Chapter Text
* * * * *
"Don't you feel a little bad for her?" Lillie asked Kapua, but she kept her eyes on Moon.
"I might if she weren't secretly enjoying the teasing," said Kapua blandly, taking a sip from her thermos.
Lillie considered this, still studying her friend. Plumeria was brushing a last layer of glimmering golden powder over Moon's cheekbones; then Trinh held up a spray bottle.
"Close your eyes for setting spray."
Moon closed her eyes. "What's setting spray?"
"How the fuck do you not know what setting spray is?" wondered Trinh, misting the contents of the bottle over Moon's face. Uilani snickered, brandishing a hair-straightener.
"It keeps makeup from coming off," replied Plumeria. "It's nice for everyday, but it's especially necessary for performance or photography because you're usually under bright lighting, which is hot enough to make you sweat it off."
"Oh."
"Okay, stand up and turn your face from side to side."
Moon stood and obediently turned her face as Plumeria inspected her handiwork.
"Okay, that will do."
"That'll do, pig, that'll do," murmured Guzma under his breath. Lillie frowned, slightly offended, but Kapua merely snickered.
"If... it's not an insult, it's probably a reference?" she ventured meekly, quoting the advice Hau had given her about pop culture.
"It's from a movie called Babe," said Caroline absently. "It's about a Tepig that learns to herd Wooloo and competes with herding-trained Stoutland and Boltund. Really cute movie."
Guzma squinted at Lillie. "Some of the kids made Gladion sit down and watch a bunch of flicks when he first showed up. Do you wanna do something like that?"
Lillie was honestly touched by the thought. "Thank you for the offer, but I've watched quite a few movies with Moon and Hau so I think I'm okay."
The interview was conducted first, sitting in the conference room. The photographer, Nancy, did take a few pictures while Moon and the journalist, Curtis, were seated on two tall stools at one end of the room, but mostly waited and listened. Curtis had a voice recorder, so there was no writing or delay and the interview progressed more like a conversation.
Plumeria didn't bother pulling a chair over to their group; she just sat right down on Guzma's lap. One of his arms curled around her waist almost automatically. Lillie had a fleeting curiosity about what Hau would do in that situation with her, but quickly dismissed it. Trinh and Uilani had left, not really invested in any other part of the interview; but Molly and Rogelio were sitting with Caroline, who was listening intently to Moon and Curtis and nodding along with Moon's answers. Kahili, who had become increasingly taciturn throughout the hair-and-makeup process, remained as silent as ever; but she didn't seem upset by anything Moon was saying.
"We haven't really met, have we?" said Kapua to Plumeria.
"We saw you here after Moon came back from Ultra Space, but that's it," answered Plumeria, leaning forward and offering one hand to shake. "This is Guzma Mahelona, and I'm Plumeria Sauvageot. Nice to meet you." The Kalosian surname, which Lillie hadn't known before, rolled easily off her tongue.
"Kapua Hawkins." Kapua shook her hand. "So, you're the leaders of Team Skull?"
Guzma's face went slightly pinched, but Plumeria merely nodded. "That's us."
"It must be a lot of work, taking care of so many kids. I had my hands full with just the one, so I don't think I could handle a hundred."
Plumeria grinned. "Well, it helps that we didn't have to deal with them as toddlers, and most of them are late teens so they've usually gotten over acting bratty."
"Mine's eighteen and she's still a brat half the time," said Kapua dryly. Guzma had just taken a sip from his thermos but at this he choked and spat it out, turning his head to the side so it landed on the ground. Plumeria looked at him for a few moments, then patted his head and got up, walking over to a table that contained a random assortment of items and retrieving a plastic can of cleaning wipes.
"Thanks," muttered Guzma, red in the face.
"Sure. Hey, Mrs. Hawkins, do you know any Kalosian?"
"I know a few words. Moon took a year of it in high school, but she hasn't retained much. Why?"
"I was thinking that one of the things you generally have in common with your daughter is sang-froid."
"Cold blood?" said Lillie, with a frown. "I wouldn't call Moon cold-blooded."
"It's an idiom," explained Plumeria. "It does literally translate to 'cold blood,' but sang-froid also means composure under trying circumstances. I would argue that staging a musical theater production to rescue most of Team Skull is a pretty impressive display of sang-froid."
Guzma snorted. "And so is high-fiving the guy who makes a dirty joke about your daughter's boyfriend."
"Surprisingly," said Kapua, "I am actually the more uptight parent. Moon truly gets her sang-froid from Yoshiro. I've just gotten very good at staying relaxed. And as parents, we've tried to be very open about discussing sex. Many people treat it like this be-all, end-all dynamic in a relationship, but it's just a biological function— albeit a very important one— and there are plenty of funny things that can happen with it. We don't exclusively make dirty jokes, but neither do we avoid them if the opportunity—" Her mouth twitched. "—uh, rises."
Lillie felt herself go pink, but Guzma and Plumeria both snickered. "You're pretty cool, Mrs. Hawkins," said Guzma. "Molly and Rog both said you were, but it's good to hear anyway."
"They're great kids," said Kapua, with a fond glance at Molly and Rogelio. "But I think out of all of my daughter's friends, Lillie is still my favorite."
She hadn't even gotten over blushing from the earlier dirty joke before she was now suddenly attacked by more embarrassment, with a touch of gratitude. "I— um, thank you."
"You're welcome. And I should really thank Amelia for that, too."
Amelia had been doing something on her tablet, but at this her gaze flicked over and she offered a brief smile. "Any of Lillie's good personality traits must be credited to Lillie alone, I'm afraid."
"That's really not true, Amelia," said Lillie, shaking her head. "Some things really have to be taught, and I certainly wasn't going to learn them from Lusamine. I wouldn't ever have learned to be generous or patient from her. I might have learned a façade of good manners or kindness, but those things were only ever tools she used to manipulate us. With you I learned them for real."
Amelia still looked so strange, with only a centimeter or so of dark hair covering the entirety of her head, and a new pair of glasses— lenses rimmed in gold wire, rather than the thick pink frames that Faba had destroyed. Within those glasses, green eyes widened as they gazed at Lillie.
"Thank you," she said, after a few moments. "That— it means a lot to hear, Lillie." Her voice was still too-quiet and raspy, another change that had taken some getting used to.
"Could I get you some tea or something, Amelia?" asked Kapua.
Amelia sighed. "I probably should have something like that," she admitted. "My physicians have encouraged me to take willowbark tea, ostensibly for swelling and any abrasion; and to add plenty of honey, which has healing and preservative properties. The only problem is, I loathe most teas, including willowbark, with every fiber of my being. I would much prefer something else."
"Coffee?" suggested Lillie. "It's warm like tea."
"Hm, that may be for the best. I was also advised to avoid soda, which is my preferred caffeine intake. Particularly acidic or high-sugar sodas, and Lanakila Dew is both of those."
"I'll get you a thermos," volunteered Lillie, half out of her seat.
Amelia shook her head. "I'll text the kitchens and have them bring some for everyone. I should have done that earlier anyway, but it must have slipped my mind." She typed something on the tablet, concluding with a decisive tap, before turning the screen off and sliding the tablet into the holster on her waist. She smiled wanly at Lillie. "More things seem to be slipping my mind these days, I'm afraid."
