Chapter 375: Bomb-Making Talent

Continuous breakthroughs on Melemele Island and Akala Island.

Only the Grand Trial of the two big islands remained unfinished.

Baimu roused himself slightly, only to find the female student in the screen starting to train.

【Having thoroughly identified your side's shortcomings during the Trial and Grand Trial on Akala Island, you chose to improve your physical conditioning so the next trial could proceed more steadily.】

Mm.

Plugging the gaps, huh? The hot-blooded girl is actually pretty rational sometimes.

He watched the female student with approval — the battle against the Totem Bruxish proved the latter was no slouch in quick wits, and with the Pokémon's help her observation had been sharpened too.

So the only thing holding her back was her physique.

Still, building the body is a matter of daily accumulation; she shouldn't expect any major progress in the short term.

As if confirming his thought, the footage in the simulator kept accelerating, playing fragmented snippets of the hot-blooded girl's daily life, like the time-skip cutscenes in some animations.

Baimu could only rely on the narration to figure out what had happened during this stretch.

Training, raising Pokémon, practicing Z-Moves, and also…

【Using Musharna's Sleep Spore, you successfully developed a Strong Sleep Bomb.】

【Your Musharna evolved into Shiinotic; the luminescent spores on its umbrella cap gave you food for thought.】

【Using Shiinotic's luminescent spores, you successfully developed a Lure Luminescent Bomb.】

Watching the female student turn even the green glowing dots on Shiinotic's umbrella cap into weapons, he could no longer tell whether she was an apothecary or a militant.

Still, where the female student's kind heart showed itself was now clear—

Any slightly mischievous kid, given the ability to make all sorts of bombs, would surely go around causing havoc, intentionally or not stirring up incidents that were no fun at all for the victims.

The unhinged ones might even blow up a toilet.

The female student did not. Rather than calling it restraint, it was clearer to say she knew exactly why she made these things — to keep herself safe during adventures and trials.

Moreover, even though her standing rose after clearing the second Grand Trial, the female student never got so arrogant as to look down on others, and remained very warm toward every classmate who tried to befriend her.

All these little details were enough to show what her heart was really like; one didn't necessarily have to do something especially impressive to bring out her kindness.

Besides, there was a more direct demonstration too.

The footage slowed.

One day on the way to school, the female student spotted, beneath a distant cliff, a group of Salandit with manic expressions floating in the bubbles over their heads, rampaging through a flower field, spewing flames that burned the beautiful plants and sending countless Cutiefly and Vivillon fleeing in panic.

One Cutiefly was even clamped in the jaws of one of the Salandit, unable to move.

【You decided to step in and save them.】

Seeing the flower field was some distance away, the female student decisively had Decidueye fly over and fire Strong Sleep Bombs along with feathers into the field, stopping that crazed bunch in the fastest time possible.

Then she herself rode on Decidueye's wings down to the flower field beneath the cliff.

The evolved Decidueye's flying ability had improved greatly; it no longer had to flap its wings desperately just to barely slow its descent like before.

【You began treating the injured Pokémon, and an unusual strange smell in the air caught your attention.】

"Salazzle, huh…"

Baimu guessed the reason the Salandit had attacked the flower field — after all, male Salandit are affected by Salazzle's pheromones.

But what he hadn't expected was that this Salazzle was no ordinary Salazzle—

It was a Totem Pokémon!

Once the female student had finished treating all the injured Pokémon and followed the scent, she quickly discovered an unusually large Salazzle hiding among the rockery.

【You saw the culprit Salazzle, but its size gave you an ominous premonition.】

The moment Salazzle saw the female student, its body was instantly cloaked in Totem aura; with a wave of its arm it summoned a swarm of Salandit that immediately surrounded her.

Too bad such tactics might work on other Trainers, but against the female student they were hopeless.

As they say, all fear comes from insufficient firepower.

As if she had some fourth-dimensional pleated skirt, the female student instantly pulled out a huge pile of Strong Sleep Bombs and Paralysis Bombs, defeating the Salandit swarming her at top speed, forcing the Totem Salazzle into a one-on-one duel.

【You sent out Decidueye, determined to defeat this Totem Salazzle and make it acknowledge its wrongdoing.】

The hot-blooded girl fully displayed her talent for fighting at a type disadvantage, much like Ash; though she was on the back foot at first, with the three-word mantra "Hold On" plus the Flying Z-Move 【Supersonic Skystrike】, she smoothly took the Totem Salazzle down.

