Chapter 374: Confronting the Legendary

The scene gradually sped forward.

A narrator continuously streamed out various explanatory remarks.

Baimu saw a flood of information whizzing past his eyes.

Among them, the transfer student resolved the incident of Alola and Little Lada rampaging across the island, and participated in the Island Challenge, an event that made the newspapers that afternoon after passing the trial of Island King Hala.

Although no one knew who had leaked the news.

But within a single day, the news had spread almost throughout the entire Melemele Island.

As a result, on the next day, female students were warmly welcomed by their classmates upon arriving at school, instantly transforming from a strange transfer student into a highly sought-after figure.

Meanwhile, the female student also gained normal friendships.

As for the two pixel figures resembling Team Skull members, they vanished completely—perhaps because they fell outside the female student's area of concern.

The reason for such a strong reaction was that the Island Challenge required the approval of an Island King to proceed, and those who successfully passed the trial to obtain the Z-Ring and Z-Crystal were exceedingly rare.

In other words, regardless of raw power, its prestige was undoubtedly far higher than gym challenges in other regions.

"All this fast-forwarding is just daily life…"

Baimu blinked; although the female student had begun the Island Challenge, she still had "schoolwork" to attend to and could not drop out just because she was participating.

Besides, she wasn't the only one at school taking part in the Island Challenge.

Seeing this, he roughly guessed that the final ranking might depend on the female student's progress in the Island Challenge within a year—he just didn't know whether qualifying for the tournament required passing trials on all four islands, or if another calculation method existed.

Suddenly.

A line of narration caught his attention.

【Upon learning that the school would soon hold an outdoor course on Akala Island, you made it your second goal and began preparing actively. In addition to diligently nurturing your two existing Pokémon, you used knowledge learned from your mother to craft various bombs from berries, herbs, Pokémon scales, and powders.】

Baimu: "Is this an Island Challenge or a war campaign…"

Speaking of Akala Island… he remembered that in the game and anime, the current Island Queen was named Lani, but in the anime's backstory, the previous Island King was Kahun's grandfather.

Whether this simulation's timeline was long enough would depend on who was currently Island King or Island Queen.

The scene shifted.

The female student arrived at a large city with her classmates.

【You arrived at the city of Konikoni with the outdoor course group; it is the gateway to Akala Island, built by trainers who have traveled through Kalos and Kanto.】

The outdoor course thus began.

Baimu watched the fragmented simulation content and found it similar to the lessons Ash participated in—such as riding Wooloo to search for scattered items.

Unfortunately, no one had the luck of finding a Shining Stone like Wailord, then having Lani craft it into a Z-Ring.

But during the cooking class.

The simulator's fragmented playback halted.

The female student and another pixel figure appeared in a dense forest, searching for something.

【You and your classmates wandered through the Shady Grove searching for ingredients to cook Akala Curry, and successfully found Mangosteen and Revival Herb—but the Miracle Seed could not be found at its registered location; you suspect another team has already harvested them all.】

Baimu perked up slightly, knowing the main plot had begun.

As expected, since the Miracle Seed could not be found in the forest's outer edges, the female student attempted to venture deeper.

Her teammate refused.

【You heard your classmate say the depths of the Shady Grove were extremely dangerous, with rumors of a Legendary Pokémon lurking inside—your curiosity flared. You knew Legendary Pokémon held Z-Crystals, and defeating them granted them.】

【You chose to split from your teammate, asking her to take back the Mangosteen and Revival Herb while you pressed deeper to find the Miracle Seed.】

The highly proactive female student vanished quickly into the forest, but she clearly hadn't convinced the other girl, who now stood frozen, torn between following and staying put, hopping anxiously in place.

The scene shifted.

The female student pressed forward vigorously through the lush forest, with her Oshawott and Mimikyu released beside her—clearly, she hadn't grown so arrogant as to wander alone.

Hidden corners of the forest kept spilling out pixelated wild Pokémon, causing thought bubbles above her head to display drooling expressions.

【Looking at the wild Pokémon before you, you recalled your senior's words that future trials and Grand Trials would require more Pokémon—so you decided to seize this chance to capture a new one.】

Time to capture a new Pokémon!

But would there be a Pokémon in the Shady Grove suited for this bomb-obsessed girl?

The answer was yes.

When the female student crawled into a burrow searching for the Miracle Seed, she discovered a peculiar mushroom emitting a faint glow, with three rounded caps and a plump white body.

【You discovered Sableye, one of the Pokémon you had hoped for—you promptly poked it awake and attempted to capture it.】

She even went out of her way to wake it up—truly, a person with the Gift of Kindness.

