It had been a very bad night as after Mapin let her friends and family know that she would be off in Hawaii for an unspecified period of time, they had gotten very little sleep. Had Eevee not been in a tough fight that day, she would have had even more trouble.
Each one had a different reason for staying awake for so long. Eevee felt as if this whole thing had been inevitable from the start while Popplio spent half the night racking his brain over why the girl would leave. Though the ones taking it the worst were Machop and Isamu, who felt as if they were somehow responsible for their daughter's departure.
However, once morning rolled around and Popplio woke up with bags under his eyes, he got up and headed toward the mirror. He looked at his reflection for a few seconds before sporting a more serious look and thinking, 'Alright, that's it. If we're going to be down one member, we may as well do the best we can.'
Feeling a new sense of confidence, the seal called up Eevee. However, he was a touch worried when the fox, who would normally answer her phone right away, did not pick up after three rings. And just as it neared the sixth and final one, she finally answered and uttered, "Hey, Popplio. What's going on?"
The seal could hear her trying her hardest to sound enthusiastic about the day, and he could not blame her one bit. But even so, he figured he could cheer her up as he said, "Hey, Eevee, I was thinking of going to a nearby gym to train. You wanna join me?"
"That sounds good, but maybe later," Eevee replied, "I have my own business to attend to for the time being," as Popplio replied, "Oh, oui. I understand entirely. You'd better get that done right away."
Shortly after the two said their goodbyes and hung up, the seal lowered his eyelids and sighed, "Why did I actually buy that?"
As it so happened, Eevee had gone to the Tokyo Day Club as she was currently sipping on a light-red drink through a straw. She let out a hiccup as the owner sighed, "Look, Eevee, I think you've had enough," only for the fox to retort in a slurred tone, "Hey, look, owner person, look-"
"I have a name," the man sighed as Eevee remarked, "Hey, don't interrupt me, owner person," the man shrugging and uttering, "Fine, owner person it is," the fox adding, "I'll tell YOU when I-I've had enough."
She then let out another hiccup while the man headed into the back, saying, "That's the last freebie. Any more you'll have to pay for," Eevee chuckling, "Okay, owner person. I understand," before taking another sip.
At that moment, Popplio entered and approached the fox, groaning, "I knew you'd be here, but I didn't think you'd be drinking your problems away."
"Oh, hi Popped Leo," Eevee said with a light chuckle as she reached over and gave his nose a pinch, causing it to squeak as his eyes widened, the seal covering it up out of embarrassment with the hope that no one else heard it.
All the while, Eevee took another sip and asked, "Say, you ever try one of these cocktail things? They have alcohol in them, but they also have a bunch of sweet stuff to help you ignore it. I tell you, they're friggen amazing. Though I'm not really sure why they're called cocktails. Surely whoever came up with that name knew people would make immature jokes about it."
Popplio face-palmed and groaned, "Oh my god, you know, getting drunk won't solve anything," as Eevee let out a sigh and uttered, "Yeah, you're right," dropping the slurred speech.
The seal's eyes widened as she added, "Sorry. The truth is, I just found out that I can hold my liquor surprisingly well. I just figured pretending to be drunk might help me forget everything, but all it's doing is making things worse."
"For someone who's never been drunk before, that was way too convincing," Popplio remarked before sighing, "You are mad at moi, aren't you? You know, for taking Umbreon's side yesterday."
Eevee shook her head and replied, "I told you I wasn't and I meant it," the seal breathing a sigh of relief and asking, "Well then, are you mad at Mapin for leaving?"
"Well, I am upset, but I'm not mad at her," Eevee stated, "The truth is, I'm mad at myself. As much as it pains me to admit it, I think Umbreon might be right about me. Maybe I'm not fit to be a hero. I mean, I don't even have a signature move. What hero doesn't have a signature move?"
Popplio was about to retort as Eevee sighed, "You saw it too. The only reason I beat Tsareena was because Mapin softened her up for me. Maybe if I found Golisopod immediately after his fight with her, I may have actually stood a small chance."
"Non," Popplio remarked as the fox blinked, "Umbreon may not see potential in you, but I do. You may not be as physically strong, but you are the fastest member of this team and you even have some good moves in your arsenal, even if none of them are really all that special. Your problem when facing both of those opponents was that you're too reckless."
Eevee gave him a blank stare as he added, "In both those fights, you charged towards your opponents without even thinking," the fox's eyes widening, "Did you not even realize for a second what would happen if you rammed your head into solid armour? Of course it would have hurt you more."
