Chapter 20: The Malasada and Fun Lover, Hau!
Last time on "Pokémon Alola Journey", Kaito visited Ash and Prof. Kukui again after thinking about what he should do about the Melemele Grand Trial. And after talking about it with Buizel and Rockruff, the Alola boy reached a conclusion: that he find some answers while taking part in the Island Challenge.
So as Officer Jenny requested to take the boys to where the Grand Trial would take place, Hala took the boys to the Ruins of Conflict, where they would pray to Tapu Koko before the Grand Trial battle would take place.
After they did so, Kaito volunteered to battle first Hala first, while explaining the reason why he wanted to take the challenge. Understanding Kaito's determination to find some answers during his trials, Hala agreed as their battle began.
As the battle went on, Rockruff managed to defeat Crabrawler, the Boxing Pokémon despite of the type disadvantage. However, he wasn't so lucky when he faced Hariyama, who easily blocked his attacks, which resulted in Rockruff's defeat.
Dismayed to see Rockruff getting badly wounded, Kaito fought Hala hard with Buizel at his side, causing the final battle to begin. At first, despite of Buizel's speed, it wasn't enough to win, until Kaito managed to counter Hala's tactics and Z-Move by freezing Hariyama on the ground with Buizel's Ice Beam.
With Hariyama stuck in place, the Alola boy and his two Pokémon achieved their first Grand Trial victory by using the Hydro Vortex Z-Move, allowing Kaito to clear the Melemele trials and earning the Fightinium-Z as his prize for victory.
But as Kaito cheered with his two Pokémon, a newcomer was amazed with how the Alola boy fought, causing Hala to introduce his grandson, Hau, to Ash and Kaito, much to their surprise.
"Hey, hey! You and me! Can we have a Pokémon battle?" The boy asked brightly, catching both Ash and Kaito by surprise.
"Huh?" was all Kaito could say as Ash questioned the newcomer.
"Um... And who are you?" Ash asked as Hala chuckled.
"Da ha ha ha! Where's the fire, boy? And what kind of a Pokémon battle would that be where you don't even give a name first, eh?" Hala asked, causing the boy to place the hands on the back of his head and grin sheepishly.
"Fair enough! Then I'm Hau! It's nice to meet you! You're Kaito, right?" Hau asked brightly, causing the Alola boy to blink in surprise with his two Pokémon, as they were surprised with the sudden entrance of the newcomer.
"Uh, yeah... Nice to meet you, too." Kaito said reluctantly. The bright attitude Hau was shining off made the Alola boy feel uneasy as he didn't expect the Kahuna's grandson to be this bright and cheerful even when they hardly knew each other.
"Your battle with Tutu was so awesome! Both your Buizel and Rockruff were really cool! The way they attacked, and the way they countered both of Tutu's Crabrawler and Hariyama's attacks... it gave me chicken skin!" Hau exclaimed brightly.
"Chicken skin? Tutu? Huh?" Ash repeated in confusion as he cocked his head in confusion.
"Pika?" Even Pikachu was confused with what Hau was saying as Rotom couldn't figure out what Hau meant.
"Chicken skin... Does not compute. Does not compute." Rotom buzzed as it held its head in confusion.
"Thanks, I guess...? I guess this means you love Pokémon as much as I do, right?" Kaito asked, earning a cheerful nod from Hala's grandson.
"Yeah! So, let's battle! When I heard that Tutu was going to take on two challengers for the Grand Trial, I had to rush here, only to see you using your Z-Move to beat him!" Hau exclaimed, causing Kaito to blink before he realized what he meant.
"He must be talking about my final attack with Buizel. When we used Ice Beam to freeze Hariyama in its tracks, while wrapping the battle up with Hydro Vortex." Kaito thought, before he sighed, before scratching his head.
"All right, fine. I accept your challenge, but..." Kaito started to say before he reminded the newcomer of the condition his Pokémon were in right now.
"Would you mind if I take my Pokémon to the Pokémon Center? We just had our Grand Trial battle and they need to be fixed up before they could battle again." Kaito said seriously, as he noticed how tired out Buizel looked while Rockruff was a bit roughed up.
"Oh...! No problem! We can battle after they heal up! I'll be waiting there, if you don't mind!" Hau said before he ran off, causing everyone to watch the energetic Trainer leave for the Pokémon Center.
"He sure is fired up for this..." Ash commented in amazement, with Pikachu speaking his agreement. Prof. Kukui just chuckled as he turned to the Melemele Kahuna with a smile.
"I remember your grandson taking a quick leave from the Pokémon School because he wanted to make friends with Pokémon. Am I right?" Prof. Kukui asked, causing Kaito and Ash to turn to the Alola Professor before Hala gave a small chuckle.
"Ah yes... I do remember that time. I apologize for his long absence, Prof. Kukui." Hala said, earning a small nod from the Alola Professor before the Kanto Trainer questioned him.
"Hold on... Hau was a student of the Pokémon School?" Ash asked, earning a nod from the Alola Professor.
"Right. Although, he was in a different class than the two of you, so you two wouldn't know who he was until now. He was a natural at making friends with Pokémon. Heck... I was surprised with how well he made friends with wild Pokémon." Prof. Kukui explained.
"Huh..." was all Kaito said before he looked to where Hau had disappeared off to, before he remembered something.
