xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Malie City, Ula'Ula Island, 11:36 a.m. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"And she was like, "no, but I have Krabbys!"' Keats said to the three Team Skull members; Tupp, Zipp and Rapp as well as Anik and Rotom as they all sat at an outdoor restaurant, soups and drinks in front of everyone.
"Pffff!" Tupp exclaimed.
"Oh my god! Hahaha!" Rapp said as she clutched at her stomach.
"Whahaha! That's a classic!" Zipp said as he wiped a tear from his eye.
"I don't get it?" Rotom thought as the phone Pokémon looked at Keats and the Team Skull member's laugh hysterically before turning to notice Anik, sitting quietly as she sipped on a drink. "You okay, zzzzt?" It asked to her as she noticed the artificial Pokémon.
"...Not really..." Anik replied with a whisper. "I'm sitting at an outdoor cafe with gang members, how the heck am I okay?!" She thought with a worried expression as she looked at the floating phone.
"Man, that was a good one." Tupp said as he sat back in his chair.
"Thank you, thank you." Keats said as he stood up and proceeded to bow in a comical manner. "And people say I'm not funny! Ha! Go suck a Slugma egg!" He thought with renewed confidence in himself as he sat back down.
"Thanks for spotting us the meals, by the way." Zipp said as he lifted a spoon under the bandanna around his mouth.
"Shouldn't you juzzzzt take that off?" Rotom asked as Keats glared at the phone.
"Don't be judgmental, Rotom. Let the man have his sense of fashion. This is why I never give you advice on the way you look." Keats said with a critical tone.
"What'zzzz that supposed to mean!? I'm a living program inside of a cell phone! What "advice" on the way I look could you possibly give me?!" Rotom angrily shouted at the husky framed trainer.
"Phone cases?" Keats replied as Rotom's eye on its screen twitched in annoyance.
'"Bahaahahah!"' The three Team Skull members exclaimed, bursting into laughter.
"A part of me wants to laugh because I did find that funny... But I'm too nervous being around these weirdos..." Anik thought as her face was twitching from trying to hold back a desire to chuckle.
"Dude, you're freaking rich!" Tupp said as he locked eyes with Keats.
"I wish I was. I'm a million short of being a millionaire." Keats said with a smirk and his arms folded.
"And brain matter zzzzhort of a brain." Rotom said as Keats angrily turned towards the floating phone.
"Shut up!" Keats replied as the three Team Skull members continued to laugh.
"Hahaha... Woo." Zipp muttered as he clutched at his stomach.
"Man, this guy's a riot." Rapp said as she poked her elbow against Anik, nudging her.
"Uh-huh..." Anik said sheepishly. "Please, please, go away..." She thought.
"Joking aside, you asked us to do you a solid?" Tupp asked as Keats turned towards the blue haired male Team Skull member.
"Oh yeah, almost forgot." Keats said as he grabbed a napkin and wiped his face before turning towards Anik. "Me and my friend here are currently trying to find someone, and I think maybe you guys can help us." He said as the three Team Skull members looked at one another.
"Huh?" Anik thought with a raised eyebrow as she looked at her companion.
"Depends, bro." Tupp said towards Keats.
"Who ya looking for?" Rapp said.
"You might not know his name, but the guy is a flutist?" Keats asked as Zipp tapped Rapp on her shoulder.
"Yo..." Zipp said as Rapp moved forward to hear him. "What's a "flutist?"' He questioned quietly.
"I think it's a guy who puts floors in buildings." Rapp said as Anik and Rotom made bewildered expressions.
"Ahhh I see." Zipp said, unknowingly agreeing.
'"Not even close..."' Anik and Rotom thought simultaneously.
"Guy with green hair all on one side, no shirt under a vest." Keats said as he described the person he was looking for.
"He plays a flute." Anik said as she listed additional information before all three of the Team Skull members looked at each other, wide-eyed.
"Whoa, whoa. A dude with a flute?" Tupp said as he looked at Anik.
"Ye-yeah?" Anik replied nervously.
"Yo, you think...?" Zipp said as he looked at Tupp.
"Gotta be." Rapp said as her eyebrows furrowed.
"Guys, you know who we're talking about?" Keats asked as Rotom and Anik looked on.
"We were at Poni Island a week or two ago." Tupp said as he folded his arms.
"Minding our business, yo." Rapp said with a headshake.
"All of a sudden, a big Torterra appears in the middle of street, and it started using that one move, "Frenzy Plant."' Zipp explained.
