Chapter 388

"... Latias, Mew, you two should go too."

The appearance of Cynthia's Pokémon directly changed the course of the battle. Qiao Ran also sent out several Psychic Pokémon that had followed him into the Cave. Of course, sending them there wasn't just to participate in the battle; cleaning up the battlefield and putting those Ultra Beast into the Pokémon was also a very necessary process.

After all, only by putting them into Poké Ball can secondary damage from Ultra Beast be prevented. Then, whether they are handed over to the Aether Foundation or placed in the Wild Area, they can be managed in a unified manner.

"Qiao Ran!"

"... Cynthia! You're finally back!"

Upon seeing Qiao Ran and Cynthia appear, the people present couldn't help but get excited. This was probably not only because they were already at their limit, as Qiao Ran and Cynthia undoubtedly relieved their pressure, but more importantly—after disappearing for an hour, they must have successfully and safely completed their mission to get here.

Rescue Tapu Koko!

"Okay, once we clean up this mess, we can start our retreat."

Qiao Ran nodded and smiled to indicate that everything was going smoothly. Although Tapu Koko had not yet appeared before them when they left the Ruins, Qiao Ran believed that it was only a matter of time.

Sure enough, not long after Qiao Ran and Cynthia joined the battle, a golden bolt of lightning shot out from the Ruins, and that was Island deity with the shape of a bird.

"Tapu Koko! It really appeared!"

Kukui looked up at the sky. Even though he was over thirty years old and had experienced so much, he couldn't help but feel excited to see Tapu again.

"Koke!!!!"

Tapu Koko in the sky also let out a loud shout, and several bolts of lightning began to spread from around it. As the god of war, it had already thrown itself into the battlefield before it the moment it appeared.

Only Qiao Ran and Cynthia couldn't help but worry.

This guy was knocked to the ground by Tapu Lele before, and now he's still Sheer Force using skills like this. Won't that cause some problems?

As expected, just as Qiao Ran and Cynthia predicted, Tapu Koko reappeared in the Pokémon World. Its fighting style was still all about recklessness. Even when its stamina was already low, it still wanted to charge into the group of Ultra Beast and start a fight.

Fortunately, Qiao Ran had anticipated this and had Latias had been constantly teleporting and throwing balls, pull the opponent back. However, even after being pulled back, Tapu Koko still stared at Qiao Ran with a rather unwilling expression, his face full of awkwardness.

Unlike the relatively calm Tapu Bulu and the very excited Tapu Lele, Tapu Koko is clearly a problematic child. It definitely remembers what happened with Qiao Ran in that space before, and it probably...

I don't know how to react.

"You can rest for a bit, let's break through first."

Qiao Ran could only try to calm it down by saying a few words, like coaxing a child. After all, he had experience dealing with Pokémon with this kind of personality before, and Yveltal was much more powerful than this one.

As expected, these words had a good effect on Tapu Koko, stabilizing the situation. Qiao Ran and Cynthia exchanged glances and basically agreed on a breakout plan.

Professor Kukui's situation wasn't a big problem either. With his strength, he would definitely be able to follow up immediately after seeing Qiao Ran and the others start to move. Moreover, it was precisely because of Tapu Koko's appearance that Kukui became energetic again, and he and Incineroar seemed to have been injected with chicken blood and experienced a second spring.

"That's enough, let's charge out together!"

After leaving the War Ruins, Qiao Ran and the others retraced their steps. Perhaps having witnessed the number of Ultra Beast near the War Ruins, Tapu Koko did not stay there but followed Qiao Ran and the others.

By the time Qiao Ran and the others returned to the city, it was already night. They had set off in the morning and it had taken them a whole day to finish everything. Fortunately, although the process was full of dangers, the final result was still very satisfactory.

Although it was a pity that Tapu Lele didn't appear with them, this gave Qiao Ran a reason to go see her sooner rather than later.

Perhaps I should go see her again soon.

However... given Tapu Lele's situation, Qiao Ran had a feeling that she wouldn't even need to do anything for Die Die to find herself.

So, what exactly happened that night?

"..."

Qiao Ran was puzzled, but when the group arrived at the city's checkpoint, they were surprised to find that Hala was already waiting there.

As the Island Kahuna, and an old man with gray hair, he still insists on his post and has not shirked his responsibilities.

"That's great... you really did it. That's fantastic!"

Upon seeing Tapu, the old man couldn't help but burst into laughter, as if he had become decades younger.

"My God! Tapu, it really is Tapu!"

"God of War!"

Tapu Koko is here to help us!

