Chapter 40: It's a Tough Task! A Scared Eevee?
Last time on "Pokémon Alola Journey", as Kaito still felt down after learning about Zeraora's name in his battle against the Thunderclap Pokémon, both Lana and Hau tried to cheer him up as the students were at the shopping district for some shopping.
With his Pokémon also wanting to cheer him up, Kaito soon starts to feel a little better as the boys except for him and Ash headed back to their homes when the girls wanted to go to Alola Sunrise.
But as Ash and Kaito takes notice of an island up ahead, which Kaito recognizes as Treasure Island, the boys are recommended to visit the island with Ash borrowing the kayak and Kaito swimming to the island with Buizel at his side.
But while heading to where the island was, Kaito finds himself having leg cramps all over when he swims, causing him and Ash to see bizarre things happening to the Alola boy's legs, which happens again when the Alola boy touches water.
Nevertheless, the two began to enjoy their time in the island as Kaito recalls of the time when he had met Buizel for the first time.
"After that first meeting between the two of us, it took a while... But eventually, Buizel started to get comfortable around me. And before you know, it, Bui here became a new member of my family." Kaito explained.
He rubbed the Sea Weasel Pokémon's head, much to the Water Type's content as he gave a sheepish grin to his human brother.
"Wow... That's some story! So it's been like four to five years since you guys were together, right?" Ash asked, earning a nod from the Alola boy.
"Yeah... I will never forget it. The day when our bond began and how it grew stronger as time passed by... And here we are now, together as partners and attempting to complete the Island Challenge." Kaito agreed.
"Bu bui!" Buizel cried out in agreement, earning a smile from the Alola boy as both Ash and Pikachu smiled at the scene of their bond growing strong together. Just then, an idea came to the Kanto Trainer's mind as he took out a bag from his backpack.
"Oh, that's right! What do you say to snack time?" Ash asked, causing both Pikachu and Buizel to immediately agree onto it, causing the Alola boy to raise an eyebrow in amusement.
"Isn't that from the shop where it had the Poké Beans?" Kaito asked, earning a grin from the Kanto Trainer.
"Yep! What do you say, Pikachu? Buizel?" Ash asked as both starters reached out for it, causing the Kanto Trainer to give the yellow Poké Bean to Pikachu, while giving Buizel the orange colored one.
Immediately after taking the sniff, both Pikachu and Buizel started to snack onto the beans, immediately enjoying the snack's taste!
"It's good, huh...?" Kaito asked, earning affirmative cries from the two, causing Ash to take out two malasadas for him and his Alola friend to enjoy.
"Guess we'll have some, too! Here, Kai!" Ash said, offering one to the Alola boy as he smiled before accepting it.
"Thanks, Ash..."
With that being said, both boys got ready to munch their own snack down.
"Down the hatch!" The two called out as they snacked onto their malasadas. At feeling how good it tasted, both boys smiled in satisfaction before the Kanto Trainer turned to where his Electric Type partner was, who was still snacking on the sweet bean.
"Been a while since it was just the two of us... I guess the same could be said for you, Kai? Buizel?" Ash asked, causing Kaito to blink before he gave a small smile.
"Honestly... there were times when Buizel and I would hang out together by ourselves, but... I guess... this could count as being quite a while ever since Rockruff and Vulpix joined in the family." Kaito admitted.
"Bui..." Buizel spoke out in agreement. Pikachu licked the sweet taste of the bean from his paws before he looked up at his human partner, as the Kanto Trainer smiled, before he looked back out to where the sea was.
"Then I guess you've met so many people like Pikachu and I did, right? In the Alola region, I meant." Ash asked, earning a nod from the Alola boy as the Kanto Trainer continued on, remembering for when he first met his partner.
"You see... Ever since I met Pikachu at Prof. Oak's lab, we've done a lot of traveling and battling together..." Ash started, as both Buizel and Kaito listened while the Mouse Pokémon looked up to his Trainer in a smile.
The Electric Type also remembered on how he and Ash met, although their first encounter wasn't pleasant due to him not liking Ash in the beginning.
"Then, Pikachu and I came to Alola, where we first met you and Buizel, Kai... Along with Prof. Kukui, Rotom, Rowlet, Rockruff, Litten..." Ash started, before he started with his classmates next.
"Kiawe, Sophocles, Mallow, Hau, Camilla, and Lana... We met Lillie, Principal Oak as well... We've met so many other people and Pokémon, too!" Ash breathed out, causing the Alola boy to raise an eyebrow in curiosity.
"You know... I love Alola. IT'S GREAT!" Ash exclaimed, causing Kaito to laugh a little for the excitement the Kanto Trainer had in him.
"I'm glad you're enjoying it... I love Alola, too... since it has many people and Pokémon to make friends with." Kaito agreed, earning a grin from the Kanto Trainer as Buizel and Pikachu joined in with their Trainers' content.
"Everyone's so warm, like the sun! People and Pokémon live in peace, surrounded by nature..." Ash started, earning an amused look from the Alola boy, as he gave a little smirk to his Kanto friend.
"Whoa there... When did you get all so smart, Ash Ketchum?" Kaito asked, earning a cheeky grin from the Kanto Trainer before he looked at his Electric Type partner. At the same time, Kaito turned to Buizel as well.
