Chapter Text
15th March, 2012, 10:42am
Kukui can’t wait to stretch his legs. He’s been on various forms of transport over the last few days – a boat to Akala Island, a Charizard taxi to the airport, a plane to Unova, and a bus from Mistralton City to the capital, Castelia City. Now he’s here, finally close to his final destination, and all he wants to do is walk there.
The city is hiving – he was warned of this, but still, it’s odd to see somewhere with so many people. He’ll probably never get used to it – Melemele Island is small and cosy, and he’s already almost been knocked off his feet twice within moments of getting off the bus. There seem to be bicycles to hire by the bus stop, people zooming past him as he debates whether or not it’s a better idea to get one of those or walk.
He opts to walk, his original plan, delayed only by the novelty of a bike to hire. Kukui grabs a map from the tourist stand on his way, unfolding it while walking confidently in the direction he thinks is the right one. He’s never been to Unova, never mind the biggest city there, but he supposes that all cities are the same – just buildings and roads.
It’s easy to spot his destination on the map, not too far from where he is currently, and thankfully in the direction that he had already decided upon. Unfortunately for him, the map betrays how long it actually takes to get there, and he arrives at the front of the fanciest looking hotel he’s ever seen practically dripping in sweat.
The lobby is hiving with people, pull up banners, and stands. Even though he’s miles away from his cosy Alolan cabin, Kukui feels right at home here among all these likeminded people. The tri-annual Convention of Pokémon Professors is a big deal, and he’s only been working as Alola’s regional professor for a year and a half. This is entirely new territory for him, and he can’t stop grinning.
He heads to the front desk, trying his best not to get distracted by all the new information around him. The conference can wait – first of all he has to leave his things in his room.
“Hi,” he says to the receptionist, who raises an eyebrow. “I’m here for the conference. Professor Kukui, from Alola?”
“You don’t look like a professor,” she laughs, typing his name into the computer. “A lot more casual than some of this lot.”
“Well, Alola is a lot more laid back when you compare it to Unova, so I’ve heard.”
“Nice place. You not going to tell me your research speciality like everyone else?”
“Do you care?” Kukui asks nervously. This feels like a test, which he’ll likely fail whatever answer he gives.
“Not really,” she laughs again. “That’s everything sorted for you, Professor Kukui. Enjoy your stay.” She hands him a key card for his room and a lanyard with his name on the card at the bottom.
“Thanks,” he says, before making an escape.
His room isn’t as fancy as the rest of the hotel would suggest, but he can hardly complain when it’s free. All he had to pay for was his plane ticket here, and that didn’t even feel like an expense when it was countered by his excitement about the event in general.
Kukui leaves his bag by the bed, and jumps in the shower briefly, washing off that sticky heat that travelling brings. He’s determined to make the most of the conference though, so doesn’t dawdle in his room – there are too many talks and demonstrations and events that he wants to attend, never mind his own talk in the morning.
He’s nervous for that – a nine a.m. talk on the Saturday of the convention is a prime slot, but Kukui hopes that maybe people will get so drunk tonight that they’ll be too hungover to attend the first presentation of the day. Most people outside of Alola don’t know anything about Z moves, an even though his book has been read all over the world, presenting his research out loud is something different altogether.
The lobby is still hiving when he goes back downstairs. Professor Oak’s talk begins in ten minutes – Kukui is almost late. Samuel Oak has five or six talks on the schedule, and he’s keen to attend every single one of them. The inventor of the PokéDex surely has a lot to say on the matter – and Kukui has a burning question on the potential sacrilege of the Rotom Dex.
As he makes his way towards the lecture theatre, he’s stopped at the door by a woman with a familiar yellow lanyard around her neck – the same as his. She holds a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other. Beyond her, Kukui can spot Professor Oak on the stage, setting up his presentation with the help of one of Castelia University’s students. As far as Kukui is aware, the university is hosting the conference, and according to the lanyard of the woman who has stopped him, that’s where she is from.
“Name?” She asks, looking up at Kukui with an expression full of sincerity.
“Uh… Professor Kukui?” He asks, as if it’s a trick question.
“Thank you. I’m just making note of everyone who’s visiting for data collection purposes,” the woman mumbles, flicking through pages of information until she finds Kukui’s name and highlights it in green.
“Are you a student?” Kukui asks, motioning to the lanyard around her neck. “You look too old to be a student.”
“Excuse me?” She says, looking back up from her clipboard, raising an eyebrow.
“No, I mean… all the other students I’ve seen so far are teenagers! And you…” he trails off, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his shorts. “Sorry. That’s such a stupid thing to say.”
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, you’re right. I’m a professor at Castelia University. I’m here to chaperone these lot, and I don’t trust any of them enough to do this job,” she says, motioning to the clipboard once again.
“Oh. Well, sorry again.”
“It’s fine. Kukui, was it?”
“Yes!”
“Professor Burnet,” she says, holding her hand out for him to shake.
