The Pokémon School Challenge Page 3

  Ash took a close look at his Z-Ring and realized Kiawe was right.

  “That means it is too soon for you to use Z-Moves,” Kiawe said plainly. “You haven’t had an Island Challenge yet.”

  Ash took a deep breath. He didn’t fully understand the power of the Z-Move, but he knew that he and Pikachu could master it, eventually.

  “All right,” Ash said gamely. “I’ll take the Island Challenge trial!”

  The others seemed surprised at Ash’s willing attitude.

  “I’ll pass the trial, and I’ll get another Z-Crystal, and then I’ll be able to use Z-Moves … the right way!”

  “Sounds perfect!” Mallow declared. “We’ll all be cheering for you.” Bounsweet gave a chirp of approval. The rest of the students—except for Kiawe—all agreed.

  “Togedemaru and I know lots about Electric-types,” Sophocles offered. “TONS of stuff.”

  There was one student whose help Ash needed the most. He needed a mentor, someone who knew all about how Z-Moves work. He turned to Kiawe. “Please?” he said.

  Kiawe still looked reluctant. “Well, I guess I have to,” he replied. “After all, I’m the only one of us with a Z-Ring.”

  “Yay!” cheered Lana.

  Pikachu chirped in gratitude. “Pika pika!”

  “That’s awesome!” Ash said. “Thanks, guys.”

  At that moment, Ash and Pikachu adopted a new goal for their time in Alola. And they had a team of helpful friends to help them along the way.

  Ash, I have something for you,” Professor Kukui said later that day. They were both relaxing in his home. The teacher held out his hand. “A present,” Professor Kukui said, holding out the red gadget.

  “Present? What is it?” Ash asked.

  “It’s a Pokédex,” the professor answered.

  “Wow!” Ash replied. It wasn’t like any Pokédex he had seen before. Regardless, it was the perfect gift. With all the new Pokémon Ash hoped to encounter in Alola, a Pokédex would be super handy.

  Next, Professor Kukui said it was time to activate the Pokédex, and he led Ash downstairs to his office.

  “Perfect!” the professor announced as he tapped a RETURN button on his computer keyboard. A series of codes flashed across the computer screen. “We’re all connected!”

  Lights began to flicker and an odd electric current seemed to jump between the computer and other machines in the lab. “Here it comes!” announced Professor Kukui.

  The lights blacked out and then surged back on. The crackle of static filled the air. “What’s going on?” Ash asked.

  “Just hang on, and you’ll see,” Professor Kukui responded confidently.

  Ash saw it out of the corner of his eye. Something slipped from the electric socket. It swooshed around a top speed, beeping all the way. “It’s a Rotom!” Ash announced, recognizing the Pokémon that had the power to live inside various electronic devices.

  “Now we just have to wait for Rotom to go inside,” said Professor Kukui.

  “Go inside?” Ash repeated. “The Pokédex?” Now this was getting interesting! With a zip and a zing, Rotom bounced around the office, finally whizzing straight into the Pokédex!

  “Whoa! Is Rotom in there?” Ash wondered, knocking on the red gadget. Eyes appeared on the device, and then the eyes opened! Arms and legs sprouted, and the Pokédex’s face blinked to life.

  “The Pokédex is Rotom and Rotom is the Pokédex!” Ash said in amazement.

  The Pokédex seemed to be beeping a friendly hello.

  “Alola, Rotom!” Ash said with a wave.

  “Pika, pika!” Pikachu greeted the device.

  “Language selection complete,” the Pokédex stated.

  “Wow!” Ash said. “Rotom just talked!” How cool was that?

  Professor Kukui stepped forward and helped with the introductions. “Rotom, please lend Ash a helping hand from now on, okay?” he said.

  “Understood,” replied Rotom. “Ash, user registration complete. Pokédex now booting up …” The device made a whirring noise, and then it clicked. “Now at 100 percent. Nice to meet you, Ash!”

  “Wow, we can even have a conversation?” Ash said in awe.

  “Of course. Rotom Dex has been programmed to communicate properly with people of all different kinds.”

  “Awesome,” Ash said.

  “Awesome?” Rotom Dex repeated. An odd look crossed its face. It appeared to be confused. “Awesome does not compute.”

  “Ash was just saying that he is very impressed with your capabilities,” Professor Kukui explained.