"So you're saying that if I fight more like you, I might actually stand a chance?" Eevee asked as Popplio nodded and replied, "Well, that would be a start."
However, the fox's confidence left as soon as it appeared as she sighed, "Well, I don't think I can do that. Whenever I'm in a fight, I just can't resist going all out," Popplio shaking his head and retorting, "Non. I know you can strategize because I've seen you do it on occasion."
"Wait, you have?" Eevee remarked as even she had trouble believing this.
However, Popplio had a look of confidence while he nodded and replied, "Oui. For instance, back on Hero Planet, it looked like Clawitzer would beat you for sure. But when you saw us graduate, you did something I've never seen you try before. You used the turnbuckle as leverage to increase the speed of your flying kick, giving Clawitzer less time to respond."
"Oh yeah, I did do that, didn't I?" the fox uttered as the seal added, "And when you used your Frankensteiner on Tsareena, you used the knowledge you learned from Mapin's match against her. You knew aiming any other part of her head toward the mat would result in her hair saving her life, so you aimed her face toward it instead. That was pure brilliance."
"No it wasn't," Eevee murmured with her arms crossed on the table, "It was just common sense."
"Well, look at that!" Popplio exclaimed with a grin, "You're smart enough to know common sense! There are people out there who can't even figure that out under the most dire of circumstances, so for you to pull that off at such a crucial moment is nothing to scoff at!"
Eevee stared wide-eyed and asked, "Really?" the seal nodding as a light smile crossed her face. Perhaps she did have the potential to be a true hero.
"I've got an idea," Popplio suggested, "The truth is, while I do tend to think more logically, I also don't see myself as physically strong enough to handle a big opponent like Golisopod, and there's no doubt in my mind someone like him could very well turn up again. As such, I was thinking maybe we could both train together until we become so good that we won't even need a third member."
Eevee turned to him, staring deep into his eyes and nodded with a light smile before saying, "Let's do it, best buddy," the two pounding their fists together.
Meanwhile, on Hero Planet, Metapod was seated in his office with his back turned as this was the only way he could sit down. Luckily, since his eyes were on the sides of his head, he could in fact see from this direction and besides, he had a point on his back that resembled a nose, so anyone who spoke to him from behind would not feel too awkward.
It seemed that would come in handy very soon as a human woman with brown hair in a ponytail and roots under her clothing entered. This was Rinko, the second human in history with the power to fight the forces of evil. The reason she had roots for growing out of her was because a villain by the name of Jumpluff had planted them into her to lower her spirits, and while it worked at first, the roots gave her new powers in the end.
"Ah, if it isn't the most inspiring of all our instructors," Metapod said with an implied smile, "What's the word?" as the woman sighed, "My old comrades and I received a text from Machop."
"Ah yes, good old Machop," Metapod replied, "You know, my dad is really good friends with hers," as Rinko sighed, "I know. That's not the point. According to her, Mapin has left her post to go on some spiritual journey to Hawaii. She texted them to let them know."
"Wow, did she actually tell them that?" Metapod enquired as Rinko shook her head and sighed, "Nein, but apparently, Machoke went for the same reason once, so she figures Mapin might be doing the same."
"Well, guess there's nothing we can do about that," the chrysalis replied with a shrug as Rinko slammed her hands on his desk and retorted, "Was zum Teufel!?"
"Whoa, language," Metapod remarked, "I may not be German like you, but even I know what that means," as Rinko growled, "Don't avoid the issue! Seriously, you know how important Tokyo is and yet you act as if them losing a member means nothing!"
The chrysalis let out a sigh and said, "Just relax, okay? The reason I'm not in a big panic about this is because I already know the perfect replacement for Mapin."
Rinko stared silently for a few seconds. She then blinked and uttered, "Really?" Metapod replying, "Really, really. In fact, I was planning to send him to Tokyo to help them out anyway, especially since I heard Mapin is so far the only one who hasn't defeated a single villain."
"Oh, so you were extra prepared," Rinko replied with a sigh, "I still find it alarming that she's gone, but at least you had a backup plan. So, who is it?"
"Hold on, he should be here to discuss further details with me any second now," the chrysalis said as there came four consecutive knocks on the door. As such, Metapod implied a smile with his eyes and said, "Come in."
With that, the door opened up as a green swallowtail caterpillar entered. He had four thin arms, a bright red antenna right over his circular mouth, ring-shaped markings down the sides of his body and a fairly long yellow attachment on the tip of his tail that resembled an exclamation mark. This was Metapod's son, Caterpie, though Rinko hardly saw this as unusual as he would often come to the chrysalis' office to pay him a visit.
