#chicomarshtomp

then you understand that not all pokemon benefit from having a trainer. that just like humans, we pokemon have families and roles to fulfill outside of your petty conflicts.

i know. it's my fault that this is happening. if only i tried harder to understand byul rather than try to fix him, then he wouldn't have to struggle like this by himself.

then why do you remain? he's with his kin now, where he should've been all along. what more do you want?

he's still part of my family, too! i can't just stop caring about him because you tell me to, and besides, i owe it to byul to at least make sure he'll get the help he needs.

mina should be here by now... i hope she didn't forget.

[while they wait, jinyoung wanders around the area until his eyes are drawn to a small pond.]

alright, listen. i need to find someone very important to me, and i have a feeling you know what's been going on around here. byul-- the luxray that came through here... he's part of my family, and i need to make sure he's okay before something bad happens to him.

i don't care who you are. you humans agreed not to interfere with our customs. we will deal with this our own way.

you don't understand...! byul isn't like other luxray, he has this... power that he can't control, and if it gets too much for him, he's going to hurt everyone around him, including himself. if i can get him back in his pokeball, i might be able to contain him.

[koa snarls, baring their teeth. jinyoung flinches, but stands his ground.]

you humans are so ignorant. that 'power' originates here in the first place, and the luxray who were born here know more about it than you do. they will know how to handle it; you are not needed.

and what happens if they can't bring byul under control? i'm the only one he'll listen to!

hrmph, that explains some things... if they really need you, human, then i will know. but until then, you aren't setting foot past this cave.

that’s right... if he is indeed the same shinx i knew from my childhood, then i can understand why he may want to return to our birthplace.

[aster straightens herself back up and closes her eyes.]

it was... long ago. we weren’t close, per se, but we were around the same age.

i can remember it clearly. the day he disappeared, it was chaotic. of all the children to go missing, it was him. the older luxrays were always talking about him, how he was chosen for an important role, for an important reason.

of course, he went by a different name back then. we both did, though that’s one thing i’ve forgotten. but what i do remember is the elders sometimes referring to him as the ‘child closest to the sun.’

so, he does have special genes? even though he looks like a normal luxray?

perhaps. he was different enough from the rest of us, at the very least. i don’t know what will happen if he goes back, but i suppose we might find out, won’t we?

the pokemon league won’t allow him to participate in any official battles until he’s shown some restraint, which means finishing his obedience classes...

[jinyoung looks a little troubled, but the expression leaves his face when he sees aster approaching.]

mrr.

oh, inside the pokemon center? okay, let’s go check it out.

[chico waves at the dewott cheerfully.]

bye-bye! if you see a grumpy-looking luxray, can you tell him that his trainer’s looking for him?

lots of folks assume alola’s the same throughout, but each island’s got their own thing going on. i live on melemele island, which is probably the most mild in terms of climate. not too humid, not too dry, and it’s got one of alola’s most famous beaches. i’d say it’s the easiest place to live! don’t get me wrong, the other islands are great, but...

...the weather can be a bit more unpredictable.

jinyoung, i think byul chased that aipom along the edge of mt. lanakila to route 16. marnie lost them at the beach at route 15 and there’s no where else they could go. do you have a way to get across the water?

ah... i left my flygon at home... i can get a ride pokemon, though!

not fast enough. come on, i’ll have my flygon take us.

alright. listen, kid, i’ve gotta run, but maybe i’ll see you around, yeah?

you. aren’t you part of that luxray clan on poni island? and you let humans capture you with this stupid thing? how pathetic. why don’t you just let me smash this for you right now, and you can be free again?

...are you kidding me??

uh, byul...