Letting Beautifly stay behind was a carefully considered decision by Terrance. It was very similar to Totem Vikavolt—both Pokémon were highly skilled in flying maneuvers. If the two could spar with each other, it could significantly boost their mutual progress.
There aren’t many Bug-type Pokémon that excel in flying maneuvers. Vikavolt was the only unique Pokémon of its type that Terrance had encountered, and the flying maneuvers of the Totem Vikavolt were even more stunning—not inferior even to Terrance’s carefully trained Beautifly.
The acrobatic flying maneuvers center around the move “Acrobatics.” Terrance was quite envious of Vikavolt’s skills in this area. Although an ordinary Vikavolt couldn’t reach the same level as a Totem Vikavolt, Terrance still hoped Beautifly could “secretly learn” a bit of it.
Beautifly could also learn Acrobatics.
Although it didn’t have Totem Vikavolt’s ability to use electricity as propulsion, Beautifly had other unique moves that Vikavolt didn’t possess, such as “Air Currents Control,” “Aerial Ace,” and “U-turn.” So who’s to say Beautifly couldn’t develop its own version of acrobatic flying maneuvers?
When Terrance made the request, Totem Vikavolt was momentarily stunned, then happily agreed.
As a wild Pokémon, its thoughts were simple—having a rival who can match its skill in the field of flying and compete with it is enough.
……
After properly arranging things for Beautifly, Terrance left.
It wasn’t just Terrance—Beautifly also sensed the possibility of further breakthrough while battling Totem Vikavolt. Maybe it would take a month, maybe two, or perhaps sometime before Terrance left Alola, he would come back to take Beautifly with him.
How far Beautifly would grow by then—even Terrance couldn’t say.
“Acrobatics, huh?” Terrance mused. The matter of the Island Challenge was once again tossed aside, just like the situation with Gallade. Now that Mismagius, Gallade, and Beautifly weren’t with him, Terrance started thinking about his other Pokémon.
Originally, Terrance had designed meticulous training plans for these Pokémon. But after arriving in Alola, he noticed these plans were gradually being overturned. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Whether it was Gallade gaining mastery over Teleport and power control, or Beautifly learning acrobatic flying, their improvements wouldn’t be any less than what regular training would have produced. Besides, that didn’t mean the training plans Terrance had prepared were useless—it still depended on how the Pokémon managed their time.
Terrance was still confident in the self-discipline of Gallade and Beautifly. As for Mismagius who was quite far away, its calm and steady nature meant Terrance didn’t have to worry too much. Compared to them, what Terrance really had to think about was Castform and Arcanine.
“Rotom Pokédex, what do you think we should do next?” Terrance asked.
Rotom Pokédex followed beside Terrance and said, “Continue the Island Challenge, Roto?”
“Judging from the situation with Mr. Hala and Mr. Nanu, I’m afraid the other Island Kahunas won’t be able to provide any valuable information either.” Terrance shook his head.
“Then…” Rotom Pokédex spun around and said, “How about we go check out the Altar of the Sunne or the Altar of the Moone, Roto?”
“Altar of the Sunne and Moone…” Terrance was slightly taken aback. The Altar of the Sunne and the Altar of the Moone were important locations on Poni Island in the Alola region, situated at the far end of the Vast Poni Canyon.
In Alola’s legends, these two places were very mysterious and seemed to be connected to Solgaleo and Lunala.
“Alright, let’s go take a look then,” Terrance said. “But before that, I need to guide Castform through the basics of its training.”
From the “four-types of secret techniques” gifted by the Weather Institute, Terrance had summarized more powerful training methods for moves like Rain Dance, Sunny Day, and Hail. This was Castform’s main focus for the next four months. If it could absorb these techniques, the challenges it would face would be greater—but in turn, its strength would also increase far beyond that of Gallade and Beautifly.
During the Gem Tournament, Terrance obtained the Fire Gem and Water Gem, and during his return to Fallarbor Gym, the gems he had purchased early on also arrived.
Now, he held multiple gems of four different types. Combined with items like the Damp Rock and Mystic Water, Terrance was confident that he could bring about a drastic transformation in Castform’s strength within these four months.
Gallade and Beautifly can be left on their own for now without much issue, but Castform—what Terrance possesses is nothing short of ultra-rare resources. Staying by Terrance’s side and diligently training in weather-based moves is the fastest way for Castform to grow stronger.
Aside from Castform, Arcanine was the one Terrance wasn’t at ease with. It couldn’t be left on its own like Beautifly and the others. Compared to them, Arcanine relied too heavily on post-battle care and healing. Without Terrance around to care for it, Arcanine surely wouldn’t know how to cherish its own body.
In the days that followed, Terrance helped Castform begin its training for the enhanced version of Rain Dance at Ula’ula Beach, then went to Mount Lanakila to start training the enhanced version of Hail, and later headed to the Haina Desert to familiarize Castform with the Sandstorm move while also training the enhanced version of Sunny Day.
During this period, Altaria and Arcanine weren’t idle either—they continued with the regular training plans Terrance had originally prepared.
Rotom Pokédex assisted Terrance in recording every bit of the Pokémon’s progress. Every day, every hour, Terrance and his Pokémon lived very fulfilling lives.
As for Ice Vulpix, it wouldn’t be able to grow significantly in the short term, so Terrance didn’t force it to undergo special intense training like Altaria and the others. After completing its daily training, it was allowed to rest—which made Castform incredibly envious.
Before he knew it, there was no longer any reason for Terrance to stay on Ula’ula Island. Before leaving, he checked in on Beautifly one last time, then returned to Melemele Island to check on Gallade. After that, he rode his Altaria to Poni Island.
Poni Island is the western island of the Alola region, and its guardian deity is Tapu Fini.
On Poni Island, there are canyons, beaches, and geysers—but most notably, the canyon: Vast Poni Canyon.
“Vast Poni Canyon is a location with a special magnetic field, Roto~ Magneton, Nosepass, and Charjabug can evolve here into Magnezone, Probopass, and Vikavolt, Roto~~”
Just as Terrance arrived, Rotom Pokédex immediately began introducing the information to him.
Terrance hadn’t known this information beforehand, but after spending so many days in Alola, even without Rotom Pokédex’s reminder, he was no longer unfamiliar with it.
“The Altar of the Sunne and the Altar of the Moone… where are they?” Terrance muttered to himself as he looked out over the vast canyon, surrounded by mountains.
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