Chapter 46: A Masked Pokémon to Bond! Pt. 2

Last time on "Pokémon Alola Journey", Kaito and Hau were traveling in the woods together so that Hau could find a Pokémon that he and his team could befriend and catch so that he could prepare for Hala's Grand Trial.

But while the traveling went on, Hau has yet to capture a Flying Type Pokémon that could give him the chance to battle against Hala's Fighting Type team.

Weary of the search, the boys were about to continue on when they came across the same Pokémon that Tokio had to challenge Kaito and Buizel: Type: Null! As the Synthetic Pokémon noticed the two, it chased after the two!

At the fork of the road, Kaito continues to get chased by Type: Null while Hau discovers a wild Rowlet as he becomes determined to capture it so that he can be friends with it and to have a new teammate on the team.

But as Kaito faces the Synthetic Pokémon once again, the masked Pokémon falls, catching on what seemed to be a fever. The only problem was that its mouth seemed to be sealed, making it unable to use its mouth to eat!

Not only that, with the Synthetic Pokémon being a bit stubborn and hostile, it was going to be difficult for the Alola boy to try and bond or even interact with the artificial Pokémon!

At the forest, the Alola boy watched as Type: Null was put onto the leaf bed that he and Buizel were able to make together thanks to the tree's giant leaves. Then, with the help of Eevee, Rockruff, and Vulpix, he and his team were able to get the masked Pokémon onto it to make it more comfortable.

The only problem left was how it was going to get better and how it was going to eat.

Eevee and Vulpix watched the masked Pokémon warily while Rockruff sniffed at it, trying to find whether the strange Pokémon was going to be any danger if it recovered from the fever that it caught.

"Leave him, Rockruff. He's no threat as of right now, especially with the condition he's in..." Kaito reminded, causing Rockruff to give a small whimper before he gave a small nod as he joined with Eevee and Vulpix.

"Bui?" Buizel asked, turning to his human brother as the Alola boy narrowed his eyes.

"This is a big problem... Without its mouth, it won't be able to eat anything if it's hungry... because of that thing trapping its face..." Kaito commented as he scratched his head.

"In times like this, maybe Rotom could be of help... Then again, I don't think he would, considering I know many Alolan Pokémon. This is the first..." Kaito spoke again, as he recalled facing Tokio.

Type: Null was the Pokémon that he had never seen before in his life when he had lived in the Alola region. The only one he never saw was the Synthetic Pokémon itself until Tokio sent it out for battle.

"What can I do...? Should I try to find some berries and mash it together...? No wait... what good will that do? What about ice? I could make some ice to try and reduce the heat on Type: Null's head like what others do when their friend or family member is sick..."

While Kaito was thinking on how to help the Synthetic Pokémon recover faster, Type: Null managed to open its eyes and see that it was lying on the grass bed, as it looked around to see itself being watched by two Pokémon that seem to be young.

There was another one that seemed to be cautious of him, as he glared at the masked Pokémon sternly, not that the masked Pokémon could blame it.

After all, it didn't know if itself was a Pokémon that can be around humans or other Pokémon, when he wasn't a Pokémon that was born naturally. Rather, he was born by being created... to be used as a weapon.

The weasel Pokémon was next to the human boy, as the Synthetic Pokémon recognized Buizel as Kaito's partner as it narrowed its eyes. Closing its eyes again, it went back to sleep, wanting to recover as fast as it could.

Once it did, it could do what it had wanted to do before the human boy and his friend found him: training to become the strongest and the best Pokémon, whether if it was artificial or not.

Meanwhile...

"Rowlet! I challenge you to a battle!" Hau declared, catching the Grass Quill Pokémon's attention. Pichu sparked his cheeks a little, showing that he was ready to fight against the Grass-Flying Type!

Amused, the Grass Quill Pokémon gave a loud hoot before getting ready to face his opponents, before the Kahuna's grandson made the first move.

"Okay, here we go! Pichu, use Shock Wave!" Hau shouted out, allowing Pichu to do so! The Electric Type attack made a shock on Rowlet, who let out a hoot in pain before it recovered by shaking off the shock he had taken just now!

"Now, use Thunder Shock!"

The Electric Type move was shot, but this time, Rowlet dodged and dived down with a battle hoot! It used Leafage, causing leaves to surround Pichu, much to the little Electric Type's surprise!

"What the...!? Pichu, get out of there!" Hau cried out. But just as he said that, he took notice that the Grass Quill Pokémon was nowhere to be found!

"Wait... where did Rowlet go?" Hau asked, causing the Electric Type to blink and search around as well. But just as the Tiny Mouse Pokémon was searching around for his opponent that just disappeared, Rowlet suddenly appeared right behind him!

"It's behind you, Pichu! Dodge it!"

But Hau's warning came too late as a Peck attack from behind knocked Pichu forward, causing him to tumble on the ground!

"Pichu, stay strong! Use Shock Wave again!" Hau called out as the Grass Quill Pokémon flew around to try and avoid the Shock Wave attack. But with the electricity chasing after him, it was difficult for Rowlet to dodge again...

