Chapter 396

"Continue the attack!"

Since there's no way to determine the other person's state, the problem actually becomes simpler.

--They just need to keep attacking!

Qiao Ran and Silvally continued to move forward. At the same time, Qiao Ran kept having Silvally whittle down their health from a distance. As an all-type Pokémon based on Arceus, Silvally had no weaknesses in any aspect. Its defense and attack were both above average.

However, the fact that everything is very average also means that Silvally doesn't have anything particularly outstanding. She can't achieve the ultimate defense of Dianxi in her normal state, nor can she have 150 in both attack stats like Dianxi after her Mega Evolution. Just like now, Silvally's attack power has clearly not met Qiao Ran's expectations.

"..."

The opponent's life force remained remarkably strong.

Even though he already knew that Tapu Fini was Island deity known for its defense, his complete indifference to lightning, which was supposed to be its weakness, was simply too exaggerated.

However, as they closed the distance, Qiao Ran and the Silvally finally learned the true situation.

--Tapu Fini, which was originally Levitate in the air, suddenly closed its purple shell and hid its body inside, making its entire shape look like a clam shell.

"This is..."

Wait, are they really planning to continue this defensive strategy indefinitely?

Thanks to the hard outer shell, Silvally's attacks were not very effective. Moreover, even when it closed its shell, it could still move in the air. In Qiao Ran's perception, Tapu Fini was indeed still continuing its escape.

"..."

This opponent was truly extraordinary; even now, Qiao Ran still finds it hard to believe, yet it still happened right before his eyes.

Does it intend to drag this out indefinitely and exhaust them to death?

In the detailed descriptions by Tapu Lele and Qiao Ran, when she was in this space, certain negative emotions in her heart were amplified, eventually evolving into a completely reckless and indiscriminate attack. Although this was not her intention, under that state, some behaviors were indeed out of control.

But with Tapu Fini, the situation seems to have changed slightly. Perhaps the negative emotions in her are a little too excessive... to the point that she's completely aware of...

They ran away!

However, even when constantly running away, Tapu Fini is still quite a formidable opponent. With a Defense of 115 and Special Defense of 130, plus the ability to avoid being affected by special effects in Misty Terrain, Tapu Fini truly embodies the idea of being so afraid of pain that it maxes out its Defense. What's even more terrifying is that this tank can also maintain Super Armor throughout the entire fight.

"Thunderbolt!!"

This was the first time Qiao Ran had felt fear towards an escaped Island deity who hadn't yet launched an attack. He and his Silvally's stamina had its limits. If the opponent continued to wear them down like this—if it really could continue like this, that would be fine. What Qiao Ran feared most was that he would be worn down to the point of anxiety, expending a lot of stamina, while the opponent remained unmoved, responding to all changes with unchanging tactics.

If that time really comes, the other side won't even need to lift a finger; they'll be able to take them out in no time.

"..."

To prevent that outcome, Qiao Ran could only Sheer Force his frustration. Since the opponent hadn't planned to attack yet, he would take advantage of this time to attack as much as possible, gradually eroding the opponent's strength.

This was Qiao Ran's first time experiencing such a battle. As he and Silvally closed in, the Silvally began to run away. Finally, on a Floating Island, Silvally's Thunderbolt Silvally finally had a noticeable effect.

A charred mark appeared on the ornate purple shell of Tapu Fini.

Even if the opponent has a way to defend against it, Thunderbolt, as a counter move, shouldn't be completely ineffective.

Black gas emanated from the shell, which resembled both Swordfish's head and a clam shell. The mermaid-like Tapu that Qiao Ran had seen before finally reappeared before them.

Long blue hair cascaded down its head, and a hint of anger finally appeared on its previously calm face.

"Fini..."

It was injured...

It emitted a series of strange Growl, followed by a blue curtain of water descending from the sky. Then, the water converged into a towering wave that swept directly towards the location of the Silvally.

Surf!

"Silvally! Protect!"

Seeing the towering waves, Qiao Ran and his Silvally showed no fear; on the contrary, they couldn't help but feel excited.

--Finally, the enemy stopped running away and started to fight head-on!

Although they seemed to be in a very bad mood, this did not affect Qiao Ran and the Silvally's current decision.

Protect!

A Golden, semi-transparent shield appeared directly in front of Silvally, holding back the surging waves. Qiao Ran clung tightly to her back, not moving an inch. On this small Floating Island, there was nowhere to escape. Most importantly, Qiao Ran needed Silvally's help to avoid being swept away by the waves.

In Alola's legends, Tapu Fini can create clean water and control ocean currents, making it an extremely powerful Water-type Pokémon. The ability to create mist is just one of its many powers.

These places are quite similar to Suicune's.

A surging wave swept past Silvally before plunging into the endless abyss from all sides of the Floating Island. This time, Tapu Fini not only did not flee, but after releasing a huge wave, it raised its little hand and unleashed a skill that Qiao Ran was extremely familiar with.

