The soul penetrates Xiaozhi and destroys Gou Hao at the beginning

Ash immediately stepped forward and, with his superhuman physique, used only one hand to support the 920-kilogram Mudstalk, while with his other hand he pulled a fragment of a sun coral horn from under the Mudstalk's hoof.

The pain in his feet disappeared, and the mud-pulled horse immediately returned to its original docile state.

Hapoo finally breathed a sigh of relief and thanked Ash.

"Ash, you're actually a pretty good person."

But compared to you, I couldn't even perceive the reason for my companion's suffering.

Who knows what would have happened if Ash hadn't shown up?

Let me do something for you as a token of my gratitude; after all, you're my benefactor who saved me from this ordeal.

Xiao Zhi smiled and waved his hand.

"No need, it's nothing. If you really want to thank me, then work hard to become the island queen of Bonny Island and gain Tapu Fizz's approval."

"How did you know I wanted to become the island queen of Bonny?" Hapuu asked in surprise.

“Mr. Sofou is a very famous island king. As his granddaughter, wouldn’t you want to follow in your grandfather’s footsteps? Besides, I just met your grandmother.”

"So that's how it is. Grandma, she really is something, why does she tell everyone everything?"

"Anyway, you should strive to become the island queen, so that I can also take on the great challenge of Poni Island. It's a win-win situation," Ash said with a smile.

"A great test? You say that even though you know there's no king or queen on Bonny Island right now."

"What's there to be afraid of? I've already thought it through. If you really can't do it, then I'll just go and challenge Tapu Fini to the Great Trial."

"what!"

Upon hearing this, Hapuu's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, as if he had heard something unbelievable.

"The island king or queen of Bonney Island is appointed by Tapu Fini, so the great test is the same as fighting Tapu Fini, there is no difference."

These words instantly changed Hapwu's expression, and he coldly asked,

"How do you truly understand the great test?"

"It's about battling the island king or queen in Pokémon battles. If you win, you can get a Z Crystal."

Upon hearing this, Hapoo actually pointed at Ash's nose and cursed at him.

"You don't understand anything at all!"

Listen carefully, over the years, I have personally witnessed countless great tests that Grandpa has undergone.

The Great Trial is actually a grand ceremony, a magnificent ritual in which the island's king or queen, on behalf of the guardian deities, trains the challengers.

You don't even understand its meaning, yet you have the nerve to wear the Z bracelet. I advise you to turn over a new leaf and start over.

Hapoo's outburst made Ash's expression turn sour as well, and he coldly replied,

"I'm speaking to you politely because I'm giving you face. If I really wanted to mess with you, I could make sure you'd never be able to kill the island queen in a second."

If they're giving you face, then accept it. Don't take yourself too seriously. It's fine if you don't consider your own feelings, but don't ruin Mr. Sofow's reputation too.

What you just said makes some sense; the Great Trial is indeed a ritual performed by the Island King on behalf of the guardian deities to train the challengers.

But if you say I'm not worthy of wearing the Z-Bracelet, I can't stand it. My Z-Bracelet was given to me by Tapu Koko, why can't I wear it?

"What did you say! Tapu Koko gave it to you! You've actually met Tapu Koko!"

"So what? Tapu Koko gave me a Z-Force Bracelet, Tapu Bulu trained with my Rowlet, Tapu Lele helped my Lycanroc evolve, and these three Guardian Spirits all gave me Z-Crystals."

And you? You break down so easily, you get all defensive.

You've probably never even seen Tapu Fini, let alone had contact with the Guardian Angel or gained its approval.

We're both facing guardian deities, yet I can chat and laugh with them, while you can only bow and scrape before them. That's the difference in our status.

Ash's words left Hapoo speechless.

As we all know, lies never hurt people, but the truth is the sharpest knife.

Hapoo desperately wanted to refute Ash's words, but what Ash said was exactly true, and she couldn't refute it. After a long while, she managed to utter a single sentence.

"Ash, how did you manage to get so close to the guardian spirits of the various islands in the Alola region? Who are you?"

"Didn't you say that I'm neither worthy of wearing the Z bracelet nor understand the meaning of the great test? Then why are you asking me, a person with no knowledge, no skills, and no experience? Just guess for yourself."

After saying that, Ash turned and left without giving her any face, leaving Happu standing there stunned.

Ash was in a great mood today after getting the Fairy Z, but Happu's actions ruined his celebration, so he went for a walk in the forest instead.

Before long, they unexpectedly ran into Lillie, who was investigating wild Pokémon in the forest with Bai Gungun in order to complete her independent research.

The two then set off together, and with Ash's help, Lillie's investigation efficiency greatly increased, and she quickly completed the mission ahead of schedule.

The two then left the forest, preparing to return to the Pokémon Center.

Along the way, they came to a coastline, where they saw a Lycanroc in its night form, a Silvally, and an Umbreon sparring and training with each other.

Lycanroc dodged Silvally's Tear Claw first, and then together with Silvally, avoided Umbreon's Shadow Ball.

Then it slammed its fist into the ground and unleashed a Stone Attack, which was neutralized by Umbreon's Dark Pulse and Silvally's Air Blade.

Upon seeing these three Pokémon, Ash's first thought was that Gladion must be nearby!

Just then, a whistle rang out, and the three Pokémon immediately ran towards the direction from which the sound came.

"Great, this is the ideal state."

Ash and Lillie followed the gaze and saw that the person whistling was indeed Gladion.

Xiao Zhi immediately stepped forward and greeted him.

"It's been a long time, Gladio."

"It's my brother!"

"Ah, Lillie, Ash!"

Neither brother nor sister expected to meet the other on Pony Island, and they were momentarily stunned.

"Brother, what are you doing on this island?"

“I’m here to challenge Tapu Fini to a great test,” Gladion said without hesitation.

"It seems we have the same goal, Gladio. Since there's no island king or queen on Poni Island for the time being..."

"Then we can just go and battle Tapu Fini, the guardian deity who can appoint the island king and queen," Ash laughed.

Upon hearing this, Gladio smiled and continued,

"Actually, there's another reason why I want to see Tapu Fizz."