Chapter 234
"... It's still a bit inferior to that guy's Gengar."
"
The same move won't work on Qiao Ran a second time. When he lived with Phoebe before, he had to guard against Gengar's sneak attacks many times. These Ghost Type Pokémon have a habit of scaring people, and if you're not careful, you could fall for their tricks at any time.
But this time... this Gengar has completely walked right into their line of fire. Is this guy actually planning to bypass all these Pokémon and Trainer and attack him directly?
That's far too arrogant and presumptuous.
"Stop hitting! Stop hitting!"
After realizing that Gengar's struggles were futile, a small head emerged from the shadows on the side of the Aether House.
A petite girl with medium-length purple hair, wearing a distinctive patched dress, and adorned with Golden ornaments with strange patterns on her hands suddenly appeared before everyone.
Her appearance is like that of a tiny kitten.
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"Ah!... Mei! Mei!"
With her bright, sparkling eyes, she immediately recognized Mei in the crowd and called out her name, suggesting that the two seemed to know each other.
However, Qiao Ran recognized the other person's identity at first glance.
In the Pokémon World, many special people have their own unique characteristics. Some extremely distinctive characters can be identified just by their silhouettes. For example, the person in front of us is actually one of the Captain of the Alola Region, and later one of the Ghost Type Elite Four of the Alola League — Acerola.
At just over ten years old, he has become Elite Four in the Pokémon League. This talent is unmatched in any region, although the Alola League's foundation is still much weaker than other Pokémon League.
She also claims to be a descendant of the Alola royal family, a claim supported by the unusual ornaments she wears and her distinctive name.
"Acerola?"
Mei looked at the other person in surprise. She took a few steps forward, but the Decidueye beside her followed very carefully. After the battle just now, these Pokémon were actually frightened.
"..."
Lillie and Mei stood by, looking on in surprise. They didn't know anyone from Alola, but as the first human they had encountered since arriving on the island, he might be able to offer them some new information.
What is the current situation in Alola?
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With acquaintances, communication between the two parties became much smoother. As Trainer participated in the Island Challenge, Mei had also received recognition from many "Captain," "Island Kahuna," and "Island Kahuna."
Alola's Captain are essentially equivalent to Gym Leader in other regions, and the Island Kahuna or Island Kahuna are essentially equivalent to Elite Four in other regions. However, unlike other regions, gaining the Captain's approval doesn't Captain Pokémon battles, but rather completing the trials they set. The Island Kahuna or Island Kahuna, on the other hand, need to prove themselves through direct battles.
Acerola, one of the Captain of Alola and an expert in Ghost Type, designed the most "terrifying" of all the trials in Alola.
"Acerola... you're alright... it's good that you're alright. By the way, what are you doing here?"
Mei looked at the petite girl in front of her, who was a head shorter than her, and asked a question with some curiosity.
The fact that Acerola appeared unharmed before her brought her a slight sense of relief; at least... Mei knew that there were still people alive and well on the island, and things hadn't reached the worst possible state.
"Me? I've always lived here. I've been living in the Aether House for a long time, to take care of the children here."
As Acerola spoke, she slightly pouted.
"Really, Mei, I already mentioned this when we met before."
Is that all?
"Ah... hahahahahaha?"
Mei scratched her head a little awkwardly. At that time, her mind was full of how to complete the Island Challenge. Maybe... she just missed something?
"Anyway, you can come in first."
Acerola glanced around at the people present, her gaze lingering on a few somewhat "special" Pokémon. However, she didn't seem particularly surprised, only glancing at them "slightly" a few more times.
She didn't know Qiao Ran and the others, but judging from Mei's situation and the situation of these Pokémon, these people were trustworthy.
And... those are all Legendary Pokémon, right...?
That's Suicune, that's Dianxi, that's Latias... What's that wolf? Wait... could that be Yveltal and Reshiram?
Normally, Acerola might have rushed over to see what those Pokémon looked like, but after everything she'd been through, she'd become much more composed.
Besides, Acerola knew that chatting here wasn't a good option. Those Ultra Beast were all incredibly terrifying, and they seemed to be able to sense human presence. If they were to appear outside, they would inevitably be attacked by those creatures. She herself wasn't the problem; the real concern was for the others in the Aether House, especially the homeless children.
