Chapter 41: Litten Returns! A New Life! Pt. 1
"All those items you two bought together are really heavy! It sure looks like the two of you could use a hand!" Rotom commented as he watched Ash and Kaito holding the shopping bags together.
It's been a few days after the Alola boy and the Kanto Trainer have visited Treasure Island, which was where Kaito had made his newly caught Eevee a new member of his Pokémon family.
But ever since the boys and their Pokémon witnessed Kaito's legs changing into a blue merman tail with light-blue fins, well... Let's just say things went silent, but crazy after that night.
The boys agreed to keep that time a secret between them, as did their Pokémon friends. The Mouse Pokémon only told Rowlet and Rockruff of what he had seen, and with the pale look Ash had when he had arrived home, the two knew they had to belief what Pikachu said.
Vulpix and Kaito's Rockruff were shocked and concerned to know what happened to their Trainer, as Vulpix cried a little, feeling so worried for her human father figure while Rockruff expressed his worry by nuzzling onto Kaito.
Eevee on the other hand, expressed little concern. She may have agreed to be a new member of Kaito's team, but she understood little of what occurred to her new human partner, making her look like she was the least concerned Pokémon.
With his Pokémon family's concern, it was able to make the Alola boy feel a little better, but not enough to make Kaito feel better on what he had seen before he came back home that night. The sight of his fins freaked him out and made him worry on what would happen to his legs.
Thankfully, it turned back into his legs the moment Ash and the Pokémon helped him get his legs dry, which took quite a while to do so.
But that day turned into a little bit of a nightmare now that he had many questions coming into his mind...
That night was still in the Alola boy's head as Ash smiled at the Rotom Pokédex, accepting the offer for help.
"They do weigh a lot... Right, Kai?" Ash asked, causing Kaito to perk up and smile sheepishly at his Kanto friend.
"Y-Yeah... They sure do." Kaito agreed, allowing Rotom to request on whether it could lend a hand or not.
"Then let me carry one or two of those bags!" Rotom offered as it tried to take one bag from Ash and one bag from Kaito... But the moment it tried to lift the two shopping bags, it immediately fell!
It let out a grunt and gasped as it lost a donut from one of the bags, causing it to roll up to a familiar lady!
"Alola, young men!" Anela called out to the boys, causing Ash and Kaito to run over to her.
"Ms. Anela! Alola!" Kaito said, as he seemed to have forgotten about his troubles. The Kanto Trainer quickly said his Alolan greeting to the shop lady as well as Anela smiled at the two.
"Out on errands?" Anela asked as she picked up the donut for the boys to take back.
"Yeah..." Ash said with a nod before the shop lady offered the donut back.
"I believe you two dropped this?" Anela asked as the Kanto Trainer looked as if he was gonna take it back.
"Thank you- Whoa!" Ash started before the donut was snatched right out of his grasp! Kaito blinked as he watched to see a familiar Fire Type taking the donut and skidding to a stop near where he and Ash were.
"It's Litten..." Kaito blinked in surprise as the Kanto Trainer grinned.
"Litten! How are you?" Ash asked, but the Fire Cat Pokémon didn't respond. Instead, it ran off with the donut in its mouth!
"Hey! Wait up!" Ash called out as he ran after the little Fire Type, causing Pikachu, Rotom, and Rockruff to follow, too. Kaito bowed to Anela in thanks before he and Buizel chased after their friends.
The boys continued to chase the Fire Cat Pokémon to where there seemed to be a canal near. As the boys looked around, they took notice of the Fire Cat Pokémon not around them anymore as they both frowned.
"Where did he go...?" Kaito asked, until both Buizel and Pikachu seemed to have found him!
"Pika Pika!"
"Bu bui!"
"What is it, you guys?" Ash asked before he took notice of Litten, with the Alola boy noticing his little friend as well.
"There he is... So that must be his new home..." Kaito pointed out as he and Ash watched with their Pokémon friends to see Litten running down and under the bridge to where there was a familiar Normal Type.
"I can even see Stoutland there!" Rotom pointed out, causing the Alola boy to blink before he took notice of the elderly Normal Type like Rotom said. He seemed to lying on the old couch with Litten delivering the donut to it.