"Oh, right... I need to get you two to the Pokémon Center..." Kaito said before he looked at his two still wounded Pokémon, as they gave sheepish smile to their human brother, causing Kaito to smile back before he turned to Ash and the two adults.
"I think I'll be taking my leave here... You still have your Grand Trial to take, don't you, Ash?" Kaito asked, causing the Kanto Trainer to blink before he nodded with a grin.
"Yeah, I do." Ash said before Hala turned to the Kanto Trainer with an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, young Ash... But like Kaito here, I just had my battle here with him. Would you mind if we battled later during sunset? I promise you you'll have your Grand Trial by then." Hala said, causing the Kanto Trainer to nod in understanding.
"Sure! While Crabrawler and Hariyama are resting, we can keep training for our upcoming Grand Trial! Right, Pikachu?" Ash asked.
"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu cried out in agreement. Nodding in response, the Alola boy said his goodbye to his Kanto friend, along with the two adults before he made his way to the nearest Pokémon Center so his two Pokémon could get some rest before the next battle.
Later, at the Pokémon Center...
"Nurse Joy, could you please fix up my Pokémon? They've had a rough beating during our Grand Trial battle against Kahuna Hala." Kaito said as he made his request, causing the nurse to smile and nod in understanding.
"Of course! And don't worry. Both Buizel and Rockruff will be just fine after a few checkups and care. Blissey?" Nurse Joy said before she turned to one of her assistant Pokémon.
"Blissey!" The Happiness Pokémon cried out happily before she wheeled both Buizel and Rockruff to one of the emergency rooms to tend to their wounds. At watching Blissey leave with his two Pokémon, Kaito sighed in relief before he heard someone calling out to him.
"Hey! Kaito!" Hau shouted out, causing the Alola boy to turn, allowing him to notice the Kahuna's grandson sitting at a café table with a sandwich in his mouth. Raising an eyebrow in amusement, Kaito walked over to check on his new friend or rival.
"Told you I'd be waiting here, didn't I? How's your Pokémon doing?" Hau asked, causing Kaito to smile softly before he answered back.
"They're fine. They just needed to be checked up and have their wounds fixed up before they could battle again. Anyways, what brought you back to Iki Town? You said you came rushing into town just now, right?" Kaito asked, causing Hau to smile sheepishly.
"W-Well, yeah... You see, I was traveling around Melemele Island so I can meet whatever Pokémon there is... When I heard of many people starting their journeys in their home regions, I figured that's what I wanted to do, too!" Hau explained, causing Kaito to narrow his eyes.
"And that's what made you drop out of Pokémon School, right? Because you wanted to travel...?" Kaito asked knowingly, causing Hau to sweat drop before he grinned again, as he scratched the back of his head.
"Oh... ha... Tutu told you everything, did he?" Hau asked sheepishly before Kaito sighed.
"You must really love Pokémon if you wanted to experience everything while traveling instead of using the books instead." Kaito sighed, causing Hau to nod brightly before he took out two Pokéballs for Kaito to see.
"Of course! I even made two Pokémon friends while I was traveling! Pichu! Eevee! Come on out, you two!" Hau shouted out before he threw his balls into the air, causing two little Pokémon to appear cutely as they both blinked at appearing.
Kaito blinked, as he recognized the two little ones.
"Pichu and an Eevee... Those are some good Pokémon... And they're even rare ones, too." Kaito said in surprise as he turned to Hau, who offered his two Pokémon little pieces of his sandwich, which they accepted happily.
"You're quite close to them... How long has it been since you've met them?" Kaito asked, curious as to how Hau knew these Pokémon.
"Well... I think it was during the first day I dropped out of the Pokémon School. Mom wasn't happy with my decision at first, but... when she saw me taking these two in my arms, all she could do was smile! I became an official Trainer after I met these two!" Hau explained.
He rubbed Eevee's head before he rubbed Pichu's head, causing the two little ones to cry out happily for their Trainer showing affection to them. At seeing this, the Alola boy smiled before he opened his eyes to see a sandwich in front of him.
"H-Huh?" was all Kaito could say as he was surprised to see food right in front of eyes until he noticed that it was Hau offering him food.
"You want some? It's past noon, so I figured you'd want to grab a bite and eat!" Hau explained, causing Kaito to blink before he nodded, appreciating the nice offer the Kahuna's grandson was showing to him.
"Thanks, Hau." Kaito said simply before he accepted the sandwich from the Kahuna's grandson. Soon, the two new friends had their lunch together while Pichu and Eevee enjoyed the Pokémon food they were given by their Trainer.
Later...
After having their small lunch together, Kaito and Hau talked more together to know what Hau has done in the past after he left the Pokémon School. And from what Hau said, the Alola boy was surprised.
For Pichu, Hau met the little Electric Type for when it was training against other Pichu, like they were his friends or family. Excited and ecstatic at seeing a Pokémon train, Hau wanted to see this until one of them conceded.
Of course, the one who ended up giving up was the Pichu that Hau made friends with, causing the little Electric Type to be upset and run off, while the other Pichu tried to call their friend or family member back.
Concerned about the upset Electric Type, Hau chased after the upset Pokémon, only to see it hanging onto a cliff that it somehow got onto!
Flashback
"Oh... Where did it go? How did something so small run so fast? That Pichu looked really upset when it lost that battle..." Hau said to himself before he heard a desperate cry, which sounded really familiar.
