Chapter 14: The Night Battle Against Persian!
Last time on "Pokémon Alola Journey", Kaito met up with his little Fire Type friend, Litten, who wanted some food for himself and his old friend to have. Understanding the situation, Kaito gives Litten his lunch before he continues onto the Pokémon School.
But upon arriving there, he discovers Ash had his lunch stolen by Litten, which made the Kanto Trainer determined to catch him. With that said, everyone discovers the Sea Gauntlet attached to Kaito's left arm as they work together to pull it off, only for their efforts to end in futile.
With Principal Oak and Prof. Kukui understanding the situation, the Professor has Kaito come with him and Ash while heading home until the boys meet Litten again, as Kaito follows Litten to an abandoned mansion where he reunites with his little friend and his old friend, Stoutland.
Remembering the time when he met Litten and the same day when he developed an animosity against Alolan Meowth and Persian, Kaito heads back home, only to see Litten being brutally attacked by an Alolan Persian the next day!
Furious to see his friend being harassed, Kaito summons a giant wave to knock out the Persian, while shocking Litten and Ash at the same time! Now with Persian being taken down, Kaito knew he had a lot of explaining to do to Litten.
"HAAAAAH!" Kaito yelled out as he made a throwing movement. As soon as he did so, this came to the Persian's shock! Something did crash onto him when the human had thrown something.
And that something was something wet, but heavy as Persian was slammed against the rocky wall!
The Classy Pokemon yowled in pain before it weakly glared to the boy who had caused him to be injured in the first place!
Everyone on the other hand, watched in surprise as they had witnessed the Alola boy summoning up a giant wave to crash it onto the Classy Cat Pokémon! For Buizel, he was more shocked as he looked up a time his human brother in disbelief.
It never came to the Sea Weasel Pokémon that Kaito could pull something like this off, even when he was still inexperienced with his powers that he discovered only a week ago! Ash and Pikachu felt the same thing, while Rotom was amazed.
"Wow..." was the only thing the Kanto Trainer could say as his Electric Type partner gave a soft cry of agreement. Litten on the other hand, managed to look shocked and amazed for the power his human friend had displayed to stop his enemy.
From what the Alola boy had done just now, everyone that was watching him, would realize that the Alolan Persian was in for a really rough and wet ride, thanks to Kaito's aquakinesis powers. But for the Persian, it was more angry than scared as it got ready to use Power Gem!
"Hold it..." Kaito snapped silently as he made a swift movement with his arms to the left to create another sharp wave, causing the ocean wave to engulf Persian, preventing the Classy Cat Pokémon from using his attack! This time, the Dark Type was scared as he watched the Alola boy get ready for some more.
"Kai, no! You're going too far with that!" Ash exclaimed as he held onto Kaito's left wrist that had the Sea Gauntlet. Surprised to see Ash stopping him, the Alola boy glared at the Kanto Trainer for his interference.
"You think that was going far!? Look at Litten! It's because of that freaky Pokémon that he ended up like that! And that Persian seemed to enjoy hurting Litten from what I saw if it was trying to corner Litten into a cliff!" Kaito snapped back angrily.
The Kanto Trainer widened his eyes as Persian recovered from the wet blows he had taken before he let out a screech before he lunged at the two boys!
"PIKA PI!"
"BU BUI!"
"Ash! Kaito! Look out!"
"Ah! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash called out, as Pikachu did so. Intercepting the Classy Cat Pokémon, the Mouse Pokémon shot his Electric Type attack onto Persian with Kaito following along.
"Knock it down with Aqua Jet, Buizel!" Kaito yelled, allowing his Sea Weasel Pokémon to bash the Persian away, inflicting more damage!
Having enough, the Persian screeched while running away as Kaito scoffed, his Sea Gauntlet's power dialing down a little.
"Good riddance..." Kaito breathed out as Ash turned to see Litten struggling to keep walking with the Sitrus Berry in his mouth!
"Hey, Litten! Are you okay?" Ash asked, causing the Alola boy and his Water Type to quickly turn and see Litten feeling very weak from all the damage he took!
"Litten has taken a lot of damage." Rotom buzzed, causing the boys to run over to the Fire Cat Pokémon with Kaito trying to persuade his little friend.
"Litten, come on. Stop. You can't go anywhere with all those wounds on your body!" Kaito said seriously as he tried to take the Fire Type into his arms. But Litten, not wanting help, jumped back a little. He shook his head at Kaito before he showed his stern expression.
Confused at first at why Litten was looking at him that way, the Alola boy blinked before coming into a realization.
While Litten may had seen the Sea Gauntlet on his human friend yesterday, he didn't see him use his powers to wash Persian away until just now. At coming to that thought, the Alola boy sighed before he looked down at the Fire Cat Pokémon.
"Are you... mad at me for not telling you about my powers?" Kaito asked silently, only to get no response from Litten as he continued to keep walking with the berry in his mouth. But he didn't get far as the wounds he got caused him to wince a little!
He dropped the Sitrus Berry, causing Ash to run over and try to help.
"I can help! I'll carry it..." Ash started to say as he reached for the Sitrus Berry. But before he could even touch it, Litten angrily bit onto his hand, causing Ash to yelp before he retracted his hand from the berry.
