"Th-the Mallow Special?" Lillie blinked. "But...that stuff's so spicy," Lillie stammered.

"Rajah dad Lillie. By far the spiciest thing in Alola. That's what makes it da best," Kukui laughed.

"Well, if we're all going to eat, I'll bring Hau. It'll be good to meet the competition before the battle tomorrow, don't you think so Tanyu?" Hala asked with a wide grin.

Tanyu nodded, a smirk forming on his features. "Definitely. I'd like to know the kind of guy I'll be facing before we fight," Tanyu replied, pausing as his stomach growled. "Also...all this talk of food is making me even more hungry..."

Laughter broke out among the group. Tanyu simply shook his head and looked over at his mother. Lydia smiled faintly back at her son, eliciting a half smile from him in return. It wasn't quite the same, but she could still picture that full blown cheese-ball of a grin he always had as a child.

It's small, but at least he's smiling at me a little. This may take some time, but I really want Tanyu to see that I care about and love him. He's my son, and I care deeply about him. I pray that these trials and his time here will mend the bond that was torn between us...

Pokémon

Moon's Rising

'Eono

The night seemed to come and go rather quickly for Tanyu. It was already noon and Tanyu was still adjusting to the time difference. It wasn't the easiest thing to do, but he'd get used to it eventually. That, and the humid temperatures that came with living in Alola. It was like walking into an oven every time he stepped outside. At least it was better than walking into the icebox that was Unova in the winter time. None of this, however, came even close to what he'd found out after dinner.

He just couldn't process any of it, and wasn't inclined to believe a word until he saw photographic proof. Proof that was on the wall in the living room he was now standing in. There, in a photograph, was his mother, surrounded by six Pokémon. One of them was burly looking red and black feline that stood on two feet. It reminded him of Litten, making him guess that it could be the final evolution. The next three he recognized, only they were slightly different than the one's he was familiar with. One was a Raichu that seemed to be floating on his tail and had a more cheerful look to it.

The second was a Sandslash, only it was blue and had a more steel-like look to it with an icy appearance. The next one was by far the most interesting. It was a Golem, only it looked as though it had a beard and claws. Two large black rocks jutted out from its back. A Dragon-type that seemed to have the look of a grandfather was right beside her. Finally, a Flying-type that had a very large beak with primarily black feathers, hovered above the crew.

"That was taken nine years ago," came Lydia's voice, prompting Tanyu to turn around to meet her eyes. "Though it feels like it was only yesterday that I completed that challenge," she said with a soft smile.

"Challenge?" Tanyu blinked, canting his head at his mother's words.

"Oh, right. I suppose that hasn't been explained yet has it?" Lydia said with a faint smile. Her eyes searched his, finding many questions lurking behind those amethyst eyes. "You're probably wondering if that photo has anything to do with why I left, am I right?"

Tanyu heaved a sigh and nodded. Keeping his emotions in check, he willed himself to remain calm and swallow his growing irritation.

"You see, after what happened with your father and I, well...I-" she began, taking a deep breath to calm herself before continuing. "You see Tanyu. Your father and I had a decent marriage for the most part, for the first five years of it. When you came along, it made things much more difficult, but more wonderful at the same time," Lydia quickly added.

"So I started out as a burden and then graduated to blessing? That escalated quickly," Tanyu muttered. "So what happened?"

"We began to grow apart," Lydia admitted, causing Tanyu to fold his arms and fix her with a critical stare.

"And what do you mean by that?" Tanyu replied sharply.

Lydia sighed and shook her head.

"Your father, for all that he was, seemed to be losing interest in our marriage. But you could never tell because we never fought in front of you," Lydia admitted, getting a raised brow from Tanyu. "Yes, if there was one thing that was keeping us together, it was you..."

Tanyu gritted his teeth. "Then what happened? Why did you suddenly up and leave like you did?" Tanyu demanded.

Lydia bowed her head, her shoulders visibly shaking as she worked up the courage to explain the full situation to her son. Tanyu's eyes widened slightly at the state of his mother. Was it really that bad?

"Tanyu. Your father and I had done some pretty cruel things, but what we did to you was the worst yet. I had found out through a friend of mine that your father had been staying late at work. Now, given where your father worked, it was normal. But he'd been getting in later and later each night. I thought it was because the workload was increasing. But another part of me knew that wasn't the case. I just wanted to deny it," Lydia managed to get out, watching as Tanyu's expression switched to one of confusion.

"I don't understand...where are you going with this?" Tanyu asked, watching as his mother took a deep breath.

"After finding out what was really going on, that your father had been sleeping with another woman from work for seven months, I became resentful. And instead of bringing it up to him like I should have, I became childish and replicated his actions," Lydia admitted finally.

"In other words...you cheated on dad too?" Tanyu said, his fists clenched as he stared his mother down with a serious expression. "Why!?" Tanyu demanded.

"Because I was hurt Tanyu! I was hurt by the fact that the man I fell in love with, the man who helped bring you into this world, saw me as inadequate. I didn't excite him anymore. He admitted it to my face Tanyu!" Lydia cried, her voice laced with anger.

Tanyu said nothing. What could he say? All these years, he'd been kept in the dark about what had really gone on. About why his parents weren't together and why his mother skipped town and disappeared from his life. Had the happiness he'd seen from his parents been a lie? All of those smiling moments, were they only for show? But he'd never once heard them argue! That's when it clicked. Like a silent predator, death crept upon their marriage and destroyed it at a slow and subtle pace.

