Malamar completely lost control of its body as the powerful current swept it away without a trace.
Tapu Fini let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Strange!"
What a strange human!
Tapu Fini touched its eyes with one hand. It remembered that this area was blue—one of the places where part of its power was stored.
After the Water Pulse drove Malamar away, the ocean depths regained their tranquility. The surface showed no signs of the disturbance below.
This was the true power of a guardian deity—complete mastery over its own abilities!
The Water Pulse used by Tapu Fini was on an entirely different level compared to the one Blastoise had used earlier.
If Roy had witnessed it, he might have reconsidered whether his training plan would even work.
But right now, Roy was too preoccupied to notice. He was focused on checking how Cosmog was doing with Solgaleo.
When Roy mentioned he was heading to the Vast Poni Canyon, his Pokémon were immediately driven by curiosity and expressed their desire to come along!
However, they were stopped cold by Roy's simple question: "Have you finished your training for today?"
So Roy walked slowly up the mountain path alone, pretending not to notice the little followers trailing behind him.
"Everyone be quiet! Don't let him discover us!"
This message came through Roy's Aura powers.
Roy nodded to himself. Well, it seemed Lucario might be the ringleader of this operation.
Mimikyu's small body made it very easy to hide behind the others.
"B..."
"Kyu!"
Roy's moving ahead! Let's catch up!
Blastoise quickly grabbed Mimikyu and signaled for silence.
But Mimikyu had no defenses up against its teammates.
Being caught so suddenly by Blastoise startled Mimikyu badly, and it instinctively launched a Shadow Ball.
Fortunately, Mimikyu's rationality kicked in quickly, and it pulled back most of the attack's power.
Blastoise groaned and touched the now-blackened shell on its chest.
So ugly. Not handsome at all.
Sad turtle noises.
Mimikyu felt a little embarrassed about the accident, but didn't want to express it out loud. Instead, it obediently perched on Blastoise's shoulder, leaning peacefully against the Water-type's neck.
Blastoise had never received such affection from Mimikyu before and was nearly moved to tears.
Is Mimikyu finally charmed by my appeal?
Am I about to become the big brother of this family?
Mimikyu read the hopeful anticipation in Blastoise's eyes and shot him an annoyed glance.
"Kyu!"
Let's go! Or I'm leaving without you!
Blastoise held its head high with pride. Today, I'm the coolest turtle around!
It was hard for Roy to pretend he hadn't heard such commotion behind him.
To hike from the Geothermal Springs to the Vast Poni Canyon, one had to pass through the Canyon, where a group of Mienfoo lived. It was said they coexisted with another group of Lycanroc in the valley.
Of course, when faced with rare prey, Pokémon driven by hunger no longer cared about their usual neighborly relations.
Especially when they spotted a human with seemingly no Pokémon around him for protection.
When it came to detecting potential prey, wild Lycanroc had exceptional senses.
The moment Roy stepped into the barren valley, he couldn't ignore the threatening growls coming from three Lycanroc approaching from different directions ahead.
It seemed there was no way to pass through here peacefully.
"Alright, let's see how my Psychic training has been progressing lately," Roy said.
He shook out his wrists and ankles, warming up his body.
Lycanroc were pack-hunting Pokémon. Perhaps because of their relatively low individual strength, they always preferred to hunt in groups.
Right now, three Lycanroc stood before Roy.
Lycanroc was a rare Pokémon species that had different evolutionary forms depending on the time of day they evolved.
Among the three Lycanroc confronting him, two were in their Midday Form, while only one displayed the Midnight Form.
Presumably, Solgaleo's long-term presence on Poni Island had influenced the Pokémon living here as well.
This evolutionary trait in Lycanroc made such changes more clearly visible than in other species.
Lycanroc in their Midday Form walked on all fours. The lower portions of their limbs were covered with long white fur, while their bodies were covered in light tan fur. Only the long fur on their ears and back was covered with darker brown coloring.
Their large white tails swished back and forth, making them look somewhat like ordinary dogs...
However, if one could ignore the way the Lycanroc were staring at Roy—looking at him as if he were nothing more than a piece of meat—Roy might have even called them cute.
Unfortunately, that thought was completely shattered when the Lycanroc opened their mouths, dripping with saliva, and lunged at Roy with snapping jaws.
Roy immediately activated his Psychic powers! He concentrated his mental energy and focused his attention on the soft underbelly exposed by the first Lycanroc as it leaped toward him.
The Midday Form Lycanroc that had rushed forward first let out a pained howl.
It tumbled from mid-air and crashed to the ground with a pathetic whimper, temporarily losing its ability to move.
Lucario and the other Pokémon hiding behind Roy were completely stunned.
Although these Lycanroc had likely only evolved from Rockruff within the past few days, and their offensive capabilities weren't particularly high, it was still surprising.
To see someone remain so completely calm while directly knocking down a Pokémon over a meter tall was quite impressive.
Roy looked at the Lycanroc lying on the ground whimpering and smiled with satisfaction.
All that long training had finally paid off.
Although this particular Psychic attack had taken advantage of the Lycanroc's vulnerable position during its charge, Roy was pleased to see that his self-defense abilities had improved significantly.
The other two companions of the fallen Lycanroc watched as their packmate, who had rushed forward first, suddenly collapsed for seemingly no reason.
They were equally confused.
Lycanroc B: Is he messing with us?
Lycanroc C: Doesn't look like it. He seems pretty hurt.
Lycanroc A: Someone help me up... I can still fight...
Lycanroc B and C exchanged knowing glances, then looked at Roy standing calmly in the distance.
They wisely chose a temporary retreat.
Lycanroc A: Are you seriously backing away right now?
Suddenly, the other two Lycanroc spotted the large group of powerful-looking Pokémon quietly hiding behind Roy.
They involuntarily took another step backward. Then another step back.
Lycanroc B and C exchanged another glance and simultaneously turned to run away.
As they fled, they didn't forget to howl twice—apparently calling for reinforcements from their pack.