Chapter 385

The situation on the field was already at an all-or-nothing level; the opponent was an Island deity of a region, while on their side... there were only two humans.

"Cynthia, don't worry about that now."

Qiao Ran grabbed Cynthia's hand, and the two of them started running.

"Qiao Ran?"

Cynthia was somewhat puzzled, but based on her short observations since arriving here, she had already figured out quite a few things.

The Tapu Koko in the sky seems to be their enemy, and neither she nor Qiao Ran seems to have any way to send out Pokémon for the time being.

The question Qiao Ran asked her before was definitely because he was hoping she would have Pokémon to use.

"There's no time, we have to run."

Judging from Tapu Koko state, even if it's more "calm" than the previous Tapu, it probably won't last long. It will definitely launch a direct attack on them at that point.

"Hide for as long as you can!"

He couldn't possibly expect himself and Cynthia to fight Tapu Koko, could he?

This isn't some strange world!

As it turns out, after frequently participating in archaeological excavations, Cynthia's physical fitness is quite excellent. Even though her running speed is slightly slower than Qiao Ran's, she doesn't fall too far behind. In the Pokémon World, the human body is not completely weak. For example, some Trainer who are good at Fighting type- type Pokémon train themselves while training their Pokémon, and eventually they can even exchange a few blows with Pokémon.

Of course, this only applies when the Pokémon "not using any moves," and that's just a regular Pokémon.

"Qiao... Qiao Ran! Is there any way out of here?"

While following Qiao Ran as he fled and dodged his skills, Cynthia roughly learned about the situation here. This place was undoubtedly the "Torn World" that Qiao Ran had mentioned before. The eerie scene and the bottomless sky and ground all matched the ancient records.

"No... Generally, you have to Defeat the opponent to do that, but I've already wasted one chance to summon Pokémon."

Qiao Ran, panting, gave an answer. Fortunately, Tapu Koko didn't really launch a full-scale attack on them. Instead, it seemed to be toying with them, covering the entire area with electricity, which gave Qiao Ran and Cynthia some space to escape.

Furthermore, Tapu Koko's Ability — Electric Surge —has not been activated, and the field is not covered with a golden Electric Field.

These are all signs that the opponent hasn't gone all out.

"Wasting a chance to summon Pokémon... Wait, you wouldn't happen to be...?"

Cynthia's expression also turned to surprise. She had clearly realized something, and considering what had happened when she emerged from the Poké Ball earlier, the current situation was self-evident.

"Uh... haha... ha."

Qiao Ran's lips twitched, and he could only turn his head away, laughing awkwardly a few times. But what could he do? Even in the face of such a desperate situation, he still had to run down with a smile.

"Anyway, we'll hide and try to figure something out."

Now they can only take it one step at a time. Moreover, because Tapu Koko uses electric attacks, the Floating Island beneath their feet did not crack open as it did when they faced Tapu Lele and Tapu Bulu.

However, as time went on, the Floating Island, having absorbed too much electricity, began to shimmer with a strange light. If this continued, the situation probably wouldn't be good...

We have to find a way... find a way...

Qiao Ran could only rack his brains, trying to find something useful or a feasible solution nearby...

The Pokémon World.

Mei and the others guarding outside the Ruins were also fighting continuously. Since Cynthia and Qiao Ran entered the Ruins, their pressure has increased a lot. Although the three Pokémon left behind by Cynthia are very strong, without Trainer, they can only fight on their own. Moreover, compared with Cynthia's departure, the biggest problem is Qiao Ran's departure.

Mei and Acerola could both clearly sense that their judgment had begun to decline after Qiao Ran left. Originally, there was Qiao Ran, who was able to take command at a higher level on the battlefield, but after Qiao Ran was gone, they both began to feel lost.

Some things are only missed when they are gone, and only then do we realize how important they were. In ordinary battles, Qiao Ran's influence is always subtle and imperceptible, but the significance of his existence is extremely important.

"They'll definitely be done soon."

Kukui also constantly encourages others, and for the sake of this island and the future of Alola, he will never back down.

