Chapter 35: A Trainer Who Rocks with Rockruff!
"Man, I can't wait! Wonder what we're gonna get?" Ash asked, feeling excited for what's coming.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed, as he too was excited to know what he and his other Pokémon friends were going to eat.
"Just wait for a while. She'll get it done soon." Kaito assured with a smile, as Buizel gave a small nod of agreement.
After their day at the Pokémon School, the nine students headed to Mallow's family restaurant, as she promised them a delicious sample that would make them feel content. With that being said, the eight students waited for Mallow to finish her cooking.
Just as Kaito spoke his assurance to the Kanto Trainer, Mallow came out of the kitchen to greet her friends again, feeling grateful for their participation.
"Hi, guys! Thanks for coming over and sampling something from our brand-new menu!" Mallow exclaimed thankfully.
"So is it ready yet?" Kiawe asked, with Hau grinning.
"Yeah... I want to know what it tastes like..." Hau added, only to get a giggle from the Grass Type user as she calmed her two friends down.
"Now, calm down. It'll be ready in no time. Just relax!" Mallow assured as she headed back to the kitchen to complete her preparations. As she left, there was a growling noise coming from Sophocles' stomach.
"I even skipped lunch to be a part of this... I'm so hungry!" Sophocles moaned, causing the seven other classmates to chuckle on how hungry the Electric Type user was feeling, until the Alola boy gave a reminder of what Sophocles could do.
"You could go for a bit of a diet. I mean, come on... We've seen you how much you struggle during physical education class... You couldn't even make it up past two vaulting box without Togedemaru's help." Kaito reminded bluntly.
That left the Electric Type user pale as he slumped down in his seat.
"That's true..." Sophocles groaned, causing Camilla to smile sheepishly before she turned to the Alola boy.
"You didn't have to be so blunt..." Camilla reminded sternly, only to get a shrug from the Alola boy.
"What are you glaring at me for? All I said was the truth..." Kaito shot back, causing the Queen of the Waves to twitch her eyes before she sighed. With the small quarrel dying down, the group took notice of Bounsweet bringing a cup of water for Ash to have!
"Hey, thanks, Bounsweet!" Ash spoke thankfully, as he took the cup from the Grass Type's head.
"Pika...!" Pikachu agreed, as Lillie shivered at Bounsweet being near her, before she smiled sweetly at Bounsweet, after understanding its intentions.
"Helping out at work, huh? What a sweet Pokémon!" Lillie praised softly, making the Fruit Pokémon blush in embarrassment before she accepted the praise. In response, she spun around, spreading Sweet Scent all over the place!
The two Rockruff, Snowy, Popplio, Vulpix, and Buizel all grew content at smelling the Sweet Scent, but no one was more content than Rowlet himself! The Grass Quill Pokémon as he slowly flew over to where Bounsweet was!
At seeing Rowlet though, the Fruit Pokémon immediately knocked Rowlet away! The small attack knocked Rowlet onto the ground, who still looked content by the sweet smell. Nevertheless, Bounsweet sighed, feeling satisfied with herself.
"Bounsweet's working, so you should stay out of the way..." Ash reminded sheepishly, before Kaito sighed.
"That's the same reaction that made our Pokémon separated from us, right? When Lana was showing us how Popplio improved her balloon skills." Kaito reminded, causing Ash and Lana to sweat drop at the reminder.
They clearly remembered on what caused the separation before they chuckled sheepishly together.
"Let's just hope the same thing doesn't happen again someday..." Lana said sheepishly, with Ash giving a nod of agreement.
Just then, everyone turned to see the Electric Type user sniffing before he began to drool, licking his lips in the process.
"Ah... That smells so good." Sophocles sighed in content, causing Hau to raise an eyebrow as he raised a conclusion of how Sophocles made a face like that.
"Uh, Sophocles...? Did that Sweet Scent from Bounsweet get to you, too?" Hau asked, as he, Kiawe, and Lana took a closer look at the Electric Type user, until Sophocles yelped, before protesting that it wasn't because of the Sweet Scent.
"N-NO WAY! I wasn't talking about Bounsweet!" Sophocles exclaimed, causing Lillie and Camilla to sweat drop while Ash and Kaito just watched with deadpanned expressions on their faces.
But at Sophocles smelling the air, the other students took in a delicious smell wafting to their direction! Even the Pokémon seemed to be content with the smell as they all grinned and sighed happily at the scent.
"That's from the kitchen..." Kiawe pointed out, with the Kanto Trainer agreeing.
"Yeah, you're right..." Ash agreed.
No one had noticed Pikachu walking into the kitchen, until the Electric Type user felt himself being picked up by Mallow! The Mouse Pokémon blinked in surprise, before Mallow made a small request for him to hear.
"Hey, Pikachu! Would you mind helping me?" Mallow asked, much to the Electric Type's confusion.
Back at the table, the group was still waiting until someone else came inside the restaurant!
"Hello there... Is there an empty table for me?" A boy called out. Everyone turned to see a boy coming in, which was someone they've never seen before.
The boy looked like a Trainer, judging by his outfit. He had an orange headband around his head, with white sunglasses above his head. He wore an orange sweatshirt with rainbow-like colors on both sides of the edge of his sleeve and his sweatshirt pocket, while wearing a white shirt underneath.
