Love in the Time of Tropics

Chapter 12: A Kahuna

Happy belated 20th anniversary Pokeani day! Yeah, I'm a day late, but not totally my fault. Point is, here's a new chapter for you: Chapter 12! Please enjoy.

Chapter 12

A Kahuna

The travel time back to Iki Town was shorter than Ash thought, he had to admit. Although from Serena's map, it was still to take them about a day or two to reach the site of his first Grand Trial, depending on how quickly they were able to move. Of course, their group had slowed down with Lillie's inclusion, as the girl, her dress and her shoes were hardly suitable for crossing many different types of terrain. This was something she repeatedly apologized for, especially so when they'd taken a break sometime after lunch.

"Sorry, I'm not used to walking very far," she laughed out, taking her hat off and placing it on the rock she was seated upon. Ash's eyes widened just a little bit; despite having traveled along with her a couple days, he'd yet to see her hair from underneath her hat. "I'm surprised I could make it through to Melemele Meadow...How Professor Kukui expected me to get to Verdant Cavern, I don't know."

"It's all right," Clemont assured her with a smile. "We're used to taking breaks. And it's not like the Grand Trial is going anywhere."

"He's right," Ash assured Lillie. The blonde smiled at him, breathing in relief. "And it just means more time to train."

"Train?" she asked. Ash stood still and stared at her, his mouth dropping open just a little at what she had asked. In fact, he wasn't even sure how to respond to begin with. Serena appeared to have the answer while Bonnie sat by, carefully watching Rotom as she ate a snack.

"It's what we do to make ourselves closer with our Pokémon, in a way," Serena told Lillie. Ash found himself nodding with his girlfriend's explanation. "They grow stronger and we become closer, so when we try to achieve our dreams, we're even better than before."

"That sounds lovely," Lillie admitted with a laugh. When her laugh faded, she sat forward, slipping her feet back into her shoes, and laced her fingers. She looked rather contemplative for a moment, thinking and considering. "To be honest, I'm not a fan of battling or fighting or any of that. I don't like to watch Pokémon get hurt."

"But you watched Serena's Ceremony battle," Bonnie pointed out, having finished her snack and shared it with Dedenne. Ash frowned, thinking the young girl had a point as he looked at Lillie. The blonde fidgeted a little and Ash watched Serena step forward to place her hand on Lillie's, the slight contrast of their skin tones more evident now.

"That was different. They weren't battling to hurt one another but make everything look...beautiful..." Lillie said the last word like it left a bad taste in her mouth, yet she swallowed it down nonetheless. "I just...with Nebby and all of that, I don't want to see other Pokémon get hurt."

"We're not trying to hurt them, Lillie," Ash assured her. She looked up at him now, her green eyes shimmering with questions. "All of us are just working together. We feel a little pain maybe, but that drives us to work harder and get stronger. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pikapika," Pikachu agreed, nodding his head.

"Ash is right," Serena insisted. As she said so, she took her four pokeballs from her bag and tossed them into the air. Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon and Popplio all emerged happily, the three from Kalos turning to their new teammate. "All of us train and battle to step a little closer to our dream. We come from different places, and have different styles, I've noticed, but we still have that single bond. Right, Popplio?"

"Eeo!" Popplio expressed happily, slapping her flippers together. Serena walked over, looking down at her team.

"Everyone, this is our newest friend, Popplio. Together, we're going to achieve our dream!" Serena insisted to all of her partners. They all soaked in her words and cheered loudly. Ash smiled at the heartwarming scene of all of Serena's partners accepting the energetic Popplio so easily. Sylveon, in particular, seemed to greet the Sea Lion Pokémon with much affection, like they were automatic sisters.