Categories > Games > Pokemon > The Spirit of Alola - Book 2 - A Hurting Heart
The sun had finally gone down, the world still holding onto the last dredges of light. Purple fading to the black of night filled the sky. All around, evening Pokemon were beginning to awaken, calling out softly as they pulled their minds from their dreams.
Zuri sat on the bench next to me, listening to the world. We talked for a long while after I came outside at first, but I was filled with so many emotions that I had to stop. I breathed deeply, feeling the familiar clutch in my throat and fog in my mind as I fought off another Panic Attack. I sat on the rocking chair, unable to pull the images that Mel reported to us from my mind.
What am I supposed to do now? I knew Sashi would be in danger, but I never imagined it would be this bad. The words Mel used to describe the perilous situation my sister was in filled me with deep dread and I found it even more difficult to sit still. My fists shook in a mixture of fright, anger, and a sick feeling at having finally learned what my twin was going through.
~~~
“Doctor Māhoe, we can’t go looking for Sashi right now. Officer Jenny and the police are at the house. They haven’t stopped looking for her. Even Kahuna Hala is helping. We will only be in the way now that the sun has gone down. We would be a liability.” Opūnui stated calmly, though the look he was giving me told me he too hated to be sitting idly by as well. He was just finishing up treating Mel’s now broken hand, having been able to fully view the damage using an X-Ray computer and Luxray provided to him by a colleague during his trip into town.
“The best option we have is to wait until morning. I’m heading to bed now, so I’ll be able to get extra sleep. I even have all my Pokemon resting for the evening too. We’ll all be better suited to start searching in the morning.” Mel spoke, exhaustion making her already soft voice near impossible to hear, her eyes squinting and fluttering under heavy lids. Her left hand was now wrapped in a heavy cast that covered up her wrist too, making her seem more clumsy as she moved around, trying to use her non-dominant right side.
I rounded on the two older doctors, hissing my fury, “My sister is being tortured. Maybe even as we speak.” I tried to force more anger out, but my voice shook and my next words were choked out by a sob as I tried to keep myself from exploding into a mess. “There has to be something we can do. Please.” I begged. “There has to be.” My pitch rose an octave as I forced down another sob, tears streaming down my cheeks. As much as I hated to cry in front of others, I was unable to stop it now.
First, my husband dies, then Kabir won’t wake up. Now my sister is being… I can’t finish the thought as another hot tear streaks down my face.
“This is one of the reasons I hate you Psychics.” I glower, moving my furious gaze to Mel. “You finally get a glimpse of Sashi, and all you can tell us is how serious her condition is. You don’t have any clues about where she is being held. You don’t even have an idea as to what’s doing this.”
Mel’s green eyes are red and puffy from her own deluge of emotions and tears fall from her face more freely than mine. She doesn’t try to respond but instead breathes in shakily, then pushes it out slowly through her nose.
I don’t wait around to see if there would be more to say by anyone else, and instead, I stomp to the door and slam it behind me as I step outside.
~~~
Now I sat, trying hard to reign in my emotions, knowing with painful understanding that there was truly nothing I would be able to do.
Zuri was humming to herself, though sometimes she would openly sing a few soft lines. Though the words were in a language I could understand nothing of, I did find them slightly soothing as a bit more time passed.
The door to the house creaks open and I turn around to see Burnet standing in the light cast by the glow of her home.
“Anya,” she addresses me. “What did you want to talk about?” She glances at her adoptive mother, opening her mouth to say something to her.
“There’s no need for this to be private,” I state, finding my voice to be far more controlled than previously. “I want you to go with me to town to get some Pokeballs. It’s high time I try to find a partner of my own.” I spoke the word with care, the feeling of it foreign on my tongue. “As well, I need to catch the little yellow one my daughter brought home today. Cutiefly, I believe it's called,” I paused looking over to the ebony-skinned woman. Though she continues to hum and look straight forward, she slowly nods her head, confirming the name. “Zuri says Himiko is too young to have a Pokemon yet, so I will need to be responsible for it until she is old enough.”
“What?” Burnet blinks, utterly shocked by this. I see her eyes dart from me to her mother, connecting the dots and realizing that must have been something we’d discussed within the last couple hours we were out here.
