Chapter 94: Tapu Tapu Moumou

The wind pressure from takeoff scattered sand in all directions; Dragonite, carrying Luo Mu on its back, soared to the summit of the cliff in an instant.

As far as the eye could see lay wide, flat grounds layered upon one another, the ground covered in green vegetation whose name Luo Mu could not recall, while in the very center stood a small pond.

Accompanying Dragonite's slow descent, Kukui, riding his Braviary, also flew up.

"Bo-wu!"

Once Luo Mu had his feet firmly on the ground again, Dragonite's honest voice suddenly rang out; its gaze turned toward a wall not far from the pond, where a Pokémon lay leisurely asleep.

This Pokémon's appearance immediately brought a cow to mind; it possessed a massive black body, with two thick bull horns protruding from its red shell, two arms resembling cow hooves, and a golden bell hanging from its tail.

Ula'ula Island's guardian deity, Tapu Tapu Moumou!

Compared to the elusive Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, and Tapu Fini, Tapu Tapu Moumou often spends entire days lazily lying down to sleep in one spot, making it the guardian deity easiest to find.

Kukui approached Luo Mu and whispered, "That is the guardian deity Tapu Tapu Moumou; it dislikes being disturbed while resting, so we must wait until it has slept enough before there is any probability it will acknowledge us."

"You must know, back then, to wait for Tapu Tapu Moumou to awaken, I waited for a full three days and three nights!"

Recalling the hardships of his past cultivation, Kukui felt a flood of mixed emotions.

Just as he intended to strike up a conversation, Luo Mu suddenly pointed at Tapu Tapu Moumou and said expressionlessly, "Ah, it has awakened!"

Kukui: "!!!"

Seeing Tapu Tapu Moumou awaken, Luo Mu seized this rare opportunity and walked directly toward it.

Dragonite comfortingly patted Kukui on the back, the man's entire demeanor having turned gloomy due to the sense of anticlimax.

Dragonite: Saving face. jpg.

"Mou?"

Tapu Tapu Moumou opened its half-closed eyes to look at Luo Mu; its eye color was quite unique, entirely blue, yet a single orange-yellow line pierced through the iris at the center, exuding an atmosphere full of fairy-like charm.

Unlike its careless attitude toward Ash in the anime, although Tapu Tapu Moumou's gaze toward Luo Mu still held a trace of laziness, the overall feeling it conveyed was heavy and serious.

Luo Mu knew that when facing most Pokémon, there was no need for those flashy tricks or winding schemes; one simply needed to state their purpose directly to Tapu Tapu Moumou.

Luo Mu bowed slightly and said, "Honorable Island Guardian Tapu Tapu Moumou, the purpose of my journey here is to have my partner learn the moves 'Grassy Terrain' and 'Milky Way' from you."

Hearing this, Tapu Tapu Moumou rose from its side-lying posture and slowly floated into mid-air; even though classified as a Land Spirit Pokémon, the entire Tapu family are legendary Pokémon capable of flying freely in the sky.

It looked at Luo Mu with a steady gaze, seemingly sizing him up; Tapu Tapu Moumou could easily distinguish between natives born and raised in the Alola region and outsiders, and Luo Mu bore no characteristics of someone who had long bathed in the light of the Radiant One.

Unlike Tapu Lele, who loved pranks, appeared most open-minded, yet was actually the most conservative in thought, Tapu Tapu Moumou would not make things difficult for Luo Mu just because he was an outsider; in its eyes, all humans were children, whether it was the Island Kahuna it had chosen for having a personality similar to its own, or that young lad standing behind Luo Mu of whom Tapu Tapu Moumou had a faint impression.

Luo Mu counted as one of the more polite among these children, and since it had slept quite enough already, it also intended to stretch its body a bit.

It was only when Tapu Tapu Moumou noticed the Z-Ring on Luo Mu's right wrist that it finalized its decision.

In the blink of an eye, Tapu Tapu Moumou suddenly acted, darting forward until it stood before Luo Mu; Dragonite's pupils contracted, and its eyes instantly became sharp.

Just as it intended to leap forward and block in front of Luo Mu, Luo Mu stopped Dragonite's action.

Facts proved that Tapu Tapu Moumou had no intention of attacking Luo Mu; almost face-to-face with him, it used its cracked cow-hoof hand to point at Luo Mu's right wrist, then pointed at itself.

"Tapu Moumou~ Mou."

It was that strange sensation, just like with Moltres; Luo Mu could not understand Tapu Tapu Moumou's words, yet the meaning of the sound appeared in his mind in a very bizarre way, allowing Luo Mu to precisely comprehend Tapu Tapu Moumou's intent.

It could teach the moves Grassy Terrain and Milky Way, but Luo Mu must perform a move together with his Pokémon that could move Tapu Tapu Moumou's heart.

Leaving these words behind, Tapu Tapu Moumou casually found a spot and lay down leisurely, obviously intending to give Luo Mu time to prepare.

Not far from where Tapu Tapu Moumou had lain down, Luo Mu and Kukui sat together discussing countermeasures.

Because the nearby environment was pleasant, with a field of beautiful flowers blooming a short distance away, Tapu Tapu Moumou showed no signs of territorial awareness.

Luo Mu released all the Pokémon he carried from their Poké Balls, letting them come out for some fresh air.

Growlithe and the Bai Pengpengs ran off toward the flower field to play; with Serperior following them, Luo Mu felt very reassured.

Perhaps because the grass near Tapu Tapu Moumou grew even more lush, Mudbray was unexpectedly bold; it slowly moved its steps toward Tapu Tapu Moumou and began nibbling on the grass.

Meanwhile, Dragonite, wearing a face of pure happiness, directly hugged Luo Mu in its arms, while Mimikyu was being held by Luo Mu.

"Show Tapu Tapu Moumou a move sufficient to move its heart?" Kukui stroked his chin, pondering for a moment, before speaking with great certainty: "When encountering trainers possessing a Z-Ring, Tapu Tapu Moumou frequently poses this very test."

Kukui looked at Luo Mu: "Do you know how Z-Moves are released? The general Xie Fa for this test of Tapu Tapu Moumou is usually to unleash a Z-Move that satisfies it."

Luo Mu thought for a moment, then nodded: "I recall it should be a trump card that borrows the power of nature to settle things in one blow, placing a heavy burden on both the trainer and the Pokémon's stamina... can it be explained that way?"

"As expected, you do know."

Kukui nodded; although Z-Moves were powerful, when the opponent knew such a move was coming, there were often ways to dodge or defend against it, and how to utilize this trump card also tested a trainer's ability.

"But you have missed one point."

Kukui's sudden words caused Luo Mu's hand, which had been stroking the Mimikyu plushie, to freeze; an ominous premonition, or rather, an answer he did not wish to face, surged into his heart.

"To use a Z-Move, the trainer and Pokémon must perform the 'Full Power Pose' together, and for Mimikyu's Z-Move 'Let's Snuggle Forever,' not only is an extremely high level of affection between the trainer and Mimikyu required, but you two must also strike this Full Power Pose."

With a strange expression, Kukui extended both hands, thumb to thumb and index finger to index finger.

He formed a heart shape.

There should be two more updates coming; I am typing them now.

(End of Chapter)