A pink sphere was spinning and expanding in front of it, then shot out towards Silvally's location— the Moon Power.

This skill was used by Tapu Lele when Qiao Ran faced it before, but in Tapu Fini's hands, the power seemed to be slightly weakened.

Compared to the other Tapu, Tapu Fini has the lowest attack power, but even so, that's only relative to the other Island deity. Compared to ordinary Pokémon, it's already a whole level higher.

"Silvally!"

Qiao Ran called out her partner's name and jumped onto her back. As the Silvally moved swiftly across the Floating Island, she quickly transferred to another Floating Island. The previous island, after the Silvally dodged the attack, had been blasted open by the Moon Power, leaving a huge crater in the middle. It was teetering in mid-air, clearly unable to hold on for much longer.

The battle returned to Qiao Ran's familiar territory. After being injured, Tapu Fini could no longer hide as before and began to fight head-on. Moreover, as time went by, its emotions became increasingly unstable, allowing Qiao Ran to spot more weaknesses.

What Qiao Ran feared most was that it would use its special ability to wear down him and his Silvally, but now, things were starting to look better.

Each Island deity possesses undeniably formidable combat abilities. Even Qiao Ran's strongest Pokémon might not be able to withstand a direct confrontation. However, if the opponent lacks sufficient judgment, Qiao Ran, as their Trainer, could be the final straw that breaks the camel's back.

"Thunderbolt!"

In this situation, Qiao Ran had figured out that this skill could deal considerable damage to Tapu Fini while also allowing her to attack from a safe location. Of course, if Silvally could use Memory Disc, she could also use her exclusive skill, Multi-Attack. Silvally's Multi-Attack skill changes its attribute based on the attribute of the storage disc; if used now, it would be a normal attribute attack.

Another surging torrent of water came crashing in. Qiao Ran could only crouch down slightly, lowering his center of gravity to avoid being swept away by the current. His Silvally couldn't guarantee his safety at all times, and Qiao Ran couldn't focus most of his energy on himself.

However, Qiao Ran had already experienced many battles in this space, and this was the fourth one. The level of each Tapu was actually quite similar, and Qiao Ran had a firm grasp of the situation of each Tapu.

Time passed second by second. After countless battlefield changes and the destruction of several Floating Island, Silvally finally managed to electrocute Tapu Fini Levitate in the air, and bring it to the ground. Silvally seized the opportunity and pounced on Tapu Fini, pinning it down with its front paws.

"Now! Continue with Thunderbolt!!"

Golden light shone from Silvally's body, and the Electric-type energy at point-blank range was completely transferred from Silvally's body to Tapu Fini's body. The mermaid lying in the clam shell collapsed limply, and Silvally did the same. After seeing its opponent fall, it breathed a sigh of relief and lay down on the Battle Court.

Although she was filled with the joy of victory, she and Qiao Ran were also Qiqi exhausted. Most of their excess energy was used up while Tapu Fini was escaping, and the subsequent battles were much smoother and easier.

"Here you go."

Qiao Ran came to her side, smiled and patted her head. Although the opponent this time was a bit "strange", it was still defeated without any major incident. In this way, all four Tapu in Alola have been battled, and the four islands of Alola should be able to return to normal.

During this period, this had been a persistent obsession for Qiao Ran.

"Roar--"

Silvally let out a deep roar, expressing its joy. This was its first official battle against a Legendary Pokémon. Although it could see many Legendary Pokémon in the Wild Area, they usually only did ordinary training. Even in simulated battles, they wouldn't go this far, since there was no Pokémon League to repair the Wild Area if it was damaged.

They'll have to do the repairs themselves eventually.

"Alright, I'll find you in the Wild Area after we get back."

His Pokémon have been working really hard lately, and Qiao Ran felt he should spend more time with them. Even if Mei Lillie tried to ambush him, he couldn't abandon his Pokémon.

As Qiao Ran spoke, he patted Silvally's head and used a little of Tokiwa Power to help her recover her strength. Tapu Fini, which was lying to the side, also emitted faint specks of light before gradually disappearing into the air.

"It should be about... almost there... hmm??"

Qiao Ran was about to say that Tapu Fini disappeared, they would be able to leave soon, but he was only halfway through his sentence when he noticed that something strange seemed to be happening to the Silvally in front of him.

A faint light emanated from her body, and this light continued to expand.

"Wait... wait, this is..."

Could this be...?

Qiao Ran's expression changed. Although he hadn't experienced this feeling for a while, it was indeed very familiar to him. However—just as he was about to do something else, his vision became increasingly blurry, and his consciousness gradually became hazy.

Another historical memory began to unfold before him, and this time, it was the past of this Afterlife Ruins built on the rocks by the sea.

