Chapter 28: The Young Fire Burns in the Heart!
Last time on "Pokémon Alola Journey", the Pokémon Eggs that Kaito and Lillie were taking care of were glowing, which meant that they were finally ready to hatch! The group all gathered around to see the newborns become born into the world they were going to see.
The newborn Pokémon that hatched were... two Vulpix (one from the Kanto Region and the other that's an Alolan version; an Ice Type Vulpix)! Lillie immediately grows attached to the Alolan Vulpix she named Snowy, until she realizes her fear of her Pokémon lingering on.
While Kaito quickly grows attached to the Kanto Vulpix, he notices Lillie having trouble with bonding with her first Pokémon due to her constant fear of Pokémon. Annoyed with her fear getting in the way of her starting a bond with Snowy, the Alola boy becomes determined to aid her in her problems.
Suggesting to Lillie that they walk together in the shopping district before heading home, the two students made their way across to head for whatever Lillie had planned to go. While they were going, Kaito soon understood a little from Lillie's explanation on why she couldn't touch Pokémon at all.
But with Snowy being born, the timid student made it a small goal for her to bond with Snowy so she could be able to get rid of her fear. And that started with heading towards a malasada shop, which seemed to catch Vulpix's attention.
"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.
As Kaito and Lillie chased after the energetic Fire Type, they didn't notice Ash and Mallow following after them with Pikachu and Bounsweet at their side.
"Looks good to me!" Ash pointed out, seeing that nothing bad has happened so far.
"Thank goodness..." Mallow sighed in relief, causing the Kanto Trainer to turn to her in realization.
"Mallow, you really care a lot about Lillie, right? You came all that way when she started taking care of the Egg." Ash asked, causing the Grass Type user to nod before she explained with a sheepish smile.
"I guess I've always been kind of a busybody! But Lillie cares for Pokémon so much, like Kaito does! Who wouldn't want to help her live with Pokémon and be happy? Don't you think, Bounsweet?" Mallow explained, before looking down at her Fruit Pokémon.
"Boun Bounsweet!" Bounsweet cried happily.
"Got it!" Ash exclaimed, as he understood of what Mallow's trying to do for the timid student. Pikachu didn't seem to know as he cocked his head in confusion.
"Pika?" Pikachu asked in confusion before he felt Ash scratching his cheek, making the Electric Type feel content.
"Every day's so much fun with Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed, until Rotom interrupted their moment with a warning buzz.
"You can talk about that some other time!" Rotom buzzed, causing the two students to notice that their friends were out of their sight!
"Lillie and Kaito are gone!" Mallow exclaimed, causing the Kanto Trainer to sweat drop at their mistake.
"Uh oh..." Ash gulped, with Rotom adding salt to the wound.
"We goofed..." Rotom sighed.
Back to Kaito and Lillie...
After chasing Vulpix down, the energetic Fire Type had stopped in front of a malasada shop, wagging her tail happily at the malasada she was able to see from the window. By the time Kaito and Lillie caught up, the two were panting a little together.
"Huff... huff... Don't run off like that, Vulpix... You nearly worried us there!" Kaito panted, with Buizel giving a scolding call to the Fox Pokémon. The Fire Type whined a little, feeling a bit miffed for being told off as Lillie smiled.
"But still... It wasn't that bad, considering we're right in front of the shop I was talking about!" Lillie pointed out, causing the Alola boy to see the shop next to his right before he raised an eyebrow.
"Huh... So we are." Kaito spoke plainly before he looked to see Vulpix having her ears flattened with a sad expression. Sighing, the Alola boy gave a sheepish smile before he took Vulpix into his arms, with Buizel watching from his left shoulder.
"Vulpix... I know that you're excited about us having a treat at the malasada shop, but I don't want you to run off like that, okay? You made us so worried when you suddenly ran off like that." Kaito explained softly.
"Bui. Bu bui..." Buizel added softly, causing the newborn Fire Type to look up at her father-figure and the Sea Weasel Pokémon before she gave a small nod and a coo in response.
"Vul..." Vulpix cooed before she snuggled her head onto Kaito's chest, making the Alola boy smile at his newborn Fire Type. Buizel just smiled as Lillie watched Kaito bond with his Fire Type.
"How does he do it...? He's always... so gentle with his Pokémon... If only I could do the same for Snowy right now..." Lillie thought before she gave a glance down to where Snowy was. The Alolan Vulpix watched the Fire Type bond with her Trainer before she sighed in relief.
She seemed have been worried for the Fire Type as the timid student noticed a smile rising a little from the Ice Type's face before she gave a small giggle.
"Even Snowy was worried about Vulpix running off like that all of a sudden..." Lillie thought before she called to her Alola friend.
"Kaito? Shall we go in?" Lillie asked, causing the Alola boy to look at her and nod to her.
"Yeah, sure..." Kaito grunted as he held the Fire Type in his arms while heading inside the shop with Lillie, Snowy, and Buizel. The two students didn't seem to know that there were other people getting out of the shop with a Meowth and a Wobbuffet!
Once the students went inside, they didn't notice that they were being stared at, due to the two Vulpix they have with them.
Nevertheless, as the two students got inside, the two Vulpix were immediately content with the many malasadas there were for them to see and eat!
"Vul... Vulpix Vul!" Vulpix cried out happily, her eyes shining like she was content with what she was seeing.
The same went for Snowy, who wagged her tail happily at the sight of the delicious treats.
"Looks like our two young ones can't wait to snack on the malasadas..." Kaito pointed out with a chuckle, causing Lillie to smile before she spoke gently to her Alolan Fox Pokémon.
"Snowy, please be patient, okay? I'll get the malasadas while you wait with Kaito!" Lillie spoke gently, earning a happy coo from the Fox Pokémon.
"Vul!" Snowy cooed happily before she walked with Kaito and his two Pokémon to where there was an empty table for them to use. Realizing that Rockruff might want to try out some treats, the Alola boy sent his Puppy Pokémon out.