"Uncle Modan is here too. If he weren't here, I wouldn't be able to protect so many children."
Acerola sighed.
"Uncle Modan? Is he here too?"
Mei blinked in surprise. To help Lillie and the others understand who Modan was, she briefly explained his identity after asking the question.
In Alola, each island has a strongest trainer chosen by the Island deity. These trainers are known as the Island Kahuna or Island Kahuna, and Modan is the Island Kahuna of Ula'ula Island, as well as a very powerful Dark type expert.
"Modan..."
Qiao Ran was also very interested in this Island Kahuna. Having learned about the game's storyline, he actually knew some deeper things. For example, although this Island Kahuna usually appeared to be just a local policeman on Ula'ula Island, he was once the commander of the International Police. In the manga, his Code Name 000, and he had a special identity. In the anime, he even became an old friend of Giovanni... In short, he was a somewhat special character, especially in a small place like Alola.
Simply put, he's the kind of person who might ask the Dragon King to return to the mountain at any time when the three-year period is up.
"Come in, everyone. Don't stay outside too long. If we attract those Ultra Beasts, it won't be good."
Acerola opened the door to the Aether House. As soon as the children who had been eavesdropping at the door saw Acerola enter, they hurriedly took a few steps back and hid timidly by the wall, cautiously watching Qiao Ran and the others.
In the large hall, many Dark type Meowth from Alola were gathered, lying on the ground lazily licking their paws, while a middle-aged man who looked somewhat slovenly, wearing a police uniform and with short hair, was dozing off on the sofa.
"Uncle Modan."
"Hmm? Little Acerola..."
The lazy middle-aged man opened his eyes, only to find that there were many unfamiliar faces in front of him, but there was one person who was somewhat familiar among them.
"Oh? Mei...?"
During her Island Challenge, Mei had also undergone Grand Trial with him and helped resolve many issues on the islands. Modan was deeply impressed by this promising young Trainer.
But why would she appear here at a time like this...?
"Hello, Uncle Modan."
Mei also stepped forward to greet them and helped introduce Qiao Ran, Mei, and the others. However, before she could finish speaking, several people dressed in white uniforms and white hats ran out from the side and stood in front of Lillie.
"Miss Lillie!"
"... It really is Lady Lillie."
"Huh? Huh?"
Lillie was startled, but upon closer inspection, she realized that the men and women in front of her were all wearing the Aether Foundation's signature white uniforms—without a doubt, these people were the operators of this Aether House, that is, the official employees of the Aether Foundation.
As the heiress of the foundation, Lillie holds a special position. The staff still remember Lillie's appearance; her radiant blonde hair is almost identical to that of Chairwoman Lusamine.
"Please... please stop calling me 'Young Miss'..."
Having spent so much time with Qiao Ran and the others, Lillie had almost forgotten her former status as a young lady. Now, being addressed like that by so many employees, she actually felt a little shy.
As Lillie Mei began to acknowledge their kinship, only Qiao Ran and Mei remained standing in place, silently observing everything.
Alola... it's still quite small.
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"I never imagined this was the heiress of the Aether Foundation."
Uncle Modan looked at Lillie with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
The title of "Heiress of the Aether Foundation" is no ordinary one, especially for Modan, a former International Police, who is well aware of just how terrifying the Aether Foundation is.
A group of scientists, having amassed enough funds to build their own island at sea and escape supervision... no one knows what terrible things they've created there.
"And you..."
"I?"
Suddenly, Modan turned his gaze to Qiao Ran. This expert in Dark Type suddenly stood up and stood in front of Qiao Ran.
"There's a hint of Dark Type Pokémon on him."
"This... you can still tell?"
Qiao Ran blinked, indicating that she didn't understand such things at all. What kind of Pokémon had she used? And what kind of aura did she have?
"I was just asking casually."
Uncle Modan gave a strange "smile," waved his hand, and lay back down on the sofa once more.
"Okay, let's stop talking about this. I still have a lot of questions to ask."
Acerola interrupted the pointless chatter, curious as to why Mei was there. Could it be... that the people from the other islands had already resolved some of the trouble?
"Actually, it's like this..."
After the two sides had gotten to know each other, Qiao Ran and his group sat on the sofa in the lobby of the Aether House, while Acerola sat opposite them, ready to exchange information.