Chapter 38: A Mythical and Guardian's Challenge!
Last time on "Pokémon Alola Journey", Kaito and Ash were having a battle against two students of the Pokémon School. While the Kanto Trainer looked like he was having the time of his life, the Alola boy looked rather serious...
Akira, Hau, and Lana were aware of why that is, due to Kaito's near loss against Tokio and his mysterious Pokémon Type: Null. As the boys wins their battles with the Normal Type Z-Moves, Ash wishes to become stronger as he wishes to challenge Tapu Koko.
For Kaito, he decides to challenge the Thunderclap Wanderer to a Pokémon battle so that he would remember the things he may have done with the Wanderer in the past. In his mind, he knew that he shared a connection with the Wanderer.
At that point, Sophocles offered to help the boys train by allowing them to come with him to his house. But while Ash went with the Electric Type user, the Alola boy first challenged the Wanderer out loud in the woods, where he didn't know that Hau and Camilla had followed him out of worry.
But as Kaito left with his Pokémon, Zeraora revealed itself as it had accepted the battle challenge from Kaito the moment the Alola boy declared the challenge.
For the Alola boy, he joined up with his two friends at Sophocles' home, until Sophocles came up with an idea to use a training wheel for Ash and Kaito to use with all their Pokémon! With the preparations done, the small training began with the wheel starting to move.
"Give it everything you've got, gang!" Rotom buzzed, as the boys continued their run.
"We're fine! Speed it up!" Ash panted as he kept running. Kaito followed suit as the speed of the wheel began to increase little by little. The Pokémon were all having no problem... that is, except for Rowlet, who was more used to flying than running.
"Come on... Keep up the pressure! If I'm going to solve my mysteries, then my Pokémon and I... We'll have to push our limits together in the trials we'll have to face!" Kaito thought as he continued to pick up the pace.
At that point, the speed began to increase, making it a bit harder for everyone inside the wheel to keep running while picking up the pace. Rowlet was the first one to drop out as he couldn't keep up with the speed!
The moment he slowed down, he was just bouncing up and down on the wheel, unable to run with the speed the wheel was going at. Sophocles and Rotom checked the data to see how well everyone was doing... everyone except for Rowlet, that is.
"This is going great!" Sophocles commented, while the Rotom Pokédex took notice of the effort everyone seemed to be pulling off, for those that were still able to run inside the training wheel.
"Their stats are climbing up fast!" Rotom buzzed as the training continued on until Ash's Rockruff dropped out while saving Rowlet! Togedemaru was the next one to drop out, followed by Vulpix, and the next one being Kaito's Rockruff.
Ash, Kaito, Pikachu, and Buizel were still running despite of the training wheel speed starting to increase little by little!
"Hanging in, Pikachu!?" Ash panted as he kept running.
"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed as he continued running, as the Alola boy looked next to him to see the Sea Weasel Pokémon starting to pant a little, despite of the fact that he was still running.
"Hey, Bui! How are you feeling? Still pumped up?" Kaito asked, causing Buizel to smirk in amusement at his human brother before he responded back with a determined "Bui", while continuing to pick up the pace.
But as the training wheel's speed continued increasing, so did the boys and their starters' speed and determination! By the time the training wheel's speed was going higher and higher, Sophocles took notice of his gauges starting to rise to the top!
Alerting noises came from the device as the Electric Type user blinked before he gaped at the results that was coming out.
"Ah! My gauges are going haywire!" Sophocles exclaimed as the boys continued running. But while they were doing so, both Ash and Pikachu began to glow together a little with golden light, with Ash's Z-Ring glowing as well, thanks to the Electrium-Z!
The same went for Kaito and Buizel, only that their glowing light were light blue, as the Sea Gauntlet began to glow as well, along with the Waterium-Z that was attached to it.
"No! Your gauges are right!" Rotom buzzed in shock, causing Sophocles to widen his eyes in disbelief.
"But, then that would mean..." Sophocles started to say before he turned to see his two friends glowing together with their Pokémon partners!
"Turn it all the way UP!" Both boys shouted out together, the same going for Pikachu and Buizel as they continued to pick up the pace! As the light began to glow brighter and brighter, everyone watched in shock to see what was about to happen.
"Oh no!"
"Oh YES!"
Before anyone else could react, the training wheel exploded! It knocked both Ash and Kaito away by surprise, the same going for both Buizel and Pikachu, as they were stunned from the small explosion they got caught up on.
Meanwhile...
Tapu Koko perked its head up to see two bright lights: one being golden and the other being light-blue. At feeling the energy, the Melemele Guardian knew what that light must've meant... it's by the power from Z-Power.
At the forest...
Zeraora perked its head up at feeling a powerful wave of energy passing through it just now as it climbed up on a tree, before getting on the top to see two lights disappearing together slowly, causing it to narrow its eyes.
"Those lights..." Zeraora breathed out before it jumped off the tree to stealthily take a closer look on what it had seen just now.
Back to the boys...
The rest of Ash and Kaito's Pokémon, along with Togedemaru were all gaping in shock and disbelief for what they had seen just now from Kaito and Ash's training with Buizel and Pikachu!
Sophocles and Rotom were doing the same until the Rotom Pokédex panicked of what happened to the training wheel.
"HOW COULD YOU BOTH!?" Rotom buzzed loudly, causing Kaito to shake his head and get his hair back to normal, with the same going for the Sea Weasel Pokémon before they puffed out smoke.
The Kanto Trainer and the Mouse Pokémon did the same as Ash questioned as to what happened just now.
"Uh... Anybody know what just happened?" Ash asked, unsure of what he and Kaito had done just now with their starter friends. The Alola boy rubbed the back of his head as Sophocles checked the data that his screen had shown.
"Impossible! I've never seen a number this high! Hey, guys! What were you doing?" Sophocles asked, as if he was amazed with everything that happened so far with his training wheel exploding due to the high amount of energy it gained from the boys.
