"The Lycanroc pack wants to obtain seeds that can grow those berries. They want to ensure their pack's long-term survival."
Lucario recounted the Lycanroc leader's request.
To be honest, Lucario didn't know how this would turn out, so aside from conveying the message, it didn't dare promise anything to the Lycanroc pack leader.
Lucario felt like it was just an ordinary messenger.
Roy had experienced the entire ordeal firsthand, so naturally he knew more details than Lucario did.
For instance, he had occasionally seen the Lycanroc whose eyes had been pecked by the large flock of Murkrow, or those who had patches of fur torn out from their bodies.
While these injuries weren't as severe as being completely torn apart by Murkrow, they still left a deep impression on Roy's heart.
Roy felt genuine gratitude toward the Lycanroc pack for their timely assistance.
He had already been thinking that after this incident was over, he should bring some gifts to thank them.
He hadn't expected that the Lycanroc pack leader had already thought of something for him.
Roy smiled. That worked out well. It saved him the trouble of choosing, and he might have picked something they didn't even need.
While Ninetales was still drying off, Roy browsed through the points exchange system and found a berry tree section tucked away in a small corner.
The items were divided into three categories: berries, seedlings, and seeds.
The berries had the lowest price, but they cost 20 points each.
Considering that the environment of Vast Poni Canyon wasn't very friendly to plants, Roy decided to exchange for three seedlings instead, spending 300 points.
Roy had built up quite a collection of Pokémon now, and even though he spent most of his days in Alola's wilderness, his online presence brought in a steady trickle of points every day.
Three hundred points? That was nothing.
But looking at his increasingly thin wallet, and with the Elite qualifying tournament looming on the horizon, Roy felt both nervous and excited at the same time.
He couldn't delay any longer! He needed to resolve this matter as soon as possible so his Pokémon could resume their normal training schedule!
The Elite tournament was waiting for him!
Roy's fighting spirit burned fiercely, and it inspired the same determination in his other Pokémon!
"After this, we'll go deliver this generous gift to the Lycanroc pack," Roy announced.
Lucario looked at Roy's smiling face and didn't quite understand what he meant, but it smiled anyway.
"Oh, by the way, how are Caroline and Gardevoir doing?"
"Gardevoir's injuries are quite serious. Miss Caroline took it to see Tapu Lele first."
Roy nodded, showing that he understood.
But thinking about it, the chaotic power within Vast Poni Canyon was strong enough to injure Gardevoir, yet there were no such ferocious Pokémon on Akala Island.
Who could have seriously injured an Elite-level Gardevoir and kidnapped Caroline, who had psychic powers and could use Teleport?
Just relying on that mist and some simple-minded Sharpedo didn't make sense.
Wait...
What was causing that mist in the first place?
Roy walked alongside his Pokémon while deep in thought. Before he knew it, they were approaching the area around the black tower.
Roy was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice Tapu Koko coming to greet him from up ahead.
"Koko Koko!"
"I'm so glad you're all right!"
Roy was startled by Tapu Koko's sudden appearance.
"Whoa! Why are you here?"
"There was a disturbance in Vast Poni Canyon. I came to see what was happening."
So Roy, as one of the people directly involved, briefly recounted the events to Tapu Koko.
Tapu Koko nodded while making thoughtful sounds, looking quite serious.
"Koko Koko..."
"I understand the situation, but I still need to check it out myself. My surveillance network has been damaged to some extent. Can you wait for me with Lord Solgaleo?"
They parted ways after this brief encounter.
Roy watched Tapu Koko's figure hurrying away and suddenly realized that being a guardian deity wasn't as easy as it seemed.
Especially when your coworkers were all slacking off.
Roy shook his head in amusement and continued walking toward the black tower, followed by his impressive team of Pokémon.
Solgaleo had been restless ever since Tapu Koko left, and Lunala was getting increasingly annoyed watching it.
So when Solgaleo secretly looked outside for the hundredth time, Lunala finally lost its patience and directly swatted Solgaleo out of the black tower with its wing.
Solgaleo was confused at first. After spending the past few days with Lunala, it had completely let its guard down.
Perhaps because of Solgaleo's company as a fellow member of its species, and being bathed in the light of their homeland, Lunala's psychological condition had improved rapidly.
So Solgaleo stared in bewilderment as the stone door of the black tower slowly closed after being pushed out by that wing strike.
It wasn't until only a small gap remained that Solgaleo heard Lunala's small voice coming from inside.
"Don't bother me here. Go take care of your own business and come back when you're done."
After receiving this important message, Solgaleo became so happy it could barely contain itself.
Remembering to keep quiet, it closed its mouth and let out only a small, joyful sound.
"Leo..."
Then, as if celebrating, Solgaleo bounded down the path on all four legs.
Soon enough, it met Roy and the others who were halfway there.
"Ah, it's Solgaleo! Did you come to pick us up?"
Roy saw the big lion running wildly and crashing into his arms.
It took all of Roy's strength not to be knocked flat by Solgaleo's enthusiastic greeting.
That would have been embarrassing...
Roy happily petted the big lion's head, climbed onto its back, and let Solgaleo carry him forward.
After turning the corner, they arrived at the black tower and could see the magnificent temple framework.
With the black tower as the center, two palace structures were being built on the left and right sides. One was decorated with sun motifs, the other with moon designs.
The masonry structure looked simple yet substantial.
It looked like it would be finished soon.
During this rare break, Solgaleo played with its Pokémon friends for a while before saying it needed to go relieve Lunala.
The other Pokémon all expressed their understanding.
Mimikyu thought to itself: "Being a worker sure is tough."
Blastoise muttered: "You know, that lion looks kind of like a dog."
Lucario: "?"
Then Blastoise was promptly beaten up by Lucario in a one-sided fight.
Salamence happily watched the two seniors' internal conflict with complete indifference, and even felt like eating some berries while watching the show.