Adventure on Treasure Island

by Jeanette Lane

  Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Sneak Peek

  Copyright

  It was another beautiful, sunny day in the Alola region. Ash and Pikachu were enjoying their time on the tropical island of Melemele, which was covered in lush forests and golden beaches. There were all kinds of things to do—and so many new Pokémon to meet. Which was why our heroes were spending the day at … the mall?

  “What’s that?” Ash asked his friends from the Pokémon School. “Is it candy?”

  Rotom Dex was always ready with an answer. The device knew nearly everything about Pokémon. “It’s a kind of Pokémon food called Poké Beans,” Rotom Dex explained.

  The Poké Beans came in all sizes and colors. “Look, Steenee!” exclaimed Mallow, one of Ash’s classmates. “Steenee likes these floral-patterned Poké Beans.” Mallow’s partner, Steenee, had recently evolved from Bounsweet.

  The rest of Ash’s classmates were there with their Pokémon, too: Lana, Sophocles, and Kiawe. Lillie had also joined them with her newly hatched Pokémon, Snowy. Snowy, with its bright blue eyes and thick, wavy, white tail, was an Alolan Vulpix.

  “This Pikachu-colored one might be good,” Ash said, picking up a mustard-yellow Poké Bean. “What do you think, buddy?”

  “Pika, pika!” Pikachu approved of its best friend’s choice.

  While it was fun shopping for tasty treats, Ash wasn’t so sure he wanted to join Mallow, Lana, and Lillie when they went to another store—in search of jewelry and other accessories. “The jewelry is made out of Heart Scales that wash up on the beach! And Corsola branches,” Mallow explained. “Everything is amazing and completely natural!”

  Kiawe, Sophocles, and Rotom Dex all thought of good excuses to head home, but Lana, Lillie, and Mallow convinced Ash and Pikachu to come with them.

  Ash wasn’t interested in the items inside the store, but outside the store was another story! He walked out the back door and onto a long balcony. It overlooked the ocean, which was a particularly bright blue that day with calm waves.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” came a voice from behind Ash.

  When Ash turned around, he saw the manager of the store.

  “It’s wonderful to be able to look at the ocean while I’m at work,” she said. “Can you make out that little island over there?”

  “You bet!” Ash replied, eyeing the little island. He could see a sandy beach and tall palm trees.

  “That’s known as Treasure Island,” the store manager explained. “I go there sometimes to find materials to make my jewelry. But I really do it for fun, because I get to see a lot of wild Pokémon.”

  Ash’s jaw dropped. The wild Pokémon were one of the best parts of the Alola region. Ash’s goal was to become a Pokémon Master, and he had learned a great deal since coming to the tropical islands. Observing Pokémon in nature was fascinating!

  “I want to go to Treasure Island, too!” Ash declared. He looked at his partner. “What do you say?”

  “Pika, pika!” As usual, Pikachu agreed with its Trainer.

  “You’re welcome to borrow my kayak if you’d like,” the manager said.

  “Kayak? Really?” Ash could hardly believe his good fortune!

  “Of course,” the manager responded. “I’ll lend it to you as my little gift.”

  After a quick good-bye to Lana, Lillie, and Mallow, Ash and Pikachu set off across the bay. Each thrust of the paddle propelled them closer to the small island on the horizon.

  “Ocean to the right … ocean to the left,” Ash said, pausing to take a deep breath of salty sea air. “Ocean everywhere!”

  Pikachu breathed in, too.

  “The sky’s almost as blue as the ocean!” Ash listened to the gentle waves on the side of the thin boat. “It almost feels like we’re the only ones on the planet. Weird, but awesome!”

  After a peaceful moment, Ash was ready for action again. “We’re almost there. Let’s step on the gas!”

  Using all his strength, he tugged the paddle through the water, one side and then the other. Water-type Pokémon rested on the rocks, taking in the sun. Others swam in schools around the kayak.

  Soon, the boat’s pointed bow ran into the soft, wet sand at the edge of the beach. Ash jumped out and pulled the boat from the water. “We made it!” he yelled to Pikachu.

  They’d reached Treasure Island!

  Ash and Pikachu dashed down the beach. They couldn’t wait to explore! The Trainer and his best pal were so excited, they nearly ran into a pack of Crabrawler.

