Chapter 57: Ilima’s Arrival

Chapter 57: Ilima's Arrival

"Pheromosa, Quiver Dance to dodge," Ron said.

Pheromosa began a graceful dance, spinning to avoid Lurantis's Leaf Blade. Its tall legs moved with such elegance and speed that it took the breath away.

What made Pheromosa so admired was its powerful dual attack stats and its Speed, ranking third among all Pokémon. Like Mega Beedrill, it belonged to the assassin archetype, with nearly nonexistent defenses—it was kill or be killed.

"Silver Wind to finish it!" Ron commanded.

Pheromosa's veil-like wings spread out, and a silver-white whirlwind blew toward Lurantis. Lurantis crossed its arms to block, but eventually couldn't withstand the damage and collapsed, losing its ability to battle.

Ron walked forward and took the Grass Z-Crystal. Along with the Fire Z-Crystal from Wela Volcano and the Water Z-Crystal from Brooklet Hill, he now had all three elemental Z-Crystals of the starter trio.

Looking back at the large group of Grass-type Pokémon completely entranced by Pheromosa, Ron scratched his head, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Pheromosa had a humanoid body that was incredibly slender and mostly milky white. It had a flat head and drooping eyelashes. Its blue-violet eyes sat beneath a long, rod-like neck that led to a four-layered skirt-like body, with the top layer slightly wider than the others. Its arms extended from hollow sections beneath the top layer, thin with oval-shaped joints and ending in two yellow, claw-like fingers.

Above its lashes was a yellow crown-shaped crest with two long antennae extending from it, slightly swollen at the ends. From beneath the final skirt layer, two legs extended like they were wearing pants. Behind its head was a structure resembling a wedding veil, curving inward and seeming to wrap around its slender body, narrowing sharply near the legs to form an X-shaped outline. Its legs were slightly thicker than the rest of its body, with yellow oval joints, and its feet looked like thin, yellow antennae—almost like high heels.

Appearance-wise, Pheromosa certainly had the charm to captivate the masses, much like Gardevoir. But Ron wasn't sure if it was Pheromosa's looks or some unknown pheromone it released—either way, whenever Pheromosa entered battle, it attracted crowds of Pokémon like a magnet.

But a warning to those fantasizing—half the Gardevoirs you see are actually cross-dressers. And Pheromosa? It has no known gender. Just like the Mythical Pokémon Diancie, it looks feminine but isn't actually female.

Ron captured a few high-potential Pokémon from the crowd. With Pheromosa by his side, it felt like he had cheat codes—no battles required, just throw a Poké Ball and done.

However, all the Pokémon attracted by Pheromosa were low-level, but Ron wasn't picky. He planned to let others choose from them later—he was just the middleman.

Recalling Pheromosa, Ron released Dragonite, ready to head to Melemele Island to challenge Hala for the Fighting Z-Crystal. He needed one for Pheromosa, after all.

He had recently contacted Professor Oak, who said that Ash was preparing to challenge his fourth Gym and would soon enter the Orange League's Winner's Cup.

So Ron had to hurry, collecting as many Z-Crystals as possible. If he didn't make it in time, he'd have to come back after the Silver Conference. By then, Lillie would've finished school, and they could travel the world together—or rather, start a new journey.

Back on Melemele Island, Ron first went to the Pokémon School to see Lillie, but found a very handsome young man had arrived—it was Ilima, a familiar character from the games.

Ron had watched the anime. In the series, Ilima had gone to study abroad in Kalos and must have just returned. According to the plot, Ilima would settle in Alola in about a year or more and become the captain of Melemele Island.

In the games, Kiawe, Lana, and Mallow would eventually become captains of Akala Island. Ron considered asking them for extra Z-Crystals later—it'd save him a lot of travel and hassle.

Seeing Ron arrive, several students who had been swimming in the lake immediately gathered around. Ron greeted them warmly.

"Hello, you must be Ron. I'm Ilima. I watched the Indigo Plateau Conference—you're really strong. Would you battle me?" Ilima asked with a smile, extending his right hand.

"A simple sparring match is fine."

Ron shook his hand in agreement.

"Perfect then. Eevee, I'm counting on you," Ilima said.

The nearby Eevee leapt forward confidently. Ron smiled and took out a Beast Ball. Lillie, curious, asked, "Ron, is that the Beast Ball developed by my mother's team?"

"Yeah, it's mine. I helped the Aether Foundation capture eight Ultra Beasts. They chose not to return through the Ultra Wormhole and want to live here. If you're interested, you can check them out. But they're pretty proud. Go, Pheromosa!" Ron said.

Pheromosa entered the field with one hand on its hip, looking haughtily at the Eevee in front of it.

"An Ultra Beast, huh? I didn't expect they could be caught already. But we won't lose. Eevee, Swift!" Ilima called out.

"Eevee!" With a flick of its tail, countless energy stars shot toward Pheromosa.

"Swift, counterattack," Ron responded.

The energy stars collided mid-air and dispersed. A few remaining stars struck Eevee. Ilima commented, "Just as I thought—Ron, your Pokémon are extremely powerful in every aspect. You prefer overwhelming force. Quick Attack to dodge, then Baby-Doll Eyes."

Ron was well aware that his cheat-enhanced Pokémon stats crushed normal ones, which meant he rarely had to think about strategy—just brute force. But that didn't mean he lacked skill; he simply hadn't met worthy opponents yet. His current issue was being stronger than most Gym challengers but not strong enough for the Elite Four—a frustrating middle ground for training tactics.

"Bounce," Ron said.

Eevee dodged Swift with Quick Attack and sent a charming Baby-Doll Eyes at Pheromosa. Pheromosa's long legs pushed off the ground, launching it high into the air, then came crashing down with a flying kick toward Eevee.

"Eevee, let's try this move—Extreme Evoboost!" Ilima declared.

He struck the Z-Move pose. Eight beams of energy converged onto Eevee as Ilima shouted, "Last Resort!"

Eevee cried out, releasing a massive energy star upward toward Pheromosa. The impact exploded mid-air, sending a shockwave that flipped Pheromosa backward. It spun a few times before landing gracefully, its expression no longer arrogant but serious.

"Alright, let's call it a draw."

Ron recalled Pheromosa.

"No, I lost," Ilima said as he recalled Eevee. "I have no moves that can take down Pheromosa. If we continued, I'd definitely lose. You really are a champion. I, who only made it to the Top 16, still have a long way to go."