He wore blue shorts, with orange sneakers with the straps having the same rainbow-like colors like his sweatshirt did. On his left was a Rockruff! But what was strange about it, that unlike other Rockruff, this one had a strange gemstone on the center of its rock collar.
"Who's that?" Ash asked, only to get frowns as the others were unsure of who this boy was.
"Not sure... I've never seen him around Melemele Island." Lillie answered, with the others feeling the same.
"Same here..." was all Kaito needed to say before he questioned the boy who was coming.
"Um... Who are you?" Kaito asked, causing the boy to perk up before he grinned at the question.
"Who, me? Oh! I'm..." The boy started to say before electricity suddenly came out of the kitchen! Everyone turned in surprise to see electricity coming out of the kitchen, leaving them all to be surprised and worried on what was going on.
"What's going on in there!?" Ash exclaimed in shock as the others watched in concern.
(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, Vulpix, 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, Rowlet, and Vulpix, seeing Buizel and Pikachu sparring together, with Ash's Rockruff and Kaito's 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)
With the shocking over, everyone watched with widened eyes as they watched to see something coming out... That something being Mallow looking all burnt as she carried a pot out of the kitchen.
"Mallow, you're all burnt!" Lana pointed out in shock.
"Are you all right?" Lillie asked, causing Mallow to smile sheepishly before she answered.
"I'm fine, I'm fine... Here!" Mallow assured before she presented the stew she was making in the kitchen earlier.
"My legendary Alolan stew's all ready!" Mallow explained, causing everyone to look at the stew she had made just now.
"It's legendary!?" Kiawe gaped in disbelief, as Sophocles felt his hunger overtaking him even more.
"I could eat it all..." Sophocles breathed out while Hau's eyes shined, as he was content to know about the legendary stew the Grass Type user had created just now.
"Way to go, Mallow! Now I'm REALLY looking forward to this!" Hau exclaimed, with Ash having the same idea as the Kahuna's grandson.
"WHOA! Looks so good!" Ash exclaimed, looking like he was about to drool over on how the stew looked, thinking on how great it would taste right now.
"U-Um... Excuse me...?" The boy called out, catching everyone's attention. To their shock, the boy was twitching all over on the ground, looking burnt from the shock he seemed to have taken earlier, with his Rockruff groaning in pain.
"A-A little help here, please...?" The boy asked, before he puffed out smoke and fell unconscious.
"Oh my goodness...!" Lillie gasped as she and Camilla were the first to run over to the boy, with Kaito and Hau being the next to follow as they checked over the boy and his Puppy Pokémon.
"Someone get some water for him so that he can snap out of it!" Kaito called, allowing Lana to turn to Popplio for her assistance.
"Right! Popplio! Use Bubblebeam!" Lana called out, causing the Sea Lion Pokémon to nod before she shot bubbles onto both the boy and his Rockruff gently to bring their consciousness back, which seemed to have worked... by a lot.
"AH!"
"ROCKRUFF!?"
The two sputtered before they managed to get themselves back to their feet. The two of them shook their heads, getting the water off of their heads, before the Rockruff shook his body as well, to get the water off of his body.
"Ugh... That was cold..." The boy groaned as his Rockruff whimpered, feeling the same as the boy did.
"Are you okay?" Hau asked, causing the boy to shake his head again before he gave a big grin at the Pokémon School students.
"Ha... Yeah! I'm just fine! We're both fine! Right, Rockruff?" The boy assured, before he turned to his Puppy Pokémon.
"Rock Ruff!" Rockruff barked happily in agreement, having a big grin on his face as well.
"That was fast..." Camilla commented, seeing how well and how fast they recovered from the shock and splash they both had to take. The Kanto Trainer gave a sheepish smile to the boy, before rubbing the back of his head.
"Sorry about that... It looks like it was Pikachu's Thunderbolt that shocked you and Rockruff so bad..." Ash said apologetically, causing the boy to shake his head.
"No, no... It's fine. Is that the Pikachu on your shoulder?" The boy asked, pointing at the Electric Type, who climbed up on the Kanto Trainer's shoulder to give apologetic looks to both the boy and his Rock Type partner.
"Uh... yeah." Ash said, confused as to why he asked. At that moment, both the boy and Rockruff had their eyes shining like stars, as if they were amazed with seeing the Mouse Pokémon right in front of their eyes.
"SO COOL! So that's what a Pikachu looks like in real life!" The boy exclaimed, with Rockruff barking the same in excitement. That left the Pokémon School students sweat dropping, before they became bewildered of what they just heard.
"You mean... this is your first time on seeing a Pikachu?" Kaito asked, earning a nod from the boy.
"Mm hm! I heard about it back at home, but I never saw one in real life! And to see this with my own eyes, wow!" The boy exclaimed, as his Rockruff jumped up and down happily, while barking in content at the same time.
"His Rockruff sounds like it hasn't seen a Pikachu before with its own eyes as well..." Lana pointed out, before Mallow cleared her throat.
"Ahem! As much as we appreciate you being excited to see Ash's Pikachu, I would like everyone else to have a taste at my legendary Alolan stew! Do you want to join us?" Mallow asked, offering a seat for the boy.
At the offer, the boy blinked before he nodded with a grin.
"Oh, wow! Thanks! My name is Akira, by the way! Nice to meet you guys! And this here is my partner, Rockruff!"
