Terrance wandered aimlessly through the Vast Poni Canyon on foot.
Every place here that appeared to reflect a trace of history, Terrance patiently documented together with the Rotom Pokédex.
What Terrance didn't expect was that the Pokémon here were extremely combative and physically powerful.
This, however, made Terrance extremely happy—it meant Arcanine could go through a large number of battles.
Gigalith... Hakamo-o... Crawdaunt... Gyarados... Golduck... a swarm of Golbat... Lycanroc... Mienfoo... Skarmory... Machoke... Sableye… Before coming here, Terrance had no idea that such a wide variety of Pokémon lived here.
Among them were even some rather rare Pokémon. If this were the Kanto Region, they would've long since been captured by Trainers. Just the sheer variety and number of wild Pokémon here made Terrance admire how Alola manages its wild habitats.
"Could this have something to do with Alola not having a Pokémon League?"
Terrance wondered to himself. Along the way, Arcanine had battled quite a few Pokémon, but none of them had been enough to truly satisfy it—they were just warm-ups.
The Altar of the Sunne and the Altar of the Moone were located in the far reaches of Vast Poni Canyon. Terrance estimated there was still some distance left to cover. But just after Arcanine defeated Hakamo-o, a massive figure appeared before Terrance!
"Oh my god, Roto, what a huge Kommo-o!!" The Rotom Pokédex flew around in shock, before finally calming down: "Totem Pokémon?"
"That must be it." Terrance said with a smile.
A typical Kommo-o was only about 1.6 meters tall, but this one—this one was too terrifying. Terrance figured it could probably crush him to death.
"Roar!!" The Pokémon, suspected to be a Totem Kommo-o, let out a loud roar at Terrance.
"When a Kommo-o senses something approaching, it clangs the scales on its tail together to signal its presence, Roto!" the Rotom Pokédex chimed in at that moment.
Terrance understood what it meant—since they hadn't heard any warning, it was obvious this Kommo-o had approached them on its own.
Looking at Arcanine, Terrance seemed pensive. Arcanine was eagerly staring at the massive creature, appearing extremely excited. Just in terms of "size," this opponent was far stronger than any they had encountered before.
What's more, the aura of this Kommo-o was incredibly intimidating. In front of it, Totem Raticate probably wouldn't even have the courage to challenge it!
"Kommo-o, did you come because Arcanine defeated that Hakamo-o earlier?"
Terrance shouted.
Upon hearing that, Kommo-o first shook its head, then nodded.
But even with just those simple gestures, Terrance understood what it meant. He looked at Arcanine and said, "No need to say more—let's battle."
"Another battle, Roto~~" Rotom Pokédex covered its face.
Immediately after, Rotom Pokédex's expression turned serious as it warned Terrance: "Its punches are incredibly strong. An uppercut from below can send its opponent flying high into the sky—that's one of Kommo-o's most powerful moves. And the force from its arm swings can even alter the terrain around it."
Terrance chuckled and shook his head. "Compared to what's written about Tyranitar, this is nothing."
Rotom Pokédex froze for a second before saying, "Unable to comprehend…"
Faced with such a powerful opponent, Rotom Pokédex instinctively issued a warning, fulfilling its role as a partial Pokédex. But it seemed like Terrance didn't feel any tension at all in the face of danger.
Arcanine stepped forward and locked eyes with Kommo-o. Just as Terrance had predicted, the two Pokémon didn't waste time with words—they leapt into a fierce battle right away!
In that moment, the earth shook and the mountains trembled!
…
…
Seafolk Village, Pokémon Center.
Terrance brought Arcanine to the Pokémon Center for treatment. After the battle with Kommo-o, Arcanine was seriously injured—so much so that even Nurse Joy scolded Terrance.
Although the injuries were severe, they were pretty routine for Arcanine. Thanks to its excellent self-healing ability and regular treatment, there would be no lasting damage. Unfortunately, Nurse Joy at the Seafolk Village's Pokémon Center didn't know about the special condition of Terrance's Arcanine.
"That Kommo-o's strength…"
Terrance held Arcanine's Poké Ball, looking genuinely surprised.
Strong!
If the strength of Totem Vikavolt was still within the range Terrance could comprehend, then the strength of this Totem Kommo-o truly didn't feel like that of a wild Pokémon.
Even Altaria's mother on Mt. Chimney didn't possess such powerful strength.
"The battle between Arcanine and Kommo-o wasn't part of the Island Challenge trial, so Kommo-o must have been fighting at full strength."
Kommo-o's tough scales combined both offense and defense, holding a status in Alola equivalent to Dragonite in Kanto, Salamence in Hoenn, and Garchomp in Sinnoh—exceptionally rare.
For a Pokémon like that to also possess a rare totem aura, Terrance could understand why it was so powerful.
Kommo-o evolves after Hakamo-o undergoes strict training, gaining overwhelming strength in the process. Its method of evolution is unique—afterward, it returns to the place it grew up, staying far away from Jangmo-o and silently watching over them. This behavior is instinctual for the species.
"To Kommo-o, Arcanine and I are outsiders. The direction we were heading in… must be where the Jangmo-o are gathered, right?" Terrance's heart stirred at the thought. Then he shook his head. Jangmo-o were as rare as Dratini or Larvitar, but Terrance wasn't crazy enough to try and capture an entire group of them.
"How fascinating. With so many rare Pokémon gathered here, how are there no poachers?" Terrance was surprised.
Once Arcanine had recovered, and its energy was restored, Terrance resumed his journey deeper into Vast Poni Canyon.
This time, he wasn't just heading for the Altar of the Sunne and the Altar of the Moone—he was determined to battle Kommo-o again with Arcanine!
The strength of Totem Kommo-o surpassed Arcanine, with its formidable defense and type advantage leaving Arcanine powerless.
To defeat Totem Kommo-o, Arcanine's strength would need to improve dramatically.
This time, as he entered Vast Poni Canyon, Terrance headed straight toward the Altar of the Sunne. Now that he was familiar with the route, his pace was much faster. When Terrance saw the bizarre stone pillars and the bottomless chasm ahead, he took a deep breath. The ancient and magnificent architecture before him—if he wasn't mistaken—had to be the Altar of the Sunne.
"Let's go check it out…" Terrance rode on Altaria, with Rotom Pokédex flying at his side, as they began to soar toward the central area of the altar.
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