Chapter 75: UB Files 05: Adhesive

It was a quiet morning on Melemele Island. Ash and Lillie were in the meadow, basking in the beautiful nature. They hadn't been called to any Ultra Beast sightings lately, so it was nice to be able to enjoy each other's company.

"Man, this is the life! A guy can get used to this. No badges or crystals to win, no leagues to train for, no crazy interdimensional beings to capture, just me, my Pokemon, and the most beautiful girl in the whole world beside me."

"Oh, stop! But I agree, it is nice to be able to enjoy ourselves for once."

"Pika!"

"Vul!"

Sadly, they had spoken to soon, as an Ultra wormhole soon began to form overhead. Sighing in annoyance, the young couple got up and braced themselves.

"Alright, bring it!"

To their shock, however, what came out wasn't a swarm of abominations, but a tiny creature, no bigger than Pikachu. And instead of attacking them, it struggled to remain airborne for a minute, before crashing to the ground. Out of instinct, Ash ran over to it concerned.

"Ash, be careful!"

Heeding her words, Ash cautiously approached. The Pokémon shuddered for a moment before slipping into unconsciousness. Slowly, Ash placed a hand to its forehead. Burning hot.

"It's got a fever. Whatever it is, its in no position to attack us."

"We'd better get it to the base! Anabel and Looker will want to hear about this."

"Right!"

When they got to Aether Paradise, the strange Pokémon was rushed to a medical bed, where the facility's top scientists looked over it. Fortunatley, although its species was unknown to them, it was still a Pokémon of some sort, meaning they had some idea how to treat it. Ash and Lillie helped as best they could, but ultimately they had to step back and let the professionals do their job.

At last, the creature began to slowly open its eyes, confused by its strange surroundings.

"Its okay, little guy. You're safe, we won't hurt you."

Calmed by Brock's words, the creature sat back down, allowing him to apply more medicine. While this exchange occurred, Rotomdex decided to take the opportunity to record new data.

"Ooh, a new entry! Poipole, the Poison Pin Pokémon, a Poison Type. An Ultra Beast that lives in another world, it cackles wildly as it sprays its opponents with poison from the needles on its head."

"Say, Rotomdex, you can talk to Pokémon too, right?"

"Bzzzt, sure can!"

"Do you think you can talk to Poipole here? Maybe we can get some information on how it wound up like this."
"Zzzt, can do!"

Poipole recoiled at the loud, alien device suddenly invading its personal space. Recognizing his current tactics weren't working, Rotomdex tried a different approach.

"Hey, hey, Its okay! I'm sorry, I did not intend to frighten you."

Realizing Rotom wasn't going to hurt her, Poipole started to ease in, amicably chatting with him. After a couple of minutes, Rotom returned to Ash with the whole story.

"Well Rotom, what's the scoop?"

"Apparently, her species are gentle and playful, not prone to violence or anger. In fact in her dimension her species are usually chosen as a starter Pokemon in lieu of the usual three. Anyway, one day this huge, black Pokemon emerged from a rift in the sky and started absorbing all energy. It all happened so suddenly that before any amount of resistance could be formed, half of the world's energy had been consumed. Her tribe fought valiantly, but it was too strong. Using the last of her strength, she opened a wormhole and jumped through, and that brings us to here."

Ash and Lillie stood jaws agape.

"That...That's horrible!"

Ash could only nod in agreement. Flashbacks to the world ravaged by Guzzlord ran through his mind. Could they be related?"

"Well, you're safe here! Don't worry, that scary Pokémon won't hurt you here! We won't let it!"

Poipole smiled as Ash's words, gently laying down to rest, Ash and the others leaving the room to let it sleep in peace.

For the next week, Poipole recovered, with the help of Ash and his friends, and was soon up and about playing with the other Pokémon. Ash's party took an instant liking to her, and even Greninja couldn't help but crack a smile at her antics. Ash and Anabel chuckled as she played tag with Lycanroc and Pikachu.

"She sure is a lively one, isn't she?"

"She sure is. You know Ash, I've been thinking..."

"Yeah?"

"...When I first started this initiative, I thought of Ultra Beasts as nothing more than barbaric invaders that had to be repelled lest they destroy everything I hold near and dear to my heart. Then, when we found out that they were Pokémon from alternate worlds, I wondered if they could be rehabilitated and reformed into something that could benefit both us and them. Now, when I find out that there are pacifistic groups of them that coexist peacefully with the humans of their world? Fascinating creatures, these Ultra Beasts. And to think, we're learning more about them everyday."

"Yeah, they sure are something else..."

Just then, Poipole rammed right into Greninja, stirring the warrior from his sleep. He loomed over the tiny creature, making her shudder in fear...

Only for him to lightly boop her on the nose before running off, joining in their little game, much to the delight of the others. Ash chuckled at his Pokemon's playing.

"I guess even across dimensions, somethings remain constant."

Later that day, Ash and Lillie decided to head home. Poipole was in good hands, so they decided to call it a day. But they weren't quite out the door when they heard Anabel cry:

"Ash!"

Turning around, they found Anabel running up to them, Poipole not far behind.

"What's up Anabel?"

"I think our little friend here wants to ask you something."

"Really? What is it, Poipole?"

Poipole nervously approached, not sure how to make her request known. But through a series of gestures, Ash got the picture.

"Wait...do you want to travel with me?"

Poipole squeaked in excitement, confirming Ash's theory. Ash looked to Anabel, who nodded her consent.

"Alright then. Beast ball, go!"

The ball clicked instantly, marking the new member of Ash's team, which he picked up with a wicked grin.

"Aw yeah, I just picked up a Poipole!"

"Pika Pi!"

And with that, Ash and Lillie headed for home, the newest member to their team in tow.