Once again, as it always does, the warmth of the sun rises over the land. The moon says it’s goodbyes and tucks itself back into the breeches of darkness, letting it’s partner come out for a visit. It happens every day, every night, a cycle that keeps nature balanced. It has always happened when we were not here, and it will continue to happen when we are gone. Time flows endlessly, a powerful force not to be reckoned with, yet also the giver of life and the provider of memories. It is one of the only things certain in this world, and even yet still, nature is a fickle sort. Most don’t have time to think about these things, however. We entrust the beasts that adhere and live within nature’s power, far beyond our grasp of reality, to guide us. We read of them in stories passed down from generation to generation. We listen to what has been, what is, and what will be.
But that is not what this specific story is about.
-
The ringing of her alarm goes off in the quaint darkness, a hand jutting out from the sheets and scrambling over to the nightstand. Looking for something, feeling for something, until it comes across that familiar feel- Small, rectangular. Instantly her fingers are swiping at the screen before she can even open her eyes, the room once again filled with silence once she manages to turn the alarm off, with only the soft breathing of her and her companion breaking through. Her eyes, warm and brown like cinnamon, flutter open, squinting at her phone screen.
10:46 AM, it reads.
She breathes out, moving her pillow up against the bed frame, positioning herself to sit up. She can feel the small figure by her legs stir slightly, getting up and stretching a’la felidae, before crawling over to her human’s side. One hand finds itself running through fur, the other on her device, scrolling through unread messages with her thumb. There’s a couple from her friends- She opens her DMs, looking through a group chat before her eyes rest on a picture of a Pichu. It’s got a hold on what’s likely a Pecha Berry, though the little rodent seemed to get ahead of itself, attempting to eat it all in one bite. It’s cheek is puffed out to the side, just barely able to hold in the plumpness of the berry. She smiles to herself, replying back with a message that reads “hungry boy”, before slowly kicking off her sheets. She rises, the bed slowly reforming now that her body has left.
She lightly tip toes over to the window, carefully stepping over her suitcase, reaching for the bottom of the blinds. She gets a gentle grip, slowly bringing them up and letting natural light fill the room. It’s warm, a contrast to the AC of her room, and she looks over to her bed. Her Weavile is there, still sleepy as she gives another stretch. Her claws flare out, the Pokemon yawning. She sits up more akin to a human this time, rubbing her eyes. A deep, velvety red, the kind that could swallow you up. Most would compare the color to something like blood. But her human? Her human would always compared the way they shimmered to rubies. And that was her name.
“Mornin’, Rubes,” The young woman croaks, not yet used to speaking so early. She clears her throat, running a hand through messy locks of hair. “Breakfast is gonna have to wait a little, I’m feeling way too grimy right now.” She steps back over her suitcase, a bit less carefully now that she can see. She can hear a soft grumble in response over her shoulder, playfully making a noise to mimic back Ruby’s complaints. Into the bathroom she goes, beginning her morning routine.
She shivers when the water hits her skin, wet clumps of hair falling in front of her eyes. Going into autopilot, her eyes close, running fingers through her hair and working in the shampoo. Her body is there, but her mind begins to wander, as it always tends to during shower time. The stream softly pelts her, and she thinks. She thinks about the day ahead and what needs to be accomplished, where she would be going for lunch, if this would be a training day or a relaxing day… Despite the freshness and the comfort that the region of Alola brought her, there was still quite a bit to go over. Her next big step would be heading to the southern coast of Ula’Ula, along the distinctive black sand beach that she was told held the next trial site. Of course, it would be easy for her to go down there and get it done within the day, especially with Ruby or even Dakota at her side. She could’ve technically done that with every trial, but where was the fun in that? This wasn’t a badge quest, she wanted to take things slow and get a feel for such a beautiful and culture-rich region.
It was decided, then. She would go down to the southern part of the island, but only for training. A good chunk of her team needed it before she took any larger steps further and collected yet another Z-Crystal. Counting them in her head, she had about eight so far. Electric, along with Steel, she had just received last week during her trip up to the Hokulani Observatory. The trial was simple enough, and she was glad nothing had gone wrong. Sophocles, the young boy hosting it, was telling of her how the first time he attempted it, the Vikavolt-shaped radar they used became overloaded and nearly took out the poor little Charjabugs that were helping with the puzzles. Of course, that was the same trial that the current Champion of Alola happened to be doing at the time, and things ended up a-okay. The totem had appeared after all, the Charjabugs were saved, and the champ made it out with barely a scratch on her own Pokemon.
