"Is this it?"

"Sure is. You're looking at Hau'oli City's marina."

Nova's shoulders slumped as she looked at the several columns and rows of boats docked at the marina with her mouth agape, wondering if she would ever be able to find those Team Skull guys in this huge place, if they were even here at all. The sun had set an hour ago, and there was a slight chill in the air as the moon shone down on them from above. Streetlights dimly lit up the marina as one or two of the locals were out walking around; not many people were out this late at night.

Well... Except for Nova and Altair.

"Where do we even start?" Nova frowned as she combed the marina with her eyes, straining to see all the way down to the edge of the pier.

"Good question." Altair calmly responded as he began to look around too. "Well, it's not going to do us any good just to stand around in one place, so let's start walking the docks." He grabbed her wrist and began to pull her along.

"Alright. Sounds like a plan." Nova nodded her head as she quickly jogged to catch up to Altair and walk alongside him.

They spent the next twenty minutes combing the marina for anything suspicious. There really wasn't much to see, since there was hardly anyone out this late at night anyways. Nova was beginning to lose hope of ever finding the thugs that were causing problems earlier today. Maybe they had already left...?

Nova turned to Altair and was about to suggest that they head back just as she spotted a familiar figure down by the pier.

The man with light pink hair turned and saw Nova at the exact moment she saw him, and he smiled and raised his arm to wave at her. "Greetings! Remember me?"

"Captain Ilima!" Nova's eyes snapped wide open as she recognized him, happy to see a familiar face. She and Altair quickly jogged up to the Trial Captain to join him where he stood by the pier.

"Ah, it would seem that you do." Captain Ilima lightly chuckled under his breath as a tiny grin stretched across his lips. "Hello, Nova; Altair. What brings you down here this evening?"

Nova frowned ever so slightly as she expressed her worries to Captain Ilima. "I heard something earlier about a group called Team Skull causing problems down here at the marina, and I wanted to check it out myself."

Captain Ilima slowly nodded his head as he looked at her. "Ah, so that tip found its way back to you as well, hm?" He matched her worried frown for a moment as he pressed his index finger to his lips in thought. "Well, it's nothing you need to concern yourself with. Truly, those thugs are more of a nuisance than a real threat---"

Captain Ilima was cut off by the sudden cacophony of obnoxious, snarky laughter echoing through the marina. Nova jumped a little from the startling noise and turned to look over her shoulder at who was causing the disturbance. Altair's brow knitted together in annoyance as he locked eyes with two Team Skull thugs heading their way.

"Yo yo yo, check it!" The first Team Skull grunt nudged his cohort next to him with his elbow, who was dressed in all black and white with a skull beanie and black bandana over his mouth, just like his friend next to him. He laughed and pointed at Nova standing there slack-jawed as he menacingly approached the trio with lazy posture and a truly hilarious way of walking. Or was it more like strutting? Eh.

The second Team Skull grunt kept in tune to his partner's posture and way of walking, keeping to the beat of whatever stupid tune they were bobbing to as he locked his snarky eyes on Captain Ilima. "Whenever, wherever we meet you, Team Skull don't even greet you!"

Nova was so shocked at how ridiculous these two were in terms of how they walked, talked, and dressed, that she dropped both her head and her jaw as she stared at them in complete astonishment. "What..."

Altair narrowed his eyes at the two idiots before them as he angrily jammed his hands into the pockets of his jacket. He recognized one of them to be a student from one of the older classes who mysteriously dropped out and disappeared last year. "Yep. That's them, alright."

The first Team Skull grunt crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back, staring ahead with a cocky gaze. "So, Cap, just give up the Pokemon, yo."

Captain Ilima immediately turned to Nova with a smile and proceeded to ignore the two grunts before them. "How have you faired since your graduation from the Trainer's School, Nova?"

Nova joined in on Ilima's nonchalance as she answered him calmly. "Oh, I've been doing well. You?"

The first grunt slumped forwards as he stared at them wide-eyed. "What!? What!? Why you trying to act hard when we're already hard as bone out here, homie?"

The second grunt nudged his cohort as he menacingly stepped closer to Nova. "Yo, let's check these fools."

The first grunt took a good look at Nova, eyeing her up and down from head to toe. He didn't bother to act subtle about it either as he looked at her with a wanton stare. "Yo, who's the babe with the white hair?"

Nova's body tensed up when she suddenly felt Altair's arm drape around her shoulders, and he gently pulled her back into his chest as he shot a malevolent glare at the grunt eyeing her up.