"Rock! Rockruff Ruff!" The boy, now known as Akira exclaimed with a big grin, as his Rockruff barked happily, sounding as if it was introducing itself as well.
By that point, the Pokémon School students introduced themselves to the newcomer as well, allowing Akira and his Rock Type partner to slowly get to know them, as he was offered a seat to where Kaito, Camilla, and Hau were sitting at.
Meanwhile, Mallow had brought out the "legendary" Alolan stew that she introduced earlier before they all noticed Akira and his Puppy Pokémon looking quite shocked from the shock they had taken from Pikachu's Thunderbolt.
"Whoa... Looks delish!" Akira exclaimed, as he started to drool like Ash and Hau were. But Camilla and Kiawe knew better as they noticed something off about the stew, as the Fire Type user was the first to point it out.
"It's a little bit burnt..." Kiawe pointed out, while Camilla just folded her arms with a suspicious expression.
Mallow on the other hand, brought a large bowl of Pokémon food with different types of Berries for the group's Pokémon to enjoy, along with their new friend, Akira's Rockruff.
"And I made this one just for you! My special Pokémon food recipe!" Mallow declared, causing all the little Pokémon to cheer for their meal as the Trainers began their to devour their stew by taking a bite out of it!
"Wow, Mallow! THANKS!" Everyone called out before they all took one bite. But just as they did...
ZAP!
"AHHHHH!" Everyone screamed in shock as they were all shocked by electricity the moment their lips touched the stew on their spoons! When the shocking died away, everyone had their faces planted on the table, all groaning in shock.
"N-Not again..." Akira groaned, before his face fell on the table once more as Rotom floated over, surprised to see what happened to everyone.
"What happened!?" Rotom asked in surprise as Mallow grinned brightly, before she asked the group for how it tasted.
"Well? Surprised? Like it?" Mallow asked, feeling excited for the comments that could be positive. But instead of hearing the comments she wanted to hear, Camilla slowly rose her head up, eyes twitching from the shock she and the others had taken.
"M-Mallow... What was in this stew...? It shocked all of us at once..." Camilla asked, shaking from the paralysis she felt in her body. Not noticing the strain everyone was having in their body, the Grass Type user explained with a grin of what it was.
"See, the kick at the end makes you want to eat more, right? That bold and tingly aftertaste is what makes Alolan stew so legendary!" Mallow explained. As soon as she made the explanation, Lillie struggled to raise her head up with a sheepish smile.
"It's bold, all right..." Lillie agreed sheepishly, with Lana seemingly recognizing on what could've been bold and tingly.
"Like a Thunderbolt..." Lana added while getting her face up from the table.
At the Water Type user recognizing on what move could've shocked everyone, the Kanto Trainer remembered the shocking feeling as he gave a sheepish smile at the nostalgic feeling from the past.
"It... feels exactly like when I get zapped by Pikachu..." Ash groaned, having electricity spark a little from his mouth. At hearing his name, the Mouse Pokémon turned to see Ash and the others struggling to move from the aftertaste from the stew.
"H-Hold on... You mean to tell us that you... used Pikachu and...?" Kaito started to ask, allowing the Grass Type user to nod and explain.
"Yup! For a finishing touch, I added a pinch of Thunderbolt!" Mallow explained, recalling of when she requested Pikachu to help out with the stew.
Flashback
"All right, Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Mallow shouted out. Without wasting another second, the Electric Type shot his attack onto the stew, making electricity shock the stew, which would've been at the same time when the group had seen the Thunderbolt while they waited.
Flashback End
"Well... maybe I used a bigger pinch than I should..." Mallow added sheepishly, remembering on how much power Pikachu had used with the Thunderbolt.
"That wasn't a pinch, then... It was like a cup of Thunderbolt!" Hau pointed out, as he slapped his face several times to shake off the aftertaste he felt from that one bite from the Alolan stew.
"Mm... So tell us, what's in legendary Alolan stew?" Lillie asked, curious as to what the recipe was.
"Well... it's like this..." Mallow started to say before everyone heard the door opening. With everyone recovering from the shock they had taken from Pikachu's Thunderbolt, they turned to see Abe, who was Mallow's father, coming in.
"Hey! Welcome!" Abe called out as he walked in, with Mallow acknowledging her father's return.
"Dad!" Mallow exclaimed with a smile as Lillie greeted the man coming in.
"Good to see you again." Lillie said politely, with Akira turning to the man in confusion.
"That's Kitchen Girl's dad?" Akira asked with the spoon still in his mouth. The group sweat dropped at the name he had given to Mallow before Camilla raised a question to Mallow's father as to the reason why the stew was legendary.
"Why is the Alolan stew legendary, sir?" Camilla asked, causing Abe to think and recall as to why that is.
"Oh! Well why, you ask? Then, I'll tell you..." Abe started before he explained the past of why the Alolan stew became legendary.
"It was served long ago whenever there were festivals or ceremonies... Delicious! But the recipe had been forgotten over the ages." Abe explained, making the group awed by the story, with Ash commenting on how amazing it sounded.
"That IS legendary..." Ash breathed out, with Lana turning to Hau and Kiawe.
"Ever hear of it?" Lana asked, only to get shaking heads from the both of them.
"Never heard of it from Tutu or my dad..." Hau admitted, with Kiawe giving the same results.
"Yeah... That's a new one on me, too." Kiawe agreed, as Akira folded his arms.
