xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Route 10, Ula'Ula Island, 4:55 p.m. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Floating behind Keats, who was rummaging through an abandoned car with missing tires in the middle of the woods, was Rotom with a disappointed look in the phone Pokémon's eyes. Finding a large pack filled with bottles of water, Keats started putting them in his messenger bags before grabbing one bottle and opening it up to drink it.
"Ahhh..." Keats exhaled after chugging majority of the water bottle.
"You know thozzzze bottles probably are not safe to drink because of the warm plastic from being out in the sun all day." Rotom said with a critical tone as Keats finished drinking.
"Too thirsty to care." Keats said with a smirk as he threw the empty bottle back in the abandoned car. "All that running, and this stupid tropical heat is wearing me down." He continued as Rotom looked at him.
"Ahem, zzzzt." Rotom grunted as its screen flashed an image of Swalot, Venonat and Porygon.
"...Oh yeah..." Keats said with an embarrassed expression on his face as he looked at the images of his recently acquired Pokémon that he didn't catch on his own.
"I need zzzzomething to send to your sister for an update so give me the story, Keats." Rotom said with a stern tone.
"I don't see why I have to explain myself to you!" Keats exclaimed in an offended tone as he slammed the door of the abandoned rental car.
"Becauzzzze if you don't, I'll tell Marie about all the times you failed to catch Oranguru." Rotom said with an annoyed look on its screen as Keats' eyes widened.
"...You wouldn't..." Keats said with a worried tone.
"Then zzzzpeak." Rotom said bluntly.
"...Fine..." Keats said with a sigh. "I... Actually knew about Venonat and the other thing..." He said as he walked over to the hood of the car and sat on it.
"I kind of figured since you didn't use the bathroom at home the entire time, zzzzt." Rotom said.
"Venonat came in once when I left the door open, and she started sleeping in my sock pile at home. After that, she just never left. I pretty much just bought new socks every time she kept adding them to her bed of them." Keats said as he reminisced.
"And Zzzzwalot?" Rotom questioned.
"You know, it didn't look like that when I first saw it." Keats said.
"Oh, did it look like thizzzz?" Rotom said as it flashed an image of a small green blob with a yellow, leaf-like appendage on its head.
"Yeah, that's it." Keats said while pointing at the floating phone.
"What'zzzz the story behind him?" Rotom asked.
"I had a bad clog once in my bathroom some time a while ago. So, I went out back behind my trailer and checked the septic tank. Then I found that... Thing?" Keats said, unsure of the name of the small green blob Pokémon.
"It'zzzz called a "Gulpin."' Rotom said.
"Ahh that's it." Keats said as he snapped his fingers. "So, the little thing was starting to live in my septic tank, and I just let it. Became kind of an issue though with using the can." He said as he scratched his head.
"Obviously..." Rotom thought, judgmentally.
"It got really annoying every time I walked in there and found Gulpin just sticking out of my toilet. How the hell am I supposed to urinate if there's a big mouthed gloopy thing under the seat?" Keats said. "What happened was that I told Gulpin that he could stay in the bathroom but if I unlocked the door at any point, I needed to seriously use the can for a dump." He continued.
"...Too much info... Zzzzt." Rotom said with disgust.
"I started to pee outside so Gulpin could stay in the bathroom, and he didn't have a problem with the arrangement." Keats said as Rotom made a disturbed expression.
"...And then he evolved, zzzzt?" Rotom questioned.
"...There was a flash of light this one time in there that I didn't question hard enough..." Keats said as he scratched his beard.
"And Porygon, zzzzt?" Rotom asked as Keats raised an eyebrow.
"Huh?" Keats muttered.
"The other Pokémon, zzzzt?" Rotom asked once again.
"...There was Swalot... And Venonat..." Keats said as he tried to remember what Pokémon were in the call feed with Marie and Adam. "Stunky was in Marie's arms so that's not what you're referring to..." He thought as he scratched at his face, still unsure of who Rotom was talking about.
"Thizzzz." Rotom said with annoyance as the phone Pokémon flashed an image of the polygonal creature that was floating in the shot as Keats made a surprised face.
"Oh, my antivirus." Keats said as he looked at Rotom.
"Your what, zzzzt?" Rotom said in confusion.
"My antivirus. Come on, you're a living program, you should know what that is." Keats said with a skeptical tone towards Rotom.
"I know what that izzzz!" Rotom exclaimed in annoyance. "What do you mean "your antiviruzzzz?"' The phone Pokémon questioned.
"...Was that thing not an antivirus?" Keats said. "Oh god, someone better have not gotten my info. Last thing I need is someone using my identity to open up a franchise in another country... Again..." He thought with sweat dripping off his face.
"It'zzzz an artificial Pokémon. Like I am." Rotom said towards Keats as he raised an eyebrow before flashing Porygon's image once more and looking up its PokéDex entry. '"Porygon, the Virtual Pokémon, a Normal type. It is a manmade Pokémon. Since it doesn't breathe, people are eager to try it in any environment. It's also freely capable of moving in cyberspace."' The phone Pokémon said, reading off the Dex for Porygon.
"Huuuh..." Keats said. "So that's why it was in a Pokéball when I got it." He continued.