Though this method of waking it…

Baimu watched silently as the female student poked Sableye's cap seven or eight times, jolting it awake—and before it could react, immediately declared her intent to capture it.

Sableye, bewildered, was forced to battle Oshawott, and ultimately lost, captured in defeat.

He thought: this girl's heart was indeed a little kind—just not enough.

【You captured Sableye; the number of members providing bomb materials has increased.】

As expected.

He had guessed the female student's interest in Sableye had nothing to do with its Grass-type alignment with Oshawott—she was after its Sleep Powder.

Meanwhile, the female student continued forward and soon found an exit.

The reason? Oshawott suddenly caught a strong fruity scent—and like its trainer, it flew off without hesitation.

The female student chased after it and came face-to-face with a Legendary Lycanroc clutching a pile of berries.

【You encountered the Legendary Pokémon Lycanroc—a battle was about to begin.】

Lycanroc was a Pokémon with strong territorial instincts and even stronger aggression; having become a Legendary, it also bore the duty of confronting challengers—and now that it locked eyes with the female student, it certainly wouldn't pretend not to see her.

But.

The female student had come specifically to find the boss Pokémon, so even though the boss Fomantis became incredibly fierce after unleashing its boss aura, she showed no fear and even actively sent Rowlet to meet it.

The battle officially began.

The boss Fomantis didn't know many moves, but each one was especially powerful under the amplification of its boss aura—particularly its Solar Blade, a terrifying attack that could span the entire screen like a beam weapon.

Every time it struck, Rowlet and the female student had to dodge desperately.

What made it even more disgusting was that it called for backup—a Drifblim, whose Sunny Day drastically shortened the boss Fomantis's Solar Blade cooldown, turning the intermittent beam pillars into a continuous barrage.

Fortunately, the female student was clever; seeing the boss Fomantis summon a teammate, she released Mimikyu as well.

Two versus two.

In a normal game this kind of play would definitely be impossible—even if the opponent called for backup, you could only send out one Pokémon on your side.

And All Baimu, for all his calculations, never imagined that the moment Mimikyu entered the field, the female student would instantly turn the tables. The reason was that when Rowlet grabbed Mimikyu's "head" to boost its agility, Mimikyu's inner body was spotted by the Drifblim looking down from above.

Startled, it promptly tumbled out of the air.

"There's even this kind of play…"

All Baimu outside the screen was speechless, while the boss Fomantis inside was shocked. That momentary hesitation was seized by the female student, who immediately activated the Flyinium Z she had recently obtained.

【Supersonic Skystrike】!

Massive special-effect text appeared on screen, and when it faded, a huge crimson bird with a wingspan covering half the screen materialized—slamming into the boss Fomantis with a *peng*.

When the bubble vanished, the boss Fomantis had already fainted on the ground.

The Drifblim, whose soul had nearly been carried off by the River of Souls, wobbled unsteadily back into the air—only to find the boss Fomantis sprawled out, and was inevitably taken down as well.

The trial in the Shaded Jungle was successfully cleared.

Turning around, the two fallen Pokémon were healed by the female student using her spare Revive Herbs; the bitter taste jolted them awake instantly.

The long-coveted Grassium Z was also handed over by the teary-eyed boss Fomantis.

【You defeated the boss Fomantis and obtained the Grassium Z】

And the instant she obtained the Grassium Z, Rowlet was enveloped in a flash of Bai Guang.

"Rowlet!"

All Baimu's eyes went wide—the Pokémon ranked in the top three of "Pokémon you least want to evolve" was about to evolve!

If not for the screen between them, he would have certainly given the female student a piece of his mind—she had missed out on a second Disguise-ability Pokémon!

What a shame.

【Your Rowlet evolved into Dartrix】

Seeing that owl Pokémon with a hairstyle nearly identical to Phoenix Wright from the Ace Attorney series, All Baimu felt a twinge of regret.

【A book friend I've known for ten years recommended this reading app to me—Wild Fruit Reading! Seriously damn good, I use it for driving and before bed to pass the time with audiobooks. You can download it here: yeguoyuedu】

The footage sped up again.

The female student returned to base camp with the Miracle Seed she had found in the boss Fomantis's nest and, as expected, got scolded by the leading teacher.

But given her sincere attitude—she kept apologizing without talking back—and the fact that she was unharmed, the paddle was raised high and brought down gently.

Back in the dorm, the female student began interacting with the team's new member, the unlucky Shiinotic.

The Shiinotic, which had been inexplicably caught, certainly wasn't going to accept her so easily—it even started using its roots to suck the female student's life energy, and she didn't mind, letting it drain her.

Then she went right ahead and started collecting the Shiinotic's mushroom spores, only to collapse halfway through.