'"Frenzy Plant?"' Keats questioned as he looked at Rotom.
"It's one of strongest Grass type Pokémon movezzzz. It causes massive roots to grow from the ground and be used for an attack." Rotom explained while showing a visual aid on its screen of the move being used.
"Except this thing wasn't attacking, it was just blocking." Tupp said with an annoyed tone.
'"Blocking?"' Keats said with confusion.
"The road, zzzzt." Rotom said towards the husky framed trainer.
"That guy gets around..." Anik commented quietly.
"Not just us, a bunch of the townsfolk were bothered by the sudden appearance of that Torterra, then all of a sudden, this guy with a flute shows up and he gives us this shpiel about how his flute can make it so he can move the Pokémon without it attacking us." Rapp said.
"And then asked for money?" Anik questioned.
"Ain't no way that guy getting any dough from us!" Tupp said as he stood up from his chair.
"Team Skull don't pay, we get paid!" Rapp said as she stood up as well.
"So, when the guy asked us for cash, we responded with telling him to piss off!" Zipp said as he was the last one to stand.
"And what happened next, zzzzt?" Rotom said as the three Team Skull members sat back down.
'"We got our butts handed to us."' The Team Skull member said in unison as Keats, Anik and Rotom looked at each other.
'"Gee, I'm shocked..."' Keats, Anik and Rotom thought sarcastically.
"The stupid Torterra suddenly attacked us when we threatened the dude." Tupp said with a disgruntled tone.
"We had to blow off steam, so we came here to Ula'Ula." Rapp said as she shrugged her shoulders.
"Went grocery shopping and stole a rental car." Zipp said as Anik raised an eyebrow.
"...What?" Anik said with confusion as Rotom looked at Keats.
"You guys would've loved it." Zipp said.
"We crashed the thing and left it in the woods along Route 10." Tupp said with a content expression behind his bandanna face mask.
"Bet you a buck the rental company is still looking for it! Hahaha!" Zipp said as he started to laugh.
'"Hahahaha!"' Rapp and Tupp chuckled, joining in as Keats made a face of surprise.
"...Well... That explains that..." Keats thought as he looked at the ground.
"Okay... Random theft aside... Have you ran into him at all in the week or two since?" Anik questioned after being disturbed by the events of the story the Team Skull members told.
"Every now and again, we see him." Zipp said with his arms folded.
"And we tried one more time to attack him before we decided it's not worth the trouble." Rapp said with a headshake.
"And I'm guezzzzzzzzing that it didn't go well?" Rotom said towards Tupp, the blue haired male Team Skull member nodding in response.
"All of our Pokémon were knocked out. Interestingly, it was by the Turtonator he was moving. Just like what happened with the Torterra." Tupp said with a tone of aggravation as Anik shifted towards Keats.
"Didn't you say encountered a Turtonator the first time you saw him?" Anik whispered as Keats nodded before looking down at his soup, his eyebrow raised.
"Damn thing used "Fire Blast" and knocked us all out." Rapp said with a bothered tone.
"I hate to tell you guys, but I also met the flute player." Anik said with a serious look in her eyes. "A few days ago, a Snorlax was blocking the road and me and a bunch of people had to pay him for moving it." She explained. "He's a scam artist working for someone." Anik continued.
"Yo, what'cha mean?" Tupp asked as he bent forward.
"The man's name is Bevin." Anik said. "And I don't know how long he's been doing it but he's just some guy who's skilled at playing an instrument and all of those Pokémon that's been blocking the pathways are his." She continued as the Team Skull members looked at the astronomy enthusiast.
"Yo, you better be lying!" Zipp said angrily as he stood up from his chair, pointing his finger at Anik.
"No-no, it's the truth!" Anik said with hesitation.
"You're joking!" Rapp said angrily as Rotom floated over to her.
"We're zzzzeriouzzzz." Rotom said bluntly.
"But that means... Damn it!" Tupp said with a painful realization.
"...What's up?" Anik asked out of curiosity.
'"We gave him money after we got knocked out because we thought he helped us!"' The three Team Skull members said in unison as they all clutched their heads in shock.
"...Oh..." Anik muttered. "They still gave him money after getting beat up by his Pokémon they didn't know was his?" She thought, bewildered.
"That'zzzz... Uhhhh..." Rotom said, unsure of how to respond.
"There's a Pokémon in my soup." Keats said, finally speaking after a moment of silence.