"It was already in the ball, zzzzt?" Rotom questioned.
"Yeah, when I won it." Keats said as he stood up from the hood of the car.
'"Won it" where, zzzzt?" Rotom replied. "There's a place giving out Porygons?" The phone Pokémon thought, bewildered.
"Celadon Game Corner." Keats said. "Well, back then it was called the "Rocket Game Corner," but same place." He said as he looked at Rotom.
"A cazzzzino?" Rotom said with confusion.
"Two years ago, on my twenty-first birthday, I was finally old enough to gamble. So, me and some acquaintances went out to Celadon City and we decided to hit the slots." Keats said as he started to walk deeper into the forest, Rotom following behind him. "I went to the one that had the biggest payout. Everyone was telling me it was a bad idea because no one had hit it on that machine in weeks." He continued.
"Mostly because a lot of machines in casinos are rigged. Also, "acquaintances" is just another way of saying you don't have friends, Keats..." Rotom thought.
"I'm on the lever for like sixty minutes until I'm almost empty and then boom!" Keats said with a smirk. "I hit the biggest payout in the entire building and I'm feeling like a winner... And then some asswipe walked over in a black and white jumpsuit and a hat that had an R on it. The guy congratulated me and said he represented the Game Corner and said I could take the money I won or..." He said until he suddenly stopped. "...I could take a mystery prize." Keats said with a headshake.
"What wazzzz it?" Rotom questioned.
"It was a small box." Keats said towards Rotom.
"...And you chozzzze the box...?" Rotom said as Keats put his hands on his face.
"Ugggghhhh! I can't believe I fell for that. I could've been set for life!" Keats complained loudly. "And of course, I just had to go with the box. Because it's not often you're offered a "mystery box!"' He thought with regret. "Well... Anyway... Yeah, I went home with the box. Pretty much everyone was mocking me the whole bus ride home." Keats continued.
"And you opened it to find a Pokéball, zzzzt." Rotom said.
"Didn't think it was one at first." Keats said. "The Game Corner had a Pokéball symbol in place of the O in "Corner," so I thought it was a branding thing." He said as he walked through the woods. "When I dropped the ball on the floor, out came the antivirus." Keats continued.
"You mean Porygon, zzzzt." Rotom stated.
"Right, Porygon." Keats said, acknowledging his mistake in identification. "When it popped out, it just stared at me for a moment before noticing my laptop and then floated over to it and just looked at all my pop-ups." He said as he scratched his beard.
"You really need to take better care of yourself on the web." Rotom thought, judgmentally.
"It disappeared going into my computer and then came back out with a content look in its eyes. And all the malware was gone." Keats continued as he recalled how he obtained a Porygon. "After that, it went back into the ball. Since then, I just thought it was some kind of fancy new A.I. powered virus fighting thing." He said as he stopped to look at Rotom, the phone Pokémon just making a confused expression on its screen.
"...And you only called it out when you needed it, zzzzt..." Rotom said. "You are so lucky that Porygon doesn't need to breathe or eat..." The phone Pokémon thought. "Well... Now all three of them are officially registered to your PokéDex. They are now in your rotation. Want me to read off Venonat and Swalot's Dex entries while I'm at it?" Rotom asked.
"Not really." Keats said bluntly as Rotom made an aggravated face. "At least, I know the gold floating keys were a hallucin- what the heck is that?" He said as he looked around at the woods of Route 10 until he looked down at the ground and noticed something going by his feet.
Burrowing through the ground, a small creature that was familiar to Keats had passed by him. Dark brown with two black eyes and a large pink rounded nose, its entire lower body, aside from its head, was in the dirt. As Keats looked at the creature, he also noticed it had three strands of blonde hair on its head.
"...Was that a Diglett?" Keats asked as he looked at Rotom.
"Correct, zzzzt." Rotom replied.
"...They have hair here?" Keats questioned. "I'm so used to them being bald but... God..." He thought.
"And when they evolve into Dugtrio, they look like thizzzz." Rotom said as it flashed an image of an Alolan variant of Dugtrio. "They're also Ground and Steel types." The phone Pokémon continued.
As Keats' eyes widened, he looked with surprise as the Dugtrio of the Alola region had sported long, luscious blonde locks of hair. The tallest of the trio having a massive mane of hair, the second tallest had a shorter cut but was just as wavy and the shortest of the Dugtrio had a bowl cut hairstyle.
"Their... Their hair..." Keats said with a shocked tone.
"What about it, zzzzt?" Rotom asked as Keats fell down to his knees all of a sudden.
"Their hair is beautiful..." Keats said with tears welling up in his eyes. "...Why can't my hair be like thaaaaaat?!" He screamed loudly as his voice echoed throughout the forest as the Diglett from before had turned around to look at him.
"...That's a very odd thing to be jealous of..." Rotom thought with bewilderment as Keats violently slammed the bottom of his fist into the ground.
"Diglettediglette." The Alolan form Diglett said as it approached Keats and Rotom.
"What!? You here to gloat that your hair is going to be fantastic when you evolve?!" Keats angrily said towards Diglett as he twisted his head in the direction of the Ground and Steel type Pokémon.
"Dig?" Diglett said with a confused tone.