"What..." Kaito started to say before he watched Litten struggle to move again with the Sitrus Berry, but began to find it difficult with the wounds he had right now. Ash was about to move, until Kaito stopped him with a shake of his head.
The Kanto Trainer blinked before he watched the Alola boy try to hold Litten in his arms again.
"Stop this, Litten. You won't get far with those wounds! Let me and Ash help you! We're going to the Pokémon Center first!" Kaito said seriously as he picked up the Fire Cat Pokémon. But as soon as he did so, Litten angrily flailed before he got himself out of Kaito's grip.
Glaring at the humans and their partner Pokémon, Litten tried to shoot an Ember attack on the two, only for the attack to fail to reach the two. But it didn't stop Ash from being surprised as he covered his arms to defend himself while Kaito remained shocked.
Buizel watched in worry while Pikachu tried to convince Litten to listen to his human friend.
"Pika! Pikachu! Pika!" Pikachu pleaded, trying to push and pull Litten to where they needed to go. But like before, Litten resisted, not wanting to follow where this was going! At seeing the Fire Cat being too stubborn to listen, Kaito narrowed his eyes while Ash tried again.
"Litten, come on!" Ash pleaded, trying to get Litten listen to reason. But as he was doing that, the little Fire Type struggled to stay standing as his vision began to blur a little. A second later, Litten was on the ground, panting with exhaustion.
Kaito bit his lips before he knelt down with Ash kneeling beside him. Buizel and Pikachu ran over to check on the little Fire Type friend while Ash gave a soft smile. He rolled the Sitrus Berry over to the Fire Cat Pokémon, understanding a little of what Litten was feeling.
"I understand... It's yours, right?" Ash asked as he watched Litten take the Berry back into its paws.
"Look, I'm not trying to take it away from you..." Ash started to say before he grabbed Litten with his two hands! The sudden stunt surprised Kaito as he watched Litten angrily struggle against Ash's grip as the Kanto Trainer tried to reason with the stubborn Fire Type.
"But you need help! Kai and I are taking you to a Pokémon Center!" Ash snapped as he held Litten in his arms. But stubborn like he always is, Litten continued to fight Ash as he bit and scratched at Ash's arms as the Kanto Trainer turned to Rotom.
"I'm not gonna let go of you! Rotom, grab Litten's Berry!" Ash called out as he began walking to where the Pokémon Center was. Rotom floated over to the Sitrus Berry before he picked it up with his little Pokédex arms.
"As you wish!" Rotom buzzed as he picked up the Berry while Ash continued to fight against Litten as the Fire Type was still biting and clawing at him!
"Ow! Quit biting me!" Ash yelped as he kept walking. Kaito could only frown before he and Buizel followed their Kanto friend to where the Pokémon Center was.
At the Center...
As soon as the boys got the still stubborn Litten to the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy immediately began treating Litten's wounds before she bandaged the more bigger wounds that was around Litten's body. Then, as a finishing touch, she placed a collar around the Fire Type's neck.
It didn't seem to make Litten feel any better as he showed the same angry face for being dragged into the Pokémon Center.
"Nurse Joy, what is this? Some kind of collar?" Kaito asked as he took notice of it, before allowing the nurse to explain.
"It's called a Heliolisk Collar! I put it there to make sure Litten doesn't lick its wounds." Nurse Joy explained, causing Ash to say "Wow" in amazement. Rotom on the other hand, submitted a new data into the Pokédex involving the collar.
"Heliolisk Collar: Data input complete!" Rotom buzzed.
"Yeah! Looking good, Litten!" Ash called out with a grin.
"Pika!" Pikachu added in agreement. The praise didn't make the Fire Cat Pokémon feel any better as he gave a glance at the Alola boy, who had his left arm holding his right arm in worry as the Alola boy blinked before he gave a sheepish smile.
"Are you feeling a little better, Litten?" Kaito asked, earning a small hiss from the Fire Type before he turned his head away from him.
"Bui...?" Buizel asked as he looked up at his human brother, who blinked in surprise to see Litten rejecting his question.
"Ugh... Guess not." Kaito groaned as he scratched the back of his head.
"All right! You're next, Ash! Litten isn't the only one who got hurt." Nurse Joy said in reminder, causing Ash to blink before he looked at his arms in surprise.
"You're right... Check out the scratches! Whoa..." Ash said in surprise as he looked at his damaged arms. But as he was doing so, Litten quickly grabbed the Sitrus Berry in his mouth and left the examination room! Everyone gasped as Kaito tried to call for his Fire Type friend.
"What the!? Litten, no! Not now!" Kaito called out as he and Buizel made a dash after the Fire Cat Pokémon.
Ash and Nurse Joy followed as the nurse made a reminder to what Ash and Kaito should do to prevent Litten from getting hurt any further.
"Ash! Kaito! Try to make sure Litten doesn't overdo it!" Nurse Joy called out, earning nods from the two boys.
"Right!" The two called out as Pikachu and Buizel called for the little Fire Type to come back! The chase went on as Litten dashed out of the Pokémon Center entrance! It was also at that same time when Kiawe started coming in with Charizard!
"Coming through, Kiawe!" Ash called out as he and Kaito ran past the Fire Type user, continuing their chase after the Fire Cat Pokémon.
