"Ugh," Skye Hunter groaned as he wiped his brow with the back of his hand. "it shouldnae be allowed tae be dis hot at dis time eh day. . ."
Pika didn't vocalize her agreement, but she did give him a nod as she trotted beside him.
Skye glanced down at her, wondering if he should have waited until they got to school before putting her vest on. Maybe he should get her something to drink once he got the chance.
They both of them were heading to the Poké Ride port so that they could travel over to Melemele Island to attend school. As Skye was a stickler for showing up on time, he tended to leave Paniola Ranch an hour before the starting bell. Despite it being so early in the morning, the heat was still murder.
Skye looked up towards his namesake, shielding his eyes from the bright sun to search for the shape of a Charizard flying overhead. He was looking for his neighbour and fellow classmate, Kiawe Keahi. They rarely crossed paths in the morning as Kiawe was usually doing milk deliveries by the time Skye got up in the morning.
He shrugged when he was unable to find him. Aw well, ah'll see 'im in class.
"Chu chu, pi!" Pika exclaimed.
"Wi-"
All of a sudden, all of the air in Skye's lungs was forced out of him as someone ran into him. The both of them hit the ground hard. The breeder gasped for breathe, turning his head to glare at whoever had ran into him. Lying next to him was a teen in a ripped black hoodie with platinum blond hair covering half of his face. The guy was obviously in his emo phase.
He wanted to yell something at him, but the teen quickly scrambled to his feet and disappeared into the nearby bushes before he could. He huffed loudly when he could breath properly again. No even an apology? Jeez, weans deez days. . . 'n who even wears black in da tropics?
Beside him, Pika had started to look him over for any injuries. He lifted a hand to gently pet along her back to reassure her. "Ah'm awright, baby girl." He said with a strained voice.
"Pii. . ." Pika gave him a worried look as he stood up and started to wipe dirt off his shorts and shirt. He went to stretch out his back when Pika patted his shin to get his attention. Looking down, he saw that his ESP was holding a Pokéball.
"Where'd jae git dat fae?" Skye asked, leaning down to take it from her. This. . .wasn't one of his Pokémon, right? His backpack was zipped closed, so there was no way that one of his Pokéballs could've popped out. Though, to be sure, he slid his bag off and checked any way. The zips were secure and all five of his Pokéballs were inside.
"Uhm," he turned the capsule in his hands. "dis isnae good."
"Chu pi?" Pika chirped, climbing up onto Skye's shoulder to get a better look at the ball.
"Dis must belong tae dat guy who ran intae me," Skye mused. "bit we cannae run ehf'ther 'im. He's long gone awready." He might have been rude, but he didn't deserve to lose one of his family.
The both of them looked in the direction the teen had ran off to before sighing. "Ah 'hink ders a Pokémon Centre jist doon da road. . ."
Sure enough, there was a Pokémon Centre less than ten minutes from the port. Skye was glad that he didn't need to waste time going out of his way to find one. He still needed to go to school after this.
After seeing the trademark bright red roof over the next hill, Skye jogged up to the front doors, sliding inside as a trainer and her Pipipek exited.
"Nurse Joy," he panted as he got to the front desk. "ah need some help wae somethin' please."
Nurse Joy blinked at him. "Oh? What can I help you with?"
Skye placed the Pokéball on the desk. "Ah wiz walkin' doon tahwards da Poké Ride port tae go tae school ova oon Melemele Island, bit den dis emo guy in a black hoodie ran intae me 'n ah 'hink he left dis Pokébaw behind oon accident, so ah'd like yae tae check da baw's ID numbuh, please."
Despite Skye practically slurring all of his words together into an accent-filled mess, Nurse Joy nodded, professional as always. "I'll see what I can do." She chimed, taking the ball and turning to her computer to begin the identification process.
Skye looked around, eyeing the video phones to his far right and the near empty café to his left. Ah need tae phone da school. . .'n ah want tae git Pika somethin' tae drink.
"D-dae yae mind if ah git somethin' fae da café 'n use wan eh da video phones?" He asked.
"Go right ahead," he heard Nurse Joy say from behind her computer monitor.
The breeder nodded in thanks before he slowly and cautiously waddled towards the café area. His stomach churned.
As much as he thought he was getting good at it, he was still obviously terrified at the concept of talking to strangers. He was only able to talk to Nurse Joy because he had forced himself to do so as he grew up in case he ever was in need of one. The joys of being socially anxious.
He awkwardly padded his way through the tables to reach the cashier counter. The cashier smiled at him. He gulped.
"U-uhm," he choked down his accent the best he could so that he wouldn't need to repeat himself. "c-cin ah get some water fur ma Pikachu, p-please?" He started sliding off his bag to retrieve his wallet.
The cashier waved his hand. "No need, kid." He turned around, opening the counter top fridge to take out a bottle of water. "Water is free. Alola is far too hot for it not to be, especially when you are a working 'mon." He winked at Pika as he handed the bottle over.
Pika shuffled around on Skye's shoulders so that he could put his bag back on. "O-oh, danks." He said in a small voice.
