Chapter 14
After practicing with Lana, Popplio is learning how to make a balloon that is big and sturdy enough to carry a Pokémon. In a series of mishaps, Rowlet and Popplio end up together inside the balloon—which is getting swept away. When we find them again, it seems that they're saved by the same Litten from before, though he doesn't tell us where he's living now as he leaves.
It doesn't take long for us to manage to find him again; we chase after the Litten until we discover the Stoutland under the bridge.
Lillie remarks, "So this is where they're staying..." Then we observe Stoutland attempting to teach Litten Fire Fang. However, Stoutland appears quite weak, causing us concern.
"Stoutland..." I mutter, my expression furrowed with worry.
The next day, Litten rushes to us, shouting, "Help, Stoutland is... Stoutland is..."
"What's wrong with Stoutland?" Nate inquires.
We promptly dash under the bridge, discovering Stoutland collapsed on the ground. Selene notes, "This Stoutland... it's struggling to breathe!"
"We need to take it to the Pokemon Center," I insist as we decide to help carry Stoutland there. Noticing that Stoutland isn't heavy, our concern for its condition grows.
At the Pokémon Center's emergency room, Nurse Joy and her Pokémon take care of Stoutland. As soon as the door opens, Litten rushes inside the ward as Nurse Joy informs us about Stoutland's condition.
"Stoutland isn't injured, and it doesn't have any severe illness. It's just... Well, Stoutland..." She proceeds to explain to us how Stoutland is aging and doesn't have much time left in this world. We inquire with Nurse Joy if Litten is aware of the truth behind Stoutland's condition, and Nurse Joy responds that she can sense Litten is aware of it.
We call my Mom and request a stay at the Pokemon Center, but as we attempt to bring some food for them, they have already vanished from the emergency room. Aware of their likely destination, we rush out to search for the two Pokémon.
The following day passes, yet Stoutland never returns. The rain falling seems to echo Litten's sorrow. Unable to accept Stoutland's permanent absence, Litten starts to howl in agony. Carrying umbrellas, we visit Litten to offer comfort. My Mom joins us, sharing our concerns and worries.
"So Stoutland..." I begin to ask my Mom, but she shakes her head and says, "I'm sorry..."
We attempt to lift Litten's spirits by receiving food from the old lady at the vendor, but Litten isn't in the mood to eat. Our five Pokémon—Pikachu, Togekiss, Absol, Zoroark, and Snowy—are also expressing their concerns to comfort Litten.
Eventually, we opt to stay with Litten in the same spot until he feels like eating. We eventually doze off, and upon waking up, we find the rain has ceased, and Litten seems to be feeling slightly better.
"So, Litten. Would you like to join us? It would be awesome to finish your Fire Fang training with us," I propose.
"You could become a part of our family," Lillie adds.
To our surprise, Litten responds by blasting us with Ember. Fortunately, having experienced similar attacks from Charizard and Charla, I seem somewhat immune to it. Deciding to engage in a battle, Zoroark faces off against Litten. After a fierce fight that reaches a standstill, Lillie asks, "So, will you join us?"
Litten nods, signaling its agreement before we throw a Pokeball, successfully capturing Litten.
Litten: The Fire Cat Pokemon: Fire Type. While grooming itself, it builds up fur inside its stomach. It sets the fur alight and spews fiery attacks, which change based on how it coughs.
With Litten now a part of our team, we make our way back home. Everyone at home is elated to meet Litten, especially after hearing the touching yet sad story. Surprisingly, Litten seems quite comfortable in my mom's arms, finding solace and warmth in her embrace.
We proceed on our journey until we finally reach Ten Carat Hill. Lillie remarks, "In the other dimension, you meet Gladion here, and he discusses my condition, how I couldn't touch Pokémon."
"Yeah, but it appears he hasn't arrived here," I respond with a slight frown, noticing Gladion's absence.
As we make our way to the Farthest Hollow, we observe how our Rockruff has formed a strong bond with two additional Rockruff. Due to Rockruff's strong insistence, we opt to capture the other two Rockruff.
Rosa inquires, "There's a Midday form of Lycanroc and a Midnight form... but what are your plans for the third Rockruff?"
