Bewear vs. Tapu Koko

Casseroya Lake lay to the northeast of Melemele Island. It had once been selected as one of Alola's top hundred scenic sights and was one of Melemele Island's finest attractions. However, it was rather remote, and few people came here now.

Xingye rode Cyclizar for over an hour along the highway before reaching the area. They had not gone too fast, afraid of flinging Gengar off Cyclizar's head while it admired the scenery.

"The weather really is nice today. As long as it doesn't rain."

"Gengar~"

Gengar nodded. It hated rainy weather, but it seemed fine with pretty much anything else...

Cyclizar came to a stop after braking. Not far below the road lay Casseroya Lake.

The seawater was crystal clear, shimmering beneath the warm winter sun. Aside from a few small floating islands, the area was filled with reefs jutting out from the sea.

Some octopuses were mixed among them, sunbathing. Since the terrain here was restrictive, few people came by boat to catch octopuses, and it was not very efficient anyway.

"I still don't get why Octopus Bro is going after octopuses. I mean, it's just... Pokémon and ordinary animals..."

It was not that Xingye could not accept it. It just felt like there was a dark joke somewhere in the situation.

He was also rather curious. Mahalo Mountain lay between Hau'oli City and Casseroya Lake. Unless one took a detour, the only way here was to fly over.

But how had Octillery gotten here so fast? Even if it ran quickly on eight legs, that would be one thing in the water, but this was land. Seafood was not exactly built for mobility.

With those doubts in mind, they packed up and headed down. Xingye opened the map to make it easier to track the glowing dots nearby. Casseroya Lake was quite large, so finding one Octillery would not be easy.

But he soon realized there was no need to search at all. The wooden boat parked near the reef cluster was far too conspicuous. An Octillery with a bandanna tied around its head emerged from the water, grabbed several colorful octopuses with its tentacles, and tossed them into the boat.

"This is an even darker joke."

Standing on the shore, Xingye waved toward it and shouted, "Octopus Bro, make a sound if you can hear me! Boss Slowking sent us over..."

"Puh?"

Octillery suddenly turned around, looking hostile. It instantly sprayed out a massive amount of ink, and a powerful Octazooka shot straight at them.

"Gengar!"

Gengar jumped in fright, but Cyclizar immediately reacted and moved to block it. The attack splattered across its face with little effect, though its entire front half was dyed black.

"This customer has quite the temper..."

Xingye frowned slightly, then mounted Cyclizar again and headed straight into the sea. Cyclizar could travel on land and in water. In practice, it was swimming while towing a rider, so it was somewhat slower, but it would not sink.

Seeing them approach on what looked like a jet ski, Octillery climbed back onto the boat. It gripped the hull with its tentacles, stabilizing itself like a turret, then unleashed a barrage of Octazookas!

Xingye's riding talent kicked in. He controlled Cyclizar as it continuously dodged the attacks and closed the distance. The moment they reached the boat, Cyclizar swung its tail...

After getting beaten up, Octillery finally behaved. A bump had formed on its head, and once it learned they had not come to steal octopuses, it obediently apologized as well.

"Puh puh puh!"

"Here comes an even harder language to understand..."

Xingye could only do his best to interpret what it meant. He would gradually learn the meanings of commonly heard Pokémon cries through context, but when it was a cry he rarely heard and it went on for a long time, there were still times he simply could not understand.

"...You want us to come collect them at five this afternoon?"

"Puh puh!"

"Then I understand. What about the reward?"

"Puh puh puh!"

Octillery raised several tentacles. Xingye's pupils shrank, then he gave it a thumbs-up and replied with a smile, "Leave it to us!"

Watching Octillery depart, Xingye gradually grew excited. The reward for this trip was actually comparable to three weekends' wages at the claw machine shop!

Although the requirement was to catch at least three hundred octopuses, that would not be a problem...

After confirming the commission requirements, Xingye rode Cyclizar through the reef cluster. At the same time, he had not forgotten something important: helping Gengar train!