“Stop gawking,” I mutter, feeling embarrassed. I’m glad the sun has gone down and she is unable to see the reddening of my face. I’ve shown far too many emotions today already.
“I’m sorry, I was just a bit taken aback is all. I have PokeBalls you can use, so there’s no need for us to go into town. And that Cutiefly seems rather attached to Himiko, so I don’t think there is any need to catch it as soon as possible.” The white-haired woman responded, making ready to go inside and grab the mentioned items.
I stop her by standing up and moving to the steps of the porch, “No. I want to do this the right way. If I’m going to have my own Pokemon, I’m going to catch it with my own Pokeball.”
She stares at me for a moment but seems to realize how sure I am about this conviction. “Alright, but we’ll need to leave now before it gets too late.” She turns to her mother once more.
“I’ll inform the others,” Zuri says, rising to her feet and making her way to the front door. “And I’ll keep a watch on your children as well.”
Burnet hugs her mother, thanking her, and joins me as I leave the property.
We walk in silence for some time. The last rays of the sun have finally left the sky. The trees whisper in the gentle breeze coming off the ocean and Pokemon murmur from within the forest. After a while, I see the roofs of Hau’oli City peak over the treetops, the many lights shining through them.
A noise in front and to my left catches my and Burnet’s attention. It sounds like a few Pokemon are up ahead, stirring up the dirt and rustling behind a bush.
As we draw near I hear angry calls from birds. “Krow krow! Murkrow”
“What in Arceus's name is happening?” Burnet says, moving off the path and towards the sound.
I join her, emerging behind the trees to see three dark blue birds pecking furiously at a spot of yellow. Looking closely, I realize it’s a different Pokemon.
“Oi, knock it off,” I shout, waving my arms and trying to scare the birds away. They don’t take any notice of me and continue their flurry of attacks. I grab a few stones from the ground and chuck them at the attackers, striking one of them right in the side and another on the beak. This has the effect I was looking for as the three dark beasts leap into the air and speed off, calling angrily as they fly away.
The yellow Pokemon before us pokes its head up and I see a large berry under its belly. I realized that this creature was shielding the food. Then I wonder if it was protecting a meal it had found, or if it had stolen the bite from that flock of birds.
“It’s a Pikachu!” Burnet says, already crouching down and examining it carefully. “It doesn't look badly injured.” She states, though she pulls a bottle from her pocket and sprays the liquid from within on its back. “There, that should feel better.” She pats the creature on the head and rises to her feet.
The whole time she was treating the Pokemon, its gaze was fixed on me. I felt uneasy about the look, so I moved back towards the road swiftly, waiting for Burnet to finish.
“Pika!” The beast calls, running onto the path as well. It fixes its stare on me once more and walks up to my side. I try to back away as it begins to rub its red cheeks on my leg.
“No, get off of me.” I grumble, taken aback by the sudden show of affection.
It returns to my legs and then offers up the half-eaten berry. “Chu?” It says, and to my surprise, it sounds almost like a question.
“Anya, I think it’s trying to thank you for helping it,” the white-haired woman says.
“All I did was scare off the birds,” I say to Burnet. “If you want to “thank” someone, it should be her. She’s the one who treated your injuries.” I begin to stride off.
“You keep that berry, little one and eat it for your dinner.” The taller woman says, giving it another pat on the head. It pushes into her hand and makes more cooing sounds.
I realize with shock that I can almost understand the gratitude it was showing. Not liking the realizations I was having, I quicken my pace and draw further away. Burnet jogs over to me, keeping up with me easily.
“Come on Anya, you can’t tell me you weren’t just the least bit pleased to help.”
I bite my tongue. Instead of answering, I look over my shoulder at the place we just departed from and realize the Pokemon has left. I sigh and face forward once more, ready to return our trek to the city.
“Pika pi?” The creature questions, suddenly in front of us.
Cursing in surprise, I jump back, my body instinctively snapping into a fighting stance. I bounce on the balls of my feet and draw my fisted hands to my side. Burnet laughs at my reaction and I again feel my face redden with embarrassment. “Shoo,” I wave my hands at it. “Go away. Get back to your home.” I try to walk ahead of it once more, but now it merely trots beside me, undeterred by my annoyance.
