#starlys

Out in some dark woods of Valentia, a woman in black wandered around from clearing to clearing. She brushed back her long, messy purple hair, and scanned the trees lined along the sides of the opening. Shaking her head, the woman tightened her grip on the dark purple tome that she carried, and ambled back into the woods.

 Though the enchantress kept her steady posture in powerful stride, her shoulders slumped a bit with her passing steps. She narrowed her eyes as she ventured further into the woods, and glanced at her surroundings.

 The trees grew tall, appeared grayer than normal ones, and had branches that tangled and twisted around one another. Bushes lining the sides and roots of the trees had thorns in them, deceptively hidden further into the bushes’ branches. Fungi were more common than wilted flowers, though both were sparse across the earth.

 “Not a pretty place,” murmured the woman, and she drummed on her tome as she carried on.

 “So then, what’s a pretty lady like you doing here?”

 Stopping cold in her tracks, the enchantress rolled her eyes. Pivoting around, she opened her tome as she caught sight of two bandits and a mercenary. Slightly, she smirked as she narrowed her gaze upon them.

 “Would ‘taking an evening stroll’ suffice as a response?”

 “Been waltzing around here for hours,” contested one of the bandits. “Try again.”

 “How long have you been watching me, exactly?”

 “Long enough,” snapped the mercenary. “Rumors were right. People went on and on about some mage that was part of the Queen’s old army a decade ago, how she disappeared one day.” He tightened his grip on his sword’s hilt. “Then they went on about how Nuibaba’s old place started to pick up again.” He gritted his teeth as he glared at her. “Pretty easy to put things together.”

 “So, you came out here to hunt me down?” She laughed. “How do you plan on accomplishing that one?”

 “With my help.”

 A mage stepped out from behind a tree, and opened his golden tome. He raised his arm, as light bindings wrapped around the woman’s wrists and dragged her back against a tree, cuffing her to it.

 A bandit laughed and hurried forward, twirling his axe in his hand. He pointed it at the enchantress, who scowled at him.

 “You really think we’d be stupid enough to come without magic of our own?”

 “If he’s all you brought, then that’s not going to do you any good,” taunted the woman. “But go ahead, try killing me here.”

 “Sonya is your name, isn’t it?” The enchantress blinked at the mage, an older man in white and red garbs. “You helped our Queen so many years ago. What happened?”

 “Let’s just go with me not wanting to let my beauty go to waste,” offered Sonya. “It’s a good reason to become a witch, right?”

 “Please, let us help you,” begged the mage. “Queen Anthiese would be heartbroken to see what’s become of her comrade.”

 “Doesn’t she go by Celica now?” Sonya chuckled and shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. The Queen doesn’t care that much for me. No one does.”

 “There must be someone—”

 “What does it matter, old man?” The mercenary stepped forward, unsheathing his blade. “She dies, here and now. The world will be a better place for it.”

 As he approached Sonya, a beam of light fired out between them. Sonya blinked and glanced toward the source of the magic.

 A woman in a pale rose dress stepped from the shadows of two trees, holding a long staff up. She brushed her curly coral hair back from over her eyes, and pointed her wand forward.

 Inhaling, Sonya gasped as a green mist swirled around her. Revitalized, she tugged against her magical restraints.

 The mage elder, nodding to the exemplar that appeared, waved his hand, releasing the enchantress from her bindings. He quietly departed from the area.

 “Hey! Hey, where do you think you’re going?!” The mercenary swept his sword out. “Old man, get back here!”

 “No, he’s got the right idea.” Sonya flipped her hair aside, as her tome’s pages flipped open on the ground beneath her. “You should run.”

 Launching a dark, magical skull from her tome and hands, Sonya fired out her hex, blasting one of the bandits to the ground. He jolted back up and sprinted back, as his companion raised his axe to defend him.

 “Oh no, you’re not getting off that easy,” snapped the mercenary.

 “Actually, she is,” called the exemplar. Her long staff crackled with light energy. “Unless you want this to be your final resting place, I suggest you and your men flee. Now!”

 “Is that…?” Sonya’s eyes widened. “The good little soldier?”

 “My name is Genny.” She narrowed her eyes and lifted her staff, intimidating the three soldiers away.

 “Yes, yes, I know, but I just…” Sonya shook her head. “What happened to your hair?”

 “Huh?”

 “It’s still curly, but now, well, you grew it out.”

 “Oh! Yes.”

 “Now we can’t call you the ‘little sheep’ anymore.”

 “Gods, Mae wasn’t kidding when she told me everyone called me that.” Genny sighed. “Sadly, yes, ‘little sheep’ grew up and sheared the wool. Or, um, let it go? One of those.”

 “No kidding.”

 Sonya smirked as she eyed Genny up and down, observing a few flowers that adorned her dress and staff. A teal shawl flowed down from her gold pauldrons. Each of these barely blocked the gauntlets on her wrists and the boots below her dress’s hem.

 “You certainly matured from the last time we met.”

 “Really?” Genny jerked back and cleared her throat. “Yes, well, I suppose that, over the years, I, ah—”

 “And now you’re back to the meek girl that I remember.”

 “Yeah, that’s fair.” Genny sighed. “Sometimes I think I’m better than who I used to be. But, a lot of days, I still feel like the same old me.” She pouted and placed her hand on her hip. “But I don’t think that’s too much of a bad thing…”

 “What brings you out here, anyway?” Sonya folded her arms. “If I remember correctly, you weren’t exactly the type to go out for adventures on your own.”