Lillie looked at her for a few moments, then rose from her chair and bent to put her arms around Amelia's shoulders. "It's okay," she said quietly. "It's not forever."
Nobody else would have noticed unless they were this close, but she felt Amelia inhale, then exhale deeply. "Thank you," she murmured.
"You're welcome."
Kapua and Plumeria both smiled approvingly at Lillie when she sat down. Guzma was staring off into space with a slight frown.
The coffee was delivered about fifteen minutes thereafter, but much to Lillie's surprise it was not brought by the kitchen staff or even one of the Team Skull kids, who generally didn't mind running little errands like this. A cart that Lillie had never seen before, with what seemed to be a tank of water attached to it and pipes running up the sides, was pushed into the room first by Molayne, of all people; and on his heels was Colress, who was tapping at the device on his wrist with a slight frown on his face.
Lillie couldn't quite help the fear that washed through her at the sight of Colress.
"I'm pretty sure neither of you are on the mansion kitchen staff," said Plumeria dryly.
"No, but I finished with what I was doing and happened to be in the area, so I volunteered to bring it over."
Kahili was staring at Molayne, a slight frown on her face. "What were you doing here?"
"Gladion contracted me to work on some IT security stuff after all the Rainbow Rocket shenanigans," was the cheerful reply. "I've been working on it with Dr. Colress in my free time."
"And what the fuck is that?" said Guzma, pointing at the cart.
"Colress Machine, number three hundred eighty-one," said Colress absently, still tapping at his tablet. "A mobile mass caffeination dispenser."
"Big coffeepot on wheels," translated Molayne. "Kitchens were kind of dubious, but we tested it out on some of the Skulls and they said it tastes great."
"You gave them coffee?" said Plumeria, her eyes narrowing.
"I gave Raquel, Trinh, and Uilani coffee— all of whom are over eighteen and not terribly likely to do anything stupid on a caffeination high."
Plumeria relaxed. "As long as it wasn't Ki-moon. He turns into a fucking Bunnelby and bounces off the walls when he has caffeine."
"Not Jeremiah?" said Lillie, curious.
"No, because caffeine can actually be helpful for people with ADHD. Helps them focus."
"I didn't know he had ADHD."
"He didn't, either," said Guzma dryly. "Not 'til Plumes brought the kids here and Ms. Wicke had everyone willing make an appointment with Aether psychiatrists. The one who met Jer noticed a bunch of symptoms in about thirty seconds so he decided to do a formal evaluation."
"It's made a huge difference," said Plumeria, more to Amelia than anybody else, "as he's no longer as skittish as a feral Torracat. So thanks for that."
Lillie walked over to the... mobile mass caffeination dispenser? Colress Machine three hundred eighty-one? Big coffeepot on wheels? Honestly, she wasn't sure what to call it. There were little creamer cups and sugar packets in small ceramic bins on top of the cart, and a paper cup dispenser with the thick, heat-conserving cups stacked nearby it. Several people had already tried it out and she'd watched them to figure out how it worked, so she took a cup and tried to remember how Wicke took her coffee, when she had coffee at all.
"Two sugar, one creamer," said Colress, without looking up.
Lillie flinched, nearly dropping the empty cup. By the way Colress stilled momentarily, he had noticed. "What?"
"For Ms. Wicke. She takes two sugar and one creamer, if she must have coffee."
"How do you know?"
At this Colress looked up, yellow eyes meeting hers. "I observed," he said politely. "I always do. You're uncomfortable with my presence. I can leave, if that's what you would prefer."
"Well, it's your machine," said Lillie, indicating the cart. "So you're probably gathering data on how it works?"
"I am, but it is possible to monitor from elsewhere."
Lillie didn't answer right away. Colress offered a brief nod, then turned halfway toward the door.
"Wait," she said automatically. "I didn't— really, you don't have to go."
"I really do not wish to distress you further," he said gently. "I've done enough of that, don't you think?"
Lillie swallowed. "If I can get used to Captain Phyco and Lieutenant Soliera, I can get used to you."
"If that is what you would like."
"It wasn't on purpose," she said, unable to maintain eye contact. She poured some of the coffee into the cup, then set it down on top of the cart so she could use both hands to open a creamer. "That's what Moon said. It wasn't on purpose, that you told Faba that hurting Ne— Cosmog would, um, catalyze the natural evolution process."
"It was not on purpose, but it was still done carelessly and I regret it."
His voice was very soft. Normally, Lillie could and would hold a grudge— and she had held a grudge against Colress for a fairly long time— but it was easier to see now that he was not the monster she had thought him.
"I have endeavored to make up for it how I could," he continued. "In the time after President Mohn went to Ultra Space, but before Rainbow Rocket attacked and Faba was arrested by Interpol, I worked with Dr. Faba in R&D. It was what I had been doing before, though more of my work was with Captain Phyco and Lieutenant Soliera. But after President Mohn left, I assisted Ms. Wicke in distracting and misleading Dr. Faba, so that he would have little opportunity to get up to mischief."
"Not that it stopped him."
"Yes, well— I wasn't about to visit him in his personal quarters and demand to see his communications."
"I wasn't blaming you," Lillie said quickly, because he had sounded slightly defensive. "I know he's— um, slippery."
A wry smile made its way onto his face. "I see. But I think you may have missed the chance to do what you intended to do."
"What do you mean?"
He nodded at something behind her, and Lillie turned to see Molayne holding a cup of coffee out to Amelia. She murmured something and accepted the cup. Molayne had a cup of his own, and he took Lillie's empty seat next to her and settled down, clearly in a chattery mood.
"Did he make it correctly?"
"He asked me if I knew how she took it, and I told him."
"Why?"
"Coffee, and I suppose tea and cocoa and all hot drinks that may be served to a variety of preferences, is an interesting interpersonal phenomenon."
Lillie blinked at him. "I think I'm more confused than I was before."
"Some of the most lucrative businesses in the world are related to coffee. Most people learn both their own preferences and those of others, because it enables them to make a simple gift to curry good will or favor. Despite what pop culture may wish us to believe, there isn't any proven link about how one's coffee preferences may influence one's personality— but knowing someone's preference can still be useful." Humor flickered in his eyes. "For instance, at any meeting at which Ms. Wicke, Dr. Faba, and myself were all present, I generally made a point of volunteering to bring coffee. This has an effect of causing powerful people to underestimate you. If you are willing to do something so menial, they often dismiss you as being kind-hearted or foolish. I brought coffee for the sole reason of always giving Ms. Wicke the coffee she preferred, while purposefully bringing an incorrectly made one to Dr. Faba. He couldn't very well yell at me about it; after all, bringing him coffee wasn't my job. It was just a favor."
"That's so petty! I love it." Lillie began giggling despite herself, and his lips curled up into a miniscule smile.
"Sadly, he never caught on that I was doing it on purpose. Ms. Wicke did, though."
His gaze drifted back beyond Lillie, to where Molayne still seemed to be talking Amelia's ear off; but she didn't seem to object to this— and more importantly, in Lillie's opinion, she was leaning back, eyes closed, with the ever-present tablet tucked into the holster on her belt.
"If he can get her to take a nap or something, I'd be incredibly grateful," muttered Lillie.
"Well, she has had a cup of coffee, but he may have given her the decaffeinated variety."