The elder Pokémon smiled, feeling grateful for the Fire Cat Pokémon. But while the boys and their Pokémon friends watched to see Litten giving Stoutland the food, no one took notice of a leaf falling off of a tree.
(Pokémon Opening: Breathe English Subbed)
(I do not own this ending song)
A music chart full of positive words
Giving a supportive push even when you didn't ask
(Kaito opens his eyes, before revealing the Sea Gauntlet, which began to shine brightly)
(The opening title reveals itself on the screen)
You are doing your best already
Don't know why you're rushing and forcing yourself to change something
(Shiho trips, much to Seita's surprise until Kaito helps his little sister up, causing Shiho to smile)
(Kaito is joined by Buizel, Vulpix, and Rockruff, before he turns to see Ash and the rest of his classmates calling to him while running towards him)
Do you think that you're not good enough now? If you don't act quick enough
(Hau is eating a malasada with Pichu and Eevee before he blinks, turning to the window of the malasada shop to see dark clouds)
(Camilla is enjoying her time at the beach with Austin, Comfey, Fomantis, Litten, and Cutiefly until she notices the dark clouds)
Can you not make it to the future?
(Kaito watches the sky as he sighs before Ash puts his arm around his shoulder, much to his surprise as Ash grins at him)
(The boys watch with Shiho, Seita, Rowlet, and Vulpix, seeing Buizel and Pikachu sparring together, with Ash's Rockruff and Kaito's Rockruff against one another)
The negative is only an important fragment of
Your spectacular journey
(Kaito is near the ocean until he turns to see unknown people sending out their Pokémon to attack him)
(Kaito tries to defend himself only for the enemies to blast all their attacks on him)
(Just as Kaito looked like he was hit, a giant thunderbolt repelled the attacks, revealing Zeraora)
Why not just be as you are
If you make an unassuming voice, it will echo
(Storm clouds gather before a giant wave splashes in the air)
(Camilla holds her necklace to her, looking afraid until she's comforted by her Pokémon)
(Akira walks up on a cliff with Rockruff, who has a strange gemstone attached on its rock collar)
I've heard it from a well-known phrase, before you know it, it will still remain unchanged
(King Kaisuke reunites with Shizuka, who smiles at the Sea King with tears welling up in her eyes)
(A Primarina uses Oceanic Operetta, as the giant water orb explodes, splashing water everywhere)
Even if it doesn't become famous, it's still your song
(Kaito and Ash faces Zeraora with Pikachu and Buizel as the battle gets intense)
(Kaito opens his eyes again, only to be sleeping on the beach with all of his friends and Pokémon)
(Opening End)
Kaito and Ash continued to watch as Stoutland finished the donut that Litten delivered to him. Once the elder Pokémon had his fill, the Fire Cat Pokémon turned back to a small piece of log.
Litten glared at it, getting ready to look like he was going to attack! But just as he was about to focus on a move, the Fire Cat Pokémon was admonished by the big Normal Type, catching Litten by surprise.
It was at that moment when Stoutland managed to get up as he began to shake, glowing with red fiery aura!
The boys blinked, as did their Pokémon friends and Rotom.
"I've seen that...!" Ash breathed out as Rotom recognized the move Stoutland was about to use.
"It's using Fire Fang!" Rotom pointed out as Stoutland let out a battle cry before it lunged towards the small piece of log with its fangs blazing with flames!
With the Fire Fang attack making its mark, the Fire Type attack broke the piece of log into pieces, much to Litten's awe and to the boys' awe as well. But no one noticed again, that another leaf from the tree fell from the impact of Stoutland's Fire Fang attack...
With the attack demonstration done, the elderly Pokémon got back onto the couch, looking like it was coughing a little.
That didn't go unnoticed by Kaito, as he frowned to see the state Stoutland seemed to be in. But Litten didn't seem to notice as he turned to where a coconut was!
Focusing on the fire inside him, the Fire Cat Pokémon got ready to use Fire Fang, which seemed to show as the fiery red aura blazed around him, catching Kaito and Ash's attention, along with the Big-Hearted Pokémon's!
Crying out loud, the Fire Cat Pokémon lunged to where the coconut was with his fangs blazing with flames! But just when he struck his attack, it seemed to have ended badly for the Fire Type.