"All that for a croquette sandwich? And now Kaito, too?" Kiawe asked, feeling puzzled. Charizard let out a puzzled growl as he couldn't understand their intentions as well.
Back to the boys, the chase went on as both Kaito and Ash tried to stop the Fire Cat Pokémon from hurting himself any further.
"Come on, Litten! Stop!" "Pika!" Ash called out, as Pikachu tried to plead with the Fire Type also.
But seeing the human boys and their partner Pokémon chase after him made Litten even more annoyed as he tried to escape through a fence he thought he could fit through! But that backfired as the Heliolisk Collar was caught onto the fence!
The impact from slamming into the fence with the collar on made the Fire Cat Pokémon lose his grip on the Sitrus Berry and yowl in pain before he tumbled back, failing to escape the ones that were pursuing him.
"Will you listen to me, please!? From now on, no running away! Not doing what you're told is only hurting you!" Ash snapped as he held Litten into his arms again. This time, the Fire Cat Pokémon didn't fight the Kanto Trainer as he noticed on how serious Ash looked for the moment.
Frustrated with the persistence Ash was showing, Litten gave a small scoff before he noticed Kaito and Buizel again. The Alola boy didn't try to say anything as he kept his arms folded with a serious expression on his face.
"Bu bui..." Buizel spoke softly, trying to get his Fire Type friend to listen to the Kanto Trainer.
Looking at Kaito again who remained silent, the Fire Type's expression softened as he gave in, before letting the boys take him to where home was.
At Prof. Kukui's house...
"So... You two brought that Litten here?" Prof. Kukui asked, as he was surprised with the new visitor. He certainly didn't expect Litten to come here after what occurred yesterday to the Kanto Trainer.
"Well, it's just for tonight, so would it be too much to ask?" Ash asked while Kaito stood beside him with folded arms.
"Litten looks in rough shape, but so do you!" Prof. Kukui pointed out as he noticed the small wounds on the Kanto Trainer's arms.
"You mean these? No big deal!" Ash said with a grin. He then chuckled while Litten gave him a dubious expression. He then turned to Kaito again, who remained silent again like before as the Fire Type frowned.
He didn't realize it, but little guilt began to form in the Fire Type's heart before Kaito made his request to the Alola Professor.
"Would it be alright if I also spent the night here, Professor? I'd like to see how Litten recovers here from now." Kaito asked, causing Prof. Kukui to smile and nod in understanding.
"Of course you can, Kaito. But... What about your home? Shouldn't your mother be home by now?" Prof. Kukui asked, only to get a head shake from the Alola boy as he explained.
"My mother isn't home for some reason, so it's just me, Shiho, and Seita. But to be honest, I don't really know where she went, to be honest..." Kaito explained as the Alola Professor frowned.
"Your mother said something about on how she got a new job involving the Water Type Pokémon... Could that have something to do with her not coming to your home in time?" Prof. Kukui asked as the Alola boy frowned, before he kept his arms folded.
"If that is the case... then I shouldn't bother her. After all, she cares for many marine Pokémon like I do. So it'd make sense if that's the reason she's not coming back home that often..." Kaito said, causing Buizel to look at him in worry again.
"Bui?" Buizel's worried tone caused the Alola boy to look down at his Sea Weasel Pokémon as Kaito gave a sheepish smile to his best friend and brother.
"I'm fine, Buizel. Its nothing to worry about. I'm just... tired after everything that happened today." Kaito explained before he sighed. He was a little tired for what he had to do and see, when Persian attacked Litten, causing him to intervene and drive the Dark Type away with Ash's help.
Buizel however, didn't accept those words as he frowned. The Water Type knew there was more to this than what his human brother was trying to convince him of.
Later, while the Alola Professor made supper for the two boys and himself, along with all the Pokémon, Kaito went to the video phone to call his siblings, in order to make sure they were okay. Once he did, he was surprised to see Shiho looking worried while Seita seemed frantic.
"Big brother, where were you? We've been waiting for you to come home for a long time now!" Shiho whined, causing the Alola boy to frown.
"Are you gonna be away for a long time like with Mom...?" Seita asked, causing Kaito to shake his head with a small smile.
"No, it's not like that. And I'm sorry for scaring you two. But you see, you two... Do you remember the Litten I made friends with back a year ago?" Kaito asked, causing Shiho to widen her eyes in realization.
"Oh! The Litten that you and Buizel saved, big brother? What about him?" Shiho asked while Seita picked on.
"The poor guy has been hurt by a nasty Persian, so big brother here is going to look after him until he's okay to move on his own, okay?" Kaito asked, earning a nod from his younger brother, who seemed to understand the situation.
"Okay, big bro! Litten is going to be fine when he recovers, right?" Seita asked, causing Kaito to narrow his eyes with a knowing look before he nodded.
"Of course... You two met Litten before, so you know how stubborn he is when he wants to handle things alone. I'll see you two in the morning, alright?" Kaito asked, earning reluctant nods from his two siblings.
"Okay, big brother... Be safe, okay?" Shiho asked worriedly, before she turned off the call. Kaito blinked, as he didn't expect Shiho to say something like that to him. But then again, now that he got himself in dangerous situations before, it'd make sense for Shiho to be worried about him.