"Oh, that's right... Rockruff might want to try this, too. Come on out, Rockruff!" Kaito called out, allowing the Rock Type to appear and bark happily, before he greeted both Vulpix and Snowy once more.
The Ice Type remained a little timid while the Fire Type cooed happily back in response. Buizel had got off of his human brother's shoulder to interact with the three Pokémon. While Vulpix and Rockruff talked with the Sea Weasel Pokémon, Snowy just stayed where she was.
Glancing at the Ice Type, Kaito noticed a small blush forming on the Ice Type's face while staring at Buizel, causing him to narrow his eyes before a mischievous smile rose up on his face a little.
"Could it be...? Little Snowy has a crush on Buizel? And it hasn't even been a day since she hatched..." Kaito thought before he looked back at Buizel, who didn't seem to notice Snowy staring at him.
As time went on, the timid student carried over a tray full of different malasadas, before she set them on the table.
"Here we are, everyone! Malasadas for everyone!" Lillie exclaimed, causing all four Pokémon to cheer happily until the Alola boy reminded Buizel and Rockruff to remain patient for their turn.
"Hold on, you two... Why don't we let Snowy and Vulpix choose? The youngest ones go first." Kaito reminded, causing Buizel to nod in agreement while Rockruff just barked in acceptance.
Lillie giggled before she turned to the Ice Type, who sat next to Vulpix.
"Which one do you want, Snowy? I want to learn your likes and dislikes. That way, I can make Pokémon food that you'll really love to eat!" Lillie explained, causing Snowy to look at the malasadas on the tray before she picked one with strawberry frosting.
"Vulpix!" Snowy cried out happily, her tail wagging to show how content she was with the taste.
"Got it! So that's your favorite!" Lillie giggled, causing Kaito to turn to his newborn Fox Pokémon.
"What about you, Vulpix? What do you want to eat?" Kaito asked. The Fire Type looked at the malasadas before she took a bite out of the one with chocolate frosting and vanilla cream inside of it!
"Vul...!" Vulpix cooed happily, causing the Alola boy to chuckle at the sight of her content expression.
"I see... So that's your favorite!" Kaito chuckled, before Buizel and Rockruff joined their two young friends as they began to snack on their favorite malasadas as well, with the two students watching the four Pokémon eat together.
"It's nice to see them get along so quick, huh..." Kaito stated, causing the timid student to slowly nod in agreement.
"Mm hm... It sure is." Lillie said softly before she turned to her right to see how close Kaito was next to her!
Lillie turned red a little before she scooted herself away from the Alola boy, much to Kaito's confusion as he wasn't aware of how close Lillie was next to him as he asked the timid student.
"Something wrong, Lillie?" Kaito asked, only to get a shaking head from the timid student.
"N-Nothing! Nothing at all!" Lillie assured, causing the Alola boy to sweat drop at her response.
"Okay..." Kaito said in disbelief before he turned back to see the young Pokémon enjoying their malasadas still.
Meanwhile, while the two students were watching their Pokémon eat their malasadas, Ash and Mallow were still searching for them, as they didn't know that the two were inside the malasada shop, which they were near at.
"That's weird. Where'd they go?" Ash asked, causing Mallow to frown.
"Pika..." Pikachu said in worry while Rotom floated around.
"Strange. They couldn't just disappear." Rotom agreed while Mallow made a guess on where they've run off to.
"Maybe they turned onto another street?" Mallow asked, causing the Kanto Trainer to send out the Grass Quill Pokémon to give them some assistance for the search.
"Okay, Rowlet! I choose you!" Ash called out, as he sent out the Grass-Flying Type! Wide awake, Rowlet let out a hoot as he listened to the request Ash was giving him regarding their two friends and their Pokémon.
"I want you to go look for Lillie and Kai!" Ash called out. Hooting in affirmation, the Grass Quill Pokémon flew off to search for the ones Ash mentioned just now. But as Ash was about to follow, Pikachu noticed something on top of a building!
"Pi? Pika Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, causing Ash to stop and turn to where Pikachu was looking at.
"Huh? What's up, buddy... Whoa!" Ash exclaimed, causing Mallow and Bounsweet to stop and look to where the Kanto Trainer was looking at! Rotom stopped too, before everyone widened their eyes in surprise.
On top of a building, was an unfamiliar Pokémon to their eyes as it seemed to be a yellow tiger-like Pokémon, only that it was standing and it had a ponytail-like figure on its back.
"Who's that Pokémon?" Mallow asked, with Bounsweet being awed at the sight of it.
"Allow me... Huh?" Rotom started to say, causing the Kanto Trainer and the Grass Type user to look at the Rotom Pokédex in confusion.
"Rotom? What's wrong?" Ash asked, causing the Rotom Pokédex to explain.
"I... I can't explain it, but... somehow... I don't have any data of that Pokémon!" Rotom explained as it took a picture of it, only to have no data on the unfamiliar Pokémon to the two.
"No way!" Mallow exclaimed until Ash remembered something from what Kaito said before.
"Hang on... Didn't Kai say...?" Ash started to say before he recalled from what the Alola boy said earlier back before when they first met Kahuna Hala.
Flashback
"I want to know what that Pokémon is, too!" Ash exclaimed with his eyes shining a little.
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu called out happily. Even the Rockruff was excited to know what this Pokémon was, while Buizel and Kaito's Rockruff joined their human and Pokémon friends. At seeing them all look at him with expectation, the Alola boy sighed before he explained.
"Alright..." was all Kaito said before he explained the description.
"This Pokémon was yellow... And, it had black zigzag stripes on its body. I think that means that Pokémon could be an Electric Type Pokémon. Not only that, it had a thunderbolt-shaped ponytail..." Kaito explained, before Rotom tried to find the identity of this Pokémon.