“Nice to meet you. Maybe we’ll bump into each other again, and I’ll manage not to offend you.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve gotten much worse already this weekend, and at least you apologised. Now go enjoy the presentation, I have more people to tick off.”
Kukui notices the small line forming behind him and nods sheepishly before scurrying into the lecture theatre and taking a seat as far forward as he can manage. It’s fairly packed out already, and when the first slide of Professor Oak’s presentation comes up there’s an excited buzz around the room.
Professor Burnet is gone from the door when the talk is done. Kukui spots her instead across the lobby, talking to a gaggle of students who sound excited about the talk. Presumably as payment for helping out, they get to listen to the presentations too. Kukui smiles fondly – he would have killed to have gotten to see a talk from Professor Oak when he was a student.
Kukui finds himself at the bar late on in the evening, once all the major talks are done for the day. He’s here to network as much as he is to learn, but it feels strange being a newbie when most other people already know each other. At the other end of the bar, two young looking researchers in holiday gear talk excitedly to one another in thick Kalosian accents.
Never in his life would Kukui have described himself as a nervous person. But everyone here has knowledge that Kukui can barely comprehend, experience that he doesn’t quite have under his belt yet. Experience that he will have, given time, and he’ll be able to come back to the conference in three years and show that off. For now, he drains the last of his whiskey, and heads back to his room.
16th March 2012, 8:03am
He’s up early the next morning, full of nervous energy. On one hand it would be devastating if no one turned up to his talk, and on the other, the less people that are there the better. When he makes it down to the hotel’s restaurant for breakfast, his stomach sinks to see how many people are already up and about.
At least someone recognises him, even if he has no idea who the man who has grabbed him and sat him down over a traditional Unovan cooked breakfast, whatever that is. He’s enthusiastic about the talk, and distracts Kukui from the pit that was settling in his stomach, if only for a moment. They swap cards – the first of Kukui’s all weekend – and he reads that his name is Cedric Juniper, from here in Unova.
Kukui is quick to excuse himself, feeling a little overwhelmed by how enthusiastic the man was. His daughter is Unova’s regional professor, as far as Kukui is aware, but her talk isn’t until later in the day, and she’ll be conducting the closing ceremonies as well. For now, Kukui has his own talk to worry about.
The lecture hall is more or less empty when Kukui arrives, fifteen minutes early as he’s supposed to. The front row is filled with the university students, bright eyed, with a few on the stage, supposedly to help him out if he needs it. At the end of the row sits Professor Burnet, who gives him a little wave before making her way onto the stage to greet him.
“Good morning. Sleep well?” She asks as he sets his bag down, kneeling on the floor to retrieve his laptop.
“Alright. A bit nervous – first time doing such a large talk.”
“Oh, is this your first convention?” Burnet asks, motioning to her students to get the computer set up for him.
“I’ve only been professor for a year and a half, actually.”
“Oh, you’re older than you look, then,” Burnet jokes, and Kukui rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.
“Oh, ha ha. I’m still sorry about that.”
“So you’ve never been before at all? I thought a lot of postgrad students often scored invitations.”
“Never attended as a student – the university in Alola is very small, and we had to outsource a supervisor for my PhD from Galar, because… well, you’ll see in my presentation, I guess. If you’re sticking around, that is.”
“Oh, yes. It sounds interesting! I’m supervising the kids, too. This is one of the few talks that they all have to be in attendance for. Your area of research is a lot easier to understand the basics of than a lot of people here. I mean, everyone knows what Pokémon moves are, so they’re much more likely to understand the basis of your talk than say, Professor Magnolia’s talk on the Dynamax Phenomenon.”
“I get that! I have tried to make this talk as accessible as possible, because… well, I listened to Professor Silktree’s presentation yesterday on the Ruins of Alph and I understood not a single word of it.”
“Me too!” Burnet laughs, and Kukui feels nothing but relief. “I’m surprised he’s even still alive. He must be like a million years old.”
“Are you doing a talk?” Kukui asks hopefully. Burnet seems to know her stuff, and if she’s going to listen to his presentation, the least he can do is listen to hers.
“No,” she laughs – she seems to do that a lot, Kukui notices. “I’m… well, I’m not actually a proper professor. It’s more of a nickname. I am a teacher, sort of… Sorry, this is really embarrassing. I’m a PhD student, and I will hopefully be a Pokémon professor in three months, give or take. But I do teach these lot, I swear!”
“So you are a student then. I was right,” Kukui points out with a triumphant grin.
“I guess so. But I’m not eighteen, like you thought, thank you very much. I happen to be twenty-six years old and in a hell of a lot of debt thanks to academia.”
“I feel you on that one. Trust me, the extra two years in the field earning a proper wage doesn’t make much of a difference to that debt.”
The doors at the back of the room creak open, and some of the attendees begin to file in, stopped only by one of Burnet’s colleagues at the door.
“Oh shit, your talk! I nearly forgot in all the talk about how sucky all this is for money. Well, I’ll let you get ready, because I am technically still working.”
