The power of the Ancient Gods originates from a type of energy found in legendary Pokémon that have survived from ancient times until today.
Unlike Divine Power, which is an innate energy possessed by legendary Pokémon themselves and cannot be given to other Pokémon, the power of the Ancient Gods is different; it is a magical power related to time.
Legend has it that this power originated from the oldest Pokémon, Arceus, while others say it stems from the accumulation of time, and only Pokémon that have experienced the passage of time possess this magical power.
It is said that Ho-Oh used this magical power when it resurrected the Legendary Beasts, which is why the three beasts were able to directly advance to Legendary Pokémon after their revival. Of course, this is merely a legend, and the facts cannot be verified.
However, it is undeniable that, even today, some ordinary Pokémon have developed this ancient power due to their prolonged existence.
Some say they have seen a Dragonite dozens of meters tall in the ocean, flying so high it blocked out the sun. It is said that this Dragonite had strange patterns on its body, which were a manifestation of ancient power.
Others have seen a Tentacool on the coast evolve into a Tentacruel dozens of meters tall after devouring an ancient stone, and that Tentacruel evolved due to ancient power.
There are also those who have seen giant Jigglypuff, Gengar, and Alakazam in ancient ruins, and these Pokémon also had mysterious patterns Entanglement on their bodies.
Although people have never truly understood this power, this ancient power does exist among Pokémon, and its most direct manifestation is size.
This was not the first time Mu Li had seen this power; his Dragonite possessed this ancient power.
As the light from the four Kapu Guardians converged into a beam and shone upon Magikarp, a white light also emanated from Magikarp, as if struggling out of its body, completely enveloping Magikarp in white light.
"This is...the Light of Evolution!" Fu Peiyao exclaimed.
The white light was initially the size of a Magikarp, but the next second, it began to grow wildly, expanding from a few dozen centimeters to a light that covered the sky.
At this moment, even Tapu Fini's mist seemed to dissipate somewhat.
Just when it was thought the white light would disperse, a dragon's roar suddenly sounded, and the huge body within the white light surged again, expanding even further.
At this point, the white light seemed to have been completely consumed.
A crimson hue directly entered Mu Li and Fu Peiyao's eyes, and then, a giant dragon comparable to a skyscraper floated silently before them. Looking up, they couldn't even see its top.
"It's not a Gyarados, but a Super Gyarados!" Mu Li couldn't help but exclaim, "This power actually allowed Gyarados to bypass its limit state and evolve directly into its Mega Evolution state."
With the birth of the Super Crimson Ancient Gyarados, the four beams of light also directly dissipated.
The four Guardians also seemed to have exhausted their strength, unable to even maintain flight, and directly fell to the ground.
"Tapu Fini, are you all right?" Mu Li rushed over, worried, "Why did you have to do this? I told you I can protect myself."
Tapu Fini smiled and comforted him, "Don't worry, this power won't harm our foundation. It will just take a few years to recover, and we can stay here and slowly regain our strength."
The other three Guardians also said, "Consider it our gift to thank you for helping us find a new home."
"It's good that you're okay, it's good that you're okay." Mu Li didn't know what to say. Besides being moved, he was also a little emotional. He didn't expect Tapu Fini to worry about him so much. But even though the four Guardians said so, he knew that the energy consumed to evolve a Magikarp into this level of Super Gyarados could not be as simple as Tapu Fini said, merely requiring a few years to recover.
However, since Tapu Fini wanted to conceal it, and the matter had already occurred, he could only pretend not to know.
"Let's check on Gyarados's condition first." Tapu Fini quickly changed the subject.
Mu Li looked at the enormous Super Gyarados and could only say to Gardevoir, "Help me relay a message. Ask him if he can control the ancient power within him and transform into his normal size."
Super Gyarados struggled like it was constipated for a long time, but its size didn't shrink at all. However, at least it transformed back from its Super Gyarados state to the appearance of a regular Gyarados.
Just as Mu Li was about to say something, a white light shot directly from the deep sea, illuminating Gyarados. Gyarados seemed to understand something instantly, and its body visibly shrank.
"Was that Lugia's help? But it's still so big..." Mu Li looked at the Gyarados, which was still over ten meters tall even at its smallest, and couldn't help but complain, "Forget it, it's better than before."
The four Kapu Guardians smiled when they saw Gyarados return to its normal appearance and said, "Now it's time to say goodbye."
The three Kapu Guardians each transformed into a beam of light and flew to the islands with their respective statues. Then Tapu Fini also nodded to Mu Li and said, "Remember to come see me, okay?"
With that, she also transformed into a purple light and returned to her statue.
The mist that had enveloped the dock gradually dispersed, and four gigantic Kapu Guardian illusory figures appeared above their respective statues. The statues, which had originally faced one direction, began to rotate, and finally, all four statues turned towards the central island.
The four Guardian illusory figures gradually disappeared, and the original Kapu Islands returned to their original state.
What replaced it, however, were cheers from the people: "The Guardians are back! The Guardians are back! The Guardians are back! ..."
In the sunset, Mu Li and Fu Peiyao also rode on Gyarados, leaving this place called the New Kapu Islands.