They could set punching aside for now. The main thing was mastering its Ability first. At the very least, it needed to be able to fly, or that little body would not even be able to run properly.

"Are you ready?"

"Gengar!"

Gengar clenched its little pink fists, raised its head, and wore an extremely serious expression.

"Good. The sea wind around these reefs is pretty strong. Just ride the wind and float up. Don't worry about falling. I'll catch you."

Xingye had calculated it all out. Gengar was light, so as long as it did not resist, the strong wind could lift it into the air. By relying on that sensation of flying, it could familiarize itself with how to use Levitate.

And so, his and Cyclizar's work began alongside Gengar's training. Catching octopuses was not difficult. The only thing they needed to watch out for was whether they were poisonous, but Nae-chan had taught him how to tell.

Time passed quickly. They ate octopus for lunch, and by nearly four in the afternoon, they had completed the target number for the commission.

They had practically caught every octopus in this area. It would probably be hard to spot another one here for the next few days.

With the commission done, Xingye began focusing on guiding Gengar's Levitate training. Everything was going smoothly so far. At least it could freely fly along the wind now, though it still could not rise without wind. It would probably need another two days.

"Alright, come down for now. Octopus Bro should be here soon to collect the goods. Get ready to go home."

"Gengar~"

Gengar danced happily through the sea breeze. But just as it was about to ride the wind down, a bolt of lightning suddenly crashed down in the distance!

"!!!"

Startled by the thunder, Gengar instantly lost its balance. Then the suddenly intensified sea wind swept it away.

Seeing this, Xingye immediately rode Cyclizar after it. But a battle seemed to be erupting on the distant sea. The waves surged violently, and electricity appeared to flicker across the water, keeping everyone on edge.

"An Electric Terrain covering such a huge area?"

Xingye was a little stunned. Fortunately, as the Electric Terrain spread, the surrounding disturbances gradually subsided. The strong wind dissipated, Gengar fell, and Xingye caught it. They then prepared to leave as quickly as possible.

But at that moment, a black Pokémon with an orange hairstyle like a delinquent suddenly shot out of the seawater. It had half a shell in each hand, which formed something resembling a chicken's head when joined together. Totem-like patterns were printed on the shells!

"!!!"

Xingye froze instantly. It was actually Melemele Island's guardian deity, Tapu Koko!

Wasn't it supposed to be at the Ruins of War? Why had it appeared out of the sea?

He could not figure it out, but based on his earlier speculation, Tapu Koko should have been one of Kabukicho's Elite Four. That was why the place had remained undiscovered for so long despite its abnormalities.

But just as he was thinking about this, a pillar of water shot into the sky from the sea. Then, an enormous stuffed bear with a pink head suddenly emerged from it and threw a punch at Tapu Koko in midair!

With a boom, violent spray erupted. The Electric Terrain vanished in an instant, and Tapu Koko could only be seen with spirals in its eyes, drifting along with the waves, already unable to battle.

"???"

"One of the Elite Four got one-shotted the moment it appeared!"

Xingye's face was filled with disbelief. This was a Legendary Pokémon, Alola's guardian deity. It had been taken out by one simple punch?

He stared at the Bewear that dropped in a straight line from midair into the sea, splashing up enormous waves. For a moment, he had no idea which one was truly Alola's guardian deity.

But in the next instant, before the splashing waves had even subsided, a figure shot out from within them. It actually ran across the sea toward them at incredible speed, its momentum utterly terrifying!

"M-M-Monster!"

Xingye came to his senses and hurriedly fled on Cyclizar. A Bewear that could one-shot a Legendary Pokémon—he had seriously never seen anything like this before.

He accelerated away. Cyclizar and Gengar were equally panicked. Yet at some point, there was no longer any sound behind them, neither footsteps pounding over the waves nor anything else, as though the other party had already left.

Xingye did not dare lower his guard, but he still instinctively turned his head to see whether it was truly gone. It was simply a natural bodily reaction.

Then he saw a bear face...