The first grunt looked terrified at the insanely tall Altair towering over Nova protectively, and he took a hesitant step back. "You know, on second thought, I'm not that interested in her anymore."

"Wise decision." Altair didn't drop his glare as he sharply spoke those words to the grunt, not letting up on his grip on Nova.

The second grunt awkwardly looked away from Altair, who was practically radiating a dark aura, and he turned to face the Captain once again. "...Aaaanyways, whaddayah say, Cap'? You gonna hand the Pokémon over or what?"

Captain Ilima just shook his head. "Oh my, how terrifying. Only thieves steal others' Pokemon. I won't stand for it." He turned to look at Nova with a quick, sideways glance. "Nova?"

"Already on it." Nova glared malevolently at the two men in front of her as she reached for her Pokeballs in her bag, and she threw both Rufflet's and Popplio's out to defend her.

Captain Ilima followed suit, and with a bright flash of white light, his Yungoos and Smeargle appeared before him.

The first grunt just laughed at their heroic display as he walked closer and got all up in Nova's face. Rufflet and Popplio stood strong as the thug pushed past them effortlessly. "What, is that supposed to intimidate---me..." His cocky expression was quickly wiped right off his face as he looked behind Nova with eyes widened in horror, and he swallowed hard as he slowly backed out of her personal space bubble. "You know, on second thought..."

The second grunt looked just as terrified as he took a hesitant step back. "Let's get up out this port, B! Nobody has to know about this!" He almost tripped over himself as he and his cohort attempted to scurry away. "We don't need your whack Pokemon anyway, Ilima!"

Nova watched them take off running with the most confused look ever as she returned her two Pokemon to their respected Pokeballs. "Well, that was weird. I wonder what changed their mind...?"

Altair casually returned his team of six fully evolved Pokemon back to their Pokeballs from behind Nova without letting her see them. "I haven't the faintest idea. Who knows? Maybe you scared them off with that icy glare of yours."

Nova whirled around to smack Altair for that comment so fast that her angry expression was almost a blur to Captain Ilima.

Captain Ilima couldn't help but shake his head at the two while he chuckled. "My thanks to you both and your Pokemon." He smiled all-knowingly to Altair, who put a finger over his lips in secret behind Nova's back. "I must admit, I've been wondering about you since I saw you at the Trainer's School..." Captain Ilima fixated his gaze on Nova as he contributed to speak. "Professor Kukui brought you along, and you and your Pokemon seemed to defeat our teacher so effortlessly!" He shook his head back and forth in amazement. "Very well then. Allow me to see if you're ready for my trial!"

Nova's eyebrows shot straight up into her hairline at the sound of that challenge. "You want to battle? Right now?"

"Let's see what you've got." Captain Ilima smirked as he took a couple steps back to put some distance between them.

Nova wore a smirk of her own as she narrowed her eyes to focus on Captain Ilima with a look of pure confidence on her face. "You're on!"

Altair stood off to the side and out of the way of their battle as he watched Nova send out her new Rufflet first. The shy bird Pokemon seemed to be a little intimidated by having to battle for his Trainer for the very first time. A small grin tugged at Altair's lips as he watched Nova pick up on this very fact, giving Rufflet a sweet smile of encouragement. Rufflet instantly shook out his feathers and readjusted himself as he stared down his opponent Yungoos with the gravest look on his face he could possibly muster.

Altair looked on at the battle happening before him. He was happy to see Rufflet starting to come out of his shell a little. Nova and Rufflet had a strong bond already; Altair could tell. Rufflet followed each and every one of Nova's well-thought-out commands, and it wasn't long before he defeated Ilima's Yungoos, and Smeargle came out to fight next.

Altair drew within his thoughts as he watched her fight. Nova had really improved quite a bit compared to her skill level from day one. That much was obvious from how well she dominated the Trainer's School challenge earlier. He felt like she was really starting to warm up to him. Sure, they had a rocky start, but... Altair noticed she was starting to laugh around him more, and smile. God, did she have the most beautiful smile. Altair wished she smiled more often, instead of wearing that perpetually sad look on her face she always did. And man, her laugh—-it sounded like bell chimes, it was so wonderful. He felt enchanted any time he heard her giggle.

She was interesting, that one. Altair felt himself desiring to get to know her better. He definitely thought she was interesting enough to hang around. He just hoped she would eventually bring her walls down enough to let him in.

Altair wasn't stupid. He could see how guarded she was from a mile away. He kind of had an idea why, based on the little information he had managed to gather from her over the past few days, but...

