Chapter 31: Little Ones Can Do Big Things!
"Pop!" Popplio cried out happily, clapping her fins together in joy.
"Watch! Popplio is amazing!" Mallow exclaimed, with Ash and Kaito watching together in anticipation.
After Kaito and Rockruff made amends with one another about Kaito not understanding the Puppy Pokémon's true feelings whether he wanted to stay with Kaito or not, the bond between them grew even stronger than before, allowing the two to sleep peacefully with Buizel and Vulpix.
By the time they had woken up, it was morning. And Ash had arrived at the Alola boy's house today so that they could hang out together, with Kaito discovering that the wild Rockruff became part of Ash's team. But just as they were about to go somewhere, they had met up with Mallow and Lana.
Seeing it as perfect timing, the Water Type user asked the boys if they could watch on how much Popplio has improved with her blowing balloons. Eager to see how much Popplio had grown, Ash was immediately set on seeing it.
Kaito was eager to see it too, with Buizel being more eager than ever. To that point, the three watched Lana and Popplio stand together as the Sea Lion Pokémon was ready to blow a balloon.
"All right, Popplio! Big balloon!" Lana cried out. Using every effort that she had with her, the Sea Lion Pokémon created a giant balloon! Then, with the balloon being enough, the Water Type jumped inside, allowing herself to be carried by it!
Pikachu, Buizel, and Vulpix were all in awe, as they were amazed to see Popplio being carried inside the water balloon that she created. Mallow, Ash, and Kaito were in awe as well, impressed with how much Popplio has improved with her balloon skills.
Even Rotom seemed impressed as it took pictures of how much the balloon had grown the last time Lana presented to Ash and Kaito once.
"Impressive! The balloon's strength, durability, and elasticity are evident because they're all in perfect balance with each other!" Rotom buzzed, with the Kanto Trainer expressing on how impressed he was.
"Oh YEAH!" Ash exclaimed, with Mallow informing the two of who can ride in it.
"Isn't that amazing? Harper and Sarah can ride in it!" Mallow exclaimed, catching Kaito by surprise.
"Lana's sisters? That's a surprise... Didn't think it would work, especially with how rowdy those two can be when it comes to new discoveries and events like that." Kaito admitted, causing Lana to giggle at the doubt.
"I can understand why you think that, Kai. They can be quite a handful." Lana agreed, as the Kanto Trainer praised the Sea Weasel Pokémon for her efforts.
"That's how you do it, Popplio! You've been working really hard!" Ash exclaimed, before Buizel stepped up in agreement.
"Bui bui! Bu bui!" Buizel exclaimed, making the Sea Lion Pokémon flush a little, while the Alola boy reminded of the dream that Lana had back then.
"He's right. And that makes you one step closer to achieving your dream, Lana. Once Popplio masters her ability to make a balloon, you should be able to travel underwater while in the balloon." Kaito reminded, causing Lana to nod in agreement.
Popplio clapped her fins together while the Water Type user gave a small blush at the reminder, as the Kanto Trainer expressed his desire of wanting to ride the balloon.
"I wanna take a ride in that balloon, too!"
"Pika!" Ash exclaimed, with Pikachu agreeing with him. But the Water Type user stopped the Kanto Trainer from getting any further with an unsure expression on her face before she spoke about the balloon's ability to hold people around Ash's size.
"I'm not sure..." Lana spoke up, stopping Ash in his tracks.
"Don't you think it'll work?" Ash asked, causing the Water Type user to speak up.
"When I got into the balloon, it popped right away." Lana admitted, causing the Alola boy to sweat drop at the confession while the Kanto Trainer felt rather disappointed at the confession.
At that moment, the balloon popped, allowing Popplio to express her joy while clapping her fins together. Pikachu then grinned, realizing that he was small enough to fit inside the balloon if Harper and Sarah were able to.
"Pikachu?" The Mouse Pokémon asked, with Vulpix doing the same, as she wanted to be inside a balloon, too.
"Vul? Vulpix?" Vulpix asked, causing the boys to realize what their Pokémon could do.
"Yeah, Pokémon are small enough!" Ash exclaimed before he sent out his newly caught Rockruff, which was the same one he befriended at the Alola Professor's house. Kaito did the same by sending his Rockruff out, with Buizel and Vulpix joining him!