Rinko blinked and bowed her head, saying, "Hallo, Caterpie. How are you today?" the caterpillar replying, "I'm just fine and dandy, Miss Rinko," rubbing the back of his head with a smile as the woman turned to Metapod and asked, "So how long until the actual replacement gets here?"
The chrysalis gave her an odd look as it suddenly started to sink in. As such, Rinko's eyes widened while she snapped, "WHAT!?" Caterpie turning to her with a look of confusion.
"I know, right!?" Metapod exclaimed with an implied smile, "You see, my boy here is a lot tougher than you all think he is," Caterpie placing his hands against his sides and nodding with a look of pride.
"Look, Herr Chairman," Rinko uttered, scratching the back of her head, "I think it's wonderful that your son is so eager to fight evil, but shouldn't he at least take classes and a final exam like everyone else?"
Caterpie blinked and uttered, "You know, Dad, she kinda has a point," only for Metapod to wave his arm with a chuckle and reply, "Nonsense. You're my son. I already know you're more than capable of defeating even the mightiest of foes. Besides, no son of mine is undergoing such gruelling torment."
"You know that 'gruelling torment' is meant to make the students stronger and prepare them for the battles on Earth, right?" Rinko sighed as Metapod remarked, "Of course I do, but Caterpie doesn't need that, do you, son?"
Just hearing his father say that immediately caused the caterpillar to forget about the point Rinko had brought up. Therefor, he gave his father a cute smile and replied, "You're absolutely one hundred percent right as always, Daddy dearest!"
Rinko let out a sigh and gave Metapod a look as if to tell him that he had better have known what he was doing. After all, sending his own son out into the battlefield was one thing, but to not even have him trained first just seemed like really bad parenting. But she knew that the last thing the chrysalis wanted was to get rid of his son. After all, he genuinely loved and cared about Caterpie, so perhaps deep down, he did know what he was doing. It just did not seem that way, not in the slightest.
Back on Earth, Eevee and Popplio had gone to the seal's house as the fox frowned and grumbled, "Why is your home so much nicer than mine?" Popplio sighing, "Do you want to start training or not?"
Eevee took a deep breath and groaned, "Okay," the two entering the back yard as this seemed like the best place. After all, Eevee lived in a condo suite, so there was nowhere within her property that she could go to train without breaking anything.
Popplio then grinned and said, "Now, I will come at you with full force. I won't hold back," as Eevee nodded with a serious look.
With that in mind, the seal tucked himself into a ball and rolled toward Eevee, barking, "CIRCUS BALL!"
Eevee knew to leap out of the way, however, she wound up doing it too soon as Popplio leapt up toward her level and exclaimed, "BOUNCING BALL STRIKE!" hitting her in the forehead with his tail. Thus the fox fell on her back while the seal backed away from her, sighing, "You had the right idea, but you have to wait for just the right moment before trying that otherwise you give the opponent time to react and change their strategy."
"I knew it," Eevee groaned as she sat upright and folded her arms, "I really can't think logically like you," the seal sighing, "Are you seriously giving up after failing once? Where's all that spirit you used to have?" the fox nodding and rising to her feet.
Sure enough, the two kept at it for another hour with a variety of different moves, but ultimately, Popplio managed to hit Eevee with every single move he attempted while the fox was unable to land a single hit on him. However, when the seal attempted his Circus Ball technique for the fiftieth time, Eevee finally seemed to figure it out as she leapt to the side at the last second.
Popplio retracted from his ball-like state and blinked, his eyes sparkling as he said, "Look at that. You finally dodged one of my moves," Eevee squealing, "YES! I DID! THANK YOU SO MUCH!" giving her seal friend a big hug, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
"Oui, you certainly did," Popplio uttered with a light chuckle, patting her on the back, "Now can you let me go? I can't breathe, mon amis."
During this time, Mapin arrived at Hawaii, specifically Maui as this was where both Machamp and Machoke would go to cure whatever ailed them. She looked around at the sunny sky and the nice beach before saying, "Oh yeah, I can see why they liked coming here so much."
Unbeknownst to her, though, an odd rooster-like being seemed to be spying on her. Whoever this creature was, one could not help but wonder what his intentions were.
As the girl walked along the area, she looked back and forth, thinking, 'Oh yeah, there should be a couple of heroes here, right? I forgot who they were.'
