What's more, the target of that dangerous element was none other than a distinguished guest in Alola's spiritual realm.
Roy learned from Lucario that Caroline and the others had already been safely taken away by Blastoise.
So there was no need to worry about them now.
When Blastoise returned, he would likely be waiting for Roy and Lucario at the beach.
Roy gently touched Mimikyu's empty head beneath the disguise.
"So, how did your free time go? Did you have fun studying?"
Mimikyu proudly raised his head to receive the affectionate touch.
"Kyu!"
Of course! It went really well!
Satisfied with the response, Roy rubbed Mimikyu back and forth, making the little Ghost-type laugh continuously with delight.
Seeing that it was getting late, Roy reluctantly said goodbye to Mimikyu.
Mimikyu rubbed against Roy's palm with obvious reluctance, making Roy's hand tickle from the sensation.
"Okay, okay. We'll come back tonight and set up a tent to stay with you."
Mimikyu's eyes naturally squinted with happiness upon hearing this promise, and he bid Roy a cheerful farewell.
Looking at the childish Mimikyu, Roy laughed warmly. It was just like a child who had been told their parents would come pick them up after school.
Lucario waved goodbye to Mimikyu and received Mimikyu's middle finger in return—the Ghost-type's way of joking around.
Seeing Lucario's head droop listlessly at the gesture, Roy found the situation even more amusing.
"It's alright, Lucario. Mimikyu is just joking with you."
Lucario understood this, of course. He only looked dejected for a brief moment before returning to his usual reliable, big-brother demeanor.
This incident had presumably made Lucario pay much more attention to safety concerns going forward.
As the Pokémon belonging to a vulnerable Pokémon Trainer, the Trainer's safety was naturally the most important priority.
Otherwise, the entire team would just become a disorganized mess.
In the system Roy had established, Lucario served as the most crucial link in the chain.
His big-brother image had long been deeply established in everyone's hearts. Although there had been a minor accident this time, it hadn't caused any significant waves or conflicts within the team.
In fact, they all understood that everyone bore some responsibility for what had happened.
They couldn't simply blame Lucario or any single party—that would just be evasive behavior.
Meanwhile, Blastoise had delivered Caroline and her group to Akala Island and was preparing to leave immediately.
However, his timing was perfect—it was exactly thirty minutes after Tapu Lele had sprinkled the activated scale powder.
The glittering scale powder that had stained Caroline's dirty white clothes began to fade and disappear.
Caroline's complexion also started turning rosy and healthy again, and the constant buzzing in her mind gradually dissipated.
Caroline let out a relaxed breath, which put everyone else at ease as well.
Tapu Lele appreciated beautiful things, and people were no exception to this preference.
When Caroline appeared before the Guardian Deity, Tapu Lele was extremely friendly, even completely ignoring the other three "ordinary-looking" men beside her.
To be fair, Henry's appearance was also quite good. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gained such a large number of fans at school.
Combined with his family background and the powerful Pokémon protecting him, Henry's journey had been remarkably smooth.
That was, until he met Caroline and Roy—two complete anomalies.
But now, Henry was obviously encountering a crisis regarding his appearance.
After receiving an explanation from the younger sibling Guardian Deity Tapu Lele, Henry began seriously questioning whether he was actually handsome at all. Could everyone have been lying to me this whole time?
Henry's petrified, shocked expression was nothing unusual to Takeshi Aihara and Master Amora, though.
Anyone who stood next to Caroline would be compared into insignificance, after all.
Master Amora especially raised his hand and touched his bald head, smiling contentedly.
What do they know? This is the handsome look of a true ascetic monk.
After Caroline's physical condition reached a satisfactory level, Tapu Lele stopped the enthusiastic behavior of spreading scale powder everywhere.
When Caroline confirmed that she felt perfectly healthy again, Tapu Lele accidentally showed a hint of disappointment.
"Lele..."
The sight of Tapu Lele floating busily around Caroline had long since irritated Gardevoir.
Seeing Tapu Lele display such a disappointed expression now only made Gardevoir feel even more satisfied.
"Sana~"
So what if you're a Guardian Deity? Caroline is still MY Trainer!
After Caroline realized that Gardevoir's mood wasn't very good, she gently tried to comfort the Psychic-type.
After all, the Tapu Lele before them wasn't just Akala's Guardian Deity—the Pokémon had also just helped Caroline recover from her abnormal mental condition.
Perhaps Tapu Lele's overly familiar behavior often provoked the jealousy of various Pokémon Trainers' partner Pokémon.
Tapu Lele was extremely sensitive to Gardevoir's negative emotions.
Behind Caroline's back, Tapu Lele shot Gardevoir a smug look and began showing off some masterful manipulation skills.
"Lele~"
I'm so sorry. I don't want to make you and Gardevoir fight because of me. This is all my fault.
When Caroline heard this, she didn't find anything strange about the statement at first.
"It has nothing to do with you, Tapu Lele."
As soon as Caroline said this, Tapu Lele's expression shifted to one of wanting to cry.
"Lele..."
I'm fine, really. You don't have to worry about me. Go ahead and comfort Gardevoir, otherwise she'll make a fuss and get angry with you. I'm different—I can handle it. You really don't need to worry about me...
Having said all that, Caroline naturally couldn't just focus on the Guardian Deity while Gardevoir was still sulking nearby.
This only made Gardevoir even angrier.
"Voir!"
You're talking nonsense!
Tapu Lele quickly feigned surprise and hid behind Caroline.
The Guardian Deity's tone became even more pitiful.
"Lele..."
I didn't expect Gardevoir to get so angry. I didn't mean anything by it...
Gardevoir was obviously a young Pokémon who hadn't yet experienced such manipulative tactics. The more annoyed she became, the deeper she fell into the trap.
For a moment, the entire Akala Island seemed filled with the metaphorical aroma of strategic tea-drinking.
An unknown Mimikyu somewhere sent a congratulatory message celebrating Gardevoir's growth through this experience.
The trio of male victims sipped their actual tea and whispered to each other about who was performing better in this conflict.
Master Amora, being somewhat older and having seen more of the world, spoke up first.
"Need you even ask?"
"Tapu Lele won this first round easily, no question."
Henry drank from the teacup Takeshi Aihara held out to him and nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"The master is absolutely right."
Meanwhile, out on the sea, Blastoise was paddling along happily.
With his simple mind, the Water-type had no idea that the two islands he had traveled between had already experienced such dramatic events.
It was just that one side involved silent psychological warfare, while the other had nearly cost someone their life.
The turtle hummed contentedly to himself, paddling happily with his flippers up, carefree and unbothered.
On the beach, Lucario watched Blastoise's leisurely approach with visible frustration, a vein visibly popping on his forehead.
His anger built steadily. His fists clenched hard.
Blastoise, meanwhile, had absolutely no idea what storm of scolding he was about to face.
Roy was boredly building a sandcastle nearby. On the shapeless pile of sand, he had constructed what was supposedly a bird, though it was completely unrecognizable without explanation.
"Look—a sand sculpture," Roy announced.
The timely lack of support from Lucario made Roy suddenly feel like he himself was the sand sculpture in this situation.