Chapter 455: We'll discuss the troublesome matters later; first, let's address what's before us

After a moment of silence, Moli was the first to break the deadlock, asking in a low voice, "Let's not talk about that bothersome thing. How's everything over at Hapu? Is she okay?"

"What can be done?" Moli said as she opened her drawing board and took out a brush, her tone full of sighs, "She is being monitored by the Aether Foundation more strictly than we are. The once carefree, easygoing personality is now forced into nonstop work every day, with no time even to catch a breath, sigh."

She paused, the brush tip touching the paper, and continued, "But from the reports coming from Hapu, Kapukui has clearly noticed the island's anomalies growing more evident. It looks like the Aether Foundation's research is truly about to produce results."

"Isn't that inevitable?" Neimu Boshi leaned against the lounge chair, speaking evenly, even with a hint of understanding, "I think it's already late that they're only now about to get results. Logically, after they completely sealed off Alola, there should have been some action by now."

Moli, hearing that, gave her a withering glance, "You really don't care about Alola's welfare at all; can't you at least hope their research has some flaw?"

"Flaw? What flaw?" Neimu Boshi turned to Moli, tone teasing, "Do you expect them to research a big explosion that blows themselves and the entire Aether Foundation away?"

Moli glanced at Neimu Boshi as if looking at an idiot, her mouth twitching, and ultimately said nothing more—there's no point in saying more to a guy whose mind is full of research and not a bit concerned with the situation.

She lowered her head, the brush in her hand darting swiftly, the tip sketching the outline of the Coconut Forest on the paper, her expression focused, fully immersed in sketching mode.

Seeing Moli no longer pay attention to her, Neimu Boshi also found it uninteresting, put her sunglasses back on, leaned against the lounge chair, crossed her hands on her abdomen, and continued to leisurely sunbathe as the sea breeze brushed, gradually feeling a bit drowsy.

Time slipped by slowly, and before anyone realized, an hour had passed.

Moli finally put down her brush, tucked it away, stretched a huge yawn, and the fatigue in her body vanished instantly. Just as she was about to speak to Neimu Boshi, her gaze suddenly froze, looking toward the depths of the Coconut Forest.

Three dust‑covered figures could be seen, racing toward this side.

KenTaiLuo's agility, Rapidash's liveliness, and Garchomp's sturdiness—three completely different Pokemon—carried three youths, quickly passing through the Coconut Forest and stopping before the two, still dusted, clearly having traveled a long distance.

"What an odd combination," Neimu Boshi slightly raised her eyes, tone curious, "KenTaiLuo, Rapidash, Garchomp—none of these Pokemon species exist locally in Alola."

Moli stood, lifted her chin, indicating Neimu Boshi to look at the three youths: "Looks like these people aren't here for sightseeing; they're looking for you."

Neimu Boshi raised an eyebrow, speaking slowly, tone nonchalant, "What do three kids want from me?"

Huo La was the first to dismount KenTaiLuo, brushed dust off, hurried to Neimu Boshi, his gaze seriously scanning her for a moment, then after confirming, said, "Neimu Boshi, hello, I am Huo La. Professor Oak sent me to find you."

Hearing the words "Professor Oak," Neimu Boshi's lazy expression vanished, the eyes behind her sunglasses narrowed slightly, and her tone grew serious, "Professor Oak? How did he suddenly have you come looking for me? Also, how did you get through the Aether Foundation's barrier into Alola?"

Huo La gave no further explanation, simply raised his hand and pointed toward the distant sea, his expression calm.

Neimu Boshi looked in the direction he pointed, a flash of understanding in her eyes, and gave a slight nod.

"Sigh, never mind," Neimu Boshi slowly stood, adjusted the thin veil on her body, tone heavy, "It's inconvenient to talk here. Come with me, we'll discuss in detail at my residence."

As she rose, the nearby coconut tree that had remained perfectly still, its whole body golden, suddenly swayed gently; the trunk slowly stretched, and as the branches moved, the Alola Coconut Tree emerged unmistakably.

Moli looked at the group, waved her hand, "I'm not coming with you. The sketching is done, I'm going back."

Neimu Boshi gave a slight nod, leading Huo La, Bilan, and Paipa toward the small hut deeper in the Coconut Forest; the golden Coconut Tree followed slowly, their silhouettes gradually disappearing among the dense palms.

Neimu Boshi led Huo La, Bilan, and Paipa into a simple yet tidy hut; inside the furnishings were minimal—a wooden table, a few chairs, several boxes of research data stacked in a corner. Outside the window was the dense Coconut Forest, sea breezes slipping through the cracks, carrying a faint coconut scent, quite pleasant.

"Please sit," she raised her hand, indicating the three to take seats, tone casual, "The place is a bit crude, not as good as a lab, but it's quiet and the environment is fairly comfortable."

Speaking, Neimu Boshi showed no hesitation, lifted her hand, tore off the thin veil she wore, tossed it casually, and it floated lightly onto the bed beside the bedside.

Immediately after, she grabbed a clean white lab coat from a nearby rack, slipped it on neatly, instantly shedding the earlier laziness, gaining a few degrees of a researcher's rigor.

Paipa, seeing this, felt a faint blush spread across her cheeks, instinctively lowered her head, daring not to look again, her ear tips tinged pink.

Huo La remained composed, his gaze calmly sweeping the room, showing no sign of surprise.

Bilan, however, slightly furrowed her brows, gave a resentful glance at Neimu Boshi's chest, a hint of petty rivalry at the corner of her mouth—though they're both girls, the gap feels huge.

Neimu Boshi paid no attention to their small gestures, pulled a chair and sat down, tone gradually becoming serious, "There were many monitors just now; is it inconvenient to speak?"

Huo La gave a slight nod, his eyes scanning the hut's surroundings, vigilant, and asked, "So here, there's no their monitoring?"

"Yes," Neimu Boshi said with a smile, pointing to two directions outside the window, tone relaxed, "You see, each spot has one. However, being inside the house is better than being out in the open under constant surveillance."

As soon as she finished speaking, she lightly clapped her hands, producing two crisp sounds.

The next second, several Alola Coconut Trees ambled slowly from the Coconut Forest, standing steadily at the window, their dense foliage layered thickly, completely sealing the window without a single gap, dimming the interior light a bit.

"Look, these kids can block our surveillance cameras," Neimu Boshi said, gazing at the Coconut Trees outside, tone gentle, "It might be a bit troublesome later."

Huo La, looking at the window fully obscured by the Coconut Trees, his expression also grew serious, inhaled deeply, "We'll discuss the troublesome matters later; first, let's address what's before us."