"But when we emerged from Resolution Cave, it happened to be daybreak."
"So I'm fairly certain that direction was pointing toward the Altar of the Sunne—or rather, toward Necrozma."
As soon as Roy said this, both Tapu Koko and Solgaleo looked shocked.
Even Lunala, who always had excellent hearing, gently spread its wings before resuming its sunbathing.
Tapu Koko frantically searched through the small notebook it carried—the one filled with many recorded observations. Pages rustled as it flipped through them.
But after searching for quite some time, it couldn't find any information related to this development.
"Koko-ko..."
Is Its prison about to break...
Tapu Koko's tone inevitably contained some frustration.
They had worked so hard, yet Alola still harbored an accomplice of Necrozma.
This dealt a significant blow to Tapu Koko's confidence.
However, Solgaleo was only mildly surprised. It remained very confident about Necrozma's current imprisonment.
So Solgaleo reassured Tapu Koko.
"Solgaleo~"
Don't worry. The seal on it remains intact, and Lunala has been at the altar constantly—there's been nothing unusual.
Roy nodded, agreeing with Solgaleo's assessment. After all, everyone had witnessed Solgaleo and Lunala's dedicated efforts during this period.
Moreover, from the perspective of his aura powers, there had been no significant changes concerning Alola.
If a Pokémon at Necrozma's level were to escape, the first thing it would do is destroy everything.
Destroy Alola, destroy the world, consume everything.
It would shroud the entire place where it resided in absolute darkness.
With this reassurance, Tapu Koko's mood improved considerably.
Afterward, they decided to strengthen their monitoring of Alola's Pokémon, adding yet another burden to their duties.
Roy looked somewhat apologetic about this.
"I... I can take responsibility for investigating the sea..."
At that moment, Tapu Fini's gentle voice suddenly came from behind them.
Everyone turned around in unison to see the guardian deity of the sea—Tapu Fini—emerging from its purple shell.
Tapu Koko was surprised by Tapu Fini's sudden arrival.
They had been partners for the longest time. Naturally, Tapu Koko knew that Tapu Fini was reluctant to appear before others due to its reserved personality.
Combined with what Tapu Fini had just said, Tapu Koko briefly wondered if the Pokémon before them was actually a Ditto in disguise.
Tapu Fini suddenly found itself being stared at by so many individuals, including Lord Solgaleo—whom it greatly admired. The blush on its face deepened even more.
Stuttering, Tapu Fini couldn't speak a complete sentence.
It wasn't until Roy took pity and covered Solgaleo's eyes that Tapu Fini exhaled heavily, finally recovering somewhat.
"Fini-fini."
Last night while patrolling the coast near Brooklet Hill, I discovered a large number of Feebas—which is also where the mist is most concentrated.
After that, Tapu Fini recounted to the Pokémon and Roy what it had encountered the previous night.
Tapu Fini hadn't returned directly to the depths beneath Poni Island after escorting Roy to Brooklet Hill.
Instead, out of a small sense of responsibility toward Alola, it had begun patrolling the waters near the island.
Though it was called a sea patrol, in reality, it was just Tapu Fini traveling alone.
While it could summon many ocean Pokémon to accompany it, a Pokémon with Tapu Fini's personality would definitely prefer solitude.
Strangely enough, when Tapu Fini first began its ocean patrol, there was one particular area it couldn't reach no matter what.
It could access other locations, but whenever the thought of approaching this specific place arose, Tapu Fini found itself circling around it helplessly.
How could Tapu Fini, guardian of the ocean, tolerate such an affront?
Alola's sea was like its own home. Even if it didn't visit often and the place became overgrown and desolate, there was no reason it shouldn't be able to enter!
Adhering to this conviction, Tapu Fini felt anger overflow within its heart for the first time.
The power in its hands quickly accumulated to a terrifying level before being channeled into the simple move Water Pulse.
The ripples—normally harmless—spread outward in expanding circles.
Until they encountered an invisible barrier not far in front of Tapu Fini.
The Water Pulse struck the barrier, leaving only faint traces visible.
At this point, Tapu Fini grew even angrier.
So you dare install a security system in my home?
Tapu Fini's fury suddenly peaked, and Water Pulse was no longer as gentle as before. It became incredibly forceful, as if undergoing an instantaneous transformation.
Each ripple from the Water Pulse struck the transparent barrier with a tremendous impact, producing loud crashes.
Such sounds had never echoed through the underwater world before, especially when mixed with the guardian deity's rage.
At that time, all the Pokémon in the surrounding seas seemed to flee from the waters near Brooklet Hill.
Finally, under the violent assault of the fifth wave, the transparent barrier shattered and dissolved into the seawater, disappearing completely.
Tapu Fini felt a twinge of regret—if it could have captured it, perhaps the barrier could have been sent to Tapu Koko for study.
Tapu Fini commanded the sea to carry it to the position that had been protected by the barrier.
If I remember correctly, this should be the waters near Brooklet Hill.
Tapu Fini looked around, trying to determine what was different about this place from before.
Brooklet Hill wasn't particularly large, so the nearby waters weren't vast either.
Soon, Tapu Fini discovered a battered Milotic at the very bottom of these waters.
Milotic had always been called the most beautiful Pokémon by humans, especially within the Pokémon world.
But the Milotic before it had nothing to do with beauty at this moment.
The scales on its body had been cruelly torn out one by one, revealing dripping flesh and blood. Its normally gentle eyes were now tightly closed.
Its two delicate antennae hung limply at its sides, and one of them appeared to be partially severed.
On its body were bite marks left by unknown Pokémon.
The wounds seemed to be from some time ago—the areas around the cavities were slowly healing.