"Pi pikachu," Pika blinked gratefully at the cashier as they walked away to head for the video phones.
Dat. . .went better dan expected. Shouldeh guessed dat dey'd gee me it fur free. Pretty much everywan here jist loves tae haun 'hings oot. He huffed to himself. Bit, ah'm no a wean. Ah'm probably auldah dan he is.
He took a glance at the front desk. Nurse Joy was still working on identifying the Pokéball's ID. He continued on until he got to the video phones, taking up a free one.
Pika hopped off his shoulder to sit by his feet, taking the water bottle down with her.
Skye waited for her to get the lid off and take a drink before he started to dial, muttering the school's number under his breath. He hoped that Professor Kukui wasn't too busy to take his call, considering the school day was just about to start.
He straightened up when the screen flashed on, revealing a bored looking receptionist. Skye steeled himself as they drawled. "Alola, you've reached Melemele Pokémon Community School, how may I help you?"
"A-ah'm wan eh Professor Kukui's students, Skye Hunter. S-K-Y-E Hunter." Skye explained, spelling out his name clearly. "Ah'd l-like tae speak tae 'im if h-he's available, p-please."
The receptionist loudly typed something into the computer they were speaking through to check if Skye was who he said he was. After making sure, they sighed. "I'll see if he's available. Please hold." The screen abruptly switched to a screen that read 'ON HOLD'.
He didn't have to wait long for the receptionist to come back. "Professor Kukui is available. I'll transfer you over, Mr Hunter."
The screen switched again and Professor Kukui's image greeted him.
"Alola, Skye!" He said cheerfully." I never expected you'd call the school. What's up?" Skye quickly gave him the same explanation he had gave Nurse Joy, if not a little more composed than before.
"I see," the professor on the screen put his hands on his hips. "so now you're waiting for Nurse Joy to get back to you about the trainer's ID?"
"Aye." Skye nodded.
Professor Kukui smiled. "Very good. How long do you think it'll take?"
"A-ah dunno," Skye admitted, looking down. "ah- ah 'hink we'll be late, sir."
"Hmm, I suppose you will, even if you hurry with Extreme Speed." Kukui said, making Skye feel more guilty. From her place at his feet, Pika gave her trainer a comforting look. "How about this- you two get here by first break and I won't mark you as late."
Skye perked up, giving the professor a relieved smile. "Da- danks, professor."
"I need to get going. Got a class to teach." The professor chuckled. "I'll see the both of you later."
Skye said his goodbye and hung up. He let out a loud sigh of relief. He could do that. It wouldn't be too hard to get to school with that bigger window of time. He looked down at Pika. "Yae heard at, baby girl?"
"Pi chu." Pika took a final swig from her water before putting the cap back on. Skye knelt down to take it and put it into his backpack.
"Uhm, Mr Pikachu trainer!"
Skye turned his head, seeing Nurse Joy waving him over. He reached out his arm, allowing Pika to climb up onto his shoulder before he got up and walked over. As he got closer, he could see that Nurse Joy looked a little unsettled.
"I'm sorry to say, but this Pokéball doesn't have an ID." She told him. "It's blank."
Skye and Pika stared at her.
"I-it's empty?" The breeder hung his head. He had wasted his and Professor Kukui's time on an empty Pokéball?! He suddenly had the need to bang his head against a wall.
"Well, no. There is a Pokémon inside." Nurse Joy began, eyeing the Pokéball on the desk warily. "However. . ."
Skye's head perked up.
Nurse Joy hesitated for a beat. "You were talking to Professor Kukui, weren't you?"
"U-uh, aye?" Skye nervously nodded, unsure how Professor Kukui fitted in their conversation. "Ah take his class at da community school oon Melemele."
"I think you should take this Pokémon to him so that he can take a look at them." Her smile was strained as she pushed the ball towards Skye.
Skye pulled a face. Why would Professor Kukui want to look at a Pokémon in a Pokéball with no ID? Wouldn't it be a better idea if the Pokéball was left here in the Pokémon Centre in case the trainer came back looking for it?
Blank Pokéballs weren't available on the regular trainer market, but a cashier could have stupidly forgotten to input the buyer's trainer ID number when the Pokéball was purchased. A human mistake, a bad one, but a human mistake nonetheless. A Pokémon in a blank Pokéball wasn't really something to bother a regional professor with.
Skye wanted to tell her just that, but there was something in the nurse's tense expression that kept his mouth shut. He gazed at the Pokéball, meeting eyes with his guilty-faced reflection on the capsule's red top. He should just say no, but he knew that if he did say no, he would have to avoid this Pokémon Centre so that he wouldn't meet this Nurse Joy again and his Pokémon needed all Pokémon Centres to be accessible to them if they were in need of medical attention that he couldn't provide, so. . .
"Awright," he finally said, not looking up from the Pokéball. "ah'll gee it tae da Professor fur yae."
Nurse Joy sighed with relief. "Thank you."
He took the Pokéball off the counter, gave the nurse a bow of his head and quickly skittered out of the Pokémon Centre. As soon as he made sure that he a ways away from the centre, he let out a loud exasperated groan. Pika placed her crooked tail along his shoulders sympathetically. She knew him better than any other, and she knew that he had only agreed out of fear rather than kindness.
