Chapter 379

Someone who was close to Champion suddenly took on the job of Pokémon Professor? The only person I've ever seen with such a talent is Cynthia.

"Alright, then let's head straight to that city."

Qiao Ran nodded. If everyone gathered together, it would reduce the time he would spend searching for them one by one.

"... If all goes well, we should be able to reach the Ruins on the island tomorrow."

Unlike Tapu Bulu and Tapu Lele, the Island deity of Melemele Island is Tapu Koko, a "Deity" representing war. In legends, it has the most violent and warlike personality. Unlike Tapu Lele's pure innocence and Tapu Koko Tapu Bulu's quiet composure, this Tapu may be the most skilled in battle.

Among the Tapu, its type might not be the most difficult for Qiao Ran to deal with. However, rather than facing a Tapu that is good at fighting, Qiao Ran would prefer to fight Tapu Bulu or Tapu Lele.

After all, in the Pokémon World, not every Legendary Pokémon, who is born with extraordinary power, is particularly combative or has extensive battle experience. Apart from Zacian, who achieved his status through countless battles, most legendary Pokémon rely on their innate advantages most of the time.

Among them, those who are belligerent and warlike become an extremely rare minority.

Starting from the easternmost beach of Melemele Island, Qiao Ran and his companions began heading west. On this beach, they saw a small house built by the sea, which was the research lab of Kukui, the island's only Pokémon Professor.

However, due to the invasion of Ultra Beast, he seems to have abandoned this place, and the hut looks somewhat crooked and twisted.

"Mei, you got your first Pokémon here, right?"

"Um."

Qiao Ran noticed that Mei was staring at something and couldn't help but ask her. Ever since arriving on this island, Mei had often been staring blankly at certain places. Indeed, this place held too many memories for her.

As the place where her adventure began, Mei naturally has vivid memories of these things.

After leaving the beach, Qiao Ran and the others entered the outskirts of Hau'oli City. In this area, besides a huge Pokémon School, Mei's house is also located.

As they flew overhead, Mei spotted her home, Qiao Ran couldn't help but ask her a question.

"Are you really not going to go take a look?"

"No need, my mother isn't here, and I haven't been staying here for very long. I'll come again another time."

Mei shook her head again. She had only moved to this area and hadn't lived in this "home" for very long. She cared more about the people inside than the house itself.

Most importantly, she didn't want to slow down the team's progress again because of her. Moreover, if they landed now, they would definitely be surrounded by Ultra Beast again. Flying through the sky was already very dangerous, and she couldn't add to their burden.

"Okay, let's wait for an opportunity."

I'll come again.

Qiao Ran smiled and looked at her. Although he really wanted to comfort her, he had to be wary of those Ultra Beasts and couldn't do anything else right now.

Passing by one's own home without going in must be a very unpleasant experience.

After another two hours, Qiao Ran and the others, who were approaching from the air, finally saw the outline of the city. Judging from its appearance, the buildings here were indeed much taller than those in Konikoni City, and it already had the style of a metropolis.

As a region composed entirely of islands, Alola Region's natural conditions are not very good. Not only is its land area not large enough, but some essential materials can only be imported from other regions. Although Alola has many unique things of its own, what determines a place's development is always its weakness. It is already a very rare thing that Alola has such a city now.

"... Who are you?"

Similar to the situation on Akala Island, Qiao Ran and his group encountered a group of Trainer stationed in the area surrounding the city.

However, unlike the stone walls built with Olivia's help on Akala Island, the situation here is much more shabby, consisting of only some stones and wire mesh. Nevertheless, as the largest city in Alola, there are many more people here who can help, and it can be seen that these Trainer are quite disciplined.

"We are..." Qiao Ran was about to explain when Mei and Acerola stepped forward and interrupted him.

"Let us handle things here in Alola."

"Yes."

Both of them were clearly very familiar with the situation, and when they stepped forward, the Trainer opposite them was immediately stunned.

"Captain Acerola from Ula'ula Island?"

"And this one is...?"

"I seem to remember... did you participate in the Island Challenge?"

Seeing that Mei and Acerola quickly became friends with the Trainer on the other side, Qiao Ran could only shrug helplessly. It seemed that they did have some influence in this area. Even though Mei hadn't won the Pokémon League Champion, her reputation had already spread.

After learning about Mei and Acerola's identities, the Trainer who were initially wary of them immediately became friendly.

"Alola! You must have had a long and tiring journey coming from other islands."

"What's the situation on the other islands? Since you were able to come here, you must be..."