“Hey, are you still working this evening? If you wanted to continue to talk about debt and how horrible it is… I could buy you a drink? To make up for being an idiot yesterday,” Kukui suggests, the words tumbling out of his mouth before his brain really has time to process whether or not that’s a good idea. Burnet raises an eyebrow, before she laughs again.
“Sure, why not? But not here – there’s a cocktail bar not too far from here that’s really good. Meet you in the lobby at say… eight?”
“Sounds good to me.”
Burnet nods, and slips away once more. Kukui finds his mouth dry as he too walks away to set up for his presentation. Thankfully, there’s a bottle of water on the table beside his laptop, and one of the university students shows him how to connect to the screen, something that he definitely could have figured out on his own considering he’s not sixty like everyone else.
The talk goes well, all things considered, although Kukui almost has a heart attack when he spots Professor Oak in the audience and then almost dies again when he hangs back at the end of the talk to congratulate him on a job well done. Professor Oak has read Kukui’s book, and enjoyed it, and Kukui isn’t sure he’s ever felt as elated in his life.
After all that, it’s still only ten o’clock, and Kukui busies himself with attending panels and question and answer sessions until his stomach decides that it’s definitely time for a proper meal and not just the snacks that he carefully packed into his pockets at the start of the day.
The restaurant downstairs is as busy as this morning. Worse, it looks very formal – everyone is dressed up, and Kukui is still in his shorts and t-shirt, not caring much for looks. As soon as he enters the room, Professor Oak waves him over, and Kukui feels his mouth dry again almost immediately.
He finds himself seated at a table of regional Professors from all over the world, many of whom he recognised and read their work while he was a student. These are famous faces, and worst of all, he has to explain that he has other plans that he has to get to at eight, so can’t hang around for too long.
He doesn’t say much, finding himself nervous having been thrown into this unexpected situation. Usually Kukui is very extroverted, but this is having the exact opposite effect on him. These people are all very well respected in the field, and it hits Kukui that he’s sitting here because he is too. Alola hadn’t had a professor for years, being a small region – Kukui barely remembers his predecessor from his days as a trainer – and he was allowed to take up that mantle.
He departs a few minutes before eight to race up to his room and freshen up, leaving the odd company of the professors downstairs. Burnet said cocktail bar, and that conjures up images of somewhere classy. Kukui doesn’t really do classy, but he can do not looking like he just came back from the gym if he has to. He reties his hair, forgoes his hat, and changes into jeans and a shirt, which is a marked improvement on what he had going on previously.
15th March 2012, 7:59pm
Burnet waits for him by the revolving doors of the hotel lobby, and when Kukui sees her he’s glad that he changed. She’s all dressed up, and shoos away some of her students to their own evening activities as he approaches her.
“Thought you were off the clock?” He jokes.
“I am. They’re just friendly. Makes for easy teaching. Shall we go?”
“Yep. All set on my end.”
The bar that Burnet suggested sits just around the corner, tucked into an alleyway that if it weren’t for Burnet, Kukui would’ve entirely walked past. The inside is small, tables cramped together to make for the cosy atmosphere of a popular inner-city spot. But the place is lit up in pinks and purples, glasses passed around with gold rims. Burnet settles herself in a corner seat and flags over a waiter to whom she mumbles something.
“So… come here often, then?”
“It’s surprisingly affordable,” Burnet laughs, elbowing him in the side. “Well, for a college student with a taste for cocktails, anyway. Better to spend a lot of money on one drink that’s going to get you drunk as hell than spend the same amount on beer that gets you drunk slowly and tastes terrible.”
“I’ve always been more of a beer guy myself, but I will put my trust in you, Professor.”
“Almost professor,” she corrects.
“I’ll shout you your drink then, almost professor, as a celebration for when you do eventually graduate.”
“Aw, I’m supposed to buy for you! Since it’s your first time in Unova, and all that.”
“You were complaining about being broke earlier,” Kukui points out with a smile when she begins to pout. “Besides, you’ve been very hospitable. Not many people would be as kind as you to a complete stranger.”
“Especially not to one who called me old. How old are you, anyway?”
“Twenty-eight. There was no regional professor in Alola when I graduated, so… instant job for me. Lucky timing, I guess.”
“That’s so great though! I’ve been eyeing up a lot of jobs here and there around Unova, but I don’t really want to relocate from my beloved Castelia City. Our professor, Professor Juniper, works from Nuvema Town, which is miles away from here, and she is looking for aides, so…”
“If you can handle relocating, might not be a bad idea. In my opinion, all experience is good experience. What is it that you’re researching anyway?” Kukui asks, acutely aware that they’d spoken a lot about his work and not at all about hers.
“The Interdream Zone. It’s a space between dreams and reality – kind of like an alternate dimension,” Burnet answers casually, but she tilts her head a little higher with an air of pride. The waiter comes back over and sets two sparkly drinks in front of them. Kukui raises his eyebrow at the drink, and then at Burnet.
“Alternate dimension? Seriously? That’s way cooler than what I’m doing! Is that… a thing? I guess that’s what you’re trying to find out.”