The other residents on the island cheered and excitedly spread the news. Qiao Ran and the others also benefited from Tapu's presence and received a warm welcome. However, Qiao Ran and Cynthia, who were still somewhat shaken from the previous battle, now seemed a little overwhelmed.

"Alright, alright, you guys can celebrate again tomorrow. We all need to get some rest."

Kukui standing nearby, seemed to have noticed this and directly stopped the enthusiastic islanders. After all, he was also a participant in the battle. As the strongest Trainer guarding the outside of the Ruins, he was also under great pressure.

"Yes, you all go about your work first, come back tomorrow. Get a good night's sleep tonight." Hala nodded in agreement. Everyone was a little too excited, but now wasn't the time to be.

"Qiao Ran! Mei!... You're alright, that's great!"

From the crowd, several heads that Qiao Ran recognized immediately peeked out. Lillie Mei had appeared there at some point, probably having waited quite a while. Behind them, Lusamine Mei's mother were also present. It was unclear when, but the two mothers seemed to have started chatting together.

Wait... what do these two have in common?

As Qiao Ran pondered, a sudden unease gripped her, and for some reason, a very dangerous thought crossed her mind. She quickly stopped herself from thinking further. "Mei and Lillie... they probably won't say anything, right?"

"..."

His fighting spirit hadn't even subsided when he witnessed such a horrific scene.

Fortunately, the focus of the event was still on Tapu Koko, the Island deity. After dismissing the onlookers, Qiao Ran and the others didn't go back to their rooms to rest. They still had some issues to discuss with Tapu Koko.

"Then let's go to my place, it's quite big."

Hala offered his suggestion.

"Even though I told you I didn't need such a big house, Kukui still persuaded me to live here."

"If you don't stay here and go to stay in one of those small rooms, then the rest of us will have to move into even smaller single rooms?"

Kukui smiled and shook his head. Although such a large house was indeed too much for Hala to use alone, he was a special symbol in himself. Moreover, as the Island Kahuna guarded this place, he certainly deserved it.

"... It's a pity my grandson Hau isn't here, otherwise things wouldn't be like this."

Hala didn't say much, simply leading the way. This Island Kahuna actually had a grandson Hau, about the same age as Mei, who was said to be a formidable rival during the Mei Island Challenge. However, Hau wasn't on Melemele Island at the moment; he was probably trapped somewhere.

It's hard to say.

Let's go.

Qiao Ran couldn't help but say something to Cynthia behind him, and the other person nodded.

"Um."

It seems that their understanding of each other has increased considerably since returning from that space.

"Tapu Lele appeared there through some method; according to my speculation, she probably used a passage left behind in the Ruins."

"That's what Rotom said."

At Hala's house, Qiao Ran and the others sat down in turn. Qiao Ran also sent his translator, Rotom, to ask Tapu Koko some key questions.

"A passageway left in the Ruins... Wait, could it be that there are still lingering traces of the Ruins after we left?"

The information Tapu Koko revealed immediately alerted Qiao Ran and the others. They had done a brief exploration of the Ruins after leaving that world, hadn't they? Could it be that they had overlooked something?

"Koke."

Tapu Koko nodded seriously.

"I came out a step late precisely to observe this. It does exist, but it's healing rapidly and should disappear soon. As the Island deity, I can observe it very clearly."

"That's what Rotom said."

Rotom's translation skills have become increasingly sophisticated, to the point that he can even Mimic the other person's intonation while translating, almost to the point of displaying the other person's avatar on the screen Synchronize.

"That world..."

Qiao Ran and Tapu Koko were talking back and forth, while only Cynthia nodded in agreement. The others, especially Kukui and the others who were completely clueless, were utterly bewildered.

Fortunately, after Qiao Ran finished talking with Tapu Koko, he told them everything about what had happened there.

There's no point in hiding it from Professor Kukui and the others. Besides, as highly educated individuals in the Pokémon World, Kukui and Burnet might have different opinions. Most importantly, as the director of the Space Research Lab, Burnet will definitely have her own insights.

"... So, you went to the opposite world of this world before? And both you and Cynthia went there?"

Burnet was also full of surprise after hearing this.

"I'm sorry... My main research has always been about Otherworld, or rather, spatial manipulation within this world. As for Otherworld, I've basically been exploring Otherworld location based on the situation with Ultra Beast. As for this Reverse World, it is indeed a very interesting topic... It would be great if we could bring back some of the kind of substance you mentioned."

"That substance... um."