But remembering what Seita said about Shizuka not being at home still, the Alola boy looked out at the window, worried of what his mother was doing right now.
"Mom... Where are you right now? I get the feeling that there is more to this job than what you said before..." Kaito thought before he sighed.
Soon, he joined Ash and Prof. Kukui in supper while Pikachu, Buizel, the two Rockruff, and Rowlet joined in with eating their Pokémon food. Litten refused, since he wasn't interested in eating with stranger Pokémon, like with Rowlet and Prof. Kukui's Rockruff.
Later, the moon was shining brightly on the night sky. Rotom was charging while asleep, while Kaito sat next to Litten. Pikachu and Buizel both noticed Litten feeling a little frustrated with the Heliolisk Collar he was given as he tried to get it off.
He didn't enjoy the Collar one bit. Not only did it make him uncomfortable, but he was embarrassed when Kaito's Rockruff teased him for looking like a tamed cat now. Not wanting to be annoyed again, Litten hissed at the Collar, causing the two partners to call their Trainers.
"Pika!"
"Bui..."
The boys turned as the Alola boy sighed before he helped Litten get the collar off of him.
"The Heliolisk Collar is in the way, huh. I'll help you, but don't lick your wounds, okay? You could make it worse by doing that." Kaito said as he took the Collar off of his Fire Type friend. At being freed, Litten shook his fur happily, satisfied with being comfortable again.
Ash watched with a smile, before he asked of how the Fire Cat Pokémon was feeling.
"How's that?" Ash asked, causing Litten to move around and look up at the two boys with an affirmative look on his face.
Smiling to see the Fire Type doing well, the Alola boy took Litten into his arms and set him down between his legs, causing the Fire Cat Pokémon to look at him, meowing in curiosity.
"I'm glad you're okay... All you need now is a good rest before you go see him again." Kaito said as Litten meowed back in response. Hearing Kaito say "him", the Kanto Trainer blinked in confusion. He was about to ask, but remembering how stubborn Litten was before, the Kanto Trainer began to understand a little.
He sat next to Pikachu, Buizel, and Kaito as he spoke to the Fire Type.
"Look, I don't know what's been going on with you, but... I wish you could just trust me and Pikachu a little bit more, just like how you used to trust Kai. Hey, I think you're awesome! The lady at the market's your friend, and you've got your other friends to cheer for you, too!" Ash said with a smile.
Litten didn't respond to Ash's words, but the Alola boy could tell that the little Fire Type was listening.
"And your Ember attack... I really felt that!" Ash chuckled, remembering the time when he accidentally stepped on Litten's tail, which got him burned on the face from the Fire Type attack.
But by the time he was laughing again, the Kanto Trainer noticed Litten falling asleep, with Pikachu as well. Kaito noticed his Water Type friend starting to sleep as well as the Alola boy gave a small chuckle.
"Let's leave them be, Ash. They're asleep, aren't they?" Kaito asked, causing the Kanto Trainer to chuckle back before he nodded to his Alola friend's words.
"Yeah... Good night, Litten. Night, Kai." Ash said before the Alola boy said his good night back to the Kanto Trainer.
Soon, the Alola boy and his Sea Weasel Pokémon were fast asleep on the floor, while Ash and Pikachu were asleep on the couch they count as bed together. Prof. Kukui had fallen asleep on his desk, seemingly tired with the research he had to do.
But as everyone seemed to be fast asleep, Litten managed to get himself awake. Jumping out of Ash's arms that he was placed in, the Fire Cat Pokémon stretched his body after he took a glance at both Ash and Pikachu.
He then turned to Kaito and Buizel, who seemed to be comfortable sleeping together. Remembering what Kaito did back when he was attacked by the Alolan Persian, the little Fire Type now felt guilt crawling up to his heart.
He remembered on how Kaito saved him not once, but twice! The first being when they first met each other, and the second time being when the Alola boy revealed his aqua-kinesis powers to the Fire Cat Pokémon.
Believing that Kaito never intended to show his powers to Litten before, the Fire Cat Pokémon was annoyed, believing that Kaito hid his powers from him for so long. But remembering the rescue Kaito did by driving away the Alolan Persian, Litten wasn't annoyed anymore.
No... It was more likely guilt for doubting his young human savior, and being grateful to Kaito for saving him again when he really needed it. To that, the Fire Cat Pokémon realized what he wanted Kaito to do for him.
Nudging his nose onto Kaito's right cheek, the Alola boy stirred a little before he opened his right eye to see Litten looking at him with a soft expression.
"Litten...? What's... Oh." Kaito struggled to ask, but he stopped himself. He knew what Litten wanted as he gave a small yawn before he stretched his body a little before he stood up. Noticing the Sitrus Berry that Litten was supposed to deliver before, he took it in his hand and gave it to the Fire Type.
"Be careful on your way back, okay? That mean Persian could come out again and hurt you like before." Kaito said softly, as Litten took the Berry with his mouth. But just as he did so, he nudged Kaito's leg this time with a pleading look.
Blinking in surprise, the Alola boy smiled in understanding before he took Litten into his arms.
"You... want me to come with you? Is that it?" Kaito asked. This earned him a small nod from the Fire Cat Pokémon, as he kept staring at the Alola boy's eyes.