"PI! PICHU PI!" Pichu's voice alarmed the Kahuna's grandson as he ran to where he heard the loud cry. As he got closer and closer to where he heard the cry from, Hau gasped in shock to see Pichu hanging onto a cliff desperately!
"AH! Oh no! Pichu!" Hau gasped as he ran over to try and help the troubled Electric Type. At seeing Hau coming for him, Pichu began to whimper in fear, coming to a belief that the human was going to try and hurt him.
Shutting his eyes tight, Pichu prepared for the worst, until he felt himself being collected up by Hau's arms, causing the Tiny Mouse Pokémon to watch in shock as he let the young boy lift him safely to the ground, before he was set down.
"Are you okay, Pichu? You looked like you took a nasty fall before saving yourself..." Hau said, before he smiled in relief.
Pichu couldn't say anything for a moment before tears welled up in the Tiny Mouse Pokémon's eyes, causing Hau to be startled as he tried to comfort the little Electric Type.
"Ah! Pichu! Sorry! Did I make you up-" Hau started to say before he was tackled to the ground by the little Electric Type. Startled at first, Hau was about to question the little Electric Type, only to hear sobbing from the Tiny Mouse Pokémon, causing Hau to look down.
Pichu wasn't angry, but crying... crying due to being touched at being saved by the young human despite of Hau not knowing Pichu that much.
"Oh, Pichu..." Hau said softly before he comforted the crying Electric Type.
Flashback End
And that was how Hau got his first Pokémon, which was the same Tiny Mouse Pokémon that was having fun, playing with Eevee right now. For the Evolution Pokémon, Hau encountered Eevee when he was traveling around the marketplace.
The Kahuna's grandson met Eevee, who enjoyed the fruit she was given before she trained for battles, which she did so by battling against other Trainer's Pokémon. Hau was amazed with how good Eevee seemed to be and challenged the Normal Type to a battle with Pichu at his side.
Flashback
"Alright, Eevee! Pichu and I would like to challenge you to a Pokémon battle! What do you say?" Hau asked eagerly as Pichu climbed to his Trainer's shoulder.
"Pichu Pi!" Pichu cried out his determination, causing Eevee to blink before her face turned serious as she glared at her new opponents. Pichu jumped off of Hau's shoulder, and faced the Normal Type as Hau made the first move.
"Let's go, Pichu! Use Thunder Shock!" Hau shouted out.
Later...
Eevee fell back at being struck by Pichu's last Thunder Shock attack, causing the Evolution Pokémon to pout for her loss until Hau expressed his amazement for how well the battle went for both Pichu and for Eevee at the same time.
"Wow! That was an awesome battle, you guys! I kinda thought that Pichu and I would lose even with the two of us together!" Hau admitted, causing Eevee to look up at the young boy in both surprise and confusion.
"Pichu! Pichu Pichu Pi!" Pichu cried out happily, confusing Eevee even before she watched to see Hau approaching her, causing the Normal Type to frown before she felt him rubbing her furry head gently, as if he cared for her despite not knowing her much.
"You're strong! Do you want to join me and Pichu? We can be strong together, if you'd like! We'll even have lots of fun together! What do you say?" Hau asked, causing Eevee to blink again before she turned to Pichu, who squeaked out his agreement.
Flashback
That was the time when Hau made friends with Eevee while adding him as the second member of his team. At the stories being given out, Kaito was quiet for a moment before he gave a sigh.
"Looks like you got yourself in tough situations if you met them both like that, even if they like you now..." Kaito said, causing Hau to chuckle.
"Well, it was well worth it! I mean, if I didn't meet them at those times, things might've gone worse than they already have before!" Hau reminded, causing Pichu and Eevee to stop playing together before they looked up at their Trainer in confusion.
Before Kaito could respond to Hau's words, he heard a ringing sound before Nurse Joy called for him.
"Kaito? Your Pokémon have fully recovered!" Nurse Joy called out, causing Kaito to blink before he stood to head to where he could pick his Pokémon up. As he arrived to where his Pokémon would be, he was greeted by being jumped on and nuzzled on!
"Bu bui!"
"Rock! Rockruff! Ruff!"
Buizel and Rockruff joyfully nuzzled and licked their human brother affectionately, as they were in joy to be with Kaito. Their acts of affection caused Kaito to laugh as he hugged his two affectionate Pokémon with a grin on his face.
"Ha ha ha! I'm glad to see you two, too..." Kaito said happily before he turned to Nurse Joy gratefully.
"Thanks for your help, Nurse Joy. You too, Blissey! Comfey!" Kaito said gratefully, causing the two Fairy Types to cry out happily, as they were happy to provide service to all people and Pokémon when they need it.
Later...
Soon, the boys left the Pokémon Center as Hau grinned, turning to the Alola boy for the battle challenge he had requested earlier back in Iki Town.
"Hey, hey! So what about that battle, huh? You will battle me, right? I know you will! Right?" Hau exclaimed as he jumped up and down energetically, with Pichu and Eevee following his movements! Amused with how Hau was requesting the battle, Kaito sighed before he gave a sheepish grin.
"Alright, then... I did promise that we would have a battle. Buizel, Rockruff... You two ready to go?" Kaito asked, causing his two Pokémon to cry out affirmatively.