 “Uh.” Genny shrugged and grinned. “Would you believe me if I told you it was for research on my new story?”

 “Hardly.”

 “Well, that is part of the reason,” insisted Genny. “But…the other part was because I heard about you being out here.” She tapped her cheek. “Not exactly you, but the descriptions that people nearby gave lined up with how I remembered you, so—”

 “If you make a crack about my age, I swear, I’ll—”

 “Oh, no! Not that at all.” She covered her face with her hand. “Gods, I still can’t believe how I acted around you during those years ago.”

 “Huh.” Sonya relaxed as she sank back. “Well, you’d be right, nowadays. I probably should be someone’s mother by now, huh?”

 “Are you?”

 “No.”

 “Oh, ok.”

 “You could add a little more sympathy to that,” muttered Sonya.

 “Sorry.” Genny picked at her staff, tracing the star shaped center of its head. “I just didn’t think you were looking to be a mother.”

 “I’m not.” Sonya huffed. “Still, just…oh, never you mind.” She shook her head and started to stroll away. “Thank you for your help. Not that it was needed, but—”

 “Sonya, wait!” Genny chased after the enchantress. “Please, where are you going?”

 “Back to my new abode, since that’s where I’m expected.” Sonya dragged her fingers past a tree’s broken branches, plucking a dangling twig away. “Shouldn’t keep people waiting on the new witch of the woods and Valentia, after all.”

 “Witch? Is that really what you’re doing?” Genny followed after Sonya, hugging her staff close to her. “Queen Celica won’t want to hear that.”

 “She does still go by Celica, then.” Sonya smiled. “Good to know.” She shook her head. “But what does it matter to her, what I do?” She pivoted back to Genny. “Isn’t she happy, helping bring Valentia forward to the future, together with that precious King Alm of hers?”

 “Of course, but she still checks on her friends all the time,” reasoned Genny. “I told her that I was coming out here to find you, and she wished me well, and hoped that I would tell her about your new life.” She softly smiled as Sonya spun away. “The Queen was hoping to see you again, some day, too.”

 “So, you’re an errand girl now.”

 “That’s…well, sometimes, I guess.” Genny sighed. “But, I don’t really see it that way, and Celica doesn’t really put anything upon me.” She frowned and gazed down to the earth. “Are you just going to walk away from me?”

 “Kind of what I’m trying to do.”

 “Then you really are like my mother.” She glanced back up as Sonya flinched and stopped in her tracks.

 “Cheap shot, Genny.” Sonya whirled back around. “Fair, but cheap too.”

 “It got you to stop, at least.”

 “Fine.” Sonya folded her arms again. “What are looking to have me do?”

 “Come with me.” Genny stepped forward, and placed her staff into the earth. “We can go back, see Celica and the others around—”

 “That doesn’t do anything for me, Genny.” Sonya leaned back, letting her hair droop over her face. “Just look at me. I’m becoming the witch that Jedah would’ve made me.”

 “But you’re not.” Genny brought her hands up with Sonya’s. “The fact that you’re still you means that you haven’t jumped from that cliff yet.”

 “Not yet, that’s right.”

 “Don’t you see?” She smiled to her friend again. “I’m here, now. You don’t have to.”

 “Genny, I left you years ago.” Sonya frowned. “Why are you here, chasing after me, when I’ve caused you more harm than good?”

 “Actually, you gave me a confidant that I never had before.” Sucking in on her cheek, Genny blushed. “When we talked, after our first few times, I felt like I could really open up around you. And I thought you were around me too.”

 “I did.”

 “So, I wanted to keep that going.” Genny cupped Sonya’s hands close to her chest. “You left five years ago, and at first, I was hurt because I thought you abandoned me. But then I figured that I had done something wrong.”

 “It wasn’t you at all.” Sonya flipped her hair aside. “I told everyone that I was looking to cure witches from their ailments so long ago.”

 “Right, that’s why I didn’t follow you immediately,” explained Genny. “Three years ago, they told me that you had disappeared in a remote region, and I’ve been looking for you ever since then. Rumors led me here.”

 “Wait, back up.” Sonya raised an eyebrow. “You…spent three years searching for me? On your own?”

 “Not entirely on my own.” Genny smiled. “Leon, Valbar, Saber, and even Kamui helped me out a few times. Mae and Boey helped with researching locations. Even Celica wanted to come along a few times, and made sure that I had the money and resources to travel.”

 “They…all chipped in? That much?” Sonya deflated. “…For me?”

 “Yes, Sonya!” Genny beamed. “We missed you terribly! Especially me.”

 “…Gods, how could I have…?” Sonya took her hands from Genny and brushed tears from her eyes. “And especially you, Genny, I…I’m sorry, I—”

 “Don’t. I only wish I had been clearer years ago,” admitted Genny. “You’re beautiful to me, Sonya. And I don’t ever want to lose you again.” She inched closer to the enchantress. “So…please. Come home with me. Let’s be each other’s family now.”

 “Genny…” Sonya sobbed and sniffed into a chuckle. “Gen, I’m not going to be your mother.”