That was when a miracle occurred. Before Rowlet could try to counterattack and evade all the Shock Wave attacks, the little Grass-Flying Type found himself unable to move, much to his surprise!

While hooting in surprise, the Shock Wave attack started to catch up before the move zapped the Grass Quill Pokémon, causing it to hoot loudly in pain!

For the Kahuna's grandson, he watched as the attack hit before he grinned and took out an empty Pokéball to use.

"It's about time... Let's go, Pokéball!" The ball was thrown as it hit the defeated Grass Quill Pokémon! As it hit, the ball opened and sucked the defeated Pokémon inside, causing it to close and land on the ground.

As soon as the Pokéball did so, it began to shake back and forth, causing both Hau and Pichu to be cautious of what might happen. But to their relief, there was a clicking sound, signaling that Hau successfully caught the Grass Quill Pokémon!

"Ah! We... We did it!"

"Pichu!"

The two ran over where Hau picked up the Pokéball and raised it in the air!

"I caught... a Rowlet!"

"Pichu Pi!" Hau cheered, with Pichu letting out a happy cry besides him. The two smiled and laughed together, until the Kahuna's grandson remembered something before he took out another Pokéball.

"Come on out, Eevee!" Hau called out as he sent out the Evolution Pokémon to appear. Upon being sent out, the Normal Type blinked and looked to see his Electric Type friend and human friend, before letting out a questioning cry.

"Vee?"

"Here! We have a new teammate and friend on our team!" Hau explained before he sent out his newly caught Pokémon. As it was sent out, Rowlet let out a weak hoot, looking quite fatigued from the battle it had to do before...

"Ah...! Sorry...! I forgot that we just had a battle with each other... You okay?" questioned Hau, earning an affirmative hoot from the Grass Quill Pokémon, who still seemed a little miffed for losing the battle just now.

"Pichu Pi?"

"Eevee vee?" The two Pokémon gazed at the Grass Quill Pokémon curiously, catching the Grass-Flying Type by surprise, before it turned away a little, looking a little timid or sheepish from the first encounter it had with its two new comrades.

"Come on, don't be shy...! These are my friends! Eevee and Pichu!" Hau reassured with a grin, causing Rowlet to glance at Hau before it glanced back towards the little Normal Type and the little Electric Type.

Turning to them, Rowlet gave out a chirp, as if it was greeting its two new comrades. Upon being greeted, the two little Pokémon greeted the Grass Quill Pokémon back rather energetically, as if they welcomed him to the team!

Upon being greeted energetically, a small blush came to Rowlet before it began to feel rather comfortable, despite of it meeting its two new comrades for the first time other than Pichu, as they met during a battle against each other.

"Hehe..." Hau chuckled, smiling at his three Pokémon interacting with one another.

Back to Kaito...

Kaito continued to watch Type: Null carefully with Buizel and Rockruff at his side. Eevee and Vulpix watched the Synthetic Pokémon curiously, as they were both unsure on how to make out of it while Rockruff remained glaring.

For the Alola boy, his eyes softened as he rubbed mask that was covering Type: Null's head.

Upon feeling his touch, the artificial Normal Type opened its eyes, before turning to see Kaito caressing its head. At first, the Synthetic Pokémon took it as a sign of offense or a small ambush from the young human boy.

But upon feeling it even further, it felt soft and nice... enough to make the artificial Pokémon feel relaxed and cared for, as it gave a small grunt of content, which caught the Alola boy's attention.

Upon hearing the content grunt, Kaito could only make a soft smile as he watched the Normal Type rest a little as he caressed its mask face again.

But as he felt the mask on its head, he frowned. From his perspective, it's as if the mask was making Type: Null unable to make its true sounds or cries and it was preventing him from being able to eat anything.

"This mask is being a big problem right now... Isn't there anything I can do? If I try to break it, what if it hurts Type: Null in the process of it...?" Kaito thought as he sighed, unable to think of a way to free Type: Null from the mask.

Just then, Rockruff's ears perked up before he sniffed the air. Then, while turning to a different direction, the Puppy Pokémon growled towards the forest pathway, catching Kaito's attention along with the other members of the Alola boy's team.

"Grrrrrr..."

"What is it, Rockruff?" questioned Kaito, only to get an answer from a familiar voice.

"Hehehe... So your little pup found me. I guess this make things a little easier..." A familiar voice chuckled darkly, catching the Alola boy by surprise as he turned to see Dulio coming out from his hiding spot from behind the tree!

"You're... that big guy who is a member of... Team Kings!" Kaito pointed out in shock, earning a cruel grin from the Team Kings commander.

"That's right... Glad to see that you remember me, kid... not that it'll matter." Dulio assured cruelly before he took out a Pokéball. Rockruff growled while Buizel glared, as Eevee and Vulpix got in front of Type: Null.

