Adventure on Treasure Island

by Jeanette Lane

“Raaa,” Litten grunted as it pushed the Berry back in front of Ash.

  “No, really,” Ash insisted, shoving the Berry again.

  “Raaa, raaa.” Litten was as stubborn as always, and it wanted Ash to eat the Berry.

  Ash placed the Berry back in front of Litten.

  Back and forth.

  Back and forth.

  Back and forth.

  “Pi-ka-chu!” Pikachu fell backward, nearly fainting with frustration! Why wouldn’t either Ash or Litten give in?

  Both Ash and Litten looked at Pikachu, and then at each other. Then they laughed.

  “Hey, Litten,” Ash said, kneeling down so he was eye level with the Pokémon, “do you want to join up with us?”

  “Pika, pika!” Pikachu cheered. Now this was getting exciting!

  “I think it would be awesome if you finished up your Fire Fang training with me!” Ash said hopefully. “You could be part of the family.”

  Litten looked uncertain. Then it squinted and shot an Ember move right at Ash’s face.

  “What?” Ash rushed over to the canal and dunked his head to put out the flames.

  Up above on the bridge, Meowth had been observing. “I can dig that!” he commented. “First, Litten wants to battle. It wants no pity coming from a twerp.”

  Ash stood up and wiped his face off with his sleeve. “You want to battle?” Ash asked Litten. “What do you say?”

  Pikachu bounded to Ash’s side. Litten took battle position.

  “Okay, but get ready for us,” Ash warned. “Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!”

  Pikachu lashed a Thunderbolt right at Litten, followed by Quick Attack. Litten fought back with Ember. The two Pokémon battled evenly, swapping attacks back and forth.

  “Now Quick Attack!” Ash called, and Pikachu prepared its move.

  “Litten is about to attack!” Rotom Dex said, but Ash directed Pikachu to counter with Iron Tail. The move’s force slammed Litten against the wall.

  “All right, use Quick Attack!” ordered Ash. “Electro Ball!”

  Pikachu and Litten clashed in a smoky cloud and landed facing each other. The two were obviously well matched!

  “So, you with us?” Ash asked their opponent. “Yeah?”

  A sly smile crossed Litten’s face.

  “Then, go Poké Ball!” Ash yelled, holding the ball high in the air. “I just caught … a Litten!”

  “I know it’s for the best, Litten,” Meowth sighed from where he had been watching on the bridge. “From now on, you’re the enemy. So watch your twerpish back!”

  “Litten, come on out!” Ash called, and the feisty black-and-red Pokémon reappeared. “I’m glad you’re coming along for the ride.”

  “Raaa-raaa.” Litten seemed happy, too.

  “Now, how about we all eat together?” Ash suggested.

  That was an idea the whole crew could agree on. Ash, Litten, Pikachu, Rotom Dex, Rowlet, and Rockruff all headed back to Professor Kukui’s house … together.

  Okay, give it all you’ve got! Ready? Let’s go!”

  Ash was cheering on Litten. They were on the beach, and the newest member of Ash’s team was practicing its Fire-type moves, especially Fire Fang. Fire Fang was the attack that Litten had been working on with Stoutland for so long.

  Rowlet, Rockruff, and Pikachu were all watching and rooting for Litten, too.

  “Litten’s temperature is rising fast!” Rotom Dex reported.

  “Get ready to take whatever Litten dishes out,” Kiawe advised Turtonator. Of all Ash’s friends from the Pokémon School, Kiawe was definitely the Fire-type expert. He’d agreed to help Ash train Litten.

  “You’re doing great,” Ash told the newest Pokémon on his team. “Go! Use Fire Fang!”

  Litten pounced. It soared through the air, its entire body glowing a bright orange. Fire sprouted from its mouth. But just as it reached Turtonator’s tail, the fire went out. Litten chomped down, but its jaws did not have any effect.

  Rowlet and Rockruff ran forward to make Litten feel better. “You almost got it, you know,” Ash said, kneeling down. “Kiawe and the gang can help you make all your moves great.”

  “All things Fire-type, leave it to me,” Kiawe called.

  Turtonator and Charizard agreed.

  “Okay, let’s try that again!” Ash said.

  “Turtonator, use Flamethrower!” Kiawe called.

  “You need to breathe deeply, just like Turtonator does,” Rotom directed. “Do that, and your internal fire power will get stronger and stronger!”

