Rocky, sitting pleasantly underneath a fence.

"Why do you hate me?"

"Ruff!" Rocky tilted his head to the left, pouting at the question.

"I'm joking, don't worry," Pua said, forcing a smile, though even that hurt. It seemed to reassure Rocky though, who barked at him and began panting frantically. "Shush!" Pua hissed, the fifth clang of the bell ringing out.

He looked the cliff up and down and sighed. He knew he didn't have time to make it down to Route 1; there was only one choice left, even if it filled his beating heart with dread. Tapu Koko, I'm doing this for you, so you better give me strength, he thought bitterly as he ran back to the edge of the path. With a tribal yell, Pua sprinted forwards and flung himself at the cliff.

His chest slammed into the exposed earth. Pain shuddered through his body, but Pua repressed it and focused on getting a foothold. He got a grip on some roots and pushed his feet into the earth. It wasn't much, but it was enough for Pua to haul himself up, arms screaming in protest, until he was closer to the top. He reached out and grabbed onto a fence post, and hauled himself up as the roots disintegrated in his hands.

"Fuck me." The seventh chimes sounded as Pua rolled onto smooth land. He was so close, but he had no desire to carry on. The grass was so soft and cool he felt his body sinking into it, his muscles already relaxing into position. Pua tilted his head to his right and stared at the sunset, smiling as the dying light washed over him. Surely I can miss one meeting, who is it going to hurt?

The answer came to him instantly: him. He would be hurt a lot if he didn't make an appearance. Pua could already imagine his mother seething in her seat. She may love this island and the community and the gods, but that love could easily turn to hate if things didn't go her way. He was surprised she wasn't already out here, tearing through the town trying to find him.

With a groan, Pua pushed himself up, his muscles protesting every movement, and slowly got up to his feet. He limped down the gap between several houses before stumbling out onto the main street. "Ruff!" Rockruff barked, hopping madly on the spot as his eyes flickered from his trainer to the chapel. At least someone is waiting for me.

He turned towards his destination. The church stood on the other side of the town square, yet as the sun set behind it, the building's shadow managed to stretch towards Pua, engulfing all the surrounding buildings in darkness. The sun made the orange tiles shimmer like fire, and as Pua limped towards it, he felt he was descending into the mouth of hell.

Pua paused as he approached the main doors, eyeing the wings that stretched out from either side of the central chamber, wondering if he could slip through the kitchens and pretend he'd been in the bathroom. But as he stood there, Pua realised something was wrong. He looked up at the bell house that sat at the point of the giant roof and then it hit him; all was quiet. The bell had stopped ringing, which meant everyone was indoors. The meeting had already started.

Pua swore under his breath and looked down at Rocky. "Alright, we can still salvage this, just don't make a scene," he hissed.

"Ruff!" The Rockruff replied, and promptly sprinted through the doors.

Wood hit wood as the doors bounced off the support beams, sending a shivering through the building and down Pua's spine. Fuck. He was left only with only his reflection, and even Pua didn't want to see that: his cheeks were flushed, there was dirt nestled in his thick black hair, and sweat coated his chestnut skin. He raised his arms and saw his shirt was damp from armpit to waist. He was a mess, an obvious one at that. It was probably sacrilegious to enter the church like this, but Pua had no choice.

Here goes nothing, he thought, and with a final sigh, he stepped inside.

In his mind, he had expected everyone to turn dramatically and glower at his dirty, sweaty body. Yet the sound of the door thudding shut was drowned out by raucous choir song that reverberated through the room. Standing in the doorway feeling like a corpse who had just crawled their way out of a grave, Pua couldn't help but smirk at his own fear. Everyone may be dressed up in their Sunday best, the parishioners decked out in a rainbow of colours like a human kaleidoscope, making his appearance all the more revolting, but they were too focused on the ceremony to care. In his frantic state, Pua had forgotten one simple fact; most people actually wanted to be here.

"Pua! Pua!"

Pua jumped at the sound of his own name and turned terrified to his left. His friend Leilani was staring at him scandalised, frantically tapping the seat next to her. Without any hesitation, Pua slipped in next to her, relieved at her presence even if her long red dress put his tatty clothes to shame.

"Where were you?" She hissed.

"The fields."

A smirk slid across her face. "You know, you don't have to go all the way out there to have a wank. There are perfectly good trees nearby where you can hide your sin."

"Careful, we're in a place of worship; Solgaleo and Lunala might strike you down."

"I'd like to see them try with something this fabulous," Leilani said sassily, shaking her head and letting her long black hair shimmy in the light.

Pua sniggered into his hand, and for a moment felt at peace. Sitting in the church normally left him feeling ridiculous. This room alone was big enough to fit five houses, yet apart from the benches and religious artefacts on the walls, it was an empty vessel serving little purpose for most of the year. Even as a child, Pua had felt it was a waste of space. Yet as he sat at the back of the church, relief washing over him, he looked to the high vaulted ceiling and watched as the dying light poured through a cartoonish glass sun, and for once was left with a sense of euphoria.

Silence suddenly consumed the church. The singing had stopped and everyone had settled into their seats, backs straight and eyes focused on the front of the room. Pua and Leilani copied them as the man they were here to see stepped up to the plinth perfectly centred in front of the aisle.

On paper, there was nothing that made Joshua special. Average height, an unremarkably attractive face, slim body; he did not stand out physically like so many of the men in the town did. Even his kiehe, a blinding shade of orange, seemed meek compared to the congregation before him. Yet when the Kahuna began speaking, his power was revealed. Joshua was young, not even in his thirties, yet over the last few years Pua had watched as even the eldest and wisest people in the village found themselves transfixed by his voice and encapsulated by his speech.

"It is a pleasure to see you all here again." His first words echoed thunderously against the empty roof, and Pua noticed a ripple of admiration seemed to pass through the townspeople. "The gods thank you for the time you sacrifice each week to recognise the sacrifices they have made for us."

Joshua bowed his head for a moment and a hundred people echoed his movement. When Joshua straightened up again, there was a mass shuffling as everyone followed suit. Pua thought he detected a smile on the Kahuna's face at this, but he was too far away to be certain, and when Joshua stepped around the plinth and into the aisle, his face was sombre.

"Did you all see the news this week?" He called the question out into the room for all to answer and paused as murmurs of agreement flowed back to him. "Good, I am glad to hear it. Now tell me, what is the biggest story you remember from last week?" Joshua paused, eyebrow raised quizzically as if in a pantomime. When no one responded, he stretched his arms out and spun around, eyes flickering from person to person. "No one? Were you all lying to me?" He said teasingly, and he laughed with his flock. "Of course not. No, it appears we are caught up in a global slow news week. Only Skitty being rescued from trees making headlines, am I right?" He added, pointing to one old woman Pua couldn't identify from afar, and her cackle made everyone else laugh.

"It makes a nice change, doesn't it?" In a second, the laughter died. Joshua's face had become stony once more, and no one dared so much as giggle to their neighbour. "For three years straight, we watched as horrors struck down our allies around the world. A criminal organisation nearly took over Kanto and Johto. Civil war between business empires and activist groups in Hoenn almost ended in global environmental catastrophe. Just last year, a cult leader in Sinnoh thought he knew better than the gods and sought to remake the world in his image.

"Throughout all of these barely averted disasters, one thing was clear to me. Pride." Joshua paused as murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd and nodded knowingly at his patrons. "These men – Giovanni, Cyrus, Maxie, Archie – they all had pride in their hearts. These hubristic men saw themselves as better than all others, great enough to command the gods themselves. Pride was what drove them, and it is what proved to be their downfall.

"However," Joshua said, pointing vigorously to the skies, "they are not alone. Yes, these men indeed went above and beyond anyone else, but their sins are not theirs alone. Our neighbours, they push people to be the very best, they push each other to usurp their betters and take what they consider to be theirs. They have become so driven by pride and greed that they have let their obsession with battling, with training, with championships hold them by the throat and refuse to let go. These are regions that allow the battling of Pokémon to be at the very height of their government. These are regions that view their gods beneath them; that put them on the same level as Rattata and Pikipek and allow them to become the property of children! The horrors that they endured, they brought them upon themselves as the gods punished them for their delusions of grandeur, for their pride with which they see themselves!"

Joshua marched back to the front of the chapel as applause and cheers of approval swelled behind him. "It has been a year since we watched Mount Coronet turn red with the blood of innocents. One year, and already our neighbours have moved on. Their hubris will continue to be their downfall until they learn the true cost of their actions.

"But WE, we here in Alola know our place. We know the Pokémon around us are our equals, we know that it is only by the grace of the gods above us that we have not been struck down and suffered the way our neighbours have. For centuries, we have been free from turmoil and tragedy. We were the first region to end the conflict with Pokémon, to live with them in harmony, and since then we have seen only peace. Yet we will only continue to have peace so long as we reject the sins that have consumed the other regions. We will only be free from apocalypse if we reject the practices that are trying to infiltrate our islands. I pray that you all stand with me and swear to Solgaleo, to Lunala, to Tapu Koko, swear to them that you will not let these foreign poisons seep into our shores!"

The noise that erupted inside the chapel was so sonorous anyone not in the know may have thought that Tapu Koko himself had appeared. Instead, Pua watched as half the congregation rose to their feet, clapping and stamping and screaming. Those who did not and could not lifted their hands and threw back their heads, shouting their prayers to the skies. Joshua disappeared behind this sea of agreement, but Pua could imagine the Kahuna watching this without irony, and the thought made him cross his arms tighter.



"Well, that was fucking pathetic."

Pua struggled to stifle his snigger at Leilani's sister, Helena, slapped her across the shoulder.

"Do you want to get the whole family ex-communicated?"

"Don't tell me you believed any of that?" Leilani scoffed.

"Of course not, but all these other fuckers do, so if you are going to smite them, smite quietly." Helena rolled her eyes at Pua before strutting back to her family who were mingling with the crowds, leaving Pua and Leilani leaning against the church. Pua's eyes followed Helena as she left, disappearing into the throngs of townspeople who were refusing to let their weekly church visit end anytime soon.

"You perv, stop watching my sister!"

Pua turned incredulously to his friend. "I was not! I was looking at her pareo, jeez," he said defensively, pointing at the hot pink fabric tied around Helena's waist. "You know I wouldn't be checking her out."

"I know," Leilani said, rolling her eyes and punching him on the shoulder. "God, you are so easy to wind up."

Pua smiled awkwardly. He had been on edge ever since he had told her his secret a few weeks ago; he trusted Leilani with all his heart, but she was so fiery that it made her hard to read most of the time. "You probably shouldn't use that word dismissively around here, Kahuna Joshua might hear you."

"Oh no, you're right. Do you think he'd prefer if I said fuck loudly instead?"

"You won't know until you try."

"FUCK!" Leilani said in a barely concealed stage whisper. Pua had to turn and face the church to try and dissociate himself, but his carrying snigger betrayed him. "Oh calm down, no one even heard me. I doubt they can hear anything with Joshy's little sermon buzzing about their tiny minds."

"Do not get me started," Pua groaned, returning to his regular lean. "What even brought that on? You think he's heard about that gang that's started up?"

Leilani scoffed. "You mean those high school dropouts? They are hardly at the stage of creating mutant demons and summoning gods, are they? He's just getting his case out there early before anyone gets convinced otherwise."

"What are you on about?" Leilani was struggling not to smirk, a shrewd smile Pua had come to know all too well. "You know something, don't you? Spit it out!"

"That's what he said," she shot back, winking, her smirk only growing wider.

"Oh my god, you're such a bitch sometimes." Pua stepped in front of her and shoved his face right into hers. "I am going to stay like this until you tell me everything!"

"Gross," Leilani scoffed, dramatically turning away and shoving his face away. "Fine, I suppose I'll let you in on my little secret, but you've got to promise not to – sweet Mudsdale dick, who the fuck is that?"

Pua turned to follow her line of sight. Across the town square, near the closest house to the church, stood two men. One stood with his back to Pua, but with those broad shoulders slowly giving way to age and fat, enclosed in a lemon yellow jacket that was as much a symbol of the island as Tapu Koko, it could only be Hala. He appeared to be showing around the second man, a thin pale man in tatty jeans and a shirt, an obvious outlier amongst the sea of brown faces and colourful kiehe around him.

"No idea, but in those clothes, he's probably just some shabby tourist."

"Not him," Leilani groaned, grabbing Pua's head and turning it to the left. "Him."

Pua looked again, and when he saw who Leilani was pointing at, he froze on the spot. A teenage boy stood a few feet from the tourist, arms crossed dismissively and a vacant look on his face. Dressed in a blue singlet and matching shorts, skin like fine china was on display for all to see, a shade of white so fine it made the man he was with look native by comparison. His hair was the colour of straw, which only made it look more like a mess, bits sticking up while a thick clump hung fringe-like over half the face. Pua had no idea who this was, but there was something about this pale stranger that fascinated him. He wanted to walk over, but there was a tickle down his neck that was hot and cold all at once that made him slink further back against the church.

"You don't think they'd actually let any more white people move in here, do you?"

"Of course not," Pua said, talking through the lump that arisen in his throat. "Can you imagine Rhydon? She'd have a seizure if that happened."

"Uh oh, speak of the –"

"PUA KEALOHA!"

The six syllables exploded across the square like a thunderclap, and as if he had been electrocuted, Pua leapt forwards in shock. The sudden movement made his tired muscles tense, but renewed pain was the least of his issues. He could see most people had turned to him, and Pua's face obediently blushed in reaction, but he only had eyes for one person.

The townspeople had been huddled closely together a moment earlier, but they all parted as Anahera Kealoha made her way through the crowd. As tall as most men with shoulders to put them to shame, Anahera was not a woman many took for granted, especially when her broad face was as tight with rage as it was currently.

"Where were you?" She bellowed while she was still metres from her son. "I nearly missed the service waiting for you! You look disgusting, what were you doing out there?"

"Time just slipped away from me," Pua said without thinking, and regretted it as his mother's face narrowed further.

"Well I certainly won't be letting that happen again! Your pet managed to make it inside so I trust you did as well."

"Yeah, I sat with Leilani and her –"

"Good." Anahera turned briefly to Leilani and dismissed her with a mere uptick of her lips. "That's one less thing I'll have to apologise to Kahuna Joshua about."

"You don't have to apologise to him for –"

"No, I shouldn't have to!" Anahera shouted, eyes bulging from her sockets. "If you had come home on time and dressed less like a homeless tramp than I wouldn't have to, would I? You better pray that Tapu Koko does not look on us poorly because of this. Come home, let's get home before anyone else sees what a state you're in."

They wouldn't have noticed me at all if you hadn't made a scene, Pua thought bitterly, but he swallowed his words. Anahera was already marching ahead, the people parting for her looking at her briefly before turning back to Pua, and he doubted there was a redder brown boy on the island than him.

"See you tomorrow," he muttered to Leilani, not daring to meet her eye, and he followed after Anahera.

"Ruff!"

Pua paused and looked down. Rocky was running in circles around him as though trying to trip him over, panting obliviously to the chaos around him. "I knew we should have stayed in the fields," Pua mumbled to the dog. The Rockruff's obliviousness made him smile, but as he walked past everyone in town, he kept his head down and his eyes on the earth, hoping to whoever was out there that no one was watching, especially not the stranger.

 

[AceTrainer14]

New Boy

"Mr Kealoha, I hope I am not boring you?"

Pua jolted upwards with such speed his neck cricked, but he forced himself not to let the pain show. "No sir, not at all."

"I see." Mr Hopoi peered over the top of his glasses, large square frames that made his eyes look cartoonishly large. "If you are so terribly engaged then, you can fill in some information for us I am sure. What, for example, occurred first: the attack on Kalos, or the siege of the Sevii Islands?"

"Kalos."

"Very good. You're off the hook, for now. Don't want to overstimulate your poor brain too much." Mr Hopoi failed to stop himself from smirking as the class erupted in a chorus of stifled laughter around him.

Pua managed to laugh himself, but as soon as the drama-hungry eyes of his classmates had looked away, he sank back into his chair, sighing. He had to stay awake for the rest of the class, but his eyelids had been heavy all morning and it was taking what little energy he had left to keep them open. The sun was streaming through the open windows, the warm air enveloping his body, and Pua longed to accept its embrace.

Something solid rapped the back of his head. "If you so much as blink too slowly, he is going to call your skinny brown ass out again," Leilani hissed into his ear.

Pua tilted his head as though he was looking out the window, but peered at his friend and caught her wicked, shining grin. "You smiling like that isn't going to help. No one ever looks happy in this class."

"Unless you're one the nerds in the front row who thinks getting pounded with facts is as good as sex."

"I suppose," Pua mumbled, hastily guzzling water as to stifle his sniggering.

"Why are you so bloody tired anyway? You and Rhydon went home before anyone else did."

Pua didn't say anything. There was too much to say now, and it was not the type of conversation he could whisper in the middle of a packed classroom. Even if Leilani had asked him when they were away from everyone else, he doubted he could tell her anyway. Pua had already talked so much about his home life that the impact was getting dulled; for her, it was another story of his mad mother, but for him, it was real life.

Pua sighed internally and pushed the thoughts aside. He couldn't let them consume him more than they already had. He had already zoned out for longer than he had realised: grainy images of a giant flaming bird were moving across the whiteboard, and Pua had no idea how long this video had been running for.

"As we can see from this footage, Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres appeared and unleashed their fury. Without them, the Kantonian army would have fallen, and Team Rocket or the Rocket Project, whichever name you prefer, same difference, would have proved victorious. Of course, they returned twelve years later, but that is a story for another time. Now, any questions?"

There was a moment of silence before Leilani spoke up in a loud, bored tone of voice. "Why are we learning about this?"

Mr Hopoi stiffened as the class sniggered. "Do you have something against world history, Miss Toloa? I would have thought wars and exploding buildings was exactly your cup of tea."

"Oh, I don't have an issue with that, believe me," Leilani replied, smiling wickedly. "It's just… what's the point in us learning about Kanto's conflicts? It's on the other side of the world, we have nothing to do with them. I mean, when was the last time Alola got blown up?"

"That's exactly the type of thing someone would say right before shit gets real," Mr Hopoi shot back and smirked as his language made several students titter. "It's precisely because of your last point that we are discussing this. Were you not listening to the Kahuna's sermon yesterday? Our far away neighbours have fallen out of faith with their gods. They do not honour them and they do not value them before their own needs and desires and goals."

"If their gods don't like them, then why did those big old birds save the day? They could have just stayed in the sky and let the whole country burn."

"The gods are not spiteful creatures, Leilani. They had already let one region burn, they were not going to let another, and they did not need to. The world had watched Kalos burn, they could see what happened when the gods went ignored – and goodness knows Kalos was far more flawed and hedonistic than anyone else. They let Kanto suffer, but they showed them what happens when the gods choose to intervene. They reminded everyone that they can be merciful, that they have a role to play in protecting us from darker forces, but that people must honour their sacrifices rather than expecting them to happen."

Leilani's scoff echoed through the silent room. "That makes no sense whatsoever. The gods went to Kalos as well. There is footage of them trying to save everyone – Latios and Latias, Xerneas, Groudon, I think Meleo –"

An electronic chime reverberated through the classroom, cutting Leilani off mid-sentence. "Alright everyone, have a pleasant lunch and I will see you tomorrow," Mr Hopoi said quickly, shooting Leilani one final filthy glare before busying himself with his briefcase.