Buizel and Pikachu could only wince as Litten slumped down, after wincing in pain from how hard the coconut was...
"That's gotta hurt his teeth..." Kaito commented, earning a nod from the Kanto Trainer. Nevertheless, the boys started to head over to where Litten and Stoutland were, so that they could greet them.
Once they got there, the boys greeted the two with smiles on their faces.
"Hey, Stoutland! How are you?" Ash greeted softly.
"It's good to see you being okay, big guy..." Kaito greeted as both Stoutland and Litten turned to see where the boys were.
Litten turned to Ash, before looking rather annoyed at the Kanto Trainer.
The past encounters the Fire Cat Pokémon had with Ash wasn't rather pleasant... Their first brief meeting occurred when Ash accidentally stepped on his tail... And their second meeting was bitter for Ash as Litten had stolen his sandwich.
And despite the fact that both Ash and Kaito tried to help Litten out with Stoutland, the Fire Cat Pokémon was actually more close to Kaito than to Ash, despite of the Kanto Trainer's wish to be his friend.
"So, tough guy... Looks like you're trying to master Fire Fang, huh?" Kaito asked as he stroked under Litten's chin, causing the Fire Cat Pokémon to freeze up before he purred happily at the good feeling.
As the Big-Hearted Pokémon watched, he began to cough, catching both boys by surprise.
"Ah... Are you all right, Stoutland?" Ash asked, concerned for the Normal Type's well being. In response, the elder Pokémon gave an affirmative grunt, which seemed to have satisfied Ash...
But for Kaito, the Alola boy wasn't convinced. In all of his meetings with Litten and Stoutland, the Big-Hearted Pokémon never coughed like that. Not even once.
"Something must be going on with the big guy... I just hope it's nothing TOO bad..." Kaito thought as he was about to speak, before the Kanto Trainer had an idea to try and make Stoutland feel better.
"Oh yeah! I just bought some berries. See? How about you and I split them?" Ash suggested. The Big-Hearted Pokémon seemed satisfied with the offer, but Litten didn't seem to appreciate it!
He shot an Ember attack onto Ash's face, much to his Pokémon's surprise, along with Kaito and Buizel's surprise!
"AHHHH!" Ash screamed as he quickly dunked his head in the water, quickly getting the cool feeling overcome the very hot feeling he got from the Ember attack. Immediately, the Fire Cat Pokémon was admonished sternly by the Big-Hearted Pokémon.
Even Kaito gave his friend a small glare as he scolded him.
"That wasn't very friendly, Litten... Ash was just trying to help the big guy out... Can't you at least appreciate that for Stoutland...?" Kaito asked sternly, with Buizel standing beside his human brother.
The admonishing from Stoutland and the small lecture from Kaito quickly caused Litten to feel ashamed as he showed contrite for his recent actions just now.
For Ash, the Kanto Trainer quickly recovered from the attack he had gotten as he gave a sheepish grin.
"I see Litten hasn't changed a bit, huh...?" Ash asked with a sheepish chuckle, causing Kaito to give a raised eyebrow to his Kanto friend.
"I'm surprised to see you not being a little hostile to the little guy... I still remember you feeling pretty angry at him for stealing your sandwich..." Kaito reminded, causing Ash to grin sheepishly at the bitter memory.
Rowlet came over, bowing in thanks to the Fire Cat Pokémon. At the thanks, the Fire Cat Pokémon gave a humble meow before he turned to Stoutland, sounding as if he wanted to train his attack more.
Upon hearing the request, the Big-Hearted Pokémon understood as he watched Litten run outside and prepare to use Fire Fang once more.
Stoutland watched carefully, before he made instructions for Litten to hear. But just as he did, the elder Pokémon began to cough once more. This time, Ash frowned at the sight of it while Kaito watched in worry.
"That doesn't sound good... Is Stoutland feeling sick? Or... No... No, that can't be it..." Kaito thought as he shook his head, getting rid of the ugly thought that almost came to his mind just now.
Later...
The Alola boy was heading back home with Buizel by his side. As he walked, the condition that Stoutland seemed to be in remained fresh in the Alola boy's mind.
"The way Stoutland looked and the way he coughed earlier... This has never happened before on the times when I visited him and Litten to see them..." Kaito thought as he frowned, before biting his lips.