Baimu, watching this far, basically understood the trigger condition for the three-word mantra — type disadvantage.

In other words, it was a talent that didn't work in winning games!

The battle ended.

Decidueye, as if having accumulated enough, began to glow white from its body, evolving from Dartrix into Robin Hood — Decidueye.

【Your Decidueye evolved into Decidueye, and learned 'Spirit Shackle'.】

The once-cute creature had finally weathered its awkward middle stage and progressed to its final form.

As for the defeated Totem Salazzle, which knelt and handed over the Toxic Z with both claws, the female student dragged it by the tail along with the whole pack of Salandit to the flower field, where they all prostrated themselves before the Cutiefly and Vivillon and promised to restore the field.

【You defeated the Totem Salazzle and obtained the Toxic Z.】

Speaking of which.

Melemele Island actually has a Totem Salazzle… Baimu had always assumed it would appear on Akala Island's Wela Volcano like in the game, but considering Melemele Island can even have a Totem Trevenant, a mere Totem Salazzle was nothing to write home about.

At the same time, a welcome sight appeared on screen — the Cutiefly the female student had rescued from the Salandit's jaws had taken a liking to her and decided to follow her.

The female student thus successfully obtained her fourth Pokémon, and the narration noted she was quite fond of Cutiefly as a species.

【You caught Cutiefly; your companions helping make bombs have increased.】

That's so you!

Baimu wore an expression of admiration.

Unexpectedly, the screen's image suddenly changed; the viewpoint shifted to the Totem Salazzle, which, having taken a beating, trudged dejectedly back into the forest, where a bobbing cockscomb-headed Pokémon appeared not far away.

"Tapu Kele!"

The two Pokémon began communicating, and the dominant Flareon's forehead displayed a pitiful expression, just as it had when expressing its grievance to CAPU MINGMING.

Was the destruction of the flower field ordered by CAPU MINGMING?

Why?

Baimu was somewhat puzzled.

But the simulator did not linger on this scene, and the narration gave him no answer.

When the scene returned to the female student's perspective.

She had already brought SNIPER TREECKO to a police station crowded with ALOLA MEOWTH.

【Under Professor OAK's guidance, you came to the ALOLA MEOWTH police station on ULAULA ISLAND seeking ISLAND Wang Modan, but upon arrival you found only a group of ALOLA MEOWTH】

Has MODAN already become ISLAND KING in this era?

Baimu was quite surprised—he had assumed that when KACHI's grandfather was in charge, MODAN was still an International Police officer.

【You pulled out a PULSAR BUNCH of pollen to lure one ALOLA MEOWTH into guiding you to MODAN; the creature agreed】

A pixelated ALOLA MEOWTH led the way; the female student and SNIPER TREECKO followed closely, and soon found MODAN lying in the interrogation room, napping lazily.

【You woke the creature and asked about the Trial, but it denied everything, claiming it was not MODAN—you had been tricked by the ALOLA MEOWTH】

Question marks appeared on the foreheads of the female student and SNIPER TREECKO.

Clearly, she did not know that MODAN was an extremely cunning Dark-type ISLAND KING; she actually walked out in confusion, only realizing she hadn't been mistaken when she met INSPECTOR JUNSA of ULAULA ISLAND elsewhere.

【You stormed back, found the ISLAND Wang Modan who had deceived you, and he wore an innocent expression, saying he had thought you meant someone else—he had misheard. You begged him again to conduct the Trial and Great Trial, and this time MODAN finally agreed】

What a malicious ISLAND KING…

Baimu didn't know what to say—both Team Rocket and Ash had been fooled by MODAN in the anime, and now the female student had been tricked too.

They've been using the same trick for years and still aren't bored.

【Your Trial is—to investigate the source of the mysterious sounds in the former site of the Super Value Supermarket】

Mysterious sounds? MIMIKYU?

In the anime, the former Super Value Supermarket should have been just an abandoned site, not the dwelling of a dominant MIMIKYU… right?

Since he wasn't from the same era as Ash, Baimu couldn't be certain.

But he believed he'd know soon enough.

The scene shifted.

The female student arrived before a massive single-story department store; the dirty parking lot, untrimmed flowerbeds and trees, broken floor-to-ceiling windows, and half-fallen sign all proved it had been abandoned for a long time.

When the wind blew, it carried a wailing, ghost-like moan.

But such a scene was essentially meaningless to her—a walking arsenal.