Rowlet slowly flew over, still feeling rather groggy as he continued to snore, fast asleep. The Kanto Trainer sweat dropped at this while Mallow just gave a sheepish smile at what the Grass Quill Pokémon was doing.
"Asleep again..." Mallow pointed out, before Ash's Rockruff jumped into the Kanto Trainer's arms and nuzzled into his neck, making the Kanto Trainer wince but grin at the feeling, with Pikachu crying out happily.
Kaito's Rockruff did the same to his Trainer as the Alola boy accepted the affection from his Puppy Pokémon, while Buizel and Vulpix watched with smiles on their faces. At the affection going on, Lana cleared her throat for everyone to be patient.
"Now, take turns. I doubt all six of you can fit in at one time." Lana reminded, as Popplio got ready to make another balloon.
At that point, Vulpix and Pikachu were the first ones up, causing the Water Type user to notice them before she turned to her Water Type starter.
"Then you're both up first, Pikachu! Vulpix! Popplio?" Lana asked, causing the Sea Lion Pokémon to clap her fins together in joy before she began to make another balloon! At the balloon getting bigger, it made both Pikachu and Vulpix excited for this chance!
But while the balloon was starting to get bigger, Bounsweet sniffed a little before she felt something tickling on her nose. Unable to hold it in, the Fruit Pokémon let out a big sneeze, causing Sweet Scent to spread all over the shore area!
It caught everyone's attention, but mostly Rowlet's! The Grass Quill Pokémon immediately grew ecstatic at the sweet scent as he lunged to where Bounsweet stood on Mallow's shoulder!
The students watched in surprise before Bounsweet angrily knocked Rowlet away! The Grass Quill Pokémon was sent flying to where both Vulpix and Pikachu stood! Knocking into Vulpix, the two knocked onto Popplio, causing all of them to be trapped in the balloon!
The balloon bounced into the air, shocking Ash and Kaito, along with the two Rockruff, Pikachu, and Buizel! Then, the balloon started to get blown down by the wind, much to Lana, Mallow, and Bounsweet's shock.
But just as the balloon would hit the waves, it was knocked back into the air by the crashing waves! And to make things worse, the balloon started to get blown away by the wind, getting farther and farther from the students as they all watched in bewilderment and disbelief.
For a minute, the four students all looked at each other, with their Pokémon friends doing the same. Then...
"AHHH!" They all screamed in realization of what's happening to the three Pokémon that were being blown away from them!
(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, Seita, and Vulpix, 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)
"No! Vulpix!" Kaito exclaimed as he tried to call for his young Fox Pokémon, only for the balloon to get even further away, due to the wind controlling the balloon's movement, along with Popplio's current inability to control it due to Rowlet's panicking!
The others arrived next to the Alola boy, with the Kanto Trainer calling their Pokémon friends back.
"Come back!" Ash exclaimed, despite on how futile it seemed.
"What do we do, Lana?" Mallow asked, while holding her friends' bags. Just as the Grass Type user asked, the Water Type user's face darkened before she grabbed ahold of Kaito's arm, much to the Alola boy's surprise.
"Let's go!" was all Lana needed to say to get herself and the others moving, with Kaito struggling to walk by himself with Lana holding onto him.
"L-Lana...? You can let go! I can run by myself, you know!" Kaito stuttered as he was dragged around by the Water Type user. Ash and Mallow quickly followed from behind, with Pikachu, Buizel, Rotom, and the two Rockruff running besides them.
"Kai! Hold on! Your backpack!" Mallow exclaimed, as the Kanto Trainer noticed the dark expression Lana had on her right now.
"Lana has that look again just like when Team Rocket tried to steal the marine Ride Pokémon!" Ash pointed out, with Mallow nodding in agreement.
"I've never seen Lana like this before...!" Rotom admitted, with Mallow telling Ash and Rotom on why that is.
"Well, besides the marine Pokémon... when it comes to Popplio, she can really switch gears!" Mallow explained, as the chase went on.
As for the Pokémon, Popplio and Vulpix were having a hard time trying to calm themselves down, especially when Rowlet was the one causing the balloon to nearly pop several times with his unnecessary panicking!
