"Ding! The host has received the blessing of Tapu Fini. Physical attributes have been further enhanced..."
"Mmm..."
Whitney let out a soft murmur as her beautiful eyes fluttered open.
"Honey... where are we? I feel... so warm..."
Peter gently pinched her cheek.
"We already passed the trial. Come on, let's go see what rewards we got."
Hand in hand, the two walked toward the altar and stored away the two Groundium Z crystals. Afterward, Peter turned his attention to two cups filled with crystal-clear liquid.
[Purification Water: Water imbued with Tapu Fini's divine power. It purifies both body and mind, removes impurities from within, and makes it easier for Trainers to resonate with the power of bonds shared with their Pokémon.]
"What is this, Honey?" Whitney asked curiously as she picked up one of the cups.
"Drink it. It's a gift from Tapu Fini."
Peter lifted his own cup and drained it in one gulp.
Immediately, a faint stream of gray mist rose from the top of his head. His skin became noticeably clearer and more radiant, and he could vaguely sense the water energy permeating the surrounding atmosphere.
Whitney's reaction, however, was even more obvious.
After drinking the Purification Water, she seemed to become far more vibrant. Her already fair skin turned even smoother and more flawless. Her pink eyes became crystal clear, reflecting everything before them with remarkable clarity. Her charm had risen to an entirely new level.
"Mmm... Honey, why do I feel like you've gotten more handsome?"
"Huh? Wasn't I handsome before?" Peter shot back.
"Well... it's different now~"
"Is that so? Hahaha..."
Laughing, the two held hands and followed the path back the way they had come.
At this point, every trial of the Island Challenge had finally come to an end.
After boarding Pidgeot and preparing to return, Rotom suddenly flew out of Peter's backpack.
"Bzzt! Message from Professor Burnet, Rotom!"
"Hm?"
Peter opened the message.
It was brief and straightforward.
Professor Burnet hoped that while returning to Sinnoh, Peter could stop by the Unova region and deliver a package to Unova's Pokémon Professor, Professor Juniper.
Unova wasn't far from Alola. Since commercial flights to Alola were still relatively scarce, most tourists traveled to Unova first before taking a ship to the islands. If Peter and Whitney were flying back anyway, it would be conveniently along the route.
Naturally, Peter had no intention of refusing a request from the beautiful professor. He simply explained that there were still a few things he needed to take care of before leaving and that it might be several more days before he headed home.
After receiving his response, Burnet replied that it wasn't urgent and told him to pick up the package whenever he had time.
After closing the chat window, Peter noticed another message from a friend.
Kahili: "Peter, have you been enjoying your stay at our family's hotel? I've already returned to Alola. Want to have a battle when you're free?"
Peter thought for a moment before replying.
"No problem. Tomorrow at ten in the morning. Pokémon Center training field on Melemele Island."
The reply came instantly.
Kahili: "Great~ Just wait until I surprise you!"
Peter smiled.
"I'll return those words right back to you."
By the time he finished replying, Pidgeot had already arrived above Melemele Island.
Since he intended to capture the Bear God, Peter planned to remain on Melemele Island for the time being.
Entering the Pokémon Center, he walked up to the front desk.
"Hello, Nurse Joy. One room with a king-sized bed, please."
The moment Nurse Joy saw the pair, a strange expression appeared on her face.
"Um... are you Dr. Peter and Miss Whitney?"
"That's right. Is there a problem?" Whitney asked.
"No problem at all~ Today's king-sized rooms are already fully booked. How about I upgrade you directly to a luxury suite?"
"Sounds good. Thank you very much~"
Peter nodded in satisfaction, took the room key, grabbed Whitney's hand, and headed upstairs.
The new clothes he had ordered online had finally arrived.
Tonight was the perfect opportunity to have Whitney try them on.
Watching the two disappear upstairs in a hurry, Nurse Joy curled her lips.
A friendly reminder:
If you can't find a book by its title, try searching by the author's name instead. Sometimes the title may have changed!
A few days ago, her distant cousin had told her something rather alarming.
Every room these two stayed in seemed to suffer the same mysterious fate.
The bed would somehow collapse.
Because of that warning, she had specifically prepared a special room just for them...
At that moment, two Trainers walked over.
"Excuse me, Nurse Joy. Could we also upgrade our king-sized room to a luxury suite?"
"No!"
"Huh? But those two just—"
"I said no, so no! Move along!"
Nurse Joy's face darkened as she snapped.
"Okay... okay... no need to be so fierce..."
The two unlucky Trainers slunk away after receiving an inexplicable scolding.
A vein bulged on Nurse Joy's forehead as she muttered through gritted teeth, so quietly that only she could hear herself.
"What luxury suite? I paid for that room out of my own pocket! It's a specially reinforced earthquake-resistant room!"
Meanwhile, Peter and Whitney, already beginning their own "earthquake drills," had no idea that the bed beneath them was a custom-reinforced model personally purchased by the pink-haired nurse.
According to rumor, even a Precipice Blades-level earthquake from Groudon wouldn't easily deform it...
...
The following morning.
Pokémon Center Training Field.
Peter was directing his Pokémon through their daily training routine while Whitney sat nearby with the Pokémon Egg in her arms, happily playing with Stufful.
Suddenly, a black-and-white Toucannon came diving down from the distant horizon.
On its back stood Kahili, dressed in a stylish blue skirt, waving enthusiastically.
"Heeey—Peter! Whitney!"
Peter and Whitney stood up to greet her.
As Toucannon landed, Kahili jumped gracefully from its back.
"I heard you've already completed the Island Challenge? That's incredibly fast..."
Peter smiled.
"Didn't you also collect all eight Sinnoh Gym Badges?"
"That's different. The Island Kahunas are much stronger than ordinary Gym Leaders."
As she spoke, her gaze suddenly landed on the silver giant creating a massive windstorm in the distance.
"Huh? Peter, when did you catch a Pidgeot? And it's silver too... that's so cool!"
"That one? I only caught it recently, but it's got an incredibly tough spirit."
"Perfect! Then let's battle! How about you use Pidgeot?" Kahili asked excitedly.
Peter chuckled.
"How about a six-on-six selection with three Pokémon each? Let me see how much my rival has grown lately."
"Haha! Even better!"
Without hesitation, Kahili tossed out six Poké Balls.
One after another, her team appeared.
Toucannon Lv.53
Skarmory Lv.52
Oricorio Lv.51
Hawlucha Lv.51
Crobat Lv.50
Mandibuzz Lv.50
After looking over their levels, Peter nodded slightly.
As expected of the future Elite Four member of Alola.
Even at this stage, nearly all of her Pokémon already possessed Gym-tier strength.
At the same time, he couldn't help feeling a sense of accomplishment.
When he first met Kahili, she had been more than ten levels ahead of him.
Back then, Arboliva had struggled against her Toucannon.
Now, Arboliva had surpassed it by three levels instead.
"Alright, which three are you using?" Kahili asked.
"As for me... Pidgeot, Eevee, Blissey, Ursaluna, Lopunny, and Indeedee."
As Peter called out each name, a dependable figure appeared behind him.
One after another.
Standing proudly at his back.
"Then I'll be the referee~"
"Nui~!"
Whitney volunteered immediately, while Stufful on her shoulder clapped excitedly in anticipation.
A clash between rivals was about to begin.