 “That’s…ok, that’s really not where I was going with this.” Genny sighed. “I, um, I wanted you to…well, at least, you and I could maybe…”

 “Hm?”

 “…Here, let me…” Genny leaned close to Sonya and kissed her cheek. “Does, um, is that ok?”

 “…You’re adorable, Genny.”

 Sonya smirked and leaned close to Genny, as she brought her lips to the exemplar’s. They remained close together in the woods for a little while, until Genny finally won Sonya over once more.

 …

 Outside of the King and Queen’s castle courtyard, at a small market organized in the streets below, a woman with bright, flowing pink hair gasped as Genny finished telling her about her latest story.

 “And that’s what I wrote so far.”

 “So, that woman in the story, the exemplar, was…was that based on you?”

 “Ah, a little bit, yeah.”

 “And then she fought off a whole horde of bandits?!”

 “Not exactly a horde…well, in the story, yes, but—”

 “After that, she meets her true love?”

 “At the manor above the woods, yes.” Genny giggled. “Mae, just give me a second, I’m trying to get to that part.”

 “But then that means you—”

 “I’m getting to that!”

 “Wait, wait, wait.” Mae placed her hands on her hips. “You? Genny, sweet and innocent little Genny, fell in love? With…with someone we traveled with?” She gawked as Genny shrugged and giggled. “Wait, but, I’m with Boey, Celica is with Alm, so you…who did you end up with?!”

 She only gave Mae a smile after her enigmatic laugh. Mae chuckled and rolled her eyes.

 “Well, he’s certainly a lucky man, that’s for sure!”

 Glancing a little past Mae, spotting Sonya glancing over a merchant’s supplies.

  Both women subtly smirked at one another.

~The End~

...

...

...

Jfc, they got rid of line breaks, and I hate them for this, because this looks ugly and you can’t tell when the story is actually over without something tacky added on. Also, I have to double check formatting because Tumblr just loves posting spacing in the worst way, yay! This website sucks.

Hooray, you read through it! I hope you enjoyed it!

I wanted to make a story mostly based on Sonya, and I scoured over her Wiki page details. And then I read her ending and I was like, “Wow, that sucks. What happened to all of her friends?” (Yes, she does have friends. She joined Celica, she has no choice.) So, I tried my hand at that!

Ten years seemed like a fair time skip to allow the events of Echoes to pass and work on the post-game endings. After all, if you tell me Alm and Celica got married and ran Valentia when they’re like 12 (actually 17), like, no. Hence, time passing for things.

Since Sonya’s primary relationship (barring Celica) is with Genny, I decided to go with the two of them together. Besides, they seemed kind of nice together, given their dynamic. Also, I wanted to try reversing how we’d expect them, since it’s Sonya who needs help finding herself and Genny who fights to help her out. Also, it makes Genny’s canon ending gay, and I live for that.

The Doubles Invitational.

 A brand new competition featuring top trainer duos to help draw in more folks to visiting Alola, the region that’s still starting up its Pokémon League. Challenging their first and brand new Champion must not be enough on its own by this point.

 Twisting some of my brown hair around my finger, I sighed and uncurled it, slowly letting my hand drop. Staring ahead at Iki Town’s small stage for battle practice, I watched some teams as they gathered around it.

 “Anna…? Hello?” I blinked and turned to my partner next to me. “Anyone home?”

 “Sorry, Meg…”

 “Don’t worry about it.”

 She brushed back a loose strand of her black hair, just before the wind blew it around again. Rolling her eyes, she softly chuckled as the wind blew her long hair around, messing it up again. The skirt at the bottom of her uniform flapped with the slight gust, and she waited as it died down.

 Lowering her dark eyes, she wagged a finger at me.

 “Don’t laugh, ok?”

 “Never!”

 We both giggled a bit, and she couldn’t contain hers from bursting into a light laugh. It’s the most gorgeous sound to me.

 …Ok, maybe not the most, but I love listening to her laugh. To look into her eyes. To be with her.

 If I could actually tell her that, though, then we would get somewhere.

 “Trainers, welcome!” Professor Kukui hurried to the center of the stage and raised his arms. “This will serve as your practice arena for Alola’s new Doubles Invitational! We’ll start here before we have you tour the four islands with your competition, until we ultimately work our way to the League in Mount Lanakila.” He grinned broadly. “We’re hoping that you’ll give Alola some much needed recognition from other regions and draw in some new crowds, oh yeah!”

 “Shouldn’t we have tried to gather more trainers from other regions, then?” A dirty blonde boy in a blue outfit folded his arms. “We’ve only covered a few here.”

 “Ah…we’ll work on that for next time!” Kukui rested his hands on his hips and laughed. “Guess my wife was right!”

 Wife. Of course…

 “As it is, you all must be tired from the trip,” chimed in the older man in a blue undershirt with a yellow one opened over it. “It’s best that you relax a little before the competition begins, explore the area a little, and rest before our tournament starts tomorrow.”

 “Oh yeah! Well said, Hala!” Kukui grinned to everyone again. “All right, you’re free to cruise around! Enjoy your stay, and thanks again for joining our new competition!”

 They turned in to one another and chattered together, as each of the teams hesitated before turning to talk with either their partners or other teams. I glanced to Meg, who turned and smiled back to me.

 “Hey, so, you two are from Hoenn, right?” We turned to the brunette girl in a blue uniform. “Is that anything like here in Alola? I heard the climate there is at least warm.”