Qiao Ran and Cynthia exchanged a glance and quickly shook their heads. Cynthia had wanted to observe that thing before, which led to a series of accidents. Moreover, now that they thought about it, both Cynthia and Qiao Ran felt that the thing "knew something," as if it had deliberately chosen a certain moment to do such a thing.

"It's better not to think about that; something might go wrong if we're not careful."

Neither Qiao Ran nor Cynthia would likely want to provoke those things anytime soon.

"Alright, alright." Seeing the two of them like this, Burnet seemed to calm down a bit. However, once a scientist becomes interested in something, she certainly won't just give up so easily.

From now on, this strange Reverse World will definitely fall within Burnet's research scope, especially since there are two people in front of her who have been to that world before. This opportunity is simply too good to pass up.

"By the way, Tapu Koko, could you please restore the energy of the Z-Crystal on this island?"

Suddenly, Qiao Ran remembered another Heavy Slam matter. Besides the necessary questions, restoring the Z-Power on the island so that other Trainer could also use this ability was also a must. However, due to being quite busy before, neither Qiao Ran and his group nor Tapu Koko had the time to do this.

"..."

Tapu Koko nodded silently, his face full of arrogance and seriousness.

Then it spread its arms, and golden energy rose from its body. However—at that moment, a shout came from the room.

"Wait!"

The voice that came out belonged to Hala, the Island Kahuna. In his haste, his loud voice startled everyone in the room, but he quickly softened his tone.

"Wait, Tapu Koko, could you please use your powers outside?"

That last move really startled the old man. If he had used his power inside the house, wouldn't he have torn this little house down?

At the very least, you'd have to completely destroy the few electrical appliances you have, leaving behind a mess and a heartbroken feeling.

"..."

Tapu Koko glanced away, seemingly somewhat reluctant, but slowly withdrew its power. This wasn't the first time it had met Hala; as the island's Island Kahuna, Hala was someone it had watched grow up.

Qiao Ran watched this scene from the side and couldn't help but smile. Although Tapu Koko had repeatedly put him and Cynthia in danger in that space, he also understood that...

It was in a very abnormal state, and its actions were not its intention. Now it seems that it is also a very cute Pokémon.

However... unlike Tapu Lele, whose "gender orientation" is clearly visible, Qiao Ran really doesn't know what state Tapu Koko is in. If it were his own Pokémon, Qiao Ran could judge it from its state, voice, or some other more direct methods. But with Tapu Koko, Qiao Ran just can't figure it out at all.

Logically speaking, if a Pokémon has a species, it should have gender distinctions. However, if Tapu is a unique, native Pokémon, it might be in a "special" state by itself.

After being stopped by Hala from using its power, Tapu Koko ran outside. A Golden aura spread around it, and soon extended further outward, activating the hidden energy within the earth.

"This is..."

"... It really worked!"

Hala and Kukui looked at the Z-Crystal they held in their hands. These Gem were now sparkling with a crystalline light, no longer looking as bleak and dull as before.

Not only them, but probably the other islanders also noticed this.

"Well done." Qiao Ran couldn't help but praise him, while Tapu Koko in the sky still crossed his arms, maintaining his aloof demeanor, and simply nodded at Qiao Ran.

Tapu Koko was unsure how to face the human who had saved him and could now command Tapu Lele. After all, his behavior in that space had been utterly appalling, his dark side fully unleashed, making him a shameless villain.

Over the next few days, Qiao Ran and the others had a meal together. Taking this opportunity, Qiao Ran continued to ask Tapu Koko many questions, which Tapu Koko answered one by one.

In that special world, it also felt restricted and controlled, and certain negative emotions within it were aroused, as if it had gone to another extreme. As for why it became like that, Tapu Koko couldn't remember. In that situation, the only thing it could maintain was its pride as a warrior.

Finally, Qiao Ran and the others prepared to return to their original residence to rest, while Tapu Koko flew into the sky and disappeared to an unknown place. Before leaving, Tapu Koko whispered something.

It said thank you.

"Yeah."

Upon hearing Rotom's translation, Qiao Ran couldn't help but shake his head. This guy was just as hypocritical as Yveltal, though perhaps Yveltal as obviously so.

"Qiao Ran, about today... um..."

Suddenly, for some reason Mei called out to him as well.

Everyone else had been working hard all day, while she had a good day off in the safe zone. Although Qiao Ran had emphasized countless times that this was an opportunity that must be cherished, even during her "vacation," Mei still thought of the others countless times, wondering what would happen if something went wrong with them.

The more she thought about it, the more guilty and upset she felt. In the end, she was no longer able to enjoy any "relaxed daily life" with her mother.