"Yo, now's not the time for jokes!" Tupp screamed angrily at Keats.
"Yeah! We've been robbed!" Zipp shouted.
"Of our money and our dignity!" Rapp exclaimed.
"Keats, come on. Say something." Anik said towards the husky framed trainer as he still stared at his soup.
"I'm serious. There's a Pokémon in my soup." Keats said casually as he lifted up his soup cup.
Inside the thick white broth of potatoes and carrots, was a small creature that fit perfectly inside it and sticking a small proboscis into the soup to eat it. It had a small and pale-yellow body with a pair of large white wings and four tiny black legs with rounded feet.
"Cutie! Cutie!" The small Pokémon said as everyone started to stare at it.
"Yo, you got a Cutiefly in your chowder." Rapp said as Tupp and Zipp scratched their heads.
"Let me scan it, zzzzt." Rotom said as it scanned the tiny Pokémon. '"Cutiefly, the Bee Fly Pokémon, a Bug and Fairy type. It feeds on the nectar and pollen of flowers. Because it's able to sense auras, it can identify which flowers are about to bloom."' The phone Pokémon said, reading off the PokéDex for Cutiefly.
"It likes nectar, pollen and chowder apparently." Keats said as the Cutiefly in his soup continued to suck on the contents. "Oh! Does this mean my soup was free?!" He asked with interest as the others just looked at him.
"Oh, hey. There you are." A female voice said as everyone turned their heads in the same direction.
Approaching their table was a young woman who gave off an extremely mellow vibe and aura. Her light brown hair that appeared to have pink paint it, her large white shirt covered in pink and green paint and her blue pants and shoes having dabs of white paint on them. Flapping its wings next to her was another Cutiefly as she was also holding a sketchpad.
"How you all doing?" The mellow woman said with her eyes half closed and a smile on her face.
"This yours?" Keats said as he raised his soup cup in the woman's direction.
"Sorry, this Cutiefly flew away from me when the soup I was feeding it ran out." The mellow woman said calmly. "Come on out of there." She said as the Cutiefly jumped out of Keats' meal and flapped its wings to take flight.
"Yo." Tupp said as he recognized the woman.
"Aren't you that Trial Captain lady?" Zipp said.
"Oh hey, you're those Team Skull guys. How you doing?" The mellow woman said in a welcoming manner. "Mina." She said, introducing herself.
'"She seems easygoing."' Keats, Anik and Rotom thought in unison as they looked at Mina.
"Wait, "Trial Captain?" Like that one teenager dude with the Magmar I battled?" Keats questioned as Mina looked at him.
"Oh, you met Kiawe? You taking the Island Challenge?" Mina asked as Keats shook his head left and right to signify a no.
"No, I'm not. Not my style to do the traditional Alolan customs." Keats said towards the Trial Captain. "Last thing I want is to be here for anything other than to get my sister's Pokémon back. Hell, the reason I asked out Anik for a date in Ecruteak City was because it's not here." He thought, condemning the Alola region for the millionth time.
"I can appreciate the honesty. I dig your vibe." Mina said as she bent forward to look at the still seated Keats, him making a confused expression in response.
"Uhhh... That a compliment or a threat?" Keats said with a raised eyebrow as Anik and Rotom made faces of confusion.
"Once again, sorry about my Cutiefly." Mina said as her two Cutiefly's flapped their wings next to her. "But mind if I ask something?" She continued.
"Shoot..." Keats said.
"I overheard one of you mention someone named "Bevin."' Mina said as Keats, Anik, Rotom and the Team Skull members turned towards each other with surprised expressions.
"Yeah, we were just talking about him..." Anik said with a cautious tone.
"How's he been? I haven't seen him on the street corners he used to hang at." Mina said with the same mellow tone.
'"Huh?"' The three Team Skull member muttered in unison.
"You... Know Bevin?" Anik asked with surprise as everyone looked at Mina.
"How, zzzzt?" Rotom said.
"I'm an artist and one of my favorite things to do is paint and sketch in public." Mina explained. "Every now and then, I'd find this guy named Bevin playing his flute on the street corner here on Ula'Ula Island with his case open, begging." She continued as everyone listened.
"So, he's from Ula'Ula." Anik thought.
"He used to ask for handouts by playing his flute for money, like a normal street musician." Rotom thought.
"I really want to know if I can get my soup for free." Keats thought, partially paying attention but also focused on something unrelated.
