After a trip to the fancy bath store and the parting gift of all the free samples Azophi could fit in their pockets, they parted ways with the perfumed Grimer and headed over to the marina to see Prof. Kukui’s catamaran. Dax was ready for a break by then and slipped into the mesh pocket of Makani’s backpack. The girl in white from before passed by again, this time in casual clothes, but that huge hat was unmistakable. Azophi tipped the brim of their own new sunhat at her as thanks for giving them the idea, but she didn’t notice.

The boat was a modest size—only a small cabin and no upper deck—but sleek and trim. Nice to look at, but not all that tempting to board.

“Hello there!” A voice called out to them. It belonged to someone in blindingly white capris with a Zizagoon stripe vest over a polo tee who jogged up with an excited bounce in their step and a Smeargle in their wake. They had fawn skin that played nicely against their soft pink hair and startlingly blue eyes.

“You’re Hau and Makani, right?” They asked breathlessly and the brothers nodded. One lock hung longer by their face and wooden bead that reminded Azophi of the island charm was tied there. “I’m—”

“Trial Captain Ilima!” Hau finished for them. “Alola!”

“Alola!” They chirped with a bright smile and enthusiastic wave. They had an odd mismatched pair of tawny leather gloves on. The right covered all but their thumb while the other only left their pinky exposed. “It’s so good to finally meet you!”

Makani waved back slowly and distractedly with a barely audible “Alola” of his own. Now that was odd.

“Same!” Hau exclaimed in his place. “Tutu’s really glad he has such a competent new Captain.”

“Oh!” Said Ilima, surprise flickering over their face before they puffed up slightly. “That’s kind of him to say. I know I have rather large shoes to fill.” They turned to Azophi and their brow furrowed. “My apologies, I can’t quite recall your name.”

“That’s cuz I just moved here from Johto about a month ago.” They smiled and gave a little bow automatically. Oh well. The two handed wave was silly anyway. Maybe next time. “My name is Azophi, and I use they/them pronouns.”

Ilima’s eyes went wide. “Auwē! Me too!” They hastily bowed back. “Forgive my enthusiasm, I haven’t run into anyone else yet. There isn’t much of a queer community on Melemele. Anyway, it’s wonderful to meet you Azophi.”

Azophi grinned. “Same. I’m Makani’s friend.”

“Oh, Kahuna Hala did mention you the last time we spoke. Welcome to Alola! This day sure is turning. Are these your starters?” They crouched down, and Malasada marched up to them and headbutted their knee. They stroked his back in return and Malasada arched into it, tail vibrating. “Hey there, friend. Long time no see. Are you happy with your new trainer?” Malasada purred as they scratched him behind the ears. Ugh, it was so unfair! They gestured at the Pichu peeking out around Hau’s legs. “And who is this?”

“Mochi.”

“What a cute name! She’s a little shy, hm?”

“Only sometimes. You should see her battle.”

Malasada meowed to her, and she walked cautiously closer, placing each paw carefully. Ilima held out their hand and let her sniff. She gave them a little zap in greeting and they giggled. They stood up slowly so as not to scare her.

“So you picked the battle pro. Planning on being the next Kahuna, Hau?”

Hau flashed a big toothy grin. “You know it!”

“Excellent. What about you, Makani?”

“M-me?” Makani stuttered, starting visibly. Ilima nodded patiently. “Oh, um, I’d like to be a Trial Captain,” he almost whispered.

Ilima’s face lit up. “Well I certainly recommend it!”

They reached out to give Wini a little caress, and Makani flushed brilliantly as they leaned into his space. Oh ho ho! So he had a crush. Well, hard to blame him. They were adorable.

Wini, for her part, cocked her head and closed her eyes in contentment. Azophi had never seen her tolerate affection from anyone other than Makani before.

“Hala told me she’d end up with you, Makani,” Ilima said softly. “Seems she had already taken a liking to you before the ceremony.” Then they laughed because the little hussy of a Rowlet was twisting her head almost upside down so that they could scratch the right place. “She’s such a curious little mon. I’m sure she’ll make the perfect partner.”