"Relax, kid... I'm not here to take you down like before... All I want... is that artificial beast you have there." Dulio pointed, gesturing to Type: Null, catching the Alola boy and his team by surprise.

For the Synthetic Pokémon, it let out a muffled growl while glaring at Dulio. Taking notice of this, the Team Kings commander gave an amused chuckle, noticing the hostility coming from the artificial Pokémon.

"So... it automatically knows that I'm an enemy... Guess the creator wasn't fooling around with it when it was made to battle the beasts..." Dulio spoke, catching the Alola boy by surprise by the few words Dulio had spoken.

"Creator...? Beasts...?" Kaito spoke in surprise, only for Dulio to cut him off before preparing to battle.

"Oops, spoke too much there... Anyways... get out of the way, kid. My business is with the artificial beast." Dulio demanded, as the Pokéball was thrown in the air before it opened, showing the commander's Golisopod, who hissed at Kaito upon remembering the boy.

The Alola boy didn't move, nor did his team, as they knew nothing good would happen if they were to hand over Type: Null. Upon seeing the stubbornness from the Alola boy's eyes, the commander scoffed before scratching the back of his head.

"You won't move, eh...? Don't make this more difficult than it has to be, kid. Use Liquidation!"

Given the order, Golisopod let out a screeching cry before it charged while summoning a blade made of water! Noticing it coming, the Alola boy called for his Pokémon to make a defensive stance and to counter.

"Buizel! Aqua Jet! Eevee! Swift! Rockruff, Rock Slide! And Vulpix, you use Ember!" Kaito called out.

The four little Pokémon shot or charged their attacks towards the Bug-Water Type, as they all clashed with the Liquidation attack! The impact from the four attacks altogether stunned Golisopod for a bit as it caused it to skid back and to make Liquidation negated.

"Oh? Not bad... But not good enough! Golisopod, X-Scissor!"

The Hard Scale Pokémon charged with the sharp and powerful attack, as Rockruff and Vulpix took the initiative to counter, with Kaito giving out the quick orders!

"Rockruff, use Crunch! And Vulpix, use Baby-Doll Eyes!" Kaito shouted out.

With Rockruff distracting Golisopod by clashing X-Scissor with his Crunch attack, Vulpix quickly stunned the Hard Scale Pokémon with her cute looks, causing the Bug-Water Type to lower his guard and weaken his attack strength!

Upon feeling his opponent becoming weaker, Rockruff took the chance to use Crunch's strength to throw Golisopod in the air! Clicking his tongue in annoyance, the Team Kings commander snapped at his partner Pokémon.

"Oi! When did I say to let your guard down, Golisopod? Huh!?" Dulio snapped, causing the Hard Scale Pokémon to growl at his four opponents before the commander narrowed his eyes.

"This is going to get us nowhere if this keeps up. In that case... time for Plan B." Dulio grunted before he revealed...

"A Z-Ring...!? You're going to use a Z-Move!?" Kaito exclaimed, causing the Team Kings commander to laugh and smirk cruelly.

"What do you think, kid? Did you think you and your friends were the only ones capable of using this special move? Now brace yourself, because this is really going to hurt you more than it's going to hurt me! HAH!" Dulio yelled as he and Golisopod made a pose together!

The Z-Power from the Z-Ring activated as the two began to make different poses to make the Z-Move work!

"Destruction and power... Send our weaklings flying to the abyss with this one big attack! Now GO! Savage Spin-Out!" Dulio roared as Golisopod roared as well before unleashing the Bug Type Z-Move onto Kaito and his team!

"Not good... Buizel!"

Buizel came to Kaito's side as the two prepared their Z-Move with the Sea Gauntlet glowing! The Waterium-Z began to glow as well before the two began to pose! As Type: Null watched, he took notice of the boy and his team trying to protect him.

But why? The first time they met, the Synthetic Pokémon immediately thought of them as a threat and attacked them. But with the boy and his team caring for him and fighting that man...

"Hydro Vortex, go!" Kaito yelled as the Water Type Z-Move clashed with the Bug Type Z-Move.

As the two power attacks collided, they struggled to overpower one another, both attacks acting as if they were trying to defeat the other to achieve victory. But as seconds passed by, neither side won as the two Z-Moves exploded together, resulting in a tie!

"Tch... So the end result is a draw...!?" Dulio growled as Golisopod hissed in annoyance. Buizel panted a little in exhaustion for having to use most of his power for the Z-Move attack as Kaito turned to the rest of his team.

"All of you, back Buizel up! Rockruff, Rock Slide! Vulpix, Ember!" Kaito called out.

Ember and Rock Slide are shot, causing Golisopod to take the hits and take a few steps back, flinching from the attacks which Dulio took notice of.

"Did you just flinch, Golisopod!? Don't let the weaklings take you down! Use X-Scissor!" Dulio roared furiously.

Upon being ordered, the Hard Scale Pokémon hesitated, as it began to realize how outnumbered it was. And if it made the wrong move such as targeting one opponent, then the other opponents would back that one opponent up.