"Bui?" Buizel asked, causing the Alola boy to look down on his Water Type partner.
"Bu bui..." The Sea Weasel Pokémon looked rather concerned, causing Kaito to give a sheepish smile before he sighed.
"Sorry, Bui... It's just... the way Stoutland looked just now... You saw how weak he seemed to be, despite of saying that he was okay, right?" Kaito asked, causing the Water Type to nod in understanding.
"I feel like... something bad is going to happen... I just hope that's just a feeling." Kaito admitted as he continued walking, while Buizel walked by his side, knowing what his human brother meant.
But the two didn't realize that tomorrow... something sad was going to occur... whether they liked it or not.
The next day, after school...
After the Pokémon School was finished, Ash and Kaito were walking back home together when Komala had rung the bell. Pikachu and Buizel were with their human partners as Rotom traveled with the boys.
"Hey, Kai! I think we should go back and see Litten again!" Ash suggested, causing Pikachu to give a cry of agreement.
Smiling at the suggestion, the Alola boy nodded in agreement.
"Yeah... It was nice seeing them again after a while, but I think I want to spend some time with them..." Kaito agreed before he frowned. Stopping himself, the Alola boy sighed as Ash turned to see his Alola friend looking puzzled.
"What is it...?" Ash asked, causing Kaito to look up at him with a serious look.
"Did you... You know... Did you give anyone some hints of what occurred during that night back at Treasure Island...? About what happened to my legs?" Kaito asked, causing Ash to shake his head immediately.
That went for Pikachu while Rotom watched in confusion.
"Nope! Not a thing... Besides, it creeped me and Pikachu out as well... To think something like that happened to you the moment after we leave the island..." Ash assured, until Rotom buzzed in.
"What's this about Kaito's legs?" Rotom piped in, causing the boys to freeze up as they sweat dropped for not being careful of the topic they spoke together just now as Kaito gave a sheepish smile.
"Ah, well... It's just that... my legs had leg cramps after we got back from Treasure Island... A lot of cramps, in fact!" Kaito lied, causing Rotom to sweat drop before it shook its head in disbelief.
"Well you should be more careful! You need to take good care of your body while you're moving... Otherwise, if you're stuck in a tight situation, there's a 95% chance you won't be able to get out of it if you keep harming your body like that!" Rotom scolded.
The Alola boy could only give a nod as he sweat dropped for the lie he had to tell. The Kanto Trainer didn't object to Rotom either, as he didn't want to give his Alola friend's secret away.
Wanting to change the topic, the Kanto Trainer made another suggestion that he and Kaito could do for their Fire Type friend.
"Let's bring some berries for Litten and Stoutland to enjoy! What do you say, Kai?" Ash asked, earning a nod from the Alola boy.
"Yeah... That will help them from their troubles of searching for food for a while..." Kaito agreed. But before the boys could head for the marketplace, something attacked them! The attack struck the ground in front of them, creating a big amount of dust!
The boys yelped in surprise, as did their two Pokémon partners and Rotom!
"Where did that come from!?" Rotom exclaimed in shock.
The dust soon cleared as the boys got their answers upon seeing a familiar evil trio with their Pokémon comrades!
"Oh nuts... Not you morons again!" Kaito grunted angrily.
"Yeah...! What do you guys want!?" Ash snapped as the trio began their motto for the boys to hear!
"Prepare for trouble, you're such Twerp bores!"
"And then make it double, I couldn't agree more!"
"The beauty so radiant, the flowers and moon hide in shame..."
"A single flower of evil in this fleeting world: Jessie!"
"The nobly heroic man of our times!"
"The master of darkness fighting back against such a tragic world! It's James!"
"It's all for one and one for all!"
"A glittering dark star that always shines bright!"
"Dig it, while Meowth takes flight!"
"Team Rocket, let's fight!"
"Wobbuffet!"
But just as their motto was finished, an Ember attack struck the trio and Wobbuffet! Mareanie just watched in surprise as the evil trio and Wobbuffet danced around, yelling in pain from the fire they were hit with!
The boys blinked in surprise, only to see Litten jumping down to their level and running over to them with a pleading look in his eyes!
"Litten!?" Kaito exclaimed as Litten grabbed onto his shorts with a pleading look, before he did the same with the Kanto Trainer.