"Hey, buddy...?" The two asked in unison, catching their Pokémon starters' attention.
"Pika?"
"Bui?" The two asked in unison before the Kanto Trainer started to speak first.
"You see, I wanna become even stronger with you... because we're a team! We've got Island Kahunas, Island Guardians, and lots of strong Trainers and Pokémon!" Ash explained, much to Pikachu's excitement.
The Alola boy smiled at his Kanto friend for a moment before he turned back to his Water Type partner.
"It's just like with those two... I want us to become stronger together... even more than our past selves... and even stronger than we are now. It's just like what Ash said... We're a team... This Island Challenge... It'll give us a big chance to meet many new people and possibly new friends and rivals from outside of Melemele Island."
"Sure... We got Kiawe and Camilla from Akala Island, but... I'm sure... there's so many new places and things we can go together to experience the things we haven't done yet together... and new battles and Pokémon to face..." Kaito explained.
"Bu bui!" Buizel cried out happily as the Kanto Trainer continued to speak with his Electric Type partner. The same went for Kaito, who continued to speak to his Water Type partner.
"They've got some amazing stuff! Right here in Alola!"
"There are possibly many things we haven't learned much here in Alola..."
The boys spoke, before they both looked back at the large body of the sea with their eyes looking like they're about to sparkle with twinkling stars.
"And it's gonna help me to become a Pokémon Master!"
"And it's going to help me aim to be the best Trainer in Alola!"
As the two spoke out their declaration together, they both looked at each other and chuckled together as they smiled at each other.
"If you're aiming to become the best Trainer in Alola..." Ash started to say...
"If you're aiming to become the Pokémon Master..." Kaito started to say before they spoke together again in unison.
"Then that means we'll be rivals if something big comes up later!" The two spoke together in unison, both having the determination inside them. Both Pikachu and Buizel cried out with grins on their faces.
"You get us, right? Pikachu and Buizel? We're counting on you two to support us!" Ash exclaimed, causing Pikachu to cry out happily before he jumped onto his human partner, who yelped in surprise, before he and Pikachu began to laugh together.
Buizel did the same for his human brother, as the two hugged each other happily, before nuzzling each other on the nose to show each other their affection.
"I'm glad, Bui... that you're my Pokémon partner that will help me on my quest..." Kaito breathed out happily, with Buizel giving a small "Bui" of content. For the Kanto Trainer and his Electric Type partner, the two rubbed their cheeks against each other to show affection as well.
But for the Kanto Trainer, it seemed to have tickled as he continued to giggle from the funny feeling he was getting from the Mouse Pokémon.
"Pikachu, that tickles! Come on! Cut it out! Pikachu!" Ash laughed as the boys continued to bond with their starter Pokémon.
Later...
The two boys and their Pokémon partners were sleeping together, as they laid together on the warm sand... While they were napping together, the four of them all heard scurrying sounds near where they were!
Opening their eyes, the boys yelped in surprise as they quickly got up in shock, with both Pikachu and Buizel jumping onto them, startled for what was surrounding them and their human friends!
There were a group of Pokémon that seemed to be rather timid, and small. As the boys got onto the leg, the Kanto Trainer looked around, bewildered for how many there were.
"Oh man...! What are they, anyway!?" Ash exclaimed, allowing the Alola boy to explain.
"They're all Wimpod... The Turn Tail Pokémon! I didn't expect to see so many of them here...!" Kaito exclaimed, causing Ash to gulp as he was unsure of what they wanted from them, as they seemed to be screeching about something.
"What do they want from us...?" Ash asked, until Kaito took notice two of the Wimpod searching over Ash's bag! Before he could warn the Kanto Trainer, one of the Wimpod bit his ankle!
"AHHH!" Ash screamed as he tried to kick the Wimpod off of him, startling both Kaito and Buizel in the process as they both fell off the log and landed on their back on the sand!
"OW!"
"BUI!" The two yelled together in pain as they managed to quickly recover from the fall they had together. By the time the boys tried to recover, the Wimpod has taken the bag where the Poké Beans were in!
"Knock it off! NO!" Ash yelped as he took the bag away, only to be too late when he and Pikachu took notice of them taking away their snack!
"Not good! They must've caught scent of the Poké Beans that we still had remaining left...!" Kaito pointed out, causing the Kanto Trainer to widen his eyes.
"Oh man... You think...?! Hey wait... That's ours! Pikachu!" Ash snapped as he put his hat on, while struggling to put on his clothes. Pikachu on the other hand, dashed after the one that had stolen their snack.
"Buizel! Help Pikachu out!" Kaito called out, as the Sea Weasel Pokémon did so! The two starters lunged towards the one with the snack bag as the three Pokémon rolled on the ground together, before the Wimpod lost grip of the bag!
The Wimpod group all dove into the water to make their escape as Pikachu showed the boys the snack bag he and Buizel retrieved together.
"Way to go! Thanks, you two!" Ash said gratefully as the Alola boy watched the pod make their escape from them.
"What's with those Wimpod...? They sure seemed to be in a hurry..." Ash wondered, allowing the Alola boy to explain.
