Chapter 391

Mei shook her head to indicate that there was no problem. This suggestion would save money and allow her to directly control Qiao Ran's movements, so she couldn't let it pass her by.

So, as she spoke, she gestured with her eyes to Lillie, who was standing next to her, so that she would also say a few words in her favor.

"Um... um, yes."

Given Lillie's personality, she probably wouldn't have brought these things up on her own initiative, but since Mei has already taken action, she certainly won't object.

Three people living together in one room... that should be pretty good, right?

I just feel like I need to be more careful...

"Hmm... With the two of you here, there shouldn't be any problems... Oh well, what can we do when we really can't make any money right now?"

Seeing that Mei and Lillie had both agreed, Cynthia couldn't object. The most important thing was that they really didn't have the ability to earn money right now. If she were in the Pokémon World, with her status as Champion, she wouldn't need to worry about these things.

Now, the cost of accommodation alone, plus the food expenses for both people Pokémon, is already quite staggering.

It's really starting to feel overwhelming.

After lunch, everyone returned to the Pokémon World.

They found the Seafolk Village to be empty-handed, but the group still had to head to their next destination – Exeggutor Island.

This was a place that Lusamine had repeatedly urged Qiao Ran and the others to visit. It was usually a remote island, but it got its name from the many Giant Exeggutor, each over ten meters tall, that grew there.

Moreover, these Exeggutor are incredibly powerful, practically invincible in this region.

On this very island, there is Altar that houses the "Sun Flute" and the "Moon Flute." Thanks to the unique terrain and ecology of Exeggutor Island, there is no need to worry about the safety of the flutes even without dedicated guards. Those who are not strong enough probably don't even have the ability to get close to this place.

As for the "Sun Flute" and the "Moon Flute," these are the key items on the Poni Island, at the Altar of the Moone, that guide the true power of the Child of the Stars. It is said that playing these two flutes at the same time can draw out the energy of Otherworld. However, since the Child of the Stars has not appeared in Alola for a long time, these two flutes have been in a state of "dust" for a long time.

"Let's go, let's continue."

Qiao Ran summoned Yveltal and had her fly into the sky with him. Starting from the Seafolk Village, it wouldn't take long to reach Exeggutor Island in the South. With the map and navigation tools given by Lusamine, the group was unlikely to get lost.

Compared to the size of the main island of Poni Island, the distance from the Seafolk Village at the very edge of the island to Exeggutor Island is not far. Qiao Ran and his companions only spent less than a minute before they could see the lush green island on the horizon.

Even from a distance, Qiao Ran could sense the size of the island. It seemed to be about the same size as the Artificial Island of the Aether Foundation. It was hard to imagine that Exeggutor, which were more than ten meters tall, lived here and had become a local specialty.

There's something down there.

As they drew closer, Yveltal beneath Qiao Ran noticed something striking. Around the island, traces of "man-made objects" had appeared. These objects were identical in style and material to the piers Qiao Ran and his companions had seen in the Seafolk Village. Moreover, various boats were moored on both sides of those wooden piers, clearly not there for travel.

However, what prompted Yveltal to speak up was certainly not these "ships" or anything like that, but rather the fact that a small group of people were standing densely on the shore of the island, seemingly gazing up at them flying in the sky, silently observing something.

Beside that group were Pokémon of various appearances, seemingly ready for battle.

"I saw it; they're probably wary of us."

From the complete disappearance of the Seafolk Village to the sudden appearance of humans here, Qiao Ran seemed to have figured something out. However, the people on the beach didn't seem very friendly at all; they seemed to really regard them as some kind of dangerous creatures.

After all, looking up from below, Yveltal didn't seem like anything "holy and kind." Before Qiao Ran and the others could even have a deeper conversation, several jets of Flamethrower and Water Cannon had already shot into the sky, mixed with energy of other attributes, clearly aiming to shoot them Smack Down.

"Roar!!!"

Yveltal let out a roar, attempting to unleash Oblivion Wing to clash with the opponent's energy blasts, but ultimately, one's own fists are no match for multiple hands, and he was still struck by some of the attacks.

"..."

Qiao Ran stared in disbelief at the scene, while the other girls were also stunned, never expecting that they would one day be attacked by Trainer.

"... Go to hell! All of you, go to hell!"

Yveltal couldn't take it anymore. Her eyes turned red, and she wanted to rush to the ground and fight those Trainer and Pokémon for 300 rounds. The worst part was that she lost the beam battle and even got hit a few times, which made her lose face.

"Wait, Yveltal, calm down, calm down!"

Qiao Ran quickly patted her head, trying to calm her down. Using Oblivion Wing recklessly in the Pokémon World was no joke.

