"It evolved!?"
Witnessing the sudden transformation of Swampert, Gladion was completely dumbfounded.
That feeling even surpassed his shock from personally seeing Lucas's Swampert catch Tapu Koko's Dazzling Gleam bare-handed, without using any moves at all!
"Pu-ka!?"
Tapu Koko was stunned for a moment when its attack was blocked.
But Mega Swampert gripped Tapu Koko's arm and, with a slight exertion, hurled it horizontally!
The roar of the wind and the sense of weightlessness mingled with scenery rapidly retreating in the periphery of Tapu Koko's view.
Tapu Koko's mood shifted from shock to even greater excitement.
As expected, it hadn't misjudged—the battles this human could offer were utterly different from before!
Powerful currents of electricity burst from Tapu Koko's body, creating a magnetic field that counteracted inertia and helped it steady itself in the air.
Lucas wasn't just standing by, either. Facing Tapu Koko—the most battle-hardened and possibly strongest of the four Guardian Deities—he had to give it his all.
"Rain Dance!"
Perhaps influenced by Tapu Koko, Swampert howled at the sky, summoning masses of gray-white rain clouds that rapidly cloaked the firmament. Thunder could be faintly heard rumbling from within.
Drizzling rain fell, visibly making the surroundings more humid.
The Swift Swim ability kicked in, making Swampert's heavier, more muscular body feel light again.
"Lagu!"
Mega Swampert narrowed its eyes, shot forward over the already-shattered ground with an imposing presence.
Its target: Tapu Koko!
Tapu Koko increased its electrical output, forcibly ripping up huge rocks from the ground and hurtling them at Swampert.
"Liquidation!"
Mega Swampert charged on, no pause at all, clenching its right fist—rushing water wrapped around it as it smashed a massive boulder coming at it!
Boom!
Water droplets flew everywhere as the boulder, two to three times larger than Swampert itself, shattered effortlessly under a single punch.
The subsequent boulders met the same fate.
Smashing through flying debris, Swampert reached Tapu Koko in the blink of an eye.
Absolute brute force!
Mega Swampert's rampaging beast-like figure deeply shook Gladion's heart.
"High Horsepower!"
As Lucas gave the order, Swampert's orange-red air sacs on its arms swelled, greedily sucking in air.
With a shrill whistling, the sacs ballooned up.
Next instant—the muscles of its right arm bulged to their limit, ground-type energy swirling around it, as it hammered straight toward the nearly point-blank Tapu Koko!
Simultaneously, compressed air in the air sac was expelled, maximizing both power and speed of the punch.
Shockwaves and sonic booms rippled.
Tapu Koko instantly recognized the danger—this punch, if taken head-on, would be devastating. It would not let that happen.
"Pu-kawu~!"
With a sharp cry, even though it wasn't in its own Melemele Island territory, Tapu Koko still resonated with the nature of Akala Island.
A faint breeze rustled, all the trees shivering, leaves rustling.
Somewhere in the ruins, a pair of innocent pink-blue eyes opened thoughtfully.
And from the shadows, Spectrier—who was watching Ogerpon and the Eevee sisters—also sensed something amiss, but after a moment's hesitation stayed put. After all, it was standing in for Mimikyu this time and had promised to simply obey Lucas's orders.
Back on the battlefield—facing the incoming blow, Tapu Koko drove its crab-claw-like appendage into the ground, unleashing a dazzling pink electrical wave!
This was "Nature's Madness," a fairy move unique to the Tapu guardians.
The semicircular field of energy surged out, meeting Swampert's massive fist head-on.
In theory, Nature's Madness represented the wrath of Alola's natural forces.
Meaning, Swampert was fighting the very power of Alola's nature!
Sensing the immense pressure, Mega Swampert wasn't fazed—it only grew more excited.
Its free left fist joined the fray—this time, unleashing not air but highly compressed WATER!
After all, water was Swampert's true element.
Increasing the water pressure would raise both burden and output.
Under Tapu Koko's stunned gaze, Nature's Madness—supposedly the embodiment of nature's fury—shattered like an illusion under Swampert's brute force.
Both hammer-like fists grew enormous in Tapu Koko's vision!
There was no time to think. Tapu Koko instinctively clamped its shell shut against the blow.
BANG!
High Horsepower crashed into the shell like a battering ram, sending Tapu Koko flying into the air.
Fortunately, Nature's Madness had whittled Swampert's attack down just enough to make it survivable.
Opening its shell, arms numb, Tapu Koko noticed the cracks—shocked by the ridiculous power.
Absurd. Completely absurd!
Are all human trainers this monstrous now?
But despite thinking so, Tapu Koko had no intention of giving in.
As the fiercest, most battle-hardened member of the Tapu family, it immediately switched battle modes.
If brawn isn't enough, make up for it with speed!
Ignoring its numb arms, Tapu Koko used a move similar to Luxray's, boosting its physical abilities with electric stimulation.
Instantly, it became a streak of blinding lightning rushing at Swampert.
Lucas hadn't expected a weakened High Horsepower to KO Tapu Koko in one shot.
Mega Swampert may have gained comprehensive power from Mega Evolution, but with type disadvantages and a battle-hardened opponent like Tapu Koko, a one-hit KO was unrealistic.
