Chapter 372

When gods fight, it's always the mortals on earth who suffer. Qiao Ran even felt like he could grow wings on the spot. The Tokiwa Power and the Aura Power of the Aura are all external things. Being able to take off on the spot is the most useful thing.

However, it was just wishful thinking. He could only frantically try to escape to another Floating Island. In the sky, two Pokémon of similar size and mostly pink were locked in a standoff, each unleashing a move dozens of times larger than themselves.

Originally Tapu Lele's target was Qiao Ran, but now it has completely shifted to Dianxi. This guy has a similar figure to herself, and they are both pink, so she really doesn't like looking at him at all.

Most importantly, those skills did indeed cause Tapu Lele unforgettable pain when they hit her.

"..."

At this stage of the battle, there are basically no fancy techniques left. Both sides are legendary Pokémon that have transcended the level of ordinary Pokémon, and each side has its own strengths.

All Qiao Ran can do now is give orders at crucial moments and use the Tokiwa Power to help Dianxi increase her endurance. As for the rest of the time, he can only run around on the Floating Island in order to avoid falling into the bottomless abyss below.

Dianxi's strength is far superior to that of the Ninetales. Even if she cannot defeat her opponent directly, she can still hold her own with her outstanding defense. As for winning, at least in Dianxi's or Qiao Ran's minds, it is practically a sure thing.

Regardless of the circumstances, they are indeed the most compatible pair of partners.

Even when facing one of the most formidable Island deity, they could have a fairly clear expectation, and even without verbal communication, they could understand what they needed to do to achieve the same goal.

Although there might be dangerous situations during the mission, both Qiao Ran and Dianxi understood that if they were to encounter danger, the other would be their support.

This time, they won't fall here either.

"Call..."

In this Torn World, the battle is finally drawing to a close.

But just like last time, Qiao Ran was completely exhausted. He could only lie on the ground of the Floating Island, watching the battle unfold on the other side of Dianxi.

At this moment, Dianxi had already floated to the front of Tapu Lele, who was in a state of exhaustion. Then, she solidified her diamond into a pink greatsword and slammed her opponent onto the ground of the Floating Island, creating a large crater.

Dianxi even went to check carefully, and only when she saw that Tapu Lele was really lying on the ground, not suddenly asleep but with circles rolling around in her eyes, did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Unlike other Pokémon, Dianxi is noticeably cautious and reliable, typical of Rock Type. If she sees that her opponent is still alive, she will most likely have to finish them off.

"Master, it's over."

Compared to Tapu Lele, who had already collapsed and was unable to get up, Dianxi actually still had some strength left. However, she knew very well that this strength was actually transferred to her by Qiao Ran after he used the Tokiwa Power. As for Qiao Ran himself, he had already collapsed on the ground and couldn't even straighten his back.

"Okay... okay."

The constant running and jumping, coupled with commanding Pokémon in battle and continuously healing Dianxi, is simply beyond human capability. If such Rules were introduced into the current Pokémon League Competition, the number of Trainer would probably be reduced by more than half on the spot—they would all die from exhaustion.

"But if we can win... you did well, Dianxi."

Looking at the Diamond Princess in front of him, Qiao Ran immediately embraced her slightly cold body. As long as they could get through the danger and achieve their goal, what did it matter if he was a little tired?

Go back and get some rest; don't rush to the next place.

Dianxi leaned on Qiao Ran. Qiao Ran had told her about his plans before, but given Qiao Ran's current condition, it was clearly impossible for him to get to the next island quickly.

The Island deity alone was enough to exhaust Qiao Ran, and most importantly, he was the only one who entered this strange space this time.

"I don't know why this is happening... If Cynthia were here, this Competition would probably be much easier, right?"

With Cynthia's strength, dealing with Tapu Lele wouldn't be impossible, but when Qiao Ran slightly shifted his gaze and saw the large pile of Levitate Floating Island fragments around him, he paused for a moment.

"No, perhaps not?"

Although Cynthia is stronger than him,... she might not be as fast as him.

