To be on the safe side, Roy retrieved a rope from inside his tent.
Under Solgaleo's threatening presence, Adam obediently allowed Roy to tie him up.
Roy secured the knot behind Adam's back, clapped his hands together, and smiled with satisfaction.
"Perfect! Now I don't have to worry about telling you the truth."
"In about twenty minutes, the dimensional node connecting back to Earth will open on Akala Island."
"That means if you hadn't wasted time talking nonsense with me just now, you might have actually found an opportunity to escape."
Hearing Roy's words, Adam's eyes widened with rage, nearly tearing from their sockets.
"You!"
Roy chuckled quietly. No wonder villains liked monologuing so much—it really was satisfying to see other people's expressions shift like this.
In reality, as an Elite-level Trainer, was there truly no way for Adam to survive without his Poké Balls?
Obviously not.
Even with such a thorough plan orchestrated by the Illumaniti it was impossible that Adam hadn't been given something to protect his life. He wouldn't have been tied up so peacefully otherwise.
Roy, relying on his ability to read Adam's intentions, had quietly removed the hidden items from Adam's body while tying the rope around him.
Adam had wanted to try using his last chance to eliminate Roy.
For no other reason than Roy being a massive variable who had severely hindered the Illumaniti's progress.
There had even been many instances where the Illumaniti's carefully laid plans were destroyed either because of Roy's deliberate interference or by sheer accident.
Roy absolutely couldn't be allowed to live!
When Roy pulled out the small bomb from Adam's trouser pocket, he fell into deep thought.
Am I really that important to them?
Roy felt somewhat speechless. The feeling of being valued, but not wanting to be valued in this particular way, was honestly quite complicated.
Looking at all the scattered little dangerous items spread across the ground, Roy collected them helplessly.
These things shouldn't be considered spoils of war, right?
He didn't have to turn them in, did he?
After all, he just picked them up off the ground.
Roy decided to leave this matter in blissful ignorance.
"Hehe."
Making a small fortune today!
Adam had wanted to detonate the bomb he'd hidden and turn the entire island into ashes.
He carefully tried to reach his back pocket with considerable effort.
Huh? It's not there?
What about this one?
Eh? That's missing too?
Adam suddenly raised his head to stare at Roy, shock written all over his face.
Roy was the only one who touched me just now! That device was my absolute last resort—it was definitely still there when I arrived on the island!
Roy packed up his tent nonchalantly, maintaining an expression of complete innocence that said, "I don't know anything about what you're talking about."
Adam finally understood. Unlike the stubbornness he had shown on purpose earlier, this time he was genuinely defeated.
He had been completely outsmarted by some kid in his twenties.
Adam sat on the ground in utter defeat. He could probably guess what would happen to him afterward.
Whether Roy handed him over to Tapu Koko or directly turned him over to China's authorities, torture was inevitable.
After all, an Elite-level Trainer who had been operating undercover for decades posed a serious threat no matter where he ended up.
They would try every possible means to extract information from him for the higher-ups.
For a moment, Adam's face looked utterly ashen and hopeless.
Roy didn't want to dwell on such matters. He was busy and still had to pick up Mimikyu from his kindergarten-level tutoring session.
He had to bring this item, and he had to bring that item too—just like a fussy old grandmother.
Roy had no idea how long it would take for Mimikyu to learn properly, but he was prepared for a long-term commitment.
He had even disassembled the tent and repacked it in his bag.
"Solgaleo, take Adam to Tapu Koko."
"Tell the Guardian Deity to secretly hand him over to China's authorities."
"Oh, and you can bring Henry along. He can contact Champion Frances as quickly as possible."
Solgaleo, suddenly entrusted with such an important task, happily grabbed Adam. The Legendary Pokémon raised his head proudly, kicked off powerfully, and headed toward Akala Island's location.
After a moment of peaceful silence, Roy finished packing his belongings, jumped onto Salamence's back, and flew toward Melemele Island.
The island tour challenge was over, and the conditions restricting high-altitude flight were naturally lifted.
Salamence's secondary role as an aerial mount was rejuvenated, and he flapped his wings happily.
Roy's hair was parted down the middle by the salty sea breeze, but this didn't diminish Roy's excellent mood in the slightest.
This kind of carefree, relaxed life with nothing urgent to do was truly wonderful...
On the distant sea horizon, the sun slowly descended, and the clouds surrounding it were painted vibrant orange-red.
Melemele Island lay to the northwest of Alola's spiritual realm, while Poni Island was positioned to the west.
So sitting on Salamence's back, flying from Poni Island to Melemele Island meant they would pass directly by the spectacular sunset.
Roy's profile was also dyed orange by the setting sun—the color perfectly befitting a young man in his prime.
This time, because there were no longer any high-altitude flight restrictions, Salamence landed directly in the barren woodland clearing.
No command from Roy was needed at all.
"Well, this spot seems pretty iconic now."
Kommo-o had piled all the fallen trees together, creating a log pile that resembled a small hill.
Seeing Roy's arrival, Kommo-o stopped working and set down the last log he'd been carrying.
"Hiss."
Mimikyu learns very quickly. You should go check on him.
For a fleeting moment, Roy had the surreal feeling of picking up his child from school and meeting with the teacher afterward.
To escape this strange sensation, Roy simply nodded and walked over to Mimikyu's side to observe his learning progress.
Mimikyu noticed Roy's approach and became obviously much more serious and focused than before.
Salamence didn't follow Roy but instead began discussing cultivation techniques with Kommo-o, a fellow Dragon-type Pokémon.
Especially after Salamence accidentally revealed what had happened to him recently, he received righteous encouragement from the Dragon-type mentor.
"Hiss..."
Don't worry about it. I've seen cases like yours many times. We'll definitely go there together someday and prove them all wrong.
Salamence was deeply moved by the righteous words from his new mentor figure, and the relationship between the two Dragon-types improved significantly.
The thin clouds surrounding Mimikyu could now skillfully cover his disguised body, but no matter what he tried, Mimikyu had no way to control them well enough to absorb them into his actual body.
Roy thought about the problem and offered a possible solution.
"Maybe you should try hardening them first and attaching them to the surface of your skin?"
After hearing this suggestion, Mimikyu's eyes lit up brilliantly, as if two blocked meridians had suddenly been opened.
He couldn't wait to mobilize the mist-like clouds, eager to try the method Roy had suggested.
The milky-white thin clouds resembled flowing gauze, covering Mimikyu layer by layer while demonstrating their natural fluidity.
Then, under Mimikyu's concentrated control, the mist immediately tightened against his skin's surface.