 “Somewhat, but it’s probably warmer here.” My partner smiled and brushed her hair back again, adjusting the headband above it. “I’m Meg, by the way. This is my teammate, Anna.”

 “Hi.”

 “Well, welcome to Alola! I’m Aimee,” introduced the girl. She jabbed her thumb back to the blonde boy from before. “My partner here is Kent.”

 “Seriously, shouldn’t we have more representation from other regions?” He scratched his head as he stepped toward us. “Someone from Unova, Sinnoh always gets forgotten these days, and then we…wait, what’s going on?”

 “Kent, we’re saying hello to newcomers.”

 “Oh.” He straightened up. “Hello to newcomers.”

 “Great, thanks.” Aimee rolled her eyes. “Now we’re the annoying team.”

 “Of course we are!” He raised his hand into a fist. “We’re the Ace Duo! We’re going to be a wave that slams back against everyone and wins this competition for Alola!”

 “And now we’re the weird ones,” deadpanned Aimee.

 “It’s fine,” eased Meg. “I can definitely appreciate the enthusiasm.” She snapped her fingers. “And actually, Kent, Anna and I managed to capture and raise some new Pokémon from Unova as well, if you’re looking for more representation.”

 “Ah, really? Nice!” Kent folded his arms and nodded. “Aimee and I raised some more Pokémon for this competition too. We’ve got some variants of the Pokémon found in Kanto, but they’re really cool. Pun intended.”

 “Kent, I’m going to murder you.”

 “Chill, Aimee!”

 “Another pun, and I’m burying you in the sand.”

 “Ok, ok!”

 “Hey, why don’t we let our Pokémon out for a while?” Everyone turned back to me and I tensed up. “Um…it’s been some time for ours, so…”

 “That’s actually a good idea,” agreed Meg, grabbing a Pokeball from the belt beneath her shirt. “It’s good to let them stretch and explore too.”

 She tossed her first ball up, and then another after. I followed her lead and tossed both of my Pokeballs out, as our four Pokémon emerged.

 “Whoa, check them out!” Kent squished down low to my first Pokémon. “Who’s this little dude? Never seen one before.”

 “That’s my Linoone,” I introduced. “He’s cute, right?”

 “Definitely!” Kent reached out to pat him, but Linoone rushed away and behind my legs. “Shy guy, huh?”

 “A bit, yeah.”

 “That’s ok.” He hopped over to my next Pokémon, Stoutland. “This one I’m familiar with, though. He’ll be ready to really help you out!”

 “Yes, she will be.”

 “Oh, cool! I didn’t even know.” He tilted his head and studied her, as my dog mimicked his motion. “How do you tell genders without the gender differences…?”

 “Not every gender needs to be defined, Kent,” grumbled Aimee.

 “My bad.” He bounced over to Meg’s slender cat. “Who’s this pretty kitty?”

 “That’s my Liepard,” introduced Meg. “She’s new to our team, like Anna’s Stoutland. We took a small trip to Unova’s land some time before we came here.”

 “What, really? That’s cool!” Kent sat back while Meg’s Liepard cleaned her paw and brushed her face. “We’ve only ever been here, but I’d love to travel around.”

 “Yeah, we did it after our Champion thrashed the whole region,” recalled Meg. “You’d think a quiet girl like her wouldn’t be a huge threat.”

 “It’s literally always the quiet ones that kick butt the hardest,” chimed in Aimee. “Our Champion was previously less talkative than average too, yet there she sits, on the League throne and everything.” She adjusted her cap on her head. “Not to mention that Red kid from Kanto who traveled here for the Battle Tree.”

 “Yeah, but his buddy is literally the opposite, and he was the Champion before,” pointed out Kent.

 “Huh. Maybe it’s just some Champions, then?”

 “Yeah, sure.” Kent stood up before the last Pokémon, who still towered over him. “And this is a Hariyama, so this dude needs no introduction.” He smiled back to us. “Hala uses one as part of his team line-up too. Should be his signature Pokémon if you ask me.”

 “Well, they’re not asking, Kent.” Aimee plucked a Pokeball from her belt. “Come on, let’s show off ours.”

 “Huh? Oh, yeah, right!”

 Both tossed out four Pokeballs as well. Two blue and white Pokémon appeared first, followed by an enormous tree-like Pokémon and one big rock with…a…charger?

 “These might look familiar to you,” divulged Amiee. “They’re the variants on their more renowned Kanto counterparts.”

 “Alola’s special variants,” piped in Kent. “These are Ninetales, Sandslash, Exeggutor, and Golem.”

 “Oh wow, they’re different here for sure!” Meg gazed up from Exeggutor down to Ninetales. “I like them, though. Different, but fun.”

 “For sure.” Aimee stretched. “Anyway, Kent and I should help them get some exercises in.” She recalled Exeggutor to its Pokeball. “She’ll wait until later though. Otherwise she’ll just stomp all around the island.”

 “Yeah, ok!” Kent jumped up. “Come on, everyone, let’s get going!”

 He hurried off with his Sandslash stumbling after him. His Golem waited a bit, laughed, and then rolled off after them.

 Ninetales sat elegantly next to Amiee, who shook her head.

 “Sorry, he’s…excitable.” She shrugged and smiled to us. “Anyway, we’re looking forward to battling you guys! Good luck in the tourney.”