Leilani did not return the look. Pua watched her angrily shove her stationery into her bag before pushing through their classmates, forcing him to jog to keep up with her.

She started talking before Pua was alongside, but her voice and tone were so explosive that practically the whole school could hear her as they flooded onto the field. "Is it just me, or does it feel like there is some grand fucking conspiracy gripping the island?"

"You mean all this talk about the other regions?" Pua asked as he pulled into a breathless stride beside her.

"No, I'm talking about the fluoride in the water." Leilani made sure to turn to him as she rolled her eyes, big and brown like two cups of coffee. "Of course that's what I'm talking about! I can barely handle Joshy talking about it in church, but if they are letting this anti-Pokémon League discourse seep into the school, then things are really fucked."

The two were marching across the field at this point, heading to the one side bordered by trees rather than white wooden classrooms. Leilani through her bag against the roots of the pohutukawa tree that covered the northern corner of the field, the purple fabric kicking up the red flowers that sat in a heap atop the grass, and clambered onto the curved base of one of the trunks, resting her feet in the spot were all five spawned from the ground.

"This has really got you worked up," Pua said as he put his bag down more carefully before climbing onto the trunk opposite.

"Damn straight, and you should be as well. These pricks are all working together to get their narrow-minded case out there before anyone can have an original thought."

"You were talking like this last night, what the fuck is going on?"

"Oh right, I was going to tell you." Leilani sat forwards, signalling for Pua to do the same. There was no one around them, most people preferring the close of trees behind the classrooms to the baked earth they called a field, but Leilani's solemn face made it clear this was serious. "Have you heard about the Pokémon professor that's moved to the island?"

"Rumours," Pua whispered back. It had been a big story a few months ago; Melemele had never had a professor based there before, certainly not in a town as small as Iki. It was all people had spoken about for weeks, but one day the conversation had simply stopped.

"Well, they're true. His name is Kukui and he moved in the other day. He trained under Professor Oak from Kanto, he specialises in studying Pokémon attacks, and he is going to be too much for your little brown ass to handle."

Pua blushed but soldiered through. "How do you know all this?"

"Helena got a job with him. Research assistant, lucky bitch," Leilani grunted.

"That's a sweet gig. Wait, what does this have to do with Joshua?"

"I'm getting there, calm your farm!" Leilani said with a wiggle of her head. "Apparently Joshua, Hala, and a few others met him when he was first looking for property here. They wanted to scout him out the way they always do. Helena told me that the meeting was going well at first, but then Kukui mentioned how he has a teensy weensy dream for little old Alola."

Pua waited for her to carry on, but Leilani paused, unable to stop her smile covering her face. "Spit it out!"

"How many times have you heard that this week?"

"Lani!"

"He wants to introduce a Pokémon League."

The seven words hit him as solidly as a punch to the throat, and Pua sank back against the trunk. Through the branches, he could see the usual group of boys playing football, he could see their mouths moving, he could imagine them screaming. But he heard nothing. Only a faint buzzing that swelled inside his ears. He tried to move, but his body had gone numb, solid, as if it had sunken into the tree. With what felt like a great deal of effort, Pua turned his head back to Leilani, and it was only when he caught her barely restrained smile and her gleeful eyes that reality tuned back into focus.

"A league? An actual league?!"

"An honest to the gods proper, Kanto-styled, motherfucking league."

Pua almost yelled in joy before stopping himself, instead emitting a noise that sounded like a pig squealing. He and Leilani looked at each other and burst out laughing, leaning into each other and letting their bodies shake together.

For the two of them, the Pokémon League had always been their dream. Leilani's parents were secret fans of all the tournaments, and they used to let Pua stay over on the nights of big championship battles. Pua had watched Alder of Unova and Casimer of Kanto face off in a spectatorship battle, he had seen Red's first defender bout after he took over from Casimer, and he and Leilani had stayed up for hours to watch Kris defend herself again Lance. Everything about those battles had entranced them since they were children, and it was all they lived for.

However, Alola had chosen not to copy the other regions. Instead, they had the Island Challenge. Like everything else, it was an old tradition that had been adapted for the modern age; centuries ago, men in the villages had been allowed to challenge the islands Kahuna for their title at special religious events. As Pokémon training became more common through the islands, it had become more restrained, with the winners receiving bountiful prizes as a reward for proving themselves in the eyes of the gods.

Pua knew he would tackle the Challenge one day, but the thought did not fill him with ecstasy the same way the leagues did. He was only three years away from eighteen, but kids in the other regions as young as ten were allowed to compete for the biggest prize there was. He was the same age as Red and he had been Champion for three years. All Pua would get if he defeated Hala is a smattering of applause and a framed stamp.

His excitement was quickly consuming him, but as his body rocked joyfully against Leilani's, a solemn thought pierced his gleeful bubble. "Wait, you said the meeting went well until he brought that up."

Leilani stopped laughing as well, and she leant back across her branch, sighing. "Helena wasn't there, but from what Kukui told her, it sounded like our locals didn't take too kindly to the idea."

"Why?"

"No idea," Leilani said, shrugging. "Even Kukui is in the dark. They basically just shot the idea down and said it wouldn't work, and then sat there frostily for the rest of the meeting. Kukui made it clear to them when he left that he will continue to look into it, but they said nothing. He didn't hear anything from them for weeks, but now that he is moving in, I guess they've decided to get their message out there first."

"But they can't do that!" Pua huffed. "No one's going to let it happen if they turn everyone against it beforehand."

Leilani clutched Pua's right hand with her left and stroked it, but even her touch was not enough to calm him. "Honey, I think that's kind of the point."

Pua couldn't meet her eyes anymore. He stared through the branches, biting his lip to stop himself from crying. This island. This fucking island. The field was barely bigger than the church, yet the entire school, from little five years old just learning the alphabet to legal adults waiting for the year to end, could fit on it comfortably. The classrooms had not been updated since the fifties when they were built, just like the morals of everyone that passed through. They just sat there, packed tightly together like a prefabricated maze, expecting you to be happy simply because the gods demanded it.

I hate this fucking island. Something flickered passed his eyes as the thought crossed his mind; for a second, Pua thought he was actually seeing red. But then something landed lightly on his head and he realised it was the tree's flowers; the entire trunk he was on was shaking, and Pua awkwardly realised why. He stopped shaking and tried not to look at Leilani, even though he knew those emerald pools in her eyes were locked onto him.

Thankfully, she knew him too well to bring it up and make things worse. "You will have to come and meet Kukui with me soon. Helena said I can come visit once he's got everything unpacked and set up."

Pua's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?"

"No, bitch, I'm messing you," Leilani scoffed. "Of course I'm fucking serious! He's meant to be a really cool guy, he'd love to meet you."

"Who's a cool guy?"

"FUCKING ARCEUS SHITHEAD!" Leilani grabbed Pua's neck with one hand and a broken branch with the other, trying desperately to hold on as she began to slide off the trunk. "For the love of the gods, Ikky, can you announce yourself next time before you scream in my ear?"

"I called out to you two but you were busy gossiping!" Ikaika said defensively, making no effort to help right Leilani.

Pua glared at his friend as he hauled Leilani back up. "Thanks for the tip about the Bagon," he said sarcastically. "Was that genuine, or were you trying to make my mother angry with me?"

"Genuine!" Ikaika huffed, his thick afro shaking indignantly. "Bloody hell, I never would have come over here if I knew you two would be this grumpy."

"Well maybe say hello like a normal person and we won't need to be grumpy," Leilani scowled and clipped him around the ear. She watched him huffily, but still moved her legs so their friend could climb up.

The tree shuddered as Ikaika sank onto a trunk opposite them, his waistline spilling out of his cotton shirt and rolling over the sides. "I'm sorry you didn't find any," he said, pouting. "I swear I saw one earlier, but I guess it moved… or was something else… but yeah, sorry Rhydon hauled you away in front of everyone."

A bubble of guilt rose up Pua's throat. "That wasn't because of you. I should have paid more attention to the time, it's all my own fault." He forced a smile and tried to swallow the anger that seemed to be buzzing through his body.

"I guess… well, you can't blame me for the fact you looked like shit." Ikaika smiled proudly but uncertainly at his joke, but looked reassured as Leilani started sniggering. Quickly, a chorus of laughter rose up through the branches.

Pua sat there and smiled with his friends, but pretending to laugh would be pushing things. He didn't want to ruin either of their days, and after what Leilani had just passed on, he knew he could not keep his emotions in check if he started talking. Yet the shouting, the rage, the argument that never ended, it had been replaying in a loop ever since he had woken up and slipped out of the house and nothing seemed to quell it. It was easy to smirk at his sweaty face being dragged through the whole town; Pua just wished he didn't feel that way all the time.

A giant popping pulled him from his thoughts. "Have you heard the latest about those skull people?" Ikaika had brought his bag into the tree with him and was opening up a family sized bag of chips, greasy crumbs flying from his mouth.

"Team Skull? What have those losers done now?" Pua said a note too loudly; in his desperation to leave that morning, he had grabbed just an apple which he had already eaten, and Ikky had reminded him how hungry he was.

"They robbed an old lady who was walking her Meowth on the beach. Stole her watch and necklace, I think."

"That's awful," Leilani growled. "Honestly, Joshua needs to stop caring about the other regions and start giving those arseholes a beat down."

"Oh yeah, that was weird last night," Ikaika said with a full mouth. "I thought he was talking about Skull though. Why else is he bringing up Giovanni – I thought that guy was dead?"

Leilani, eyes rolling once more, began to respond, but before she could say more than a sarcastic syllable, something shot between them all. Pua and Ikaika both yelled as the bag of chips went flying out of the latter's hand before the object hit the unoccupied trunk. It bounced back towards Pua, who, in trying to protect his face, inadvertently caught it. He stared at it as if it was a foreign object, trying to work out why he was holding a football.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, please tell me that didn't hit anyone."

Pua paused, eyes locked on the black and white ball. He could feel his heart pounding in all parts of his body, the veins in his wrist and neck and ears pulsating rapidly. He could tell already from the accent, the words higher and faster than there were around here, who this was, but Pua couldn't dare look at him to confirm. He did not know what might happen.

"Ummm, is something wrong with him?"

"He's been a weirdo today, like normal," Ikaika said with a sharp laugh, and he snatched the ball from Pua's hands. Without anything to focus on, Pua had no choice but to look up. He shut his eyes for a second, bracing himself, and finally turned.

The blond boy from across the town square stood before him, framed by the arms of the trunk. The shade covered his face but his pale skin stood out, somehow making the white shirt of their uniform look dark. But now that he was up close, Pua could see more than just the obvious; oceanic blue eyes that matched their shorts, a mole just under his left ear, turquoise veins bulging slightly around his arms. This guy, whoever he was, was unlike anything he had seen on the island before.

"Pua's absolutely fine, aren't you Pua?"

Pua's eyes flickered briefly to catch Leilani's condescending face before switching back to the new boy. "I'm fine, yes, totally fine. I was just making sure the ball was… safe…"

"Safe?" The white boy said, faint yellow eyebrow arcing upwards.

"Yeah, you know, making sure it was… firm…" The last word came out in a choke, and Pua forced himself to cough and beat his chest. "Sorry, just swallowed some air."

The new boy nodded slowly, his top lip curled into a slight knowing smirk. "I've got you. I'm Chase, by the way," he added, extending a hand.

Pua looked at it as if a shit-covered stick had just been shoved in his face, and slid further up the trunk. Chase looked confused, but Ikaika lunged forwards and gripped the ignored hand. "I'm Ikaikia, but you can call me Ikky. He's Pua, she's Leilani. Are you our age? I didn't see you in class this morning."

"I'm sixteen, yeah," Chase said, casting an uncertain eye down on the firm grip around his hand. "I was just sorting out some details and stuff this morning, buying my uniform and everything. I'll be in after lunch though, I guess. It's going to be weird being in a class with, what, a fifth of the school at the time?"

"Small town, not enough kids," Leilani said simply, her eyes focused on the flowers though Pua could see her trying not to smile.

"I know, just a bit of a shock. We had much bigger classrooms back in Kanto."

"Kanto, eh?" Ikky said suspiciously. "Why are you here?"

"Here? You mean at school?" Chase's laugh was accented as well. Pua thought there was something almost musically quaint about how high it got.

"No, dingus. The island."

"Oh, right." Chase broke free of Ikky's grip and wiped his now greasy hand on his shorts. "My dad got offered a job here – it's a bit secretive, so I can't go into too much detail, but you'll be stuck with me for a while at least."

"What sort of job?" Pua blurted the words out before he had even processed them, and he retreated further up the tree.

"As I said, it's a secret," Chase said, his curious eyes boring into Pua. "I'm going to head back to the game. Nice meeting you all."

"Nice meeting you!" Ikky boomed, while Leilani just nodded.

Chase was already walking away when Pua realised he hadn't said anything, and without cause shouted the first thing that came to mind. "Your uniform looks… new…"

The blond boy stopped and turned back, not even trying to hide his smirk. "Thanks, man. Yours too." And with a parting chuckle, he ran back towards the field.

Before Pua's shame could take a hold of him, Leilani started cackling beside them. "What are you laughing about?" Ikky snorted.

"That boy is so fucking white!" She squealed. "How he hasn't caught on fire under this sun I will never know." Leilani doubled over on the spot as the laughter consumed her, tears suddenly running down her face. "I mean, Chase! Chase! What sort of fake ass name is that? And that fringe – is he trying to cosplay a Staraptor? Tapu Koko give me strength!"

Ikky frowned as Leilani continued to shake on the spot, nearly tipping out of the tree. "What is it with you two today? You're both being really weird." He rolled his eyes and climbed down from his trunk, bending over so he could retrieve his chips.

"Ikky, pull your pants up," Leilani squealed breathlessly through her sniggers. Pua averted his eyes from the exposed crack and began laughing himself, though even as Ikky continued to snap at them, he knew he wasn't laughing at that. He felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders; he had no idea why, but he was happy to embrace the feeling. He leaned back against the trunk and listened to a snorting Leilani and an indignant Ikky bicker, but he happily ignored them, letting his eyes be drawn towards the field as he wondered what class they had next.

 

[AceTrainer14]

The Paradise Professor

The knock echoed throughout the house. It was like a jolt had been fired through Pua's body; one second, he was lying on his bed, eyes shut, thinking about sandy hair and ocean blue eyes, the next, the whole house seemed to be shaking.

Pua bolted upright the second he heard it. Don't tell me Joshua's been right all along, he thought with grim shame. He could hear his mother's thunderous footsteps as she rose to answer the summons, but the sound was drowned by his own pounding heart. No one ever called around on a Saturday. It was basically outlawed around here. If someone was at their door, Pua knew it was bad news.

Why did it have to be today?It would be just Pua's luck to have his whole world implode on a Saturday. It was the only day of the week he actually looked forward to, and that alone meant he was usually terrified something would go wrong. Only on Saturday could he truly be himself, the one day he could drop the performance that came with school and church; forcing a smile, pretending he was happy to be there, acting as though everything was normal. Pua knew the anxiety and resentment he felt in these places was not unique to him, but he was confident that this burden he felt was his to bare by himself, and that alone made the whole situation effortlessly worse.

Saturday, though. Saturdays were magical. They were quiet, peaceful, relaxing, every superlative he could think of. Once he closed his bedroom door, once the eyes of the world were off him, Pua felt like a weight had been lifted. There was no pressure on him on Saturdays, no urge to be one way or the other; he was simply himself and Pua only wished there were more hours in the day so he could feel this free for longer.

Unless, of course, someone arrived unexpectedly. Pua sat on the edge of his bed, his whole body tense, straining to hear who it was. He checked the window, making sure he had pulled the blinds shut before beginning, but he wouldn't put anything past his nosy neighbours. He looked at his alarm and saw a minute had passed since the knocking had stopped; whatever conversation was unfolding below, it was at least being held in muted tones.

By the time two minutes had passed, curiosity had become to overwhelm his fear. Oh fuck it, I'm not waiting here for my sentence. Pua zipped his jeans and readjusted himself before creeping towards the door and opening it a crack.

"RUFF!"

Pua jumped backwards as his door was flung open. "Rocky!" He hissed as the Rockruff bounded inside.

"RUFF!" Rocky responded. He was so excited he seemed to forget his own strength, leaping about and crashing into things with more force than his small body would suggest, before leaping onto the bed and stared expectantly at his master. He normally spent most of the weekend in here that he undoubtedly thought Pua shutting him out was some sort of game – Pua didn't know how to explain to a Pokémon that it was one, one only one person could play.

"Pua Kealoha!"

Fuck me. "Look what you've done!" Pua huffed at his dog. He straightened up and took a deep breath before swinging the door fully open, bracing himself for whatever came next.

The walk down the stairs, past photos of him as a baby, grandparents and aunts and uncles he barely remembered, the wedding photo his mother inexplicably still had up, normally only took a few seconds, but Pua felt it drag on, each footstep feeling like an hour's effort. Most Saturdays he was able to find his mother tolerable, the atmosphere between them defused enough that the two could have a civil, sometimes pleasant, conversation if they ended up in the same room. Yet the tone of her voice still reverberating through his head did not fill Pua with confidence that they would be having a friendly chat.

Just let it happen quickly whatever it is. Pua paused on the bottom step, trying to steady his breathe and arrange his face delicately. He had emerged into the heart of their living room, a room he normally described quite generously as 'cosy' but today might as well have been the size of a football pitch.

His mother before the front door, her wide frame obscuring whoever had come calling. Her face, as ever, was hard to read; it was twisted in thunderous rage, but that was no different to normal. "What was that blasted dog of yours doing down here?" Anahera boomed, her eyebrows joining together as they rose threateningly up her forehead.

"I was trying to do some homework, he was distracting me." It was the first lie that popped into his head and even Pua didn't believe it; Rocky was sitting obediently by his feet, for once pretending to be the good boy Pua had always promised his mother he would be.

"Homework? You didn't say you had homework."

"It was just a little bit, got it done now."

Anahera made a pondering noise, casting her icy glare up and down her son. "Well, if you are all caught up on your work then, I suppose I can let your friend in."

You didn't even know I had homework until two seconds ago, Pua thought icily, but his momentary bitterness vanished as Leilani slipped into the house behind his mother. "What are you doing here?" He asked, relieved, delighted but cautious all in one.

"Oh, you know me. I just happened to be in the neighbourhood and thought I'd pop on by," Leilani said with a casual shrug, though her eyes shone mischievously. "And how are you doing today, Miss Kealoha?"

Anahera's eyebrows somehow narrowed further. "Fine, thank you Leilani, even though you've already asked me that," she said with obvious suspicion. "Is this just a social call?"

Leilani withered slightly under the retort but carried on regardless. "Well, actually, I was wondering if Pua and Rocky would want to come for a walk. Helena was going to join me but she's had to go to work, and I'd rather not go alone right now. You know, with everything that's happening," she added, her face suddenly, dramatically serious.

