After leaving the guesthouse, Chen Kai decided to put aside the troubles brought by Swablu for now.
He lay on Miraidon's streamlined purple back, and the sea breeze, carrying a salty scent and the sweet aroma of tropical fruits, swept past his ears like a surging wave.
They galloped along the winding coastline, finally embarking on their journey to Maliye Jing City.
To the left of the road was the boundless ocean, sunlight shimmering on the water, and white waves crashing against distant coral reefs, then slowly receding.
To the right was a lush coastal jungle, with tall palm trees scattered throughout, and vibrant Alolan flowers blooming freely, adding a charming splash of color to the jungle.
Before long, a familiar sight once again entered Chen Kai's vision.
On a relatively flat highland inside the coastline, not far from the road, that peculiar white building stood silently.
Chen Kai knew this was Aether Paradise.
In recent days, he had secretly approached to observe, finding many security guards there, and even from a distance, he could spot a few Research Institute personnel.
However, none of this concerned Chen Kai, and he had no intention of sneaking in.
Miraidon, noticing Chen Kai always paid attention to the white building, asked curiously, “Xiao Kai, is there anything special about this house?”
Chen Kai roughly told Miraidon about the Alolan Guardian Deities, Z-Moves, Ultra Beasts, and Ultra Hole from Sun and Moon.
“Ultra Beasts? They sound like peculiar Pokemon.
However, during my time in Alola, I haven't detected any strange energy fluctuations. Only in that direction can I feel a very strong energy,” Miraidon said, pointing its head in a direction.
Chen Kai understood that it should be the Ruins of Abundance over there, and the powerful energy fluctuation Miraidon pointed to was likely from Tapu Bulu.
Chen Kai had indeed considered visiting Tapu Bulu, to get closer to him and become familiar.
After all, Tapu Bulu was rumored to be the most approachable of the Tapu family.
However, when he saw the current state of Tapu Village, he couldn't help but hesitate. After all, Tapu Village was destroyed by Tapu Bulu, and although the reason was that the villagers offended and disrespected him, a Legendary Pokemon is still a Legendary Pokemon.
Chen Kai thought it over and over, feeling that unless Miraidon fully recovered, it was better not to provoke him easily.
“An Ultra Hole!” Miraidon exclaimed, its voice full of undisguised excitement, “I really want to see what that looks like.”
“Haha.” Chen Kai was amused by Miraidon's simple excitement. He gently patted Miraidon, his tone both teasing and warning, “Bah! Miraidon, don't talk nonsense!
Ultra Holes and Ultra Beasts are no laughing matter.
Those guys are unimaginably powerful and extremely dangerous!
Some types of Ultra Beasts are also particularly numerous. We're only staying here for two more days, so it's best not to run into them. Staying safe is the most important thing!”
The human and the Pokemon chatted idly like this, and before they knew it, they arrived in Maliye Jing City.
They first went to restore Xiao Gao's status, and then headed to the mall to order the four Technical Machines: Flamethrower, Trick Room, Psychic Noise, and Psychic Fangs.
Chen Kai was well-off now, so when buying Technical Machines, he bought them in stacks without hesitation.
Although Psychic Noise was slightly weaker in power, it could limit the opponent's recovery ability, making it suitable for Xiao Gao in long battles.
And Psychic Fangs was a move prepared for Dracovish, mainly used to break through the opponent's Light Screen or Reflect.
Since Dracovish doesn't understand “defense,” then the other side can't set up defenses either; a true male has to 1v1 in close combat!
It was just a bit of a pity that Alola, as a tourist resort, did not have a very developed Pokemon-related industry.
All four of these Technical Machines required an appointment and could only be picked up the next day.
Chen Kai initially found this a bit hard to understand, but later heard Boss Zhou mention that in Alola on Blue Star, since there were no secret realms and no powerful Legendary Pokemon guarding it, only the tourism industry was relatively prosperous.
When Chen Kai first heard this, he was very surprised. Didn't every island in Alola have a Guardian Deity?
Zhou Zicheng, however, said helplessly, “That's all in the past.