 “Thanks, same to you!”

 She jogged off with her Ninetales after waving to us, and they disappeared from Iki Town. Meg smiled as she watched her disappear, and then we both pivoted back to the other trainers gathered.

 The quickest to spot were Gabby and Ty, who came with us from Hoenn. They were wanted immediately for their coverage of the event, but the two are tough battlers too, so both were contributing factors.

 Gabby seemed like she was interviewing different trainers for the event, and chattered to some…very nice looking swimmer girls. I don’t know if I’d ever have the confidence to show off my whole body like that, but they seemed pretty fit and comfortable, somehow. Or maybe they just want to be ready to hit the water again. Either way, they’re definitely fine with how they appear, even on Ty’s camera.

 Two little girls excitedly bounced around another little girl in pink. The twins giggled as their bugs crawled around, a big ladybug and a long legged spider. The other little girl had some kind of…I think a fairy? She held the little thing before her hands and it seemed too small even for that. Meanwhile, another girl in longer, dark clothes sat and mumbled behind her…to a big, ghastly balloon.

 “Do you want to go talk with the kids, then?” I glanced to Meg, who smiled back at me. “They seem pretty cute and energetic, you know?”

 “Uh, maybe in a little bit.” I scratched behind my head. “Honestly, I’m amazed that they invited two little twins here to battle against everyone.”

 “They’re actually powerhouses from Johto, if I remember overhearing correctly,” recalled Meg. “Their parents are probably somewhere nearby, but these two know their stuff all on their own.”

 “And who is their friend?” I placed a hand on my hip. “Did you hear about her?”

 “Nope.” Meg patted Liepard as the cat rubbed against her legs. “Or that girl behind her with the huge balloon creature. My guess is that they’re sisters too.”

 “Safe bet, yeah.” I picked up Linoone and cradled him while Stoutland walked over and rested by my feet. “And, the rest…”

 We gazed at the remaining teams for the competition. A couple played with a baby in a panda onesie, laughing together even as their kid kicked the father in his face.

 Another couple, younger this time, laughed and giggled together, pretty much wrapped together with one another. Both had dyed their hair to be the same color, a bright red, along with wearing matching sweaters that had a heart shape on them.

 The third couple consisted of Experts from home, an elderly man and his wife, both meditating together. They whispered and chuckled gently with one another even as they did so.

 A fourth couple gazed around the area, snapping pictures and bouncing around, showing one another pictures as they laughed and held hands.

 “…They’re…all couples,” I concluded.

 “Well, that’s nice.” Meg knelt down to rub her Liepard’s chin. “It’s good that couples can all come together and battle well, isn’t it?”

 “Uh, yeah.” I swallowed and cleared my throat. “Yeah, it’s…nice.”

 “Are you ok?”

 “Fine, yeah.” Linoone wriggled in my arms and I rubbed his belly, avoiding eye contact with Meg. “Um…do, uh, do you want to go talk to them?”

 “Sure.”

 We walked over to the four couples, as each pair had slowly gathered together, chattering and laughing, somehow easily comfortable with one another.

 “And if you’re the ‘Young Couple’ here, that’ll make us the ‘Old Couple,’” hooted the elderly man.

 “Hey, those sound like great team names,” agreed the younger man in the sweater.

 “Aren’t you two baking in those things?” The middle-aged woman paused from giving her child attention to study the younger pair. “You two should be fried by now.”

 “We’re a bit hot, but we had to wear our cutest shirts today first,” insisted the younger woman. “That, and Kanto’s a lot cooler compared to these islands.”

 “Gia really wanted to show these off,” chimed in the younger man again.

 “Oh, sounds like you’re getting primed with those shackles already,” teased the middle-aged man, holding his squirming child out to avoid another kick. “Better quit and run while you’re ahead.”

 “Does that make it too late for me?” The sightseer tilted his hat and grinned. “We’re here after just getting married.”

 “Oh, now why would you do that?!” The middle-aged man laughed again. “It’s all over for you, my friend!”

 “Pretty soon, your wife gets to run the show,” joked the elder man. “Isn’t that right, Jay?”

 “That’s right, ladies, we run these relationships.” Jay, the elderly woman, pressed her hands to her hips. “These men do as we say, right?”

 “Yes, absolutely!” The middle-aged woman switched her fairy toy with a Skitty one. “Women run this show for sure!”

 “Oh, that’s how it works?” The other sightseer lowered her phone and spun to her partner. “Guess I’m taking control of this marriage now, babe!”

 “Like I said, all over for you,” reminded the father. “Jes, you better bail while you can! Enjoy the single, bachelor lifestyle!”

 “Ha, maybe!”

 They all hollered and laughed together, not even noticing that Meg and I had approached. I took a step back, cursing my earlier suggestion to walk over. Meg had opened her mouth to introduce us, but the elder man immediately caught sight of us.

 “Well, well! Look at these wonderful beauties coming over!” He whistled and laughed. “Jay, I missed my chance with some really nice girls!”

 “Oh, John, please!” The old woman nudged him and walked over to us. “You’re both actually quite young.”

 “Bet they’re still legal!” John winked as Meg subtly pushed me back behind her.

 “John, goodness, hush!”

