Roy covered his face with his hand. Who could possibly break through Salamence's stubborn thoughts?
Blastoise, this beautiful world has turned out exactly as you wished.
Time passed quietly through their daily training routines.
Roy didn't understand what was causing this fog, but noon was approaching and it showed no signs of clearing. Even though the sun was doing its best to shine through, it couldn't penetrate the thick layers of mist that surrounded them.
Their Pokémon training had been slightly delayed since they'd all set out together that morning to search for Blastoise. As a result, their schedule had smoothly shifted into the afternoon.
Roy wasn't particularly worried about it. After such a long period of consistent training, his Pokémon had become capable of completing their daily training regimens independently.
Their daily practice now included learning Aura inheritance techniques, which they could also study on their own. Roy didn't need to worry about supervising that either.
So Roy's daily responsibility had become walking around with his hands clasped behind his back, much like a school inspector making his rounds, after finishing his own training.
His main target for supervision was Blastoise, who had a tendency to slack off during training.
However, after this morning's incident, Blastoise appeared much more motivated than before.
Even though Roy knew this newfound diligence probably wouldn't last more than a few days, he still felt deeply relieved.
The child had finally grown up.
But this persistent mist really made Roy feel uneasy.
"It's like there's some kind of monster hiding in here," Roy muttered.
Roy frowned as he stared toward the beach for a while, then waited for Tapu Fini, who had gone to gather information for him.
With the sound of water breaking, Tapu Fini's distinctive purple and lavender-colored body suddenly emerged from the sea surface.
However, just like before, the shell that formed the lower half of Tapu Fini's body remained hidden beneath the water.
This apparently made Tapu Fini feel safe.
Roy didn't understand the difference between being exposed to air versus seawater for Ocean-type Pokémon.
But of course, he chose to respect the guardian deity's preference.
Seeing Tapu Fini's wandering eyes from the moment the deity surfaced, Roy could guess what was on Tapu Fini's mind. He felt both amused and exasperated.
Roy reached into his pocket and pulled out the Pokémon snacks that were meant to be Blastoise's evening treat, handing them to Tapu Fini.
Blastoise looked confused.
It felt as if something precious had just slipped away from him.
Sure enough, the moment the Pokémon food appeared, Tapu Fini's attitude toward Roy became noticeably warmer.
If it weren't for Tapu Fini's eyes staring directly at the food in Roy's hand, Roy would have thought his 'Pokémon affinity' had secretly been raised to an incredible level by the system.
However, it was obvious that Tapu Fini was only interested in the Pokémon food, and any goodwill toward Roy was purely incidental.
This made Roy think back to those days when Cosmog had eaten and drunk at his side without a care in the world.
What was it with Alola's guardian deities?
Cosmog had simply been a pure freeloader.
But perhaps Roy should be thankful that he'd met Tapu Fini and not Tapu Bulu, who was known for having an even bigger appetite.
After accepting the 'reward' from Roy's hand, Tapu Fini coughed softly, and a slight pink tint appeared on the deity's dark face.
Roy looked away politely, pretending he hadn't seen anything.
Tapu Fini nodded in satisfaction.
"Kiki..."
The waters surrounding Poni Island weren't particularly rough or unusual.
Roy's eyes lowered in disappointment.
"Kiki."
However, Tapu Fini had learned from Tapu Koko that the source of the fog was indeed the sea. It seemed to have started in the middle of last night.
The point of origin was Brooklet Hill on Akala Island.
After obtaining this information, Tapu Fini had rushed to deliver it to Roy.
Although the deity didn't know what was strange about the fog, it wasn't something the guardian deities needed to intervene in.
What's more, Tapu Fini had always been unwilling to participate in these matters and preferred to stay in the safety of the deep ocean.
Tapu Fini's willingness to help Roy had already exceeded Roy's expectations.
Though it was clearly for the Pokémon food...
Roy decided there was nothing to complain about.
"Thank you, Tapu Fini."
Tapu Fini's eyes curved happily, indicating that if something like this came up in the future, Roy could call on the deity again.
After speaking, Tapu Fini dove back into the deep sea with a splash, and the small spray of water dampened Roy's sleeves.
Roy shook his head helplessly. He'd already seen the subtext in Tapu Fini's message.
What do you mean "something like this"? It's obviously because you want me to remember to give you more Pokémon food!
Roy smiled, beginning to understand why Tapu Fini was unwilling to communicate with humans and had even chosen to make a home in the deep sea where ordinary people couldn't reach.
Such a pure soul, like a blank sheet of paper—no matter what the deity's purpose was, others would be outmatched by that innocence.
Roy was more concerned about the news Tapu Fini had brought than about the guardian deity's simple-minded nature.
"The starting point is Akala Island..." Roy rubbed his chin, thinking about everything he knew concerning Brooklet Hill.
Brooklet Hill was located on Akala Island. It was surrounded by grasslands to the south and north, with a water surface to the east where fishing could be done.
It was said to still be the residence of a Totem Pokémon. However, Alola's Trial sites had undergone changes over time, and Roy wasn't sure if the Pokémon distribution remained the same as before.
Most likely, things had changed as the environment shifted.
The ecosystem of Brooklet Hill was quite healthy, making it an area with a very diverse range of Pokémon species.
But at the same time, now that wild Pokémon had become more aggressive and territorial, this diversity also meant the competition there was extremely fierce.
Roy wondered which species had managed to survive and establish themselves.
In such a harsh environment, any species that could survive and thrive would possess considerable strength.
If Roy wanted to go investigate, he would need to be fully prepared.
Otherwise, given the current extreme weather conditions and Brooklet Hill being the source of the fog, the mist there must be even thicker.
If wild Pokémon were lying in ambush there, even if Roy brought all of his Pokémon with him, he'd likely face serious trouble.
Roy stared at the completely white mist in the distance, feeling somewhat troubled.
Looking down again, he realized that even the position where he was standing near the shore could no longer reveal the coastline at the geyser's location.
"The fog seems to be getting much thicker..."
Lucario wiped the sweat from his face. Through the power of Aura, he had probably gotten some sense of what Roy was thinking.
"Should we head there now?" Lucario asked.
Roy looked at Lucario and saw that his eyes were filled with trust in Roy's judgment.