"Chu chu, pika chu pi." Pika told him gently.
Skye sighed. "Aye, ah know. At least we don't hiv tae go oot eh da way tae gee it tae 'im." He lifted his hand to look at the Pokéball they were now stuck with.
Apart from being a blank, it was your everyday Pokéball. He wondered what Pokémon could be held within it. Judging by the kid that bumped into him, they were probably a Dark or Poison type. An Absol, maybe. They were popular among the goth and emo kids. He knew that they could be found on Mount Lanakila over on Ula'ula Island. That could be the reason why the kid was wearing a black hoodie. Mount Lanakila was the only place in Alola that wasn't sweltering hot.
Then again, the Pokémon inside could easily not be native to Alola if the kid was a tourist or a journeying trainer from another region, which widened the variety by a huge margin.
"Haud oon," Skye came to an abrupt stop as realization hit him like a truck. "is dat why Nurse Joy looked so spooked back der?"
Pika gave him a curious look. "Pi?"
"'Hink aboot it, baby girl." Skye turned his head to speak to his partner. "Wid Nurse Joy want me tae gee dis Pokébaw ova tae da Professor if she knew wit Pokémon dat's inside it?" Pika put a paw to her chin in thought. "Ah 'hink dat when she scanned dis Pokébaw 'n saw dat da Pokémon inside wiznae wan she recognised, she freaked 'n asked us tae haun it ova tae Proffessor Kukui so she didnae embarrass hersel' in front eh 'er Blissey 'n Comfey."
The Nurse Joy was young, most likely fresh out of nursing school. She probably hadn't seen most non-native Pokémon and panicked. He remembered when he had a similar experience when he was a newly certified breeder. He was given the task to breed a Clefable with an Audino, a Pokémon he had never seen before. He had felt so unprepared and lost on what to do, he ended up pawning the job off to his father by day's end.
Nowadays, that wasn't a problem he had to deal with. Skye had spent countless days and nights researching every single Pokémon there was so that he wouldn't find himself in such a situation ever again. He was the Walking Pokédex! His knowledge in Pokémon was his pride and joy. He would be a useless human being without it.
Now that he thought about it, the poor guy had no idea what was going on. The last thing they probably knew, they were safe on their trainer's belt, ready to be called out for battle. Someone needed to get them up to speed with the situation.
"We better tell dem wit's goin' oon." He told Pika. "Be ready tae help me oot." The Pikachu agreed, jumping off his shoulder and straightening up as her trainer gently threw the Pokéball, letting the Pokémon out. He caught the ball when it rebounded back to him. He smiled as the Pokémon materialized before him, but it disappeared as he met eyes with a large Pokémon he didn't recognise.
His heart sank into the pit of his stomach as he took a shaky step back. N-no way! D-der's no way-!
The only other Pokémon he didn't recognise on the spot were Squishy, Volcanion and Magearna; and he didn't know about them only because the first two were legendary Pokémon while the other had been created and hidden away by some scientist!
The Pokémon loomed over him and Pika, their grey eyes boring into them through the holes in their helmet-like head. They stood as stiff as a board with their hackles raised, as if they were waiting for either one of them to do something.
Skye shrunk back. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what this Pokémon was -they looked as if five different Pokémon had been patched together into one- so he didn't know what to do with them. He couldn't just return them and keep them locked in their Pokéball until he found their trainer. it was unethical to do such a thing.
Maybe, since this Pokémon had a trainer, they were accustomed to listening to people, they would listen to him. If not, Pika was his best bet. Confused and scared Pokémon tended to listen to other Pokémon over human strangers. But if they didn't listen to her. . .
Skye swallowed the lump in his throat. "U-uhm, hello. . ?"
He got a slow blink.
"Uh, don-don't be scared. . ." the breeder glanced down at Pika, who gently patted the flat of her tail against the back of his leg. "we're no here tae hurt yae." He gingerly reached out his hand for the Pokémon to sniff.
"Swrry!" The Pokémon suddenly reared up onto their hind legs, swinging sharp green talons in Skye's face.
All at once, he was back in Kalos several months before, being torn apart by Houndour and Skorupi in the shadow of Prism Tower. Teeth and claws embedded in his arm and leg. People shouting over their Pokémon's attacks. Lumiose City in ruins.
Absolute chaos.
Skye staggered back, falling onto his backside, just barely avoiding being struck.
Pika jumped between them, letting out a loud hiss as sparks danced across her fur. The mismatched Pokémon awkwardly hopped backwards before falling back onto all fours. They made an echoed shrill in response to Pika's furious growls.
Snapping back to reality, thanks to the pain that shot up his tail bone, Skye scrambled to his feet, preparing for them to attack. The Pokémon swung their bulky head around, frantically searching for something. Spotting the bushes behind them, they turned and dived in.
Skye panted as he and Pika stared at the shivering tail fin that was left poking out. Pika shook herself out before leaning against her trainer's leg to keep him grounded in the present. He wiped at his mouth, trying to forget the taste of blood and dust that was left on his tongue.