"Trust me, you might want to leave. He might be like thizzzz for some time." Rotom said towards the Diglett.
"Digle..." Diglett said as it turned around and looked up at a tree, spotting Oran Berries. "Diiiig!" The Ground and Steel type exclaimed as its head started to glow with a grey-ish silver aura.
'"Iron Head," zzzzt?" Rotom said with confusion as Keats and the phone Pokémon watched as the Alolan Diglett rushed at the tree, slamming its skull against the pine as Oran Berries began to fall form it.
Turning around after it stopped glowing, the Ground and Steel type started to roll an Oran Berry with its nose. Pushing it over to Keats, the husky framed trainer made a confused face as the Diglett motioned for him to take it.
"This for me?" Keats asked as he shifted to a seated position and grabbed the Berry.
"Diglettediglette." Diglett said with a welcoming tone.
"Translation?" Keats said as he looked up at Rotom.
"Diglett said you looked hurt, so it offered you an Oran Berry. Becauzzzze Oran Berries can heal Pokémon, it might work on you." Rotom translated.
"Wow... Uhhhh... Thanks?" Keats said with surprise as he looked at Diglett. "Wasn't expecting to find such a nice Pokémon on this island. Actually no, Raichu was pretty decent too." He thought as he looked at Diglett. "...Hey, Diglett. Question?" Keats said with intrigue as he put the Oran Berry down.
"Diglett?" Diglett said.
"Are you doing anything currently?" Keats asked towards the subterranean mole-like creature.
"Diglett-dig. Lettlett-dig." Diglett replied as Keats looked at Rotom.
"Diglett, who izzzz female by-the-way, is just freely roaming around." Rotom said.
"So, it's free then..." Keats thought as he reached into his bags and pulled out a Pokéball. "Want to come with?" He asked towards Diglett.
"Diiiiig..." Diglett said in response, skeptical of accepting the offer.
"I can make some good food with Berries. So good, even an Oranguru would want me to be their trainer." Keats said with a persuasive tone as Diglett looked at Keats, now more interested.
"You wish, zzzzt." Rotom blurted out as Keats glared at the floating phone Pokémon.
"Shush!" Keats muttered to get Rotom to be quiet. "So, how about it?" He asked towards Diglett as he offered the ball to her.
"Diiiigg... Diglett!" Diglett said unsure until nodding and accepting.
Tapping the ball with her nose, the Alolan variant of Diglett proceeded to digitize into energy and entered into the Pokéball. As it shook in Keats' hand three times, it eventually stopped, and Keats looked at the ball with a smile.
"Diglett - Alolan Form has been registered to your PokéDex!" Rotom exclaimed.
"Maybe I can dig a moat around my trailer with her. That will keep more things from getting in." Keats thought as he stood up.
'"Diglett - Alolan Form, the Mole Pokémon, a Ground and Steel type. Its golden hairs function as sensors. It pokes them out of its burrow to monitor its surroundings."' Rotom said, reading off the PokéDex for Alolan Diglett. "Now that you have a new capture again, I'll be zzzzending back Timburr to Johto." The phone Pokémon said as Keats put away Diglett's ball. "And you should consider yourself lucky you haven't needed to battle every single Pokémon you caught like most trainers." Rotom thought.
"Whoa, wait. Why are you sending back Timburr? I didn't consent to that." Keats said with confusion as he started to pick up some of the Oran Berries that fell from the tree.
"Marie requested you send back Timburr during the call earlier, zzzzt." Rotom stated as Keats felt his pocket get lighter for a moment.
"Any particular reason?" Keats questioned as he put the Berries in his bags.
"Not zzzzure. All I know is that she wanted Timburr sent to her." Rotom said as Keats made a bothered expression.
"Wish she asked..." Keats said, disgruntled. "Well, reviving him in his knocked-out state is on her now." He thought.
"She was going to, but zzzzomeone wanted to raid an abandoned car for fluids." Rotom said with a judgmental tone.
"Because it was- huh?!" Keats said with a loud tone until he suddenly heard what sounded like a scream.
"What wazzzz that?" Rotom said as it looked around.
"That sounded like a woman shrieking..." Keats said while shifting his head around.
"Ahhh!" The female voice screamed once more as Keats and Rotom looked in the same direction.
'"That way!"' Keats and Rotom said simultaneously as the husky framed trainer ran with the phone Pokémon following behind him.
Ducking under branches and brushing past bushes, Keats and Rotom ran through the woods until passing through a set of trees and then stopping. In front of the pair was a flowing river, the water raging as it went downstream.
"It came from over here, right? I'm not- there!" Keats said as he looked along the river until spotting someone in the water.
In the river, caught in the current and unable to control herself as she kept submerging and re-emerging from the water, was a woman with long and messy blonde hair with burgundy red highlights and dressed in what appeared to be a red tracksuit and white sneakers with a white lab coat over her outfit. Turning their heads in the opposite direction of where she was heading, Keats and Rotom looked on as a large red and white crab-like creature with one gigantic claw and one tiny claw was swiftly swimming after the woman.
"Ahhh!" The woman screamed as she continued to flow down the raging river.
"That'zzzz a Kingler!" Rotom exclaimed.