It did the trick though. "No, of course not, you can't do that; a young lady shouldn't be walking on her own right now!" Anahera was suddenly animated, her eyes widening as her thick hands edged their way towards her faux pearl necklace. "Those Skull hoodlums are absolute nightmares, this whole situation is an utter disgrace. We've been far too lenient on them, I've been saying that for weeks!"

"Oh, I absolutely agree," Leilani said in her most scandalised voice, clutching Anahera's wrist and trying to avoid meeting Pua's eyes.

"I've been meaning to talk with your father about this actually. Surely the police could have done something by now to stop them."

"Why don't you ask Tapu Koko to electrocute them," Pua muttered.

Anahera's head turned swiftly. "If you are going to say something, Pua, you have to speak up, no one can hear you when you mumble!" She glowered at him silently for a moment before her face relaxed. "Alright, you can go with Leilani. And take that dirty dog with you. Arceus knows he would be of more use biting one of those little pests on the willy then he is making a mess in here!"

"I had no idea Rocky had such good aim," Leilani said, smirking for a moment before Anahera turned her gaze to her. An awkward silence lingered as Pua fussed about with Rocky's collar, struggling to contain the enthusiastic dog as the excitement of the situation made him spin around on the spot.

"I'll be back before sundown," Pua said as he slipped into his shoes and scurried out the door, moving quickly before his mother could change her mind.

"It was nice seeing you, Miss Kealoha!" Leilani called.

Anahera said nothing, simply watching them from the doorway. "You need to put some meat on those bones, girl. No one wants to marry a skinny little girl."

"What, I need to eat more?" Leilani gasped. "You know, no one has ever told me that before!"

Anahera's eyes narrowed. "No one wants to marry a cheeky girl either," she said stiffly. She stepped back into the house but did not close the door; Pua could feel her eyes on them as they walked down the street. He did not look back until they were about to turn the corner, and he saw the door was still ajar, her wide frame visible through the crack.

Leilani waited until they were out of view behind a small forest before groaning loudly. "Fuck sake, that was intense."

"Shhhh!" Pua hissed. "She might hear you!"

"Oh please," Leilani scoffed. "If she can hear us from here, surely she'd be able to hear what you were doing before I knocked."

Pua's face went instantly red. "Wh-what are you talking about?"

Leilani smiled as she glanced down at his pants. "Your top button's undone. I was only joking, but glad to see I know you so well."

"You whore!" Pua groaned, whacking her on the shoulder before fixing his pants.

"That's me," Leilani sniggered and began power walking ahead with exaggerated enthusiasm, forcing Pua to jog to keep up.

"Where are we going anyway?"

"A walk, just like I said," Leilani replied innocently, though her glowing eyes betrayed her.

"Pull the other one, what are you up to?"

Leilani powered ahead, practically breaking into a sprint. "You'll see!" She yelled. "Come on Rocky, let's go for a run!"

The Rockruff needed no encouragement. "RUFF!" He howled and lunged after her.

"No!" Pua groaned, letting out an involuntary yelp as Rocky jerked forwards, nearly yanking his arm out as he led the way down the hill.

The path ahead of them was bare, a dirt track well worn by the locals bordered by grass of varying lengths and a scattering of palm trees that swayed slowly in the breeze. They didn't offer much shelter from the heat, nor did could they reverse the thick mugginess that forever engulfed the island like an invisible duvet; it only took a minute before Pua was panting, sweat coating his neck and face, his legs complaining at the unexpected sprint.

Next time I'm just going to let Rhydon walk in on me. At least she would have killed me quickly. Anything's better than this torture.

"Enjoying yourself yet?" Leilani called back teasingly.

"No!"

Her groan echoed up the hill. "Can't you stop hating everything for five minutes? Look around you, bro – we're in fucking paradise!" She lifted her arms above her head and spun around, cackling madly. Rocky leapt up, trying to copy her, and fell clumsily back to earth, landing on his face but carrying on as though it hadn't happened.

Pua frowned at the thought. Palm trees, warm air, the constant breeze, it was all he had ever known, and it simply passed him by. What was paradise to tourists was simply reality to him. Yet Pua found Leilani's words sticking. He stared out at the ocean, watching the sapphire sparkle of the undisturbed surface; he felt the sun burning against his neck; he breathed in the sea air and felt it reach into his soul. No matter where I end up, I don't think I will ever see anything as beautiful as this, Pua thought, finally managing a smile. If only the people were different, I think I could live here forever.

Imbued with the thought, Pua let his inhibitions go and lost himself in the run. The world passed by without interruption, the path empty except for them, Leilani leading the way in silence, only her heavy breathes escaping her lips. It was easy to lose track of themselves, the sloped path and uneven hills around them offering little in the way of variety.

It was only when Pua felt the scorched earth beneath his feet soften that he started to notice the world again. The grass on either side of the path remained thick and rustling, but the slope had flattened out and sand dunes had begun to appear on his left, getting taller and sparser the more they jogged. Suddenly, Leilani turned left, heading down a well-trodden track completely covered by windswept sand. Pua began to tense as he followed her down, eyeing the ocean ahead of them was beginning to reach their level.

"Where exactly are we going?" He shouted, voice wobbling with fear. He wanted to hold onto this uninhibited glee, but the sound of crashing waves getting louder filled his aching body with ice.

Leilani slowed to a jog and turned to face him, catching his concern. "Don't worry, we're going there." She pointed towards the edge of the beach where a lone house sat, a two storey property wider than it was tall with a backyard the size of the Iki Town Square, uncut grass fluttering long and free in the breeze.

Pua stopped entirely. Rocky tugged at the lead, whining to carry on, but Pua was too confused to notice. "There? Isn't that some rich Unovian's holiday home?" The property was well known throughout the town. Pua remembered it had been damaged during a storm, and the owner had hoped to use the opportunity to build a small apartment complex. Yet when Hala and other locals fought the application process, the man had simply abandoned it, leaving it as an eyesore the locals could do nothing to change.

Leilani started to smile. "It was, until Professor Kukui brought it."

It took Pua a moment to process what she had said. "Kukui? The guy you were telling me about? This is his lab?" His heart, already racing from the run, started pounding faster. "This is his lab? Is he here?"

"Nah, I just thought I'd make you run all the way here just to update you on the local property market." Leilani rolled her eyes and started to walk towards the property. "You coming?"

A million emotions were going through Pua's brain, the news too shocking for him to focus on a single one, nor to control what he said. "You could have warned me!" He spluttered, aware of how pathetic he sounded. "I might have –"

"Might have what? Wore a suit and tie? Helena only called me a few minutes before I knocked on your door. He's only making a flying visit today while she is still setting up, just be glad I even bothered to bring you along."

"Literally," Pua muttered.

Leilani's eyebrows rose threateningly. "Literally what?"

"A flying visit." Still processing the news, Pua could barely manage those three words. He simply raised a hand and pointed at the sky, unable to tear his eyes away.
A large Flying type was fast approaching, a feathery rocket coming into land. He had never seen one in the flesh before, but Pua knew the species straight away: Braviary, the Valiant Pokémon. Unova native, though flocks are known to migrate to Poni Island for winter. The crimson and cobalt feathers were unmistakable, nothing like the simple black and white of the Pikipek that populated the island. Pua was so engrossed he only slightly registered how fast the Braviary was flying, focused more on the wings tucked tightly against its body, the proud beak pointing straight at them, the man shadowed by sunlight gripped tightly on top.

"Move!" Leilani cried, and Pua felt her hands shove him aside. A second later, the Braviary shot by, passing them by centimetres; sand caught in its slipstream showered over the trio, forcing Pua and Leilani to shield their eyes.

"Wow, what a near miss! You two ok?"

Pua's heart skipped a beat. He forgot about the heat. He forgot about his tired body. He forgot about the sea and the sand and the house. He forgot about everything except the words floating through his brain. That voice, he thought, biting his lip. It was deep yet soft all in one, like aural velvet. He could barely see through his watering eyes, but the sound of footsteps muffled by sand was distinguishable enough, and, blinking furiously, Pua turned towards the professor.

He could not help but gasp. The voice had been one thing, but Pua had still expected someone much older, probably with grey hair and sagging skin. But Kukui defied everything. His skin, as smooth and dark as polished wood, was taut around his rigid jaw, presenting them with a face that could have belonged at Pua's school or in one of his mother's catalogues. He had inky hair pulled back into a slick bun, a colour that glistened like onyx under the sun. He wore board shorts and a loose fitting, unzipped jumper and only that; he was muscular but slim, with symmetrically perfect pecs above a tight, muscular if undefined stomach. Pua had rarely seen anything like him before, and he had to resist the urge to reach out and touch him.

"You alright there, mate?"

Pua jolted backwards, blushing and looking away as Kukui peered at him. "Um, yes, I'm fine, totally fine," he stuttered. He started coughing violently, somehow hoping that would help. He looked to Leilani for guidance but her eyes seemed to have locked onto a nipple each.

Kukui followed Pua's line of sight and his face lit up. "Oh wow, you must be Leilani, right? Wow, you look exactly like Helena!"

"Oh really, do I?" Leilani replied sheepishly, only meeting his eyes for a second before looking away and giggling.

"She told me you might come around at some point. It's nice to finally meet you." Kukui extended his left hand and smiled, his teeth as frighteningly perfect. Leilani looked at the hand as if it was made of gold and delicately shook it.

When they separated, Kukui, appearing nonplussed by all this, looked back at Pua. "I'm afraid I don't know who you are."

Pua eagerly thrust his own hand forwards. "I'm Pua. Kealoha!" He added loudly, blushing as he heard himself.

"John Kukui, I'm the new professor, though I'm guessing you already knew that," Kukui said, chuckling. Pua and Leilani looked at each other briefly before bursting into laughter; Pua could hear the artificial, high pitched sound coming out of his mouth but somehow lacked the ability to make it stop.

Kukui remained unfazed, his smile never fading. "Alright, I need to get inside and get some clothes on. You cool guys want the grand tour?"

"Yes," Leilani said with great urgency.

"Awesome! Let's get in there!" Kukui turned and whistled, and they all watched as Braviary let out a mighty squawk and launched itself towards the house. Kukui signalled for them to move before following after himself.

"He knew my name," Leilani whispered, fanning her face with both hands. "Good lord, I think I just got pregnant."

"You will be if you keep this up. Could you have sounded any more desperate?"

Leilani shot Pua a fiery glance. "Boy please, you would have gone down on him in an instant if he had looked at you the right way.

"Don't be gross," Pua scoffed, though his eyes did lock onto Kukui's bright blue shorts as he strutted up the stairs. The wooden panels creaked as Pua, Leilani and Rocky followed him up, a sound that continued across the deck and all the way into the house.

"Yeah, it's a little worn out," Kukui said without them asking. "It was the only place big enough to host a lab that I could afford though, so oh well!" He shrugged his powerful shoulder before pulling off the jumper and picking up a long white coat from atop a pile of boxes. "Welcome to Professor Kukui's lab!"

Pua gazed around, awestruck. The elements of its holiday home past were immediately clear: wooden panels covered every surface, from the floor to the roof to even the kitchen countertop in the corner, presumably meant to give it a coastal feel but it reminded Pua of a cabin in the woods. There was only one room separate to the giant living space, presumably a bathroom, with a ladder next to it leading to a loft. Through the maze of boxes that covered every surface, Pua could see a staircase leading to a lower floor, though he had no idea what would be down there.

Kukui seemed to read Pua's mind. "Yeah, let's not go down there," he said nervously, tugging at his bun. "The previous owner decided not to drain the basement after it flooded. Who would have thought building a house on the edge of a beach would lead to so much dampness?" He laughed with dwindling enthusiasm.

"Are you going to have that fixed?" Leilani said, eyebrows raised sceptically.

"Oh, for sure man!" Kukui said, rearranging his frown into a blinding grin. "I had an engineer friend look over everything for me before I bought the place, he's working out a plan to reinforce and storm proof the whole building. Going to cost a lot, but hey, at least I scored this sweet pad for next to nothing. Can't believe the guy basically gave it away – I mean, look at this, isn't it totally wicked?"

"Totally," Pua parroted, though he truly meant it. Even with though the wood was tacky and the open space didn't look like a lab in the slightest, the difference of it, the uniqueness he could see already, excited him.

"You know, when I left your sister was still here." Kukui paused and peered around the room, as though Helena would suddenly materialise amongst the stacks of boxes. "HELENA!"

"Here!" An exasperated voice cried from the bathroom. A second later a door thudding open and Helena stepped out, her face thunderous.

"Did all the boxes fall over again?" Kukui asked awkwardly.

"You bet they did!" Helena stepped aside, giving a Toucannon the space to soar out, one box clasped in his thick blue talons and the other clamped within its fruity beak. "You need to move them out of there immediately or I will call health and safety!"

"You're keeping boxes in the bathroom?" Leilani said, crossing her arms and scowling at Kukui. "That is so unsanitary. You're a scientist, don't you know about all those shit flecks that fly out when you flush the toilet?"

"I'm not that kind of scientist," Kukui huffed defensively. Toucannon tossed the box in his mouth across the room, forcing Kukui to duck as it soared and landed clumsily atop another pile. "I'll clean it up when I have a chance!"

"You better make that chance," Helena sassed. "I did not go through four years of university to become a cleaning lady."

"I know, I know!" Kukui raised his hands defensively. "I know," he added, squirming slightly under the intensity of Leilani's gaze. "I was meant to have everything installed before you started. I couldn't have predicted there would be hiccups."

Helena held her glower for a moment before sighing and sank down onto a bubble wrapped chair. "I know," she groaned. "Are you sure you can't afford to get someone in from Hau'oli?"

"Hey, I may have gotten this place cheap, but that doesn't mean I had much change left over." Kukui stared down at one of the boxes, scowling. "Bugger me, this was probably all a mistake, wasn't it?"
"Don't say that!" Leilani gasped. She rushed towards the professor and held his hand, whatever anger she'd felt for her sister suddenly gone. "Hala and them will come around eventually. It will just take… time…"

Kukui smiled. "It's a nice thought, but if they won't even allow the local tradesman to install a few tables and benches, I don't think they are going to soften up anytime soon."

The mood fell suddenly sombre; Kukui copied his assistant and collapsed onto a box, leaving only Pua and Leilani standing awkwardly amongst his unpacked furniture. Rocky continued to scamper across the floor, sniffing everything he could shove his nose into, but even he could read the room and became steadily quieter the longer the silence stretched out.

Pua found it suffocating. He wanted to say something but had no idea what, yet he couldn't stand being here. It was a Saturday. This was the one day a week he didn't have to deal with any of the shit that punctuated every other aspect of his life. He was supposed to be able to close one door on Friday and open another one for a glorious twenty-four hours, to step into a skin and be himself, be free, be happy. This, admittedly, was more exciting than most things he would normally get up to – their data plan only allowed for so much imagination – but having to be reminded of the stiflingly toxic bubble that covered the entire town was the last thing he wanted or needed.

I wish I could live in a house like this. Pua let his eyes wander from surface to surface, taking it all in again as though for the first time. A big, empty house, something I can make my own, away from everyone else. Maybe then I could live in paradise.

And like that, a thought struck him. "We could work for you!"

"You?" Kukui asked curiously.

"You?" Helena scoffed.

"We?" Leilani said casuistically, her tone threatening.

"Yeah, us," Pua said, leaping up eagerly. "We can move some boxes around, assemble a few tables and cabinets. How hard can it be?"

"Um, try very," Helena said with a roll of her eyes. "These aren't just flat packs from Pokéa, these require proper assembly."

"Actually, most of them are flat packs," Kukui said timidly. "What!" He added defensively, as both sisters stared at him filthily. "I told you, I don't have any money."

"Which is why you could hire us – we'd be super cheap!"

"Oh, is there going to be money involved?" Leilani asked. "Alright, you've twisted my arm, can we start now?"

Kukui looked at her for a moment, his face statuesque in its slack-jawed stillness. Then he started to laugh. "Oh man, you kids are too much. Oak always says that children are the future, but I never really got what he meant until now."

"We're not kids," Pua whispered, trying not to hide his hurt.

Kukui didn't hear him, too entrapped in his own thoughts. He was staring around the room, looking from box to box, empty space to bare wall. "You know what, this just might work. As long as your parents are fine with it, I'm happy."

"Yep, mine will be," Pua said quickly, avoiding Leilani's eyes as he said it.

"Excellent!" Kukui clapped his hands together and grinned at Leilani and Helena. "I don't have to worry about your parents, I'm guessing – if they let one daughter work here, they can't complain about the other!" He laughed as he started walking towards the kitchen, the bench tops hidden by a set of drawers and another misshapen pile of boxes. "Let's have something to celebrate – what's the drinking age here?"

"Not enough for these two!" Helena yelled. She eyed her boss as he walked away, and the second he was out of earshot got up and walked in step with Leilani towards Pua. "What the hell are you thinking?"

"Mine will be fine with it," Leilani said in a high pitched, whiny impression of him. "Bitch, did you even believe yourself when you said it? She is going to murder you."

"I don't care," Pua lied. He straightened his back and stood at full height, hoping the head of space between him and Leilani gave him the air of defiance. Yet the two sisters looked unconvinced, their faces mirror images of worry and uncertainty.

"She'll understand, trust me," Pua insisted. He doubted himself, but he couldn't let that worry him now. This was what he wanted, what he needed; something away from the confines of the town, away from the narrow views that cut through every aspect of his life. He couldn't wait for one day a week for salvation. This would not solve everything, but staring through the open door towards the field outside, Pua felt the lightest he had in months and wondered if a strong breeze might just carry him away.

I didn't need to ask her. I didn't need to ask her. I didn't need to ask her… did I?

 

[AceTrainer14]

Thanks @Gama @dp876 @TRNatalie @Ambyssin for the reviews, I appreciate them all! As I am travelling at the moment, I can't really comment on any individual points raised, but mostly everything looked fairly positive asides from one or two things, so thanks a lot for that! Issues around typos are noted, and I plan to go through and fix some of these errors when I get back.

Now though, let's enjoy a new chapter!

***

Walk Beneath the Stars

Pua should have asked her.

He had expected a reaction no matter what he had tried to tell himself. He'd expected anger, he'd expected fire, he'd expected something explosive, but what he had envisioned was something like fireworks; heat and noise for a little while that would fizzle out eventually. Instead what he got was fully nuclear, a wave of heat and volatility and destruction so overwhelming that Pua felt the force of it hit him in his chest, and after a few seconds he looked at his feet and was stunned to find he was still standing, half expecting to find his shadow simply burnt into the floor.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"

Pua often wondered why, for a woman so afraid of what people might think or say about her, his mother yelled about everything. In the confines of their living room, her voice was like a wrecking ball, inescapable and smashing through everything it touched. Pua was sure he could see the windows vibrate, though that might be from Anahera's furious pacing, her bare feet violently carrying her in circles around their furniture.

Rhydon's at it again, he thought, trying his best to remain composed, holding onto the breakfast bar for support. All he could do when she was like this was stand silent and stoic, waiting for the onslaught to wash over him, waiting for her to finish so he could put it away with the dozens, hundreds, of rants he'd endured during his years.

