A girl ran down the hallway, bag clutched tight to her chest. She pressed herself to the wall at the edge of an intersection, and then she held her breath.

“...are inconclusive. We still don't know the mechanics behind...”

The conversation passed her by; the two scientists moved on without becoming aware of her presence. She easily slipped behind them and continued to head down the corridor. Thankfully, she had long since memorized the layout of this place.

In almost no time at all, she found the heavy, metal door she was looking for. A quick entry of a code she had seen over her mother’s shoulder, and the girl squeezed inside before ensuring the door closed behind her.

“Nebby!” Lillie said happily, though she made sure to keep her voice down. Within the white, sterile walls of this empty room, a small Pokémon floated in the air to approach her as she crouched and brought her bag to the floor.

“I managed to sneak over more of the toys I used to play with when I was young. It must be so lonely to be here all the time, all alone. Don't worry, Nebby. I’m here now. I'll make sure you have as much fun as you want!”

The Pokémon on the floor was a living ball of fluff, almost appearing like space dust condensed into a physical form. It was colored purple and blue with two smaller puffballs coming off of its central head. There was a tiredness to its yellow eyes, but it still smiled at Lillie, regardless. Nebby, the Cosmog, bounced over to Lillie’s sound and let out several happy noises as she began to retrieve the promised toys out of her bag.

They played. Lillie brought out a ball to bounce off the walls. She included a few stuffed Pokétoys to give Nebby things to chase and snuggle into. She had a mechanical, plastic toy that had a string that, when pulled, caused it to spin and fly into the air before gently drifting back down. Nebby loved that one the most. It resembled an ancient version of Lilligant with extra large leaves for hands that gave it the air resistance needed to linger in the air longer than it should have.

“I have a few more, but those are my brother’s,” Lillie whispered, bringing out a few more toys and placing them on the ground. “They’re mostly action figures and dolls, so I’m not sure if—”

A beep interrupted her. The metal door to this room started to split open. Given that this was an empty space without any amenities at all, Lillie had nowhere to hide before a group of people stepped into the room and froze.

A masked Aether Foundation employee stepped to the side nervously and looked away. Another behind them backed out of the door to make room for the person who they were leading to enter. There, a woman with stiff, long hair the same color blonde as Lillie’s entered the room. She was tall, and sharp green eyes stared down at where Lillie crouched on the floor next to Nebby. Lillie instinctually stood up and did her best not to slouch.

“Lillie,” the woman said.

“...Mother,” Lillie replied.

It took only a second for Lusamine to take in the entire room. She said nothing for a long time—which made it all the more worse for Lillie—before the Aether Foundation President finally spoke.

“...Come with me,” Lusamine said. Her stern voice made it clear there was no room for argument.

Years of conditioning ensured Lillie followed. Her mother turned abruptly and didn’t even check if Lillie obeyed. She began to walk out of the room, and Lillie paused only briefly in the doorway. The two Aether Foundation scientists were already gathering up the toys Lillie brought, and Lillie did her best to try to give Nebby a reassuring smile before she was gone.

It broke her heart to see just how downcast he looked. Lillie didn’t want to leave him alone, but she definitely could not go against her mother’s orders.

Heels clicked loudly against the hallways’ tiled floors as Lusamine led Lillie away. The silence was like a dagger that pressed into Lillie the longer it went on. Lillie wasn’t supposed to be with Nebby, and she wasn’t supposed to be in these hallways. Despite all of her trips down, being found out like this was probably the worst way for her “escapades” to be revealed.

“Do you remember what I told you about that one?” Lusamine's voice rang out in the corridor.

“To leave him alone?” Lillie said meekly.

“It’s more than that. The Pokémon is sick. We’re taking care of it. I do not want you or the Pokémon to get hurt in an entirely unavoidable manner.”

Lillie's gaze dropped to the floor. She couldn’t stop her slouch from coming back in full force as she reflexively shrunk in on herself.

“I'm sorry,” Lillie whispered. “He just looked so lonely.”

Her mother stopped walking. Lillie did as well.

“I understand,” the woman said. “You’re a kind girl. Look at me.”

Lillie did.

Lusamine was now right in front of her, looking down at Lillie with a gaze as lovingly as a mother’s.

“Lillie, dearest, why does the Aether Foundation do what it does?”