“I think it likes you. Why not keep this one around? It could be your new partner.”
“This tiny thing?” I ask incredulously. I pause in my retort though. Didn’t Kabir’s Raichu evolve from a Pikachu? I question myself, remembering the brown Pokemon my brother-in-law uses. I stare at the creature before me, squinting my eyes as I recall a time, many years ago when it was a small yellow being, just like this one. That’s Tempest. I recall. I’ve seen her fight before. She’s actually pretty strong. Then it hits me. Sashi said she knows a Fighting-Type move. Maybe that's her typing. I could evolve this one and have a Fighting Pokemon!
“Very well,” I state out loud. “If it can keep up, I might consider catching it.”
The Pikachu jumps up happily, calling out and dancing around.
“Well, we should hurry up then! We have to get a Pokeball.” The Professor calls, picking up her own pace and moving ahead of me.
I jog up to her this time but cast a glance down at the yellow creature as it sticks close to my feet. It’s almost like it understood what I just said. I think to myself.
We arrive in the town swiftly, Burnet and I, the Pikachu still by my side, entering the Pokemon Center and heading over to the gentleman at the shop.
“Good evening ladies. Fine weather we’re having.” He comments conversationally. “What can I do for you two?”
“I need some PokeBalls. What’s the best one you have? I want to catch this thing here.” I point at the creature by my feet.
“The best would be an Ultra Ball. They have the highest catch rate.” He responds, looking confused. “But that Pikachu seems to be pretty comfortable around you already. There’d be no point in getting a more expensive ball for something you can catch easily.”
“I’m not worried about the price. I merely want the best ball you have.” I retort, annoyed that he didn’t simply accept my request.
“Well, if cost isn’t a concern, then the best would be a Luxury Ball. It’s a-“
I cut him off. “Very well. I’ll take two of them, please.”
He seems to finally catch onto my certainty, for he reaches under the counter and procures two black and red PokeBalls. “That’ll be 2,000 coins please.”
I hold out my phone and pay on the machine before me. “Thank you.” I nod to him and make to leave, but he stops me with a call.
“Wait, I’ve just remembered.” He holds out his hands to us, indicating we pause as he runs inside a room in the back of the shop. A moment later he returns, holding a yellow rock in his hands. “My coworker received this today with our shipment. We don’t sell them here, so we were just going to return it in the morning. Seeing as you have a Pikachu, I think it would be best to give it to you.” He drops the item on the counter and I stare at it, unsure of what it’s for.
“It’s a Thunder Stone.” Burnet chips in. “You can evolve Pikachu into a Raichu using that.”
“I see,” I nod again, picking up the rock and feeling its weight in my hand. I turn around to fully face the man and bow, thanking him as I do so. He seems slightly taken aback by my response and gives a small, awkward bow of his own. Without another word, I lead the group back outside.
Burnet stops me as I begin to make my way to the house. “You should catch the Pikachu now.”
“Squall,”
“What?”
“Its name is Squall,” I state, indicating the beast beside me with a nod.
“Anya, you haven’t even caught it yet. You can’t go off naming Pokemon that aren’t your’s.” She chuckles.
“Very well, Squall,” I turn, addressing the Pokemon and ignoring another snort of laughter from the woman beside me. The Pikachu looks up at me, its head turned to the side. “I want you to get into the ball so I can catch you.”
“Pika!” It proclaims eagerly and shoves its nose into the button. A light flashes, engulfing the creature and it vanishes into the device.
I press the button again and release it. “Very good.” I nod, glancing at the Professor and trying to hide my smirk, excited despite my misgivings to have a Pokemon of my own.
“Alright, now I need you to evolve with this,” I hold out the Thunder Stone, moving it closer to the Pokemon.
“Anya, hold on. You really should work on training it first before just evolving it.” Burnet says, placing her hand over the stone and moving my arm away.
“Nonsense.” I rebuke. “I see no point in waiting.” I pull myself away from her and hold the stone out to Squall once more.
The yellow beast looks at me, eyeing my face carefully. I feel that uncomfortable prickle in my stomach once more. These creatures are smarter than I’ve been giving them credit for. I realize the fault in my thinking.