  “I understand,” confirmed Rotom Dex. “So awesome means excellent. And that means Rotom Dex is excellent!”

  Professor Kukui and Ash made sure Rotom Dex met Pikachu and Rockruff. Rotom Dex took pictures of both Pokémon to record them into its memory. It explained that it was a “self-learning” Pokédex that updated its data each and every time it met a new Pokémon.

  Ash asked Rotom Dex to describe Pikachu using the information it had in its Pokédex.

  “Right away, Ash,” responded Rotom Dex. “Pikachu. The Mouse Pokémon. An Electric-type. It raises its tail to sense its surroundings. If you pull on its tail, it will bite.”

  “Pika!” Pikachu, who was sitting on Ash’s shoulder, was impressed. Rotom Dex hovered over to Pikachu and pulled its tail. Surprised, Pikachu sent out an electric pulse. It shocked both Rotom Dex and Ash! They both yelped. Yikes!

  “It doesn’t bite you!” Rotom Dex corrected, still shaking. “It actually shocks you!”

  Ash could tell that Rotom Dex would be an amazing help during his adventures in Alola.

  Meanwhile, some of Ash’s old enemies had just arrived on marvelous Melemele Island. Fresh off the plane, Team Rocket might have been in a new place, but they were still up to no good. And as always, they liked to announce their evil plans for the whole world to hear.

  “This great and distant land gives us a brand-new start for both the body and mind,” James declared.

  “Yeah, we’re gonna do everything for the greatest Boss in Bossland,” added Meowth with a greedy grin. Of course, their “Boss” was the treacherous Giovanni, the notorious Gym Leader who wanted to collect all the rare Pokémon at any cost. Giovanni sent his minions Jessie, James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet on missions to gather any and all powerful Pokémon—even if the team did not catch them in a fair fashion.

  Their mission in Alola was the same as always. Giovanni had demanded, “Go and collect Pokémon the likes of which I’ve never seen before. Fulfill the ambitions of Team Rocket!”

  Team Rocket did not even slow down for a stroll on the beach or a fruity drink by the pool. They quickly got to work tracking down the most exotic Pokémon they could spot in Alola.

  Not far away at the Pokémon School, Ash and Professor Kukui were sharing Rotom Dex with the rest of the class. The students were all amazed with the unique device.

  “A Pokédex that operates with a Rotom inside,” Lillie said to herself. “That’s incredible!”

  “Incredible,” Rotom Dex repeated. “Incredible means … awesome. In other words, Rotom Dex is awesome!”

  “So it’s obviously learned how Ash talks. I wonder just how this Rotom Dex is programmed.” Sophocles approached Rotom Dex with a screwdriver and a mischievous grin. “I’m going to analyze your programming for just a second, all right?”

  “No, thank you,” replied Rotom Dex.

  “Ah, come on,” Sophocles begged. “Just a look?”

  “No, I refuse. I refuse!” Rotom Dex insisted.

  Professor Kukui announced they would use their new device as part of the day’s lesson. “For today,” he began, “let’s do some fieldwork! Ash, let’s catch a wild Pokémon!”

  “I just adore fieldwork,” Mallow said.

  The whole class set out with the awesome Rotom Dex right at Ash’s side. Ash hoped he would get to catch a wild Pokémon that would want to be part of his team.

  Little did the students know the
y would soon meet up with unwanted company. The class was headed to the same part of the forest where Team Rocket was trying to catch Pokémon. As always, Jessie and James had big ambitions, but few practical plans.

  “We’ll snatch every Pokémon in the order we encounter them!” declared James.

  “Yeah,” replied Meowth. “But that means that Wobbuffet and I are gonna have to do all the heavy lifting.”

  “There’s no other choice!” Jessie declared. “We left all the other Pokémon way back at Team Rocket headquarters. You know it!”

  “When you’re in Alola, you simply do as the Alolans do!” James added.

  “Even so …” Jessie said, looking around nervously. “It’s kind of creepy out here. It feels like something scary could jump out at any moment.”

  They searched all around for a ghostly ghoul to jump out, and then, all at once, something did! There was an unidentified Pokémon on the path up ahead.

  “Pikachu?” Jessie asked, uncertain. “I know it can’t be, but could it be Pikachu’s head?”