"All right... I'll come with you. Do you mind if Buizel and Rockruff come, too?" Kaito asked. The Fire Type turned to the still sleeping Buizel before nodding, but he shook his head at the request for Rockruff to come.
"Aw, come on... Rockruff is my friend too, you know. It wouldn't be fair if Buizel and I left without him." Kaito pleaded playfully, causing Litten to sweat drop before he realized the point that the Alola boy had.
Sighing with the Berry still in his mouth, Litten gave a reluctant nod, causing Kaito to smile before he gave a thankful look to the Fire Type.
"Thanks..." Kaito could only say as he knelt down to shake Buizel up gently. It only took a few seconds for Buizel to wake up as he yawned a little, before rubbing his eyes. The Sea Weasel Pokémon opened his eyes clearly to see what his human brother was planning to do.
"Bui..." Buizel gave a look of understanding before he climbed up to his human brother's left shoulder, allowing Kaito to quietly move and climb down the ladder to the floor, where they met up with the awake, but still sleepy Rockruff that belonged to Kaito.
"Ruff...?" Rockruff asked before he gave a small yawn. He was asleep before with Prof. Kukui's Rockruff, but he had woken up when he heard Kaito speaking to someone. At noticing Litten in the Alola boy's arms, the Puppy Pokémon frowned.
He was still bitter with the Fire Cat Pokémon, but he knew that his Trainer always had a reason to help the Fire Type out. Tolerating his Trainer to help out the little Fire Type, Rockruff yawned again before he stood next to his Trainer.
The Alola boy gave a small chuckle at that before he walked up to the door and carefully opened it so no one could hear. But it didn't seem to work much since it woke Pikachu up a little! The Electric Type blinked several times before he noticed Kaito walking out the door!
Buizel and Rockruff followed while Litten was in the Alola boy's arms, causing the Electric Type to widen his eyes and shake Ash awake, which didn't take long.
"Pika! Pikachu Pi!" Pikachu cried out, catching Ash by surprise as he quickly woke himself up to see Kaito and Litten missing, along with two of Kaito's Pokémon.
"Whoa, what the...!? Kai!? Litten!?" Ash yelped as he quickly climbed out of the loft to go after his Alola friend and his three Pokémon friends.
At the marketplace...
Kaito was walking quietly in the quiet marketplace, which seemed abandoned due to the time being nearly midnight now. As they were walking, Kaito began to make his confession to the Fire Cat Pokémon, apologizing for hiding things from him.
"Litten... I'm sorry I never told you about my powers the last time we met..." Kaito said apologetically, causing Litten to look up at him as the Alola boy explained. Buizel and Rockruff listened as well, before the Alola boy continued to explain.
"To be honest, I never knew about my power... not until when I got this Sea Gauntlet, to be exact." Kaito explained as he showed his new gauntlet to the Fire Type, who widened his eyes in surprise.
The Fire Cat Pokémon was so focused on getting the Sitrus Berry delivered to Stoutland, that he never noticed the "accessory" that was attached to his human friend's arm.
Was this how he was able to use the water from the sea to chase that freaky Persian away? Litten was in awe, now understanding on why his human friend was able to take the Alolan Persian down without any problems.
"So, are you okay now...?" Kaito asked weakly, causing Litten to look up at him before the Fire Cat Pokémon smiled a little. Licking Kaito's left cheek, he gave a small meow to the Alola boy in response, before cuddling onto his chest.
Smiling in realization, the Alola boy gave a small hug to his Fire Type friend, while Buizel watched with a smile of approval. This meant that Litten accepted Kaito for what he was now, even with his newfound powers to control the sea waves.
"Thanks, Litten..." Kaito said thankfully, earning another soft meow from the Fire Cat Pokémon. While the two bonded together again, Rockruff just watched with narrowed eyes. He didn't think Kaito would be this close with the little kitty-cat. This was going to make things more complicated for himself.
Soon, the Alola boy and his three Pokémon friends arrived at the abandoned mansion where Stoutland was waiting. Letting the Fire Type leap out of his arms, the Alola boy followed the Fire Cat Pokémon into the mansion where he reunited with the old Stoutland again.
By the time Kaito, Buizel, and Rockruff entered in, Stoutland had woken up to Litten coming in first as the Fire Type set the Sitrus Berry on the table, allowing the old Normal Type to take a bite out of it and regain his energy to move.
"Hey, big guy... Sorry if Litten was really late." Kaito said apologetically as he sat next to the Normal Type, brushing his thick fur with his hand.
Noticing the young child that was next to him, the Big Hearted Pokémon gave a small smile under his thick fur before he turned to Litten thankfully, before he began to eat the Sitrus Berry that was given to him. Once he was done, both Kaito and Litten watched Stoutland enjoy the fruit with smiles on their faces.
But as Stoutland was enjoying the small snack he was given with, there were footsteps coming from behind the Alola boy and his four Pokémon friends as they all turned to see Ash coming in with Pikachu and Rotom!
"Ash...?" Kaito said in surprise while Litten just hissed in warning. The Kanto Trainer gave a sheepish grin before he turned to see the old Stoutland lying on the couch.
"Hey, Kai... And is that a Stoutland?" Ash asked, before Rotom noticed on how old it looked.