"You stupid, selfish, ignorant boy!" Anahera turned to him, her face red and bloated, twisted with anger. "How could you be such an IDIOT! That man, we don't know him, he is a stranger! He could be a paedophile for all you know; you've probably walked right into his some sick game!"

"I don't think they'd let a paedophile become a professor," Pua muttered.

"HOW WOULD YOU KNOW!" Anahera roared, pointing a thick finger at him. "You know nothing of this Kukui – what sort of man offers teenagers a job the first day he meets them?"

"We're not strangers, we know Helena, and he clearly needs the help, so –"

Anahera's vigorous tutting cut Pua off mid-sentence. "That family, what are they thinking letting their daughters work for a man like that?"

"They are probably willing to give him the benefit of the doubt," Pua said, unable to disguise his caustic tone.

Anahera's eyes somehow managed to narrow even further to the point that her lids were nearly slits and her eyebrows were close to merging as one. "That is a decision for that family to make. They are fools, but that is not for me to judge. Arceus Almighty will be the ultimate judge."

Too late Pua realised what was about to happen; his brain sent out the signals, telling his mouth to shut, telling his throat to constrict, urging for something to intervene. But it couldn't be stopped; the laugh slipped out. It was there only a second before Pua stopped himself, but the damage was already done. The solitary 'ha' lingered in the air, wafting through a room suddenly struck silent.

Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit. There was nowhere Pua could go to escape this. He had barely made it through the door before Anahera had questioned him about the day, and now he was trapped against the door, as alone and exposed as a Spewpa lost in the desert. He looked around frantically for Rocky, hoping against hope his companion could save him, but he could see only a dirty tail sticking out of the couch, visibly quivering.

"Do you think this is funny?" Anahera whispered, the change in volume as unsettlingly as her insatiable shouting. "You think the will of our lord is something to snigger at? What is wrong with you, Pua?"

Pua swallowed hard. He longed to shout back to her, to scream and see how she liked it, but that risk was more than his life was worth. Yet he couldn't stand here any longer and listen to all of this, to let her get the final word every single time. If he let her bowl him over, the job, the prospect of learning from a real professor, was gone.

Yet he still had to measure his words carefully. "Surely if Kukui was a paedophile or was dangerous in any way, Tapu Koko would have protected us from him?"

"It is not for Tapu Koko to intervene in every aspect of our lives!" Anahera hissed. "Tapu Koko protects the island, that is what we pray for. We do not pray for him to be judge, jury and executioner!"

"That's a weak excuse and you know it! If Kukui was in any way a threat, surely the gods would stop him."

"So suddenly you are an expert in religion, are you? The boy who can't even show up to church on time? You know Tapu Koko so well but you can't even wear a clean shirt for him?" Anahera laughed, a guttural, dismissive sound lacking any joy. "If you think you know so much, why don't you remind me what Joshua said last week, eh?"

"About the other regions? What does that have to do with anything?"

"This man is a PROFESSOR!" Anahera screamed, jabbing the air as she bellowed out the last word. "Do you learn nothing at your school? Kanto, Hoenn, Johto, Sinnoh – all regions ravaged by sinners, all regions that give too much power to people like him. They let their professors make laws, have a say over society. They listen to them more than their gods. Unova is probably next with that tramp they are always parading around on the television, and we will be close behind if we let this Kukui into our lives!"

Pua screamed. The sharp, violent noise came out of nowhere, startling even him as it exploded out of his mouth, yet immediately he felt better. He tensed slightly as he looked towards Anahera, but seeing her silently stare back at him, eyes bulged to the edge of their sockets, Pua felt a vicious sense of pride in finally shutting her up.

The only problem now was that he had to follow it up. "Alright… I'm leaving," he said, trying to sound determined as if this was a well-considered plan, anything that didn't betray the fact this was as impromptu as it got.

"Leaving?" Anahera grunted, finally snapping out of her stupor. "You're not going anywhere!"

"Yes, I am," Pua snapped back. He turned to the coat rack beside the door and grabbed the first jacket he could find, a thin blue one dirtied and frayed from years of overuse. "I'm not just going to stand here for the rest of the night listening to you yell and stomp about everything. You need a breather, I need some fresh air, so we'll talk about this later," he said and began to open the door.

"Don't even think about –"

"Come on Rocky!"

Anahera began to step forward, but froze as something shot out from the couch right beneath her feet; she looked down and watched Rocky scamper frantically towards the open door, sprinting off into the night, and simply stared as Pua followed after, slamming the door behind him.

The second the door was shut, Pua began running. He flung himself down the front steps, flailing as he slid his jacket on, and sprinted after Rocky towards the end of the street. He didn't dare look back in case Anahera had miraculously found the will to run and was coming after him, but aside from his own feet hitting the ground and his frantic breathing, the night was silent.

"Rocky, wait!" Pua spluttered once he was sure there was enough distance between himself and the house. He wasn't sure if the Rockruff would ignore him and simply carry on into the night, but the puppy stopped obediently and sat patiently as he waited for his master to catch up.

By the time Pua had caught him, he already had a stitch running up his side. "What do you think you're doing, running off like that?" He wheezed, wondering how he didn't die during his mad church dash last weekend. Fear must do funny things to the body, he thought wearily.

"Ruff." Rocky scuttled forward and buried his head between Pua's legs; his fur was rough and rubbed against his bare skin, but Pua bit his lip and endured the pain.

"What's wrong bud?" He said, crouching down and lifting the Rockruff's head up. Rocky's eyes were wide and deep with longing, and he cast them mournfully around the patch of land they'd found themselves in, where the houses had thinned out and the ferns and palm trees stood dominant.

"Ruff," he said, shaking his head at the world and drawing closer to his trainer. "Ruff!" He added forcefully, and turned sadly back the way they'd come, their house just visible at the far end of the street.

Pua was no expert in Pokémon behaviour, but he had had Rocky long enough to work out what he was saying. "Do you think we're going to live out here now?" He asked, and his heart sank with guilt as Rocky nodded glumly back. "You silly thing, we're not staying out here."

That only made Rocky looked more confused. "Ruff?" He asked, staring again at the house.

Pua sighed. "Yeah, we'll be going back. We just need a little walk, that's all," he explained, and pulled the Rockruff into his arms. It was painful to admit after only a few minutes, but Pua was well aware he'd be slinking home soon enough, head bowed and ready for forgiveness. A small part of his brain yelled at him, telling him what a great idea this was, but it was only a small part, dwarfed by the larger, louder, scarred part of his psyche; if he had stayed, Pua had no idea how ugly things would have gone, but even if this was the calmer way of handling things, the mess he would get back to could only get uglier.

"We're not going back yet, though," Pua said, putting Rocky down so he could wipe his eyes quickly. "You want to go for a walk? We could head up to the town square, see if there are any dancers out tonight?"

Rocky shook his head, and Pua fought back the urge to shout. "Come on buddy," he said, trying not to plead. "We can't just sit here doing nothing. We could have done that at home. Do you want to go for a race, or go hunt for Rattata? Hey, look!" Pua lunged towards a stick lying on the side of the road, and he clutched it as if it was the most exciting thing ever. "How about a game of fetch, eh? You love fetch!"

Rocky tilted his head, staring uncertainly at the bit of wood, his tiny tail quivering slightly. It was enough for Pua, who leapt up and held it high; Rocky sat up, suddenly intrigued. Thank the gods, Pua thought, smiling with relief, and he flung the stick towards the bushes. It hurtled through the air, darkening as it slipped out of the moon's glow until it was merely a shadow disappearing through the fronds.

Before Rocky could follow it in, a shout cut through the night and stopped both Pokémon and trainer in their tracks. "What the fuck!"

"Oh shit." Pua paused for a second, expecting someone to come bursting angrily through the bushes, but when no one appeared a cold sweat ran down his neck. He leapt over Rocky and pushed fronds out of the way, expecting to find someone lying bleeding on the ground, the stick embedded in their head.

Instead, a pearly white figure emerged from the dark green like a mirage, their skin shining angelically in the moonlight. "Oh, hey, it's you."

Pua froze. Somehow this was worse than causing grievous bodily harm; Chase, smiling with his movie star grin despite the obvious graze marking that unblemished forehead. He was wearing a blue singlet that hugged his slim body, revealing the tight, raised chest beneath and long arms with thick blue veins like rivers running from hand to shoulder.

"Hey," Pua said, drawing the word out into five syllables in his shock. He unconsciously raised his hand to his forehead in a mirror image of Chase, feeling for any bumps that Anahera might have inflicted on him, trying to find some clue that this was a dream as this could not possibly be real.

"You alright there?" Chase asked, smiling still even as his eyebrows shot up sceptically.

Pua realised what he was doing and retreated his hand immediately. "Yep, I'm fine, perfectly, one hundred percent fine! You? Stupid question, I just threw a stick at you."

"Yeah, you did," Chase laughed. "I guess that's what I get for wandering through the bushes like a fuckwit."

"Yeah, what are you doing in there?" Pua laughed. "Having a wank?"

Chase's smile faded immediately. "What?"

"Nothing," Pua said, his lips collapsing into his mouth. "That's something that, um, a friend always says. Helena!" He added loudly. "You've met her, right?"

"The sassy one at school?" Chase said, his smirk returning.

"Yep." Pua smiled and nodded, keeping his face calm as his mind desperately searched for a word, any word, to move this along and away from his stupidity. "So, what exactly are you doing in here?"

Chase smiled coyly, his cheeks flashing red. "You are going to think this is so stupid, but I got lost. I can't run during the day, it's too bloody hot here – I'm such a tourist, I know – but I took a wrong turn a few minutes ago and tried to find my way back to the right track. I thought it was through here, but, well, I guess not!"

"You're not a tourist; when I first had to walk home from school by myself, I nearly ended up on the other side of the island. I ran crying up to someone who had to lead me back to town."

"Aw no, that's so cute! Your parents must have been so worried."

"Yeah," Pua said, brushing the lie aside with a laugh. "Are you alright? I hope I didn't scar you or anything."

Chase shrugged and moved his hand away from the graze. "You barely broke the skin, don't worry about it. It was more of a shock than anything. I hope you don't come here often and throw sticks around – you guys do get SilphScreen out here, don't you?"

"Ha! No, it was for my Rockruff," Pua said.

"A Rockruff? Where?" Chase nearly pushed Pua aside as he hopped over the ferns with all the excitement of a kid running towards the ball pit. "Oh my god, look at you!" He cried when he finally made it free and found Rocky waiting patiently for them. "Aren't you just adorable!"

Rocky yelped with approval, his tail wagging furiously now, and he rolled onto his back and let the stranger rub his stomach.

"Oh wow, his fur's quite rough, isn't it?" Chase said. "You wouldn't think something so cute could be so tough!"

"Yeah, you wouldn't," Pua offered meekly, suddenly jealous of Rocky's big pooling eyes. "Where exactly where you running to? I can probably show you the way."

Chase looked up excitedly. "You sure? I don't want to be a pain."

"Oh no, it's my pleasure," Pua said, thankful Helena wasn't there to twist his words.

"Well, I was running along the Mahalo Trail, which I guess you know?"

Pua snorted instinctively, unable to stop himself. "Mahalo Trail? That's on the other side of town!"

"Is it?" Chase said, suddenly concerned. "I was on a wide track and then I came to a corner and it began to narrow out, I thought it was the way I was meant to go. I knew something was wrong, I didn't think there'd be houses near those ruins."

"Oooooh, okay, I see what's happened! A few years ago, one of the hotel operators in Hau'oli cut a track through the hills that led from Route Three straight to the trail. They said it was to save tourists time so they didn't have to trek up through the town, but the kahunas said it was defacing local heritage and they fought to have it closed. I thought they had boarded the whole thing off."

Chase shrugged nonchalantly. "If they did, someone's opened it up again. It just looked like part of the track to me."

A little alarm bell went off in Pua's head, but he didn't want to kill whatever mood this was by thinking about island politics. He might bring it up with his mother when he made it home, but again, the mere thought of anyone else right now made his bones shudder in disgust.

"Well, I know where it is, let me show you." Pua started walking before Chase could accept the offer, not wanting to give him any chance to turn him down. His heart pounded angrily against his chest for a few moments as he waited for Chase to follow, only calming when the newcomer stepped into line with him, holding a fawning Rocky in his arms.

"I can't believe I got so lost," Chase said, shaking his shaggy mane back and laughing. "I could pretend that this would never have happened during the day, but even when I can actually see things every palm tree looks the same."

"Why are you even running at night?"

"Have you ever been to Kanto?" Chase asked, smirking either at himself or Pua it wasn't clear. "It never gets as hot there as it does here. When we stepped off the ferry I thought I was going to die it was so fucking hot. Even now I'm melting and I can't even blame it on the sun. And don't laugh at me," he added with a roar of mock horror, shoving Pua towards the bushes.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but… just wow! I can't believe how much of a tourist you sound like right now." Pua snorted with laughter, struggling to stand as Chase again tried to push him aside but missed as Rocky was squirming excitedly in his arms at the action.

"You're sweating as well!" Chase huffed in his defence.

"I know I'm sweating, but I'm used to it. This is all I've ever known."

Chase's eyebrows shot up again. "Really? You've lived here all your life?"

"Yeah… is that weird?" Pua asked, suddenly defensive.

"I dunno," Chase shrugged. "My dad and I have moved around a lot, I've never stayed in most places longer than like three years."

"Well, I think that makes you the different one, not me." Pua smiled awkwardly, unsure if that had sounded mean or not.

"I guess so, though what's different to me is an entirely different different to you, if that makes sense?"

"Not really," Pua sniggered.

Chase smiled too. "That was a douchey way of putting it. What I mean is… this is my normal. I don't really know anything else. It wasn't a surprise when my dad said we were coming here cause I had expected it to happen soon enough. It will probably happen with this job eventually, but if it doesn't, I'd have to adjust to staying still."

The two walked in silence for a minute, broken only by the distant scuttle of Spinarak moving through the trees. Pua wanted to say something, but anything that came to mid felt immature and childish next to Chase; he had never considered things that way before. In fact, he doubted he had ever thought of anything quite so profound.

"I can't imagine what it would be like to live somewhere else," he offered finally. "I mean, I've thought about it a lot, but to actually move somewhere else… the idea is just so foreign." Pua realised what he had said too late, and he blushed as Chase began laughing, the throb of his Adam's apple moving vigorously up and down his neck. "I didn't mean it quite like that."

"I know, I know, don't worry," Chase said, resting a hand briefly on Pua's shoulder, retracting it before the goosebumps could form. "I can imagine it would be a shock. I mean, for one thing, back in Kanto nearly everyone is light skinned. No one's ever made as many white boy jokes to me as you lot have."

"Oh my god, really? We probably seem like horrible people."

"Not horrible, no. Small minded though, I guess."

It was Pua's turn to look stunned. "Small minded?"

"Yeah, a little bit." Chase looked guilty as he said but shrugged the comment aside. "I'm not talking about you here, but you are probably one of the only people to have never commented on my skin colour. It's a bit weird if I'm being honest."

"I can see that." Pua thought of Helena's comments at school the other day and felt a sudden wash of shame run across his body. "I'm sorry you've had to put up with that."

"It's fine, really. It's not keeping me awake at night or anything, so don't worry." Chase turned back and flashed his shining smile again.

"It's not fine though. Everyone here is so hostile to change you'd think there had never been any settlers. I don't know how it was before Hau'oli became so gentrified and developed, but your right, everyone in this stifling bloody town cannot get their heads around something so simple as change, it's… it's just… for fuck's sake, why can't I find the words."

"Pua, mate, calm down!" Chase stopped and turned; he shifted Rocky to one arm so he was cradled like a baby and used his free hand to grab onto Pua's shoulder.

Immediately blood began to flow where it shouldn't, and Pua thought he might collapse into the grip, as warm and firm as it was. Pua resisted the urge to grab that hand with his own and instead let his eyes move along Chase's arm, staring at the droplets of sweat that sparkled like diamonds under the moonlight, tracing the veins up to his shoulders and neck, before finally looking Chase in the eye. Those endless blue pools were suddenly so earnest, staring deeply into Pua's eyes with such urgency Pua wanted to lean forward and dive into them, and it took all his willpower to remain where he was.

"It's nothing, really. I get that people here are traditional. It's not great, it's certainly not fun, but it's the situation, nothing you can do about it." Chase smiled, his lips held close together and inclining slowly and sincerely towards his cheekbones. "Are you okay, though? Is there something you want to talk about?"

"No," Pua said quickly, gulping on air as he spat the word out. "I'm fine, really. I just… I hate seeing people get treated badly. You are such a cool guy, it would be nice if people saw beyond that."

Chase chuckled, finally letting go of Pua's shoulder and backing away. "I like to think so," he snorted, and kept laughing as he carried on up the path.

Pua waited into Chase was a few metres away before he breathed again. The world felt like it was spinning, and he had to brace himself before he tipped backwards and sank into the ground, leaving only a pool of raging hormones behind.

"Pua?"

"Coming!" Pua yelled. He brushed his hand across his crotch to make sure his joy wasn't noticeable and then ran forward, flashing Chase a grin. "Sorry, I thought my shoelaces were undone."

Chase looked down. "Aren't those slip-ons?"

"Are they?" Pua said, gazing briefly down. Stupid fucking brain, he thought, and he looked around, wondering where the nearest cliff was.

Before Chase could say anything, Rocky suddenly shifted in his arms, ears pricked and tail straight. "What is it, boy?"

"Ruff!" Rocky cried, pushing himself out of Chase's grip and scuttling to the edge of the trees.

"Do you think he's seen a Pikipek?" Chase said, smirking, but the smile quickly faded. "Hang on, can you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Pua asked nervously, very aware of his own heart trying to beat its way through his chest. But now that things were quiet, he could hear something nearby: angry shouts were coming through the trees, the cries nearly dwarfed by a sort of pained yelling.

Before Pua could say anything, Chase was sprinting through the trees, Rocky following close behind. "Bloody hell," Pua thought as he ran after them. He had to raise his hands to protect himself from the ferns that tried to slap him as he ran through, but the deeper they got, the louder the shouts became, and the clearer it became that it was a Pokémon that was in pain.

They had only been running a minute when Chase dropped to the ground, and Pua instinctively copied him, crouch-running the last few feet until he was beside him. The ferns had thinned out here, creating a curtain between them and the track beyond. It was darker here than it had been back on the path, the branches and leaves above blocking out most of the moonlight, but Pua didn't need light to tell what the biggest shape in front of them was.

"That's a Mudsdale," he hissed to Chase. "A fucking big one," he added without embellishment: he had seen a lot of them in his life, but the Mudsdale before them outshone them all. Its shadowed head was only a few feet below the highest branches, and its body looked to be longer than Pua's entire bedroom.

He couldn't stop and admire the creature's beauty though. The Mudsdale was thrashing about in circles, lashing out with its back legs in its desperation to get away from the two shouting people trying to contain it, both of whom were swift enough to avoid getting kicked.

"Remind me again why Guzma wants this fucking brute?" One of the shadowed figures shrieked.

"Because it's a fucking brute, you dingus!" The other roared back.

The two were both male, Pua assumed, and he could see that one of them was holding what looked like rope. "They are trying to tie that poor thing up!"

