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Kaye tapped his foot against the ground while waiting in line to get his documents checked. The airplane ride from Unova was stuffy enough, and the low-hung ceiling of the waiting room contributed to his unease. He glanced at his black watch dial, reading XI for the hour and a little past VI for the minute hand. He interpreted almost instantly. 11:32 a.m. The next train to Hau’oli City had just left, and Kaye told himself that he needed to reach Hau’oli quickly. After all, he cannot (or rather, should not) be late for Professor Kukui’s starter distribution. Realizing that he has nothing to do in line, he checked his leather backpack for its contents, then felt relieved when nothing was missing. Noticing the empty space ahead of him, he calmly walked to the counter as soon as it made clear that it was his turn.
To the elderly officer at the counter, Kaye appeared to be a youth with stern amber eyes. His puffy, wavy, cream-colored curls reached his chest; a half-ponytail adorned his crown. He adjusted his elegant navy tartan tie and straightened it, mostly out of habit.
“Ma’am, your documents please?” the officer, an elderly lady, asked politely. Though Kaye felt himself protesting internally at the sound of “ma’am,” he sees no point in correcting it at this moment. He was not likely to meet this lady again, so without a word, he shuffled through his bag.
“Here,” Kaye said as he placed a professional-looking folder on the counter, flipping it open. The officer took the graduate’s Scholarship Certificate and trainer passport. But the sound of “ma’am” still echoed in his mind.
The officer’s face lit up when she read Kaye’s pronoun choices in his documents. “Oh, you’re like my grandson,” the officer replied with a genuine smile, “he’s very insistent that I call him ‘he.’ Both of you are quite handsome.”
“Um…” That’s not the same, Kaye wanted to say, but his mouth ran dry. The officer is being sincere and warm, but she doesn’t seem to truly understand this situation. Quite awful, to have a person who means well in a case like this. Kaye sighs, finding himself desperate to go on the train now. With an uneasy air, he replied, “Thank you?”
A few moments of tension passed, but the officer didn’t notice and nodded. “You’re welcome, dear,” she said while nodding her head in satisfaction and handing the papers back. She spent a little while congratulating Kaye for his endorsement from the Academy on this journey, seemingly very curious about him, but before long Kaye slipped away and headed towards the train station.
~~~
True to Kaye’s expectations, the train ride was long and uneventful. Kaye knew that the trip would take around an hour and a half and that the meeting with Professor Kukui wouldn’t come until 2:45 in the afternoon…but this trip was abhorrently tormenting since nothing productive would come of it. She fidgeted in her seat, finding dawdling to be impossible. She turned her eyes to the passing scenes outside the window, feeling a little bit of excitement when she saw giant Exeggutors herding amongst the palm trees and the Wingulls that scurry amongst their branches. This is so very different from the bustling Castelia City. My journey begins today, but there’s no telling where my first steps will bring me, she silently noted to herself.
Eventually, she felt her eyelids getting heavy, nodding off before catching herself awake again. Kaye would feel bad for sleeping now without accomplishing much, so she decides to reflect on her current expectations for her journey.
First, remember your main goal, which is, first and foremost, to compete in the Alolan Pokémon League. She thought about the Trainer School of Unova and her endorsement program that funded her adventure. She was selected for a prestigious program that promises full participation in the Pokémon League of any region she chooses.
Second, don’t forget to actually work on the report. She eyed an empty notebook already on her lap and scowled when the word “work” entered her head. Mostly, Kaye was blaming the fact that she couldn’t really work here. She found it difficult to write as her seat didn’t feature a table, and if she wrote, she would have to rewrite it to fix the sprawling handwriting and tear out pages from a perfectly fine notebook. This report was her end of the deal for the endorsement program: she needed to write a lengthy report detailing her journey in an effort to inspire younger yet-to-be trainers. In exchange, the Academy would give her the scholarship to go participate in the Alolan Pokémon League. Kaye wanted to include both words and photography, the two things she is quite certain she is proficient in.
