Not long after, Tapu Koko slowly woke up. It tried to fly, but the pain in its body made it impossible to even stand.
Looking at the cracks covering the shells on its arms, it felt as though they might shatter at any moment.
Remembering the sheer power of Mega Metagross's Hammer Arm, Tapu Koko revealed a look of shock.
Tapu Lele originally wanted to heal Tapu Koko, but halfway there, it suddenly stopped.
Tapu Koko closed its eyes, and suddenly, Julian sensed that Melemele Island seemed to come alive, radiating an immense wave of aura energy.
This was the combined aura power of all living beings on the island.
The island's energy gathered toward Tapu Koko, rapidly restoring its injuries and vitality.
It was borrowing the island's power to heal itself.
Julian hadn't expected the island's energy to be used this way—he had assumed it was only for boosting strength.
At this moment, Pierce and the other three also rushed over. Seeing the commotion Tapu Koko was causing, they grew a little nervous.
"Don't worry, it's already lost," Julian said, instantly dispelling their unease.
A minute later, Tapu Koko had fully recovered from its injuries and exhaustion. Then, it tossed something toward Julian.
Looking at the yellow, crystal-like object in his hand, Julian asked, "Is this the token for defeating you?"
Tapu Koko nodded.
Julian gave it a thumbs-up and praised, "You're way more generous than the other three!"
The tokens from the other three were just… shells, rocks, and wood—things nobody would even bother picking up off the ground.
But Tapu Koko's crystal token instantly raised the standard, finally giving the guardian deities a bit of dignity.
"By the way, didn't you say there'd be a surprise if I beat you?" Julian asked.
During their battle, Tapu Koko had mentioned this. Now that it had lost, Julian still hadn't seen any so-called "surprise."
'Wait—don't tell me this yellow crystal is the surprise…'
As soon as he said this, Tapu Koko suddenly flew right up to Julian, startling him. Then, Tapu Lele, Tapu Fini, and Tapu Bulu also flew over.
The four Guardian Deities surrounded Julian in a circle.
Metagross immediately went on high alert, and Pierce and the others quickly summoned their strongest Pokémon.
"Relax, it's fine," Julian reassured Metagross and the others.
Though he felt a little nervous himself, he didn't sense any hostility from the four Island Guardians.
Besides, if the four of them really wanted to harm him, they wouldn't need to encircle him—they could just attack directly.
Or could it be that before they attacked, they had to perform some sort of ritual?
As Julian watched in confusion, the four guardian deities began glowing—yellow, pink, blue, and purple. Under the guidance of these lights, the three tokens he had stored in his backpack floated out, along with the yellow crystal, and the four tokens hovered together in mid-air.
The four beams of light each shone onto one of the tokens.
"So these tokens actually have a purpose?"
Seeing this, Julian couldn't help but mutter skeptically.
To him, the so-called tokens were probably just random junk the island guardians had picked up from the ground—except maybe Tapu Koko's.
After a few moments, the light faded, and the four tokens vanished, replaced by a black, palm-sized plaque that dropped into Julian's hand.
"What's this?"
Without waiting for an explanation, Julian used his Probing Eyes to examine it.
[Secret Realm Token: Can close and relocate the entrance to a secret realm.]
Tapu Koko: "Figure it out yourself."
With that, it flew off. The other three guardians also left without another word.
Julian smirked. 'So you're just salty about losing and won't explain anything. Well, joke's on you—I already know what it does.'
"Why are you back?"
He asked as Tapu Lele suddenly reappeared. Julian wondered if it had a change of heart and wanted to explain the token's function.
Tapu Lele: "Give me ten Elite-level Pokémon, and I'll tell you what the token does."
Julian: "Get lost!"
'Like I need you to explain it to me.'
Tapu Lele: "Fine. Three Elite-level Pokémon, and I'll tell you something important—something that concerns your companions."
Julian glanced at it suspiciously. Considering this guy had kept its word during their last trade and provided information on the location of the Totem-class Pupitar, he decided to trust it.
"Fine."
He handed over three Poké Balls containing Elite-level Pokémon.
Tapu Lele: "Once all four island guardians are defeated, everyone can leave the island freely—no more needing to battle us."
Then, still unwilling to give up, it added: "Six Elite-level Pokémon, and I'll explain the token's function."
Julian: "Thanks, but no thanks."
Tapu Lele: "Hmph!"
Watching Tapu Lele fly away, Julian fiddled with the token in his hand.
This thing could actually control the opening and closing of the Secret Realm gate, and even move the gate itself.
That meant this Top-tier secret realm, currently located on some island in the Western Sea, could be relocated directly to Drakoria, even right outside his doorstep if he wanted.
As far as he knew, no other Top-tier secret realms in the world had something like this. Could it be that this Top-tier secret realm was just special?
Julian slipped the token into his pocket—or rather, directly into his system space, ensuring it wouldn't get lost.
Just then, Pierce and the other three also approached.
Ember couldn't hold back her curiosity, and asked: "What does that token actually do?"
The other three also stared at Julian expectantly.
After all, something conjured up by the four guardian deities couldn't just be a decoration, right?
"It can close, open, and relocate the entrance to this secret realm," Julian said casually.
He saw no reason to hide it. For one, these four were his allies. And secondly, if he ever decided to move this Top-tier secret realm to Drakoria, the token's function would become public knowledge anyway.
So it was better to just lay it out now.
"WHAT?!" x4
The four of them looked at Julian in shock, as if they had misheard.
"Are you serious?"
Pierce grabbed Julian's shoulders, his eyes burning with intensity.
A Top-tier secret realm was the most critical resource any nation could possess. The number of such secret realms within a country's borders directly influenced whether it could produce a Champion.
And this particular Top-tier secret realm was special—not only did it contain regional variant Pokémon and four pseudo-Champion-level island guardians, but most importantly, two First-class Legendaries slumbered within its depths.
First-class Legendaries were walking calamities… but also opportunities.
If Drakoria played its cards right and secured the friendship of these two First-class Legendaries, its global standing would instantly surpass even that of Celestria's.
And if the Celestrians ever dared to act up again?
They could just slap them across the face without hesitation.
*****
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