After all, even when she first transferred schools, she had dared to walk alone through the campus at midnight without any Pokémon; MODAN had surely never imagined her courage would be so great.

Slightly darker environments didn't count as trials at all.

The female student strode boldly inside with SNIPER TREECKO; the interior of the former Super Value Supermarket was dirtier than the outside, and thick dust left deep footprints with every step.

【You stared at the ground, utterly devoid of movement, and wondered what the true source of the strange sound could be】

As the female student moved deeper into the Super Value Supermarket, the screen darkened, with only faint sunlight piercing the grimy glass, providing minimal visibility.

In Baimu's view, several dark shadows had already flown past the places the female student and SNIPER TREECKO had not noticed.

"Am I watching a simulator… or a horror pixel game…?"

And still, no trace of the sound was found—the female student finally couldn't hold back and pulled out one of her latest inventions:

【LURE GLARE BOMB】

This glow-spore, derived from the surface of LANTERN NIGHT UMBRELLA, induces hallucinations in nearly all Pokémon and lures them toward the light, like moths to a flame.

Perfectly suited for this unique environment.

Boom!

The bomb exploded.

Baimu had raised his hand to shield his eyes, but the simulator was considerate enough to dim the brightness and effect.

After the explosion, countless dark shadows surged toward the female student from all directions, transforming into pixelated GHOSTS and GASTLY.

Not a single GENGAR in sight—no wonder there were no footprints on the ground.

But most striking of all was a gray shadow among them.

【You stared at the shimmering, shiny MIMIKYU floating in midair, unable to believe it—because you have a MIMIKYU companion, you know this Ghost-type Pokémon cannot fly】

Undoubtedly.

The shiny MIMIKYU before the female student was ASEROLA's MIMIKYU—a true "ghost," though in this timeline it had not yet been with ASEROLA.

Was it once a dominant Pokémon?

【You discovered the shiny MIMIKYU and, seeing the swarm of GASTLY and GHOSTS, assumed it was the dominant Pokémon】

Baimu and the female student clearly thought the same thing.

Unfortunately, both were wrong.

MIMIKYU vanished instantly in place, leaving the female student and SNIPER TREECKO alone to face the horde of GASTLY and GHOSTS, neither of whom hesitated—they were experts at handling diverse enemies.

One threw bombs; the other shot arrows.

The two turned the Pokémon battle into a "shooting" game.

"No wonder Ash and the others found no GASTLY or GHOSTS when they came here later," Baimu muttered, watching the Ghost-type Pokémon scatter and flee.

Soon, all the Ghost-type Pokémon vanished from the female student's view; MIMIKYU reappeared—but showed no dominant aura, instead teleporting beside her, opening her Poké Ball containing her MIMIKYU.

【Your MIMIKYU was released and began conversing with the strange MIMIKYU before it】

Various unreadable expressions flew across the foreheads of both MIMIKYU.

【You learned the truth of the strange sound through your MIMIKYU—it was the restless GASTLY and GHOSTS at night. You may return to report. Additionally, your MIMIKYU received a gift from it—a MIMIKYU-exclusive Z-Move, but its shape is bizarre and cannot be used on your Z-Ring】

{You wanted to know why the opponent could fly; your Mimikyu told you it was because the opponent was a Ghost-type, and you puzzled over it endlessly until, on the ride home, it suddenly clicked. }

{You encountered a real "Ghost."}

The screen darkened.

"Even non-legendary Pokémon can obtain Z-Crystals… and it's even a Mimikyu Z—didn't Team Rocket's Mimikyu Z come from it too?" Baimu recalled, certain he hadn't misremembered.

This guy's probably a Mimikyu Z distributor.

But how did he even meet Acela? He was curious about that.

The screen lit up.

The female student returned to the police station, reported the results of her exploration to the lethargic Wang Modan, and showed him the Mimikyu Z in her hand.

{You heard Wang Modan acknowledge that you had passed the trial; she eagerly requested to begin the Grand Trial, and Wang Modan agreed—you proceeded to the battle arena behind the station. }

The main event begins!

Baimu's eyes brightened slightly; Wang Modan was using a Dark-type Pokémon, which had a type advantage over the female student.

Will the Three-Word Mantra talent trigger again?

He remembered the previous simulator who possessed the Three-Word Mantra talent triggered it rarely—nowhere near as frequently as the female student—and wondered if it was because she lacked the Hot-Blooded Youth talent as a complement.

Wang Modan's battle requirement was a three-on-three singles match; although the female student occasionally fought against type disadvantages, she still preferred matching types when possible.