"I know that! I've seen them before!" Keats exclaimed. "It's following her. Is it after her?!" He thought with worry.
"We have to help her, zzzzt!" Rotom said.
"Yeah, I don't need more people nearly drowning on my conscience." Keats said as he ran along the river.
As the Kingler continued to swim after the woman, Keats made a worried expression as he tried to think of a way to help. Looking forward, Keats' face turned to one of worry as he noticed something terrible; a waterfall that went off a cliffside.
"Oh, come on!" Keats exclaimed in frustration as he noticed where the river was heading.
"Kikiki!" The Kingler exclaimed in surprise as it started to swim faster towards the woman as it noticed what was ahead as well.
"Heeeelp!" The woman screamed as she noticed the approaching waterfall and suddenly fainted from shock.
"I'm trying! There's a waterfall in one direction and a wild Kingler in the other!" Keats thought as he quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a Pokéball. "Raichu, you're on call!" He exclaimed as he threw his ball, his Electric and Psychic type emerging.
"Rairai!" Raichu exclaimed as he floated on his tail in the air.
"Save that woman! Use "Psychic!"' Keats ordered as Raichu nodded.
Complying with the order, Raichu quickly dashed over to the end of the waterfall and his body began to glow blue with psychic energy. Using his power, the woman proceeded to float up into the air, still unconscious.
"Bring her over here!" Keats said as he stopped running and Rotom catching up.
"King!?" Kingler said in surprise as the water current took it towards the end of the waterfall until it fell over the edge. "Kikikiiiiii!" The Water type screamed as it fell off the side of the cliff and into the plunge pool.
"Rairai!" Raichu said as he floated over towards Keats, psychically carrying the unconscious woman over to his trainer as Keats' arms were outstretched.
"Thanks, Raichu." Keats said as he carried the woman down to the ground. "Dang, she's heavy." He thought as he looked at the woman.
"Keatzzzz, check her pulse." Rotom said as the phone Pokémon looked on.
"Right... How do I do that?" Keats said until he realized he didn't know what to do.
"Are you zzzzeriouzzzz?!" Rotom screamed in anger.
"Just tell me what to do!" Keats replied in frustration.
"Grab her wrist and see if there'zzzz a heartbeat! Place two fingers on her radial artery." Rotom shouted as Keats followed the phone Pokémon's instructions, feeling a pulse.
"Yeah-yeah, there's a beat. Now what?" Keats asked.
"Blaugh!" The woman said as she spit up water from her mouth.
"Oh, thank god, I don't have to give her mouth-to-mouth." Keats said as he rubbed his forehead. "My breath probably smells bad." He thought.
"Actually, it has been confirmed that mouth-to-mouth rezzzzuzzzzcitation doesn't work as a CPR technique." Rotom said.
"Really? Wow... That's like eighty percent of teen romance writers' works destroyed. You know, when a kid drowns in a pool and the love interest- n-never mind..." Keats said as he almost went on an off-topic tangent before the woman sat up, continuing to cough.
"Gugh! Cugh..." The woman said as she wiped her mouth. "What the- where?" She questioned as she reached into her lab coat and pulled out a pair of glasses, placing them over her eyes as she saw Keats, Rotom and his Raichu.
"...Yo?" Keats said with a raised hand.
"Uh... Hello?" The woman said with a disoriented look on her face. "Who is this guy and why does he look so... Sketchy?" She thought as she looked at Keats.
"You okay? You were barreling downstream." Keats said towards the woman as he stood up from the ground and extended a hand to help her up.
"Ye-yeah, I'm fine... I was just- guh." The woman said as she took Keats' hand and was pulled back to her feet, stumbling slightly as Keats placed his hands on her shoulders to keep her from falling down.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy." Keats said as the woman put her hand on her head.
"Ow..." The woman said as Keats helped her slowly back down onto the grass as he took out Raichu's Pokéball.
"Raichu, come on back." Keats said as he recalled his Electric and Psychic type as he turned his attention back to the woman, now sitting up on the ground. "I'm going to put my fingers up. Tell me, how many do you see?" He asked as he put his hands in his pockets.
"...None?" The woman replied with a raised eyebrow.
"Aren't you zzzzuppozzzzed to actually lift your fingers?" Rotom questioned.
"I wanted to make sure she was paying attention. Alright, she's fine." Keats said with an honest tone as he stood up.
"As I can be..." The woman said. "Weirdo." She thought.
"The name's Keaton but you call me "Keats" for short. And this is Rotom." Keats said, introducing himself and the floating phone.
"Hello, zzzzt." Rotom said as the woman stood up.
"Anik." Anik said, introducing herself as she dusted herself off with her hands. "Thanks for saving me and- huh...?" She said as she looked around.
"What's up?" Keats said.
"Where did my Kingler go? He was trying to help me before I passed out in the water." Anik said as she looked around.
"..."Your" Kingler?" Keats said with a wide-eyed look on his face as Rotom turned towards him. "Oooooohhhhh..." He moaned in a bothered tone as he looked at the ground.
"Kingler! Hello!" Anik shouted in an attempt to find her missing Water type.
"You tell her or zzzzhould I?" Rotom said with a regretful expression.
"Tell me what?" Anik said as she turned towards Keats and Rotom.
