"The Kindness of Strangers" is the sixth chapter of the Pokémon Eclipse story, and is the fifth chapter of the Melemele Arc.
Plot[]
Sam and his Honedge are battling a wild Pom-Pom Style Oricorio when one of the wormhole branches opens over Melemele Island right near him and Alice. The two take refuge inside of the Seaward Cave, fearing another Ultra Beast attack similar to the one ten years ago. As they wait for the coast to be clear, Alice picks up on a pair of voices deep inside the cave. Assuming them to be young children lost in the cave, Sam and Alice venture inside, Alice leading the way. Upon making another turn, Alice is assaulted by a near-blinding flash, which she and Sam see was caused by Starlight. As Alice approaches her, Starlight soon realizes that her magic attacks are ineffective, pleading for Alice not to hurt her. After realizing that the two can understand each other, Alice and Sam further reveal themselves, promising to mean her no harm. At that moment, the guardian Pokémon for Melemele Island, Tapu Koko, arrives at the cave, greatly frightening Starlight as she tries to find Fluttershy and get her to run away. Tapu Koko manages to apprehend Fluttershy and moves to take Starlight too, only for Sam and Alice to defend her, demanding that they let Fluttershy go. Tapu Koko complies and flies away. After Fluttershy awakens from her shock, she becomes initially frightened at the humans, but Starlight concludes that they can be trusted.
Starlight asks the two if they know where to find Equestria, but Sam and Alice claim to not know of such a place. They give Starlight a world map on his Pokédex to look over to see if they can find something, but when she cannot, she realizes that she and Fluttershy are stuck on a completely different world. Hau arrives in the cave shortly after, having been alerted by the wormhole and using Tapu Koko's location to track them to the Seaward Cave. Starlight explains their ordeal with Tapu Koko to him, but Hau assures her that Tapu Koko was not there to hurt her or Fluttershy. Starlight quickly realizes that her other friends are likely lost as well, beginning to worry over their safety and location. Sam then shows off a picture from the internet detailing the wormholes that just appeared, showing them branching off four ways and appearing over each of the islands, which Starlight suddenly recognizes from the image on the Cutie Map. From this, Sam and Alice conclude that Starlight and Fluttershy's other friends are on the other islands, giving the two ponies some relief. Though Starlight still has many questions, Hau offers to let Sam, Alice, and the two ponies stay at his home for the night, which they accept.
| Previous Chapter | Next Chapter |
|---|---|
| Pull | Know You |