So this time, she sent out Mimikyu first.

It faced off against Wang Modan's Croagunk; their types mutually countered each other, and the probing phase was lengthy—Baimu found it especially thrilling.

At least it wasn't a mutual one-hit KO like before.

In the end, Mimikyu still came out on top, defeating the poor Croagunk with Play Rough—no matter how many holes the Croagunk dug, Mimikyu's sharp perception dodged them all, wasting tremendous effort.

Of course, this also had much to do with Mimikyu's strength; this Pokémon, once mistaken by the female student for a Ghost, had been trained to an absurd level—no weaker than a Sceptile.

Seeing the female student's strength through Mimikyu, Wang Modan sent out her next Pokémon, Haunter, whose power surged dramatically and successfully knocked out Mimikyu.

Primarily because of the Black Gaze and Shadow Sneak combo—its control and rapid ranged attacks were too fast and brutal; the female student didn't even have time to shout her Three-Word Mantra.

"Trickster Heart?"

Baimu speculated on the reason for Haunter's swift attacks.

After hesitating, the female student sent out Duskull.

Duskull was painfully slow, but incredibly durable; it took two Shadow Claws without showing any sign of distress, then immediately put Haunter to sleep with its absurdly wide-area Spore.

Then it used Max Phantom to drain Haunter's life energy until it fainted.

Never mind anything else.

Duskull's Spore was truly absurd—it could put a Pokémon to sleep until its HP was completely depleted without waking.

Wang Modan was clearly astonished.

It was time for the final Pokémon.

Wang Modan's choice was unquestionably Alolan Grimer—or rather, Alolan Muk; its round, flat face looked oddly provocative, yet its combat power was formidable—it immediately knocked out Duskull with Sludge Bomb.

This prevented Duskull from using Spore and pushed the female student into the final stage: Ace vs Ace.

Sceptile entered the battlefield.

Baimu's heartbeat quickened slightly; since he didn't know how the Island Trials calculated final scores, failing the Grand Trial might still result in immediate score settlement.

After all, Alola at this time didn't even have a Pokémon League.

Fortunately, the Three-Word Mantra triggered as he'd anticipated.

When Alolan Muk, under Wang Modan's command, unleashed 【Black Hole Devours All】, creating a half-screen black hole that pulled the rapidly flapping Sceptile toward it as if it were real—

The female student's Explosion Bubble covered the remaining half of the screen.

"Hold on!"

"!"

Sceptile's wings slammed violently, its body enveloped in a green glow.

It burst into bloom!

It was the Overgrow ability!

Baimu knew exactly what this mysterious green glow was; the female student, as Sceptile's trainer, knew even better that no better moment to strike could exist.

{Radiant Blossom in Full Bloom}!

Countless flowers and vines instantly overwhelmed Alolan Muk's black hole; a green column of light erupted from the center and engulfed Alolan Muk entirely.

The screen was flooded with light effects—Baimu couldn't see anything clearly.

But likely, neither could the female student nor Wang Modan.

Soon, the green glow faded as the Z-Move ended; Alolan Muk lay unconscious on the ground, while Sceptile panted heavily on the other side.

Third island—successfully conquered!

{You defeated Ula'ula Island's Island King Wang Modan and received the Dark Z. }

Wasn't it supposed to be Sceptile Z or Fairy Z?

Baimu had assumed that Wang Modan, who had once given Ash a Lycanroc Z, would upgrade the female student's Z-Ring—or grant her Sceptile Z—but instead, not only was the Z-Ring unchanged, she still received only the Dark Z.

Could it be that the female student was suited for the Dark Z?

Baimu shook his head, unable to comprehend this Island King.

——

Only one island's trial and Grand Trial remained uncompleted.

The female student couldn't help but feel impatient.

But what ultimately calmed her was the warning from a senior classmate.

{You learned from your senior that the more impatient you are, the more likely the Island King will notice—and set up an almost impossible trial to make you give up, waiting until your mindset stabilizes before challenging again. }

【You thought the elder's words made great sense, so you threw yourself into preparation.】

She began her special training.

Not only to grow stronger, but also to search for new partners.

And with the female student's diligent effort, her physical strength increased significantly, evident in how she could now sprint all the way to school without gasping for breath—something she previously couldn't even do.

Meanwhile, MoeMeng evolved during this training period.