"When I would come around and see him, he'd always bring up how strapped he was." Mina said as everyone looked at her. "After some point, I didn't notice him around the same corners anymore. I assumed he might have finally got some decent money in his pocket." She said as Rotom looked at Keats.
"Maybe that'zzzz his connection." Rotom said towards the husky framed trainer.
"You think around the time he stopped panhandling was when he met Imani?" Anik said with intrigue. "Excuse me, did he have any Pokémon with him?" She asked as Mina made an expression of contemplation.
"Think he had a Grotle and a Wailmer last I remember. Course I may be wrong." Mina said in an unsure tone.
"Wailmer and Grotle evolve into Wailord and Torterra." Anik thought as everyone looked at the Trial Captain.
"They must have evolved and then he got a Snorlax and Turtonator to add some variety." Rotom thought.
"Did he happen to meet someone at any point while he was on the corners?" Keats asked towards Mina.
"Don't remember." Mina said. "I have to get going, I wanted to draw some wild Pokémon before it gets too dark. Once again, sorry about the soup." She said as she waved her hand before walking away.
'"Cutie! Cutie!"' The pair of Cutieflys with Mina said as they followed after her.
"Well, ain't that some chatter." Tupp said as he scratched his hair under his beanie.
"Way too complicated for my brain." Rapp said as she shook her head.
"You have a brain?" Zipp joked towards his female Team Skull comrade.
"Yeah, I do!" Rapp said in a defensive manner.
'"Hehehe..."' Keats, Anik and Tupp chuckled slightly.
"Thank goodness it's not people questioning me about that for a change." Keats thought with relief. "Well, I guess we got some useful information. That was all we needed, thanks guys." He said as he stood up with everyone else following suit.
"No problem, man." Tupp said as he raised his hand for a handshake, Keats responding by accepting.
"Hope you manage to kick that scammers ass!" Zipp said loudly.
"And make sure to tell him to stay off Team Skull turf!" Rapp exclaimed.
"I'll make sure of it." Keats said with a smile as the Team Skull members started to walk away.
'"The wounded world is ready to crash! Time to clean the house and take out the trash!"' The Team Skull trio chanted and rapped as they walked down the street.
"Decent people." Keats said as he looked at Anik and Rotom.
"They tried to steal your Pokémon." Anik stated with a cautious expression on her face.
"And zzzztole a rental car." Rotom said with a judgmental tone.
"Yeah, but it was filled with useful water bottles." Keats said with a dopey smile as he pulled out one from his messenger bag.
"Imani's on a houseboat in the middle of the ocean." Rotom said as Keats and Anik looked at the floating phone. "So what's the plan?" It asked.
"Hmmmm..." Keats mumbled as he tried to contemplate the next course of action for the group. "Okay, hold on." He said as he walked over to the center of the nearby street.
"What's he doing?" Anik questioned towards Rotom.
"Hizzzz "thinking pose."' Rotom said. "Though he really shouldn't be doing it in the middle of the road." The phone Pokémon thought.
With his hands on his face and bending forward, Keats was in the process of trying to come up with some idea of what to do to deal with Imani and Bevin, once and for all. While thinking, Anik and Rotom watched as a series of cars pulled up in front of Keats, honking loudly and shouting obscenities at him to get him out of the way as he blocked traffic.
"Alright, I got it!" Keats exclaimed as he quickly stood up and eyed his companions. "Okay, first things first, what's Sableye's typing?" He asked as he walked out of the road, back over to Rotom and Anik.
"Sableye is a Ghozzzzt and Dark type." Rotom replied.
"Okay, Ghost and Dark... Ghost and Dark..." Keats said as he paced around. "Anik, uhhh. What's Ghost types weak to?" He asked.
"Ghost type Pokémon are weak to Ghost types and Dark types. And I'm pretty sure you're going to ask this, but Dark types are weak to Bug, Fighting and Fairy types." Anik explained as she adjusted her glasses.
"Right, so... Wait... Ghost types can't be hit by Fighting type moves... And Bug and Dark types aren't... Uhhh..." Keats said as he tried to comprehend his own thoughts.
"I think his brain is frying..." Anik said as she noticed Keats was looking around in a troubled state.
"Leave it to me... He'zzzz not that bright." Rotom said as it opened up information on Sableye.
'"Sableye, the Darkness Pokémon, a Dark and Ghost type. It dwells in the darkness of caves. It uses its sharp claws to dig up gems to nourish itself. They are also feared, however, because these Pokémon are thought to steal the spirits of people when their eyes burn with a sinister glow in the darkness."' Rotom said, reading off the PokéDex for Sableye. "Because of its unique type combination, one that it shares with only one other Pokémon, its only weakness is Fairy type moves, zzzzt." It continued as Keats looked at Anik.
