Elf: I have a secret realm of emerald green.

That is to say... it surpasses the power of a champion!

Xia Shen was momentarily stunned. His earlier telepathic message to the Spider King was just a ruse...

Who would have thought I'd become a prophet?

Judging by the explosive force of this energy reaction, my words have truly come true.

Although in discussions among gamers in the previous life, many people classified Ultra Beasts as part of the second-tier legendary Pokémon.

But Xia Shen hadn't expected that the Ironfire Kaguya could actually cause energy fluctuations that only a second-level god could produce...

Forget it, I'll go find Yukshi later. After all, it concerns the safety of so many sea spirits, and this isn't the time to be reckless.

Having made up his mind, Xia Shen shifted his mental focus away from Tetsuka Kaguya and searched for Meltan's figure.

Before long, he located the nine Mertans.

Multitasking, Xia Shen simultaneously used telepathy to guide the Youwei Xuanyu, which was also unable to see in the darkness, to move forward along the designated route.

Perhaps it was their companions outside sending out sound waves to inform them that someone was coming to their rescue, because Xia Shen noticed that these Meltans were unusually cooperative.

Eight Meltans were rescued from the powerful suction, starting from the nearest and moving further away. Only one remained to be rescued, and its position was rather awkward, as it happened to be near the jets at the bottom of the Ironfire Kaguya's body.

At the same time, that's where Tetsuka Kaguya collects flammable gas, and it's also the place with the strongest suction force in the entire box.

Xia Shen told the Mertans clinging to him to hold on tight, and rode the Dark Tail Fish deep into the iron box.

…………

It's unclear whether it's getting closer to the critical point of combustion and explosion, or closer to the location of the injector.

The further in Xia Shen swam, the more she could feel the water temperature rising.

As Xia Shen approached the last Merutan, he could even feel his entire body was already in a state of red-hot temperature.

Despite the excruciating pain from the unbearable heat, he reached out to pick up the Meltan that was stuck to the bottom of the jet.

But as if they were welded together, Meltan's body and Tetsuka Kaguya's body were pressed tightly together, and Xia Shen couldn't move them even a little bit.

Simply relying on brute force won't work. Xia Shen held his breath, focused all his energy, and channeled his superpowers into Meltan, then clenched his fists tightly.

[Ghost Tail Black Fish, unleash Wave Strike at full power!]

The three forces suddenly erupted in an instant, finally pulling Meltan, who had been tightly gripped, off Tetsuka Kaguya's body.

With that, all the Meltans had been rescued, but Xia Shen hadn't even had time to relax...

At the same time, a large amount of gas was ejected from the jet pipe, and the resulting high temperature even caused the surrounding seawater to boil.

Xia Shen's heart sank. He knew that Tetsuka Kaguya was about to erupt!

------------

Chapter 265 Island Guardian, Tapu Lele!

The waterspout centered on Tetsuka Kaguya gradually subsided, and the enormous traction that had drawn Natsumi and Uotsuri toward the jet also disappeared.

But Xia Shen felt no relief whatsoever; instead, his heart grew heavier.

He knew that the disappearance of the traction force meant that Tetsuka Kaguya no longer needed to absorb gas.

In other words, the energy that Tetsuka Kaguya had for igniting takeoff was already sufficient...

Then, what will inevitably happen next is an explosion!

The energy burst that surpasses even Champion-level Pokémon moves is something only Uxie can handle.

Xia Shen no longer hesitated and was about to go into Xicui to call for help when, during his mental probe, he suddenly saw the figure of an elf.

The elf wasn't very big, about the size of a human, but its aura... was terrifyingly strong.

Xia Shen, who is on friendly terms with many legendary Pokémon, can sense that this Pokémon's strength is similar to that of Uxie... which is to say, a level two god!

Akara Island, home to legendary elves almost as large as humans...

Xia Shen could guess with his toes that this Pokémon was none other than Tapu Lele, one of the guardian deities of the four islands!

So, is it here to prevent this disaster from happening?

Now that the island's guardian deity has arrived, Xia Shen is in no hurry to harass Yukshi.

After all, calling her Yuxie might make Tapu Lele uncomfortable, since she is the guardian deity of Akara Island.

What kind of nonsense is it for an outsider like you to overstep your bounds and take over the reins?

According to legend, Tapu Lele has a dual nature.

One side is innocent and pure, radiating the loving glow of life.

On the other hand, it is cruel and ruthless, indifferently watching the cycle of birth and death of all things in the world.

It is like nature, which nurtures all life, yet constantly unleashes natural disasters.

Xia Shen didn't want to anger this guardian spirit because of this inexplicable matter.