However, despite the trial going well, she wasn’t expecting to receive a second Z-Crystal that very same day. It turned out that Sophocles’ older cousin was there, and had stuck around to watch her trial. Molayne, was it? Not only had he hung around to watch, but he had offered to show her around the rest of the observatory afterwards. Of course, being nice and curious to see the rest of the establishment, she agreed. Though, it seemed like poor Molayne had gotten a bit of the wrong impression. There was no doubt that throughout the tour, he was attempting to flirt, trying to show off his knowledge regarding Steel and Electric types, various planetary structures, the gravitational pull of whatever... And ended up giving her a Steelium Z before she left. He was nice and all, but… He was a bit bland. Not exactly her type at all, really. I mean, him being tall was something, but overall he was just far too average for her to consider him potential dating material. It would probably be awhile before she went back to the observatory anytime soon, regrettably so. Though she had no interest in Molayne himself, his horde of Charjabugs absolutely delighted her. It was a shame that they had to be attached to such an awkward person.
The sudden change from warm to cool water was her signal that she was spending far too much time rinsing herself off and getting lost in her deep thoughts. She quickly shut the water off, stepping out to grab a towel and move on with her routine. Which included drying her hair, doing her makeup, and getting dressed. She figured, since she would be going out training, today would be a more casual day. She raked her fingers through her dark brown hair, letting her cropped bangs fall to her forehead as she mused over the options in her closet. She finally settled on a pair of grey shorts and a tie-dye shirt. The purples, blues, and pinks mixed in a lovely amalgamation of colors, staining the shirt in a lovely, splotchy pattern. Of course, though, she took a hair tie, tying the loose shirt off to the side and exposing her stomach. She just couldn’t help it- She found crop tops to be so cute and fashionable, especially when she had an excuse to wear them on a daily basis in such a hot climate. Truly, Alola was a great region. Almost all ready to head out, she slipped on a simple pair of flip flops, heading for her backpack afterwards. Ruby, all the while, continued to sit on her bed, resting her back against the pillow like her trainer had done just an hour earlier. The cheeky little weasel was smart, that’s for sure. She had the remote in her hand, the TV in the room on at a low volume. Her eyes scanned the screen as images flickered past, and although she couldn’t understand 100% of what was playing, it was something to do while she waited.
Her head cocked as her focus went to her trainer now, who was just about ready to set out for the day. With the pastel pink bag secured to her back, the weasel grabbed the remote and turned the television off, knowing it was finally time. If she could speak human, her poor trainer would be getting an earful about how she took too long, but alas, the most she could do was give a slightly agitated mewl as she climbed up onto the brunette’s back. “I know, I know,” The girl mused in response, getting the Pokemon’s idea regardless. “I was just thinking about what we gotta do today, alright? I got food in the bag, though. We’ll head out to Route 11 for breakfast before we take a Mudsdale through Blush Mountain. That sound good?” With only her phone left, she quickly grabbed it off of her nightstand, checking for any new messages before finally heading out the door.
Her name was Atlas. Atlas Bennett. Or, as she liked to be called, Atty. This was her sixth week in Alola. And things were about to get a bit more interesting than she expected.
But that is not what this specific story is about.
-
The ringing of her alarm goes off in the quaint darkness, a hand jutting out from the sheets and scrambling over to the nightstand. Looking for something, feeling for something, until it comes across that familiar feel- Small, rectangular. Instantly her fingers are swiping at the screen before she can even open her eyes, the room once again filled with silence once she manages to turn the alarm off, with only the soft breathing of her and her companion breaking through. Her eyes, warm and brown like cinnamon, flutter open, squinting at her phone screen.
10:46 AM, it reads.
She breathes out, moving her pillow up against the bed frame, positioning herself to sit up. She can feel the small figure by her legs stir slightly, getting up and stretching a’la felidae, before crawling over to her human’s side. One hand finds itself running through fur, the other on her device, scrolling through unread messages with her thumb. There’s a couple from her friends- She opens her DMs, looking through a group chat before her eyes rest on a picture of a Pichu. It’s got a hold on what’s likely a Pecha Berry, though the little rodent seemed to get ahead of itself, attempting to eat it all in one bite. It’s cheek is puffed out to the side, just barely able to hold in the plumpness of the berry. She smiles to herself, replying back with a message that reads “hungry boy”, before slowly kicking off her sheets. She rises, the bed slowly reforming now that her body has left.
She lightly tip toes over to the window, carefully stepping over her suitcase, reaching for the bottom of the blinds. She gets a gentle grip, slowly bringing them up and letting natural light fill the room. It’s warm, a contrast to the AC of her room, and she looks over to her bed. Her Weavile is there, still sleepy as she gives another stretch. Her claws flare out, the Pokemon yawning. She sits up more akin to a human this time, rubbing her eyes. A deep, velvety red, the kind that could swallow you up. Most would compare the color to something like blood. But her human? Her human would always compared the way they shimmered to rubies. And that was her name.
“Mornin’, Rubes,” The young woman croaks, not yet used to speaking so early. She clears her throat, running a hand through messy locks of hair. “Breakfast is gonna have to wait a little, I’m feeling way too grimy right now.” She steps back over her suitcase, a bit less carefully now that she can see. She can hear a soft grumble in response over her shoulder, playfully making a noise to mimic back Ruby’s complaints. Into the bathroom she goes, beginning her morning routine.