The panicking went on before Popplio managed to catch the panicking Grass Quill Pokémon in her arms. At seeing Popplio catch Rowlet, the young Fox Pokémon sighed in relief, as did Popplio, until...
Pokémon POV
"*snore*…" Rowlet snored, having fallen asleep again, much to the bewilderment of the two female Pokémon.
"Again! You're sleeping again!?" Popplio squealed in surprise before the bubble from Rowlet's nose popped! That made Rowlet panic, causing him to slap both Popplio and Vulpix away, much to their pain and annoyance as they glared at the Grass Quill Pokémon.
"AH! Hah... I've got an idea!" Rowlet declared, much to Vulpix's curiosity as she lost her glare.
"An idea? Will it help us get back to Daddy?" Vulpix asked hopefully, causing the Grass Quill Pokémon to nod affirmatively before he explained his plan of reuniting with the others.
"Maybe! Since we're gone, Ash, Lana, and Kaito should be all upset that the three of us are all gone, right? And that is why we're going to do everything that we can to get back to them!" Rowlet declared proudly.
"Um, Rowlet... I believe little Vulpix is asking on HOW we're going to get back to them..." Popplio tried to reason, only for Rowlet to stop in her tracks with the next words he declared that would happen!
"...And once we're back to them, I'm sure that while Ash and Kaito accepts both me and Vulpix back, Lana will be sure to lecture you badly for causing all of this trouble in the process!" Rowlet declared with his eyes shining.
"WHAT!?" Popplio squealed in disbelief before she slumped down in defeat, causing Vulpix to frown at the idea the Grass Quill Pokémon was coming up.
"It's gonna work! It's gonna work! It's gonna-" Rowlet started to chirp excitedly, only for his beak to pierce through the bubble! That horrified both Popplio and Vulpix, as the Peck attack made the balloon pop in mid-air!
"EEK!"
"AIIEEE!"
The two land Pokémon screamed frightfully as they were falling down to where the forest was! Rowlet flew over to the falling Pokémon, trying to get them to fly like he can!
"Hey, come on! You two don't need to be scared! Just fly like I do!" Rowlet tried to convince them to do so, much to Vulpix's fright and confusion while Popplio glared at the Grass-Flying Type for even thinking such a thing.
"Ugh! If we could fly, then we would've done so already!" Popplio exclaimed, much to the Grass Quill Pokémon's confusion, before the Sea Lion Pokémon pointed out that both she and Vulpix didn't have wings on them.
"We don't have wings! That's why we can't fly like you, Rowlet! Help us!" Popplio pleaded desperately, causing Rowlet to widen his eyes in realization. At the request, he quickly grabbed onto Popplio's tail with his left talon.
The right talon carried Vulpix by her tail, allowing the two female Pokémon to be safe a little from falling down.
"That was scary... Thanks, Mr. Rowlet!" Vulpix cooed happily, as Popplio just smiled. Neither of them noticed on how much struggling Rowlet was doing by pulling the both of them up in the air.
"N-No... problem... girls... I... UGH!" Rowlet struggled to say before he lost grip on both Popplio and Vulpix! At being released from the hold, they both began to fall down towards the forest again, causing them both to scream in fright.
"EEK!"
"HELP!" The two cried out together, causing Rowlet to recover from his trouble and dive down to where the female Pokémon were both falling.
"I got you! I got you! I got you both!" Rowlet called out before he grabbed onto both Vulpix and Popplio with his wings! For a second, the girls were relieved, until Popplio noticed a fatal mistake Rowlet has made with his attempt for rescue.
"AH! No! Not your wings! You're supposed to hold us by flying!" Popplio shrieked, causing Vulpix to realize the mistake the Grass Quill Pokémon was doing. Rowlet didn't know however, making him clueless as to what the Sea Lion Pokémon was trying to say.
Nevertheless, the fall continued on as the three little Pokémon started to descend fast to where the forest was... and where the enemies were.
End POV
Meanwhile...
Team Rocket was near Bewear's den, trying to make an antenna, so that they would be able to make their secret base. The antenna was the first step, since they wanted to gather the data they would need to complete their operations later.
Mareanie and Mimikyu watched from below, as they both watched in curiosity as the work was nearly complete.
"Install complete!" Jessie exclaimed as the parts were finished being inserted, leaving only one piece left to do the job.