With that being said, the boys made some distance with each other before they got ready to begin their first battle with each other.
"All right! I'm seriously gonna enjoy this! Pichu, you're up first!" Hau called out, causing Pichu to squeak in affirmation before he ran to face Kaito and one of his Pokémon in battle.
"Pichu is first, huh? Rockruff, show them what you've got!" Kaito called out, causing Rockruff to bark excitedly before he faced Pichu with a growl and a determined expression to win the battle.
Hau: Pichu + Eevee VS Kaito: Rockruff + Buizel
"All right! We'll start things off! Pichu, use Thunder Shock!" Hau shouted out, causing Pichu to shoot electricity towards Rockruff, as Kaito called for a counterattack.
"Dodge, then use Howl!" Kaito called, causing Rockruff to evade the Electric Type attack and howl loudly! His howl made his attack feel stronger as Hau tried to attack once again, this time with a different move!
"One more time, Pichu! Use Shock Wave!" Hau called out, surprising Kaito for a bit before he countered again with a different move.
"Shock Wave? In that case, Rockruff! Use Rock Slide!" Kaito shouted out, allowing Rockruff to howl loudly, enough to make boulders block the new Electric Type move before one of the boulders crashed close to where Pichu was!
The impact of the boulder hitting the ground knocked Pichu away as he rolled back, wincing in pain as he did so! Hau gasped before he tried to encourage his Electric Type to fight back once again.
"Don't give up, Pichu! Let's try Shock Wave once more!" Hau called out. Recovering from the blow he had taken from the boulders, Pichu managed to get up and shoot an Electric Type attack towards Rockruff, which made a hit this time!
The Puppy Pokémon yelped in pain as he skidded back from the shock he had taken as Kaito narrowed his eyes before he smiled.
"So they struck again... Rockruff, use Sand Attack!" Kaito called out.
The Puppy Pokémon shook off the electricity he was hit with before he kicked sand onto Pichu's face, causing Pichu to shriek before he tried to get the sand off of his eyes, much to Hau's shock.
"Oh no! That sand is blinding Pichu!" Hau commented in worry before the Alola boy struck again with an attack this time.
"And that's how this round ends! Rockruff, wrap this up with Rock Slide!" Kaito yelled.
"RUFF! ROCK!" Rockruff barked loudly as he summoned boulders to smash them onto the blind Pichu, who felt the attack hit as he screamed in pain before tumbling back to where Hau was!
"Pichu, no!" Hau gasped as he held his defeated Electric Type in his arms.
Hau: 1 Pokémon
"What do you think? Think you can win now, Hau?" Kaito asked, as he tried to encourage his friend to keep going. He watched Hau return Pichu back into his Pokéball before he rose back up with a determined smile on his face.
"Heck yeah I will win! Eevee, you're up next!" Hau called out, causing Eevee to nod before he ran to face Rockruff, who was ready to keep going. But Kaito had other plans as he called his Puppy Pokémon back.
"Rockruff, take a little rest! Buizel, you ready to go?" Kaito called out, causing Rockruff to blink in surprise while Buizel nodded with a smile.
"Ruff! Rockruff ruff!" Rockruff whined, insisting that he can continue on without any problems.
Realizing that his Puppy Pokémon wanted to go on without any assistance, the Alola boy smiled sheepishly before he rubbed Rockruff's head as he walked over to the pouting Rock Type Pokémon.
"Rockruff... I know that you want to keep battling, and I believe you can win. But, I want to see how Hau can go when he's fighting against Buizel. Who knows? There's a chance that he might surprise us if we both battle with full power." Kaito explained softly.
Rockruff blinked at the explanation before he glanced back at Hau, who was waiting patiently. The same went for Eevee, who was ready to battle no matter who it was, whether it would be Rockruff that defeated Pichu, or the Buizel that's Kaito's partner.
The Puppy Pokémon considered for a moment before he barked back with determination.
"Ruff! Rockruff!" Rockruff barked before he turned to the Sea Weasel Pokémon, having the same look.
"Rockruff! Ruff! Rock!" Rockruff barked loudly, sounding as if he was encouraging his Water Type friend or rival to continue what he left off in the battle.
"Bu bui!" Buizel cried out in agreement before he and Rockruff switched places, allowing him to face Eevee this time.
"So, Buizel is our next opponent? Eevee, let's start things off with a Quick Attack!" Hau cried out, causing the Evolution Pokémon to dash around the road to attack, causing the Alola boy to strike back.
"Counter that with Aqua Jet, Buizel!" Kaito shouted out. Surrounding himself with water, the Sea Weasel Pokémon collided onto Eevee as the two Pokémon struggled to overpower each other, only for the winner to be Buizel!
Knocked back from the Aqua Jet, Eevee shrieked a little before she regained her footing on the ground.
"Whoa... that was strong. Come on, Eevee! We can't give up here! Use Swift!" Hau shouted, causing Eevee to launch stars to hit Buizel, which they did so. With Swift striking Buizel, the Sea Weasel Pokémon gritted his teeth, trying to resist the attack.
"Use Rain Dance, Buizel! Then, speed things up with Agility!" Kaito called out loud.
At the order, Buizel raised his arms in the air to call for rain clouds. As he focused his energy on bringing the clouds together, his focus became worth it when they all merged together to create a mass of rain clouds to surround him and his opponent!