"I just came to the Alola region hours ago, so I wouldn't know anything about it... But now that I think about it, how did you came up with it if the recipe was forgotten long ago? And what's with you adding a Thunderbolt...?" Akira asked, still feeling bitter from the aftertaste.
Sweat dropping from the annoyed expression Akira was giving off, the Grass Type user started to explain of how she was able to try making it again.
"Well, for the recipe... it's from this!" Mallow explained, as she revealed a recipe book for everyone to see.
"What's that?" Ash asked, with Mallow explaining.
"A cookbook with the Alolan stew recipe! My older brother sent it to me!" Mallow explained, allowing Lana to remember of who Mallow's brother was.
"You told me about him... Isn't he on a journey to learn about cooking?" Lana asked, earning a nod from the Grass Type user.
"Yeah! He said the recipe for Alolan stew was in an old manuscript he found while traveling. So he made a copy for me. Isn't that sweet?" Mallow explained, with Lillie starting to agree with her.
"What a nice brother..." Lillie commented before Akira gave a bitter reminder about the Thunderbolt part.
"That's nice and everything, but what about the recipe? Sure, you made the stew and vegetables look like they're the same deal, but what about the aftertaste? I assume that was when the Thunderbolt did this...?" Akira asked.
At that point, Akira's Rockruff stopped eating with his new friends to stand next to his Trainer, as he was also curious as to what the Thunderbolt was all about.
"Mm hm... I was actually supposed to add Yellow Nectar as the final touch for the stew! You need it to make sure it gets done just right. Yellow Nectar is the magic ingredient that leaves a real shocking aftertaste." Mallow explained, causing both Akira and his Rockruff to cock their heads in confusion.
"Wait... so the Yellow Nectar was the reason for this? Then what was that Thunderbolt about...?" Akira asked, until Kaito corrected the newcomer of why it couldn't have been the Yellow Nectar.
"It can't be from the Yellow Nectar. Because the nectar isn't in season, so you shouldn't be able to get any... And she just said recently that she used Pikachu's Thunderbolt to make the tasting be well... shocking." Kaito explained.
"Right! That's the reason I tried using a Thunderbolt as a substitute!" Mallow explained, only to get criticized by the Fire Type user for her hasty decision.
"It makes no sense! No sense at all! Thunderbolt!? I mean, come on... What kind of an idea is that?" Kiawe asked irritatingly, causing the Grass Type user to sweat drop at the negative comment while Hau sighed.
"So much for the delicious legendary stew... I was so looking forward to the taste." Hau groaned, while putting his hands on the back of his head.
"I'm sorry, you guys... I wanted to perfect it and make it the signature dish for my family's restaurant, but..." Mallow started to say while taking the unfinished bowls away before she looked to see Bounsweet hopping into her arms.
At feeling her Grass Type partner comforting her, the Grass Type user smiled and nodded in agreement, as if she understood as to what the Fruit Pokémon had said to her just now.
"You're right! Let's keep trying until we perfect it!" Mallow agreed, causing the Fruit Pokémon to let out a cry of agreement. But just as the two promised together to try harder, Sophocles called for seconds by revealing his now empty bowl!
"I want seconds!" Sophocles called out, catching everyone by surprise as they all turned to the Electric Type user. Sophocles' mouth was crackling a little with electricity, but the face he was giving off seemed to be more than satisfied as he grinned with how the electrified stew had tasted just now.
"It's so tasty! The zapped flavor makes it spicy. My mouth is wired with great taste!"
"Togedemaru!" Sophocles explained brightly while Togedemaru made a cry of agreement. Nevertheless, everyone else except Mallow were still bewildered with how well Sophocles had eaten despite of the shocking aftertaste it had...
"Is he serious...?" Akira asked in disbelief, with Lana remembering what Sophocles said before.
"Skipping lunch can do amazing things..." Lana commented, before Abe offered to make something for the group, catching their attention.
"Say! I'll cook something up for you guys. How about that? It's on the house!" Abe offered, causing Mallow to sweat drop at the offer her father was making, before the students and Akira all turned to the man in surprise.
"Really?! It's on the house!?" Hau exclaimed in excitement, causing the man to chuckle at the expression the kahuna's grandson was giving off.
"Sure! I've got a reputation to live up to!" Abe answered, causing the students and Akira to all cheer for having another chance at eating delicious food, as did their Pokémon, as they cheered for being allowed to eat more Pokémon food.
Rotom on the other hand, seem bewildered to hear more food coming to the students and Pokémon's mouth.
"You're eating again!?" Rotom buzzed in disbelief as everyone was served Abe's dishes this time. This time, unlike the bitter taste they had from Mallow's attempt at creating the Alolan stew, they were able to taste the delicious flavors from Abe's cooking this time.
"Yeah! Time to eat!" The students all exclaimed together.
Later...
By the time the group were finished eating together, with Akira and his Rockruff joining in on the fun, the sun had begun to set by the time they were ready to part with one another.
"Thanks for all the food!" Everyone called out, as they were ready to leave. Kaito, Hau, Camilla, Kiawe, Lana, Lillie, Sophocles, and Mallow were ready to leave as Akira joined the Alola boy, as the newcomer requested Kaito for something later.
"Thank you, too!" Mallow said gratefully, content to hear her friends and the newcomer happy for how her family restaurant's food tasted.
"My tummy's very happy..." Sophocles sighed, causing Kaito to raise an eyebrow at him.
