|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2023 6:02 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2023 8:07 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2023 9:18 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2023 10:59 am
 |
|
|
|
"Yes, tomorrow. I had been out of the region for several months now, mostly traveling Galar, and I'm itching to return home and sleep in my own bed for once. Hotels are nice but there is no place like how." She smiled brightly. Looking around and noticing the rest of the passengers have long since left and the area was starting to get pretty quiet, Auntie Wilokia would get her bearings and begin to walk off, motioning for Monique to follow. "Come with me, there is a place nearby for use to board in for the night and even get a bite to eat. I'm dying for some authentic Alolan cuisine. Galarian dishes just don't compare." The elder chuckled.
While Hau'oli City was one of the bigger cities in Alola it was still a far cry from the bigger cities Monique has visited. While it was night and most people were home, some already sleeping, and it was expected for the city to be quiet it was still perhaps a shock to Monique how quiet it actually was. The hybrid would see just one person on their walk to what she assumed was a hotel, a young man walking his Rockruff, the man giving them a wave and the dog barking excitedly at them.
Soon enough the two stood in front of a beautiful home, a small white mansion with well cared for shrubs, tasteful black iron street lamps lining the pathway, a pool to the side, and a water fountain out front. This couldn't be Wilokia's home, she said Akala Island was her home island and this didn't look like a hotel so what were they doing here? "I know the owner of this home, I'm certain they'll give us a room for the night." Auntie Wilokia said, answering Monique's unspoken question. After arriving in front of the door she would ring the bell and wait, but not for long.
"Good even- why miss Wilokia, what a pleasure." The butler said as he answered the door, a smile appearing on his face as he quickly recognized the woman. "And a friend, greetings ma'am." The elderly man said to Monique, giving her a courtesy bow. "I'm afraid the master is not home this evening if you have business with him, Auntie." The man said, assuming her intentions for showing up.
"Ah, well that is disappointing, I was looking forward to seeing the boy after all this time. However that is not why I'm here. My friend and I just arrived back in Alola and we're both terribly tired and were looking for lodging for the night. I would have took us to the Komala Lodge but I thought it would be nicer to stay with old family friends." Wilokia smiled, then leaning in to whisper to Monique. "Plus this is cheaper."
The butler perhaps overheard Wilokia or found her humorous for coming here instead, either way he could give off a chuckle and step to the side, gesturing for them to enter. "Of course we have accommodations of The Butterfly herself. Come in, I'm sure the master would insist you stay." He said.
Wilokia would waste no time to enter, expecting Monique to follow. As soon as Monique stepped in she would probably be greeted to one of the nicest homes she had ever laid eyes on, the inside of the mansion somehow looking bigger on the inside than the outside and a hundred times more gorgeous. The color scheme was largely monochromatic with a lot of white, some black, and a bit of gray here and there. Right next to the doorway was a familiar looking statue to Monique, an artistic representation of a Komala. The room they were in was just the foyer but it was bigger than some apartments. Whoever owned this home was very well off.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2023 11:47 am
|
|
|
 |
"There is no place like home indeed," Monique sighed wistfully as she stepped off the airport bus with Auntie Wilokia and made her way to the Hau'oli City center.
"Come with me... There is a place nearby for us to board in for the night and even get a bite to eat. I'm dying for some authentic Alolan cuisine. Galarian dishes just don't compare," Wilokia continued with a chuckle.
"Well, I've only been to Galar once, and that was a pretty rural part of the region... I guess someday I do need to visit," she added, wondering where Wilokia was about to take her in these quiet streets. The only place that would have been quieter at this hour was Lacunosa. And that was what they were famous for.
Wilokia stopped in front of a large mansion in what looked to be a very well-kept up district. Monique felt so out of place, like she was in the upper tiers of Flower City or something. She'd only seen pictures of some of those. She wondered why she was here... Wilokia lived on Akala.