Lillie turned back to raise an eyebrow at Colress. "You have a decaf option on this cart? Isn't the purpose of it for caffeination?"
"That's the idea, but I am under the impression that Mr. Parker is of your opinion regarding Ms. Wicke's need to take a nap."
"So he's— talking at her?"
"It's working, isn't it?" said Colress reasonably.
He had a point. Colress usually did. Lillie found herself studying him, unsure what to make of this man who made sly jokes, who was so petty he brought Faba the wrong coffee on purpose, who used his not inconsiderable genius to create machines that tracked Pokémon, opened wormholes, and sensed Z-Crystal locations— and also an invisibility button and a big coffeepot on wheels.
"What was it you did, in Unova?"
There was a long pause.
"I know you do not trust me," said Colress steadily, his eyes still on Amelia and Molayne, "and you believe my telling you would prove I am trustworthy. If I actually told you, you would believe the opposite." He paused. "And the one person who must never know what I did, above all else, is your brother."
"Gladion? Why?"
The yellow eyes fixed upon her finally. "Answering that is answering the question you asked originally. I will not tell you why."
"Will you tell me later?"
"Why is it you want to know?" he countered.
Lillie hesitated. "Faba isn't— I don't think he can be saved," she said finally. "He's just rotten, honestly. That's probably my mother's fault. And my mother herself... I don't know. I think she doesn't understand how to have relationships. How to love people. I don't think she ever will. But Captain Phyco and Soliera... they, um. I guess they technically condoned what happened to Ne— Cosmog, but they regretted it. They still regret it."
He was still watching her, not speaking. Lillie took a deep breath. "I guess I want to understand," she said finally. "How much you... regret it."
For a while, he didn't say anything at all, his eyes still searching hers with unreadable intent. "Ghetsis was different," he murmured finally. "But he also did not understand... how to love people. And his son—" His mouth tightened closed for a few moments. "A person who loved him, though that love was undeserved and unreturned, suffered for it."
Lillie remembered Ghetsis— remembered Cofagrigus, mostly. Remembered being wrapped in cold, creeping smoke-tendrils that she could not break. Remembered the crazed expression in the single scarlet eye. Remembered the pain in her finger and the way time crawled to a halt as the bone snapped.
"I chose, back then, to ignore it. I chose to remain silent. And I have regretted it ever since. I very nearly made that same mistake with you, but I was not too late. Once I understood, I went to Ms. Wicke, and she promised to ask you to leave."
Lillie stared at him in surprise. It was true that originally... it had been Amelia's idea for her to leave Aether Paradise with Nebby. Once it had been suggested she had seized on the idea desperately, adopting it until it felt like her own. An idea she hadn't known she had. Then, of course, Nebby had "yeeted" (Hau's term, not hers) them out of Aether Paradise before they could complete the escape the way Amelia had intended.
"And then you were gone. I did not have the chance to... apologize, before you left. So I understand why you have had such difficulty with me. To you, I must seem almost a greater monster. Someone who sees a child suffering and does nothing to stop it. But I swear to you I am not. I swear to you that I am no longer the man who ignores it."
His voice was quiet and his expression was calm, but Lillie could tell he meant every word.
* * * * *
Much to Lillie's surprise, Colress and Molayne stayed with the group of people watching and supporting Moon— though supporting might have been a strong word, for some of those present.
Once the interview was concluded, they went outside in the bright afternoon sunlight to get some shots of Moon with the ocean in the background. The photographer, Nancy, initially seemed rather shy; but Lillie was impressed with how dedicated she was to her craft. She would lie down on the ground or step onto one of the little stone walls to get the best angle— more often the latter, because she was quite short. At one point, Lillie heard her say, "Curtis, could you—" and Curtis laughed quietly, before crouching in front of her; after some maneuvering, he straightened, with Nancy sitting on his shoulders, and she took some pictures from much higher.
Kahili, Kapua, and Amelia watched with similarly polite expressions— the latter two with more fondness than the former, and Amelia periodically dozing off wherever she sat. Colress wasn't paying attention to the photoshoot, instead fiddling with what he continued to insist was called "Colress Machine three hundred eighty-one" and what Molayne claimed was called "Colress's Cool-ass Coffee Cart." Molayne himself alternated between arguing with Colress about the machine, and joining Molly, Rogelio, Guzma, and Plumeria in heckling Moon from the sidelines.
Moon was clearly not entirely sure what she was meant to be doing during a photoshoot, and tended to just stand awkwardly until Nancy took pity on her and told her what she wanted her to do with her hands or face or legs. Lillie had been made to pose for enough pictures, back before her father had died, that she understood the mechanics of it. Long neck, smile with your eyes as well as your mouth, hands at your sides. But as she watched Nancy direct Moon, she could see what the photographer wanted almost before she said it out loud.
Unfortunately, Moon's awkwardness was so obvious that Molly and Rogelio were laughing at her— but also clearly including her in the joke, which Lillie supposed made it a little better.
"One hand on your face— not covering anything," Nancy quickly clarified. "On one cheek. Then turn that cheek more toward me."
"I would pay a lot of fucking money to see a picture in BI of Moon straight-up face-palming," said Molly fervently. "Holy shit, that would be so funny."
"Honestly, with the bullshit she's had to deal with, it would be appropriate," mused Rogelio. Caroline, sitting with them but not participating in the heckling, snorted. So did Moon, which meant that at least three of Nancy's rapid-fire shots were probably ruined by extra-wide nostrils and the clear containment of laughter. Curtis sighed, but he also looked amused. Nancy didn't seem to mind at all.
"Gladion wouldn't like it, though," said Guzma lazily, tipping his face up towards the sun. "He'd want to see her face and all the paint."
"He likes her without it, too," pointed out Plumeria. "Now, if it were the other way around and Gladion were having his picture taken— then the face-palm would be a must. Partly because that's just Gladion's personality, and partly because Moon's got a thing about his hands—"
"And where the fuck did you hear that?" demanded Moon, turning to glare at them. Nancy's eyebrows rose but she pressed and held the camera button, and Lillie heard a rapidfire click-click-click-click-click. It was understandable. Moon tended to look kind of... intense, when she was annoyed.
"We annoyed him into admitting it," said Rogelio shamelessly. "We were asking him if you knew how much he's got a thing for your legs—"
"Which is honestly a euphemism for your ass, let's be real here—"
"No, he actually does like her legs," said Lillie, without thinking about it.
Plumeria grinned, holding out one fist. Lillie hesitated, glancing at Moon, but she just rolled her eyes with a slight smile on her face so she returned the fist-bump.
"And he said you did know, and then we teased him about whether you reciprocated until he finally said I don't know if she likes my legs or not, Arceus fucking hell, all I know is she likes my hands and my smile now will you shut the fuck up."
"Well, he's not wrong," sighed Moon.
"All right, one hand on your hip, let the other fall flat at your side," ordered Nancy. "Lean a little into that side as well— no, the other side. Look at me, raise your chin. First without smiling— good. Now smile, closed mouth."
Molly wolf-whistled, which made Moon twitch with suppressed laughter; nobody else bothered to suppress it. "Damn, Moon, looking like a snack!"
Lillie choked on air, but Moon merely rolled her eyes and snickered.