"Litten, what's wrong!?" Ash exclaimed before Kaito blinked, realizing that there could only mean one thing: Stoutland was in danger.
"No... it must be Stoutland! Stoutland must be in trouble...!" Kaito exclaimed, much to Ash's shock.
"You think so...!?" Ash exclaimed as Buizel and Pikachu both widened their eyes. Even Rotom looked shocked as Litten continued to plead the two boys to come with him.
Team Rocket on the other hand, recovered from the surprise attack they had taken from Litten before they glared at the boys and their Pokémon friends for having the end of their motto interrupted!
"STOP!" Jessie snapped angrily, with James adding in his words.
"Interrupting is rude!" James added, until Meowth took notice of the familiar Fire Type.
"That's that grub-grabber!" Meowth pointed out until the boys took quick action to make their escape as they turned to their Pokémon partners for help!
"Pikachu, use Electro Ball!"
"Buizel, use Ice Beam!"
Electro Ball and Ice Beam were launched to where the evil trio! While it didn't blast them away, the moves exploding on the ground created a small smokescreen that gave the boys enough time to make their escape!
As the moves made their impact, Team Rocket yelled in surprise before they recovered to see the boys no longer in their sight, along with their Pokémon friends.
"What...!? They vanished into thin air!" Jessie pointed out in shock.
"Like villain magicians!" James added, with Wobbuffet crying out his agreement.
With the boys no longer in their sights, the Team Rocket trio frowned, annoyed with losing their chance to try and capture Pikachu and the other Pokémon they could've stolen from the protagonists.
"Aw... after coming all this way..." Jessie sighed, before James made a suggestion.
"Let's retreat and regroup!" James suggested, which Jessie seemed to agree with as they began to head back to where their hideout was.
"Meowth, come along..." Jessie started to say until the Team Rocket member refused with a serious expression.
"No thanks. I'm gonna deal with this!" Meowth declared, much to his comrades' confusion.
"With what?" Jessie and James asked together, only to get no answer as Meowth ran off from them, heading to a different direction than to where they were going.
Meanwhile...
The boys let Litten take them to where he and Stoutland lived in as they approached to see... Stoutland looking like he collapsed on the ground!
"Stoutland!?" The boys gasped as they ran over to see the condition the Big-Hearted Pokémon was in. The Big Normal Type was panting, like he was struggling to breathe or something, which Kaito and Rotom quickly noticed.
"It's having trouble breathing...!" Rotom pointed out as Kaito gritted his teeth.
"Breathing problems... The coughing... No... No! That can't be it!" Kaito thought as he continued to check the Big-Hearted Pokémon's conditions.
"This is what you were so worried about, wasn't it?" Ash asked, earning more pleading meows from the Fire Cat Pokémon.
Smiling in understanding, the Kanto Trainer gave a reassurance to Litten, wanting to help him and his old friend out.
"Don't worry! We'll get Stoutland to a Pokémon Center right away!" Ash assured, as Kaito looked up with a serious look.
"Yeah... Things are going to be okay... I can assure you that, little guy..." Kaito assured seriously, catching Ash and Litten's attention as they took notice of how serious the Alola boy looked.
"Kai...?" Ash started to ask before he watched the Alola boy try to lift Stoutland up onto his back, much to Rotom's bewilderment.
"You're going to try to carry it!?" Rotom asked in confusion as Kaito grunted, struggling to hold up the Big-Hearted Pokémon's weight as he glared to where Rotom floated in the air.
"What else am I supposed to do...!? I can't catch the big guy with a Pokéball when he's like this! This is something... This is one of the things I have to do to help him out!" Kaito explained as he grunted, struggling to lift Stoutland up.
"Yeah... Let me help too, Kai!" Ash called out as he joined Kaito in lifting the Big-Hearted Pokémon up onto his back. Buizel, Pikachu, Rotom, and Litten all watched to see the boys struggling to lift up the elder Pokémon.
"Whoa...! Stoutland may not be heavy, but... Big is still big!" Ash gasped as Rotom watched with a frown.
"Yeah... That's what I thought..." Rotom sighed, as Litten meowed in worry.