"With this baby, we're gonna catch all of Alola's data as well as all of its Pokémon!" Meowth declared with a sneer, as James took out a ring that would finish their work of the antenna.
"With this ring, I do thee steal!" James stated, with Jessie feeling the accomplishment of the secret base getting closer than ever.
"Our secret base is finally real..." Jessie sighed, as James got ready to make the finishing touch.
"All right, big ears, ON!" James exclaimed as he got ready to insert the ring. But just before he could, he didn't notice something crashing down to where he and his teammates stood until it was too late.
BOOM!
"AUGH!" The evil trio found their faces buried in the dirt as they felt their backs being pressured by the antenna that had fallen on them, due to the impact of something falling to where they lied!
Groaning in pain, the evil trio were a bit stunned as to what happened. As for the ones that have fallen down, Popplio managed to get herself up, while helping both Vulpix and Rowlet to their feet!
Just as they looked around to see nothing around them, the three young Pokémon were about to be relieved, until they saw something that was under them! They all gasped in surprise, until they were knocked to the ground by Team Rocket's sudden movement to escape the fallen antenna.
"What are you doing!?" Jessie shrieked, with James being horrified of what happened to the antenna.
"My pretty parabolic antenna!" James exclaimed, causing the three young Pokémon to bow their heads repeatedly to apologize for what they've all done. But as they were doing it, Rowlet recognized the evil trio as he gave a small glare to them.
Vulpix also recognized them as she whimpered a little in fear at the sight of them, remembering on what they tried to do to her and Snowy by chasing after them, along with Kaito and Lillie.
But before she could try to inform Popplio about this, Rowlet gave an alerted hoot and widened his eyes in horror as he panicked for something binding him!
The Grass Quill Pokémon had a ring around his neck, making him unable to fly around and move properly! The Grass Quill Pokémon screamed in fright as he ran around, causing Team Rocket to sweat drop at the panicky behavior Rowlet was giving off.
"The ring seems to be stuck around its neck." James pointed out as Meowth recognized the Rowlet running around and the Vulpix whimpering at them.
"That Rowlet and Vulpix... It's the Twerp's and the twerp that keeps calling us morons!" Meowth exclaimed, causing Vulpix to pale to see Meowth recognizing both her and Rowlet, while Jessie seemed to recognize Popplio.
"And that Popplio is the blue-haired Twerpette's!" Jessie pointed out, which was when the Team Rocket members began to plot on capturing the separated Pokémon.
"Perfect timing! Let's catch them all!" Jessie declared, with James making an idea for Pikachu.
"And exchange them for Pikachu! Our hostage triplet!" James added, making Meowth sneer evilly. Mareanie and Wobbuffet were ready to begin their capturing operation! James took the initiative by making the first attack!
"All right, Mareanie! Spike Cannon!" James exclaimed, causing Mareanie to blast spikes to where the three young Pokémon were! Vulpix squealed in fright, causing Popplio to step in and counter with Bubblebeam!
The two attacks collided together, creating an explosion! The blow knocked Jessie, James, and Wobbuffet into the bushes while Meowth managed to endure the shockwave that was caused by the moves collision!
As soon as he opened his eyes again in annoyance, both he and Mareanie widened their eyes to see both Popplio and Vulpix running off, with Popplio bouncing the Grass Quill Pokémon on her nose since Rowlet couldn't fly.
"Hey! Come back!" Meowth demanded as he and Mareanie made chase after the three runaway Pokémon. Mimikyu watched the scene unfold as it cocked its head in amusement, before it watched its comrades disappear into the bushes.
Meanwhile...
Kaito, Ash, Mallow, and Lana had already lost track of where Rowlet, Popplio, and Vulpix might've gone as they all frowned with what could've happened to the three.
"Oh no..." Lana breathed out in worry, with Mallow questioning their location.
"Where could they have gone?" Mallow asked, while the Alola boy bit his lips, his fists clenched as he shook his head.
"Let's keep looking. That balloon couldn't have gotten them this far into town. Split up and continue on! One of us should be able to find them eventually!" Kaito snapped as he ran into another direction, much to his friends' surprise as Buizel and Rockruff ran after him.
"H-Hey! Kai!" Ash called out as he watched his Alola friend disappear.