Eventually Nancy decided they had enough outside, and wanted some indoors. A few were taken in the mansion library, which was very fitting given Moon's love of books. Nancy also seemed fascinated by Team Skull's various graffitis, and had taken some pictures with her cell phone of things she wanted to include in the photos with Moon. A mural drawn by Trinh— skeletons with flowers blooming from their eyes, in what was formerly the schoolroom— was one of them, and what seemed to be a poem, sprayed on the main foyer floor, was another. I don't think I can do this / I don't think I'm meant to fly / But every time I fall asleep / My dreams make me want to try. Nancy took shots of Moon's profile looking at the skeletons, and then she got up on a tall ladder to shoot from overhead with the poem at Moon's feet.
Caroline made a carefully worded suggestion about the destroyed ballroom and the shattered chandelier— obviously some things had been cleaned out, but there was still rubble from the ceiling and pillars all over the floor, with a heavy tarp to cover the massive hole until the roof could be restructured. Moon agreed to try it, admitting that it would make for some striking photography; but she only managed to stay in the room for about three minutes before her eyes began to get a little hazy and her hands began to shake, at which point Kapua insisted they had enough and gently guided her daughter from the room.
It took Moon about ten minutes to recover, sitting in a chair and breathing hard. "I'm sorry," said Caroline meekly. "I shouldn't have said anything."
"Don't be," rasped Moon, accepting a cup of water from Plumeria. Lillie had expected to see lipstick stain on the cup or a smear on Moon's mouth when she was done, but it made sense that Plumeria would know where to find makeup that wouldn't smear or run. Or perhaps that was the work of the setting spray. "Those are gonna be some fucking beautiful pictures. Nancy's terrific at what she does." The photographer went pink under the effusive praise, fiddling shyly with her camera.
But then, Amelia made a suggestion that caused general uproar among the peanut gallery. "One of the bedrooms upstairs has excellent natural lighting at this time of day," she said, with a familiar glint in her eyes. "It's not currently in use, and I know the owner of the room won't mind in the slightest."
Moon squinted suspiciously at her, but it was not until they stopped at Gladion's bedroom door that she turned to glare at Amelia. "Really?"
"It does have good lighting," said Amelia, tone nonchalant. "And it isn't recognizably his room. He doesn't keep personal belongings here anymore."
Moon sighed but turned to Nancy. "It's my boyfriend's room," she explained. "I mentioned him in the interview."
Nancy considered this for a few moments, but then a slight smile made its way onto her face. "This issue will probably air in a week or so, maybe less. Will he still be in Kanto by then?"
"Yeah."
"Is there any kind of message you want to send him? The photoshoot is meant to be glamorous, but it's also meant to be about you, and he's important to you."
Moon's eyebrows rose at the question, and after a few seconds she reached up to absently scratch at the back of her neck. "I mean... I wouldn't necessarily be opposed, but I don't want to, um— come off too strongly? If that makes any sense?"
"Just in the doorway, then," suggested Lillie, picturing it in her own mind. "Or against his bookcase. He has a lot of classics and science fiction, and you share fairly similar taste in literature."
"That's a good idea," agreed Nancy. "But we do already have pictures of you in a library, so I'm more in favor of the door."
After a few moments Moon nodded.
And a few minutes after that, Lillie felt her jaw drop as Nancy arranged Moon to stand with her back facing the camera, fingers clinging to the top of the door frame— which was only possible because of the stilettos— and look over her shoulder. A glance over at the others, crowded further down the hallway, showed them equally stunned. Colress's gaze was more curious than anything, but Kahili's eyes were wide with surprise. Caroline had gone rather pink, and Molly, incorrigibly, turned to Rogelio.
"Hey," she said, grinning. "Do she got the booty?"
Rogelio sighed. "Molly, that meme is like, a billion years old—"
"I said, do she got the booty?"
Another sigh. "She doooooooooooo." He drew out the word rather unenthusiastically.
"Oh my god, you suck."
"Looking good, Moon," called Plumeria. "Nice ass." Guzma snickered.
"It's just the skirt," said Moon, determinedly not looking at any of them.
"You keep telling yourself that."
"You're making me wish I'd worn my kimonos, you can't see anything under those."
"Should we have brought them?" wondered Kapua.
Moon considered this for a few moments. "No," she said finally. "It's not that I don't love them, because I do. But as... weird as this outfit is, it's, um, more representative of who I am now. I'm only a quarter Kantonian and it was all I ever knew before I came here." Her eyes went soft and oddly pained; and Nancy inhaled sharply and held the camera button down, click-click-click-click-click. "But I guess you could say that Alola, um— well, it hasn't changed me, so much as it's, um, revealed me. Revealed who I really am."
"I know the interview is over, but do you mind if I write that down?" Curtis asked, pulling out a notebook. "I like how you phrased that, it's giving me ideas about how to write the article."
"Sure, go ahead."
"I've got it!" said Nancy excitedly, clearly not paying attention to any of them. "I thought for sure the best one was going to be either in the library or by that chandelier, but this one is it. It's the cover." She turned the camera to show it to Moon, whose eyes went wide.
"Um," she said, staring at it for a few moments and swallowing. "Um. Holy shit. I..." Her voice trailed off slightly, and she blinked several times. "I look... nice. I look good."
"You look terrific," said Molly firmly.
"Though you did, in fact, look terrific without the makeup or the fancy clothes," pointed out Plumeria.
"Mm, that's a matter of opinion."
"Are you arguing with me?" Plumeria's tone was dangerous.
Moon blinked at her. "No," she said quickly, though it was clearly a lie. "Just, um. Some other people might. Argue with you."
"They won't be arguing with you after seeing this," said Rogelio firmly. "Moon, I am very gay, and I'm telling you that you're objectively hot. Accept it and move on."
Moon nodded, again not really meaning it— but her surprise at the picture Nancy had shown her lingered, and her eyes kept darting back to the camera as though she wanted to see it again. Lillie knew that Moon's hang-ups about how she looked were related to growing up mixed-race in a region of mostly fair-skinned people; and she knew that Moon liked how she looked but had never considered herself pretty. Lillie had never considered herself pretty either (apparently she was, but Lusamine had trained her into believing she wasn't), so she understood her friend's confusion.
But honestly, thought Lillie, Moon was attractive. Perhaps not attractive in the same way as— say, Plumeria, who was lean and muscular like a Liepard; or Olivia, slender but curvaceous. One almost didn't notice that Moon was attractive, until she smiled or laughed or played with her Pokémon. Until she was in battle, laser-focused on her team and her opponent. Until she was telling someone off for being unkind or disrespectful. Until she was reading, with the entire spectrum of emotions running across her face as the story absorbed her.
Moon's attractiveness laid in her honesty, in how she felt everything with her entire self. Moon's attractiveness was the passion that underlied everything she did. It was not easily calculated or explained. It just was.
* * * * *
Unchanged Forme, Revelation Dance: a travelogue and exclusive interview with Champion Moon Hawkins of the new Alolan Pokémon League
interview by C. Stiles
photography by N. Hale
Nancy and I left Unova late at night and arrived in Alola around the same time— losing some hours to the change of time zones. The airport in which we landed was small but well-kept, on the least developed of Alola's four main islands: Poni Island. And waiting to greet us were Hapu Kahonua, Kahuna of Poni Island; Kahili Hano, of the newly-formed Alolan League's Elite Four; and a representative of the Aether Foundation who introduced herself as Molly Langbroek. ("Technically, I don't represent Aether. But I'm an intern for Ms. Wicke, and she wasn't able to come so she asked me to make sure you arrived safely.")
