Tapu Fini floated gracefully through the air, slowly approaching Roy with deliberate movements.
"Fini!" the guardian deity called out softly.
Lunala's mental state had become considerably more stable compared to before. There had been several occasions recently when the Legendary Pokémon had taken the initiative to seek out Tapu Fini for treatment on its own accord.
Roy nodded with an appreciative smile spreading across his face.
"That's wonderful news. I'm glad to hear Lunala is doing better," he said warmly.
"Oh, by the way, there's actually something I could use your help with..."
"Fini?" The guardian deity tilted its head curiously.
Akala Island
As dusk settled over Akala Island, the sky was graced by the imposing figure of a Pokémon with massive blood-red wings gliding smoothly through the air. Several wild Pokémon who had been idling about paused to watch the magnificent sight with curious interest.
If any of them had looked more carefully, they would have noticed a young trainer sitting confidently on the back of that impressive Pokémon.
That Pokémon was none other than Salamence, and the boy seated on its back was Roy himself.
In a vibrant sea of flowers below, Gardevoir was diligently practicing the unfamiliar techniques of Aura manipulation. The psychic energy caused the surrounding flowers to sway uneasily back and forth, releasing waves of sweet floral fragrance into the evening air.
The enormous shadow cast by Salamence blocked out much of the remaining sunlight in the sky, particularly noticeable as sunset approached.
Caroline, who had been quietly reading a book beneath a nearby tree, set down what she was holding and looked up to identify the source blocking her light.
At that moment, Salamence began its gradual descent toward the ground.
They had reached their destination.
Roy had naturally spotted Caroline much earlier. After all, he was already quite familiar with the unique sensation of the Totem aura. Currently on Akala Island, aside from the actual Totem Pokémon who possessed such power, only Caroline's Gardevoir wielded that distinctive energy.
Roy dismounted smoothly from Salamence's back. The Dragon-type Pokémon obediently folded its massive wings close to its body to avoid accidentally striking anyone nearby.
Seeing that Roy was the visitor, Caroline gathered her belongings and stood up to greet him properly.
"It's been a while," Roy said first, offering a friendly smile.
He had learned from experience that if he waited for Caroline to initiate the greeting, he might be standing there for quite some time. She wasn't the most talkative person he'd ever met.
Caroline nodded in acknowledgment but didn't offer any additional words.
"I came to see Tapu Fini first. You two can continue your training," Roy explained.
After speaking, he turned to leave and continue on his way.
The location of this flower meadow was actually very close to Tapu Fini's usual dwelling place. Roy had simply happened to notice the second human currently residing in Alola's spiritual realm, so he thought it would be polite to stop by and say hello.
Now that he had done so—even if the interaction still felt slightly awkward—it was time to attend to his actual business.
To Roy's surprise, Caroline called out to stop him.
"Wait a moment," she said quietly.
Roy turned around, uncertain what else Caroline might want to discuss with him.
He noticed that Gardevoir was staring intently at Mimikyu perched on his shoulder, its gaze unwavering.
Roy decided to wait patiently for Caroline to speak rather than making assumptions about what she wanted. Better to avoid any embarrassing misunderstandings.
"What's the matter?" he asked politely.
Caroline nodded slightly and raised her hand to point directly at Mimikyu.
"Has your Pokémon... also learned the Totem inheritance techniques?" she inquired with genuine interest.
"Would it be possible for him to spar with my Gardevoir?"
Roy hadn't expected that his initial guess was actually correct about what she wanted.
To be completely honest, Roy had been envious of Caroline's Gardevoir for quite some time now. However, there had always been a significant gap in their abilities, and under normal circumstances, there wasn't really an appropriate opportunity to battle against a queen's Pokémon, was there?
Roy's immediate instinct was to agree enthusiastically, but he managed to maintain an outwardly hesitant expression instead.
"But... there's still quite a gap between Mimikyu's abilities and Gardevoir's level..." he pointed out cautiously.
Mimikyu had originally been in high spirits, nearly ready to demonstrate to Roy all of its latest progress in battle training.