Moreover, they excitedly inquired about the situation outside. They had been trapped on the island for a very long time, and some of them had even come from other islands to find work in big cities. They never expected this to happen, and now they were stuck here unable to escape.

"The other islands are already launching a counterattack against the Ultra Beast. Tapu Lele and Tapu Bulu are helping as well."

Qiao Ran and the others briefly explained the situation, and then followed the Trainer into the city.

As the largest metropolis, even after entering the city limits, Qiao Ran and his group will likely need to spend a considerable amount of time reaching the central area.

Fortunately, there were no other means of transportation available, so Qiao Ran and his companions could use the power of Pokémon to help them travel. Other Trainer seemed to be doing the same.

Finally, after spending quite some time, the group arrived at a multi-story building, which seemed to be their destination.

"This is the current residence of our Island Kahuna. He's the one who's helping to command the city's defenses against the Ultra Beast's attacks. If you have any questions, you can ask him."

In the Alola Region, the titles of Island Kahuna or Island Kahuna, if strictly defined, do not actually wield much real power in daily life. However, as representatives of the "Island deity," their existence is more like that of a highly respected elder. When any intractable difficulties arise on the island, everyone will think of them first.

Hala, the Island Kahuna Melemele Island, is a very approachable person.

--After Qiao Ran and the others knocked on the door, a burly old man with white hair and a white beard appeared before them and opened the door. His skin was a healthy tan, and his face was resolute. Even though he looked quite old, his body was still full of strength, and he looked like a human Hariyama.

Alola.

He first greeted the large group of people in front of him, and then he saw several very familiar faces.

"... Acerola... Mei? And who are you all?"

"Chairwoman Lusamine?"

Unlike the other Trainer, only a few of the younger Trainer recognized Lusamine as the chairperson, but Hala, as the Island Kahuna, had met Lusamine more than once.

But... how did such a large group of people get together like this?

"Come in first. Since you're here, you must have come from other islands, right? Are you tired?"

Hala laughed heartily, then moved his enormous body aside, making way for the crowd.

People made way.

"This is my temporary residence. My original house in Iki Town... it couldn't be defended anymore because there were too many Ultra Beast there."

Hala did not originally live in the city. He preferred to live near Tapu Koko, which was also his hometown, rather than in the hustle and bustle of the city.

Hala welcomed everyone into his house and scanned their faces. Although he didn't recognize many of them, as a Pokémon Trainer specializing in Fighting type- type Pokémon, he not only trained his Pokémon but also his own body. He sensed a very powerful aura emanating from these people.

This feeling alone is enough to demonstrate their strength.

These people must all be very skilled Trainer.

"... Crabominable."

Suddenly, Hala released its Pokémon, a crab-type Pokémon covered in white fur. However, what was very strange was that its pincers were not actually pincers like other crabs, but rather resembled two huge "fists." Moreover, its entire body was covered in very strong muscles, full of explosive power.

"Go to the research institute and inform Professor Kukui and Captain Ilima to bring them here."

Hala clearly realized the importance of the matter, so he sent out his Pokémon to summon the strongest Trainer on the island. Although Qiao Ran and the others had not yet spoken, the status of Lusamine, Acerola, and Mei was enough to warrant such treatment.

Moreover, their presence here now must mean they've broken through the numerous blockades Ultra Beast outside, and Hala is quite interested in why they were able to do that.

Qiao Ran and the others sat down in the living room, and everyone briefly introduced themselves to Hala. However, before they could start chatting in depth, the Crabominable that Hala had sent earlier brought over the two people that Hala had wanted to call.

One of them was a tall, muscular man in his thirties with brownish skin, wearing only a white lab coat on his upper body, a white hat on his head, and green-rimmed glasses with a very "scientific research style".

The other one was a young man with pinkish-brown hair and brown skin. Although his attire was quite simple, his attitude was meticulous.

Upon seeing these two appear, Qiao Ran recognized them almost immediately. The one in the white coat was clearly Professor Kukui from Alola, while the other was Ilima, the Normal-type Captain on the island.

However, Qiao Ran couldn't help but think of another very strange thing.

In Konikoni City, the Island Kahuna and two Captain are all women, but in Mei's hometown, it's completely the opposite...

And coincidentally, all three had brownish skin, which was hard not to find odd. Could this be some regional characteristic of the island? Would Mei tone change after staying here for a while?

"Perfect timing, you've arrived too."

King Hala of the Island Kahuna first greeted the two visitors.

"Mei, Acerola, you both know each other, right?"

"Certainly."

Kukui and Ilima both nodded. As the Captain, they naturally knew Acerola, and Mei was also a junior who had left a very deep impression on them.