He really did hope she would come around eventually and be his friend. He felt like he would be missing out on getting to know such a wonderful person if she didn't deem him worthy of her friendship.

Captain Ilima took a step back in awe as he watched his Smeargle go down with that final blow, and he tilted his chin up to lock eyes with Nova as he looked at her with newfound respect. "You---or should I say you and your Pokemon---make quite the team!"

Altair shook his head and snapped out of it at the sound of Ilima's voice. Whoa, when was the battle over all of a sudden? He must have been really deep within his thoughts not to have noticed.

"Yes!" Nova excitedly jumped up and down at her victory, and she scooped up Rufflet from the ground to spin him around excitedly as she flashed him a sweet smile. "You did so well, my lovely! I'm so proud of you!"

Rufflet felt himself bashfully look away from Nova's burning eyes at her praise. He felt exhausted from that battle of one versus two, but he ruffled his feathers proudly at his Trainer's compliment, pushing back any fatigue and pain he felt. He was thrilled she was proud of him, and that he did well in their first battle together. He knew that he wanted to stick by her side forever and continue to make her even more proud until the end of their days.

Captain Ilima smiled at Nova as she coddled her Rufflet. "I do hope you'll come to Verdant Cavern and attempt my trial!" He grinned excitedly as he pointed off in the direction away from the marina and out of town. "You can get there from Route 2. Your Rotom Dex will show you the way, and you also have Altair with you to help with directions." He stopped and returned Smeargle to his Pokeball before stuffing it in his pocket, then waved good-bye to Nova and Altair as he turned to walk away. "I bid you Alola!"

Nova beamed excitedly as she waved to Captain Ilima's back as he walked away. "Good-bye! See you tomorrow!" She turned on her heel and whipped around to face Altair, placing her hands on her hips as she looked up at him. "So...what now?"

Altair let out a deep yawn as he covered his mouth with his hand. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm about ready to go to bed."

Nova rolled her eyes in relief as she slumped her posture, nearly melting into a tired puddle right there. "Oh god, same."

________________________________________

Nova laid in her bed back at the Pokémon Center as she stared up at the ceiling absent-mindedly. Her brain was too preoccupied to let her sleep, and she felt herself struggling to turn it off.

She rolled over in bed and glanced over at Altair laying in his across from her. She couldn't quite see him in this darkness, but she could faintly make out his silhouette. She wondered if he was asleep, or if he was still awake like her.

She propped herself up on her pillow, resting her head in her hand as she frowned a little. "Altair...are you asleep?"

Altair immediately woke up from his deep sleep at the sound of her angelic voice, and he tiredly rubbed at his eyes as he let out a quiet grunt. "Well, not anymore."

Nova winced awkwardly as she shut her eyes, instantly feeling bad that she woke him up. "Whoops... I'm sorry!"

"Nah, it's fine." Altair lunged forward to sit up, and he leaned over to flick on their bedside lamp. The dark room suddenly became engulfed in a dim, warm glow as Altair's tired face and tousled black hair came into Nova's view. "Is everything okay, Nova?"

Nova frowned a little as she looked at him, tilting her head to the side a little. "Yeah, I'm fine... Just having trouble sleeping."

Altair quirked an eyebrow at that. "Something on your mind?"

"Well... Not really." Nova slumped her shoulders as she looked over to meet his deep purple eyes.

Altair wore a tired, smug look as he softly closed his eyes, looking very amused by her answer. "That's neither a yes, or a no."

"Agh..." Nova sputtered out an awkward response.

Altair rolled his eyes, then flipped back onto his pillow as he raised his arms up to cover his eyes. "Just tell me. Or at this rate, neither of us will be getting any sleep tonight if you continue to drag this out."

"Hey...!" Nova shot straight up from bed at that sly remark. Her blanket fell down to her lap to reveal her white silk nightgown she was wearing underneath.

"I'm just saying..." Altair shrugged his shoulders, turning onto his side to face her once more as he wore an amused grin.

Nova rolled her eyes and sighed in defeat. "Okay, okay... Well, it's just..."

"It's just what?" He rose an eyebrow curiously. Now he was intrigued.

Nova awkwardly looked up from the floor to meet his gaze with the corners of her mouth being tugged down into a slight frown. "Well, I'm supposed to travel with you for a couple of weeks, and I hardly know anything about you." She reached up to run a hand through her curly white hair, letting it stop when she reached her neck as she tiredly shut her eyes. "I guess I'm just feeling a little restless, because it's almost as if I'm sharing a room with a stranger..."

