Chapter 367

Regarding this matter...

Hearing Olivia's very direct question, Mei was taken aback. They hadn't even introduced themselves yet, why was she asking questions?

"Let's put that aside for now. Let me introduce them to you."

If Olivia knew Cynthia's identity and Qiao Ran's and the others' strength, she probably wouldn't have asked such a question, right?

"Ah, right, right, Olivia, I completely forgot about that, hahaha."

The older sister-like Trainer, with one hand on her hip, laughed heartily. Although they had only met briefly, Qiao Ran had already noticed that she frequently mentioned his name when speaking, though he wondered if it was a local custom or just one of her personal habits.

"Let me introduce you. I already spoke with Mallow before, so she didn't tell you, did she?"

Mei couldn't help but ask.

"Mallow said that a very powerful Trainer came with you, along with Mei and Acerola," Olivia replied.

"Mmm-hmm." Lana nodded in agreement. "That's exactly what Mallow said."

"Oh well."

Mei couldn't help but sigh, "Since we still have time, I'll introduce you to them."

Acerola, who was standing nearby, also raised her hand, indicating that she could help.

So, with the help of the two, everyone's identities were introduced one by one again. However, this time the introduction was much more detailed than the self-introduction with Mallow.

During this time, Mei and Acerola also mentioned some things from their past.

"You..."

After listening to everything, Lana, sitting next to Acerola, had stars in her eyes.

"That's incredible! You guys actually traveled with a Champion?!"

Moreover, according to them, the other two boys and girls traveling with them were actually two Trainer who were even more skilled than them, and the Golden girl was the daughter of Chairman Lusamine —the eldest daughter of the Aether Foundation.

How exactly was this team assembled?

Not only Lana, but even the well-informed Olivia was speechless. Although she was quite knowledgeable, she had never seen anything like this before!

"Champion from other regions...?"

Emerging from her shock, Olivia's eyes didn't show the same envy as Lana's; instead, she became eager to try, and a smile appeared on her face.

"I've only ever met Olivia Elite Four from other regions, but as for Champion, I have no idea what the real significance of that position is."

"So what do you think of those Elite Four?" Cynthia asked, looking into the other person's eyes.

"Slightly weaker than me. But... that's already very strong."

Olivia gave her evaluation, but her gaze never left Cynthia's face, and she was not at all inferior to Cynthia in the face of her imposing presence.

"Oh."

Cynthia didn't say much, she just smiled and nodded.

"When I was the Champion in the Sinnoh Region, I would face several challenges from Elite Four-level opponents every year."

When talking about what she had done before, Cynthia always glossed over it lightly, but Qiao Ran had specifically asked her about it before, and her evaluation was only "still lacking in experience".

Among all the challengers, there are sometimes those who are on the verge of becoming Champion, or even those who have reached Champion level. Only those people can give her a real challenge. However, even such strong individuals may not be willing to stay in the Pokémon League and take a position, let alone be relegated to a subordinate role as one of the so-called "Elite Four" after losing Competition.

"Alright, alright, if you want to fight, you can come back another time."

Qiao Ran knew that Cynthia might not be very interested in these topics, so she slightly...

We slightly changed the subject.

While they were introducing themselves, Mallow had almost finished what he was doing and was then pulled back by Mei. They had come here to talk about something very important, but this guy actually went to the kitchen to cook.

"Let's get down to business now. We've come here for a reason."

"Um?"

Qiao Ran's sudden remarks drew the attention of Olivia, who was standing nearby, to the boy.

Although she had sensed something was amiss before, it wasn't until this moment that she was finally certain of one thing.

This boy seemed to be a very special presence within the team.

When he spoke, everyone looked over and quieted down a little.

"We arrived here from Ula'ula Island, as I believe everyone already knows."

"Furthermore, Ula'ula Island has basically returned to normal. The Ultra Beast on the island has decreased to an acceptable level, and even if there are any remaining, they will be driven back by hordes of Pokémon."

"And these changes were brought about not only by us Trainer, but also by the help of the Island deity."

Qiao Ran summarized what happened on Ula'ula Island, but his sudden mention of the Island deity still surprised Lana Mallow and the others.

