Pokémon, Ash is going to become a perfect man from now on.

Chapter 404 How did I end up being outmaneuvered by this seemingly innocent but actually cunning person?

"So, you've already found the information you wanted?"

Seeing that Xiaozhi had turned off the computer, Modan brought over two cups of tea.

"Thank you." Xiao Zhi quickly reached out and took it.

"I won't get involved in your case. Let's talk about the Great Trial." Mordan took a sip of tea and said with a wicked grin, "Kid, do you know you've been fooled by Tapu Lele?"

"Hmm?" Xiao Zhi raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Passing the great test in a month, if it were just fighting against people like us, it wouldn't be difficult for you. But unfortunately, just over a year ago, King Souf of Bonny Island passed away..."

"What?!" Ash exclaimed in surprise.

He finally remembered this: in the original anime, Bonnie Island didn't have an island king at first!

It was only after Ash and his crew arrived that Happu officially became the island's queen!

“Pony Island hasn’t even chosen a candidate for Island King yet, so naturally no one can preside over the Great Test. Tapu Tweet made a one-month bet with you, clearly to trick you into not knowing about this.”

"Holy crap..." Ash couldn't help but swear. He really had been tricked by that seemingly innocent but actually cunning old man.

To use physical advantages instead of ability to hinder oneself—is that even humanly acceptable?

Okay, that girl with the pink exterior but a dark side wasn't human to begin with~

“However, you don’t really need to worry too much.” Merdan suddenly smiled mysteriously. “Although the Guardian Deities Tapu are all connected, they are quite independent. Just because you have a grudge against Tapu Lele doesn’t mean that the other Guardian Deities will be hostile to you… Otherwise, Tapu Koko wouldn’t have given you the Shining Stone and the Electric Z-Shot.”

"I see... Wait, how did you know about Tapu Koko?" Ash was taken aback.

“Of course, it was Liz who told me… After that, I knew you would come looking for me.” Modan’s eyes gleamed with confidence. “Ash, what I can tell you is… Clearing the Island Challenge in a month is something that both our Island Kings and most of the Guardians approve of, because it will definitely bring new vitality to Alola!”

"So, it doesn't matter that Bonney Island doesn't have an island king. As long as you can appease Tapu Fini, and it nods, you've passed this big test, right?"

"That makes sense." Xiao Zhi nodded vigorously.

The island king is essentially working for the guardian deities; if he can withstand great trials with them, then facing the guardian deities directly will naturally be no problem either…

No, there's a problem!

"Mr. Merdan, how can I gain Tapu Fini's approval?" With the bet at stake, Ash fully demonstrated his spirit of humbly seeking advice.

But to everyone's surprise, Merdan instantly adopted an attitude of helplessness.

"How would I know? I've never even coaxed a girl before, let alone a guardian spirit!"

"this…"

"Anyway, I've already given you the solution. At most, I'll give you the green light, and you can just have one battle to complete the great test," Mordan said casually. "Tapu Fizz, you'll have to deal with him yourself."

"Okay... Anyway, thank you so much for your help. I'll leave the big test to you now!" Ash said sincerely.

“Sure thing~” Mordan smiled mischievously. “It’s getting late, so I won’t keep you. You can take Acerola back to Marie’s City for me, so I don’t have to make another trip. If you want, you can stay there for the night, since the big test will be held there tomorrow anyway.”

"Of course I have no problem delivering it, but shouldn't the big test be at the Harvest Ruins?" Ash asked, puzzled.

“It’s all the same everywhere~” Mordan waved his hand indifferently. “Kap Moo Moo is very lazy. It doesn’t care about these troublesome rituals. It only goes to the Harvest Ruins to eat those tribute fruits when it’s craving something sweet.”

“That’s right, MooMoo is just as lazy as Uncle Merdan, but they’re the best match~” Acerola said with a laugh as she jumped over.

"That's true." Ash nodded in agreement.

Tapu Bulu is also a trouble-averse guy, which is probably why he chose the equally trouble-averse Mordan as the island's king.

If you can avoid meeting each other, just make sure the offerings aren't lacking; the rest of the time, do whatever you want, give whoever you want a big test, I'm too lazy to care.

Ash's assessment of this guardian spirit is...

Saves time and effort~

"That's settled then, see you tomorrow." Mordan took the initiative to let Ash say goodbye, and before leaving, he didn't forget to tell the girl next to him, "Acerola, you'd better keep your distance from him... Remember, the more handsome a guy is, the more likely he is to have dirty thoughts."

"That's still better than openly displaying your bad intentions," Ash retorted without hesitation, and left the police station with Acerola.

But just then, Merdan suddenly called out to him.

"Kid, you told Liz you were here to resolve that matter, was that really true?"

"Of course it's true!" Ash turned around abruptly, making a solemn promise. "Mr. Merdan, you and I should both know... that kind of tragedy must never be allowed to happen again!!"

"Yes, it's good that it's true..." Watching Ash's departing figure, Mordan breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Hmm... it's you, you poor cop?" At this moment, the non-mainstream youth suddenly woke up. "You actually dared to handcuff me, Guzma? Watch me... Waaah!"

Before he could finish speaking, he was hit with a knee strike and an over-the-shoulder throw, which made him spin around and slam him to the ground.

"Young people shouldn't be so impetuous, it's easy to hurt yourself." Mordan looked down at him with a wicked smile, leisurely taking another sip of tea.

"How about it, the other guy, why don't you try to fight back too?"

"Hmph, I would never do something so foolish and ignorant." The chuunibyou (delusional) boy gave a disdainful snort, a rather poetic interpretation of what it means to admit defeat.

