Chapter 90: Alola!

Luo Mu pushed Kukui's face, which was leaning ever closer toward him, back with a hint of disgust, wondering how the Pokémon on the farm were faring tonight and whether they had encountered any problems.

【Host, look outside.】

The system's sudden prompt made Luo Mu startle; instinctively, he looked out through the porthole, and in that instant, his gaze met a pair of majestic golden dragon eyes.

"Am I hallucinating?" Luo Mu blinked, raised a hand to rub both eyes, and when his vision focused, those golden dragon eyes were still staring unblinkingly at him through the porthole.

Luo Mu could no longer hold himself together; his eyes widened, and in a lowered voice, a choice expletive slipped out: "Damn it..."

He was just thinking about it; how had an actual Rayquaza appeared!?

The Pokémon before him possessed a streamlined, slender dragon body, much like the Chinese dragons of myth; its entire form was jet-black, with seamless, smooth scales resembling fine black jade, while fluid golden patterns traced its body, particularly the circular markings that shone like bright lamps illuminating the darkness surrounding Rayquaza.

Words like majestic, noble, domineering, and powerful could all describe it; merely by its presence, the surrounding air grew thick and muddy, and its oppressive aura alone made breathing difficult.

At this moment, Luo Mu finally realized why the skies over Paldea had been perfectly clear yesterday, devoid of any clouds; everything was likely due to the existence before him.

Simply by existing here, it could influence the surrounding environment—the legendary Pokémon, the Sky High Pokémon, Rayquaza.

Fortunately, this shiny Rayquaza seemed to be merely passing through; after those few accidental glances, it twisted its long, massive body, easily broke the sound barrier, and soared into the higher heavens.

【It seems to have passed through this area solely to feed on the shells of small meteorites.】

Luo Mu had no reaction to the system's explanation; he merely stood dazed for a long while before opening his dry lips, stiffened by shock, to say, "So strong..."

Even having grown to his current level, in the instant he locked eyes with the shiny Rayquaza, a thought arose in the depths of his heart that even if he went all out, he probably could not defeat it.

For Luo Mu, this was undoubtedly a blow; at the same time, he recognized that he was still far from strong enough.

If this Rayquaza attacked, could he protect the farm?

The answer was no.

【Host...】

Noticing that Luo Mu seemed to have become listless, the system couldn't help but feel regret; perhaps it shouldn't have reminded Luo Mu to look outside earlier.

After a moment, Luo Mu said in a deep voice, "Let's become stronger."

【Huh?】

Luo Mu clenched his right hand, which was trembling slightly from either excitement or nervousness, and said seriously, "Strong enough that no external force can threaten the farm or the Pokémon on the farm while under my protection."

If, a year ago, Luo Mu had chosen the path of a Trainer simply to live a better life,

then now, with this realization in his heart, he chose to continue climbing toward the pinnacle of being a Trainer in order to protect the farm and the cherished Pokémon within it.

"Haa... Good morning~" Amidst the aircraft announcement forecasting the imminent landing, Kukui stretched his body and looked at Luo Mu with bleary eyes.

Luo Mu turned his head to look at Kukui and nodded, saying, "Good morning."

Luo Mu had clearly not slept all night; his dark circles were very obvious.

But for some reason, Kukui felt that Luo Mu seemed somewhat changed compared to last night, yet try as he might, he couldn't figure out exactly what had changed.

The two chatted for a while; soon the plane completed its landing smoothly, coming to a steady stop beside the jet bridge, where the well-trained flight attendants, wearing amiable smiles, orderly guided the passengers to disembark.

Kukui and Luo Mu disembarked one after the other; for some reason, Kukui suddenly acted up, donning his "perfectly upright" white lab coat, raising his hands and shouting loudly, "I'm back, Alola!!!"

"What are you doing..."

Luo Mu looked left and right, finding that the disembarking passengers were casting amused gazes their way; to avoid being categorized alongside Kukui, Luo Mu covered his face and shuffled a few steps to the side.

Who would have expected Kukui to completely ignore convention; he grabbed Luo Mu in an armlock and exclaimed excitedly, "Shout with me: A-Lo-La!"

Kukui's shout attracted even more attention; at this moment, Luo Mu felt his curling toes could dig out a three-bedroom apartment underground.

The Alola region's tourism industry was extremely developed; whether tourists or locals returning to Alola, everyone was very familiar with the local customs; although they wore smiles, there was no mockery in their eyes, and some even shouted "Alola" in response to Kukui.

"Everyone in Alola is very friendly!" Kukui displayed a hearty smile, looking vastly different from his demeanor in the Paldea region; he patted Luo Mu's back, saying, "Loosen up, don't be shy; no one here will mock you."

Unable to endure Kukui's persistent coaxing any longer, Luo Mu finally whispered softly, "Alola!"

Their luggage was pitifully scant; Luo Mu carried only a backpack of suitable size containing his passport, some medicine, portable food, and so on, while Kukui had only the set of gear he started with; needing no baggage claim, the two headed straight out of the airport.

The landing location was Kukui's hometown, Heahea City on Melemele Island.

It had to be said that Alola truly lived up to its reputation as a region with a developed tourism industry; as soon as they left the airport, they were surrounded by tourists dressed in flashy attire as well as plainly dressed residents.

The surrounding buildings were decorated with lanterns and colorful banners, looking as if a festival were underway.

Enjoying the unique tropical scenery along the way, Kukui led Luo Mu to the port on Melemele Island; before boarding the ship bound for Ula'ula Island, Luo Mu asked with concern, "Kukui, aren't you going to return home first?"

Kukui grinned and said, "It's fine; a few days won't make a difference. It's better to wait until you officially begin training with Tapu Tapu Moumou before I find time to go back."

Hearing this, Luo Mu found it hard to persuade him further; he nodded in agreement, muttering inwardly about how Kukui seemed even more eager about this matter than he was himself.

"You two young fellows, are you going to find Tapu Tapu Moumou?"

The two turned toward the source of the voice; it was a sturdy man dressed as a crewman, his wheat-colored skin appearing weathered by many storms, his solid muscles looking as if cast from steel.

Exchanging a glance with Luo Mu, Kukui nodded and said, "Yes, we plan to seek out Tapu Tapu Moumou."

The man crossed his arms and laughed, saying, "How rare; nowadays everyone knows that Tapu Tapu Moumou on Ula'ula Island is difficult to approach. In the past, the residents of Tapu Village angered it, and even the village under construction was completely destroyed by Tapu Tapu Moumou."

"Daring to go seek Tapu Tapu Moumou, I wonder if you are simply bold or just ignorant of the world..."

"That is because..." Kukui frowned, wanting to explain.

Luo Mu stopped him; under Kukui's puzzled gaze, he shook his head, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "Although I don't know the details of what happened, it was likely some excessive human action that angered Tapu Tapu Moumou, causing it, a lover of peace, to descend its wrath."

"Regardless of the truth, deep-seated thoughts cannot be changed by a few words from you; what you must do now is eliminate these prejudices while building up Alola."

Kukui clenched his fist, nodded, and fell silent.

(End of Chapter)