Chapter Text
It’s been a week since Lillie returned to Alola, and it seemed as if nothing had changed. In fact, the breeze felt cooler, the sun shone brighter, and everything felt normal. And as for Lillie, she talked to everyone like she used to; she was still on top of her class, but something seemed off. She’d been growing distant with Mallow.
It's not like she didn't talk to her, but it felt like they weren't as close as they used to be, as if she was avoiding her; unfortunately, the reason was unclear. Even so, Mallow tried to find reasons for her distance. Did she make a joke that offended her? Did she put her in an awkward situation in the past, or was she just being incompetent? The thought of her hurting her friend ached at her, especially if she didn’t know why. She sighed quietly as she mindlessly scribbled in her notebook.
Her eyes flickered from the back of Lillie's head to her unfinished notes about the anatomy of an Alolan Riachu. Though she didn’t want to admit it, she thought looking at Lillie would give her the answer, even though she knew it was completely pointless. As much as she tried to avoid staring at her for long, her eyes always ended up meeting her platinum blonde hair, glimmering in the Alolan sun.
Her face tilted toward her hand as she ventured deeper into thought, locking focus on the back of Lillie’s head.
In fact, she was so lost in thought that she completely forgot she was in the middle of a lesson. But Professor Kukui's sudden cry of her name brought her back to reality.
”Mallow?” Though his voice sounded gentle, it was loud enough to bring Mallow back to her senses.
She glanced down at her notes, only to see a half-finished diagram of a Riachu’s tail; she hadn’t even started jotting. She was too busy thinking about Lillie; she couldn’t even complete her work. Gosh, and everyone was looking at her now. She felt her face getting hot.
Kukui cleared his throat, adjusting his visor.
”Sorry about that, but now that I have your attention, could you tell me why an Alolan Riachu is different from one in … let's say Kanto?” An apologetic smile rose across his face.
She blinked, opened her mouth, but nothing came out. How could she forget? She’d studied this particular topic for days.
”Oh, uhm…” A nervous giggle seeped through her teeth.
She closed her eyes for a second, trying to form a thought, but her mind was completely blank. Seconds ago, she was going on a mental tangent about what she could've done, but now nothing. Her eyes darted around the classroom, in hopes that maybe an object would bring her back to her senses.
From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Sophocles mouthing the answer to her, but was immediately shot a glare by their Professor.
Finally, it clicked. felt like hours- 12 humiliating hours, though it was only 8 seconds.
Quickly, she said, “Because, for Pokémon to survive in different environments, they have to adapt to their surroundings, as for a Riachu,” She took a short breath, “ a Pikachu evolves on Alolan land because of its weather, food, and ecosystem.” Her voice was wobbly and uncertain, and she was pretty sure she’d left out some factors, but Professor Kukui’s nod of satisfaction eased her.
Her teacher continued with his lesson. She let out a sigh of relief. She felt so stupid. She rested her head against her desk; the cold surface stung her face, but it was the only thing that could cool it down after embarrassing herself in front of her whole class. She raised her head slightly, shifting it to the left–only revealing her eyes.
Kiawe lifted a brow; concern washed over his face. He knew it was out of character for her to act like that. In return, not wanting him to worry about her problems, Mallow shook her head dismissively.
Her eyes tracked the clock: fifteen more minutes. Thankfully, it was the last class of the day. At least for the last few minutes, she concluded that paying more attention to her work would be more beneficial than looking at her classmate. She couldn’t risk getting distracted again, at least not here.
The bell had rung, and Mallow was packing up to go home. She couldn't help but stare at Lillie; she hoped that when she was finished talking to their professor, she would approach her, though that never happened. Just before she was about to walk up to her, she felt a gentle tap on her right shoulder.
”Hey Mallow, you feelin’ alright?” She rested her hand on her shoulder.
Mallow jolted her head towards her, a bit stunned by the sudden gesture. “Oh, yeah, I'm fine.” She scratched the back of her neck sheepishly, her face painted in surprise.
Lana observed Mallow’s face; she knew she was hiding something.
“Maybe after school we could hang out at my place to talk about it,” she paused – “if you can.” To be frank, Lana wasn’t even entirely sure if she was available, especially because of her family business.
“Mhm, sure! I guess keeping it isn’t the best way to manage my feelings,” she admitted, abashed. She pulled the drawstrings of her backpack, closing it tight, flinging the bag over one shoulder, adjusting the straps as the duo made their way out of the classroom.
She glanced at Lillie one last time; her stomach churned.
While they descended the steps, Mallow peered at the Pokémon trotting beneath her. Tsreena and Primarina conversed with each other cheerfully as they strolled with their trainers.
By now, they were making their way to Lana’s house. The ambient sound of waves crashing onto the shore filled their ears, as salt water lingered in the air. The duo strolled on the path to Lana’s house — conversing about multiple events that had taken place since they knew each other.
While they were reminiscing on the past, Lana recalled what their professor was talking about earlier; maybe it was something that Mallow said that reminded her of it.
“Did you hear what Professor Kukui said?” Lana tilted her head while she questioned her friend
“No, I don’t think I did.” Mallow bowed her head in embarrassment
“Not surprised,” she joked; this had to be the first time she saw her friend so absent during a lesson.
“From what I remember, we're going to have to do a two-person project tomorrow on a Pokémon with an Alolan variant; we have to choose from a stick to see who we’re partnering with.”
She informed her, kicking stones as they progressed through Mele-Mele Island. By this time, they were right outside of Lana’s house. Lana scrubbed through her pockets looking for her house key.
“Oh, really,” Mallow raised an eyebrow.
She lifted her head, midway through opening the door. “Yeah! I hope I get Sosphelses or Lillie.”
Lillie, Mallow’s face grew solemn. She tried her hardest to stay buoyant, but Lillie’s absence was gnawing at her. What had she done wrong? Why was it only her that she was acting distant towards? It wasn’t too long until Lana noticed the sudden change in her mood.
“It’s about – Lillie, isn’t it?” Lana suggested, as she approached the question carefully.
Mallow tried to answer, but no words came out. She knew opening up wasn’t the most enjoyable thing to do, but it’d never troubled her this badly; she could only nod in affirmation.
She pulled open the door. “I thought so-”
Lana was cut off by the excited shrieks of her younger siblings. Mallow’s Pokémon, Steenee, stepped back, bewildered by the two of them.
“Aw, what a cute Pokémon!” “So cute!”
The duo ran up to Tsrenna and started love bombing her; pulling at her cheeks, petting her, and knuzzling her. Mallow wasn’t so phased–knowing Lana’s siblings, though their sudden appearance had her heart skip a beat.
“Could you two quit it already?” Lana exclaimed, pulling the three of them apart.
“Aw…” “But it’s so cute!” Her siblings wailed
“You two can play with Tsrenna later.” She let out a soft sigh before resting her palm on her forehead
Mallow took a deep inhale to clear her mind, and the atmosphere of Lana’s house filled her lungs; it’s been a while since she’d been here, but it was still warm and welcoming. The familiar scent of saltwater filled the seashells hung on the wall. It felt like her second home.
They went to Lana’s room to put down their backpacks and for Lana to get new lining for her fishing rod. Shortly after, they went back outside.