"Computing data... Computing data..." Rotom buzzed, while the three humans watched. The four Pokémon all watched to see what might come up until the disappointing result came up.
"No data available? Huh? How's this possible?!" Rotom buzzed in surprise, before questioning itself. This surprised Kaito as he stood up in surprise.
"No data? Are you serious, Rotom-dex? This isn't a joke, right?" Kaito asked as Rotom frowned.
"I wouldn't be joking like this, Kaito! I can't find any data of the Pokémon you're looking for! And the Electric Types I've been trying to search up is not the kind of Pokémon you were describing!" Rotom buzzed, causing Kaito to frown.
End Flashback
"Could it be that Pokémon Kai was talking about? The one that saved both him and Lana from that Alolan Muk when Vulpix was taken away as an Egg?" Ash asked, causing Mallow to widen her eyes before she looked back at the Thunderclap Wanderer.
The Electric Type was staring down at something, which didn't seem to be neither Ash or Mallow. Rather, it seemed to be staring at the malasada shop, where Kaito and Lillie were.
"What's it looking at? The malasada shop?" Mallow asked, causing Ash to look and see where the shop is. But as he looked back to where the Thunderclap Wanderer was, it was nowhere in sight.
"It's gone!" Ash exclaimed, causing the Grass Type user to turn in surprise. Bounsweet and Pikachu were more surprised than their Trainers were as Rotom flew around to see where the Mythical Pokémon could've went.
"It's gone... There are very little possibilities that it went somewhere else, to places where we know of!" Rotom buzzed in disappointment, causing the Kanto Trainer to frown before he called to Mallow.
"Mm... Mallow, let's go! We can worry about that mysterious Pokémon later!" Ash called out as he ran after Rowlet, who was already quite a distance away, due to Ash being distracted by the Thunderclap Wanderer's presence.
"Ah... Right!" Mallow agreed as she and the Kanto Trainer pursued after Rowlet to see whether the Grass Quill Pokémon would find either Kaito or Lillie. But what the two didn't know, was that they were in the malasada shop!
By the time they left, the two students were already out of the shop and heading to a different direction, this time with Kaito's plan in mind.
"So, where are we going, Kaito?" Lillie asked, allowing the Alola boy to explain as he held Vulpix in his arms, with Buizel and Rockruff walking at his sides.
"I thought of heading over to the marketplace. There's a nice lady there who gives food sometimes to my old friend, so I was hoping to see him there before we head onto wherever you want to go." Kaito explained.
"Old friend...?" Lillie asked in confusion. The Sea Weasel Pokémon knew who Kaito meant and so did the Puppy Pokémon. The Rock Type whined a little, as he wasn't sure whether if it was a good idea or not to meet up with the Fire Cat Pokémon.
But nevertheless, the small trip to the marketplace continued on. As the two students and their Pokémon friends were walking around, both Snowy and Vulpix found themselves in awe to see so many people and Pokémon in the big area.
For Snowy, she felt a little overwhelmed for seeing so many people and Pokémon around, especially since they're the types that she's never seen before. But Vulpix on the other hand, wagged her tail happily as she was excited on making new friends.
In doing so, she jumped out of Kaito's arms again! Both Kaito and Lillie watched in surprise as they watched to see the Fox Pokémon running off once more.
"What...!? Again!? Vulpix, wait!" Kaito exclaimed as he ran after the happy Fire Type.
"Vulpix!" Lillie called out as she and Snowy joined the Alola boy and his two Pokémon in the chase.
While the chase went on, the Alola boy had to go through hard times while chasing after his newborn Pokémon. While Vulpix was running around happily, she accidentally knocked over a stand, along with knocking a few Pokémon down also!
This caused Kaito to apologize to the people and their Pokémon until the Fire Type stopped, to where...
"Oh my? Why, hello there!" A familiar lady chuckled, causing Kaito to stop where Vulpix had stopped at! It was the old lady that befriended Litten, while also being the same lady that helped Kaito out in the past with his relationship with the Fire Cat Pokémon.
"Vulpix!" Kaito called out as he ran over to pick the Fox Pokémon in his arms, with Lillie arriving from behind with Snowy. Buizel gave a small glare to the Fire Type, while Rockruff barked at her, scolding her for her reckless actions and behavior.
"Geez... I told you not to run off like that, didn't I? You could've gotten hurt or worse!" Kaito scolded gently, causing Vulpix to coo back sadly as the lady giggled at the scolding Kaito was giving to the newborn Pokémon.
"Oh? Is that young one your Pokémon?" The lady asked, causing the Alola boy to look up before he gave a sheepish expression to the lady.
"Oh, uh, yes... I'm sorry for all the trouble that Vulpix has caused here, Ms. Anela." Kaito said apologetically, causing the lady, now known as Anela to giggle before she reassured the Alola boy that it was all right.
"Oh, don't worry, young man... Oh? And who's this?" Anela asked, as she had noticed Lillie with Snowy at her side.
"Nice to meet you, ma'am... My name is Lillie! And this here is Snowy!" Lillie explained, causing the Ice Type to let out a soft coo in greeting. Buizel and Rockruff greeted the old lady as well, causing Anela to chuckle.
"It's so nice to meet you all! Here! Have something to eat here..." Anela offered before she set down a wooden plate of Sitrus Berries for Buizel and the other Pokémon to eat!
Rockruff and Vulpix immediately began their small snack of berries while Buizel and Snowy joined them next, despite of the Ice Type's hesitation. Kaito could only smile to see his Pokémon enjoying the Sitrus Berries a lot, due to their taste.
Lillie watched with a smile too, seeing how much Snowy was enjoying the taste of the Sitrus Berries. But while the Pokémon were enjoying the snack given to them, the Alola boy raised a question to Anela about a certain Fire Type.
"Ms. Anela... did Litten come by here today any chance?" Kaito asked, causing the old lady to give a sad smile to the Alola boy.