"There's a secret third form," I reveal, recalling information from my travels in the Ultra Dimensions. Trenor appears surprised and asks, "Seriously? There's a third form of Lycanroc? How does one evolve it?"
Lillie responds, "Unfortunately, we didn't witness that part... so we'll have to wait and see..."
Continuing our journey, we're stunned to stumble upon a pedestal. Atop it rests some Z-Crystals, specifically the Flyinium-Zs.
"The Flyinium-Zs? What are they doing here?" I ask with confusion.
"I don't know... but can we actually take them?" Lillie asks.
We decide to claim one for ourselves, and suddenly, a woman appears. We recognize her as Kahili, the renowned golfer. "The glistening Flyinium Z… It's yours now. Watch as I show you my dance," she says.
Surprised that she's here just to teach us the dance, we observe as Kahili flaps her arms like wings, crouches, and then leaps into the air, extending her left hand towards the sky.
"Supersonic Skystrike is a devastating blow from the open sky! Use it well." Kahili explains before departing, leaving us still puzzled by the unexpected encounter.
Returning home, we summon Charizard and Charla, intending to practice the Z Move. "Charizard! Let's give it a try!" I exclaim.
Performing the dance, I synchronize my movements with Charizard. "This is my full power! Supersonic Skystrike!" I shout.
Charizard envelops itself in a vivid blue aura, soaring high into the sky before plummeting towards Charla, delivering a powerful strike. Selene remarks, "So that's the Flying Type Z Move... it's actually quite rare to find a Z Crystal like that in the Alola Region."
"That's amazing," Rosa adds, clearly impressed by the display of power.
Upon learning from Sophocles that his family is preparing to move away from their old house, we notice his sadness, prompting us to organize a farewell party for him. I even manage to capture a Charjabug as a gift for him. However, to our surprise, it's revealed that the move is temporary, necessitated by the need for repairs in their house. After a week, they'll be able to return. Despite the initial sadness, we're relieved and happy for Sophocles and his family.
Then we encounter Oluolu, a renowned Pokémon Base player, who visits the school as an alumni. He graciously offers to teach us the intricacies of the game. Eager to learn, we engage in a five-on-five game under his guidance.
It's unfortunate that Lillie and I end up on different teams. In our team, consisting of Selene, Rosa, Sophocles, Lana, and myself, we engage in the game. To our astonishment, Lana pulls off a remarkable home run in the final round, securing our team's victory,
Thanks to our victory, Oluolu agrees to play a mock game with us. However, facing off against a seasoned pro like Oluolu, our team finds it challenging to keep up. To showcase Snorlax's power, Oluolu unleashes the Z-Move: Pulverizing Pancake, hitting an incredible home run and displaying his mastery of the game. In conclusion, as a token of appreciation for reigniting his passion for Pokémon Base, Oluolu graciously offers us his autograph.
After a few more days pass, Professor Kukui announces a Pokemon Trading day. Mallow questions, "Pokemon Trading? What exactly does that entail?"
Lana, filled with concern, asks, "Does that mean Popplio's going away?"
"No, not at all! That's not what I meant. It's just for the weekend. I want all of you to experience different Pokemon aside from your own. What better way than to take care of each other's Pokemon?" Professor Kukui explains.
Upon hearing this, the others become excited. We then proceed to pick sticks to determine who will switch partners, with two sticks for each color.
In the end, Lillie and I are the ones wearing somewhat dejected expressions as we observe the others exchanging their Pokémon. I remark, "Isn't it just our luck? We ended up picking the same colors..."
Lillie responds with a sigh, "There's no need for exchanges because we're already sharing our Pokémon." Her tone carries a hint of disappointment.
Back at home, we observe Trenor playing with Selene's Popplio. One positive outcome is that Snowy is gradually getting along with Litten. It brings us joy to see both of them integrating well into our family. While Snowy is still considered a young one, after discussing it with our Mom, we conclude that it's time to initiate Snowy's training.
We opt to have Litten demonstrate to Snowy how to use Ember, followed by Snowy attempting to execute Powder Snow under our guidance.
"Snowy, that was amazing! You're really something!" I cheer enthusiastically.