"Kai must be really worried for Vulpix, especially since Vulpix is younger than the rest of our Pokémon..." Lana pointed out, causing Ash to understand the concern the Alola boy may have for the young Fox Pokémon.
"Kai... Lana, has this ever happened before?" Ash asked, causing the Water Type user to mull it over for a moment before she gave a calm smile. Reassuring to herself that everything would be fine, she said the same thing to her two friends.
"Don't worry. It's fine." Lana assured calmly, causing Ash and Mallow to both smile as the Kanto Trainer pointed out of where they could've gone.
"Well, we know that they came in this direction! So, let's split up and look like Kai said!" Ash declared, allowing Mallow and Lana to agree.
"Right!" The girls cried out before the students separated into different parts of the market to search for their lost Pokémon friends.
Back to the Pokémon...
Pokémon POV
Popplio and Vulpix were making their getaway with Popplio bouncing Rowlet still with her nose, which Rowlet didn't seem to be comfortable with as he continued to chirp out complaints with the continuous bouncing he was forced to take.
"I get that we have to get away from those crooks, but why do you have to keep bouncing me up and down in the air, Popplio!?" Rowlet whined, causing Popplio to answer him with a desperate tone.
"With the way you are, you won't be able to fly at all! Not to mention, your running speed might be a bit lower due to the ring stuck around your neck. So this is the fastest way for us to get away!" Popplio explained.
Vulpix whimpered at the thought of being separated even further from her human father as she whimpered her worries to the Sea Lion Pokémon.
"Are we going to get back to Daddy again, big sis...?" Vulpix asked, causing Popplio to look at the Fire Type calling her "big sis", as she tried to give a reassuring smile to the young Fire Type.
"Vulpix, don't worry. We will get back to everyone else, I promise. We just need to be careful while we're moving." Popplio assured softly, with Rowlet remaining silent after hearing Vulpix's worries.
"You say that, but the bad guys are probably chasing after us while we speak..." Vulpix whimpered out, causing the Sea Lion Pokémon to widen her eyes at those words before she frowned.
The young Fox Pokémon had a point. With the way they confronted Team Rocket earlier just now, it wouldn't be too long before they start to make chase after them so they could be used as hostages for Ash's Pikachu and Kaito's Buizel.
And at the thought of Pikachu and Buizel being taken away because of their carelessness...
"We won't get caught and they won't take us away. I promise, Vulpix..." Popplio assured, causing Vulpix to be a little calm, despite of being a little scared. But wanting to believe in the Water Type's words, she nodded to Popplio as they kept moving.
None of them had noticed that both Meowth and Mareanie were hot on their tail, as they both had evil smirks on their faces for catching up to their hostages.
Soon, as the three young Pokémon were making their way across the forest, Popplio didn't notice a small rock up ahead that made her trip! The Sea Lion Pokémon squealed as she fell, causing Rowlet to fall off of her nose!
"AH!" Popplio shrieked as she fell down.
"EEK!" Vulpix yelped in fright, causing her to fall as well before Rowlet flew into the air and bumped into the rock! The rock knocked him away, causing him to roll up to both Popplio and Vulpix!
The three young Pokémon all yelled in surprise as they all began to zoom all the way down the forest hill, before they all crashed into a rock that stopped their rolling down. The three all winced in pain from the hard hit they had taken from being stopped.
Vulpix whimpered in pain while Popplio tried to get up, so that she could help both Rowlet and Vulpix and keep moving. But before she could make an effort to try and reach to her two friends, Meowth stopped her in her tracks!
"Show's over, dopes!" Meowth sneered, surprising the young Pokémon as both Meowth and Mareanie confronted their foes, both prepared to make their capture complete, with Mareanie getting her spikes ready and Meowth unsheathing his claws.
"Ha ha! Very statuesque, Rowlet! Yeah, yeah, YEAH!" Meowth sneered as Mareanie leapt up to attack Vulpix, with Meowth giving the order.
"Mareanie, how about giving Vulpix a dose of your Toxic Spikes?" Meowth suggested, allowing Mareanie to try and latch her spikes onto the young Pokémon! The Fire Type widened her eyes before shutting them tight out of fear, much to Popplio's surprise as she called for her.