"They're called the Turn Tail Pokémon like I said before... Wimpod are a group of Pokémon that tends to run away like cowards, to be honest... They're quite timid and will run away when they see other people or Pokémon." Kaito explained.
"Oh... That makes sense..." Ash stated, understanding of the Wimpod's reason for their quick retreat.
Just as Ash was starting to put on the rest of his clothes, the Alola boy narrowed his eyes before he blinked, as he turned to where there seemed to be the forest area in the island.
"Bui...?" Buizel asked, concerned of what his human brother was looking at. The Alola boy blinked before he smiled reassuringly to his Sea Weasel Pokémon.
"No... No, it's nothing, Bui... I just thought I heard something from over there..." Kaito explained, causing the Sea Weasel Pokémon to cock his head in question, confused as to what Kaito meant.
That evening...
The sun was about to set as the boys watched the sun setting in the sky.
"We'd better head back home." Ash said, as he turned to the Mouse Pokémon. The Electric Type gave a small nod before Kaito just stood, staring at the water nervously. Noticing this, the Kanto Trainer offered the kayak to the Alola boy.
"If you want, you could take the kayak back home, Kai..." Ash offered, only to get a shaking head from the Alola boy.
"No, Ash... It's... It's fine. I'll be fine... I think." Kaito assured nervously, causing the Kanto Trainer to sweat drop at his Alola friend, knowing how nervous he seemed to look, especially with the face expression he was giving.
But before the Kanto Trainer could protest this to the Alola boy, Kaito suddenly blinked as he turned back to where the forest was on the island. Confused, Ash questioned Kaito of where he was looking at.
"Kai...? Something up?" Ash asked, only to get no answer.
The Alola boy only made a silent frown as he turned to Buizel. The Sea Weasel Pokémon made a serious face, looking like as if he had heard what his human brother had heard, too.
"Uh... Kai?" Ash tried to call for his friend, only for the Alola boy and his Water Type partner to start running off to where the forest was! Surprised to see Kaito suddenly bolting, the Kanto Trainer tried to call his Alola friend back.
"H-Hey! Kai, where are you and Buizel going!?" Ash called out, with Pikachu calling out to Buizel as well. But before he could go after the two with Pikachu, the Kanto Trainer perked up to hear something weird, but familiar.
The same thing went for the Mouse Pokémon as the Electric Type looked around, feeling worried of what could be near both him and his human partner. As the two looked around, they heard the weird noise even more...
"Where's it coming from? Maybe this way...?" Ash asked as he headed to where he thought the sound had came from. But while he was walking, Pikachu blinked, perking his ears up as he got off of Ash's shoulder.
"What's up?" Ash asked.
The Mouse Pokémon responded by running over to where there seemed to be a small hole in the rocky wall.
"Pika! Pika Pika!" Pikachu pointed out, causing the Kanto Trainer to climb over and see what his Electric Type partner had taken notice of.
"In there...? Yeah, you're right! I hear something in there..." Ash agreed as both he and his starter Pokémon listened to hear the weird noise starting to get even louder as he put his ear on the hole.
Then, both he and his Electric Type partner took a closer look in the small hole to see... a frightened Wimpod! It looked like it was trying to scurry up on the dark, rocky wall inside.
"Hey... I remember that Pokémon! Kaito called it a Wimpod... It probably got lost... And now it's stuck and can't get out." Ash pointed out in worry.
Pikachu then struggled to get inside the small hole, only to have big problems as he squirmed before he got himself out. The Electric Type frowned, pointing out on how small the hole was for him to try and go through it.
Taking notice of his partner's efforts, the Kanto Trainer peeked through the hole again before he looked above him.
"I wonder how it got in there... We've got to get it out!" Ash exclaimed as he looked up high to see... some sort of ledge that seemed to be the way down to where the frightened Wimpod was!
"I've gotta climb that? All right..." Ash grunted as he twisted his cap backwards, before he tried to climb up the rocky wall! But due to the cliff being way up high and the wall being a bit smooth for the Kanto Trainer to climb, it didn't work out for him.
Ash yelled in shock as he fell back down, landing on his back as his Electric Type partner called out to him in worry.
"Pika Pi!?" Pikachu gasped until he watched to see his human partner glare at the cliff as he tried again.
"Oh yeah!? You can't beat me!" Ash grunted, as he made an effort to try climbing up the smooth rocky wall again. But like before, he fell onto the rocky ground, causing him to feel pain a little from the harder impact he felt from falling hard!
Pikachu watched in worry before he licked the scratches on Ash's hands, trying to comfort his human partner and to make him feel better. Smiling at Pikachu's concern, the Kanto Trainer grinned at his Electric Type partner.
"Hey, thanks, Pikachu." Ash spoke thankfully. It was at that moment when both he and Pikachu heard the frightened screeches and wails from the frightened Wimpod that was still trapped inside as Ash peeked inside the small hole again.
"I promise I'll get you out of there, so don't worry!" Ash assured confidently, feeling sure of himself that he could save the poor Turn Tail Pokémon. Frowning, he turned to the forest area to where Kaito and Buizel ran off to.
