Pokémon Homecoming | A Galar Fanfiction

Chapter 52: The Guardian's Call

Water gurgled. Komala Coffee trickled into two cups. A blizzard whirled outside. Olivia sipped her coffee as she listened to the Café Master telling Raihan the story of Mount Lanakila, the highest place in Alola now home to the Pokémon League. She brought him to train with the new Ice-type Trial Captain, Isaiah, in the frigid conditions dragons weren't fond of. He adapted predictably well. She wouldn't admit it, but their time together was a welcome break from her duties. She had been kahuna since she was 19 and, despite Tapu Lele's intermittent cruelty, she knew the guardian respected her and she would remain kahuna until she died. The year's island challenge was fast approaching. Kids would soon flock to her for starter Pokémon. Even if she did decide to date Raihan, she could never leave the island for too long... but he knew that and still chased her. Perhaps that was exactly why she liked him. Rigid commitment wasn't for her.

Her cup was empty. She knew she would be summoned any moment now – or, if Tapu Lele was in a bad mood, in the middle of the night – to the Ruins of Life. Whether it was the guardian's psychic power or her own intuition, she wasn't sure, but she sensed when she was needed. Planning to casually wander off before Raihan could protest, she swivelled on her stool to stand. She hesitated. Her phone buzzed with texts from Carlton, the International Police officer in touch with her about her guests. Solving a Galarian case wasn't her job, nor of any interest to her, but if it meant protecting her friend or her island... though the feeling she sensed was not of distress or unease. It was almost playful.

I wonder?

'I'm heading back to Akala now. Care to join me?'

It was Raihan's turn to feign indifference. 'I guess I could.'

Olivia took the Ride Pager dangling from her belt. The Charizard she called fought through the blizzard to land outside the Pokémon Center. An Ace Trainer was happy to give Raihan his helmet. He knew Olivia would return it. The lights of the towering Pokémon League glowed through curtains of snow as they took off. They could barely see the way, but both Olivia and Charizard could navigate the snowstorm with their eyes closed. Raihan asked if she was cold yet. She said no, though once she dropped him off at Mallow's restaurant, she draped the Hammerlocke Gym hoodie over her shoulders.

The clear sky faded to deep black. Stars appeared as the city switched off. Streets were empty. Even partygoers went home to sleep before Monday. Striding out of the city, the police station's windows were dark. Inquisitive Gastly, Phantump and Zubat flitted about the entrance to Memorial Hill, Alola's most revered cemetery. Something excited them. It might have been the ghost hunters who gathered here every night, but they were excitable too. Their cameras were out. They usually respectfully greeted the kahuna, since she didn't mind them congregating near her grandfather's grave, but they were too busy whispering. The dirt road, dampened by seaspray, squelched under her heels. Fresh footprints wandered down the hill out of the cemetery to Akala Outskirts, where swaying palms parted before the open ocean. The yellow lights of Chinchou and Lanturn glowed under the waves. Gathered Stufful curiously gazed towards the Ruins of Life. Raticate scuttled. Olivia knew Tapu Lele was present, but she didn't think the guardian intrigued the Pokémon. Light spilling from torches inside illuminated the rounded pillars marking the entrance. As she suspected, in the arched doorway was a hesitant silhouette not of a local worshipper in shorts and slippahs, but a foreigner in a shirt and jeans.

'How did you find the Ruins of Life, Wyndon Boy who's always lost?'

Some people looked afraid, as if worried they did something wrong, when they met the kahuna at the ruins. Leon wasn't afraid to look Olivia in the eyes. He probably wasn't afraid of Tapu Lele, either... so why did he look so nervous?

'I felt like I was called here... but I don't understand why.'

'For the same reason Tapu Lele showed itself earlier, I imagine.'