“Yeah, it looks like it is,” Burnet explains after taking a sip from her glass. “I really would love to be the first person to discover an alien Pokémon from another dimension and give it a name… but I think the International Police would have something to say about that.”
“Wait, so are there alien Pokémon here?” Kukui asks, ignoring his drink in favour of this much more interesting topic.
“Not that I’m aware of at least. But there’s been talk in the community – the people I did an internship with last year got in trouble with them for not accurately reporting their findings. There have been strange wormholes opening up that seem to be completely innocuous, but there’s a weird energy reading off them sometimes.”
“Why have I never heard about this before? When I get home, I am going to read into this so much. Have you got a paper out or anything?”
“Yes, actually. I can send you my master’s thesis. Um… can I have your email, then?”
Kukui presents her with another one of his business cards, hand shaking as her fingers brush against his to lift it from his grip. Her eyes study it intently, before she smiles and tucks into the back of her phone case.
“Now, drink up. I’ve talked all day about my research at the conference to people who mistook me for someone else, so I need to drown my sorrows.”
Burnet takes another sip from her drink, eyes still on Kukui as he carefully tastes the shiny liquid. He raises his eyebrows and nods, impressed, when he sets it down again.
“What’s in that? It’s good!”
“Vodka, some sort of syrup with glitter, and liechi berry juice! It’s my favourite here, though there’s some other really good cocktails too.”
“Are liechi berries not really rare, and expensive? I thought you could only get them in Hoenn?”
“Between you and me, I think this place illegally imported seeds and are growing them somewhere. But hey, they’re nice! I can’t complain.”
“I’m going to gloss over the illegal importing of vegetables and agree with you on that one,” Kukui says, raising his glass to her. She laughs again – a particularly harmonious sound – and tilts her glass towards him.
17th March 2012, 12:17am
Burnet follows Kukui back to the hotel – he’s glad that he managed to remember the way. The singular cocktail seems to have gone to her head more than his – clearly she picks that bar because she’s a lightweight as well as all her other reasons. Either way, it’s amusing to see her stumble into the revolving doors, attaching herself instead to Kukui’s arm while he pushes the door, merely being dragged along by him.
“Well, thank you for the lovely evening, Kukui,” Burnet says, one hand warm on his lower arm as they part ways. “I hope we bump into each other again sometime! And I have all your info now, so hopefully we can keep in touch. That’s what this whole thing is about, right?”
“Absolutely. You should get to bed, though, if you’re looking after your kids again in the morning.”
“I know, I know. Well, see you, Kukui.”
Burnet hovers for a moment after saying goodbye, and Kukui’s heart races for a moment. But then she nods, one single motion of her head, and then she’s gone, into the lift while he stands dumfounded in the lobby. After a moment, he shakes his head and makes his way into the lift himself, putting the evening behind him, and trying to force Almost Professor Burnet from his mind.
22nd September 2014, 2:34pm
Professor Burnet’s itinerary for her first week in Alola is colour coded. Fresh off the plane, overwhelmed, and warm, she begins to make her way into town. Hau’oli City spreads out in front of her, clusters of buildings that are fresh and white and so different from home. It’s only been a few minutes in Alola, but already the feeling of homesickness bubbles in Burnet’s stomach.
Upon closer inspection of the itinerary, Burnet can see that each island of Alola is assigned a different colour. Melemele Island, where she is now (she assumes) is in yellow – she’s here today and at the end of the week – but she’s supposed to be on the pink Akala Island in an hour and a half to meet the staff of her new job.
She’s seen photos of the Dimensional Research Lab, and from what she knows it seems cosy. Burnet is to be the new director of research there – the first, in fact, thanks to funding from the Aether Foundation. Why she’s not working at Aether Paradise itself is anyone’s guess, but she seems to be there on Wednesday to meet its director, according to the blue square on her itinerary.
The Professor Association provided her with a map, at least, which helps her find her way to the Pokémon Lab – Alola’s regional lab, and home to the professor. Vaguely, Burnet wonders if it’s the same man she met a few years ago – he was nice, even if they didn’t really keep in touch after that. A friendly face would be nice to see at this point – something to make her feel like she’s not totally alone out in this island region.
Despite her many complaints now, Burnet had jumped at the chance to move here, especially when she heard about a fully funded research position that just required her to learn a few new technologies – what the next month is for. There has been a lot of talk about wormholes opening here – much more so than when Burnet was in college – and after two years of odd jobs and temping, moving to a new region for a permanent job seemed like the perfect career move.
As she passes through Hau’oli city, Burnet makes a mental note to come back here when she has time – the streets are lined with shops the like of which she’s never seen, offering clothes that look like holiday gear to her but are probably practical for the climate of this new region. Food vendors yell out their prices, a list of foods that Burnet has never heard of.
According to the map, she should pass the Pokémon school on her way to her destination, conveniently circled for her. It’s a strangely large building, with many children having practice battles, the odd attack hitting the wire railings. Burnet smiles to herself as she passes, spotting the downwards slope of the hill in front of her that should slope directly down to the lab.
