Chapter 35: A Load of Stufful
After a night of camping under the stars, Ash and his friends made their way down Route 10 first thing the next morning.
"Alright, I got two Z Crystals for the price of one! All thanks to Incineroar."
"Yep, now you just have one more trial on Ula'ula Island."
"Well, they better be ready for me, because I plan on taking their trial by storm!"
Ash's friends just laughed at his confidence.
"Help! Somebody please help!"
Hearing the cry for help, Ash and his friends instantly rushed to their aid to find an elderly woman clearly in distress.
"Is everything alright, Ma'am?"
"Oh, its horrible. Just awful!"
"Its alright, Miss. We're here to help, but you need to tell us what's wrong."
After taking a moment to catch her breath, the older woman explained what was going on.
"I have eight Stufful, you see, and I saw that they needed some exercise. So I did what any good owner would do and took them out to Route 10 for a walk. I swear I turned around for only a second, but when I turned back they were all gone! Oh my little stuffuls, they're just little babies. They can't protect themselves yet."
"Its alright Ma'am. We'll help you look for them."
"Oh, thank you! They couldn't have gone too far, but I don't want to imagine what horrible creatures are out there waiting to harm them. My name is Elaine, by the way."
"Great to meet you. I'm Ash, and my friends are Ilima, Lillie, and Professor Kukui."
"Alright, let's get down to business."
The group of five searched all over Route 10, even using Ash's Trumbeak to get an aerial view, but the stufful were nowhere in sight. Elaine looked like she was about to cry.
"Hey, don't worry. We'll find them."
"Hurry up, Clutch! Put some muscle into it."
"My name is not Clutch, its Butch!"
"Who cares?"
Hearing the commotion, everyone turned and ran to find two very familiar Team Rocket Agents struggling to move a bag full of Stufful.
"Hey, let my Stufful go!"
Realizing they had an audience, Cassidy and Butch jumped into action.
"Prepare for Trouble…"
"…and make it double."
"Here's our mission, so you'd better listen!"
"To infect the world with devastation!"
"To blight all people in every nation!"
"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"
"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"
"Cassidy!"
"And Butch, of course!"
"We're Team Rocket, circling Earth all day and night!"
"Surrender to us now or you will surely lose this fight!"
While his companions gasped in horror, Ash groaned in annoyance.
"Oh great, not Cassidy and Ben."
"Its Butch! All these years and you still can't get my name right."
"You know these two, Ash?"
"Unfortunately. They're another Team Rocket team that I used to encounter every now and then. I haven't seen them since Sinnoh. Honestly, I thought they had been fired."
"If only we were that lucky! While Jesse and her pets get all the glory, Butch and I got demoted to lowly grunts, used for nothing more than kidnapping Pokemon and basic duties. Well, imagine our luck when we find all these Stufful just wondering in the grass. Once they evolve into powerful Bewear, Butch and I will get the respect we rightly deserve!"
"Yeah, and there's nothing you can do about it, so scram!"
"We'll see about that. Go, Lycanroc!"
"Braviary, I choose you!"
Cassidy and Butch sneered as Ash and Kukui sent out their Pokemon.
"Fine, have it your way. Go, Houndoom!"
"I Choose you, Primeape!"
"Lycanroc, use Rock Blast!"
"Not so fast! Hit him with a Karate Chop, Primeape!"
"Flamethrower, Houndoom!"
"Braviary, protect Lycanroc with Sky Drop on Primeape!"
"Braviary!"
Before Primeape could land its attack, Braviary scooped it up and carried it high into the sky, leaving Lycanroc free to barrage Houndoom with rocks, forcing it back. It recovered, ready to tear into Lycanroc…
Only for Primeape to be dropped right on it, causing it to fall over in pain. Ash and Kukui shared a look.
"Let's finish this. Lycanroc, hit them with Continental Crush!"
"Supersonic Skystrike, Braviary!"
Butch and Cassidy could only watch in horror as the attacks hit their Pokemon, Houndoom being crushed by a massive wall of rock while Primeape was struck from above, sending both them and their trainers flying after the collisions.
"This is all your fault, Barney!"
"For the last time, its Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuutttttttttttttttttttttch!"
As they blasted off, the bag of Stufful they were carrying fell down, and the Stufful cheerfully ran back to their owner.
"Oh, my babies, are you alright? Those mean Team Rockets didn't hurt you, did they?"
She then turned to her four helpers.
"Thank you so much. How can I ever repay you?"
"No need to do that, ma'am. We were just passing by."
"Well, thank you again. I best get these dearies back home before they get into any more trouble. Goodbye!"
Ash and his friends waved until Elaine was out of sight before making their way into Malie City proper.
Deciding to take a relaxing stroll through the Malie Gardens, Ash and his friends were surprised to see a poster on the bulletin boar that read "Nugget Park Challenge. Beat all five trainers posted around the park to win a big prize."
"Sounds like my kind of day at the park!"
An elder gentleman walked over to them.
"Ah, are you wishing to partake in the challenge?"
"I sure am!"
"Excellent! My name is Don, and I run this here shindig. But be warned, this won't be a walk in the park, pardon the pun."
"That's just how we like it, huh Pikachu?"
"Pika!"
"Good luck, Ash. I know you can do it."
"Thanks, Lillie."
"Then without further ado, let the battle commence!"