"Honestly...? Beats me. But... I think I just had some kind of breakthrough! You wanna give it another go?" Ash asked, his smile coming up to his face again. The Alola boy stood up and dusted himself off, before he gave a small glare at Ash.
"Uh... let's not. What just happened should be enough." Kaito reminded, earning a sheepish look from the Kanto Trainer. Buizel and Pikachu smiled at each other before they were all approached by Sophocles' parents.
"What's going on out here?" Sophocles' mom asked, causing the boys and Pokémon to turn and see the mother and father coming to their way. They seemed to have heard the commotion, judging by their surprised looks.
At them approaching, Togedemaru happily jumped into Sophocles' mom's arms, before the mother noticed to see both Ash and Kaito looking rather roughed up by the explosion they were caught up in.
"Look at the both of you! You're both filthy!" Sophocles' mom pointed out in surprise, causing Kaito to sweat drop at the blunt comment.
"You all right?" Sophocles' dad asked, until the son grinned happily for the new experience he learned today from his friends.
"I've just had my first breakthrough discovery at Sophocles Laboratory!" Sophocles exclaimed happily, causing the mother and father to cock their heads in confusion, with the same going for Togedemaru.
While the Electric Type user was going on about how his discovery seemed to amazed him, no one had taken notice of Zeraora watching from above at the rooftop on Sophocles' house as it raised an eyebrow in amusement.
"So... the energy I felt before was due to this? Kai and his friends... They must've produced some sort of energy to take me by surprise." Zeraora thought before a small smile crept up to its face.
"Interesting... Now I'm really starting to look forward to this..." Zeraora thought before it jumped off the roof, but not before leaving a little electricity as it made its way back to the forest.
But before it did so, Kaito gave one glance to where the Thunderclap Pokémon was standing at as he blinked to where he had seen a little of electricity disappear before it was completely gone.
Blinking in surprise, the Alola boy gave a small smile.
"So it was watching us for a moment..." Kaito thought before he looked down at his Sea Weasel Pokémon chatting with the rest of his Pokémon, along with Ash's three Pokémon and Togedemaru.
The next day...
Kaito, Ash, and Sophocles met up with the others the next day after the class was on lunch break. The others were eager to know what had occurred in Kaito and Ash's training with Sophocles helping them out.
"So, you three... Had any breakthroughs at the Sophocles Laboratory?" Kiawe asked, with the Electric Type user being the one to answer.
"A major breakthrough! Both Ash and Kai do great with intense physical activity!" Sophocles explained, causing Mallow to smile knowingly.
"I'd expect that." Mallow commented, with Lana agreeing with a nod.
"So, does this mean the two of you have plans when you both battle against Tapu Koko and the Thunderclap Wanderer separately?" Camilla asked, causing the Kanto Trainer to nod as he began to explain.
"Yep! We've got a great plan for Tapu Koko! Whaddaya say, buddy?" Ash asked, turning to his Electric Type partner. But as he looked, he noticed to see his Mouse Pokémon struggling to get the affectionate Roly-Poly Pokémon off of him...
Sweat dropping at the struggle Pikachu was having, the Kanto Trainer gave a chuckle before he scratched his cheek.
"Uh... It's not a good time." Ash sheepishly replied, causing the other classmates to smile or chuckle at the simple response the Kanto Trainer had gave out before Lillie smiled, knowing that it may sound great for her two friends.
"It sounds like a good thing." Lillie commented, before Sophocles pointed out the new discovery he gained from the training wheel exercise.
"And I got some really cool data out of it!" Sophocles added, causing Hau to put his hands on the back of his head before he grinned at his two friends.
"Woo! Looks like you're both eager to battle the Island Guardian and the Thunderclap Wanderer, huh?" Hau asked with a grin, causing Kaito to nod back.
"Yeah... I just hope that it was enough to give them a good battle at least. I've seen how those two battle before, but... this is practically going up against one of them. Ash will be battling Tapu Koko, and I'll be facing the Wanderer." Kaito reminded with a sheepish smile.
"Don't be so negative, Kai. You'll do great! I'm sure of it! Win or lose, the best thing you and your Pokémon can do is give the Thunderclap Wanderer a great battle. It's nothing that serious, right?" Lana assured softly.
"You're right... I guess I shouldn't try to be so... frantic?" Kaito started to say before he struggled to pick the right word at the end. That caused the others to chuckle again before Pikachu's ears perked up.
The other Pokémon turned to the Mouse Pokémon in confusion before electricity sparked a little in Pikachu's cheeks! Widening his eyes, the Mouse Pokémon called out to everyone before he ran outside of the classroom.
Surprised by this, Togedemaru was the first to follow, followed by Buizel, Eevee, Steenee, Pichu, Vulpix, Snowy, and the three Rockruff! Rowlet also followed with Popplio, as everyone turned to see the Pokémon leaving.
"Whoa! Where's everyone going!? Hey!" Akira yelped as he ran out to go after them.
"Steenee, where are you going!?" Mallow called out as she joined in with the small chase. Kiawe and Sophocles joined in, followed by Hau and Camilla. Lana turned to Lillie, reminding that they need to follow everyone.
"Let's go, too." Lana spoke out, causing the timid student to nod in agreement. At that time, everyone ran after their leaving Pokémon to see where they were going.
By the time they all caught up, they took notice of their Pokémon all meeting up with Tapu Koko! The Melemele Island Guardian floated down to where the Pokémon were as the Kanto Trainer gasped in surprise.
"Tapu Koko!" Ash breathed out as Rotom was awed at the sight of it.
"Wow! In the flesh!" Rotom buzzed as the others caught up.
"It's here... Melemele Island Guardian..." Camilla breathed out, with Akira whistling at the sight of it.
"I never I thought I would see it so soon with my own eyes." Akira admitted, until a realization came to the Electric Type user's mind.
