"You're amazing, Honey~"
Whitney hurried over, her chest bouncing as she threw herself into Peter's arms, smiling sweetly.
Peter looked toward Ilima, who had just picked Eevee back up into his arms.
"Last Resort is definitely a powerful move," he said calmly, "but it comes with limitations. Rather than revealing your trump card Z-Move right away, it's better to use your other moves first… then finish the battle with a single decisive strike."
"…Thank you for the guidance!" Ilima nodded sincerely.
"What an incredible battle. Congratulations, Peter~"
Hala walked over while applauding. Resting in his palm was a white diamond-shaped crystal.
[Normalium Z: A Z-Crystal containing Normal-type Z-Power. After being equipped to a Z-Ring, the Trainer and Pokémon can release the powerful Z-Move "Breakneck Blitz" through their deep bond.]
"This is your reward for passing the trial," Hala said as he handed the crystal to Peter. "As for Melemele Island's final Grand Trial, I still need to make preparations for the ritual. We can proceed tomorrow."
"Sounds perfect to me~" Peter replied with a smile.
At that moment, Whitney stepped forward.
"Um… Mr. Hala, may I apply to take the trial too?"
Hala paused briefly before nodding.
"Of course. Alola welcomes anyone willing to undertake the trials."
"That's awesome!" Whitney clasped her hands excitedly. "Then once I get a Z-Ring and a Z-Crystal, I can learn those cool dance poses too, Honey~"
The curvy Miltank girl began mimicking the exaggerated Z-Move motions on the spot, causing the soft fullness on her chest to sway dramatically.
Peter muttered under his breath:
"…Not gonna lie, Whitney doing Z-Move poses really is something worth watching."
Tonight, he was definitely making her perform them for him on the bed.
Yep.
Decision made.
Hala stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"In that case, I'll issue the two of you another trial. Once you complete it, you can participate in tomorrow's Grand Trial together."
"That would be wonderful, thank you very much!"
Just like that, Peter and Whitney officially received a new island trial.
After a brief moment of thought, Hala began explaining:
"I recently received reports from the Pokémon Center's Nurse Joy. Apparently, a bird Pokémon from another region accidentally entered the island. Witnesses claim it was seen near Verdant Cavern."
"In that cave live two large rival colonies: the Gumshoos family and the Raticate family. They're constantly in conflict with one another."
"If that child remains there, it could be in serious danger. And if it begins reproducing in Alola, it may disrupt the island's ecosystem…"
"So your trial is this—bring that Pokémon back safely."
Peter nodded thoughtfully.
If it really was a natural predator to some local Pokémon, then it absolutely could destabilize the ecosystem.
"What kind of Pokémon is it?" he asked.
"Not entirely sure," Hala replied. "It moves extremely fast. Everyone who saw it only described it as… a gray lightning bolt."
"Gray…?"
Peter frowned.
"Could it be an Unfezant from Unova?"
Then he immediately shook his head.
"No, that doesn't make sense. A large bird Pokémon would've been easy to identify."
"We'll investigate first."
"Mm." Hala nodded. "This also happens to be the annual conflict period between the Gumshoos and Raticate clans. Be careful of the Totem Pokémon inside the cave."
"Totem Pokémon?" Whitney repeated curiously.
"They're giant Pokémon that gained special aura energy while protecting Z-Crystals," Peter explained before Hala could speak. "They possess enormous bodies beyond normal Pokémon and can often summon allies to assist them."
He had already encountered a Totem-style Arboliva back in Paldea.
That Arboliva had used its Totem aura to gather nearby Pokémon into a mutually supportive ecosystem.
Hala looked increasingly impressed by Peter's knowledge.
"As expected of a Pokémon Professor. Even as an outsider, you know Alola so well…"
"I'll return now to prepare the ritual. I wish you both good luck."
With that, he left in his flip-flops.
Peter and Whitney also bid farewell to Samson Oak and Professor Kukui before leaving the Pokémon School.
Rather than rushing directly to Verdant Cavern, Peter first brought Whitney around the marketplace to gather information.
After asking around for quite a while, they finally obtained a useful clue from an elderly fruit vendor.
"Oh, that little gray fellow?"
The old woman recalled while peeling fruit.
"It first appeared around three months ago. Back then, I was feeding leftover berries to the nearby wild Pokémon at night."
"There were a few spoiled berries left, so I tossed them toward the trash bin beside the road…"
"But that little thing suddenly darted out from the shadows and snatched them away. It looked like it had been starving for a very long time."
Peter nodded.
"Can you remember anything else?"
"Well…" the old woman hesitated. "It was very dark, so I couldn't see clearly. But after it finished eating and dropped the berries…"
"…it suddenly seemed to become much faster."
Peter and Whitney exchanged glances simultaneously.
"Unburden Ability?"
[Unburden: Doubles the Pokémon's Speed after it loses its held item.]
"So it's Hawlucha?" Peter muttered.
But he quickly frowned again.
"That doesn't seem right… Hawlucha is supposed to have extremely bright colors."
After all, Hawlucha was infamous for its ridiculously flashy red-and-green color scheme.
Yet none of the other bird Pokémon with Unburden were capable of flight in the way described.
For a moment, even Peter couldn't figure it out.
Maybe…
…it was a shiny Hawlucha?
Or perhaps some bird Pokémon that had developed an unconventional Ability through intense training?
Unable to solve the mystery, Peter eventually gave up.
"Grrrr…"
Whitney clutched her stomach pitifully.
"Honey… your girlfriend is starving to death…"
"Hahaha… alright then, let's eat first."
"Yay! GOGOGO~"
…
A few minutes later, the two arrived at a roadside restaurant called Aina Kitchen.
"Hello, boss. Two grilled meat combo platters, please."
"Coming right up!"
The owner disappeared into the kitchen. Soon after, Mallow emerged carrying two plates of assorted grilled meat while wearing an apron.
"Please enjoy…"
As she placed the dishes down, she suddenly realized the two customers looked familiar.
"Huh? Aren't you the people from the school earlier…?"
Peter smiled and nodded.
"Hello again, Mallow~"
"Ah—Professor Peter actually knows me?!"
Mallow looked completely overwhelmed.
"Of course. Professor Kukui mentioned you before. He thinks you have huge potential as a Grass-type specialist trainer~"
"Really?!"
Mallow's eyes sparkled instantly.
"Absolutely," Peter replied with a calm smile.
Naturally, Kukui had never actually said any of that.
But considering Mallow would become one of the future Alola protagonists, it wasn't exactly a lie either.
If anything, it would help boost the girl's confidence.
"Th-Thank you! I'll work even harder~!"
Mallow bowed deeply before happily hurrying off to deliver more dishes.
Whitney tilted her head curiously.
"Honey, did you already know this was her family's restaurant?"
"Of course~" Peter winked dramatically. "Your boyfriend can see the future."
"Huh? Then hurry and predict mine! What will I be like in the future?"
"Let me see…"
Peter pretended to think seriously.
"In the future…"
"What?"
"You'll give me enough children to form an entire soccer team."
Whitney's face instantly turned bright red.
Then she noticed the mischievous grin on his face.
"Hmph! You're bullying me again!"
"Mmm? But from your reaction just now…" Peter leaned closer with a smirk. "Were you actually thinking about having them?"
"Maybe we should start wor—mmph!"
Before he could finish the word "working," Whitney stuffed a piece of grilled meat directly into his mouth with a crimson face.
"Hmph~ Eat your food!"
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T/N:
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