Stamina had always been the female student's weakness, and judging from the ellipsis popping up above the Shiinotic's head, it was clear this one was also a bit baffled by her antics.

Still, through this mutually beneficial "bond," their relationship did improve a little.

He was confident that fully closing the distance was only a matter of time.

The screen gradually dimmed.

When it brightened again, the female student had arrived at a vast Miltank and Mudburr pasture, where she met an old man with black-and-white hair.

Without a doubt, this was Kachi's grandfather.

The former Island King of Akala Island before Lush.

【On the day of free activity, you came to the Ohana Ranch to meet the Island King of Akala Island and requested a trial. The Island King agreed—the content is: head to Brooklet Hill and uncover the true face of the "King of the Sea"】

Brooklet Hill? King of the Sea?

Isn't that the boss of the pond in the anime?

Of course, regardless of the name, it all referred to the boss Wishiwashi—School Form.

All Baimu had expected a trial on Wela Volcano, encountering a boss Salazzle or boss Marowak or something like that—he hadn't expected this kind of trial.

In the footage.

The female student cheerfully arrived at Brooklet Hill, fishing rod in hand, still kept in the dark—perhaps she really thought she could fish the King of the Sea out?

With "King" in the title, it's obviously a big one, right?

Just as All Baimu had thought, despite the female student fishing very seriously, everything she hooked was either Magikarp or Magikarp; the one Wishiwashi she caught by chance wasn't valued and was tossed straight back into the pond.

Without technique as strong as Lana's, attracting the School Form Wishiwashi was basically hopeless.

After realizing there was no catch after half a day, the female student fell into thought and pulled a bomb from her pocket.

【You have decided to employ the final measure—throw a bomb】

"Blasting fish?! Hey hey hey! That doesn't really fit the Kindhearted talent, does it?" All Baimu sucked in a breath of cold air, thinking the female student was about to feed her already scarce kindness to the fish.

But fortunately.

The narration continued to explain that she only had the bomb detonate above the water's surface, using the vibrations to anger the "King of the Sea" hiding at the bottom, attempting to force it out—

This tactic was quite effective.

Although it didn't deal direct damage, it scored full marks for provocation—a massive, pitch-black shadow appeared in the previously calm pond.

【You have decided to strike while the iron is hot and employ Final Measure 2—use the naturally shed umbrella cap of the Shiinotic as bait to fish it up】

What the hell is "Final Measure 2," and it's using the Shiinotic's umbrella cap of all things?

Is this thing delicious?

As Baimu puzzled, the strange shadow beneath the water had already bitten, but the female student lacked the strength to haul it up like Shuilian, who could fish out Gyarados with sheer might; she could only beg the mysterious Mimikyu, whose ghostly claws extended beneath the cloth cover, for help.

不得不说Mimikyu's strength was truly immense—though the female student had first held the fishing rod, Mimikyu quickly shifted from assistant to leader, successfully pulling the giant shadow from the water.

On screen.

A colossal school of Gyarados swept across the sky, its size amplified by the Alpha's aura to a whale-like scale, shocking to behold, before crashing with a plop into the pond.

The female student and Mimikyu were clearly stunned, frozen in place without moving.

Then they burst into wild excitement.

【You've discovered another Alpha Pokémon, and you believe you've uncovered the true identity of the Ocean King—deciding to defeat it and bring it back to Water Z as proof】

No wonder it's you! Hot-blooded Bomb Girl!

Baimu deeply admired how the female student, under these circumstances, wasn't afraid at all—and even conceived the idea of defeating the school-form Gyarados.

Easy to say, hard to do: since the Alpha Gyarados had long lurked beneath the water, and the female student had no Water-type Pokémon, she could only lure the Alpha Gyarados out before attacking.

The conditions were strict.

【After careful thought, you decide to settle it with Grass Z—at the very moment the Ocean King is pulled up】

Good idea.

But Baimu, upon seeing it, had no hope of success—not because he thought the female student couldn't seize the attack window, but because the Alpha Gyarados, like the Alpha Lankor, had companion Pokémon.

The Alpha Lankor's companion was Floatzel; the Alpha Gyarados's was the healing Clobbopus, for the Alpha Gyarados's weakness lay in its stamina dropping to a point where its school form would dissolve.

If Clobbopus could keep the Alpha Gyarados's HP from falling, the female student would likely never uncover the Alpha Gyarados's true form.

The battle had not yet begun.

Baimu had already grasped the key to the battle—whether the female student could detect the hidden Clobbopus.

At this point, clearly, she had not.

The trial of Acala Island officially began.

The female student had already understood how to lure the Alpha Gyarados: replicate the previous method—bomb the water surface plus Mushroom Cap bait.