"Maybe Tapu Koko used electricity to connect with Pikachu!" Sophocles guessed, with the Mouse Pokémon getting into his battle stance, in case if he needed to battle or not. Lillie frowned in confusion, unsure of why the Island Guardian would do such a thing.
"Why would Tapu Koko do that?" Lillie asked, causing Kiawe to give the answer.
"You know why. To challenge Ash to a battle." Kiawe spoke sternly, catching Lillie by surprise as the Kanto Trainer smiled at the sight of the Island Guardian. Kaito just stared as well before Ash spoke up to it.
"Tapu Koko! I wanted to see you, too!" Ash exclaimed, earning a serious cry from the Island Guardian. Seeing the stern look from the Island Guardian's eyes, the Kanto Trainer grinned as he accepted the challenge given to him.
"All right... Let's have a battle right now!" Ash proposed, causing Tapu Koko to narrow its eyes. But before it could react, Ash's Rockruff and Rowlet got in front of the Mouse Pokémon, as they all made challenging cries to the Island Guardian!
But Tapu Koko had only interest in one opponent right now, and that was the Mouse Pokémon that he fought with before. So with that in mind, the Island Guardian dove down and knocked both Rockruff and Rowlet away!
The shockwave from the Island Guardian's speed knocked both Rowlet and Rockruff away, much to their surprise as the Island Guardian pointed at Pikachu, showing that it had already chosen the Mouse Pokémon as its opponent.
Knowing that it would come to this, the Kanto Trainer grinned, as if he understood the choice that the Island Guardian has made just now.
"I think you want to battle against Pikachu... Yeah! 'Kay, buddy?"
"Pika!" Ash asked, causing the Mouse Pokémon to give an affirmative cry.
At the agreement, the Melemele Island Guardian floated over to one side of the battlefield, making Ash and Pikachu stand on the other side. Kaito and the others watched on the sidelines to see the battle go on as the Alola boy frowned.
"Tapu Koko is the only one that showed up so far... Did the Wanderer not hear or accept my challenge? Still... Even if it doesn't show up, this will be one big battle that everyone will want to see... And speaking of everyone..." Kaito thought.
He glanced to see a group of other students from different classes coming over to see what was going on between Ash and Tapu Koko.
"Hey! Who's that Pokémon!?"
"It's Tapu Koko! Could it be...!?"
The students were all shocked and awed to see the Island Guardian with their own eyes as Prof. Kukui managed to get through and see the battle starting to begin.
"Look at that..." Prof. Kukui breathed out, with Hau taking notice of his appearance.
"Prof. Kukui, did you hear the commotion?" Hau asked, earning a nod from the Alola Professor.
"I sure did, Hau... And isn't this an amazing turn of events?" Prof. Kukui chuckled, causing Mallow to agree, along with Akira and Camilla.
"Sure is!" Mallow piped up, until Lillie questioned as to why the Island Guardian appeared so suddenly out of nowhere.
"But I don't understand why Tapu Koko keeps showing up where Ash happens to be..." Lillie admitted, as she was still unsure about the Island Guardian's motives.
"Perhaps the answer to that will be contained in the battle we're about to see." Prof. Kukui stated. The moment he said those words, everyone turned their eyes to where the battle was about to begin.
"Cool... Let's go!" Ash declared, causing Tapu Koko to make a stern sound. Both sides glared at each other, with none of them making a move.
"They're so focused..." Lana commented, with Popplio giving an awed sound for her Electric Type friend. But Snowy wasn't too enthusiastic, as she looked rather afraid of what might happen during the battle.
"It'll be all right, Snowy." Lillie assured softly as Rotom came over to record the intense battle that was about to occur.
"I must record this!" Rotom buzzed as he began the recording, with the others watching carefully.
"It's starting..." Hau pointed out as Tapu Koko made the first move by starting off with its Ability!
Tapu Koko VS Ash: Pikachu
The Island Guardian created electricity with its Ability, Electric Surge, causing the whole battlefield to be used for Electric Type users! Sophocles grinned, as he knew that this was going to happen as he predicted.
"I thought so!" Sophocles grinned as Akira looked around.
"Whoa... An electric field? But this could also help out with Pikachu since he's an Electric Type. Right...?" Akira pointed out, knowing that the Mouse Pokémon was an Electric Type, thanks to the Alola Professor's tutoring.
"Yeah... I guess Tapu Koko just wanted to make this more electrifying and more intense." Camilla guessed as the Kanto Trainer started off with a quick move.
"Quick Attack, Pikachu! Now!" Ash yelled, allowing the Mouse Pokémon to charge headfirst with the speedy Normal Type attack. But the moment Pikachu got close, the Island Guardian vanished before reappearing.
"That's fast... As expected of the Island Guardian." Kaito breathed out before the Kanto Trainer kept up with the attacks.
"Use Iron Tail!"
Pikachu wasted no time as he used the tree to increase his agility by the Quick Attack as he aimed the Steel Type attack to where Tapu Koko was! But despite of the increased speed, the Island Guardian had no trouble blocking the little effective attack.
It knocked Pikachu away, much to the Mouse Pokémon's surprise. With the Electric Type knocked away, the Island Guardian took this chance to dive down to where Pikachu was falling and make a counterattack!
But Ash wasn't planning to let this go as he called for the same attack to make the second attempt hit.
"Okay, give it another try! Use Iron Tail!" Ash exclaimed. At that moment, the Mouse Pokémon managed to make a direct hit this time! Tapu Koko wasn't able to stop itself in time as it was knocked back into the air before it regained its balance in the air.
"It was a direct hit!" Akira pointed out excitedly, until Camilla reminded Akira of the level Tapu Koko was at.
"Don't celebrate yet. That was only one attack, and it didn't seem to do much to Tapu Koko. Remember, this is the Island Guardian we're talking about. It won't fall that easily." Camilla reminded seriously.
"That's true, but you know what? Those two are faster than they used to be." Prof. Kukui pointed out while the students were in awe of Ash making the first hit onto the Island Guardian.