"VULPIX!" Popplio screamed as Vulpix felt tears welling up in her closed eyes.
"Daddy..." was all Vulpix could breathe out before something hot came in front of her face! The Fox Pokémon opened her eyes to see Mareanie get knocked away by a Fire Type attack! The move knocked Mareanie onto a tree, causing her to be stuck!
"AUGH! No! I'm stuck! Get e out of here!" Mareanie complained as she struggled to try and get free. Meowth watched in bewilderment as he turned to see who had launched the attack.
"Hey! What gives!?" Meowth snapped as the three young Pokémon turned to see Litten standing on top of the rock! The Fire Cat Pokémon kept a serious expression on his face as he jumped off the rock and confronted Meowth sternly.
"W-Who are you...?" Popplio asked, with Litten giving a brief, but confident answer.
"A friend." Litten assured before he faced Meowth, who narrowed his eyes at the new arrival.
"Now what's your deal?" Meowth asked with a sneer. Litten just glared before he hissed at the enemy attempting to harm the young ones.
"You want to get to the innocent Pokémon, you'll have to go through me." Litten hissed, causing Meowth to sneer before he unsheathed his claws, ready to fight. The two just glared at each other, both preparing for a short duel to be done.
Then, with a second passing, both cat-like Pokémon lunged at each other! Litten slashed through with Scratch while Meowth countered with Fury Swipes! The attacks passed each other, as Meowth smirked confidently for his move succeeding.
"You're not so strong... Ugh..." Meowth started to say before he fainted, making it look like the Scratch attack had done its work. At Meowth being defeated, Popplio grew excited and clapped her fins together happily.
"Huh...? Oh... Oh wow! That was amazing!" Popplio cooed happily while Vulpix just whimpered a little, still unsure on whether to trust the Fire Cat Pokémon or not. Her fear grew when Litten started to approach her.
"Are you... going to hurt me?" Vulpix asked, only to get a lick on the cheek by Litten, who affirmed that he was no enemy, but a friend to the young Fire Type.
"Don't worry. I'm a friend. Nothing bad like those idiots that were chasing you three down." Litten assured before he moved up to where Rowlet was, still upside down. The Fire Cat Pokémon tipped him onto a side before he tried to get the ring off.
The process made Rowlet hoot in surprise though, since it was ticklish despite the attempt.
"H-Hey! C-Come on! Knock it off! T-That tickles!" Rowlet hooted loudly before Litten stopped, feeling a little irritated with how tight the ring looked.
"What's with this ring? There's not even a small scratch on this thing... And it's really stuck, too..." Litten asked, his frustration clearly being shown until Popplio tried to explain.
"W-Well, you see... It got stuck when we were falling, so Vulpix and I tried to get it off... Well, it didn't work, as you can see... That's why I've been bouncing Rowlet like this..." Popplio explained before she quickly blew a balloon for Rowlet to get himself into.
"What's this...?" Litten asked, allowing Vulpix to answer.
"It's big sis' water balloon..." Vulpix answered as the balloon started to get near to where Rowlet was lying.
Both Vulpix and Litten watched as the Grass Quill Pokémon got himself sucked into the balloon before he panicked, causing him to bounce all over inside the balloon, much to his dismay, along with Vulpix's concern and Litten's unamused expression.
"H-Hey... What the... Ack! What gives!? I'm bouncing... all over... again!" Rowlet yelled as he kept bouncing all over before he stopped, as Vulpix just watched with nothing more to say. She sighed, before Litten turned to the three lost ones.
"Follow me. I know someone who can probably help you three guys get back to wherever you came from." Litten assured as he began to walk ahead, causing Vulpix to quickly follow after the Fire Cat Pokémon.
Popplio lifted the balloon holding Rowlet with her nose before she followed after the Fire Cat Pokémon, who turned to see whether the lost ones were following or not as he called out to them.
"Think you three can keep up?" Litten called out, earning a small nod from Vulpix, who regained her smile. Popplio just winked before she bounced the balloon onto her nose, with Rowlet feeling a little uncomfortable with the situation.
"We can keep up! Lead the way, Litten!" Popplio cried out, causing Litten to give an acknowledging nod before he led the way, leading the three young Pokémon to where the town was.