Even Kaito and Hau were towered by the clouds with rain beginning to pour down.
"It's raining?" Hau questioned before he watched to see Buizel moving at a very fast pace, followed by using Agility! The Kahuna's grandson watched in disbelief and amazement as he witnessed Buizel speeding across the wet road with high speed!
"Whoa! That's fast! Eevee, try to catch up with Buizel by using Quick Attack!" Hau called out loud.
Dashing fast, Eevee ran to try and keep up with the Sea Weasel Pokémon, only for Buizel to suddenly appear right in front of her! Both Hau and Eevee gasped at this before the Alola boy made the next move very cold.
"Let's go! Ice Beam, full power!" Kaito shouted out, causing Buizel to unleash the Ice Type attack onto the Normal Type! Eevee shrieked in pain from the close range attack as she was sent flying into the air by the power.
"Eevee, no!" Hau gasped as he watched Eevee fall towards him before he ran to catch the Evolution Pokémon in his arms. As Eevee groaned, she fell unconscious, possibly due to the close range she was struck when she got hit by Ice Beam.
"I lost..." Hau said simply before he fell onto his knees. The Kahuna's grandson returned Eevee back into her Pokéball to give her time to rest before he sighed.
Winner: Kaito
Seeing Hau looking a bit down, the Alola boy walked over with his two Pokémon at his side as he gave a concerned look to his new friend.
"Um... Hau? Are you okay?" Kaito asked, causing Hau to slowly stand up before he looked up with a big grin on his face!
"Heh... Ha ha ha ha! Whoa! That was awesome, Kaito! You and your Pokémon were both so cool! Even if it was quick, that was a fun battle!" Hau exclaimed, as he began to laugh loudly. Sweat dropping at how enthusiastic Hau was despite of losing, Kaito gave a sigh.
"I'm... glad that you enjoyed our battle, even if it wasn't much..." Kaito said as both Buizel and Rockruff gave the boy deadpanned looks. They honestly expected Hau to be a little upset or frustrated or losing... But the way Hau reacted... it was the complete opposite!
"You've gotta have the kinda battles where everyone has fun! You and your Pokémon partners, too, you know?" Hau commented as Kaito scratched the back of his head before he reminded the Kahuna's grandson.
"Okay... We had our battle. I think your Pokémon will need their checkup since they've taken some damage during that battle." Kaito said seriously, causing Hau to nod before he took out his two Pokéballs.
"Oh! Right! I'll go there right away!" Hau exclaimed as he ran back to the Pokémon Center, while Kaito watched with folded arms.
"That guy... He certainly is a bright one. I can see him being awfully familiar with Kahuna Hala since the Kahuna wasn't frustrated with us defeating him, either..." Kaito commented as he remembered how Hala reacted even with his loss.
"Bui..."
"Rockruff..."
His two Pokémon cried out their agreements as they waited for Hau to have his Pokémon completely recovered.
Meanwhile...
The Thunderclap Wanderer was in the forest, looking like it was searching for something. It climbed up a tree before it jumped back down, dissatisfied for not being able to find what it desired. Just as it was about to search more, though...
"Tapu KOKO!"
The Wanderer blinked before it looked to see Tapu Koko floating down right in front of it as the Wanderer narrowed its eyes, getting ready to fight if it needed to. Despite of its own powers, it knew that battling the Guardian of Melemele Island would be no easy task.
Pokémon POV
"Tapu Koko... What would the Guardian of Melemele Island like you be scouring around in the forest for? I thought you'd be waiting to see that big Grand Trial again with another boy... the one that was with Kai." The Wanderer said cautiously.
"You don't need to be so cautious, 'Thunderclap Wanderer', or should I say... Zeraora?" Tapu Koko said carefully, catching the Wanderer, now known as Zeraora by surprise before it widened them again.
"To think... it's been only five years when you arrived in the Alola region. The other Tapu and I thought you were a new threat, but it turns out... you were nothing more than a curious and playful Pokémon when you came across others." Tapu Koko said, before it looked up.
Zeraora looked down, also recalling the time when it came to Alola, having no recollection on why it came there in the first place. As time went by, it only experienced good times when it spent time with other wild Pokémon.
"So...? What does that have to do with you coming to me right now? Is this about us talking about the past or is it because you have something you want me to do?" Zeraora asked seriously.
The Guardian of Melemele Island looked at the Thunderclap Wanderer before it revealed something in its hand, something that Zeraora seemed to desire as it widened its eyes in surprise.
"That's...! The Electrium-Z! How did you...!?" Zeraora spoke in surprise as the Melemele Guardian gazed at the Wanderer in amusement.
"So... this is what you were searching for? Why would you want a Z-Crystal if you can't perform a Z-Move yet?" Tapu Koko asked, causing the Electric Type to narrow its eyes before it spoke to the Melemele Guardian.
"Must you need to know? Didn't you know that curiosity killed the Meowth?" Zeraora asked seriously, causing the Tapu to tense a little before it gave off a small chuckle of amusement.
"What's so funny?" Zeraora asked, causing the Melemele Guardian to explain.
"Forgive me... I didn't expect a Mythical Pokémon like yourself to crack a joke like that... Anyways..." Tapu Koko said before it offered the Z-Crystal to Zeraora, allowing the Mythical Pokémon to slowly accept it.