What kind of thousands of years did it endure amidst wind, rain, and waves?

Endless time passed in the blink of an eye. When Qiao Ran opened her eyes again, she found herself in the Ruins.

"... Silver Companion... war beast?"

He was still thinking about the Silvally, but she didn't appear beside him. In Qiao Ran's perception, she seemed to have already returned to the Wild Area.

"..."

Looking around, the girls who had entered the Ruins with him had gathered around him, while Hapu lay collapsed on the ground not far away. Qiao Ran temporarily put aside his idea of summoning his Silvally.

Although he was indeed quite concerned about Silvally's current situation, there were Heavy Slam things to do right now.

"Qiao Ran?"

"Are you alright?"

Cynthia and the others looked Qiao Ran up and down, and were finally relieved to find that he was alright. Acerola also ran to check on Hapu's condition. Apart from Qiao Ran, the others present did not seem to have any obvious symptoms, but Hapu had fallen into a deep coma.

This situation...

"... Did something like this happen before when Lana was around?"

Cynthia, who was standing nearby, also noticed something was amiss. When Lana had fainted before, everyone thought it was just an accident and didn't think much of it. But this time, Hapu's fainting seemed to be more than just a coincidence.

"Could it be because of our relationship... that everyone else who comes into contact with that kind of thing experiences all sorts of problems?"

Qiao Ran shared her guess.

Cynthia nodded in agreement. She did indeed agree with the idea. The reason they were able to travel through worlds with Qiao Ran was because they took advantage of a loophole in Nihilego's scheme. In other words, their bodies had indeed undergone some unexpected changes compared to ordinary people.

Perhaps it is precisely because of this change that they are not currently in a coma. As for Lana and Hapu, they are just ordinary people, so it is understandable that this happened to them.

Just as Qiao Ran and the others were sorting out the current situation, a faint light emerged from the center of the Altar.

A blue column of water gushed from the ground, and then the water flowed gradually from the grooves of the Ruins, drawing a picture of water around the Ruins.

Some Tapu Fini also Splash out of the water and appeared in front of everyone.

"Fini."

It emitted a clear and ethereal sound, like flowing water, sounding incredibly clean and distinct.

Tapu Fini's calm gaze swept over the people in front of him, but when Qiao Ran met its eyes, he always felt that it was very resentful.

Does this guy still remember that time in that world when she ran and he and his Silvally chased and fought her?

In order to communicate effectively with Tapu Fini, Qiao Ran finally asked Rotom to act as the translator for both sides. After all, the other party was not his Pokémon, and he had no way of understanding what the other party was saying.

She said thank you, thank you for helping me get out of there.

"Although it was very quiet there and no one disturbed my rest, it was devoid of any vitality, like a world just beginning to emerge. I didn't like it there."

Through Rotom's translation, Qiao Ran and the others finally understood Tapu Fini's thoughts for the first time. She liked quiet and peace, but that Torn World was ultimately not her home.

She was very happy to be able to return to this familiar island, to Alola.

Tapu Fini Levitate in mid-air, calmly talking to Qiao Ran and the others. Unlike the other Tapu, Qiao Ran felt that she was a calm and gentle lady. Of course, in that Torn World, she was not her true self.

Perhaps, those negative emotions don't just make Pokémon frantic; they can also amplify other negative emotions within them. For example, Tapu Fini is clearly the one who chooses to avoid battle; rather than confronting an opponent head-on, she excels at dodging.

After a brief discussion of the basics, Qiao Ran and the others decided to return to Exeggutor Island first. Staying here might attract more Ultra Beast at any time. Besides, Hapu was still unconscious. Although Lana was fine last time, the same situation might not apply to Hapu. It would be better to take her back for a check-up.

In the Seafolk Village, there also lived a Nurse Joy.

So, Qiao Ran and the others began to return to where they were, while Tapu Fini seemed to want to leave with everyone. As the Island deity, she also had to deal with the various problems on the island. The first step was to meet with the people living on the island.

Back on Exeggutor Island, Qiao Ran and the others successfully transported Hapu to Nurse Joy's location. Although Nurse Joy is mostly Pokémon doctor, it is well known that there are special Pokémon called Humanoid Group in the Pokémon World. Nurse Joy, who knows how to treat Humanoid Group Pokémon easily switch to a different specialty.

"... Great, you really succeeded. I hope no one was injured."

After settling Hapu in, Mina invited everyone to her boathouse again. This time, in addition to Qiao Ran and the others, Tapu Fini was also invited as a guest.

"It's alright, we've had experience before, so there weren't any major problems this time."

Qiao Ran smiled, indicating that he was fine. Although Tapu Fini's fighting style had surprised him somewhat, it ultimately returned to the rhythm he knew best, down to the smallest details.

Therefore, it becomes less important.

"It's good that you're all alright. As for Hapu... I hope she's alright too."