  “What’s going on?” Ash mumbled, peeking over a pile of rocks at the Pokémon. The Fighting-type Pokémon were crowded around two Crabrawler that were battling. One raised its mighty claw and used Iron Fist. The other flew through the air and skidded across the hot sand.

  “I think they’re having a boxing match!” Ash told Pikachu. He popped his head over the rocks and called to the Pokémon. “That was an amazing punch! Mind if we hang out and watch?”

  The group of Pokémon turned around and stared at Ash and Pikachu. Then they screeched in surprise and scurried off in the other direction.

  “Aw, man!” Ash exclaimed. Were all the wild Pokémon on Treasure Island so shy?

  Soon, Ash and Pikachu were distracted by another Pokémon—a Cutiefly. The tiny Bug- and Fairy-type Pokémon buzzed around Pikachu’s head and landed on its nose.

  “Hey, maybe it thinks you’re a flower,” Ash said with a laugh. When the Cutiefly whizzed away, Ash wanted to follow it.

  The Pokémon led them down a path with tall, leafy trees on both sides. The path opened to a gigantic meadow. Hundreds of the small, winged Pokémon flitted around a field of colorful wildflowers.

  Ash and Pikachu ran into the meadow with their arms wide. A small flock of Cutiefly placed a flower necklace over Ash’s head.

  “How cool is this?” Ash exclaimed. “It’s just like paradise!”

  “Pika-chu!” Ash’s companion was just as delighted as he was. The beauty of nature was everywhere.

  A line of Alolan Exeggutor walked along a trail through the flowery field. The long-necked Coconut Pokémon chanted in tune as they marched together. “Exeggutor, Exeggutor, Exeggutor.”

  Ash couldn’t help but join in. He tagged along at the end of the Exeggutor line, lifting his knees high with each step. Pikachu was perched on his head.

  Ash grabbed a leafy twig and waved it in the air as he repeated the chant with the Grass- and Dragon-type Pokémon. They didn’t seem to notice him until Ash started to sing off-key. “Exeggutor!” he belted with a high, squeaky pitch.

  At once, all the Exeggutor turned to Ash. They thrust their long necks at him; each neck had three coconut-shaped heads at the top. None of the heads were happy. They scowled and bared their pointy fangs.

  Ash shrunk away a little. “Exeggutor?” he sang nervously, hoping to find the right notes.

  The lead Exeggutor nodded. It seemed to accept Ash’s improved melody. When it turned around and started walking again, the other Exeggutor followed. So did Ash. They ended up at a crystal-clear watering hole.

  The Exeggutor all dunked their heads into the water, taking in big gulps. Ash and Pikachu did the same. They were thirsty! Then the giant Pokémon stepped into the water and started to wash off, making playful fountains with their many mouths.

  Ash decided to swim, too! The Exeggutor let Ash and Pikachu climb their necks, and then the giant Pokémon would toss them into the wa
ter. What could be more fun than a Pokémon water park?

  After a while, all the Exeggutor left the watering hole. “Thank you, Exeggutor!” Ash called as they ambled away.

  Next, Ash and Pikachu headed to the beach to dry off. There they ate some Poké Beans, talked about the wonders of the Alola Islands, and dozed off in the heat of the sun.

  The two friends napped peacefully for a while. They were tired from the exercise and the sun’s strong rays.

  When they woke up, they were not alone. Ash and Pikachu were surrounded by purple-and-silver Pokémon with shells on their backs and long, spiky tails. The Pokémon were chatting and giving off a constant hum.

  “Oh, man …” Ash murmured. “What are they, anyway?!”

  The Pokémon kept humming as they moved in closer, crowding close to Ash and Pikachu.

  “What do they want with us?” Ash cried. He jumped up on a log. Pikachu leaped up and clung to Ash. Nervous sweat rolled down their faces.

  Then one of the creepy-crawly Pokémon chomped down on Ash’s foot. “Knock it off!” Ash screeched, shaking his leg. Several of the other Pokémon dove face-first into Ash’s backpack. One came out with the bag of Poké Beans clenched in its jaws.

  “Hey, that’s ours!” Ash yelled. It was the only food he and Pikachu had!