"...A Kingler just fell down the waterfall..." Keats said with an embarrassed tone as Anik's jaw dropped.
"What?!" Anik said as she turned towards the edge of the cliff and looked downward.
Shifting her eyes around while holding onto her glasses to keep them from falling off her face, Anik spotted her Kingler in the plunge pool. Floating in the water, the crab-like Pokémon had his eyes shut tight in a disgruntled manner before opening them up to see his trainer on top of the cliff.
"Kikiki..." Kingler said as he shifted upright in the water.
"Kingler! You okay?!" Anik exclaimed downward towards her Pokémon. "Hold on, I'll be right down!" She said with a thumbs up.
"Now I feel like an idiot..." Keats thought as he shook his head for letting Anik's Kingler fall down the waterfall. "Hey, I can help you down-" He said towards Anik until getting cut off by her.
"Like how you helped save me by letting my Pokémon fall all the way down there? No, thank you." Anik said with an angered tone towards Keats as the husky framed trainer bit his lip.
"How're you going to get down?" Keats questioned as Anik opened her mouth to speak but made a face of realization.
"I... Uhhh..." Anik said as she looked at Keats before turning towards the cliffside as Kingler looked up at her. "That's pretty steep..." She thought. "I'll... I'll climb down..." Anik said with a nervous tone, attempting to feign confidence.
Pacing back and forth to build up the nerve to climb down, Anik took a deep breath and proceeded to shift herself downward along the cliff. Putting her hands on the ground, she tried to begin to climb down as Keats and Rotom watched with skeptical looks in their eyes as her face began to sweat.
"I have some Pokémon that can fly that can get you down." Keats said as Anik quickly pulled herself up.
"Yes, please." Anik said in a fast manner. "He let my Kingler fall down there but he did save me, and he is offering... I just don't want to owe too many favors..." She thought with an embarrassed look on her face.
"Kikiki?" Kingler said with a raised eyebrow as he noticed Anik pulled herself up. "Kiki-ki?" The Water type Pokémon said until he turned around after hearing some rustling from the nearby woods.
"Druddigon, you're on call." Keats said as he pulled out his Ultra Ball and called out his Dragon type Pokémon as the Pokémon was unconscious on the ground to Anik's confusion. "Oh yeah, forgot." He said as he realized that Druddigon was still knocked out from the recent battle he was in against Bevin as Keats pulled out a Revive pill, cracking it in his hands as Druddigon's eyes started to return to normal.
"Druddigon!" Druddigon roared as he stood up.
"Druddigon, can you carry her down there?" Keats asked towards Druddigon as the Dragon type Pokémon looked at Anik and then over at the waterfall.
"Druddigon." Druddigon said with a nod as he walked over to Anik.
"Careful of the spikes on his body. He can't help hurting others." Keats remarked as Druddigon's eyes suddenly started to well up with tears.
"Drudd-druddigon!" Druddigon exclaimed with a sadness in his tone as he dropped to his knees, dug into the ground and made a hole to stick his head in.
"Uhhhh..." Anik said in confusion at Druddigon's actions.
"Oh, for the love of..." Keats thought as he lifted and dropped his arms in annoyance.
"Didn't I tell you to zzzztop destroying Druddigon's fragile ego?" Rotom said towards Keats as the young adult trainer rolled his eyes.
"Is that normal for him?" Anik said as she pointed at Druddigon, his tail and butt in the air in a depressing manner with his head in the ground.
"Infrequently..." Keats said as he walked over to Druddigon and pulled his Pokémon out of the hole, locking eyes with his Dragon type Pokémon. "Look, sorry for the comment but come on, help out the pretty lab coat lady." He said as Druddigon wiped his eyes as he pointed at Anik.
'"Pretty?"' Anik thought, surprised by the sudden compliment as she blushed with embarrassment.
Picking himself up, Druddigon walked over to Anik as he picked her up in his arms and proceeded to flap his wings. Flying into the air while carrying the glasses sporting woman, Druddigon descended downward towards the ground next to the plunge pool as Anik shifted to a standing position.
"Thanks." Anik said towards Keats' Druddigon as the Dragon type Pokemon flew back up to his trainer. "Kingler- huh?!" She said as she looked at the water to a surprising sight.
In the water was Anik's Kingler, swinging his large glowing claw around as a small insectoid creature with a blue body, four incredibly slim legs and a yellow appendage on its head was attacking him with bubbles. Jumping, Kingler made a downward swing with its massive glowing claw as the small creature, standing on the water, dodged the attack by sliding out of the way.
"Something going on?" Keats said from atop the cliff as he recalled Druddigon back into his Ultra Ball.
"What'zzzz happening?!" Rotom said as it noticed Anik's Kingler was under attack and floated downward over to Anik's side.
"That Pokémon over there randomly started using "Bubblebeam" on Kingler!" Anik exclaimed as she watched the Pokémon fight as Rotom scanned the attacker with the PokéDex.
'"Surskit, the Pond Skater Pokémon, a Bug and Water type. It appears as if it is skating on water. If it's in a pinch, it will secrete a sweet liquid from the tip on its head. The taste of it disgusts bird Pokémon but can be made into a syrup that's tasty on bread."' Rotom explained from reading Surskit's Dex description.