Kahuna Hapu, Elite Four Hano, and Miss Langbroek welcomed us warmly, and helped carry our bags to a large passenger van. The driver was a young man who looked to be related to Kahuna Hapu (who stated, "I would have driven you myself, but I am neither qualified nor legally permitted to drive a vehicle, particularly one this large."), and as he drove I forced myself to remain awake to ask Kahuna, Elite Four, and intern what they thought of their new Champion.
The responses were interesting. Miss Langbroek answered immediately: "Moon is f****** brilliant. I don't know if I've ever met someone that smart in my life other than like, adults or whatever. She's amazing at battling and she's super brave and really, really strong." But then her face sobered. "And she's going through a lot, but she's slogging through. She never gives up. Moon is a fighter."
Elite Four Hano's answer was less effusive, but no less sincere: "Champion Hawkins is good at her job, and carries herself with confidence and pride." ("You should tell her that," quipped Miss Langbroek.)
But it was Kahuna Hapu's answer that I found most intriguing of all three. She was silent for some time, listening to both of the others answer my question; and then, when I asked if she had any further comment, she said only this: "I have known few people who are as unfailingly, unknowingly, and unassumingly kind as Moon Hawkins."
I had time to reflect on this as Nancy and I were taken to a small fishing-village and put on a gleaming white speedboat. An Aether Foundation employee drove the vehicle. Kahuna Hapu stayed with her island, and Elite Four Hano left for her own residence, but Miss Langbroek accompanied us as she currently resides at Aether Paradise. Both Nancy and I napped during the forty-five-minute journey to the artificial island, but woke when the boat was driven into a small, private dock below what appeared to be the backyard of a large private residence. Miss Langbroek showed us to guest rooms within the residence and bade us good night.
The next morning, we left our rooms and were surprised to be met by a boy of seventeen or so, who introduced himself but asked to be known only as "A." A led us through the mansion to a large room with benches, chairs, and tables to seat perhaps a hundred people. There were a few people present, mostly teenagers. Miss Langbroek was among them, and informed us that Amelia Wicke, acting president of the Aether Foundation, would be unavailable for several hours in order to deal with, in Miss Langbroek's words, "the f****** fashion disaster that is Moon Hawkins." She also stated that she would be unavailable for the same reason, and that if we needed anything we should ask A for assistance.
Through careful questioning of A, we learned that he, like Miss Langbroek, was a friend of Moon Hawkins— and we learned this long before he was probably willing to admit to it, because of his protective instinct to assume our questions were invasive. Our instinct was of course to deny this, but an explanation of some extenuating circumstances— which sadly cannot be repeated here, else the article will be redacted by the International Police— soon made it clear that he was quite correct.
Suffice it to say: Moon Hawkins is truly, as Miss Langbroek said, "super brave."
The morning passed fairly quickly. I prepared for the interview by going over the questions I had planned with A, who turned out to be a brilliant resource I truly had not expected. He flatly vetoed several of my questions, stating that the answers were confidential and/or not Champion Hawkins' secret to reveal; but of others he expressed ardent approval, stating that we "have much better questions planned than [local news broadcast, redacted to negate the insult offered through quotation]." He even had a few suggestions about questions we should ask— questions that, he said, Champion Hawkins would enjoy answering, "and possibly give you more than you bargained for because when she gets excited about sh**, she wil talk your f****** ear off." Nancy prepared for the photoshoot by taking test pictures and checking the lighting.
A took us to have lunch in the same room; there were many more teenagers at this meal, close to a hundred. Nancy wondered aloud if it was some kind of school, but the immoderate laughter at the idea quickly proved otherwise. A eventually informed us that the majority of young people living at the mansion were refugees, having fled from a group home in a dangerous location; and that Amelia Wicke was kind enough to allow them to stay and to make themselves at home.
The meaning of "making themselves at home" was very clear. The mansion reflected a minimalist and monochromatic interior design theme, but a large portion of hallways and parlors had been entirely defaced with a wide rainbow hue of various spray paints, reflecting all levels of artistic skill, as well as various subject matter ranging from moral philosophy to crude innuendo. Nancy had fallen quite in love with it the moment she was awake enough to notice, and we eventually did end up using some of the graffiti in the photoshoot.
We also learned that hosting these young people at the mansion had been a suggestion from Champion Hawkins' boyfriend, who was unavailable for question as he is doing a Gym challenge in Kanto. A told us that we would probably hear a little about Champion Hawkins' boyfriend in the interview, and therefore would not elaborate when we asked questions about him. It was slightly frustrating not to be trusted, but it also made Champion Hawkins all the more intriguing.
Not long after lunch, we were able to meet our host Amelia Wicke, who then introduced Champion Hawkins for the first time. Of course we had seen pictures and film before: screen-captures from her battle to challenge Professor Maleko Kukui as the placeholder League Champion, and her fully televised battle with rival and friend Hau Akiona, her first challenger. And there have been many battles since besides those. But film really did not do Moon Hawkins justice.
Moon is of an average height— shorter than Cynthia, taller than Iris and May, about the same height as Diantha and Rosa. She wears her dark hair short, reaching about to her chin; the sides are partially shaved, only revealed when she tucks her hair behind her ear. The black baseball cap with metal rings she sported in both battles with Kukui and Akiona (and the majority of battles since) was present, worn backwards instead of forward like usual. She wore plain jean shorts and a T-shirt, and was accompanied by four people around her own age, Elite Four Hano, and a woman whom I guessed, by the same striking hazel-gold eyes, had to be Moon's mother.
Moon greeted me in a friendly fashion, complimenting my previous work for this publication; she then greeted Nancy and asked several questions about her camera— it was explained to me later that Moon enjoys photography as a hobby— before we began setting up for the interview. The Champion changed into the outfit she had prepared for Nancy's photoshoot, and several more people arrived to help her with hair and makeup.
We then went to the other end of the room, and I turned on my recorder. A transcript of most of our conversation follows; some parts have been edited for clarity.
CS: So— Moon Hawkins. First Champion of the Alolan League!
MH: (laughing) Yeah, that's me.
CS: Would you mind describing yourself briefly? You don't have much of a social media presence, so most people don't know much about you.
MH: Um, yeah, that makes sense. I guess I don't know what you want to know, really.
CS: Whatever you think would be important.
MH: Okay. Um— I'm from Kanto originally, which I'm sure most people already know. I was born in Viridian City and my parents lived there for a few years until my dad got a job with Silph Co. and we moved to Pallet Town. So usually I tell people I'm from Pallet Town.
CS: Like Champion Red?
MH: And Gym Leader Blue, yeah. I actually kind of grew up with them? They're only a few years older than I am, and if they read this article and find out they were referenced without me clarifying that we're friends, Blue will throw a hissy fit. I'm dead serious, I will get a call. In the middle of the night, because time zones.
CS: So, you're close with them?
MH: Yeah. I guess you could say they're like my older brothers.
CS: What was it like growing up with legends?