Allowing his head to clear, his terror was replaced by concern as he realized that the Pokémon was absolutely terrified of him and Pika. He shook his head, mentally hitting himself for not seeing the signs any sooner. He was just lucky enough to not be injured for his mistake. He knew better than anyone what a scared Pokémon could be capable of. The deeply embedded scars on the back of his right hand were a testimony to that.
He started to think about why they would be so frightened of them. He and Pika didn't make any sudden movements or loud noises that could possibly pass for aggression. They were definitely not a Pokémon who was recently captured. There was something wrong here.
The way they watched his hand as he reached out gave him a sinking feeling. Had. . .this Pokémon been abused?
Skye took a tentative step towards the shaking bush to get a better look at them. He had seen countless abused Pokémon in the past, thanks to the rescue and adopt program that his mother had set up back home, and this one was checking nearly all of the boxes.
Their ribs were visible, their short black fur was dishevelled, and they smelled like a mixture of medicial waste and a Garbordor in the middle of summer. As he looked at it, the helmet looked unnatural too. It wasn't part of the Pokémon; it was wooden. Someone had put that thing on them, possibly to muzzle them. The securing collar had even started to painfully embed itself into their neck.
He didn't know why they would be in such a horrible state, but he quickly suspected that the one to blame for this was the teen that ran into him. Rage started to bubble inside him. If he ever found out that kid was responsible for this, he'll be getting more than just a punch of the nose if they ever crossed paths again.
"Chu chu," Pika cooed against his leg, having followed Skye closely. "pika pi chu."
He sighed, gently rubbing his shoe against Pika's foreleg. That kid didn't matter right now. One thing was for certain, this Pokémon desperately needed their help.
First, he needed them to trust him. Then, they needed to be put into their Pokéball. If he didn't know what species they were, it was likely that walking around with them in public wouldn't be a good idea.
Skye slowly knelt down, slipping off his backpack. He picked up their Pokéball, which he had dropped before, pocketing it. Pika lay herself down beside him, silently understanding what he was going to do. The Pokémon twisted their head to stare at them with bulging grey eyes.
"It's awright, big yin. . ." he said gently. "we're no gonna hurt yae." Their wide eyes flicked to Pika. "She won't touch yae. Ma partner here jumped in tae protect me becuz yae surprised is, big yin."
Pika confirmed this with a nod.
They stared at the both of them, unsure if they could trust the breeder and his Pikachu. With a strained grunt, they turned themselves around to face them.
Skye opened his bag, reaching in to bring out a tupperware box containing his lunch. He didn't know what type this Pokémon was, or what their diet consisted of, so he decided to play if safe by giving them some human food.
"Ah've goat some food fur yae." he told them as he popped the box open. They flinched at the sound, shifting deeper into the bush.
"Pika pi pikachu." Pika squeaked, smiling encouragingly at them.
"It's ham 'n cheese," Skye explained, holding up a sandwich for them to see. "it's tasty. Da cheese is made oot eh fresh MooMoo milk fae da Keahi farm up da road." The unknown Pokémon perked their head up, interested but still cautious. He tore off a corner before throwing it into the bush. They hissed, but eyed the food curiously.
Slowly, they lowered their head to sniff at it. Then, they suddenly snapped it up with an unseen mouth.
"Good joab, big yin!" Skye praised, quickly tearing off another piece and throwing it in. Once again, they snatched it up. Pika chirped her own praise as they lifted their head to look at Skye expectingly. They had this back and forth until there was only half of the second sandwich left.
"Awright," he smiled widely at them. "yir actually pretty cute up close, aren't yae?" The mismatched Pokémon had progressively shuffled closer to him, but they still looked ready to flee if Skye did something they didn't like.
He felt like he could try pushing the new boundaries a smidgen, so he said, "Yae want dis?" He waved the last piece of sandwich, getting a small grunt in response. "Okay. We're gonnae dae somethin' different here, awright?
Ah'm gonnae haund yae dis bit 'n yae've goat tae promise me yir no gonnae bite ma fingers aff." He said half-jokingly. He nearly lost his fingers once, so he would like to not actually lose them now.
Their eyes bugged out from their sockets, dumbfounded.
Skye slowly started to reach his hand out, offering the piece. Pika pressed her cheek against his thigh to gently give him a Nuzzle.
The Pokémon wriggled backwards to keep a distance between them and Skye.
"Yae cin trust is," Skye softly told them.
They stiffly fidgeted, but they slowly began to stretch out their neck to take the food. They gave Skye an afflicted glance before they finally took the offered food.
"Good oon yae, big yin-!" Skye beamed at the feeling of a rough tongue licking his palm. He let them lick until they pulled away after making sure they had gotten all the crumbs. He felt so accomplished! They were eating out of his hand!
Taking note of how dry their tongue felt, he turned to his bag to take out the bottled water. After eating his lunch, they were probably in need of something to drink.
Skye took the tupperware tub and filled it with the rest of the water. He motioned for Pika to be the one to hand it over for them to drink from. He wanted them to know that it wasn't just him that meant well.