"I know the owner of this home... I'm certain they'll give us a room for the night." Wilokia answered Monique's question before she even had a chance to ask it, ringing the doorbell. Soon enough, a butler appeared at the front. "Good even—Why... Miss Wilokia, what a pleasure." He quickly recognized her. "And a friend... Greetings, ma'am."
"I'm afraid the master is not home this evening if you have business with him, Auntie." Master? she thought to herself.
Once Wilokia explained everything (and whispered the real reason to Monique), the butler welcomed "The Butterfly" in, and Monique felt really out of place walking into the immaculately appointed setting. The mansion was massive with lots of white marble surfaces and the largest foyer she'd ever seen. Her jaw dropped in awe and, a bit, in disgust. It must have taken a lot to get all these resources here.
She decided she was a bit underdressed and decided to cast an Illusion, soon appearing as her former human form with a somewhat showy yellow dress. (Only fitting for Melemele, she thought.)
Her eyes turned toward a statue near the doorway. It depicted a Pokémon holding a log. One she knew very, very well. Komala. Her eyes misted up a bit at the thought of the Pokémon she'd left behind to face the Smog, her Oricorio and Komala.
After taking the room in, she followed Wilokia and the butler deeper into the house. Hopefully they weren't shocked by her change of appearance. They did, after all, see her as a Zoroark.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2023 3:43 pm
|
|
|
|
The pair didn't really flinch as Monique altered her illusion, only giving her the briefest of glances to observe her new outfit and then moved on, Auntie following the butler as he led them to their rooms for the night. This was something Monique would slowly begin to notice, that Alolans had very little issue with hybrids, far different from the citizens of most other regions. It wouldn't be too surprising to Monique however as hybrids were common and accepted in her own time as well.
Auntie Wilokia would be shown to her room first, the trio stopping in front of the door to her lodgings, the butler immediately proceeding to Monique's door, however Auntie would stop Monique to speak to her briefly. "Sleep tight, ku'uipo. See you in morning." She said followed by a warm smile and the Alolan wave before she disappeared into her room for the night.
Clearing his throat the butler to get her attention he would stand in front of the door to Monique's room, directly to the side of Auntie Wilokia's. "Your room, miss Monique." He said, opening the door to reveal her room for the night. "If you need anything please do not be afraid to summon myself or another member of the staff. For now I bid you Alola." He said, bowing to the girl and showing himself off. Guess it was time for Monique to settle in for the night.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2023 6:59 pm
|
|
|
|
The butler led the two of them to guest rooms off one wing of the sprawling house. "Sleep tight, ku'uipo. See you in the morning," Auntie Wilokia told her guest before withdrawing into her room. The butler then showed Monique her room adjacent: a bed, a place to set her bags, a TV, and a few other things.
Monique shed her Illusion and threw the clothes she was wearing in a travel hamper, changing into some light pajamas. (One adjustment with having fur: being warmer in bed.) Exhausted from the time difference and long time spent in a confined space, she quickly drifted off to sleep, her mind bouncing between a few different thoughts. There was her Komala, which she'd left behind and had been reminded of the moment she saw the statue in the foyer. There was Auntie Wilokia, who seemed to be a household name in Alola and definitely had some strong connection with the islands. There was tomorrow, where she was going to figure out when there were flights to Heahea City. And lastly... Whose lavish house was this anyway!?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2023 3:39 pm
|
|
|
|
The next day played out pretty typical of what one might expect. Monique would awake on her and just by the time she finished prepping herself for the day there would be a knock on the door, the house butler, informing her to breakfast was being served. The hybrid would arrive in the dining room, one fit to serve at least twenty people, to find Auntie Wilokia already sitting at the table, enjoying a big stack of very thick and fluffy looking pancakes. There was a porcelain gravy boat of maple syrup on the table and a Teddiursa shaped glass bottle filled with honey as well, from the looks of it Wilokia preferred the honey.