…………

I don't know if Tapu Lele didn't notice or didn't care about this tiny human.

It ignored Xia Shen, who was right beside it, and silently enveloped the massive body of the Ironfire Kaguya with its energy.

The moment the transparent protective barrier isolated Tetsukaja from the outside world, the energy within this ultimate beast stranded at the bottom of the sea suddenly erupted.

A massive amount of high-temperature gas and orange-red flames were violently ejected from the jet pipe at its bottom.

The sudden light illuminated the entire iron box, and the firelight allowed Xia Shen to see the nearly twenty-meter-long, bluish-green body of the Ironfire Kaguya.

It also reflected Tapu Lele's expressionless face beside her.

Its deep pink, tentacle-like hair fluttered as the seawater churned violently, yet its body remained perfectly still.

As Xia Shen silently observed it, Tapu Lele turned its head and looked at him thoughtfully.

When Xia Shen was caught spying, he could only offer a forced smile as an apology.

But a strange telepathic message immediately appeared in his mind.

Why did you risk your life to save them?

The unfamiliar voice was clear and slightly feminine; without a doubt, it was Tapu Lele's voice.

Although the Tapu family has no gender distinction, Tapu Lele's pink and delicate voice sounds like a young girl's voice... which doesn't seem out of place at all.

And the question it asked... Xia Shen looked down at the nine Merutans clinging tightly to him.

They looked at themselves with a mixture of emotion and curiosity, clearly having also heard Tapu Lele's telepathic message and were very curious about the answer to the question.

Xia Shen didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Can I perform a big transformation for you?

Or shamelessly claim that they would give up their lives to save these Meltans?

None of them seem quite suitable...

He could only give a vague answer: "[I have a way to escape this place.]"

There's no way around it; I'm not thick-skinned enough to come up with those lofty reasons that please Tapu Lele and Meltans while going against my own conscience.

Tapu Lele turned her head away and didn't say anything more.

Xia Shen didn't know what it meant either, but he turned his head to look at this spectacle that he might only see once in his lifetime.

…………

The gas that Tetsuka Kaguya had been frantically absorbing for several hours was transformed into energy and suddenly exploded in that instant.

The iron box, which had been bombarded by numerous Pokémon with water cannons without being breached, collapsed instantly, and Celesteela's sharp head pierced through one of its sides.

Like a rocket launching, its massive body began to move forward under the enormous thrust of the bottom jet.

Tetsuka Kaguya's starting speed is not fast, it can even be said to be very slow, but her acceleration is extremely terrifying.

In just a few seconds, its entire body broke free from the iron box's restraints.

The energy barrier released by Tapu Lele was also eliminated precisely by this enormous starting energy.

Tetsuka Kaguya entered the seawater from the iron box with almost no hindrance.

The elves, who had been watching from the sidelines and hadn't gone far, finally got to see the true form of the elf that had kept them on edge for so long.

Just as they were about to attack, Tapu Lele let out a high-pitched cry.

The flowing energy within all the elves vanished instantly. They stared in astonishment at the source of the sound and discovered a small, yet exceptionally powerful, pink elf.

Their astonished gazes instantly transformed into reverence as they looked at the suddenly appearing island guardian. Even the two dominant elves lowered their proud heads.

Tapu Lele nodded slightly, and then suddenly disappeared into the deep sea.

The remaining elves understood the guardian's meaning and silently watched Ironfire Kaguya depart until it disappeared into the azure ocean.

Seeing that the matter was resolved and the sea had returned to its former tranquility, Xia Shen retrieved the dozen or so Merutans that had been waiting at the bottom of the sea, and rode the Dark Tail Fish back to the lakeside.

…………

A hill with murmuring streams.

After a thrilling and wondrous ocean voyage, the Merutans gathered by the lake to celebrate their reunion.

"Meilu—Meilu—"

The nine animals that Xia Shen rescued seemed to have taken a liking to him, clinging to his clothes and refusing to get off.

Xia Shen didn't care about the slight weight; instead, he was telling Yan Yan and the elves about this short but exciting journey.

Even including the distance, the whole process only took a little over an hour.

But the unheard-of ultimate monsters, the remnants of a former civilization, the legendary island guardians... the stories that unfold in the ocean are truly fascinating.

"Where will that elf called Ironfire Kaguya fly to?"

Yan Yan looked up at the sky and saw a conspicuous, thin white cloud, which was the flight trace of Ironfire Glow Night that had not yet dissipated.

Xia Shen shrugged. "I don't know, maybe it's the moon..."

He truly didn't know the answer to that question; there was no doubt that Kaguya Tetsuka came from the Ultimate Cave.