“To help Pokémon,” Lillie said softly.

“So why do we have that Pokémon here?”

“...To help it,” Lillie whispered back.

“Exactly.” A hand was brought up to caress Lillie's cheek. “You're such a smart girl. That Pokémon is not to be bothered. That's why I need you to leave it alone. Yes?”

“Yes, Mother.”

A finger tapped Lillie on the nose as Lusamine smiled.

“Good girl. Return home. I'll have my chefs make your favorite tonight.”

Lillie nodded as Lusamine returned back down the way they had come. Likely, her mother wanted Lillie to return immediately, but...

She pulled the bag hanging off her shoulder closer to her side. With her mother having disappeared, the commanding presence had disappeared with her, and Lillie now had the focus to realize the bag felt lighter than before.

Instead of continuing to head back to the elevator, Lillie froze.

“The toys!” she whispered loudly.

Her mother had been reasonably upset when Gladion had left a while back. Almost all of his belongings had been put away, out of sight where Lusamine didn’t have to think about them. Those action figures were some of the few things Lillie had left of him, and she wasn’t sure what the Aether Scientists would do now that she’d left them all behind.

Lillie hesitated. She did not lift a foot to start the path back home.

“...Mom will understand if I gather them up before I return, right?”

No one was around to speak against that idea, and while some small part of her brain was screaming that she had to do what her mother said, Lillie didn't want to pass up this opportunity to give Nebby a goodbye. Leaving and disappearing like this didn’t feel right—Lillie needed to part on better terms. Given that Lusamine was gone, Lillie turned and ran, making sure her footsteps were soft enough to not alert any of the patrolling guards.

She never found the toys. Instead, she found something else.

Once more, Lillie pushed herself against a wall. This time, no conversation alerted her of another's presence, but there was the sound of wheels as something rolled down the corridor. She took a peek out to see what it was, but her next breath caught in her throat at the sight as she almost revealed her hidden position.

Nebby.

He was being pushed away on a cart, trapped inside a too-small cage.

Why are they treating him like that? Nebby would never act out! This is completely undeserved!

Lillie unconsciously tugged at her white dress. It was an outfit her mother had chosen specifically for her. Feeling the fabric against her skin reminded Lillie that her mother had specifically told her not to get involved, but seeing Nebby’s condition, she just couldn't let this pass.

She wasn't sure how she managed to do it, but Lillie somehow managed to convince herself to follow the researcher bringing Nebby away.

Hallway after hallway, the cart was pushed on, bringing Nebby into the true depths of Aether Paradise. The constant sound of rolling wheels were the only guide as Lillie was led deeper than she'd ever gone before.

The ding of an elevator marked the cart heading to the lower levels, and there wasn't a second elevator for Lillie to continue to chase. Her heart pounded in her chest as she found a staircase that led down, instead. It took entering the same code she had retrieved from her mother to open the door so she could head down.

The descent was long, and every footstep echoed. The repetitive spiral of the staircase made the floors blend together. There were a few she could have entered, but Lillie didn't check them. There was something cold in the pit of her stomach that told Lillie Nebby only had one possible destination—the absolute lowest level of this facility.

She arrived soon enough.

The sound of the rolling wheels were gone, and the elevator had already closed. The only noise was the constant hum of electricity from the devices likely spread throughout this floor. For some reason, the lights felt dimmer, too. There were no intersections in the path ahead or any curves. There was only a single hallway that led to a single entrance.

Lillie continued forward.

Crouching behind the opening door, Lillie just barely managed to stay out of view as that same Aether Foundation scientist pushed an empty cart outwards. There was enough of an opening for Lillie to slip inside behind her, and she moved to hide behind a machinery-laden desk. This room was filled to the brim with countless devices that she could not understand, and a one-way glass mirror looked into a room with an even larger example of these machines.

“Experiment round... forty-two. Method seventeen of Ultra Wormhole induction. This time, we'll be using a much higher frequency than normal. If it doesn't work, we'll double it again and resume from there.”

Lillie wasn’t alone in here. Two people stared into the room divided from this one by glass and another door. For some reason, Lusamine was here, and next to her, there was the skeevy head of the Aether Foundation’s research branch—Faba. Lillie didn’t like being around him, but according to her mother, he did good work.