Makani swallowed thickly and nodded, flustered well beyond the ability to speak. It was a privilege to witness—a side of their best friend they never would have seen with a vast ocean between them. They permitted the warmth to bathe them this time, if only for a moment. Not that they could help it if they tried.

Then Ilima moved onto Nerium and gave his head a rub. The Popplio burbled and nudged excitedly at their hand. And in the Alolan sun’s bright glow, even their goofy starter’s overeager antics were less irritating. At least he was being cute for their new acquaintance.

“And you, Azophi?”

With that Azophi was smacked down from their high and into the concrete pier—damn Kukui and his contagious move puns! Like it wasn’t hard enough to answer without image of Prof. Six-Pack chattering in their ear like a shoulder Impidimp. “I, uh, I just sort of thought I’d give training a try.” Fuck.

“I hope you enjoy it, then,” Ilima responded with an easy smile, as if Azophi had given an answer just as valid as the other two. Then they gave Nerium one last fond rub. “Take good care of this one. He’s been through a lot.”

“Sure. Of course.”

“Anyway, I didn’t mean to interrupt you all, just didn’t want to miss the opportunity. If you’re busy I’ll— “

“Oh, no, these two were just showing me the sights,” Azophi interrupted. If they made it over that hurdle the rest of this interaction would be easy, and they wanted to keep Ilima around Makani as long as possible.

“Have you all been over to the museum yet? They just refurbished some of the exhibits.”

“Hey, nice Litten you got there.”

It was a pair of—Azophi wanted to say punks—leering at them from the shade of the dry dock. They were in matching white beanies with two large black dots on their foreheads and black bandanas with two white squares under their noses, covering their mouths. Their tanks were also black with a white X wrapping around their torso. Oh! Together the ensemble made a crude skull and crossbones. Sorta hokey, but also clever enough to be entertaining. And the flashy chains showed dedication to the theme.

Azophi was almost nodding to themselves when they noticed that Hau and Makani had gone tense beside them and the warm smile had slipped off Ilima’s face.

“Thanks?” Hau ventured.

One tapped the pokeball hanging off one of his chains and a Drowzee materialized on the pier between them. The other pulled a pokeball from his pocket and tossed it up to release a Zubat.

“How about you hand it over and you won’t get hurt.”

Before Azophi could fully process that these two goons were trying to be threatening, Ilima primly cleared their throat, turning their full attention back to the Kāhilis. “As I was saying, they just reopened this weekend. It’s a little mobbed right now, but if you go in the morning it’s not so bad.”

“Hey! Maybe you didn’t hear us, Pinky!” The one with Zubat barked with an aggressive stomp towards them.

“You can hand over that Smeargle too,” the other sneered.

“But if that’s not your cup of tea,” Ilima continued as if there had been no interruption, “there’s a very nice mall on the other end of town.”

“H-hey!” the Zubat punk stammered, shoulders already slumping.

“It’s a little pricey, but Gracidea will help you find anything you want.”

“He’s ignoring us…” the Drowzee punk muttered quietly to the other.

The two pokemon, who had at least looked a little more gung-ho about actually coming to blows, faltered as their trainers hesitated. Makani’s Rowlet was giving them the evil eye, and Nerium glanced curiously between them and Azophi, waiting for a signal, but Hau’s Litten and Ilima’s Smeargle remained carefully disinterested.

“I know shopping can be a little… stressful sometimes when you’re not the average customer. But the staff there are excellent.”

Finally the Zubat punk set his jaw and lunged for Ilima’s arm. “Hey!” Before he could reach, there was a pale blur and a crack like a whip. The punk withdrew his hand with a pained yelp and clutched it to his chest.

Ilima turned only their head to look at him. “Save the moves for battles, Monet. Unless that’s what you two are after?”