"Ah, I see." Altair slowly nodded his head.

Nova sighed in frustration as she desperately looked to Altair for some sort of sign of acceptance. "Am I making sense, or do I just sound like a crazy person?"

Without missing a beat, Altair smirked as he looked at her. "Oh, you're definitely a crazy person, but you're making perfect sense."

Nova dropped her jaw at that coy remark. "Hey...!"

"So what, you want to know more about me all of a sudden?" Altair shot her a devilishly charming grin as he sat up as well, letting his blanket fall down to reveal his bare chest, and the edge of his black shorts he had on. "Ooh, just yesterday you wanted nothing to do with me."

Nova's face flushed red as she tried to avert her eyes to look at anything but his ridiculously toned, bare chest. "That's not what I'm saying!"

"Oh?" Altair rose an eyebrow in her direction, noticing fully how flustered she was by his current attire.

Or, well, rather a lack thereof.

Nova pouted as she glared down at the floor. "...okay, so maybe it is what I'm saying...?" She grabbed her hair in frustration as she cried out in annoyance. "Agh, I don't know!"

Altair couldn't help but ask the question that he had been wondering about her this whole time he had known her. It was bound to come up eventually. "Why are you so determined not to like me?"

Nova was completely caught off guard by his sincere question, and she honestly had no idea how to answer him. "I..."

"Come on, I'm not an idiot." Altair sighed as he looked to her for answers. "I've known from day one that all you've had on your mind is being stupidly determined to hate my guts."

"That's not true...!" Nova threw her hands down to her sides, shooting him an annoyed look as her palms came in contact with her mattress.

Altair simply furrowed his brow as he stared at her unbelievably. "Yes it is."

Nova squirmed where she sat as she awkwardly averted his stunning eyes. "Okay, well...it's only partially true."

"Only partially?" Altair drew his head back in shock, over exaggerating his reaction as he rolled his eyes with a sarcastic smile. "Oh, well, that makes me feel a whole lot better."

Nova let out an annoyed little scoff as she rolled her eyes at him. "Geez, Altair! Would you let me get a word out already?"

Altair lightly shut his eyes and held out his hand to her, gesturing her to continue. "By all means: proceed, your highness."

Nova stuffed her hands in her lap and cocked her head to the side as she bit her lip in thought. "I'm just...simply trying not to get too attached to you."

Altair rose an eyebrow as he looked at her with a flirtatiously cocky smirk. "Oh, so you're trying to suppress your obvious attraction and feelings for me then?"

Nova dropped her jaw so fast and shot straight up out of bed as she shrieked like a banshee. "GOD NO! THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT AT ALL!"

Altair sheepishly stared at the angry woman standing before him as he ran a hand through his hair. "Wow, our neighbor's must hate us."

"What I mean is..." Nova sighed as she plopped back down onto her bed. "I just don't want to become good friends with you, only to lose you once I move again..."

...

"Oh..." Altair dropped his carefree attitude as that sad answer escaped his lips. He didn't know what to expect her to say, but it certainly wasn't that. "You... Think you're going to move again?" He hesitantly met her timid gaze as he tried to get an answer out of her.

Nova scoffed bitterly as she rolled her eyes. "Knowing my mother's free spirit? The odds are for it."

Altair quirked an eyebrow in confusion. "But I thought she was talking about staying this time?"

Nova chuckled under her breath as her eyes became glued to the floor once again. "That's what she says every time..."

"Ah." Altair slowly nodded his head. "Well... Why don't you just stay if that happens?"

Nova's eyes snapped up to look at him in complete shock at his casual suggestion. "What? Like, stay in Alola? By myself?" She laughed self-deprecatingly as she timidly shook her head no and looked away. "I... I just can't..."

"Why not? You're grown up enough." Altair couldn't quite wrap his head around her reservations towards staying. "You're nineteen, aren't you?"

Nova helplessly slumped her shoulders as a crestfallen look came across her face. "Well, yeah, but... It's just..." She stared off at nothing in particular as she spoke in a depressed tone of voice. "I'm all my mother has."

"Ah, right..." Now it was Altair's turn to stare down at the floor. "Your father's not in the picture."

Nova's tone of voice grew tense as her posture became stiff and rigid. She appeared to be bottling up quite a bit of anger just at the thought of him. "No, he most certainly is not."

Altair slowly met her gaze as he cautiously approached the subject. "Do you mind if I ask what happened?"