"Skitskit!" Surskit said in a mocking tone as Kingler re-emerged from under the water.
"Kingler, I'm here!" Anik said as her Water type Pokémon glanced towards her. '"Crabhammer" isn't working because of its small frame, so go long range! Use "Water Gun!"' She ordered as Kingler proceeded to breathe in.
"Kiiii!" Kingler exclaimed as a torrent of water emerged from its mouth as Surskit was hit by the attack.
"Skiiiit!" Surskit grunted from being struck as it flew backwards and landed on the ground adjacent to the plunge pool. "Surskit!" The Bug and Water type said in frustration as it got back to its feet and skated back onto the water.
"Kiki!" Kingler said in a confrontational manner.
"Kingler, use "Harden!"' Anik exclaimed as her Kingler put its claws together in a shielding manner, his body glowing in response as the move raised Kingler's defenses.
"Skit!" Surskit exclaimed as it proceeded to rush in an extremely fast manner along the water at Kinger, bashing against Kingler.
"Ki!" Kingler grunted from being hit.
"Now use "Crabhammer" while it's close!" Anik ordered as Kingler's big claw glowed as he tried to take a swing at Surskit once again.
Dodging with help from its petite size, Surskit skated behind Kingler as he swung his claw. Jumping on top of Kingler, Surskit opened its incredibly tiny mouth and bit onto the top horn of the crab-like Pokémon as its body glowed a sickly green color.
"Kiki!" Kingler grunted in pain as Surskit bit on the top of one of Kinglers crown-like spikes.
"It's using "Leech Life!"' Rotom exclaimed as it watched on.
"That means it's getting back some health." Anik said with a serious tone. "Kingler, try to pull it off!" She ordered as Kingler raised his smaller claw overhead to try and grab Surskit.
Before the crab-like Pokémon could grab it, however, Surskit jumped off of Kingler to the Water type Pokémon's front. Opening its tiny mouth, Surskit fired "Bubblebeam" at Kingler from point blank range, causing it to push Kingler to another side of the plunge pool.
"Ah!" Anik exclaimed in surprise.
"Huh. That Surskit has spunk." Keats thought as he watched the battle unfold from atop the cliff.
"Kingler, use "Vise Grip!"' Anik ordered as Kingler reached out his large claw to grab Surskit.
"Surskitkitkit!" Surskit muttered as a clear pink mist begun to expel from its body.
"Kiii?" Kingler said as the mist surrounded the crab-like Pokémon as Kingler begun to shiver and his eyes looked apathetic all of a sudden.
"Oh no, that's "Sweet Scent!"' Anik exclaimed in surprise as Keats looked on from atop the cliff.
"It lowerzzzz Kingler's evasiveness!" Rotom said in surprise as Kingler floated in the plunge pool with a nonchalant look in his eyes. "Man, it feels good to not to have to say the moves name when I explain it." The phone Pokémon thought with a sense of relief.
'"Sweet Scent," "Bubblebeam," "Leech Life," "Quick Attack."' Keats thought as he now knew Surskit's moves.
"Surskit!" Surskit exclaimed as it jumped onto Kingler's top crown-like spike once again with a sickly green glow.
Biting down on the crab-like Pokémon's head once more, Surskit started to suck energy from Kingler as he winced in pain in the water. Watching on with Rotom, Anik was struggling to figure out what to do as the wild Bug and Water type was surprisingly stronger than anticipated.
"She's not doing too well..." Keats quietly said aloud to himself. "Maybe I can help... But how?" He thought as Anik's Kingler was still under attack. "I could try throwing my shoe filled with concrete but then it would be damaged from the water. Maybe throw in my electronic hotplate- no, that would electrocute Kingler..." Keats continued to think as he proceeded to put his hands over his face and bent forward, entering his usual thinking pose.
"Kingler, it's in range! Use "Vise Grip!"' Anik shouted to no avail as Surskit continued to drain energy from Kingler with "Leech Life."
"Surskit!" Surskit exclaimed as it let loose more pink mist that enveloped around Kingler as he continued to shiver in pain.
"Alright, most of my team is out like lights so this is my last gambit." Keats thought as he stood upright and proceeded to take off his shirt, vest, messenger bags and sandals. "Geronimo!" He screamed as Anik, Rotom and the two battling Pokémon overheard and looked up towards the top of the waterfall.
Walking back slightly to give himself a running start, Keats ran towards the cliff and jumped off. Falling several meters, Keats grabbed his legs in a cannonball-style dive as Surskit and Kingler's eyes widened in surprise as Keats landed on them, separating the two fighting Pokémon.
"Did... Did he just...?" Anik said with her mouth wide open.
"Yezzzz..." Rotom said in similar bewilderment as Surskit was still standing on the water, now several feet away from Kingler.
"Surski!?" Surskit said as it shook its small head to regain its composure.
"Kiiii." Kingler said as he did a similar action, his backside now close to one of the edges of the plunge pool.
"Keatzzzz?!" Rotom screamed as Anik looked down at the water in search of the husky framed young adult.
As Surskit opened its eyes and locked on to Kingler, it glared with agitation as it prepared to skate forward at its opponent to continue the battle. However, startling the Bug and Water type Pokémon, Keats emerged from the water with a rather terrifying expression and holding a Pokéball that looked similar to a clock.
