The roar of a truck whooshed by the natural valley with a disturbing, foul stench replacing its moving mass as it continued. Those kind of vehicals aren't really normal in Alola, but it's understandable. The Ocean's Journey was coming up soon, and how were they to ship in the emergency medical items and rewards? Perhaps the putrid vehicals would stop after the challenge; actually, it was certain that they would. Alola always gets worked up over this challenge.
The pale moon radiated gently waves of light down on the small Seafolk village and illuminated the snoring sea with a brilliant silver blue. It was almost the full moon; maybe Lunala would bless them with a cloudless full moon for the challenge in the next few days. The breeze whispered the incantations of other-worldly languages as a young Stufful was whisked inside of a nearby Bewear cave for the remainder of the night.
"How long are you going to sit out here, Chloe?"
The young adult of 18 broke her incessant gaze over the moonlit abyss of water that spread out in front of her to shoot a stern glare at the owner of the voice behind her. Chloe responded with a long sigh. "Connor, how long are you going to stalk me? At least get your butt over here before you creepily say my name and ask why I'm looking out over the ocean. If only you were hot, then this would be a perfect romantic scene; pale, illuminated ocean and an almost-full moon."
"I am too! I've tried so hard to get in shape before I fly out to Kanto." He protested.
"Fine, then too bad you're my freaking sibling and that would be awfully illegal- not to mention disturbing on so many levels." She shot back with a incredulous shake of her head.
Connor, who looked strikingly similar to his sibling, gave a loopy grin and moved forwards to stand directly right of the stone Chloe had perched herself on. Chloe glanced at him for a moment and giggled softly before gently punching his shoulder. "My Arceus, you're so weird. It's like, two in the morning. Why the heck did it seem like a good idea to, one, look in my room to notice I was missing, and two, come looking for me?"
Connor paused before responding and took a moment to mess up his sister's oily, unwashed hair; laughing as she grunted in protest. His hand receded back to his side. "Maybe I was just worried about my younger sister and happened to notice that you left both your bedroom door and window open. You know, you could use the door- like an ordinary person."
"You're older by 3 minutes! You thought I was over this, but you'd be wrong I tell you! I will never tolerate being the 'younger' sibling, Connor, and you know that," Chloe exclaimed with mock offense, "besides. I couldn't sleep. You're so successful: going to make a company in Kanto, get lucky with some pretty chick, and probably will be a millionaire before I gain two cents from any employer. All I'm good at is battling and raising Pokémon. Do you remember when Sarin totally kicked Rudder's butt? She was at a four times disadvantage too." She brightened at the thought of battle.
"No, you'll always be my younger sister. My whittle twiny itsy bitsy swister." Connor replied in a baby voice, teasing the despairing girl.
"I'm going to punch you"
"I know. Anyway, you're doing that Ocean Journey thing, right? That's up your alley. Think about it, Elite Four Member Chloe Astri. You'll be kicking more than just Rudder's butt at that level, and what will I be doing? Taxes probably. I'm not one to be cheesy, but do what you want Chloe. You're a strong, independent lady now- you can do whatever you want in this short life you've got." He gave her two good pats on her shoulder. "We should go home, before mom discovers that her mirror twins have gone missing and sends the neighbors out to look for us. Plus, you've got to get to Melemele soon, right? The tournament starts in three days and orientation starts in two; and we're counting that it's technically April 12th right now, because it's officially.... two twenty am. Now come on. While we're walking, you can tell me who you're bringing to he competition." Connor coaxed his sister off of the rock and turned his back to the ocean.
Chloe lingered at the ocean's edge for a moment; letting the cool water wash over her bare feet. She never seems to remember to put shoes on during her midnight outings- not that she necessarily needs them. After one precious second of release, she turned to follow her brother home, now hearing the ocean call for her to return. Chloe ignored it and stepped in stride with her brother. "Well, since you're dying to know," She said goofily, "I'm taking Sarin, Shiver, and Mira. It's rumored that I'll get an egg to hatch halfway through the competition as well- wouldn't that be fun?"
____________________
"All of those bound for Melemele's Hau'oli city, please board the SS Peeko as soon as possible!"