"That's because you and Ash ate more than the rest of us did..." Kaito reminded bluntly, before Abe said his goodbye to the Pokémon School students and the newcomer.
"Careful on your way home, guys!" Abe called out, causing everyone to nod to his words.
"Right!" They all said before Kiawe got onto his Charizard, ready to take off home. Camilla got on with him, as her home was on the same island as his was.
"See you!"
"See you all tomorrow." Kiawe and Camilla said their farewells to the others, with Lillie being the first to say the farewell back.
"See you at school!" Lillie said before she began to head back to where her car was waiting.
"Bye-bye!" Lana called out as she and Sophocles headed to different directions. Kaito and Akira were the last ones to make their leave before they headed to where Kaito's home was. As they were walking, Akira explained of where he was headed for.
"Hey, by the way... do you know where Uncle Kukui lives in? That's where I was supposed to go before I came to Kitchen Girl's family restaurant." Akira asked, catching Kaito's attention as he raised an eyebrow at the newcomer.
"Uncle? Are you related to Prof. Kukui somehow?" Kaito asked, earning a small grin from the newcomer.
"Yep! I come from a different region where there aren't THAT many Pokémon around. So I was hoping to learn from Uncle Kukui to know what Pokémon really is and what they really are to the people of the Alola region!" Akira explained as he stood on top of a rock.
"Rock! Rockruff!" Akira's Rockruff barked in agreement, before he stood proudly next to his Trainer.
"If you want to know about Pokémon, then how is it that you already know about Rockruff? In fact, how did you become a Trainer...?" Kaito asked, causing the newcomer to jump off the rock before he explained, recalling of his first meeting with Rockruff.
"Hm... If I were to put it this way... I'd say it happened about a year ago when I was at my hometown, trying to see a battle going on between two Trainers..." Akira explained, as he started to recall of the past that happened a year ago...
Flashback
"Ah... If I don't make it now, I won't be able to see even the ending of it! Gotta hurry, gotta hurry!" Akira yelped as he tried to pick up the pace to where his town's battlefield was, so that he was able to see what kind of Pokémon battle was going on there.
But as he was getting there, there was a rumbling noise which caught him off track as he screeched to a stop.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What the...? What's with the shaking!?" Akira yelped as he staggered to keep himself balanced on his feet. As soon as he asked, he noticed smoke coming out from somewhere that wasn't too far from where he was.
"Wait... That place... It's coming from the shopping district!?" Akira exclaimed in worry before he ran over to where his hometown's shopping district was. But as soon as he got there, he widened his eyes in shock.
The district looked like it was run over, with some of the stands knocked down and ruined! People looked like they were panicking or troubled by the cause of the mess, while some were yelling and retreating from the partially ruined shopping district.
"What happened...?" Akira breathed out in disbelief before he took notice of something clashing up ahead! Running over, he widened his eyes to see two Pokémon fighting against each other!
One looked like an elderly dragon that looked like it was giving one heck of a fight. The other Pokémon was Rockruff, who was struggling to be a match against the elderly dragon Pokémon.
"What's going on!? Why are these two fighting!?" Akira asked, turning to one of the shopping district's shop's owner.
"Oh, Akira... These two Pokémon... They clashed together for some reason when that Pokémon, Drampa, started acting weird on its own! That Rockruff over there looks like it's trying to stop it, but..." The shop owner explained with worry in his eyes.
Akira blinked, turning to the dragon Pokémon that seemed to be called Drampa, before he set his eyes onto Rockruff, who continued to put up a struggle despite the numerous wounds all over his body!
The angry Drampa roared, unleashing a devastating attack that blew Rockruff all the way into the air! Everyone watching the scene watched in shock while Akira kept his eyes widened before he watched the Rockruff growl, before it launched an attack while still in mid-air.
The Rock Throw attack struck Drampa, causing it to wince before it fell onto its side, seemingly taking serious damage from the Rock Type attack it had taken just now.
"Whoa... That was a nice hit." Akira breathed out in awe, before he watched the wounded Puppy Pokémon land on the ground, growling with its teeth baring!
Flashback End
(KH 2.5: Friends in My Heart OST)
"Ever since I saw Rockruff battling against that Drampa, I just knew that I needed to help him out. By doing that, we were able to win our first battle together as a team! Isn't that right?" Akira asked with a big grin.
"Ruff! Rockruff!" Akira's Rockruff barked happily, before it looked to see Vulpix playing with Kaito's Rockruff, making Akira's Rockruff excited as he ran over to join the two in their game, allowing the three to play with each other while Buizel remained on Kaito's shoulder.
"So after Rockruff and I became friends... I decided to become a Pokémon Trainer, so that we can travel around the world together and learn more about Pokémon that we may not have seen before... so that we can also become strong together at the same time!" Akira explained.
Listening to the story and explanation from the newcomer, the Alola boy gave a small smile, coming to an understanding of what Akira wanted to do.
"So... is the Alola region one of the places you wanted to travel in so you could learn more about Pokémon and to know what they really mean to people and life?" Kaito asked, earning a nod from the newcomer.
"Yeah... It may sound weird, but it's definitely something that I want to know before Rockruff and I aim to become the strongest together! That's my second goal in life as a Pokémon Trainer." Akira admitted, before he watched his partner play with two of Kaito's Pokémon.