Finally, try to relax a bit. Get away from people for a little while.
These words weren’t new to her, but there was a certain lingering wrongness to them. Did it sound too unapproachable? Kaye sighed, even though at this moment her thoughts were her only audience. She thought for a little while before quickly realizing that the unfortunate truth is, she is usually decent at managing a façade of mild indifference toward most people. There’s a basic pattern to how people interact, and she spent her 16 years so far finding out most of them, but anything outside of that pattern is uncomfortable and frankly, quite intimidating. Receiving stares for saying or doing something wrong, but never really knowing what was wrong—was the most troubling aspect of interacting with others.
Kaye squeezed her eyes shut, thinking of her close friends in school. She loved them in every way possible, but was it wrong to wish for some time alone?
She glanced at the watch. 12:57 p.m.
~~~
Carolina bawled into her hotel pillow, muffled sniffles absorbed by the thick blanket and the firm mattress. It has only been a few hours since the reality that she was really on a journey alone without her mother on an island thousands of miles away from home truly registered in her mind. Though she has been on summer camps alone when she was younger, home never seemed so far away. Her mother was always there to support her whenever she needed back in Hulbury. This very journey itself was absolute proof that her mother supported her, but not having family members around physically is quite a lot to bear for the first time. Still, Carolina was astonished by the sudden outburst since she knew herself usually as the girl who would smile like an idiot at cute Rowlet pictures or the girl who can eat 3 burritos in a row and (probably) not get sick. Sunny and free of worries.
In fact, she was energetic and assured even at the moment she parted with her mother at the airport back in Galar just yesterday. On the airplane, her mind buzzed with such enthusiasm and high hopes that she didn’t sleep when she should’ve. She collected all the cutest brochures she can find in the airport about Alola and mentally noted most of the sights she knew she had to see. Carolina was particularly interested in “Raichu’s Surfing Shoal” and “Rainbow Bay” and “Pikachu Valley,” but she knew for sure that meeting her partner Pokémon would be unforgettable. Her lack of sleep on the airplane caused her to pass out right away when she reached the bed of the Hau’oli City Hotel room by midnight. After waking up, it was already afternoon. She quickly decides that she’d like to call her mother first to let her know that she arrived safely. As she’s speaking, however, it’s almost as if she saw the lighthouse from Hulbury flash before her eyes, she felt her tears welling up until an invisible dam broke out in her eyes.
Many long minutes later, when at last she quieted down, she took her sunhat and went to wash her face in the bathroom. After freshening up and tidying her hair, she picked up a pink flower from next to the sink and pinned it to her hat. Seeing herself, she felt a little better and gave a half-intended smile to the mirror.
I will make meaningful friendships here, with people and Pokémon.
An idea popped into her head.
Maybe I will travel with whoever I meet when choosing my starter…!
She felt a spark of her usual energy returning. She placed her hands on her hips, attempting to look bold, holding the pose for a while. Then she found it surprisingly silly and started to giggle.
I may be alone right now, but soon I won’t be!
With a new flower on her hat to remind herself of the wonderful world to explore, she took another good look at herself. Her toffee hair was fluffy and voluminous, reaching to her back, complementing her white t-shirt. She titters and twirls, watching her pink skirt sway and twirl as well.
The mirror smiled back at her and, satisfied, she left the bathroom.
She decided to go shopping to cheer herself up by perhaps buying some malasadas before meeting Professor Kukui. She bounces her way to the door, opening it. Right before slipping through the cracks to the world outside, she gave one good look at the clock on the wall:
2:23 p.m.
~~~
Kaye glimpsed her watch face and her frown grew ever more apparent each time she checked. 3:31 p.m.
She was seated firmly on a hard forest-green sofa with her folder neatly beside her. She had taken out her camera and fidgeted with some settings earlier, but now she is officially out of things to do. Letting her body weight sink deeper into the sofa, she groaned, “Professor, theoretically, if the others never show up, I’d still have to wait here?”