"Not if I can help it," Chase growled, lifting a Poké Ball into the feeble light. He pressed the button and pointed it behind the nearest tree, blocking out the burst of blue light as the energy pooled out.

Pua couldn't see what Pokémon it was, but he could smell it straight away; his eyes began watering, and he had to shove his face into his sleeve as he struggled to breathe.

Chase didn't seem to notice, his eyes locked on the track. He said nothing for a moment, watching as the Mudsdale kept spinning, pushing its attackers closer towards the trees, close enough that Pua could have reached out if he wanted to. "Poison Gas, go!"

"What the fuck?" One of the figures squawked and turned around. The squawk turned into a scream as something gooey leapt out from behind the tree, arms flailing madly and a noxious cloud pouring from its mouth. The second figure began to yell as well, and within seconds the two were coughing violently and running blindly back towards the Mudsdale as they tried to escape.

It was the opportunity the Ground-type was looking for. "MU-UU-UU-UD!" It whinnied and kicked out with both back legs. The thunk of the giant hooves connecting with bone echoed like a gunshot, and Pua ducked as the two lifeless bodies flew backwards, crashing into the trees. The ground began to shake before they had even slumped to the ground, and Pua watched as the Mudsdale galloped away, leaving only cracks in the earth behind him.

Chase ran towards the two and checked their pulses. "They're still alive, but they won't be awake for a while."

"We shouldn't hang around though," Pua said, spotting something on the ground; the impact seemed to have knocked one of their bandana's off, and even in the dark Pua could recognise the pale skull emblazoned across the front.

He showed it to Chase, who merely rolled his eyes. "Idiots. I thought Alola would mean getting away from all these gangs."

"Skull is nothing like Rocket or Magma."

"They didn't start off how they finished up," Chase said darkly, and he started walking up the path.

Pua went to follow, but something slimy brushed against his leg, and he paused, suddenly gagging again. The Pokémon stopped and looked up at him with two giant eyes brimming with outraged offence. "S-s-sorry," Pua spluttered, both disgusted and curious at the same time. He had never met a Grimer in the flesh before, though this one looked different to the pictures he had seen, it's dripping body about fifty shades of purple.

"Come on Frankie," Chase called. The affronted Grimer glowered at Pua a moment longer before sliding after her master.

Pua looked down at Rocky, pleased to see his face was scrunched up in discomfort as well, and followed after. "You didn't say you had a Pokémon."

"Doesn't everyone?" Chase retorted.

"I suppose. Rocky's more a pet though, I haven't really battled much with him."

"You might want to change that if these Team Skull people are going to hang about. I mean, I'm guessing they are the ones who re-opened this track. If they are sticking close to town, you are going to need some protection."

A thought hit Pua with such force that he nearly cried out in joy. He scooped Rocky up, ignoring his protests, and rushed forward so he could see Chase's face when he said it. "Why don't you train me?"

"Train you?" Chase said, eyebrow rising sceptically.

"Yeah! I mean, Rocky isn't going to get any stronger if we just attack wild Pokémon that can't do much. Just look at him, he's so tiny and weak!" Pua held his Pokémon forward as proof, and ignored the annoyed pout Rocky threw back at him.

Chase paused, pursing his lips and staring up at the trees. "What do you think?" He said, looking down at Frankie. The Grimer looked disdainfully at Pua but shrugged her drooping shoulders. "Well, if she's fine with it, so am I."

Pua's heart skipped a beat. "You sure?"

"Yeah, why not. I've got to stay on top of my game as well. Shall we meet after school this week?"

"Yep, yep, that sounds great!" Pua smiled and nodded with barely disguised enthusiasm, and Chase started laughing.

"I like you, Pua," he said, shaking his head, and he carried on up the track.

Pua stayed still and watched him go, unable to stop smiling. He likes me, he thought, blinking back tears. He watched Chase for as long as he could, admiring this body that still seemed to shine even in the dark. He really likes me.

 

[AceTrainer14]

Thanks for the review @TRNatalie! I see your point, I will change that to motionless.

A short break between chapters this time, aren't you all lucky!


The Lesser Routine

The bells had barely settled before the singing began. Of course, few of the parishioners waited until they were inside to break into song. For hours before the service began, as early as the break of dawn, Iki Town swelled with the sound of choir song and traditional hymns. It was said you could hear the singing from Hau'oli City; it was assumed that had begun as some kind of boast or insult aimed at their unwanted neighbours, no one seemed to agree, but most took it as a challenge to be loud enough so the whole region could hear them.

Today, the church's choir had begun the service with Aue te Okatai. There was a songbook in the back of every seat, but every copy that day sat untouched quivering with the rhythmic vibrations in the air; the lyrics were as much a part of the congregation as their flesh and blood, and the music poured from their mouths as easily as any other word. Even with a song as deep and intense as this, people sang with a smile, grinning at their friends and family, arms around their neighbours as they subconsciously fought to be the loudest, to make their voice heard above the boisterous percussion that filled the ceiling, as if Tapu Koko was listening from his temple and would reward whoever he could hear the clearest.

That was unlikely to be Pua. He and his mother sang and clapped with everyone else, but they were the only pairing in the entire church whose smiles did not reach their eyes. Whereas others were turning to their neighbours and inviting them into their private liturgy, Pua and Anahera stared directly forward, making such a palpable effort not to meet the other's eyes that a quieter room would have easily noticed.

The two had exchanged only a few words over the last twelve hours. Pua had arrived home in such a giddy, gleeful state, high on lust and hormones, that part of him had been prepared to confront her the moment he stepped through the door. When he stepped into an empty, darkened living room, the other part of him was glad he could simply sneak into his room and finish what he had begun earlier.

Despite the rebellion brewing in his chest, Pua spent most of the day in his room. He came down for breakfast only when he knew she was out in the garden, and then lay silently on his bed with his thoughts until it was nearly time to go. Anahera was waiting when he came downstairs, a late lunch of laulau sitting on the bench. "You aren't eating as we walk," she said to the room when his feet creaked on the bottom step.

Pua ate quietly while staring out the window, wondering if Chase would be there today, wondering how soon until they could start training. He basked in the warm glow of his memories until he felt the floor shake and knew it was time to leave. "Thanks," he offered meekly as he put the dish in the sink.

"Mmmhmmm," was all he got in response, and Anahera led the way out the front door.

As the song ended in a series of whoops and applause and everyone retook their seats, Pua felt his mother's presence shifting next to him, as though her meaty arms were trying to envelop him. He had been trying not to think about last night, but he knew that the only reason they had not fought yet was because of church. If it had been any other day of the week, Anahera would have been unable to contain herself, but the night before church was a different story. She would seek solace in the glass murals above them, she would look for guidance in Joshua's words, she would search for answers in the tattered book falling away from its leather in the pouch in front of her. Only once she was given the story she wanted would she turn her anger back to him and let her vitriol and rage pour out from her gaping, yellow-toothed mouth, the rant she'd been writing in her head all night suddenly justified no matter what was delivered to her today.

It meant that, for once, Pua straightened up as Joshua walked to the lectern. Whatever was said over the next few minutes would be creatively repeated in their living room tonight, and Pua wanted to know what he was going to be dealt. He could see Leilani shifting in her chair a few rows ahead, looking around for him so they could exchange eye rolls, but Pua knew that even with their current statuesque staring, Anahera was watching his every move.

At the front of the room, Joshua paused for a moment, his head bowed and face solemn as if in prayer, but when he raised it, his smile was as wide as ever. "I want to start today with a little story. Some of you that have come into my office before may have heard this one, so bear with – not everyone is so lucky to get private time with me!"

From the back of the room, a distinctive voice rang out. "He's talking about you, Shayna!"

Ripples of laughter spread through the pews like a wave; strong at first as it spread to the middle, but thinning out and receding quickly as it neared the front. Joshua's laugh was louder than most as he pointed to Kasanita, one of the school's canteen staff, but the more traditional members bristled at the interruption; Pua heard Anahera tut with barely disguised contempt, and he silently clenched his teeth together.

"I'm not going to be the one to name names," Joshua said as the laughter died down. He waited until the last few sniggers had petered out before making one final chortle that, in the same breath, turned into the first line of the day's speech.

"Every morning when I wake up, my routine for the day begins. Immediately, as soon as I wake up. I get up from the right side of my bed so that I start my day staring across the bountiful ocean Tapu Fini blessed us with. I go to the bathroom to do what must be done, I stretch, I get dressed, and then I run. I put on a pair of socks and the blue running shoes I keep next to the dresser, and as soon as they are on, I run out the door and start my day with a two-kilometre run. I go around the town, up along the Mahalo Trail, pay my respects to Tapu Koko, and head home and cool down over breakfast before coming here, to this beautiful place.

"So that's how I start my day. Now you all know where to find me for those early morning crises," Joshua added with his twinkling smile to another round of laughter. "That may be what I do, but I know I am not alone when it comes to routine. Many of us do the same things every day. Some of us might stop for an iced coffee on the way to work. Some of us swap running for swimming at the beach, or go hiking along Route Three. Some of us might be more particular – we have to feed the Pikipek outside our windows before we get dressed, or maybe have to flick the light switch on and off twelve times before leaving the room. We all need to do our own thing that helps prepare ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually for the day ahead whether we consider them routine or not."

Joshua paused for a moment and smiled with the serene sternness of a teacher reaching their next point. "It's funny, when you stop and think about it. You may have had your morning walk before you came here, or assembled your fruit salad by colour, or whatever else it is you do any other day, but do you ever notice that this is the one thing that unites us? Every Sunday, every other part of our routine is put aside for a few hours and we join together as one to celebrate our gods above. That's something really special, isn't it? This church, the gods, this region; they are the one thing that unites all our daily routines, and every time I think of that I feel so happy."

For someone apparently filled with joy, it was at this moment that Joshua's face filled with sorrow. Time for a lesson, Pua thought grimly.

"Here's the thing with routines," Joshua said, stepping out from behind his lectern and letting the crowd admire his long purple and yellow kiehe. "Routines are special. They mean something to each of us. The light switches, the coffee, the running; these are the little moments that keep us sane, keep us happy, keep us connected with the gods. Some people may not understand your routine or what makes you happy, but your routine is not about someone else. The gods have gifted us the blessing that is this world and allowed us the freedom to enjoy it, and it is only right that we accept that gift.

"In the face of that gift, though, it is important not to become so connected to our routines. Being alive means having to make sacrifices from time to time. One day you might have to forget about your night time swim in order to mind the kids for your partner. Some mornings, the light switch might have to be left alone if it means getting your household to the bus on time. Routines are special, but we have to know when it is right to enjoy them and when we have to let things slide.

"But there is one routine you cannot sacrifice. There is one routine that goes above all else, that goes above your fellow man. In fact, to call it a routine, to compare it to light switches and exercise is an insult. It's an insult because I am talking about the gods. I am talking about your church. I am talking about this right here." Joshua stamped his foot on the last three words and caused an earthquake of cheers to rise from the pews.

"When we come here on Sundays, we come here to give ourselves over to the gods. For one morning a week, they demand we give them our time, and it is the very least we can give them after all that they have done for us. But it is not just for them. We need this time together. We need this time to reflect on ourselves and to reflect as a community, to find the answers that we so desperately need so that we can return to our homes and loved ones and carry out our routines with the peace and well-being needed to withstand any interruptions and complications that might try to push us from our path.

"Just as there are people out there who might not understand your personal routines, there are people outside these walls who seek to disrupt this collective routine. You may let them disrupt your morning run; you may let them disrupt your iced coffee; but you can NOT let them disrupt your spiritual quest. This is the one thing that we all share, and should anyone try and take that away from us, may the gods have mercy on their souls!"

It was hard to tell if Joshua had finished speaking; his sentences so often became so passionately loud and defiant that a dramatic pause could be mistaken for the end. Yet if he had more to say, the people were not going to let him say it. Like the collective they were meant to be, the entire church rose to their feet, and the cavernous space above them was filled with the sound of vigorous, loyal applause punctuated with cheers and prideful weeping.

Maybe Pua was in a dream. Maybe Anahera had hit him last night after all and that magical walk under the stars had all been in his head. Because, as his looked around at the sea of bronze, ochre faces, he could not believe that any of this was real. The cheers, the applause, the wave of people rising around him; surely this was some sort of twisted nightmare?

Unfortunately, Pua was alive and conscious, and the entire town was indeed swallowing the tripe they were being fed. Is this one of those movies where everyone turns out to have been in a cult all along? The smiling, nodding, agreeable parishioners, people he had known all his life and had once considered clever and wise, certainly looked very cultish right now. He wanted to stand up and tell they were being duped, but no matter how loud he screamed, the applause would simply drown him out.

Instead, Pua said nothing as he rose to his feet. His movements felt foreign, his body struggling to comprehend what was happening. He looked down at his own hands slamming pathetically together and didn't recognise the motion. What the fuck are you doing, a distant voice lost in the depths of his mind called out, not loud enough to stop a false, appeasing smile crossing his face.

Yet even with angry bile boiling the back of his throat, Pua knew this was his only option. Slow, sarcastic applause was defiant as he could be. If Pua remained seated, he might as well run naked down the aisles with Kukui's face tattooed on his back. Conformity meant survival, and Pua had no intention of giving his life up so easily.

Still, the sight of the sheep blindly accepting the wolf's lesson made him cringe, and Pua turned his eyes towards the ceiling. The sun was shining perfectly through the stained glass behind him, imprinting a bright, jagged circle of light a few metres above Joshua's head. Gods give me strength.

His eyes fell back to the crowd, and Pua was stunned to find his prayers answered. In this sea of hair that, no matter the shape or length or attempts at recolouring, was as black and thick as oil, Chase's shaggy, golden blond mane stood out like a lighthouse in the dark, a siren calling Pua towards the shore.

Well, I'll be damned. Pua clapped with sudden enthusiasm, his smile widening and rising past his cheekbones. All these years he had been coming to church and saying his prayers, making his little wishes in amongst the muttered platitudes, but never once had any of them been answered; certainly not with such haste. Yet, as memories from last night rushed back to him and his heartbeat ecstatically, Pua had to wonder if he had been wrong all this time.

***

When the service ended an hour later, the sun had slipped out of the sky, only an orange smear at the edge of the horizon, spread out like a slowly sinking 'V'. The moon had already risen on the other side of the island, a spotlight slowly coming into focus, and the mere sight of it gave Pua a rush of happy memories.

He clung to them as he scouted out a place amongst the crowd. He longed to go home and savour the last few hours of freedom before the week began again, but he couldn't leave while his mother was still here. The two had thankfully parted ways as they filed out of the church, but Pua could see her hulking frame in the middle of the square, the blood red kiekie sticking out in this ocean of colours like a Rhydon amongst Mareep.

Shuddering slightly, Pua walked in the opposite direction. He pushed through throngs of people as he searched around for Leilani, sidestepping grown men standing sullenly together in the way middle-aged men do, passing a trio of elderly ladies smoking near the church doors, cackling without a care in the Melemele tongue. He nearly got lost in the cloud hanging around their heads, the smoke seeping into his lungs and burning his eyes, until a firm hand tugged him into the shadows.

"I can't believe he still has any energy left," Leilani growled as a way of greeting.

"What?" Pua was too busy blinking the ash from his eyes to know what she meant and had to follow her steely gaze. It may have been hard to tell just who in the crowd she was glowering at, but there was no missing the rich purple of Joshua's kiehe, the fabric shinier and brighter than that of his congregation. "Why? He wasn't as worked up as he normally is."

"I meant the fact he walked all that way just to reach his fucking point." Leilani slouched against the church, firmly crossing her arms as some form of protest. "Can you believe he is being so brazen about this?"

Pua knew exactly what she meant. In a way, he had to admire Joshua. That speech may have been contrived, but his point had been clear, hidden away amongst all the foreplay. It was obvious enough that most people would leave church today thinking about Kukui and his plans, but had a slight subtleness that gave the Kahuna plausible deniability. It was a thin tightrope to walk, but Joshua seemed to have his balance down pat.

"I thought he was being subtler than he could of. He never once said Kukui's name," Pua said, watching Joshua mingle like a king strolling through his masses. "He didn't say anything about the League."

Leilani scoffed. "He doesn't need to. Everyone knows what he was talking about, even fucking Kasanita could work that one out."

"What was she thinking making that joke? The Aunties are all going –"

"And Kukui wasn't even here to defend himself," Leilani interrupted. "I mean, he will find out about it, Helena will tell him, but he can't see all these people standing about whispering about him. He still thinks he has a chance to make this League happen." She trailed off there, her voice breaking slightly and shame flashing across her eyes.

Pua knew her well enough not to mention it, even if he felt the same way. "He still might, we don't know what the other islands will make of it." It has to happen, please let it happen. You can't dangle this carrot in front of us and then take it away before we can even taste it.

Leilani nodded at this, though her face remained twisted with sour sorrow. "That's true. Hala talks a big talk, but the other islands are much bigger than we are. It would be easier if he had his hometown's support, but if they like the idea enough, Kukui should be able to get over that."

Pua was doubtful - the islands tiptoed around each other as much as possible least centuries old tensions were stirred up - but he was simply glad to see her eyes twinkling. "See, we just need to focus on the positives!" He edged towards Leilani and wrapped his arm around her, hugging her with pretend enthusiasm.

"Ew, get off me," Leilani shrieked, laughing as she slapped him away. "Save your loving for your lover boy."

Pua's chest went cold. "Lover boy?"

"Voices carry in the dead of night around these parts," Leilani said, eyes shining malevolently. "I could hear you gagging for his albino eggplant. What the hell happened there?"

"Nothing," Pua said defensively. "I just ran into him and then helped him find the right way home. He's going to help me train Rocky."

"I see. And did this walk take a little detour down town?"

"No!" Pua tried to look indignant but he could feel his face reddening. "I don't even know if he's gay."

"He probably isn't," Leilani said, shrugging. "Not with that hair."

"What's wrong with his hair?"

"It makes him look like a Staraptor." Leilani pulled her ponytail around and draped it over her forehead so it made a jagged fringe. "It's ridiculous! You could lay an egg in that and never find it again. It's such a white boy haircut."

Pua was offended on Chase's behalf, but he couldn't help laughing. The men standing nearby turned and glared at them irately, but that only made the pair laugh even harder. Pua gripped the church walls to stop himself falling and cackled, feeling the lightest he had all day, and shut his eyes against the crowds. He imagined no one was there, that it was just him and the stars again, back when the world had been his and his alone. He could see himself skipping home across the moonlit path, holding Rocky in his arms, ignoring his grumbles about being swung around and only focusing on that reluctant smile. If only it could be like that forever.

"FI-NA-LY! I have been looking for you losers everywhere."

Pua opened his eyes to find Ikky standing in front of them; they had only been out of church a few minutes but already the boy was stuffing his face with handfuls of hot chips, tomato sauce that matched his outfit smeared over his lips and chin.

"Your mother is going to kill you if you get anything on your kiehe," Leilani said, her laugh drying up quickly.

Ikky shrugged. "She's the one who brought me these," he said, spraying tiny flakes of potato over them. "What are you two talking about?"

"The service," Pua said.

"Oh, right. Joshua really doesn't like that professor guy, does he?"