“For this attempt, I posit we’ll actually see a visible reaction,” Faba said into a small recording device in his hand. “I’m confident Ultra Wormhole creation is stress-induced, and this machine should ensure—”

“Enough, Faba,” Lusamine said. “Your notes are your notes. Do not waste my time.”

“O-of course, President! I’m just waiting to make sure the machines are primed!”

Lillie could practically hear the smarmy smile that was likely plastered on Faba's face.

She crept forward a bit more as the two adults were too focused on the impending experiment to glance anywhere else. The desk provided ample cover for her to lean out and properly look past the glass. She got a better view of the machine, taking in the many lights and metal coils that riddled its surface. However, at the center of the machine, a Pokémon was stuck against it in metal clasps.

Nebby.

Lillie was forced to slap her hand to her mouth, covering up a gasp that would have likely been too loud. She had to pull back to hide once more as her mother turned around, but the woman seemed to not care about the faint, muffled noise.

Too many thoughts were running through Lillie’s head.

...They brought Nebby here?

...What is that machine?

...What did he mean by stress-induced?!

She felt like she was shaking. Her heart was thundering in her chest. From the other side of the pile of obscuring machinery, Lillie heard Faba say, “There we go,” and there was a click before everything flashed white.

They were sending some kind of energy straight into Nebby. The glass barrier kept the room silent, but the way he shook told Lillie that this “experiment” was in no way pleasant.

“It's not working,” Lusamine said flatly.

“I know,” Faba grunted. “Give it a moment. Science takes more than just one attempt.”

Lilllie wasn’t able to act without exposing her position. She desperately wanted to cry out and beg for them to stop this, but she knew what their mother was like, and she knew what the results would be. Never before had Lillie felt so helpless. Every second that passed was a stab to Lillie’s heart.

It felt like an hour passed, but it was only half a minute. There was no further reaction from Nebby as the machine finally turned off. Faba clicked his tongue in disappointment and pressed a few buttons to make that ever-present humming stop. Lillie could just barely make out the sound of him grumbling as her mother let out a sigh.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“Don't—!” Faba immediately stopped himself from yelling. “Don't worry yet, Miss President! We know this Pokémon can form Ultra Wormholes. We just need to see one proper example of such in order to progress our research. You expect results? I will give you results! I won't just double the energy next time, I'll... I'll triple it! Quadruple it, even! Believe me, this machine will work!”

A long moment passed. Lillie desperately prayed for her mother to admonish Faba and command him to release Nebby from his restraints.

She didn’t.

“I expect you to succeed,” Lusamine said emotionlessly. “More people are relying on your success for this than you think. More importantly, I am relying on your success for this. We do this for a reason, Faba. You know our goals. It may not be pleasant, but I cannot tolerate continued failures if your chosen avenue proves to be unsuccessful.”

The sound of her mother’s heels against the floor became the only sound in the room. Faba stuttered something before chasing after the Aether Foundation President. Lillie was forced to duck down to not reveal her position as the two adults left the room. She waited a moment to ensure they were actually gone, and then she emerged from her hiding spot and approached the glass. She pressed a hand to it as she stared at where Nebby hung there, slack.

“I can’t let this continue,” she whispered.

Once again, Lillie wasn’t sure why she was doing this, but a sense of duty filled her heart. She dashed over to the connecting door and entered the code to break into the experimental room. She paid the buzzing machines no mind as she ran all the way up to Nebby. Her arms were thin and lacked muscle, but that didn’t stop her from grabbing at his clasps in an attempt to help him escape.

“I’m. Getting. You. Out. Of. Here!” Lillie panted as she tugged.

Nebby slowly creaked open his eyes. He looked absolutely exhausted, but he still managed to send Lillie a smile.

Her heart practically shattered into pieces at the sight.

Fueled by a growing sense of duty, Lillie pulled even tighter. One clasp popped out, then the second. The two pieces of metal clattered to the floor, releasing Nebby’s pair of protruding puffs and freeing him from the machine. The Pokémon fell into Lillie’s arms.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

Lillie pressed her face into his head.

Nebby made cooing sounds that were almost apologetic. That made Lillie hold him even tighter.

“My mom is probably going to be back at any moment. I can’t let her find us. I can probably slip out when they return, but before that...”

She needed a place to hide, and she needed a way to hide Nebby as she traveled through the building. She would get him out of here, “sickness” or not. Whatever the Aether Foundation was doing, they were not treating him. They were using Nebby for something else entirely.