The Pikachu stood up and pushed the makeshift bowl in front of the large monster. She smiled up at them as she took a step back. They grumbled at her, then leaned down to start lapping up the water.
The Pokémon had visibly started to relax as they drank. Skye was glad to see that they were starting to feel comfortable, despite what had happened to them.
"We hivnae explained wit's goin' oon, hiv we?" Skye said, suddenly aware that he hadn't done just that. Or properly introduce himself either, for that matter.
"Well, first 'hings first, ah'm Skye." He gestured to his loyal Pikachu. "'N dis is Pika, she's ma Emotional Support Pokémon. We wir headin' tae school when somewan in a black hoodie ran intae me 'n dey ended up leavin' yir Pokébaw behind. Wir dey yir trainer?"
They stopped drinking to stare at Skye, their eyes darkening with fear. Skye's worries were starting to become a reality. The kid who ran into him had abused them. The kid was the reason behind their condition.
Wishing to comfort them, the breeder reached out to gently touch their head. They growled, but they didn't move away.
"Don't worry, big yin. We won't let yae go back tae dat guy. We'll findjae a better trainer, somewan who'll take better care eh yae."
Their eyes burned into him, silently begging for Skye to be telling the truth.
"We promise," he said with an uncharacteristic confidence.
"Pika pi," Pika added, leaning forward to gently pat their large foreleg. "chu."
"Srr. . ." They whined, pushing their bulky head into Skye's hand. The gesture made Skye wonder if they had ever been given affection before. If they hadn't been given food and basic care, never being given affection wouldn't be much of a stretch.
Skye ran his hand over the helmet they wore, feeling the coarse wood against his palm. He thought about how hard it must be for them to carry the helmet's burden. He held back a disgusted shudder for their sake. He could never understand why any one would decide to do something like this to their Pokémon.
Skye needed to stop thinking about what the Pokémon had been through for the moment. He needed to get them into their Pokéball and get to school. And once he gets there, he'll show Professor Kukui the Pokémon and he'll hopefully learn what they were.
The Pokémon drank the rest of their water, allowing Skye to take it back without tensing up when he reached forward to collect it from between their claws.
He took out their Pokéball after he handed the tub over to Pika for her to put it in his backpack. "Is it aw-awright if ah cin put yae intae yir Pokébaw?" They gave him and the ball a sceptical look. "Ah cin put Pika in her baw so she cin show yae how safe it is." He wasn't sure if they were scared of their ball, but he felt like he needed to ask.
"Pi pika." Pika stood up, ready to demonstrate.
They seemed to think about it, but slowly shook their head after a moment and started to get to their feet. Skye smiled gratefully, holding out the Pokéball.
"See yae later, big yin." He promised before finally returned them to their Pokéball. The brunet slumped with a loud sigh. He went to get up, but he realized too late that his legs had become numb during his time knelling down. He promptly fell painfully onto his side.
"Chu chu!" Pika squeaked, jumping to his aid.
Skye scoffed. "If dis ends up jist like wit happened wae Squishy, ah hope some deity strikes me deed. Ah cannae haunel da world nearly endin' again. . ."
"May-maybe, dat wiz-! Dat wiz a bad idea!" Skye said through struggled gasps. He leaned against the school gate, trying to catch his breath. He had hit the ground running when he made it to Melemele Island and hadn't stopped until he finally reached the school because he wanted to show the new Pokémon to Professor Kukui as soon as he possibly could.
He was regretting that decision now. His chest was burning and he was choking on the fresh Alola air, but he had made it, presumably before the first break of the day, just like he wanted. He grasped the unknown Pokémon's Pokéball tightly in his hand, having been in such a hurry, he hadn't put the capsule away into his bag.
Pika clung onto his shoulder, windswept. "Chuu. . ."
Skye wanted to go straight to class and tell Professor Kukui about the new Pokémon he had in his possession, but he knew that would be stupid. If ah went up der 'n tried tae act normal, ah'd look way too suspicious 'n ah know everywan ir gonnae ask me where da heck ah've been, espeically Ash. If that happened, he would have to bring them out in front of everyone and that would be disastrous. He had to see Professor Kukui and only Professor Kukui. Maybe ah cin jist wait ootside fur da be-
"Alola, Skye!"
Skye and Pika's heads snapped up to see Mr Oak, the school's principal and Professor Oak's cousin, walking over to them with a welcoming wave. "Shouldn't you be in class by now?"
"Ah know. . ." Skye muttered under his breath, but he suddenly got an idea. He could ask Mr Oak to get Professor Kukui for him so he wouldn't need to make himself look suspicious in front of everyone!
"A-ah know," he repeated a little louder when he saw Mr Oak raise an eyebrow. "bit we wir held up by somethin'." He lifted up his hand to show the principal the Pokéball.
Mr Oak tilted his head. "Did one of your Pokémon give you some trouble?"
"Uhm, naw. Dis isnae wan eh ma Pokémon. Ah found de-" Skye stopped himself from explaining further. He wanted Professor Kukui to hear this. The breeder stood up straight before continuing.
"Mr Oak, we need tae talk tae Professor Kukui." He said with renewed urgency.