Motioning for Monique to join her, patting the seat next to her, Wilokia smiled. "Good morning! Sleep well?" She asked Monique. As soon as she sat down a maid would bring out a plate of fluffy Alolan-style pancakes and say them down in front of the hybrid, followed up by a set of silver utensils. "Enjoy, ma'am." The maid said before they walked off.
"Ever have Alolan-style pancakes?" Wilokia asked Monique, the question somewhat strange as the elder knew Monique was very Alola and the region was famous for their pancakes, a dish any Alolan worth their salt was familiar with. Was Auntie fishing for something? "If you don't like them I'm sure we can find a Pikachu to give them to." The woman laughed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2023 6:27 pm
|
|
|
|
Monique looked at the plate of pancakes set in front of her. They looked big and fluffy… Her eyes widened. "Goodness, I really am in the past, huh…" She nodded at the maid in gratitude before taking a bit of the honey and a bit of the maple syrup to try.
"Ever have Alolan-style pancakes?" Wilokia asked Monique. It was a question that might have read quite strangely to anyone else. But Monique was not one to hide everything; as she’d learned in the wake of being hybridized, an Illusion only works until you get hit. Wilokia clearly knew something; she’d interrogated criminals before, so the sheriff understood how she was going at it. She might as well spill the beans—sort of.
“Well, uh… You see, kinda hard to grow maple syrup after the end of the world. So only once or twice, ever,” she explained, wondering if Auntie Wilokia was going to catch all of what she said since she said it so quickly. She took a forkful, chewing. They were good, but her new tastebuds found them just a touch on the sweet side. And they were filling; there was no way the entire stack on her plate could go in her stomach.
"If you don't like them, I'm sure we can find a Pikachu to give them to," Wilokia explained.
“Funny you say that, ’cuz I caught a Pichu not too long ago.” She took out the Poké Ball containing Hālena and offloaded part of her plate to a second dish, letting the Tiny Mouse Pokémon have some for herself. “These are amazing, but also… Just a bit much. So thanks for the idea to share.”
“Pi pi!” The Pichu did a little dance. It was clearly very happy, even if the idea of humans and food that wasn’t Berries was a bit foreign to a Pokémon from the wilds of distant Hisui.
Monique smiled, looking down at Hālena and back at Auntie Wilokia.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2023 7:22 am
|
|
|
|
Monique's 'end of the world' comment would get a small rise out of Auntie Wilokia as she seemed to sit up straighter and more forward, as if she didn't hear that correctly. She would relax soon after, falling back into comfort as she let her physical gaze fall upon the Pichu, smiling as she watched the little rodent eat some of the pancakes. Monique however recognized that look on her face, the expression of someone that found something to 'focus' on while they went into deep thought, a convenient distraction to try and fool people into thinking you aren't paying any mind to something else.
With a side eye glance Wilokia could easily see that Monique was onto her game and she onto hers, the elder pulling her gaze away from the Pichu and going back to her own pancakes, deciding now wasn't the time to start up that conversation. After a few more bites she would speak again.
"We can take a ferry to Akala Island, it's cheaper than by plane." Wilokia said, addressing Monique's concerns from yesterday over finding a way to the next island. "I may have to renew my pass but I'm sure I can get us both on board without a problem. Api! Is Stanley still working the ferry?" Wilokia called out to the butler, who almost seemed to blush over the name 'Api', was it some sort of nickname?
"N-no ma'am, his son has taken over." The flustered butler answered. Auntie just smiled at 'Api' and then at Monique, taking her last bite without breaking eye contact. The old gal was a bit mischievous it seemed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2023 11:20 am
|
|
|
|
The reaction Auntie Wilokia had to the "end of the world" remark was another tell. She knew something was up. And she probably knew that she knew something was up. She stared at the Pichu, a distraction Monique quickly knew.
"We can take a ferry to Akala Island, it's cheaper than by plane. I may have to renew my pass but I'm sure I can get us both on board without a problem."
"Oh, that makes some sense." Monique had another sentence to add to that, but it probably was best not to drop more pearls of post-Dome wisdom.