“Alright. I can do this,” she said, reassuring herself before taking a deep breath. “No, we can do this, Nebby. I can’t bring you in a box—that’s too suspicious—and I know Pokéballs don’t really work on you. If I consider that, then...”

She hummed. Lillie looked down. Seeing something she brought with her, Lillie realized she had the perfect way to help Nebby out.

So, for the first time, Lillie uttered a sentence she would find herself repeating many times in the future.

“Nebby,” Lillie said. “Get in the bag.”

----------------------------------------

Thankfully, it seemed Lusamine and Faba took the elevator upwards, giving Lillie plenty of time to climb the staircase back to the upper floors. It took a while to get all of the way up, and she was panting by the time she had reached the top. However, all it took was for her to take several deep breaths and to straighten out her dress to have the guards not pay her any mind as she exited into the corridors.

After all, Lillie lived here with her mother, the Aether Foundation president. If she walked through these hallways as if she belonged, there wasn’t any reason for an Aether Foundation employee to stop her.

Yet—

“Excuse me? Miss...” one started as Lillie moved past.

“Don't worry. I'm on my way back home!” Lillie lied with a smile.

While there was a mansion built on this artificial island, her current destination was the docks. There, she would be able to find a boat, and with a boat, she would have a way out of here.

Several more steps brought her forward as two uniformed Aether Foundation members turned back around. The pair of them paid neither Lillie nor her unassuming bag any mind. She genuinely thought she had got away, until—

A jingle. The classic ring of the intercom echoed down the hallway.

“Hello. This is President Lusamine. It seems my daughter has fallen victim to a manipulative Pokémon. Would someone please collect both of them for me? Unharmed, preferably.”

The same jingle marked the end of the announcement, and Lillie nervously turned back only to see the two Aether Foundation employees now staring at her with a bewildered expression on their faces.

“Can I... Can you pretend you didn’t see me?”

The way her bag shook as Nebby shifted around didn’t do anything to help her plea.

“Rockruff!”

“Yungoos!”

“Don’t let her get away!”

Lillie yelped and immediately ran as two Pokémon were sent out after her. Rockruff, a canine Pokémon, was quick to catch up and speed past her, and the Yungoos snarled at Lillie from behind.

“Please, miss. We don’t want to hurt you!” one of the two guards called out.

“Just come with us, and we’ll make sure everything goes well, alright?” the other said.

The Rockruff skidded to a halt in front of Lillie and blocked her path. She clutched the strap of her bag as Nebby wiggled around inside. Behind her, the Yungoos snapped its teeth at Lillie and stopped her from taking any more steps back. Cold sweat dripped down her back as the two Pokémon approached. Despite her upbringing, Lillie always found it difficult to be around most Pokémon. Nebby and a few sick individuals she had taken care of had been the few exceptions.

“Please,” one of the employees repeated. “We need to bring you back to your mother.”

“You can’t! She’s not treating him—she’s hurting him! There’s no manipulative Pokémon! I’m trying to bring him away to help him!”

The pair of employees exchanged a look, and Lillie knew she had no chance. Glancing over her shoulder to the waiting Rockruff, she realized there was only one thing she could do.

Just don’t think about it too hard, okay Lillie?

She took a deep breath, and then she didn’t wait. To the shock of both the Rockruff and the Aether Foundation employees, Lillie ran forward and leaped through the air. The Rockruff was only as tall as the average puppy, after all, so its head wasn’t very high. There was a full inch of clearance as Lillie sailed over its head and to the other side.

When she opened her eyes, the Rockruff was not in front of her, and her feet impacted the ground hard as she landed. It took a moment to stabilize herself without falling, but the group behind her was too shocked to give immediate chase. Given she had jumped over the Pokémon, Lillie now had a lead to run down the hallway. Though, the Aether Foundation members resumed running after her only second later.

“Get her!” they yelled.

Lillie was already running as fast as she could down the hall.

She turned one corner. And then another. Shouts repeatedly came behind her as she desperately continued forward.

“Over here! This way!” a familiar voice shouted.

Lillie turned her head to expect to see another guard pointing her out, but, instead, she saw a woman waving and pointing down a hallway Lillie hadn’t gone into. She almost slowed, but she couldn’t allow herself to. The woman saw Lillie looking before winking at her with a smile.