"That special training produced results!" Sophocles added as Rotom took note of the speed the Mouse Pokémon was using.
"They've increased their normal speed by 12%!" Rotom buzzed, taking note of how well Pikachu's speed has improved so far.
"Do you think... they can win?" Lana asked, causing Camilla to shake her head while biting her lips.
"I honestly don't know... Tapu Koko is the Island Guardian of Melemele Island, right? So there's no telling of whether Ash and Pikachu has a chance or not..." Camilla admitted, with Lillie feeling hopeful for the two.
"I hope the rest of the battle goes this well..." Lillie spoke hopefully, until the Alola boy reminded her of what Ash was to them.
"This is Ash and Pikachu we're talking about. Even if they're struck down or get stuck into a tough situation, I'm sure they can find a way to get back up. I mean, they've been like this back in their previous travels, right?" Kaito reminded.
He recalled of when the Kanto Trainer explained to him and the others at the Pokémon School one day of the previous regions he traveled with his friends and the Pokémon he has met in his travels.
"I guess... But like Camilla said, there's no telling on what might happen in this battle." Akira agreed, before he turned back to watch the battle go on.
Tapu Koko floated back on the ground, with the Kanto Trainer praising his Electric Type partner for making a hit.
"Pikachu, that was great! Now circle around and see if you can find an opening!" Ash called out, causing the Mouse Pokémon to give an affirmative cry. Without wasting time, Pikachu began to speed around Tapu Koko to find a good opening.
At seeing the Mouse Pokémon running around him, the Island Guardian turned its eyes to where its opponent was, so it could follow the Electric Type's movements.
"Check it out! Even Tapu Koko is looking rather troubled with Pikachu's speed! Maybe they can win this battle after all!" Hau pointed out with a grin, until the Alola Professor corrected the Kahuna's grandson on what could happen.
"Slow down. It's easier said than done." Prof. Kukui spoke out, and his words were right.
The moment Pikachu dashed to where Tapu Koko was from behind, the Island Guardian immediately turned and got ready to perform a powerful attack, causing Ash to realize this as he ordered a dodge to his Electric Type partner.
"Quick, Pikachu! Dodge that!" Ash shouted out.
But even at his order, the Mouse Pokémon stopped in his tracks and tried to run. That was, until Tapu Koko slammed on the ground to create a painful shockwave that first stunned Pikachu, before blasting him high into the air!
The Mouse Pokémon yelled in pain before skidding on the ground, much to everyone's surprise and concern.
"No, Pikachu!" Mallow gasped in shock.
"That was Nature's Madness. Major damage, no doubt!" Prof. Kukui spoke seriously, as he had recognized the Tapu's special move.
"Nature's Madness... It's a devastating move that can cut your energy by half the moment that you're hit! And judging by the looks of it, Pikachu seems to be feeling it pretty badly!" Kaito thought as sweat formed on his forehead.
Buizel and the other Pokémon watched carefully in concern as the Kanto Trainer called out to his Electric Type partner.
"Are you all right, Pikachu!?" Ash shouted out, causing Pikachu to weakly respond to him as he struggled to get up! But just as Pikachu could fully recover, Tapu Koko floated in front of him before using Discharge!
The powerful Electric Type attack knocked Pikachu back, before heading to where the crowd was watching! Panic arose from the sidelines until Togedemaru jumped up, taking all the electric shock from the Discharge attack with her Lightning Rod ability!
After the shock was over, the Roly-Poly Pokémon sighed in relief from the shock she absorbed, before Sophocles held her up and smiled gratefully at her.
"Thanks a lot, Togedemaru!" Sophocles exclaimed gratefully, as Akira sighed in relief.
"Yeah, really... All of us would've been shocked if it weren't for your ability..." Akira agreed, while the Alolan Professor smiled.
"Some close call. Like Akira said, that would've been quite the shock!" Prof. Kukui added, causing Togedemaru to cry out happily before she nuzzled the Electric Type user affectionately.
The touching moment stopped as Tapu Koko floated back up high in the air again, looking like it was ready to attack once more.
"An electric field only makes Tapu Koko's Discharge stronger. Pikachu's strong against Electric Type attacks, but..." Prof. Kukui started to say before he stopped himself. He knew that what he said next would mean nothing, as Ash seemed to be already at a disadvantage.
"Oh, Pikachu... Stay safe!" Lana breathed out in concern, with Popplio crying out a little in worry.
"Maybe it's just too hard..." Sophocles commented as Kaito frowned. The others had every right to be worried since Tapu Koko's devastating attacks left a serious mark onto the Mouse Pokémon.
"At this rate, if Ash doesn't think up a countermove soon, then this will be over before it even started... Tapu Koko only took little damage from Iron Tail, but the attacks from Nature's Madness and Discharge gave Pikachu a hard time..." Kaito thought before he narrowed his eyes.
"But still... That doesn't seem to be fazing Ash a little, judging by how he is taking this." Kaito thought as the Kanto Trainer tried to encourage his Mouse Pokémon to keep fighting back.
"Pikachu, get up! Come on!" Ash pleaded loudly, causing the Electric Type to manage to get up weakly. As the Kanto Trainer was ushering his partner to get up, he didn't take notice of the Electrium-Z starting to glow on his Z-Ring.
The others noticed this though, as Lillie was the first to question this.
"Now what's going on?" Lillie asked, with Kiawe knowing one thing about it.
"Tapu Koko couldn't be doing that..." Kiawe stated, until the Alolan Professor pointed out on what the Island Guardian was doing right now.
"It is. It's waiting for them to ramp up to full power!" Prof. Kukui explained, catching both Camilla and Hau by surprise.
"Ramp up to full power? Amazing..." Hau breathed out while the Queen of the Waves blinked before turning back to see Pikachu recovering from the significant amount of damage he had taken before.
"Way to go, Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed, causing his Mouse Pokémon to make an affirmative cry until the Kanto Trainer took notice of the glowing Z-Ring, before he took notice of it in surprise.
