Tapu Koko paused mid-air, turning back to Guo Yi with a puzzled expression.
It seemed to ask if he had another question.
Instead, Guo Yi took out several boxes of Pokéblocks, intending to offer them as a gift of thanks.
"Tapu Koko, although I don't understand why you chose to give me this [Z-Ring] and [Z-Crystal], I truly appreciate it."
"These Pokéblocks are my token of thanks—I hope you'll find them to your liking."
With that, Guo Yi took out a Pokéblock and extended it toward Tapu Koko.
"Kooo…"
Tapu Koko hesitated for a moment before carefully taking the Pokéblock and tasting it.
In the next instant—
Its eyes lit up in delight.
As system-produced, perfect-grade Pokéblocks, their flavor and quality naturally exceeded ordinary standards.
Living freely in the wild, how often could Tapu Koko taste something so delicious?
After a brief moment of hesitation, Tapu Koko accepted Guo Yi's gift.
But, unexpectedly—
Tapu Koko actually gave something in return.
From Tapu Koko's perspective, regardless of Guo Yi's own view of receiving the [Z-Ring] and [Buginium Z], it had merely given him what he deserved. There was no reason for gratitude.
Yet, given its proud nature, Tapu Koko wasn't one to take advantage of others without returning the favor.
Thus, after gifting him a [Poisonium Z], Tapu Koko swiftly took to the skies and disappeared.
"Why leave so quickly?" Guo Yi sighed in amusement. "If I'd known it would be this easy, I'd have brought out a few more flavors of Pokéblocks!"
He hadn't expected [Z-Crystals] could be obtained this easily—a few Pokéblocks were all it took.
Guo Yi decided he'd prepare even better materials next time, creating a set of special, perfect-grade Pokéblocks just for Tapu Koko.
Maybe I'll get another [Z-Crystal] out of it. The thought made him grin.
Standing beside him, Su Qingxue stared at Tapu Koko's departing figure, her eyes burning with determination as she spoke to Weedle.
"Pseudo-Elite Four, huh?"
"I'm sure that day isn't far away."
"Right, Weedle?"
Thanks to her [Power of Viridian], Su Qingxue had clearly overheard the conversation between Tapu Koko and Weedle.
Tapu Koko had offered to take Weedle along, but Weedle declined.
Perhaps inspired by Guo Yi's Beedrill, Weedle believed wholeheartedly it could also become strong under Su Qingxue's care.
Thus, Weedle had politely refused Tapu Koko's invitation.
Responding solemnly to Su Qingxue's vow, Weedle nodded decisively.
"Let's go, Qingxue."
After Tapu Koko left, Guo Yi stored away the [Z-Ring] and [Z-Crystals].
They were useless to him for now, and wearing them would attract unwanted attention.
As for Tapu Koko's cryptic remark—well, Guo Yi figured he'd have to slowly unravel its meaning on his own.
"Mm!" Su Qingxue nodded vigorously, quickly catching up with Guo Yi.
As they walked, Su Qingxue hugged Weedle and finally asked a question that had been bothering her.
"Teacher, how strong is your Beedrill, exactly?"
This time, Guo Yi didn't hide the truth, answering casually, "Champion-Tier."
After seeing Beedrill's battle with Tapu Koko, Su Qingxue had already guessed roughly how powerful it was.
Still, hearing it directly from her teacher stunned her completely.
Champion-Tier Pokémon!
Trainers capable of commanding Champion-Tier Pokémon stood at the absolute peak of the Dragon Country Pokémon League.
[Ding!]
[Your answer increased Su Qingxue's respect towards you.]
[Mentor Points +500.]
Seeing this notification, Guo Yi's heart soared with satisfaction.
Today was indeed a fruitful day—
He had gained Pokémon, [Z-Crystals], and [Mentor Points].
Meanwhile, Su Qingxue's expression suddenly turned serious, and she declared earnestly:
"Teacher, please don't worry."
"I won't reveal this to anyone."
She realized clearly—
If Guo Yi wished to reveal his strength, he would already have done so. There would have been no reason for him to hide away in a small village like Yangliu.
Since her teacher wanted to keep a low profile, she—as his student—would wholeheartedly respect his wishes.
Guo Yi smiled softly and nodded, acknowledging her thoughtful promise.
Truthfully, even if she hadn't brought it up, he would've reminded her anyway.
After all, he only had Beedrill as his strongest Pokémon.
If someone genuinely wanted to target him, restricting Beedrill alone would put him in significant danger.
No matter how powerful Beedrill was, two fists couldn't beat four hands.
Besides, what good was fame anyway?
Aside from meaningless flattery and an endless stream of followers, being famous carried no real benefit. It even burdened you with unreasonable expectations from others, who'd readily criticize if you failed to meet them.
Guo Yi was strong only in pure battle power—everything else about him was mediocre. Exposing his strength would bring only harm, no benefit.
Keeping his head down, slowly developing, and mentoring students quietly—wasn't that much better?
"Oh right, Teacher," Su Qingxue spoke up again curiously, "What kind of Pokémon was Tapu Koko?"
"I've never seen it in any textbooks."
"And also, what exactly did it give you earlier? It looked very valuable."
Along their walk, Su Qingxue became a curious child, peppering Guo Yi with endless questions.
Guo Yi patiently explained:
"Tapu Koko is a legendary Pokémon—and it's actually part of a family. Besides it, there are three others: Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu, and Tapu Fini."
"What? There are three more?" Su Qingxue gasped in astonishment.
She hadn't imagined a Pokémon as powerful as Tapu Koko could have three other companions of equal stature.
Guo Yi nodded.
In truth, previous generations had also featured legendary Pokémon grouped in threes:
The Legendary Birds of Kanto, the Legendary Beasts of Johto, and Sinnoh's Lake Guardians.
Yet Alola had four such guardian deities.
Perhaps Alola's threats were just too numerous and dangerous, he speculated. After all, there was the "Radiant Deity" Necrozma above, and Ultra Beasts lurking below.
Given such powerful adversaries, having four guardians suddenly made sense.
"Right! Teacher, you still haven't explained what the bracelet and crystal do."
Recovering from her shock, Su Qingxue eagerly pressed further.
"This?" Guo Yi took out the [Z-Ring] and the [Z-Crystals] with a smile. "This allows trainers and their Pokémon to synchronize, unleashing extremely powerful moves."
"But unfortunately, even I can't use it right now."
Using a [Z-Move] required a deep bond between trainer and Pokémon, comparable to [Mega Evolution].
According to Tapu Koko's implication, Guo Yi probably couldn't wield such power just yet.
Hearing this made Su Qingxue even more respectful.
Even Teacher, with a Champion-Tier Pokémon, can't use it yet…
How frighteningly powerful must these [Z-Moves] be?