Still, despite the fact that it was outnumbered, the Hard Scale Pokémon still charged in with the Bug Type attack so that it gain the small chance of victory that it had despite the damages it had taken!

As X-Scissor was coming in close, that was when the Alola boy knew when to counter.

"Get under him, Buizel! Then use Ice Beam!"

"Say what!?"

Buizel ran and got close to Golisopod before skidding under him! Then, at the right timing, the Ice Type attack was shot, right onto Golisopod's stomach! The Hard Scale Pokémon screeched in pain and in surprise before he was knocked high in the air!

"This is it! Rockruff, Rock Slide! Eevee, Swift! And Vulpix, Ember!" Kaito called out.

With their giant opponent in midair, the three young ones launched their attacks to the falling Bug-Water Type, causing the moves to hit and knock the Hard Scale Pokémon down hard on the ground!

"GOLI!"

"What!?" Dulio widened his eyes in shock to see his partner be defeated by the four little ones and the kid who didn't stand a chance against him the last time they had fought in their first meeting.

"That's the ticket..." Kaito spoke before he released a sigh of relief. Buizel and the other three were relieved for their victory as well while the Synthetic Pokémon remained silent, unable to decide whether it should be shocked or impressed.

With the way the human boy had fought with Buizel by his side, it's as if he knew what he was doing, and knew how to clash against his opponent despite of the size and power difference. Not only that, even the little ones knew how to put up a fight.

That being said in mind, the Normal Type turned to see Dulio gritting his teeth in frustration, as if he was furious for having to lose to someone he thought he could easily defeat before he called back the Hard Scale Pokémon.

"Return... Golisopod..." The Bug-Water Type was called back to its Pokéball before it was put away. Then, with nothing but anger in his mind, the commander gritted his teeth, looking like the teeth were almost going to break!

Yet, despite the scary look the commander had, Kaito remained calm, as he knew he had to do so in order to protect the Synthetic Pokémon.

"You... brat... You had your little fun... but this is where it ends...! GO!" Dulio sent out another Pokéball to send forth another Pokémon! As it opened, the Pokémon came down, landing on the ground while having the scary look on its face!

"DRA!"

"A Drapion!?" Kaito gasped in surprise to see the giant Poison-Dark Type glaring down at him and his team. Upon seeing the new enemy, Vulpix and Eevee both grew fearful from the size of the new enemy, along with how mean and scary it looked.

Buizel and Rockruff just glared, before they got ready to fight, despite the fact that they were a little fatigued from fighting off against Golisopod.

As for Kaito, the Alola boy bit his lips, as he didn't expect the Team Kings commander to have another Pokémon in his arsenal. He glanced back to where Type: Null was still resting, before seeing his team look rather doubtful.

"This isn't good... With how hard we fought against Golisopod, there's no telling of what will happen if we fight against Drapion now... but..." Kaito thought before he clenched his fists.

"We'll still fight... no matter how difficult it is." Kaito breathed out, catching his team's attention, along with Dulio and Type: Null.

For the four little Pokémon, they all were surprised at first, before their uneasiness started to fade away. Upon seeing their Trainer being determined to fight no matter how hard or big Drapion was, the determination began to come back into their hearts.

Dulio was noticing this too as his eyes twitched in annoyance.

"This brat... he's starting to get on my nerves! No one has been able to match against Drapion whenever someone opposed us! And no one ever will! If this kid doesn't get it, I'll make him understand!" Dulio thought furiously.

"So you still want to fight!? Fine! It's your funeral, kid! Cross Poison, Drapion!" Dulio roared out loud.

"Buizel! Rockruff! Counter it with Ice Beam and Rock Slide!" Kaito called back.

The two young Pokémon shot their attacks to try and counter the Poison Type attack, only for the results to be a failure as the move hit the ground, causing a shockwave to blast both Rockruff and Buizel back!

"ROCK!"

"BUI!"

The Alola boy gasped before he quickly caught the two Pokémon before they hit the ground or a tree as he glared at Dulio, who lost his furious look and smirked cruelly, looking confident that he would win this time.

Vulpix and Eevee both grew a little frightened, but decided to fight along! Noticing this, Kaito nodded to the two young girls, before...

"Okay... Ember and Swift!" Kaito ordered, causing the two Pokémon to shoot their attacks. Drapion narrowed its eyes and didn't do anything as it let the attacks hit it! But despite the double strike, the attacks proved to be too weak as Drapion was completely unfazed by it!

"That... did nothing! Absolutely nothing...!" Kaito growled, feeling dread upon seeing how very little damage Drapion took it despite of it being a double attack.

The Alola boy's team were bewildered by this as well before the same dread feeling came to their minds. As for the Synthetic Pokémon, it noticed how hard the boy was fighting alongside with his team of four.

Yet, with the strength and the size that Drapion had, the artificial Normal Type knew that there was a limit on how much the little ones can do. The only chance of being able to get out of this mess was... to fight that beast itself!