"Hello, Professor." Mei stood up to greet Kukui, showing great respect for the professor who had given her her Starter Pokémon.

Furthermore, I heard that during the crisis, it was the doctor and his wife who helped his mother evacuate from the dangerous place, a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.

"Mei... Hmm, it has been a while since I last saw her. She looks like she's grown quite a bit taller."

Professor Kukui nodded in satisfaction. Although he hadn't contacted Mei directly, he had been keeping track of her movements through many Captain and friends. Mei's progress, in particular, had moved even this senior doctor.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he genuinely hopes that Mei, or some other Trainer, can reach that level and then carry the banner of Alola.

Pity.

"I was really hoping that you Trainer would grow up and participate in the first Alola Pokémon League that I organized, but it all fell through in the end, hahaha."

Despite saying discouraging things, Kukui still laughed with his hands on his hips. This doctor was indeed different from the meticulous doctors in other regions. Not only did he maintain a smile at all times, but his angular, well-developed physique also made him look less like a scientific researcher and more like a masked wrestler who had jumped off some kind of Battlefield.

"The Alola League is truly a pity; it was indeed the first step for Alola to go global."

Hala, the Island Kahuna, also shook his head. As an elder of the Alola Region, he was initially not very optimistic about the prospects of the so-called "Pokémon League." However, after his disciple, Kukui, the first Pokémon Professor of Alola, persistently persuaded him...

His attitude also changed drastically.

Kukui has indeed learned a lot from the outside world and has been constantly contributing to the progress of Alola.

After chatting for a few minutes with some acquaintances, it was time for Qiao Ran and the others to introduce themselves to each other, since apart from Acerola and the other locals, no one else knew each other.

But...

The only thing Qiao Ran wanted to complain about was that, although apart from Hala who occupied a whole sofa, everyone else present was a girl, and he knew that Kukui and Ilima had nowhere else to sit, the atmosphere Qiao Ran suddenly became tense when they sat on either side of him, especially when Kukui's muscular body was flashing beside him.

Among the introductions, Mei and Qiao Ran were both Trainer who hadn't made a real name for themselves, so they didn't have much to say about themselves. But every time it was Cynthia's turn to introduce herself, she always managed to scare a lot of people.

"Varied..."

Kukui froze on the spot.

"The Sinnoh Champion?"

As Alola who had ventured out of Alola, Kukui had naturally heard about the Sinnoh League. However, his adventures were over a decade ago, and after returning to Alola, he devoted himself entirely to research and Pokémon League building, rarely paying attention to anything outside.

"... Back then, I challenged the Kanto League and was Defeat by a Trainer wearing a cloak and using Pokémon. He seems to have Champion -level strength now."

Unlike others, Kukui does have a rudimentary understanding of what constitutes "Champion strength." Unlike the Alola Region where she resides, other regions have Trainer far more powerful than the Island Kahuna.

"Champion is just a title. I am also a mythologist, Professor Kukui."

Cynthia smiled. She didn't really want to attract so much attention, although it always seemed to happen every time she introduced herself.

"If you don't mind, there's no need to use any honorifics towards me. I've also read your research paper on Pokémon moves, and it truly is the first paper in the world to have such a thorough understanding of Z-Move."

"No, no..."

Hearing Cynthia's words, Kukui scratched his head sheepishly. Although he was indeed outstanding in Alola, he knew he was still far behind on a global scale.

"I just studied something unique to Alola and managed to find a loophole."

"There's no such thing as taking shortcuts in scientific research; if you don't have the real skills, you simply can't do it."

Cynthia and Kukui immediately started exchanging compliments, while Hala, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but watch while sipping his tea. As expected of a scholar from another region, he spoke with the same eloquence as Kukui.

After the mutual flattery ended, Qiao Ran and the others began to explain the purpose of their visit and the intelligence they had gathered on the other islands.

On Ula'ula Island, the Ultra Beast have been largely eliminated. Most of Ultra Beast have been captured and placed in Poké Ball, where they are managed by members of the Aether Foundation. Researchers can obtain necessary data to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. Akala Island has likely already begun a similar operation.

However, if they have the chance later, Qiao Ran and the others will probably have to send these Ultra Beast back to their original space. After all, Ultra Beast are invasive species from other worlds.

"Wait, I have a question. What's the deal with the Tapu on the other islands also helping to drive out the Ultra Beast?"

Hara listened to Qiao Ran and the others explain the situation step by step, but some things still left Hala with questions. For example, what exactly happened to the Tapu on the other islands? Was it just that their Melemele Island was different, with no Tapu coming out to help?

"... You must have helped with something, right?"