As soon as the four Pokémon reached town, the Fire Cat Pokémon led the three to where there was a canal, with a bridge up ahead.
"Hey! Old Man Stoutland, I've brought company!" Litten called out, causing Popplio and Vulpix to both stop and see who Litten was talking to. Up ahead under the bridge, there seemed to be a Stoutland resting on an old couch.
As soon as the old Pokémon turned to the four Pokémon, Popplio, Rowlet, and Vulpix immediately screamed in panic at seeing the scary look Stoutland seemed to have had on his face, causing them to shake badly.
"EEK!"
"AHH!"
"DADDY!"
But just as they were panicking at the first sight from Stoutland's eyes, what they saw next in Stoutland immediately calmed them down, with Popplio and Rowlet both feeling embarrassed for their quick panicking.
Vulpix on the other hand, remained a bit frightened, but at the same time, grew curious as to what Stoutland was like now that she was seeing him for the first time.
In reality, the Big-Hearted Pokémon was just giving a gentle smile to the young ones, despite of him not being able to show due to how hairy his face was. But the Fox Pokémon needed to ask, since she wanted to know if he was a good guy or a bad guy.
"A-Are you... a good guy or a bad guy?" Vulpix asked, bewildering Litten for a moment before the Fire Cat Pokémon realized the reason why the young Fox Pokémon asked such a question.
In response, the Big-Hearted Pokémon gave a rough chuckle before he answered back with a calm tone.
"Well... If Litten brought you and your friends all the way here to where I am, doesn't that answer the question, young miss?" Stoutland asked, causing Vulpix to realize what the elderly Pokémon was talking about before she gave a bright smile.
"So... you ARE a good guy!" Vulpix concluded, earning an affirmative nod from Stoutland. But Rowlet wasn't sure as Litten pushed the balloon that he was in to where his elder friend was, which was when Stoutland questioned the Fire Cat Pokémon.
"By the way, Litten... Who are these young ones that you've brought with you?" Stoutland asked, causing his young friend to explain.
"They're some Pokémon that were somehow separated from their human friends. A group of weirdos were trying to hurt them for some reason." Litten explained before he slashed the balloon, making the bubble pop!
At the balloon popping, Rowlet began to panic and sweat uncontrollably as he was unsure on whether to believe in this Pokémon or not.
"Oh man... oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man... Please don't eat me, please don't eat me, please don't eat me, please don't eat me, please don't eat me..." Rowlet begged silently as he felt Stoutland starting to sniff him.
Popplio bounced over to see what was going on, as she watched Stoutland inspect her Grass-Flying Type friend before she, Litten, and Vulpix watched Stoutland lick Rowlet in affection, much to the Grass Quill Pokémon's shock.
"W-What!? Ugh!" Rowlet gasped before he sneezed in surprise. After the inspection, the Big-Hearted Pokémon soon realized on who Rowlet belonged to.
"Ah... I see now. You must be one of that young boy's Pokémon. The boy with the hat and the Pikachu..." Stoutland explained, recalling on who Ash was, much to both Rowlet and Popplio's surprise, as Stoutland seemed to know Ash.
"You mean... you know Ash?" Rowlet asked, much to Popplio's content as she clapped her fins together happily.
"Oh wow! We never knew you were Ash and Pikachu's friend!" Popplio cried out happily before Vulpix raised a question to the elder Pokémon.
"If... If you know about big bro Pikachu, then do you know my Daddy?" Vulpix asked hopefully, causing Litten to question the young Fire Type.
"Wait... Who is your Daddy? Is he a Ninetales?" Litten asked, knowing what the Fox Pokémon can evolve into with a stone, only to get a shaking head before the young Fox Pokémon tried to explain.
"No... He's a human. He's around the same age as big bro Pikachu's friend... He's a sweet and caring human with black marks on his face... and he's best friends with big bro Buizel and big bro Rockruff!" Vulpix explained.
The description surprised both Litten and Stoutland as the Fire Cat Pokémon immediately recognized on who Vulpix was referring to.
"Wait... Kaito!? Your Daddy is Kaito!?" Litten couldn't help but express his surprise, before he sweat dropped at the thought of it.
"Then again, I shouldn't be too surprised, considering with how well he cares for Pokémon, like the way he cared for me and a few other wild Pokémon that needed help..." Litten commented to himself, earning Popplio's questioning glance in response while the elder Pokémon chuckled.