The pale moonlight had shifted to beaming sunlight within hours, and the ocean glittered with tiny white stars on its shimmering surfaces. Exeggcutor island was faintly visible in the distance over the vast expanse of water. Seafolk village was alive with activity on the Friday morning, after all, it was the market day. Perhaps one of the most important days; the day where villagers trade and buy from one another. They never get customers from other islands though- why would anyone travel to Poni island aside from traverse to the Battle Tree or pay respects to the Altar deep within Vast Poni Canyon?
Chloe stood on the docks, staring intently at the young woman shouting last minute calls to Melemele over the excited buzz of market day. When no one responded to her chipper calls, she frowned slightly and planted her hands upon her hips. "Well it seems like nobody even cares that I'm willing to take people across the sea to a whole 'nother ISLAND! For FREE!" She enunciated, hoping to catch someone's attention.
"Ly, sweetheart, why would anyone want to go to Melemele?" Chloe asked teasingly as she gazed upon her distressed, red headed friend. Her bobbed hair was bouncing with the Wingull on her shoulder as he dug his way through the strands of cherry red spaghetti strands that spilled from Lydia's head. Her silver white blouse and adorable blue skirt blew in time with the wind; resulting in the occasional readjustment. As Chloe finished speaking, Lydia turned her gaze.
"Well, why are you going then? I literally work on Melemele, and Peeko here has been enjoying himself at Kukui's lab while I'm teaching. Or rather, student teaching- not yet an offical teacher." Lydia asked in response. She continued with a grin, "Peeko has really taken after my grandparents- sea-faring, sailing-loving, and playful Wingull, he sure is."
Chloe couldn't help but grin at that statement. "Haha, the Ocean's Journey, that's why. Honey I was sure I told you about this weeks ago! Honestly Lydia. Oh, and your uniform is so cute- I totally wish I could rock that like you can."
Lydia's brown furrowed up as she looked Chloe over, and she almost seemed to grimace at the traveler's appearance. "I can't see you in this, but I'm also questioning what you're wearing right now."
"What, this?" She looked down at her sky blue, short sleeved, loose shirt that she tied in a know a few inches above her belly button, leaving most of her stomach exposed. White jean shorts complemented her tan glow and feathers she wore around her neck. Unlike in the early morning, Chloe had remembered to put on brown small hiking boots and a messenger bag of the same color. The young adult pushed her honey brown hair out of her face as she smiled disapprovingly at Lydia.
"Good Arceus just board the ship. I recall you wearing a particular item of clothing once... hmm... I think it was entirely undergarments, outside and dancing for your 'boyfriend' once. He sucked, by the way. But that was totally hilarious- maybe I should remind everyone..." Chloe grinned widely as Lydia grew red in the face and watched Peeko fly off in her fit.
"No! No ok, let's get going!" She giggled, hiding her face as she boarded the small, family owned boat. Nothing fancy, just a good sized boat meant to transport 10-15 people across the ocean sporting a white color. Once she and Lydia were inside the vessel, they both took to the wheel and positioned themselves for the trip- Chloe perched on a seat behind the captain and Lydia revving up the engine. Then they were off to the next step in her journey, and Chloe was confused as to why she suddenly had an explosion of flutters burst from within her stomach.
With a tentative sigh, she sat back, staring out over the rushing waves as they made their commute the the neighboring island. Melemele wasn't too far away- but it would still take approximately a half hour to get there. White foam and bubbles trailed in their wake as Pelipper and other stray bird Pokémon flew over head, calling to one another in a friendly manner. They seemed very happy soaringly in the sky, backlighted by the blaring mid-morning sun that beat down on every corner of Alola in the wispless sky. Chloe stopped to quell the flutters in her stomach, even going so far to clutch her gut, and she gave herself a minute to breath in the tangy, salty air. Relief- she loved the ocean. How amazing that the substance that she drank that very morning is part of such a wide expanse.
___________________
It was about ten when the SS Peeko docked on Melemele shore by Kukui's lab, as the main dock she were chock full of boats coming in to drop off people for the competition. "It's easier this way" Lydia had explained. "Besides, he always lets me dock here. Plus you'll skip a portion of the docking crowd."
That was very true, the school grounds seemed to be the only populated place on Melemele as they passed by, parting ways as Lydia moved to corral her children. Chloe slowed her pace as she began to hear faint sounds of commerce coming from Hau'oli City. Never one for crowds, Chloe, maybe due to her isolation in Poni island. She had traveled to Melemele before, but never had she been in a large city during an event before. A deep rustling from her left spun Chloe's head to the underbrush in fear. Only, the source was a harmless Pichu, gleefully gobbling on a stray berry, but then fleeing after realizing that it attracted her attention. Chloe sighed, but smiled to herself as she continued walking to Hau'oli, feeling significantly better.