"It's my Z-Ring..." Ash breathed out before he glanced up to see the Island Guardian still floating in the air, as if it was waiting for him to make their Z-Move work. Nodding to this, the Kanto Trainer was ready to use it now.
"Sorry if we took too long..."
"Pika!" Ash and Pikachu spoke out their words, causing Tapu Koko to narrow its eyes, as if it was anticipating the upcoming Z-Power it was going to feel from the Z-Move.
For Ash, both he and Pikachu got ready to pose together to strike their Z-Move onto the Island Guardian as he called to his Electric Type partner.
"'Kay, buddy! You know how hard we worked! Let's show the results!" Ash declared, with Pikachu giving a battle cry as he became surrounded by a golden aura, with the same going for the Kanto Trainer's Z-Ring.
"Here we go..." Akira breathed out, knowing on what's about to happen.
"They're ramping up! It's crunch time!" Prof. Kukui stated as the two partners began their Electric Type Z-Move pose together. With their movements at sync, the Z-Power was transferred from the Kanto Trainer to his Electric Type partner.
"Go, Pikachu!"
"Pika... Pikachu!" Ash called to his Mouse Pokémon as Pikachu began to create a giant energy of electricity to blast Tapu Koko as the two punched their fists together in unison to make the Z-Move do its work.
"Full power, NOW Use Gigavolt Havoc! Let's GO!" Ash shouted out. At the command, the Electric Type let out a determined cry before he shot the Electric Type Z-Move to where Tapu Koko was waiting!
As it was getting closer, Tapu Koko protected itself with its shell to prevent massive damage as it was blown back to a tree! Everyone felt the shockwaves from the attack hitting its mark as the Island Guardian quickly recovered before attempting to make a counterattack.
At seeing Tapu Koko coming, the Kanto Trainer was ready to counter back when he needed to.
"All right, use Iron Tail!" Ash shouted out. At the order, the Mouse Pokémon struck the Island Guardian with the Steel Type attack. But as Tapu Koko managed to take the hit, it knocked Pikachu away!
The force was enough to knock Pikachu hard, and smash him through the fence to where the cliff was! Everyone, including the Pokémon all gasped in shock to see Pikachu in a huge peril as Ash immediately dashed over to rescue his partner.
"Pikachu!" Ash yelled as he dove after his stunned Electric Type partner.
"Ash!"
"Ash, oh no!" Both Kaito and Kiawe gasped, as they and Prof. Kukui ran over to see what had happened to the Kanto Trainer. But before they could get closer, Tapu Koko rushed to the rescue and passed them from above, before it dove down to save its opponents.
By the time Kaito, Kiawe, and the Alola Professor arrived to where Pikachu had started to fall with Rotom at their side, everyone else had already followed them. By that time, Tapu Koko was already floating back up in the air!
Ash and Pikachu were both on one of its shell arms as the Kanto Trainer waved to his friends and teacher with a grin on his face.
"Hey! Look, we're flying!" Ash called out, with Pikachu crying out excitedly. Everyone watching from below were awed to see this as Mallow and Sophocles were the first ones to be excited by this.
"With Tapu Koko!" Mallow pointed out in amazement.
"So cool!" Sophocles commented, as Camilla and the Alola Professor sighed in relief. Akira and Hau were grinning back at their friend while Kiawe, Lana, and Lillie were all watching in relief.
The same went for Kaito, who raised an eyebrow in amusement before he put his hands on the back of his neck. Ash's Rockruff and Rowlet were both calling out to their Trainer and Electric Type friend in content, both relieved to see them okay.
As Tapu Koko took Ash and Pikachu up in the air, Rotom took a quick picture, awed by how amazing it looked.
"This is one incredible picture!" Rotom buzzed in amazement as the Kanto Trainer thanked the Island Guardian for the quick rescue.
"Thanks so much! It's awesome that you would help us out!" Ash spoke gratefully, with Pikachu doing the same. Acknowledging the thanks, the Island Guardian gave a small cry and nodded to the two before it let its former opponents down on the ground, where everyone was.
"Ash, you're not hurt, are you?" Prof. Kukui asked, only to get a shaking head from the Kanto Trainer.
"No way! I'm doing just fine!" Ash reassured with a smile, causing the others to smile in relief.
"Thank goodness..." Lillie breathed out as Camilla raised an eyebrow.
"You put all of us in a scare the moment you did that to save Pikachu, you know that?" Camilla reminded, causing the Kanto Trainer to scratch the back of his head sheepishly. But just when things seemed to be going well...
ZAP!
Everyone all turned in surprise to see a bolt of blue electricity flashing at the other side of the battlefield, to where Tapu Koko was when the battle had first began. While everyone was startled on what was going on, Kaito blinked in realization.
"It's here..." Kaito breathed out, catching everyone's attention as they turned to see a figure appearing out of the blue bolt of lightning as it had its eyes closed, before it opened it to stare at where Kaito and his friends were standing at.
"It's the Thunderclap Wanderer..." Hau breathed out, as everyone watched it with shock and awe. Even other students at the Pokémon School were shocked on what they were seeing.
"Who's that Pokémon?"
"Could it be that Mythical Pokémon that everyone was talking about?"
"Oh! You mean the Thunderclap Wanderer!?"
The words were being shared around by the students that weren't in Kaito's class as the Alola boy smiled weakly before he stepped up to face the opponent that he wanted to challenge earlier.
"So you're here... I didn't expect that you would come and be here, especially with all the students and Pokémon here watching!" Kaito admitted, causing the Thunderclap Pokémon to narrow its eyes before it got onto the battlefield.
Once it was ready, it suddenly vanished, leaving behind a bit of electricity. It surprised everyone, but what surprised them more is when the Wanderer suddenly got close to where Kaito and his three Pokémon were!
Rockruff and Vulpix yelped in surprise while the Alola boy blinked. The Thunderclap Wanderer turned its eyes to the Alola boy before it pointed at him, before pointing to where Buizel was, who stood next to his human brother with a stern expression.