Professor Kukui, who was sitting by the kitchen counter, stood up and approached Kaye. He sat down next to her and responded, “Cousin, I know you’re impatient, yeah, but I told you already. Rules are rules, and I can’t distribute them without at least one other trainer.”
She realized immediately that he technically didn’t answer her question, so Kaye asked again. “Professor, what if they never show up?”
“Ah, that wouldn’t happen! I sent her a message yesterday and she confirmed she’d come, yeah.”
“Well,” Kaye reasoned, “that other trainer—Katheryn, was it?—is already late by 46 minutes.” Kaye scanned the watch face and corrected, “47 minutes.”
“Don’t sweat it, Kaye. I think you should relax a bit, yeah?”
“…relax?” Kaye questioned with seeping confusion. She was finding the situation a little anxious, a little too chaotic and insecure, a deviation from her usual comforts. “It’s quite difficult to relax if I have big goals pressing on my mind.”
Professor Kukui cleared his throat, then gave his most charming grin and used his most cheerful voice, stating, “Well, life in Alola means knowing when to work and when to have fun! You shouldn’t think about your goals 100% of the time. Otherwise, you’d feel constantly tired, yeah.”
Kaye lets out a little smile and nods in gratitude. During the first 15 minutes or so of their meeting, Kaye was unsure whether Professor Kukui was as genuine as he seemed, so she spoke little and kept her distance. However, his optimism rubbed off on her, opening her up. She also knew he wasn’t wrong: three months ago, she had requested on her Scholarship Program Application for her journey’s destination to be Alola because of its tropical charm. In truth, Kaye wanted to experience being carefree for a moment, and she heard from her aunt that the Island Challenge of Alola was the perfect combination of being eye-opening, enjoyable, and productive.
“I guess that’s why I chose Alola in the first place,” Kaye said while shaking her head in defeat.
“Hey, don’t look so disheartened! The slow lifestyle of Alola is one of its many charms. I’m sure you can grow to love—”
Bang!
—The loud noise startled both the professor and Kaye. In a heartbeat, the door slammed open wide, crashing against the wall it was pivoted around. A short girl stood outside the door and began huffing in exhaustion. “S-sorry,” she wheezed out between huffs, “I was really late.”
Her voice sounded like chimes. Kaye raised an eyebrow, accusing the newcomer with her gaze. “Why were you late?”
The petite girl held her large sunhat atop her head with a hand. Kaye took note of how the shafts of golden sunlight soaked her from behind. She muttered, “I overslept because I didn’t sleep enough on the plane, and I guess I just woke up and I wasn’t feeling too well so I decided to go shop until I realized I overlooked time and—”
“Don’t worry about it, cousin! We’re just here to have fun, yeah?” Professor Kukui commented and gestured for her to come in.
The girl gasped, “Professor Kukui! It’s so nice to finally meet you. The name’s Carolina!” She extended an arm to him and gave a vibrant smile that contained more energy than what Kaye imagined could be contained in her small frame. After they shook each other’s hand, Carolina gestures at Kaye and asked, “And who’s the grumpy one there?”
Carolina’s lighthearted tone indicated that this was a friendly comment, but Kaye couldn’t tell: she wasn’t sure whether the comment was somehow pointed and crossed her arms. She muttered, “My name is Kaye.”
Carolina giggled, “Ok, nice to meet you! What pronouns do you prefer?”
Immediately, Kaye felt much more at ease than most strangers she met. The only ones who cared enough would be her aunt, close friends, and some teachers in school. Her insides bubbled with much-missing warmth and she forgot to voice her gratitude. She awkwardly took Carolina’s extended arm and shook her hand as she spoke, “Well, it depends on what I feel at the moment, but for now, ‘she’ would do.”
“Oh, awesome!” Carolina paused, thinking for a moment about what topics to chat the day away. She eyed Kaye’s leather bag. “Hey, what brought you here on your journey?” Carolina chirped, but then she immediately wondered whether Kaye was up for small talks.