  “Okay, Litten, why don’t you give it a try?” Ash said.

  Litten arched its spine, and a spine of fire rose out of its back.

  “Now, attack!” Ash yelled.

  Litten sprang forward, gaining speed and power, but then it tripped on a piece of litter on the beach. “Pretty good. You’ll get it next time,” Ash promised.

  Then Rockruff’s joyful barks and Pikachu’s happy coo distracted him. “What are they up to?” Ash asked.

  “I think they’re playing,” Rotom Dex responded, watching the two Pokémon follow the handle of a shovel as it moved through the sand.

  “Wait a sec! That shovel …” Kiawe said thoughtfully. “It’s a Sandygast!”

  “A Sandygast?” Ash questioned.

  At that moment, the sand under the shovel began to rise. It grew into what looked like a sand ghost, with the shovel as its hat. Litten hissed.

  “If you’ll allow me …” Rotom Dex began. “Sandygast. The Sand Heap Pokémon. A Ghost-Ground-type. Sandygast can control people or Pokémon if they touch its shovel.”

  “Control?” Ash repeated.

  “That’s right,” Kiawe confirmed. “Watch out, it’s the most dangerous Pokémon on the beach. My grandfather was constantly warning me when I was little. He’d say, ‘Be careful around any shovel that looks like it’s stuck in the sand at the beach. Something terrible could happen if you touch it.’ But I was too curious and touched it once. Apparently I was gathering up sand until the next morning—in a complete daze.”

  “But it’s just sand …” Ash responded, uncertain what to make of Kiawe’s warning.

  “Rock-ruff, ruff ruff. Rock-ruff.” Sandygast made Rockruff nervous.

  “Look out!” Kiawe called as Sandygast rose up and faced Rockruff.

  “Rockruff! Use Rock Throw!” Ash directed.

  Rockruff aimed and sent a blast of Rock Throw at Sandygast. The move knocked the shovel right off its head and into the ocean.

  “It’s really mad!” Ash cried as Sandygast growled and grew even taller. It shot Shadow Balls from its gaping mouth.

  “Probably because it lost its shovel!” Kiawe pointed out.

  “But it got knocked into the ocean, right?” Ash said.

  “Then we have to go look for it!” Kiawe insisted. Without that shovel, they would not be able to set things right.

  “Wait, Kiawe! I think the shovel can be replaced with something else,” Rotom Dex suggested.

  “But even if that’s true, the shovel’s what it wants,” Ash said. Then he paused. “I’ve got an idea.” Ash reached over and took the floating Rotom Dex in his hands.

  “What? No-no-NO! What are you doing?!” Rotom Dex shouted.

  “Ash … Are you serious?!” Kiawe asked.

  “Just be a shovel for a little bit,” Ash said to Rotom Dex.

  “A shovel?! You’re kidding!” Rotom Dex begged Ash to stop.

  “Relax! It’ll just be for a little while,” Ash insisted as he approached the Sand Heap Pokémon.

  “Wait! Whoa-whoa-whoa-WHOA!!” Rotom Dex screeched as Ash turned him upside down and inserted him into the sandy top of the Sandygast.

  “This is so embarrassing,” Rotom Dex mumbled.

  “That’s gonna work perfectly!” Ash said, satisfied.

  But then Sandygast started to scowl … and growl.

  “San-san-sandy-GAST!”

  What’s going on?!” asked Rotom Dex as the unhappy Sandygast began to
heave and grow. It was evolving!

  “It looks different now,” Ash commented. The heap of sand had turned into something that looked like a sand castle—a much larger sand castle.

  “Hey, let me GO!” yelled Rotom Dex.

  “Everyone, back off!” Kiawe directed, trying to keep them safe.

  The Pokémon shivered and quaked, and then it grew even bigger—larger than a house!

  “Ash!” Kiawe cried over the wind.

  “Rotom!” Ash called out. “That’s enough! Get away!”

  Rotom Dex tried to pull itself out, but it couldn’t move. “I’m stuck!”

  “You’re WHAT?!” Ash yelled.

  “Ash, look out!” Kiawe warned. Ash was far too close to Sandygast. Suddenly, the outraged Pokémon folded over … and buried Ash!

  “Ash!” Kiawe called.

  “Pika, pika?” Pikachu was worried.

  When the sand settled, the sand castle was massive, and Ash was inside!