"Grr..." Zeraora grunted, as if it was gesturing on who it wanted to battle. At the challenge, Kaito smiled and nodded in agreement.
"Buizel and me? That's perfectly fine. Let's do this!" Kaito spoke calmly, allowing the Wanderer to smirk a little before it took a giant leap back, landing on the position it was in before it confronted both Kaito and Buizel.
"That was a big surprise... It suddenly vanished and then reappeared to where Kai and Buizel was..." Hau breathed out in amazement.
"So this is what the Thunderclap Wanderer looks like. It must be a powerful opponent..." Kiawe commented as Lillie frowned in worry.
"I've seen it save both Kaito and myself before from when we were facing against Team Rocket, so it's a good Pokémon like Tapu Koko, right?" Lillie asked, only for Ash to reassure to her that her guess was correct.
"Don't worry! It IS a good Pokémon! It probably wanted to have a battle with Kai to test his strength!" Ash assured, until Camilla corrected the Kanto Trainer, before speaking of what she and Hau did yesterday.
"Actually... it was Kaito that challenged the Wanderer to a battle yesterday... And by the looks of it, it looked as if the Wanderer had accepted his challenge." Camilla explained, catching everyone except Hau and Prof. Kukui by surprise.
Kaito and Buizel stood where Ash stood with Pikachu as the Alola boy turned to his Sea Weasel Pokémon.
"This may be one of our toughest battles... Like the time when we had to face Tokio and his Type: Null. You ready to do this, Bui?" Kaito asked, earning a determined "Bui" from the Water Type as it got onto the battlefield to face the Wanderer.
"Bui!" Buizel shouted, catching the Thunderclap Pokémon's attention before it grinned as to what Buizel had said to him just now. It positioned itself, preparing to battle against the human boy it protected so far, along with his three Pokémon.
Everyone watched carefully as Kaito offered the first move to Zeraora.
"You make the first move!" Kaito offered, catching the Electric Type by surprise a little.
Zeraora VS Kaito: Buizel
(Zeraora's Theme OST)
But at the offer being given, the Thunderclap Pokémon narrowed its eyes before it let out a loud battle cry! Its body glowed a little with electricity surrounding it as it slammed its fists on the ground, causing electricity to travel to where Buizel was!
"That move..." Kaito thought before he called for a counterattack.
"Buizel, use Ice Beam!" Kaito shouted out, allowing the Sea Weasel Pokémon to counter the powerful attack with the Ice Type attack! The two moves met together before exploding by the collision, as the Alola boy called for another attack.
"Buizel, use Aqua Jet!" Kaito called, causing Buizel to surround himself with water before he lunged to where Zeraora was, who dodged out of the way several times before knocking the Sea Weasel Pokémon away!
This caused Aqua Jet to be negated as Buizel tumbled away, until the Alola boy called for the same attack.
"Use Aqua Jet one more time!" Kaito exclaimed, giving Buizel the chance to leap back into his feet before attempting to lunge himself to where Zeraora was! This time, instead of trying to knock Buizel away, Zeraora countered by having Thunder Punch do the work!
The two moves collided together before it knocked both Pokémon back.
"It's only the beginning but the battle is already starting to get intense..." Mallow pointed out until Lillie pointed out the disadvantage Kaito had.
"Buizel is a Water Type, and with the two moves the Thunderclap Wanderer has shown so far... Buizel won't be able to take it too long if this battle keeps up... Do you think Kaito can win...?" Lillie asked, feeling concerned for the Alola boy.
Both Popplio and Snowy expressed worry, with the same going for Kaito's Rockruff and Vulpix as Ash turned to them, assuring that the Alola boy will be fine.
"Don't worry! This is Kai and Buizel we're talking about! They're not gonna give up that easily!" Ash assured as he smiled, turning to where Buizel was dodging several Thunder attacks Zeraora has shot by using Aqua Jet and Agility together!
Eventually, one attack made a small graze to the Sea Weasel Pokémon's arm, causing him to wince but not reveal it as he came face-to-face with the Thunderclap Pokémon, as the Alola boy called for the attack.
"Again! Use Aqua Jet!" Kaito shouted out, allowing the Sea Weasel Pokémon to make contact and knock Zeraora back before the Alola boy continued on with the attacks, as he called to keep the pressure going.
"Now, Ice Beam!" Kaito exclaimed. The Ice Type attack was launched, until Zeraora used its arms to block it! The Ice Beam froze its two arms before the Thunderclap Pokémon broke it by using Thunder Punch's electricity.
"Yeah! That's how you do it! Keep up the pressure, Kai!" Hau called out, as he, Eevee, and Pichu cheered for their friend to keep going as Lana soon joined in, with Akira, Camilla, and Kiawe.
"Keep pushing! You can do it, Kai!"
"You and Buizel can do it! Keep fighting!"
"Don't give up! You can fight hard!"
"Don't forget the bond that the two of you have together!"
Eventually, everyone began to cheer for Kaito and Buizel so that they could win against the Thunderclap Pokémon together. As if he was hearing it, the Alola boy smiled as he kept the battle going.
"Rain Dance, let's go!" Kaito exclaimed, giving Buizel the chance to raise his paws up high in the air and summon rain clouds to give himself the advantage! Zeraora made no movements to counter this as it narrowed its eyes.
"Now, go! Aqua Jet and Agility together once more!"
That was all the order Buizel needed as he surrounded himself with water once more. Thanks to Agility's effect and his Ability, Swift Swim, the multiple speed attack combos began to work as Zeraora took a few hits from the combo.
"There it is! That speed combo!" Sophocles pointed out, with Akira nodding.
"For sure! The Wanderer should take lots of damage from that!" Akira assured, until the Professor reminded his students of what the Thunderclap Pokémon was to them right now.