 “Um, hi.” Meg lifted her hand up. “I’m Meg, and this is my teammate, Anna. We’re trainers that went to school together, and—”

 “Oh, best friends!” The middle-aged woman clasped her hands together, ignoring as her child kicked her husband again. “That’s so sweet, that the two of you are here! A much cuter pair than those other women, barely wearing anything in just those silly swimsuits! It’s so nice to see girlfriends here together! I miss all of mine from back home myself.”

 “Girlfriends…?” I couldn’t help uttering that.

 “Yes, good old gal pals! Plenty of schoolgirls that I grew up with, all of us becoming best friends!” Her face soured. “Except Sharon. She was a horror. And Janice, who was a cheating, lying witch. Ah, and I nearly forgot that rotten Becky, who—”

 “Anyway girls, it’s good to meet you,” returned Jay. “There are probably some fine men around the island for you two enjoy together while you’re here.”

 “Yes, oh my!” The sightseer woman hurried over to us, holding her phone up. “We’re here for our honeymoon, and, oh my goodness. You should see the local men here! If you thought that Professor Kukui was a looker, just wait until you see the others! Fine, toned bodies, just exquisite!”

 Meg and I took a step back as the woman stumbled closer to us, raising her phone. I placed my hand on Meg’s shoulder, and she patted it as we frowned from the beaming woman flipping through her photos of several…men in open shirts and swimsuits, all posing in various ways, if they were aware of the photo.

 “Hey, Noriko!” Her newlywed husband placed a hand on his hip. “Your sights are supposed to be everywhere, but especially on me!”

 “Hush, Devin!” She smiled and waved her hand at him. “These girls are single, they should know just what kind of men are available for them. Besides, if I’m just looking, then I’m not cheating or anything.”

 “Ha-ha, she’s got you there,” agreed Gia, the younger woman. “You honeymooners are lucky, though, enjoy these beautiful islands for some time already!”

 “Hey! Honeymooners!” Devin snapped his fingers. “Babe, that’s a great team name for us!”

 “Wow, you’re right! How adorable, I love it!”

 “Looks like we’ve all got great names pulled for us already,” decided the middle-aged man. “Erin and I are going to be the Poké Fan Family!”

 “That’s right, Jan,” piled on his wife, “and with our Furfrous, we’ll do so well together, like a real family should!”

 “You have dog Pokémon with your baby?” Gia gasped. “That’s so cute!”

 “Babies and dogs are so precious,” agreed Noriko. “Devin, just when are we getting at least the dogs?”

 “Once we get enough money,” teased Devin.

 “Please!” Noriko rolled her eyes. “We got plenty from our wedding.”

 “And you’re blowing it all on the honeymoon, ha-ha!” John clapped his hands together. “Typical young couple spending! Back in our day, Jay and I made the same mistakes. But don’t worry, you kids will grow and mature as you go! Learn, life, and laugh together!”

 “Ok, ‘Old Couple,’ we’ll see who pays off best in the tournament,” joked Devin. “Us Honeymooners will have to do our best against you two!”

 “Yeah, we’ll have to!” Noriko jumped around. “We’ve been around here long enough to practice battling along with sightseeing, that’s for sure!”

 “We’ll see how you two measure up to a golden anniversary couple like us,” jested Jay. “Our Hariyama and Medicham have trained for years with us.”

 “Jes, we’ll have to do our best too,” insisted Gia. “We’re the ‘Young Couple,’ so we should win against the others!”

 “Yeah, youthful energy for the win!” Jes laughed. “I’m already looking forward to the battles tomorrow! Nidoking and Nidoqueen will carry us forward for sure!”

 “We should start practicing with our fur-babies, Jan,” suggested Erin, “before our little guy needs to get some rest too!”

 “Oh, he’s so cute,” cooed Gia. “I can’t wait to have a family some day.”

 “Jes, run now!”

 “It’s your only way, son.”

 “Hey, I can hear those wedding bells already!”

 “Ha-ha-ha!”

 “It was so wonderful meeting you all!” Noriko clasped her hands together. “Tomorrow is going to be such fun!”

 “Absolutely!”

 “Take care, all. You too, girls!”

 Each of the couples laughed some more and parted ways, wandering off to go train with their Pokémon. Meg and I quietly watched them disperse from Iki Town, and I opened my mouth to comment, but closed it after a few seconds. Anything that I could mention about them wouldn’t be…tasteful, I suppose.

 “To be honest with you, I can’t tell if they were happy together or barely masking their mutual miseries.” Meg beat me to the punch. She smirked and giggled a bit, and I grinned to her.

 “Thank you, I thought I was all on my own with thinking that!” I laughed. “Why are they so…odd?”

 “Some couples just…have a different kind of appreciation for each other, I guess,” delicately put Meg.

 “Maybe, yeah.” I placed Linoone back down, as he smiled up to me. “Um…do you want to go north, to the Mahalo Trail?”

 “Huh?”

 “It’s the pathway up that way, past those trees,” I pointed out. “I was reading about it while we were flying over here.”

 “Oh, sure, let’s go.”

 We took our Pokémon with us and wandered past the trees, making our way to the sunset-coated mountain path. Hurrying up and down the isolated trail, we trained everyone’s agility to start. Meg’s Hariyama couldn’t quite keep up with the others, with her Liepard and my Linoone dominating most of the way around.