But before she could think further, she spotted a rock formation in the distance that would give her a perfect view of the ocean. Her eyes sparkled as she figured this could help her find the answers she sought.
With that in mind, she headed to that exact spot and sat on the edge of the formation. She then rested her chin against her fist and looked at the waters below. But after five minutes, she spread out her arms and fell backwards, sighing, "Dammit, that didn't help at all. Now I'm even more lost!"
She then noticed a cloud formation that resembled her grandfather, Machoke, in his prime. Another featured Machop back when she was in her teens. And then Mapin saw one that resembled herself, only she was old, decrepit and weak.
'What is this?' she thought with tears in her eyes, 'Is that my future?' before sitting upright and burying her face in her hands, "I came here to become stronger, but all this trip has done is make things worse! I'll never be good enough, will I?"
"Is that what the world has been feeding you?" came a deep voice from behind the girl as she blinked and turned around. And sure enough, standing there was the stranger who had been following her since she arrived.
His head and torso were black while his chest, eyes and head had white markings on them. Extending from his chin and up his head was a large, orange plume with bristles all along the backside, the front resembling a beak. His hip area resembled a grass skirt with four pointed projections spread outward, one on each side of his hip area. He also had long legs and hands that resembled big rooster beaks. Yellow rings surrounded his shoulders and each of his wrists had a large yellow shell that resembled half of a bird mask.
"Are you one of the heroes assigned to this area?" Mapin uttered, "Because I don't remember you," the rooster shaking his head and replying, "No, I am a spiritual guide for those in need. My name is Tapu Koko."
Just from one look in his eyes, Mapin had a feeling that she could trust this mysterious rooster. As such, she rose to her feet and followed him off of the rock formation, but where he was leading her was a mystery.
The rest of the day was quite peaceful as, due to their lack of sleep the previous night, Eevee and Popplio decided to have a nap in his place after all of their training. The seal of course slept in his bed while Eevee claimed the couch as she figured the two sleeping together would be awkward.
However, their peaceful time was interrupted when they heard the doorbell ring, Popplio grunting from his room, "Eevee, can you go see who that is!? I was having a really nice dream!"
"Okay!" Eevee groggily called back as she let out a yawn and shifted her head back and forth.
As she opened the door, her eyes widened when she saw a certain caterpillar standing right there and saying, "Oh, good, I heard one of you was living here. I guess that's you, eh?" Eevee sighing, "I wish. This is Popplio's. I'm just spending some quality time here."
"Wow, you're so close that you're visiting each other!" Caterpie squealed, "I'm going to love fighting alongside you!" Eevee blinking and asking, "Wait, what?"
The caterpillar cleared his throat and stated, "Right, I probably should have cleared this up earlier," before striking a dramatic pose and announcing, "I am Caterpie, the son of Metapod! We heard that you have lost one of your own, so I have been sent to assist you in her place! I promise that I will use all of my cunning and mad skills passed down to me through generations to be the best ally I can be!"
Eevee stared awkwardly as even she found that to be too over the top. But despite that, she gave the caterpillar a light smile and said, "Well, pleased to meet you," holding out her hand as the caterpillar shook it, saying, "So polite."
The fox then called to Popplio to let him know that he needed to see this. And needless to say, he was even more surprised than Eevee when he heard that the son of Hero Planet's chairman would be fighting alongside them.
"I have to say, this is an enorme honour," he said with a smile as Eevee blinked and uttered, "He's just a new ally. I mean, okay, he's the son of who I guess must have been great otherwise it wouldn't matter."
"Do you seriously not know who Metapod is?" Popplio remarked before Caterpie blinked and laughed, "Oh, man, I'm going to love working with you guys! You even have a great sense of humour!"
The seal laughed nervously and sighed, "Non, she was being serious," Eevee giving him an awkward stare, Caterpie sighing and looking down, thinking, 'I thought everyone was supposed to know my dad.'
Once the seal explained that Metapod was the chairman of Hero Planet, Eevee's eyes widened as she gasped, "So it's like we have a major celebrity with us now!" as Caterpie smiled and said boastfully, "Why yes, I guess it is! But I don't want you giving me any special treatment just because I'm the chairman's son. As such, I would like to invite you to my new home for dinner."
"That is tres gentil of you," Popplio replied as Caterpie folded his arms and smiled with pride, Eevee squealing, "Well, I don't even care about all of that! I just think it's awesome we have a new friend!"
She then shook each of his four hands individually as he thought, 'Friend?' a big smile forming as his mind added, 'This just got even better.'
