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Recalling the first time he had gone to Heavenly Lake in the safe zone for training, Roy remembered sleeping in a simple tent.
But now? Things were different!
Roy hammered the final nail of the tent into place and looked up with a proud expression at his handiwork.
Now he was living in a proper large tent!
Roy paused and looked down thoughtfully.
"Why does that still sound a bit depressing?"
Tapu Koko glanced around, and although he didn't visit this place often, such ruined conditions were truly unsuitable for his deity to inhabit.
In Tapu Koko's mind, plans to rebuild a temple on these ruins were already being added to his mental checklist.
Indeed, although Lunala, the 'Emissary of the Moon,' had not yet recovered to full health, as another deity, Lunala also deserved a grander temple.
Solgaleo had no idea that Tapu Koko was already planning temple construction for both him and Lunala. The lion deity walked around the tower twice, looking quite pleased.
"La!"
As long as we're here, don't even think about escaping!
Although Solgaleo had absorbed the light of the previous deity when he was Cosmog, allowing him to evolve into the new deity, that light also seemed to contain the memories of Solgaleo's predecessor—or perhaps it was better to say it was engraved within the light itself, hatred passed down through generations.
Before the previous deity had fallen, they had not forgotten to infuse their inheritance into that light.
This was something every Pokémon could do at the end, instinctively.
However, inheriting memories in this way wasn't very common.
This kind of inheritance required tremendous energy, and by the time the inheritance was prepared and left behind, most Pokémon were already on the verge of death.
Many Pokémon chose not to pass on their memories, believing it would hasten their own demise.
When Solgaleo had absorbed the light as Cosmog, the first thing he felt was the light's hatred toward the Blinding One, Necrozma.
Afterward, he witnessed visions of Necrozma's darkened body gripping Solgaleo in one claw and Lunala's wings in the other.
They couldn't escape, couldn't hide—they could only watch helplessly as the light within their bodies was devoured by Necrozma.
Such profound hatred, seared into the very soul.
Little Cosmog, exposed to such intense negative emotions for the first time, couldn't help but recoil.
This was also when Solgaleo learned that his light had been stolen by Necrozma.
It was the source of the self-loathing that surged from deep within his heart.
Fortunately, as Solgaleo merged more completely with the light over time, the truth of what Solgaleo understood continued to grow.
These troubling emotions gradually lessened and no longer affected his training.
Overall, it was actually a beneficial thing!
Roy opened the tent flap and carefully spread out his sleeping bag inside.
According to his calculations, there was still some time before the qualifying matches.
And the Alola Spirit Realm was a perfect training ground.
There were powerful wild Pokémon here, as well as the mysterious Mimikyu that had inherited dominance over this place.
In the next few months, if he could achieve good training results here, Roy would have better chances of success in his own hands.
His next goal was already planned—promotion to Elite rank!
Roy's determination affected his Pokémon through their shared Aura connection.
Even Lucario, who was usually calm and composed, was now eager to emerge and stretch his muscles.
Roy narrowed his eyes as he watched the large Solgaleo circling around happily like an excited lion.
He touched the Poké Ball in his pocket.
"Don't worry, you'll have plenty of good training days ahead."
Solgaleo, whom Roy had mentally labeled as a 'sparring partner,' suddenly sneezed.
"La?"
Why do I suddenly feel a chill?
Solgaleo shook his great lion's head from side to side, completely unaware of what kind of rigorous training awaited him in the future.
After a general inspection of the ruins of the Altar of the Sunne, Solgaleo expressed his desire to visit other locations in Alola's Spirit Realm.
He hoped Tapu Koko could show him around.
After all, this would be the place he'd guard from now on, so he should understand Alola's situation properly.
Sensing the deity's intentions, Tapu Koko was naturally delighted and agreed he had time.
Roy rubbed his nose knowingly.
"I wonder which Pokémon was just complaining to himself about everyone pushing their responsibilities onto him."
Solgaleo didn't catch what Roy was implying at first. He tilted his head with a confused expression.
"La?"
Who? I never said anything like that.
Tapu Koko quickly flew over and covered Roy's mouth with his small hands.
"Koko! Koko!"
Don't say it! Don't say it!
Roy nodded with a smile, and after promising he wouldn't say anything more, Tapu Koko released him.
"Then go ahead and explore. I'm also going to prepare new training methods for everyone."
Solgaleo nodded. He had been by Roy's side as little Cosmog before, acting rather carefree.
Naturally, he understood what Roy needed to accomplish recently and knew time was limited.
"La~"
Then we'll be off~
Roy waved his hand as if shooing them away so they wouldn't disturb him here.
"Understood. Oh yes, when you come back, just find me directly on Akala Island."
"La~"
Okay~
Solgaleo didn't ask why—when Roy was around, he simply needed to follow orders.
Using their brains really didn't suit their family's nature!
Tapu Koko watched as Solgaleo's feet touched the tawny ruined ground before he shot straight up into the sky.
He quickly bowed to Roy before hurrying after his deity.
In the hearts of the Tapu guardian deities of the Alola Spirit Realm, Roy held a special position.
As the Trainer of the Deity, he had also helped Alola's Spirit Realm survive catastrophe, and they naturally treated him with great respect.
The current Tapu guardian deities no longer stood on equal footing with Roy.
In other words, Roy was essentially the boss of their immediate superior.
How could they not show proper respect?
Moreover, within the Alola Spirit Realm, Roy was their benefactor—a truly noble person.
Roy took a brief rest inside the tent. Honestly, after such a long and exhausting journey, even with the power of Aura supporting him, Roy couldn't hold out much longer.
What's more, back in the Sea of Time and Space, Roy's Aura power had been completely drained by those chaotic currents.
This time, Roy fell into a deep sleep.
Lucario sat at the entrance of the tent, standing guard for Roy.
The canine Pokémon placed one leg flat on the ground while the other was naturally bent.
He rested his back against a large boulder.
He had heard this stone dated back to ancient times.
Lucario touched the boulder, feeling its surface with his dark paws.