Lucas, a bit disgusted, pushed back Kukui's face, which was inching ever closer to his own. He found himself wondering how the Pokémon back at the farm were doing tonight—would they run into any problems?
[Host, look outside.]
The system's sudden prompt startled Lucas. He instinctively looked out the airplane window—and in that instant, his gaze t a pair of majestic golden dragon eyes.
"Am I seeing things?" Lucas blinked, rubbing his eyes with his hands. When his vision cleared, those golden dragon eyes were still there, staring at him unblinkingly through the window.
Lucas couldn't hold it in; his eyes widened and he blurted out in a low voice, "Holy—"
He was just daydreaming, so how did a Rayquaza actually show up!?
The Pokémon before him had a streamlined, long, dragon-like body, almost like an eastern dragon from myth. Its entire body was pitch-black, the sleek, seamless dragon scales gleaming like the finest black jade. Smooth golden patterns ran down its form, with so circular markings shining like lanterns, illuminating the darkness all around Rayquaza.
Words like majestic, noble, imposing, and powerful all described it well. Its re appearance made the surrounding air feel thick and sticky; just the pressure made it hard to breathe.
At this mont, Lucas finally realized why Paldea's skies had been cloudless yesterday—no clouds at all. It was probably all because of this being before him.
Its very existence affected the environnt around it. The legendary Pokémon, the dragon of the sky—Rayquaza.
Fortunately, this shiny Rayquaza seed to just be passing by. After a few seconds of eye contact, it twisted its long, massive body, broke the sound barrier with ease, and soared higher into the sky.
[It seems it was only passing through to hunt so small teorites.]
Lucas didn't respond to the system's explanation. He sat there stunned for a long while, then parted his dry lips in awe: "So strong…"
Even after all his growth, just making eye contact with this shiny Rayquaza made Lucas realize that even if he went all out, he probably couldn't beat it.
This was a blow to Lucas, but it also made him realize he was still far from strong enough.
If this Rayquaza ever attacked, could he protect his farm?
The answer was no.
[Host…]
The system, noticing Lucas' dejected state, felt a bit of regret—maybe it shouldn't have told him to look outside.
After a mont, Lucas said in a low, determined voice, "I need to get stronger."
[Huh?]
Lucas clenched his right hand, which was trembling slightly—whether from excitent or nervousness, even he wasn't sure. He said seriously, "I want to beco so strong that nothing in the outside world could ever threaten my farm or my Pokémon while they're under my protection."
If, a year ago, Lucas had only beco a Trainer to live a better life, now, with a new clarity in his heart, he chose to keep climbing toward the top—not just for himself, but to protect the farm and the Pokémon he cherished.
"Haaah… Good morning~" Just then, as the announcent for landing played, Kukui stretched and looked drowsily at Lucas.
Lucas turned to Kukui and nodded, "Good morning."
It was obvious Lucas hadn't slept all night—his dark circles were pretty obvious.
Yet for so reason, Kukui felt Lucas had changed since last night, though he couldn't quite put his finger on what was different.
After chatting for a bit, the plane landed smoothly and taxied to the jet bridge. The well-trained flight attendants smiled kindly and guided the passengers to disembark in an orderly fashion.
Kukui and Lucas left the plane one after the other. Suddenly, for reasons unknown, Kukui—wearing his trademark white lab coat—raised his hand and shouted, "I'm back, Alola!!!"
"…What are you doing?"
Lucas glanced around and saw that the other passengers were all looking over with amused expressions. To avoid being lumped in with Kukui, Lucas covered his face and shuffled a few steps away.
But Kukui didn't play by the rules. He pulled Lucas over excitedly and said, "Co on, shout with —A! Lo! La!"
Kukui's outburst drew even more attention. Lucas felt so embarrassed he could practically dig a three-bedroom apartnt in the floor with his toes.
Alola was famous for its tourism, so both travelers and returning locals were familiar with these customs. People smiled, but there was no ridicule in their eyes—many even called back "Alola!" in response to Kukui.
"Everyone in Alola is really friendly!" Kukui bead, looking much more at ho than he ever did in Paldea. He patted Lucas' back. "Relax, don't be shy—no one will make fun of you here."
Unable to withstand Kukui's persistent coaxing, Lucas finally mumbled a quiet, "Alola…"
The two of them had very little luggage. Lucas had only a dium-sized backpack with a passport, so dicine, and snacks; Kukui just had his usual gear. They didn't need to pick up any checked bags and left the airport straight away.
Their plane had landed in Kukui's hotown: Hau'oli City on lele Island.
You could really tell Alola was a tourist hotspot—right outside the airport, there were tourists in colorful clothes and locals in simpler attire. The buildings were decorated with lanterns and banners, making it feel like a festival.
Enjoying the unique tropical scenery, Kukui led Lucas to lele Island's port. Before they boarded the boat to Ula'ula Island, Lucas asked, concerned, "Kukui, aren't you going to stop by ho first?"
Kukui grinned. "It's fine, a few days won't make a difference. I'll go back after you start training with Tapu Bulu."
Lucas decided not to press the point. He nodded in agreent, though he couldn't help thinking Kukui seed even more excited about this than he was.
"Hey, you two—are you looking for Tapu Bulu?"
They turned toward the voice. It was a burly man dressed like a sailor. His sun-browned skin suggested he'd weathered many storms, and his muscles looked like they'd been cast from steel.
After exchanging a glance with Lucas, Kukui nodded, "Yeah, we're planning to find Tapu Bulu."
The man crossed his arms and laughed, "That's rare. These days, everyone knows Tapu Bulu on Ula'ula Island is hard to approach. The villagers of Tapu Village once angered it—and it destroyed the whole village under construction."
"You're either very brave or very naïve to go looking for Tapu Bulu…"
"That's because—" Kukui frowned, wanting to explain.
But Lucas stopped him. Under Kukui's puzzled gaze, Lucas shook his head and whispered in his ear, "I don't know the details, but it was probably so human misbehavior that made Tapu Bulu—who loves peace—lash out."
"No matter what the truth is, you can't change deep-rooted beliefs with a few words. What you need to do now is help build Alola while gradually dispelling these prejudices."
Kukui clenched his fists and nodded, saying no more.
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