Pokemon Paldea [175-177] (Patreon)

Chapter 175: The Ancient Whale Song from the Depths of the Ocean

Although Wailmer’s injuries were serious, most were surface wounds, mainly from Sharpedo’s sharp teeth.

Unlike ordinary scratches, treating Wailmer required more careful application of medicine.

“Wail~”

Wailmer woke up during treatment. At first, seeing Lucas—especially the intimidating Dragonite—made Wailmer nervous.

But Pokémon are simple creatures. Not only did Lucas and Dragonite show no hostility, but they also used expensive and highly effective medicine on Wailmer.

The body never lies.

Knowing that Lucas and Dragonite were treating it and had driven away the Sharpedo, Wailmer visibly warmed up to Lucas.

Its tiny, beady eyes looked at Lucas with gratitude. If it weren’t unable to move much, it might have tried to snuggle closer to him.

When Lucas finished treating Wailmer’s wounds, Swampert had already returned with Finizen.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Lucas let out a long sigh. Stretching, he caught sight of Swampert swimming back, accompanied by a strangely excited Finizen.

“They’re fine, they don’t mean any harm.”

Noticing that Wailmer seemed a bit tense with Swampert and Finizen approaching, Lucas gently patted its springy body.

The soft, bouncy feeling distracted Lucas for a moment. It was just like a squishy rubber ball—no wonder Wailmer liked bouncing around on the beach for fun.

As Swampert and Finizen drew near, Lucas noticed a few wounds on Finizen. There was no need to ask about the Sharpedo—the answer was obvious.

Swampert floated calmly at the surface, while Finizen circled it a few times, then, seeing Wailmer had woken up, excitedly swam around it.

Watching the inexplicably hyper Finizen, Lucas glanced at Swampert.

“What happened?”

Swampert, understanding Lucas’s signal, made a strange face and shrugged helplessly. It opened its mouth, mimicking Sharpedo’s jaws, then used its arm to imitate Finizen and snapped its mouth shut.

Swampert’s performance was quite abstract, as the confused looks on Dragonite and Wailmer showed.

But Lucas somehow understood. He blurted, “Its brain got bitten by a Sharpedo?”

If it now thinks it’s Falafin Hero, there’s probably something wrong. Swampert nodded in agreement.

Lucas’s expression turned odd. He could treat physical wounds with medicine, but a brain injury—well, that was another matter.

While Lucas and Swampert exchanged looks, Finizen, circling Wailmer, suddenly felt offended for some reason, but no matter how much it thought, it couldn’t figure out why.

But Finizen was determined to become the hero of the sea—Falafin Hero! Such trivial things weren’t worth worrying about!

Finizen continued to swim around happily, like a dog let loose at sea.

Once Finizen finally calmed down, Lucas treated its wounds as well. During the process, he noticed Finizen gazing at Swampert with starry-eyed admiration.

How to describe it?

Lucas felt Finizen looked at Swampert like it was an idol.

Probably because Swampert, descending like a god, had saved it. Lucas didn't think too much about it. The most urgent matter was at hand.

Lucas quietly watched the obedient Wailmer and the restless Finizen, his expression momentarily deadpan, as if wondering why he had to play babysitter during his vacation.

But the priority was finding Wailmer’s and Finizen’s groups and returning them.

Both Finizen and Wailmer were social Pokémon, rarely alone. Since Lucas had saved them, he couldn’t just leave them behind—he had to return them to their guardians.

So, finding Wailmer’s group became Lucas’s current problem. He thought for a moment. For finding Pokémon, people, or things, the system was always the most reliable, so he planned to ask for a hint.

But just then, Swampert, floating quietly at the surface, suddenly raised its head, gazing far off into the distance.

Swampert’s fins could sense the tides and wind, predicting the weather—it had very sensitive senses. Right now, it sensed a massive creature speeding toward them.

The other Pokémon was probably more than ten times bigger than Swampert!

Swampert’s eyes turned serious, and it gave a warning cry.

Dragonite, who was carefully watching over Lucas riding on Wailmer’s back, reacted instantly, grabbing Lucas to fly away.

Dragonite’s defensive posture confused Lucas, but Wailmer seemed to sense something, too, excitedly letting out a whale song.

Even Finizen stopped playing.

After the initial confusion, Lucas quickly understood why Swampert and Dragonite were so tense.

The noisy cries of seabirds overhead suddenly fell silent. The calm surface of the distant sea began to ripple, as if signaling an oncoming tsunami. An ancient, deep whale call echoed in Lucas’s mind.

In the blink of an eye, a giant burst through the sea, spouting a massive column of water from an organ on its back. Its immense blue body nearly took Lucas’s breath away.

It was just too huge.

Dozens of meters? Twenty? Lucas couldn’t tell—he only knew this was the biggest Pokémon he’d ever seen, both in length and width. It was overwhelming.

No wonder even the normally unflappable Swampert was flustered.

Even knowing he was far stronger than it, that kind of sheer mass was intimidating. A giant body was a weapon all its own.

