Pokémon: Helping Pokémon Pays Off

This is the outskirts of Hau'oli City, located southeast of Melemele Island, connecting Hau'oli City with Ten Carat Hill and the Melemele Sea.

The map on the Rotom Phone displayed exactly that, with a small avatar marking Hoshino's current location.

The sky was gradually darkening as he walked alone along the beach, listening to the sound of waves crashing against the rocks in the distance. The anxiety he'd felt earlier had completely faded, replaced by a calm sense of tranquility.

Bathed in the neon glow of Hau'oli City in the distance, he felt an odd sense of familiarity. Whether in the past or now, he was always alone—but now, he could finally make a change!

"Let's see what you've got, Rotom Phone!"

As soon as he spoke, several glowing dots appeared on the map in front of him. This was the Helper System's feature—those glowing dots represented Pokémon nearby that needed assistance.

"Doesn't seem like a lot…"

Hoshino glanced at the map, roughly estimating the distances. The farthest dot was about 478 meters away, suggesting the system could only display Pokémon within a 500-meter radius.

Since it only showed glowing dots without specific Pokémon icons, he decided to head toward the closest one first, hoping it wasn't just a hungry Pokémon looking for food.

While there were plenty of Pokémon near the beach at night, most of them were Pyukumuku.

These little guys liked to stay on the shore, even when they were hungry. No matter how many times you tossed them back into the sea, they'd always find their way back.

With night fully settled in and Pyukumuku's dark bodies blending easily into the environment, it wasn't long before Hoshino accidentally stepped on one—and promptly got punched for it.

"Ow, ow, ow! Seriously? Jumping up to punch me in the face? That's just overkill." He rubbed his face, finally confirming his destination and looking toward the shoreline not far ahead.

There, he spotted a figure lying motionless on the beach, waves washing over its body. A few Mareanie were approaching it, probably mistaking it for food.

"Was it washed ashore? Hang on, I'm coming to get you!"

Without thinking twice, Hoshino focused on the immediate task: driving the Mareanie away. He quickly picked up the Pyukumuku he'd just stepped on and hurled it at them!

Mid-air, the Pyukumuku finally realized what was happening, triggering its Innards Out ability. A powerful left hook shot out from its mouth with a gust of force, smacking the Mareanie and sending them flying.

Seizing the moment as the Pyukumuku bounced back to its original spot, Hoshino rushed over to the stranded Pokémon, intending to drag it somewhere dry.

But as he got closer and saw the Pokémon's appearance, he couldn't help but be surprised.

It looked like a lizard, about the size of an adult human. Its body was mainly green and black—not particularly striking in appearance.

Around its neck was a prominent bulge resembling a motorcycle tire, an unmistakable feature. Behind its eyes were orange rings, like turn signals—probably part of its ear structure.

"This is... a Cyclizar?!"

Hoshino knew a bit about Cyclizar. In the Paldea region, they are common household Pokémon, found in every home. He didn't expect to find one in the Alola region, though.

Surprised, he took a closer look at the flashing dot on the map, confirming that the Pokémon in need of help was this Cyclizar. However, it was currently unconscious, so Hoshino could only drag it ashore with effort.

After spending two whole hours, he finally dragged the Cyclizar to a relatively dry coconut tree. He then took off his own clothes and wiped its body to help its skin dry faster.

In his impression, Cyclizar couldn't stand the cold very well, which was why they used human body warmth to keep warm and eventually became a common means of transportation in the Paldea region...

The night sea breeze continued to blow, and because his clothes were wet from wiping Cyclizar's body, wearing them now felt colder than not wearing them.

Hoshino hugged his body, shivering uncontrollably. He felt that if he couldn't find a place to settle soon, he might end up becoming a twice-dead traveler on the day he crossed over.

At that moment, his hand on Cyclizar's body suddenly felt a slight tremor. He turned to look and found a pair of sharp irises that could shake the soul, staring at him intently.

Hoshino was stunned, his heart and lungs stopping for a moment. It felt like he was being watched by some ancient wild beast, but when he looked again, the irises had turned into black pupils.