"Don't worry... Stoutland will be fine... There'll be... nothing to worry about once he's recovered...!" Kaito gasped as he wheezed while he and Ash continued to struggle to try and lift Stoutland onto their backs.
No one took notice of Meowth coming near to where they were as the Team Rocket member hid to keep himself hidden from his enemies. As he watched the boys move Stoutland to where the Pokémon Center could be...
"Huh...?"
Meowth blinked, looking to see another leaf falling from a tree branch as he watched it fall towards the canal water, before it flowed away by the small current that the water was moving it to.
Later...
The boys managed to get the elder Pokémon to where the Pokémon Center was. Once they got there, they immediately asked Nurse Joy to check up on the Big-Hearted Pokémon.
Without hesitation, the nurse began to do her work with Blissey and Comfey assisting her.
The treatment looked like it was going well, as the boys and their Pokémon partners watched the nurse and her Pokémon helpers try to help Stoutland out with whatever problems he was having.
Litten on the other hand, kept meowing in concern, crying for Stoutland as he tried to reach for his elderly friend. He even once tried to sneak in to give Stoutland some comfort, but Kaito stopped him from doing so.
Now the Fire Cat Pokémon was in Ash's arms, still meowing for his friend as Kaito kept watching to see how the treatment was going.
"Stoutland..." Kaito whispered inaudibly as the light on the ER sign above the door blinked off, showing that the treatment was done. At seeing the nurse and her Pokémon assistants coming out, Litten jumped out of Ash's arms to head for Stoutland!
"Litten!" Ash called out before he and his Alola friend met with the nurse, who didn't seem happy from the looks of it.
"Nurse Joy... Is... Is Stoutland going to be alright?" Kaito asked, having a hopeful look in his eyes. The nurse frowned as she started to explain the problems Stoutland may have in him.
"Stoutland isn't hurt, and it doesn't have any serious illnesses... It's just, well... Stoutland is..."
As Nurse Joy started to explain, the next few words caused Kaito to pale up as he widened his eyes in shock. Ash widened his eyes also, before he bit his lips.
Litten on the other hand, didn't seem to hear as he was busy comforting the Big-Hearted Pokémon by licking his fur to try and keep his elder friend comforted. The Normal Type seemed to appreciate the comfort as he grunted in thanks.
At the words that came out from the nurse's mouth, Kaito's face darkened as he clenched his fists. Buizel looked up at his human brother in worry as Ash turned to where Litten was comforting his friend.
"I wonder... Do you think Litten knows?" Ash asked, as the nurse turned to the scene with a frown.
"I think Litten can sense the truth..." Nurse Joy spoke, as Kaito bit his lips having his face remained darkened.
"Bui...?" Buizel asked as the Alola boy didn't respond. What Nurse Joy had said about what might happen to the Big-Hearted Pokémon... it made Kaito unable to respond to his Water Type partner.
Back at Litten's home...
Near the canal where Litten and Stoutland had lived, another leaf from the tree started to fall off, leaving the tree with only very few leaves left...
Back at the Pokémon Center...
It was night as the Kanto Trainer and the Alola boy remained in the Pokémon Center to keep Litten and Stoutland company. Ash was currently talking to Prof. Kukui about wanting to keep Litten and Stoutland company.
Kaito contacted home to speak to his siblings about what was going on with his two Pokémon friends.
"I see... Poor Stoutland... Is he going to be okay, big brother?" Shiho asked in concern.
Kaito smiled weakly, not wanting to lie to his siblings... However, the Alola boy couldn't bring it to himself to tell the truth to Shiho and Seita as the Alola boy forced himself to tell a lie to the two.
"Y-Yeah... The big guy will be fine... He just needs some rest. And with Litten besides him, I'm sure everything will be fine..." Kaito assured weakly.
"Of course... That's what I want to believe, too... But with the way things are..." Kaito thought before Seita gave a smile, nodding in understanding to his brother's words.
"Okay, big bro! We'll see you later or tomorrow!" Seita said as both he and Shiho waved goodbye to their elder brother before the screen on the phone booth turned off, ending the call.
At the call ending, the Alola boy sighed as he slumped down on the stool he was sitting on. Buizel looked up to his human brother in concern, understanding the reason on why he had to lie.
