Chapter Text
Today is the day.
Moon checked her appearance in her full-length mirror one last time. Her black velvety school robes swished around her legs as she half-turned, then stood straight forward once again, checking her uniform for any stray white hairs left by her Mom’s pet meowth.
Moon read they were allowed a lot of leeway at Alola Academy to personalize their uniform and show their own style. The dress code was as relaxed and free spirited as the islanders who wrote it. Moon accessorized her black robes and white dress shirt with red and black sneakers and her signature red beanie with a pom-pom at the very top. The Alolan Academy uniform wasn’t available anywhere other than the school itself, so really all she had done was add some color to her school uniform from Kanto. Still, she had been told to pack at least two weeks’ worth of her own clothes, which she had already taken care of and shipped so that her luggage would be there when she arrived.
Moon grabbed her hairbrush from where it sat on her desk and began to brush the ends of her hair for the third time that morning, nervously imagining all the things that could go wrong on her first day as a transfer student.
Transferring in the fourth year meant it would be even more difficult to make friends because in her experience, most of the cliques have already been sorted out. Sorting, not to mention, was another worry on Moon’s mind, and one she tried very hard to pretend didn’t bother her. Out of the four Houses that exist within Alola Academy, Moon wasn’t sure which she wanted to chose her, since it didn’t seem like she would be given a choice. Each of the Tapu guardians had their own legends and rumors that gave them reason to be both feared and revered. Tapu Fini could release a fog that made enemies self-destructive, and Tapu Lele was rumored to drop harmful amounts of its scales onto victims simply for its own amusement. Tapu Koko is fickle and known for its explosive temper; Tapu Bulu was known for the time it supposedly fought off bandits by swinging around tree branches like clubs, leaving them all within an inch of their lives. The thought of even meeting any of the island guardians in person truly intimidated Moon, so she couldn’t really handle wondering which would be the one to choose her.
Rowlet watched from its comfortable spot on the bed, nestled in warm blankets, as its trainer paced around the room, practically tugging her hair. The room was filled with so much nervous energy that the small bird Pokémon could no longer sleep comfortably, so it decided to launch itself right at the source.
“Mmph!” Moon flinched back as her face was suddenly bombarded with feathers. “Oh, I’m sorry bud. I let my first day jitters get the best of me there, didn’t I?” Moon cooed as she cradled the small owl close to her chest. Rowlet shook its entire body to jolt every feather back into place, prompting Moon to set it down so it could preen and she could get back to preparing for the trials ahead.
“Moon? I know you’re nervous but if you don’t leave within the next five minutes, you’ll be late for sure. That’s not the kind of first day impression you want to make, you know?” Moon’s mother shouted from the other side of the bedroom door.
“I know Mom, I’m just about ready!”
Moon opened her red messenger bag to examine its contents one last time. Cell Phone? Check. The case was heavy plastic (Moon was known to be very clumsy) and was covered in stickers of poison-type Pokémon. Wand? Double check. The cherry brown thin piece of wood had her name carved into the base in tiny stylized letters. She didn’t use it very often outside of a few classes at her school in Kanto, but she didn’t let it out of her sight regardless. Pokéballs? Triple check. She only had two so far, but quality over quantity, right?
Realizing that was all the items on her checklist, Moon let out a satisfied hum. So far, she was on a roll today. If only I could be this organized every time I left the house, Moon thought as she recalled her Rowlet into its ball before putting it back in her bag. Just as Moon was stepping out and closing the door behind her, she took in the cozy sight of her still somewhat-new room and mentally prepared herself to leave it for an entire semester. “My phone charger!” Moon gasped as she sprinted to her nightstand and unplugged the adapter from the wall. Moon hoped she wasn’t forgetting anything else, now that her earlier confidence in her packing skills had taken a double-kick to the face.
Moon walked downstairs and into the kitchen where her mom was waiting for her with Moon’s forgotten pair of sunglasses in her hands. “Are you sure you don’t want breakfast dear? I’m positive you’d feel less forgetful if you did.”
Moon sighed. “No Mom, its too early to even be thinking about food. The sun isn’t even fully awake yet, so why do I have to be?” Moon groaned while looking out the window at the yellow-gray skies of the early morning.
“You know that in Alola school starts at a brisk 7 A.M. Moon. Not the 8 A.M. you got used to in Kanto. You’ll just have to learn to embrace the daylight like a true islander. Maybe you’ll even come to like waking up early. Who knows?”
“I don’t think that’s how it works Mom, and its only 5:30 in the morning. All I’m saying is it sucks that I have to be there an hour before everyone else just because some mystical guardians need to decide who wants to deal with me.” Moon rolled her eyes as she tentatively put her hand on the doorknob to leave and grabbed her broomstick from its convenient spot against the doorframe.
“With that kind of attitude, none of them will pick you and you’ll end up a hermit on Mt. Coronet!” Moon’s mother yelled jokingly as Moon skipped out the door with a laugh and a wave goodbye, hopping onto her broom a little crookedly and nearly falling off it before making a “graceful” recovery and zooming off in the direction of Alola Academy.