"There's not much to tell." Nova callously shrugged her shoulders. "One day, he just decided he didn't love me anymore, and he just up and left."

Altair frowned at her self-deprecating thoughts. "I'm sure that's not true. He must have had a reason to do something so horrible..."

Nova carelessly fell back into her pillow and crossed her arms. "Well, whatever that reason may be, I don't care."

Altair was trying to wrap his head around her feelings, but was struggling to fully understand the thoughts inside her head as he looked at her a little lost. "You really hate him, don't you?"

Nova let out a heavy sigh at that question. "Yeah, I do. Although, there was I time that I didn't..."

Altair's interest was piqued at that statement. "When was that?"

Nova rolled over onto her side to face Altair, propping her head up on her pillow with her hand. "The first year after he left was tough for me. He walked out when I was ten, and for the next year, I held hope that he would just walk back through my front door someday." She wore a bittersweet smile as she glanced down at the floor, recalling this memory. "I even had this big map of the world up in my room, and I'd stick pins in all of the places I knew he wasn't, based on research I would do online. He would send me letters while he was gone occasionally, maybe one every other month. But..." Her face fell, and that was when Altair knew something was wrong.

"What happened...?" Altair cautiously approached the subject.

Nova's perpetually sad look was back on her face in no time. "One day, I caught my mother putting his letter into the mailbox herself, and that's when I realized she was just trying to shield me from the truth: my father didn't love me, and he probably never did. And he was definitely never coming home." Her frown deepened as she stared down at her mattress and traced circles on it with her index finger. "I ran back inside and tore up all of those letters he allegedly sent me in the last year, and I pulled that map off my wall and stuffed everything into the trash can." She let herself fall back down to her pillow, and she stared up at the ceiling aimlessly. "It was that day that I lost all hope of ever seeing him again, and when I started to hate him for leaving me."

Altair was at a complete loss for words, feeling strangely sad after hearing her story. "I... I'm so sorry, Nova. I can't even imagine..."

"Good." Nova looked over at him suddenly, not letting him finish that thought. "I don't want you to imagine what my pain feels like, because it's a burden I don't even wish on you."

Altair's heart slammed against his chest hard; he could really empathize with the pain she felt, and he didn't like seeing her so gloomy. "Nova..."

"Yes?" She looked up at him as she brushed her white bangs from her eyes.

Altair frowned a little as he twiddled his thumbs. "Can I ask you something?"

"You may as well." Nova nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders with a carefree expression.

"If your mother decides to move again..." Altair looked up from the floor he was previously staring at to make direct eye contact with her stunningly beautiful eyes. "Will you stay here?"

Nova's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline, and she sat straight up to look at him in disbelief. "What? You want me to stay?"

Without any hesitation, Altair nodded his head and spoke his opinion honestly. "Yeah. I do."

Nova was caught off guard by his direct question, and she looked off to the side as she ran her fingers through her hair. "Agh... I... I don't know..." She sighed deeply in defeat. "Even if I did, it's not like I'd have the money to afford my own place."

"Then stay with me."

Nova whipped her head around so fast to stare at Altair unbelievably. "What...!?"

"Just stay with me, then." Altair flashed her a tired smile as he shrugged his shoulders. It's not like it was a big deal. "My apartment is a two-bedroom, and I could use the company."

Nova tore her eyes away from him and glued them back down to the floor, a little shocked by his proposal. "Altair, I... I don't know..."

"Hey, I'm not asking you to make any decisions now." Altair chuckled a little, holding his hands up in defense. "I'm just saying, if the time comes when it's time for you to stay or go, I want you to know that you have the option of staying." He looked at her and smiled when she rose her eyes to meet his. "You do have a say in your life, Nova. Where you live and who you choose to befriend isn't all up to your mother, and where she decides to live."

Nova let out a heavy sigh as she suppressed the urge to shed a tear or two. "...I'm sorry."

Altair drew back his head in shock as he wore a wry smile. "For what?"

Nova let out a sarcastic scoff under her breath as a regretful smile danced across her lips. "Basically everything I've said and done to you over the last few days."

"Ah, don't mention it." Altair smiled as he waved off her concern. "Your fiery side is kind of fun to mess with."

Nova dropped her jaw at his quip. "Hey...!"

"So..." Altair broke the ice with his low, tired voice as he looked over at her. "Do you think you can push aside all your worries and fears long enough to befriend me?"

Nova half-pouted, half-smiled as she tore her eyes up from her lap to look at him. "Maybe."