"What the heck, was it an illusion..."

He felt that Cyclizar's pupils had changed just now, like someone else—he forgot who—but now they were gone. It could be that it was too dark to see clearly...

But that didn't matter now. Putting it behind him, he forced a smile on his tired face and asked, "Are you okay? I saw you lying on the beach, half of your body in the water, so I pulled you out."

"Cyclizar?"

"Are you asking who I am? I'm Hoshino, currently an unemployed wanderer..."

"Cyclizar~"

Cyclizar suddenly called out cheerfully, then stood up and rubbed its head against him, showing unexpected enthusiasm despite it being their first meeting.

"Alright, alright..."

Hoshino was at a loss due to Cyclizar's actions. Maybe it was grateful because he saved it?

Just as he thought this, Cyclizar suddenly bit his head...

"Ow, ow, ow!!!"

He pulled his head out forcefully. Thankfully, it didn't bite hard. Just then, a panel popped up in front of him, similar to the reward effects from the Rotom Phone earlier.

[Friendship with Cyclizar gained: Riding EX (skilled in all types of riding tools, only for Trainers)]

"That's..."

Hoshino didn't expect it to be so easy to gain a friendship talent. Based on the description, it seemed to be for his use only.

After thinking about it, it made sense—it's not like Pokémon can ride other Pokémon, right? It's not like Calyrex.

Besides that, other information appeared before his eyes...

[Pokémon: Cyclizar]

[Type: Dragon + Normal]

[Height and Weight: 1.7m/66.5kg]

[Ability: Shed Skin (heals status conditions sometimes by shedding its skin)]

[Moves: All forgotten...]

[Status: Amnesiac (forgot who it is and how to use moves), Hungry (so hungry, is there any food?), Cold (a bit cold, hoping to get warm)]

"Amnesiac? No wonder it was so easy to handle. Poor guy..."

Seeing the "Hungry" status, Hoshino touched his own stomach. Well, he was hungry too, having not eaten anything so far...

He sighed and patted Cyclizar's smooth head, smiling helplessly, "You were washed ashore with amnesia, and I saved you. I was also inexplicably found lying by the sea. In a way, we're quite similar."

"Cyclizar, Cyclizar~"

Cyclizar hugged him back, still very happy. Hoshino felt various degrees of discomfort, having never encountered such an enthusiastic Pokémon before.

"You're calling Cyclizar, Cyclizar, but I don't understand you..."

He suddenly realized the importance of language communication, wondering if anyone in this world specialized in studying Pokémon languages, or if there was a talent for understanding them.

But as the first Pokémon he truly gained friendship with... even if the friendship was cheap, he was still happy.

He already had an idea. He wanted to have his own Pokémon and become a Trainer!

He wanted to travel with Pokémon, crossing wet grasslands, climbing rugged mountains, traversing turbulent seas, and strolling through dark caves.

Occasionally, he would feel a bit homesick and return home to spend some time with family and companions before setting off again...

That was his dream, and this time-travel might make that fantasy come true!

"Become my Pokémon!"

Hoshino suddenly shouted to Cyclizar. Since it had amnesia, it was as homeless as he was, and he couldn't leave it alone.

But after shouting, he felt nervous. After all, this wasn't a game. The Pokémon here were real creatures with their own emotions, just like humans.

Cyclizar stood in place, scratching its head with its claws, seemingly trying to understand his words, but its amnesia made it impossible.

Thus, under the night sky, the man and the Cyclizar silently stared at each other. As time passed, two grumbling sounds broke the silence.

Hoshino and Cyclizar's stomachs rumbled in unison.

The tense atmosphere instantly dissipated. He patted his stomach and laughed awkwardly, and Cyclizar did the same.

"Haha..."

"Cyclizar~"

Cheap friendship might eventually grow into an unbreakable bond. Cyclizar happily agreed to become Hoshino's Pokémon.

The first step of his dream started here, but before that... they needed to find a way to save the two starving guys.