"My Cleffa isn't strong enough to beat a champion level Mega Evolving Pokémon." Anik said as she put her hands up and shook her head in a defensive manner.
"First I needed a Psychic type to track down Imani, now I need a Fairy type just to beat her." Keats said as he put his hand on his forehead.
"And don't forget, just because you find a Fairy type Pokémon, doesn't mean it will be strong enough to beat Sableye. Not counting the other Pokémon zzzzhe may have, like Bruxish and Beheeyem." Rotom said as Keats made a concerned expression.
"Well... If Beheeyem is anything to go by, you're not ready for a confrontation..." Anik said while rubbing the back of her neck.
"Thank you... I appreciate the vote of confidence." Keats said with an annoyed look in his eyes.
"I'm just being honest." Anik replied.
"But she izzzz right though." Rotom said, catching Keats and Anik's attention. "The issue might not be just catching a Fairy type; it's having the right strategy to take her down and having the Pokémon strong enough to be able to do it." The phone Pokémon continued.
"And it's not like she's going to fight fairly either." Keats thought as he scratched his beard before looking at Anik.
"What?" Anik questioned as she knew he was looking at her.
"I got you your Minior and we got some idea of where to look now, you don't have to help me fight her." Keats said as Anik raised an eyebrow.
"Well..." Anik muttered, unsure how to answer. "He's not wrong... This doesn't fully involve me." She thought.
"You're cutting her loozzzze?" Rotom asked towards Keats.
"I don't want her getting hurt." Keats said.
"Are you saying I can't take care of myself?" Anik said in an offended tone. "Because if that's what you're implying, then you can screw yourself! I'm helping!" She exclaimed loudly.
"By doing what?" Keats questioned.
"I... Uhhhh..." Anik said, unable to fully answer. "Well... "Two heads are better than one?"' She said with a lack of confidence in her answer.
"...We're doomed..." Keats thought as he hung his head.
"Zzzzhe may be onto something though." Rotom said as Keats and Anik looked at the phone Pokémon.
"Huh?" Keats mumbled.
"Have an idea?" Anik said.
"There's strength in numberzzzz. That might be what we need right now." Rotom explained. "Like on that boat against the Bruxish and the Wailord, you sent down Dragalge to get help from a wild Dhelmise. To find Imani, we got help from Oranguru. To beat Beheeyem, Anik was there azzzz well." The phone Pokémon continued.
"Then maybe that's what we should do." Anik said.
"But get help from who?" Keats questioned.
"Our best bet izzzz to go back to Hau'oli City on Melemele Island." Rotom said as Keats' eyes widened.
"...Oranguru?" Keats said with a hesitant tone. "God damn it, the last thing I want to ask for more favors from that obnoxious thing..." He thought with annoyance.
"We're getting help from a Pokémon?" Anik said with a raised eyebrow.
"Long and painful story..." Keats said towards the astronomy enthusiast.
"Let's head to the pier and charter a boat to Melemele Island, zzzzt." Rotom said as it motioned for Keats and Anik to get moving.
"Come on." Anik said as she started to walk towards the pier. "Gotta remember to call Molayne and Sophocles to tell them where I've been." She thought.
"Greeaaatt..." Keats muttered sarcastically.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Hau'oli City, Melemele Island, 2:13 p.m. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Now back on Melemele Island, Keats and Anik stepped off a small sailboat as they waved at the sailor who got them there before Rotom popped out of Keats' pocket. Holding a brown bag filled with vomit, Keats proceeded to take it and throw it out in a nearby garbage can.
"Can't handle boats, huh?" Anik muttered towards Keats as he wiped his mouth.
"I'd rather be in a thin shell of burning aluminum that's thousands of feet in the air." Keats muttered in a disgruntled tone.
"You mean a plane, zzzzt?" Rotom asked. "He knows what a plane is made of and how to fix a telescope, but he struggles to change his clothes without falling over..." The phone Pokémon thought as it still struggled to fathom Keats' behavior.
"So, this Oranguru, it's very strong?" Anik asked as she looked at Keats.
"Strongest Pokémon I've seen in this region." Keats replied. "If Oranguru and that Stunfisk that stalked me throughout the Unova region were to battle, I'd think the planet would split in two." He thought with a sweat drop of nervousness falling down the side of his face.