"I believe I don't have to question on what you're planning to do with that Z-Crystal?" Tapu Koko asked, earning a shake of a head from the Wanderer.
"You won't need to. I already had plans on what to do before you gave me this." Zeraora said before it took its leave, giving a small farewell to the Melemele Guardian in the process. The Guardian watched Zeraora disappear into the trees before it too, took its leave.
Back to Kaito...
The Alola boy had his arms folded and his eyes closed, as he tried to think back of the Thunderclap Wanderer that saved him and Lana back a few days ago. He gained a clue from Hala on what its title was, but not its true name.
"If only I could get the true name of that Pokémon, then maybe I'll be able to find out more easily on who it is I'm supposed to remember." Kaito thought as he opened his eyes to see both Buizel and Rockruff sparring against each other.
"I'm back!" Hau called out, causing Kaito to turn and see the Kahuna's grandson running over to him while Buizel and Rockruff stopped sparring.
"How are they right now?" Kaito asked, causing Hau to grin and place his hands on the back of his head.
"Good as new! Nurse Joy and her Pokémon assistants were able to help both Pichu and Eevee recover fully since they didn't take that much damage during our battle together." Hau explained brightly.
"That's good... So, what do you plan to do now?" Kaito asked, allowing Hau to immediately answer as he jumped up and down excitedly.
"After that battle and waiting around for my Pokémon to recover, I was getting a little hungry, so I thought we could both go to a Malasada Shop! I'm sure you know that the malasadas there are really good! They're even good for Pokémon, too!" Hau exclaimed.
Blinking in surprise to hear Hau already hungry again, the Alola boy frowned before he scratched the back of his head.
"But we just had lunch about one or two hours ago... You want to eat again?" Kaito asked, causing Hau to grin with a nod.
"Sure! There's always room for malasadas, right? I'm sure our Pokémon must be hungry too from the little exercise they did together during our battle!" Hau explained, causing Kaito to blink before he looked down at his two Pokémon.
They blinked before they heard their stomachs growling a little, causing the two of them to look down before they smiled sheepishly, blushing in embarrassment. Raising an eyebrow in amusement, the Alola boy smiled at the two.
"Hungry? Well, I guess I can't blame the two of you since you both battled hard during the Grand Trial and the battle we had with Hau just now..." Kaito chuckled.
"Bui..." Buizel said, still feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Rockruff..." Rockruff panted, as he kind of felt hungry for what he had to go through today.
"All right, all right... To the malasada shop it is, then!" Kaito suggested, causing his two Pokémon to cheer while Hau grinned at the idea.
"Yeah! So, let's go!" Hau called out. But before the boys and Kaito's two Pokémon could move, the Alola boy stopped to hear a familiar and obnoxious voice calling him from behind.
"Hold up right there, kiddies!" The first voice called out, causing Kaito to tense and sigh.
"Oh no... Not you three again..." Kaito groaned as he turned to see... the three Team Skull Grunts: Tupp, Zipp, and Rapp!
"Yeah, it's us three again! We owe you some payback after the humiliation you put us through back at that Undersea Ruins!" Tupp snapped angrily as Zipp and Rapp joined in.
"Yeah! What he said!" Zipp added with Rapp joining in.
"You've got some nerve taking the treasure before we did!" Rapp snapped as Hau cocked his head in confusion.
"Um, Kaito? You know these Team Skull guys?" Hau asked, causing Kaito to sigh before he affirmed it with his answer.
"Yeah... The morons here... I met them first back when Buizel was my only Pokémon... They apparently must've had a grudge against me for them to show up like this again." Kaito explained as Buizel sighed in annoyance.
Rockruff just growled as Tupp scoffed, before pointing at the Alola boy.
"Yeah, that's right! We actually do have a grudge against you! Back at the Ruins, that was the third time you've humiliated us! And that's why we're here so we can humiliate you by beating you in battle!" Tupp snapped as he took out a Pokéball.
"We'll do anything to help our bro out so we can beat you!" Zipp added before he took out his Pokéball, with Rapp taking out hers.
"Prepare to taste defeat, kid! Because once we're done, you'll be crying over your mommy while running home!" Rapp bragged arrogantly, only to get sweat drops from the Alola boy as Hau placed his hands on the back of his head.
"You guys don't make sense at all... Mind if I help out here, Kaito?" Hau asked, causing Kaito to nod with an appreciative look.
"Yeah... That'd be helpful." Kaito said as Buizel and Rockruff got ready to battle. Hau took out his two Pokéballs before he sent his two Pokémon friends out!
"Pichu and Eevee! You're up again, guys!" Hau shouted out, causing his two little ones to appear and join their comrades for battle!
"Salandit, come on out!"
"Go, Garbodor!"
"Zubat, it's your turn!"
The trio's Pokémon all appeared to face their little opponents in battle as it began with the grunts making the first move!
Kaito + Hau: Buizel, Rockruff, Pichu, Eevee VS Team Skull: Salandit, Garbodor, Zubat
"Now, Salandit! Use Flame Burst!" Tupp cried out.
"Garbodor, use Sludge Bomb!" Zipp followed along.
"Zubat, you use Leech Life!" Rapp shouted out.
At their orders, the three Pokémon began to make their attacks, causing the boys to counter with their moves!