"Kai... Buizel... Where did the two of you go...?" Ash thought as he tried to climb up again, with Pikachu watching again in worry.
Meanwhile...
At hearing something crying, both Kaito and Buizel trudged across the forest, trying to get through. It was a bit difficult at first, due to some of the plants being a bit spiky and with the ground being a little muddy.
"The sound has to be coming from around here somewhere... Right, Bui?" Kaito asked, earning a cry of agreement from the Sea Weasel Pokémon.
The two continued on moving across the forest until they heard the crying sound once again.
"Vee... Vee..."
"There it is again! We're a lot closer, Bui! Let's keep moving!" Kaito shouted out, earning a determined cry from the Sea Weasel Pokémon.
With that being said, the two moved as they trudged on the muddy ground before they took notice of something small up ahead! Buizel narrowed his eyes, before he widened them in surprise.
"Bu...? Bui! Bu bui!" Buizel cried out, catching the Alola boy's attention.
"Could that figure be the one that caused the cry...?" Kaito asked as he and his Water Type partner moved closer to where the figure was. As they approached it, the Alola boy widened his eyes once more.
On the muddy ground... was an Eevee! It shivered with tears flowing from its eyes, showing on how scared it was for some reason.
"It's an Eevee... But why is the little one out here like this...?" Kaito asked himself as he tried to approach it slowly. But while he was doing so, the frightened Evolution Pokémon took notice of both him and Buizel!
"VEE!" Eevee squealed in fright as it scrambled away from him and the Water Type, looking like it was trying to escape from the two. Buizel quickly called it back, trying to reassure that he and his human brother meant no harm.
Pokémon POV
"W-Wait! Come back! Big bro Kai and I won't hurt you!" Buizel assured loudly, causing the frightened Evolution Pokémon to stop, but still hesitate as she began to shake a little, still feeling frightened.
"Who are you...?" Eevee asked, causing the Sea Weasel Pokémon to smile.
"I'm Buizel! And the human you see next to me is Kaito! He's my human brother and partner!" Buizel explained, causing Eevee to blink a little out of curiosity.
"Human brother... and partner...? Is he dangerous...?" Eevee asked, only to get a shaking head of denial from the Sea Weasel Pokémon.
"No way... He's one of the best humans I know! Why are you out here in the first place...? Big bro Kai and I heard you crying for some reason..." Buizel asked, causing Eevee to frown before she shook her head.
"I... I got scared... when I saw other Pokémon... They didn't look friendly... I... I..." Eevee whimpered as she struggled to say what she wanted to say. The Water Type frowned before he offered a paw to her.
"Maybe big bro Kai and I can help you? He's nice to us Pokémon! I promise that he'll be a great person to hang around with!" Buizel assured, causing Eevee to look up at the Alola boy.
To her eyes, it seemed to be true as Kaito didn't have the eyes of danger, but the eyes of care and gentleness. Despite the fact that she wanted to agree and go along with Buizel's suggestion, it was... rather risky for her to take.
"N-No, I'm fine..." Eevee spoke back, much to Buizel's surprise.
"Do you... not trust us?" Buizel asked, causing the Evolution Pokémon to not respond. Before the Sea Weasel Pokémon could ask, the Evolution Pokémon backed away once more.
"I'm... I'm sorry... I want to trust you, but..." Eevee started to say before she stopped herself.
"But...?" Buizel was about to ask, before the Evolution Pokémon shook her head with a sad expression on her face. Her body still shivered, making it look like she still seemed to fear both the Sea Weasel Pokémon and Kaito.
"I'm sorry... I just... can't."
With those words, Eevee fled from the two, while looking like she was struggling to make her retreat. Buizel frowned at this as he turned to his human brother, who frowned as well for what he had seen just now.
End POV
"Let me guess... She didn't seem to want to be near us, huh...?" Kaito asked, earning a sad "Bui" from the Sea Weasel Pokémon. Sighing and scratching the back of his head, the Alola boy frowned.
"I thought that would be the case, especially with how frightened she looked upon seeing us. Even you trying to comfort her didn't seem to work. Still..." Kaito sighed before he made a serious expression.
"If that Eevee is like that, then there's no doubt that she went through something big... Something big and scary enough to traumatize her, maybe... If that's the case, then we should be helping her out... right?" Kaito asked.
"Bui!" was the only response the Alola boy needed to hear as he earned a smile from his Water Type partner.
Nodding to him, the two went after Eevee again, both hoping that the female Evolution Pokémon hasn't gotten far from them. Then again, it might not have, but the Alola boy was still hoping for it.
Back to Ash...
The Kanto Trainer was still struggling to get up to the top of the rocky cliff to see if he could find a way to rescue the wild Wimpod that was trapped inside. While he was doing that, Pikachu looked around, trying to look for something that might help.
Then, turning to where another area of the shore was, the Mouse Pokémon perked his ears up as he ran over to where he had found.
As Ash was trying to climb up, he watched in confusion to see his Electric Type partner running over to a different area!
"Hey, Pikachu! Where are you going... WHOA!" Ash started before he yelled in surprise as he fell onto the ground again on his butt, hard. The impact seemed to have caught the Wimpod's attention, and frightened it a little.
