The Alola region.
Unlike most other regions, which are usually one large landmass, Alola consists of four islands: Melemele Island, Akala Island, Ula'ula Island, and Poni Island.
Each island has its own unique terrain and scenery, and each is protected by its own guardian deity.
At this moment, on Melemele Island,
the sun-kissed beach stretched out under the summer sky, dotted with coconut trees. A Litten padded along the sand, while an Alolan Exeggutor stood quietly nearby.
Its neck stretched tall, gaze empty, as if lost in thought.
However, the coconuts on its tail swayed actively, displaying far more lively expressions.
The weather was warm enough that Lin Feng took off his jacket and stored it in a ball.
He was on the beach in front of the Melemele Island Pokémon School.
Gathering information about the queen had been surprisingly easy.
Lin Feng had been sitting at a small juice stand on the beach for half an hour.
In front of him, several older and younger kids had set up a volleyball net and were playing a game.
There was something unusual about this group of kids.
All five of them had different hair colors.
Lily had long, pale yellow hair, Lana had short deep blue hair, Marlow had green braids, and Kahki had short black hair.
It was obvious that these would later become Ash's classmates, attending school together.
Honestly, when Lin Feng watched the Sun and Moon anime, he had always found it a little odd.
They all came from the same region, so why did their appearances vary so much?
Kahki's skin was very dark, Marlow's a standard wheat tone, Lana's yellowish like the Huadong Alliance natives, and Lily's pale and fair.
Even in Alola's perpetual summer, that level of fair skin stood out.
Then it occurred to him Kahki worked on a family ranch, delivering Miltank milk every day. Constant sun exposure, little clothing, it was natural for his skin to darken.
Lily, on the other hand, came from a wealthy family. Genetics and lifestyle made her skin appear flawless.
"You know them?" Mewtwo, in its human form, noticed Lin Feng's gaze lingering on the group since he arrived at the beach and asked.
"Sort of. I know them, but they probably don't know me," Lin Feng replied, sipping his juice.
Mewtwo: "…"
The tone was unchanged.
Lin Feng felt like he knew everyone, but no one knew him.
Too strange!
After finishing his juice, Lin Feng stood and stretched.
"All right. It seems Marlow's Sprigatito and the queen might have some connection. Let's go ask directly."
On the other side of the beach,
the newly caught Sprigatito was initially a little shy.
But after a quick volleyball match, its mood brightened instantly.
"Sweetie~"
It nuzzled Marlow's shoulder, swaying the leaf on its head, exuding a gentle fragrance.
"So fragrant~" Lily held her chin in her hand, watching Sprigatito perched on Marlow's shoulder, her eyes curving into a smile.
"Sweetie?"
Sprigatito perked up at her words and leaped toward Lily.
"Oh… ah…"
Startled, Lily hid behind Lana, clutching her friend's shoulder.
"Sprigatito, Lily's afraid to touch Pokémon, but that doesn't mean she doesn't like you, okay?"
Marlow squatted down, gently holding Sprigatito, speaking softly.
"Sweetie?"
Sprigatito looked down, unsure. She had just praised its scent but now hesitated to touch it. Why?
"That's just how Lily is," Lana said calmly, glancing at her friend hiding behind her.
Lily: "…"
Her expression darkened, but she added, "Technically, if I wanted to touch it, I still could."
"Don't worry, Lily. You'll get brave enough to touch Pokémon soon," Marlow comforted her.
"All right, let's pack up the volleyball net."
Kahki, the oldest, called from the other side.
"Coming, coming."
The girls hurried over.
As they prepared to leave the beach, a young man in his twenties appeared before them, a small boy in a pink short-sleeved shirt standing behind him.
"Alola…"
Some of the kids were startled at the unfamiliar face but still greeted him politely: "Alola…"
"Hello, everyone. I'm Lin Feng, a trainer from the Huadong region," he introduced himself.
They exchanged glances, and finally, Kahki stepped forward.
"Hi, I'm Kahki. This is Lily, and this is Marlow…"
He introduced them to Lin Feng while taking note of the trainer before him.
Lin Feng's tan was obvious, skin a wheat tone a trainer who had clearly worked with Pokémon outdoors.
The boy in pink behind him had cold, indifferent purple eyes that seemed to survey everyone.
That gaze…
Kahki's heart skipped a beat. He had never seen a human expression like that, but he'd heard that some Alola guardians could look this way.
This trainer must be incredibly strong! Kahki thought.
"Huadong region? My gosh, that's so far away!"
Marlow, having looked up information about the Huadong region, exclaimed.
"There are no direct flights from Huadong here. By ship, it would take over ten days!"
Hearing this, the others also stared at Lin Feng in surprise.
Seeing people he had only ever known from anime now standing vividly before him, Lin Feng felt excited.
These kids looked smaller than their anime counterparts. Maybe Ash hadn't arrived yet?
He smiled. "It's not as hard as you think. I came riding my Pokémon."
With that, he released Dragonite.
"Ohhh~"
The sight of the Dragonite drew cheers.
Clearly, it loved Alola's tropical climate.
But to everyone else, the three-meter-tall Dragonite was utterly astonishing.
"So big." Lana's calm expression broke instantly as she stared at Dragonite.
