After all the events that happened that day, Selene and Kukui stayed the whole night at the Pokémon Center. Earlier the following morning, a bit before sunrise, they got informed about Jangmo-o’s condition: she didn’t have severe injuries, but needed to stay there a bit longer to fully heal her wounds. Even though they couldn’t get close to the Pokémon, they were allowed to look at it from the corridor. A big glass showed the interior of a room with several machines and an examination table on the center. On top of it, Jangmo-o was sleeping peacefully, wearing an Elizabethan collar around her neck to prevent her from licking and removing the bandages. After that, Selene and Kukui talked to Hapu, who promised to take care of the Pokémon and share any news with them. Without anything else they could do, the professor and the girl took their belongings and rode the ship back to Melemele Island.

The trip back home felt like an eternity for the young girl. While she contemplated the infinite sea, resting on the handrail of the deck, Selene couldn’t stop thinking about Jangmo-o. Even though she knew Hapu and the people from the Pokémon Center could help her better, she wondered if they could actually understand Jangmo-o and give her the help she needed. The girl wished to help that Pokémon but… was there anything she could actually do? She had barely learned about the creatures of that world. Was it possible for her to help the Pokémon? All those questions kept roaming her head, even after they got home a few hours later. Exhausted, and knowing that she had to go to school the next day, Selene had a light meal and went to sleep early. Before falling asleep, she remembered Jangmo-o’s shiny eyes when she covered the Pokémon with her body. She was a nice Pokémon and wanted her to find happiness.

The next morning…

“You what?”.

All her friends at the Pokémon School exclaimed those words in shock. After seeing Selene in such a low mood and inquiring a bit more, the girl explained them all the events that happened in Poni Island, which meant she told them her daring, although risky, intent to help Jangmo-o. Their reactions, within the surprise and worrying of the situation, were different. Mallow and Sophocles were the most worried at the idea of facing such a dangerous Pokémon, while Kiawe and Lana lightly praised the girl’s actions. However, the one Selene was most worried about was Lillie, who had remained silent that whole time with a concerned look in her eyes. The girl, scared of looking at her, thought her friend would be angry for breaking her promise and wasn’t sure what to say. Still, the kids wondered about the reasons why that Kommo-o would attack a child like that, but they didn’t want to bother Selene more. Besides, although the girl knew the situation very well, she wasn’t sure how to explain it to her friends.

The first hours went by quickly with the different lessons, just like always. However, Professor Kukui disappeared during lunch. While the children ate together, the professor was nowhere to be seen. It was unusual, but the kids didn’t have to wait too long to find out.

“Okay, everybody, you finished lunch? Let’s get into a new lesson”.

Kukui suddenly appeared through the classroom door, with his usual good humor, bringing a blue carrier with him. After the children went back to their seats, he put the carrier on top of a desk in front of the blackboard.

“Professor, what’s that?”, asked Mallow with curiosity.

“Well, today’s lesson’s gonna be a bit different than usual. Why don’t you get closer and take a look?”, invited Kukui.

Following his suggestion, the children stood up and got closer to the barred gate. It was a bit dark, but at one corner, there was something crouched. When Selene could look at it better, she recognized it.

“Jangmo-o!”, exclaimed Selene in surprise.

The Pokémon inside the carrier was the same Jangmo-o she met at Poni Island. Even though her wounds were healed already, the girl could recognize those shiny eyes everywhere… and the collar she still wore. The Pokémon seemed to recognize her as well, seeing how her eyes opened widely, but Jangmo-o seemed scared at the situation and didn’t move from the corner. The other kids were surprised as well.

“So this is the Jangmo-o you saved?”, asked Lillie to Selene.

“Ye- yeah, this is the one”, answered Selene, still nervous for talking to her friend. Then, the girl looked at the professor and asked: “But what is she doing here, Professor?”.

“Well, I talked to Hapu last night and we thought it would be easier to find her a new place in this island”, explained Kukui. “Also, I thought we could have a special lesson about what makes this Jangmo-o so special, you get it?”.

Selene understood what the professor implied. Jangmo-o being female with a male’s body… she didn’t know how to explain that to her friends, but having Kukui explain all that would make it easier. She sighed and nodded, relieved at knowing the professor would handle the situation better than her. However, the other kids couldn’t follow their conversation.

“This Pokémon is special? Why?”, asked Lana confused.

Kukui made sure that the children were listening and ready for the lesson before clearing his throat.

“Let’s begin with the basics: you know Pokémon can have three genders, right? There are male, female and those with no gender. While most species split between male and female, there are those with no gender at all, like Magnemite, Staryu or Beldum, even though they can breed with other Pokémon”, explained Kukui.

“Yes, and there are Pokémon who look different depending on their gender. Pikachu’s tail differs from male to female species”, added Lillie. “I noticed that after reading it in a book a while ago”.

“That’s right! However, all this is not completely true”, said Kukui.

Hearing that, all the kids except Selene turned silent, wondering what the professor actually meant with that. For him, it was obvious they needed more information, so he smiled and continued.

“You see, a Pokémon’s gender doesn’t necessarily match how their body is. There are those which look female, but their behaviors and expressions look more male-like. And the opposite as well, Pokémon which look male, but they express themselves in a more female way. Truth is, gender is not determined by the body, but by the mind and heart of each individual creature. So there are female Pokémon that look male and male Pokémon that look female. And well, this is the case of this little girl here”, concluded Kukui while tapping the carrier.