The Turn Tail Pokémon could only give a small cry of worry as it looked up to see the opening all the way up high from where it had possibly fell in.
For Ash, the Kanto Trainer twitched his arms and body painfully, before he groaned in pain. Looking up to where the top of the cliff was, Ash could only frown at the nearly impossible situation he was in.
"Ow... Oh man... If only Rowlet were here... It's probably asleep." Ash groaned, before he started to try and climb up again. But before he could do so, he heard a familiar cry nearby as he turned to his right!
To his surprise, it was an Alolan Exeggutor! Pikachu was riding on the evolved Grass-Dragon Type as the Kanto Trainer widened his eyes in surprise.
"Exeggutor...?" Ash called out, before he took notice of his Electric Type partner riding on it.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried out, much to the Kanto Trainer's surprise.
"But Pikachu... why? Uh... What's going on?" Ash asked, oblivious as to what was going on. It was when Exeggutor lowered its long head to where Ash's level was, allowing the Kanto Trainer to finally understand.
"I see... Great idea! You're a genius, Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed, praising his Mouse Pokémon.
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu cried out proudly.
Accepting the offer for the ride, the Kanto Trainer got on top of Exeggutor's head, while explaining of why he needed to be at the top.
"Here's the deal! There's a Wimpod stuck inside that rock! Give me a lift, okay?" Ash asked, earning a cry of understanding from the evolved Alolan Pokémon! Once they were lifted high enough, both Ash and Pikachu got off of the Grass-Dragon Type's head.
"All right! Thanks, Exeggutor!"
"Pi Pikachu!"
The two said their thanks to their tall friend, earning smiles from the Grass-Dragon Type.
With that said, the Kanto Trainer and his Electric Type partner looked down to see the Wimpod still scurrying around the trapped area.
"I'm coming down! You just relax, okay?" Ash called out, with the Wimpod looking up. It looked a little scared at seeing the strange human boy coming down... And when a rock suddenly fell near to where it was...
"WIM!" That scared it out of its wits as the Wimpod scurried around, still feeling scared for what fell near it! Taking notice and hearing its frightened cry, the Kanto Trainer started to climb down with Pikachu on his shoulder.
"I know... It's scary, but you've gotta stay calm, okay?" Ash called out before he got ready to jump down next to the Turn Tail Pokémon.
"One... two... three! HAH!" Ash yelled as he jumped down, before landing hard on his two feet! That not only shocked and scared the Turn Tail Pokémon, but it caused Ash to feel stunned before he managed to recover.
As he recovered, he and Pikachu watched to see the Turn Tail Pokémon scurrying around, sounding frightened for what it just heard.
"Ah... I scared you! I'm sorry!" Ash apologized, but his apology was unheard as the wild Pokémon kept wailing, sounding as if it was still frightened by the sudden impact Ash has caused by jumping on the ground.
It tried to make its escape through the small hole, despite the fact that it was useless.
"I said I was sorry... Huh?" Ash started to say before he took notice of the small hole that Wimpod tried to get out of. Widening his eyes, the Kanto Trainer now understood of the Turn Tail Pokémon's situation.
"Whaddaya know... So this is how you got in." Ash pointed out, earning an affirmative screech from the Turn Tail Pokémon before Ash inspected the entrance that seemed to be blocked by a giant rock.
"But the rock's in the way... And now you can't get out. You're lucky you didn't get squished!" Ash added as he turned to see the Wimpod still looking a little frightened.
Although it didn't seem to be TOO frightened, now that it seemed to have gotten used to Ash and Pikachu's presence.
With the rock in the way, the Kanto Trainer tried to pull at the rock to try and get it out of his way so that Wimpod could be free. But due to how big and heavy the rock was, it proved to be no good.
Sighing in defeat, the Kanto Trainer frowned before he turned to see the Wimpod giving him a teary look of concern.
"Don't worry. Hey, Pikachu! Help me out!" Ash called out.
The Mouse Pokémon blinked in confusion, wondering of what his human partner was about to say.
Back to Kaito and Buizel...
Eevee was still scurrying away from the area where she had first met Buizel and Kaito. The Evolution Pokémon whimpered, realizing that she was more lost, now that she had gotten even deeper into the forest.
"Vee..." The Normal Type looked around, before realizing that the sky was getting dark. It would be dark soon, which would mean that it could get colder.
The Evolution Pokémon could only shiver in fear and cold, before sneezing a little. Shaking her fur, Eevee moved around slowly, being cautious to her surroundings and getting ready to run whenever she needed to.
That was when until...
"Vee!?" Eevee turned to see the bushes rustling near where she was! The Evolution Pokémon widened her eyes in fear as she backed away, not wanting to deal with on whoever might try to attack her.
But just as she got ready to run and make her quick escape, she heard a familiar cry calling for her.
"Bui! Bu bui!"
That stopped Eevee in her tracks as she turned to see Buizel coming out of the bushes and running over to where she stood. He was followed by Kaito, causing Eevee to almost start running off again.
But at the gentle look the Alola boy had on his face, it managed to allow Eevee to think otherwise as she didn't run off this time. She looked to see the Sea Weasel Pokémon panting a little before he walked up to where she was.
