Chapter 27: Getting to Know You, Vulpix!
"Everyone! Come quick!"
"Guys, hurry! This is something you can't miss!"
Lillie and Kaito expressed their distressed calls to the others as the students of the Pokémon School gathered around their two friends to see what was going on. As they all gathered around on one desk, they all saw that the two Pokémon Eggs were hatching!
Everyone watched in awe as the Egg shells broke off, revealing the two Pokémon that hatched to see the world around them. One of them was a fox figure Pokémon with fur as white as snow...
The other Pokémon was also fox figure, but with red fur! No one were more awed than both Lillie and Kaito as they were finally able to meet the two new Pokémon that would stick to them as they live on with their life.
"Wow... The Eggs hatched!" Sophocles exclaimed, amazed with the two newborn Pokémon. The white Pokémon began to preen itself while the red Pokémon just yawned, seemingly tired especially since it just got out of the Egg.
"Snowy!" Lillie called out, causing the white Pokémon to turn to her in question.
"Vul?" The Pokémon cooed in question before Lillie spoke up brightly.
"It's great to finally meet you!" Lillie said softly, causing the Pokémon named Snowy to turn to her happily. But as Lillie was about to touch the white fox Pokémon, she found herself stopping at an inch away from touching her newborn Pokémon.
"Hey there..." Kaito called out, causing the red fox Pokémon to slowly turn to where Kaito was! At setting its sights to where the Alola boy stood, the red fox Pokémon let out happy coo to see her new friend or parent, causing Kaito to smile back.
"It's so nice to see you here..."
"Vulpix!"
Wasting no time, Kaito slowly rubbed his newborn Pokémon's head softly to show his affection for the red fox Pokémon, he noticed Lillie freezing in tracks from touching her newborn Pokémon, causing the white fox Pokémon to be confused while the Alola boy frowned.
The others noticed this too, as they didn't want to believe it either.
"Come on, Lillie... You don't mean..." Mallow started to speak in worry with Lana finishing the question for her.
"You can't touch it?" Lana asked, getting no response from the timid student. Kaito narrowed his eyes as Mallow reminded her on how well she was doing when Snowy was an Egg.
"But you had no problem touching the Egg..." Mallow reminded, causing Lillie to try and explain.
"It isn't that I'm afraid... but, you see..." Lillie started to say until she was interrupted by the Alola boy and his annoyance.
"Seriously...? You're still having problems with this, Lillie?" Kaito asked sternly, causing Lillie to wince at the sharp tone from the Alola boy as the others turned to Kaito in surprise, who glared at the timid student.
"I..." Lillie couldn't say anything much as Snowy watched her in concern. The red fox Pokémon looked at Kaito, then to Lillie, before turning back to the Alola boy as it frowned in worry.
"Alola, class! Is everything all right... Oh?" Principal Oak had arrived with Prof. Kukui, until the two teachers noticed on how tense the atmosphere seemed, with Lillie being hesitant and Kaito acting annoyed at the timid student.
"Bui..." The Sea Weasel Pokémon sighed. The bitter relationship between Kaito and Lillie was starting again, due to Lillie's constant fear of Pokémon and her inability to get close and touch them.
If this were to keep up, how much worse was this going to get?
(Pokémon Opening: Breathe English Subbed)
(I do not own this ending song)
A music chart full of positive words
Giving a supportive push even when you didn't ask
(Kaito opens his eyes, before revealing the Sea Gauntlet, which began to shine brightly)
(The opening title reveals itself on the screen)
You are doing your best already
Don't know why you're rushing and forcing yourself to change something
(Shiho trips, much to Seita's surprise until Kaito helps his little sister up, causing Shiho to smile)
(Kaito is joined by Buizel and Rockruff, before he turns to see Ash and the rest of his classmates calling to him while running towards him)
Do you think that you're not good enough now? If you don't act quick enough
(Hau is eating a malasada with Pichu and Eevee before he blinks, turning to the window of the malasada shop to see dark clouds)
(Camilla is enjoying her time at the beach with Austin, Comfey, Fomantis, Litten, and Cutiefly until she notices the dark clouds)
Can you not make it to the future?