"Woah...."
A sound of awe escaped Chloe's lips as she entered the bustling city. There were so many people around! The buzz of excitement raced the wind in this place, and it was obvious that the laughter and cheer in this area would only result in a great competition. From the flyers, Chloe learned that she would only have 29 other competitors, but from the looks of it, it might as well be 200 other competitions. "I wasn't aware that this was a spectator sport." She mumbled to herself as she strolled cautiously through the town.
On her right, a clothing shop displayed an outfit similar to hers on a display, and the rush of victory spread through her like wildfire. 'Ha Lydia, if I'm being skimpy, so is everyone else on this island.' Chloe thought to herself. Her attention drew to the nearby visitor's center where a few posters urged competitors to enter in order to receive their hotel reservations and team members.
"Wait, team members?" Chloe asked aloud, squinting to read the poster better. Sure enough, it explained. 'Each participant will be part of a small team in order to ensure the safety of the participants and to encourage bonding between competitors. This is an individual competition, and the teams will be later broken up, but participating with your team thoughout the entire competition until the very end has yet to hinder anyone' she progress in the past.'
With a small, lopsided smile, Chloe entered the building. The air conditioning was a relief- it was still fairly warm in Alola at this time. After a moment of letting the cool air wash over her, Chloe spotted the desk that has the Ocean Journey's flyers all over it, so she figured that she might as well go there. The desk manager wasn't very chatty, and all he did was briefly explain the team system, but then instructed Chloe to fill out a few forms to turn in at orientation.
There was a small bench in the corner of the busy center where Chloe took her refuge. A small envelope had the words 'Team' written on the front, but before she could open it, Shiver, the Alolan Vulpix, emerged from her Poke ball around Chloe's waist and snatched it up with her mouth; her intent was clear- she wanted to play.
"Come on you rascal! Give it back!" Chloe scolded teasingly. "I have a Salazzle, Milotic and Vulpix to fill out papers for and I don't have time to play hide and seek. Later, 'k?" She concluded, continuing her work on the papers. Shiver frowned slightly, but then shook her head and dashed into the crowd with the envelope. After all, if Chloe wasn't going to search right away, it would be a good idea to start looking for hiding places.
The pale moon radiated gently waves of light down on the small Seafolk village and illuminated the snoring sea with a brilliant silver blue. It was almost the full moon; maybe Lunala would bless them with a cloudless full moon for the challenge in the next few days. The breeze whispered the incantations of other-worldly languages as a young Stufful was whisked inside of a nearby Bewear cave for the remainder of the night.
"How long are you going to sit out here, Chloe?"
The young adult of 18 broke her incessant gaze over the moonlit abyss of water that spread out in front of her to shoot a stern glare at the owner of the voice behind her. Chloe responded with a long sigh. "Connor, how long are you going to stalk me? At least get your butt over here before you creepily say my name and ask why I'm looking out over the ocean. If only you were hot, then this would be a perfect romantic scene; pale, illuminated ocean and an almost-full moon."
"I am too! I've tried so hard to get in shape before I fly out to Kanto." He protested.
"Fine, then too bad you're my freaking sibling and that would be awfully illegal- not to mention disturbing on so many levels." She shot back with a incredulous shake of her head.
Connor, who looked strikingly similar to his sibling, gave a loopy grin and moved forwards to stand directly right of the stone Chloe had perched herself on. Chloe glanced at him for a moment and giggled softly before gently punching his shoulder. "My Arceus, you're so weird. It's like, two in the morning. Why the heck did it seem like a good idea to, one, look in my room to notice I was missing, and two, come looking for me?"
Connor paused before responding and took a moment to mess up his sister's oily, unwashed hair; laughing as she grunted in protest. His hand receded back to his side. "Maybe I was just worried about my younger sister and happened to notice that you left both your bedroom door and window open. You know, you could use the door- like an ordinary person."
"You're older by 3 minutes! You thought I was over this, but you'd be wrong I tell you! I will never tolerate being the 'younger' sibling, Connor, and you know that," Chloe exclaimed with mock offense, "besides. I couldn't sleep. You're so successful: going to make a company in Kanto, get lucky with some pretty chick, and probably will be a millionaire before I gain two cents from any employer. All I'm good at is battling and raising Pokémon. Do you remember when Sarin totally kicked Rudder's butt? She was at a four times disadvantage too." She brightened at the thought of battle.
