"Pu-ka-lai."
Just as Lucas and Larry were about to set off with Luxray and Oricorio, Tapu Fini suddenly floated out from the house.
It drifted leisurely in front of Lucas, leaned close to his ear, and whispered in a low voice.
Even though its powers hadn't fully recovered yet, it could still express simple meanings.
".?"
Staring at the Tapu Fini beside Lucas, Larry froze on the spot.
Wait a minute, isn't this Pokémon—
Larry vividly remembered when he had taken a boat to the Sea Folk Village on Poni Island, one of Alola's four major islands. There, he had learned about the island guardian deities from the local guide he hired—who even led him to see a life-sized replica of a mural!
And the outline on the mural, depicting Tapu Fini—the island's guardian goddess—was exactly how it looked in front of him now.
No way—why would Poni Island's guardian deity come out from Lucas's villa!?
Perhaps because he'd recently escaped the grind of overworking, Larry's mindset was feeling younger, his emotions more vivid—no longer in that half-dead state.
He looked at Lucas, then at Tapu Fini, suddenly lost for words.
"If what you said is true, then it definitely works."
At that moment, Lucas had finished receiving Tapu Fini's message. He stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Of course, he didn't miss the look on Larry's face. Lucas, reading his thoughts at a glance, chuckled and explained, "Don't make assumptions—this isn't the Tapu Fini you're thinking of. The Tapu Fini of Poni Island in the Alola region is still there right now."
"This Tapu Fini is planning on returning to the Paldea region with me. You can just think of them as different colored individuals from the same species."
"When we get back, we may need to make a splash in the Paldea sea. I'll notify Geeta ahead of time."
A wave of information washed over Larry's mind.
And then, he suddenly realized a very important fact.
His gut told him: judging by Lucas's look, once this vacation was over, he'd probably be back to working overtime every day—
No!!!
A white stick-figure in Larry's mind silently shattered.
"Please prepare two adult tickets to Melemele Island and three Pokémon tickets."
At the ferry ticket counter, Larry numbly pulled out his wallet, ready to pay.
First rule of adulthood: when going out, the senior should usually pay.
But then he remembered where Lucas, this filthy rich guy, was staying—they were only putting him up in a hotel king bed! Black thoughts flickered across Larry's eyes, and he quickly changed his request.
"Actually, make that one adult ticket and one Pokémon ticket."
"Ah?"
The ticket clerk dazedly accepted Larry's cash.
But before printing the tickets, feeling uncomfortable under so many stares, Tapu Fini was withdrawn temporarily into its Dive Ball by Lucas, who then came over with Luxray.
"Change the destination—to Poni Island."
Leaning on the counter, Lucas said.
Larry frowned slightly. "According to the travel guide, most of the golden flowers bloom on Melemele Island."
His Oricorio, perched on his shoulder, even leapt into an enthusiastic flamenco to match.
Lucas nodded slightly. "That's true. But Tapu Fini says there are actually golden flowers on Poni Island, too."
"It remembers roughly where. While we're there, we can also collect some violet nectar."
He'd been thinking:
Since the Alolan Stew could incorporate golden nectar for a tingly and exciting taste—
What if you used the other three kinds of nectar? Would they have other flavors, or even more effects?
Lucas felt it was worth trying.
With Larry right here, they could collect two kinds of nectar on this trip and save themselves another trek to yet another island. How convenient!
Since the whole adventure was always about "work and favors" anyway, if Lucas insisted on going to Poni Island—so be it.
Larry adopted a Zen attitude and had the ticket clerk switch their tickets to Poni Island instead.
He didn't come to his senses until he was on the boat, clutching several tickets.
Wait, why am I the one buying his ticket!?
Because Tapu Fini disliked being around too many strangers and returned to the Dive Ball, they accidentally bought an extra Pokémon ticket!
Larry pinched his wallet and felt again how Lucas always "overcame" him.
Thankfully, when they disembarked, Lucas thoughtfully reimbursed him for the tickets.
Though his explanation was more like a backhanded joke, making Larry feel like Lucas was teasing him from behind the scenes.
What does he mean, "I just can't bring myself to squeeze more out of a poor office worker's meager salary—at least not yet"?!!
Once again, they stood on the pristine land of Poni Island.
Lucas asked Tapu Fini at his side, "We're back. Tapu Fini isn't going to think we went back on our word and came to beat us up, right?"
Feigning nervousness, Lucas glanced at Luxray, mumbling whether he should go easy on the guardian deity and not accidentally zap her too hard.
Speechless, Tapu Fini: "..."
I am Tapu Fini! You're talking right in front of me about zapping Tapu Fini half-done—as if the other three Tapus wouldn't just jump you all together! Isn't that a little rude?
Although she had been in this new world—so different from her own—for two days now, Tapu Fini still felt the real reason Lucas could get away with pushing his luck so often had much to do with his own power.
Tapu Fini sighed and shook her head at Lucas.
She'd already made a deal with her other self: as long as she didn't try to seize control of Poni Island's or Alola's ocean currents, they'd just turn a blind eye to her movements.
There'd be no "enter my territory and you're dead" attitude.
That's why Tapu Fini followed along. Since she heard Lucas wanted to collect nectar, she was happy to help a future human friend who'd be responsible for her food and lodging.
Popplio had the Eevee sisters as playmates, Oranguru was reliable—Tapu Fini was at ease leaving for a bit.
And once she returned to the farm in Paldea, she'd have lots of Popplio's "peers" as companions. That would fill the void she could never play as a mother.