With that in mind, the Synthetic Pokémon tried to get up, making a muffled grunt while doing so! The movements caught both Kaito and Dulio's attention as they turned to see Type: Null growling at the commander and Drapion.

"What are you doing!? You're in no condition to move!" Kaito warned, causing Type: Null to ignore him and slowly walk past him and his four Pokémon to face off against Dulio, who narrowed his eyes.

"So the artificial beast has finally decided to prey upon me, eh...? Interesting... but with your condition... I wonder if you can even land a decent hit? Drapion, put it out of its misery with X-Scissor!" Dulio ordered confidently.

Drapion did so, lunging towards Type: Null, who braced itself before it got out of the way just in time, causing the Bug Type attack to miss!

"What the!?"

"Drap!?"

With a muffled roar, Type: Null charged before slamming its claws onto Drapion, causing it to roar in pain. As the giant enemy was knocked back, Kaito and his team all widened their eyes in shock for what they had seen.

"You... saved us?" Kaito breathed out in shock, as he recognized the move that Type: Null used just now was Crush Claw.

"Damn! Drapion, get up! Pay it back with Cross Poison!" Dulio screamed.

Drapion did so, attempting to slash the Synthetic Pokémon with the poisonous attack! But with Kaito seeing it coming, he took the chance to warn the Synthetic Pokémon of what was coming.

"It's coming in! Dodge it!" Kaito shouted out.

Alerted by his call, the artificial Pokémon got out of the way just in time, causing the Cross Poison attack to miss! The Team Kings commander widened his eyes in shock to see the Pokémon listening to the boy before...

"Crush Claw!" Kaito called out loud.

Once again, alerted by the boy's call, Type: Null gave another muffled roar before smashing Drapion again with the effective attack, causing the Poison-Dark Type to be knocked back again from the impact of the attack!

"It listened to the brat without hesitation...!? What the heck!?" Dulio exclaimed in disbelief as Drapion struggled to get up. But Type: Null wasn't going to let it recover quick as Kaito gave the next order.

"Don't hold back! Use Slash!" Kaito shouted out.

Running with its armor head ready, Type: Null jumped up before slashing with its head! The sharp attack knocked Drapion again, causing the Poison-Dark Type to roar in pain before it crashed onto the ground, groaning in defeat.

"WHAT!?" Dulio exclaimed as he ran over to check his second Pokémon defeated.

Gritting his teeth, the commander returned Drapion and glared at the artificial beast, who glared menacingly at him. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, the commander took a step back, as if he was signaling that he was backing off for now.

"Damn brat... I won't forget this! You may have won this battle, but we will win the war!" Dulio snapped as he made his escape into the deeper parts of the forest, before making his escape.

"War..." Kaito repeated in both confusion and curiosity.

The way the commander spoke made the Alola boy frown, but he shook the feeling off before he turned to Type: Null, who looked a little satisfied for having defeat the enemy without any trouble despite its condition.

"Hey... you okay?" Kaito asked, causing the Synthetic Pokémon to glance at the Alola boy, before making a muffled grunt, as if he was trying to say that he was fine. But just to make sure, the Alola boy placed a hand on its forehead of the mask.

Surprised by the sudden touch, Type: Null was about to growl and jump back, until...

"Your fever seems to have gone away... that's good, at least." Kaito spoke calmly, giving a soft smile to the artificial Pokémon. Upon hearing that, the Synthetic Pokémon blinked in surprise to hear the boy worrying for it and for being relieved that it was fine.

Then again, it knew that it shouldn't be surprised with the way the boy was acting after how he treated it when it was feeling hot.

It looked down at Kaito's team, as they seemed to show relief for the Synthetic Pokémon feeling better once again as the masked Pokémon made a muffled grunt before turning away, feeling a little flushed for being worried at by the others.

Noticing this, the Alola boy made a teasing smile, but said nothing.

Back to Hau...

"Yeah, that's it! Use Leafage again!" Hau shouted out with a grin.

Rowlet did so, using the sharp Grass Type attack onto a wild Yungoos and Caterpie!

After catching the Grass Quill Pokémon, the Kahuna's grandson wanted to be able to train Rowlet so that he and the Grass Quill Pokémon could train hard in order to take part in Hala's Grand Trial.

And so far, their training was turning quite well as there seemed to be no problem for Rowlet being able to use its moves quite well. In fact, it seemed to be a little bit better than how Ash's Rowlet acted, due to Ash's Pokémon wanting to sleep often rather than train his moves.

So far, from what Hau got to see, it was able to use Leafage and Peck from their battle earlier, along with being able to use moves like Razor Leaf and even Pluck!

From the Kahuna's grandson's perspective, those were all good moves coming from the Pokémon that seemed to be quite the little fighter, as it was able to put up a good fight against him and Pichu.

"Keep that up, Rowlet! Give 'em a Razor Leaf!" Hau called out, which Rowlet did so.

The Razor Leaf attack struck both opponents, causing the two to flee, as they began to fear losing and fear Rowlet due to how strong he was with his attacks and how clever he seemed to be during a battle.