The one who’d been struck was shrinking back, thoroughly cowed. And who wouldn’t be? The move looked even faster than a Quick Attack. Might even be Extreme Speed. But his companion growled. “Pound that Smeargle, Nyquil!”

The other took half a second to back him up. “Gust, Britney!”

“Rock Slide.”

A barrage of stones rained down on the Drowzee and Zubat before they could finish mustering their moves, and everyone but Ilima took a step back. The Drowzee staggered but remained standing. The Zubat was knocked flat to the concrete. As the dust settled, a red beam shot out and retrieved the downed pokemon.

The punks shared a scared look and the one who still had a pokemon in the fight blurted out a command. “Confusion!”

There was a flicker of darkness like a too long blink and the tuft at the end of the Smeargle’s tail hit the Drowzee the face with an audible thwack. It fell back heavily and the Smeargle stalked back to Ilima’s side, tail swishing derisively. The two grunts just stared at Ilima, mouths presumably hanging open in dumb shock behind their bandanas. Azophi let out a low whistle. They were almost there themselves.

“I’ll give you a chance to re-think trying to steal a pokemon in front of a Trial Captain,” Ilima said curtly.

“Oh shit!”

It was remarkable how intimidating they could be for someone so small, slight, and sweet. Azophi was certainly taking notes. “Unless you want to spend the remainder of your day at the station, I suggest you leave.”

The one with the Drowzee finally thought to recall it—it hadn’t moved since it fell—and they both ran off, stumbling over themselves in their haste. Ilima sighed, and their Smeargle surveyed the rubble coving the dock before and trilling questioningly up at his trainer.

“Yes, Monet, if you would,” Ilima answered, voice soft again.

Monet nodded and began sweeping the remnants of his Rock Slide off the pier. Malasada got up of his own accord to help by batting some of the smaller rocks into the water. Nerium and Wini followed suit, using their water and wind attacks to clean the rest.

Was anyone gonna say anything? “So, what in the high hell just happened?”

“Those two are the local Team Skull ruffians,” said Ilima and Makani nodded in confirmation. “The gang isn’t very active on Melemele, but they’ve been getting bolder.”

“Wait, you guys have a gang problem? Alola has a gang?” For some reason Azophi was having a hard time picturing it.

“Yeah,” said Makani. “It’s nothing on the scale of Rocket, but they do steal people’s pokemon and try to sabotage the Trials.”

Hau crossed his arms behind his head. “They’re mostly Island Challenge dropouts and their leader has it out for the Trial Captains and Z-Captains.”

“But if they’re all flunkies, how are they a threat?”

Monet snorted derisively and crossed his arms, muttering something to Ilima that made them stifle a laugh.

“Very true. More of an annoyance than a threat, at least on Melemele.”

“Well, we can’t all be winners, I guess. At least these guys have a decent aesthetic. Remember those Club de Flamme uniforms?” Azophi gave a shiver. “Horrific.”

Ilima laughed, covering their mouth politely. It was light and ringing—almost a giggle—and their soft face scrunched adorably. Makani looked about ready to swoon. Maybe Azophi could get a picture before—

But Ilima regained their composure quickly. “Monet and I should really be going, but it was wonderful to run into you all. Please enjoy the rest of your day. I hope to see you at my Trial!” They waved, still smiling merrily. “Alola!”

Azophi grinned to themselves as they watched Makani watch Ilima jog off. His face was still rosy and had a funny sort of expression on it Azophi had never seen before.

“Well, it was good to finally meet them,” Hau said brightly. “They were really lovely.”

Makani continued to stare blankly into the middle distance at the point Ilima had disappeared from view. “They were like cotton candy,” he said quietly, tone oddly flat.

“Oh yeah, their hair was great,” said Hau. How oblivious could he get?

But Makani himself saved Azophi the trouble of clearing up the situation. “No, like I want them to melt in my mouth.”

Now there was their boy! “They’re like a Neapolitan ice cream and I want to scoop all of their flavors!” Fucking nailed it!

Hau’s arms dropped and he eyed both of them askance. “Wow, you two have no chill.”