Chapter 233
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Alola has four islands in total.
Mei's home is on Melemele Island —an island with Alola's largest city and home to Alola's most famous Pokémon researchers.
"But this island... doesn't look like Melemele Island at all."
Each island in Alola has its own unique characteristics, but those unfamiliar with these characteristics would certainly not be able to discern them.
For example, on Melemele Island, the beaches certainly wouldn't be left unused like this. In fact, you could say that Hau'oli City, the largest city on Melemele Island, developed precisely because of its incredibly beautiful beaches.
As for this place...
Walking into the Forest beside the beach, it wasn't long before Mei and Qiao Ran's group saw two incredibly huge mountain ranges in the far distance. Both mountains were a strange black color, but the higher peak of one of them was covered in white snow.
Ula'ula Island.
Seeing such a view, the answer was almost obvious, Mei immediately said the name of the island.
Qiao Ran also realized what was happening.
He also had some impression of the island.
--This wasn't because he was particularly familiar with Alola, but simply because of that towering snow-capped mountain. He remembered that after the Alola Pokémon League was established, it was situated atop that highest peak, symbolizing the pinnacle of Trainer.
"Etc."
Suddenly, just as the group was all observing the distance...
When they reached the high mountain, the bushes beside the Forest suddenly swayed.
"Careful!"
Qiao Ran's Aura Power had already detected the opponent's presence, and in just an instant, everyone became alert.
A massive energy sword beam shot out from the bushes, instantly cleaving all the nearby plants in two, and then flew rapidly towards Qiao Ran and his group.
"Ti...!"
Dianxi charged forward, using her Undying Diamond to block the attack, producing a piercing clang. Not only that, the attack even left a visible gap in Dianxi's shield, something that had never happened before.
"Such powerful attack..."
Mei Mei, and the others all knew how terrifying Dianxi's defense was in this state, but the opponent's attack still nearly broke through Dianxi's defense.
"Whoosh--"
A gentle breeze blew by, and everyone realized that the attack had come from a tiny creature only about thirty centimeters long. Its body was as thin as a sheet of paper, and its shape resembled an ordinary origami toy. However, judging from the attack it had just launched, this thing seemed to be far more complex than it appeared.
"Kartana."
UB04: Cleave!
Qiao Ran and Lillie simultaneously uttered each other's names. Like Nihilego, this wasn't a native Pokémon, but a terrifying "Ultra Beast."
"Everyone be careful. It's Steel-type / Grass-type, with high Speed and Attack, but its Special Defense is extremely weak. It's still manageable."
Qiao Ran calmly made a judgment. Although this time was different from the previous times, with several Trainer acting together with him, Qiao Ran was still able to command very efficiently based on the information exchange protocol in their minds.
"What? It's a Steel-type Pokémon?"
Upon hearing this, Mei couldn't help but frown. Most of her Pokémon were Poison-type, and this Steel-type, which was immune to poison, was practically her nemesis.
As for Mei and Lillie, after hearing this, they made their own judgment and sent out Pokémon with a relative advantage.
As for Qiao Ran, that's even easier to handle.
"Reshiram! Zacian! Silvally!"
Reshiram, Fire-type, has a terrifying four-fold advantage against Kartana, while Zacian can still inflict significant damage using Fighting-type moves. Most importantly, the opponent also possesses a sharp "sword," Zacian was already eager to try after seeing that sword light earlier.
Qiao Ran also took out a brand new Fire-type disc and inserted it into the Silvally next to him. Silvally's type can be adjusted at will according to the battle. This feature is practically a bug in Qiao Ran's hands, who is familiar with the types of all Pokémon.
"Flamethrower! Sacred Sword! Multi-Attack!"
The three Pokémon, brimming with terrifying energy, launched a simultaneous attack on Kartana. Kartana probably never expected that it would encounter such a situation simply by jumping out of the bushes.
What is this? What is this???
An explosion rang out, Kartana was sent flying without even being able to put up a fight.
Latias, who was standing nearby, wasn't idle either. He teleported over and added another ball to Kartana's body.
This Ultra Beast is much better looking than the previous mosquito; its owner will definitely like it very much.
"..."
The aftershocks of the battle shook the entire Forest, and attracted by the noise, a large number of Kartana surged out from the nearby bushes once again, rushing towards Qiao Ran and the others.
If it were just Qiao Ran alone, dealing with so many Ultra Beasts at once would probably be a bit difficult, but—he's not alone now.
Each of the four people is responsible for one direction, so there won't be many blind spots in this battle. Even if Lillie's side is slightly weaker, Mei Mei, the two seniors, can quickly fill in.