【Your MoeMeng evolved into Butterfly-Knot MoeMeng; you stared at the pollen balls it collected, lost in thought.】

【You successfully developed a Healing Bullet using the pollen balls from Butterfly-Knot MoeMeng.】

Weapon expert!

Most pharmacists develop potions, but the female student developed bombs—slightly funny, yet perfectly fitting her established pattern.

So will the fifth Pokémon also be related to bombs?

Baimu unexpectedly thought of Jigglypuff, but in this era, the female student likely couldn't encounter this Ultra Beast.

The scene shifted rapidly.

It only slowed down when the female student participated in the outdoor course—the Ula Ula Island Pokémon Sled Jumping Championship.

"Is the fifth one coming?"

Baimu quietly observed.

As expected, the female student "had an accident"—her sled, carrying her and Mimikyu, plunged into a hidden cave covered by snow and unnoticed by anyone.

When she stood up with Mimikyu's help, the entrance hole was completely buried under snow—she was trapped.

【You are trapped in the cave, but you are not panicked; instead, a sense of adventure rises within you.】

The hot-blooded girl is truly impressive.

Baimu marveled at the female student's bold heart—when suddenly faced with disaster, her first thought wasn't to wait for rescue or find an exit, but to begin an adventure.

She boldly marched into the cave's depths with Mimikyu; he thought, anyone who becomes a transfer student must be at least a little extraordinary.

Adventures always involve all sorts of incidents.

The female student encountered a situation where a wild Pokémon and a group of wild Pokémon were fighting over territory—but it was the group that got beaten up, not the single one.

"Has this thing been bullying Alolan Diglett all these years?"

Baimu stared in surprise at the Sandshrew that was single-handedly beating up the Alolan Diglett; if he remembered correctly, this one would later evolve into Sandslash and continue bullying Alolan Diglett.

Until one Alolan Diglett, aided by Lillie, Marnie, and Mallow, evolved into Alolan Sandslash and Alolan Vulpix, fought side by side, and drove off Sandslash, thus defending their territory.

【You watched the two groups of wild Pokémon battle, with no intention of interfering—territory disputes are part of Pokémon ecology and instinct, and should not be meddled with unless necessary—but you didn't expect necessity to arrive so soon.】

The two groups fought too fiercely, breaking an ice pillar that had been supporting the ceiling rocks, causing the ceiling to collapse.

Sandslash immediately turned and fled; the Alolan Diglett wanted to escape too, but they had to carry their Pokémon eggs—unlike Sandslash, who was a lone wolf.

The female student was forced to act, ordering Mimikyu to use its newly acquired Z-Move via Dark Pulse.

【Black Hole Swallows All!】

Though this move couldn't stop the falling ice and rocks, it temporarily pulled them downward, delaying their descent.

And because the female student deliberately positioned the move extremely high, the Alolan Diglett were barely affected by the suction.

Ultimately.

The Alolan Diglett rescued their eggs, and the female student healed their injuries with Healing Bullets.

【You received gratitude from the Alolan Diglett—they gave you an Ice Z-Crystal; after bidding them farewell, you suddenly noticed a Pokémon egg left behind on the ground—they were already gone.】

The female student held the Pokémon egg, waiting in vain for the Alolan Diglett to return, standing bewildered in the cave with Mimikyu.

At that moment, perhaps due to the earlier tremors, an exit opened nearby; the female student finally crawled out of the ice cave, and among the fallen rocks, she found an Ice Stone.

【You obtained an Ice Stone.】

"What kind of lucky bastard?"

Baimu had no energy to complain.

Yet even though the female student's luck was nearly maxed out, the arriving instructor still scolded her harshly and ordered her not to wander off again—wait for rescue next time.

And what surprised him was that the Pokémon egg hatched that very night—but what emerged was not an Alolan Diglett.

【Honestly, lately I've been reading novels on Yeguoyuedu—easy source switching, multiple voice options, works on both Android and iOS.】

【Your Pokémon egg hatched into an Alolan Vulpix—adding a new companion who provides fresh materials.】

What the hell is "fresh material"…

What kind of bullet can Alolan Vulpix make? An Ice Bullet?

As Baimu pondered, the female student in the scene slipped out of her dormitory at midnight and returned to the previous cave, trying to find Alolan Vulpix's parents.

Clearly, the female student didn't assume ownership of the Pokémon egg just because she found and hatched it.

But their bond was too strong—even after staying on Ula Ula Island for a full week, she couldn't find Alolan Vulpix's parents.

She had no choice but to take it with her and raise it.

