It seemed as though Lucario could lead the way immediately if Roy gave the word.
Where you look, there I will go.
Roy smiled warmly and stroked the canine Pokemon's head once more before letting out a soft sigh.
"Ah... I'm really glad to have you by my side."
The large Fighting-type Pokemon couldn't help but blush slightly, lowering his head as various thoughts seemed to run through his mind.
"Not right now though. Let's just watch the sunset for a bit."
After a brief pause, Roy continued speaking.
"If this fog turns out to be a threat to us, then we need to investigate it properly. If it's harmless, we can just leave things as they are."
Lucario nodded in understanding and returned to his training with his face still flushed.
Ninetales, who had been observing from the sidelines this entire time, walked over silently and lowered her head toward Roy.
Roy looked at her with a puzzled expression.
When he noticed the somewhat dejected look in Ninetales' eyes, Roy felt a pang of guilt in his heart.
Alright, maybe I am being unfair here.
After Roy gently patted Ninetales' head, the Ice-type Pokemon walked away looking satisfied and resumed her training routine.
Roy thought to himself: I really don't understand what goes on in you girls' heads.
Looking down at his now empty hands, Roy felt somewhat abandoned.
However, Roy was completely used to this kind of situation by now, so he simply shook his hands and went off to attend to his own tasks.
The next few days passed without any major incidents, and everything continued in an orderly fashion.
Mimikyu had become quite skilled at using Harden by now.
Roy didn't quite understand why a Ghost-type Pokemon would be so interested in learning a defensive move like Harden.
But looking at Mimikyu, who had been training intensely ever since losing to Gardevoir, Roy wondered if he should suggest taking a break.
When Lucario received the message from his Trainer and noticed something seemed off with Mimikyu's condition, he immediately tried to intervene.
Seeing Lucario return with a large bump on his head, Roy decided it would be best not to disturb Mimikyu for the time being.
Based on his observations over the past few days, Mimikyu wasn't training blindly without purpose.
The Ghost-type was simply adding a bit more repetition to the training regimen Roy had designed, which was actually producing good results.
Seeing this, Roy chose not to interfere with Mimikyu's training anymore.
However, Mimikyu's determined fighting spirit reminded Roy of Electivire's attitude back in the day.
The other Pokemon watched as Mimikyu and Electivire, these two dedicated workers, threw themselves into training with sparks and embers flying everywhere throughout the day. This sight inspired their own competitive spirits.
Roy sat by the seaside with his chin resting on his hands, unable to see the ocean's surface at all.
Just a few days ago, he could still clearly make out Tapu Fini when the guardian Pokemon came to deliver messages.
But today, the thick fog seemed to suddenly become aggressive, completely different from the slow-moving and harmless appearance it had shown over the previous few days.
Ninetales had moved away from the edge of the geyser once again to avoid being forcibly separated from everyone.
The Fire and Ice-type Pokemon grumbled unhappily.
She had no idea when this fog would finally clear up.
"It looks like this fog has no intention of retreating. In fact, it seems like it wants to swallow the entire island."
"Swallow it?" Lucario found the phrasing rather odd.
"It's just a figure of speech," Roy explained.
"Anyway, enough about that. Let's head to Brooklet Hill."
"Alright," Lucario replied.
Lucario didn't care much for these word games, so he simply acknowledged Roy and went to prepare for departure.
Ninetales leaped down from the geyser's rock formation, looking quite excited.
She had been annoyed with this wretched fog for a long time now.
It even made her feel chilly when she tried to rest, which was extremely uncomfortable for a Pokemon.
Upon hearing they were going to investigate this strange fog, both Mimikyu and Electivire, who had been completely absorbed in their training, suddenly showed interest. They were ready to set off immediately, dragging along Blastoise who had just managed to surface from the water.
Blastoise seemed to protest: Are you two trying to drag me into this?
Why do I have to go when I finally managed to take a break from training?
In response, Roy simply said, "Then you can stay here and guard the camp."
Blastoise let out a couple of nervous chuckles and obediently followed behind Roy.
After all, with such thick fog around, wouldn't they need a navigator?
Roy smiled, choosing not to point out Blastoise's fear of being left alone.
What's more, given that incident where Blastoise had fallen asleep on top of him, Roy would never trust the Water-type to serve as their navigator in such dense fog.
However, considering Blastoise's pride, Roy kept his skeptical feelings hidden.
He hoped Blastoise would pick up on the hint.
Blastoise wondered: Why are you staring at me like that?
Roy thought: Never mind, you clearly don't get it.
Blastoise remained confused.
With the sound of ocean waves in the background, Tapu Fini suddenly emerged from the mist. Her sharp protective shell nearly poked Salamence, who was hovering closest to the water's surface.
Salamence was startled by the dangerous-looking spikes and quickly gained altitude.
Over these past few days, Tapu Fini had gradually become more familiar with Roy, so her behavior was much more natural now compared to before.
Of course, this was partly due to Roy's natural affinity with Pokemon and partly because of the delicious Pokemon food he made. Without these two factors, Tapu Fini's attitude wouldn't have changed so dramatically—almost a complete turnaround.
Tapu Fini had arrived in a hurry. Seeing Roy and his Pokemon gathered on the shore, she seemed to guess their intentions.
"Bo..." Are you heading to Brooklet Hill?
After receiving confirmation from Roy, Tapu Fini appeared relieved, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
"Strange!" That's wonderful!
The Island Kahuna who was on her island pilgrimage entered Brooklet Hill on this island three days ago, but just recently, we suddenly lost contact with her.
So Tapu Lele asked me to request your help in going inside to see what's happening.
When Roy heard that something might have happened to Caroline, he felt genuinely puzzled.
During the previous battle at the Altar of the Sunne, he had witnessed Caroline's formidable strength firsthand.
And that Gardevoir of hers was no ordinary Pokemon either.
Combined with the Aura techniques she had recently learned from the inherited knowledge—which enhanced her already powerful abilities like adding wings to a tiger—she should have been nearly unstoppable.
What could possibly stop the combination of Caroline and her Gardevoir?
Roy truly couldn't figure it out, but he understood clearly that there must be something seriously wrong at Brooklet Hill. Otherwise, the guardian deity of this island wouldn't have no choice but to ask a human like him for help.
"Where is Tapu Bulu? Have you notified him yet?"
Roy asked Tapu Fini while checking the items in his pockets.
At the same time, he recalled all his Pokemon except for Salamence and Lucario into their Poke Balls for easier movement.
None of the Pokemon objected to this arrangement, except for Mimikyu who, due to her small size, leaped onto Roy's shoulder and positioned herself as an obedient "early warning charm."
Roy smiled helplessly but didn't stop Mimikyu's actions.
Meanwhile, Ninetales glanced at Mimikyu, and for a moment, a hint of envy flashed in her eyes.