  “You okay?!” Kiawe checked.

  “I’m fine!” Ash yelled from a window high up in the sand castle. “Is this a Pokémon? Or is it something else?”

  “It’s the evolved form of Sandygast: Palossand!” Rotom Dex explained. It was still stuck into the top of the now-enormous Pokémon. “The Sand Castle Pokémon. A Ghost- and Ground-type. It is said the shovel on Palossand’s head functions as a radar.”

  “So I’m inside Palossand’s body?” Ash asked. As he spoke, he lost his footing and slid all the way down to a lower level. “What’s up with this thing?” he wondered, looking around. He ran up toward the window again and grabbed on.

  Pikachu didn’t like Palossand one bit. It started to zap the Pokémon’s oversize body.

  “Stop it, Pikachu!” Ash demanded, sliding back down again. “If you keep that up, I’ll get zapped, too, and then I won’t be able to move!”

  Frustrated, Pikachu stopped its attack.

  “Ash, are you having trouble getting out of there?” Kiawe called.

  “I keep slipping back down because of the sand!” Ash explained. “We’ve gotta find that shovel, and fast!”

  “Of course,” Kiawe murmured. “Though the shovel’s gone because of what you did …”

  Ash and Kiawe’s other classmates had hurried down the beach to see what was going on. “What’s that?!” Lana asked with wonder and worry.

  “Rrrrrr.” At that moment, Rockruff raced forward and started barking at Palossand.

  “Rockruff! That’s dangerous!” Rotom Dex warned.

  Litten ran up and pushed Rockruff out of the way. Just then, Palossand bent forward and covered Litten. When the huge Pokémon stood up again, Litten had disappeared!

  “Litten!” Ash yelled.

  Suddenly, Litten appeared in the same room as its Trainer. The Pokémon was in a heap on the sandy floor, and something wasn’t right. Litten was glowing green.

  “Litten?” Ash ran to its side.

  Outside, on the Palossand’s head, something similar was happening to Rotom Dex. “Hey … I … feel … strange …”

  “Kiawe, is that a Pokémon?!” Mallow asked as she joined the others.

  Kiawe filled them all in on what had happened.

  “Ash, can you hear me?!” Mallow asked.

  “Guys, something’s wrong with Litten!” Ash told his friends.

  “Ash, something’s wrong with Rotom Dex, too!” Kiawe informed him. At the top of Palossand, Rotom was glowing a bright lime green.

  “Somebody help me! Help!” Rotom squealed. Its voice was high and shaky. “I feel so strange.”

  “I read about this once,” Lillie explained. “Palossand is most likely absorbing as much of Rotom’s and Litten’s energy as it can in order to maintain its massive size!”

  “Palossand’s so big, it can even swallow a house!” Kiawe observed. “But we can’t let it escape until we can help our friends!”

  “Water washes sand away,” Lana said hopefully. “Popplio, use Bubble Beam!”

  At first, the attack seemed to be working, but then Palossand seemed to be fighting it off.

  “Please stop that,” Rotom called out. “Water-type moves will make Palossand even stronger!”

  “This is serious,” Mallow admitted.

  “Palossand’s looking for the shovel that should be on its head!” Kiawe pointed out. Then he told everyone about how the Pokémon’s special shovel ended up in the ocean.

  “We can’t search the whole ocean!” Sophocles pointed out.

  “Hold on,” Lana said. “Popplio can find it.”

  “But,” Kiawe advised, “if it touches the shovel, Palossand will control it. Then Popplio will be lost!”

  “But Popplio can make a balloon,” Lana pointed out.

  “Of course!” Kiawe cried. “That’s it! Popplio can wrap the shovel in a balloon!” Kiawe was relieved that they finally had a good plan.

  Now it was time to get to work.

  As Popplio prepared to enter the ocean, Pikachu trotted forward.

  “Pika, Pikachu!” It wanted to help, and Popplio thought that was a great idea. Popplio nodded and started to blow a big balloon around the Mouse Pokémon. Then the two headed for the water.

  “Good luck!” the classmates all cheered.

  “They’re off on a shovel search!” Lana called out.

  “Great, buddy! I know you’ll find that shovel,” Ash yelled from inside Palossand. He turned to Litten. “You’ve got to hold on.”

  On the beach below, everyone was trying to figure out how to hold off Palossand. “If Water-type moves aren’t effective …” Kiawe thought aloud.