"It is... And getting on in years, I'd say." Rotom buzzed as Kaito stood, with Buizel and Rockruff at his side. The Alola boy gave a small smile to his Kanto friend, before making his question.
"Now do you get why Litten's been stealing or taking food from others, Ash?" Kaito asked, causing Ash to widen his eyes in realization.
"You don't mean... that Litten's been taking the stolen food to Stoutland?" Ash asked, earning a nod from the Alola boy.
Taking Litten into his arms to comfort the little Fire Type, the Alola boy began to explain on why the little Fire Type does so.
"Ever since Old Stoutland could barely move with all the years passing by, Litten decided to get food for him by stealing food from other Pokémon and people. I'd say that makes Litten a good friend to Stoutland." Kaito explained as he scratched Litten's chin, causing the Fire Cat Pokémon to relax.
"I get it... I guess this means your dinner's a little late. Sorry, Stoutland. See, Litten got into a fight, so we all went to my place to rest. Kai and Buizel obviously helped of course, since they were friends with Litten." Ash explained, as Stoutland listened on.
Kaito kept the small smile on his face as Ash turned to the Alola boy with another question in mind.
"Hey, Kai... How did you know Litten and Stoutland in the first place?" Ash asked, causing Kaito to bite his lips and make his face look serious again.
"It's kind of a long story... You remember why I fiercely attacked the Alolan Persian that attacked Litten?" Kaito asked, earning nods from the Kanto Trainer and his Electric Type partner.
"Well, you see... That Persian was the Dark Type Pokémon that I kind of hate along with the Alolan Meowth..." Kaito started to explain before he explained the whole part where he and Buizel rescued Litten together from the arrogant Persian and his minions.
"Whoa..." was all Ash could say while Rotom and Pikachu listened carefully. Rockruff listened as well, since he heard this part of the story as well.
"But what about Stoutland? How did you meet up with him?" Ash asked, causing Kaito to explain again.
"Well, you see... After Litten recovered in the Pokémon Center that I took him to, I followed little Litten here to where he lived, and so I met Stoutland there. Old Stoutland here was already growing too much, so he couldn't find food on his own..." Kaito said, as he rubbed Stoutland's furry head with his hand.
"I'm guessing that Litten was trying to fight the Persian and the Meowth pack over a Berry since Litten kept the Sitrus Berry in its mouth. So, when I met the old guy here, I guess he was pretty grateful, since he tolerated both me and Buizel to be here, even when Litten complained a little." Kaito explained seriously.
Litten pouted at being mentioned for complaining as Ash gave a small chuckle.
"So that's how you became friends with these two..." Ash said before he turned to the little Fire Type.
"Litten? I was hoping I could catch you so you'd be on my team. But now that I see what you're doing and with Kai explaining most of the things, it was a bad plan." Ash said as he stood up, before he turned to both Pikachu and Rotom.
"We'd better head home. Prof. Kukui might get worried." Ash said, causing Kaito to blink in realization before he stood up.
"I need to get back home, too. Shiho and Seita should be asleep by now, but... I'm sure they would want to see me in the morning back home." Kaito said, earning a nod from the Kanto Trainer before he turned to the two friends.
"Right... And the next time we come visit, we'll bring some food for you. I can visit too, can't I, Litten?" Ash asked, causing Kaito to blink before he gave a small chuckle. But before Litten could respond, he averted his gaze at the boys before he hissed.
Pikachu, Buizel, and Rockruff felt the same thing as they glared to where there could be enemies around! Even Stoutland was alert while the boys both blinked in surprise. Ash stepped back before he asked.
"What's going on...?" Ash asked, allowing Rotom to speak.
"It appears there's something approaching!" Rotom buzzed. At feeling the presence also, Kaito widened his eyes before he glared to where it was coming from.
"You've got to be kidding. Why now?!" Kaito snapped as he glared to where a figure was standing! Ash turned also to see a figure jumping down and confronting him and the others with a sneer!
"The Alolan Persian!?" Ash gasped as Kaito stepped back, as he got ready to help his friends.
The Alolan Persian just hissed at Kaito, remembering the damage the human had done to him the last time they met. With wounds still fresh on his mind, the Dark Type was planning to get revenge on the Alola boy and the little Fire Type, too!
To that thought, the Classy Cat Pokémon prepared to use Power Gem, which Ash noticed as he called to everyone to get out of the mansion.
"Quick, let's get outside!" Ash called out, causing everyone to run and try to escape the incoming attack!
While everyone managed to get out, the Power Gem attack stopped both Pikachu and Rockruff in their tracks!
"Such persistence! There's no doubt Persian's here for revenge!" Rotom buzzed, causing Kaito to scoff in annoyance.
"Revenge? For what? The last time we met, that annoying cat got exactly what he deserved!" Kaito snapped. Buizel growled as well, with Rockruff preparing for battle. Encouraged by Stoutland, Litten got ready to fight as well, with Pikachu joining at his side!
"Take it easy, guys! Why don't you give it up!?" Ash snapped to the Persian after he tried to get the Pokémon calm.
"Ash, telling it to give up won't be easy. Once an Alolan Persian has its sight set on revenge, it'll try to do anything to accomplish that revenge." Kaito said seriously. He took a step back, while preparing to use the Sea Gauntlet when he needed to.