"Surs!?" Surskit exclaimed in shock as Keats pegged the clock-like ball at the Pokémon.
"Gotcha!" Keats exclaimed as Surskit digitized and went into the ball as it fell into the plunge pool.
Looking on with surprise, Anik, Rotom and Kingler watched as the ball floated in the water. Shaking several times, the ball suddenly stopped moving and Keats picked it up with his hand.
"Say it! Then send this thing home!" Keats said with a dumb smirk as he turned around and pointed at Rotom.
"Surskit has been registered to your PokéDex!" Rotom said as the image of Surskit appeared on Rotoms screen as the ball in Keats' hand disappeared into thin air.
"Haha!" Keats exclaimed in a happy tone as he backstroked in the water. "Woo!" He cheered as Anik suddenly slumped down to the ground.
"You okay, zzzzt?" Rotom said as the phone Pokémon looked down at Anik.
"Just... Relieved..." Anik said with a face full of exhaustion as her Kingler pulled himself out of the plunge pool.
"I am so glad I listened to you for once when you told me to get those irregular Pokéballs! Hahaha!" Keats said as he pulled himself out of the water and sat on the edge with his feet still submerged.
"That was one of the Timer Ballzzzz?" Rotom asked from the other side of the plunge pool as Keats got up and walked over.
"Supposed to work the longer a battle goes on, right? Felt like taking a risk on how much time passed by." Keats said as he walked over as Anik turned her head away so as not to look. "What's up with you?" He asked as he noticed Anik was trying to not look at him.
"Because your gut is sticking out..." Anik said with a red face.
"...Well, I didn't want to get my shirt wet." Keats said as he pointed up at the top of the cliff.
"Fair but... Anyway... Thank you." Anik said as she got up from the ground. "My Kingler was on the ropes there until you did that. Regardless of you catching the Pokémon I was battling." She said as Keats scratched his beard.
"Kikiki!" Kingler said as everyone turned towards the crab-like Pokémon.
"What he say?" Keats asked towards Rotom.
"He zzzzaid he could've taken Surskit." Rotom said with a smile on its screen.
"Save the cockiness for the future, Kingler. Come on back." Anik said as she took out Kingler's Pokéball and recalled him. "Since it's getting late, I better get going. It was nice meeting you." She said as she turned away as the sun was starting to set.
"Where you headed?" Keats asked as Anik looked back at him.
"Back up the cliff to my ca-..." Anik said as she pointed up the waterfall and stopped talking as she came to a realization. "...Right... He helped me down here." She thought as she looked up at the cliff. "Ex-excuse me..." Anik said as she walked towards the craggy wall.
As Keats and Rotom looked on, Anik put her hands on some rough and uneven rocks in an attempt to climb but was struggling to gain her footing. With each placement of her hands, she was beginning to sweat profusely and her body beginning to wobble in a nervous manner.
'"Okay, this is embarrassing."' Keats and Rotom thought simultaneously.
"Uhhh... If you want, I-" Keat said as Anik suddenly let go of the rocks and turned towards Keats.
'"Help me get back to my camp!?" Yes, please!" Anik said with an anxious tone. "Ugggh! I hate climbing!" She thought.
"You're dramatically overdressed for being out in the woods in the tropics but you're sweating more now just from a bit of exercise." Keats thought with a raised eyebrow as he looked at Anik with Rotom.
Sometime after grabbing all of Keats' supplies and assisting the lab coat and glasses sporting woman, Keats and Rotom followed behind Anik as she led them in the direction of her camp.
"It's just a little further." Anik said as she led the way.
"Mind me asking, what were you doing in the river?" Keats asked as Rotom floated next to him.
"...Bit of a long story..." Anik said with a slightly embarrassed tone. "I really don't want to say..." She thought as she adjusted her glasses.
"We got time, zzzzt." Rotom said. "Well... Not completely." The phone Pokémon continued as Anik looked back at Keats and Rotom.
"Huh?" Anik muttered.
"Long story on our part too." Keats said with a shrug as they continued to walk.
"So past here is my- huh?!" Anik said as she pushed aside some bushes and looked forward at her camp, wide-eyed and surprised.
Looking on with Anik making a shocked face, Keats and Rotom made confused expressions as they saw an unusual sight; A handbag torn to shreds, a tent ripped apart, a picnic blanket on the ground with several marks in it, an overturned telescope on a tripod and two unconscious Pokémon. One Pokémon was a red avian-like creature with frilly plumage similar to a flamenco dress and a set of thin, spiraled extensions on the sides of its head that resembled earrings and the other was a small pink Pokémon that was vaguely star shaped in appearance with stubby arms and legs, brown ears, a curled-up tail and a curled tuft on its head.
"Oricorio! Cleffa!" Anik exclaimed as she rushed towards her Pokémon with concern.
"What happened, zzzzt?!" Rotom said as the phone Pokémon floated over as Anik picked up her Cleffa.
Upon seeing this, Keats reached into his messenger bags and looked around for his box of Revive pills. Finding the box, he looked inside to see how many pills he had left to use.
