Interlude 2: My Answers

Dear Mom,

It was quite the surprise to get your letter, actually--of course, I enjoy getting letters (and gifts!) from anyone interested in following my Alolan adventures.

To answer your questions as best as I can:

There's actually several different words for "friend" in Native Alolan depending on how close you and the other person (or people) are--you refer to them affectionately as "makamaka", in general as "hoa" or very close friends as "aikane". I think Misty, Brock, Serena, Tintri, and my other companions would all count as aikane--we've been through so much together, and I would do anything for them.

It's kinda funny Dad wants to try learning ukulele even though he has said he can't play anything or sing to save his life. However, once you get the hang of it, ukulele's pretty easy to play.

However, if he really, truly, wants to learn, get a good quality instrument. You'd be surprised how many nice instruments you can get for under 1000 credits. That being said, you want to stay well away from those gaudy colored cheap ones with characters on them that are only 100 or 200 credits. (Mahina's advice)

Some of Mahina's other suggestions for ukulele shopping:

--Decent beginner ukuleles typically run 250 credits to 750 credits. This would be a good idea if Dad just wants to test the waters, so you're not out a lot of money if he doesn't enjoy playing.

--Ideally, your first ukulele should be in the 750 to 2000 credit range. That being said, Brock would also add that a higher price doesn't always equal a better instrument! (he speaks from experience, having been burned by a few subpar guitars, flutes, and brass instruments)

Once you know how much you want to spend, the next question is the size (Mahina will be happy to explain the different sizes to you on our next dispatch, if you like. Mine is a concert size, but Dad may want a tenor due to his bigger hands)

I wonder if Melody's doing okay without hearing me playing in the house. If she gets lonely, you can always turn on the radio or play the piano for her.

As for the Pokemon, Rocky and Popoki get along just fine. Brock keeps a Braviary eye on Rocky, and I keep an eye on Popoki when they're playing together. While Popoki wouldn't do much damage to Rocky if they were to battle, Rocky would majorly injure Popoki, never mind that a torracat is usually much more powerful than a little Rockruff. Should Rocky decide to evolve, that would be a different story. For now, they're eager playmates, and know how to play nicely under supervision.

Both Sparks and Hekili get along well with everyone--I'm sure Sparks would get along with Mimey and Melody just fine. He can be a little impulsive, but his heart's in the right place. He typically has a new obsession almost every week, so don't be surprised if all he wants to do is indulge in it for the whole week.

After we finish the trial at Brooklet Hill and earn our Aquas Sapphire, we're headed south. Hikina says that on the way, there's an arena for something called the Battle Royale, where twelve Pokemon (three each from four trainers a side) battle at once. It sounds a little chaotic, but if Tintri wants to give it a try, I'll let him.

As for us, we've been Eevee hunting around the hill. Misty found a Water Stone buried in the dirt when we left the hale this morning, and wasted no time in cleaning it off when we got back. She says that as soon as we do find an Eevee, she plans to evolve it into Vaporeon immediately.

I also did some more research and found out something about the Totem Pokemon of the hill--apparently it is a Wishiwashi. According to Sparks:

"Weak Wishiwashi school together to concentrate their power. Their united force makes them the demon of the sea, feared near and far."

Hekili also added:

"At their appearance, even Gyarados will flee. When they team up to use Water Gun, its power exceeds that of Hydro Pump."

Misty was impressed--she was wondering how the three of us could take down one of those. Mahina suggested bringing a lot of Electric and Grass types, and Misty's Water types could help if one of them fell. So Tintri, Kia'i, Kala, and Tarina should be more than enough to take it down.

Don't underestimate Tarina just because she's a little Pichu--she's easily taken out Pokemon several times her size, and even defeated some of my best teammates. So if she can take down large bird Pokemon and dragon Pokemon, a big fish Pokemon should be no trouble at all for her.

We gave up on Eevee hunting not long after lunch, so after Tarina had had a nap and we got cleaned up, we decided to explore some more of the little towns around the hill. There was one place where a festival was going on, and seeing the traditional instruments of home made me nostalgic for the time Misty, Brock, and I visited Ecruteak City.

The musicians were accompanying a performance of "Hikari Slays the Seviper", so we had to stay and watch. Tarina was awed by the size of the Seviper puppet they used--Brock explained that some of the bigger puppets need multiple performers to perform them. She was a little unnerved at seeing the puppeteers at work, but Misty explained to her that this was expected in traditional theater. Brock added that anyone in black--musician, stagehand, or puppeteer--was understood to be a shadow, and therefore invisible to the audience, never mind that audiences very clearly saw them at work.

We all had a great time at the festival, but we returned home early, so I can get some rest for the trial tomorrow!

I love you--tell Dad, Serena, and Melody I said hello!

Love,
Ash