The method worked indeed—the Alpha Gyarados bit again.

【As you watch the Alpha Pokémon about to leap out, you divert some attention to your Z-Ring】

Boom!

The Alpha Gyarados leaps out!

Its massive form blotted out the sky above the pond, nearly covering half the screen.

Baimu saw the green glow of the Grass Z technique ignite—and was about to lament for the female student—when a line of text popped up in the narration.

【As you prepared to unleash the Z-Move, you were suddenly tugged by the ankle by Mimikyu, your focus shattered, causing the Z-Move to fail】

The Alpha Gyarados sank back into the pond.

【You're baffled by Mimikyu interfering with your actions, but soon you notice a smaller dark shadow beside the Alpha Pokémon—when you look closer, it's Clobbopus; recalling Floatzel, you instantly understand why Mimikyu stopped you】

【You decide to ask Mimikyu to disrupt Clobbopus】

Deal with the helper first.

Baimu exhaled deeply in relief—the female student had finally learned to listen to her Pokémon; another, more arrogant trainer might have scolded Mimikyu.

And the female student's method remained the same as before.

Only now, Mimikyu joined the battlefield.

This time.

The female student struck successfully.

When the Alpha Gyarados leapt across the sky for the third time, Mimikyu charged into the pond with reckless abandon, spinning and smashing its wooden mallet into Clobbopus's head, leaving the Alpha Gyarados defenseless as Togedemaru's Grass Z struck.

【Radiant Blossoms Explode】!

Green effect text appeared on screen, followed by a sky-shattering flood of illusory flowers and grasses, as if a colossal green pillar roared toward the Alpha Gyarados.

In an instant, brilliant green light engulfed the pixelated Alpha Gyarados, which disintegrated midair as if erased.

The bubbles above the female student and Togedemaru's heads changed from smiles to shock.

Neither had ever imagined destroying the Ocean King—disintegration was not what they wanted to see.

Fortunately, after the green light dimmed, the "Ocean King" revealed its true form—

Gyarados, tiny fish-like Pokémon no bigger than a palm, plummeting into the water like dumplings—this very species the female student had once caught, but paid no attention to.

Now realizing the Ocean King's true identity, she was even more astonished—and grateful she hadn't returned after seeing the "Ocean King."

The Island King's trial required uncovering the Ocean King's true form; the original form could never satisfy the Island King.

【You see one Gyarados swim over, its mouth holding Water Z; another group of Gyarados carry Mimikyu back to shore—you exhale deeply in relief】

【You obtained Water Z, and returned triumphantly to report】

Thank goodness you didn't get stuck here.

Baimu also exhaled in relief for the female student—she would likely have been stuck here for a long time, either on the Alpha Gyarados's true identity or the hidden Clobbopus.

Clearly, on both Alpha trials of Acala Island, Mimikyu was MVP—without it, progress would never have been so smooth.

The scene shifted.

The female student returned to Ohana Ranch and sought out Grandpa Kachi.

【You handed Water Z to the Island King and revealed that the Ocean King was a school of Gyarados—the Island King was deeply satisfied, acknowledged your success, and arranged a Grand Trial with you for tomorrow】

As the narration ended, the scene instantly leapt to the next day.

The female student marched forward with fierce determination, eager to begin the Grand Trial with Grandpa Kachi—

A three-on-three singles battle.

Since Grandpa Kachi primarily used Fire-type Pokémon, the female student's position was, in some ways, disadvantageous—but fortunately, the Blue Talent activated.

When Touyu Xiao fell on the defensive, the female student first accelerated her Feather Dance to dodge the Infernape's fire blast.

Then she used Hold On to force it to take the Infernape's 【Ultra Limit Flame Bomb】, finally finishing it off with 【Lightning Dive Collision】 combined with a shadow ambush, taking down the Infernape in a mutual destruction, completing a terrifyingly opposite-typing maneuver worthy of Ash.

When Kachi's grandfather sent out Alolan Galarada, Mimikyu also effortlessly defeated it with its sheer raw power, then rose up with a sliver of HP left to counterkill the Ducklett.

It didn't even give Sleepy a chance to shine.

Baimu had never before in a simulation watched a trainer openly cheating—had the one who used the Three Character Mantra been this broken? Why wasn't he?

Was it because he didn't have the Starter Trio?

He didn't understand.

【You have passed the Great Trial of Akala Island and received the Ghost Z Crystal, specially selected and gifted to you by the Island King. He hopes you will make full use of it.】

In the scene, the female student joyfully raised the Ghost Z Crystal.

It seemed the Island King from the anime wasn't as rigid as in the game, where he gave Z Crystals matching only his own type—he adjusted them according to the challenger's favored type.

Not bad, not bad.