"No, you'll always be my younger sister. My whittle twiny itsy bitsy swister." Connor replied in a baby voice, teasing the despairing girl.
"I'm going to punch you"
"I know. Anyway, you're doing that Ocean Journey thing, right? That's up your alley. Think about it, Elite Four Member Chloe Astri. You'll be kicking more than just Rudder's butt at that level, and what will I be doing? Taxes probably. I'm not one to be cheesy, but do what you want Chloe. You're a strong, independent lady now- you can do whatever you want in this short life you've got." He gave her two good pats on her shoulder. "We should go home, before mom discovers that her mirror twins have gone missing and sends the neighbors out to look for us. Plus, you've got to get to Melemele soon, right? The tournament starts in three days and orientation starts in two; and we're counting that it's technically April 12th right now, because it's officially.... two twenty am. Now come on. While we're walking, you can tell me who you're bringing to he competition." Connor coaxed his sister off of the rock and turned his back to the ocean.
Chloe lingered at the ocean's edge for a moment; letting the cool water wash over her bare feet. She never seems to remember to put shoes on during her midnight outings- not that she necessarily needs them. After one precious second of release, she turned to follow her brother home, now hearing the ocean call for her to return. Chloe ignored it and stepped in stride with her brother. "Well, since you're dying to know," She said goofily, "I'm taking Sarin, Shiver, and Mira. It's rumored that I'll get an egg to hatch halfway through the competition as well- wouldn't that be fun?"
____________________
"All of those bound for Melemele's Hau'oli city, please board the SS Peeko as soon as possible!"
The pale moonlight had shifted to beaming sunlight within hours, and the ocean glittered with tiny white stars on its shimmering surfaces. Exeggcutor island was faintly visible in the distance over the vast expanse of water. Seafolk village was alive with activity on the Friday morning, after all, it was the market day. Perhaps one of the most important days; the day where villagers trade and buy from one another. They never get customers from other islands though- why would anyone travel to Poni island aside from traverse to the Battle Tree or pay respects to the Altar deep within Vast Poni Canyon?
Chloe stood on the docks, staring intently at the young woman shouting last minute calls to Melemele over the excited buzz of market day. When no one responded to her chipper calls, she frowned slightly and planted her hands upon her hips. "Well it seems like nobody even cares that I'm willing to take people across the sea to a whole 'nother ISLAND! For FREE!" She enunciated, hoping to catch someone's attention.
"Ly, sweetheart, why would anyone want to go to Melemele?" Chloe asked teasingly as she gazed upon her distressed, red headed friend. Her bobbed hair was bouncing with the Wingull on her shoulder as he dug his way through the strands of cherry red spaghetti strands that spilled from Lydia's head. Her silver white blouse and adorable blue skirt blew in time with the wind; resulting in the occasional readjustment. As Chloe finished speaking, Lydia turned her gaze.
"Well, why are you going then? I literally work on Melemele, and Peeko here has been enjoying himself at Kukui's lab while I'm teaching. Or rather, student teaching- not yet an offical teacher." Lydia asked in response. She continued with a grin, "Peeko has really taken after my grandparents- sea-faring, sailing-loving, and playful Wingull, he sure is."
Chloe couldn't help but grin at that statement. "Haha, the Ocean's Journey, that's why. Honey I was sure I told you about this weeks ago! Honestly Lydia. Oh, and your uniform is so cute- I totally wish I could rock that like you can."
Lydia's brown furrowed up as she looked Chloe over, and she almost seemed to grimace at the traveler's appearance. "I can't see you in this, but I'm also questioning what you're wearing right now."
"What, this?" She looked down at her sky blue, short sleeved, loose shirt that she tied in a know a few inches above her belly button, leaving most of her stomach exposed. White jean shorts complemented her tan glow and feathers she wore around her neck. Unlike in the early morning, Chloe had remembered to put on brown small hiking boots and a messenger bag of the same color. The young adult pushed her honey brown hair out of her face as she smiled disapprovingly at Lydia.
"Good Arceus just board the ship. I recall you wearing a particular item of clothing once... hmm... I think it was entirely undergarments, outside and dancing for your 'boyfriend' once. He sucked, by the way. But that was totally hilarious- maybe I should remind everyone..." Chloe grinned widely as Lydia grew red in the face and watched Peeko fly off in her fit.