Altair chuckled a little under his breath at that reaction. "Well, a maybe is good enough for me."

Nova suddenly declared herself officially done being vulnerable for the night, and she threw her arms into the air to stretch. "Alright, I feel as if I've done all the talking. Now it's your turn."

Altair laughed a little, then shrugged his shoulders as he sighed in defeat. "Fair enough. What would you like to know?"

Nova rose a quizzical brow as she smirked wryly in his direction. "Well, I just spilled my guts about my childhood. I think it's your turn to do the same."

Altair stared at her blankly for a moment before abruptly shaking his head no. "Mm... Nope, sorry. I'm all tapped out for the night." He flopped over onto his side and laid down with his back to her, and he pretended to go to sleep. He fake-snored obnoxiously loud just to piss her off even more.

Nova stared at Altair's back slack-jawed. "What!? Altair!!"

"Ah, just kidding." Altair chuckled as he turned over to face her. "Alright, where to start..." He pressed his finger to his lips as he sat back up again. "Well, I mentioned that I'm from Kalos, and I moved here when my sister was born prematurely."

Nova's face fell at the mentioning of Altair's sick little sister. "Oh, right... Pandora."

Altair simply nodded his head. "Mmhmm. Her lungs weren't fully developed when she was born, and Alola has an abundance of medical hospitals." He shrugged his shoulders as if he was simply just accepting the fact that everything had to happen this way. "We found that she would have much better care if we moved here, so we bought a house just outside of Hau'oli and set up Pandora with a primary care physician who would help her get through her early years." He frowned a little as he thought of his beloved sister back home, who was probably missing him more and more every day. "She's basically got a severe case of asthma now, and she can't over exert herself too much, otherwise she has trouble breathing."

Nova's eyes hesitantly met Altair's as she empathized with him. "That must be really hard for her..."

"It is, but she doesn't seem to let that slow her down." Altair chuckled a little as he smirked wryly at Nova. "I mean, you met her. She didn't seem fazed by her lungs, now did she?"

Nova let out a tiny giggle under her breath as she recalled her encounter with the girl earlier at the Trainer's School. "Hm. No, she certainly didn't."

Altair sighed a little as he delved back inside his head. "As for me, the move was...rough."

"How so?" Nova glanced over at him inquisitively.

"Well, I'd lived in Kalos my whole life." Altair sheepishly looked at her as he shrugged his shoulders. "I was about to set out on my Pokémon journey when Pandora was born, so I had quite the culture shock when we moved here."

"I can imagine." Nova rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly as she thought of the tropical paradise she had only just started getting to know over the past few days. "I've lived everywhere in the world, and I've never seen such a place as beautiful as this one."

"Now there's something we can agree on." Altair flashed her a devilishly handsome grin as he snapped his fingers and pointed at her.
"Moving here was a little rocky at first. I was eleven, stubborn, and convinced I knew everything. Convinced my friends back in Kalos were the only friends I'd ever have, and I'd never befriend anyone else." He awkwardly stared down at his lap, recalling how hard-headed he was as a kid. "I guess you could say it was my stubborn way of rebelling against my parents for moving us here."

Nova drew her head back in shock as she gave him the most over-exaggerated reaction ever in the history of the world. "What, you? A rebel? Hard to imagine."

Altair winked at her and flashed her a toothy grin. "Oh yeah, I was the bad boy on the block with the sickest pair of heelys."

Nova was so caught off guard by that and immediately began to hurt herself with how hard she was laughing. "I'M WHEEZING!"

"Hey, don't diss my heelys! I was a badass wheeling myself around on those!"

"STOP IT OR I'M GOING TO RUPTURE SOMETHING IF I KEEP LAUGHING!"

"I ruled the Hau'oli streets with those glow-in-the-dark babies—-"

"STOP BEING SO RIDICULOUS, I CAN'T TAKE IT!!"

Altair smiled endearingly in her direction, thoroughly enjoying her uncontrollable laughter. "Alright, Alright... Anyways. That's when my parents introduced me to your cousin, the professor. He was a lot younger back then, and newly married. He was also really just getting started with his research." Altair looked up at the ceiling as he thought back on the professor who had helped him so much over the years. "He kind of took me under his wing, and he gave me my partner Rowlet, who helped me feel less lonely when I first got here."

Nova couldn't help but interrupt at that. "You, lonely?" She scoffed a little as she stared at him in disbelief. "That's kind of hard to imagine, seeing as how literally everyone on this damn island seems to both know and love you."