(Kaito watches the sky as he sighs before Ash puts his arm around his shoulder, much to his surprise as Ash grins at him)
(The boys watch with Shiho and Seita, seeing Buizel and Pikachu sparring together, with Rowlet and Rockruff against one another)
The negative is only an important fragment of
Your spectacular journey
(Kaito is near the ocean until he turns to see unknown people sending out their Pokémon to attack him)
(Kaito tries to defend himself only for the enemies to blast all their attacks on him)
(Just as Kaito looked like he was hit, a giant thunderbolt repelled the attacks, revealing Zeraora)
Why not just be as you are
If you make an unassuming voice, it will echo
(Storm clouds gather before a giant wave splashes in the air)
(Camilla holds her necklace to her, looking afraid until she's comforted by her Pokémon)
(A boy walks up on a cliff with a Rockruff, who has a strange gemstone attached on its neck)
I've heard it from a well-known phrase, before you know it, it will still remain unchanged
(King Kaisuke reunites with Shizuka, who smiles at the Sea King with tears welling up in her eyes)
(A Primarina uses Oceanic Operetta, as the giant water orb explodes, splashing water everywhere)
Even if it doesn't become famous, it's still your song
(Kaito and Ash faces Zeraora with Pikachu and Buizel as the battle gets intense)
(Kaito opens his eyes again, only to be sleeping on the beach with all of his friends and Pokémon)
(Opening End)
"Hey... I don't mean to make things worse, but who are these Pokémon? I mean, they look alike but they seemed to be different because of regional variants, right?" Hau asked, causing Ash to grin and nod before he explained.
"Right! The Pokémon that hatched from Kaito's Egg is a Vulpix! And I think the Egg that hatched from Lillie's Egg is a Vulpix too, I think...?" Ash answered, despite looking a little unsure about Snowy, who blinked at being mentioned.
"Pika..." Pikachu was in awe as Mallow confirmed to Ash that Snowy was a Vulpix, too.
"You're right, Ash! It's unbelievable that Vulpix hatched from both Eggs!" Mallow explained, causing the others to smile. The bright atmosphere was slowly starting to come back, with Kaito losing his glare and with Lillie losing her upset expression.
"So... They both hatched today? I thought both of them looked ready to hatch, but never on the same day." Prof. Kukui admitted, while the principal smiled proudly for his students.
"Wonderful! This makes me so hap-Eevee!" Principal Oak spoke before making a face of an Eevee.
"This is the first time I've ever seen a Pokémon Egg hatch! Now I've seen two!" Sophocles commented as he was awed like the others were.
"Same here! I've never got to see a Pokémon hatch from an Egg... And to think I'm seeing this now..." Hau admitted, as his eyes shined a little brightly in awe. The Kanto Vulpix blinked curiously at Kahuna's grandson before it turned to Kaito, who just regained his smile.
"I feel... really moved!" Lana added, sounding like she was pumped up for what she got to see.
"Seeing new life come into this world is amazing!" Kiawe stated as the Pokémon were excited to meet their new friends. Eevee, Pichu, Popplio, Rockruff, Bounsweet, and Togedemaru watched from the bottom while Turtonator and Rowlet watched from above.
"I've seen Vulpix like that before, but I've never seen a white Vulpix!" Ash admitted as he was clueless as to what the Alolan Vulpix was like in the Alola region. That was when Rotom buzzed in to give information to everyone.
"Allow me! Vulpix, Alola Form. The Fox Pokémon. An Ice Type. Vulpix is covered in white fur and was discovered on Mt. Lanakila. Its breath can reach a temperature of 60 below 0, freezing anything it touches." Rotom buzzed before it turned to the Kanto Vulpix.
"And that Vulpix? It's a Fire Type! When carefully groomed, its six tails can be extremely beautiful." Rotom buzzed, causing Kaito to raise an eyebrow before he picked his newborn Fire Type into his arms.
The Kanto Vulpix blinked before it cooed happily at seeing the human that took care of it while it was an Egg.
"Extremely beautiful, huh...? Well, that certainly explains why these two look so..." Kaito started to say before he paused himself, only to get Camilla to finish for him.
"Cute?" Camilla finished with a mocking smile, causing the Alola boy to sweat drop at her before he nodded in affirmation, despite being reluctant.
"That's nothing to be ashamed about, Kai! You can say whatever you like about these two cute Pokémon!" Hau assured, causing the Alola boy to give a sheepish nod to the Kahuna's grandson before he felt something nuzzling onto his chest.
Lana and Mallow cooed to see the Kanto Vulpix showing its affection to the Alola boy while Sophocles smiled to see two different Vulpix.
"Wow! So Vulpix can either be an Ice or a Fire Type!" Sophocles exclaimed before Kiawe looked at the two of them.
"It's quite rare to see a red Vulpix out here..." Kiawe pointed out, while Rotom got close to take pictures of the both of them one at a time.
"I'll have to collect data on both!" Rotom buzzed as he took pictures of the two different Vulpix, startling the both of them as Ash rubbed Vulpix's head to greet the newborn Fire Type.