"I see... It doesn't sound weird at all. That actually sounds kind of great. You'd get to know many Pokémon and you'd be able to travel around in many different places, which could be places that are old and new..." Kaito admitted, assuring to his new friend that it was a great goal to have.
"Heh... Thanks." Akira chuckled with a thankful look before an idea came to his mind.
(End OST)
"Say! That gives me an idea! Kaito, you're a Trainer too, right?" Akira asked, catching Kaito by surprise before he raised an eyebrow, knowing what the newcomer was going to ask of him.
"Let me guess... You're challenging me to a battle?" Kaito asked, causing the newcomer to grin sheepishly.
"Aw... You knew?" Akira asked, causing the Alola boy to shrug and shake his head.
"It was pretty obvious, thanks to the question you were asking me with... But if that's what you were asking, then I accept your challenge." Kaito explained, causing the newcomer to pump his fist in the air, feeling excited about their battle already.
"ALRIGHT! Rockruff, we have our first Trainer Battle in Alola already!" Akira called out, causing Rockruff to turn to his Trainer, before he barked happily as he joined his Trainer's side to face Kaito and his Pokémon team.
Rockruff and Vulpix both realized what was going on before they joined the Alola boy and the Sea Weasel Pokémon to prepare for the battle that was about to happen as the boys made some distance from each other to begin the battle.
"Okay, then! Let's get started! Rockruff, you're in charge!" Akira called out, causing the Rock Type to bark happily before he got in front of his Trainer to face his opponent, as the Alola boy narrowed his eyes.
"Just like me... He has a Rockruff. A Rock Type that is weak to a Water Type like Buizel, but has an advantage over Fire Types like Vulpix... I could go for Buizel, but... judging by his expression... I can only think that Akira has a way to counter a type disadvantage battle..." Kaito thought carefully before he blinked.
"Wait... Akira... You said that this was your first Trainer Battle in the Alola region, right?" Kaito asked, causing Akira to blink in confusion before he nodded in affirmation, while scratching the back of his head.
"Uh... Yeah? This is my first time and Rockruff's first time in a REAL Pokémon battle... against a Trainer, that is! We only battled against wild Pokémon back in our hometown... which usually ended up in our losses..." Akira explained sheepishly.
That statement nearly caused Kaito to fall over with a sweat drop, as did Buizel and Rockruff. Vulpix just cocked her head in confusion as the Alola boy twitched his eyes, bewildered at hearing what he just heard.
"S-Seriously...? Well, in that case... Rockruff! Would you mind doing the honors?" Kaito asked, causing the scarred Rock Type to bark in determination as he ran up in front of the Alola boy to face his fellow Rock Type.
By the time the Pokémon were sent out, both boys lost their funny expressions, replacing them with determined or serious expressions instead.
"Oh man, oh man! This is so exciting! A Rockruff VS Rockruff battle! This should be interesting!" Akira exclaimed as the battle began with Kaito making the first move.
Akira: Rockruff VS Kaito: Rockruff
"It will be interesting as it goes on. We'll make the first move! Rockruff, start by using Crunch!" Kaito shouted out, causing his Rock Type to lunge towards Akira's with his fangs baring! The newcomer blinked before he called for a countermove.
"Crunch, huh? In that case! We'll counter with Bite!" Akira shouted out. The move weaker than Crunch being called out caught the Alola by surprise as he watched to see the scarred Rockruff use Crunch onto the peculiar Rockruff!
The stronger Dark Type attack made a bigger impact onto the peculiar Rock Type, who yelped in pain before he resisted as he bit onto the scarred Rockruff, causing him to wince before the scarred Rock Type threw his opponent off of him.
The two Rock Types jumped back to where their Trainers stood as Kaito frowned.
"He used Bite to counter...? But Crunch has much more power than Bite... What is he trying to do from that weaker attack?" Kaito thought before he heard Akira calling out the next attack to make the hit.
"Now, use Rock Throw!" Akira shouted out, causing the peculiar Rock Type to howl before he shot sharp rocks to where Kaito's Rockruff stood, who braced himself for the impact until the Alola boy called for a countermove.
"Don't think that'll work! Use Rock Slide!" Kaito exclaimed. At the order, the scarred Puppy Pokémon howled before boulders crashed down, negating Rock Throw and smashing Akira's Rockruff away!
The wounded Puppy Pokémon tumbled away, before growling at Kaito's Rockruff. It's as if the peculiar Rock Type was asking for more! The scarred Rock Type blinked in surprise for a moment before he growled back.
"He took that well... Rockruff, use Dig!" Kaito exclaimed, catching Akira's attention as he blinked.
"They can use Dig as well?" Akira asked in surprise as the scarred Rock Type dug underground, before knocking the peculiar Rock Type into the air with the super effective attack!
The peculiar Rock Type yelled in surprise before he tumbled onto the ground again. But immediately after he did so, the peculiar Puppy Pokémon quickly recovered from the fall as he growled at Kaito's Rockruff again.
Akira just watched with a serious expression, as if he was trying to read Kaito's strategy as the Alola boy frowned.
"What is Akira doing? He's not calling for a counterattack? With Rock Slide and Dig dealing a lot of damage to his Rockruff, he should've at least tried calling for a counterattack to try and turn things around! But he didn't say anything... Why?" Kaito thought seriously.
Then, remembering the situation he was in, he shook his head before he got ready to attack again.
