Chapter 13 - "You'll Be Okay."
It was roughly two days since Cyan's trial at Wela Volcano Park, and the duo were now spending time on Route 8. There were a lot more strong trainers on Route 8 than Cyan had expected. The difference in level compared to all of the trainers that they found on Melemele Island was staggering. But still, Kala and Cyan were keen to get in some practice.
"Razor Leaf!" Kala ordered.
"Charjabug, fight back with Spark!" Kala's opponent ordered, a bug catcher that Kala had challenged.
"You can do it!" Cyan cheered. He held tightly onto Kala's egg, feeling whatever was inside squirm around.
The opponent's Pokémon shrieked as it covered itself with electric energy. It bounded forward, burning the grass under it to a crisp with sparks. In response, Kala's Rowlet jumped into the air. He spun his body around, creating green energy that took the shape of leaves. He released them forward, and they sliced into Charjabug. But it was not phased. The Bug-type blasted through the artificial leaves, shredding them to pieces, and then it crashed into Rowlet. The Grass-type fell to the ground, tried to stand back up, but collapsed.
Kala sighed and then returned her Pokémon. "I guess this means you win. We need to practice more."
The bug catcher cheered. "That's our first victory in a long time!"
Cyan was dumbfounded. He looked at Charjabug, baffled by how so much power emitted from such a small Pokémon.
Kala, noticing Cyan's curiosity, decided to explain, "It may look small. But that thing can store enough electricity to power a vehicle."
"And, it had the type advantage over Rowlet, right?"
Kala nodded.
Cyan smiled at Charjabug. "You're one tough dude!"
The bug catcher waved to Kala. "Let's have a rematch someday, okay?"
Kala waved back. "Of course!"
The two continued through Route 8, watching other battles, and noticing quite a few trainers capturing wild Pokémon.
"I think I could use a new Pokémon," Cyan commented. "Need to make a good team, ya know?"
Kala laughed. "You just caught Salandit. I think you should focus on making your current team as strong as you can."
"But I'm allowed up to six Pokémon at any given time, right?" he asked. "So, I should find my next two Pokémon as soon as possible. I want my Pokémon to all become really close to each other. It'll make battling together easier."
"I guess that's not a bad idea," Kala said. She looked out onto Route 8, noticing one person who stuck out like a sore thumb. A trainer, no older than Cyan and Kala, wearing all white clothes lined with light blue sat in the grass. In his arms he held a pure white Pokémon with multiple tails and fluff on top of its head.
Cyan tried to get a closer look at the Pokémon, thinking that he had seen something like it before. The trainer took notice of Cyan and Kala, and he smiled at them.
"Hello," he said softly. "I see that you've noticed this precious Vulpix."
"V-Vulpix?" Cyan wondered. "No way!"
The trainer put his finger to his lips. "Shh. She's sleeping."
Kala, in a hushed tone, decided to take this time to explain the snow white Pokémon to Cyan. "This is the kind of Vulpix that you'll find in Alola. They usually live high in the mountains of Alola, and they've adapted to the cold climate. The Vulpix that you find in Kanto live near volcanoes, right?"
Cyan thought for a moment. The Vulpix that he had known of were just south of his hometown. And Kala was right, they were near a volcanic climate.
"My sister battled with a Vulpix," he said quietly. "I remember how cute it was."
"But what is this Vulpix doing here?" Kala asked. "They're not usually on Akala Island."
The trainer smiled. "This Vulpix is actually very sick. I'm trying to nurse her back to health, and then I'll take her back home. But she's too weak to be in the wild by herself right now."
"Oh, so you're not her trainer?" Cyan asked. "What if I took her off of your hands? I can train her to become real strong."
"I can't allow you to do that," he responded. "I want to make sure personally that Vulpix is taken good care of. My name is Maui. I work with the Aether Foundation to take care of Pokémon that need our help."
"The Aether Foundation?" Kala wondered. "That's the first time that I've heard of it."
Maui chuckled. "Well, we are relatively new, I guess."
The little Vulpix cooed, and she slowly opened her eyes, glancing up cautiously at Cyan, and her face went red, as though she were embarrassed by Cyan's gaze.
"Would you like to spend some time with Vulpix?" Maui asked. "She looks like she may have taken a liking to you, and I think a little bit of playing could be healthy for her."
Cyan and Kala exchanged looks, and both smiled.
"Okay!" Cyan exclaimed. Maui put his finger to his lips again, and then Cyan, much quieter, said, "Okay."
Maui slowly put Vulpix on the ground, but he held his hand under her belly until she found the strength to stand on her own. Kala's Litten approached her, and something that seemed completely out of the reclusive Pokémon's character, Litten purred. She got closer and softly rubbed her neck against Vulpix. The Ice-type blushed again, but then smiled and happily cooed.