"Did you catch it and leave it here?" Anik questioned as Keats made a sheepish expression.
"Well... Like I said, bit of a long-" Keats said until Rotom spoke up to cut him off.
"He didn't catch it. It doezzzzn't respect him." Rotom said as Anik looked at the floating phone.
"I see." Anik said with a nod and a tone that lacked surprise.
"Come on! Don't talk about me like that! I'm trying here!" Keats said defensively.
"Hehe. Sorry." Anik said with a chuckle, laughing at Keats' reaction.
"Ugh..." Keats muttered in annoyance. "Last thing I need is her thinking I'm an idiot..." He thought.
"Before we left for Ula'Ula Izzzzland, we last saw Oranguru on the beachfront." Rotom said as it motioned for everyone to head towards the sand.
"That was some time ago though." Keats said as he, Anik and Rotom started to move towards the beach.
Walking over to the stairwell that led to the beach, Keats and Anik walked down towards the sand as they both started to look around. As they moved, Keats searched with a cautious expression on his face as he stared at the ground, hoping not to fall over.
"Something wrong?" Anik said as she looked back at her male companion.
"I've tripped on evolutionary stones and small Pokémon on this beach. I'm wondering if its cursed..." Keats said nervously as he raised his leg high for every step he took.
"Oh, did you encounter a Sandygast or a Palossand? They're known to be on the beaches in the region." Anik said as she adjusted her glasses.
"A what and a what?" Keats replied as Rotom floated over.
'"Sandygast, the Sand Heap Pokémon, a Ghost and Ground type. If you build sand mounds when you're playing, destroy them before you go home, or they may get possessed and become Sandygast."' Rotom said as it pulled up the Dex entry for a creature that looked like a pile of living sand with a shovel sticking out of the top of its head before changing the image to a new Pokémon that looked like a living sandcastle. '"Palossand, the Sand Castle Pokémon and the evolved form of Sandygast, a Ghost and Ground type. Palossand is known as the Beach Nightmare. It pulls its prey down into the sand by controlling the sand itself, then it sucks out their souls."' The phone Pokémon continued.
"That's disturbing..." Keats thought as his face started to turn blue as he looked down at the sandy beach, hoping to not find a dead body. "Thankfully no..." He said towards his companion.
"I've been steering clear of the beach honestly. Give me a room with air conditioning and a good view of the skyline any day." Anik said with a confident tone.
"I'll take that and throw in a television set." Keats said as he agreed with her.
"Only reason I came to Alola was because the Hokulani Observatory on Ula'Ula Island has the best-known view of the sky at night for my research." Anik said as Keats reached down into the dirt and picked up a rock, looking at it to see if it was another evolutionary stone before just simply tossing it to the side. "I would have gone to Hoenn and checked out the Mossdeep Space Center, but their internship program didn't give me enough freedom to look at the constellations." She continued as Keats looked at Anik.
"Huh. You're lucky. You're on a journey by choice." Keats said as Rotom looked at him.
"Well... It's not like you're not doing a pretty noble thing, saving your sister's Pokémon." Anik said towards Keats.
"Yeah, but I've been told before that what I'm doing isn't your typical "first Pokémon journey."' Keats said as he put his hands behind his head. "Most people just go to a researcher and just get a first Pokémon and then are expected to go hunt for badges or something." He said as he looked at Rotom and Anik.
"Normally, if they want to compete in a league. Some also do contests or try some regional tournaments. Not everyone is the same." Anik said as she adjusted her glasses once again.
"Doesn't help this whole thing is my fault." Keats said.
"You mentioned that the other night... I wouldn't feel so bad they got taken while you were on watch. You did what you could." Anik said in a reassuring tone.
"Just like that old guy in Unova said to me. Still, I'm thirteen years older than the average newbie and now I'm expected to beat experienced trainers with Pokémon like that Beheeyem." Keats said with a disgruntled tone. "I was thinking about that on the ride here." He continued.
"When you weren't blowing chunks into a bag." Anik thought with a wry smile.
"...I don't think I've ever heard him talk about the journey he's on before like this. He sounds way more worried than he was against Carter." Rotom thought, surprised with Keats' comments.
"I don't know. After running away from Bevin and then what happened with Beheeyem, I'm just getting concerned..." Keats said as he folded his arms.
"Like I said on the other island, I'm here to help." Anik said with a reassuring tone.