"Told you," Leilani muttered.

"Yeah, well, who cares what Joshua thinks. He probably hasn't even spoken to Kukui for more than five minutes." Pua crossed his arms and stared huffily at the back of the Kahuna's head, annoyed his memories were already distant dreams.

"I heard you guys know him now though," Ikky said, smiling mischievously. "Someone said you are working with now."

"Says who?" Leilani asked with a face like thunder.

"Not sure," Ikky said, shrugging again. "A few people were talking about it, can't remember who. Susannah maybe, or Tanisha?"

"Great. Great!" Leilani slumped back against the church, teeth audibly clenched. "The whole fucking town will know by now."

"Who cares? What are they going to do about it?"

Leilani looked at Pua like a five-year-old who'd just asked how to use the toilet. "Do you think I want that kind of scrutiny from a bunch of middle-aged biddies who haven't done anything with their lives? I already get pitying looks every time I order a salad when we go out for dinner, I don't need this on top of that."

"That doesn't sound that bad," Ikky said.

Oh, you foolish boy. Pua stepped a face places to his right as a precaution, but even from this distance, he could feel the heat Leilani's laser-focused glare was emitting.

"Ikaika, if you ever say something like that to me again, I will take whatever disgusting food you are eating and will shove it so far up your fat, shit stained arse you will still be able to taste it." She stormed off without a backwards glance, the violent 'it' barely out of her mouth, pushing past the men who were now chuckling knowingly to themselves.

"What the fuck was that?" Ikky shrieked, staring incredulously between Pua and Leilani's retreating figure.

"I'm not sure," Pua offered simply. "I'll go check on her," he added, and left Ikky on his own in the church's shadow. He tried to see where Leilani had gone, but the crowd was thick with too familiar faces, many of whom were staring at him as if they knew a dark secret, that it was impossible to tell. Pua was taller than most people his age but not tall enough to stare over the many giant men who loomed over him and had to make do with simply spinning in circles like a crazy person.

"You alright there?"

A lone, decipherable voice emerged from the babble, and Pua clung to it eagerly, smiling even before he'd turned around. Chase's hair did not shine as brightly in the dying light, but his egg white skin still seemed to glow, and his frayed suit fitted him snugly, despite the clear signs it was a hand me down.

"Hey," Pua said breathlessly.

"Hey," Chase replied, laughing softly. "You looking for someone?"

Yes, you. "Leilani disappeared on me. I was just checking she was alright."

Chase nodded as if he knew the situation. "I see. Well, I wish I could say where she went, but everyone kind of looks the same right now."

"Um, excuse me?" Pua asked, trying not to smirk.

Chase raised an eyebrow for a moment before realisation struck. "Oh crap, I didn't mean it like that!" he spluttered. "The outfits, they all kind of look the same. You know, with the colours and the patterns and the…"

"The clothing-like shapes?" Pua suggested, and the two sniggered. "It's fine, I get what you mean. Though clearly, you didn't get the memo."

"Yeah…." Chase lifted his blazer up and frowned at his pale green shirt. "I wasn't sure if I'd be allowed in wearing this, but no one's commented on it yet."

Maybe not to your face, Pua thought, but kept that to himself. "Why did you even come? Don't you have your own Kantonese church-thing to do?"

"Nah, religion isn't that big over there. It seems pretty big here though, so I thought I'd get a feel for it. Especially as I heard there's some sort of festival coming up - the Summer Solstice, right? I don't want to be a complete noob when that happens."

"Oh, yeah." Pua's heart sank, suddenly heavy with dread.

Dread that was clearly noticeable. "Something wrong?" Chase asked, eyebrow raised.

Pua was tempted to just stop the conversation and walk away, but Chase's smooth face looked so innocent when he was confused that he couldn't possibly look away from it. "It's just that… well…. it's my birthday, the solstice." The thought had been at the back of his mind for weeks, even though he tried not to think about it. Part of him had forgotten about it over the last week, so caught up in this conflicting mix of rage and lust, but now that it was spoken all Pua could see were the hand-drawn posters pasted around the church doors.

"Is that a bad thing?" Chase asked uncertainly.

Pua nodded grimly. "Every year I've got to wake up early so we can go to the church service, and then join the masses walking up to Tapu Koko's shrine, and then hang out with the entire town all night long. Such a fun birthday, right?"

"Oh yeah, I can imagine that being a pain. My birthday's right around the holidays, so I know what's like to feel second best, though at least mine isn't on any festivals. Well, it might be now – do you guys do stuff for the Winter Solstice?"

"Yeah, that's the other big – wait, is your birthday December 21?"

Chase laughed and nodded. "Yep! I guess that means we're opposites."

For a second, Pua thought he might faint. He had stopped breathing, he knew that for certain – or rather, had simply taken a pause, a dramatic one at that, the excitement and shock of this revelation so overwhelming his body had simply seized up in response. This truly was fate of some kind, and Pua wondered if he should skip the festival entirely and head to Tapu Koko's shrine now – Joshua had never mentioned matching soul mates as being within the jurisdiction of the gods, but what other explanation was there for this golden-haired gift that kept on giving arriving in his life like this?

Pua was so high on this indescribable joy that he didn't realise the world had gone quiet. He thought it was simply the blood rushing to his ears, but when Chase turned around, Pua realised the whole square was looking in one direction, every single person struck silent.

And there was only one person who would have such an effect. His joy quickly fading, he pushed past Chase and forced his way closer to the point of impact that had drawn everyone else in.

The crowd had condensed near the east side of the square. Pua could not breach the inner circle of people, but spotted Leilani finally, standing on a fence post glowering over the townspeople, and rushed to join her. She acknowledged him simply with a finger to her lips, her eyes not moving from the scene below; down there amongst the throngs of people, Kukui and Joshua stood on their own, standing such a distance apart they might be preparing for battle. There were no Poké Balls in sight though – Pua had no idea if Joshua even had any Pokémon – signalling that this was a very different fight.

Pua grunted as he heaved himself up the fence and missed what something Joshua said. "– you had been on time, you might have found my sermon today particularly enlightening." The Kahuna spoke with the same serious tone he used when he was standing before his congregation, but there was a harder edge this time, a force behind each word Pua had never heard him use before.

"Again, I am very sorry for being late, things got away from me down at the lab. Unpacking everything, arranging it all, you know how it is, bro," Kukui explained, smiling with that cocky grin of his.

"You must be incredibly lucky then to have hired two new assistants then," Joshua replied coldly. A few people on the opposite side of the circle looked up at Pua and Leilani at that, but most were too engaged to pay them any heed.

"Very lucky. I am sure they will be very diligent workers. I have heard great things about the Alolan people, I know what hard work –"

"We do not need your pleasantries, just as we do not need your grand ideas for our region." Joshua's words dripped with ice, and it was clear Kukui was taken aback by such a public display of animosity. "If you have come here to try and win us over, you are out of luck. No one here wants your League, so you'd only be wasting your breath."

"Go back to Kanto!" a woman screamed from deep in the crowd, conjuring up a thunderous burst of applause.

Kukui winced as he gazed around the people celebrating his failure, and coughed to try and recompose himself. "Hey man, I mean you no harm whatsoever. I simply believe a League would be of a benefit to this region. I am not here to try and reshape you to the ways of a different culture. I am Seviian, we have natural ancestors, I would only create a League that works for –"

"Don't you dare talk as if we are the same!" Joshua roared. The spit flying from his mouth was visible from metres away, and the shout deafened any lingering applause. "Our ancestors may be the same, but your people went down a far darker path than we have. If the Sevii Islands had believed as we do, they would have never allowed such a darkness to grow within them, they would never have been touched by fire and war. A League will bring only death and destruction, and we want no part of it."

The words hung like the smoke after an explosion, and Kukui stood stock still, jaw hanging open. "Fire? War?" he said finally, voice shaking. "Are you really saying that Sevii brought Team Rocket upon themselves?" Kukui looked revolted, and actually backed away, fists clenched. "What a vile, disgusting thing to say. I was a child in Sevii when that war happened, I watched innocent, god-fearing people I'd grown up with lost everything to Team Rocket. I saw elderly and vulnerable people get used as pawns in one sick man's twisted game. You call yourself a man of god but say that we brought that on ourselves? Only a sick little man would say something so despicable and then have the gall to spread such slander as fact!"

The air, already thick with humidity, suddenly became denser. Pua felt Leilani quivering with rage beside him, and he could see many in the crowd below were doing the same, but few would be of the same thoughts as her. One man behind Joshua actually stepped forward, but the Kahuna calmly raised a hand, stopping him in his tracks.

"You can call me a liar if you must, I stand by what I saw. The gods only punish those who defy them, and Sevii must have defied them a lot in order to suffer as they did. The gods saved you in the end, and how did you repay them, hmm? Did you build any temples, did you honour them in any way? I don't believe so, unless you had a chapel somewhere inside the Pokémon Tower."

Kukui simply shook his head. "You are so wrong on so many levels, man, you have no idea. I was going to talk with you in private, but I might as well tell you now; I have spoken with the Hau'oli City Council, and they are arranging for me to meet with their counterparts in Heahea and Maile. They all support my idea and want to know the logistics of implementing it. Sorry, bro, but you and the old man are swimming against the tide, and you are only going to end up drowning."

With one final flash of his perfect smile, Kukui turned, pushing his way between the crowd. Silence lingered as all eyes turned to watch him walk down the main street, but the second he was out of sight, the whispers began. The sound was like an out of tune television, a low hum that rose in volume but remained indistinguishable, the entire town descending into a twittering, gossiping mass.

Pua expected Joshua to say something, but the Kahuna was silent; he remained where he was for a moment, ignoring all those trying to talk with him, only moving when Hala's huge frame appeared alongside. The crowd parted to let them through, everyone watching them storm their way towards the church.

"Why's he not defending himself?" an old woman nearby shrieked to the group she was with, though they all shushed her and carried on their hushed discussion.

"This is madness." Leilani had been so quiet, a rarity for her, that Pua had nearly forgotten she was there; he turned to her and was stunned to see she had tears in her eyes. "They aren't going to see sense, are they? Joshua's right about there being war, he just doesn't see that it's going to be his fault."

"Don't say that. Once the cities get involved, Joshua will have to come around, you'll see."

Leilani finally looked at him, wearing that saying dismissive, exasperated look she always wore when he had annoyed her, the look that always made his heart shrivel up inside his chest. "You know what your problem has always been, Pua? You're too fucking nice. You always think everything's going to work out, even when it's screaming in your face telling you otherwise."

She jumped off the fence and shoved her way through the townspeople. Pua, too taken aback to say anything, watched her break through the mass and follow Kukui's footsteps down the street. A moment later a woman he assumed was Helena ran after her, calling out her name, quickly becoming lost in the din.

Pua did not move for some time. Leilani's words rested on him heavily, literally dragging his head down towards his neck until he sat slumped on the post. Was that an insult or compliment? Heat of the moment or actual anger? He tried writing counter-arguments in his head, but nothing was strong enough; even his inner monologue was too nice.

He didn't move until Anahera appeared before him, a silent order that said it was time to leave. Even though Pua knew what would await them back home, he followed meekly in her step, barely even noticing Chase as he waved goodbye. At least he was used to the things was going to shout.

The walk home from church was usually sad and full of hurt and regret, but never like this. Pua naturally walked ahead of his mother but the paths were long and he felt her eyes on him the whole time. If he didn't think of Leilani, he could only think of Kukui and Joshua, of threatened routines and unwanted birthdays. He wanted to focus on Chase, but now his mother's face hung over those memories. Does she think him too nice as well? Is that why she walks over him the way she does? If he had snapped at her earlier in his life, would they be where they were now?

Pua had no idea. The only thing he did know was that he certainly wasn't dreaming. His subconscious was rarely on his side, but he didn't hate himself enough to imagine a day this undeniably shit.

 

[AceTrainer14]

Wow, it's been a while. The joys of working of a job you detest in hours that leave you incredibly drained! My goodness, I am sounding a bit melodramatic and spiteful here - I'm taking after my lead. Or is my lead taking after me? Given that this chapter is set at work, I suppose we'll wait to see.

Thanks all for the reviews, much appreciated. Not really anything to reply to individually, especially as it has been a while, but all comments noted! And thanks to the judges for the two awards - was not expecting either one so early in the story's run, particularly not Best Protagonist. It am hugely gratified for the honours and will endeavour to keep the quality up to that level.

On with the show!

***

Working Classless

The town always felt bigger once school had ended for the day. At three every afternoon, the normally placid, vacant streets suddenly swelled with a surge of students escaping their daily prison once again. A tidal wave of white linen shirts spread across the paths and blocked the roads from palm tree to fern. Pua wasn't surprised today to see a Tauros rider angrily shouting at some of his classmates, having misjudged the right time to rise past undeterred.

Pua always welcomed the sight of furious gestures clashing with mocking children, but today he wasn't interested in what his fellow students were up to. There was only one person he was looking for in this sea of youth, but with the identical uniforms topped with similarly bushy hair, trying to find Leilani amongst it all was utterly impossible.

"Who are you looking for?"

Pua nearly jumped; he had forgotten Ikky had followed him out from maths class. He hopefully craned his neck one last time, but nothing changed the fact he couldn't see above the heads of people much taller than himself, and he slunk to normal height with a sigh. "Who do you think?"

"Ah." Pua had not told Ikky about the events after church, but even with his terrible social awareness, the larger boy could work out that something was up. "Do you have any idea what she's busy with?"

"Not a clue," Pua muttered glumly. Leilani had been strangely absent for much of the week. She only seemed to appear for one class a day before disappearing once again, and hadn't shown up for the first day of work. Helena said nothing was wrong, but even she had no idea what was going on.

"She'll tell us eventually," Ikky said with uninformed enthusiasm. "Want a chip?" he added, passing Pua a purple foil bag that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

Pua stared at it with bemused contempt. "Where did you get that from?"

"My bag?" Ikky replied sarcastically.

"I mean… just… how?" Pua spluttered, struggling not to laugh. "You have like four bags a day!"

"I like to have variety."

"You are going to be home in five minutes, can't you wait until then?"

"I get hungry on the way. Besides, I need the energy."

Pua snorted derisively. "Maybe if you ate some vegetables or something instead you wouldn't need an extra energy boost."

Ikky waved a large crinkled chip dusted in red seasoning under Pua's nose. "What the fuck do you think chips are made from, idiot!" He pointed up ahead, where the road split and spread out in two directions. "You might want to ask your scientist friend about what the classification of potatoes!"

"Good thinking, Ikaikia, I'm sure he'll be very enlightened!" Pua shouted as his friend heading down the left side path. "Have a carrot when you get home!"

"I'll bring it to school and you can shove it up your bum!" Ikky roared back, chip flakes flying from his mouth. He waved his greasy hands in goodbye and soldiered on ahead, completely unaware that a group of boys behind him were sniggering, their manic, malicious eyes flickering between Ikky and Pua.

Pua turned his head and marched down his path, hurrying away before anyone caught his reddening cheeks. He knew it was cowardice to flee this quickly, but the last thing he needed on top of everything else was their mocking drawls.

That was all it took for him to realise the walls he'd built around himself were made of cellophane. Pua liked to think that no one paid him enough attention to bother speculating about his private life, but he could not deny the years spent avoiding competitive sports, nor how obvious his quiet, unassuming demeanour seemed compared to the typically rowdy, hormonal members of his species.

Who cares what they think? The rational part of his brain yelled. They think anyone who walks around a puddle gay.

Pua wished he could agree with his own thoughts for once, but once again the two of them were at odds. Casting them aside and taking the higher ground was the sort of moral lesson reserved for after-school television. Pua had been through this enough to know the specific cruelty in that laughter was reserved just for him. There was a difference between joking with friends and laughing at strangers.

"Bloody hell." Pua finally stopped, pausing under the welcome shade of a sweeping palm tree. There was no one around now; the shortcut he had taken to the beach was crumbling and overgrown, one of the town's ways of keeping the tourists to their allotted areas. It meant no one saw him wipe his eye against the hem of his shirt. He was alone at last, only the faint echoes of the laughter lingering in his head.

"This is stupid, you're being stupid," Pua muttered to himself. He checked his watch and started off, moving with unneeded vigour but the thud of his own feet helped take his mind off things. He hated them for making him feel this way, but right then, Pua resented Leilani for not being there with him. It would be easy to forget about stupid schoolboys with her to shout something smart at their retreating backs, or to bitch about something else to keep Pua distracted. Where the fuck is she?

The lab's shabby roof appeared in front of him in no time. Pua's rage dissipated as he realised he was going to be early. Are people supposed to be early to work? Would Kukui mind, or was he going to barge in right in the middle of him plotting some groundbreaking theorem? Pua hesitated at the edge of the untamed garden, considering hanging around a few more minutes, but he could see a bag and towel lying near the surf. The thought of someone emerging from the waves to find some gangly teen gawking at them made Pua flush further, and he scampered towards the front door.

"Is that you Pua? Thank the gods you're here!"

Pua froze in the doorway. There was no telling where the voice had come from as the lab resembled a moving truck that had been caught up in a hurricane. The towers of cardboard boxes had tumbled over, replaced by piles of bubble wrap and newspaper that seemed to reach towards the roof. Every surface was covered with an assortment of items with no obvious sign of order; microscopes sitting on a toaster sitting on aged encyclopaedias between old clothes and beakers wrapped in cling film. Pua's eyes drifted in slow motion across every item as though he was examining a crash site, slowly filling with regret for ever taking up this job.

"Why are you just standing there?"

Pua jumped backwards onto the deck and shrieked. "Fuck!" he wheezed, clutching at his chest.

Helena smirked briefly but made no comment, disappearing back behind the tower of boxes she had appeared from. "Put your bag down and come with me. You and Leilani won't get your little league dream if the professor doesn't look like a professional."

"Mess is professional!" Kukui's deep voice bellowed from the back of the room. "It shows free thinking, unhindered by societal pressures of cleanliness!"

Pua didn't need to see Helena's face to imagine the contemptable rage plastered across it. "It shows you don't have your life in order, dickhead!" She emerged eyes-rolling with a pile of newspaper. "Move this to that corner and then start grabbing every bit you can see and add it there."

"Isn't that the fridge?"

"Yes, but there's no food in it because SOMEONE hasn't gone shopping!"

"And when would I have time to go shopping?" Kukui roared back, his casual cheer disappearing momentarily. Pua had never heard the professor raise his voice, and he had to wonder if there was more than just unpacking getting on his nerves.

Helena muttered something unintelligible under her breath as she stomped away. She grabbed a box without looking and emptied the contents onto the floor; an assortment of shirts, jackets and jeans cascaded onto the floor, landing in a dishevelled heap with no sign of order. "Alright, since we can't get to the wardrobe yet, I am going to put all the clothes here for now and organise them later," she muttered.

"Won't that make more of a mess?" Pua asked. He looked up expectantly when he didn't get a response, only to look away quickly when he caught a glimpse of the withering glare Helena was firing his way.

Pua kept his head down as he moved swiftly through the room. He found as much loose newspaper as he could and brought it back to his corner of the kitchen, like a Pikipek scourging for berries. The only sound that filled the workroom were distant crashes and clangs, occasionally punctuated by swearing, as Kukui dealt with his section, noises deafened by Helena's furious unpacking as she tore through her pile of boxes like some barely considerate tornado.