"Rockruff, intercept with Rock Slide! And Buizel, you use Ice Beam!" Kaito called out as Hau followed along.
"Eevee, speed through with Quick Attack! And Pichu, use Thunder Shock!" Hau called out.
Boulders intercepted Zubat as it knocked the Bat Pokémon away, causing it to shriek in pain! Ice Beam blocked the Flame Burst and knocked Salandit away, causing the Fire-Poison Type to yelp in pain.
Both Eevee and Pichu evaded the poisonous move before Thunder Shock zapped Garbodor, stunning it before Eevee made the next hit with Quick Attack!
"What! How did you do that!?" Tupp snapped as he tried to strike back.
"No way! We're not losing to you again, kid! Salandit, pay them back with Flame Burst, once more!" Tupp yelled back.
"Come on, Garbodor! Use Venoshock!" Zipp called out, as he encouraged his Poison Type to keep on attacking.
"Zubat, counter them with Bite!" Rapp shouted out.
Once again, the three Pokémon launched their attacks onto their four opponents, before Kaito called for a defensive move!
"No you don't! Buizel! Aqua Jet! And Rockruff, stop them with Rock Slide once more!" Kaito called out. Boulders blocked the attacks while Aqua Jet knocked the trio Poison Types away before Kaito got ready to make his final move.
"This should be over in a flash. Buizel, get ready!" Kaito called as he made a stance to begin his Z-Move!
"Bui!" Buizel followed through as he got ready to pose like his human brother. Hau watched in amazement as the two posed the Water Type Z-Move pose together, in order for Kaito to give his Z-Power to the Sea Weasel Pokémon!
At the sight of this, the trio began to panic on what Kaito was about to do.
"Oh no! Not this again!" Tupp panicked frantically.
"It's just like back at the Ruins!" Zipp gulped before he began to sweat badly.
"Are we really going to get it?" Rapp shrieked as the Z-Move was ready to be used.
"The cooling waves calms down the heat... get ready to be splashed hard! The ocean of Alola will shower you hard! Hydro Vortex!" Kaito yelled as he completed the pose as Buizel let out a loud battle cry.
With determination burning in his body, the Sea Weasel Pokémon dashed and surrounded all three of his opponents with water, trapping them inside the vortex! The grunts watched in horror as they watched their Pokémon get bashed multiple times hard.
Salandit, Garbodor, and Zubat all yelled in pain before they were shot out of the vortex, all landing hard on the ground from the critical damage they've taken from the Hydro Vortex attack.
"Oh no!"
"It can't be!"
"We lost!"
The three grunts all panicked before they returned their Pokémon in defeat as they all glared to where the boys stood.
Winner: Kaito + Hau
"Argh! AGAIN! We lost again!? No way! We ain't losing today! All right, guys! It's your turn to take over!" Tupp called out. At the grunt calling out to someone, Kaito and Hau both widened their eyes to see more grunts coming to their defeated comrades' aid!
"What!? There's more of them!?" Hau exclaimed, while Eevee and Pichu took a step back, both coming to a realization that the battle was going to be more difficult if there were more grunts like this.
Kaito on the other hand, gritted his teeth in annoyance as disgust was shown on his face.
"You morons never learn when to quit, do you!? And you even fight dirtier than before..." Kaito grunted angrily.
"HA! Save your complaining after you win, kid! Of course, that's not gonna happen with all of us around!" Tupp laughed arrogantly. The grunts all took out their Pokéballs before they threw them, sending out their Pokémon out to battle!
"GO!"
Scraggy, Yungoos, Rattata, Raticate, Fomantis, Ekans, and Drowzee all appeared out of their Pokéballs to face the boys and their Pokémon, forcing the two to get ready again.
"Hau, be careful! There's more of them than us right now!" Kaito warned loudly.
"Right!" Hau agreed as he got ready to fight back when he needed to.
"All right, gang! Get 'em!" Tupp yelled, causing all the grunts to yell loudly before they got ready to call their Pokémon to attack. Kaito and Hau braced themselves, along with their Pokémon as they were ready to fight back.
But before any of the grunts could make a command for an attack, a bolt of lightning struck in the middle, stopping both sides from letting a harsh battle begin!
"What in the...!? What's going on!?" Tupp snapped in surprise.
"What's happening!? What's with the lightning show!?" Zipp yelped in surprise.
"I don't know! But I don't think it means anything good!" Rapp added in worry.
Kaito remained quiet as he kept his eyes widened to see who had interfered in the harsh battle that was about to take place. When he noticed the figure that stood up from where the lightning struck, the Alola boy widened his eyes in shock and disbelief.
"No way..." Kaito breathed out as Hau just watched in amazement.
Buizel and Rockruff on the other hand, felt the same as their Trainer as they watched in shock to see their yellow savior from before standing up and glaring at the Team Skull grunts, seemingly by annoyance!
Eevee and Pichu were only amazed to see such a Pokémon as neither of them saw a Pokémon like this before.
"Wh-What is that Pokémon!?" Zipp asked in surprise.
"I've never seen such Pokémon before! Have you, Tupp?" Rapp asked, causing Tupp to deny it as he narrowed his eyes.
"No, but if none of us have seen it before, then it must be a rare Pokémon! All right, gang! New plan! Capture that Pokémon and hit it with everything that you've got!" Tupp called out, causing all the other grunts to cry out their agreement.