"I'm just worried for your sake and mine. Want to make sure I can read your compendi- whatever when you finish it." Keats said as he walked past Anik as she looked at him, a blush forming on her face.
"Your face izzzz warming up. Are you alright?" Rotom said as it floated over and noticed Anik's face was red.
"It-it's nothing. I'm just... Feeling the heat! See! I'm all sweaty! I knew I should have changed before we arrived!" Anik exclaimed hesitantly as she opened her lab coat to show she was still in her red track suit. "I wasn't expecting him to say he wanted to read my constellation compendium..." She thought with surprise.
"You're not zzzzweating." Rotom stated as Anik let go of her coat and noticed her red face wasn't perspiring.
"Ju-just forget it!" Anik said as she walked away to where Keats was.
"What was that about?" Rotom said with confusion as it floated over to where Keats and Anik were on the beach. "Keatzzzz, any idea where to start looking for Oranguru?" The phone Pokémon asked.
"Over there." Keats said as he casually pointed over towards a nearby lifeguard tower.
Looking in the direction of where the husky framed trainer pointed, Anik and Rotom were caught off guard by the sight of the Pokémon they were looking for, sitting in a lifeguard seat and fanning itself with its custom-made fan made of green leaves. While also wearing sunglasses, Oranguru looked around at the ocean with its legs crossed as two small children that were familiar to Keats approached the tower.
'"Well, that was easy..."' Anik and Rotom thought with simultaneous bewilderment.
"Hey, Oranguru!" The small boy of the duo said towards Oranguru as the Normal and Psychic type took off its sunglasses and looked down at the children.
"We managed to throw back four Pyukumuku today!" The little girl said with a chipper tone.
"Uru." Oranguru said with a smile. "Orangurururur." It continued as it pointed its fan in a far-off direction, down the beach.
"Let's get going!" The small boy said as him and the little girl ran away as Keats, Anik and Rotom approached.
"Dumb brats can find four Pyukumuku and I can't even find one!" Keats thought with disdain as he looked at the children.
"Orang?" Oranguru said as it turned its head and saw the familiar faces of Keats and Rotom. "Rang-rang." It said as it took off its sunglasses and hopped down from the lifeguard tower.
"Hello Oranguru, zzzzt." Rotom said towards the orangutan-like Pokémon.
"Oranguru." Oranguru replied with a nod before turning towards Anik.
"Hi, I'm Anik. I'm a friend of theirs." Anik said with a smile as she waved at Oranguru.
"Rang-rang." Oranguru said with another nod before turning towards Keats. "Ru." It said as Keats turned his head away and folded his arms.
"Hey..." Keats said with a bitter tone as he refused to make eye contact. "Bastard." He thought, frustrated.
"Orangu-ruru." Oranguru said with an unimpressed expression on its face as it reached towards the Pokéball around its neck and proceeded to loosely swing it in front of its face, the mere action causing Keats to slowly get more and more angry.
"Here's an idea! Why don't you use that ball on yourself and just get trapped!?" Keats exclaimed angrily as he glared at Oranguru, who made a smirk at Keats' agitation.
"What's with the ball around its neck?" Anik whispered towards Rotom.
"Oranguru took that ball from Keats when we were here lazzzzt. It said it would let Keats catch him when Keats became a trainer worthy of catching it." Rotom explained as Anik raised an eyebrow.
"Doesn't look like it thinks much progress was made from the last time it saw him." Anik thought as she looked at Keats, who was angrily scratching his head with both hands.
"Orangururu?" Oranguru said towards Rotom.
"What, it wants to throw shade at me and wants you to translate it?" Keats said towards Rotom as he and Anik looked at the phone Pokémon.
"No, it azzzzked if we found the girl who took Marie's Sableye." Rotom translated.
"Oranguru?" Oranguru said towards Keats as Keats made a nervous face.
"Well... Uhhh... That's kinda why we're here." Keats said as he rubbed the back of his head, the orangutan-like Pokémon raising an eyebrow in response. "We need the help... And badly." He continued with a face full of regret.
"Imani'zzzz in a houseboat on the water, correct?" Rotom asked towards Oranguru as it nodded.
"So, we did miss it the first time..." Keats thought with embarrassment as he rubbed his forehead.
"She's a lot stronger than we anticipated and we could uzzzze your guidance." Rotom said towards Oranguru as it proceeded to rub its chin.
"Orangururu?" Oranguru said as it pointed a finger at Keats.
"What's it saying?" Anik said towards Rotom.