As the female student left Ula Ula Island, a Pokémon shaped like a cow—yet only with a head and front hooves—appeared quietly, watching her depart.

"It's you! Tapu Fini!"

Baimu, seeing Tapu Fini, immediately concluded the whole "family reunion" spectacle was its doing—only these Island Guardians truly loved taking in orphans.

The scene returned to school.

The female student continued training herself and her Pokémon, and successfully used the Ice Stone to evolve Alolan Vulpix into Alolan Ninetales.

【Your Alolan Vulpix evolved into Alolan Ninetales; you watched its fur transform into icy shards with miraculous power, your expression thoughtful.】

【You successfully created an Ice Bullet.】

Brilliant!

Baimu clapped softly.

The female student, having gathered five Pokémon partners and acquired Healing Bullets and Freeze Bullets, boarded the ferry to Bonidao.

【You realize you are one step away from completing the final trial—excited and thrilled】

【You arrived at the Village of Ocean Dwellers and found the Island King, Sofo U】

At a modest fishing village dock, the female student found Sofo U, the Island King of Bonidao, who was none other than the grandfather of the future Island Queen, Hapu.

The elder had long been informed of this brilliant challenger by the three previous Island Kings and, unlike Morden, did not burden her with trials.

【You accepted the trial from Island King Sofo U—to collect the largest blue-purple flower you can find in the Poni Garden】

This trial could be said to be the simplest one the female student had ever faced.

Baimu was also surprised she wasn't sent to Poni Canyon to fight the dominant Whiscash—had Sofo U, seeing her fierce determination, decided to let her off easy?

Soon.

He knew it wasn't so—or rather, the Poni Garden was no simpler than the Poni Canyon.

Waiting for her there was the dominant Butterfree, which not only had two companions—Clefable and Gyarados—but its dominant aura was far stronger than any before.

【You saw the dominant Butterfree; its aura told you it was immensely powerful】

The female student sent out Snorunt, but it nearly got one-shot by the dominant Butterfree's 【Pollen Puff】—Clefable's aid and the dominant aura instantly amplified Pollen Puff to its peak power.

Luckily, she noticed the scale of Pollen Puff and realized something was wrong, quickly recalling Snorunt and switching to Mimikyu, which had quadruple resistance to Bug-type moves.

Only then did she survive.

But the dominant Butterfree's strength was genuine—it forced the female student to use every trick: first eliminating Clefable and Gyarados, then defeating it with Snorunt's transformed 【Extreme Speed: Thunderous Impact】.

【You looked at the fallen dominant Butterfree, immensely relieved you had trained before coming here—if you had come in your previous state, you would have lost】

【You obtained Fairy Z from the dominant Butterfree】

The female student threw two Healing Bullets at the three Pokémon, healing nearly all their injuries. Moreover, she had her own Butterfree learn much battle experience from the dominant Butterfree—in both offense and healing.

Turning around, the female student returned to the Village of Ocean Dwellers with a blue-purple flower she believed to be the largest.

But Sofo U was not there.

【Through conversations with villagers, you learned Sofo U is on Coconuts Island—you must go there to complete the final grand trial, but everyone's boats have their propellers entangled in seaweed, so they can only lend you a boat powered by oars】

Seaweed?

Baimu first blinked in surprise, then saw the female student forced to become a rower, chanting as she rowed toward Coconuts Island—luckily, she had trained her body, or she could never have endured it.

Yet halfway across the water, the wooden boat suddenly had a large hole punched into it by something beneath the sea.

【You saw the hole and unhesitatingly threw a Freeze Bullet—the frozen hull stopped leaking, and you sighed in relief. But you rejoiced too soon—the culprit behind the ambush angrily revealed itself—】

As Baimu had guessed, it was Broken Rudder, a Ghost-type Pokémon whose body is seaweed and which reincarnates by collecting shipwreck parts.

For the female student, who had no Water-type Pokémon, this was undoubtedly the worst opponent—before she had Freeze Bullets.

【Using the Freeze Bullet, you successfully created a platform where you and your Pokémon could stand】

Goodness.

Truly, any bullet can be useful at a critical moment.

A mere wild Pokémon could not stop the relentless female student—she finished it off with Alolan Ninetales' Ice Z: 【Furious Frozen Wasteland】, defeating and capturing Broken Rudder.

【You captured Broken Rudder; your handy weapon increased】

Wait! ？

Handy weapon?

Baimu read the narration twice, confirming he hadn't misread—but how was this giant anchor handy?

