//------------------------------// // 3. All The Things You Said // Story: Alola to a New World! // by Tapu Meme //------------------------------// A hunt for a most magnificent quarry. Foolish, if you don't know what you're doing. ‘Lil cousin’ seemed like a good a name as any for Paige’s little beefly. He gleefully sipped from a saucer of sugar water as Paige prepared a pot of coffee on the stove, stirring in the instant coffee powder. She set down the spoon and went to a cupboard for three mugs. The tiny pokemon couldn't believe how much had happened in just yesterday. He wished that he could have someone to talk about it with. If he played his cards right, this little bug type might get a shot at being a police ‘mon! “Paige,” her father called from the bedroom down the hall. A wrinkled old griffin and pegasus couple were just beginning to rouse themselves. “Come here, I can't find my glasses.” Paige checked the coffee on the stove and turned it off, then left the kitchen and Lil cousin alone to his breakfast. After he had drunk his fill, Lil cousin decided he was bored, and eyed the steaming pot on the stove. He buzzed into the air and over to the pot, spreading his wings and catching the warm air rising from the coffee like a steamy miniature thermal. He was boosted upwards as he glided over the Boiling Bean Juice Chasm of Death and landed on the other side as graceful as a liepard, striking a pose and imagining a crowd of adoring fans cheering him on… He snapped back to reality as Paige returned to pull two of the kitchen tables chairs out. An elderly pegasus pushed his griffin wife on her wheelchair as Paige poured out the coffee. Paige set a business insider newspaper and a gardening magazine onto either end of the table. Paige’s father helped his wife to sit down and pushed in her chair before sitting down and picking up his magazine. “Thank you, dears,” the old griffin croaked, stroking her husband’s hoof when he sat extended it to her and Paige’s cheek when she set down her mother's coffee. “Okay, I’m off to work!” Paige called, opening a window. “Can you guys leave that up? I don't want Lil cousin to be all cooped up in here.” The two nodded and mumbled in response, burying themselves in their respective media and sipping at their coffee. What! Leave him here? Lil cousin took to the air once again and tried to land on Paige’s head. “Huh?” Paige looked up from pouring her coffee into a thermos. “Oh, no no no you gotta stay here.” “Cutie!” “No,” Paige frowned, closing her saddlebags and tossing them over her back. “you gotta stay here.” He landed on her beak staring into her eyes with all the willpower he could muster. “Cutie cutiefly cu!” “Lil cousin,” Paige leveled her own determined gaze at him. He shrank back, fighting the urge to take off again. “You can't come. Please stay here with mom and dad “Where it's safe.” Hours after Paige left, those words haunted Lil cousin. He could fly through the open window and catch up to Paige whenever he wanted, but those words held him back. It's not safe. Something about that made him uneasy. It perturbed him, it conflicted with something he had so deeply believed, because just out of the reach of his memory, there was a gentle whisper. A benevolent reassurance of something, that he had brought home. that he was living far, far from a world of darkness and in a world where he was free to bask in the light. Then, what was Paige warning him about? The morning of the second day of the pokemon’s arrival to Equus, Lele was taking a break from lugging fragile rocks into the Hawhinny police station's forensics lab. She, Gon and Gon’s family were the only pokemon being kept at the police station according to the orders of Chief Barodius, and Lele had a feeling she should be keeping an eye on her fellow poke-guests. Especially if one of them was a hunter. She had found his aunt and grandmother awake in a guest room alongside a crowd of lost tourist ponies the station seemed to be harboring. There wasn't much privacy, but the pokemon didn't mind a couple of eavesdroppers. Besides, it was the ponies who were generally more uncomfortable with the casually chatting monsters they had to share a room with They sat in a corner with Gon’s grandmother and aunt. Some ponies had started up a poker game with Abe and Mito, but Mito got too distracted with hearing Gon’s stories again. “After we went sightseeing with Alluka, Nanika and Killua, Killua told me we should split up. He wanted to show his sisters as much of the world as he could before they got trapped again.” Gon near the end of telling Lele his life's story. “So I climbed the tree where my dad was waiting for me at the top. We talked about stuff for awhile, and he told me about the adventures he was planning. I don't know where he is now, but I hope he gets to that ‘dark continent’ place.” Didn’t you want to accompany Killua and Alluka on their adventures? Or spend more time with your long-lost father? Lele was paying more attention to a glowing stone she was holding in her hands, but she had enough psychic power to multitask. “No. I found him and got to know him, and that's all I was looking for." Gon waved off the question. "Anyway, after that I came home, and I was living with Mito and Abe to catch up on all the stuff I missed about growing like a normal riolu. Besides, Killua only had a few days to go sightseeing with his sister before he had to come live with us on Whale Island so he could find a way to free Alluka and Nanika from their curse. Maybe even try being normal, too.” But you're not normal, neither of you are, Lele mused, shaping the stone like clay and smoothing out the rough edges. If even half of what you’ve told me is true, you’d both be pokemon destined for legend. “You know, we heard that a lot." Gon nodded with a hint of indignation in his voice. "But only, like, from the ‘mons that were strong enough to tell us something like that in the first place, so it was kind of like ‘you have potential but you're still a first stage so I can look down on you and be all cryptic about stuff.’ Kind of annoying, but they were right a lot of the time.” I suppose, Lele finally got the shape she wanted. But maybe it's different coming from an actual legendary? “Yeah, like when we studied under Hoopa while trying to complete Greed Island." Lele deflated as Gon accidentally forgot what kind of pokemon he was talking to. "Or, maybe it was when we fought the ultra beasts? Well, Hoopa was a tough tutor, anyhow. But it was fun to learn from an actual legendary, even if Killua didn't get along with her much. Hey, why do you think Hoopa never told us about Arceus?” ...ah. Lele thought to herself. I don't know, Gon. I haven't met Hoopa. “Do you think,” Mito said suddenly, breaking her long, thoughtful silence. “do you think Hoopa is the one who moved us?” I...no, why…? “Think about it,” Mito sat up. “Gon said that Hoopa is a trickster that thinks with portals. It would deal with a lot of holes your Arceus theory has. Like, why would any other legendary go through the trouble of messing with a couple of Alolan pokemon by moving them to some strange pony region? And if there was a pokemon that was even capable of doing such things, why wait until now?” Hoopa, huh? Lele mused, letting the rock float from her hands. I’ll have to give it some thought. But, this would have to be one of the most elaborate pranks I’ve ever seen, moving billions of pokemon from earth-- “What.” --and depositing them in another, faraway dimension-- “WHAT.” --and leaving the cryptic mental message to each and every single mind to, and I quote, “Rest now my children, for when you awake a whole new world shall be your home.” “That…” “Doesn't sound like Hoopa.” Gon deadpanned. “No! Well, yes but--ugh!” Mito looked a bit frazzled now. “With all due respect, most honored Tapu, why didn't you share any of these important details from the beginning?” What, you guys didn’t know any of that? “No!” Mito exclaimed exasperatedly. “Not...really…” Gon admitted sheepishly. “I knew about the ‘rest now my children’ part.” Abe added unhelpfully. Oh, dear. Better late then never, I suppose? I apologize for not telling you all sooner, but we are on another world far, far away from everything we once knew. Gon looked down at his paws as Mito put an arm around his shoulders. “That’s not all I know,” Abe said quietly, after a moment. “I remember our cottage, and the ports, and all of the pokemon in the town at the end of the forest trail." Abe gripped the cards in her hand. "Whale island was the home of my grandmother, and of generations who preceded her.” “We’ll...never see home again, huh?” Gon murmured. That’s why this search is so important. Lele let the floating rock fall gently back down into her hands. If we can find out how we got here, She snapped it in two. It began to glow, and as each half of it shone, they slowly grew into two full crystals that each glowed with their own light. We can find our way back. “Hey, what are you guys talking about?” one of the other poker players asked. Portals. “Pfhah! Nerds.” Lele shrugged. Well, I still kind of like your Hoopa theory, Ms. Mito. It's worth considering, anyway. Now, Lele levitated both of the crystals into Gon and Mito’s paws. Hold these please. “Does Abe get one?” Gon turned his over and sniffed it. In a minute, it's been awhile since I made Z-crystals. Lele explained, floating back a couple of feet. Now, this might tingle a bit, but it won't work if you drop your crystal. “You could be a little less cryptic.” Mito raised an eyebrow comically, which Gon snorted at. Nah, I think this will be pretty self explanatory. Lele’s eyes glowed a soft pink, and the rocks followed suit with a slightly harsher flash and white light. Mito and Gon held onto their crystals. Then, a sensation like a radio station clearing static filled their minds, not blocking their senses but a bit distracting. Is this thing on? Gon grabbed his head with one paw and Mito dropped her crystal. Looks like it. Let me just turn down the volume...that better? Yes! Much better, thanks. Gon picked up Mito's crystal and gave it back to her. These seem to be working fine. We can read each other's thoughts! Mito clutched her crystal now. We can use your mind link if we hold these crystals?! Yup. Now that I know that these crystals work, let’s see if I can call on the other hunters. I’ll just build up power with Calm Mind… Hey… Gon mused. Are these Z-crystals? As in, the crystals that the Tapu give hunters when they complete the Hunters Exam? Yeah, Lele was shaping a third crystal as she meditated. Why do you ask? You