Chapter 0784: The Trial of the Island Guardians(Two-in-One)

The night was cool, as Tapu Koko remained silent, steadily gazing at the black-haired young man.

Above the four islands of Alola, there exist wormhole-like “Ultra Wormholes” through which Ultra Beasts sometimes invade the main islands.

Guarding the islands and resolving Ultra Beast crises is the mission of the island guardians.

Yet, some Ultra Beasts are extraordinarily dangerous—all-consuming threats like the ultimate weapon Celesteela or the devouring Guzzlord—even Tapu Koko can find such foes formidable.

For that reason, cooperating with humans is not an unwise strategy.

Tapu Koko, its sharp beak pointed, considered Natsume’s proposal, frowning slightly.

Still, wasn’t this human making a bit too bold a request?

『The Ultimate Aura of Melemele Island is the natural energy that maintains the very existence of the island. There’s no way I can hand it over to you, outsider,』 Tapu Koko replied.

“That’s why I call it a trade,” Natsume said. “Better to trust me and my Pokémon, rather than watch the aura consumed by some invading Ultra Beast.”

『And why should I?』 Tapu Koko pressed.

Natsume answered calmly:

“Because I am the Messenger of Transcendence. Aura warrior, Rainbow Hero, Touran Champion, Battle Legend… and an accomplished Pokémon strategist.”

Tapu Koko was momentarily speechless. Suddenly, in its vision, pale gold and deep blue auras radiated out—these special powers were the strongest proof of his claim.

“……” Tapu Koko did not speak.

Damn, this Trainer really knows how to make an entrance!

Tapu Koko was not ignorant of the human world, and understood well the significance of a Champion or a Battle Legend.

No wonder he knew so much about Ultra Beasts, and could casually mention “Guzzlord” by name.

Even so, drawing upon the island’s aura is no small thing—this wasn’t a matter to settle in a conversation or two.

Cooperation depended on whether this human truly had the strength to foil Ultra Beasts.

『I will decide this… in my own way.』

Tapu Koko spread its armored wings, slowly lowering from the sky until it hovered three meters above the ground. Its arms sparked with blue-white lightning, eyes sharp, thunder surging around it. Interlacing bolts formed “Electric Terrain,” enveloping Natsume, Hala, and itself within.

The island guardian was angry?!

Hala looked bewildered, quickly asking, “Natsume-sensei… What did you and the island guardian just discuss?”

“We couldn’t reach an agreement,” Natsume replied helplessly. “Looks like it wants a battle before it’ll help train my Pokémon.”

Hala’s face twisted oddly.

First day on Melemele Island and he’s already provoked the island guardian… As expected of a Battle Legend!

Still, a challenge from Tapu Koko was also proof it recognized a Trainer’s worth.

“No need to worry, Natsume-sensei,” Hala reassured. “This is Tapu Koko’s trial—there are records of this in history, too.”

Natsume nodded, fingering a Poké Ball.

In the anime, Tapu Koko had also challenged Ash.

If Sylveon was to draw on the island’s aura, he would first have to pass Tapu Koko’s trial.

“I’ll trouble you to serve as referee, then, Hala.”

On the field of flickering electricity, Natsume’s eyes were bright as he spoke.

“Understood, it’s a great honor to witness the trial of an island guardian firsthand.”

Hala stepped to the side of the field, the great canyon behind, Tapu Koko and the bridge to the war-torn canyon at his right.

“Tapu Koko!”

Tapu Koko’s arms shone with thunder, the island’s aura winding around its body, fighting spirit ablaze. Always combative, it would never miss a chance to face a worthy opponent.

Natsume threw out a Poké Ball, which snapped back into his palm, casting Sylveon’s silhouette in red light.

“I’m counting on you, Sylveon,” Natsume said steadily.

“Sylveon! (〝▼皿▼)” Sylveon locked Baby-Doll Eyes on Tapu Koko, pink ribbons fluttering over the Electric Terrain, her gaze full of pride.

Once I take down this guy, I’ll be even closer to Battle Legend status!

A bead of sweat ran down Tapu Koko’s brow.

Such pressure… So intense...

Wait, just who is trialing whom here?!

No, this is my island—I won’t lose on presence alone!

“Tapu Koko!!” Tapu Koko cried.

Sparks danced over the Electric Terrain as it darted back and forth, speed rising ever higher!

“Agility… Talk about greedy!” Natsume remarked, then commanded, “Sylveon, Dazzling Gleam!”

“Sylveon!” Sylveon’s bow burst with brilliant light, a hemispherical radiance engulfing the entire arena.

The canyon blazed like day, light burning against Tapu Koko, forcing it to halt, its figure exposed.

“Tapu Koko!” Tapu Koko snapped its arms together, wreathed in lightning.

Suddenly, its arms flew wide, a shriek splitting the air, as a thick thunderbolt exploded onto the arena, Thunder splitting down from storm clouds above the canyon!

Hala pressed his lips.

The island guardian’s wrath was fearsome—an island-wide aura seemed to tremble with that thunder!