  “Yipes!” said Meowth. The Pokémon looked like Pikachu, but not exactly. Its head was wobbly, and the eyes and mouth on its face looked odd, like they were drawn on. The Pokémon made a scritchy-scratchy sound that sent chills down Meowth’s spine. “Giving it a closer look, it’s a different Pokémon wearing a Pikachu-like thingy.”

  “Woooooobbuffet.” Even Wobbuffet was frightened of the unknown Pokémon.

  “What’s wrong with you two?” Jessie demanded. “Meowth, what is it saying?”

  Meowth refused to answer. “It’s saying something so scary that it’s better not to know.”

  “Scary? It’s not that scary,” Jessie insisted. “It’s kind of cute. So our very first job in the Alola region will be catching that cutie!” She pulled Meowth from Wobbuffet’s head and flung him across the forest. “Meowth. Fury Swipes! Let’s go!”

  As Meowth flew through the air, he launched his Fury Swipes move. With his claws out he yelled, “Desperate measures time!”

  He was sure he got some good swipes in! But the other Pokémon was unaffected.

  “Ch-choo, ch-choo,” the other Pokémon growled.

  “Will you knock off all of the scary talk?” Meowth demanded. “Take off that Pikachu getup and fight fair and square!” He tackled the unknown Pokémon, pulling up its disguise slightly.

  At that moment, something mysterious happened. Meowth passed out, as if he’d breathed a powerful gas. Whatever it was, it appeared to have come from under the other Pokémon’s disguise. Meowth was unconscious!

  Finally, James and Jessie shook Meowth awake. Then they heard someone approaching. Jessie, James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet scrambled into the bushes where they could spy on whoever was coming their way.

  I’ve got the feeling we’ll run into some Pokémon soon,” Ash said as the students of the Pokémon School walked along one of the forest trails.

  “The probability of meeting a Pokémon in this area is 83.9 percent,” Rotom Dex announced.

  “Over there!” Ash called out, pointing down the path toward the Pokémon in a Pikachu costume.

  “Looks like your feeling was right!” Mallow said.

  “Mimikyu,” Lillie finally announced.

  “Mimikyu,” Rotom Dex took over. “The Disguise Pokémon. A Ghost- and Fairy-type. It wears a ragged head cover to look like a Pikachu, but little is known about this Pokémon. It is said that a scholar who once tried to look under the disguise met his end.”

  Even though Mimikyu sounded dangerous, Ash still wanted to try to catch it. “All right, Pikachu, go and get Mimikyu!”

  “Pikachu, use Iron Tail,” Ash directed, and Pikachu bounded forward, its tail glowing a shiny silver. But when it clashed with Mimikyu, the other Pokémon did not react.

  Mimikyu lashed back with an attack of its own, rushing toward Pikachu in a full-on tackle. Before Pikachu had fully recovered, Mimikyu used a tail attack of its own. It targeted a shadowy attack right at Pikachu. The Mouse Pokémon landed flat on its back.

  In the bushes, Jessie and James couldn’t contain their excitement. “Did you just see that? That Mimikyu, or whatever they called it, is strong,” Jessie said.

  “It appears quite the even match for the twerp’s Pikachu,” James agreed. At once, he and Jessie knew they couldn’t let Ash catch such a strong Pokémon.

  Just as Pikachu was going to launch another move, Team Rocket climbed out of the shrubs. “Just a minute!” Jessie interrupted.

  “Who are you?” Kiawe asked.

  Team Rocket started a long explanation of their villainous mission, but it was so wordy and extreme that none of the students or their Pokémon could follow it.

  “Team Rocket? I’ve never heard of them,” Mallow said, puzzled.

  James huffed. “You see, Team Rocket is a super-powerful evil organization,” he explained.

  Still, none of the students from Alola knew anything about them.

  Ash cleared it up. “They’re bad guys who like to steal other people’s Pokémon,” he said simply. “You’ve come to the Alola region to do bad things here, too, right?”

  Jessie rolled her eyes. “Same old genius.”

  “We’ll simply take your Pikachu and all of your friends’ Pokémon for our sassy selves!” James threatened.

  “And that Mimikyu!” Jessie screeched. “We found that one first!”

  “Word up, Pikachu,” Meowth yelled. “I know how strong you are, but today I come out on top! Fury Swipes!”

  Ash quickly made a move. “Pikachu, Electro Ball!”

  Pikachu’s strike caught Meowth off guard in midair, but then something unexpected happened. Mimikyu shuffled forward and shot off a dark, powerful Shadow Ball that countered Pikachu’s move.

