Under the cascade of green light, the newly revealed Glutton King didn't even have time to utter another foul cry before it was instantly blasted back to where it came from—completely helpless.
Just one blow—annihilated in an instant!
Though they didn't know the exact power of the second Glutton King, the fact that this could be done so simply was shocking enough.
Having finished, the green figure didn't stop but turned and leapt toward the Glutton King they had previously neutralized.
At last, everyone saw its appearance clearly.
It was a Pokémon with the build of a Doberman.
Most of its fur was white, adorned with emerald hexagonal patterns. Around its neck, green, band-like structures shone like gem-encrusted scarves, looking like part of its body.
Its hexagonal, white-glowing eyes looked down at Glutton King for a moment, then its left front paw—which had a half-green pattern—pressed softly against the ground.
As mysterious green hexagonal lights blossomed, the ground stirred alive like a tide, rolling up Glutton King's huge, heavy body and sweeping it into the not-quite-closed Ultra Wormhole.
Such efficient handling made one wonder how many times this Pokémon had done this before, and why it was so skilled and practiced.
After finishing, the Pokémon did not leave.
Its gaze first fell on Lucas and Luxray, then moved to Anabel, and finally to Tapu Fini.
It narrowed its eyes slightly, as if pondering something.
A little overwhelmed by the scene, Larry tried to seek answers from Lucas.
"This Pokémon is…"
Looker and Anabel were also baffled. With all their experience, they still had no hint as to what it was.
Looker, a seasoned Interpol officer, had the knowledge of a walking Pokédex.
Anabel, though missing many memories, retained her knowledge of Pokémon or she wouldn't have formed a team rivaling her counterpart in this world.
But no matter how hard they thought, neither could recall any information about this Pokémon.
But something even more astonishing happened.
The red hexagonal gem on the creature's neck glimmered, and from inside a hexagonal shield beneath, countless green lights scattered in all directions.
Some landed on untouched pillars inside the cave. Before vanishing, the group could clearly spot those green "worms" again.
Moments later—
After separating its own cells, a tiny worm-like Pokémon appeared before them.
"Zygarde. Core."
Lucas murmured into the silence.
Before Larry, Looker, and Anabel could grasp what he meant, the "Zygarde Core" worm looked at him with its lone, pupil-bearing eye. Its voice was sharp yet dignified:
"To think, there is still a human in this world who recognizes me."
"Telepathy!?"
Anabel whispered in surprise.
"No need for such fuss. I am the Guardian of Order; telepathy is something trivial to me,"
the Zygarde Core shot Anabel a glance, clearly proud of its identity.
It next turned to Tapu Fini.
"Interesting. If I'm not mistaken, your aura isn't that of this island's guardian deity."
"Pukalai."
Directly called out, Tapu Fini wasn't surprised that its identity was easily revealed.
As a Pokémon charged with maintaining ecosystem balance and order, it was only to be expected.
After a brief exchange with Tapu Fini, the Zygarde Core seemed to relax.
At least, it didn't try to banish Tapu Fini for being from another world.
Instead, it encouraged it to find a new ocean and keep its waters clean.
After his talk with Tapu Fini, the Zygarde Core again addressed Lucas and his companions. "You all did well in preventing things from escalating before I returned. That is commendable."
"Thank you…"
Larry and the others dumbly nodded, inwardly struggling to recall anything about a "Guardian of Order" or Zygarde.
But nothing came to mind.
Lucas, meanwhile, was stunned to see a form of Zygarde utterly unlike the one he knew—a "shiny" one, so to speak. He asked quietly, "Did you go to other regions, like Kalos?"
The Zygarde Core regarded this oddly knowledgeable human with curiosity before shaking its head. "I've always been in Alola—just went away briefly and nearly led to disaster.
Kalos isn't mine to oversee; it has its own two Cores."
Lucas: "!!!!"
Now Lucas was certain.
This was a different Core from Kalos's Z1 and Z2—the one here was a shiny, unique Zygarde Core!
As if the exchange was now complete, the Core announced, "Enough friendly chat. Thanks to my many eyes, I saw all your efforts clearly.
But to prevent further complications, I must offend you all."
The Zygarde Core narrowed its eyes. Handome, Anabel, and Larry looked shocked as a strange green glow surged toward them and their Pokémon.
Except Tapu Fini.
Realizing what the Core was about to do, and why the cave was always empty, Tapu Fini bravely positioned itself before Lucas and Luxray.
The Core paused at Tapu Fini's reaction, then held its head high.
"Very well. Since you vouch for that human and his partner, I will make an exception this time."
Leaving those words behind, the Zygarde Core faded from view like a cell, vanishing completely.
Bathed in the green light, Larry, Anabel, and Looker were briefly stunned, then simultaneously said, "Where are we—?"
At that moment, Lucas finally understood why—despite the name "Terminus Cave"—there was never any news about "Zygarde's Core" here.
Most people never even saw the deliberately hidden Zygarde Core.
And if they did, the Core would wipe their memories with that green light.