"No... I can't think about Akira now. This is a Pokémon battle... a battle where the Trainers don't hold back and strike with everything they've got, with strategies in their mind!" Kaito thought before he called for a power boost.
"Howl, Rockruff!" was all the Alola boy needed to say before his scarred Puppy Pokémon howled to gain more physical strength! Despite of that, Akira remained watching with the same expression before he called for an attack move.
"Use Rock Throw!" Akira exclaimed, causing his peculiar Rock Type to send more sharp rocks to where Kaito's Rockruff stood.
"That move again? Use Rock Slide!" Kaito shouted out, allowing his scarred Rock Type to negate Rock Throw once more and strike at Akira's Rockruff hard, causing the opponent to howl in pain before he managed to get back up again!
"It's getting tougher... Now, use Bite!" Akira shouted out, confusing the Alola boy even more as he watched the peculiar Rock Type bite onto the scarred Rock Type's body with the Dark Type attack, making Kaito's Rockruff wince in pain from the attack.
"Counter with Crunch!" Kaito exclaimed, causing the scarred Rock Type to throw his opponent into the air with the stronger Dark Type attack!
"Ah!" Akira spoke out in surprise as the Alola boy was ready to make the finishing touch.
"Let's wrap this up! Use-" Kaito started to say, until...
SLASH!
Something got in between the two Rockruff, causing them to be both knocked away! Both boys widened their eyes in surprise, as did both Buizel and Vulpix, as they both widened their eyes for what they've seen just now.
"Rockruff!" Both boys exclaimed as they ran over to check their Rock Types. Both of them managed to recover from the surprise blow they nearly felt when the attack got in between them as they growled to whoever launched the attack.
"Ooh... Missed by a hair. No matter... This time, I won't miss!" A familiar voice cackled, catching Kaito's attention. Turning to where the voice was coming from, the Alola boy turned to where there was a man standing with a familiar Pokémon.
To his surprise, he widened his eyes at who the man was.
"You...! You're that man that tried to knock me out before the Pokémon Festival Tournament!" Kaito exclaimed as the man sneered.
"Heh! I'm flattered that you remember me, kid! The name is Dulio, and I've been ordered to take you down!" The man, now known as Dulio exclaimed, causing Kaito to grit his teeth in annoyance while Akira made an irritated face.
"HEY! We were in the middle of a battle here! So scram, mister!" Akira protested, as he stomped on the ground several times, while Rockruff barked as well, agreeing with what his Trainer was saying.
"Shut up, you little brat! X-Scissor!" Dulio snapped, causing his Pokémon to launch itself into the air and aim to slash at the boys! The boys jump out of the way, with the same going for their Pokémon as Kaito widened his eyes at the Pokémon that made the attack.
"A Golisopod... It looks just like the one that challenged me, Buizel, and Rockruff back at the Undersea Ruins..." Kaito breathed out as he got ready to fight, with the same going for his three Pokémon.
"Get ready, kid with the Gauntlet! I'm going to enjoy roughing you up until I get to take you to the Boss! Golisopod, X-Scissor!" Dulio yelled, allowing the evolved Pokémon to jump up in the air and strike to where Kaito was standing at!
"W-What!? Buizel, Aqua Jet! Rockruff, Rock Slide!" Kaito exclaimed, immediately ordering a counterattack.
At the call, the Sea Weasel Pokémon clashed with Golisopod with the Water Type attack before the scarred Rock Type howled, calling for boulders! The Rock Type attack knocked the Hard Scale Pokémon away.
"Now, Vulpix! Use Ember!" Kaito added, allowing the young Fox Pokémon to shoot fireballs at Golisopod, causing the evolved Water-Bug Type to take a few steps back, wincing in pain from the hits it had taken so far.
"Tch... Not bad, but not good enough! Use Razor Shell!" Dulio yelled, causing the Hard Scale Pokémon to reveal two sharp shells to use as it lunged to where the boys were, along with their Pokémon!
"Not good!" Kaito exclaimed as he got ready to use the Sea Gauntlet, while his Pokémon were ready to fight, with the same going for Akira and his peculiar Puppy Pokémon. But just before anyone else could counter Golisopod's incoming attack...
ZAP!
The boys and Dulio were all widening their eyes, as well as the Pokémon that were involved in the mess. What blocked Golisopod's Razor Shell attack... was the Thunderclap Wanderer using its Thunder Punch attack to block and negate it!
(Zeraora's Theme (The Power of Us))
"Whoa! Who's that Pokémon!?" Akira exclaimed as Kaito breathed out the title belonging to the Thunderclap Pokémon.
"The Thunderclap Wanderer... It's here again. Just like those other times..." Kaito breathed out, catching Akira's attention as Dulio gritted his teeth in frustration as he pointed at the Wanderer who got in his way of his task.
"What the heck...!? Get out of my way, you freak! My business is with the kid and his Gauntlet, not you!" Dulio demanded angrily, irritating the Thunderclap Wanderer as it powered up its Thunder Punch attack before slamming Golisopod away!
The power from the Wanderer surprised the three humans witnessing this, as Golisopod tumbled back, before regaining its footing on the ground.
"Why you...! So you want to fight and get in my way, eh!? Fine! After I finish you, the kid is next! Golisopod, Swords Dance!" Dulio yelled, allowing Golisopod to raise its power level before switching for an attack.
