Chapter 77: Kukui

The Kingdra’s action was like a timely rain, directly preventing the falling Brave Eagle and the man from being crushed into a pulp.

Luo Mu, riding Dragonite, landed quickly, jumped off its back, and ran toward the two saved by Kingdra’s Moqi .

Brave Eagle’s muscles were twitching slightly, clearly having flown beyond its physical limits.

As for the man who still clung tightly to Brave Eagle’s massive claws even after it passed out, his condition was actually somewhat better.

The man wore a white baseball cap, had a healthy tan complexion, and wore a white lab coat with his muscular chest and abs exposed, giving him a rugged look.

His face was pale, his lips dry, and his abdomen slightly sunken.

Clearly, he was dehydrated, starving, and completely drained of strength.

After telling Kingdra to return to the house and fetch the first-aid kit, Luo Mu crouched down and murmured, “He doesn’t look much like a Paldean. His outfit seems more like someone from a tropical region—could he be from another area?”

“He’s got six Poké Balls on his belt—one must be Brave Eagle’s, and the other five are all locked… Looks like a Trainer.”

Luo Mu felt the man was familiar, but he couldn’t quite place where he’d seen him before.

Kingdra moved quickly, bringing not only the first-aid kit but also a bottle of warm water.

Luo Mu patted its head in appreciation, then bent down to begin treating the injured man.

“Hmm… unfamiliar ceiling?”

Kukui woke from unconsciousness, opened his dry eyes, and saw a wooden ceiling above him.

His mind began to function, accompanied by throbbing pain, as he started to understand his situation.

Without doubt, he was now inside a room—meaning he had survived the sudden typhoon after all.

Before he could even celebrate his luck, Kukui’s eyes widened—since he’d been saved, what about Brave Eagle and his other Pokémon?

A sudden unease gripped him; he tried to force his still-weak body to rise, but couldn’t move at all.

Suddenly, a pair of large hands reached out and firmly pinned him down, keeping him lying on the bed.

Kukui stared at the hands’ owner: an orange-yellow body, a cute, dopey expression—unmistakably familiar to him.

He would never forget this Pokémon’s name—the Dragon Tamer who defeated him, whose Wangpai was this very Pokémon.

Kukui whispered hoarsely, “Dragonite…”

“Boo.”

Hearing Kukui call its name, Dragonite tilted its head in response, then seemed to remember something, gave him a warning glance to stay still, and turned away, slowly leaving the room.

Though he felt the hands restraining him had withdrawn, Kukui still didn’t move—he could already piece together some truths from the limited information.

The house’s owner must have saved him, and that Dragonite was the owner’s Pokémon; Brave Eagle was likely saved too, just like him.

Kukui’s choice to wait quietly soon proved his guess correct.

Soon after Dragonite left, two different footsteps sounded outside the door, and soon after, a person Kukui recognized and a young man entered the room, with Dragonite following behind them.

The person Kukui recognized was Joy, and the young man who brought her was Luo Mu.

Upon entering the room, Joy immediately crouched down and professionally checked Dr. Kukui’s condition.

After a moment, she exhaled in relief and smiled at Luo Mu behind her: “As long as he’s awake, he’s fine. For the next few days, feed him only small amounts of liquid food—his digestive system can’t handle anything heavier.”

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back to the Pokémon Center.”

Luo Mu nodded and thanked her: “Thank you, Miss Joy.”

“It’s nothing.”

Joy waved dismissively and left the room with effortless grace.

After both watched Joy leave, silence hung in the air for a while—until Kukui couldn’t hold back and asked: “Did you save me?”

Luo Mu nodded: “Yes.”

“...How long was I unconscious?”

“I don’t know what happened before, but since I rescued you, you’ve been unconscious for exactly three days.”

In those three days, he’d already completed over half his field sowing.

Kukui looked at Luo Mu with anxious eyes: “Then… what about Brave Eagle and the others?”

Luo Mu smirked: “Your Pokémon? They’re in much better shape than you—they’re helping me out on my farm right now.”

Whether it was the Venusaur, Lucario, or Incineroar, all of them were excellent—they saved me a lot of work.

“By the way, since five of your Poké Balls were locked, I worried the Pokémon inside might be injured like Brave Eagle—if so, staying locked inside would be a slow death—so I had someone unlock them. You don’t mind, do you?”

“No, I should thank you.” Kukui shook his head, his face filled with gratitude.

Luo Mu chuckled: “No problem. Your Pokémon helped me a lot these past few days—thanks to them, I’ve sown much faster.”

“Sowing…?”

Kukui glanced at Luo Mu, then at the Dragonite behind him.

The young man had said this was a farm and he was sowing, but the aura of the Dragonite behind him—just standing there—made Kukui feel it was incredibly powerful.

Among the few Dragonites Kukui had ever seen, only the Red-Haired Dragon Tamer’s might be stronger.

Yet such a powerful being was doing humble farming?

Luo Mu paid no mind to Kukui’s odd gaze; though he already suspected, he still asked: “By the way, you don’t seem like a Paldean. Could you tell me your name and where you’re from?”

Kukui paused, then nodded: “Of course. My name is Kukui, from a beautiful region called Alola.”

As expected.

When those specific Pokémon emerged from their Poké Balls, Luo Mu had already suspected.

The man he rescued was likely Kukui, the Alolan Pokémon Professor.

After a pause, Luo Mu asked calmly: “So, Kukui, what happened to you and Brave Eagle? Why were you found so badly off near the Flatlands Town outskirts of Paldea?”

A look of lingering fear crossed Kukui’s pale face as he slowly replied: “Myself and Brave Eagle were flying across the sea when we accidentally encountered a sudden, terrifying typhoon.”