“Wow, so this is Alola!”
After a full twelve hours, they finally arrived in the Alola region from Kanto.
Just stepping off the plane, Soliera, though feeling a bit unwell, was exceptionally clear-headed.
“Eevee, look, this place is so different from Kanto!”
Melemele Island, Hau’oli City Airport, a blue-eyed girl with orange-red hair hugged her Eevee tightly, rubbing her cheek against it.
“Eevvvee~”
The Eevee in the girl’s arms seemed somewhat lethargic.
“Eevee?”
“Are you feeling unwell?”
Soliera nervously observed her Eevee. Its long ears were drooping, and it looked completely listless.
“Eevee, wait here for a moment. I’ll take you to the Pokémon Center right away.”
“Your Eevee is just fine.”
Just as Soliera was panicking, a gentle voice came from behind her. She turned around to see a boy with golden-brown hair about her age.
“If you carefully observe its eyes, ears, and tail, it’s not hard to see that it’s probably just airsick.”
“Even humans feel uncomfortable after being on a plane for so long, so it’s inevitable that Eevee, born less than two months ago, would feel unwell too.”
Soliera was momentarily stunned and looked at her Eevee, asking, “Eevee, is that true?”
“Eevvvee~~”
“Three planes just landed, and the airport is currently crowded. Rushing to the Pokémon Center right now won’t be easy. Why not let me take a look? I may not be a Pokémon Doctor, but I’m a Breeder.”
Terrance smiled as he took a vial of vitalizing spray out of his bag. With just a small spray, the Eevee should recover quickly.
Of course, some rest could also do it, but seeing the girl’s worried expression, Terrance decided to lend a hand—it was just a small matter, after all.
“Really?! Then I’ll leave it to you. Thank you so much!”
Overjoyed, Soliera handed over her Eevee. Terrance gently took it, stroking its soft, cream-colored fur. He said softly, “Little Eevee, open your mouth a bit, and you’ll recover in no time.”
Holding Eevee with one arm, Terrance confirmed again that it was airsickness. With his other hand, he slowly pressed the spray nozzle.
Sss!
Three or four seconds later, Eevee instantly perked up, leaping from Terrance’s arms onto the girl’s shoulder.
“Hehe, Eevee, are you feeling much better now?” Soliera asked happily upon seeing her energetic Eevee.
“Eevvvee~”
“Um, thank—”
Soliera raised her head, about to express her gratitude, only to find that the boy who had helped her was already walking away. She froze for a moment.
“Hey!! Wait a second! I haven’t even thanked you yet!”
Terrance, meanwhile, was pondering how to get to Ula’ula Island. Currently, he was on Melemele Island. Although there was some distance between the two islands, he could likely reach it quickly with the help of a Flying-type Pokémon—something he had already inquired about during the flight.
However, before that, Terrance needed to head to the Pokémon Center to contact Master Victor again and inform him that he had safely arrived in Alola.
Clap!
Terrance felt a pat on his shoulder. He turned around and said, “Oh, it’s you.”
“What do you mean, ‘Oh, it’s you’! Huff, huff.” The girl had put in a lot of effort to catch up. She said, “My name is Soliera, I’m from Cerulean City. Thanks for earlier.”
“It’s nothing, just a small thing,” Terrance replied simply.
“How about this—let me treat you to a meal as thanks?”
Soliera looked nervously at Terrance, worried he might refuse. Having come to Alola alone, although she didn’t feel much when making the decision, being in an unfamiliar place… it was inevitably a bit unsettling to be on her own.
Now, having come across someone who seemed decent, she decided to extend an invitation.
But the result…
Of course, he turned her down without hesitation.
If Terrance had come to Alola for vacation, he might have accepted. However, he needed to hurry to Ula’ula Island, and having just gotten off the plane, he wasn’t hungry at all.
“Won’t you reconsider…?” Soliera’s lips twitched.
She’d been rejected.
“Sorry, I’m in a rush,” Terrance apologized.
“Alright then…”
The two parted ways. After a while, Terrance noticed that the girl was still following him.
“You’re heading to the Pokémon Center, right? I’m going there too,” she said, holding up an Alola map guide.
And so, the two walked together toward the Hau’oli City Pokémon Center.
“By the way, even if you won’t let me treat you to a meal, there’s no harm in telling me your name, is there?”
After a while, Soliera spoke up.
Huh?
Had he not introduced himself?
Terrance thought carefully and realized that while she had introduced herself, he hadn’t said anything about himself…
How rude.
“Sorry… I forgot. My name is Terrance. I’m from Fallarbor Town,” Terrance said with a smile.
“Fallarbor Town? Kanto region?” Soliera hadn’t heard of Fallarbor Town and asked instinctively.
“No, Fallarbor Town is in the Hoenn region,” Terrance replied, shaking his head.
“We’ve arrived at the Pokémon Center.”
The two stopped their conversation. Since they had just gotten off the plane and hadn’t been in any battles, there was no need to hand over their Pokémon to the Pokémon Center to relieve fatigue.
After Terrance mentioned he needed to make a phone call, Soliera nodded and went off to handle her own matters.
Ten minutes later, Terrance saw Soliera sitting on the sofa, looking dejected.
“Terrance, what brings you to Alola?”
“Me? I have some personal matters to take care of…”
“Do you know… Alola doesn’t even have a League Conference or a Pokémon League?” From her expression, Terrance could see her despair.
“Well… I am somewhat aware of that.”
Terrance replied awkwardly. It was true that Alola hadn’t yet established a Pokémon League, so naturally, there was no League Conference.
“I suddenly feel so unmotivated. Did I come to Alola for just a simple vacation?” Soliera grumbled indignantly.
“If you’re a Trainer, I might be able to recommend a rite of passage,” Terrance said, recalling something.
“There are many regions without Pokémon Leagues—Almia, Fiore, Oblivia… and Alola. But these places have their own local specialties,” Terrance explained, recalling what he had read about Alola in books. “I remember Alola has a unique rite of passage that developed independently. It replaces the Gym challenges of Kanto and serves as the goal for rookies who become Trainers at the age of 11.”
“What?!” Soliera exclaimed in surprise.
“It’s called… the Island challenge.”
Terrance smiled at the girl across from him, amused to discover that she was a Trainer with a spirited personality who clearly wasn’t content with idleness.
Rushing to inquire about the League Conference as soon as she arrived at a Pokémon Center in a new region—this wasn’t exactly a good habit for a girl to develop.
“The Island challenge… huh.”
Soliera thought for a moment, then declared with determination, “Alright, I’ll complete this Island challenge while I’m here!”
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