"Nice to meet you." Ash said softly, earning himself a coo in response from the young Fire Type. Kaito rubbed his Fire Type's head as well while Buizel watched with a cheeky smile to see the young Fire Type receiving affection from his human brother.
But while Kaito was caring for his newborn Pokémon, Ash tried to greet Snowy, only to get a different response from the Alolan Vulpix!
"Hi! My name's Ash! Nice to meet you..." Ash started to say until Snowy blew a cold wind! It froze both Ash and Rotom, surprising everyone while Kaito took a step back in surprise.
"Ash, no!" Camilla exclaimed in surprise as the Alola Professor recognized the move Snowy used just now.
"Looked like Powder Snow..." Prof. Kukui pointed out. Raising an eyebrow, the Alola boy looked down at his Vulpix, making a small request for it to use.
"Geez... Can you help them, Vulpix?" Kaito asked, earning an affirmative cry from the little Fire Type.
"Vul!" The Fox Pokémon shot Ember onto the frozen Kanto Trainer and Pokédex... Although...
Despite of the Ember attack melting the ice, it also ended up burning the two in the process! The Kanto Trainer and Rotom began to panic at the heat burning them before they flew high into the air and back down!
"HOT! HOT! HOT! HOT! HOT!"
"HOT! HOT! HOT! HOT! HOT!"
The two yelled together before they fell onto the ground for the cold and hot experience they had to go through because of the newborns. As they managed to recover from the painful experience, they both glared at the little Fire Type.
"What was that for!?" Ash complained with Rotom joining in.
"I'm like toast!" Rotom added, causing Kaito to shrug before he reminded the two of what their state was before they were burned.
"Don't blame Vulpix... You guys were frozen so she just wanted to help you out. Isn't that right, girl?" Kaito asked, causing Vulpix to coo happily in response. The Kanto Trainer sweat dropped at the attitude the Alola boy was giving off as he pointed it out.
"You're acting awfully different today... Is it because of Vulpix?" Ash asked, causing Kaito to look at the Kanto Trainer in question before Lana giggled.
"You're right, Ash. That's just how Kai is... Whenever he sees a Pokémon that is either newborn or cute, he acts sweet to them! Of course, the same can be said for when he spends time with Shiho and Seita." Lana explained, which earned her a small glare from the Alola boy.
"Lan-Lan... Did you have to tell him that...?" Kaito grumbled with a small flush on his face. The group chuckled at that, with the two teachers finding it a little funny, also.
"Anyways... Are you two alright? You're both burned to a crisp..." Camilla asked, pointing at how burnt the Kanto Trainer and the Rotom Pokédex looked while Sophocles joked about the two having a cold experience.
"You got to experience 60 below breath right off the bat, and an Ember to boot!" Sophocles chuckled while Mallow and Kiawe didn't seem impressed with Ash's rush at greeting the two Vulpix.
"You might have been a bit too sudden when you tried to touch it!" Mallow reminded, causing Ash to realize his mistake as he scratched the back of his head.
"I guess you're right..." Ash said sheepishly, before Snowy turned away from him in a huff.
"Vul!" Snowy huffed while Vulpix smiled brightly at the Kanto Trainer.
"Vul...!" Vulpix cried out happily, allowing the Alola Professor to see how different the two Fox Pokémon were, even with the Type difference.
"They're both Vulpix, but their personalities are quite different!" Prof. Kukui pointed out as the Fire Type jumped off the desk to meet with her new friends. The other Pokémon wasted no time greeting the new Kanto Pokémon to befriend her!
As Pikachu, Eevee, Pichu, Buizel, Rockruff, Popplio, Rowlet, Togedemaru, Bounsweet, and Turtonator all greeted the young Fire Type, the Fox Pokémon closed her eyes for a moment before she let out a happy cry, greeting back her new friends.
"Vulpix!" Vulpix cried out as she jumped up and down happily, with the others smiling and interacting with one another. The sight of it made the Alola boy smile a little before he noticed the Fire Type turning back, turning to where Snowy was, who didn't seem interested with the others.
Everyone watched the young Fire Type run up to the desk as she tried to coax the young Ice Type to join her and the others!
"Vulpix?"
"Vul..."
"Vul?
"Vul!"
Despite of Vulpix's coaxing, Snowy still wasn't interested as she turned her head away from the young Fire Type. But the Kanto Pokémon was determined to get her to interact with the others as she ran around Snowy, before pushing her off the desk to greet the new friends!
Snowy squealed a little in surprise before she slowly jumped off the desk to confront the other Pokémon. Pikachu, Buizel, and Rowlet were the first to greet her before the others joined in!