Altair smiled at her all-knowingly as he simply just rose an eyebrow at her sarcastic remark. "Well, it wasn't always like that. It was on my Island Challenge where I got to meet all the locals and start to make friends."

"Did you travel alone?" Nova asked an innocent question.

Altair blinked back his shock as he stared at her incredulously, completely caught off guard. "I...what?"

Nova simply thought he just didn't understand her question, and she didn't seem to pick up on how rattled he appeared to be. "You know, like—did you make a friend who you travelled with?"

"Well, I..." Altair seemed to withdraw within himself fairly quickly, and he stared down at his lap again as he closed all doors to his mind off from the world. "I guess you could say I did. But we didn't really travel together all that much; sometimes we would just bump into each other here and there, and she was always a town or two behind me."

Nova heard the pronoun "she," and her heart inexplicably sank just a little. "Oh. Well...are you two still close?"

Altair grew quiet for a moment, and he didn't answer her immediately. "I guess you could say we are."

"Ah." Nova's face fell a little, although she couldn't fully understand why. She even confused herself at times.

"Well, is there anything else you'd like to know, Nova?" Altair's charismatic persona was suddenly back again as he smiled at her, changing the subject. "Now is the time to ask me about anything that's been on your mind."

Nova took advantage of this opportunity to ask him what she had been wondering about practically since the moment she first met him. "Actually—" She abruptly stood up and flopped onto his bed, making herself comfortable as Altair chuckled. "Why are you such an awkward fuck when I bring up your Champion title?" She rested her head in her hand as she popped herself up, batting her eyes at him innocently.

Altair's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline as he found himself at a loss for words. "I... What?"

Nova frowned adorably, and Altair tried to suppress a laugh at how cute she looked when she was remotely frustrated or angry. "Oh, don't give me that bullshit. I've got you all figured out, Altair." Nova sat up and daringly poked him in the chest. "You appear to be a friendly guy and an open book, but you're actually pretty closed off and secretive about certain things." She crossed her arms and rose an eyebrow, confidently smirking at the caught-off-guard Altair as she gained the upper-hand in this conversation. "And one thing I've noticed about you over the past few days is that you're freakishly modest, ESPECIALLY when it comes to your title." She exasperatedly threw her arms out as she stared at him and waited for some sort of explanation. "So, spill. What's the deal?"

Altair simply held a blank stare as he rose his brow at her. "Wow. You're more observant than I gave your spastic brain credit for."

Nova pouted and smacked him with his own pillow, earning a laugh from the guy sitting before her. "Quit changing the subject by teasing me...!"

Altair chuckled and snatched the pillow back from her so she couldn't hit him again. "Okay, okay... You got me." He awkwardly avoided eye contact as he looked anywhere but at her. "I...just don't really know how to explain this really."

Nova didn't budge as she kept her arms stubbornly crossed over her chest, and she kept one eyebrow raised at him. "Well, give it your best shot. Because I'm not going anywhere."

"I see that." Altair flashed her a charming, meaningful smile. He really liked getting to see this side of Nova. Not the angry, hot-headed side, but the real Nova. "It's not that I'm not grateful that I became the Island Challenge Champion, or that I'm highly recognized for it. Really, I am." He reassuringly looked at her as he spoke. "I met some amazing people, and made some great friends because of it. But..."

"But...?" Nova curiously stared at him, eagerly pressing him to elaborate.

"Well... I guess I just sort of feel guilty about it." Altair had no other way to explain his feelings as he flashed her a helpless smile and shrugged his shoulders.

"Guilty?" Nova drew her head back in shock as she stared at him like he was the biggest idiot in the world. "Why would you ever feel guilty about something like that?" She didn't understand his feelings, and she spoke honestly as she threw her hands up into the air. "You earned this position fair and square. There's nothing for you to feel guilty about."

Altair bitterly smiled at her words, and he hesitantly began to try and explain himself to her. "It's just that... Nova, I wasn't the only one to take on the Island Challenge when I did. There were a few others too, and I guess I just picked up on things a little quicker than everyone else." He awkwardly scratched at the back of his head, and he stared off to the side at nothing in particular. "I was always three or four steps ahead of everyone, and it never truly was a challenge for me. I never had any real competition during my entire challenge." His whole face fell as he stared helplessly at his lap. He just looked so...crushed. "And when I finally got to the end of it all, and earned the title... It was just so easy." He frustratingly held his hands up as he jabbed the air, expressing his disappointment. "My victory was just so anti-climactic, and I definitely didn't have any rivals to compete with either. Some of the other kids even dropped out along the way."