Before she’s even halfway down the hill, the beach appears in front of her, and the sea beyond it, bright and blue and glistening in the sun. It’s a sight that she’ll long love – Burnet already yearns for it, and plans in many hours of swimming in the months to come as she finishes her descent.
There’s only one building in sight – just on the edge of the beach, sitting on the path with its steps stretching down onto the sand. There are loud sounds coming from within – this must be the Pokémon lab, even if it doesn’t look at all like what she imagined.
She knocks on the door, and the sound from inside stops almost immediately. The door swings open, and there, as expected, stands Professor Kukui, tall and tanned and shirtless, were it not for his lab coat.
“Long time no see!” He greets, his face splitting into a wide grin. “Welcome to Alola!”
“Yeah, thanks! Nice to see you again.”
“Come in! Do you want a coffee?”
“Sure.”
Burnet isn’t sure if this is supposed to be a lab or a house – there’s a huge fish tank that disappears into the floor, and the rest of the room seems to be split between kitchen and living area, with chairs that look far too comfy to be a research space. There’s some sort of loft with a ladder, but she can’t see up into it from the ground.
“Ah, that’s a familiar expression,” Kukui says as he flicks the kettle on. “This is my home, as well as the regional lab. That’s downstairs.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean to be nosy. I’m just used to fancy buildings and state of the art equipment not… cosy homes.”
“Well you’ll be pleased to hear that the Dimensional Research Lab is a lot fancier than this place. I’ll take you over there soon, don’t worry. But I thought it’d be nice to catch up first.”
Kukui smiles, and Burnet finds herself smiling too. Some of her worry eases in the company of a familiar face. When he had visited Unova, Burnet hadn’t spent much time with Kukui, but she fondly remembered his awkward attitude and how he helped her back to the hotel when her drink went to her head much faster than intended. They hadn’t seen each other the rest of that weekend, and Burnet found herself oddly missing him when she sent him an email on the Monday morning.
“How was the flight?”
“Not bad, actually. What I wasn’t prepared for was the heat stepping off the plane. I’m definitely going to have to fit shopping for a new wardrobe in sometime this week.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Kukui tells her earnestly. “And most buildings here have air conditioning. Where are you living?”
“There’s apartments next to the lab, so I’ll be living there for the time being. I’d like to find my own place, but… well, they’ve been kind enough to give me somewhere, so I’m hardly going to live that down.”
“Ah, so you’re not far from Royal Avenue then. If you’re free one evening, you should definitely check out the Battle Royal Dome.”
“Recommending me tourist spots?” Burnet laughs. “I’m here to work, Kukui.”
“It’s a must see for all,” he insists, nodding sagely. “A form of battle found only in Alola. But I get it if you’re busy.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
She smiles into her coffee – they fall into their old banter so easily. It feels somewhat strange, given that she barely knew Kukui before, but Burnet is almost certain that they’ll become friends – which is something she desperately needs in Alola.
“I… I was hoping that I could take you out again. Like last time, in Unova,” Kukui suggests. Burnet’s eyes flash up to meet his – does he look nervous, or is it her imagination? She can’t imagine a downside to going out with him – it was fun last time, and otherwise she’ll be spending evenings alone.
“As long as you buy me some sort of Alolan delicacy,” she agrees. “I saw so many things on my way here that I’ve never even heard of, and I am dying to try some.”
“Brilliant,” Kukui says with a grin, any previous hint of trepidation gone from his expression. “Dare I ask when you’re free? I’m sure your schedule is packed for this week.”
“Yes, but I am back on Melemele Island for a meeting with Hala on Friday, if you’re free then?”
“Absolutely. Iki Town is just up the hill from here, so we can meet somewhere in the middle when you’re done.”
“I suppose you should give me your phone number then,” Burnet suggests, digging the thing out from her pocket and passing it across to Kukui after unlocking it.
“I look forward to it very much. You’ll love a malasada; I can guarantee it. For now, though, we should get you to Akala Island.”
Kukui offers her a hand to get up, and she takes it, keeping her grin to herself. Kukui is a rather attractive man, all things considered, and she’s managed to score herself a date with who is quite possibly Alola’s most eligible bachelor on her first day here. Her hand is dropped abruptly from his when he tidies their coffee mugs away.
Burnet takes a deep breath, reminding herself that she truthfully knows next to nothing about this man, and he knows nothing about her either. Maybe if she had some free time later she could do a little internet stalk of him, but she gets the idea that he’s not the sort of person to spend a lot of time online. And she doesn’t know if he’s single, and can hardly call meeting up for whatever these malasadas are a date.
She sneaks a glance at his hand when they walk back to Hau’oli City. He’s not wearing a ring, which is a good start, Burnet reasons. More than anything, she needs to calm down – in the space of half an hour, she’s gone from being relieved that she knows someone in Alola to wondering if he’s single – but then again, he was the one that wanted to go out with her.