It sniffs at the object in my hand, its gaze still trained on me. Then it presses its small black nose onto the Stone. A white light engulfs the Pikachu as it begins to evolve.
Zuri sat on the bench next to me, listening to the world. We talked for a long while after I came outside at first, but I was filled with so many emotions that I had to stop. I breathed deeply, feeling the familiar clutch in my throat and fog in my mind as I fought off another Panic Attack. I sat on the rocking chair, unable to pull the images that Mel reported to us from my mind.
What am I supposed to do now? I knew Sashi would be in danger, but I never imagined it would be this bad. The words Mel used to describe the perilous situation my sister was in filled me with deep dread and I found it even more difficult to sit still. My fists shook in a mixture of fright, anger, and a sick feeling at having finally learned what my twin was going through.
~~~
“Doctor Māhoe, we can’t go looking for Sashi right now. Officer Jenny and the police are at the house. They haven’t stopped looking for her. Even Kahuna Hala is helping. We will only be in the way now that the sun has gone down. We would be a liability.” Opūnui stated calmly, though the look he was giving me told me he too hated to be sitting idly by as well. He was just finishing up treating Mel’s now broken hand, having been able to fully view the damage using an X-Ray computer and Luxray provided to him by a colleague during his trip into town.
“The best option we have is to wait until morning. I’m heading to bed now, so I’ll be able to get extra sleep. I even have all my Pokemon resting for the evening too. We’ll all be better suited to start searching in the morning.” Mel spoke, exhaustion making her already soft voice near impossible to hear, her eyes squinting and fluttering under heavy lids. Her left hand was now wrapped in a heavy cast that covered up her wrist too, making her seem more clumsy as she moved around, trying to use her non-dominant right side.
I rounded on the two older doctors, hissing my fury, “My sister is being tortured. Maybe even as we speak.” I tried to force more anger out, but my voice shook and my next words were choked out by a sob as I tried to keep myself from exploding into a mess. “There has to be something we can do. Please.” I begged. “There has to be.” My pitch rose an octave as I forced down another sob, tears streaming down my cheeks. As much as I hated to cry in front of others, I was unable to stop it now.
First, my husband dies, then Kabir won’t wake up. Now my sister is being… I can’t finish the thought as another hot tear streaks down my face.
“This is one of the reasons I hate you Psychics.” I glower, moving my furious gaze to Mel. “You finally get a glimpse of Sashi, and all you can tell us is how serious her condition is. You don’t have any clues about where she is being held. You don’t even have an idea as to what’s doing this.”
Mel’s green eyes are red and puffy from her own deluge of emotions and tears fall from her face more freely than mine. She doesn’t try to respond but instead breathes in shakily, then pushes it out slowly through her nose.
I don’t wait around to see if there would be more to say by anyone else, and instead, I stomp to the door and slam it behind me as I step outside.
~~~
Now I sat, trying hard to reign in my emotions, knowing with painful understanding that there was truly nothing I would be able to do.
Zuri was humming to herself, though sometimes she would openly sing a few soft lines. Though the words were in a language I could understand nothing of, I did find them slightly soothing as a bit more time passed.
The door to the house creaks open and I turn around to see Burnet standing in the light cast by the glow of her home.
“Anya,” she addresses me. “What did you want to talk about?” She glances at her adoptive mother, opening her mouth to say something to her.
“There’s no need for this to be private,” I state, finding my voice to be far more controlled than previously. “I want you to go with me to town to get some Pokeballs. It’s high time I try to find a partner of my own.” I spoke the word with care, the feeling of it foreign on my tongue. “As well, I need to catch the little yellow one my daughter brought home today. Cutiefly, I believe it's called,” I paused looking over to the ebony-skinned woman. Though she continues to hum and look straight forward, she slowly nods her head, confirming the name. “Zuri says Himiko is too young to have a Pokemon yet, so I will need to be responsible for it until she is old enough.”
“What?” Burnet blinks, utterly shocked by this. I see her eyes dart from me to her mother, connecting the dots and realizing that must have been something we’d discussed within the last couple hours we were out here.
“Stop gawking,” I mutter, feeling embarrassed. I’m glad the sun has gone down and she is unable to see the reddening of my face. I’ve shown far too many emotions today already.
