“So what happened next?” Song Ling'er asked curiously. “The other three Guardian Deities have already sunk into the sea, so where did Tapu Fini go?”
Fu Peiyao pointed at Mu Li and said irritably, “He just happened to arrive and then tricked Tapu Fini into staying with him for four years.”
“Huh?” Not just Song Ling'er, but everyone else’s jaws almost dropped. “He tricked Tapu Fini? How did he trick it?”
Fu Peiyao shrugged and said, “How would I know? He sweet-talked it, just like he has a bunch of Pokémon at his house that he sweet-talked into staying…”
Fu Peiyao smiled helplessly and said, “I don’t know why either, those Pokémon clearly know they’ve been sweet-talked, but they still like to stick to him.”
“No, I don’t think it’s sweet-talking,” Charlie suddenly said. “I can tell that the way he looks at Tapu Fini is different from how others look at it.”
Everyone looked curiously at Mu Li, who was reminiscing with Tapu Fini; his eyes were so bright and sparkling.
“Are they? Why do I feel like my eyes are prettier?” Song Ling'er pouted.
Zhang Ruoyun rolled his eyes at her and said irritably, “Someone as narcissistic as you will definitely attract a lot of narcissistic Pokémon.”
Song Ling'er wrinkled her nose at Zhang Ruoyun, huffed, and then looked at Fu Peiyao, asking, “So what happened next? How did Tapu Fini come back? And what about the other Guardian Deities?”
“Later!” Fu Peiyao deliberately paused before saying, “Later, wasn’t there a new Kapu Islands? Mu Li took Tapu Fini back to find the other three Guardian Deities and sent them back to the Kapu Islands.”
“That simple?” Song Ling'er asked in disbelief.
“It was that simple,” Fu Peiyao said helplessly.
“No, I don’t believe it, there must be a more exciting story,” Song Ling'er said, finding the story too ordinary. “Did Mu Li deliberately hide it from you and not tell you the whole thing?”
Fu Peiyao said irritably, “I was with him the whole time, what do you think?”
Hearing Fu Peiyao’s words, Song Ling'er immediately drooped like a defeated puppy.
Fu Peiyao frowned slightly: “I say, you’re not imagining some abnormal love story, are you?”
Song Ling'er immediately showed a surprised expression: “How did you know? Can you read minds?”
“Seeing you look like you failed at shipping, it’s hard for me not to think that way,” Fu Peiyao sighed helplessly.
“But was there, in fact?” Song Ling'er’s eyes held a last glimmer of hope.
Fu Peiyao hesitated for a moment, frowning as she said, “Well, you can’t say it’s entirely un-shippable. He and Tapu Fini even have a token of their bond.”
“A token?” Song Ling'er’s eyes widened. “What kind of token?”
Fu Peiyao smiled mysteriously: “It’s a Shinny Gyarados.”
Song Ling'er’s small face twisted, showing a look of disdain: “A Shinny Gyarados? What kind of token is that?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Fu Peiyao argued. “That’s a testament to their friendship, it’s unique.”
Indeed, a Shinny Gyarados over a hundred meters tall, where would you find a second one?
“But… but this still can’t be shipped further, can it?” Song Ling'er said dejectedly.
“You should watch fewer TV dramas,” Fu Peiyao couldn’t help but retort. “He already has too many strange ships around him.”
“Ah? Strange ships?” Song Ling'er’s eyes widened again. “Which one are you shipping?”
“Him and Wang Yijia…” Fu Peiyao blurted out subconsciously. By the time she realized and wanted to cover her mouth, it was too late. “I didn’t say anything, and you didn’t hear anything either.”
At this moment, Wang Yijia, who was in faraway China, couldn’t help but sneeze.
While they were talking, Mu Li had already called out Gyarados.
As soon as Gyarados saw Tapu Fini, it immediately got excited and wanted to pounce.
The result, naturally, was the same as Mu Li’s: it was harshly poked by Tapu Fini’s horn.
Fortunately, Mewtwo was there and turned Gyarados into a doll, hanging it next to Tapu Fini, which finally resolved the regret of this fellow not being able to snuggle.
However, upon seeing Mewtwo and the three Rowlet, Tapu Fini felt a bit emotional: “I haven’t been by your side for so long, and you’ve gained so many new companions.”
If Jigglypuff, Green Tea Eevee, or Ninetales had said this, Mu Li would have definitely thought they were being sarcastic.
As for Tapu Fini’s words, they were naturally literal.
Mu Li told Tapu Fini the story of meeting Mewtwo and the three Rowlet, and Tapu Fini immediately gnashed its teeth in anger.
“So you all be careful too, there are a lot of bad people recently, and I’m worried they might target you,” Mu Li was genuinely a bit worried about this.
However, his worries were clearly unnecessary.
In the Kapu Islands, if anyone wanted to harm the four Guardian Deities, they would first have to step over their bodies.
After chatting for a long time, Mu Li finally remembered the others who were waiting for him, so he called them over and introduced them one by one to Tapu Fini.
“Wow, it’s a living legendary Pokémon!” Song Ling'er couldn’t help but exclaim.
Mu Li said irritably, “Have you seen a dead one?”
“Hmph, I haven’t had the chance!” Song Ling'er retorted.
Mu Li, however, was a bit curious: “What about the other three?”
Tapu Fini naturally knew who he was referring to: “The three of them have been going wild lately; it’s the festival season, so they’re going around playing pranks on people.”
Mu Li’s mouth twitched, and he complained, “Those three really haven’t changed.”
But then he added, “You haven’t changed either. You don’t like crowds, do you? If I hadn’t come, would you not have come out?”
Before Tapu Fini could speak, Charlie interjected, “That’s for sure. Lord Tapu Fini has been back for so long, and this is the first time it has appeared.”
Tapu Fini also said somewhat sheepishly, “I just prefer to be alone…”
Mu Li smiled and stroked Tapu Fini’s head, saying, “I’m not blaming you, I just wanted to say that if you miss us, you can always come back to visit.”
“This island doesn’t need you to guard it all the time, does it?” Mu Li looked at Charlie.
Charlie naturally understood what Mu Li meant and nodded in agreement, “That’s right, you don’t need to worry too much. We are already capable of standing on our own.”
Tapu Fini was silent for a long time, then nodded.
“Don’t overthink it, they don’t not need you. On the contrary, they care for you too much and want you to also have your own time to do what you like,” Mu Li comforted.
Tapu Fini was actually very sensitive.
Mu Li also knew that ever since it came, it had been silently contributing to the new island, because it worried that even if it stayed, if it couldn’t be of any use, then wouldn’t its staying just cause others more trouble?
“Silly, your being able to stay is the best thing for them,” Mu Li smiled.