"No! No ok, let's get going!" She giggled, hiding her face as she boarded the small, family owned boat. Nothing fancy, just a good sized boat meant to transport 10-15 people across the ocean sporting a white color. Once she and Lydia were inside the vessel, they both took to the wheel and positioned themselves for the trip- Chloe perched on a seat behind the captain and Lydia revving up the engine. Then they were off to the next step in her journey, and Chloe was confused as to why she suddenly had an explosion of flutters burst from within her stomach.
With a tentative sigh, she sat back, staring out over the rushing waves as they made their commute the the neighboring island. Melemele wasn't too far away- but it would still take approximately a half hour to get there. White foam and bubbles trailed in their wake as Pelipper and other stray bird Pokémon flew over head, calling to one another in a friendly manner. They seemed very happy soaringly in the sky, backlighted by the blaring mid-morning sun that beat down on every corner of Alola in the wispless sky. Chloe stopped to quell the flutters in her stomach, even going so far to clutch her gut, and she gave herself a minute to breath in the tangy, salty air. Relief- she loved the ocean. How amazing that the substance that she drank that very morning is part of such a wide expanse.
___________________
It was about ten when the SS Peeko docked on Melemele shore by Kukui's lab, as the main dock she were chock full of boats coming in to drop off people for the competition. "It's easier this way" Lydia had explained. "Besides, he always lets me dock here. Plus you'll skip a portion of the docking crowd."
That was very true, the school grounds seemed to be the only populated place on Melemele as they passed by, parting ways as Lydia moved to corral her children. Chloe slowed her pace as she began to hear faint sounds of commerce coming from Hau'oli City. Never one for crowds, Chloe, maybe due to her isolation in Poni island. She had traveled to Melemele before, but never had she been in a large city during an event before. A deep rustling from her left spun Chloe's head to the underbrush in fear. Only, the source was a harmless Pichu, gleefully gobbling on a stray berry, but then fleeing after realizing that it attracted her attention. Chloe sighed, but smiled to herself as she continued walking to Hau'oli, feeling significantly better.
"Woah...."
A sound of awe escaped Chloe's lips as she entered the bustling city. There were so many people around! The buzz of excitement raced the wind in this place, and it was obvious that the laughter and cheer in this area would only result in a great competition. From the flyers, Chloe learned that she would only have 29 other competitors, but from the looks of it, it might as well be 200 other competitions. "I wasn't aware that this was a spectator sport." She mumbled to herself as she strolled cautiously through the town.
On her right, a clothing shop displayed an outfit similar to hers on a display, and the rush of victory spread through her like wildfire. 'Ha Lydia, if I'm being skimpy, so is everyone else on this island.' Chloe thought to herself. Her attention drew to the nearby visitor's center where a few posters urged competitors to enter in order to receive their hotel reservations and team members.
"Wait, team members?" Chloe asked aloud, squinting to read the poster better. Sure enough, it explained. 'Each participant will be part of a small team in order to ensure the safety of the participants and to encourage bonding between competitors. This is an individual competition, and the teams will be later broken up, but participating with your team thoughout the entire competition until the very end has yet to hinder anyone' she progress in the past.'
With a small, lopsided smile, Chloe entered the building. The air conditioning was a relief- it was still fairly warm in Alola at this time. After a moment of letting the cool air wash over her, Chloe spotted the desk that has the Ocean Journey's flyers all over it, so she figured that she might as well go there. The desk manager wasn't very chatty, and all he did was briefly explain the team system, but then instructed Chloe to fill out a few forms to turn in at orientation.
There was a small bench in the corner of the busy center where Chloe took her refuge. A small envelope had the words 'Team' written on the front, but before she could open it, Shiver, the Alolan Vulpix, emerged from her Poke ball around Chloe's waist and snatched it up with her mouth; her intent was clear- she wanted to play.
"Come on you rascal! Give it back!" Chloe scolded teasingly. "I have a Salazzle, Milotic and Vulpix to fill out papers for and I don't have time to play hide and seek. Later, 'k?" She concluded, continuing her work on the papers. Shiver frowned slightly, but then shook her head and dashed into the crowd with the envelope. After all, if Chloe wasn't going to search right away, it would be a good idea to start looking for hiding places.
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