At being crowded, Snowy found it uncomfortable as she looked to see the others trying to befriend her. But for the Sea Weasel Pokémon, he seemed to notice how uncomfortable Snowy looked and slowly backed off to be with his human brother.
Kaito raised an eyebrow to see Snowy struggling as Ash tried to convince the little Ice Type of what the others were trying to do for her.
"See, they're all saying they wanna be your friends." Ash explained to the uncomfortable Fox Pokémon. Snowy looked at the Pokémon surrounding her, hesitating at first until she noticed a certain Water Type Pokémon that was on Kaito's shoulder.
Buizel gave Snowy a small smile, before giving her the gesture, as if telling her to "go on". Blinking, Snowy slowly walked to where Turtonator was as the others were already on top of the Blast Turtle Pokémon, all careful enough to not touch any of the spikes.
But while Snowy was slowly moving, the Alola boy watched as he thought he saw a small blush on the Ice Type's face before Vulpix urged her to move, pushing her to where Turtonator and the other Pokémon friends were.
"Did you... do something to poor Snowy? Because she kept eyes on you for a moment there..." Kaito asked, causing Buizel to blink before he shook his head in denial, giving his human brother a reassuring look.
"Bui! Bu bui..." Buizel spoke in assurance, despite of the raised eyebrow Kaito was giving him.
"Isn't friendship a wonderful thing? Now we should talk about what's next." Principal Oak reminded, causing the students to all turn to the two teachers.
"Good idea. We're all finished watching over the Eggs, but..." Mallow started to say before Kiawe continued for her.
"What are you going to do now that we have two Vulpix?" Kiawe asked, causing Prof. Kukui and Principal Oak to look at each other with smirks on their faces before the Principal made a suggestion for everyone.
"How about leaving them in the care of those who have raised them so far?" Principal Oak suggested, much to everyone's excitement.
"Really!?" Ash exclaimed as the group looked at each other happily.
"Great! Then that means the two Vulpix can stay with us all the time!" Mallow exclaimed, with Sophocles adding in another question.
"So does that mean two of us will get to catch those two?" Sophocles asked, until Lana made a suggestion of the Alola boy be one of the ones to take care of the two newborn Fox Pokémon.
"Sure does! And if that's the case, then why don't we let Kai take care of the Fire Type Vulpix?" Lana suggested, causing the others to look at her before the Water Type user explained.
"I think that choice is pretty obvious, since Kai was the one looking after the Egg most of the time with his siblings. Not to mention, Vulpix seems to really like Kaito even though it just looked at him for a few minutes!" Lana explained.
"Yeah... I think so, too." Kiawe agreed, with Hau nodding with a grin.
"No complaints here! This all started before Camilla and I transferred here, right? So it would make sense to let Kai take care of the cute Fire Type!" Hau agreed, with the others slowly coming to an agreement.
"So it's settled, then? I'm looking after the Kanto Vulpix?" Kaito asked as he took the Kanto Pokémon into his arms, causing the Fox Pokémon to coo in question before she slowly smiled, immediately recognizing the human that took care of her.
"So... with that Vulpix settled, who gets to take care of the Alolan Vulpix?" Camilla asked, until Mallow came up with a quick answer.
"That person is going to be Lillie!" Mallow declared, surprising the timid student as Ash agreed to allow this.
"Of course! While Kai was taking care of the Egg from Kanto, it's been Lillie who's been taking care of the Egg all this time, hasn't it?" Ash asked, as Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder, crying out his agreement.
"Pika!" Pikachu cooed, before Lillie began to quickly doubt herself.
"But I don't know if I'm the right one to do it. I mean... I'm still kind of scared." Lillie admitted, causing Kaito to raise an eyebrow towards her.
"So you admit it, then?" Kaito asked, his serious tone coming back to him. At the stern question, Lillie nodded a little before she heard a cry directed towards her.
"Vul?" Snowy called out, causing Lillie to look at the Fox Pokémon, who kept wagging her tail in anticipation, as if she was waiting for the timid student to accept her as her first Pokémon.
"It wants you to be its Trainer, see?" Mallow asked, encouraging her timid friend to accept the Ice Type.
"Yeah!" Lana agreed, with the other supporting the timid student.
"You can do it!" Sophocles assured brightly.
"There's nothing for you to worry about." Camilla assured confidently.
"You'll be just fine." Kiawe added while Hau grinned.
"You can do it, Lillie! Snowy wants to be your friend too, you know?" Hau reminded, causing Lillie to blink before she realized what the Kahuna's grandson meant just now as she kept her eyes on the Fox Pokémon.
"Remember, you already gave it a name!" Ash added, causing the timid student to be a little embarrassed by the small reminder.