 “Poor Hariyama.” I patted him as he collapsed to the ground, panting. “Here, have a Pokéblock! I brought one over with me.”

 “Great call, Anna,” complimented Meg. “You’re so thoughtful.”

 Testing some accuracy with some targets that we tossed out next, Hariyama faired much better, but Liepard managed to do the best taking them down as well. Stoutland managed to do pretty well here too, though; maybe her patient temperament helped her out. Meg helped me with directing her better, though.

 “Some of those were tricky,” I pointed out.

 “A bit, yes, but if you get her to use her surroundings a bit more closely, you can get her to hit more targets.” Meg pointed at the rocks. “Liepard can leap off a bunch of those to smash targets, and that would work for both Linoone and Stoutland. Try it.”

 Making our way to the middle of the trail, we battled next, in a doubles match against each other. Meg’s Hariyama easily obliterated my team here, and we decided to try to switch it up, pairing them off with their normal doubles partners. Hariyama won it again in the end, being the strongest against the others, but Stoutland and Liepard put up a better fight together than she and Linoone had before.

 Whining and pouting, Linoone flopped against the ground, whimpering softly to himself. I laughed and sat down beside him.

 “You’re built for running more than just battling,” I reminded him. “Not everyone can be the best at everything.”

 “Well, Liepard tries to,” joked Meg, rubbing her cat’s head, and then her chin. Liepard smirked, and narrowed her eyes on Linoone, but returned to affectionately rubbing against Meg. “Play nice, girl.”

 Stoutland sprawled out next to Linoone, and she rested alongside us. I rubbed both of their heads and bellies as we relaxed, the sunset at its end, as the sky darkened. Meg and her team sat down now as well.

 “Thanks again for coming with me here,” I spurted out.

 “Huh?” Meg raised an eyebrow at me, and then smirked. “Anna, we’re a team. Of course I’d be here with you.”

 “Yeah, but…I don’t know, I’m just grateful to be here with you,” I explained. “We used to just be those schoolgirls on Route 117, mixed somewhere with atheletes and breeders outside of the daycare.” I shrugged. “Battling that Littleroot girl, though, and having her come back to challenge us again and again, we got stronger together. And now look.”

 “We’re a top doubles team selected for a special invitational.” Meg smiled. “It’s exciting, I know. Each of us here worked really hard to get here.” She tapped my Linoone’s nose. “Even if we’re not always happy when our friends do well.” Linoone huffed and rolled his eyes at her, prompting our laughter.

 And I just listened to Meg again, and it’s so refreshing to hear her laughter again. She opened her dark eyes, and I gazed up at her, smiling at her under the rising starlight.

 “Meg.”

 “Yeah?”

 “We’ve, um…we’ve been together for a while.”

 “Well, yeah, going to the same school kind of does that for us,” teased Meg.

 “Right, but…you were always my upperclassman, so…I just never figured…”

 “Hey, we got paired for that mentor-student program, and we’ve been a dynamic duo together since then,” reminded Meg. “You and I just belonged together, you know?”

 “That’s…that’s exactly how I see it,” I murmured, lacing my hands together. “Just…I was wondering…how do you see us?”

 “…What do you mean?” Her dark eyes studied me carefully.

 “It’s…well, I’m not…completely sure?” I sat back and tilted my attention to the ground, my heart pounding. “It’s just…of the teams here today, we’ve got a bunch of different mixes. Some are just working together as they were formed, like the Interviewers and that self-proclaimed Ace Duo.”

 “Ha, true.” Meg chuckled and folded her arms behind her head. “We’re going to need our own clever team name, you know.”

 “Yep. Anyway, I just…” Lifting my shaking hand, I twisted some hair strands around my finger. “The other two pairs that we didn’t really talk to, those were sister pairs. Well, there were those gorgeous swimmers, but I’m not sure about them.”

 “They’re probably not related,” joked Meg.

 “No, not likely.” I pulled my legs up to my chest and hugged them. “Just…the last group left together were a bunch of couples.”

 “Ugh, the couples.” Meg laughed. “They were…definitely something. Yikes.”

 “Tell me about it.” I sighed. “But it makes me feel like everyone else has this team dynamic, be it co-workers, or sisters, or friends, or more, and ours is…I was wondering which it compares best to?”

 “…Anna, what are you trying to ask?”

 “I already asked it, Meg.” I glanced up at her, and my face burned. “How…how do you see us?”

 “…Wait.”

 “We’ve been together almost all of our lives, you know. Teammates together, always and forever, that thing.” I turned back down and flicked a pebble off to some bushes. “So, I just…I guess that I…”

 “Is that why you even wanted to go talk with the couples?”

 “Maybe? I don’t know.” I closed my eyes. “I guess…I wanted others to compare and contrast with, yeah, so…I…sorry, I don’t know where I was expecting this to go.”

 “Anna…”

 “Sorry, we can just forget that I ever brought this up.” I shook my head. “I’m being selfish, I wasn’t even thinking about our battling tomorrow, so we should go get some rest, or—”

 “Anna.”

 Blinking, I gazed up at Meg; her cheeks flushed a bit as well. She hesitated before smiling a bit. She brushed back some loose strands of her dark hair and stared right at me.

 “Here I thought I was supposed to teach you new things,” joked Meg.

 “You always do.”

 “And yet you just taught me something new.” She paused and smiled a bit more. “So, maybe now I should teach you something in return.”