Absorbing stamina is a minor issue; if you actually drain the opponent dry, then there will be a real problem.

"No! They hit me, so of course I'll..."

Yveltal, acting as if he'd be at a disadvantage if he didn't retaliate after being attacked, completely ignored Qiao Ran's words, clearly unwilling to suffer a loss. Qiao Ran had no choice but to use his trump card, gently placing his left hand over Yveltal's head, emitting a faint glow.

"...!"

After a jolt, Yveltal indeed calmed down. The Tokiwa Power had an immediate effect on Yveltal, and the more she experienced it, the less she could resist it.

Of course, even if her body stopped moving, Yveltal's harsh words wouldn't stop. She had no pity for those people; it was just that her mood had suddenly improved.

"Well... there's nothing we can do about it. They're lucky!"

While Qiao Ran had Yveltal under control, Cynthia and the others quickly waved to the ground and announced their purpose. Sure enough, upon seeing that there were people on the flying Pokémon in the sky, the Trainer on the ground seemed to immediately stop their attacks.

These people didn't come here to "attack people"; they simply discovered something strange in the sky.

The misunderstanding was temporarily cleared up, and Qiao Ran and the others landed safely. However, even after reaching the ground, these people remained very wary of Qiao.

The group continued until a few of them seemed to recognize Acerola's identity.

"Captain Acerola?"

"... You're Acerola from Ula'ula Island, right?"

Acerola's appearance is quite distinctive, especially in the Alola region, where there are many legends about her identity, though these usually circulate privately.

As for Mei... she hadn't been to this island before when she traveled.

"Yes, this is Acerola. Where's Mina? Isn't she with you?"

Acerola nodded decisively, smiled, revealed her identity, and called out the name of the other Captain.

Mina —the only Captain on Poni Island, specializing in the very unique Fairy type. However, Acerola didn't see Mina among these people, but Acerola seemed to vaguely recognize the others; they looked like villagers from the Seafolk Village.

After all, the houseboats moored on the shore are essentially proof of their identities.

"Captain Mina is resting at home; we're on lookout duty here today."

"Even though it's at sea... quite a few Monster still come, and those Monsters are especially powerful."

"... Did you come from other islands? How are things on the other islands?"

After confirming Acerola's identity, the people's wariness decreased considerably, and Qiao Ran breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that bringing Acerola along was indeed a very good proposal. Besides having various useful applications, her image was quite popular in Alola.

"Alright! Stop for a second!"

Suddenly, a strong yet somewhat childish female voice came from behind the chattering crowd. Then, the crowd split into two sides, and a huge horse-shaped Pokémon — Mudsdale— emerged from the middle.

"The horse... the horse is talking!"

Mei and Qiao Ran were both startled; this scene was truly astonishing.

"No, wait, it's normal for Pokémon to talk, right?" Qiao Ran quickly realized that he had already seen Pokémon in Humanoid Transformation, so it didn't seem so unacceptable for them to speak in their Pokémon form now.

"Who's speaking? Look here! Here!"

"?"

Following the sound, everyone finally discovered that hidden beside the Mudsdale was a little girl who looked about the same size as Acerola... or even a tiny bit shorter. She had thick Black Twin-Tailed Girl, the brown skin of a laborer, a purple headscarf, and brown tights, looking very capable.

However, her figure... is really too small.

Especially when they appear alongside massive Mudsdale, it's unlikely anyone would notice their presence at a glance.

"I'm telling you, this is incredibly rude of you!"

She stood with her hands on her hips, her face showing utter speechlessness. Although she was often ignored because of her height, being mistaken for a horse was a first for her.

"Hapu? Is it Hapu?"

However, before the awkward atmosphere could spread, it was dispelled by Acerola, who walked directly to the newly appeared little girl and called out her name.

"Ah... ah, um."

The other person seemed a little uncomfortable with Acerola's enthusiasm, but still nodded politely.

"Acerola, long time no see."

The two little girls started communicating directly, and Qiao Ran could only watch this strange scene from the side. He even had a kind of hallucination, thinking that if he put the Lana in here, it would immediately become a golden triangle.

"Come, let me introduce you. This is Hapu, the granddaughter of the previous Island Kahuna Poni Island. Her family has lived on Poni Island for generations and are the farmers who know how to best utilize this land to grow delicious food."

As Acerola spoke, she also introduced the little girl's identity to Qiao Ran and the others. Considering what Hala had said on Melemele Island before, that the granddaughter of the previous Island Kahuna Poni Island was interested in inheriting the title of Island Kahuna... she was probably referring to this girl.

"Um..."

Judging from the other person's height, Qiao Ran roughly understood why Tapu Fini hadn't agreed to let her become the Island Kahuna. After all, compared to the Island Kahuna and Island Kahuna of the other three islands, the person in front of him was simply far too inferior in terms of presence...