"Then why-why didn't you take me with you? Why didn't you-"

"Because your father made it so that I couldn't," Lydia said through gritted teeth. "He demonized me before the entire court system. Made it seem like I was unfit to be part of your life."

Tanyu's eyes widened. Everything that happened ten years ago began to rush back to his mind. He remembered waking up one morning to find that all of his mother's stuff was gone. No note. No explanation. Nothing. The next thing he knew was a new woman waltzing into his life six months later. He remembered asking his father where mother had gone to, but all he would get was the same story every time.

'She left us,' he'd always say. 'She said she wanted out, and that there was no reason for her to stay. I tried to plead, but she wouldn't hear it.' His father's words replayed in his mind over and over, every single day of his life. Had he been lied to? Was his father the one who had been the cause of this all along? That still didn't explain why his mother didn't remain in contact with him.

"You're probably wondering why I didn't contact you," Lydia said softly, getting a nod from Tanyu who was still at a loss for words.

With a sigh, Lydia willed herself to continue. "It's because any and all attempts that were made, were intercepted. I'd send a letter, but I'd never receive one in return. I had thought for sure I'd at least hear from you but-" she hesitated, inhaling before speaking again.

"But what?" Tanyu said impatiently.

"But you never did. In fact, you never saw my letters to you. They were all hidden away in the room I used to share with your father," Lydia responded, her voice trembling as she revealed more.

"How can I be sure you're telling me the truth?" Tanyu stated flatly. "How do I know that you didn't just leave because you wanted nothing to do with us like dad said?" Tanyu hissed.

Lydia bowed her head in shame. Heavy hearted was but one of the few ways to describe how she felt at the moment. There was more to the reason for her leaving than what she was telling him. Albeit she was telling him the truth, she was withholding yet another deeper reason for leaving to such a place as far as Alola.

"Because I found the letters Tanyu," Lydia choked out, reaching into her pocket to pull out a key that went to a lock of sorts. "The chest is in my bedroom under the bed. You can look for yourself," Lydia added as Tanyu snatched up the key, pinning her with a stare.

Saying nothing, Tanyu stormed off to her room, determined to prove his mother's claims as either fact or fiction. When he stepped inside, he looked under the bed. Sure enough, there was a chest. Pulling it out, he read the initials engraved onto it. HS (Hiro Sugimoto) and slid the key into the lock to open the trunk. His eyes widened as he was greeted by a shocking sight. Hundreds of letters littered the inside of the box, each addressed to Tanyu. Each letter had the date it was sent and the date it arrived.

Reaching for one of the letters, Tanyu tore it open to verify the legitimacy of it all.

Dear Tanyu,

Every day I don't hear from you brings me to wonder if you still remember who I am. I find myself questioning if you even love me still...

Tanyu paused as he read, his eyes welling up with tears as he read on. Why hadn't he seen any of these? Why did his father keep them from him? More importantly, why had lied? Dropping the letter that was in his hands, he turned to face his mother, fury shown in his eyes as he stared her down.

"I-I don't understand..." Tanyu breathed, trying to process everything he'd just read. "Why are you able to see me now?"

"Because Tanyu," Lydia began, mentally preparing herself for what she was about to say. "After you had joined that crazy organization, your father wanted nothing to do with you. In fact, he responded to the last letter I ever sent, saying that he was through with you and that I could have our 'worthless' son, back," Lydia disclosed, getting a look of irritation in return. "That was the last I'd heard from him. I have no no idea where the hell he is now, nor do I want to."

Tanyu couldn't even bring himself to speak at this point. After all this time, he finally had some answers from his mother. He finally knew why she had left. She was forced to leave. However, that still didn't excuse her from what she had done to his father and to him. He may have cheated on her, but she too had been unfaithful. This brought on even more questions than he had before.

"So...if that's all true. Answer me this then. Why here? Why so darn far away?" Tanyu demanded. "You couldn't have picked Sinnoh or northern Unova. You had to pick this island of all places. Why?" Tanyu probed.

Lydia's lips twitched into a smile at the question he'd asked.

"Because my dear Tanyu, this place was what healed me from how broken I felt. I arrived a broken woman. Before that photo was taken, I was a mess. When I came here, it was out of desperation. I chose here because I'd read somewhere that there was a way to be 'reborn' as it were. A way to become a new person. I had to chance it. So that's what I did. About that time, I'd heard about the Island Challenge. And oddly enough, it was from the very man who gave you your Rowlet," Lydia smiled. "Because of that challenge, I was able to reshape who I was."

Tanyu shifted his gaze to the photograph. The smile he saw on her face was just as he'd remembered. There was joy in her expression. Life in her eyes like none he'd ever seen. Tanyu wanted that feeling. No, he needed that feeling of joy more than anything. Turning to his mother, he fixed her with a serious stare.

"I want to take the Island Challenge..."

And there it is! Tanyu got some answers, albeit not all of them, and he's also declared that he wants to take the same challenge his mother had taken! What secret could she possibly be keeping from him though? What else could she possibly have done within the ten years that she can't tell her son? Curious? Keep on the lookout for more updates!

Ciao!