Lightning That Cleaved the Gale!

Hero of Truth and Ideals.

The moment those words were spoken, Xia Yan knew this was going to be trouble.

It was certainly a sign of respect to lead with someone's greatest title.

But given Tapu Koko's personality, it should not have needed to show respect to a stranger it had never met like Xia Yan.

If it had been Tapu Bulu, Xia Yan might have understood a little better.

After all, they had interacted before, and their first meeting had left them with fairly good impressions of each other.

Still, Xia Yan replied through Telepathy, "Tapu Koko."

Tapu Koko nodded and flew in front of Xia Yan, its multicolored eyes glimmering with a beautiful radiance.

It said nothing else.

Instead, it merely stared silently into Xia Yan's eyes.

Xia Yan showed no trace of guilt and met Tapu Koko's gaze directly.

At that moment, he felt somewhat fortunate that Reshiram and Zekrom had not come with him.

Otherwise, they might not even have made it to nightfall. The instant they arrived in the Alola Region, they might have received "friendly" inquiries from this island guardian—or perhaps all four island guardians.

Reshiram had been right.

Legendary Pokémon cared about territory too. Entering another's turf without warning was equivalent to provocation.

Tapu Koko's appearance not only surprised Cynthia, Gardenia, and the others beside Xia Yan, but also drew the attention of some nearby people.

An island guardian was not something one saw every day.

Especially for tourists, seeing the island deity Tapu Koko was an exciting event.

Quite a few people had already pulled out their phones and begun filming.

They slowly gathered around.

"Tapu Koko!" an indigenous resident cried out.

"That's... Miss Cynthia!" Someone sharp-eyed immediately recognized Cynthia. Even amid a crowd, she was exceptionally conspicuous.

"It's not just Miss