Tapu Koko (Double Chapter)

Alola Region.

Melemele Island.

Inside an ordinarily decorated meeting room, a sign reading "Ultra Beast Countermeasures Department" was posted above the door.

"Xia Yan, you finally made it."

As the head and strategic commander of the Ultra Beast Countermeasures Department, Anabel was quite pleased by Xia Yan's arrival.

Dressed, as usual, entirely in black, Xia Yan first nodded to Anabel.

Then he glanced around at the people seated in the small meeting room and nodded to each of them in greeting.

Among them,

aside from Looker, who had come to the Alola Region with Anabel, the two people seated to Anabel's right drew Xia Yan's attention the most.

One was an elderly man dressed in Alola's signature tropical casual wear. His face was almost identical to Professor Oak's, the only difference being that his skin was much darker.

Professor Oak's cousin, Kukui Oak, the principal of Melemele Island's Pokémon Academy.

The other was a woman with dark skin, white hair tied up atop her head, a gray tank top, and a jacket casually tied around her waist. Her entire bearing radiated a carefree air.

Professor Burnet, Professor Kukui's old flame.

For the time being, it was unclear whether she had earned her doctorate.

Kukui Oak smiled and said,

"Xia Yan, Snowy has praised your talent to me more than once. He said you might even surpass Elm. Eevee's exaggeration!"

As he spoke, even his expression transformed into one resembling Eevee.

Kukui Oak was a professor who studied Pokémon's special forms. He had been one of the Pokémon League's earliest personnel stationed in the Alola Region and had made outstanding contributions to the Pokémon League's presence there.

Through the Pokémon Academy, he influenced Alola's next generation, making the Pokémon League's arrival far smoother.

Of course, his original intention had only been