“Emmmm, aren’t you going to send me back to Hoenn? And where even is this place?”
Terrance sat on Xerneas with a completely confused look on his face. He had already been gone for so long before even having the chance to explain things to the police in Fallarbor Town, and that was no small matter.
First he had gone to the Diamond Domain in the Kalos region, and now Xerneas had brought him to this strange place. Terrance was feeling a little motion sick.
He felt as if, without realizing it, he had practically made a full trip around the planet.
“Alola.”
As Xerneas came to a stop, a trace of helplessness crossed Terrance’s face. So they had come here again.
“Then this is…” After Xerneas tossed him down, Terrance once again looked around blankly at his surroundings.
“Altar of the Sunne…” After examining the area, Terrance quickly recalled this place.
This place… he remembered it. It seemed to be an important location on Poni Island in the Alola region, situated at the far end of Vast Poni Canyon.
“To help you complete your final mastery of Fairy Aura, we need to borrow their power,” Xerneas said.
“Their?” Terrance froze for a moment. The next instant, four figures flew in from four different directions.
The first figure was a purple Pokémon that looked as if it were wrapped in a shell, with only its body and face exposed, and had a somewhat feminine appearance.
The second figure was a Pokémon with wooden horns, as if wearing a red hat, entirely black in color, and looking extremely heavy.
The third figure was a pink, girl-like Pokémon perched within a cocoon.
The fourth figure was a Pokémon with a black body, orange hair and legs, and half of a patterned shell attached to each hand.
“Tapu Fini, Tapu Bulu, Tapu Lele, Tapu Koko—why would Alola’s four guardian deities all gather here…” Terrance looked at Xerneas and said weakly, “Don’t tell me it’s them?”
With all four gods of Alola gathered here along with Xerneas, it seemed that all the ancient existences among Fairy-types had assembled. Terrance figured that if Rotom Pokédex were here, it would be so excited it would start filming like crazy. What a pity, what a pity. Once he got back, he would definitely have to tease it about this.
“Everyone, I’m counting on you.”
While Terrance was imagining all this, Xerneas spoke solemnly, directly entrusting Terrance to the four guardian deities.
Why the four guardian deities knew Xerneas, Terrance had no idea. Maybe it was something from a long time ago, or maybe Xerneas had reached some sort of understanding with them when it came to Alola to study Z-Power. But in any case, Terrance had a bad feeling about this.
Very quickly, the guardian deities of Alola’s four islands surrounded Terrance and began circling around him, constantly observing him. Their dancing movements made Terrance’s scalp tingle.
Because he had actually seen expressions change on the faces of these four guardian deities. It seemed to be… smiles?
“Long time no see…” Terrance said with a bitter smile. Back then, he had helped the four guardian deities send back an Ultra Beast, Celesteela, that had accidentally wandered into Alola through an Ultra Wormhole. He had not expected that after so long, the guardian deities would still remember him.
Fortunately, the dance did not last too long. After seemingly confirming something, the guardian deities of the four islands nodded toward Xerneas and then flew back toward their respective territories.
“Starting tomorrow, each day you must go to one island and, together with Altaria, undergo special training from one guardian deity. After four days, Altaria will be able to completely master Fairy Aura. This is a rare opportunity, so you must treat it seriously.”
“Alright, I understand.” Terrance nodded immediately.
Terrance felt like he was being completely played, but this temptation was simply too hard to refuse. Training Fairy Aura had always been Altaria’s top priority, yet although there was a clear direction, progress had remained stagnant.
Now that an opportunity had appeared, he naturally had to cherish it, no matter the cost.
As for the cost, Terrance felt that perhaps, without even realizing it, he had already been assigned some kind of world-saving mission.
There are always gains and losses. Terrance understood this well. Ever since obtaining Fairy Aura, his path as a Trainer had become easier, but at the same time, the burden on his shoulders had grown heavier.
If asked whether he regretted it, of course he didn’t. Opportunities like this were something countless Trainers could only dream of.
“Xerneas…” Seeing that Xerneas was about to leave, Terrance raised his head and rubbed his hands together.
“That Fairy Mark…”
With the Fairy Mark gone, Terrance still felt a pang of regret. It had been the best ability for communicating with Fairy-type Pokémon and gaining their favor.
However, Xerneas’s reply made Terrance feel a bit embarrassed. He scratched his cheek awkwardly and apologized.
“Granting you that ability before was a bit ill-considered. Although I don’t fully understand Trainers, if you want to truly earn the recognition of Fairy-type Pokémon, then work for it. Feel their hearts, understand the meaning of their existence. Sooner or later, even without the Fairy Mark, you will be able to achieve the same results.” Xerneas looked deeply at Terrance as it spoke.
“I will be leaving now. In five days, I will come to pick you up.”
“Alright.” Terrance nodded.
Watching Xerneas leave, Terrance let out a long breath. Xerneas’s words left him stunned for quite a while. After carefully pondering over them, he quickly snapped to attention.
Although the Fairy Mark could increase Fairy-type Pokémon’s affinity toward him, it wasn’t all-powerful. At the very least, that special Togepi had not become close to him simply because he possessed the Fairy Mark. From this, it seemed he had been relying too much on that ability.
“Top Trainers can communicate with their Pokémon on a spiritual level, not because of anything else, but because they’ve poured their heart and soul into raising them—understanding their experiences, participating in their lives. That’s what allows Trainer and Pokémon to become one. That is the power of bonds.”
“If I rely solely on the Fairy Mark and ignore my true intentions, then I’ve already fallen behind.” Terrance fell silent.
“Alright, just like Xerneas said, I’ll strive to become a qualified Fairy-type Elite Four, and reach a point where even without the Fairy Mark, I can still earn the love of Fairy-type Pokémon!” After a moment of silence, Terrance quickly encouraged himself.
The special training would begin tomorrow. The most urgent matter now was to find a way to report that he was safe back to Fallarbor Town.
Having been gone for so long, the local police and everyone at the Old Green House must be extremely worried.
Moreover, the disappearance of a contestant of the Elite Four Challenge Competition would definitely make major news…
“Since this is Poni Island… I’ve decided, I’ll go to the Aether Foundation and freeload some food and lodging from Faba…” After considering between Professor Kukui and Faba, Terrance ultimately chose the Aether Foundation. Faba had helped him raise so many Cutiefly, so it was only right to personally thank him. And besides, there was another very important matter that required the Aether Foundation’s help.
The crisis Xerneas mentioned is not the Necrozma incident, that’s all!
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