Pokémon POV
"Huff... Huff... We finally caught up to you! Man... for someone who seemed to be traumatized, you go pretty fast." Buizel panted, making the female Pokémon confused.
"Why are you here...? And who said I was traumatized...?" Eevee asked, earning a sheepish smile from the Sea Weasel Pokémon.
"Well... It looked kinda obvious, since you kept shaking and you looked scared." Buizel explained sheepishly, causing the Evolution Pokémon to frown, upon realizing that the Water Type was right about her.
Nevertheless, she didn't try to deny it as she remained silent, allowing the Sea Weasel Pokémon to conclude mentally that he and Kaito were correct about her.
"So... Why did you run off...? You knew that we meant no harm, right?" Buizel asked, causing the female Normal Type to be silent again. Just before he could ask however, Eevee answered this time...
"I'm sorry... I... It just came to me that I had to run... I don't know why that is, though... I'm thinking it's because of the many enemies I think I've made in this forest and island..." Eevee explained sadly.
"Enemies...?" Buizel repeated in confusion as a tear welled up in her left eye.
"Everywhere I go... I get attacked except by the group of Exeggutor. Few reasons are like for invading their home or for eating their food... Other times... there are no reasons at all..." Eevee explained sadly.
The Sea Weasel Pokémon frowned, coming to an understanding slowly as to why the Evolution Pokémon seemed to be scared. He turned to Kaito, who just watched the two speak with each other.
The Alola boy remained frowning at the two, as he seemed to be coming to an understanding of what the two were talking about as it didn't seem to be a happy scene for him to see.
The Water Type turned back to the still sad Evolution Pokémon as he tried to give her a comforting smile.
"Trust me when I say this... if there's anyone you can definitely trust, it's big bro Kai here... He saved my life once when I was in deep trouble before in the past..." Buizel assured confidently.
That seemed to have caught Eevee's attention as she turned to see Kaito watching both her and Buizel with a patient expression as the Evolution Pokémon frowned, unsure of what to say before she glanced at Kaito again.
"What should I do...? I hardly know these two, yet I... have a feeling that I truly want to know them better..." Eevee thought with a frown as she thought over to the ugly times she had in this island.
She had heard about friendship, but was incapable of truly understanding it, as everyone and everything she had encountered Treasure Island seemed to have been nothing but in ugly times.
The only time she got to relax was hanging around with some of the Alolan Exeggutor and spending time with the Bug Pokémon in the meadow.
But to think the Buizel was asking her to trust both him and the human he called big bro... It made Eevee puzzled as she took a glance at the Alola boy one more time, who remained patient with the two.
Glancing back at Buizel, the Evolution Pokémon took notice of the gentle smile he was giving her, causing her to frown before she sighed.
"I..." Eevee started to say before she paused.
"Yes...?" Buizel asked before the female Pokémon made her answer.
"I... I'll... I'll go with you... If you say that he is nice as you say he is, then I will decide for myself and see whether he really is a kind human." Eevee explained with a frown, causing Buizel to frown a little.
While he was glad that the Evolution Pokémon was willing to accept his human brother, the doubt she still had for the Alola boy made him feel a bit concerned on whether Eevee will really be fine.
End POV
At seeing Eevee look up and walk over to him, the Alola boy blinked in surprise as he turned to his Sea Weasel Pokémon, who gave him a sheepish smile, before nodding to his human brother.
"So... Does this mean... you accept me, little one?" Kaito asked, causing the Evolution Pokémon to blink before she nodded slowly, although it seemed to be reluctant. Smiling in approval, Kaito reaches over to take Eevee into his arms.
The Normal Type flinched at being touched, but after being lifted into the human boy's arms, the Evolution Pokémon started to calm down slowly, before getting used to being lifted up by the human boy.
For Kaito, he smiled on how she was getting used to him as he turned to Buizel.
"Shall we take her with us, Bui?" Kaito asked, earning an approving smile and nod from the Sea Weasel Pokémon.
"Bui! Bu bui!" Buizel cried out in agreement, allowing Kaito to nod back as the two started to make their way towards the shore to meet up with Ash and Pikachu again. While they were walking, Kaito gave a sheepish smile.
"I guess I'll have to apologize to Ash when we meet up with him and Pikachu again, especially since the two of us ran off like that from them..." Kaito spoke sheepishly, causing the Sea Weasel Pokémon to remember what he and Kaito did earlier.
"Bui..." Buizel chuckled sheepishly before the two began to make their way back to the shore with the still shivering Eevee in the Alola boy's arms.
Back to Ash and Pikachu...
The Kanto Trainer was ready to get himself and his Electric Type partner out, while also saving the Wimpod that was trapped inside the small spaces in the rocky cliff.
"Use your Iron Tail on that rock!" Ash called out, allowing the Mouse Pokémon to understand of what his human partner meant. Without any hesitation, the Mouse Pokémon jumped up high in the air and smash the rock!
Outside, the Alolan Exeggutor blinked in surprise as they wondered of what was going on inside the cliff. For Ash and Pikachu, they both grinned in content, now that the way out was finally cleared.
