As Rex calmly recounted the process, both Professor Kukui and the students listened with full attention, clearly intrigued by the idea of turning an ordinary Pokémon into a Totem Pokémon.
"That's really all I know. I can't guarantee others will succeed using the same method, so I hope you all understand," Rex added at the end of his explanation.
It couldn't be helped. He couldn't promise that following his method would always lead to success—Totem Pokémon weren't meant to be that easy to create.
"Don't worry, Rex. I understand. Pokémon themselves are full of mysteries. Even if we can't reproduce your results, I'm already grateful for your openness," Kukui replied, reassuring him.
From Rex's explanation, Kukui had already pieced together the entire progression. He could tell Rex wasn't hiding anything—or at least, he'd shared almost everything. After all, everyone's entitled to a few secrets.
"I'm glad to hear that. Then I hope you succeed in creating new Totem Pokémon, Professor Kukui," Rex said with a smile, finally at ease.
He actually believed Kukui could succeed, though not with every Pokémon. And the process would probably take much longer than it had with Swellow.
Transforming a regular Pokémon into a Totem Pokémon was like a kind of evolution—a leap in life essence. Ninety percent came from the Pokémon's own effort; the other ten was luck.
"Rex! You promised that once your Swellow became a Totem Pokémon, we'd have a battle. Well, now's the time!" Kiawe said, unable to hold back any longer.
"Of course I remember. Just say the word, and I'm ready," Rex answered with a grin.
"My research lab has a battle arena out back. You two can use it. I'd love to see how your Swellow's strength has changed," Kukui suggested, clearly excited.
Neither Rex nor Kiawe had any objections. A moment later, everyone was heading toward the battle arena behind the lab, with Kukui stepping in as the referee.
"Let's go, Swellow!"
"Come out, Charizard!"
Swellow was already outside its Poké Ball, so when Rex gave the order, it immediately soared up into the sky.
Kiawe's Charizard burst from its Poké Ball and fired a stream of flames into the air, pumped up and ready to fight.
Since Kiawe's grandfather passed away, Charizard had mostly served as his flying mount, taking him between the Trainer School and the family farm.
Its power made it overkill in most trainer battles, so Kiawe rarely used it in class. But against Swellow, a proper opponent at last, he wanted to test his full strength.
He quickly removed the riding gear from Charizard, letting it move freely. As soon as it was unstrapped, Charizard became even more energized, eyes locked onto Swellow, eager for battle.
"Charizard, Flamethrower!"
Kiawe made the first move. For him, offense was always the best defense.
"Swellow, ignore it. Use Brave Bird!"
Rather than dodging the torrent of fire racing toward it, Swellow dove headlong into it.
Thanks to its protective aura, Rex wanted to see how the Totem energy held up in real combat.
Swellow's entire body lit up with flying-type energy. At the same time, its Totem aura ignited—golden light weaving into the shimmering air currents of Brave Bird, making it look majestic and imposing.
It plunged into the fire, enduring the heat and pressure, and charged straight toward Charizard with unstoppable momentum.
"Charizard, grab it!"
Right as Swellow closed in, Kiawe gave the order.
Charizard lashed out and clutched Swellow's wings, trying to stop its momentum and fling it away.
But Kiawe had overestimated Charizard. Swellow's power had already surpassed what Charizard could handle.
Even as Charizard beat its wings furiously to stabilize itself, the impact from Brave Bird was too much. Swellow smashed into Charizard, sending both crashing into the ground below.
When the dust cleared, a crater had formed—and Charizard was struggling to climb out.
"Don't give up, Charizard! We can still win this!"
Kiawe called out in support.
Maybe it was his words, or maybe Charizard had recovered from the fall—either way, it stood up again, shook itself off, and returned to the sky.
Now it stared at Swellow with a serious expression, knowing it had clearly lost the first exchange.
Swellow had taken a full hit from Flamethrower, but its Totem aura hadn't broken yet. The only damage it showed was the recoil from Brave Bird itself.
"Swellow is amazing… I hope my Brionne can be that strong someday," Lana murmured dreamily.
"Yeah! I want my Bounsweet to get that strong too!" Mallow shouted, throwing her arm around Lana.
"But it looks like Kiawe's Charizard might be in trouble…" Māmane said nervously between bites of a snack.
"I think they're both really strong. We should just cheer for both sides—the outcome doesn't matter," Lillie added softly.
For her, just being able to bond with Pokémon was something she deeply admired. Though she had made some progress recently, the inexplicable fear in her heart hadn't completely gone away. She had merely learned how to suppress it—for now.