"Something doesn't feel right..."
Baimu buried the charred sand left by the lightning strike and sank into thought.
Why did he feel like he'd been played?
Why had Tapu Koko, who always loved acting mysterious, come looking for him so often?
Even Ash didn't get this kind of treatment, did he?
What exactly was it thinking?
No one knew what Tapu Koko was thinking. All they knew was that it kept coming over every few days to fight.
Baimu was both happy and conflicted.
He was happy to have another sparring partner. Tapu Koko could awaken the forest and draw power from it, making its overall strength unpredictable. But he also felt like he was being taken advantage of.
Because Tapu Koko seemed even happier about it than he was.
Still, he wasn't a petty person. He knew that shared joy was better than solitary joy, especially when he was staying on someone else's turf.
However.
He wouldn't be staying much longer.
Through Lillie, Baimu learned that Hapu's pure heart—her willingness to let go of her obsession in order to save a friend—had earned Tapu Fini's approval.
She was about to ascend as the island Noble.
Tomorrow night, it probably wouldn't be his turn. Ash, being so close at hand, would surely undergo the Grand Trial first.
He would probably get his chance the day after tomorrow.
"Is my vacation almost over?"
Baimu set down the shovel he had been using to bury the sand and recalled everything that had happened over the past few days.
Three days earlier.
The Rotom Phone launch event had officially begun.
The Porygon Phone had rushed to catch up, but it was ultimately one step too late.
The Rotom Phone Company, founded by the parents of Paldea Champion-class Trainer Nemona, successfully brought this cutting-edge