Tapu Fini once again felt she'd made the right decision. This wonderful world was even starting to fascinate her.
Before long, Larry returned from Sea Folk Village freshly changed.
Somehow, when with Lucas, things never went as smoothly as planned.
Compared to Akala or Melemele Islands, Poni was more humid. That was partly because the island's guardian, Tapu Fini, was a Water-type Pokémon.
All those nights of overtime were already draining, and Larry didn't want to end up with old injuries—especially since flip-flops weren't practical for the outdoors.
For peace of mind, he changed into more active gear.
Seeing Larry return, Lucas tilted his head toward the direction indicated by Tapu Fini.
"Let's go—first stop is Poni Meadow. Tapu Fini says golden flowers bloom there occasionally."
"After that, it's up to Oricorio to find them."
"Cheep!"
Oricorio, summoned by Lucas, proudly flapped its crimson wings and landed on Larry's shoulder.
When it comes to finding nectar, this Oricorio may not be the best in the world—but it's at least runner-up!
Luxray swished its tail and took the lead.
They'd eaten lunch from takeout at Poni Meadow before, so the path was still familiar.
Poni Meadow lay on the island's western coast, easy to find—especially since Lucas and Luxray had been there before.
After about half an hour, a "soft and gorgeous" fragrance drifted in the air—familiar enough that Lucas knew Poni Meadow was close.
Passing through a tunnel, they beheld a garden lush with blooming violet flowers.
Larry admired the scene with awe.
If the garden of scarlet flowers he'd seen before was a field of blooming red spider lilies, then the lavender garden before him was like a sea of swaying lavender—full of nobility and elegance.
Looking further ahead, thin mist veiled the area, and light, graceful Oricorio danced in a proud, elegant performance.
Glimpses of translucent figures flitted through the mist, barely visible.
"Cherp-cheep!"
Larry's sassy, fiery Oricorio couldn't hold back any longer and flitted over, trying to join in.
But—
The graceful Oricorio didn't welcome their flamboyant kin at all.
"Cheep!" (What are you doing here, you little bird who looks like boiled crab!)
"Cheep!" (This is our turf!)
Two stylish, elegant Oricorio strutted over, dancing mockingly at Larry's Oricorio.
"Cheep." (You know, we don't accept newbies here!)
"Cheep" (Not welcome)
They shook their heads as they danced.
"Chirp-chirp~" (Listen up, newbie—this is the best dance stage in the whole meadow. All the top tribe dancers show up, but guess who's not invited?)
"Cheep!" (You~~)
The two graceful Oricorio taunted in unison, using dance to squeeze Larry's fiery Oricorio out of the flower field.
Lucas was dumbfounded.
Really? Even Pokémon can be "Alola bullied"?
Larry frowned. He couldn't understand their language, but from their gestures, it was obvious his Oricorio was being ostracized.
Just as he was about to call his Pokémon back, Larry's Oricorio quickly improvised and began drinking nectar from a nearby violet flower!
In a flash of dazzling light, Oricorio switched from the fiery style to the graceful style.
Its type shifted from Fire/Flying to Ghost/Flying.
Unexpectedly, the two graceful Oricorio, seeing Larry's Oricorio change forms so decisively, changed their attitude instantly.
Impressed by her decisiveness, they suddenly looked up to Larry's Oricorio, then—
"Chirp-chirp!" (Hey, bro! Want to join our big dance party and go wild until night?)
The two graceful Oricorio threw their wings around Larry's Oricorio, changing their tune so fast it nearly gave Lucas whiplash.
Lucas couldn't help but sigh.
"Discrimination and exclusion based on color isn't unique—even Pokémon tribes aren't immune."
Just like the time the Eevee sisters sought his help.
As a shiny Pokémon and the weaker twin, the Eevee sister had almost been abandoned by her own tribe from the moment she was born.
What happened with the Oricorio was only a reflection of that.
Once Larry's Oricorio met their standards, the welcome was instant—one almost didn't know what to say.
Shaking his head, Lucas handed nectar sampling tools to Larry and Tapu Fini, then stood a little away from the Oricorio, collecting violet nectar while admiring their dance.
They didn't stop until they'd filled a jar, usually used for Combee honey.
Lucas also picked some lilies about to wither, planning to collect the seeds and plant them on the farm next spring.
With the violet nectar and seeds gathered, now it was time to find the golden nectar and seeds.
Larry called his Oricorio back from its new circle of friends and signaled her to start working.
Oricorio lived up to expectations—flapping her now gradient wings (from deep purple, to lavender, to pale blue)—using whatever mysterious sense she had to guide the group instead of Luxray.
Before long, Oricorio led Lucas and company to a mysterious, unmarked, dim cave.
".There could be flowers in here?"
Lucas looked skeptical.
But Oricorio was confident: there were golden flowers inside.
She had never been wrong about nectar!
But, unnoticed by Lucas, Tapu Fini furrowed her brows. She remembered—this place was...
Just as Lucas weighed whether to enter the cave, the ground suddenly shook violently beneath them.
At the same time, a horde of Zubat and Golbat suddenly flew out of the cave in a panic, as if something terrifying was happening below.
If the Zubat and Golbat had tipped Lucas off to trouble—
What really caught Lucas by surprise were the two disheveled figures who came rushing out after them.
"Looker, Anabel!?"
Lucas's startled voice rang out. The two, heading for the exit, froze when they saw his familiar yet slightly out-of-place face.
…