While he pondered, the female student in the screen was already spinning Broken Rudder in place, then released it—Peng De instantly shattered the ice beside the boat without damaging it, then used explosives to blast a passage for the boat to proceed.

Whether accuracy or sheer strength…

Youthful indeed.

Baimu rubbed his face, deeply curious how the female student trained—transforming from a girl who gasped after running a lap at school into an ultimate hot-blooded girl.

Unfortunately, he would never get an answer.

With Broken Rudder's pull, the female student reached Coconuts Island easily and met Island King Sofo U, presenting the blue-purple flower.

【You realize the final grand trial is imminent—deeply excited. Sofo U acknowledges you've passed the trials and agrees to begin the grand trial】

The final grand trial begins.

Sofo U, like his granddaughter, is a trainer skilled in Ground-type Pokémon, and employs a four-on-four single battle format.

For the female student, this was effectively a favorable type matchup, so the Three Words of Truth were unlikely to trigger.

As expected.

Without her innate talent, the female student fought hard—but fortunately, her foundation was solid, so even without the Three Words of Truth, she turned the tide from disadvantage to advantage.

First, she defeated Sableye and Dustox using Mimikyu, securing two victories.

Then, when Mimikyu was defeated by Lapras, she used Lampent to achieve a mutual knockout, eliminating the third opponent.

She sent Snorunt to face Sofo U's Mudsdale.

Without hesitation, Mudsdale unleashed its Ground-type Z-Move: 【Tremor of the Earth: Final Collapse】, hurling a massive rock, half the screen in size, like a meteor at Snorunt.

The female student responded with her most favored move: 【Radiant Blossom Bloom】.

The two Z-Moves collided, causing Baimu's screen to turn white for ten full seconds—when the Bai Guang faded, the first thing to appear was Snorunt, its body glowing green.

It defeated Mudsdale with Snorunt's favorite Grass-type move: 【Seed Bomb】, firing seeds from its feathers.

【You defeated Island King Sofo U of Bonidao; you obtained Snorunt Z; you completed all grand trials and are about to begin the Great Great Trial】

There really is a Great Great Trial!

Baimu was surprised by this—he hadn't expected Sofo U to give the Snorunt Z to the female student.

Unlike Mimikyu Z, Snorunt Z does not require a Z-Power Ring to use.

The news that the female student had completed all Island Grand Trials and was about to begin the Great Great Trial spread quickly across all four islands, becoming known to all.

Many people came searching for the female student.

But at this time, she chose to avoid the crowd and find a place to seclude herself, further enhancing her strength.

【You learned from the elder that the Great Trial requires you to fight four Island Kings in succession without interruption; though you may fail and retry, you can only challenge once per year.】

So that's how it is—it seems the Great Trial determines the final ranking.

Baimu nodded. If it's just a wheel battle, the Pokémon's strength must be exceptionally high… at least enough to defeat one Island King, but the second? That's uncertain…

On the screen.

The reappearance of Tapu Koko caught his attention—the land spirit who had previously orchestrated a script involving the dominant Flame Lizard—this time, too, did not appear openly, but instead, while the female student slept, modified her Z-Ring into a Z-Power Ring.

Which left the female student bewildered when she woke the next day.

【You stared at the altered Z-Power Ring, capable of embedding the Mimikyu Z-Crystal, utterly unaware of what had happened. After asking Island King Hala, you realized it was most likely a gift from the land spirit Tapu Koko. You warmly thanked its statue.】

After obtaining the Z-Power Ring, the female student trained even harder.

Finally.

The moment of the Great Trial arrived.

The location was the peak of Lanakila Mountain, which the female student had previously visited.

The battle order followed the sequence of her Island Challenge: beginning with Hala of Melemele Island. Yet the Pokémon he sent out now were vastly stronger than during her initial Great Trial.

Moreover, Hala now fielded a full team of six Pokémon, not two.

Though the female student had grown immensely, she was still pushed to the brink against Hala's full team, and without a type advantage, she could not trigger her Three-Word Truth talent.

Ultimately.

The female student barely won, relying solely on 【Extreme Dive: Explosive Impact】 to turn the tide—but she had already used her Z-Move at the start, leaving her deeply concerned—

After the first round, Tapu Koko suddenly appeared, recharging the female student's Z-Power Ring and healing her Pokémon.

【You learned from the Island Kings that in every battle of the Great Trial, you have one opportunity to use a Z-Move, and Tapu Koko will do his best to restore your Pokémon's condition.】

This was indeed tremendous news, and the female student sighed in relief.