He points out all the landmarks to her again on the way. The students outside the trainer school seem to have gone back inside, presumably for lunch. Burnet is getting a bit hungry herself, and wonders if there’s any way she can convince Kukui to stop for food. But he seems determined to get her to the ferry, so onward they go, with Burnet struggling to keep up.
“How far away is Akala Island anyway? It’s so hard to tell on the map,” Burnet asks as Kukui settles himself against the railing of the deck.
“About twenty minutes. And the ferry docks in Heahea City, so it shouldn’t be more than five minutes to the Dimensional Research Lab. Which is where I leave you, unfortunately. Your new team will be running you through the basics, I assume.”
“You sound sad about that,” Burnet teases, glancing up at him as the boat makes its way out of the harbour.
“Well, we haven’t seen each other in a while, and I know we barely know each other, but I do like spending time with you.”
He says it so honestly that Burnet can feel her mouth dry out, all the witty comebacks she could say simply drifting away.
“Oh,” is what she settles on instead. Maybe she was right all along? Maybe she did have a chance with Kukui? Her research comes first – after all, she told him twenty minutes ago that she was here to work. But there’s no reason that she can’t have fun too – after all, she’ll hardly be working every hour of the day.
“I like spending time with you too,” she remembers to say after a moment. One uncomfortable first meeting, an early morning chat, a drink in a fancy cocktail bar, a few video calls… most people wouldn’t classify that as spending time together, but Burnet can’t deny that all of those experiences have been fun.
As Kukui said, the walk from the dock to the lab isn’t too far. She wheels her suitcase along behind her, while Kukui carries her holdall, despite her not asking him to. Burnet takes a deep breath at the door to the lab, at which Kukui places a warm hand on her shoulder. She turns to him to see that infectious grin once more, and finds herself smiling as she pushes the door open to her new life.
24th September 2014, 5:14pm
“Clocking out yet, boss?” One of Burnet’s assistants asks, peering over her computer.
“Yeah, just making sure that no one else wants anything from me before tomorrow morning.”
She turns the monitor off, and rises from her seat. It’s been a busy day – a boat trip to and from Aether Paradise, a meeting with the president, and a meeting with Akala Island’s Kahuna at her house in Konikoni City. Now all Burnet wants to do is put her feet up in her tiny, undecorated apartment, and maybe order takeaway.
“Are you busy this evening? Some of us go to the Battle Royal Dome on Wednesdays. That’s when the Masked Royal is on! And we’d like to take you for dinner, too, to welcome you.”
The name rings a bell in Burnet’s mind – the Battle Royal Dome is the place that Kukui mentioned as a spot she should check out. It would be rude to turn down such an invitation – out of the corner of her eye, Burnet can spot some of her other employees hovering around the corner, waiting for her answer.
“Alright, sounds good! Where are we eating? Better be nice.”
The assistant’s eyes light up as Burnet makes her way around the desk. On the walk to Royal Avenue, she gets to know the five of them a little better – one of whom lives in the same building as her, one that commutes from Poni Island every day, one raises his family alone in Konikoni City. The other two live together, they’re slightly embarrassed to admit, on the edge of Heahea City. They all seem very nice, and even though it’s only been three days, Burnet finds herself increasingly at ease around them.
The Battle Royal Dome comes into view as they move into Royal Avenue – only a fifteen-minute walk from the office, Burnet notes for future reference. It’s a huge structure, but Burnet barely has time to look at it before she’s pulled into a tiny restaurant and sat at a booth for six among her colleagues.
The dinner is good, but the irony of it being a traditional Unovan restaurant isn’t missed on her. Clearly the cuisine here is a novelty for the native Alolans, but to Burnet, it’s a taste of home that is sorely needed. She downs branded craft beer from Nacrene City, and doesn’t mention to her co-workers that the alcohol content of these drinks isn’t actually that high.
The seats of the Dome are packed close together, and Burnet sits forward in anticipation. The lights dim, and one of her assistants pokes her arm and hurriedly explains the rules of the Battle Royal. Even as the competitors emerge from the four corners of the stage, Burnet isn’t entirely sure what is happening.
The stage lights dim further with a drum roll, and the anticipation of the crowd is palpable. A man emerges from the red corner, and strikes a dramatic pose as the crowd cheers. Burnet lets out a low whistle – he’s not wearing a shirt like the other competitors, and his face is covered with a mask.
“That’s the Masked Royal,” a helpful voice whispers in her ear. She may not know what’s going on, but she certainly hope he wins.
He does win, though Burnet truthfully cannot say how that happened. She was never really into battling, even as a kid – research was always much more interesting. This seemed just like a more confusing form of battling, though she was eager to come back, if only for the eye candy.
Her co-workers insist that she doesn’t run off – sometimes, the Masked Royal comes out to do autographs. She has nothing for him to sign, but humours them anyway, because she reckons the chances of him appearing are low as it is. They situate themselves behind a barrier near the stage door, eyes firmly on the building for signs of movement.
They wait all of ten minutes before there’s more high-pitched screaming from closer to the door and the Masked Royal appears. He makes his way along the line, bag slung over his shoulder – clearly on the way home. Burnet’s assistants are sure to get his attention, waving and calling until he comes over.