"Oh dear... I believe you just missed it. Litten was just here a few minutes ago before you and your friend here arrived." Anela said apologetically, causing Kaito to scratch the back of his head with a sigh.
He was hoping to see Litten again since it's been a while since he last saw the Fire Cat Pokémon. Lillie noticed the frustrated expression Kaito had on his face before she remembered who Kaito was talking about just now.
"Litten...? Is that... the old friend you were talking about?" Lillie asked, causing Kaito to nod before he explained.
"Yeah... You know, the little bugger that stole food from the others, just like when he stole Ash's food once? That's the same Litten I'm talking about." Kaito explains, causing the timid student to widen her eyes in realization.
"Oh yes... I see now..." Lillie replied, as she now understood of who the Alola boy meant now. But as Kaito sighed in disappointment while shaking his head, the four Pokémon were already done snacking onto the Sitrus Berries given to them!
"Vul!"
"Vulpix!"
"Rock ruff!"
"Bu bui!"
Their calls caught their Trainers' attention as the two students looked down to see their Pokémon friends all smiling at them, satisfied with the berries they enjoyed.
"All done, you three?" Kaito asked, causing his three Pokémon to respond with satisfied cries.
"And what about you, Snowy?" Lillie asked gently, causing the Ice Type to coo happily in response.
Seeing their Pokémon friends feel satisfied after a little snack, the two students said their goodbyes to Anela, before heading to where Lillie was planning to go next in order to show both Snowy and Vulpix around.
"So, where to next?" Kaito asked as he held the Fire Type in his arms once again, with his two Pokémon at his side.
"You see, just up ahead... I know this wonderful place with the most beautiful views ever! Would you like to see it?" Lillie asked, as she turned to Kaito, who just gave a small nod. Snowy cooed happily, saying that she would love to see it.
"Vulpix!" Snowy cooed as the Fire Type cooed as well. Buizel and Rockruff smiled at each other, seeing that the two Fox Pokémon were starting to get along. But just as the two students were about to make their way there, they were stopped by unfriendly enemies of theirs.
"Just a moment! Twerpette with a nice headwear and the bigmouth twerp!" A familiar woman sneered as she stood with a man, along with a Meowth and Wobbuffet!
Kaito narrowed his eyes while Lillie widened her eyes at recognizing the familiar trio.
"It's you morons again?" Kaito grunted angrily.
"Wait... I know you, too!" Lillie exclaimed, causing the trio to begin their motto!
"What a memory! I'm totally impressed!"
"Although there's a chance the twerp and twerpette might have guessed!"
"The beauty so radiant, the flowers and moon hide in shame."
"A single flower of evil fleeting in this world: Jessie!"
"The nobly heroic man of our times!"
"The master of darkness fighting back against a tragic world! It's James!"
"It's all for one and for all!"
"A glittering dark star that shines bright!"
"Dig it, while Meowth takes flight!"
"Team Rocket, let's fight!"
"That's right!"
"Wobbuffet!"
"Great... Just when we thought we were having a good day, you morons had to come and ruin it all for us..." Kaito grunted, while Buizel and Rockruff growled at their enemies. Vulpix just frowned, feeling a little frightened by the people that didn't seem to be nice to her.
"What do you want with us!?" Lillie asked, as she felt tense from what she had to face right now with the Alola boy.
"Nothing! Our business is with those two sweetie!" Jessie explained, pointing to both Vulpix and Snowy. The two Fox Pokémon widened their eyes at being pointed out before Jessie turned to her Disguise Pokémon!
"All right, Mimikyu, GO!" Jessie called, only for her demand to be ignored as Mimikyu gave an uninterested noise before moving off, much to Jessie's bewilderment.
"Not go away! Come back here!" Jessie called out, only to be ignored once again, as Meowth explained the reason for Mimikyu backing out of the fight.
"Mimikyu couldn't care less, 'cause it's not Pikachu!" Meowth explained with Wobbuffet making an affirmative cry.
While the evil trio was distracted, Kaito gave a sign to the timid student to move, causing her to nod as she turned to her Ice Type.
"Snowy, this way!" Lillie whispered, catching the Fox Pokémon's attention as she and the Ice Type began to move away from their enemies. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before they were caught as Jessie called after them.
"HEY! Stop right there! COME BACK!" Jessie snapped as she and the other members of the group began to run after the two students and their Pokémon! Irritated at their persistence, the Alola boy looked down at his young Fire Type.
"Vulpix, I need you to distract them! Use Roar!" Kaito called out.
Cooing in affirmation, the Alola boy stopped and turned to let Vulpix make her move! The Fox Pokémon took a deep breath before she gave a loud cry! It froze Meowth and Wobbuffet in their tracks, while causing Jessie and James to flinch!
"That's crazy loud!" James commented as Meowth held his ears, with Wobbuffet trying to not get the sound to his head.
Smiling in satisfaction, the Alola boy continued running after Lillie, who already had run off ahead with Snowy, Buizel, and Rockruff at her side!
But as Kaito managed to catch up to Lillie and their Pokémon friends, Team Rocket was starting to gain on them! The students noticed this, making the Alola boy scoff in annoyance while Lillie started to get worried.
"Geez, they're stubborn!" Kaito grunted while the timid student kept running.
"What will I do...?" Lillie started to ask until the Alola boy gave her the answer.
"You're a Pokémon Trainer now, Lillie! You should know what Snowy can do to help!" Kaito reminded, causing the timid student to widen her eyes in realization before she knew what she had to do.
"Oh, right! Snowy! Use Powder Snow toward the ground!" Lillie called out, causing Snowy to growl in affirmation before she blew freezing wind on the ground! The ground soon became covered with ice, causing the evil trio to slip!
They all wailed in surprise as they all fell down from the slippery ground.
