After capturing Steenee's mother, Lin Feng found the Bonsweet around him even more adorable than before.
Unfortunately, he simply couldn't handle the affection of so many little sweethearts at once, so he could only shake his head regretfully and bid them farewell.
Earlier, he had been in a hurry because he wanted to find Steenee's mother as quickly as possible. But now that he had found her, the tension in Lin Feng's heart immediately faded.
He checked the time.
Dragonite had set out in the morning and was expected to arrive around two in the afternoon.
It was already close to five o'clock.
If he rushed back now, he probably wouldn't reach home until after midnight. Rather than act hastily, it would be better to report his safety to Gardevoir first and return the next day.
Then…
Lin Feng glanced back at Tapu Koko behind him. The guardian was hiding under the shade of a tree, seemingly convinced that Lin Feng couldn't see it.
It had truly only been following him and hadn't done anything else.
Since he had already come to Alola and even met the island's guardian deity, why not try to please it?
No matter how much the sense of satisfaction might increase, at the very least he should obtain their first impression, right? Who knew when he would come back again?
Lin Feng called out tentatively, "Tapu Koko?"
"Koko?"
Tapu Koko stepped out from the shade, looking at Lin Feng in surprise.
How had he found it?
Seeing the confusion on Tapu Koko's face, Lin Feng smiled and explained, "I have a power called Aura, which allows me to sense my surroundings. I already knew you were watching me."
"Koko!" (So that's how it is!)
Tapu Koko suddenly understood.
Then, as if struck by a sudden interest, it flew over to Mewtwo, examining him closely while locking eyes with him.
It could sense that this being was extremely powerful.
Yet it couldn't tell where that power came from, because he appeared to be just an ordinary person.
This left it completely baffled.
Unable to figure it out, it simply stopped thinking and walked straight toward him.
"You want to battle me?" Mewtwo immediately saw its intention.
"Koko!"
Tapu Koko's gaze turned serious.
"You want to fight?"
Lin Feng raised an eyebrow from the side.
Different Pokémon found happiness in different ways.
Like the grub that had suddenly burst out of the ground earlier. It probably enjoyed jumping out to startle people. That alone would make it very happy.
It just hadn't expected to scare the wrong target this time.
Fortunately, no one had paid much attention to that incident.
As for the guardian deity of Melemele Island, Tapu Koko…
Aside from its extreme curiosity, it was also a guardian deeply passionate about battle.
In the Pokémon Sun and Moon anime series, Ash first caught its attention, leading it to challenge him. Later, realizing that Ash and Pikachu were still too weak at the time, it granted them an Electric-type Z-Ring and a Z-Crystal.
Eventually, during the first Alola League tournament, it finally got its wish and battled Ash's Pikachu.
That alone was enough to show Tapu Koko's attitude toward battle.
The result even created a legendary moment for Pikachu.
But now…
A battle between Alola's guardian deity and Mewtwo.
Lin Feng had never witnessed such a scene before.
Even he felt tempted.
Mewtwo carefully observed Tapu Koko, seemingly judging whether it was worthy of fighting him.
At last, he nodded.
He could sense that this Pokémon was incredibly powerful.
Moreover, it seemed to share a unique connection with this region.
"Koko!" Tapu Koko was brimming with fighting spirit, instinctively gathering the energy within its body to activate Electric Terrain.
"Wait, wait, don't fight here, this is a forest!" Lin Feng quickly shouted.
Was it joking? This was the land they protected. If it fought Mewtwo here without restraint, the entire forest would be destroyed.
By tomorrow, he and Mewtwo would be on the front page of Alola's news.
"The guardian deity of Melemele Island battles an evil organization's Pokémon, protecting the forest…"
The villains would definitely be Mewtwo and himself.
"Koko…"
Tapu Koko found that reasoning quite sensible.
It flew into the sky and looked toward Mewtwo.
Mewtwo's form shifted, returning to his original appearance as he followed it into the air.
Tapu Koko's eyes lit up.
Though it still couldn't identify Mewtwo's true nature, it could tell he was no ordinary human.
Indeed.
This was an exceptionally powerful Pokémon.
At the same time, Lin Feng summoned Dragonite, mounted its back, and followed after them.
With the flying speed of these two top-tier beings, his psychic flight speed…
He couldn't keep up at all.
As the long-time guardian of Melemele Island, Tapu Koko was intimately familiar with the island's terrain and geography. It quickly found an open plain and faced Mewtwo from afar.
Arriving late, Lin Feng had Dragonite release its aura.
Together with the imposing figures of the two Pokémon in the sky, the Pokémon below quickly scattered without a trace.
Even so, Lin Feng couldn't help but emphasize once more, "Try to fight in the air!"
Before he even finished speaking, the entire sky, the ground, and even the surrounding air seemed to turn yellow in an instant, crackling with arcs of electricity.
Lin Feng knew Tapu Koko had already activated its ability.
It had deployed its Electric Terrain.
Electric Terrain: Upon entering battle, it sets up an electric field that increases the power of Electric-type moves.
"Hoo…"
Riding on Dragonite, Lin Feng prepared to enjoy the show.
Honestly, he had no way of participating in a Pokémon battle of this level.
Although Mewtwo might listen to his commands, if his orders conflicted with Mewtwo's own judgment, even a moment of hesitation could lead to disastrous consequences in such a battle.
So it was better to simply sit back and watch.
He even took out a bag of dried fruit slices.
"Mmm!"
Dragonite, flying below, caught the scent and couldn't help turning its head, opening its mouth wide in anticipation of being fed.
"All right, all right…"
Lin Feng laughed happily, pouring one bag of fruit slices into his own mouth before taking out another bag and starting to eat.
At that very moment,
the two Pokémon in the center of the sky had already begun their first probing exchange.
…
Hau'oli City.
Professor Kukui had just finished teaching and was preparing to head home to cook when his phone suddenly rang.
Slightly puzzled, he picked it up and saw that Professor Burnet was calling. Behind her stood Lusamine, president of the Aether Foundation.
"What's going on?" Professor Kukui asked, confused.
"There's a massive energy fluctuation on Melemele Island. It appears that Tapu Koko has begun battling another Pokémon."
"What?"