"Man, that was great! Now you can get out of here!" Ash pointed out, turning to the still scared Wimpod, who blinked before noticing that the way out was cleared! Jumping happily out, the Wimpod scurried to where the ocean water was.
For the Alolan Exeggutor, it made its way out after the Kanto Trainer and his Electric Type partner said their thanks and goodbye to the Grass-Dragon Type.
Once that was done, the two stood with Wimpod as Ash gestured for the Turn Tail Pokémon to move on to where its friends could be at.
"'Kay... You can go! I'm sure your friends are worried about you." Ash assured with the Electric Type giving a cry of agreement. But Wimpod didn't seem to notice its friends around as it gave a sad cry.
Smiling sadly for the Turn Tail Pokémon, the Kanto Trainer looked out at the ocean water, before widening his eyes to see what was ahead of him!
"Look at that... They're your friends, right?" Ash asked, causing the Wimpod to perk up and jump happily into the water before it started to make its way towards its friends.
"Bye! Take care!" Ash called out, with Pikachu crying out his goodbye as well. But to their surprise, the Turn Tail Pokémon stopped in its tracks before it turned to see where its two saviors were.
Swimming back to them, the Turn Tail Pokémon swam over to the shore and went over to Ash with a thankful smile, causing the Kanto Trainer to smile back at it.
"Yeah...?" Ash asked, earning a happy cry from the wild Wimpod before it went back to swim with its friends, as the Wimpod group swam on the ocean, before the group soon disappeared out of Ash and Pikachu's sight.
The two smiled together, knowing that they both had fun and they managed to save a life today.
"Looks like you two did well without us." A familiar voice pointed out, causing both Ash and Pikachu to turn and see Kaito and Buizel coming over with something familiar in the Alola boy's arms.
"Hey, Kai... And wait... What's that in your arms?" Ash asked, as he and the Mouse Pokémon took came closer to see... a sleeping Eevee in the Alola boy's arms!
"Whoa... An Eevee! How did you get it, Kai...? Wait... don't tell me... Is that Eevee the one you heard, which was why you and Buizel suddenly ran off like that?" Ash asked, earning a sheepish nod from the Alola boy.
"Yeah... Sorry about that. It just kept coming to me while we were walking across here, so Buizel and I took the time we needed to rescue the poor little girl here. She's been through a hard time, judging by how scared she looked when we first met her." Kaito explained.
The Kanto Trainer blinked at the explanation, before looking to see the still sleeping Evolution Pokémon looking like she was having a nice time sleeping.
"That's good to know that you saved her, Kai... But whoa... look at you! Both you and Buizel are a bit muddy!" Ash pointed out. The Alola boy blinked to see his legs and feet a bit dirty while having small cuts on them.
Buizel's fur seemed to be a little dirty as well, causing the two to smile sheepishly together before they chuckled in unison.
"Yeah... I might have to take a shower when I get home... That goes for Buizel, too." Kaito chuckled sheepishly, while scratching the back of his hand with one hand.
"Bui..." Buizel cried out in agreement as the Kanto Trainer gave a grin before Pikachu called out to him.
"Pika?" Pikachu called out, causing the boys and Buizel to look up and see where Pikachu was looking at. Just then, the boys and Buizel all took notice of something looking like it was floating around in the night sky.
"What's that...?" Ash asked, as Kaito tried to take a closer look while narrowing his eyes. And to his shock... it was a familiar Pokémon to him as it seemed to be a Tapu, related to Tapu Koko, but girlish and pink...
"That's... That's the Island Guardian of Akala Island... Tapu Lele!" Kaito exclaimed, much to Ash's shock as he continued to watch the Land Spirit Pokémon float in the air, looking like as if it was dancing or something.
"Whoa... No way... the Island Guardian of Akala Island? So that means it's friends with Tapu Koko, right?" Ash asked, earning a nod from the Alola boy. Both Pikachu and Buizel watched in awe to see the second Island Guardian float around.
It then started to get closer to where both Ash and Kaito were, as the boys watched to see sparkles of light showering down... Soon, it reached the two as Ash blinked to see his hands still having scratches over him.
But when the sparkles of light showered down on him, the scratches were no longer visible as he grinned at the sight of his little wounds going away.
"The scratches...? But how? They're all gone..." Ash spoke in awe, allowing Kaito to explain.
"Tapu Lele has the ability to heal anyone when some of its scales sparkle down onto them... This has to be an example of its healing powers..." Kaito explained, causing the Kanto Trainer to grin at being healed by the Island Guardian.
"That was great! Thanks so much!" Ash exclaimed gratefully as he waved to the Guardian of Akala Island. But as it turned, it didn't take its leave immediately as it floated over and above the Alola boy and his Water Type partner!
The two watched in confusion before they watched to see Tapu Lele float above them and shower down a little of its powers onto the two! Kaito blinked before looking to see his legs all feeling better, despite the fact that they were still muddy.
The same went for the Sea Weasel Pokémon as Buizel grinned happily at the soothing feeling he was getting from the healing powers of the Island Guardian of Akala Island.
"Thank you, Tapu Lele..." Kaito spoke out gratefully, with Buizel calling out to the Island Guardian in thanks. As the Island Guardian of Akala Island flew in the air, it gave a glance at the boys and their Pokémon partners before it continued to float off.