"Don't forget... This is the Thunderclap Wanderer we're talking about. Even with those attacks, I'm sure it still won't be easy for Kaito to win." Prof. Kukui assured sternly, causing everyone to look back as Zeraora glared to where the attacks were coming from.
While getting hit, the Thunderclap Pokémon closed its eyes to focus where Buizel could come from next, before it suddenly opened and widened its eyes! Letting out a loud battle cry, it used Thunder Punch to knock Buizel away!
The attack caught Buizel off guard as he took the super effective attack before tumbling next to where the Alola boy stood.
"Buizel!" Kaito gasped before he looked to see Zeraora starting to recover a little from the multiple attacks he had taken from the speed combo. Biting his lips, the Alola boy looked to see Buizel panting a little in exhaustion.
"The damages he had taken must've been hard. And even with Rain Dance, Buizel won't be able to do too much if the Wanderer was somehow able to counter it so easily like that..." Kaito thought before he closed his eyes.
At that moment, the Sea Gauntlet began to glow, causing Kaito to blink before he looked at it to see the Gauntlet glowing along with the Waterium-Z.
"The Gauntlet and the Z-Crystal... It's glowing? It's just like with Ash when he was battling Tapu Koko..." Kaito asked himself as Ash noticed this.
"Check it out! It's happening just like with what happened to my Z-Ring!" Ash pointed out as Camilla looked up, only to see Tapu Koko floating high up above on where the battlefield was, causing her to frown.
"Is Tapu Koko doing this...?" Camilla asked, causing Hau to look up and see the Island Guardian fixing its gaze on Kaito's battle with the Thunderclap Wanderer.
Before anyone could react, the Alola boy took a deep breath and sighed while Zeraora awaited for Kaito and Buizel's next move.
Turning to the Sea Weasel Pokémon, the Alola boy smiled calmly and called to him.
"Buizel... Are you ready? Let's use our Z-Move now and show how strong our bond and power are together to the Wanderer!" Kaito suggested, earning a grin and a determined "Bui" from his Water Type partner.
Nodding to the call, the Alola boy got ready to pose, with the same going for Buizel as he got in front of his human brother. The two began making movements with sync as Ash grinned at what they were about to do.
"They're about to do it! Their Z-Move!" Ash exclaimed, with Pikachu giving an excited cry. Everyone else watched with anticipation as the two posed together in unison, before they were fully prepared.
"Get ready, because this move will show how strong our bond is together! No more hesitation! No more holding back! Let's go! Hydro Vortex, let's go!" Kaito shouted out, while Buizel let out a loud battle cry.
At the Z-Power being transferred into him, the Sea Weasel Pokémon slammed into Zeraora, who flinched, but managed to withstand it until the Z-Move began its work! The Thunderclap Pokémon found itself being pummeled hard by the Z-Move.
Eventually, the attack had done its work, creating a large explosion! Everyone felt the shockwaves of the Z-Move making the hit as Buizel jumped back to stand in front of his human brother.
But with the Z-Move taking most of his energy, the Sea Weasel Pokémon found it hard to stay on his two feet, which made the Alola boy feel concerned to him.
"Buizel, are you all right!?" Kaito asked, earning a weak grin and "Bui" from the Water Type. Nodding to his Sea Weasel Pokémon's answer, the Alola boy looked to where the Z-Move had done its work on the Thunderclap Pokémon.
But to his surprise...
"What!?" Kaito gasped as he watched to see the smoke clear away and reveal Zeraora being wounded moderately, but still standing. Its stern expression hasn't changed, but it seemed to look like it was wincing from the powerful attack it had taken.
"No way..." Mallow breathed out in shock.
"It looked like a direct hit, but it's still standing! And even after all the attacks it took from Buizel's moves!" Kiawe pointed out in disbelief as Kaito gritted his teeth, realizing that even the Z-Move wasn't enough to win.
"It's just like that time with our battle against Tokio...! Our Z-Move wasn't enough to knock it out!" Kaito thought as he watched Zeraora recover from the Z-Move before its body became surrounded with electricity! Widening his eyes, the Alola boy knew what was coming.
"Not good! Buizel, get out of there!" Kaito yelled, catching Buizel's attention. But with the energy he had spent in battling and by using the Z-Move, the Sea Weasel Pokémon found it difficult to dodge as he tried to run to evade it!
But the Thunderclap Pokémon wasn't about to make it easy as it slammed its fist on the ground, sending electricity to where Buizel was! The move smashed the Water Type into the air, much to the Alola boy's shock.
"NO!" Kaito yelled as he ran to catch his defeated Water Type, only to get hit and knocked back from the force from the Thunderclap Wanderer's attack. The two tumbled on the ground, much to everyone's surprise.
Winner: Zeraora
(End OST)
"Kai!"
"Kaito! Buizel!"
Everyone in the Alola boy's classroom ran over to check on the Alola boy as Kaito groaned a little in pain from skidding on the ground on his back. But at the moment he tried to get up, something sharp clashed with his mind!
Widening his eyes, he shook his head as a dizzy feeling came to his head, making it hard for him to get back up.
"What..." Kaito groaned before he felt his vision starting to blur. The last thing he thought he had seen was the Thunderclap Wanderer running over to where he and Buizel was also before his vision turned black.
Memory
"T-Thank you... You saved us..."
"Zera..."
"Huh?"
"Zera! Zeraora!"
"Bui?"
"Zera...ora? Zeraora? Is that your name?"
"Zera!"
"I see... It's... It's nice to meet you, Zeraora! My name is Kaito! But you can call me Kai!"
Reality
"...to! Kaito! Can you hear me!?"
Kaito slowly opened his eyes and blinked several times, seeing that it was Prof. Kukui that was calling to him. Ash, Hau, Lana, Camilla, and the others were all looking down at him and Buizel with worried expressions on their faces, with the same going for the Pokémon friends.
"Everyone... What... What happened?" Kaito started to ask, causing Akira to explain.
"When you tried to save Buizel, you seemed to have knocked yourself out." Akira explained, causing Lillie to agree with him.