"Dragonite! I've seen it in books. It's a Dragon- and Flying-type Pokémon. But it's huge… Is it a dominant Pokémon?" Lily's eyes sparkled.
Seeing such a massive Dragonite, she couldn't help but like it, though she dared not touch it.
Marlow wore the same awed expression.
Especially when she noticed Dragonite's big belly. Marlow couldn't resist asking Lin Feng, "Its belly looks so soft. Can I touch it?"
"Ooh ooh~"
"Dragonite says yes," Lin Feng replied matter-of-factly.
"Wow!" Marlow carefully placed her hand on Dragonite's belly. Seeing its silly smile, she gently stroked it with both hands.
"Can I too?" Lana followed, blinking at the suddenly appearing Dragonite.
"Of course."
Dragonite, surprisingly, reached out its claws and hugged both of them.
Luckily, it let them go immediately but still startled them.
Afterwards, they watched the smiling Dragonite, exchanging glances before laughing together.
"Alola, Lin Feng, are you here for something special, or just on vacation?"
Kahki asked again.
Although he had relaxed after the earlier incident, the sight of Dragonite still made his heart tremble.
As a trainer challenging the Island Trials, he knew well the power of every dominant Pokémon.
Their influence came not only from size or leadership but also from overwhelming strength.
None of the dominant Pokémon he had seen before could rival this Dragonite in presence.
And yet, it wore a friendly smile.
He shuddered to imagine its aura if it ever got angry.
Moreover, this Dragonite had carried Lin Feng across the vast ocean to Alola.
This trainer must be exceptionally strong!
Kahki muttered to himself.
"Here's the situation. I'm from the Huadong region. First, I want to experience Alola's customs, and second…"
Lin Feng paused, glancing at Marlow. "I really like Sprigatito. I'm wondering if I can catch one myself."
"I just saw the Sprigatito on your shoulder and came over to say hello and ask about it," he added, giving a simple excuse.
Otherwise, explaining everything at once would be too complicated.
He held out an energy cube he had made earlier for Sprigatito, a berry-flavored energy block.
"Sweetie? Sweetie~!"
Sprigatito's eyes locked on the cube, immediately enchanted.
"Sweetie?"
Marlow was astonished. Experienced as she was, she knew her Sprigatito truly wanted it.
But they had already eaten before volleyball.
This meant that the Huadong trainer…
His energy cubes were made to an exceptional standard, far above her usual level.
"Sweetie… sweetie…"
Unable to resist, Sprigatito's leaf twirled rapidly, and Marlow had to lift it toward Lin Feng.
Sighing, she said, "Lin Feng must be an excellent trainer. I've rarely seen Sprigatito this excited."
Lin Feng didn't speak, just smiled slightly.
He took Sprigatito, fed it the energy cube, and silently used the Power Stone to sense its past experiences.
Soon, his eyes lit up, and a wider smile formed on his lips.
This Sprigatito had come from the mountains behind the Pokémon school.
From his observation…
Lin Feng realized…
The mother of this Sprigatito had not vanished after release, as some thought. She had left her trainer and was now in the mountains behind the school, searching for her child!
Indeed, this Sprigatito had been recognized by Serena.
Just then, Sprigatito finished the energy cube, gazing at Lin Feng with reluctant eyes, licking its lips.
It reminded Lin Feng of his own Sprigatito.
Before evolving, his Sprigatito had been less lively. After evolving, Sweet Dance (Sprigatito's evolved form) smiled more often and released fragrance when happy, exciting the gluttonous Blaziken.
But occasionally, it still had gaps in its energy.
Lin Feng took out another energy cube. "Little one, don't worry. There's more."
"Sweetie~ sweetie!"
Sprigatito's smile widened.
Seeing this, Marlow said, "I met Sprigatito in the mountains behind the Pokémon school. If Mr. Lin wants to catch it…"
"We can take you there."
She assumed this Huadong trainer was unfamiliar with Alola, being his first visit.
Lin Feng shook his head. "No need to trouble anyone."
He hopped onto Dragonite's back, lowering his gaze toward the group. "All right, thank you all. See you if we have the chance."
Without hesitation, he signaled Mewtwo to fly into the sky.
The people below were dumbfounded.
"Flying away… flying away?"
Dragonite's flight wasn't unusual.
But the pink-shirted boy behind it also took off! Absurd!
A truly mysterious figure. Could he be a Legendary Pokémon transformer?
"Pokémon turned into a human?" Lana joked lightly.
But this time, no one contradicted her.
Lily even added, "I read in books… some Legendary Pokémon can indeed transform into humans…"
High above the land,
Lin Feng directed Dragonite straight for the mountains behind the Pokémon school, without pause.
Truthfully, Alola's scenery was beautiful, and various Pokémon were everywhere.
But Lin Feng's priority was to find his Sprigatito's mother, Serena.
That was the true mission!
Dragonite flew swiftly. In mere breaths, the mountains came into view.
A Trumbeak led a group of Pikipeks, each holding berries, but the moment they saw Dragonite, they panicked and fled into the forest.
Lin Feng ignored them.
Then, accompanied by an orange-gold shadow, a Pokémon that made him sigh appeared.
Its head crowned with deep red feathers, forearms crossed like a shield, it blocked his path.
Lin Feng stopped.
"Tapu…"
"Tapu Koko…"