The boys waved goodbye to the Island Guardian, as did their Pokémon partners.
As Tapu Lele disappeared out of their sights, the Alola boy gave a smile.
"Who knew that we would see Tapu Lele out here on Treasure Island...?" Kaito asked, causing the Kanto Trainer to give a small grin.
"Who knows? For some reason, I just know that we'll see it again someday, just like with Tapu Koko..." Ash assured, causing the Alola boy to realize what his Kanto friend could be saying, as their encounter with Tapu Koko was because it was interested in them.
Turning back to where the ocean water was, Kaito could only smile at the moon shining down on the ocean water as he sighed.
"Yeah... You could be right about that." Kaito said before he looked down to see the still sleeping Eevee in his arms.
"I guess this means we should go home... You sure you don't want to take the kayak, Kai?" Ash asked, only to get a shaking head from the Alola boy.
"I'll be fine. Trust me... But can you take Eevee with you? She's going to be really scared when she realizes we're not in the island anymore..." Kaito asked, earning a nod from Ash as he gently takes the sleeping Evolution Pokémon into his arms.
With the two getting ready to get back home, the Kanto Trainer was ready to board on the kayak while Kaito took a deep breath before he stepped into the ocean water with Buizel by his side.
As he stepped through, the Alola boy raised an eyebrow, not feeling any pain from his legs as he sighed in relief.
"I guess it must've stopped..." Kaito guessed, earning a relieved smile from the Sea Weasel Pokémon. Both Ash and Pikachu took notice of Kaito being okay as well as they nodded to each other before they started to row their way back to where Melemele Island was.
The Alola boy and his Water Type partner followed suit as the two duos headed back to where Melemele Island was.
It wasn't long before the boys were close to the shore. But as they were getting close, Kaito widened his eyes and let out a yelp of pain.
"Ugh...! Not... again...!" Kaito grunted, catching Buizel by shock! Ash and Pikachu took notice of the pain their Alola friend was in as the Kanto Trainer quickly rowed back to where Kaito was starting to sink!
"Kai! Kai, are you okay!?" Ash exclaimed in concern as he pulled Kaito onto the kayak, with Buizel supporting the Kanto Trainer.
"Y-Yeah... My legs... It's happening again!" Kaito groaned as he winced in pain.
With Kaito on the kayak now, the Kanto Trainer quickly rowed to shore, before helping Kaito walk as the Alola boy sat on the sand. Buizel and Pikachu came over while the Kanto Trainer held the still sleeping Eevee in his arms.
The glow on the Alola boy's legs appeared once more as it started to spread out across the Alola boy's legs.
"It's... It's spreading all over...!? What is... going on...!?" Kaito grunted as the glow reached all the way to his feet and toes, before it reached all the way up his waist.
"Oh man... Kai...!" Ash gasped in worry while Buizel and Pikachu watched as the weird glow took over the Alola boy's legs.
Suddenly... as the glow went on, no one noticed the Sea Gauntlet starting to glow as well, only for it to glow a little. But for Kaito, he started to have weird feelings in his legs now, as they replaced his painful feelings.
"H-Huh...? What in the...?" Kaito started to ask before the glow started to fade away. What came in the boys and their Pokémon partners' eyes... shocked them the most.
Instead of his legs appearing, the Alola boy had something different... something that would allow him to know more about his true self...
His legs were replaced by a blue tail... a blue fish tail, with light-blue fins! The boys gaped and paled to see the Alola boy this way, as did Pikachu and Buizel. The four all looked at each other, and before anyone could react.
"WHAT THE HECK IS THIS!?" Kaito screamed in shock, enough to startle the Kanto Trainer and the two starters, followed by Eevee, who was startled awake by the Alola boy's sudden scream.
That was when Kaito had finally discovered something about himself, with Pikachu, Buizel, and Ash being the ones that had witnessed it happen.
While Kaito was panicking at what happened to his legs, neither he or Ash took notice of a figure peeking its head out of the water before it dove back underwater.
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)
Eevee (F): (Quick Attack, Swift, Attract, Dig)
Next chapters:
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!
Chapter 44: An Alternative Bond and Friendship!
Chapter 45: A Masked Pokémon to Bond! Pt. 1
Next chapter preview:
Ash: Check it out! It's Litten! And there's even Stoutland under the bridge! Is that their new home?
Kaito: Most likely... That Alolan Persian incident must've made them move into a safer, but less comfortable place...
Ash: And I guess Litten hasn't changed a bit! It's always acting so cautious and annoyed for some reason...
Kaito: Maybe it's because your first meeting with it and your second meeting with it made him a little bitter...
Ash: Wait... Something's wrong? Litten is acting all frantic and Stoutland doesn't look too good... But why?
Kaito: Stoutland is an elderly Pokémon that takes care of Litten, but... No... No... Oh please no... Not that!?
Events that occurred:
- Ash saves a wild Wimpod while Kaito catches a wild Eevee
- Ash and Kaito encounter Tapu Lele for the first time
- Ash and Kaito witness Kaito's legs turning into a merman tail for the first time