"You're absolutely right. We can help you become even stronger," Lillie adds, noting Snowy's excitement at the prospect of growing stronger.
The following day, we visit Professor Kukui, intending to assist him in repairing a boat. Lillie inquires, "What's the boat for?"
"It's for the upcoming Akala Island month. It's scheduled right after the Trading day concludes," Professor Kukui explains, sparking excitement among us. Soon after, we run into Hau again, and he exclaims, "So you're finally heading to Akala Island!"
"Hey, Hau. Considering you're also taking on the Island Challenge, want to catch a ride with us?" Professor Kukui invites.
"I was thinking of heading to Akala Island with Mantine! And I'm excited to see Ash try out Mantine Surfing!" Hau responds eagerly.
"Mantine Surfing?" We inquire, feeling a bit puzzled.
"Yeah, that's right! The Mantines at Big Wave Beach on Route 2. You've seen them, right?" Hau explains.
"Ah, I remember. Well, Hau, the choice is yours!" Professor Kukui says with a smile. "The Island Challenge is all about embarking on the journey together with Pokémon, after all!"
"Exactly! So, see you on Akala Island, Professor! I'll be waiting at Route 2's Big Wave Beach!" Hau bids farewell before leaving. Lillie sighs and suggests, "Shall we try out the Mantine Surfing then?"
"Absolutely," I agree, and we head in that direction. However, we encounter Samson Oak there, and I ask, "Principal Oak, what brings you here?"
"I'm investigating the Totem Pokémon found around here. Yes, Totem Pokémon... Their tremendous size and that intense aura they emit... It's intriguing, isn't it?" He remarks.
"We're curious about that too," Lillie responds.
"Precisely my point! In that case, let me tell you this... I want you to collect certain stickers for me, to receive a totem-like Pokémon for yourself! That's right. I mean the Totem Stickers! You can find Totem Stickers here and there. Peel them off whenever you find them, and try to collect them all. If you collect 20 Totem Stickers to show me, I'll give you a fine Gumshoos and a Raticate!"
The prospect of having our own Totem Pokémon is indeed intriguing. Samson Oak continues, "Don't let me down! After all, you are the Trainers that Professor Kukui entrusted with Rotom there!"
After his departure, we decide to head to the beach to find Hau. There, we encounter the same swimmer as before, who asks if we're friends.
"Absolutely! We're on our island challenge together! And now, we're aiming to travel to Akala Island!" I respond.
"Ah, so you defeated old Hala?" the swimmer asks. "Our Mantines would love to have capable Trainers like you riding them!"
"Awesome! So, um... How do we actually go about Mantine Surfing?" Hau eagerly approaches the Mantines, inquiring about the activity.
"Just approach a Mantine and introduce yourselves," the swimmer advises. As Hau heads to Akala Island, we opt to take a full circle while engaging in Mantine Surfing. During our ride, we discover various moves, such as the Huntail Spiral achieved by performing three consecutive Right Rolls, and its counterpart, the Gorebyss Spiral, accomplished by executing three consecutive Left Rolls.
"That was quite enjoyable," Lillie remarks as we return to the beach. I echo her sentiment, finding the Mantine Surfing experience enjoyable. Afterward, we bid farewell to Hau as he sets off for Akala Island ahead of us. Then, we head back home to make preparations and pack our belongings for our upcoming journey.
Here is a new chapter, and the Litten part really makes me cry a lot. And we're now going to the Akala Island in the next chapter. I hope you like it.
Ash and Lillie's Pokemon:
Charizard, Butterfree x2 (One Pink), Rattata (Alolan), Pikachu, Raichu (Alolan), Vulpix (Alolan), Meowth (Alolan), Grimer (Alolan), Lapras, Meganium, Typhlosion (Hisuian), Steelix (Crystal), Mantine, Sceptile, Gardevoir (Shiny), Milotic, Absol, Infernape, Lucario, Togekiss, Gallade, Samurott, Audino, Zoroark, Hydreigon, Meowstic x2, Aegislash, Hawlucha, Rowlet, Litten, Popplio, Pikipek, Yungoos, Grubbin, Crabrawler, Oricorio, Cutiefly, Rockruff x3, Wishiwashi, Mareanie, Magearna (Shiny), Kleavor