After a series of clanging and clattering sounds, the battle finally came to an end. Twenty or thirty Kartana were all scattered on the ground, and the Qiqi Forest was almost completely destroyed by the attack.
"It doesn't seem... too difficult?"
Mei wiped the sweat from her brow and smiled. This kind of battle in the wild... even the Trainer have to fight together, it seems pretty interesting.
"No, whether it's difficult or not depends on how many people we have."
Qiao Ran couldn't help but make a comment.
Besides him, there are two future official Pokémon League Champion here, plus a promising young lady. Not inviting Gloria along is a way of making things easier for these Kartana.
The speed at which these two are improving is simply Monster; it'll probably be long before they reach the level of Elite Four. As for Gloria of Galar, as the woman who will one day be able to Defeat the strongest Champion, Leon, she is Monster among Monster.
"... Look over there!"
Defeat a group of Kartana, Qiao Ran and his group continued to advance into the island. Soon, they discovered a huge, all-white building.
This architectural style seems almost out of place on the island of Alola, but Qiao Ran and the others are already very familiar with it.
"The Aether Foundation...!"
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As a large organization capable of building Artificial Island in Alola, the Aether Foundation has branches on most of the islands in Alola. These all-white, technologically advanced buildings are the Aether Foundation's "Aether House".
Even after Lusamine went mad and her personality changed drastically, these Aether House continued to fulfill their original mission: helping Pokémon in need and taking in many homeless children. This is another aspect of the Aether Foundation —a charitable organization that helps the vulnerable and protects the environment.
Of course, this was also Mohn and Lusamine's original vision.
We need to go there and take a look.
Lillie offered her opinion, knowing that her mother was a very organized person, and if she left the Aether Foundation for Alola, then it was very likely that she had come to such a place.
Whether she encountered some danger and was forced to find a way to leave, or she thought of a way to remove the barrier and left voluntarily, she could not possibly be drifting aimlessly on the sea like them.
Lillie had great faith in her mother's abilities, but Lusamine was indeed someone whose abilities were worthy of trust; among hundreds of millions of people in a region, there might only be one such person.
"... There are far too few Pokémon on the road, and who knows what else might be hidden here."
Looking at the building in front of him, which was in fairly good condition, Qiao Ran frowned.
He also planned to go and take a look, but he still had to be careful.
After acquiring the Aura Power, Qiao Ran could clearly sense hidden life forms. Along the way, he also sensed the presence of some Pokémon sporadically. However, compared to the Ultra Beast that actively attacked them, the Pokémon seemed to be hiding and had no intention of showing themselves. If he didn't have Aura, he definitely wouldn't have been able to sense these things.
These are all changes brought about by the appearance of the Ultra Beast, and it is estimated that this Aether House of the Aether Foundation will not be able to escape them either.
"Everyone, be careful. We'll approach little by little."
To prevent a sudden attack, Qiao Ran didn't rush forward. Lillie and the others, who had experienced battles along the way, nodded in agreement. They already understood that these Ultra Beast's goal from the beginning was to kill them. This was also how Ultra Beast interacted with humans in their world. In that world, there was no harmonious relationship between humans and Pokémon, but rather an endless war between the two sides.
Dianxi, with the strongest defense, once again stood at the front. As the distance closed, what Qiao Ran sensed with his Aura Power became increasingly clear.
"..."
He Frisk the presence of life, and this presence...
"Wait, this doesn't feel like Pokémon, nor is it Ultra Beast."
Qiao Ran sensed the outlines of many humans, and under the probing Aura Power, their emotions were instantly transmitted into his mind.
He saw a flower blooming between despair and hope, an emotion that reminded him of the refugees who had fled from Galar to Spikemuth.
Hehehehe...
Suddenly, a bone-chilling cold aura gathered around Qiao Ran, and an eerie laugh emanated from his shadow. Although everything happened very quickly, in front of the extremely vigilant Qiao Ran and Mei, it was almost an instant before countless Pokémon simultaneously launched their attacks, directly targeting the black gas billowing out behind Qiao Ran.
The Pokémon formed a circle, surrounding Gengar in the middle.
"..."
The terrifying laughter vanished as if it had caught in a glitch, and surrounded by so many Pokémon, the opponent gave up struggling and trembled as it ran out of the shadows.
That was a Gengar with a purple body, red eyes, and a laughing expression on its mouth. However, it was now completely frozen in place, like a wilted eggplant, glared at by Yveltal and other Pokémon, and dared not move.
What's wrong with these guys? Why are they so alert???
Gengar acted as if it had seen a ghost.