"Pika pikachu," Pika added sternly.
"So, the both of you are Seaking Professor Kukui, hm?" Mr Oak said, putting a painful emphasis on his pun.
Skye gritted his broken teeth and bared it. "Ah need tae show 'im da Pokémon dat's in dis Pokébaw becuz der a Pokémon dat isnae officially recognised! Der a new species."
Mr Oak's eyes widened in surprise, but his expression quickly turned sceptical. "Are you sure, Skye? You aren't from here, so it's possible that you're just mistaken."
Skye smiled a forced, frustrated smile. He had already got his self esteem knocked down a notch today and he seriously didn't want it to be knocked down another peg by a pun-loving principal. Pika brushed her cheek against his to keep him steady. He breathed deeply through his nose.
"Sir, if ah wiznae serious aboot dis, ah widnae be hivin' dis conversation wae yae. Ah've spent ma whole life researchin' every single Pokémon oon dis planet as any good breeder should 'n if ah honestly don't know a Pokémon. . .wit kind eh breeder wid ah be?
'N if yae still don't believe me, da Nurse Joy dat saw dis Pokémon didnae recognise dem either. She even telt me tae show dem tae da professor. Ah cin tell yae which Centre she's stationed at so yae cin phone 'er so she cin tell yae hersel'."
Mr Oak tapped his chin in thought, starting to look convinced. "If you are serious about this, then Wynaut we go up there and show them to Professor Kukui right now?"
Yea- naw, no dat, no dat!
"W-we shouldnae jist go up der, sir!" Skye exclaimed, holding the Pokéball close to his chest protectively. "D-dey won't like dat."
"How so?"
Skye was unable to look the principal in the eye. "U-uhm, der scared eh people 'n uhduh Pokémon. Ah don't want dem tae freak oot 'n possibly hurt demselves 'r somewan else. Dat's why ah want tae show dem tae jist Professor Kukui."
"What do you propose we do then?" Mr Oak asked.
The brunet started to fidget with the Z-Ring on his wrist. "Ah 'hink we should wait until break so we cin talk tae 'im."
"Alright, we'll wait for break time!" Mr Oak said with a shrug. "And while we wait, how about I teach you some classic Poképuns?"
By the time the bell had finally rang, Skye felt like several Rhyhorn had ran him over multiple times. Mr Oak had spewed bad Pokémon pun after bad Pokémon pun, making Skye wish that he could somehow find a mute button somewhere to shut him up.
Pika had been more collected. She sat on his shoulder, politely listening to every pun after the other. She had the patience of a saint, but that's what you need when you raise 15 children.
"Well then, let's head up." Mr Oak said after the bell stopped ringing.
Skye gave him an obviously fake smile. "How aboot me 'n Pika stay here while yae git 'im?"
"Don't be si-Lilligant!" The older man said, turning to the school's front entrance. Feeling his stomach to a nervous flip, Skye reluctantly followed him inside.
"Pi chu chu?" Pika asked him.
Skye shrugged, not wanting to verbalize his response in case Mr Oak overheard. We kind eh hiv tae.
When they reached the classroom, Skye kept himself out of sight by standing just outside of the classroom door as Mr Oak walked inside.
"Professor Kukui! A word, if you please."
"Oh? Alright. Class, I'm going to speak with Principal Oak. I'll be back before break finishes." Skye took a large step back as he heard the two of them coming his way. "So, what is- oh!"
Kukui smiled when he stopped Skye awkwardly standing there. Skye never thought that he'd be so happy to see Professor Kukui and his stupid man-bun in his entire life.
The professor started to lift his hand in greeting, but Skye started to frantically give him a shushing gesture. The breeder had been in Alola long enough to know that wave would lead up to the man giving him a hearty hello. The two men started at him.
Skye growled in frustration. Pika tried to pat his shoulder to calm him down, but he had given up on trying to be civil. So, not wanting to push his luck any more, he grabbed Professor Kukui's wrist and started to pull him down the hall.
Mr Oak let out a shocked gasp before chasing after them while Kukui was too amused by Skye's strange behaviour to resist being dragged around like a Pokédoll.
Pika bowed her head repeatedly, apologizing profusely for her trainer's actions. "Pi pikachu pi pika-!"
When he felt like Kukui and Mr Oak got the message to follow him, Skye released his grip on the professor's wrist. "S-sorry," he said, his voice shaking from a sudden boost of adrenaline. "ah jist didnae want da class tae stick der noses in dis."
"Stick their noses in what?" Kukui asked, dazed by the sudden turn of events. "Did something happen with the lost Pokémon?"
Skye started walking down the flight of stairs they had come to. "Aye, it turnt oot dat da Pokébaw didnae hiv an ID numbuh. It's blank."
"Blank? That's unusual."
"Wait, what's going on?" Mr Oak croaked out.
"Skye ended up running into someone left a Pokéball behind." Kukui told him. "Skye had called me about an hour and a half ago while he was having it checked for it's trainer ID, then he was going to come here afterwards."
Skye nervously cackled, his anxiety beginning to get the best of him. "Dat's da least eh oor worries right noo-!"
