1. Ash's Story (Part 9: Alola)

Chapter 95: Shadows at Aether House

Ground Manor stood close enough to the Ruins of Abundance that the cliffs seemed to watch us even while we trained. After everything Nanu had revealed about Fallers, the air around Ula'ula felt heavier than before. Still, I had a third medal to earn, and Acerola's Ghost types deserved my full attention.

Lillie walked beside me as we left the manor, with Serena and Alice following along the rocky path. Pikachu rode my shoulder, quiet but alert. The desert behind us still held marks from Celesteela's launch, and the memory of Kartana's apology had not faded from Lillie's eyes.

"We should seek out Tapu Bulu before Acerola's battle," Lillie said. "If Tapu Bulu is Ula'ula's guardian, then it may already know what happened here."

Alice looked up toward the cliff. "And if Nanu mentioned the guardian during the Ultra Beast mission, then ignoring it now would feel wrong."

I nodded as the cliff path rose ahead of us. "Then we climb before the day gets away from us."

The cliff path was familiar from earlier in our journey, but it felt different with the League medals in my bag and the Faller truth behind us. Back then, I had wanted to prove myself to Ula'ula. Now I wanted to understand what Ula'ula expected from us.

The more we climbed, the quieter the others became. Serena's steps slowed whenever the wind pushed dust over the path, and Alice kept looking back toward the manor as if the Faller conversation might follow us in visible form. Lillie did not say anything, but her hand stayed close to the bag that held Snowy's Poké Ball. None of us had forgotten Anabel's pale face or the way Nanu's words had made old guilt feel fresh again.

Every island guardian we had faced had tested something different. Tapu Koko challenged sparks and courage. Tapu Lele challenged focus, healing, and confusion. Tapu Bulu had always felt slower than the others, but slow did not mean weak. Sometimes the strongest roots were the ones that barely moved at all.

Tapu Bulu waited near the top, resting in the sun as if it had decided we were late. It opened one eye when we arrived. The grass around its hooves stirred, and the whole cliff seemed to breathe with patient strength.

Pikachu leaned forward, ears low but not afraid. Tapu Bulu's gaze moved from him to me, then toward the Poké Ball at my belt where Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele's trust already rested. No words came from the guardian, but the challenge was clear.

I took out Salazzle's Poké Ball. "If you are willing to battle, then I will answer."

Tapu Bulu stood. The ground brightened with green light, and Grassy Terrain spread under our feet.

I sent out my Shiny Salazzle, and her pale colors shimmered against the green terrain. Tapu Bulu lowered its horns, calm and heavy, while the grass around it strengthened with every pulse of the field. Salazzle crouched low, tail curling as purple flame gathered at her mouth.

"Salazzle, start with Venoshock, and keep moving!"

Tapu Bulu raised roots from the ground to block the attack, but the poison seeped through the gaps and forced it back. The guardian answered by commanding vines to lash across the field. Salazzle twisted aside, nimble even on the grass that favored her opponent.

Tapu Bulu was not fast in the way Lycanroc or Pikachu were fast. Its strength came from certainty. Every plant moved like an extension of its patience, and every step made the cliff feel more rooted beneath us.

Tapu Bulu did not attack quickly, and that almost made the battle harder. It waited through Salazzle's movement, let the terrain breathe under it, and chose each counter only after we showed our intent. That patience forced me to slow my own thoughts. If I rushed only because Poison had the advantage, I would miss the roots curling toward Salazzle's feet or the vines waiting behind the smoke.