The children looked back at the Jangmo-o that still crouched at the back of the carrier. When Selene looked at them, it was obvious for her that her friends were having a hard time understanding that. She found it funny: it was the first time she understood something about Pokémon that the others didn’t. Lillie, whose eyes showed more curiosity, was the first one to ask.

“So does that mean this Jangmo-o is female, even though physically it looks like a male?”, asked Lillie.

“That’s right”, answered Kukui with a smile.

“Wow, I mean… I never heard of that before”, said Kiawe.

“It ain’t happen everywhere, but there are a good amount of Pokémon like this”, added Kukui. “They are special creatures indeed”.

Selene, who had remained silent all that time, was still looking at the Pokémon. She heard the explanation, she already knew it. But those words kept repeating in her mind. That was something that made Jangmo-o special. She was special. She was…

“Trans…”

Selene murmured those words unconsciously. Realizing that, she was confused. What did that word meant? Her friends looked at her with the same confusion. Even Kukui seemed a bit surprised at what the girl had just said.

“Trans? What is that?”, asked Lana.

“I’m… not sure?”, wondered Selene. “It just came to my mind, but I don’t know what it means. Still, I feel I heard that word somewhere”.

“Actually, it’s not a word, it’s a prefix”, explained Kukui. “It means ‘at the other side’ or ‘at a different side’ and… ya know? I think that fits well!”.

All the children, this time Selene included, looked at the professor confused.

“What do you mean, Professor?”, asked Selene.

“Well, this Jangmo-o’s gender is ‘at a different side’ than the one everybody would think by looking at her body. So we could say she’s… a trans Pokémon!”, exclaimed Kukui.

A “trans Pokémon”… It was such a new concept, but it was easy to understand for Selene. The other kids needed a bit more time to understand that reality though.

“I have never heard of that before”, added Sophocles while scratching his head. “And you say there are more Pokémon like this one, Professor?”.

“For sure! It is quite frequent in some species”, explained Kukui with enthusiasm. “For example, Frillish and Jellicent have characteristic features and colors, but they can actually change their colors to match their gender. It also happens with Gardevoir: they can be male or female, and still, there are some differences in their behavior that actually show their true gender, no matter their body. And of course, Ditto can shapeshift to any Pokémon and gender no matter what!”.

“But Selene told us Kommo-o attacked it… Does that mean…?”, tried to ask Kiawe, although he wasn’t sure about finishing his own question.

“Well, it’s not usual with other species and… Sadly, there are Pokémon that don’t understand that. Luckily, Selene ran in time to save her”, explained Kukui with a sad tone.

The ambient turned a bit tense. Even if it was something new for them all and couldn’t fully understand it at that moment, they could see that little Pokémon was scared after such an incident.

“Poor thing”, said Mallow with sadness. “What is going to happen to Jangmo-o now?”.

“As I said, I’m gonna try finding her a new home. I’m sure a good Trainer can take care of this little thing. But before I call other places… maybe one of you would like to take her with you?”.

That took the whole class by surprise. Maybe if it had been another Pokémon, it would be easier. But it was obvious Jangmo-o needed some special help. The kids were not sure if they could do it. Besides, each one had their own situations: Mallow with her restaurant, Kiawe had a lot of Pokémon in the farm, Lana had her two twin sisters, Sophocles had his own “researches” and Lillie couldn’t even touch Pokémon.

Selene heard them all talk. She understood their circumstances. Not everyday you are asked to take care of a special Pokémon that lived such a traumatic situation. However, her eyes kept glued on Jangmo-o. Human and Pokémon looked at each other, the girl noticing a small glow on the Pokémon’s eyes. It was still there. That wish within herself to help that little Pokémon was still burning in her heart. She felt her heart beating faster while her doubts piled up in her mind. Could she do it? But would there be anyone else to do it? Those two opposing forces pushed each other in her heart, and finally…

“I’ll do it”.

At first, nobody seemed to notice Selene’s words. However, the kids’ conversation began slowing down until it fully stopped.

“You what?”, asked everybody in unison to Selene.

“Yeah… Yeah, I’ll do it! I’ll take care of Jangmo-o!”, said Selene with confidence.

Everybody, including the professor, were shocked at the unexpected claim from that girl. Her friends knew that Selene barely knew about the creatures of that world, they believed it would take her a bit longer to have her own Pokémon, much less helping one in these conditions. From them all, Lillie was the one most worried about her friend’s decision.

“Are your sure? You never took care a Pokémon before”, warned Lillie.

“Yeah, I know”, answered Selene while still looking at the creature. “But I want to do it. I know she’s a good Pokémon. I can’t just leave her alone”.

It wasn’t those words that convinced Lillie. It was Selene’s eyes. The girl half-closed her shiny eyes and gave Jangmo-o a gentle smile. Lillie had learned a lot about her new friend since her arrival to Alola, but it was the first time she contemplated such a scene. That was enough proof for Lillie. She knew Selene actually cared about that little Pokémon and would try her best to help it. Lillie smiled, her worries disappearing after seeing her friend’s face. But before she could say anything else, the professor laughed.

“Well, didn’t see that coming!”, exclaimed Kukui. “But it’s okay, you can try it. I’ll be there if ya need something”.

Not just the professor, everybody else offered their support to Selene. And thus, the rest of the day went by quickly while they all tried to cheer up the Pokémon and make her leave the carrier, but they didn’t succeed. At the end of the day, Selene had to carry Jangmo-o inside the cage. Even though it was a bit heavy, the girl put all her effort into holding the carrier.