"But, I only named it Snowy because I had nothing else to call it, see?" Lillie tried to make an excuse, only to be comforted by the Grass Type user.
"No matter what the reason, it's a good name!" Mallow assured brightly.
Everyone else agreed while Kaito kept the serious expression on his face. At everyone agreeing that Lillie should be the one looking after the Fox Pokémon, Lillie was hesitant at first once again before she made her decision.
"Are you sure it's okay...? I'd like you to be my partner. Will you, Snowy?" Lillie requested, earning a happy coo from the young Ice Type.
"Vul!" Snowy cried out happily. With the decisions settled, the Alola Professor offered his two students the empty Pokéballs for them to use on to capture their new Pokémon to their team.
"Here... Lillie? Kaito?" Prof. Kukui said, allowing his two students to accept their Pokéballs.
"Right... Vulpix?" Kaito asked as the Fire Type let out a coo before she nudged her nose onto the Pokéball's button, before allowing herself to be sucked inside. The ball's button turned red several times before it clicked, signaling that the young Fire Type was caught.
Lillie had watched Kaito catch Vulpix before she tried to do the same, only for her way to catch Snowy to be a LOT different.
"Okay... Now, go... Pokéball!" Lillie shrieked as she sent the ball up high flying into the air! But instead of it hitting Snowy to catch her, the Pokéball ended up falling on top of Ash's head, much to both Lillie and Pikachu's surprise.
"AUGH!" Ash yelped as he felt the ball hit his head pretty hard.
"Ah...! I-I'm sorry!" Lillie spoke apologetically, earning an unimpressed look from the Alola boy before he shrugged. Snowy had noticed the Pokéball fall down and roll onto the floor before she jumped off the desk to go after it.
Turning to where the Pokéball was, the Fox Pokémon turned to where Lillie was, before she cocked her head in question towards her. Then, as if knowing what she had to do to be accepted, the Fox Pokémon tapped onto the button of the Pokéball, allowing herself to be captured!
Like with the Fire Type, the Pokéball shook a few times before it clicked, showing that Snowy was successfully caught by the timid student.
"You did it! Yay!" Mallow exclaimed, feeling happy for her timid friend.
"Sure did. It looks like Vulpix chose you as its partner." Kiawe agreed. As soon as he said that, the timid student happily walked over with her eyes shining. Touched by the Ice Type's decision to choose her, Lillie slowly picked up the Pokéball that held her newborn Pokémon.
"That's great, Lillie... It's good that Snowy chose you, too." Camilla said, before Hau encouraged the timid student and the Alola boy to bring out their new Pokémon.
"Now it's time to bring both of your Vulpix out! Come on!" Hau exclaimed, allowing both Kaito and Lillie to look at the Pokéballs that have the two Fox Pokémon inside before they did so.
"Y-You're right! S-Snowy, let's go!" Lillie called out as Snowy cooed happily at being brought out into the open again.
"The same goes for you, too. Vulpix, come on out!" Kaito exclaimed as the young Fire Type let out a coo for being brought out again as she immediately ran into the Alola boy's arms, showing her affection to him.
"Vul..." Vulpix said softly, causing both Kaito and Buizel to smile. Lana and Mallow watched as they both squealed a little for how cute the young Fire Type looked. Ash and Hau both just grinned while Camilla just watched with a smile on her face.
At noticing Kaito bonding with Vulpix immediately, Lillie turned to where Snowy was as she walked to where her Ice Type was.
"Snowy..." Lillie breathed out, before the Alola Professor congratulated the timid student.
"Congrats! That means you're an official Pokémon Trainer too, Lillie!" Prof. Kukui stated, causing the timid student to remember the words the Professor said before she repeated those words with a smile.
"I'm a Pokémon Trainer..." Lillie breathed out before she got determined. Reaching for Snowy, everyone watched to see the timid student try to embrace the young Ice Type. Kaito watched closely as well, until all of a sudden...
BONG!
The school bell had rung, causing Lillie to freeze in her tracks when she realized what she had gotten herself into before she began to twitch. The students watched in disappointment to see Lillie had failed to touch her Pokémon once again.
"Aww... So close." Sophocles groaned, with Lana agreeing.
"But not yet..." Lana added as tears welled up in the timid student's eyes.
"Oh... If I'm... really like this... can I ever become a real Pokémon Trainer...?" Lillie asked, her voice starting to crack. Snowy gave a coo of concern while Lillie continued to speak of what could happen if she were to continue like this.
"What do I have to do to be able to have relationships with Pokémon like all of you have...?" Lillie asked, her tone sounding a bit down. Kaito narrowed his eyes at the timid student before he sighed, with Buizel doing the same.