Upon seeing the two run away, it meant victory as the Kahuna's grandson grinned for another win that they gained together.

"And that's another win! Nice work, Rowlet!" Hau complimented, causing the Grass Quill Pokémon to blush a little out of embarrassment before taking the praise proudly as it gave a small hoot.

"If we train harder like this, then it should be possible for us to defeat Tutu in the Grand Trial...!" Hau exclaimed, feeling determined and rather confident for what might happen if he were to face his grandfather soon.

Rowlet gave a hoot as the Kahuna's grandson grinned before...

"Ah! I almost forgot... Kai! We need to find him first!" Hau exclaimed, causing Rowlet to give a questioning look. But before he could give the questioning hoot, Hau began to run off to a forest path, causing the Grass Quill Pokémon to follow.

Back to Kaito...

Kaito watched as Type: Null looked around, watching to see the other wild Pokémon do their business in their territories as the masked Pokémon didn't seem rather hostile unlike before when they had first met.

"He looks so much calmer before... was it because of us trying to make him feel better?" Kaito thought as he blinked before noticing to see the Synthetic Pokémon glancing at him before it turned back to the forest area.

The Alola boy's team were relaxing after the tough battle they had to go through in order to protect Type: Null as Vulpix was helping Eevee relax, with Buizel doing the same for the little Rock Type.

As they were relaxing, they watched to see the artificial Pokémon looking rather lax itself, as it didn't feel so cautious at the moment. For Kaito, he walked over to it to try and interact with the masked Pokémon.

"Hey... you okay?" questioned the Alola boy, causing the Synthetic Pokémon to glance at him again before it made a muffled growl, as if affirming that it was indeed okay right now, despite of its earlier condition.

"I see... Well... I just want to say, that I'm glad that you're feeling better... and I want to thank you for saving us from Dulio back there." thanked the Alola boy, causing Type: Null to glance at Kaito again, before it turned to him.

The two stared at each other for a moment until the Alola boy raised a question.

"So... what are you planning to do now?" questioned Kaito, causing the artificial Pokémon to remain silent before it turned its back on him and began to walk off before it stopped, and faced the Alola boy with a stance that Kaito was familiar of.

"That stance... are you... challenging me and my team to a battle?" questioned the Alola boy as Type: Null made a muffled growl of affirmation again.

Upon seeing the Synthetic Pokémon ready to battle, Kaito's team all got up, getting ready to battle if they needed to. But the Alola boy had already selected someone to fight against the masked Pokémon.

"In that case, Bui...? You ready to battle alongside with me?" Kaito asked, causing Buizel to perk up before he gave a grin, signaling that he was willing to battle right now, despite the earlier issue with the commander.

"Bu bui!"

Kaito nods at his Water Type partner's response before he turned to where Type: Null was, as the Synthetic Pokémon got ready to make a move as soon as the Sea Weasel Pokémon ran up to face him.

The two battler didn't make a move or sound, until the battle began with the Synthetic Pokémon charging with a Crush Claw attack!

"Dodge with Aqua Jet!" Kaito shouted out, causing Buizel to do so.

The Sea Weasel Pokémon flew in the air with his Water Type attack, as the Crush Claw hit the ground! Then, upon seeing the Sea Weasel Pokémon flying in the air, the Synthetic Pokémon focused before it raised its attack strength with Swords Dance!

The Alola boy noticed this too, as he bit his lips. He knew how effective and stronger Type: Null's attacks will be if it were to use an attack right now thanks to Swords Dance's effect.

"Use Ice Beam, Bui!" Kaito called out.

At his call, the Water Type shot the Ice Type attack to freeze Type: Null's front right leg, only for it to be ineffective as the artificial Pokémon stomped on the ground with its frozen foot, causing the ice to break!

"That didn't do much... Use Rain Dance!"

At his call, the Water Type raised his paws in the air to call for rain clouds, as Type: Null watched carefully to see his young opponent call dark clouds before rain began to pour down in the forest!

"Now use Aqua Jet with Agility!" Kaito shouted out, allowing his Sea Weasel Pokémon to use his speed combo! The combo seemed to have done well as the Synthetic Pokémon began to struggle to catch up to Buizel's speed.

The barrage attacks continued to make their mark as one big hit knocked Type: Null back before it shook the damage off, despite the fatigue that it was feeling from the attacks it had taken just now.

"Let's try to wrap this up! Use Ice Beam!" Kaito called out, as Buizel did so.

The Synthetic Pokémon narrowed its eyes in both confusion and suspicion, as it was able to escape from the move before. As it got ready to brace itself for the Ice Type attack, the next action Kaito took caught the artificial Pokémon off guard.

"Now surround yourself with the ice by using Aqua Jet!" Kaito shouted out loud.

Buizel did so, using the water to surround himself, before freezing himself with the Ice Type attack! Upon being frozen, the frozen Aqua Jet began to descend down and before Type: Null knew it...

CRASH!