Nova awkwardly laughed a little as she stared at him in disbelief. "Oh come on, you don't seriously think that's your fault, do you...?" When he didn't say anything in his defense, Nova's face fell into a hard glare. "Altair...!"

Altair awkwardly looked up at her, only to wince at the scary look she was currently giving him. "...maybe just a little."

"That's the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard." Nova scoffed as she spoke honestly, shocking Altair thoroughly. "If you actually believe it's your fault the other kids dropped out of their challenges because they thought you were too good to even try to compete against, then you're truly the biggest idiot I've ever met."

Now it was Altair's turn to drop his jaw. "Wha..."

"Everyone learns at their own pace, Altair; and everyone has their own unique talents." Nova looked so frustrated with him and shocked about what he just told her as she continued to tell him off. "I mean, look at me, for example—-I totally SUCKED at Pokémon battling my first couple tries! But after you took the reigns a little and showed me the ropes, I did a total one-eighty in a day and became twice the Trainer I was from day one, and it's all thanks to you." She laughed a little as she pointed at him with both of her hands. "I'm so jealous that you're such a talented natural at this! I mean, come on—-they wouldn't let just anyone teach at the Trainer's School, now would they?" She tilted her head to the side as she smiled at him. "You earned that title fair and square, and those other kids dropped out of their own free will. Don't think you're any less deserving of the 'Island Challenge Champion' title just because you were one of the few people in your year to actually see the challenge through."

Altair leaned back and away from her just a little as he stared at Nova in complete shock. "Wow. You sure are opinionated, huh?"

Nova's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline as she quickly slapped her hand over her mouth. "Oh, uh... I'm sorry if I was out of line, or if I said anything—-"

"No, no." Altair held out his hand and waved it back and forth in order to cut her off. "I...really needed to hear that."

"Oh." Nova paused as she sat back a little. "Well, glad I said it, then."

"Hm." Altair let out an amused little laugh under his breath as he admired the crazy woman sitting in front of him. "You're really something else, Nova Lise."

Nova confidently smirked at him, raising an eyebrow in his direction. "Oh, am I?"

"Definitely." Altair smiled at her, right as he turned away with a cocky smirk and delivered his crushing blow. "Never met a girl as weird and hilariously awkward as you before."

"Hey...!" Nova laughed as she playfully smacked him.

Altair laughed at her light slap, and he fell into a comfortable silence as he looked at her. "So...does this mean we can be friends now?"

"Don't push it, Casanova." Nova rolled her eyes and threw her hand out by her face as she delivered that sassy remark. "I'll think about it. I guess you're not too terrible to spend time with."

"Thanks, I think...?" Altair laughed cautiously as he stared at her incredulously.

"Take it as you will." Nova smirked as she sassily flipped her hair behind her shoulder. "I'm not that easy to befriend, you know."

"Ah, yes; I've noticed." Altair chuckled under his breath for a moment, then he leaned in and made eye contact with her as he wore a devilishly charming grin. "But, Nova, there's something you have to know about me as well."

"And what's that?" Nova leaned back a little to keep space between them, feeling a little flushed by both the closeness and the look he was giving her.

Altair rose an eyebrow at her as if he was daring her to try something. "I've never been one to back down from a challenge."

Nova let out a tiny chuckle under her breath and she smirked back at him. "Bring it on."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey guys, long time no see. Sorry about that :/ I've honestly had a rough year.

I'm struggling financially, so I've been putting in even more hours into work. I'm taking three summer classes right now, and that work load is killing me alone. I've got Animazement next week, and I'm still con crunching for that. And then the following week I have family flying in for my sister's graduation and I need to miraculously clean the whole house for that.

I haven't slept in days XD

So yeah, that's why I don't write that much anymore. Not because I don't want to, I just have no time XD

I've also had a ton of personal shit hit me that I'm dealing with, so I've been kinda all over the place.

They boyfriend and I are still good though, don't worry. He's actually the one good thing I've got going for me at the moment.

But anyways. My writing schedule is super rocky, and I never know when I'll find time to write. However, ALL STORIES WILL BE CONTINUED! I'm not giving up. It's just a matter of finding the time to finish them all.

I love all these books, especially this one, and I'm determined to finish them. I appreciate your understanding and patience, you guys!

Anyways, without further ado...

This chapter's fan art feature goes to: Mizuki--Sama!!

Read, comment, vote, and enjoy~!