“Quickly! She’s not that far away!” the woman shouted.

Lillie left Wicke behind, only able to give her a quiet thanks under her breath.

No longer running but instead moving quietly, Lillie shifted her advance to be much more stealthy as she searched for a way out. The docks were now no longer an option, as they had been completely sealed off by the Aether Foundation employees keeping watch and searching the place. Pressed for options, Lillie did something desperate—she headed to the biome on the top floor.

I’ll have to hide there and wait this all out, or I can sneak onto a helicopter to escape. The Aether Foundation is constantly bringing Pokémon in and out of Alola’s islands. It’s my only other chance to bring Nebby away.

Several close calls later, she just barely made it to the sealed environment built on the roof of this artificial island. An entire jungle forest had been set up here, but as Lillie looked through its trees, she realized it was designed to be sparse so that none of the Pokémon could hide too well within.

This part of her plan failed before it had the chance to begin. Lillie at least had the backup plan of taking a helicopter, so she began to creep over the walkways within the biome, trying to use the white color of her dress to blend in with the white railings and tiles.

Around her, almost disconnected from everything else going on, rehabilitated Pokémon ran around and played. They chased one another and napped under the trees. The glass roof provided plenty of sun for them to enjoy.

Why couldn’t Nebby have stayed up here? Why did they have to keep him in a room by himself?

More and more doubts about the situation built in Lillie’s mind. This place turned out to be less guarded than others, as, after all, why would Lillie go here if she could only escape by air? She desperately hoped that this time around, her plan would be successful. Unfortunately, it all came crashing to a halt when a voice spoke up behind her.

“Lillie.”

Lillie went completely and utterly still as the same voice said her name.

“Why did you do that?” it continued.

All the color drained from Lillie’s face as she stood up and turned around. Her mother stared directly at her, a disappointed look in her eyes.

“M-mom. How did you find me?”

“Psychic Types are able to detect others’ minds. You should know this,” Lusamine chided.

Behind the President of the Aether Foundation, Faba had just the smuggest of grins. He had a Hypno in front of him that Lillie purposefully did not look at just in case. The Pokémon was exceptionally good at hypnotizing people, after all.

“Now then, since we’ve managed to track you down, you’ll end this little tantrum, right?”

“W-what?”

Lusamine sent Lillie a sad smile.

“This has all been a great misunderstanding,” the woman said. “That Pokémon you have—I told you that it’s sick. You found it in its treatment room, that’s all. It may seem cruel, but everything we do is in its best interests. Everything we do is in everyone’s best interests.”

Liliie bit her tongue. She wanted to shout in denial, but her mother sounded so genuine. Lusamine was the one to create the Aether Foundation in the first place, and the Aether Foundation was an organization dedicated to helping Pokémon. It took a kind heart to create something like that.

“B-but... I saw what you were doing. He was in pain,” Lillie said.

“He will be in more pain if he goes untreated,” Lusamine easily lied.

And Lillie knew that was a lie. There was nothing about what they had said in that basement that told her they were trying to treat him.

“N-no,” Lillie said. “I won’t let you take him.”

Surprise washed over both her and Lusamine’s faces. Lillie looked down, and she found her hands clenched into fists. The zipper of her bag was open slightly, and she saw Nebby staring up at her with unreadable eyes.

In that moment, Lillie reaffirmed her dedication. She grabbed the strap of her bag and pulled it tighter against her chest. Her stomach twisted and churned into knots, but she still stared her mother in her eyes.

She would save Nebby, no matter what her mother said.

“Excuse me, President?” Faba interjected with a whisper. “You won’t let this one get away, yes? Your son might have taken a failed experiment with him, but this one actually holds potential.”

Lusamine ignored him.

“Lillie, sweetie,” the Aether Foundation President said, “come here.”

“No.”

One of the woman’s eyes twitched.

“Come here,” Lusamine repeated.

Lillie shook her head, and then she finally turned and ran.

“I’m sorry!” she shouted.

Truthfully, she wasn’t entirely sure who she was saying that to.

From there, the events proceeded as expected. Lillie ran down the biome’s walkways in an attempt to escape approaching guards. They chased her down, found her, and cornered her right at an intersection. With nowhere to go, she thought that was it, but then her bag glowed, Nebby let out a shout, and the pair of them were brought somewhere entirely new.