Qiao Ran had never met the Island deity of this island, nor did he know what kind of personality the god had. However, from his interactions with the other Tapu, he could tell that each Tapu had its own distinct personality. It was clear that the Tapu on this island was no ordinary creature.

"Alright, I know you're from another island. Since you were brought by Acerola, I'll let you go see Mina."

The petite Hapu stood upright in front of Qiao Ran and the others. Although she looked small, her attitude was quite serious.

"Mina is our island's Captain, and she's also a painter. Acerola should..."

I've already introduced her background to you.

Although he wasn't entirely clear about the identities of Qiao Ran and the other unfamiliar faces, Hapu believed them after Acerola's acknowledgment and guarantee. This wasn't just because of Acerola's status Captain, but also because of Hapu's own fondness for Acerola. As girls of similar age and build, Hapu felt a sense of kinship with Acerola.

However, compared to herself who has not yet been recognized, Acerola, who has already become the Captain, has long been regarded as her goal by Hapu. Since Acerola can be recognized by the Tapu on their island and then become the Captain, then she also has the qualifications to become the Island Kahuna.

Leading Qiao Ran and the others through the chattering crowd, Hapu walked along the coast and soon arrived at a large ship shaped like Whiscash. The ship's door was not closed, but quietly ajar. Hapu knocked on the door and then went inside.

"Mina, someone's come to the island! It's Acerola!"

"...?"

Inside the large ship, the space seemed to be divided into several sections, connected by several doors. In the very center, by the window in what resembled a living room, sat a girl with long, dark Golden hair, sketching something on a canvas in front of her.

Beside her was a Pokémon that looked like a little elf, with a yellow body and butterfly wings on its back Pokémon. Not only that, this Pokémon also had a pair of cute big eyes. This was the Fairy Type Pokémon unique to the Alola Region — Ribombee.

Upon hearing Hapu's words, Golden long-haired girl looked up, somewhat bewildered, her expression dazed and listless. Notably, there seemed to be a few specks of paint on her hair and clothes.

"Someone...?"

She seemed to still be lost in her own world of painting, but when she saw Acerola, she quickly blinked.

"Ah...!"

"Acerola?"

As Captain of Alola themselves, this wasn't the first time the two had met, especially given the current special circumstances. So, upon seeing Acerola, she still displayed the most surprised expression she had shown in recent years.

To outsiders, it may have looked like nothing more than a small opening of the mouth.

"Long time no see, Mina."

Acerola greeted her very familiarly. This girl with long, dark Golden hair was none other than Captain Mina, whom Acerola had mentioned before. Her specialty was the special Fairy type, and she also looked a few years older than the other younger Captain.

As a developing region, most of those who recently succeeded the previous Captain are young boys and girls. However, many veterans continue to hold the positions of Island Kahuna and Island Kahuna, since the next generation who are truly capable of succeeding them have not yet fully matured.

"Hmm... long time no see. By the way, how did you get here? And who are these people...?"

After discovering that the visitor was actually Acerola, Mina's confusion didn't lessen; instead, it increased. These Oceanic Residents had fled to Exeggutor Island to escape dangerous monsters, and Acerola... had she also drifted here while fleeing?

How could this child swim all the way from Ula'ula Island?

After Mina asked that question, Hapu, who was standing next to her, also turned her questioning gaze over. Not only Mina, but she herself was also very curious. This was the reason why she hadn't left after bringing the person here. She wanted to hear what had happened.

"That's how it is, let me explain it to you slowly."

Acerola glanced at her companions and nodded slightly.

This time, I'll leave it to her.

"So, you solved the problems on the other three islands along the way before finally arriving here?"

Acerola's narration didn't last long, but halfway through, both Mina and Hapu were taken aback by the astonishing truth.

Mina usually seems a bit absent-minded, so no one noticed her surprise, but Hapu couldn't help but take a step forward.

"... You... you actually rescued Tapu?!"

As a woman who aspires to be the Island Kahuna, Hapu not only holds Tapu in extraordinary reverence but also desperately desires his recognition. However, with Tapu's disappearance, something has been missing from her heart. Now, upon suddenly hearing that there is a way to bring Tapu back, and that this is exactly how they got here, how could she not be surprised and excited?

"Don't rush, don't rush, that's what we're here to do." Acerola smiled slightly like a kitten, soothing Hapu as if coaxing a child.

"However, we also have other things to do here this time."

Qiao Ran chimed in, "Tapu is indeed our target. Only by rescuing all the Tapu can Alola fully recover. However, besides Tapu, there is something even Heavy Slam on this island."