The Kanto Vulpix just watched both Lillie and Snowy until the others realized what the timid student was trying to say. Kiawe had nothing much to say while Camilla rubbed her arm a bit, unsure on how to answer.
Hau had his hands on the back of his head as Pichu and Eevee climbed up to his shoulders. Mallow was unsure too as Bounsweet landed on top of her shoulder.
"I never had to think it through..." Mallow admitted, with Lana knowing what she meant.
"Yeah... Because we're always together." Lana agreed as Popplio came over to her with an affectionate cry.
Ash grinned, knowing what he wanted to do in order to build relationships with the Pokémon that was with him right now and the Pokémon he had befriended in the past during his previous adventures.
"Yeah. For me, all I ever wanted was to be their best friend. And that's what I am!" Ash assured confidently, with Pikachu and Rowlet crying out their agreement. Kaito spoke up, explaining his answer on how he built relationships with his Pokémon.
"As for me... I just tried to get close to them as close as I can, so that I can make them happy or satisfied with being friends with me. And look at them!" Kaito explained, before he gestured to the three Pokémon that were close to him right now.
"There are many ways to have a relationship with Pokémon! How do you want you and your Pokémon to get along? What kind of Trainer do you want to be?" Prof. Kukui asked, turning to the question to the timid student.
"The only way to know is to figure out what works best for you." Prof. Kukui added, causing Lillie to question herself.
"What works best for me..." Lillie whispered silently.
Ash had the answer for himself as he made the answer, followed by both Hau and Camilla.
"Yeah! I've decided I'm gonna become a Pokémon Master!" Ash declared proudly.
"And I want to become the next Melemele Kahuna and surpass all the other Kahuna that are representing their islands!" Hau declared brightly while Camilla explained her dream of what she wished to become.
"As for me, I'd like to become the Trainer that Akala Island could depend on... Similar to the Island Kahuna, but more..." Camilla explained until Sophocles corrected the three of who the Professor was referring to.
"Guys... we're talking about Lillie!"
"Maru!" Sophocles reminded, with Togedemaru crying out her agreement. But the others didn't seem to care as they now knew what their three friends wished to be later on in the future.
"I think it's fine. And very much like you three!" Kiawe assured, causing Hau to pout before he put his hands on the back of his head. Camilla shrugged while Ash just affirmed it with a grin.
"It sure is!" Ash assured, causing the students to laugh except for Kaito and Lillie. For the timid student, she kept her eyes on Snowy, who stared at her back in worry. As for the Alola boy, he narrowed his eyes before he made a thought for what he needed to do.
"This is going to get ugly if she keeps this up. It's going to end... today!" Kaito thought boldly, promising himself that the scared Lillie would be driven away, which would allow the nice, but determined Lillie would replace the scared Lillie.
After school...
The group were all leaving school, with Kiawe, Lana, Sophocles, Hau, and Camilla taking their leave first. Ash turned back to see Kaito following him from behind, with Mallow and Lillie slowly following the boys.
"We'll see you later!"
"Maru!" Sophocles called out with the Roly-Poly Pokémon crying out her goodbye for today.
"Bye-bye!"
"Pop!" Lana called out, with Popplio crying out her goodbye.
"See you later, Ash!" Kiawe added as he flew while riding Charizard's back. Camilla just waved her goodbye before she made her way back to where the boats would be as Hau waved ecstatically before running back to Iki Town.
"Right! See ya!" Ash exclaimed as he said his goodbye to the others before he turned back to see Kaito, Mallow, and Lillie following. As the remaining students walked out of the Pokémon School, a driver was waiting for Lillie near the car.
"Hey, your car's here already!" Mallow pointed out, allowing Lillie to see and nod.
"True." was all Lillie needed to say before she made her request to the driver.
"Forgive me, but I'd like to walk home today." Lillie said apologetically, allowing the driver to understand as he got back inside the car.
"As you wish." The driver said before he started the car to head back to Lillie's mansion. Ash cocked his head in confusion, as he questioned the timid student.
"Hold on... Why didn't you go home by car?" Ash asked. Lillie smiled, before she turned her eyes to where Snowy was, who was next to her with a patient expression, while wagging her tail happily.
"Well... I thought it would be kind of nice if I walked home with Snowy today." Lillie explained, causing Ash and Mallow to be a little surprised with her explanation while Kaito just raised an eyebrow.
"Together?" Mallow questioned in surprise, earning a nod from the timid student.
"Right! When Snowy was still in the Egg... We were always together and we did everything together! But now that Snowy's hatched, there's a lot for us to learn. And we need to make time to do that." Lillie explained before she turned to Kaito.