"Wait... wait, the Island deity... I remember the Island deity disappeared after the disaster, right?"

Mallow covered her mouth and asked in surprise.

"Yes, I've never seen it either," Lana echoed, looking at Qiao Ran with curiosity.

Although they couldn't understand why it was this boy speaking instead of the Champion or the chairman over there, they still listened.

Olivia to the side, also raised an eyebrow, indicating that she was equally puzzled.

"The Island deity still exists, but he might need a little help right now."

Qiao Ran briefly told them what had happened at the Ruins of Abundance. Apart from some parts that couldn't be explicitly stated and were embellished, there weren't any major issues.

"... In other words, the Island deity of Ula'ula Island is simply in a 'special' state. If we follow this line of reasoning, the Island deity of this island might also be in a similar state."

After presenting his arguments, Qiao Ran raised his head and stated his ultimate goal.

"So, could we ask you all to take us to the Altar on this island tomorrow?... As the administrators, you must know the location of the Altar, right?"

Each Altar in the Alola Region is in a very special location. Although Qiao Ran and the others can fly into the air to identify them, that would inevitably attract many Ultra Beasts. Right now, they can still deal with the Ultra Beast come chasing them when they land, but if they go to the Altar, it will probably not be as smooth as it is now.

After all, the moment they see the Altar, new problems will likely arise.

Judging from the situation on Ula'ula Island, the Altar here is probably also enveloped in that strange substance. Qiao Ran and the others need a relatively "peaceful" environment to deal with the matter at the Altar.

Given this, it would definitely save them a lot of trouble if a local could accompany them, that's absolutely undeniable.

"If you have the capability, taking you there wouldn't be out of the question..."

After hearing these words, Olivia, the Island Kahuna, stroked her chin and pondered for a moment.

"Mallow is on guard duty tonight, and Olivia is on duty tomorrow... How about this, let Lana go with you."

"Our Altar on Akala Island isn't hard to find, and Lana knows its exact location. I'm afraid Mallow and I won't go with us. The defenses here could break down at any time, and if I leave, there'll be no one to reinforce the stone walls. If Ultra Beast manages to breach the walls, I, Olivia, will be seriously derelict in my duty."

Although Olivia really wanted to go with them, she couldn't just leave. All the defensive perimeters here were basically built with her help, and the Pokémon guarding the walls were mostly Pokémon she had met briefly in the wild before.

If anything unexpected happens while she's away, it's something she absolutely can't afford to do. Rather than taking that risk, it would be better to assign the task to Lana or Mallow from the beginning. Mallow is on duty today, and she probably won't be in good spirits tomorrow, so it would be better to let Lana go with her.

"Hey, should I go with them?"

Although somewhat surprised, Lana nodded when her name was called.

"Okay, then leave it to me. I'll make sure to catch a big fish that's the right size."

"We're not going fishing, Lana," Mallow couldn't help but mutter from the side.

"They're all pretty much the same, and I've been surrounded by Ultra Beast here lately... so I haven't been able to fish. This is a good opportunity to get some exercise."

Lana muttered a few words, seemingly quite dissatisfied with the current situation. As a fisherman's child, she had been very interested in activities such as fishing and swimming since childhood, and later...

She became the Water-type Captain of Alola, but now, because of these Ultra Beasts, she can't fish, and even swimming might be dangerous. It's all their fault.

"Let's arrange it like this then. It just so happens that you, Lana, also want to go. If there are any problems, just come back and let me know. Also, are you really not planning to rest for a bit? Are you going to the Altar tomorrow?"

Olivia looked at Qiao Ran and asked a question.

Although as an Alola, she genuinely wanted to see her island return to normal and hoped for the return of the Island deity, she also knew that Qiao Ran and the others must have gone through a great deal of trouble to get here. Were they really planning to continue fighting after only one night's rest?

That's way too... reckless!

"... Not everyone will be going together; some people will stay here to do other things. Anyone else who wants to go can come along."

Considering that the same situation might occur at the Altar as last time—that is, someone might be dragged into that strange space and then engage in a one-on-one battle— Qiao Ran doesn't plan to have everyone rush to the Altar this time. For example, Lusamine has her own things to take care of, and Mei can stay here and catch up with Mallow.