Seems compared with Z1 and Z2, this Core was much more cautious, free of obvious prejudice.
"Eh, what's this?"
At Lucas's side, Larry opened his palm, peering at a sky-blue, diamond-shaped crystal.
It was a Flying-type Z-Crystal.
Anabel and Looker found similar items—a Normal Z-Crystal and a Poison Z-Crystal.
That being so…
Lucas opened his own right palm, revealing a blue-green, diamond-shaped crystal.
If he remembered right, this was—a Dragon-type Z-Crystal.
Could these have been gifts from the Zygarde Core, along with that green light?
Lucas gazed deeply into the cave's depths, then let the others claim the credit for defeating Glutton King.
Looker was disappointed—if there hadn't been an emergency, he'd have loved to take Glutton King back for study.
They didn't linger in the cave. With Oricorio's help, Lucas found a patch of golden flowers growing at a fork in the road.
Surprisingly, even in this dark, sunless cavern, the flowers were in full bloom—perhaps thanks to the Alolan Zygarde Core.
Lucas collected a few for seeds, plus a jar of golden honey, before heading home.
On the way, upon learning he held a Flying Z-Crystal, Larry considered whether to use his precious vacation to get himself a Z-Ring.
He wondered if the Island Pilgrimage accepted tourists from other regions.
Watching as none of the group seemed to notice any memory loss, Lucas kept silent about the Zygarde Core.
After all, maybe not interacting with humans was exactly what these silent observers wanted.
Seeing that it was still early, Lucas dragged Larry along for two more island trips, collecting special honeys and flower seeds.
After agreeing to meet the next day at Kiawe's ranch for ice cream and dairy treats—despite Larry's obvious reluctance, but also his curiosity—Lucas returned to the villa.
He checked in on Gladion's training, then brushed off a battle-hungry Tapu Koko (which somehow produced a Ghost-type Z-Crystal as a "spoils of war").
Finally, Lucas returned to his room to pack up, planning a bit of night fishing with Luxray.
But—
Sitting on his desk was a tiny Zygarde Cell, apparently having snuck into his room.
Lucas couldn't help but ask, "Do Guardians of Order really have nothing better to do?"
He found the Zygarde Core rather odd. Its home had almost been 'invaded' this very afternoon, and yet now it was quietly shadowing him to Akala Island.
"Don't worry. My eyes are all over Alola. If anything happens, I'll return right away."
Having just gotten rid of Tapu Fini (now busy playing with Popplio and the Eeveelution sisters with Oranguru's toys), the Core was inspecting Lucas's home with curiosity.
"You have excellent taste. This is quite a comfortable place to live."
The Zygarde Core praised him, waggling its strange limb (tail or leg, he couldn't tell).
Lucas: "..."
He suddenly felt that, if the other Zygarde Cores were as sociable as this one, Team Flare wouldn't have needed to collect Mega Evolution energy at all—they could just have caught them all in one go.
Still, he couldn't say the Core wasn't cautious. Its casual presence before him hinted at complete confidence in its strength—and perhaps something Tapu Fini had said during their talk.
Lucas glanced out the door—Tapu Fini was probably playing with Popplio and the Eevees, enjoying Oranguru's clever toys.
Sensing Lucas's thoughts, the Zygarde Core leapt onto his soft bed, making a pleased "lurururu" noise before declaring its purpose.
"There's no need for alarm, nor for wild imaginings. My purpose is simple—"
"I'm just curious about where a Tapu Fini from another world, so full of twists of fate, intends to settle—and I thought I'd tag along for a look. Besides—"
The Core paused, then continued:
"...I plan to expand my business... beyond just Alola."
The next day, approaching lunchtime.
After a night of fruitless fishing with Luxray (catching nothing but pretty Corsola branches, as per usual), Lucas was finally dragged out of bed by an exasperated Larry, who'd been waiting half the day.
After a quick tidy-up, they set off for the address Kiawe had given: the family ranch.
Both the dairy and the famous Akala ice cream exceeded their expectations.
Lucas, his eyes shining, talked ranch management with Kiawe's father, the ranch owner, and even invited him to visit his own farm if he got the chance.
On the way, Lucas accepted Kiawe's challenge, using Milotic to claim an easy victory.
As Ash's major rival in Alola, Kiawe did put up a fight—but his potential hadn't yet come to fruition.
After leaving the ranch, Larry quickly slipped away, seemingly eager to avoid further invitations.
Left with no choice, Lucas returned to his now-peaceful holiday life.
Of course, he hadn't forgotten his main job. He prepared for return by collecting special Alolan crop seeds—like Poni Radish—for cultivation.
Having met the three Island Guardians, Lucas visited the Ruins of Abundance to thank his angel investor, Tapu Bulu.
But Tapu Bulu, usually lazy, was out, leaving Lucas to drop off his gifts.
He couldn't resist "borrowing" a few sacks of the rich black earth where Tapu Bulu liked to nap before sneaking back to Akala Island.
...
PS: Read at least 283 advanced chapters at patreon.com/AbsoluteCode