MH: Well, the legends thing only happened when I was twelve, and I'd known Red since I was, I dunno, four? That was when my family moved to Pallet Town. Blue and his sister came to live with Professor Oak when I was six or seven. So I don't really see them as legends. They're just like, my two older-brothers-slash-friends. Red forgets to put the milk away after eating cereal, and Blue will whine for hours over the most minor inconvenience. They put their pants on one leg at a time, just like everyone else.
CS: That's fair. Did their careers influence your decision to pursue an island challenge?
MH: Absolutely. I originally thought I would go straight to college once I graduated high school, because I didn't have the money for a Gym challenge. But then my dad was offered a job here, and because my mom is Alolan he really wanted to take it. And I could afford to do an island challenge, so I went for it.
CS: Tell us about your island challenge. What was it like?
MH: (after a pause) Eventful. (laughing) But in all seriousness, it felt natural. It felt like something I was meant to do. Something I was born for. I didn't ever have a Pokémon of my own before I came here, and I used to dream up fantasy teams for every region I knew that had a League.
CS: What Pokémon do you have? Most people already know, but we like to include a small table of names, statistics, and pictures.
MH: Oh yeah, the tables! Those are one of my favorite parts of the interviews. (laughing) Um, first is Puck— now a Decidueye, but I got him as a Rowlet. Ariel, a Toucannon; I caught her as a Pikipek. Ben, a Jolteon— I raised him from an egg. Macbeth, a Golisopod; I caught her as a Wimpod. Hero, a Metagross— I caught them as a Metang. And Kate, who is, um, a Naganadel, and I received her as a gift when she was a Poipole.
CS: I'm not sure I've ever heard of Naganadel or Poipole, aside from your initial local news interview.
MH: I've had the opportunity to learn what I'm allowed to say about them, because there are actually rules about it. Naganadel and Poipole are what's known to INTERPOL as "Ultra Beasts." It's essentially an alternate name for alien Pokémon.
CS: Alien Pokémon?
MH: Yep.
CS: Could you elaborate on that?
MH: What I can say really is pretty limited, but suffice it to say that I was able to offer some assistance to residents of a planet that's located many thousands of light-years from Earth. As a reward for my services, I was given Poipole, who is native to that planet.
CS: You really can't say more than that?
MH: I really can't, sorry. I know that must be frustrating, and I get it because I get super annoyed when people tell me I'm not allowed to know something. But this time it's not any kind of b***sh**— wait, am I allowed to swear?
CS: You can say whatever you like, we'll censor it appropriately.
MH: Cool. Um, this time it's not any kind of b***sh** about how you need to "learn something for yourself." (The quotations were provided by Moon, using her fingers to demonstrate quotation marks.) This time it's legitimately because if too many people know about this kind of assistance, or the method I used to offer it, it could be exploited and cause real danger to the entire world.
CS: Wow.
MH: Yeah, it's classified for a reason.
CS: Well, tell us about challenging the League. I'm sure we all want to know the story behind that.
MH: I mean, I did an island journey, and then I challenged the League. I don't know if there's much more to it.
CS: Many Alolan Trainers who have long since completed the island challenge have scrambled to challenge the League since its opening, resulting in a high number of challengers in the first week or two of the League's opening.
MH: Technically I'm in that number. It opened on Valentine's Day, and I challenged on the twenty-eighth of February. Exactly two weeks.
CS: That's true. Most of those Trainers had been to Mount Lanakila when they completed their own island challenges with— hang on, I'm checking my notes about this because I'm not Alolan, and I don't want to get it wrong— a symbolic battle with the kahuna of each island?
MH: Yeah, that's what used to be the tradition.
CS: Oh, good. Most Trainers had already been to Mount Lanakila, but you must still have been on your way up the mountain when it opened, and the League was announced in— checking my notes again, sorry— October, I believe.
MH: Yeah, around then. I actually knew before the official announcement, because I have a Rotom-Dex. Professor Kukui was kind enough to entrust one to me.
CS: Oh, those are quite rare.
MH: Yeah, and he would check up on Hau and me. Hau Akiona. He'd check on us periodically, because he wanted to... see how we were doing. And some other reasons, but that's actually private so I won't elaborate.
CS: I see. So you were told in advance?
MH: Only by like, a day or two. We happened to be up on Mount Hokulani and I'd never seen Lanakila before, and the view is great from up there. Professor Kukui told us about it then.
CS: Hm. And did that affect your decision to challenge the League as a League, rather than the island challenge?
MH: Yeah, I would say so. I couldn't have done a Gym challenge in Kanto, because I didn't have enough money. I already said this, right?
CS: You did, but it's fine.
MH: Right, well— it was sort of... ugh, how do I say this without insulting anybody... okay, no, I don't care about insulting people with this. It just sucked, because I knew from the time I was like ten, that my family wouldn't be able to afford it. Part of this is because cost of living in Kanto is so f****** high. It's ridiculous if you're not willing to cram yourself into a space that's the size of a d*** shoe closet, and the wages don't match that. And on top of that, people are expected to work ridiculous g**d*** hours, and if they'd rather spend time with their families and have lives outside work, they're mocked and shamed and passed up for promotion. So my family, like— we were always poor. For Kanto. And that sucked, because I wore patched clothes to school and everyone else got a pet when they turned ten and I didn't. So I sort of just resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't gonna go, and focused on getting good grades so I could go to college. That wasn't hard because I've always been the academic type and I guess I'm pretty smart, if I do say so myself. And I actually got accepted to every school I applied to, and I'd almost settled on l'Academie Lumiose when my dad got the news about a job opening in Alola. And we moved like, that month. Which was... about ten months ago, now? Yeah, ten months. Wow.
CS: So you must have been very excited to take a journey with Pokémon.
MH: Yeah, I was. It wasn't the same as a Gym challenge, but I didn't mind that because there were still requirements you had to meet at certain times, and so on. I'd never thought I could have this. I thought I was able to get excited about college or whatever. But this happened, and it's literally the best thing that's ever happened to me and no matter how difficult it's gotten at times, I wouldn't change a d*** thing.
CS: So getting to challenge a League must have felt special for you, then?
MH: Oh, yes. Absolutely, one hundred percent. I had stupid little daydreams even knowing I couldn't do a Gym challenge. Like, okay but what if I could go, and I did it really well, and I made it to Blue and beat him, and then I made it all the way to Red and even beat him? Which is definitely just a daydream because literally no one has officially beaten Red in a battle ever, but I still used to imagine it. And then I would remember: no, I can't do that. So when I heard that Alola was opening a League, I just had this thought, for the first time: yes, I can do that. And that made me determined to work harder than ever. Of course, at this point I thought it was still up to— oh, no, forget I said that.
CS: Still up to what?
MH: (sighing) Well, honestly— this is big and probably people should know. Even though Alola already gets major side-eyed by other regions for it. So we sort of, um, celebrate our native legendary Pokémon, as well as Arceus? Like everyone reveres Arceus even if it's really casual, and most people have a healthy amount of respect-slash-fear for other legendaries in their region. But Alola is different. We're really close to our legendaries because we're such a small region. Kahunas are, quite literally, chosen by the Tapu guardians of each island. Tapu Koko chose my great-uncle Hala. Tapu Fini chose Hapu. Tapu Lele chose Olivia. Tapu Bulu chose Nanu. They picked them out personally, and spoke to them, and they work closely with them in caring for the islands— both for the people who live here, and the Pokémon that do.