just handed them to us! Gon sounded panicked and mildly hurt. We didn't do anything to earn these! Weren't you already a hunter, Gon? Lele said serenely. I...yeah, but my license and crystal came from Tapu Fini and Kahuna Netero. And where are you keeping those? In my backpack! The one I left...at home… Lele laughed a noiseless chuckle. Keep the one you're holding as a replacement, then. Mito shifted. Should...I give mine back? No, consider yours a gift. Lele set up her sixth Calm Mind and let her built up energy radiate, twisting the dimensions into a Psychic Terrain with the greatest of ease. Oh, and here's Grandma’s present, she tossed a brilliantly glowing stone to Gon. Once she's finished with her game. Okay! Gon fumbled, but he didn't drop it. What are you doing now? Mito’s nervousness at being so close to such immense psychic energy was hard for her to hide. Expanding my reach. All I need to do, Lele raised one hand. Is...ping. Up until this point, onlookers would have seen all three pokemon sitting in silence and exchanging looks. After Lele’s ping, however, they would have seen two of those three faces go slack with shock. For a moment the ping let Lele and the holders of her crystals into the mind of every single sentient creature for miles of sea and land. Lele’s power reached from where they sat in Hawhinny to the docks of Las Pegasus and the outskirts of the Marelantis suburbs. Gon could hear the thoughts of a vaporeon chasing a cloud of schooling fish in the open water, but at the same time see a merpony making breakfast in a building made from coral, and even then notice the archeology students who had collected and saftey-wrapped the Ruins of Life and taken over the forensics lab a ways down the hall as the head unicorn scientist that supervised them poked at a sleeping roggenrola in subdued wonderment. Now to streamline the search, Lele was calm and calculating, blocking out the torrent of active minds. Lets block out anyone who doesn't have a Z-crystal made by me as a reward for completing the hunter's exam. 1...2...and, PING! Her reach shrunk to five individuals, including Gon and Mito. An elderly turtonator, a sleeping graveller and a suspicious salamence all that was left of the expanded mind link. What? Hey come on, that can't be it! Lele’s calm demeanour shook with the unexpected revelation. What is happening? The salamence cut in. Who is this? Who are you? Well now, the turtonator was in much more in awe than the other dragon. Here I thought I’d been stranded, when suddenly my old trusty Z-crystal starts a-glowin’ for the first time in decades! Decades...? Mito glanced at the Tapu floating beside her. Who is this?! The salamence continued to demand. Ye don't recognize yer own Tapu? This here crystal was made by the one and only Tapu Lele, and awarded to those who were fortunate to have passed one of the last exams she's ever hosted. And how long ago was that? The salamence grumbled as Lele slowly shriveled into her shell. Eighty years! The turtonator said proudly as groaning noises started coming out of Lele’s closed shell. And I happen to be the one and only Gerson! Head of the Royal Guard, the Hammer of Justice, blacklist hunter! Er, retired, o’course. You don't say. Gon could imagine the salamence snorting fire in annoyance. Eugh, what's with all this racket? The graveller grumbled. Hey, that funny rock I found is glowing all of a sudden... Lele was on the verge of letting her despair take her over. She needed at least twenty well-trained hunters for the jobs she had in mind and she wasn’t sure two of these new guys had even passed any hunter's exam at all. Lele half-listened as Gon and Mito tried to explain their situation to the other pokemon on the mind link. Those poor mortals. She didn't have the resources to cook them dinner, much less send out for a quest to find Arceus! And worst of all, she had no one to blame but herself. Stranded and homeless on a strange world, with only a promise that Lele couldn't keep. She got herself into this mess, and she was going to drag the whole of Alola out of it. Mito was concentrating on explaining what the Z-crystals were when Gon noticed Lele floating away over the heads of uncomfortable ponies towards the door. He glanced at his aunt, but she was too wrapped up in arguing with the grumpy salamence to notice anything. Gon hopped to his feet and wove through the crowd, following Lele through the door she let swing shut. It took only a moment for Gon to catch up with the Tapu. “Where are you going, Lele? Ah! Uh, I--I mean, Most honor-” Lele is fine. She said without looking at him. And, I’m going outside. It took a moment for Gon to muster up the courage to continue. “Why? What's going on there?” I’m going on there. She burst through the double swinging doors and Gon had to jump out of the way of them slamming shut. “Most--Lele?” Gon stopped. Lele was on the police station’s front lawn. Gerson is on the slopes of an active volcano called Mauna Loa. Lele sounded like she was reading off a list. The salamence is perched on an office building in the next town over, and the graveller is at the base of Mauna Kea, pretending to be rubble from a recent avalanche he just caused. They’re all on this island, Lele turned to the riolu. Gon nodded. “And we’re gonna find them.”