  The swarm of Pokémon scrambled down the beach. Pikachu took off after them.

  The Pokémon neared the edge of the rocky shore. They were all going to dive off a cliff into the ocean, but Pikachu tackled the one with the bag of Poké Beans. The two Pokémon rolled toward the edge of the ocean, but Pikachu snatched the bag back just in time.

  “Way to go!” Ash cheered.

  Pikachu hopped up on his shoulder, and the two watched as the unknown, spiky-tailed Pokémon swam away.

  “Pika, pika,” Pikachu murmured in Ash’s ear.

  “I’ve never seen those Pokémon either,” Ash admitted. He took a deep breath of the ocean air and noticed that the sun had gotten much lower in the sky. “We’d better head back home.”

  They still had a long trip ahead of them.

  Before Ash and Pikachu could return to the kayak, they heard an unusual sound. It sounded like someone—or something—was in trouble.

  “What’s that noise? Where’s it coming from?” Ash asked.

  “Pika?” Pikachu’s ears drooped with concern. “Pikachu?”

  Ash wandered around the beach, listening closely. Pikachu stayed perched on his shoulder, its ears at attention.

  But they could not figure out where the sound was coming from. On one side of them was the ocean; on the other was a tall cliff. In the middle was a sandy beach. They looked everywhere, but there was nothing that could be making the bubbling, squeaking, snuffling sound.

  Pikachu scampered up a ledge of rocks. “Pika, pika!” It crept into a crevice in the cliff wall.

  Pikachu sniffed. “Pikaaa!” It wanted Ash to look, too.

  “In there?” Ash asked. “Yeah, you’re right! I hear something in there.”

  But when Ash ducked down to look in the bottom of the crevice, he couldn’t see a thing. It was dark, and the crevice seemed very deep. He shuffled closer and squinted, trying to see into the darkness.

  Pikachu had its head buried in the crevice, too. It pushed and wiggled, trying to force its way inside.

  “Hey, I remember that Pokémon,” Ash said, finally catching a glimpse of purple and silver. It was one of the Pokémon with the plated shells they’d seen earlier on the beach. “It probably got lost, and now it’s stuck and can’t get out.”

  Ash stepped away. The cliff in front of him was almost a solid wall of rock that went straight up. “I wonder how the Pokémon got in there.” Ash scowled, tilting his head back. “We’ve got to get it out, so I guess I have to climb that.”

  Ash turned his hat around, found a foothold, and started climbing. He searched with his hands for places to grab on and pull himself up. He made it almost halfway up the cliff, but then he lost hold and fell—on his back. Ouch!

  Ash shook himself off and started climbing again, even more determined. “Oh, yeah? You can’t beat me!” he yelled at the cliff. He peeked in the crevice again. “I promise, I’ll get you out of there, so don’t you worry.”

  Pikachu was not so sure. As Ash tried to climb the wall once more, his partner ran off down the beach.

  “Hey, Pikachu! Where are you going?” Ash called, but Pikachu kept running farther down the beach.

  “Pika, pika, pika!” it called.

  Ash made it about as far as before, but then he fell flat again. His arms and legs were covered with scratches. His back pounded with pain.

  It wasn’t long before he heard a familiar chant. “Exeggutor, Exeggutor.”

  “Pika-chu!” Pikachu cheered with excitement.

  “Exeggutor?” Ash wondered aloud as he watched the long-necked Pokémon approach. Pikachu was holding on tight on top of one of Exeggutor’s heads. “But, Pikachu? Why?” Ash asked, feeling confused. “What’s going on?”

  As Exeggutor came closer, Ash began to understand Pikachu’s plan. Exeggutor was so tall that its heads reached the top of the cliff! “I see,” Ash finally admitted. “Great idea! You’re a genius, Pikachu!”

  “Here’s the deal,” Ash told Exeggutor. “There’s a Pokémon stuck inside that rock! Give me a lift, okay?”

  Ash grabbed on to the Pokémon’s neck and shinnied up. Exeggutor easily lifted him and Pikachu from the beach level to the top of the rock wall that overlooked the ocean.

  “All right!” Ash yelled, hopping off. “Thanks, Exeggutor!”