Most importantly, given the figures of either Cynthia or Mei, it's obvious they don't run as well as Mei. If Qiao Ran had to choose, he would prefer Mei to be here as well, since her Decidueye seems to be more adept at this type of combat.

Qiao Ran and Dianxi exchanged a few words, and soon the two stood up and walked toward the pit where Tapu Lele had fallen.

Looking up from the ground, Qiao Ran had always thought that Dianxi's figure was actually quite similar to Tapu Lele's, but now Qiao Ran finally realized that Tapu Lele, whose body was contained in the "jar," seemed to be a tiny bit bigger than Dianxi with the jar inside.

"Master, she's Illuminate...!"

Suddenly, a bright light emanated from the fallen Tapu Lele. Dianxi, extremely alert, stepped in front of Qiao Ran. Could this thing actually be playing dead?

"It's okay, it should be the same as last time..."

As Qiao Ran had predicted, after Tapu Lele's body emitted light, it turned into specks of light and disappeared into the space. The space around Qiao Ran and Dianxi trembled, as if time were flowing backward, and the broken Floating Island gradually closed up.

Scenes from the past at the Life Ruins were replayed before Qiao Ran and Dianxi.

The past of the Life Ruins was not much different from that of the Ruins of Abundance, basically rising and falling with the prosperity and decline of Alola. However, the only thing that has not changed is that almost every year a large number of people come to the Life Ruins to worship and visit. Unlike the Ruins of Abundance, which is now located in the desert, the Life Ruins are located in a vibrant hilly area. Moreover, in order to protect the environment, the residents of Akala Island have not carried out any development on this area.

The only "development" might be the cemetery located in "Memorial Hill".

Most of the people who come to the Ruins of Abundance are also worshippers who come to pay homage to the deceased.

As the life goddess of Alola, Tapu Lele has always fulfilled her responsibilities as the Island deity throughout this long period of time. She will protect what she likes without hesitation, but she will destroy what she dislikes.

Tapu Lele's innocence made the residents of Alola increasingly revere this capricious Island deity, and even among the four Tapu, she was the one most often mentioned.

"..."

When Qiao Ran and Dianxi regained consciousness, a faint light appeared before their eyes.

That was the Sun, something that could not possibly exist in that Torn World.

"Dianxi?"

"Ti?"

Qiao Ran and Dianxi exchanged a glance, and after confirming that the other was alright, they quickly looked around.

They were currently inside the Life Ruins, in the central Ritual hall. The dark purple mist that had been there earlier was no longer visible, and bright sunlight streamed in through the openings above, illuminating the entire "Cave" brightly.

Around them, several girls and Pokémon stood in a circle, looking at each other with some confusion.

"Just... just now?" Mei looked completely confused.

"Where am I?"

Cynthia also reached out her hand; in her memory, it seemed like just now...

It was probably... when she and Qiao Ran were covering the rear, and then Qiao Ran pulled her along to try and escape?

"Ah! Who's that over there...?"

Suddenly, Acerola, who was standing nearby, exclaimed. She pointed to the entrance of the cave, where a blue-haired girl was lying straight.

"Lana!"

Acerola quickly ran over to check on the other person, but the other person seemed to have lost consciousness. No matter how much Acerola called out to them, the other person did not wake up or respond.

Is she alright?

The others also gathered around with some concern. Although they themselves were not clear about the current situation, the unconscious Lana still worried everyone.

"Let me take a look."

Qiao Ran leaned forward, placed his hand on her shoulder, and used his Aura Power to sense her life force.

A short while

Then he opened his eyes again.

"... Everything is normal. She probably just fainted normally and will wake up in a little while."

As the controller of the Aura Power, Qiao Ran could not directly diagnose Lana, but he had no problem observing her vitality and Psychic. From these aspects, he could also see what Lana's current condition was.

"That's good, that's good..."

Hearing Qiao Ran's words, Acerola and the others were relieved.

Qiao Ran removed his hand from Lana's body and prepared to stand up from the ground. However, having already exhausted a lot of energy, he had obviously overestimated his condition and staggered on the ground.

Cynthia quickly helped Qiao Ran up, looking at his face with some suspicion.

