They of the Sun
Chapter Nine: Do This for You

      I was tired... to say the least. I could've easily dozed off in the Pokémon Center. I took slow bites of malasada and sips of coffee. I couldn't stay awake much longer for anyone to get here. I let my mind wander on the previous days events. The Trial, Zossie and Dulse, and Team Skull. Tapu Koko put way too much faith in me... Stacking this all on me like bricks.

      I wasn't a strong person and eventually everyone would watch me crumble into literal dust. And probably sooner than they would like to witness. Just like a peak of Mt. Stark, tumbling down without power to hold it up... Collapsing in as magma, melts it into nothing...

     I must've dozed off because gentle nudging woke me up. "... yra?"

     "Lumi, shut up."

     "Lumi? Who's Lumi?"

      The nudge got harder and I actually forced my eyes open. "Cyra?"

      Hau was looking at me with questioning eyes, along with Lillie and Sen. I was totally losing it. I searched my brain for the name... And nothing came except the thought of Sinnoh.

     "You look like hell."

    "Shit, thanks," I said dryly, rubbing my hands over my face. "I haven't slept."

    I was too tired to care about what slipped from my mouth or keeping my distance from them. I stood up to take my stuff to the trash, feeling the aches spread rapidly like blood through my veins. I turned around then to look at the three, Lillie and I locking eyes. Even with how tired I was something managed to click then even with her Bambi-doe-eyed look.

"Were you at the cemetery last night?" I squinted my eyes at her. The green wasn't quite as vibrant, as powerful, as moving.

She looked taken aback by the question, before quickly shaking her head. Figures. She's a little too... prim for that. I snorted before waving at them. I'm not even sure why I was waiting here for her.

"W-wait! The Kahuna has something he wants to give to you!" Lillie piped up quickly.

"But we can come to your house later to get it!" Sen interjected the moment I shot my glare at her. "You can rest first."

Was he trying to protect her? How cute. I rolled my eyes, exiting the building to head home and fall into a deep sleep. I dreamt about those aliens again. Dulse's iridescent blue hues and climbing up mountains... I dreamt about my father and the way he was swallowed by the darkness. But when he was gone, a light came. Brighter than any I had known. Something about it was chilling...

I sat up, wide awake at the immediate presence of not my mom in the house. I knew who it was... I rolled my entire body, because rolling my eyes wasn't enough, to look at my clock. It was already five in the evening. But at least I wasn't as tired as I was before. My body wasn't as heavy, but I just didn't feel like moving out of bed. Then came the knock...

     "Cyra!" My mom called, her honey sweet voice was threatening. You'd think that with our history, she wouldn't want this to happen... Any of this. All of this. Shouldn't it be too much? "Your friends are here!"

    "Wrong." I said in response. My nuisances was more like it. Not my friends at all. What a luxury to have friends. I grabbed clothes, not bothering to wave as I was exiting my room to take a shower. No matter how much I wished yesterday hadn't happened, it did. And it left me sweaty and filthy... and oddly enough, I could still smell Dulse on me. I took my time in the shower, wondering what they could've been. Who were they and what did they want? The smaller one, Zossie, had clearly been excited about Gumshoos. Or that otherworldly energy that oozed from it... it came close to the Legendary Pokemon of Sinnoh. It gave me a chill, but not a thrill.

     I was drying my hair as I walked out of the bathroom, to everyone having an early dinner. I let out an annoyed huff knowing well enough I had to sit down with them. I stood there before anyone noticed me, watching Lillie sit in such a demure way it almost made me feel inadequate to be a girl. Like I wasn't princess-y enough.

      Arceus. Who even cares?

I could see Nebby peaking out with curiosity, ready to escape his trap. I couldn't relate more.

    My eyes went over to Sen, sneaking bites to Meowth under the table with a smile. He wasn't being too sneaky. Beside him, Hau was pigging out. He was about as skinny as Sen and he ate with a veracious appetite. Like a Mightyena after catching its first meal. All the while, he had a big grin on his face.

     My face stayed neutral as I went over, to slouch into a seat... it wasn't the seat I liked. What trash. I forked a biscuit onto my plate along with some other various foods my mom was experimenting with. Sen, like always, was the first to speak to me about something irrelevant.

     "Y'know, you and Lillie are really alike," Sen said, "you keep to yourself and you don't like battling."

     I snorted when I really could've laughed. I wasn't going to amuse them with a smile though. It's not that I didn't like battling, I just didn't want to. And as far as I was concerned; Lillie blabbered more than me. We finished eating and they helped my mom clean up while I got dressed. I threw on some of the "AlOLaN" clothes my mom had bought me.

     The weather here was sticky. Hot and thick... where Bug and Ground-types thrived. Ew. Before I could even step inside, my mom dragged me in. "Cyra."

    I stared at her blankly, just wanting to get this stupid day over with. "I know this isn't your thing... but can you please, make it work. Not for me. But for you... Ever since..."

    She was getting choked up. Arceus, I HATED when she did this. Sure she could be pretty mean and give a good slap, but she was my mother. She closed her eyes, calming herself. I was thankful I looked like a carbon copy of her... it was like seeing what I'll look like in thirty years. Crying.

"I know since Dad... left," she said quietly, insure if they could hear us outside, "it's been different for the both of us. But don't push this away because you're scared. I'm not asking you to do this for me. Or his memory... I'm asking you to do this for you. You need this."

"I'm not scared," I semi-snapped. Why I'm the world would I be scared of this? Of something I was forced into. I was just annoyed. I didn't need something so stressful in my way either. Because nothing good was going to come out of it. I slipped my hand away, waving her goodbye. Lillie and Hau were laughing at something Sen said. I felt a small ache of want in my chest. How much I wanted to have the normal lives they led...

They noticed my presence, their smiles deterring slightly. They were getting better at acknowledging hostility. Good. I smirked as Lillie began to explain, fidgeting with her bag. "Usually, they hold the Grand Trials back in Iki Town, but it's different this time. We have to head to Melemele Meadow."

With no words from me, an excited gasp from Sen, and a small complaint from Hau, we were off to who knows where. But it wasn't anywhere I wanted to be.

     
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A/N:
I realized that the abbreviation for this can be TOTS and my readers can BE TATER TOTS LOL okie bye

-sj