Not to mention Tapu Koko was the family's greatest warrior, and unlike the games, Nature's Madness here largely negated Swampert's strength.
In the past, Mimikyu almost KOed Tapu Bulu only through the double-buff of Tera and its exclusive Z-move. Those conditions can't compare.
As long as Swampert leverages its ground typing and keeps its feet on the ground, Tapu Koko can't play to its biggest strengths—it's like a fish on a chopping board.
Of course, Tapu Koko wasn't foolish.
When Swampert tried to pursue, Lucas caught a subtle change in the surroundings and quickly called out:
"Stop!"
Swampert froze in place as if someone had hit pause.
Gladion was confused until Oranguru fanned him toward a spot—and then he realized:
Beneath Swampert's feet, tough, snake-like grass had formed a hidden knot.
"Grass Knot"—a Grass move!
At Swampert's current speed and power, hitting a Grass Knot would bring disastrous recoil.
Especially since Swampert is Water + Ground—four times weakness to Grass!
So devious… no, so skilled.
Gladion shook his head, banishing disrespectful thoughts toward the guardian Tapu Koko.
Whether misleading Swampert into a speed race while secretly laying Grass Knot, or Lucas's monstrous awareness in battle—Gladion felt like an infant compared to these two.
So skilled that all he could do was sigh in awe.
Is Mr. Lucas really only a teacher?
Unaware of Gladion's doubts, Lucas had Swampert use Ice Punch to freeze and shatter the Grass Knot.
"Be careful of more Grass Knots! Chase and use Bulk Up and Liquidation at the same time!"
Swampert could use the wide-range move Earthquake, but since Tapu Koko is flying, it wouldn't be effective.
The Z-move "Tectonic Rage" would be the same—unless Lucas managed to pin Tapu Koko down, it was hopeless.
"Lagu!"
In the rain, Mega Swampert rushed forward like an arrow, leaving afterimages.
Bathed in blood-red aura, its muscles bulged, fiery red steam radiating from its body.
"Swift Swim" unleashed its potential to the fullest.
Speed, reaction time, attack—all drastically improved.
Whenever grass started to sprout beneath Swampert, an icy fist smashed the trap instantly.
Even while under constant threat, Swampert's speed barely wavered—this monster-level body control and seamless move switching were the result of Lucas's relentless training.
Finally, Swampert flashed in front of Tapu Koko.
The air sacs burst, firing compressed high-pressure water. Boosted by Rain, Liquidation shot like lightning at Tapu Koko.
This time, Tapu Koko couldn't dodge or defend.
BANG!
Water sprayed like scattered flowers as Tapu Koko was slammed to the ground, carving a deep trench.
Before it could recover, Swampert pounced, pinning it down.
Swampert's fists hammered relentlessly, until Tapu Koko nearly lost consciousness—then Swampert stopped and moved aside.
Gladion, who had been watching, fell silent.
Such raw, naked power left him shaken.
Even he could see that many of Tapu Koko's counters could have injured Swampert.
But Lucas, the trainer, could always turn a crisis around with a masterful maneuver, or seize a gap to launch a fierce attack.
Isn't this the ideal trainer?
Something seemed to bloom in Gladion's heart.
…
Not long after.
"Pu-ka—"
Sensing something, the battered Tapu Koko, under Lucas's care, tried to struggle up.
As a half-Paldean, Lucas hardly felt awe toward the island guardians—maybe if he needed their help, he'd put on an act, but after a hectic morning, he was out of patience.
Thanks to being soaked, he'd had to shower and change again, and picked up his utility backpack.
Lucas's face was cold toward Tapu Koko, but not outright hostile.
"Stay still, or your wounds will reopen—"
He gripped Tapu Koko's head firmly, holding it down and kept spraying potion on its injuries.
Gladion, now numb to the madness, quietly helped with the bandages.
Tapu Koko gave up resisting, lying flat with a deadpan stare at the sky.
It's over… Now that guy's really going to see me like this—
Just like indulging a battle addiction and running into a wall, bad luck always comes in twos.
In Tapu Koko's dazed eyes, mysterious glowing powder began to drift down from above, accompanied by girlish laughter.
"Ehehe—"
The powder landed on Tapu Koko's wounds, healing them rapidly before their eyes.
Lucas wasn't blind; he noticed.
He looked up, feeling he'd stirred up the Tapu hornet's nest today.
After all, in Lucas's view, the moody Tapu Koko was still less of a headache than this one.
This guardian had once, in the anime, taken offense at not being able to heal Ash's Rockruff, and took it out on the two Lycanrocs, draining them with Draining Kiss to help Rockruff heal—a total maniac.
A full-on "pink-cutting black-crazy lady."
"Tapu Lele?"
Up above drifted a Pokémon with a deep pink shell, jet-black upper body, and long pink tendril-like hair, raining magical healing scales below.
Now Lucas had Tapu Fini to seek, plus Tapu Koko, and now this wild Tapu Lele, also the Akala Island guardian, decided to show up?
As if hearing its name, Tapu Lele glanced down, gave a mischievous grin and swooped playfully.
…