"They're slipping away!" Jessie shrieked, as Meowth and Wobbuffet soon fell after Jessie and James!
"So am I! That powder puff's why!" Meowth wailed as he fell on the icy ground. James frowned before he took out the Pokémon guidebook as he realized why that is.
"Gadzooks! It says the Alolan Vulpix is an Ice Type!" James exclaimed, allowing the evil trio to understand the difference between the Kanto and the Alolan Vulpix.
"Who cares!? COME ON!" Jessie started to say before she shrieked as she fell down again, with James following! Meowth and Wobbuffet slipped as well, causing the evil trio to all slip and fall on the ice on their faces.
"Good... That should keep them busy for a moment... Let's go!" Kaito called out.
"Right... Now's our chance, Snowy! Hurry!" Lillie called, causing Snowy to stop the Powder Snow and follow after Lillie and Kaito, along with all her Pokémon friends!
"Chill out... OW!" Meowth grunted as he fell on the ice again, with Wobbuffet falling onto his back!
The two students continued their escape from the evil trio, with Kaito complimenting the timid student for her quick thinking to make things slippery for the evil trio.
"I've gotta admit, Lillie... It was quick thinking of you to let Snowy use Powder Snow to let those morons trip! That goes for you too, Snowy!" Kaito called out, causing Snowy to coo happily in response, while Lillie smiled happily.
"Thank you, Kaito... And like he said, your Powder Snow was great! Snowy, thank you!" Lillie said gratefully, causing the Fox Pokémon to coo happily. But as the two students continued running, they found themselves being chased again!
"STOP!" Jessie yelled, surprising the two as Kaito gritted his teeth.
"ARGH! You guys don't know when to quit! Buizel, Ice Beam! Rockruff, Rock Slide!" Kaito called out. The Sea Weasel Pokémon wasted no time trying to freeze the evil trio with an Ice Type attack, with Rockruff following with a Rock Slide attack!
"Wobbuffet!" Jessie called out, causing Wobbuffet to try and use Counter or Mirror Coat to deflect the incoming attacks. Somehow, the Patient Pokémon was able to successfully deflect Ice Beam first with Mirror Coat, before using Counter to deflect Rock Slide!
"No way... INCOMING!" Kaito yelled as he pushed Lillie away, enough to let himself and the timid student to dodge the incoming attacks! Buizel and Rockruff did the same for Vulpix and Snowy, as the two pushed the two newborns away!
BOOM!
Meanwhile...
While Kaito and Lillie were trying to escape from Team Rocket, Ash and Mallow were still searching for the two as Rowlet seemed to have found something! The Grass Quill Pokémon flew around a spot, causing the two to stop where Rowlet was flying.
"Rowlet! Did you find anything?" Ash asked, only to make a bewildered expression when he watched his Grass-Flying Type hand him a small watermelon! The Kanto Trainer slumped down while Mallow gave a sheepish smile.
"Uh... That's not what I meant." Ash groaned, with Pikachu giving an amused cry.
"EEK!" Lillie's scream was not unheard as Ash and Mallow turned to where the scream was coming from!
"Over there!" Ash exclaimed as he ran first, with Mallow following from behind! Rowlet and Rotom followed as the two ran to try and find where the scream came from!
But as for the Alola boy and the timid student, they found themselves cornered as the evil trio sneered sinisterly at their trapped enemies.
"Your running fun is over, twerp and twerpette!" Jessie mocked the two.
"Our fun's just beginning!" Meowth added with a sneer.
"Tch... Get behind me." Kaito grunted, causing Lillie to slowly nod before she looked back to where they were cornered! The timid student soon came to realize that both she and Kaito were trapped on a wall, which would make a big drop if one of them were to fall.
"Your turn, Mareanie!" James called out as he sent his Poison-Water Type out to battle! Rockruff and Buizel growled at their enemies, as they were ready to defend their friends from the troublemakers.
Snowy whimpered a little, feeling frightened from getting cornered while Vulpix watched in worry. She knew that both Buizel and Rockruff were strong together, but these were bad guys that doesn't seem to be pushovers as well.
But just as soon as Mareanie took her appearance, she latched herself onto James' head affectionately, much to his chagrin.
"NOT ME! The white and red Vulpix is who we want...!" James complained, only to get poisoned by the Brutal Star Pokémon.
"ARGH! Save that for later! Mimikyu!" Jessie demanded, only to be ignored once more as the Disguise Pokémon had no interest in fighting opponents that weren't a Mouse Pokémon like Pikachu.
Recovering from the poison, James was ready to take action as he commanded the Brutal Star Pokémon to attack.
"All right, Mareanie! Use Sludge Bomb!" James called out. The Poison-Water Type jumped in the air before she shot multiple sludge attacks! Both Kaito and Lillie immediately countered back with their attacks!
"Snowy, use Powder Snow!"
"Rockruff, use Rock Slide!"
Making affirmative cries, both Snowy and Rockruff launched their attacks to counter the Sludge Bomb attack! The ice froze the sludge while Rock Slide bashed Mareanie away! It knocked her onto James, much to his annoyance.
"URGH! Second class!" Jessie mocked angrily, annoyed as well. Meowth smirked, as he was ready to join in on the fight.
"I like a captive audience..." Meowth sneered as he and his teammates started to approach both Kaito and Lillie dangerously, as the Pokémon were ready to fight back when they needed to.
But while Kaito was ready to fight back once again, Lillie was unsure on what to do, due to her inexperience in battling. And her first battle is happening with Team Rocket, a group of bad guys that could take Snowy away from her!
"This is bad! But if I don't do something, then Snowy will...!" Lillie started to think until James called an attack!
"Mareanie, use Sludge Bomb!" James shot out, catching Lillie by surprise. The Brutal Star Pokémon shot more sludges to where... both Vulpix and Snowy were! Both Kaito and Lillie widened their eyes in as Kaito gritted his teeth before he got in front of his friends.