But Carolina lit up the mood so much that Kaye forgot for a moment that Carolina was late and took out her certificate from her folder, handing it to her almost automatically. “Scholarship. And you?”
“My mother paid for it,” Carolina halfheartedly answered as she skimmed through the words of the certificate. Carolina’s curious eyes suddenly widened. “You must’ve had really good grades.”
“It was alright.”
“Nah, you’re just being humble,” Carolina teased.
“Humble” would not be the first word in mind when Kaye describes herself. Her usual calm demeanor faltered slightly when she replied, “No, I mean, I’m bothered if my grades aren’t in the three digits. I don’t know why, but I couldn’t stand it, like mathematically or aesthetically.”
“Wait really?” Carolina asked, for the first time realizing how oddly intense Kaye can be. Carolina fell into a brief silence, but quickly caught herself and added, “My grades were decent when I was in school. It’s fine, but not that good. I’m more interested in drawing anyways.”
“Why are you a trainer then?”
Carolina blinked. Being a trainer has nothing to do with grades! “Hey, there are many ways to be a trainer, you know!”
Oh. Kaye intended to ask why Carolina isn’t pursuing art, not that.
It’s like Carolina read her mind. “Also, art and Pokémon training are not mutually exclusive, and besides, I have more goals than just sketching…” Carolina paused, downcast eyes glued to the floor uncharacteristically. Kaye followed and stared at the ground to see whether there was anything interesting.
Before long, Kaye lifted her eyes to look at Carolina to see what she was doing and was surprised to see Carolina already looking at her with a strange look in her eyes. Carolina seemed to hesitate before mumbling, “By the way, I was thinking earlier at the hotel: One of my goals is to make friends on my journey, so is it okay if we travel together?”
Kaye thought of her three goals: Get away from people for a little while. “I’m sorry, I’m not very interested. I…don’t really know you."
“Oh, that’s fair,” Carolina replied, sounding a little disappointed. But her enthusiasm returns almost immediately, saying, “No worries! I just thought it’d be nice since traveling with someone who chose a starter at the same time as me just kind of…makes sense to me, you know?”
“Does it?”
“Ahah, you don’t think so?”
I am not planning to really meet people here. “I’d rather do alone. I’ve come to realize I don’t do too well around most people—”
“Ahem! Sorry kids,” Professor Kukui interrupted (who, as far as either of them could recall, was apparently shuffling through some cupboards in the background). His arms lifted a hefty oaken box effortlessly, bringing them closer to the girls. “The wait was long, yeah? ”
“It was okay,” Carolina replied, but her mind was elsewhere. Did she ask Kaye to travel with her too soon? Her expression falters for a moment: while she feels that Kaye perhaps would do well with the company, she doesn’t know anything about her to conclude other than an icy first impression. Maybe it would be better to ask someone else then.
Kaye, meanwhile, felt a little bad for dragging the mood down, though she still stood by her choice—her plan never included a second person.
The professor set the wooden box on a table and gave both of them a confident look. His eyes were practically twinkling when he glanced at Carolina, then at Kaye. “Ready?”
“Ready!” Carolina exclaimed, returning to an energetic voice. Kaye nodded, though clearly quite listless.
With one swift motion, Professor Kukui opened the box, revealing three round Pokéballs in familiar red and white. He took two of the Poké Balls in his right hand, and the other in his left. He flashed a playful smirk as he threw the Poké Balls into the air and cheered, “Come out, everyone!” With a delightful “ping!” from the Poké Balls, three flashes of light morphed into the shapes of the familiar Alolan starters.
“Koo!”
“Mrowr!”
“Bwark!”
Professor Kukui gestured at each of the starters. He smiled when notices the look of recognition from both of the young trainers. “I believe you know the starters well?”