“Take it head on,” Natsume said coolly. “Use Misty Terrain!”

The Electric Terrain faded—reducing electric power and guarding against paralysis or other status effects.

Offense would slow, but for the coming “Geomancy,” this was a strategic must.

KRAKABOOM! Lightning hammered Sylveon, electric light raging, swallowing Sylveon whole!

Hala jumped—only to see a veil of morning mist shield Sylveon’s body and prevent paralysis.

At the same time, Sylveon’s special defense was tremendous—the thunderbolt left just a faint scorch.

“Sylveon!” Sylveon flicked her ribbons, mist rolling over the field, eyes blue and razor-sharp.

In that instant, Tapu Koko flashed its arms together, morphing into a ball of moving lightning, barreling forward!

Electro Ball—the greater the speed gap, the stronger the hit!

“You’re not Regieleki—what’re you doing using Electro Ball!?”

Natsume called out, “Full power Reflect!”

Sylveon’s bow glimmered, and moonlight flickered as a crystalline barrier stood before her. A mirror-like wall braced itself as the ball of lightning struck, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface, thunder illuminating the canyon.

“You blocked it?” Hala murmured, gazing up at the new moon over the island.

Professor Kukui had said aura’s essence is light—and this Sylveon seemed to excel at drawing power from the crescent moon!

This is the “Lunar Dance” traced back to the legendary Pokémon of Sweet Dreams, Cresselia. Even as an Elite Four skill, it could further strengthen Sylveon’s dual screens.

Bathed in the presence of the moon deity Lunala on Alola’s islands, Sylveon’s “Lunar Dance” gained even greater potential.

“Now’s your chance,” Natsume said. “Geomancy!”

Sylveon, poised on the misty field, shimmered with white radiance, ribbons lowered to touch the earth, eyes closed as she channeled natural energy from deep below.

Her ribbons drew in rainbow light, Sylveon growing ever more radiant, her aura mounting—she looked more like the island’s ruler than Tapu Koko.

CRACK! The ball of lightning shattered the Reflect!

“Tapu Koko?!” Tapu Koko stared at Sylveon, shocked.

It’s siphoning the island’s natural energy?

Hey, wait—that’s supposed to be my job as island guardian!

The scheming outlander… I never even agreed to cooperate yet!

Tapu Koko was outraged and frustrated, letting out a fierce cry; lightning faded from its arms, replaced by swirling, rainbow-hued Ultimate Aura.

“Tapu Koko!!” At once, the island guardian slammed the ground, sending a wave of pink shockwaves, earth erupting as if with nature’s fury.

Nature’s Madness!

“The island guardians’ signature move… Nature’s Madness…” Hala recognized the overwhelming force and stared, swallowing.

This trial… It was more challenging than any before.

But Natsume and Sylveon still looked composed!

The pink rings of Nature’s Madness swept toward Sylveon, pushing her back, gouging a track through the mud. Blue halos burst from the ground, locking onto Sylveon. Then multi-colored light—symbols of the pink, blue, and yellow from all four islands—erupted, shaking the island, a column of light shooting to the sky to engulf Sylveon!

RUMBLE!!

Light bathed Hala’s astonished face.

The canyon quaked, the suspension bridge at his right creaked, and finally snapped, falling with a crash under the aftershocks!

The misty field was blown away by the light—the pillar faded, Tapu Koko, panting, watched the center of the blast.

Suddenly, Tapu Koko broke out in a cold sweat.

At the heart of the impact, in a dented crater, Sylveon’s figure was battered, breath ragged, but her white coat still shone with a sacred natural radiance.

Geomancy had boosted Sylveon’s Special Defense so much, even Nature’s Madness had failed to take her down!

Hala swallowed hard.

Not even the island guardians could bring down Sylveon…

That battle with Natsume? He really did go easy—not just easy, he went full Primordial Sea!

“Nature’s Madness couldn’t even KO a Magikarp.”

Natsume muttered gamer lingo, then extended a hand, “Hyper Beam!”

“Sylveon! (╬￣皿￣)”

Sylveon flicked her ribbons, baring tiny fangs, bow condensing a white light of nuclear intensity.

Tapu Koko: o((⊙﹏⊙))o

『Wa-wait! I’ll agree to cooperate!』

Even if I refuse, you could have Sylveon use Geomancy anyway to absorb island energy…

Tapu Koko’s feelings were complicated.

All things considered, this Messenger of Transcendence had really done him a favor saving face.

Luckily, Hyper Beam required a brief charge time—Natsume quickly called a halt, Sylveon-sister “tsk”ed, scattering the light.

“Sylveon…” Sylveon looked gloomily aside.

Tsk… So close to firing off that shot… Tsk…

Tapu Koko: o(╥﹏╥)o

Sorry, it was my mistake!

Hala had witnessed the island guardian, from defiance to active surrender, throughout the whole battle.

It was as if some deeply held belief had just gone “CRACK” inside his heart.

Hala coughed into a fist.

Given even a super demon god had once fallen victim to Poison Touch, the island guardians had done their best.