CS: I'm still a bit confused— what does this have to do with you challenging the League?
MH: (sighing) The long and short of it is, I was approached. By other legendary Pokémon, not the Tapu guardians. And I was informed that they would like me to be the Champion, so I'd better do my d***edest to make it happen. Until that point, I really did think it was just down to luck and hard work. But I know better now. It's not that the legendary Pokémon were influencing my battle, or that they were making other people perform poorly. It's more like— they inspired me to do my absolute best, and maybe nudged me in a direction that I might not otherwise have chosen. And it's not that title challengers aren't also doing their absolute best. Some of those have been seriously tricky battles, and I don't want anyone to feel bad for losing to me. But at the end of the day, I'm the Champion for a reason. And until the legendaries want someone else to take my place, I'm pretty sure that here I will f****** stay.
CS: There aren't many legendary Pokémon other than the Tapu guardians in Alola, are there?
MH: (laughing) Heh, good catch. No, there are not.
CS: So the one who approached you either had to be Solgaleo or Lunala, correct?
MH: Well, there are more than you think, but the other two are... reclusive, and one of them isn't technically native to Earth anyway— but she's still got a lot of influence here. I think they would both prefer to keep to themselves, but they were involved in the decision along with Solgaleo and Lunala. I said "other Pokémon," not "another Pokémon."
CS: Ah, my mistake. So they both asked you?
MH: Yeah, pretty much. I'm not going into any more detail about that because it is intensely personal to me. Like, it's playing a huge role in the state of my mental health at any given time, and at this point in time that is really up and down and all over the f****** place. Which is fine, and sort of to be expected with all of the upheaval, both personal and professional, to which I have recently been subjected. I'm going to be seeing a therapist, so I'll be fine.
CS: Some people might argue that your seeing a therapist means you wouldn't be fit for the role.
MH: And some people would be full of b***sh**. I was kind of resistant about the idea at first, but it was pointed out to me recently how much I stand to gain from it. And I know plenty of people in similar positions who see a therapist, and it's only ever been beneficial to them.
CS: That's a fair statement. So— you became the Champion on February twenty-eighth. What was your challenge like? Your first time in the League itself?
MH: It was honestly surreal. I kept thinking "oh my god I'm finally doing this." Like my whole life had led up to this point— which I guess is true for every point in my life, but that one especially.
CS: Was it different knowing that you had been chosen?
MH: Actually, I don't think so. I didn't feel like they were influencing anything I did. But I did think that they were watching the battle.
CS: Them, and all of Alola.
MH: I know, right? (laughing) I'd met them all in person before, so I could— well, not exactly sense their presence or anything, but it was like I was aware of what they'd asked me to do. And I felt like I was doing it, and like I was doing it well. Like I was doing the best I could.
CS: That must have been a good feeling.
MH: Oh, yeah. It really was.
CS: Now, I hate to bring up uncomfortable topics— but I'd like to ask you about some of the public statements you've made as Champion.
MH: (laughing) Oh, boy. I wondered when you were gonna ask about that.
CS: (laughing) You expected me to ask?
MH: Yeah. I mean, I basically went viral for a couple of days. And I've been avoiding public statements and interviews for a bit, because I have been told that I need to learn how to— conduct myself a little more professionally? But I don't regret saying that. It needed to be said.
CS: You are actually one of only four Champions of color who is a formal member of the International League, the others being Iris of Unova, Leon of Galar, and Geeta of Paldea.
MH: Really? Wow. Holy sh**, I didn't even think about that. And honestly, they've probably had much tougher experiences than I've had, because I have lighter skin. Colorism is real.
CS: Perhaps, but it could be argued that Unova and Galar are among the more diverse regions of the International League, and therefore that they have been less likely to face racism.
MH: That's fair, but racism doesn't limit itself to regional boundaries. And I've only experienced it like, once here. Only once directly, anyway. Of course, ever since then there's been a flood of internet trolls creeping out from under their bridges, with all kinds of lovely things to say. (laughing)
CS: (laughing) Should I preemptively disable comments on the online edition of this article, then?
MH: Actually, I'd prefer it if you didn't, for the sole reason that if they choose to be awful, someone somewhere is going to call them out on their sh**. Even if it's just me typing on my Rotom-Dex at three in the morning.
CS: They do say to never read the comments.
MH: I guess you have a point. Especially if I ever want to do one of those "Read Mean Chats" segments on a TV show. It's more fun if they can surprise me with it.
CS: Is that something you would like to do?
MH: If I get an offer and my publicist and the League are both okay it? Absolutely. It kills two birds with one stone.
CS: How so?
MH: I get to call people out for being gross racists or just f****** idiots, and I get to display my sparkling and charming sense of humor.
CS: You said it, not me.
MH: Also, I find those segments hilarious when other Champions or celebrities do them, so it would be pretty fun to do one myself.
CS: You hear that, television shows? She's ready to go.
MH: (laughing) Thanks for the shout-out.
CS: (laughing) You're very welcome. Now, again I hesitate to bring this up when we're both in a good mood— but only a day and a half after you were announced as the Champion of the Alolan League, there was an incident here at Aether Paradise.
MH: Ah.
CS: Is there anything you would like to say about that? An account was provided by the press conference you gave at the time with the Elite Four and Island Kahunas, but that was fairly immediate to the situation and I wondered if you might have thought of anything you might like to say to the world since then.
MH: I— god, this is hard. Sorry.
CS: There's no shame in it.
MH: My friend who did my makeup is going to kill me if I actually cry though, so give me a minute.
CS: Of course...
MH: ...Okay, that's better. Whew. To answer your question? There's nothing about that incident I feel needs to be said, but I do have something I don't mind sharing, in lieu of what I experienced.
CS: Then by all means.
MH: Something I've learned since then is that life is confusing. It's difficult and confusing and sometimes your brain does weird things to try and cope. My best friend and her brother, who is also my boyfriend, they've both been through some really horrible things in their lives, and they've come through it all with just the utmost grace. They're both really terrific people. Stellar human beings. I've been through maybe a fraction of awful things by comparison, and I... have not dealt with it well. At all. In many ways, I feel responsible for what happened at Aether Paradise. You see, the attackers called themselves "Team Rainbow Rocket," and I am actually not only acquainted with, but close friends with the man who stopped the original Team Rocket. So I think part of what I've been struggling with since then was that people suffered because of me. Because of my link to Red. But that's not fair to Red, because it's absolutely not his fault either. But I'm the Champion, so I feel... responsible. And I've been struggling with that, too. What I've learned, rather more recently, is that there are a lot of people who love me. Who are worried about me, and about the way my brain has done weird things to cope with this entire mess. The way I have been coping with this. And so, I want to say this— if you're struggling, if you're hurting at all? Let the people who love you help. Let them take care of you for a little while. Then, once you're doing better— you'll be able to return the favor.
CS: That's... that's really profound, Moon.
MH: (laughing) Thanks, I guess.
CS: Now, I'd like to end on a more optimistic note, if you don't mind?
MH: Sounds great.
CS: What does being the first Champion of the Alola region mean to you, personally?