"How so?"
"Skye told me that he found an undiscovered Pokémon!" Mr Oak answered.
"The lost Pokémon is undiscovered?!" Professor Kukui said excitedly.
"But we haven't even see this Pokémon yet! He could be mistaken! The Pokémon could be an Oricorio from another island or, or-"
"I know that it wouldn't be wise to go into this without some suspicion, but I believe Skye when he says that he's found an undiscovered Pokémon. He's shown more than once that he can identify just about any Pokémon in class.
And besides, even if Skye has made a mistake, it doesn't hurt to at least check. Who knows, we might have a new variant of a Pokémon on our hands!"
Skye wanted to beam with pride, knowing that the professor had such confidence in him, but he was still trying to keep himself from shaking. Pika used her tail to gently rub his side.
With the new knowledge of a possible new Pokémon being in their midst, they quickly walked through and out of the school. Skye led them to the side of the building, beside the racetrack before turning around to face Professor Kukui and Mr Oak. He was surprised that everything had worked out so far, especially that grab-and-drag-the-professor move. Hopefully, his luck hadn't ran out yet.
"U-uh, awright." He said with a nervous gulp, the Pokéball in his hand feeling heavier and heavier. Pika kept up her soothing tail rubs. "Ah've awready telt Mr Oak dis, bit. . .ah brought yae oot here becuz it's fur da Pokémon's benefit."
Professor Kukui's eyes widened behind his sunglasses. "For their benefit? Are they a rather large Pokémon?"
"No really. Der aboot da same size eh ma Tyranitar, maybe a wee bit taller?" He paused to clear his throat. "Bit, der size isnae da problem.
Dey're scared eh people 'n Pokémon. Befur we came here 'n eftuh we left da Pokémon Centre, ah brought dem oot tae tell dem wit wiz goin' oon. Dey freaked 'n hid in a bush becuz ah went tae touch dem.
Ah only managed tae git dem back intae der Pokébaw when ah gained der trust by geein' dem some food 'n wathur."
Pika nodded, agreeing with her trainer's story.
"Ah don't blame dem fur bein' so scared dhough." Skye hung his head, sadly looking at the inactive Pokéball. He felt a lump grow in hsi throat. "D-dey've been abused."
"What?" The two school facility members exclaimed together.
"Dey're malnourished 'n dey hiv dis big heavy helmet oon dat's cuttin' intae der neck 'n der in a right bad state. A-ah shouldeh sayd dis befur ah dragged yae haulfway through da school, bit ah didnae want anywan tae ovahear becuz dey'd want tae git involved 'n ah didnae 'hink dat wid be good fur dem."
Professor Kukui and Mr Oak were quiet, making the brunet's stomach go into knots.
Kukui put his large hand on his shoulder. "I understand," he said slowly. "we must be careful with them and you wanted to make sure of that. Do you think they can handle letting us see them?"
"A-ah 'hink so," Skye stammered. "as long as y-yae keep yir distance."
"Alright. Whenever you're ready, bring them out."
Skye gripped the Pokéball tigher, feeling unsure if he should, now that he was where he wanted to be. He gulped again. He looked up at Kukui, who gave him an encouraging nod before taking a large step back to give him and the Pokémon some space.
He took a long moment to calm himself the best he could for the Pokémon's sake, then he activated the ball and let them out before he could think about the consequences. He held his breath as they appeared in a flash of white light.
"O-oh. . .that's-" Professor Kukui stuttered, stunned. "that's not what I expected."
Mr Oak was speechless, his jaw handing open.
The Pokémon stared at them, the matted short fur on their hackles raising. "Swrr. . ." They took a shaky step backwards, turning their bulky head to Skye with scared sunken eyes. "Rrryy?"
"I-it's awright, big yin." Skye tried to sound reassuring. "Dey're no gonnae hurt yae. Dey jist want tae meet yae becuz yir new."
They slowly lowered themselves to the ground, making themselves as small as they possibly could with their large, awkward body. They looked at Professor Kukui, then back at Skye. "Ryy!" They cried, quickly crawling on their stomach to cower behind his legs.
"H-hey," Skye knelt down, gingerly putting a hand on their head to sooth them. "we've goat yae."
Pika climbed down to gently speak to them, getting low whimpers in return. They were clearly weren't going to budge.
Skye glanced back at Kukui and Mr Oak to ask the big question. "Uh, ir dey a Pokémon yae know?"
Professor Kukui blinked several times. "Erh, no. They don't look like any Pokémon I know of." He gazed at the school principal standing next to him. "Do you. . ."
Mr Oak franticly shook his head. "N-nope!"
Skye looked back at the Pokémon. The confirmation that they were undiscovered didn't bring him any comfort. It only raised more questions.
Where did they come from? How many of them were there? What type were they? What moves did they know? What moves could they learn? What sex were they? What was their type?
He didn't know anything about this Pokémon. If a regional professor didn't have a clue, he knew he wouldn't find anything about them anywhere. Not in any book or on any database. It scared him. He had to know everything, it was how he felt safe.
He met eyes with them, their grey eyes pleading and hollow. They were rooted to the ground, too scared of what would happen to them if they moved. They wanted to get away, to be left alone.