Lucas recognized this Pokémon. Wailord: Wailmer’s evolved form, said in the Pokédex to be the largest known Pokémon in the world.

At least, if you didn’t count Gigantamax or Eternamax forms.

Wailord surfaced and swam purposefully toward them. Lucas guessed it was here for the young Wailmer below.

It must be Wailmer’s parent, separated from the pod and searching for its child.

Speaking of children, Lucas remembered: Wailord could breed with Skitty, right?

Lucas’s face turned odd at that thought.

Chapter 176: An Unexpected Surprise

Just as Lucas expected, Wailord was looking for Wailmer.

At first, it was very wary of Lucas, Dragonite, Swampert, and Finizen. But with little Wailmer’s lively antics, that wariness turned into gratitude.

Wailord is modeled after a blue whale, which are already highly intelligent, and as a Pokémon, it was even more so.

As thanks for rescuing Wailmer from the Sharpedo, Wailord wanted to express its gratitude to Lucas.

Though Wailord’s eyes were tiny compared to its body, to Lucas, each was bigger than his own head.

Such a large eye fixed straight on Lucas, as if waiting for his reply.

Lucas thought for a moment, glancing at the two aquatic Pokémon playing under Swampert’s watchful eye.

Maybe, as a resident of the Paldean sea, Wailord knew where Finizen’s pod was. He should return Finizen first.

Lucas voiced his idea.

Wailord pondered, then focused on Finizen, running through its memories.

Finally, an island appeared in Wailord’s memory.

It remembered there was a group of small dolphins just like this little one living there.

“Wail~”

Wailord nodded, intending to show Lucas it could help, but forgot its enormous body. Its movement caused massive waves—if Swampert hadn’t protected them, Wailmer and Finizen would have been swept away.

Realizing it’d almost caused trouble, Wailord looked embarrassed.

Lucas saw everything. No matter how big it was, Wailord was still a simple, honest Pokémon.

On the boundless sea, the massive Wailord swam purposefully.

At its side, an adorable dolphin leapt high above the waves, looking excitedly at Swampert swimming alongside.

“Fin~!” (“Falafin Hero, can you do that move again? The one where you blast the bad guys away with that heroic Aqua Jet!”)

Swampert was getting annoyed by this kid. He’d explained countless times he wasn’t Falafin Hero, but Finizen just looked at him knowingly, as if saying, “Don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret identity!”

Swampert hadn’t felt this frustrated in ages.

Leaving the suffering Swampert aside, Lucas and Dragonite were having a relaxing time.

Wailord’s back was wide and accommodating. For Lucas, who couldn’t swim freely, Wailord kept to the surface for his sake.

Lucas and Dragonite could rest on Wailord’s squishy, springy back. How to describe it? Lucas thought it felt just like a waterbed at a hotel.

Elastic, soft, perfectly molding to the body, relaxing like lying on a cloud.

Dragonite hugged Lucas, lost in a bubble of happiness.

Lucas hugged Wailmer, humming contentedly.

Wailmer’s soft, springy body was like a giant plushie—perfect for cuddling.

With the gentle sea breeze blowing, aside from the faint salty smell, Lucas almost felt like he was cruising on a luxury yacht.

If Thunder Lake could support a Wailmer, he’d want a Wailord of his own—but it just couldn’t provide the right environment for one so big.

Despite its size, Wailord was fast.

Before long, a whale song brought Lucas out of his nap. He yawned sleepily as he woke.

Once he was alert, Lucas scolded himself for letting his guard down in such a comfortable setting—he was still on the unpredictable ocean, after all.

Chiding himself, Lucas looked into the distance and saw an island covered in lush vegetation, with a huge beach meeting the sea.

The island was like a Mediterranean in the ocean—with a vast saltwater lake and sandy shore visible even from afar.

Finizen’s pod was here?

For Lucas, this was a pleasant surprise. His goal was to find Damp Rock, and since it was a Rock-type item, it would form only where there were rocks—likely on an island or undersea.

Islands were easier to search than the sea floor.

So if this island was home to Finizen’s group, he could return Finizen and then look for Damp Rock.

Wailord soon reached the waters near the island.

The island’s lagoon and inner waters were too small for Wailord to enter, so it stopped, sadly singing a farewell to Lucas with Wailmer.

“No need to be so sad. I’m sure we’ll meet again somewhere in the sea, my friends.”

Lucas smiled at Wailord, patted Wailmer—whose eyes were brimming with tears.

Wailmer broke into a smile, cuddling in Lucas’s arms for a while before reluctantly following Wailord back into the sea.

As Wailord and Wailmer swam away, Lucas felt a bit bittersweet—he hadn’t expected to make two Pokémon friends on his trip.

“Drago~”

Dragonite gave Lucas a gentle hug, then set him on its back.

Lucas knew Dragonite was promising to stay by his side forever.

Feeling much better, Lucas looked at the lush island and said quietly, “Let’s go, let’s return Finizen home.”