"KAITO!" Lillie shrieked as the Sea Gauntlet on Kaito's arm began to glow.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Kaito yelled as he made a slashing movement with his left arm. At that moment, water came out of nowhere and intercepted the Sludge Bomb attacks! The evil trio was more than shocked to see a twerp countering the Sludge Bomb attack!
"How did the twerp do that!?" Jessie exclaimed, as Meowth tried to attack this time.
"That was just a fluke! It won't work against me!" Meowth yelled as he prepared a Fury Swipes. But seeing this coming, the Alola boy made another slashing movement, this time with both of his hands!
At that moment, water knocked Meowth to the ground hard! The Team Rocket member yelled in pain as he tumbled to the ground from the hard impact he had taken from the water that came out of nowhere.
"Pfft… Bleh! What was...!? Where did the wet part come from!?" Meowth spluttered as he spat out the water that got into his mouth.
Continuing his glare at the evil trio, the Alola boy made another slashing movement, this time by moving them up in the air! Water formed together to create a water sphere that towered above the evil trio.
"This... doesn't look so good..." Jessie gulped before she called out to Wobbuffet.
"Wobbuffet, do your thing!" Jessie called out. Getting in front of his teammates, the Patient Pokémon used Mirror Coat! As the water splashed onto the evil trio, the Patient Pokémon's Mirror Coat caused some of the water to splash onto the two students and their Pokémon!
"Eek!"
"Ah!" The two students yelled in surprise as they took a big splash from the water that hit them! Buizel and Rockruff yelped in surprise as they both tumbled back, while the force from the water knocked both Vulpix and Snowy off the edge of the wall!
"SNOWY!"
"VULPIX!"
The two Trainers called out to their newborn Pokémon in horror as they dove for their Pokémon. Buizel and Rockruff watched in horror as they called out to both Kaito and Lillie, who were both falling down to the ground!
"BU BUI!"
"RUFF!"
Ash and Mallow had noticed this while they were running as the Grass Type user watched in horror as well.
"Oh no! Kaito! Lillie!" Mallow exclaimed, causing the Kanto Trainer to grit his teeth before he tried to get Rowlet to save his two friends.
"Rowlet, Leaf-!" Ash started to say, until...
Just when it looked like they were going to fall, something caught the both of them before they fell down! The two Pokémon of Kaito's both gasped in surprise, as did both Ash and Mallow, along with Pikachu, Rotom, and Bounsweet!
As Kaito held Vulpix in his arms closely, he slowly opened his eyes to see who saved both him and the timid student, only to get a surprise as he recognized the savior...
"You're...!" Kaito breathed out as he had laid eyes on the Thunderclap Wanderer. The Wanderer gave the Alola boy a relieved smile before it placed both him and Lillie on the ground gently by the time Ash and Mallow ran over.
"Kai!"
"Lillie!" The two friends checked up on their friends as the timid student slowly opened her eyes to see who was behind her.
"Mallow...?" Lillie asked, confused as to why the Grass Type user was here with the Kanto Trainer.
"Just in time!" Mallow sighed in relief before Ash turned to the Alola boy.
"Kai, you okay?" Ash asked, causing the Alola boy to slowly nod before he looked back to where the Thunderclap Wanderer stood, its smile disappearing and its face expression showing how serious it was when it had noticed the two other human kids coming into the scene.
"Y-Yeah... Thanks to our savior over there..." Kaito grunted as he stood up, with the Fox Pokémon in his arms. The Fire Type cooed in worry, causing Kaito to smile at her before he heard Buizel and Rockruff calling to him as they ran over towards him.
"I'm fine, you two... It's all thanks to our friend over there." Kaito assured, as he referred to the Wanderer. Both of his Pokémon turned to see the Electric Type in front of them while Ash, Mallow, and Lillie watched in amazement.
"That's the Thunderclap Wanderer...? The one Kahuna Hala mentioned about?" Ash asked in surprise.
"Oh my..." Lillie breathed out while Snowy eyed the Electric Type in awe.
"Oh, that's right! Snowy, are you okay?" Lillie asked, remembering the small hit Snowy had taken from the wave that backfired due to Wobbuffet's Mirror Coat attack.
"Vul!" Snowy cooed in affirmation, assuring to Lillie that she was all right.
"What about you, Vulpix? Are you hurt?" Kaito asked in concern, only to get a lick on the cheek from the Fire Type before Vulpix cooed, as she snuggled onto the Alola boy's chest, much to his relief and content.
"Thank goodness..." Kaito breathed out, as Buizel and Rockruff smiled to see their newborn friend safe from further harm. At seeing Kaito and his friend safe, the Thunderclap Wanderer closed its eyes in relief for a second before it glared to where the enemies were.
"Curses! It's the twerp!" James grunted angrily, with Meowth adding in his grunt of disapproval.
"Oy vey..." Meowth groaned, catching the Kanto Trainer's attention as he glared at his old enemies.
"Team Rocket! You're up to your old tricks..." Ash growled angrily, with Pikachu growling in agreement.
At hearing the Mouse Pokémon, the Disguise Pokémon perked up and hissed with its body surrounded with dark aura. At noticing this, Jessie smirked in realization before she encouraged her Ghost-Fairy Type Pokémon to go on with its assault.
"Oh, now? Then go get 'em, Mimikyu!" Jessie exclaimed as James ordered his next attack for Mareanie to use.
"That goes for you too, Mareanie!" James exclaimed, causing both Mimikyu and Mareanie to lung at to where the group was! But before Ash or Kaito could issue a counterattack, the Thunderclap Wanderer suddenly zipped in front of the group and growled.
Raising its fist, it slammed both Mimikyu and Mareanie away with its fist crackling with electricity!
"Whoa...!" Mallow gasped as Rotom recognized the move.