Persian circled the boys and the Pokémon, before he began to attack! The boys took their chances to strike back.
"'Kay! Now Thunderbolt!"
"Buizel, use Ice Punch! Rockruff, you use Bite!"
The four Pokémon attacked with Pikachu and Litten shooting Thunderbolt and Ember to where the Classy Cat Pokémon was! But using its speed, the Dark Type easily dodged it and even evaded the Ice Type attack and the Dark Type attack from both Buizel and Rockruff!
Targeting Stoutland and Ash, Persian let out a shrieking battle cry before he tried to use Fury Swipes on them!
"WHOA!?" Ash yelled as Kaito quickly stepped in, attempting to use his arms to block the Fury Swipes!
"Oh no you don't!" Kaito yelled as the Sea Gauntlet suddenly began to glow!
Everyone widened their eyes to see the Gauntlet glowing, before water surrounded the Alola boy, along with both Ash and Stoutland! The water created a barrier, deflecting Persian's attack! The Classy Cat Pokémon hissed in surprise before it flipped back.
Once the attack was deflected, the water barrier splashed down, keeping Kaito, Ash, and Stoutland from the possible scratches they could've taken.
Annoyed, Persian targeted Pikachu and Litten this time, aiming to slash at the two! Both Pokémon dodged while Litten tried to burn Persian away with Ember! But one slash at the weak flame made Ember disappear, causing Persian to sneer and taunt the Fire Cat Pokémon.
"Keep your eyes on the ball! Rockruff, use Bite!" Kaito cried out.
Rockruff let out a howl before he bit onto Persian's side, causing the Classy Cat Pokémon to yowl in pain before he managed to shake the Puppy Pokémon off!
The Rock Type skidded back before he growled at the Dark Type Pokémon. Noticing how determined Litten was to defeat this Pokémon, the Puppy Pokémon wasn't planning on letting Litten steal the spotlight!
To that point, Rockruff charged again before biting onto Persian's body once more! Hissing in annoyance, the Classy Cat Pokémon tried to get the Puppy Pokémon off, only for the Bite attack to be harder and tighter!
Persian yelped in pain as Kaito blinked to see the Bite attack looking stronger.
"Is it just me, or is Rockruff's Bite attack getting bigger and stronger?" Kaito asked, causing Rotom to buzz in with the new information.
"That's not Bite, Kaito! That's Crunch! A move that's stronger than Bite!" Rotom buzzed, causing Ash to grin at this.
"That's so cool! Your Rockruff knows how to use Crunch now, Kai!" Ash exclaimed while Kaito just watched in amazement. Using Crunch's strength to her advantage, Rockruff threw Persian off guard and sent him flying! Buizel then took his turn by surrounding his body with water.
Then, jumping to attack, the Sea Weasel Pokémon bashed the Classy Cat Pokémon with an Aqua Jet attack, scoring another direct attack onto the arrogant Dark Type! Stoutland took this chance to tell Litten of what he needed to do in order to finish the battle.
At hearing Stoutland's encouragement, the Fire Cat Pokémon focused his power from the fur on his back! The bandages were burned off due to the back fur growing hotter, as if it was responding to Litten's attempt to make his Ember attack grow even stronger!
Using this to his advantage, Litten shot a giant fireball that seemed too big for a normal Ember attack!
It blasted the Alolan Persian away, causing the Dark Type to scream in pain and run off, with its tail being caught on fire. Once Persian was gone, Kaito sighed in relief while Ash and Pikachu cheered for their victory.
"Good riddance..." Kaito sighed.
"Yeah! All right!" "Pika!" The two cheered together.
"You chased it away!" Rotom buzzed in amazement.
Litten only meowed in response, seemingly satisfied to see the bully run away with its tail between its legs. Buizel and Rockruff both joined in with Ash and Pikachu as Rockruff stood proudly for learning a new move, which seemed to have made him stronger.
Buizel just grinned, feeling satisfied for the victory that he and the others achieved together.
"That was awesome, Litten!" Ash exclaimed, praising Litten for his fire power.
"Rockruff, you did great, too. Great work on learning Crunch!" Kaito added, as he praised his Rock Type for his efforts, earning him a painful nuzzle from the Puppy Pokémon. While he dealt with the nuzzle, the glow from the Sea Gauntlet had died down.
Kaito noticed this as he blinked in surprise. Before he could ponder on what happened, he noticed Litten meowing happily with Stoutland. The Big Hearted Pokémon rubbed Litten's nose back with his nose as the two "celebrated" together for the victory Litten had earned tonight with his allies.
Ash watched as well, while Pikachu climbed onto his shoulder as Rotom floated between the two boys.
"I detect a happy ending! Except for you not catching Litten..." Rotom buzzed, causing Kaito to agree.
"You can say that again. The arrogant villain takes his leave, while the brave Fire Cat celebrates with the Big Hearted Pokémon. The boy from Pallet Town on the other hand, chose to not capture the Fire Cat so that he could stay with his old friend" Kaito said, making a tone of like he was explaining the ending of the story.
Ash chuckled at the tone Kaito made just now before he turned back to the Fire Cat Pokémon.