"Just enough for Cloyster and Pineco... And those two." Keats thought as he approached Anik and Rotom. "Here." He said as he handed Anik a Revive.
"Oh my god, thank you." Anik said in a grateful tone as she took the pill, cracking it in his hand as the dust caused her Cleffa to stir.
"Cleffa?" Cleffa muttered as the Pokémon looked up at Anik.
"Hey, you okay?" Anik asked with a concerned expression towards her Pokémon.
"Cleffa-clef." Cleffa said with a nod as Rotom looked at her.
"She said that she's fine now that you're here, zzzzt." Rotom translated as Keats walked over to Anik's Oricorio and cracked another Revive over the downed Pokémon.
"Cori?" Oricorio said as it shifted to a seated position.
"Oricorio, what happened here?" Anik said as she walked over with her Cleffa in her arms as she bent down to check on her Baile style Oricorio.
"Coriocori-corocoori." Oricorio said as Keats looked at Rotom.
"And the verdict is?" Keats asked.
"Oricorio said she and Cleffa were watching the campzzzzite when a Pokémon came by and attacked them both." Rotom explained.
"Whoa..." Keats muttered as Anik put her hand over her mouth.
"Wh-who? Who did it?!" Anik said as she stood up with her Cleffa in her arms.
"Oricoriocorio-ori." Oricorio said as she stood up and Rotom made a surprised face on its screen.
"...Okay, that face is making me curious. What was it?" Keats asked as Anik looked at Rotom.
"...A Zzzzurzzzzkit." Rotom stated as Anik made a confused expression.
"I've never heard of that Pokémon..." Anik replied as Keats scratched the back of his head. "What's with all the "Z's"' She said as Keats made an odd face.
"Replace the multiple "Z's" with an "S" and you get a very familiar Pokémon..." Keats said as he realized what Rotom was saying.
"What?" Anik said.
"He meant "Surskit."' Keats said as Anik's jaw dropped. "Well... At least that's not an issue anymore." He said with an embarrassed smile as Anik made a face of disbelief. "...You know what... Give me a moment." Keats said as he reached into his messenger bag and pulled out his battery powered hotplate.
"What's that?" Anik questioned as Oricorio and Cleffa looked at him.
"Zzzzomething that you don't want to know how much trouble it has cauzzzzed..." Rotom said with exasperation.
"Quiet you!" Keats said while angrily pointing at Rotom. "I owe a Pokémon I caught today, that isn't psychotic, a Berry stew meal. So... Let's have some dinner." He said as he reached into his bag and pulled out a box that read "Macaroni and Cheese" on it.
Take a look at this container, inside it is cheese sauce. Take a guess what it's made of? Seriously, guess. Yup, it's sauce. After hiding and actually finding an abandoned rental car filled with water bottles, Keats explained the existence of the Poison type squatters in his trailer and the rather odd story behind his acquiring of a manmade Pokémon. Overhearing a person in trouble, Keats and Rotom sprang into action to save the lab coat and track suit wearing Anik from a watery fall... Albeit half-successfully with her Kingler taking a plunge. With Anik battling a wild Surskit that was surprisingly violent, Keats saved the day (again) by using a Timer Ball to catch the Surskit. And he caught an Alolan Diglett too! Two-for-one in the same episode! Keats is getting stacked! Will this be a trend? Only the author knows!"
Keats' Pokémon (on-hand):
1. Pineco. Gender: Female. Ability: Sturdy. Moves: "Spikes," "Explosion," "Bide," "Protect."
2. Druddigon. Gender: Male. Ability: Rough Skin. Moves: "Slash," "Dig," "Roar," "Dragon Tail."
3. Cloyster. Gender: Female. Ability: Shell Armor. Moves: "Tackle," "Water Gun," "Ice Shard," "Withdraw."
4. Dragalge. Gender: Male. Ability: Poison Point. Moves: "Poison Tail," "Toxic," "Double Team," "Water Pulse."
5. Raichu - Alolan Form. Gender: Male. Ability: Surge Surfer. Moves: "Psychic," "Nuzzle," "Light Screen," "Quick Attack."
6. Diglett - Alolan Form. Gender: Female. Ability: Tangling Hair. Moves: "Growl," "Iron Head," "Sucker Punch," "Bulldoze."
Keats' Pokémon (in rotation):
1. Stunky. Gender: Male. Ability: Aftermath. Moves: "Fury Swipes," "Poison Gas," "Smokescreen," "Focus Energy."
2. Venonat. Gender: Female. Ability: Tinted Lens. Moves: "Tackle," "Poison Powder," "Bug Buzz," "Sleep Powder."
3. Swalot. Gender: Male. Ability: Liquid Ooze. Moves: "Sludge Bomb," "Stockpile," "Swallow," "Bodyslam."
4. Porygon. Genderless. Ability: Download. Moves: "Tackle," "Thunder Shock," "Psybeam," "Recycle."
5. Timburr. Gender: Male. Ability: Guts. Moves: "Poison Jab," "Smack Down," "Focus Energy," "Scary Face."
6. Surskit. Gender: Female. Ability: Swift Swim. Moves: "Quick Attack," "Leech Life," "Sweet Scent," "Bubblebeam."
Authors Note: (No.)