Are you alright?

"... It's nothing. Something just happened when you guys came to your senses."

Qiao Ran did not refuse Jue Cynthia's kindness; he was indeed somewhat tired at the moment.

Something happened...

After pondering Qiao Ran's words and considering the changes that had occurred within the Life Ruins, the people present basically came to their senses. After all... something similar had happened before.

"Wait, does this mean you're alone over there again?"

Cynthia also looked at Qiao Ran with a face full of surprise.

"... I held your hand back then, so... you're still all alone...?"

"Um."

Qiao Ran himself didn't know the specifics, but that was all he could remember.

"Perhaps... these methods won't work."

Although Qiao Ran didn't believe from the beginning that holding hands could completely prevent this situation from happening, it was still meaningful to make some beneficial attempts, as it was a decent idea.

Over the next few minutes, Qiao Ran and Cynthia briefly recounted their experiences over there, mainly their battle with Tapu Lele and some things they had overheard at the Light Orb.

However, before Qiao Ran could finish speaking, a beam of light suddenly shone from the center of the Ritual hall, above the Altar on the steps.

--It was a faint pinkish light, a color that Qiao Ran had seen countless times in that Torn World.

As the light grew increasingly dazzling, a Pokémon with pink hair and a black body, its lower half almost entirely contained within a cocoon-shaped container, appeared before everyone.

This is Tapu Lele, the island god of Alora Akala.

"..."

Everyone watched this scene in silence. If Lana were still awake at this moment, she would probably have cried out in surprise.

"Te... tete..."

As soon as she appeared before the crowd, Tapu Lele curiously observed the people standing in front of her with her big eyes. Unlike the image she had seen in the Distortion World, Tapu Lele had clearly returned to her normal state.

Her gaze swept over everyone, and finally, when she saw Qiao Ran and Dianxi, her eyes stopped there.

"Tete!"

Tapu Lele rushed over and enthusiastically pounced on Qiao Ran, a smile of excitement on her face, expressing her feelings as purely as a child.

"It... seems to really like you?"

The girls standing nearby were all taken aback. Logically speaking, Qiao Ran and Tapu Lele were meeting for the first time, so how could they be so intimate?

"... Ha... haha." Qiao Ran was also somewhat at a loss, and Dianxi, who was standing to the side, was also frozen in place. She probably didn't expect that the Pokémon she had battled in that shattered space was actually such a guy.

Faced with Tapu Lele's enthusiasm, Qiao Ran had no way to explain anything. Humans might not understand Tapu Lele's language, but Dianxi understood perfectly well. This girl kept shouting "I like you" and then pounced on him—wasn't that a bit too outrageous?

"..."

However, Dianxi had no intention of explaining for the time being, since Qiao Ran hadn't asked.

"Okay, okay, let's stop."

Qiao Ran was already somewhat weak, and with Tapu Lele constantly pouncing on him, he was unable to reciprocate her enthusiasm.

"Tete."

Tapu Lele looked up, seemingly noticing what had happened, but quickly clapped her hands and laughed again.

Leaving Qiao Ran's embrace, her body floated into the air. Then, some shimmering Shield Dust scattered from beneath her and landed on Qiao Ran and the others.

"This is..."

Qiao Ran stretched out her hand and looked at her palm.

When the Shield Dust fell on him, they gradually disappeared like snowflakes—and a power entered his body, quickly healing his injuries and replenishing his energy.

The others were the same; they all looked at their own bodies with curiosity. Although they hadn't been injured, they still felt that their spirits seemed to have improved considerably.

Even the Lana lying down,

The furrowed brows relaxed.

"Is this the power of the Island deity?"

Cynthia nodded gently as she watched this miraculous scene unfold before her.

As the life goddess of Alola, Tapu Lele's Shield Dust do indeed have their own unique properties. Especially for Qiao Ran, this ability has refreshed his understanding. You see... for a long time before, he couldn't replenish his "energy" after it was depleted. He could only wait for his body to slowly recover. But Tapu Lele's Shield Dust actually have the effect of restoring his energy.

"Tete!"