"I'm sure my Pokémon want to play too," Cyan said. He pulled his Poké Balls from his belt, and one by one, he released them. Ivysaur, Brionne, Rockruff, and Salandit all appeared. Ivysaur and Brionne were eager to play. Rockruff kept her eyes on Litten, weary, and maybe even a little bit jealous of the attention the Fire-type was giving Vulpix. And Salandit kept her distance. She watched as the group of Pokémon all collected with one another, not quite understanding why.
"How about Rowlet?" Kala wondered. She pushed the button her Poké Ball, and Rowlet appeared in front of her, still injured from the battle beforehand. Kala rubbed some liquid from a bottle onto Rowlet's feathers, and the Pokémon was soon feeling energetic and mischievous again. He glanced over at Litten's tail, looking for any opportunity to strike. But Rockruff locked eyes with him, keeping him at bay.
The six Pokémon played while Salandit stayed next to Cyan's legs. They all seemingly understood that Vulpix was not at 100%, and whatever game they played, a variation of tag, they all did it slowly. Vulpix relished in the excitement of other Pokémon friends, and soon, it was as though she wasn't feeling sick anymore. She ran with the other Pokémon on legs that were once wobbly. Her voice, which was previously quiet and timid, had become louder and full of pep. And she laughed with the other Pokémon.
Cyan, Kala, and Maui all watched the Pokémon and laughed.
"She truly is a beautiful Pokémon," Maui said. "I hope that, when she's better, she'll make a good partner for someone one day."
Kala smiled and nodded. "Why don't you take care of her, Maui? You clearly have a bond with her."
Maui shook her head. "I want to protect and take care of Pokémon. I have no interest in battling."
Cyan watched Vulpix as she playfully ran away from Rockruff and Litten. "Maybe one day, when she's all better and fighting fit, we'll meet again."
Vulpix stopped running and then looked back at Cyan. She started to run as fast as she could towards him, and when she was within the right amount of distance, she jumped. Cyan caught her in his arms, and the two laughed. He held her softly, and although she had a wide smile on her face, he could feel her heartbeat rapidly at an uneven pace, her body was shaking, and she was cold.
"You'll be okay," Cyan whispered. He petted her softly on the head. "I know you will be." Vulpix looked up at him and cooed. He recognized her eyes, and a wave of emotions came over him.
Two Years Previous
"Get him, Aoi!" Cyan, nine years old and decked out in BayStaryu gear, cheered. "You can do it!"
"Vulpix, use Fire Blast!" his sister, a girl almost eleven years of age, ordered. She wore the same black hat with the silver Staryu emblem as Cyan, a blue tank top, and white jean shorts.
"I don't think so! Show them how strong our will of fire is! Magmar, Fire Blast!" a bald man with a lengthy mustache in a lab coat commanded.
The two Fire-types released their attacks onto the gym battlefield. Two massive bursts of flames connected with each other in the middle, exploding upon impact and blowing energy waves through the stadium.
Cyan watched closely as steam rose into the air, his mouth gaped wide open in disbelief. The energy that came from the two Pokémon was something he thought was unimaginable. He glanced at the small Vulpix, not quite understanding how something so small could pack so much power.
"Mom," he mumbled.
"Yes?"
"I can't wait to become a trainer!"
Cyan mom's laughed. "Next year, honey."
"Go, Aoi! Go, Vulpix!"
Present Day
Cyan pulled the Alolan Vulpix closer. "You'll be okay."
"Whoa!" Kala exclaimed. The trainers and Pokémon turned their attention to Kala, holding her egg high into the air.
It was shaking violently and emitting a bright white light. Kala put it down onto the ground in front of her as the Pokémon gathered around. The egg cracked once, and then twice, and then, the top exploded off. Everything went silent, and slowly, a head peaked its out. A Pokémon with grey skin with a yellow heart shaped scale on the front of his forehead appeared.
"Jang," it softly cooed as it looked at Kala.
"What is it?" Cyan asked.
Kala bent over, and a wide smile came across her face. She reached her hands out and slowly pulled the Pokémon from the remains of the egg.
"A Jangmo-o," she said quietly. "It's so cute!"
"Jangmo!" the Pokémon screeched. It flailed wildly in her arms before bursting out into tears.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
A small spoiler, but I think this will be the only real involvement the Aether Foundation will have in my story. I found them to be too confusing of characters in the games, so I'm going to keep their appearances limited. If, and only if, I write part of Logan's adventure in Alola, they'd play a bigger part then, but once again, if.
But other than that, Kala now has a new Pokémon! I wonder if she'll do a better job at raising it than Yurie is with Turtwig. Guess I'll just have to do a better job at writing this story!