 “…Meg, what?”

 “Just be quiet for a second and don’t laugh.”

 She leaned in, and I sucked in my breath as her face closed in on me. Her hot breath washed over me as her lips pressed gently into mine. Our eyes shut as we broke apart and slowly kissed some more. Her hands wrapped against my cheeks, and I brushed mine back behind her hair, and we pressed into one another. Our Pokémon made soft noises, hopefully of support, as we continued into the night.

 Morning came so quickly after that night, and I didn’t want to get up. I grumbled as I stirred, rousing from bed, as Linoone whimpered at me, refusing to really move from the spot between my legs. Stoutland rose up from the floor, and she leaned against the bed to lick at me, helping me wake up a little more.

 “Hey.”

 Rubbing my eyes, I turned my attention to Meg, and she smiled as she pushed out of the bed across from mine, Liepard hopping out with her.

 “Um, hi.” I shook my head, brushing my hand against my messy hair. “Uh, good morning.”

 “Good morning.” Meg smiled to me. “You ready to battle?”

 “Battle…?” I opened my eyes wider. “Oh, the invitational! Yeah, yeah.”

 We hurriedly finished getting ready and hurried out to the battle stage in Iki Town. Hala and Professor Kukui waited in the center of the stage.

 “Now, each of you are going to be divided into various battles to team up against one another,” instructed Hala. “These will be our qualifiers, with Iki Town hosting the first round of battling. For this round, only use one Pokémon from each trainer. First up, we’ll have Rune and Rime battle against Amy and May.” He waited as the sisters made their way onto the stage. “Now, what would you two like your team names to be?”

 “Oh, hey there.” I blinked and turned to the swimmers behind us. The blonde spoke up. “You’re the cute pair of girls from yesterday.”

 “Us?”

 “Yeah, you two,” chimed in the brunette. “You’re the only other pair that isn’t a pair of sisters besides Ashlyn and I.”

 “Yes, it’s nice meeting you.” Ashlyn rested her hand on my shoulder. “Hope you two can knock out our first round of competitors with us.”

 “Hopefully we won’t have to face off,” I managed. “Um, I’m Anna, by the way, and this is my partner, Meg.”

 “Hello there.”

 “Well, I already introduced Ashlyn here, but I’m Kylie,” introduced the brunette swimmer. “Anyway, looks like this battle is wrapped up, so good luck.”

 “Huh?”

 I spun around as the twins knocked out both of the other sisters’ Pokémon. Kukui clapped his hands.

 “The Mysterious Sisters are no longer able to battle,” announced Hala. “The Twins win this match!”

 “Oh yeah! Way to start the tournament!” He smiled brightly for Ty’s camera that focused on him. “Both teams really showed their hearts in this battle too, solid stuff. Let’s get to our next battle!”

 “We’ll have Jan and Erin face off against Meg and Anna.”

 “Here we go,” whispered Meg, as we walked forward and onto the battlefield.

 The couple across from us smiled to one another and played with their baby as they took the opposite side against us. Hala waited in the middle.

 “What will your team name be, Erin, Jan?”

 “We’ll be the Poké Fan Family!” Erin rattled some toys near their baby. “Isn’t that right, angel?”

 “Oof!” Jan’s head knocked back as his baby kicked him again. “Yep, perfect name for a couple and kid like us!”

 “Sounds good.” Hala walked over from them to us. “And what about you, Anna, Meg?”

 “Our team name?” I glanced to Meg.

 “We’ll go with what you came up with last night,” decided Meg.

 With what I what?

 “We’re the Teammates,” introduced Meg. “We’re battling partners since we were kids, but we’re teammates in all aspects of our lives.”

 She cupped her hand into mine and winked to me. I blushed and nodded back to her.

 “Very good, and promising.” Hala nodded and the swimmer girls behind us cheered, interlocking their arms together as they called for us. “Are the teams ready to battle?”

 “Yes,” we simultaneously called out.

 “Good.” Hala raised his hands. “Begin!”

 Lifting Linoone’s Pokéball, I lobbed it out, as Meg tossed out Hariyama. We smirked as the Furfrou pair popped out across from us. Jabbing our hands forward, we called out for our Pokémon’s attacks, as the battle together was underway.

 Glancing over to Meg, we shared a smile as we battled the whole way through.

Phew! A bit quick on the development, but adorable nonetheless!

Once I was requested to write about trainers, I knew that I wanted to work with doubles teams. And I think Anna/Meg is one of the first pairs that immediately jumps into my mind all the time, for some odd reason. I feel like they’re a unique and memorable pair throughout the series, and I don’t recall many others that ended up like them.

Alola made a good setting, since it was a region that would employ a different approach at getting tourists interested in visiting. I did my best to include a bunch of different trainers from regions, and where I missed trainers from Sinnoh and Unova, I tried adding in Pokémon to take their place.

If I had more time, I probably would’ve expanded on the Swimmer Girls, Kylie/Ashlyn. I originally wanted them to be the lesbian mentors for the other two, plus Lumineon would’ve been another Sinnoh rep besides Drifblim, if you spotted that one. Ah well!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this gift, @starlys, and any additional readers that joined in as well! Sorry again that it was late; I really wanted it to be on time this year. But, I did promise that I’d get it in before the month ended, and that I delivered on!