"What about you, Kaito? What are you going to do, now that Vulpix has hatched?" Lillie asked, causing Kaito to blink before he glanced down at the little Fire Type he was holding in his arms, who seemed comfortable in the Alola boy's arms.
Buizel seemed to notice this as he smirked to see how comfortable the little Fire Type was feeling before the Alola boy spoke his answer.
"Well... Now that you say that, I feel like I need to know little Vulpix here, too. Just like you do with Snowy. Mind if I walk with you towards town before you head home?" Kaito asked, causing Mallow and Ash to blink in surprise together before the timid student gave a small smile.
"Y-Yes... Of course you may!" Lillie said, despite of her tone sounding a little timid.
At noticing her tone changing, Mallow smiled a little before she sounded her agreement for her two friends.
"That's a great! Sharing things together is a great start for the two of you! And you're both doing that!" Mallow agreed, sounding like she would support the two all the way. Ash agreed too, knowing how the two Fox Pokémon will like it.
"Awesome! Snowy and Vulpix are both gonna like that, too!"
"Pika Pika!" Ash commented, with the Electric Type crying out his agreement. The two students nodded together before Lillie began to make her move on making the first step with Snowy.
"Right! Then off we go!" Lillie declared boldly, with Ash and Mallow waving back.
"Go for it!"
"See ya!"
"Pika!"
"Boun!"
The two Trainers and their starters said their goodbyes to their two friends as Lillie turned to Snowy, while Kaito just gave a smile and waved back to his two friends, causing them to wave back at him before they parted ways.
"Shall we, Snowy?" Lillie asked, causing Snowy to coo happily before she happily trotted after the timid student, with Kaito following behind. Buizel remained on his left shoulder while Vulpix was cradled onto the Alola boy's arms.
As the two were leaving, the Kanto Trainer and the Grass Type user watched them leave and make their way towards town.
"I think the two of them will be just fine with both Vulpix and Snowy! And hey, Kai's even got Buizel to help him with Vulpix when he needs it, right?" Ash assured, causing Mallow to remain silent as both Kaito and Lillie were getting far ahead.
"All right, see ya, Mallow..." Ash started to leave before Mallow suddenly began to drag the Kanto Trainer away by his backpack.
"Now, the coast is clear, Ash! Let's go!" Mallow called as she dragged Ash to where Kaito and Lillie were headed!
"Go WHERE!?" Ash yelped as he continued to get dragged by the Grass Type user.
"To follow Lillie and Kai, of course!" Mallow spoke, as if it was obvious.
"I can collect more data!" Rotom buzzed in, as it wanted to be on following the two students.
Later...
Kaito was ahead of Lillie, walking with Buizel as the Sea Weasel Pokémon decided to walk instead of staying on his human brother's shoulder too long. Vulpix on the other hand, remained comfortable on the Alola boy's arms as Kaito walked.
As he was ahead, Lillie watched the Alola boy with a small frown on her face, as if she was acknowledging on how close the Alola boy was with his Pokémon.
"Mm..." Lillie sighed, catching Kaito's attention as he turned to look at the timid student.
"Something wrong, Lillie?" Kaito asked, causing the timid student to widen her eyes before she hastily shook her head in reassurance.
"H-Huh!? N-No... Nothing's wrong, Kaito... Nothing at all!" Lillie assured, causing the Alola boy to sweat drop at her quick and flustered answers.
"Okay... That tells me you're not alright." Kaito grunted in annoyance as he turned to face the timid student, causing Lillie to frown and accept for what the Alola boy said just now. Snowy walked over and looked at her Trainer, worried for what she was dealing with.
"You're right... I'm not alright..." Lillie admitted before she turned to her young Ice Type. Vulpix awoke from her nap in Kaito's arms to see Lillie speaking to her Ice Type friend, before speaking to the Alola boy also.
"Snowy... Kaito... Listen..." Lillie requested, causing Snowy to coo in affirmation while the Alola boy just gave a small nod, showing that he was listening.
"See, I've loved Pokémon ever since I was a little girl. But now, I can't seem to touch them. And I'm not sure on what to do about it..." Lillie explained, causing Snowy to give a sympathetic coo.
"Vul..." Snowy cooed as Kaito frowned, his expression starting to become a little serious.
"How did that happen? I don't recall you telling me on how you lost your ability to touch Pokémon. Heck, you were even scared when Buizel just wanted to be friends with you back when we met the first time, right?" Kaito asked, before he rubbed Buizel's head.
"Bu bui..." Buizel said softly, liking the affection he was getting from his human brother.
"Mm... I know, but... I don't really remember why I couldn't touch Pokémon. I think it had to do something while I was visiting my mother, but... I'm not exactly sure when or what..." Lillie explained sadly.