Skye knew the feeling. He knew what it was like to be terrified of everything around him. It was a horrible way to live, constantly living in fight or flight mode, ready for something bad to happen. But, he had Pika, his Pokémon, and Ash to help him through his fears, while they had no one.
Even if he didn't know anything about them, he didn't have the time to be scared of the unknown. They were still an abused Pokémon that desperately needed help.
"Okay, let's all keep a Calm Mind about this." Kukui said, his hands raised. "We have an undiscovered Pokémon, but what do we do now? They are terrified of humans and Pokémon, so that makes things difficult."
Mr Oak agreed with a nod. With them being so scared, it would be hard for them to be analyzed and prodded by curious researchers with their needles and swabs.
Oblivious to their future, the Pokémon eyed the wide open space of the racetrack, half-mesmerized, half-terrified by the blue skies and palm trees. It was like they had never seen such things before. Maybe they hadn't.
Yae hiv such a stressful life aheed eh yae, he thought, placing his hand on their talon-like foreleg to comfort them. Bit it'll be better dan witever yae hid tae go through befur noo.
"We need to figure out what to do with them for the time being." Kukui mused to no one in particular. "Somewhere where they can recover from their abuse in peace, as well as learning not to fear humans and other Pokémon."
Skye slowly placed a calloused hand on their foreleg and Pika bumped her head against the Pokémon's shoulder affectionately. They grumbled, the tension in their body slowly beginning to melt away, but they kept a watchful eye on the two Alolan men contemplating their fate.
"I think I've figured out what to do." Said Kukui, prompting Skye to turn his head to listen. "Until we know how to move forward with this, I think Skye should take them home."
Skye was taken aback. He hadn't expected that Kukui would want him to keep the Pokémon. He thought that the professor would take them so they could be taken cared of by someone professional, then be studied. He thought he'd never see them again after this talk.
"R-really?" Skye and Mr Oak asked, baffled.
"They obviously feel safe around you and Pika, and I can tell that the both of you care deeply for them too." Professor Kukui smiled, looking absolutely sure about his words. "You have taken care of abused Pokémon before, haven't you?"
Skye numbly nodded.
"Then, I'm sure you'll take good care of them."
Skye didn't know what to say. The professor was really trusting him to take care of an undiscovered Pokémon, a Pokémon that could possibly place him in the history books.
"However," Kukui reached up to fix his sunglasses. "I expect you to give me a written report on their care every Friday before the end of the school day on your findings while they are in your care. Consider it as leverage for keeping them, as well as some extra homework.
I'll get into contact with the other researchers, so I'll need some reference pictures to show them since one of them might be able to solve this mystery, or at least be able to help us out."
Beside Skye, the Pokémon gave him a hiss, sounding confused. "Swrr?"
Skye realized that his hands had started to shake.
Professor Kukui rubbed the back of his neck, his smile wavering. "You. . .do want to take care of them, don't you?"
He must be pulling a face too.
"U-uhm," Skye gulped. "a-ah dae-! It's jist-" he shook his head in attempt to clear it. "dis is jist a lot tae take in.."
"Ah, I suppose it is." Kukui agreed.
"Do Mew think that is a good idea?" Mr Oak questioned. "Wouldn't it be better if you took care of them yourself, Professor? You're far more qualified to handle a situation like this, aren't you?"
"Even with my qualifications, Skye has took care of abused Pokémon in the past, while I haven't. Judging by how bad they look, they'll need help from someone who knows what they are doing."
Skye shifted uncomfortably. "I-ir yae really sure aboot lettin' me take care eh dem, Professor? A-ah dunno if ah cin-"
"Nonsense!" Kukui waved his hand dismissively. "You're more capable than you think, Skye. As I said before, I know you'll take good care of them." He looked to Pika. "Wouldn't you agree?"
"Pi-pikachu!" Pika said, always more than happy to praise Skye.
Surprisingly, the Pokémon nudged Skye's side of one of their claws and grumbled. "Swrr." They were agreeing with them.
Professor Kukui beamed. "Well, there you go! Can't argue with that, can you?"
Skye felt like crying, but he quickly blinked the sting away. He turned his head to give them a wobbly smile. They blinked slowly back. "Ah guess no. . ."
"It's settled then." The professor said before suddenly slapping his hand to the side of his head. "Oh! That's what's been nagging at me!"
The Pokémon hissed loudly, digging their sharp claws into the grass.
Kukui laughed out an apology before going on, much quieter in volume. "We've been neglecting to give them a name. We can't just keep calling them 'the undiscovered Pokémon', can we?"
He clasped his hand together, grinning at Skye. "You did find them and you are going to take care of them, so it would only make sense if you named them."
Name dem?! Skye's eyes went as wide as saucers. He drew a total blank, but feeling the pressure, he said the first name that came to mind. "Alexander. . ?"
Kukui snorted. "I meant a scientific name, but that works too!" He bent down, bending his knees to be at their eye level. "Alola, Alexander!"
Alexander growled before shifting closer to their new trainer.
Skye obtained Alexander!