She shivers when the water hits her skin, wet clumps of hair falling in front of her eyes. Going into autopilot, her eyes close, running fingers through her hair and working in the shampoo. Her body is there, but her mind begins to wander, as it always tends to during shower time. The stream softly pelts her, and she thinks. She thinks about the day ahead and what needs to be accomplished, where she would be going for lunch, if this would be a training day or a relaxing day… Despite the freshness and the comfort that the region of Alola brought her, there was still quite a bit to go over. Her next big step would be heading to the southern coast of Ula’Ula, along the distinctive black sand beach that she was told held the next trial site. Of course, it would be easy for her to go down there and get it done within the day, especially with Ruby or even Dakota at her side. She could’ve technically done that with every trial, but where was the fun in that? This wasn’t a badge quest, she wanted to take things slow and get a feel for such a beautiful and culture-rich region.
It was decided, then. She would go down to the southern part of the island, but only for training. A good chunk of her team needed it before she took any larger steps further and collected yet another Z-Crystal. Counting them in her head, she had about eight so far. Electric, along with Steel, she had just received last week during her trip up to the Hokulani Observatory. The trial was simple enough, and she was glad nothing had gone wrong. Sophocles, the young boy hosting it, was telling of her how the first time he attempted it, the Vikavolt-shaped radar they used became overloaded and nearly took out the poor little Charjabugs that were helping with the puzzles. Of course, that was the same trial that the current Champion of Alola happened to be doing at the time, and things ended up a-okay. The totem had appeared after all, the Charjabugs were saved, and the champ made it out with barely a scratch on her own Pokemon.
However, despite the trial going well, she wasn’t expecting to receive a second Z-Crystal that very same day. It turned out that Sophocles’ older cousin was there, and had stuck around to watch her trial. Molayne, was it? Not only had he hung around to watch, but he had offered to show her around the rest of the observatory afterwards. Of course, being nice and curious to see the rest of the establishment, she agreed. Though, it seemed like poor Molayne had gotten a bit of the wrong impression. There was no doubt that throughout the tour, he was attempting to flirt, trying to show off his knowledge regarding Steel and Electric types, various planetary structures, the gravitational pull of whatever... And ended up giving her a Steelium Z before she left. He was nice and all, but… He was a bit bland. Not exactly her type at all, really. I mean, him being tall was something, but overall he was just far too average for her to consider him potential dating material. It would probably be awhile before she went back to the observatory anytime soon, regrettably so. Though she had no interest in Molayne himself, his horde of Charjabugs absolutely delighted her. It was a shame that they had to be attached to such an awkward person.
The sudden change from warm to cool water was her signal that she was spending far too much time rinsing herself off and getting lost in her deep thoughts. She quickly shut the water off, stepping out to grab a towel and move on with her routine. Which included drying her hair, doing her makeup, and getting dressed. She figured, since she would be going out training, today would be a more casual day. She raked her fingers through her dark brown hair, letting her cropped bangs fall to her forehead as she mused over the options in her closet. She finally settled on a pair of grey shorts and a tie-dye shirt. The purples, blues, and pinks mixed in a lovely amalgamation of colors, staining the shirt in a lovely, splotchy pattern. Of course, though, she took a hair tie, tying the loose shirt off to the side and exposing her stomach. She just couldn’t help it- She found crop tops to be so cute and fashionable, especially when she had an excuse to wear them on a daily basis in such a hot climate. Truly, Alola was a great region. Almost all ready to head out, she slipped on a simple pair of flip flops, heading for her backpack afterwards. Ruby, all the while, continued to sit on her bed, resting her back against the pillow like her trainer had done just an hour earlier. The cheeky little weasel was smart, that’s for sure. She had the remote in her hand, the TV in the room on at a low volume. Her eyes scanned the screen as images flickered past, and although she couldn’t understand 100% of what was playing, it was something to do while she waited.
Her head cocked as her focus went to her trainer now, who was just about ready to set out for the day. With the pastel pink bag secured to her back, the weasel grabbed the remote and turned the television off, knowing it was finally time. If she could speak human, her poor trainer would be getting an earful about how she took too long, but alas, the most she could do was give a slightly agitated mewl as she climbed up onto the brunette’s back. “I know, I know,” The girl mused in response, getting the Pokemon’s idea regardless. “I was just thinking about what we gotta do today, alright? I got food in the bag, though. We’ll head out to Route 11 for breakfast before we take a Mudsdale through Blush Mountain. That sound good?” With only her phone left, she quickly grabbed it off of her nightstand, checking for any new messages before finally heading out the door.
Her name was Atlas. Atlas Bennett. Or, as she liked to be called, Atty. This was her sixth week in Alola. And things were about to get a bit more interesting than she expected.