"I see... So young Kaito is growing up faster than I thought he would... To become a father already despite at his young age..." Stoutland chuckled, causing Litten to look at him with an unimpressed look on his face.
"Old Man Stoutland... This is not the time..." Litten grumbled, causing Stoutland to clear his raspy throat before Rowlet grinned as he rubbed his face onto the elder Pokémon's mane, only to get another lick on the face in return.
"Oh... So if you know Ash, old Stoutland... Then you must be a really nice Pokémon friend to have around!" Rowlet chirped happily, before he shivered at being licked again, much to Popplio's amusement as she laughed at the bewildered expression on Rowlet's face.
While Vulpix and Popplio were enjoying the embarrassing moment Rowlet was having from Stoutland, Litten had jumped on top of a crate before he began to groom himself, before Popplio raised a question.
"So... What are we supposed to do know?" Popplio asked, causing Stoutland to ask.
"What seems to be the problem? Now that I realized... where are your human friends?" Stoutland asked, causing Vulpix to look up at the elderly Big-Hearted Pokémon with a small explanation.
"We... We've been carried away by the wind due to big sis' balloon carrying all of us to where the forest was. That's where the bad guy lived, and that's also the place where big bro Litten saved us!" Vulpix explained, much to Litten's surprise.
"Big bro... Litten? Me?" Litten asked, causing Vulpix to nod with a sweet and caring smile on her face.
"Mm hm! Anyways, that's why we're here. Big bro Litten said that you would be able to help us find Daddy and the others..." Vulpix explained, causing Stoutland to think it over before Litten reminded the three of what they needed to do.
"You three need to get back to where Kai and that kid is, right? That kid lives at that Professor's house, I believe?" Litten asked, only for Vulpix to frown at the idea, as she had never been to the Alola Professor's house before.
"I don't know where that is... Daddy never took me to the Professor's house before, so I don't know where that would be at..." Vulpix confessed before Litten suggested something that Rowlet could do.
"Why not let owl there fly around? I mean, you're a Flying Type, aren't you?" Litten asked, only to be reminded of Popplio that Rowlet couldn't do anything that involved flight right now.
"He can't... Did you forget about the ring stuck around his neck? He can't fly unless we get that thing off of him." Popplio reminded sadly, before looking out to where the blue sky is.
"Buizel... Lana... And everyone else... Where could they be now? What can we do now...? Without Rowlet being able to fly, there's no telling on where they could be at! They could be at the woods, the town, the beach... Anywhere!" Popplio whimpered.
Seeing the Sea Lion Pokémon starting to panic, the young Fox Pokémon began to worry of what might happen if she were to not find Kaito and Buizel soon.
"Daddy... Big bro Buizel..." Vulpix whimpered, catching Litten's attention, who turned to where Vulpix sat sadly before the Fire Cat Pokémon narrowed his eyes.
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 32: Get Mixed with the Big and Bad!
Chapter 33: A Persistent Rival! It's Sho!
Chapter 34: The Brutal Battle That Strikes!
Chapter 35: A Trainer Who Rocks with Rockruff!
Chapter 36: The Mysterious Trainer Named Tokio!
Next chapter preview:
Mallow: How are we supposed to find them now? Many people I've asked said that they haven't seen any of them anywhere around here...
Ash: I know! We could use my Rockruff and Kai's Rockruff to help us find them! They have a great sense of smell, don't they?
Kaito: You're right, Ash... Rockruff, we're counting on the two of you to help us find our lost friends... We have to find them soon...
Lana: Don't worry, Kai... We will find them. We just need to have faith in them that they'll be just fine! They're stronger than we think, remember?
Kaito: Well, yeah... But Vulpix is still a baby Pokémon, which hasn't been that long since she hatched from an Egg. Can you blame me for worrying?
Lana: Actually, I can quite understand on why you would feel that way. But still, try to at least have faith that Vulpix is fine...
Events that occurred:
- Kaito learns that Ash has caught the wild Rockruff
- Popplio, Rowlet, and Vulpix meet Litten and Stoutland for the first time
- Popplio, Rowlet, and Vulpix discovers Litten and Stoutland knowing Kaito and Ash