"He's right. You had us all worried..." Lillie added, causing the Alola boy to frown before he looked down to see Buizel returning to reality as well before he looked up at his human brother in worry, before looking rather upset.
"It's okay, Buizel... It's not your fault that we lost..." Kaito assured as he comforted the Sea Weasel Pokémon with a hug, causing Buizel to calm down. Kaito's Rockruff and Vulpix ran over to join in, as they were more worried for them than the others were!
"I'm sorry if we made everyone worry, but... We're fine now." Kaito assured softly, causing the others to look at him with relieved expressions until Kaito noticed to see... Zeraora standing a little distance away from where he and the others were.
Getting Buizel off of him gently, the Alola boy stood up and walked over to where Zeraora stood with the others watching. The Thunderclap Pokémon didn't move or made any hints that it was going to run off as it watched Kaito walk up to it.
"Zeraora... That's your real name, right?" Kaito asked, catching the Thunderclap Pokémon by surprise, as did it also surprise the students, Pokémon, and the Alola Professor. Buizel didn't seem to be as it gazed at the two with a knowing look.
At seeing Kaito remember its name, the Wanderer narrowed its eyes before it gave a slow nod to the Alola boy. A smile crept up to its face, catching the Alola boy by surprise. But before he could ask, he felt something poking onto his forehead.
Like before, Zeraora poked his forehead with its two claws from its paw, although it wasn't meant to hurt the Alola boy as he took a step back in surprise.
"Again... Zeraora?" Kaito asked, causing Zeraora to give a small nod before it surrounded its body with electricity. It then disappeared out of sight, leaving a bit of electricity on where it had once stood.
Everyone watched in awe to see that the former opponent of the Alola boy had left before Kaito closed his eyes.
His lips quivered, making it look like he wanted to cry for some reason. His three Pokémon ran over to where he stood, as they all looked up at him. Suddenly, they all widened his eyes at what they were seeing.
Ash came over with Pikachu to check up on the Alola boy as the Kanto Trainer approached him with a concerned expression on his face.
"Hey, Kai... You okay...!" Ash started to ask before he blinked. Pikachu reacted the same way as he too, widened his eyes.
Kaito's lips were quivering as tears fell from his eyes as he choked, sounding like he wasn't trying to cry, but it was futile.
"Kai..." Ash breathed out in worry before he frowned. Something had happened to make his Alola friend this way, but... the only thing Ash knew, was that it involved with what Kaito had said to the Thunderclap Pokémon, now known as Zeraora.
"I... remembered its name... I remember it... I don't know why I'm like this... I don't know why... I don't..." Kaito choked, now sobbing as he fell to his knees, much to his Pokémon's concern as they all tried to comfort him, with Buizel having tears well up in his eyes.
The Water Type comforted his human brother back with a hug, as Rockruff and Vulpix joined in. The Kanto Trainer hugged Kaito from behind, as Pikachu did the same, followed by Ash's Rockruff and Rowlet, causing the Alola boy to accept the comfort he was given.
The others slowly walked over to where the boys and their Pokémon were, as they all watched to see their good friend being comforted. Eventually, they all tried to comfort their crying friend with Prof. Kukui watching his students do so.
He frowned, unsure of why the Alola boy was feeling this way.
"Zeraora... That was the name Kaito spoke of about the Thunderclap Wanderer... But, what about it made him feel this way...?" Prof. Kukui thought as he continued to watch his students give comfort to their still crying friend.
For Tapu Koko, the Island Guardian watched from above before it turned to where the forest was, where Zeraora could be at.
Meanwhile...
Zeraora sat on the ground while leaning its back on the tree. Wincing from the wounds it had taken from its battle against Kaito and Buizel, the Thunderclap Pokémon sighed and closed its eyes before opening them up again.
"That was one battle... that had me going." Zeraora commented before it looked up at the blue sky. Narrowing its eyes, it recalled as to what Kaito called it earlier before it made its leave.
"Zeraora... That's your real name, right?" Kaito's question rang the Thunderclap Wanderer's mind as it sighed.
"That battle must've made him remember... a little bit of our past together..." Zeraora grunted to itself before it closed its eyes.
"Kai... If it weren't for that incident, I wouldn't have run off like that, but..." Zeraora spoke to itself before it shook its head.
"I'm sorry, Kai..." Zeraora spoke again as it kept its eyes on the sky.
To be continued...
Kaito's Team:
Buizel (M): (Ice Beam, Agility, Rain Dance, Aqua Jet)
Rockruff (M): (Crunch, Dig, Rock Slide, Howl)
Vulpix (F): (Ember, Roar, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack)
Next chapters:
Chapter 39: Off to Treasure Island! Kaito and Ash!
Chapter 40: It's a Tough Task! A Scared Eevee?
Chapter 41: Litten Returns! A New Life! Pt. 1
Chapter 42: Litten Returns! A New Life! Pt. 2
Chapter 43: A Wolf Boy and a Wolf Father!
Next chapter preview:
Ash: Those girls really liked shopping... I mean, we've been spending most of the morning at the shopping district...
Kaito: You can't blame them... Girls tend to like shopping more than guys, when it comes to jewelry or accessories and all that.
Ash: Hey, Kai! Check it out! That looks like an uninhabited island! What do you say we go check it out, while borrowing the kayak?
Kaito: You can borrow the kayak if you want, but Buizel and I prefer swimming, since traveling underwater is a great sight for us to see...
Ash: Okay, sure! But hey... Wait a second... Kai, what's wrong with your legs? Is it cramps? Or is it something new and weird...?
Kaito: New and weird is right... I thought I saw something was attached or glowing on my legs... I must be imagining stuff...
Events that occurred:
- Ash and Kaito faces Tapu Koko and Zeraora separately in a battle
- Ash's battle with Tapu Koko ends with a draw when Pikachu falls off a cliff
- Kaito loses his battle against Zeraora, but remembers Zeraora's name