“Natsume-sensei, I’ll head back to Iki Town to reassure the townsfolk,” said Hala.

Such a dramatic battle had startled the locals—now it was the role of the Kahuna to settle things down.

Natsume nodded; he wanted some time to talk to Tapu Koko alone anyway.

After Hala left, Tapu Koko made a friendly gesture, pointing at Natsume’s wrist.

“The Key Stone?” Natsume blinked, then realized: “You mean the Z-Ring!”

Tapu Koko nodded: 『I can modify your Z-Ring into a Power Z-Ring, to further enhance Z-Move aura.』

It really felt like equipping a new buffed item...

Natsume didn’t object—he called out Gengar, who handed the Z-Ring to Tapu Koko.

A flash of impossible light, and the Z-Ring tumbled back into Gengar’s palm—completely unchanged.

Natsume: ?

It looked exactly the same as before!

Tapu Koko, a bit embarrassed: 『The upgrade failed… Let me try again…』

Half a minute later.

CRACK!

Tapu Koko: 『I’ll get it right this time!』

One minute later.

Tapu Koko grit his teeth: “I won’t give up—just one more try!”

Natsume, nearly crying: “Just give me back the original, or it’ll become a pile of broken parts…”

“Or maybe you could practice on someone else’s ring first!”

In the end, Togepi appeared and handed the Z-Ring to Tapu Koko.

Ding! An unmistakable forging sound!

The upgrade succeeded at last: [Z-Ring] → [Power Z-Ring].

Tapu Koko muttered: “Guess the issue wasn’t on my end.”

Natsume: “……”

It was obvious whose fault it was now…

Natsume and Tapu Koko reached an agreement: Tapu Koko would help Sylveon draw aura, and Natsume-sensei would handle any Ultra Beast threats.

For the near future, Tapu Koko would travel with Natsume-sensei—at any rate, he wasn’t planning to leave Melemele Island soon.

As Natsume had suspected, achieving “Battle Legend” would take far more than absorbing a single island’s aura.

Gengar faced down Hoopa, thus achieving legendary status.

When Sylveon has drawn upon all four islands and completed the Island Challenge, that should be the day she becomes a legend.

According to Tapu Koko, Sylveon’s Ability “Pixilate” could fuse with the island’s aura, gaining an effect similar to “Electric Surge” or “Misty Surge”—a field-spreading Ability.

While there’s no true “Fairy Surge,” the Ability most like it belongs to a legendary: Xerneas’s “Fairy Aura.”

So today was another step on the journey to a full roster of ‘illicit’ Pokémon…

Tapu Koko also threw in an Electrium Z as a bonus.

Together with the Fighting Z earned at the Full Power Festival, that made two Z-Crystals in a single day.

Rotom Pokédex dutifully played silly dance videos for Discharge Z and Fighting Z, and Natsume picked up even more questionable new dance moves.

Nearing 10PM, the festival concluded, but the townsfolk were still abuzz about Tyranitar’s dramatic performance.

The sky-piercing column of pink light, thanks to the Kahuna’s reassurances, did not cause a panic.

As for the broken bridge… Hala blamed “old age and disrepair,” and summoned a region-wide construction team for repairs.

Sure enough, Natsume soon met the tanned Renovation Captain—Alola Form.

Surprisingly, this Renovation Captain turned out to be a sun-bronzed, athletic woman with a bright smile:

“Alola~~ Boss, don’t worry, we’ll do our best to get it fixed up!”

Natsume nodded, a little moved.

The current construction company was a subsidiary of the Pokémon Company—an absolutely genius investment.

After all, in a world ruled by Pokémon battles, field maintenance was one of the most lucrative businesses…

The Full Power Festival thus drew to a close.

Cynthia, after consulting with the village’s blind granny, closed her notebook, thanked her, and headed home with Natsume.

“I found the Ultra Wormhole’s entrance,” Cynthia said in a low voice.

“Seriously?” Natsume was baffled.

“Just kidding,” Cynthia grinned. “But, there is a record that at the end of Poni Island’s great canyon, the Altar of the Sunne is where the Sun and Moon gods once appeared…”

Natsume looked at Cynthia, expression complicated: “You’re not actually thinking of…”

“I am a mythology scholar, after all.” Cynthia gave a small smile. “When you have time, let’s investigate Vast Poni Canyon~”

Natsume replied flatly, “I refuse.”

Cynthia propped her chin and thought, “I could agree to one of your conditions.”

“Including wearing black stockings around the house?” Natsume arched a brow.

Cynthia sighed, almost amused, “I’d really rather not, but I might consider it.”

“Well, in that case, let’s go to the Vast Poni Canyon!”

“Tomorrow is the first day of Trainer School,” Cynthia said coolly.

“Damn… vacation is still a month away…”

The two chatted idly, strolling back up to their residence atop Kala’e Bay.

The night air was fresh, the trees green and lush, somewhere in the bushes an aggressive Grubbin rustled.

Beautiful Kala’e Bay—moonlight spilled over Wailmer’s back, as Melemele Island drifted into tranquil sleep.