"It'zzzz asking if this was Keats' decision." Rotom said as the phone Pokémon and Anik looked at Keats, his eye twitching in response.
"If I say "no," it's going to know it's a lie. But if I say "yes," it's going to hold that over me." Keats thought with his arms folded as he continued to stare at Oranguru.
"Uh, this was a group decision." Anik said, catching Oranguru's attention as Keats and Rotom looked at the astronomy enthusiast. "Imani has protection from some Bruxish that nearly sank Keats in the ocean and a Beheeyem that nearly crushed us on Ula'Ula Island." She explained as Oranguru rubbed its chin once more.
"Thank goodness she's here to explain things." Rotom thought as it looked at Anik.
"Damn super genius..." Keats thought as he still looked at Oranguru with agitation in his eyes.
"She's also being protected by a guy with a flute with large Pokémon at his disposal that's been scamming people all across the region, so we need some help. "Strength in numbers?"' Anik said before asking for help from Oranguru.
"Raaaang..." Oranguru said with a contemplative mumble. "Rang-rang." It said as it waved for Anik, Keats and Rotom to follow it.
"Did you do it?" Keats questioned.
"Oranguru zzzzaid that it wants us to follow it." Rotom said.
"Then I think we got it." Anik said with a content expression.
"Maybe your pretty face was enough." Keats said as he tapped Anik on her shoulder before walking past her.
"Could you please stop with the ultra-casual flirting, it's embarrassing me..." Anik thought as Rotom looked at her.
"You're red again. Are you zzzzick?" Rotom asked towards Keats as she looked at the phone.
"...Hey Rotom, Keats can be a bit of a "volatile" person, right?" Anik said towards Rotom.
"He can be but not in a "bad" sort of way. I'd say he's just overdramatic, zzzzt." Rotom replied. "I shouldn't go into too many details though... She might not help us if she knows too much about Keats' bizarreness." The phone Pokémon thought as it floated past the astronomy enthusiast.
"Ahhh..." Anik muttered. "Something is telling me he is going to be disappointed..." She thought as she scratched her face.
"Yo Anik! Come here, Oranguru wants to talk to us both." Keats shouted towards Anik as she quickly rushed over to where the group was.
"Sorry, what's up?" Anik said apologetically before looking at Oranguru.
"Orangurururu. Rang-rangururu." Oranguru said towards the pair of trainers.
"Translation?" Keats said towards Rotom.
"Oranguru wants you both to get prepared for battle each other. And it wants me to give it information on Imani and Bevin zzzzo it can make a plan." Rotom said as Keats and Anik looked at one another.
"Oranguru." Oranguru said towards Rotom as Keats and Anik started to take out Pokéballs.
"Our opponent is a Mega Sableye, zzzzt." Rotom replied.
"Orangurururu?" Oranguru continued.
"Anik has a Fairy type but it doezzzzn't know any moves of the same type." Rotom stated.
"Ururu?" Oranguru said as it pointed at Keats as he and Anik opened up their balls and out came Keats' Swalot and Anik's Vigoroth, respectively.
"No, he doesn't have one, zzzzt." Rotom said.
"Raaaang..." Oranguru said as it rubbed its chin once more before looking out at the ocean.
Hahahaha! "Got Krabbys!" Pffffffffffffffffffff! Whahahahaha! Oh my god! Bahahahahaa! *falls out of chair and hits head on table.*
Keats' Pokémon (on-hand):
1. Pineco.
2. Porygon.
3. Dragalge.
4. Raichu - Alolan Form.
5. Swalot.
6. Surskit.
Keats' Pokémon (in rotation):
1. Stunky.
2. Venonat.
3. Diglett - Alolan Form.
4. Cloyster.
5. Timburr.
6. Druddigon.
Anik's Pokémon:
1. Kingler.
2. Cleffa.
3. Oricorio - Baile Style.
4. Minior - Green Core.
5. Vigoroth.
Authors Note: (After having a moment to joke around with Team Skull and meeting Trial Captain Mina, Keats and Anik managed to get some information on Bevin's character and proceed to head back to Melemele Island to get help from the story arcs best character: Oranguru, whom I will add was NOT in the original idea for the story arc when I was thinking of ideas. Encountering the super genius orangutan-like Pokémon, it requests Keats and Anik get some sparring in with their Pokémon before making a plan for the pair to defeat Imani and Bevin, once and for all. The ending to Arc 2 with Keats chasing after Imani will come to an end before 40 chapters are posted.)