"That was a Thunder Punch attack!" Rotom buzzed, allowing the evil trio to take notice of the Thunderclap Wanderer that is getting in their way.
"Who's that Pokémon?" Jessie asked, as James tried to find it in its guidebook.
"That's strange... There's no picture or facts about this new Pokémon!" James exclaimed, causing Meowth to sneer in realization.
"Then that must mean this Pokémon is super rare! Another good gift to be sent to the Boss!" Meowth sneered, much to the Alola boy's annoyance as he got ready to let his Pokémon attack the evil trio once again for their no good intentions.
"Yeah, as if I'll let you do that! Buizel, Rockruff... You guys ready?" Kaito asked, earning affirmative cries from his two Pokémon.
"Let 'em have it, buddy!" Ash called out, which Pikachu nodded at. The Mouse Pokemon joined his two friends, wanting to fight alongside them. Snowy watched the three before she jumped out of Lillie's arms to fight as well!
The same went for Vulpix, who jumped out of Kaito's arms to join her friends in the battle they could win at.
But before Ash, Kaito, or Lillie could issue a command to their Pokémon, the Thunderclap Wanderer made a growling sound, though it didn't sound threatening.
Rather, it was more of a command to not get involved in the fight the Wanderer got itself into.
The Pokémon School students all blinked their eyes in surprise while Kaito realized where this was going.
"This is just like back then when it saved both me and Hau from those troublemakers from Team Skull..." Kaito thought before he noticed the electricity crackling around the Thunderclap Pokémon's body and fist!
"Guys... Back away! This attack is going to be huge!" Kaito warned, causing his friends and their Pokémon friends to back off and let the Thunderclap Wanderer do his thing, as it growled angrily at the evil trio, much to their concern as they began to worry for what's happening.
"Uh, Meowth? What's going on...?" Jessie asked, as the Team Rocket member gulped for what the Wanderer was saying.
"It's... It's saying that... We're going to pay dearly for trying to endanger the twerp Pokémon, along with the twerp and twerpette!" Meowth explained fearfully, before he nearly fell back in surprise.
"Oh well, that certainly explains why it's angry!" James grunted before the Wanderer's eyes began to glow as well! Electricity crackled around its fist before it roared as it slammed its fists on the ground.
The electricity crackled around the ground before they somehow reached the evil trio! They couldn't help but scream from the big and intense shock they were getting from the strange, but powerful Electric Type attack.
The impact blasted them high into the air, looking like they were about to blast off, until something caught them in its grasp. To everyone's surprise, it was the same Bewear that kept dragging the evil trio back with it!
"Really?" Mallow exclaimed in disbelief as everyone watched to see Bewear drag the still shocked evil trio back to where the forest was.
"We're off with a new blast..." The shocked Team Rocket groaned as they let Bewear drag them away and out of the group's sight. At the bad guys being gone, both Fox Pokémon jumped into their Trainers' arms!
"Vul!" The two cried out, causing the two to embrace their Fox Pokémon.
"Snowy! You're the best..." Lillie said softly, earning a soft coo from the Ice Type.
"It's great to see you okay, Vulpix." Kaito said softly, earning another affectionate lick from the Fire Type, who cooed happily in response. Mallow widened her eyes, noticing how "close" Lillie was with with Snowy now.
"That's amazing... You're totally touching a Pokémon!" Mallow exclaimed, causing both Ash and Kaito to turn to see the timid student doing what she would've been scared of, making Ash amazed while causing the Alola boy to sigh in relief.
"Wow...!" Ash exclaimed, with Pikachu crying out in agreement.
"Finally..." Kaito breathed out, with Buizel smiling in approval. Rockruff barked happily as he painted while wagging his tail, feeling happy for the timid student and the newborn Ice Type.
Lillie blinked at this, before she looked to see Snowy, who was happily in her arms.
"Snowy..." was all Lillie could see before they rubbed their cheeks against each other! Kaito, Ash, and Mallow smiled together, along with their Pokémon friends and Rotom.
"See that? I told you this whole thing was gonna turn out just fine!" Ash reminded, causing the Alola boy to raise an eyebrow at his two friends with a suspicious expression on his face.
"Wait, what does that mean? Were you two stalking us this whole time?" Kaito asked, causing both Ash and Mallow to flinch before the Grass Type user tried to reassure that it wasn't what the Alola boy was thinking.
"N-No! That's not what Ash meant, Kai! We weren't following you two or anything..." Mallow started to say, only for Kaito to raise an eyebrow before he face palmed at his two friends.
"So you were stalking us..." Kaito groaned, causing both the Kanto Trainer and the Grass Type user to give apologetic looks to the Alola boy before Kaito turned to see the Thunderclap Wanderer still staring at him and his friends.
Taking a deep breath, the Alola boy walked over to the Wanderer, before speaking calmly for what he wanted to say to it.
"Thank you again... We would've been done for if you haven't saved us from those morons." Kaito said gratefully, causing the Wanderer to give a soft smile before it nodded back, until it raised its right paw again, making the Alola boy confused.
Then, using its paw, the Wanderer poked its two claws onto Kaito's forehead once again playfully, much to the Alola boy's surprise before he winced a little for the sudden poke.
"Ow... Again? Can you... tell or show me who you are this time?" Kaito asked, only to get a face expression that seemed apologetic before it leapt off the ground and jumped on top of a building, before it jumped to other buildings!
"So that's a no..." Kaito sighed, before he scratched the back of his head. This encounter gave him nothing much to go on as the Alola boy turned to his three friends, to see Ash and Mallow praising Lillie for being able to touch Snowy for the first time.
"Well... At least I can look on the bright side. Look at her... She can finally touch Snowy with her own two hands!" Kaito thought as he rubbed Vulpix's head, causing the young Fire Type to coo happily in surprise.
The Alola boy then felt Buizel climbing onto his right shoulder while Rockruff climbed onto his left, both of them smiling at their human brother and the newborn Fire Type, as Kaito smiled back at them.