  “Then maybe Snowy’s Ice-type moves will be,” Lillie suggested.

  Lillie was still new to battling with Snowy. The Alolan Vulpix had hatched very recently, but Snowy was up to the challenge! “Here we go. We’ll freeze Palossand using Powder Snow to stop it in its tracks,” she said.

  The friends just hoped it would keep Palossand from growing more powerful. They didn’t know how long it would take for Popplio and Pikachu to locate the shovel.

  “All right,” Kiawe announced. “We’ll attract its attention. Then Snowy can use Powder Snow unnoticed.”

  The only concern was that Ash, Litten, and Rotom would get hit with Powder Snow, too. “Don’t worry about us,” Ash said. “Give it everything you’ve got!”

  “Now, Snowy, let’s go,” said Lillie. She led Snowy, Lana, Mallow, Sophocles, and their partners to the other side of the beach. They would attack Palossand from the back. At the same time, Kiawe would command Charizard, Turtonator, Rockruff, and Rowlet to blast Palossand from the front.

  “Sophocles and I are going to back up Snowy all the way!” Mallow declared. Togedemaru and Steenee agreed.

  “Count on us!” Sophocles cried.

  As soon as they were in position, Lillie gave Snowy the go-ahead. “It’s time, Snowy!” she directed. “You can do it!”

  Inside Palossand, Ash reassured Litten. “We’ll be out of here soon. And you’ll be feeling much better in no time.” Ash tucked Litten inside his shirt to help keep the Fire Cat Pokémon warm.

  The teams continued with their two-sided battle. Snowy was working especially hard. It aimed blow after blow of Powder Snow.

  “It’s too much for Snowy,” Lillie worried.

  “That’s why we’re going to help out,” Mallow said. She grabbed a giant palm leaf and started fanning behind Snowy, sending more waves of cold air at Palossand. When that seemed to be working, Lana and Sophocles joined in with leaves of their own. Steenee even waved with its long ears—and Lillie waved with her wide-brimmed hat!

  “That’s great! Keep it up!” Mallow called. “And one! And two! And three! And four!”

  Meanwhile, Popplio and Pikachu were still searching for the missing shovel. It was hard to find on the colorful ocean floor.

  “It looks like Palossand’s finally starting to slow down!” Lillie announced.

  “So it’s working,” Sophocles said, fanning
even harder.

  “Not much longer, Snowy!” Lillie called.

  After a few more blasts, Palossand was completely frozen. All the classmates cheered and thanked their Pokémon partners.

  “Oh, Snowy,” Lillie whispered as she cuddled her Pokémon. “Thank you.”

  The next step was to rescue Ash, Litten, and Rotom Dex. Rowlet immediately took off to alert Ash that it was safe to try to make his escape.

  “Rowlet, yes!” Ash said, cradling Litten in his arms. “Let’s go.”

  Ash ran as hard as he could up the frozen slope of Palossand’s insides. He made it to the window, but he couldn’t get out of the frozen frame. He hit his head and slipped all the way back down.

  Litten was no longer glowing green like a lime. Instead, it was glowing red like a flame. Litten was getting ready for an attack!

  With a giant leap, Litten soared through the air. Fire burst from its mouth as it struck the ice on the window and destroyed it.

  “Litten! You did it! You used Fire Fang!” Ash celebrated.

  Litten beamed with success as Ash raced up to the window so Kiawe’s Charizard could fly over and pick them up.

  “Hey, you guys!” Ash called out. His classmates were all relieved to see him and Litten safe.

  Once he was securely on the Flame Pokémon’s back, Ash asked Charizard to swing by so they could rescue Rotom Dex, too.

  “Ash, be careful!” Mallow warned from below.

  Ash and Litten jumped off Charizard’s back. “Great job hanging in there, Rotom!” Ash said. “Litten, use Ember to melt the ice Rotom’s stuck in,” he directed.

  But before Litten could focus its attack, Palossand woke up and started to quake underneath them. The Sand Castle Pokémon was as angry as ever!

  “Where’s that shovel?” Kiawe wondered, looking out at the ocean.

  “There it is!” Lana called out.

  In the distance, a bubble burst out of the water—with a tiny toy shovel inside! Next, Pikachu appeared in a separate bubble. And last, Popplio popped out of the water.

  “Awesome, Pikachu! You found it!” Ash yelled as he tried to free Rotom.