“I’m sorry, I was just a bit taken aback is all. I have PokeBalls you can use, so there’s no need for us to go into town. And that Cutiefly seems rather attached to Himiko, so I don’t think there is any need to catch it as soon as possible.” The white-haired woman responded, making ready to go inside and grab the mentioned items.
I stop her by standing up and moving to the steps of the porch, “No. I want to do this the right way. If I’m going to have my own Pokemon, I’m going to catch it with my own Pokeball.”
She stares at me for a moment but seems to realize how sure I am about this conviction. “Alright, but we’ll need to leave now before it gets too late.” She turns to her mother once more.
“I’ll inform the others,” Zuri says, rising to her feet and making her way to the front door. “And I’ll keep a watch on your children as well.”
Burnet hugs her mother, thanking her, and joins me as I leave the property.
We walk in silence for some time. The last rays of the sun have finally left the sky. The trees whisper in the gentle breeze coming off the ocean and Pokemon murmur from within the forest. After a while, I see the roofs of Hau’oli City peak over the treetops, the many lights shining through them.
A noise in front and to my left catches my and Burnet’s attention. It sounds like a few Pokemon are up ahead, stirring up the dirt and rustling behind a bush.
As we draw near I hear angry calls from birds. “Krow krow! Murkrow”
“What in Arceus's name is happening?” Burnet says, moving off the path and towards the sound.
I join her, emerging behind the trees to see three dark blue birds pecking furiously at a spot of yellow. Looking closely, I realize it’s a different Pokemon.
“Oi, knock it off,” I shout, waving my arms and trying to scare the birds away. They don’t take any notice of me and continue their flurry of attacks. I grab a few stones from the ground and chuck them at the attackers, striking one of them right in the side and another on the beak. This has the effect I was looking for as the three dark beasts leap into the air and speed off, calling angrily as they fly away.
The yellow Pokemon before us pokes its head up and I see a large berry under its belly. I realized that this creature was shielding the food. Then I wonder if it was protecting a meal it had found, or if it had stolen the bite from that flock of birds.
“It’s a Pikachu!” Burnet says, already crouching down and examining it carefully. “It doesn't look badly injured.” She states, though she pulls a bottle from her pocket and sprays the liquid from within on its back. “There, that should feel better.” She pats the creature on the head and rises to her feet.
The whole time she was treating the Pokemon, its gaze was fixed on me. I felt uneasy about the look, so I moved back towards the road swiftly, waiting for Burnet to finish.
“Pika!” The beast calls, running onto the path as well. It fixes its stare on me once more and walks up to my side. I try to back away as it begins to rub its red cheeks on my leg.
“No, get off of me.” I grumble, taken aback by the sudden show of affection.
It returns to my legs and then offers up the half-eaten berry. “Chu?” It says, and to my surprise, it sounds almost like a question.
“Anya, I think it’s trying to thank you for helping it,” the white-haired woman says.
“All I did was scare off the birds,” I say to Burnet. “If you want to “thank” someone, it should be her. She’s the one who treated your injuries.” I begin to stride off.
“You keep that berry, little one and eat it for your dinner.” The taller woman says, giving it another pat on the head. It pushes into her hand and makes more cooing sounds.
I realize with shock that I can almost understand the gratitude it was showing. Not liking the realizations I was having, I quicken my pace and draw further away. Burnet jogs over to me, keeping up with me easily.
“Come on Anya, you can’t tell me you weren’t just the least bit pleased to help.”
I bite my tongue. Instead of answering, I look over my shoulder at the place we just departed from and realize the Pokemon has left. I sigh and face forward once more, ready to return our trek to the city.
“Pika pi?” The creature questions, suddenly in front of us.
Cursing in surprise, I jump back, my body instinctively snapping into a fighting stance. I bounce on the balls of my feet and draw my fisted hands to my side. Burnet laughs at my reaction and I again feel my face redden with embarrassment. “Shoo,” I wave my hands at it. “Go away. Get back to your home.” I try to walk ahead of it once more, but now it merely trots beside me, undeterred by my annoyance.
“I think it likes you. Why not keep this one around? It could be your new partner.”