"Api! Is Stanley still working the ferry?"
Something in the question made the butler visibly fluster. "N-no, ma'am... His son has taken over." Auntie gave a smile, finishing while still eating.
"What's that about?" Monique asked, her Pichu and herself both having finished eating. Eventually, she'd go back to her room to recall Pichu, gather her things, and head out for the ferry terminal. But that would be after she got some sorely needed context clues.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2023 8:01 am
|
|
|
|
"Hm? Oh, Api is an old friend of mine, I knew him when we were kids, his real name is Apelila which is Alolan for April, the month he was born. His parents weren't original. "I gave him that nickname and used to playfully flirt with him as a young girl. Guess it stirred up old memories." Wilokia almost giggled, guess that little girl was still in here. "As for Stanley he was Api's childhood crush. Poor Api, Stanley was always an oblivious man, never picked up on Api's signals. Fortunately his son is more bright than Stan was, or is, it has been awhile since I've seen him." She admitted, standing up and stretching slightly.
"Oh boy, I'm feeling the ocean today, in my bones. Don't get old, it's not recommended." Auntie told Monique, as if the hybrid had a choice in aging. "Go get your things, we're going to head to the marina and catch the ferry, unless you have anything to do on Melemele, that is." She said, pushing her chair.
Just as Auntie Wilokia was about to leave the dining room and fetch her own things a young boy, sporting pink hair and a very chic outfit, entered. "Alola! Mr. Ua told me we had guests." The boy smiled and waved, a Smeargle entering shortly after him, mimicking its owner's wave. "Auntie Wilokia!" The boy shouted as he noticed Wilokia, his reaction kind of delayed but it was still early so maybe the kid was just tired. Running over to the elder he embraced her with a hung, Smeargle happily joining them in their embrace. Pulling himself away he looked up at the woman and poke.
"Everyone thought you were going to stay in Galar! I had watched you in the World Champion Cup, you were amazing out there!" The kid went on, gushing over Auntie Wilokia, the woman just let him go on as he fawned over her. She seemed really good with kids. "Whose your friend? Alola!" He asked, turning to face Monique, waving to her specifically this time.
"That's Monique, I met her yesterday, her and I are going to be traveling the islands together." She answered the boy. "Monique, this here is Ilima, the Trial Captain of Melemele. Don't know if they still have those where you come from but it's kind of like a gym leader, if you're familiar with that." She explained to Monique, mildly hinting that she has some kind of idea forming over where, and maybe when, Monique came from, or at least that it could be nothing like her Alola. The woman was sharp. "How old are you now? Fifteen?" She asked, Ilima confirming his age. "His father was the last Trial Captain but he took over when he was eleven, just a year into his Pokemon journey! Isn't that amazing!?" This time Wilokia fawned over Ilima, the two seemed to get along great despite the generational divide.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2023 4:50 pm
|
|
|
|
Monique was about to follow Auntie Wilokia and gather her things to catch the ferry when someone else showed up: a young, smartly dressed boy in pink hair. Trailing her was a Pokémon that pinged her Pokédex. Smeargle. Normal. The Painter Pokémon. It draws symbols all over the place to mark its territory. In towns with many Smeargle, the walls are covered in graffiti.
"Alola! Mr. Ua told me we had guests." He then spotted Auntie Wilokia and ran over to her, giving a big hug. He was quite clearly enamored of her, and Monique caught snippets of what she was saying. Something about Galar and a tournament, the World Champion Cup? So she was a Pokémon battler. Intriguing. When Ilima finally realized Auntie Wilokia was not alone, he waved at her and asked Auntie who this was.
"That's Monique, I met her yesterday... her and I are going to be traveling the islands together," She answered the boy. "Monique, this here is Ilima, the Trial Captain of Melemele. Don't know if they still have those where you come from, but it's kind of like a gym leader, if you're familiar with that."