The next day...
"She's here!" Mallow called out, causing everyone to turn and see Lillie holding Snowy in her arms.
"Alola!" Lillie called out, causing Ash to greet her back.
"Well Alola, Lillie!" Ash greeted back, with Camilla questioning her well-being.
"How are you?" Camilla asked, causing Sophocles to point out her ability to hold the Fox Pokémon now.
"She's holding Vulpix tight. See?" Sophocles pointed out until Kaito corrected the Electric Type user while walking in the classroom.
"That's Snowy, Sophocles. She may be an Alolan Vulpix, but she does have a name, you know." Kaito reminded as he walked in with Vulpix in his arms, as well as Buizel and Rockruff walking by his side.
"Alola, Kai!" Ash greeted, causing the Alola boy to greet his Kanto friend back.
"Alola, Ash. Guys." Kaito greeted back, as Lana turned to the two, noticing something similar between the two of them.
"You two sure look happy. So everything went well yesterday?" Lana asked, causing the Kahuna's grandson to respond with a smirk while putting his hands on the back of his head.
"It sure looks that way! Look at them! They're both holding the Vulpix close to them! Like a mother and father!" Hau explained, causing the Alola boy to widen his eyes while Lillie flushed red a little, before she pouted at the Kahuna's grandson.
"We're not like that, Hau..." Lillie grumbled, much to Hau's confusion as he cocked his head. The others chuckled sheepishly for the unintentional remark the Kahuna's grandson had done just now while Kiawe noticed Lillie not being fidgety like she is with Pokémon.
"You're finally over your fear." Kiawe pointed out, causing Lillie to nod with a happy smile.
"Yeah! And thank you all so much!" Lillie exclaimed gratefully. The students' Pokémon all came over to greet the two Fox Pokémon, with Pikachu being the first to do so.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu greeted brightly, causing the Fox Pokémon to jump out of Kaito's arms before she nuzzled her nose onto the Mouse Pokémon's cheek, much to Pikachu's content as he cried out happily for the greeting.
Snowy on the other hand, watched as her Fire Type counterpart greeted Pikachu brightly before she felt herself being set down on the ground by Lillie. Noticing her coming, the Fire Type turned to her Ice Type counterpart, awaiting her greeting patiently.
"Snowy, these are all of your friends." Lillie explained, causing the Ice Type to blink for a moment before she spoke her greeting to the young Fire Type.
"Vul Vulpix..." Snowy greeted, feeling a little timid.
"Vul!" Vulpix greeted back happily before she nuzzled her nose onto her Ice Type counterpart's cheek, making the Ice Type flush a little as the Trainers watched with smiles on their faces.
"Hey! They're all getting along now!" Ash pointed out, as the other Pokémon started to join in! Rockruff and Buizel joined in with the fun first, before Popplio, Eevee, Pichu, and Bounsweet joined their friends.
Togedemaru jumped off of Turtonator's head happily before she spun around the two Fox Pokémon! But just as she kept spinning, she stopped as she held onto whatever was close to her... Lillie.
The timid student flinched as she grew stiff at another Pokémon touching her, causing the others to look at her sheepishly while Kaito sighed in annoyance.
"But I guess she still can't touch other Pokémon..." Mallow pointed out, until Hau assured that everything will go fine.
"That's true, but she'll get used to them eventually! I'm sure of it!" Hau assured brightly, with Sophocles shrugging in agreement.
"Words of wisdom." Sophocles added sheepishly, as the other Pokémon gazed at the timid student curiously.
"You'll give it your best!" Mallow assured while Lillie shook a little before she tried to feel confident in herself for being with other Pokémon.
"I've got to be strong..." Lillie spoke to herself shakily until Snowy jumped into her arms in concern. At feeling the Ice Type in her arms, the timid student smiled softly before she hugged her Ice Type lovingly, causing Snowy to coo happily before she nuzzled Lillie back.
The others watched to see the two bonding together while Kaito had his arms folded. He did smile, but it wasn't a very bright one.
"Only Snowy, huh... Well, she'll have to get used to being with the other Pokémon before she actually gets rid of her fear. But still... That Thunderclap Wanderer..." Kaito thought as he remembered the several encounters he had made with the Thunderclap Pokémon.
"I could only hope that I'll get to know that Pokémon soon. I would like to know who that Pokémon is, so I can remember of what I did with it together. There's a good reason why it seems to be so attached to me... And I'll get to the bottom of it as soon as I can!" Kaito thought with a determined expression.
What he didn't know, was that while he was thinking about the Thunderclap Wanderer, the Electric Type was gazing at him from a few distance away from the Pokémon School, as it was hiding behind the trees and bushes.
At spotting Kaito, the Wanderer smiled a little before it turned back to make its way back to its home.
"Sorry, Kai... But... I don't believe now is the time for you to know who I truly am until you overcome the other trials you might have to face later... Especially when they could be difficult trials to overcome..." Zeraora thought before it continued to make its way back home.
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 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!
Chapter 33: A Persistent Rival! It's Sho!
Next chapter preview:
Shiho: Big brother! Big brother! It's Rockruff! Rockruff got hurt from something! Just look at him!
Kaito: What in the world...? Why are you like this...? Did you get yourself into a fight or something today?
Seita: Big bro... What's going to happen to Rockruff if he keeps going on like this? He was like this before you caught him, right?
Kaito: Now that you mention it, yeah... He was like this when he was trying to get stronger, like when we fought against each other.
Shiho: Does that mean Rockruff wants to go back home and become strong like it was before when we met him?
Kaito: Come on, Shiho... Rockruff made his choice to leave home... I'm sure he wouldn't just back out and leave... would he?
Events that occurred:
- Lillie is able to touch Snowy, but is still unable to touch other Pokémon
- Lillie, Ash, and Mallow meets Zeraora for the first time