Meanwhile, on the other side, on their way to Marie-Lady City, Ash and Acerola were having a pleasant conversation.

Perhaps influenced by Modan's attitude, Acerola could sense his trust in Ash despite the bad old man's constant slander against him, and was therefore willing to reciprocate with a friendly attitude.

And they wouldn't mind giving Xiaozhi a little help.

“Acerola has read about it in a book. Tapu Fini is a very benevolent guardian deity. It does not allow anyone to destroy the land of Poni Island and is very friendly to young Pokémon... There are even rumors that it will take the initiative to raise young Pokémon that have lost their parents.”

"Is that so..." Ash couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Acerola's day job is as the librarian of the Mariejean Library. In addition to organizing books, she also reads stories about the Alora region to children, so she knows a lot of legends and anecdotes.

The information about Tapu Fini is all from the book. Given that the guardian deity Tapu has such frequent contact with humans, its credibility should be quite high.

In summary, Tapu Fini gives the impression of being kind, maternal, and averse to fighting. If you can appeal to these qualities, you might gain its approval.

"Acerola, thank you so much!" Ash thanked the girl gratefully.

He already had a general plan and knew how to appease that guardian spirit.

Furthermore, Ash has already made a decision: once the great test with Modan is over, he will head straight to Poni Island!

As for the people from the Ether Foundation, and the two poor souls locked up in the Po Town police station…

Let them all wait for now.

Chapter 405 VS. Merdan, the Great Test Begins!

The next morning, Ash, who had spent the night at the Marie's Pokémon Center, had just finished breakfast when he discovered that Acerola had arrived with Merdan.

"Mr. Merdan, I really didn't expect you to be here so early!" Ash couldn't help but be surprised.

Acerola complained to him about Merdan's schedule yesterday. He's undoubtedly a lazybones; he never gets up before noon and then takes another nap. He's truly taken slacking off to the extreme!

"After all, it's a big test, and Uncle Merdan is unusually serious about it." Acerola winked playfully, a few cute little stars flying from the corners of her eyes.

"You were the one who called me before dawn to urge me!" Mordan exposed, annoyed. "I really don't know what kind of spell that brat cast on you yesterday. He was putting you through a big test, why are you so concerned?"

Modan is a little worried now. Acerola has only spent one day with Ash... or rather, only one evening, so how come she seems to be getting closer?

Of course, if Ash were to explain it, it would be... boys and girls are always attracted to each other.

Don't get me wrong, Ash means that people like Acerola are very likely to become friends.

Acerola always stayed in the quiet library of Marière. The only people she associated with were Merdan and a group of children. She had almost no friends her own age.

As an outsider, Ash is not only knowledgeable and well-read, but also shares common topics with the well-read Acerola. Furthermore, Murdan's attitude towards him reveals a hidden gratitude and recognition, so Acerola is naturally willing to interact with someone like Ash.

"This shows that Acerola is a kind girl, unlike that bad old man~" Ash said with a smile. "Mr. Merdan, can the big test begin now?"

“Then let’s go. The arena at the Pokémon Center will do.” Mordan nodded and took a place in the battle. “The sooner you finish the test, the sooner you can leave here… We don’t want to get involved in your affairs.”

"Uncle Merdan, don't say that~" Acerola complained cutely, then skipped and hopped onto the referee's seat. "I, Acerola, will be the referee... Let's begin the great test of Ula Ula Island!"

"There is evil within good, and good within evil. Only by complementing each other's deficiencies can we evolve further!" Mordan held the evil Z hanging around his neck and waved in the direction of the Harvest Ruins, as if offering a prayer to Tapu Moo Moo.

"Your ceremony... feels a bit half-hearted." Xiao Zhi was speechless. This was just a perfunctory gesture from Mo Dan, not even a superficial one.

"Rituals are fine as they are; respect should be in your heart, not just on the surface," Merdan said nonchalantly. "Besides, Tapu Moo Moo doesn't care about these things, and neither do the other Guardians... Sometimes, doing nothing is the best way to live in harmony with them."

"Clear and transparent." Xiao Zhi nodded in agreement.

Despite his seemingly lazy demeanor, Mordan is actually a person who understands life very well. His words just now revealed the true essence of the relationship between the Aloramen and their Patronus.

It also includes the relationship between all humans in the world and legendary Pokémon.

It is precisely because humans demand too much from legends, and even attempt to meddle with them, that conflicts arise between the two groups and continue to escalate.

Instead, just treat those legends like static statues; if you're willing, offer them some tribute, and they might even occasionally grant your wish.

“I’ll accept that assessment.” Mordan nodded with a smile. “Ash, you’ll need to have a three-on-three battle with me. The rules are the same as a regular battle… but you must strike first and then attack, and none of your Pokémon can be unable to battle!”

The rules for the game are simpler than in the original game. Both of them can switch roles at will, and Ash is not limited to defeating three opponents at once; he just has to go first.

As for the rule that losing the ability to fight results in a loss, that rule is meaningless, and Ash would never allow that to happen anyway.

“Ash, don’t think the rules are unfair. Uncle Merdan believes that you have to overcome difficulties to be considered a great test.” Seeing Ash seemingly deep in thought, Acerola quickly explained.

"Hey, that kid isn't reacting at all, Acerola, you don't need to be so considerate of his feelings!" Merdan said irritably.

He was in a panic. Was his little cabbage, which he had taken care of for several years, about to be taken away?

"I already told you, it's because Acerola is kind-hearted." Ash rolled his eyes speechlessly. He and Acerola had no issues whatsoever, yet Modan treated him like a monster.