Under the starry sky, Mu Li and Fu Peiyao sat on Lugia, swiftly flying over the sea.
"I never imagined Pokémon had such stories; it's truly touching," Fu Peiyao exclaimed.
"Indeed," Mu Li smiled, looking at the stars in the sky and lying on Lugia's back, "Every Pokémon has its own story, so they are all quite extraordinary."
"I'm more curious about your story," Fu Peiyao suddenly looked at Mu Li.
"Me? What's so curious about me?" Mu Li was a little confused.
"No, no!" Fu Peiyao said, "Those were the four Kapu Guardians! If ordinary people had the ability, they would definitely try every means to capture them, but you foolishly helped them find a new home."
Mu Li couldn't help but laugh, "My home can't afford to raise that many Pokémon. After all, I'm just a flower grower, and I can barely afford to raise the Pokémon I already have at home."
Fu Peiyao lay down beside Mu Li, looked at the sky, and said, "But I'm actually quite happy. I can feel the affection between you and Tapu Fini, but you still did that. You must love her to no end."
Mu Li laughed, "It's not that exaggerated. I just felt that she would prefer to stay there."
"Nonono!" Fu Peiyao explained, "Allowing the person you love to pursue what they love requires immense love and courage to accomplish, both for people and for Pokémon."
Mu Li smiled and said nothing.
Fu Peiyao suddenly said, "Tell me about your stories with other Pokémon, okay?"
Mu Li smiled mysteriously, "Do you remember I have a Jigglypuff? Let me tell you, when I first saw her, she..."
Before Mu Li could finish speaking, Jigglypuff leaped directly out of its Poké Ball and shoved itself completely into Mu Li's mouth.
"Wuwuwuwu!!!" Mu Li was immediately pinned to the ground, flailing and struggling.
Fu Peiyao couldn't help but laugh: "I wish time would stay a little longer."
Mu Li naturally thought the same, provided he could pull Jigglypuff out of his mouth.
However, considering the feelings of those on Slowpoke Island, Mu Li and Fu Peiyao had to rush back to Slowpoke Island before dawn.
"Another beautiful day!"
Mu Li and Fu Peiyao successfully met up with Mu Qingqing, Wang Yijia, and the crew of "I Live Alone" on the island, and the official filming began.
"What exactly did you two go do?" Mu Qingqing pulled Fu Peiyao aside and quietly asked.
Fu Peiyao smiled mysteriously and replied, "Actually, we didn't do much, just helped four lost Pokémon find their way home."
"Really?" Mu Qingqing widened her eyes, her gaze full of suspicion.
"Really." Fu Peiyao nodded seriously, "When have I ever lied to you?"
Mu Qingqing paused, then extended five fingers like green onions, muttering, "Last time you lied to me saying you were in the Imperial Capital, but you returned to the Demon Capital a day early to go on a date with Mu Li; the time before that you told me you weren't familiar with Mu Li; the time before that you told me Fresh Meat Tangyuan was delicious..."
Fu Peiyao's pretty face flushed, and she quickly covered Mu Qingqing's mouth, pretending to be fierce as she said, "You brat, do you want to die? We're still filming the show! No more talking, understand?"
Seeing Mu Qingqing nod, Fu Peiyao finally let go.
Mu Qingqing pouted and grumbled, "If I don't talk, I don't talk, hmph."
"Everything I told you was just a joke," Fu Peiyao said, seeing Mu Qingqing's pitiful expression, and couldn't help but comfort her, "But seriously, if you slander the reputation of Fresh Meat Tangyuan again, I'll be angry, okay?"
Mu Qingqing couldn't help but stick out her tongue: "Who wants to eat that kind of dark cuisine!"
Since Mu Li and Fu Peiyao had not been on the island before, the main task of the crew today was to reshoot scenes of the two strolling around the island.
However, it must be said that Slowpoke Island truly lives up to its reputation as an island built and managed by Pokémon. The island is full of ownerless Pokémon, but due to its coastal location, most of them are Water-type.
These Pokémon use pretty shells and similar items to exchange for food or energy cubes at the shops here.
Besides Pokémon, there are also many humans on the island, and many restaurants cater specifically to humans.
This brings us to the unique cuisine of Slowpoke Island.
The island's delicacies are all handmade by Slowpoke. Due to geographical restrictions, the cuisine here is mainly seafood-based, with various types of fish.
For a seafood lover like Mu Li, it was simply heavenly.
To taste all the delicacies on the island, Mu Li tried almost every snack and restaurant.
At this point, Gengar's advantage became apparent—the legendary two-dimensional stomach.
Mu Li would taste each snack, eat a few more bites if it was delicious, then share it with the others. If he couldn't finish it, he'd give it to Gengar. If it wasn't tasty, he'd only take one bite, share it even more with the others, and give the leftovers to Gengar.
Fortunately, Gengar was not picky and had excellent digestion, so it managed to endure the day's culinary onslaught.
However, after this day of hot, cold, sour, and sweet dishes, Mu Li's physical constitution was strong enough to endure it, but the other three all fell ill and started having diarrhea as soon as they returned.
Regarding this, Fu Peiyao declared, "From now on, Mu Li's right to order food will be directly revoked."