The Masked Royal stops in front of her, eyes wide as he stares down at her. She’s seen those eyes before, she’s sure of it, but Burnet doesn’t dare open her mouth and ask the question that’s on the tip of her tongue. The Masked Royal pauses, before he grins again, and signs the paper pad that’s held out to him.
“Get a picture!” Someone suggests, a few feet behind her, and Burnet turns round to the camera with a shaky smile, posing with two of her colleagues and the Masked Royal. His hand is warm on her shoulder, reinforcing the idea that flits to and from the front of her mind.
“Nice to meet you!” He says, his voice a lot lower than Burnet expected. Put on, she wonders? But he’s gone before Burnet can think anymore, see any further into his façade.
“You seem starstruck, Professor!” A girl by her elbow says with a giggle. Maybe she was, but there’s an unshakable feeling that Burnet gets that involves a lot of connecting the dots.
“Yeah. He’s very handsome, isn’t he?”
26th September 2014, 7:24pm
“All done in Iki Town. Where do you want to meet?” Burnet asks, holding the phone to her ear with one hand and clutching her bag close to her with the other. Although Alola has seemed very safe and welcoming, this part of Melemele Island is entirely unknown to her and she’s heard multiple reports of a group of thugs all over Alola.
“The bottom of the hill, as you come into Hau’oli outskirts?” Kukui suggests – his voice sounds funny over the phone, Burnet remembers.
“Sounds good. See you soon!”
She hangs up before he has a chance to say anything else. Looking inconspicuous is harder to do in reality than it seems on paper. She folds her arms over her chest and walks in the middle of the path – it’s safer that way, Burnet reasons. There doesn’t seem to be anyone else about, and she makes it to the meeting point unscathed.
When Kukui appears in the distance, Burnet drops her arms by her sides and hurries a few steps towards him. He’s grinning, once again – he seems to do that a lot. The only time she’s ever seen him be really serious was during his talk two years ago, and she wonders if that side of him will ever show itself again.
“Nice evening,” Kukui says, lifting his hand in a wave.
“Warm,” Burnet agrees – what a terrible way to start a conversation.
“I got you this,” he tells her, bringing his other hand out from behind his back to present her with a wreath of flowers, tied neatly into a knot at one end. “This is a lei. They’re often given to visitors to Alola when they arrive, but truth be told, I completely forgot to make you one the other day, so… I hope this suffices.”
He looks embarrassed to admit it, but Burnet just laughs. It’s a gorgeous garland, blue and purple flowers and dark green leaves. She ducks her head just enough for Kukui to place it around her neck, and positively beams back at him when he’s done.
“You made this?” She asks, rubbing one of the petals between her finger and thumb.
“Yeah. It was hard work, I tell you!”
“I can believe that! But it’s lovely. Thank you so much, Kukui.”
The two fall into step as they make their way into Hau’oli City. Neither of them say a word, too awkward in the other’s presence. Yet somehow, the silence itself isn’t uncomfortable, and Burnet allows herself to take a half step sideways so that her elbow bumps into Kukui’s. He glances down at her, his usual grin replaced with a look of surprise, eyebrows raised, but the corner of his mouth lifted.
Hau’oli City is as busy at night as it is during the day. Despite the hour, the sun hasn’t completely set yet, casting the city in a pink glow reserved only for this time of day. Kukui leads Burnet along, doing everything but holding her hand to pull her in the direction he’s leading her.
Along by the marina is a shop with a small queue outside it. Upon peering through the window, Burnet can see that all the tables are full – mostly with children and tourists. The two of them join the queue, and Burnet just has to wonder what is so special about this place.
“So… what is this?”
“You wanted to try traditional Alolan food, and here we are. This is the only Malasada shop on Melemele Island, and in my humble opinion, it’s the best one in Alola.”
“And what’s a Malasada then?”
“Fried dough. It’s like a donut, but better.”
“Ah, I see. And what makes it better than a donut?”
“They’re all made with love,” Kukui insists. When Burnet raises an eyebrow, he laughs. “Nah, they’ve just all got different fillings and stuff. Though you can only buy sweet ones here. Sorry, I should’ve checked that you like sweets. You do like sweets, right?”
“Yeah, of course! But are we going to be sitting in there? It looks seriously crowded, and I am not spending my Friday night with teenagers.”
“I was thinking we could go for a walk along the beach. Hau’oli Seafront is a really nice spot. Though we’re kind of spending the evening walking in circles.”
“It’s fine, don’t worry. I just hope this queue moves faster…”
Thankfully, it does, and it doesn’t take long for the professors to get their order of Malasadas. On their way to the beach, Kukui tells her all about how Pokémon love them too, and they make great snacks. Briefly, Burnet wonders what Pokémon he has – there were a few wandering about his house on Monday, as well as…
She shakes the thought from her head, and concentrates on the moment she’s in now. Kukui points out other places in Hau’oli City that might be of interest to her, things that they missed the other day while heading for the ferry. The beach is deserted, bar one fisherman at the end of the sand, reeling in the last catch of the day in the rapidly fading sunlight.