"YEAH!" The grunts all cried out. At hearing this, Kaito got ready to defend his yellow savior.
"No you don't! Buizel! Rockruff! Help it-" Kaito started to say only to see the Thunderclap Wanderer to stop him by raising its furry arm, as if it was asking him not to interfere before it glared back to its unfair opponents.
At seeing the Pokémon getting ready to attack, the Thunderclap Wanderer focused its energy as its body began to crackle with electricity, before it roared out its battle cry, causing electricity to crackle around its surroundings!
"What's it doing? Charging power?" Hau asked in curiosity.
"Looks like it. Hau, stand back! Otherwise, we'll be getting in its way!" Kaito called out, causing the Kahuna's grandson to nod in understanding before both he and his two Pokémon took a couple steps back.
The grunts froze in fear as they watched the Thunderclap Wanderer focus its electricity onto its two fists before it roared, slamming its fists onto the ground, causing a huge mass of electricity to approach the grunts and their Pokémon before they got caught!
"AHHHHH!" All the grunts yelled in pain at being struck by the Thunderclap Wanderer's special move as their Pokémon suffered the same fate, too! Kaito watched in shock while Hau gazed at the new Electric Type move in amazement.
Buizel, Rockruff, Eevee, and Pichu all watched in amazement as well, as the move ended with the grunts all falling over, before Tupp, Zipp, and Rapp recovered from the huge shock they've taken.
"Ngh...! What's with this Pokémon!? It's on a completely different level! Everyone, retreat!" Tupp panicked as he and his two minions ran off in panic! At seeing their three comrades run, all the other grunts ran after them after returning their defeated Pokémon.
"WAIT FOR US!" They all cried out as they ran after the retreating Team Skull trio.
As soon as the grunts were all gone and out of sight, Kaito took a small breath as he was still stunned for the move the Thunderclap Wanderer had pulled off before he watched it turn to Kaito with a small glance.
Hau blinked and tensed a little while his two Pokémon hid behind his legs, out of worry if it might attack them as well.
But for Buizel and Rockruff, they weren't intimidated as they both knew what this Pokémon was capable of and how it would interact with their human brother. The Alola boy remained calm and quiet as the Thunderclap Wanderer soon got right in front of him.
The two gazed at each other for a little while until a small smile broke onto the Thunderclap Wanderer's face, causing Kaito to blink as he watched the Pokémon reach for him and take ahold of his left arm with its right paw.
The Alola boy blinked, but didn't resist as it placed something onto his left hand with his left paw, before he used the paw to close his hand, as if it was telling him to keep what it gave to him just now.
"Th-Thank you... But... who are you? We met before, right?" Kaito asked, as he desired to have some answers from his savior.
The Thunderclap Wanderer's gaze softened at him before the smile on its face grew as it rose its right paw, before it gave a poke onto Kaito's forehead with its two claws playfully, enough to surprise him but not to harm him.
"Ow... What was that for?" Kaito mumbled, causing the Thunderclap Wanderer to smile before it jumped off, landing on top of a building before it ran off, leaving Kaito with unanswered questions.
Blinking to see the Thunderclap Wanderer disappear out of sight, the Alola boy opened his left hand where he was given something from the savior, only to see that it was... an Electrium-Z.
"An Electrium-Z? But... why?" Kaito asked himself silently, before he felt Buizel and Rockruff climbing onto his shoulders as they took notice of the new Z-Crystal their human brother has received from their yellow savior.
Hau walked over and became awed to see the Z-Crystal.
"Whoa... Did that... Did that Pokémon gave you that Z-Crystal? That's amazing! It must like you a lot if it gave you a Z-Crystal as a gift!" Hau exclaimed, causing Kaito to smile a little before he looked back down at the Electrium-Z.
"Maybe... But if so, then why does it like me? That just gave me more questions than answers again..." Kaito said silently as he watched to the place where the Thunderclap Wanderer had disappeared off to when it ran off.
To be continued...
Kaito's Team:
Buizel (M): (Ice Beam, Agility, Rain Dance, Aqua Jet)
Rockruff (M): (Crunch, Sand Attack, Rock Slide, Howl)
Next chapters:
Chapter 21: Akala Island! A Mysterious Girl!?
Chapter 22: Queen of the Waves! A Water Match!
Chapter 23: A Full-Powered Pokémon Festival!
Chapter 24: The Tournament Gets Big! Go, Z-Move!
Chapter 25: The Pancake Race Preparation
Next chapter preview:
Kaito: Akala Island... It's been a long time since I've been there. So why are we going there, Lana?
Lana: You remember Mrs. Summers, right? She invited us to visit her family and meet up with her about the Sea Gauntlet.
Kaito: Oh, that's right... She said she would tell us more about the Sea Gauntlet when she had the time. Guess that time is now.
Girl: Who are you two? I don't remember seeing the two of you in our neighborhood or in Akala Island...
Lana: Are you related to Mrs. Summers? We were kind of asked to come here to see her about some research of hers.
Girl: Research, huh...? That's always like her, my mom. She has her dream of seeing the Alolan Sea Kingdom with her own eyes...
Events that occurred:
- Hau is revealed to have a Pichu and an Eevee
- Hau challenges Kaito to a battle, but loses
- Kaito receives an Electrium-Z from the Thunderclap Wanderer, now known as Zeraora