“Mmhm!” Carolina’s eyes lit up in excitement, quickly fixed upon the Rowlet, who was carefully priming its feathers. She took light steps towards it, seemingly not wanting to startle it. She squatted down and caught the Rowlet’s attention. “Hey there, Rowlet. What do you think about traveling with me?”
The Rowlet tilted its head at a perpendicular angle, making a slightly confused “Koo?” It looked up and down at Carolina as if it was somehow judging her character. Carolina looked as if she suddenly thought of an idea and took something from her satchel.
“Here!” she announced, opening her palm to reveal a pink Poké Puff. “I bought this just now at the mall and I thought it’d be a nice gift for us to get to know each other.”
The Rowlet hopped a little towards Carolina, flapping its wings to keep balance. It flipped the Poké Puff a few times in her hands, eyes scrutinizing and curious. Within a matter of moments, the Rowlet gobbled up the Poké Puff.
“Hahah,” Professor Kukui laughed, “I never fed them that before. I get them Poké Beans, yeah, which are more popular around here.”
Very naturally, Carolina patted the head of the Rowlet as she held its Poké Ball nearer. “What do you say? Do you want to go with me?”
The Rowlet squinted its eyes lazily, giving the impression of it somehow smiling. It nodded very surely, flapping its wings one more time to show its approval. Then, with a precise strike, it clicked the button on its Poké Ball and morphed into light again, disappearing into the container. At this, the Litten gave a “Mrowr!” of satisfaction and the Popplio clapped its fins together, almost as if it was applauding. Almost immediately, Rowlet returned back outside the Poké Ball and started flying over Carolina’s head, drawing a giggle out of the young girl.
Meanwhile, Kaye was observing the process in careful silence. How did she decide on her starter so quickly? Her heart sank for a moment when watching Carolina cuddle with Rowlet, pressing the side of her face to the owlet’s: they looked so close already, despite only knowing each other for about 4 minutes or so…
“Hey Kaye, are you going to choose a partner, too?” Carolina asked with both hands clasping onto Rowlet’s Poké Ball.
Kaye snapped out of the trance, suddenly realizing that she was staring at Carolina and the Rowlet for far too long. She gave another look at the two starters, feeling even more hesitant about them. Litten or Popplio? How will she choose quickly? This was going to be her partner for the whole journey! Sighing, she waved her hands dismissively. “I’ll take some time to think. Maybe another 10 minutes?”
“Well then…” Carolina announced while twirling to face the others, “Professor Kukui! Can I leave my stuff here on your couch for a while? I want to go take a little walk with my new Pokémon partner. I won’t be gone for long and I’ll try to catch Kaye with her new partner!”
“Oh, of course! Enjoy all the sights you see, yeah, especially with new friends,” Professor Kukui replied, waving his hand as she also waved back, though, for some odd reason, he looked at Kaye when he said it. Carolina disappeared behind the door frame.
It was almost as if the professor didn’t finish a previous sentence or a thought. “Woo! That was nice, don’t you think?”
“Oh, yeah,” Kaye answered a little reluctantly. Truthfully, she was a little envious of Carolina’s ability to just meet someone new so quickly—Kaye hasn’t approached any of the starters yet.
“You seem a little down. You feeling alright?”
Kaye gave the professor a long look before she walked back to the couch and sat down. “Was it that obvious?”
Professor Kukui shrugged. His earlier playful smirk slowly disappeared, replaced by a serious look as he recalled the Litten and the Popplio into their Poké Balls. “Well, you seemed down ever since your talk with Carolina back there.”
“Ah. I just felt bad for rejecting her idea since she seemed so excited about it,” Kaye sighed, fidgeting with her tie.
But Professor Kukui’s eyes seemed to be saying something else: And? Is that the only reason?
The professor’s worried look was infectious, so Kaye found herself spilling more anyways, saying, “And I guess I don’t really want people around me.”
“I don’t think that you don’t want friends from the way you were looking at the Rowlet and that girl,” Professor Kukui added with a confident tone. “Honestly, I think it’s impossible to have an enriching journey without deep connections with anyone, right?”