"I couldn't bring myself to tell them the truth... They would've had their hearts broken, Bui..." Kaito admitted, causing the Sea Weasel Pokémon to give a small cry of understanding.
The Alola boy got up from his stool, planning to spend his night with his two Pokémon friends. As he was walking to where Litten and Stoutland should be, both he and Buizel noticed Ash coming over with a bag in his hand.
"Are those... some berries inside the bag?" Kaito asked, earning a nod and smile from the Kanto Trainer.
"Yep! I thought they might be hungry, so I bought these from the lady from the marketplace so that we can all share the berries together!" Ash explained, causing the Alola boy to smile in thanks.
"Thanks, Ash... for helping out with this." Kaito said thankfully, earning a nod from the Kanto Trainer.
"No prob, Kai! I care about Stoutland like you do, so of course I would help you look after those two!" Ash assured, causing the Alola boy and his Sea Weasel Pokémon to smile together before they headed inside the ER room.
"Hey, guys! I bought some berries for ya- Huh!?" Ash started before he gasped.
Kaito widened his eyes and gasped also to see... both Litten and Stoutland were not in the ER room!
"Oh no, it can't be!" Rotom buzzed in shock.
At seeing the two Pokémon gone, the boys and their Pokémon partners ran out of the Pokémon Center to search for their two missing friends. Rotom flew besides them, believing that they couldn't have gone far.
"Considering Stoutland's condition, they couldn't have gone far." Rotom buzzed as the boys knew where they could have gone.
"I think we know where they went... Right?" Ash asked, glancing at his Alola friend.
"Yeah... They must be back under the bridge at the canal where we first saw them yesterday..." Kaito agreed as the boys kept running with their Pokémon partners. But before they could go any further, they ran into a familiar enemy of theirs!
"It's you!" Kaito exclaimed as he and Ash widened their eyes to see Meowth getting in their way!
"Meowth!? Hey, what do you want...?" Ash asked with a glare. Pikachu sparked his cheeks while Buizel hissed, looking like they were ready to attack. But Meowth made no attempts to counter back as he just glared.
"I've got a bone to pick with the four of you..." Meowth started, catching the boys by surprise. The Team Rocket member continued to speak with a serious tone as the boys listened.
"Litten's the kind of Pokémon that never gives up. So you twerps make sure you never give up on Litten... Capisce?" Meowth asked, causing Kaito to narrow his eyes while Ash blinked in confusion.
"What are you talking about...?" Ash started to ask until Meowth made his escape.
"I'm done... Don't forget!" Meowth grunted as he ran off, causing Ash to glare to where the Team Rocket member had ran into.
"Man, that was weird..." Ash breathed out while the Alola boy remained frowning.
"Not to give up on Litten... Who does he think he's talking to...? We're the kind of humans that DOES care for Pokémon..." Kaito thought before he shook his head.
"Come on... Let's keep going." Kaito advised, earning a nod from the Kanto Trainer. With that being said, the boys and Rotom continued to head towards where the canal was with Buizel and Pikachu running with them.
To be continued...
Kaito's Team:
Buizel (M): (Ice Beam, Agility, Rain Dance, Aqua Jet)
Rockruff (M): (Crunch, Sand Attack, Rock Slide, Howl)
Vulpix (F): (Ember, Roar, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack)
Eevee (F): (Quick Attack, Swift, Attract, Dig)
Next chapters:
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 With! Pt. 1
Chapter 46: A Masked Pokémon to Bond With! Pt. 2
Next chapter preview:
Ash: Kai... Please don't be like this... It's bad enough when you were like this when you remembered about Zeraora...
Kaito: I know I have to move on, but... It's too hard... and it feels wrong to just move on, especially when an old friend is gone.
Hau: But still... this Stoutland was your old friend and that Litten's friend, right? So, I'm sure he would want you to move on with life!
Kaito: You sound like you know this from experience. Still... It's difficult to just let it go. I'm sure Litten is having a tough time, too.
Ash: I guess... But hey, even if a friend is gone, distance doesn't matter, right? The bond you share with others will always be strong!
Kaito: Distance doesn't matter, huh... So what you're saying is, a bond can be strong no matter how far you're apart. Is that it...?
Events that occurred:
- Kaito and Ash reunites with Litten and Stoutland
- Stoutland is discovered to have a bad condition