When Lillie next woke up, she could barely make out the sight of a white-haired woman dropping some kind of device before rushing over in a panic.

----------------------------------------

----------------------------------------

“...Professor Burnet made sure Nebby and I were all healed up and took care of us for a while after that,” Lillie said, finishing her story. “I went to Kukui’s soon after, and then I heard stuff from Alex, and then I started my Pokémon journey.”

The entire garden was silent. No one had a proper way to react to the story she had just told.

Gladion ended up turning his head away. Elio, on the bench, was openly gaping. Hope cursed out Lusamine under her breath as she stood next to me, and as for Guzma and Plumeria...

“That’s messed up,” Plumeria said.

Guzma did not look away from Lillie. The man stared at the relatively unassuming girl with a new understanding in his eyes.

“Guzma,” I said. “There's a reason Lillie told you all of this. Lusamine might seem like she means well, but under the surface, it's all a big manipulation. Please. Trust us. We don’t blame you for what happened. Lusamine... She needs to be stopped.”

A short growl escaped Guzma’s throat, and he squatted down, frustrated. His fingers poked at the earth.

“I don't wanna believe it. Don't have a reason to. But...”

He pulled a chunk of dirt up. Clumps slipped through his fingers as he watched it all fall. After a moment, he shook the remains off and stood back up, a nasty snarl on his face. For a second, I was worried, but his gaze quickly snapped to where a certain two members of his team were recovering after our match.

“Red! White!” he shouted, scowling. “Before you two joined me. Before... Lusamine sent you over. You have a good time? With the Aether Foundation?”

Buzzwole and Pheromosa were injured, but they were rapidly healing. The rate at which their injuries were fading away honestly made the threat of Ultra Beasts bump up a few levels in my mind. Despite that, when their trainer asked them that question, both Pokémon winced as if visibly struck.

Pheromosa forced itself to look away, refusing to make eye contact with Guzma. As for the Buzzwole, the muscled Pokémon quite literally deflated; the bulging muscle-sacs on its body seemed to all shrink ever so slightly.

“...I see,” Guzma said. He turned around and faced away, arching his back to stare up at the sky. The sun bore down on us, a completely cloudless sky hanging in the air above us.

The man stared for a long time before suddenly starting to violently scratch and tear at his hair.

“Guzma! What's your problem!?” he shouted. “Why are you letting the exact kind of people you hate mess with you like this?!”

He screamed out of frustration. Lillie took a nervous step back. At his side, Plumeria merely shook her head, as if this outburst was only merely mildly exasperating.

Guzma faced us once more once he was done. He crossed his arms, annoyed.

“Don't know why I believe y’all, but I do. So your offer of Gym Leadership was legit?”

I cautiously nodded my head.

“Yes. Gym Leaders need a strong team and the proper mindset. Honestly, you might not have the right mindset, but Team Skull has to be loyal to you for a reason,” I replied. “Your team is strong, too. You’re at least halfway there.”

He snarled, but it was quickly replaced by a slight frown he fought to keep under control.

“Team Skull. I promised to protect them. But after everything, I—”

He was interrupted by Plumeria punching him in the shoulder. Hard.

“Wake up, you big idiot!” The Poison Type specialist yelled as she scowled. “That witch manipulated everyone around her! It's not on you, but her!”

Guzma rubbed his arm.

“So what? I still—”

“Doesn't matter,” Plumeria interrupted. “Don't think about what she made you do. Think about what you got out of her. The relationship went both ways, right?”

Guzma gave her a feral grin.

“She helped our boys stay out of trouble, slid over extra cash, and sent me Red and White in the end,” he replied. “Honestly, can't be too unhappy with that. All I gave her in return was a bit of meaningless information and a few basic jobs here and there.”

Wow. I knew Lusamine was supporting Team Skull, but not to that extent.

I wasn't able to dwell on that thought before Guzma snapped his gaze my way.

“Guzma’s a big enough man to recognize when he’s messed up,” he said. “I might be destruction incarnate, but sometimes you gotta break things down before you can build them back up. So, screw it. Your stories convinced me. Lusamine’s more messed up than I thought. What's the plan?”

I blinked.

“Excuse me?”

“You just said Lusamine needed to be stopped.” Plumeria crossed her arms. “You might be an idiot, but surely you have a plan. What do we need to do?”