“I could just visit the Trials and challenge the League without meeting anyone, really. I’d have my Pokémon throughout the whole thing.”
“I guess you’re right, but wouldn’t it be quite boring? At least to me, being a trainer is as much about the people as it is about the Pokémon.”
Kaye fell into silence. The professor was making a good point, and Kaye recalled the novels she read and the series she watched as a child. Like many others of her generation, she followed Ash Ketchum’s adventure in Gotta Catch’em All, one of the longest-running television series in the world. She thought about her favorite characters and dynamics in it, but it almost felt like it was those characters’ closeness that gave voice to her most worried doubts:
“Professor Kukui…I can’t reach out to others easily. At least not like her. It’s not second nature to me.”
Professor Kukui gave Kaye a rather blank look that she cannot read. Suddenly, there was the sound of something hitting the ground. With a very familiar pop! of a Poké Ball, the silhouette of Popplio formed from the light.
The Popplio moved towards Kaye, clapping its fins together like the applause from before. “Bwark! Bwa-ark!”
Professor Kukui looked at the Popplio with soft eyes, picking it up. “Our little friend here seems to be trying to cheer you up!”
Popplio flapped its tail in a casual wave-like motion, seemingly trying to signal Kukui to move closer to Kaye. Kaye understood and walked over to the Popplio instead, kneeling down to look at it face-to-face before Popplio blew up and burst a bubble.
“Ah!” Kaye yelped, scurrying back in surprise. The Popplio made a sound like laughter, then clapped its fins again.
Professor Kukui laughed, too. The sound of laughter from both the professor and the Popplio touched Kaye, and she started laughing, too, somewhat oddly. When the laughter died down, the professor thoughtfully added, “All friends start as strangers. When someone reaches out for an invitation, it’s equally important to try to reach back, too.”
“Bwark! Bwark!” Popplio seemed to nod in agreement.
“Like this Popplio. He’s inviting you to bring him along!”
“Bwark!” the Popplio added in agreement, giving puppy eyes to the girl. Stern amber eyes stared back, though rather gentle this time around. Supposing that Popplio truly was looking forward to their adventure together…Kaye found her heart melting at this moment and she extended a hand to the Popplio.
“Hey, Popplio. Do you really want to come with me?”
The Popplio nodded firmly, smiling at Kaye. Professor Kukui handed the Poké Ball to Kaye as she gave the Popplio one final look of confirmation. The Popplio was anticipating and smiling, so she recalled Popplio into the Poké Ball. It was surprisingly unceremonious, but Kaye doesn’t mind at all, so long as the Popplio doesn’t.
Kaye spent the next few moments studying the Poké Ball, mostly thinking about that precious Popplio inside. The determination of the Popplio to meet and know Kaye is what made Kaye determined to make this friendship work. How could she not, after all of that?
Some things cannot be planned ahead. Friendship seems to be one of those things.
I suppose I should seek out something more, then.
Clap, clap, clap! Professor Kukui applauded, snapping Kaye back into reality. His applause was similar to how Popplio was clapping for Carolina, and his smile was the brightest she had ever seen from him, almost with a hint of pride. “Bravo! You did pretty well there, cousin. You’re not bad, not bad at all!”
“Really? That’s only because the Popplio approached me first…”
“Then maybe you should reconsider Carolina’s offer? She did approach you first, like that Popplio, and she feels super friendly, too, yeah.”
Kaye fell into silence again. The professor was again, technically right, but Pokémon has always been much easier to understand than people. But if Kaye was going to try and understand others more, this would be a good place to start.
“Professor, I’d still have to think about it. It’s harder with people.”
“Yeah, I gotcha, yeah. You should go at a pace you’re comfortable with,” he said, giving her a reassuring smile as he places a hand on her shoulders. “Just think about it, ok?”
“Sure,” Kaye replied, looking at Popplio’s Poké Ball. She felt something unsaid missing in the air, so she decided to add, “Thank you.”