“So,” Burnet says, mouth full of Malasada. She pauses to get her word order right, and swallows her dough. “These are good, by the way. So, did you tell me to go to the Battle Royal so that I could see you in action?”
Kukui’s eyes widen. “What are you talking about?”
“I think you know,” Burnet says with a smirk. “Ooh, it’s a must see for everyone! That’s what you told me. And then there you are, with a mask on and some massive fire type Pokémon. The Masked Royal, huh?”
“I’m not the Masked Royal,” Kukui bluffs, but his eyes flash away from Burnet’s for a moment too long.
“Oh yeah? Then why do you look like him? I have photographic evidence.”
She pulls her phone out, scrolling through to the picture she was sent of herself and her co-workers on Wednesday. After zooming in on the Masked Royal’s face, she holds it up beside Kukui’s face, smirking as his face falls even further.
“You have the same eyes,” she says gently, and Kukui’s mouth opens and closes before he laughs quietly.
“You are good, Professor Burnet. None of my friends, no one has figured it out before. And after one meeting!”
“No offence, Kukui, you need to get better friends. It’s so obvious, especially when you both seem to have an aversion to wearing shirts.”
“I’m seriously impressed. And glad you came on Wednesday, even if it was a bit of a shock to see you.”
“It was fun,” Burnet agrees. “I’m glad I went too, even if…”
“Even if?” Kukui urges. Burnet stops in her tracks, wondering if she should voice the thoughts that are on her mind.
“Even if my favourite part was the Masked Royal.”
“Oh really?” Kukui asks, a glint in his eye.
He turns away though, much to Burnet’s disappointment, staring out to the horizon and taking another bite of Malasada. Burnet follows suit. Her words hang heavy in the air, like a barrier put up between them that neither of them will be able to break down. Kukui sighs, long and deep, and Burnet wonders briefly if maybe she should just go back to Akala Island now and save herself the embarrassment of what’s to come.
“You know, I always thought that love at first sight was a completely made-up thing. But then I went to Unova, two years ago. Two and a half, if we’re being specific. And I met you, and I’m not sure I’ve actually stopped thinking about that at all.”
“So that’s why you asked me out for drinks that time, and why you took me all the way to Akala Island, and why you…”
“Asked you out tonight. Like on a date.”
His cheeks are dusted pink, though the sun has almost set now and the shadows make it more difficult to tell. Either way, Kukui is looking at her, that serious expression that she’s not used to seeing expertly etched on his features.
Always the one to take initiative, Burnet reaches up to cup his cheek in her hand, and slowly pull him down to her. She stands her toes, and his hands find her waist, holding her steady as their lips meet in a tentative kiss. Embarrassment washes over Burnet as she realises what she’s doing – they’re both professional adults, and yet they’re kissing on a beach at sunset like teenagers.
“Can’t believe you said ‘I love you’ on a first date. Softie,” Burnet teases, in an attempt to distract Kukui from the redness of her own cheeks.
“I said no such thing,” Kukui denies, avoiding her gaze once again.
“I didn’t believe in love at first sight, but then I saw you,” she paraphrases, elbowing him in the ribs. “It’s sweet.”
“I’m too old to be saying stuff like that,” Kukui admits, glancing back down at her. “So just pretend you didn’t hear that, and I said something normal instead.”
“Hm, no! I think I’ll remember this moment forever.”
Kukui swoops down to kiss her again, effectively silencing her teasing. He’s grinning once more as he pulls away, and she just laughs, leaning against him, taking his hand, meeting his eyes with a certainty that she didn’t have at the beginning of the evening. She may not know Kukui well, but if there’s one thing Burnet can say for certain, it’s that she feels remarkably safe around him.
The rest of the evening passes in a blur of changing sky. The fisherman passes them as they sit on the wall of the beach, watching the waves disappear further and further along the sand. Burnet plucks one of the flowers from her lei and tucks it behind Kukui’s ear, laughing once again as he colours in embarrassment.
His grip on her hand is warm and comforting as they make their way back through Hau’oli City, the streets of which have emptied considerably over the last few hours. Burnet almost doesn’t want the night to end, but the busy week is catching up to her. While part of her is tempted to invite Kukui back to Akala Island with her, the logical side of her brain protests that what she needs right now is eight solid hours of sleep.
At the marina, the captain raises his eyebrows at the two, having seen them coming and going all week. Burnet takes a step away from Kukui, dropping his hand. She quickly leans upward to kiss him once again, savouring the sensation of his lips on hers for just a moment more.
“Goodnight, Kukui. I’ll see you soon.”
“Goodnight, Burnet.”
She can’t miss the last ferry of the day, and scampers on board before the captain can say anything to her. Kukui waves from the harbour until the ferry is long out of view and Hau’oli City turns into a speck on the horizon. Burnet’s phone buzzes with a text – from Kukui, just containing a single heart that makes her own heart speed up just a little.