The Synthetic Pokémon roared in pain as it skidded back from the hard attack it got hit with! With the combo attack hitting it hard, the Synthetic Pokémon slumped down, growling for the pain it had to deal with...

Upon seeing Type: Null struggling to get up, the Alola boy frowned before he turned to Buizel. At the same time, the Sea Weasel Pokémon turned back to him before their eyes have met.

Upon seeing each other, the two nodded together, as they knew on what they needed to do. The two carefully walked over to where Type: Null was as the artificial Pokémon glared to see its two opponents approaching them.

"Hey... Great battle there..." complimented the Alola boy, catching the Synthetic Pokémon by surprise.

"Bu bui! Bui!" Buizel did the same, adding more surprise to the artificial Pokémon's mind before it gave a muffled grunt of confusion. Even if Kaito didn't hear much of it, he understood of what Type: Null was trying to ask.

"You're surprised that we're praising you for a good battle even though you lost, right...? Well... it wasn't a really serious battle. I can only say that it was meant to be a fun match to see which side of us is stronger. You were a strong opponent, being able to withstand the barrage attacks and the combos that Bui and I came up with to defeat our opponents." Kaito explained softly.

The Sea Weasel Pokémon smiled, as he gave a cry of agreement. Eevee, Rockruff, and Vulpix ran over to see the battle being over and began to praise the artificial beast for putting up a good fight.

As for Type: Null, the artificial beast was bewildered about the reason and for being praised as it looked at the three young Pokémon, before turning to Buizel, before it turned to Kaito, who kept the soft smile on his face.

That was when the Alola boy made his decision of making his request to the Synthetic Pokémon.

"Hey... do you... would you like to come with me?" asked the Alola boy. Upon the sudden request, Type: Null gazed at the Alola boy in surprise as Kaito smiled before explaining of the reason for his sudden request.

"I know how strong you are... and I know on how you want to become the strongest. It made sense when Bui and I saw you training hard before you started chasing after us..." Kaito explained sheepishly.

He then took a deep breath before continuing with his explanation.

"If you come with me, then I promise that I'll help you become the strong Pokémon that you want to be. And while we're doing that, maybe... we can figure out on what or who you really are under that mask..." Kaito explained softly.

At the explanation, the artificial beast widened its eyes in surprise before turning to the four Pokémon that was with the boy. None of them seemed to have any complaints about the Synthetic Pokémon joining the team.

In fact, they seemed rather supportive of the idea as Type: Null began to consider of what to do while he was with the human boy and his young team.

What Kaito said was the truth... the Synthetic Pokémon wished to become the strongest of all Pokémon. Not only that, it also had the wish of getting rid of the cursed mask that was forcibly put onto it by the humans that treated him badly...

Upon thinking about the benefits of him being a part of Kaito's team, the Synthetic Pokémon made its decision before turning to the Alola boy with an approving expression on its face.

Upon seeing the look and hearing the approving grunt, the Alola boy widened his eyes in surprise before smiling.

"Really...? Haha... Great...!" Kaito exclaimed, feeling joy for making a friend in the Synthetic Pokémon. Buizel grinned while Vulpix and Eevee made cheerful cries, as Rockruff just barked happily upon gaining a new teammate.

With the approval, Kaito took out an empty Pokéball before offering it to the masked Pokémon.

"Here... this is a sign to welcome you to the team..." Kaito offered, causing the masked Pokémon to look at the ball for a moment before it pressed its masked head onto the button, causing the Pokéball to open up and suck the masked Pokémon inside.

The ball's button blinked red on and off for a moment before a clicking sound was heard, signaling that the capture of Type: Null was complete. Smiling to himself, the Alola boy raised the Pokéball high in the air!

"Our new friend joins us under the sun! Type..." As Kaito spoke, he stopped midway before he frowned. The confused looks on his team's face made sense as they made questioning cries to the Alola boy, who noticed their confusion.

"Ah... sorry, it's just that... calling the guy Type: Null seems wrong since it seems to be an experimental name given to him by whoever... created him, that is... if he really was created..." Kaito explained softly with a smile.

With that in mind, the Alola boy sent out his new team member, causing Type: Null to open its eyes to see Kaito standing right in front of him. Giving a muffled confused grunt, the Synthetic Pokémon gave a questioning look, causing Kaito to understand.

"Um... hey... what do you think I should call you? Calling you Type: Null just felt wrong..." Kaito spoke, causing the Synthetic Pokémon to blink before it gave a muffled grunt, as if sounding like it didn't care.

Frowning at the response, the Alola boy tried to get the masked Pokémon to care.

"Well, come on... it just sounds weird, and it feels wrong since you probably already have a name that you have..." Kaito reminded, causing the Synthetic Pokémon to narrow its eyes before it turned its head away.

Assuming that the Alola boy didn't care, he was about to complain once again until he heard an unfamiliar voice in his mind...

"Silvally..." A voice called out to him, much to Kaito's surprise as he blinked before looking around. He turned to his team, before noticing that they had the concerned looks on their faces.