The name Ilima hit Monique's ears like a lightning bolt. With a judder, her eyes widened and she stared at the boy. What she said afterward definitely confirmed that Auntie Wilokia was starting to get some idea of where she was from. That would be a conversation for another time, when there weren't other people around.
"How old are you now? Fifteen?" she asked, Ilima confirming his age. "His father was the last Trial Captain, but he took over when he was eleven, just a year into his Pokémon journey! Isn't that amazing!?" Wilokia was fawning, but Monique was stunned.
Ilima, the Last Painter. One of the Martyrs who fought the Aether Foundation's tyrannical rule and paid the ultimate price. A name whose memory only lived on in whispers between New Po and the wastelands. Say it in Flower City and you might find yourself in its lowest, dankest tiers.
Ilima might have written off Monique as starstruck. He'd be used to it—he had lots of fangirls, after all. In a way, she was. But not the kind of struck that he'd be used to.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2023 7:31 am
|
|
|
|
Ilima recognized that look on Monique's face, or at least he did for a brief moment only to realize it wasn't exactly the same as the faces of the many girls that fawn over him (much to his dismay). No, that was a much different face but he would not say anything, maybe she wasn't feeling good, ate too much breakfast? Considering she wasn't speaking the boy started to feel uncomfortable and broke the ice himself. "Nice to meet you. You'll be in good hands with Auntie here." He smiled, he certainly was a nice boy, definitely didn't deserve the fate his future self suffered. If anything this was another in-her-face example of why she must make sure that future never comes to pass, so good people like young Ilima here don't have to suffer.
"I want to say and visit more but I have several trials scheduled for today and some volunteer work at the trainer school. It really was nice seeing you again, Auntie." Ilima said, the two embracing in a hug again. He would then turn to Monique and offer to shake her hand. "I hope you enjoyed your stay here, sorry I couldn't be a better host." After shaking her hand Ilima's Smeargle would approach Monique as well and offer a shake. With all the platitudes and goodbyes settled Ilima would take his leave, leaving both women to go about their own days.
Wilokia would go fetch her things and tell Monique to meet her out front. Before Monique could even make it to the front door the butler would stop her and force upon her a plastic container filled with malasada, four in all. He informed Monique that these were made to 'the master's' taste, just slightly sweet with no filling. Ilima certainly lived up to the expectations of a Normal trainer, even in his taste. With her gift in hand the hybrid was free to head out and find Auntie Wilokia waiting for her.
"Got everything?" She asked, noticing the container of malasada. "Ever had those?" She said, pointing to the container. "Or something...like it?" She asked, a suspicious eye falling upon Monique. She would wait for her answer but address that topic no further as she changed focus. "The harbor is just straight ahead. We probably missed all the early morning traffic, us Alolans get up very early so even now is a little later in the day than I would get up." She laughed before proceeding to walk east.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2023 12:14 pm
|
|
|
|
Ilima looked at Monique, perhaps expecting the starstruck look before deciding to break the awkward silence. "Nice to meet you. You'll be in good hands with Auntie here." She looked back at him as he bid farewell, with Monique ending up shaking paws with a Smeargle—a new experience for her.
***
After Monique gathered her bags, she had almost made the exit of the house when a plastic container was deposited in her hands by the butler. There were four doughy balls inside. Monique might not have known the Alola of five decades prior, but she knew malasadas alright. That recipe had indeed survived.
"Got everything?" Auntie Wilokia asked once she had exited. ..."Ever had those? Or...something like it?" she continued, tilting her head.
"Malasadas endured like Wimpod. I have good memories of Mama Kehla making them," she replied, a smile brought to her face. "Even in the wastelands, you'll find Wimpod. And even under the Dome, you'd find malasadas."
The sheriff followed her host down the street to the ferry terminal, a fairly busy spot with food vendors set up outside and others milling about before they made their way inside.
"You said you lived on Akala, right? I have someone expecting me in Heahea. Since that's where my business happens to be, why don't I take care of that first and then meet up with you when I'm done?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