The Alola boy raised an eyebrow at the timid student. He knew what her mother looked like since he saw a picture of her with young Lillie and another boy, who seemed to Lillie's older brother.
"Nothing? Nothing at all?" Kaito asked, earning a shaking head from the timid student.
"Huh... Okay, so I may understand a little of why you can't touch Pokémon, but that doesn't mean this has to go on. You'll have to get over your fear of this, Lillie. Otherwise..." Kaito started to explain, before he stopped.
"Otherwise...?" Lillie repeated in question before the Alola boy answered for her.
"Otherwise... you might distance yourself from Pokémon forever. And even little Snowy, too." Kaito said, his tone sounding a little bitter for having to say it. The timid student widened her eyes before she bit her lips, realizing what Kaito was saying.
Snowy, Vulpix, and Buizel all looked at the two Trainers in worry before Lillie brought her face up, showing how determined she was going to be if she wanted to change herself for her young Ice Type.
"I... I understand... So... it's time I do something about that! I shouldn't go on this way!" Lillie exclaimed, surprising the Alola boy at her new attitude while Snowy looked up at her Trainer with a questioning look.
"Because I care for you a lot, Snowy... See?" Lillie asked, turning to the Ice Type.
"Vul!" Snowy cried out happily while wagging her fluffy tail. Lillie giggled while the Alola boy raised an eyebrow in interest.
"Well... I guess we can call that the first step of Lillie trying to make a bond with Snowy..." Kaito thought before he rubbed his Fox Pokémon's head, causing Vulpix to cry out happily for the affection she was given.
"Vul..." Vulpix cooed out in content.
Smiling, the Alola boy turned to Lillie for where they were heading to right now.
"So... Where were you going to go after school?" Kaito asked, allowing the timid student to explain with a new smile on her face.
"Well... You see, Snowy and I aren't going straight home. We were going to a yummy malasada shop! I heard about it from both Hau and Mallow, so I thought Snowy would want to try it, too!" Lillie explained brightly.
"This isn't the same malasada shop we all went to altogether before the festival began, right?" Kaito asked, earning a giggle from the timid student before she shook her head.
"No... I believe it's much better! Hau said it himself!" Lillie assured, causing Snowy to feel a little excited about the delicious treat she was going to get soon. Even Vulpix seemed excited as she jumped out of Kaito's arms to run ahead.
"Whoa!? Vulpix!? Hey, wait up!" Kaito yelped as he ran after his excited Fox Pokémon, with Buizel following him from behind. Lillie widened her eyes before she ran after the Alola boy, with Snowy following her from behind.
What the two and their Pokémon didn't know was that they were being followed... And that someone was neither Ash or Mallow, since they were close by. There was another figure, who watched the two from on top of a building as Kaito and Lillie after the excited Fire Type.
The figure revealed itself... to be none other than the Thunderclap Pokémon, Zeraora.
The Thunderclap Wanderer smiled a little before it hopped over to one building to another to stay close to where the students and their Pokémon were, but not too close where it could be seen.
It knew that despite of how capable Kaito was, there was always bound to be trouble, especially with how energetic the little Fire Type was going when she heard about the delicious treats she was going to get with Snowy.
To be continued...
Kaito's Team:
Buizel (M): (Ice Beam, Agility, Rain Dance, Aqua Jet)
Rockruff (M): (Crunch, Sand Attack, Rock Slide, Howl)
Vulpix (F): (Ember, Roar, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack)
Next chapters:
Chapter 28: The Young Fire Burns in the Heart!
Chapter 29: The Wild Stones Handle the Fire!
Chapter 30: The Stones Stay in the Group!
Chapter 31: Little Ones Can Do Big Things!
Chapter 32: Get Mixed with the Big and Bad!
Next chapter preview:
Lillie: Mm... I really want to show Snowy that I really care for her very much, but... I just don't know how. I can't even touch her.
Kaito: This is getting out of hand, you know that? You do realize this could affect your bond with one another the longer you take.
Lillie: I know... To be honest, I'm kind of jealous on how you're able to care and bond with your Pokémon greatly unlike how I do...
Kaito: That's because I'd like to get to know them first... Although, this little girl is having trouble being on her own...
Lillie: O-Oh my... Vulpix... She sure is a very curious kind of Vulpix, isn't she? This isn't like with Snowy, though...
Kaito: Fire and ice... Hot and cold... They really are different despite of being the same species... Let's just hope we can handle them...
Events that occurred:
- Lillie catches the Alolan Vulpix she names Snowy, making it her first Pokémon
- Kaito catches the Kanto Vulpix as his third Pokémon