Since the Americans came here, the Guardian Deities have almost all disappeared. The last time someone witnessed a Guardian Deity was about thirty or forty years ago, when someone reportedly saw Tapu Koko.”
But Miraidon could still sense powerful energy on the island, so Chen Kai speculated that perhaps the Tapu simply disliked the Americans and chose to live in seclusion.
Unfortunately, before coming to Alola, Chen Kai had been full of anticipation to get a Z-Ring and Z-Crystal, but with the Tapu in seclusion, that idea fell through.
As for the Pokemon unique to the Alola region, Chen Kai only learned about them later. For example, Alolan Exeggutor: Research Institute personnel discovered that as long as a Pokemon had some Alolan bloodline and evolved in a tropical region, there was a high probability it would evolve into an Alolan Exeggutor.
Through artificial intervention, Alolan-specific Pokemon are no longer exclusive to the Alola region; just like Qiongzhou in China, there are now many Alolan Exeggutor.
Therefore, the Alola region has now become a relatively pure tourist resort.
When Chen Kai was chatting with Zhou Zicheng, Boss Zhou happened to be nearby. He leaned over, a mysterious smile on his face, and offered a different perspective: “Although the Pokemon breeding industry in the Alola region once declined for a period, I recently heard that it will rise again in a few years!”
“Ah! Why do you say that?” Zhou Zicheng asked his father curiously.
“You haven't been here long. That white Research Institute next door was just built this year, and more and more Research Institute personnel from several nearby islands are gathering here,” Boss Zhou said confidently, slowly explaining:
“I heard that Alola has discovered something amazing that is very useful for Pokemon battles, and some big companies are very interested in it. Who knows, Alola might not just be a tourist area in the future.”
After speaking, Boss Zhou left with a knowing air.
Chen Kai guessed that this was probably similar to when France discovered the mega evolution stone; perhaps someone had discovered Z-Crystals in Alola.
However, with the Tapu in seclusion, even if there were Z-Crystals, without a Radiance it would just be an ornament and wouldn't be of much use.
Chen Kai wandered around, lost in thought, and before he knew it, he found himself at the library again.
“Alola, Acerola, good afternoon.” Chen Kai approached, deliberately lowering his voice, and greeted her politely.
These past few days, thanks to frequent conversations with Acerola, Chen Kai's English speaking skills had significantly improved, and basic daily communication was no longer a problem.
Acerola was currently curled up lazily in an exceptionally comfortable-looking armchair, holding a thick book with peculiar silver patterns embossed on its cover. Her long purple bangs almost covered half of her face.
Hearing Chen Kai's greeting, she looked up and responded with a smile, “Alola, Chen Kai.”
Then, Acerola pulled out an ancient book from the top of a mountain of books stacked beside her.
This book had a dark brown leather cover, embossed with floral and wave patterns unique to the Alola region.
She handed the book to Chen Kai and whispered, “Oh, this is the one you mentioned a few days ago.”
Chen Kai took the book and painstakingly deciphered a few blurry golden English words, which he translated into Chinese based on his understanding, roughly as “Alola Ancient Gossip,” or perhaps “Alola Ancient Local Records.”
Chen Kai happily replied, “Okay, thank you so much, Acerola.”
“You're welcome, but…” Acerola suddenly raised a finger and gently placed it on her lips, making a “shush” gesture.
Her gaze shifted slightly to the bright, open area in the middle of the library, and her voice dropped even lower, “The library is a bit quieter today; there are other readers.”
Chen Kai followed her gaze and indeed, in the reading area near the large windows, a few rows of bookshelves away, sat three or four people dressed in identical white uniforms.
They were engrossed in flipping through a large number of books and documents spread out on the table, occasionally whispering in very low voices, their expressions focused and serious; they were clearly typical Research Institute personnel.
Chen Kai immediately nodded, understanding, and also lowered his voice, saying, “Got it. I'll be careful to speak softly. If there are any words in this book I don't understand, or if I come across strange records, I'll have to trouble you to help me out.”
Acerola nodded gently, a knowing smile flashing in her eyes: “If there's anything you don't understand, just ask me anytime.”