If she continued fighting in her current state, she could not imagine how she would win.

Baimu felt the same—he had nearly thought the Great Trial's intensity surpassed the League Conference, thankfully it did not.

Second round.

The female student faced Kukui, her grandfather from Akala Island. Under a type advantage, the Three-Word Truth triggered successfully; even though her Pokémon fought perilously, their condition improved steadily.

The Three-Word Truth was wielded with masterful finesse, and Kukui's Charizard ultimately fell before the Ghost Z-Move 【Endless Night's Allure】 from the Decidueye.

Third round.

Mallow of Ula'ula Island.

Again, a type disadvantage battle, equally grueling—though her Pokémon's HP had recovered, their mental state did not rebound so easily.

The female student had to temporarily rest the Decidueye, switching her main Pokémon to Mimikyu, and unleashed its exclusive Z-Move against Mallow's ace, Alolan Ninetales—

【Intimate Chaos Smash】!

With no flashy lights or sound effects, the Intimate Chaos Smash manifested as Mimikyu enlarging the cloth beneath it to smother Alolan Ninetales, then engaging the Dark-type Pokémon in fierce hand-to-hand combat with its own body!

In the end, a narrow victory.

Why call it a narrow victory?

Because the female student's Pokémon were mostly at the limit of their mental endurance—only the Decidueye and Mimikyu retained some fighting capacity; the rest, when sent out, were drowsy, their overall condition at its lowest point.

【You realized your preparation was still insufficient—or rather, you had relied too heavily on the Decidueye and Mimikyu, failing to strengthen your entire team.】

Did you set a G right at the start?

But Baimu agreed—he too thought that not only could the non-advantageous types not trigger the Three-Word Truth, but the remaining Pokémon's strength was clearly inadequate.

Too bad—this was something you couldn't know until you fought it; otherwise, the female student would never have entered the trial unprepared.

Knowing she could not turn the tide, the female student ended her first Great Trial with the Decidueye's exclusive Z-Move—【Sky-Blocking Shadow Arrow】.

Baimu sighed, then turned to read the narration.

【You lost to Island King Sophocles, but you were not discouraged, for you now knew the direction you must strive toward.】

【Honestly, lately I've been reading novels and keeping up with updates on Yeguoyuedu—easy source switching, multiple voice options, available on Android and iOS.】

【Your victory over three Island Kings quickly spread to Melemele Island; Professor Oak deemed you an outstanding student worthy of being recorded in the school's history.】

【You looked at your companions from the Island Challenge, remembering the Z-Crystals you had yet to obtain, and smiled broadly.】

【You looked at the companions you had met during your island pilgrimage, thought of the Z-Crystals you hadn't yet obtained, and broke into a broad smile.】

The light screen vanished.

"That really was a full year's worth… sigh…"

Baimu pulled out his phone to search for anyone who had completed the Alola Island Challenge, but Alola's secrecy on this matter was excellent—he had no choice but to send Poliwhirl to search for past news.

All Baimu took out his phone and tried to search for people who had completed the Alola island pilgrimage, but Alola's secrecy on this matter was quite well done, so he had to have Porygon search through old news articles.

Could he be the only blue simulation subject whose true identity he could never uncover?

Regrettable. Regrettable.

He turned to the simulation reward.

【Fixed Reward: TM x3 (selectable type)】

【Fixed Reward: Female Student's Multi-Purpose Bomb Crafting—covers all types generated in simulation (revisitable)】

【Fixed Reward: Schoolgirl's Multi-Purpose Bomb-Making — Simulation covers all types (can be reviewed repeatedly)】

【Choice Reward One: Any Pokémon gains three levels (below Lv. 70)】

【Choice Reward Two: Clue to a catchable Pokémon (selectable type, excellent)】

【Choice Reward Three: Move—Brave Bird (selectable Pokémon to learn)】

【Reward Choice Three: Skill — Brave Bird (Choose a Pokémon to learn it)】

【Reward Choice Four: Retain the 【Hot-Blooded Youth】 talent for the next simulation round】

Choose three out of four available rewards.

To All Baimu's slight pleasant surprise, every bomb the female student had used in the simulation could be learned—

Wait, no.

Could this kind of homemade bomb actually be of use to him?

Although, back in Yellow Iron Town, he had always been quite fond of using things like flash bangs and smoke grenades.

Mm.

Perhaps it suits me perfectly!

All Baimu nodded with a strange expression.