Kai recalled the Oran Berries he had bought at the market—they definitely didn't have this kind of effect. It seemed that under Tapu Bulu's cultivation, even the berries' potency had been enhanced.
He quickly finished the Oran Berry, spitting out the seed-covered core. Just as he reached for a small trash bag to dispose of it, Tapu Bulu suddenly appeared in front of him, extending a hoof and staring at him intently.
Strangely enough, Kai had a good idea of what it wanted. He handed over the berry core, and Tapu Bulu tucked it into the crevice of its hoof, seemingly storing it for later.
Then, it proceeded to collect the berry cores from the other Pokémon and even Kukui. Once finished, it turned its gaze toward Serperior and the Eldegoss trio, signaling for them to follow.
Serperior exchanged a glance with the Eldegoss before trailing behind Tapu Bulu to the newly planted Oran Berry trees. Tapu Bulu pointed at the trees and called out, "Moo! Moo!"
Seeing the Eldegoss hesitate, Serperior sighed, slithering up the trunk of an Oran Berry tree. It found a comfortable spot and calmly began absorbing the energy from the tree, following Tapu Bulu's instructions.
Tapu Bulu wanted them to first adapt to the plant energy produced by Grassy Terrain before attempting to use the move themselves.
With Serperior taking the lead, the Eldegoss gathered their courage and tentatively touched the trees, mimicking its actions as they began absorbing the Grass-type energy.
Observing the scene, Kai stroked his chin and murmured, "Absorbing plant energy can help Grass-type Pokémon grow… Maybe the Eldegoss will even level up a few times from this."
An increase in level meant a higher chance of learning new moves. He was starting to understand Tapu Bulu's training method.
Seeing how smoothly the training was progressing, Kai decided not to interrupt. Instead, he turned to Kukui and said, "Everything's settled on my end. Why don't you head home and check on things?"
Kukui pondered for a moment before nodding. "Makes sense." He hadn't expected things with Tapu Bulu to be resolved so quickly, which meant he could return home earlier than planned.
Without hesitation, Kukui called out his Braviary and climbed onto its back. Before taking off toward Melemele Island, he reminded Kai to reach out if he needed anything.
After bidding Kukui farewell, Kai glanced around. Dragonite and Mimikyu were busy playing a wrestling game with Growlithe, while Mudbray was still diligently digging. Seeing that everything was in order, he turned his attention to the lone Comfey floating idly in midair.
Time to recruit another Pokémon.
---
Since the Eldegoss were busy with Tapu Bulu, Comfey—being a native of Alola—instinctively felt a sense of reverence for the island guardian. Even though it wanted to play with its friends, Tapu Bulu's presence kept it from approaching. This gave Kai the perfect chance to interact with it.
Ahem. It wasn't that he was constantly trying to recruit different Pokémon for his farm—it was just that Comfey really fit the role he had envisioned.
"Comfey?"
Still a wild Pokémon, Comfey was somewhat wary. It immediately noticed Kai's approach and tensed up.
But after recognizing him, its initial instinct to flee vanished, leaving Kai slightly puzzled.
Huh? That was different from what he expected.
Comfey's green eyes studied Kai for a moment before it did something completely unexpected.
Extending a vine from its petal-like appendages, it reached toward Kai's pocket and retrieved his Tera Orb.
Curious to see what Comfey was up to, Kai didn't stop it.
The Pokémon carefully coiled its vine around the Tera Orb, then looked up at him with bright, expectant eyes. As it waved the orb up and down, it almost seemed like it was mimicking the motion of throwing it.
Kai fell silent for a second before asking hesitantly, "You… want to Terastallize like Mimikyu?"
"Comfey~!"
Hearing its thoughts put into words, Comfey happily spun in circles before returning the Tera Orb to Kai, its green eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"Uh…" Kai glanced at the now-depleted Tera Orb in his hand and mentally cursed Game Freak a thousand times over for making the orb require recharging.
Feeling a little guilty, he explained to Comfey that the Tera Orb couldn't be used at the moment.
"Comfey…"
Comfey's expression fell in disappointment.
Seeing this, an idea suddenly struck Kai, and he blurted out, "But if you become one of us, once we return to Paldea, you'll be able to Terastallize!"
"And once we're back, you can play with the Eldegoss all the time."
His words were filled with blatant persuasion, but Comfey completely fell for it, giving in without hesitation.
It could stay with its friends and transform into that dazzling crystalline form? Without a second thought, Comfey threw itself into the Poké Ball Kai held out experimentally. After three shakes, the capture was complete.
"…Huh?"
Kai stared at the Poké Ball in his hand. For the first time, he wondered if he had the potential for a career in sales.(⌐■_■)
Tapu Bulu's training lasted for four whole days, with Kukui returning a few times in between.(^_^)
---
Once everything was settled, Kai and Kukui bid farewell to Tapu Bulu before Kai sought out an experienced mountaineer to accompany him on an expedition to Mount Lanakila—the snow-covered peak rumored to be home to Alolan Vulpix and Ninetales.
Unfortunately, luck wasn't on their side. On their first night in the mountains, they were caught in an extremely rare blizzard. Once the storm subsided, they had no choice but to descend.
Their search for the Alolan Vulpix and Ninetales ended in failure.
After returning to the Ruins of Abundance, Kai stayed put, alternating between watching Serperior's training and working with Growlithe.
Finally, on the last day of training, Serperior proudly demonstrated a newly learned move in front of him—
And Kai completely lost it.
"What in the world did you just learn?!"
---
Don't forget to drop some Power Stones!💎💎💎
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