Although... Qiao Ran felt that Mei wouldn't stay here obediently unless she returned home and saw her mother. Otherwise, no one could stop her.

"If you've made up your mind, then proceed as you intend. I Olivia, will fully support you."

As Olivia spoke, she put her arm around Qiao Ran beside her and hooked her arm around his shoulder.

"...?"

The sudden movement stunned Qiao Ran, and he only slowly came to his senses when his face seemed to touch something.

This...

Not only him, but everyone else at the table fell silent.

"Ah, hahaha, Olivia, I think I got a little too excited."

Realizing something was amiss, Olivia released her grip on Qiao Ran's hand. She had indeed been a little too excited. The sudden appearance of this group of people, who brought "hope" to improve the island, had completely overwhelmed her emotions.

"Sister Olivia, even though your blind date failed again recently, you can't..." Mallow sighed helplessly, but before she could finish speaking, a large hand had already hooked her shoulder, just like Qiao Ran had done earlier.

"Ugh!"

"You guys chat first, you guys chat first. Olivia, Mallow and I are going outside to talk about something, hahaha."

Olivia, her already dark face flushed, smiled and waved to the people present before pulling Mallow out of the Restaurant. It was clear she had some secret matter to attend to.

"..."

Seeing what was happening before them, the others remained silent. Only after the two figures disappeared did Lana speak softly.

"Actually... everyone in Alola should know about Olivia's blind date situation, right?"

As the saying goes, good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels Norman. If an Island Kahuna is very powerful, everyone will agree on that, and it won't become a hot topic. But if an Island Kahuna goes on 100 blind dates and fails 100 times, that will definitely become a well-known and legendary tale.

"Shh... Lana, don't say anything, or you'll get dragged out too."

Acerola quickly covered Lana's mouth. Although everyone knew about it, it wasn't really appropriate to say it in front of her, was it?

Although Acerola herself was puzzled as to why Olivia could never find a boyfriend, given that Olivia's qualities shouldn't be that bad, right?

Could it be that there's some secret she doesn't know about?

Ultimately, only Olivia knows what happened to her. But if she's really so desperate as to target Qiao Ran, who's more than ten years younger than her, even if others remain unmoved, Mei, who knew her before Olivia, will definitely step in to right this.

After finishing their business, it was basically time for casual conversation. Mei and Acerola Lana Mallow, and Qiao Ran sat down and listened. As for Lillie, she seemed to be sitting next to Lusamine, whispering something. It seems that arranging them together and having them sit on Altaria had some effect.

"Get some rest today. If anything unexpected happens tomorrow, it will most likely happen to you."

Cynthia sat down next to Qiao Ran. She didn't know anyone here, and she would only answer a few questions when others pulled her aside. Most of the time, she just watched from the sidelines. Rather than that, she sat down next to Qiao Ran.

"Yes, I know."

Qiao Ran nodded. He understood this perfectly well. Last time he went to the Ruins of Abundance, he was the only one who got caught up in it, and many of his abilities were also blocked in that world.

Although Qiao Ran didn't elaborate on this matter, he was perfectly aware of one thing—those things were very likely...

Targeting oneself.

No, perhaps it's not just about myself? Or maybe it's about something I possess?

"..."

Qiao Ran looked at the Alola -style pineapple fried rice in front of him and pondered for a while.

In fact, at the beginning of his journey, Qiao Ran never had any particularly special ideas of his own. Maybe he was some kind of chosen one, but in this world, there will always be beings stronger than him. Moreover, as a Trainer, he always understood one thing: Pokémon were the source of his strength.

If we have to say something is special, then it should be Pokémon that's special.

... Could it be that this result was due to certain Pokémon he owned, or a particular Pokémon?

"... Indeed... those events all took place in places where Legendary Pokémon live, and among all of us, I was the only one who owned Legendary Pokémon at the time."

Qiao Ran muttered to himself, and the situation at the time was basically the same as he had imagined. Even Lillie, who possessed Nebby, left it in the Wild Area because of Nebby's condition, instead of carrying it with her. As for the others, it was even less likely that they would possess the Legendary Pokémon.

"Qiao Ran?"