“I, uh...”

I looked around. Everyone was staring. Guzma, Plumeria, Hope, Gladion, Lillie, and even Elio were all now looking to me for guidance.

Even more, the Pokémon were staring, too. Kartana was facing me. Guzma’s Ultra Beasts were facing me. Ribombee buzzed over and landed on my shoulder, but he, too, was facing me.

I let out a long sigh and rubbed the side of my head.

“Ah, fine. Whatever. I guess I have some ideas in mind.”

Hope pumped a fist.

“Yes! Go Team Anti-Aether!” she cheered. Several others joined in.

It took all my effort to not put my face into my hands.

“So what are we doing?” Guzma repeated with a growl.

“Get stronger, as a first step,” I replied. “If Lusamine was able to send you a pair of Ultra Beasts, Guzma, then she probably has a lot more. We have to make sure our Pokémon are ready for tough fights, and we have to make sure we can actually fight back. Not just that...”

I almost stopped myself before continuing, but I managed to push through and spit out this step of the plan.

“If we have to, we should try to catch Ultra Beasts ourselves. It’d be risky, but given what we’re facing—”

“Oh, yeah. That reminds me,” Hope interrupted. “Kartana! Catch!”

She reached into her pocket and brought out the Beast Ball I had passed her way, given to her by Professor Burnet. It grew to full size and sailed through the air before Karrana reflexively smacked it with the flat part of its blade. The friendly Ultra Beast was immediately sucked in with a flash of light, and only a few seconds passed before the ball clicked with a ding.

“I had a feeling he wouldn't put up a fight. If he was willing to fight under me in the battle, then...” Hope shrugged to complete her statement. Lillie just giggled and quietly congratulated Hope on the catch.

“I feel like I’m having an aneurysm,” I mumbled.

I continued to rub my head.

“I know we can get more for the rest of you, but I only have one more on me,” I said. “Gladion—”

“Silvally was designed as an anti Ultra Beast weapon. We don't need one.”

I blinked again.

“Okay, then. If everyone here is going along with us...” No one denied me. “Here, catch.”

The best choice to receive this was obvious, and Elio’s eyes went wide. The protagonist from the games was quick to snatch the Beast Ball out of the air. He stared at me with a surprised look on his face; he had seen Hope catch Kartana, an Ultra Beast, so he knew what these balls could do. I had effectively given a boy I barely knew a way to catch an exceedingly strong Pokémon. To say he was in shock was an understatement.

Gladion and Lillie both seem to know and trust him, and the way he fought through most of Guzma’s team means he’s strong. I know I’m probably still relying on my game knowledge a bit too much here, but I know he’s likely reliable. At least a potential Ultra Beast on his team will be a power boost we desperately need.

“What about you, Alex? Are you going to catch any Ultra Beasts?” Lillie asked.

“No. I’m going to train my team to fight them on their own.”

Hope let out a low whistle, but there was a glint in her eyes that told me she’d strive to do the same. I might not have had any Pokémon of equivalent strength to Kartana, but with a bit of proper planning and training, we were guaranteed to catch up.

“Gonna have to tell Lusamine I lost if we want to keep this on the down low, then,” Guzma said. “That's a big ask to get me to lie for you right away.”

“Is it?”

“Guzma’s got a reputation,” he said with a grin. “I don’t lose.”

You were about to.

I didn’t say that out loud, though.

More plans were discussed and shared after that, mostly going into detail about what we knew. I wasn’t sure how I managed to turn this fight into a recruitment pitch, but Lusamine was planning something, and everyone was going along.

“Stay low, and don’t let Lusamine find out what we’re planning,” I asked. “Go about your normal business and prepare everything you can.”

“Anything else, oh magnanimous Boss?” Plumeria asked.

I rolled my eyes at her sarcastic tone. She was actively glaring at me, but she had still chosen to actively participate. I didn’t like her, and she didn’t like me. As much as we had that shared scorn, we despised Lusamine even more, so we could at least work together for now.

“I think that’s it, but...” I bit my tongue. “I have my own task I need to do. Arguably, it’s the most important.”

“And what’s that?” Lillie asked.

I simply smiled.

“I’m going to make a few phone calls, I think. In a situation like this, it's best if I called in a few favors, and I have a lot of them."