  “Mimikyu, you came through like a champ,” Meowth cheered. “Thanks a lot, pal.”

  “Call me crazy, but I get the strange feeling that Mimikyu is trying to help us out,” Jessie said.

  “Ch-ch-ch-ch-choo.” Mimikyu appeared to agree.

  “It’s all good, Mimikyu, so just attack!” Jessie screamed.

  The whole Pokémon School braced for the attack on Pikachu.

  “Now be careful,” Rotom Dex called out.

  “Here it comes,” warned Ash.

  Mimikyu was charging up a giant, super-powerful Shadow Ball. Jessie and James begin to dance and cheer. But before Mimikyu was able to launch its move, a giant Pokémon grabbed Jessie and James from behind and began to tote them away.

  “Hey, big guy, where are you taking my two buddies?” Meowth demanded.

  “Who’s that Pokémon?” Ash asked Rotom Dex.

  “Bewear,” answered Rotom Dex. “The Strong Arm Pokémon. A Normal- and Fighting-type. Bewear has extremely powerful arms, and it’s very dangerous. It waves its arms in a friendly fashion, but this is a means of warning.”

  Ash immediately recognized the warning from the pink-and-gray Pokémon when he had met it earlier in the woods. “Really dangerous,” Ash agreed.

  “Mimikyu, save Jessie and James! Move!” Meowth demanded.

  With Meowth, Wobbuffet, and Mimikyu hot on the trail of the Bewear, the Pokémon School crew could finally catch its breath.

  While Ash and Kiawe regretted not being able to catch Mimikyu, the others chose to look on the bright side.

  “There are many, many other Pokémon in the Alola region,” Lillie reminded them.

  “The probability of finding a Pokémon in this part of the forest has increased to 96.5 percent,” said Rotom Dex. With that news, Ash and Pikachu continued their quest.

  In Professor Kukui’s class, the students were enjoying another chance to do fieldwork. It was a beautiful, sunny day, but Ash and his friends were deep in the shade of the forest once again. They hadn’t seen any signs of the members of Team Rocket since Bewear had carried off Jessie and James.

  That was fine with Ash. He wanted to focus on his current goal. Ash still had not managed to catch a wild Pokémon in Alola, but
he was giving it his best shot.

  “Grubbin, the Larva Pokémon. A Bug-type.” Rotom Dex was giving Ash all the data on the Pokémon he was preparing to battle. “Grubbin scrapes trees with its jaws and drinks their sap. It makes its home underground.”

  “Thanks, Rotom Dex,” Ash called out.

  When Grubbin tried String Shot, Pikachu jumped up to avoid it. Then Ash directed Pikachu to try Thunderbolt. The move was too much for Grubbin, and it collapsed on the ground.

  Ash quickly grabbed a Poké Ball and tossed it.

  Ash’s classmates were cheering him on. They all watched closely to see if Ash had made his first catch in Alola. At the last moment, the Grubbin escaped the Poké Ball and dove into the ground.

  They could follow where Grubbin was burrowing by its trail of upturned dirt. “Quick, Pikachu!” Ash advised. “Aim where Grubbin is about to come out!”

  But the Larva Pokémon had dug deeper and came out of the ground all the way across the clearing. It launched a String Shot move and captured Pikachu by the leg, speedily reeling in Ash’s Pokémon.

  “Watch out for its powerful jaws!” Rotom Dex warned, but it was too late. The Larva Pokémon snapped its pincer-like jaws and then dug another escape route.

  Ash rushed over. “Are you okay?” he asked, leaning over Pikachu.

  It was clear that Pikachu was dazed. Everyone agreed that Ash and Pikachu should go to the Pokémon Center for a checkup.

  Pikachu was as good as new after the visit to the Pokémon Center. By the next day, Ash was already thinking about his new goal. “Today’s the day!” he told Mallow. They were on the porch of her family’s restaurant. “I’m catching a Pokémon for sure.”

  “The current Pokémon encounter rate in the forest is 89 percent,” said Rotom Dex.

  “That just might work,” Mallow said, taking a piece of fruit. “The forest is where I first came across Bounsweet.”

  At that moment, a shadow seemed to block out the sun. “What is that?” Ash wondered, looking up. He saw a big flock of tiny flying Pokémon, and they were headed their way!