  Ash rushed over to the cliff’s edge. There, he saw an opening to a cave-like area below. He could just make out the trapped Pokémon in the shadows. “I’m coming down,” he called out. “You just relax, okay?”

  Ash slipped between the two walls of rock, trying to lower himself slowly. Pikachu sat on his shoulder and held on with all its might. When Ash got to the place where the cave ceiling opened up, he had to leap into the sand. It was a long drop, and he landed with a loud thud.

  The trapped Pokémon skittered away with a squeal. It ran headfirst into a bunch of rocks. It kept butting its head against them.

  “I know,” Ash said in a kind voice. He suspected the Pokémon was afraid. “It’s scary, but you’ve got to stay calm.” When he stepped toward the Pokémon, it scrambled away.

  “What do you know?” Ash said, examining where the Pokémon had been hitting its head. A large rock blocked a crack in the cave wall. “So this is how you got in. But the rock is in the way now, and you can’t get out.” A loose pebble fell from above. “You’re lucky you didn’t get squished. Don’t worry.”

  Ash bent down and pulled the rock with all his might, but he couldn’t move it. He tried again, but the rock didn’t budge.

  “Hey, Pikachu! Help me out!” he said.

  Pikachu bounded over to him. “Use your Iron Tail on that rock!” Ash called.

  “Pika, pika!” Pikachu leaped in the air, its tail glowing with power. With a powerful swing of its zigzag tail, Pikachu attacked. The rock exploded into a cloud of powdery dust.

  “Man, that was great!” Ash exclaimed. “Now you can get out of here,” he told the trapped Pokémon.

  “Exeggutor!” Even the Alolan Exeggutor sounded happy when it looked in the new, much bigger entrance to the cave.

  “Okay, you can go,” Ash said. “I’m sure your friends are worried about you.” They all walked out of the cave and down the beach toward the ocean.

  “Look at that,” Ash said, pointing to a group of Pokémon floating on the surface of the water. “They’re your friends, right?”

  The Pokémon dashed into the water, but then turned around and waddled back out. It made a grateful, cooing sound.

  “Yeah?” Ash asked.

  The Pokémon turned around and paddled its way to its friends. “Bye! Take care!” Ash called.

  After they had swum out of eyesight, another Pokémon caught
Ash’s eye. This one was flying through the air in graceful swoops.

  “Huh? A Pokémon?” Ash did not recognize this Pokémon, either. He did, however, notice that it had black markings similar to Tapu Koko. Ash’s jaw dropped in wonder.

  As the Pokémon swirled through the sky, a colorful glitter seemed to sparkle all around it. Some of the glitter rained down on Ash, disappearing as soon as it touched him.

  Ash looked down at his arms. “The scratches … but how?” As the glitter touched his skin, all his cuts and scrapes disappeared.

  “They’re all gone. That was great! Thanks so much!”

  He and Pikachu waved as the magical Pokémon flew out of sight.

  It was the end of another amazing adventure for our heroes, but they still needed to get back to Melemele in the kayak. This time, they would be paddling under the stars. And who knew what excitement tomorrow might bring?

  Back at Professor Kukui’s bungalow, Ash told his teacher all the details about the day on Treasure Island. He mentioned the beautiful meadow with all the tiny, flying Pokémon. He laughed as he retold the story of his dip in the swimming hole with the Exeggutor. But Professor Kukui was especially interested in one of Ash’s stories—the one about the Pokémon he saw in the sky after he’d helped the trapped Pokémon escape.

  “It was probably Tapu Lele!” the professor said.

  “Tapu Lele?” Ash repeated. “Whoa.” Even the Pokémon’s name sounded cool. “Does the name mean it’s Tapu Koko’s friend?”

  “Correct!” answered Professor Kukui. “Meeting it is exceptionally rare! And the Pokémon you helped is most likely a Wimpod.”

  “Wow,” Ash responded. “Wimpod?” He was excited to learn more about new Pokémon. He turned to Rotom Dex. “Will you check them out for me?”

  “It’s my pleasure!” answered Rotom Dex. “Tapu Lele. The Land Spirit Pokémon. A Psychic-Fairy-type. Tapu Lele playfully flutters around while scattering its mysteriously glowing scales.” Rotom Dex paused, floating in the air near Ash. “It is said whoever touches its scales is instantly healed.”