However, when Roy made that statement, Mimikyu frantically covered Roy's mouth with the end of its disguise cloth.
"Kyu! Kyu!" it protested urgently.
Don't say that, don't say that!
Roy understood that Mimikyu was trying to save face. More importantly, the Gardevoir standing before them represented an excellent opportunity for a worthy opponent.
Roy hesitated for a moment, considering the situation carefully. If he factored in Mimikyu's recent training progress, it probably wouldn't be impossible to catch up to Gardevoir's current level within the next few months.
Then again, Gardevoir certainly hadn't been standing still during that time either. The Psychic-type had been continuously improving as well.
What's more, Gardevoir was now also learning the inheritance techniques of Aura manipulation, just like Mimikyu.
Caroline observed Roy's hesitant expression and thought for a moment before adding, "I won't use my Psychic abilities."
"Huh?" Roy blinked in surprise, not quite processing what she meant.
Caroline repeated herself calmly and clearly.
"What I mean is, I'm not going to use my own Psychic powers to assist during this sparring match."
With that condition stated, even if Roy had wanted to decline the battle, he really couldn't do so now. Not to mention that Caroline had essentially removed any excuse he might have had, which made Roy feel he couldn't let either her or Mimikyu down by refusing.
"Alright, let's do it," Roy agreed with a determined nod.
"Kyu~!" Mimikyu cried out joyfully and leaped down from Roy's shoulder with excitement.
Some areas of the flower meadow had grass that wasn't particularly short—it reached up to about Gardevoir's knees. Mimikyu had already disappeared into the sea of colorful blooms, with only the small black points of its disguise's ears visible above the flowers.
"Are you both ready?" Roy called out.
Gardevoir and Mimikyu nodded simultaneously, each taking their prepared battle stances with focused determination.
Roy and Caroline exchanged a brief glance before moving their Pokémon a suitable distance apart to create proper space for the battle.
As the sun continued its descent toward the horizon, the entire sea of vibrant, multicolored flowers became bathed in a layer of warm, energetic orange light.
The flowers swayed gently from side to side whenever an occasional breeze passed through, completely unconcerned with whatever battle was about to unfold in their midst.
With a sharp cry emanating from Mimikyu's disguise, the match officially began.
Mimikyu's small shadow stretched rapidly across the ground, creating a scene reminiscent of a classic moment from a horror movie. The shadow moved with incredible speed, sliding behind Gardevoir in mere seconds.
The shadow didn't stop simply because it had reached its destination. Instead, it suddenly rose upright from the ground and aimed to deliver a heavy strike to Gardevoir's back.
As a Pokémon with both Psychic and Fairy typing, Gardevoir had a double weakness to Ghost-type attacks. Therefore, from the very beginning of the battle, its mental focus was completely concentrated on tracking every single movement Mimikyu made.
Even though Mimikyu's Shadow Sneak was a priority move that struck first, Gardevoir had maintained sufficient awareness to defend against it.
At the precise moment the dark shadow reached Gardevoir's back, the Psychic-type whirled around gracefully. Energy quickly enveloped its body in a protective shimmer, and Gardevoir vanished instantly just as the shadow's attack was about to make contact.
Teleport.
Roy smiled with a touch of helplessness. "That's just unfair—using Teleport like that," he muttered under his breath.
When he happened to meet Caroline's emotionless gaze directed straight at him, Roy immediately closed his mouth with a strong sense of self-preservation kicking in.
The last thing he wanted was to upset Caroline and risk having the Psychic-type queen get angry enough to Teleport directly in front of him and retaliate personally.
That would be... extremely unpleasant.
Caroline observed Roy turn his attention back to the battlefield where it belonged, so she stopped staring at him and refocused on the match as well.
The battle between Gardevoir and Mimikyu was only just beginning, and both trainers were eager to see how their Pokémon would adapt to fighting opponents who shared knowledge of the Totem inheritance techniques. The flower meadow would serve as the perfect stage for this unique sparring session, with the fading sunlight casting dramatic shadows across the battlefield as the two Ghost and Fairy-type specialists prepared for their next exchange of moves.