"Where's that ta'e sister of mine?"

"I'm not sure." Pua thought it was safe to look around now, and he jumped obediently to attention. Helena had dismantled at least a dozen boxes while he had been working – some with the flaps half-torn from the rest of the cardboard cube – creating a pile of miscellanea around her that had little purpose being in a lab.

"I'm really sick of the boxes," Helena explained in answer to his quizzical face. "Anyway – Lani, where the fuck is she?"

"Ummm…" How much was Pua meant to reveal? Did Helena know that Leilani had barely been in class that week? How much trouble would he be getting his friend in if he opened his mouth? Sure, he was still annoyed with her, but Pua doubted they would ever make up if he dropped her in it with her sister.

"She's right fucking here."

The room got a little messier as Leilani stormed in; her school bag went flying as she tossed it towards the kitchen, unaware that it was about to topple over a small tower of boxes. She paused only when she heard the soft, cardboard thunk, her wide eyes watching the pile as it wobbled. When nothing fell, Leilani carried on as if nothing had happened, swivelling around to face her sister. "I –"

"You're late." Helena punctuated her anger by the tearing open of another box, her eyes suggesting she'd rather the tape was ripping in half was her sister.

However, Leilani didn't seem to notice or care. "Guilty!" she called, raising her hands meekly. It was only then that Pua noticed she was holding a thick, tightly rolled ream of paper.

Helena saw it too. Her eyes narrowed. "What exactly is that?"

"This?" Leilani said, looking at the paper in mock surprise. "This? Why, this is just a petition I've been putting together over the last few days. I'm sure you won't be interested…"

"What petition?" Pua asked. Leilani turned to him as he spoke, and in that movement did not notice her sister leaping across a wall of boxes until she had snatched the paper out of her hands.

"Hey, that's mine!" Leilani squawked, but Helena put her back to her sister and ignored her, eyes furtively scanning the pages.

She was silent for a minute, a sign that always left Pua worried, and then Helena turned and smacked her sister with the ream of paper. "You idiot, what the fuck are you thinking!"

"I'm trying to support you and your boss!" Leilani snapped back.

"Do you want to get ostracized in the process? Do you know what Joshua and Hala will do if they find out about this?"

"They won't. I haven't been getting signatures from around here – well, at least not from locals."

If it was possible for Helena's face to become angrier, somehow she managed it. "Who has been signing it then?" she whispered coldly.

"Tourists, mostly," Leilani replied. If she was intimidated, she didn't let it show; she kept her back straight and her head high. "I've headed down to the beach houses and hostels, told them it was for a school project. You would be amazed at just how many of them think it's a great idea."

"And when exactly have you been doing this?"

"After school," Leilani answered quickly. As she spoke, Pua noticed sweat rolling down the back of her neck, and her hands, clutched behind her back, were trembling.

Helena could not see what Pua could, but she seemed to sense the lie in the air. "Is this true, Pua?" she asked, turning her narrowed eyes on him.

Shit. Pua had only a second to answer, but he had no idea what to say. He avoided looking at Leilani for guidance, not that he wanted to anyway. She had hurt him, she had ignored him, she had gone off and done this petition without telling him. Pua wanted her to know the turmoil she had caused him, but the idea of getting revenge like this made him sick.

"Of course," he said finally. He was unsure how much time had passed but hoped he sounded confident and convincing enough to avoid a scene. "Why wouldn't she be there?"

Pua walked past Helena with his head held high, grabbing more handfuls of newspaper and bubble wrap and moving them towards the pile with utter nonchalance. He could feel her watching him though, and he tensed up, afraid the sweat from his armpits would suddenly form an incriminating pool around him.

"We'll talk about this later," Helena said, her tone barely masking her scepticism. Pua sighed into the newspaper and glanced up as Helena tossed the petition onto the bench. "You can start by taking these boxes to the bin outside," she said to Leilani, tapping three tatty boxes near the front door.

"Pua can do that, he's stronger than me."

Helena scoffed impulsively and quickly rearranged her features. "Do whatever you want. You clearly already have."

Leilani smirked and waved sarcastically at her sister as she walked away. Only once Helena was out of earshot did Leilani turn to Pua and forced the box of clothes into his hands. "You can thank me later," she whispered, winking as she pushed him out the door.

"Thank you for what?" Pua muttered back, but Leilani simply waved him away as she disappeared into the boxes. "You're welcome, by the way," he added, low enough that she wouldn't hear him, and he slunk towards the bins.

What was she on about? Why on earth should I be thanking her for anything? If I had told Helena it'd be her ass I was dragging out to the trash now. Pua was suddenly angry, a rage he had never felt for Leilani before. He threw the box into the small skip around the side of the house and took pleasure in how it spiralled briefly through the air, causing the contents to spill out and fill the space. Pua stared into the empty space with his fists clenched, wondering if anyone inside would hear him if he screamed. He had to do something though because if he went back inside right now, he had no idea what he was going to say to her.

"Hey, Pua."

Pua jumped so quickly his knees banged into the skip. This was the last thing he had expected; for a second, he was unsure if Chase's voice was coming from inside his own head, but then his firm but gentle grip appeared on his shoulders. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Pua lied. He bit his lip to stop himself crying out and turned with what he hoped was a relaxed air. Yet it took all his willpower to keep himself smiling and his eyes forwards once he realised that Chase was shirtless and soaking wet, his normally erratic hair hanging in limp, brunette lumps over his eyes. It made his face seem younger, and that's what Pua focused on despite every instinct in his body urging him to look down.

"Are you sure?" Chase asked, his own oceanic blue eyes flickering towards Pua's knees. "That sounded nasty."

"Oh, I'll be alright, you just startled me is all," Pua laughed, well aware how high and unnatural the sound was. "What are you even doing here?" he added in a deeper voice.

Chase shrugged his bare, pale shoulders. "I felt like going for a swim. Is it just me, or is it really hot today?"

"Just you – this is typical for me."

"How can it possibly be? Look, I'm evaporating!"

Chase laughed and stared down at his chest, and Pua could not resist any longer. He looked down and seized up, clenching his jaw hard to stop the moan brewing in his throat from breaking through. It was like staring at a marble statue, so smooth and white yet jagged and chiselled. Shirtless, muscular men were a common sight around the beaches, but none had ever looked so unblemished and perfect as Chase did now; the slightly raised pecs, the hard 'v' on either side of his stomach, with a fine line of pale hair creeping up from the top of his tight board shorts.

Pua looked away then, not trusting his body to cope with whatever lay below his hips. Instead, he stared at the fine droplets of water as they rolled down Chase's chest. He breathed in and could smell a hint of sweat beneath the sharp twang of sea salt, a musk he wanted to soak up all day.

Oh fuck. Pua briefly gazed down at his own shorts and he cursed his own hormonal instincts. It was like having some parasite he had no control over, a creature that fed on his own excitement and shame. "What's that over there?" he cried.

Chase turned obediently like an eager puppy. "What's what?"

Without hesitating, Pua shoved his hands into his pants, quickly rearranging himself so the waistband of his briefs held himself in place. It wouldn't hide the bulge, but Pua had found from many years of changing rooms and beach side summers that a vertical bulge was less obvious than a horizontal one.

"Oh, nothing, I thought I saw a Gyarados."

Chase turned back with one of his sodden eyebrows raised. "I didn't think Gyarados were common around here?"

"No… they aren't. That's why I got excited." Pua smiled to show it was all a laugh, while internally cursing himself and his fixation on all things phallic. "Well, it was nice running into you. We should meet here again some time." Pua started laughing before he realised it wasn't funny, but his heart swooned as Chase offered him a pitying smirk.

"Maybe not here, but we should meet up soon."

Pua nearly swallowed his tongue in shock. "Really?" he wheezed.

"Yeah. Weren't we going to train?"

"Oh, yeah, of course."

"Frankie's been a bit restless lately, I think it would be good to get her out and about a bit more," Chase said. "Some of the guys at school – Tevita and Darren and Arnie – keep offering to battle with me, but their Pokémon seem to be just pets."

"Well, don't get your hopes up. I don't think Rocky would be that much of a challenge," Pua laughed.

"Oh, I don't know about that. He's fast and has a lot more energy than most domestic Pokémon. That usually means there is some untapped potential. He may surprise you."

Oh, I could do with some good surprises. "I guess we'll find out. How about tomorrow night?"

"Sounds good to me. It's a pity you don't have him here with you, this would be an awesome spot to train."

"Oh, well… I'm actually not a fan of the beach," Pua muttered awkwardly.

He knew the reaction before it came. Chase was already smiling, but the kindness in his eyes disappeared as his pupils widened, his eyebrows shooting up towards his sopping fringe. "You… you don't like the beach? And you live here?"

"Yep…"

"Wow, that's… that's something." Chase was clearly trying to keep a straight face, but his lips kept twitching upwards as though desperate to start to laughing. "Is there, like, a reason?"

No, I just fucking felt like making myself more of an outcast, thanks for asking. "There is… I'd rather not get into that now." Pua could feel his body deflating, figuratively and literally. He had endured this reaction for years, people sniggering or outright laughing right in his face every time it came up. Yet this reaction hurt the most.

"Totally cool, no drama. I just… wow!" Chase shook his head to emphasise his shock. "It's like living in Fortree and being afraid of heights!"

"I guess. I should probably get back to work," Pua said and stepped around Chase.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No, I just should really get back. It was nice seeing –"

"Pua, wait." Chase grabbed his arm and Pua froze in his grip. His hands were warm despite the lingering water, and even with his current contempt for him, Pua was ready to sink into his grasp and let him hold him forever. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed. I was just shocked, I guess, but that's not really an excuse, is it?"

Pua had a sudden urge to cry. Fuck me, he's sensitive as well. "It's fine, honestly. I mean, I get it a lot and it can be annoying, but I'm used to it. I genuinely should be working though."

"Of course, totally! I should probably get some clothes on, shouldn't I?"

"Only if you have to," Pua said. Chase turned back to him, confused, and Pua forced a laugh and quickly moved away. "See you tomorrow!"

"See you then." Chase waved before jogging back to his belongings. Pua lingered on the deck watching him go, biting his lips at the two perfect spheres being hugged by the waterlogged shorts.

"You pervert, I can see you're stiffy from here."

Pua glanced over his shoulder at Leilani and winked. "You know what they say about brown boys."

"Oh god, you're disgusting!" Leilani groaned, pointing her index finger into her open mouth.

"I get it from you, sweetie."

"Aww, thanks, babe." Leilani made a soppy face as she stomped past with one of the boxes. "So, you two booked a wedding date yet?"

"Not quite, but we will be training together tomorrow night."

Leilani turned as she threw the box into the skip; half the contents spilt out onto the grass, but she was already rushing back towards her friend. "What the hell is this? Are you planning on corrupting our pale invader?"

"Maybe," Pua said, shrugging. "First you have to tell me about this petition – what the actual fuck are you up to?"

"Oh, that," Leilani said, waving her hand dismissively. "I've been trying to get signatures to prove there is demand for a Pokémon League."

Pua's jaw dropped so quickly he felt his muscles strain. "What the fuck! Are you trying to get run out of town?"

"That's the issue, I'm having to find people who aren't caught up in Joshua and Hala's orbit. It's meant going a bit further afield – heading north across the bridge, tracking down tourist hotspots. I've only managed about sixty signatures so far."

"That's pretty good, actually. Why didn't you just put it online?"

"Please!" Leilani scoffed. "If I came in with some printed out petition Hala would call it the devil's work and Joshua would pull it apart, try and make out that it's all some Kantonese scam to corrupt young minds. No, it has to be pen and paper, it's the only chance anyone would pay it any attention."

Pua nodded, understanding her logic all too well. "You must have been really riled up after Sunday."

"Your damn right. I swear to god, if I had any Pokémon, I would have set them on Joshua right there and then. I just can't believe how short-sighted and arrogant these bastards are, to think this one ideology is the only way forward. They are so stuck in the past they don't realise the damage they are causing."

Pua nodded supportively, all the while biting his tongue. He loved Leilani and wanted to support her, but she wasn't the one being shouted at by schoolboys, she still had the confidence to do something as insane as ditch school to get signatures for her petition. His rage engulfed hers, even if he never said anything, but that was only because he couldn't. What benefit would it do either of them for Pua to snap at her now? She was not the enemy here, and even if Pua wanted to call her out on this, on her comments the other night, he knew better than that. Always the therapist, never the patient; his thoughts would forever be his alone.

Helena's roar echoed from inside. "Are you two still working for us, or should I get some Pyukumuku in here instead?"

"Calm your tits!" Leilani screamed back. She rolled her eyes at Pua and gestured towards the door. "After you, my love."

"Why thank you, my dear." Pua bowed mockingly and the two laughed as they headed back inside. Pua paused in the doorway and glanced back to the beach; Chase could not see him, but even from here Pua could make out every inch of that perfect figure. He smiled at the thought of a night spent training tomorrow, and he held onto that as he turned back towards Leilani and the impossible chores that lay ahead.

 

[AceTrainer14]

Training Pains

What could someone wear when going to meet a crush under the pretext of training Pokémon but the meeting was also a sort of date that said crush wasn't entirely aware of?

Pua had reached the point where he was tempted to put that into a search engine and see what disturbed results the internet threw back. Over the last twelve hours, he had discovered he owned very little that could be considered casual yet stylish, eye catching but not obviously so, something that would make Chase think he knew how to dress himself without thinking he was hitting on him.

"Why is this so hard?" Pua grabbed two shirts from the pile that had gathered on his bed and held them either side of his bare chest, only realising when he looked in the mirror that he had compared the two a minute earlier. "GAAAH!"

"Ruff!"

"Not helpful!" Pua tossed the shirts on top of Rocky, who had decided to make a bed out of the increasingly large pile. At least he's having fun, Pua thought, watching his dog roll about on the discarded clothes.

Sadly, amusing Rocky was all they were good for. After tonight, Pua knew his first pay from Kukui was going towards resuscitating his wardrobe. He had never realised how many of his clothes had been bought for him, namely the collared shirts his mother had purchased for church events and were too formal for anything else. There was his collection of t-shirts that looked about five years out of date. There were some loose fitting singlets that had potential, but after the beach, Pua had no desire to show off his body.

He turned to the mirror at that and sighed at his own skinny torso. Leilani had once described him as resembling a malnourished tree. Pua's body was so flat and unremarkable you could take him to building sites and use his spine to level foundations.

"Come on Pua, pull yourself together." He stared at the pile, looking for anything that didn't seem too childish, too old, too lame, too gay, too anything extraordinary. Pua wanted something plain, simple, and unremarkable, something that simply had come into being and had no fuss attached to it whatsoever.

Suddenly, he heard it. The sound he'd both dreamed of and dreaded all of last night. A powerful, echoing knock.

"Fuckballs!" Pua hissed. He wanted to curse Chase for arriving early, but could see from the neon lights of his alarm clock that the boy of his dreams was exactly on time. So he's punctual as well. What the fuck isn't he good at?

Pua lunged towards his clothes, but was stopped as Rocky, finally freed from the clothes, leapt off the bed and directly into his trainer's stomach. "Tapu Koko have mercy," Pua wheezed, again annoyed there was no fat or muscle to soften the blow. He staggered back against his mirror and nearly slid to the floor. "Watch where you're going!"

"Ruff!" Rocky barked as if in defiance, ignoring Pua's pain as he tried to claw the door open.

"Stop that! Can't you behave for once?" Pua slapped his hands together, causing Rocky to scarper backwards in fright. Normally he'd feel guilty, but Pua could already see a mark forming from the point of impact and figured they were even.

He flung himself towards the bed and searched through the pile, prepared to wear anything that wasn't covered in scratchy dog fur. Seeing nothing, Pua flicked his sheets, half tempted to wear them. That was when he saw it: something red in a heap at the back of his bed. Pua lunged for it and unfurled it, dirt and fur floating off onto the rest of his clothes.

"Rocky, were you sitting on this the whole time?" The tie-dye shirt, a swirling, splotchy mess of crimsons, maroons and scarlets, looked perfect when held against Pua's jeans. He had forgotten he owned it; it was possibly a gift from one of his mother's relatives, some rarely worn Christmas present from several years ago.

Pua hastily pulled it on and scooped up Rocky. "Sometimes I don't know whether to hit you or kiss you," he cooed, pulling the Pokémon close as a compromise. Rocky squirmed and jumped away the second Pua opened the door, forcing his trainer to leap down the stairs after him.

"Rocky, stop it, come here, Rock – oh, hey."

Of course the door was wide open. Of course Chase was standing right there, staring at Pua, standing beside his mother, in his doorway, as if it was no big deal. Pua knew he looked flustered and scruffy, but he tried to conceal it all with a broad grin and a confident-seeming lean against the bannister.

"Don't lean on that," Anahera barked, "you'll bend it."

Pua's ears burnt with embarrassment. Twenty years you've been using it and it hasn't bent yet. He straightened up regardless and turned his smile to Chase. "How are you?"

"I'm all good, yourself?"

"Yep, I'm good." Pua had spent so long focused on his clothes he hadn't even thought of what to say or how to act once he had got dressed. He certainly didn't know what to say in front of his mother. Pua had told Anahera that he was showing Chase around and helping him get acquainted. The seemingly selfless, religious act of charity had sweetened her up, but Pua knew she was suspicious, and her hefty presence between him and Chase meant she was not willing to let her son leave without her final judgement.

"Your friend was just telling me what his father does," Anahera said, her voice low, drawling and all knowing. "Construction, was it?" she asked, turning back to Chase.

"Yeah, he's a project manager," Chase said, nodding. "He makes sure the site is in order and everything runs on time."

"I see." Anahera drew the two syllables out as if mulling them over. "Did you do this rurally or….?"

"Oh, no, we lived in a city. Celadon, have you heard of it?"

Anahera's eyes flickered warningly at the question. "Yes, of course. And what was that like?"

"Nothing exciting, I guess," Chase said with a shrug. "Typical big city life, I suppose. Celadon was a bit grubby though. Lots of rubbish and manhole covers everywhere. I actually lived pretty close to a sewage outflow."

Anahera's lips curled in a stilted simper. "Of course you did," she murmured, and glanced at Pua, a knowingly triumphant gleam in her eyes.

"It wasn't bad or anything, it was only really a swamp because the Grimer and Muk congregated there. That's how I caught Frankie. Do you want to meet her?"

Oh Tapu Koko, take me now. Pua tried to say something but words failed him. Chase already had his Poké Ball in hand, his long fingers were moving towards the button. Pua averted his eyes as red light filled the room, Chase entirely unaware of the bomb he had just set off. If Rhydon doesn't kill him the moment Frankie's formed, she will just kill me twice once she's kicked him out.

The light only lasted a few seconds but to Pua, it felt like a lifetime. He tentatively opened his eyes and cautiously looked back to the front door. No one was saying anything; Chase was optimistically watching Anahera, while Anahera was looking at her front mat with the look of someone who had just had rubbish dumped on their doorstep. Which, in a way, she had. "Is that a Grimer?"

