Scaling Walls Ch 8

Dinner was scrumptious. Ilima took us to one of the finest restaurants on Melemele Island, Aina's Kitchen. I'd ordered Charizard to take my Pokémon and I home while Joel and Ilima left back to Verdant Cavern. The sun was low on the horizon and I had to fill my plush quota for the week. Stakataka was adamant and didn't want me to go inside. "Stak. Stak." he said. "What? Do you need something?" I asked. He got behind me and nudged me towards the beach. "Oh! Do you want to watch the sunset with me?" I said, giving him a pat. "Staka!" he said, his eyes shining brightly. I brought a beach towel out and laid it out on the beach for me to sit on, letting out Pikachu, Togedemaru, and Tesla to play on the beach.

I expected Stakataka to sit beside me, but he opted to sit over me, his panels parted slightly for me to see through. He stepped his form in such a way that I could rest my arm on the bottommost panel, flipping some panels to view the sunset. He purred as I started to pat him, with soft Statakas spoken every now and then. "Stataka to you too." I said, pulling myself closer to him. The golden glow of the sun lit up his sides, glinting off of his eyes. "I'm not sure what world you came from, Stakataka. I'm not sure if you miss anyone there or if you're happier being here with me. But I know one thing. I'm glad I found you. And I'm happy to be sitting here, on this beach, with you beside me."

Stakataka's eyes began to water and started to mutter something in his own language, surprisingly squeakily voiced compared to the gruff, deep voice he normally has. I planted a soft kiss on his side, which transformed him into a water type again. "Happy tears are the best tears, Stakataka. Especially if they're shared with someone you love." I said, stroking him softly. I could feel the sand grow wet under me with his gallons of tears from his many eyes as the sun dipped below the horizon. I held him close to me as I watched the last of the sun dip below the horizon, with a small flicker of green at the end. I gasped. "The green flash? Wow!" I said, staring at Stakataka. "Here in our world, the green flash is so rare, that people spend their entire lives trying to photograph it. It's very special. I'm so happy you were able to see it." I looked over at the others and it appeared Tesla also knew about its significance, excitedly flitting around Pikachu and Togedemaru. "I'm going inside, Stakataka. Play with the others for now. I have to get back to work." I said, patting him.

A few hours passed and I walked outside to see that Pikachu, Togedemaru, and Rotom were curled up next to each other, sleeping. Stakataka was playing with a seashell he found. "Close all of your eyes." I said. He looked at me oddly. "Just do it." He retracted himself fully. I held out something in front of him. "OK, you can open them." His eyes grew enormous seeing the sparkly little heart I embroidered with our names on it, and a plush of his likeness. "STAAAATAAAAKAAAA!" he screamed, loud enough to briefly wake Pikachu up, tackling me down and bunting me. "I knew you'd love it! I think I figured out what you are saying when you say Stataka. I suppose it means 'friend' and I know you like squishy things. So I made you this heart, and I made myself this plush of you so I can hug you while I sleep!"

He slightly split one of his layers for me to place the plush. I put it there, nestled in tightly so it wouldn't fall out, and he began to purr deeply. I was just about to tell him goodnight when I heard the flap of some wings. I turned around to see a Murkrow sitting just behind me, tilting its head. Stakataka made eye contact with it. The Murkrow walked towards him and then flew on top of him. He stood up and Murkrow flew to another tree. He walked towards it and it flew closer towards town. "It's past midnight, Stakataka! We can't go for a walk! Come back!" I sighed. Pikachu and the others were snoring, and I didn't want to wake them. I grabbed my backpack and proceeded to follow Stakataka and Murkrow.

"Stakataka, it's not wise to follow Murkrow! Who knows where it'll lead us, this late at night?" I said. "At least it appears we're heading towards town." I spoke too soon. Murkrow took a turn towards the long, dark, and spooky path close to Hau'oli Cemetery. I noticed that a second Murkrow had tagged along with the first one, flying from tree to tree, piquing Stakataka's curiosity. The forest grew denser as what little moonlight there was faded as the moon set. Only the soft glow that emanated from the stripes along Stakataka's panels and his eyes provided any illumination. It was too far for me to go and get the other Pokémon. More and more Murkrow started to follow us, appearing to take interest in Stakataka. I wasn't sure why, but he wasn't scared of them at all.

I heard a rustle in the bushes. "Oh no, this is it..." I said, bracing for impact. It jumped out of the bushes and started chasing the Murkrow. "Come on!" came a voice of a boy. From behind him came the glow of a Charmander's tail. "I just want to catch one of you! AAAAH FUCK!" he screamed, as the Charmander's tail illuminated my spooked face. "What the hell are you doing out so late?" he questioned me, eyes glaring. "I could ask you the same question." I replied. "I'm trying to catch a Murkrow. They're nocturnal. But it seems that every Murkrow in the forest has gathered h... what the FUCK is that?" he said, pointing at Stakataka. "Stak! Kata! Stakataka!" he said.

"Oh! Nice to meet you too, Stakataka. I'm David Fireheart, from the Kanto region. Lover of all things fire and all fire type Pokémon! But you can call me Dave." he said, to Stakataka. "I'm Pierre Mauer, from the Kalos region. I make Pokémon plushes." I said, holding out my hand to shake. "Hi Pierre. You've already met my Charmander. I also have a Litleo, but he's sleeping. I'm trying to catch a Murkrow but none of them seem interested in battling. They all seem more interested in your Stakataka. They want him to follow them." he said, pointing at the Murkrow squawking at him. "Maybe if I follow you and your Stakataka, I'll finally be able to catch a Murkrow. So move forward, move forward!"