MH: Alola is emerging as a new league, and I think that it's going to be an international battling superpower. The Battle Tree is a brilliant institution, and our Victory Road is one of the most challenging of its kind in the entire world. But in other ways, Alola has been hurting. The old traditions are beautiful and we have kept as many of them as we can in the structure provided by an internationally recognized League, but there are things we have lacked. Things that we needed, and didn't know we needed. Some of those needs have been filled by the presence of the League, but some of them still need to be taken care of. The Champion's duty in a region has always been the difficult stuff. Sure, there's battling and testing and PR and so on; but there are other things, too. In the same way that a politically elected official has to answer to those who elect them into office, a Champion has to answer to those they serve. That's both people and Pokémon. Most of the time, answering to the people is much easier. People don't expect as much from Pokémon, as Pokémon do from people. And people aren't let down by Pokémon, as often as Pokémon are let down by people.
CS: That's interesting, and I have to wonder— is this related to you being chosen by Solgaleo and Lunala and the two legendaries you didn't name?
MH: (laughing) Is it that obvious? Yeah, it is. Um— I think of it this way. What does the word "champion" mean?
CS: It's someone who wins, isn't it?
MH: Yeah— a more dictionary definition might be someone who has surpassed or defeated all of their rivals, which honestly, in my opinion, doesn't necessarily mean winning against them. Sometimes you can win against someone without a battle. Sometimes you win by— by being kind. By offering service, by giving what you can in whatever way you can. But "champion" actually has another definition. It means, a person who fights or argues for a cause, or on behalf of someone else.
CS: That's a unique way of looking at it.
MH: And the word "champion" is also a verb, and the verb definition relates more to that second definition. It means to support the cause of, or to defend. And I've been thinking about this since I was very young, actually. You know, because I grew up friends with a Champion. I always thought, if I were ever to become a Champion, then being the first kind would be nice. But since I have actually become a Champion, I've learned that it's being the second kind that would be important. I became Alola's Champion, and the work I did to get there was, in fact, to surpass my rivals. But now I am Alola's Champion, and the work I want to do is— to champion the people and the Pokémon who live here. I will support them and defend them, and I will argue on their behalf for everything they deserve. I will always, always do that. I don't think I could live with myself if I didn't.
CS: ...That's remarkable.
MH: Thanks.
CS: No, Moon— thank you. This has been enlightening, and I can honestly say it's been a pleasure to get to know you.
MH: Heh. You're welcome.
After the conclusion of the interview, Nancy took Moon to begin the photoshoot out of doors at the Aether Paradise. I assisted in the way I generally do— lending my height if she wanted a higher shot, and so on. Moon was clearly a little uncomfortable before the camera, but the large group of friends and supporters who had gathered to witness the interview accompanied us and made a point of teasing her during the entire thing. At first, I thought she was annoyed by the heckling— and there was quite a lot of it. I very nearly asked them to stop; but then I realized, watching her, that the annoyance was largely superficial, and owed mostly to the fact that she was out of her comfort zone. Once she got used to it all, she was heckling her friends back, trading a dizzying volume of witty retorts. One truly gets the sense, in watching and listening to Moon, that if one says something rude or ignorant to her, that one will be immediately and mercilessly mocked for it. She's made it quite clear, even this early in her career, that she believes people need to think before they speak. Some of the teasing I witnessed ventured into fairly personal territory, and I thus was able to ascertain that Moon's belief in thinking before speaking does not come from being overly sensitive— she did, after all, put up with the heckling quite admirably— but from having been a person who has before said insensitive things. One might easily conjecture that an intelligent young woman, growing up with very little money and with darker skin in an area of the world where that is uncommon, might have plenty of reasons to speak to others with vitriol— chief among them being the vitriol she has herself faced. But Moon Hawkins has not allowed that vitriol to return to others. The only people she opposes are the ones who attack first.
Close to the end of the photoshoot, Moon said something that I found intriguing: I guess you could say that Alola hasn't changed me, so much as it's revealed me. Revealed who I really am. The use of the words "change" and "reveal" struck me when she said them. One of the most prolific Pokémon species of Alola are the birds known as Oricorio. They do not evolve, but have four different forms, varieties with differing elemental typings. Biologically this is based upon the nectar of the flowers they consume in different areas of the region; and interestingly enough, also based upon different dance styles that are common to the area.
Melemele Island, the most population-dense of the islands, is home to the Pom-Pom Oricorio— an Electric type, which creates small pom-poms out of its own shed feathers and shakes them when it dances, like a cheerleader. The sport of rugby is the most popular organized sport in Alola, and it has a strong tradition on Melemele Island specifically; Kahuna Hala Akiona, for instance, played rugby for his high school team in his youth. Rugby in Alola is much like football in Unova (which I will remind all readers is itself different from football in other regions) in that the regional high school games are very popular. Alola has too small a population for a professional rugby league, though they do have a national team; and pro teams from other nations such as Galar, Kalos, and Unova often recruit rugby players from Alola. So it is understandable that Pom-Pom Oricorio developed their cheerleading style, in order to encourage a sport that perhaps it sees as comparable to a good battle.
Akala Island is home to Pa'u Oricorio, a Psychic type. It forms a hula-skirt with its longer shed feathers and dances traditional Alolan hula dances. Alolan traditional dance has always been popular on Akala Island. There is a uniquely Alolan battle technique referred to as "Z-Dancing," and one of the trial captains on Akala even themes his trial around it. (Moon informed me that it was the only trial she did not pass on her first try, which I found interesting— her record is not entirely spotless like Red of Kanto, but she has not faced a single defeat since that time.)
Ula'ula Island is home to Baile Oricorio— and this is a truly interesting phenomenon, for the word baile means "dance" in Paldean. Ula'ula Island is home to a large Orcalos community. The Orcalos are people who lived south of Kalos and west of Paldea, and developed some of the same linguistic habits as both regions. Baile Oricorio dances in the style of flamenco dancers, which the Orcalos people brought with them from that area of the world. The word "flamenco" contains the word "flame," which is very appropriate for Baile Oricorio as they are Fire-types.
And finally, Poni Island is home to Sensu Oricorio, who are Ghost-types. Though Poni Island is the least developed of the islands, it is home to a sizeable Kantonian community, located at the town in and around Alola's "Battle Tree." ("My parents considered settling there to be close to people from the same culture as my dad, but he works on Ula'ula Island and the commute would have been hell," said Moon, when I asked.) Sensu Oricorio are named for a type of fan used in their dance style, which is called buyo in Kantonian. Sensu Oricorio learned their style from Kantonian buyo dancers.
Any member of the Oricorio species, if they are given nectar from the flower of another island, they will change to an Oricorio of that type. The transformation is instantaneous, one might almost say magical. Pokémon evolution and adaptation are truly fascinating. And the single thing that all Oricorio have in common— no matter their original island or what nectar they have drunk— is the move "Revelation Dance." It takes the typing of whichever form Oricorio is in— revealing itself, one might say, to an opponent or an observer.
Moon Hawkins, in one region, was a bird of a different feather. But once transferred to a new region, and given the sweet and enriching experience of a Pokémon journey, she has performed for us, and for herself, one long Revelation Dance. She was not changed— but revealed. And I, like many of you, look forward to seeing what else she may reveal in the future.
—Curtis Stiles, Battlers International
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