By seeing their face expressions, the Alola boy could conclude that the strange voice wasn't from any of them. Then, thinking of how stern the voice sounded, he turned to the Synthetic Pokémon, who still didn't seem to care much.

"Who was that just now? Was it... from you?" Kaito thought before he shook his head, before silently agreeing to call the Synthetic Pokémon with the name that he had just heard.

"How about... Silvally?" Kaito asked, catching the artificial Pokémon by surprise. It turned to the Alola boy in surprise, as if it looked like the boy had heard its voice, causing it to give a muffled grunt of surprise.

Upon hearing that, the Alola boy got the answer of who had spoken before he gave a small chuckle.

"That was you, huh...?" spoke the Alola boy, leaving the masked Pokémon surprised before it closed its eyes, making what seemed to be a satisfied muffled grunt. Upon hearing that, Kaito could only smile before he made the decision.

"Then it's decided... Silvally is your name, then." Kaito declared, causing the Synthetic Pokémon to grunt what seemed to be a scoff, though the Alola boy knew that it was different as he gave a small smile.

"HEY!"

Hau's voice caught Kaito and his team's attention as they turned to see Hau running over with Rowlet flying by his side! Upon seeing the Grass Quill Pokémon, the Alola boy blinked in surprise.

"Hau! So, you did it?" questioned the Alola boy, earning a smirk from the Kahuna's grandson.

"Haha! Sure did... This is Rowlet! And you- Ah!?" Hau started, before he gasped upon seeing the Synthetic Pokémon. For Silvally, it narrowed its eyes, as it recognized the boy, who seemed to be its new Trainer's friend.

"Yep... meet Silvally..." Kaito introduced, catching Hau by surprise.

"Silvally? Is that its real name?" Hau questioned, as he felt a little cautious about the masked Pokémon, causing the Alola boy to give a small shrug.

"Well, I think so... I mean, I heard a voice that sounded a lot like Silvally, due to its tone and the way it reacted when it realized that I heard its voice." Kaito explained, causing the Kahuna's grandson to be in awe.

Rowlet on the other hand, remained cautious of the masked Pokémon and greeted himself to the rest of the Alola boy's team. The little Pokémon welcomed the Grass Quill Pokémon as a new friend in the group.

"Whoa... so wait, does this mean... Silvally is...!?" Hau started to ask, allowing the Alola boy to confirm it.

"Yeah... Silvally is the fifth member of my team now!" declared Kaito, causing the Kahuna's grandson to grin at the news.

"That's amazing...! I'm sure he'll be a great team player on your team!" Hau assured with a grin, causing the Alola boy to feel relief as Hau didn't seem to be too freaked out about the artificial Pokémon being in his team.

Of course, that was when another troubling thing came to the Alola boy's mind.

"What am I going to tell the others...?" Kaito thought, before he folded his arms with a frown. He gave a glance at Silvally, who was watching the other Pokémon interacting with one another, and looking like they were having fun.

"Kai?" Hau's call caught Kaito's attention as he gave a sheepish look to his friend.

"S-Sorry about that... I was just thinking about stuff..." spoke the Alola boy apologetically, causing the Kahuna's grandson to raise an eyebrow before he gave a slow nod, before turning to see the little Pokémon having some fun together.

For the Alola boy, he looked back and looked at his hands, before looking at the Sea Gauntlet.

"Things were normal in the past, but... there's nothing normal about this now, huh... What have I gotten myself into in the past weeks...?" Kaito thought as he closed his eyes, before looking up at the still blue sky.

To be continued...

Kaito's Team:

Buizel (M): (Ice Beam, Agility, Rain Dance, Aqua Jet)

Rockruff (M): (Crunch, Dig, Rock Slide, Howl)

Vulpix (F): (Ember, Roar, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack)

Eevee (F): (Quick Attack, Swift, Attract, Dig)

Silvally: (Crush Claw, Air Slash, Swords Dance, Slash)

Next chapters:

Chapter 47: The Pokémon School Open House!

Chapter 48: Family Work Together to Win!

Chapter 49: The Masked Problem to Crack!

Chapter 50: The True Feelings Trapped by the Mask

Chapter 51: Goodbye Sophocles!? Moving Away!?

Next chapter preview:

Ash: Do I have to do this, Professor Kukui? I mean, the presentation would be something that Sophocles or Lillie would be good at.

Prof. Kukui: Just remember Ash, that almost every parents or guardians will come to the Open House to see what you students learned!

Ash: Almost every parents or guardians!? That's putting even more pressure onto my back than ever!

Kaito: Parents or guardians, huh... I wonder if my parents will have the chance to at least come for a bit...

Isamu: Hey, little bro... Prof. Kukui told us that you would be presenting for the Open House at the Pokémon School.

Ash: Mom!? Big bro!? And even Luna, too!? What am I supposed to do now!?

Events that occurred:

- Kaito catches Type: Null and names it Silvally

- Hau catches Rowlet as his new member of his team