"See you later, Litten! I'll come visit tomorrow! And, I'll bring you a whole bunch of food!" Ash called out as he began to make his leave, before calling to his Alola friend.
"Hey, Kai! You coming?" Ash asked, causing the Alola boy to nod to his Kanto friend, before he gave a small wave to his Fire Type friend.
"I'll see you two again sometime, okay?" Kaito asked, earning an affirmative meow from the Fire Cat Pokémon. Stoutland just grunted, before giving a nod of approval as Kaito left the two be, before following Ash to where home was.
The next morning...
Kaito woke up a bit early with Buizel as they both got ready to head for the Pokémon School. But before they could leave for the School, they needed to meet up with Ash to get some fruits and other food so they could get it to both Litten and Stoutland.
But, as the two got there, Ash was the first to head for the door as he called for the little Fire Type.
"Hey, Litten! Alola!" Ash called out as he went inside. But as he did so, the Kanto Trainer blinked to see that neither Litten or Stoutland were around!
Kaito got in too, before he noticed the two missing Pokémon that were supposed to be around here. At seeing neither of the was around, the Alola boy gave a sigh while Buizel gave his human brother a concerned look.
"Bui? Bu bui?" Buizel asked, causing Kaito to shake his head with a smile.
"I had a feeling that this would happen..." Kaito said, earning confused looks from Ash and the two starters, along with Rotom.
"What do you mean, Kai?" Ash asked, causing the Alola boy to explain.
"Remember how Persian attacked us out of the blue? I think it managed to follow us without letting us know, so that's how it got in and gave us a surprise. I'm guessing that's the reason why neither Litten or Old Stoutland is here..." Kaito explained, causing Ash to realize what Kaito meant.
"You mean... they moved away together?" Ash asked, earning a nod from the Alola boy.
Back at the marketplace...
The boys met up with the shop lady again as they explained of what happened to the two, causing the shop lady to understand.
"I see... So that's what happened." The shop lady said in understanding as she picked up the berry that Ash dropped, before she began to cut the peelings off.
"I feel like it's my fault... Even if it was Persian that caused Litten and Stoutland to move away, it must've been because of me not noticing Persian coming after us in the first place..." Ash said sadly, causing Kaito to blink before he placed his hand on Ash's shoulder.
"Don't worry about it. I hardly believe either Litten or Stoutland would be the types to move away just because of what we did. That Persian was a pain, though..." Kaito reassured, before he folded his arms.
"Pokémon are Pokémon and people are people. One being's world isn't exactly the same as the other's. So, don't go blaming yourself." The shop lady said comfortingly before she placed the peeled fruit on a small dish, before placing it on the ground.
"Litten's living under the same Alolan sky as the two of you. I'm sure Litten's doing just fine." The shop lady said softly.
"That's what I'm counting on, ma'am..." Kaito said before he gave a sigh. But just as he did so, he noticed to see the same Fire Cat Pokémon approaching the berry!
"Litten...?" Kaito asked, causing Litten to perk up and look at both him and Ash! The Kanto Trainer gaped to see the little Fire Type as Pikachu and Buizel were surprised with the sudden arrival, too!
Even Rotom buzzed in his surprise to see the Fire Type again.
"What do you know!?" Rotom buzzed as the shop lady gave a small giggle.
"What did I tell you? Dear Litten, I heard you moved!" The shop lady said, earning an affirmative meow from the Fire Cat Pokémon. The smile dropped from his face as he turned back to the two boys.
Kaito showed his smile again, relieved to see his Fire Type friend well.
The feeling was mutual for the Fire Type as he gave a small smile to his human friend and his Water Type partner before he picked up the peeled berry from his mouth and ran off.
"Hey, Litten!" Ash called as he watched to see the Fire Cat Pokémon run off again. As Litten was getting farther and farther away, Kaito joined his Kanto friend before he gave a reassuring word to Ash.
"Don't worry... I know Litten. I know we'll cross paths with the little guy again if there's a chance or time." Kaito said, causing the Kanto Trainer to smile back.
"Yeah... You're right." Ash spoke in agreement.
To be continued...
Kaito's Team:
Buizel (M): (Ice Punch, Agility, Rain Dance, Aqua Jet)
Rockruff (M): (Crunch, Sand Attack, Rock Slide, Howl)
Next chapters:
Chapter 15: To Care an Egg! Kaito's Decision!
Chapter 16: Responsibility to Protect and Save
Chapter 17: The Chaos Involving a Raticate!
Chapter 18: Gumshoos and Yungoos to Bash!
Chapter 19: The Grand Trial! Kaito VS Hala!
Next chapter preview:
Principal Oak: The task for all of you is for you all to take care of one of the Pokémon Eggs here!
Kaito: Wait... Would it be alright if I take care of the Egg that Ash brought from Kanto?
Ash: What's this all about, Kai? You seem... serious about the egg caring business?
Kaito: I still have a long way to go to know what true responsibility is like... I haven't learned yet.
Prof. Kukui: Responsibility... Looks like Kazuma's words are still sticking onto you like a Sticky Web...
Mallow: In that case, then it would be best for Lillie to take care of the one that came from Mt. Lanakila!
Events that occurred:
- Kaito's Rockruff learns how to use Crunch