"Now, use Liquidation!" Dulio exclaimed, causing Golisopod to knock the Thunderclap Pokémon into the air with a burst of water, shocking the boys as they watched the Wanderer get hit hard by the attack.
"Oh no!" Kaito exclaimed until he noticed the Wanderer having the determination remain on its face before it glared to where Golisopod stood. At making the perfect timing for a counterattack, the Thunderclap Wanderer shot electricity from its paw!
The move shocked Golisopod, causing it to roar in pain and surprise Dulio, who didn't expect a counterattack while the opponent was in mid-air.
Both boys gasped at the quick counterattack and recovery the Wanderer has made before it fell on the ground on its feet, growling at the enemy who was shocked by the counterattack the Wanderer had performed just now.
"Say what!? Golisopod!" Dulio exclaimed as he watched his Hard Scale Pokémon fall on one knee, causing him to grit his teeth.
"Damn it! Even with Swords Dance and Liquidation, it's still not strong enough to take down that Electric freak! And with the way that Gauntlet brat fought back with his three Pokémon... Tch! I'm completely outnumbered here!" Dulio thought angrily.
Taking out Golisopod's Pokéball, the angry man returned his Pokémon before accepting his defeat for today.
"You brats just got lucky because of the Wanderer freak! The next time we meet, there will be nothing getting in my... No... Team Kings' way!" Dulio snapped before he threw a smoke bomb on the ground, causing the boys to lose sight of their attacker!
(End OST)
"Stop!" Kaito demanded, but it proved to be futile. By the time the smoke finally cleared away, Dulio was already gone out of sight. The Wanderer just growled, before it shook its head, calming itself down before it glanced to where the boys and their Pokémon stood.
"What was with that guy...? Jerk. Coming here to take us down while interrupting our battle at the same time... That guy had some major problems there!" Akira grumbled, grumbling for how his first Trainer battle didn't go so well because of the rude interruption.
Kaito on the other hand, remained silent as he narrowed his eyes from what Dulio had said before he made his quick retreat.
"He said something about Team Kings..." Kaito breathed out, making Buizel frown in worry while Rockruff glared to where the man had disappeared off to. Vulpix shivered, having a bad feeling about what could come for her human father and the rest of her family.
While the Alola boy and his Pokémon were thinking of what occurred just now, Kaito blinked at remembering about who came to the rescue again as he stood back up to say his thanks to the Thunderclap Wanderer.
"Oh! H-Hey... Thanks for helping-!" Kaito started to say before he widened his eyes. Where the Thunderclap Wanderer had once stood... it was no longer in his sight.
"What the...? Where did it go?" Kaito asked, causing Akira and his peculiar Puppy Pokémon to look around and see where their savior was before it went missing.
"It got away fast... Who was that Pokémon, Kaito?" Akira asked, making the Alola boy narrow his eyes and bite his lips before he responded to the question.
"A savior that saved me so many times... but I don't know the exact name of that Pokémon. What I want to know is... what's that Pokémon's deal with me? And... what in the world really happened today...?" Kaito responded before he asked another question.
With everything crazy going on, such as Akira appearing today, Dulio attacking him out of nowhere, and with the Wanderer coming to his rescue again... it's as if the Alola boy was never meant to have a normal life now, now that time started to move on.
As Kaito struggled to think of one answer for one problem to another, Zeraora stood on a tree branch not too far from where it was recently after saving Kaito again from the man that tried to capture him alive.
Narrowing its eyes, it recalled as to who Dulio was before it scoffed in annoyance at the situation that seemed to have grown worse.
Pokémon POV
"So those humans made their move... And sooner than I thought they would. This is only going to make things more difficult than I thought it would..." Zeraora thought before it heard rustling from behind it as it glared to where the rustling was coming from.
"Who's there?" Zeraora growled, until an unknown figure came out of the bushes, revealing itself to the Thunderclap Pokémon, who blinked before it narrowed its eyes, recognizing the one who came right to it.
"It's you..." Zeraora breathed out, as he stared at the unknown figure's eyes. The figure just stared back, its eyes looking like as if it wanted to say something to the Thunderclap Pokémon.
"..."
End POV
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 36: The Mysterious Trainer Named Tokio!
Chapter 37: The Training to Battle a Mythical!
Chapter 38: A Mythical and Guardian's Challenge!
Chapter 39: Off to Treasure Island! Kaito and Ash!
Chapter 40: It's a Tough Task! A Scared Eevee!?
Next chapter preview:
Boy: So... you're Kaito Shirogane? And you're Akira... I find myself quite interested in the two of you for some reason...
Akira: Creepy... Just who are you? You don't look like you live around here... especially with the way you look.
Tokio: Oh, that's right. My name is Tokio! And my goal... is to see a Pokémon's full potential when they're in battle.
Kaito: When they're in battle? Just what are you trying to say? You're not planning to do something bad to them, are you?
Hau: H-Hey... This guy here is kinda giving me the creeps... And what is that Pokémon he has with him!?
Kaito: I've got a bad feeling about this... His way of battling and his way of allowing his Pokémon to take hits...
Events that occurred:
- The group meets Akira, who is Prof. Kukui's nephew and his Rockruff
- Akira challenges Kaito to a battle, which gets interrupted by a man named Dulio
- Kaito and Akira briefly learn about Team Kings
- Akira meets Zeraora for the first time