The professor lifted his hand in acknowledgment and began to make his way down a flight of stairs. Kaye lets out a little sigh of relief, feeling some kind of weight lifted from her shoulders. A positive mindset, Kaye thought to herself, though before figuring out where that sentence goes, the door swung upon slowly with an unsuspicious cree-e-ek along with the head of a certain young girl peeking in.
“May I come in?” Carolina mumbled, stepping in lightly and more cautious than she was last time.
“D-Did you hear anything?” and Kaye’s voice tensed up again.
“Oh no no no, I didn’t. I just came back from the beach with Rowlet! You should’ve seen the way the Wingulls around here swoop down and take the Poké Puffs from my hands!”
“That must’ve been very nice,” Kaye replied as she began to imagine the girl near the beach, laughing and throwing Poké Puffs at the Wingulls. It seemed much more comical than what Carolina stated, so Kaye dismissed the thought.
“Oh! And lemme guess…” Carolina’s eyes darted toward the Poké Ball in Kaye’s hands. “Popplio?”
“Yeah.”
“Very nice! Very, very nice!” Carolina responded, but she seemed to have something else on her mind already. She took a deep breath before asking, “Kaye, when are you planning to leave? Do you have any more plans today?”
“I was going to check into my hotel today and finalize my schedule for my trip to Ula’Ula island. I need to find out exactly when my visit to the Aether Paradise will be…”
“I’d love to take a look there too!” she chimed, pausing to gather her thoughts a little. “Say, why don’t we exchange phone numbers? Maybe we’ll see each other near there or something.”
“About that—” Kaye started, feeling tense for some reason, but she tried to clear those thoughts away. “—I’m thinking, maybe, I’ll travel with you for a little bit. To try to open myself a up little more, and to get to know you, since you seem so nice.”
“Oh really?” Carolina said, clearly caught by surprise, but maybe to mask it up, she took a sugar-coated donut from seemingly nowhere, almost like magic. “That’d be great! Hey, wanna have this donut?”
“Uh,” Kaye answered automatically, her mind not caught up with how quickly the conversation shifted. “Wait, how did you—no, when did you get that?”
“Don’t worry about it! I promise it’s totally safe! In fact, I can show you where the store is!” Carolina announced as she triumphantly strode towards the door, the donut still in her hand. “We can discuss the details there!”
“About the journey…or the donut?”
“Why not both?” Carolina answered without looking back, already at the door frame. She signaled Kaye to go towards the door by motioning her hand.
“Huh,” Kaye mumbled as she went over to the couch to grab her leather bag and she rushed towards the door to catch up with Carolina.
“Go-od by-ee, Professor Kukui!” Carolina called out into the room in high spirits, hoping that it would reach the professor downstairs. She waved fervently in the general direction of Professor Kukui, pretending that he was there in the room.
Kaye noted Carolina’s waving in confusion, but she managed to chime in as well, saying “Yeah, goodbye!”
To their surprise and delight, the familiar voice from below echoed, “Yeah kids, have a good one! Update me when you can!”
Both Carolina and Kaye gave an affirmative “Sure!” before the two of them began to head out. Kaye pushed open the door for Carolina, still a little dazed in her thoughts. Something else was bothering her: “Carolina, why did you wave at the professor when we were leaving? Surely you knew that he couldn’t see it?”
“Oh!” Carolina replied with another giggle, “It’s the thought that matters! Some things can only be transmitted by the heart—you can just feel it! And I’m sure the professor did.”
They walked out of the porch of the laboratory, stepping onto the warm sand that seemed somehow brighter than before. Kaye took a deep breath, shielding her eyes from the Alolan sun. Kaye gave one last good look at the professor’s laboratory, wondering briefly how much this journey will change her before she visits this place again.
From what Kaye can see, though, Carolina ran out into the sand, wearing a smile almost as bright as the sun itself.
“Let’s go, Kaye! Our journey is only beginning!”