"Grimeeeeer!" Frankie slurped in affirmation. Sludge oozed from her droopy mouth, and her huge, piercing eyes were fixated on Anahera as though she'd found her next meal.

"I… I don't think I have ever seen one up close before." Anahera's right eyebrow twitched violently as she spoke, and she glanced pointedly in Pua's direction.

Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god.

"Frankie has been mine for about three years now. We've been through quite a lot together, haven't we girl?" Chase bent down as he spoke and rubbed his hands on Frankie's head. She shuddered with pleasure the same way Rocky did when he was patted, but the sight of a drooping pool of slime being shown affection was one of the most baffling things Pua had ever seen.

Anahera, on the other hand, looked like she was about to be sick. "I read somewhere once that Grimer came to life due to chemicals getting into the sewage systems in Kanto. Is that correct?"

Frankie's face sank into a scowl, but Chase's smile only seemed to grow. "I have no idea, sorry. All I know is that Grimer are probably the handiest Pokémon there are. Watch this."

He disappeared behind their doorway, causing Anahera's face to darken, suddenly afraid of what he might produce. It turned out to simply be some empty bottles from the recycling bin, but Anahera remained scandalised as Chase passed them towards his waiting Pokémon.

Pua had no idea what was about to happen. His virginal eyes watched in horror as Frankie greedily grabbed the bottles and shoved them into her enormous mouth. No crunching, no chewing, no attempt at breaking it down; she simply swallowed them whole and emitted a belch so powerful Rocky's fur stood on end.

A deep silence followed the plangent noise. For the first time in possibly his entire life, Pua could see his mother was at a loss for words, her heavy face slack with shock.

Chase could sense the tension, and with an air of awkwardness, he slowly raised his hands and gave them a little shake. "Ta da…" he said, flashing that effortless smile, but for once there was something obviously pitiable about him, something that only made him more endearing.

"That… that was impressive," Anahera said finally. "I saw that happen once in a documentary, but never before in the flesh."

"Yeah, it's pretty strange. Frankie doesn't normally eat rubbish, so she can't break the food up yet, but I think her body will start to adapt to it more the longer we're here. By the time she evolves, she should be a full Alolan native!"

"I must admit, I do find the colours on those Muk quite spectacular," Anahera chuckled, slapping Chase's arm as she did.

What the actual fuck. Pua rose a hand to his neck and felt for his pulse. He felt his heartbeat pounding beneath his fingers, his body trying to send an SOS message to whoever would listen. Oh good, still alive then. This is actually happening. Had Anahera ever laughed at anything Ikky or Leilani had done? Had she ever shown such interest in a Pokémon before? She endured Rocky and put up with Pua's friends, but she never tried to make them feel welcome, instead going to lengths to point out how they were intruding on her home and her hospitality. The fact she was not only laughing at a friend, but a white boy Pua had a crush on, was more unnerving than if she had simply stabbed Chase the moment he stepped through the door.

I have to get out of here before they start singing Kumbaya. "We should probably head off soon, before it gets too dark to see anything."

Chase looked at his watch. "Shit, you're right. Come on, Frankie," he said, and tapped the ball against her head.

"You must bring her around when she has evolved," Anahera said, watching as the Grimer vanished inside the capsule. "It was lovely to meet you, Chase."

"You as well, Mrs Kealoha."

"It's just Miss," Anahera said, and for a moment it seemed like she was giggling.

Fucking hell, just kill me now. Pua smiled at his mother as he rushed to the door, Rocky hot on his heels. "See you later."

"Don't be too late," she said, her tone suddenly stern, but as Pua and Chase walked down the deck, Anahera stood smiling watching them go.

"Are you always this nice to your friend's mums?" Pua mumbled under his breath.

Chase laughed quietly. "That wasn't being nice, it was a defence mechanism. Everyone's so quick to slam the very idea of a Grimer I can't help but fight back," he explained.

Pua nodded. "Makes sense," he said, silently relieved his worry was for nothing.

"So, we're friends now, are we?" Chase asked with his trademark grin.

"Oh… yeah… I guess so, right?" Pua looked away as he spluttered out the sentence, feeling his cheeks reddening as he spoke.

"Of course we are," Chase replied, and he nudged Pua with his shoulder.

Pua felt his blood rush through his body, giving his feet a weightless feel as they strolled through the street. The moment would have been perfect had Anahera not chosen that second to slam the door shut. The sound echoed explosively through the dark, and Pua, in his nervous state, jumped.

Unfortunately, Chase noticed. "Does it not do that often?" he asked, smirking.

Pua forced himself to laugh. "Sorry, my mind's elsewhere."

"Well, you better find where it is. I can't help you train if you're away in the stars."

"Oh, but there are so pretty!" Pua spun around and raised his arms wide towards the sky. "Look at them – I bet they don't shine like this back in Celadon!"

Chase followed after Pua with his neck craned back. "They certainly don't. All our stars are at the casino."

Pua laughed. He led the way, their heads both turned to the skies, and laughed all the way down the street. It was only when they had passed the last house and the trees had begun to obscure their gaze that Pua realised he should say something. Nothing came to mind, so he simply kept laughing.

Shitshitshitshitshit. Their conversation had flowed so naturally only a few days ago, but then Pua hadn't felt this overwhelming pressure to seem so many things at once; relaxed, intelligent, spontaneous, witty, casual, charming, lovable, sexual, desirable, more states of being than he had ever achieved in his life. Most nights were spent in a state of laziness, resentment and regret; to have hope was a rarity Pua didn't know what to do with.

"Alright, my neck's getting sore," Chase said, interrupting Pua's chain of irrational thought. "I concede defeat, you're stars really are much nicer. But I bet you can't beat Celadon when it comes to contaminated waterways, can you?"

Pua sniggered but stopped himself from sparking another inane laughing fit. "You made home sound so enviable back there."

Chase shrugged. "I guess I was just showing off. Most people here think I'm some dirty city boy, so I've been a little on the defensive. Really, if you asked me that question like two months ago, I probably would have said it was a shithole myself."

"Welcome to my world."

"Seriously? How can you hate living here?"

"Oh Chase, how long are you expecting this night to last?" Oh my god, are we bantering? I think we are honest to god bantering! Pua felt an urge to wink and gave into it without thought; Chase smirked and then let out his deep, enchanting laugh. Pua felt safe to giggle again, but mostly he just watched Chase, admiring the way his face crinkled when he laughed, while his Adam's apple seemed more prominent and masculine as he bared his throat to the world.

"Ruff!"

"What is it?" Pua asked, biting back his resentment at this beautiful moment being interrupted.

"Rock Ruff Ruff!" Rocky sounded and looked impatient, his tiny tail wagging as if trying to take flight. When neither of the boys made any motion towards satisfying his impatience, Rocky turned and sprinted down the path.

"OI!" Pua yelled, and started running after him.

Chase appeared by his side, his arms moving swiftly through the air as he ran. "Where's he going?"

"How am I supposed to know? What do I look like, his trainer?"

Chase laughed again, and Pua felt as light as the wind. Positives outweighing the negatives so far. He clutched to that thought for support and pushed himself onwards, practically leaping with glee after Rocky without a care where they ended up, as long as it was with Chase.

Alright, this is less than ideal.

Pua sank onto a post outside the church, wheezing desperately for air. While both Rocky and Chase looked unfazed by the jog, Pua had had to guzzle nearly a litre of water from the nearby fountain, while a profuse amount of sweat had stained his shirt several new shades of red.

"Are you feeling alright?" Chase leaned over him looking concerned, his face slick with sweat but his breath steady and relaxed as though it had been a stroll through the flowers.

"I… will… be… fine…" Pua wheezed pathetically. He knew how this would look; he was so skinny and unfit that he could barely run up a hill he walked most days. If there had been any attraction or admiration or whatever it was that Pua wanted from Chase, that had likely vanished after seeing what a pathetic sight he was.

"You should have said you were getting tired. I might have slowed down. Might," Chase stressed, flashing his smile again.

Pua was momentarily glad of how red and sweaty his face was. "Now, it's fine. Look, I can stand again!" He rose ungracefully to his feet and presented his arms, grinning as though that would hide the fact his legs were shaking and his brain was swaying.

Chase looked unconvinced but clearly didn't want to argue. "If you say so. Now, are we going to train or what?"

"Yes, yes, of course. There's a stage we can use over there."

Rocky's ear perked up at the mention of the stage. "Ruff!" he yelped, and set off into the night again, his shadow dancing across the square as he danced through the street lamps.

"That way," Pua laughed, and launched himself forwards. He could barely stand and he was sure Chase could notice, but Pua didn't care if it meant getting away from the church. He spent enough time within its shadows as it was, and Pua preferred not to hand over more of his free time. There were lights on inside, and Pua could imagine Joshua lounging about in there, writing his next sermon and practising it in front of the mirror, searching for the perfect lie to trick the masses.

Yet their destination did not lie far. Asides from the church, the only thing of note in Iki Town was a wooden platform that sat in the middle of the town square. It didn't look like much: to many of the tourists that came through on their way to the Mahalo Trail, the platform looked old and ratty, the sort of thing that should be condemned. Yet it served multiple purposes – performance stage, podium for town gatherings and meetings, and, most significantly, battlefield.

During the day, Hala was normally found skulking around as he trained his Pokémon and prepared for Island Challenges that rarely came. At night, it looked more worn than ever, the torches illuminating it from all four corners highlighting every broken crack and shadow. "Can that thing actually hold up any Pokémon?" Chase asked as they got closer.

"Well, if it can hold up Hala, it can hold up anyone."

"Ouch," Chase scoffed, shaking his head. "I thought you had to respect your elders around here?"

"Do they not back in Celadon?"

"Not as reverently as you lot seem to. It's hard to admire your elders when they are mostly drunk and stuck in the casino."

Pua laughed. "You know, I think that's half the reason people like Hala are afraid of the city. They know if they ever let the townspeople know about the casinos, the population would drop overnight."

"Gambling is a religion of its own, that's what my mother used to…" Chase's smile vanished. The stage fell silent for only a few seconds, but it seemed to drag on for days as Chase coughed awkwardly and looked away. "So, shall we train then?"

"Yep," Pua said quickly. It only occurred to him now that he had never stopped to ask about Chase's mother and why he was only here with one parent, but from the look on Chase's face, there was clearly a reason why. No harm there. I mean, I haven't told him about my dad yet… huh, maybe that's why he hasn't asked.

"Rock Ruff Rock Rock!"

"Be quiet, would you?" Pua hissed. "You'll wake the whole town!" Admittedly, it was only early, a smudge of orange still hanging on to the horizon, but Pua was weary of being here when things were so empty. Hala's house was only a few metres away, and many of the other town elders lived in the neighbouring streets. He wasn't sure if you had to book the stage for training or not, and he hoped not to find out.

At any rate, Chase had already whipped out his Poké Ball, and the empty town briefly glowed red like the pits of hell.

"Ruff!" Rocky snapped, bearing down on his hind legs and staring aggressively at his sudden rival.

"Grimeeeeer!" Frankie wobbled more than usual, her gloopy hands reaching and waving about like an inflatable tube man.

Chase watched the two wistfully, his smile slowly returning. "It's amazing how quickly they revert to their primal instincts, isn't it? I watched a documentary once where they talked about how Pokémon have evolved and changed so much over the centuries, but their first reactions when encountering a foe is to try and intimidate them into backing away."

"Is that dance supposed to be intimidating?" Pua quipped as he eyed Frankie's queasy swaying.

"Oh really? Says the boy with a puppy that can fit in a handbag."

"Wow, I didn't know you were such a bitch," Pua fired back, and Chase cackled.

"You haven't seen nothing yet – Shadow Punch!"

Pua was taken aback as Frankie slid backwards and melted away into the darkness. "No fair!" he protested, aware how petulant he sounded.

Chase shrugged. "We didn't agree to official league rules. Besides, there aren't any in Alola, are there?"

Damn him. Pua's ire burned at that, and he knew he had to win now. "Tackle, go!"

Rocky, so eager for this a few moments ago, turned to Pua in confusion. How was he meant to tackle an opponent that wasn't even there?

Yet as he stared in the wrong direction, Frankie appeared on his right, sliding dramatically out from the darkness.

"WATCH OUT!"

"GRIIIIIMMME!" Frankie ploughed into Rocky, hitting him square in the chest. The Rockruff howled as he took to the air and landed roughly on the edge of the platform.

"Lesson one: you can never take your eyes off the battle," Chase said. "That goes for both Pokémon and trainer."

Pua muttered darkly in his head even though he knew Chase was right. "Come on Rocky, get up and use Tackle again!"

"Sludge Bomb!" Chase bellowed with noticeably more confidence.

"Dodge it!" Pua watched fearfully as Rocky pushed himself back up, already looking dazed. Frankie wasn't hesitating, her mouth shut tight as she held her attack in there, and Pua could see this battle barely lasting another minute.

"Ruff!" Rocky started running towards her, his paws echoing thunderously on the wood. Frankie watched him near and leant back, ready to fire.

At the last moment, an idea struck Pua. "Jump!"

Mercifully, for once in his life Rocky listened. As Frankie spat the toxic ball towards him, Rocky sprung up, soaring above slime and charging straight for the Grimer. The Sludge Bomb burst against the wood at the same moment Rocky dived into Frankie's stomach.

Pua started to cheer, but his glee caught in his throat; Rocky was now half-buried in Frankie's body, only his tail and back legs visible as he wiggled violently, trying to get himself free. Worse of all, Frankie looked entirely unfazed, as if every night she wound up with some domesticized pet caught in her midriff.

"Lesson two: you have to attack for the Pokémon itself, not just its type. Grimer and Muk are somewhere between liquid and solid, and anything that touches them risks getting trapped in all that free-moving slime. And what gets caught becomes hers," Chase added with a devious wink. "Fling!"

"Griiiiii!" Frankie pulled Rocky loose with a disgusting squelching noise. Pua could see his fur was slick with ooze as if he'd had swum in the sewers. Rocky looked at his trainer and gave Pua the most unimpressed look he could manage, the grumpy glower the exact opposite of his usual overpowering excitement.

"What exactly does Fling do?" Pua asked.

Chase smirked. "It's kind of in the name."

"What do you – no, wait!" he shouted, but it was too late; Frankie had already swung her arm back, and before Pua could get to her, she spun around and let go.

"ROOOOOOOOO!" Rocky's howl could probably be heard across the whole island. Pua watched in stunned silence as his pet spun through the air, rising so high only the moon could illuminate him. He seemed to hover up there for a minute, and then there was a second, sadder cry as he sank back to Earth.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Pua shouted. He leapt off the platform and sprinted towards the edge of the square, his neck craned back as he tried to work out where Rocky would land. He paused, thinking he'd found the spot, but Rocky was wriggling violently and he began to spin off course, heading towards the houses.

"ROCKY!"

"ROOOO –"

Rocky's yells were replaced by a muffled thud, and then – nothing. Pua looked around for any sign of him but saw nothing. He tried to move, but his legs threatened to give way if he did. His whole body was shaking; his knees, his arms, his chest, even his ears. Pua gulped for air as a wave of anguish and fear took hold of him, and the more he blinked the more tears seemed to rise to the surface. No, not Rocky, he can't…

"Pua Kealoha, what is the meaning of this?"

Pua jumped and nearly screamed. A meaty hand gripped onto his shoulder, and Pua shuddered as he was turned around. Hala stood in front of him, Rocky clutched to his broad chest like a baby to a teat. The Rockruff seemed unharmed, but it was hard to tell if his shaking was because of his ordeal or because of who had caught him.

"Well?" Hala boomed, his voice as deep and voluminous as his gut. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Pua tried to say something but no words could come out. He felt an urge to cry, so thankful to have Rocky back in one piece, but he would not cry in front of the totem leader. As such, his throat simply constricted, and the only sound Pua could muster was a stifled gurgle.

"Sorry, Hala." Pua and Hala both turned as Chase ran up to join them, Frankie sliding after him. "It was my idea. Pua wanted to train and I suggested we come here and –"

"And throw an innocent Pokémon into the dark?" Hala's eyes narrowed as his thick moustache bristled with rage. "Why could you not do this during the day, with someone experienced to keep the match fair and in order?"

"I think we both wanted to do it when there was no one around," Chase said.

"Really? What is so secret about your battling that you couldn't do it in public?" Hala raised a bushy eyebrow at them, but even Chase fell silent, his blue eyes staring at his shoes. "I thought so," Hala snorted, and he roughly pushed Rocky into Pua's chest. "I am happy to keep this incident between us, but if I catch you boys doing this again, I will have to tell Joshua and the rest of the town officials. You aren't in Kanto anymore, Chase; in Alola, we play fair and treat Pokémon with respect, not like soft toys we can bash about."

"Yes, sir."

Hala nodded. "Go home, the pair of you, and be thankful I hadn't been asleep or I might not have been so lenient." He cast a disparaging eye over them both before turning and stomping back into the night.

Pua noticed only as the totem walked away that he was wearing a dressing gown, a fainter shade of yellow than the shirt he normally wore. The sight may have made him laugh at any other time, but as he felt Rocky shivering against his chest, slime oozing down his shirt, Pua didn't feel much like laughing.

"Pua, I'm sorry. I didn't realise Rocky was that inexperienced. I should have asked."

Pua turned on his heel. For a second, he noted how sweet and innocent Chase looked, his blue eyes swimming with despair, his smooth, thin lips hanging in a frown, but the attraction faded fast. Pua instead stared down at Frankie, who looked equally as ashamed but without the beauty to confuse his head.

"You still threw him into the air. How was he meant to survive that?"

Chase looked lost for words. "I mean, he is a Pokémon, and they can –"

"They can what?" Pua snapped.

Chase fell silent, his face rapidly losing colour. "I'm sorry, I swear I am."

Pua longed to believe him. In his heart, he knew Chase was genuine. Yet it had still happened, and those few seconds where Pua had thought he'd lost Rocky he knew would stay with him for a long time. "I'm sorry as well," he muttered finally, and he turned.

"Pua, wait!"

Pua didn't stop. He heard Chase run after him, but that only made him start jogging himself, and after a minute the echoing footsteps disappeared. Thank god, Pua thought, as he didn't think he could keep his crying silent much longer.

"Rrr?"

"I'm fine, Rocky, I'm fine," Pua mumbled, but if even his Rockruff could see it, what was the point of pretending? He looked back and saw Chase standing alone under one of the streetlights, Frankie holding his left hand, and the sight alone was enough to push Pua over the edge.

He wept loudly, losing all sense of self-consciousness he normally felt around the church. Pua longed to be standing beside Chase, he wished that this had never happened. Yet it had, and he couldn't pretend otherwise, he couldn't pretend he'd endangered his Pokémon just to spend time with his crush.

Pua could feel Rocky wriggling, struggling to get free or to comfort him, he couldn't quite tell. It was enough to stop his sobbing, though the tears of dreams crushed and hope lost still cascading down his cheeks. "You'll be alright, Rocky. Let's get you home and get this slime off you, and everything will be alright by morning, okay? I'll never let anything hurt you," he added, and hugged Rocky tight. Even if it hurts me to do so, Pua thought, and he strolled slowly home, dreading on top of everyone else what his mother would say when she saw him.