Lunar Eclipse: Part I (Pokemon)

Chapter 21

January 12, 2017

Mount Lanakila is visible from Tapu Village. You can see where they are building the Pokémon League. It is all so very exciting! Anyway, the day after I arrived, I visited the Pokémon Center to inquire about the next trial. I found out it was a ghost type trial, so I structured my team accordingly. I brought in Zippo in exchange for Melody and figured this was good enough.

I spent the day training my Pokémon. I grew tired as the day dragged on into the afternoon. I halfheartedly called out attacks to my Pokémon when something caught my eye. I stared at one of the bushes that bordered the grassy area that served as my training field. A white head poked out of the leaves but then quickly disappeared. It had to be a Pokémon. I wondered if it found our training interesting.

"Hello there," I said in a friendly voice. "Do you want to train with us?"

The Pokémon poked its head out again. "Pix?" it said.

There was something oddly familiar about this one. "Rotom, what kind of Pokémon is this?"

The Rotom Dex flew to my side and spoke in its mechanical voice: "Vulpix, the fox Pokémon. Vulpix exhales air colder than -58 degrees Fahrenheit. Elderly people in Alola call this Pokémon by an older name - Keokeo."

"A Vulpix?!" I said in surprise. "Vulpix in Kanto are red - and fire types!"

"This is one of those regional variants."

I smiled at the Vulpix. "Cool. Do you want to watch us train?"

"Pix!" said the little fox. She stepped out onto the grass and sat down.

I felt satisfied with this response. The sight of the wild Pokémon gave me renewed energy to train hard with my Pokémon. I was impressed with the patience the little ice type displayed. When it started to get dark, I invited her to train with us one more time. She seemed hesitant, but after Kiku's encouragement, she agreed to a one-on-one battle.

The Vulpix proved quick and agile. She kept Kiku on her toes, and it looked like they both had fun. I stopped my Meowth before the Vulpix got too injured. "Good job," I said as I bent down to rub her head. "Let's all take a little break now."

I returned my Pokémon and then found a shady spot in the grass to lie down. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched the Vulpix bad over to me and sit beside me. I smiled and stroked her back. "You're a sweet Pokémon. I bet Hau would like you."

The Vulpix cocked her head to the side. "Pix?"

"Oh, he's my friend." I remembered the last time I had talked to him, and a stone sunk in my stomach. "I don't know if he really wants to see me right now though. We kind of had a fight."

"Vul?"

I sighed and stared up at the sky. There were no clouds like normal, and thankfully the sun had moved out of my view. "I don't know why. Something inside of me keeps trying to push me away. He would probably be better off with other friends. Like Lillie. She's very nice just like you. You would like both of them better than me."

"Pix!" The Vulpix nudged me with her cold nose.

I sat up and looked at her. "What is it?" She had a determined look on her face, but I could not figure out what she wanted.

"Pix pix." I gasped when she dove into my bag. Before I could stop her, she reemerged, holding an empty Pokeball in her mouth.

"Do you... want to come with me?"

The Vulpix dropped the Pokeball and the ground. "Vul!"

Her behavior bewildered me. I had no idea why she wanted to join me, but I would not pass this up. "Do you want to look out for me? Alright, you can come." I picked up the Pokeball and touched her with it, causing the ball to open and suck her inside. I smiled at the shrunken sphere in my hand. "You'll be 'Yuki.' I promise I'll take great care of you."