Dragonite nodded, and Swampert turned to swim into the island’s lagoon.

Just then, Finizen, slow to realize, recognized the familiar surroundings. Elated, it squealed and dashed toward the island, forgetting all about its Falafin Hero fantasies.

Finizen swam so fast that it vanished in an instant.

Lucas, Dragonite, and Swampert exchanged a resigned glance. They were used to Finizen’s impatience.

Since Finizen’s pod should be on the island, there was no real danger in it rushing ahead.

Smiling, the group headed into the island.

Inside the island—

Dozens of Finizen were tangled in a giant net, struggling desperately and covered in wounds, weakly crying out.

Five people in black, sitting on a small ship, grinned wickedly.

They were the support crew left behind by Hunter J. Unfortunately, not long ago, J and her entire poaching gang had been caught by the Paldea League and Interpol.

With no choice, these five planned to leave Paldea and regroup, but by chance, they found the Finizen pod on this island.

A bold idea came to mind.

Chapter 177: Falafin Hero Shows His Might

They’d catch the Finizen and sell them for a fortune to rich ladies who liked pretty Pokémon, then retire!

With Hunter J sentenced to life in prison and locked away, she’d likely never get out.

They’d do this last job, then vanish and live quietly.

The five quickly used the tools on their small ship to capture the unsuspecting Finizen, who had no idea of the world’s dangers.

With the job done, they relaxed.

The island had plenty of resources: wild animals like rabbits and pheasants, and lots of Berries.

They could even have a farewell feast before leaving.

After a big meal and some hidden beer, they were tipsy and dreaming of a bright future.

Just then, the youngest spotted something at the lagoon: “Is that… Wailord?”

The others immediately sobered.

“Is someone coming?”

“No way, this island is far from Paldea. What are the chances?”

“Yeah, that Wailord only stayed for a bit before leaving.”

“Too bad we’ve only got this small boat left. If J and the airship were here, maybe we could catch Wailord for a fortune.”

They sighed, and continued eating as the Finizen’s cries echoed in the background.

Suddenly, an angry cry rang out as a Finizen, wrapped in water, leapt from the water and charged at them.

As Pokémon hunters, they recognized the move—Aqua Jet. Fast, but not very strong.

They didn’t panic. The leader laughed, raised a net gun, and fired at Finizen.

Bang!

The net automatically caught Finizen, who struggled helplessly.

Number Two sauntered over, lifted the net, and poked Finizen. “A stray fish delivered itself to us?”

Finizen was furious. It had returned to find its pod captured. It wanted to be Falafin Hero and save them, but the humans were cunning and used ranged weapons.

Even so, Finizen wasn’t afraid. It knew Falafin Hero would save it! It glared at Number Two: justice was about to arrive!

Number Two didn’t like that look and frowned. “You—”

Boom!!

Before he could finish, a loud explosion came from behind. The others cried out in pain.

Number Two spun around—his companions were soaked and the campfire was out, clearly the work of a water attack.

“Damn…”

The leader, teeth bared, pulled out an electric weapon. The others drew their weapons, ready to fight.

Then they saw their attacker—Swampert.

The leader froze. A Swampert—the iconic Hoenn Pokémon? Why was it in Paldea?

And as luck would have it, Swampert was part Ground-type…

Swampert glanced at the captured Finizen, then at the netted, hyper Finizen, its calm eyes burning with anger.

It despised Pokémon hunters!

Swampert didn’t hold back. Water swirled around it as it used Liquidation, gathering water with terrifying force to smash the enemy!

Some Pokémon, like Samurott, channeled Liquidation into a single limb for physical attacks, but Swampert’s was a pure, overwhelming force.

No matter how they fired their electric weapons, nothing could break through the water shield around Swampert.

With a crash that shook the island, the four men, unable to resist, were knocked out cold!

Like a true superhero, Swampert fixed his cold stare on Number Two.

Number Two, shaking, grabbed Finizen and ran for the boat.

He started the engine and sped away, heart pounding but finally calming as the boat pulled away.

He didn’t know why Swampert wasn’t chasing, but as long as he escaped, the others could fend for themselves. At least he could sell the Finizen he caught.

“Who said you could leave?”

A calm voice came from behind. Number Two turned, face pale. A man on Dragonite hovered nearby, smirking.

…

“Fin~!” (“Thank you for saving my pod, Falafin Hero!”)

Finizen immediately started circling Swampert again.

The rescued Finizen stared at Swampert in awe.

Its strength was obvious—surely, this was the mysterious Falafin Hero Finizen had spoken of!

Seeing the whole pod fooled by hyper Finizen, Swampert covered its face in despair—at this rate, it would lose its species name.

Lucas and Dragonite tied up the five men with vines from the island. The poachers, realizing their fate, looked utterly defeated.

Dusting off his hands, Lucas muttered, “Better call the League president to send someone for these five. Dragonite, you could fly them back, but that’d be too much work.”

“Drago!”

Dragonite nodded in agreement.