Furthermore, in order to cover Qiao Ran and Cynthia while fighting, they also had to protect the Ruins themselves. To prevent the Trainer from being distracted, they devised their own strategies: Kukui Mei, and the Pokémon left behind by Cynthia would focus on Defeat the attacking Ultra Beast; while Acerola and the Pokémon left behind by Qiao Ran would focus on protecting the Ruins, ensuring that the aftershocks of any sudden attacks would dissipate outside the Ruins.

Ghost Type Pokémon from Acerola are indeed very suitable for this task.

However, the Ultra Beast seemed endless, constantly surging in. The War Ruins surrounded by mountains were indeed too easy to attract attention. Almost no normal person would start a war here, but Mei and the others could only do their best to protect this place.

Qiao Ran... you guys need to hurry!

Mei could only think this to herself.

"Running away isn't a solution."

"But we... have no way to attack them!"

"..."

In the Torn World, Qiao Ran and Cynthia have been on the run for some time. During this time, they have been exhausted just from dodging the enemy's attacks, and these are only the attacks launched by the enemy in a casual manner.

For a human to face a legendary Pokémon is like facing heaven and earth; it's no wonder that some people worship these Pokémon as Deity, as unattainable beings.

The two are simply incomparable.

During their escape, Qiao Ran came up with some clumsy ideas, such as "throwing stones at Tapu Koko," but these were ultimately not effective solutions.

He even slammed the already opened Poké Ball onto Cynthia's head, but aside from getting a glare from her, Qiao Ran didn't get any benefit from it.

Once Poké Ball has been opened, it cannot be used to pull Cynthia back into its original position.

Cynthia, who was summoned Pokémon, did not receive any power boosts. She could no longer defeat Caterpie with a single punch, nor could she Spit Up fire. All her abilities remained unchanged.

It's safe to say that Qiao Ran and Cynthia have reached a dead end.

"Koke..."

Tapu Koko in the sky seemed to be annoyed by the two's performance. Covet a full-on battle, but this wasn't what it Covet.

It's pointless.

These things are meaningless now.

It's fed up.

Let's just destroy all of this.

"Koke...!!!"

A Golden light emanated from its body, quickly covering the entire Floating Island and coating Floating Island surface with a thin Golden film.

--Electrical Electric Terrain.

Each Island deity has its own unique Battle Court Ability, and the entire Battle Court changes the moment they appear.

When he challenged the Electric-type Gym in Yangcheng before, Qiao Ran had witnessed the terrifying power of Electric Terrain more than once. However, the Battle Court created by Tapu Koko still defied his expectations.

The crackling electricity flowed across the ground, as lively as boiling oil in a pan. The pure "Golden" light filled Qiao Ran's vision, and he could no longer see any other colors.

"Qiao Ran!"

"...!"

Amidst Cynthia's exclamation, Tapu Koko had vanished from its spot, and then, at a speed that Qiao Ran couldn't even catch, it suddenly appeared in front of the two of them.

Even among all the Island deity, Tapu Koko's speed is among the best, with a base speed stat of 130, which is enough to make it stand out from most Pokémon.

Blinding lightning crackled from its body; this time, it had no intention of holding back.

Since it doesn't give me any hope whatsoever, I might as well just end it here.

"...!"

Qiao Ran and Cynthia were both aware of the approaching danger, but when they tried to step out, they found their bodies frozen in place, Paralysis and stiff.

Is this... because of the Electric Terrain?

Or is it because of the electric current that seeped into the Floating Island before?

Both of them widened their eyes simultaneously. The human body indeed had no way to resist such an attack. Even some electric currents that Pokémon could resist would produce unexpected effects when applied to them.

It's... it's all over!

Both Qiao Ran and Cynthia couldn't help but have the same thought flash through their minds: they probably never imagined that they would end up in this place.

--As Trainer, I fell in the Battlefield against Pokémon.

"...!"

Golden lightning crackled from Tapu Koko's body. Throughout history, lightning has been one of the most awe-inspiring natural phenomena, and Tapu Koko, possessing this power, became the war god of Alola.

This time, it intends to Punishment two humans who have committed crimes.