“This tiny thing?” I ask incredulously. I pause in my retort though. Didn’t Kabir’s Raichu evolve from a Pikachu? I question myself, remembering the brown Pokemon my brother-in-law uses. I stare at the creature before me, squinting my eyes as I recall a time, many years ago when it was a small yellow being, just like this one. That’s Tempest. I recall. I’ve seen her fight before. She’s actually pretty strong. Then it hits me. Sashi said she knows a Fighting-Type move. Maybe that's her typing. I could evolve this one and have a Fighting Pokemon!
“Very well,” I state out loud. “If it can keep up, I might consider catching it.”
The Pikachu jumps up happily, calling out and dancing around.
“Well, we should hurry up then! We have to get a Pokeball.” The Professor calls, picking up her own pace and moving ahead of me.
I jog up to her this time but cast a glance down at the yellow creature as it sticks close to my feet. It’s almost like it understood what I just said. I think to myself.
We arrive in the town swiftly, Burnet and I, the Pikachu still by my side, entering the Pokemon Center and heading over to the gentleman at the shop.
“Good evening ladies. Fine weather we’re having.” He comments conversationally. “What can I do for you two?”
“I need some PokeBalls. What’s the best one you have? I want to catch this thing here.” I point at the creature by my feet.
“The best would be an Ultra Ball. They have the highest catch rate.” He responds, looking confused. “But that Pikachu seems to be pretty comfortable around you already. There’d be no point in getting a more expensive ball for something you can catch easily.”
“I’m not worried about the price. I merely want the best ball you have.” I retort, annoyed that he didn’t simply accept my request.
“Well, if cost isn’t a concern, then the best would be a Luxury Ball. It’s a-“
I cut him off. “Very well. I’ll take two of them, please.”
He seems to finally catch onto my certainty, for he reaches under the counter and procures two black and red PokeBalls. “That’ll be 2,000 coins please.”
I hold out my phone and pay on the machine before me. “Thank you.” I nod to him and make to leave, but he stops me with a call.
“Wait, I’ve just remembered.” He holds out his hands to us, indicating we pause as he runs inside a room in the back of the shop. A moment later he returns, holding a yellow rock in his hands. “My coworker received this today with our shipment. We don’t sell them here, so we were just going to return it in the morning. Seeing as you have a Pikachu, I think it would be best to give it to you.” He drops the item on the counter and I stare at it, unsure of what it’s for.
“It’s a Thunder Stone.” Burnet chips in. “You can evolve Pikachu into a Raichu using that.”
“I see,” I nod again, picking up the rock and feeling its weight in my hand. I turn around to fully face the man and bow, thanking him as I do so. He seems slightly taken aback by my response and gives a small, awkward bow of his own. Without another word, I lead the group back outside.
Burnet stops me as I begin to make my way to the house. “You should catch the Pikachu now.”
“Squall,”
“What?”
“Its name is Squall,” I state, indicating the beast beside me with a nod.
“Anya, you haven’t even caught it yet. You can’t go off naming Pokemon that aren’t your’s.” She chuckles.
“Very well, Squall,” I turn, addressing the Pokemon and ignoring another snort of laughter from the woman beside me. The Pikachu looks up at me, its head turned to the side. “I want you to get into the ball so I can catch you.”
“Pika!” It proclaims eagerly and shoves its nose into the button. A light flashes, engulfing the creature and it vanishes into the device.
I press the button again and release it. “Very good.” I nod, glancing at the Professor and trying to hide my smirk, excited despite my misgivings to have a Pokemon of my own.
“Alright, now I need you to evolve with this,” I hold out the Thunder Stone, moving it closer to the Pokemon.
“Anya, hold on. You really should work on training it first before just evolving it.” Burnet says, placing her hand over the stone and moving my arm away.
“Nonsense.” I rebuke. “I see no point in waiting.” I pull myself away from her and hold the stone out to Squall once more.
The yellow beast looks at me, eyeing my face carefully. I feel that uncomfortable prickle in my stomach once more. These creatures are smarter than I’ve been giving them credit for. I realize the fault in my thinking.
It sniffs at the object in my hand, its gaze still trained on me. Then it presses its small black nose onto the Stone. A white light engulfs the Pikachu as it begins to evolve.
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