We're doomed.

As Qiao Ran watched the electric sparks spreading before him, this idea began to take shape in his mind.

Faced with such a natural disaster, humanity's most primal fears have been awakened, much like the earliest humans witnessing lightning strike from the sky, Slash trees and igniting the first flames on the ground—a "miracle" beyond human comprehension.

Although this wasn't the first time Qiao Ran had felt such despair during his long adventures, this time was different. In the past, Qiao Ran could have hoped for a "special being" or some kind of unexpected event to suddenly appear and save him from his predicament.

But this time—it was completely, utterly, completely different.

In this empty, nonexistent, and inescapable space where even Tapu would be trapped, there is no longer any "accident" that can save him.

The only one who could stand by his side was Cynthia, who had been summoned by him and appeared beside him.

"I'm sorry... Cynthia. This place should have been mine..."

"What are you saying? Why bring this up at a time like this?"

Qiao Ran instinctively wanted to apologize to Cynthia, since it was his mistake that Zhu Lan was there. However, Cynthia interrupted Qiao Ran.

--If something happens to Qiao Ran, what's the point of leaving them all outside? Can she really stop this catastrophe that's shaking the entire Pokémon World by herself?

Having been in the Pokémon World for so long, Cynthia has lost the initial ambition to single-handedly save the Pokémon World from its predicament. Battle after battle has made her realize that no matter how strong she is, she will still be incredibly vulnerable when facing a large number of enemies.

Only when they become a team can they have the potential to change everything, and Qiao Ran, as the absolute center, certainly cannot fall here. For the Pokémon World, Qiao Ran is absolutely, positively Heavy Slam than her, and for the sake of the Pokémon World, Cynthia will make her own choice.

So, even at this moment, she was still thinking about a way out of the impasse, still believing that there was definitely a chance for the two of them to survive somewhere.

However, the lightning bolt, shooting straight at us, showed no time or mercy. The merciless lightning judged everything before it with impartiality, its immense power seemingly electrifying the very air, giving it a burnt smell.

In the last second before the current surged forth, while Cynthia was still pondering, Qiao Ran, who had been muttering to himself, suddenly turned around and, without any mercy, shoved Cynthia hard, then turned his back to meet the lightning.

"...!"

No one reacted in time, not even Cynthia herself could figure out Qiao Ran's actions, but anyone could see his purpose at that moment.

No!!!

All of this exploded in Cynthia's heart like a thunderclap, and she wanted to shout...

The sound, but—it was already too late.

Golden light spread across Qiao Ran's entire body, turning his hair Golden. Cynthia, who had been pushed away, rolled several times on the ground. She was certain that Qiao Ran had used all his strength at that moment; the powerful force made her body ache slightly.

However, this is no longer the time to focus on these things.

All that remained in her gaze was Qiao Ran.

"..."

Everything... is over.

The human body certainly cannot withstand such a powerful attack. Humans can withstand the Electric-type attacks of ordinary Pokémon, but when Pokémon reach a certain level, such as Elite Trainer or Elite Four level or above, it is beyond the range that humans can resist.

And as for Legendary Pokémon like Tapu Koko, a single attack like this is enough to kill. It is precisely because of this that Tapu Koko, which can reap lives at will on the battlefield, is called the "God of War". Wherever Tapu Koko, that side will have an invincible belief in victory.

"..."

At that moment, time seemed to freeze. Qiao Ran, standing in front of Cynthia, remained upright, but his tattered clothes reflected the severe damage. Even so, he did not utter a single cry of pain. This powerful willpower moved Cynthia deeply.

Why... is it like this?

Qiao Ran's excellence had impressed her in every way, but now it's all over.

The crackling lightning gradually dissipated, and Cynthia raised her head again. No matter how unwilling she was to face this cruel scene, she could not give up the hope for survival that Qiao Ran had created for her.

She is still alive.

That means... there's still a chance.

Determined not to let Qiao Ran's efforts go to waste, Cynthia mustered all her strength and stood up. She could continue, though there might come a moment when she couldn't hold on any longer. But now she was representing more than just herself.