The room was a little heavy after Faba's poor wording. Telling Moon that she didn't exist was the worst way to go about telling her she wasn't from their world. Naturally she didn't take it well and ran out the room on the verge of tears with Lillie chasing after her. Elizabeth was on the verge of punching Faba. He meant well in telling the truth, but he was bad at it. "Ugh…" Elizabeth pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Faba meant well." Lusamine said. She understood that Faba took it upon himself to do the job of informing Moon of the truth, but he did a little too well of a job.
"I think she would have responded better if you left out the part where she didn't exist." Mallow huffed. There was no use getting mad over it now, but she was still upset Faba used such cruel wording!
"This whole other world business kind of goes over my head." Takeba scratched her head. "Ash has a thing from another world, Moon is from another world…those Team Rocket people must be from another world because they were after her. How many worlds are there!? I thought there was just one!" Naturally, the idea of alternate realities was not something a normal person would be exposed to or be expected to accept that easily.
"This information isn't something that the general populous is aware of." Faba stated, his gaze shifting around to see if the others would yell at him again. He seemed to be in the clear for the time being so he continued. "Ultra Wormholes lead to an incalculable amount of worlds. The Ultra Beasts we've seen are only a fraction of what these places have to offer."
"Uhhh…." Takeba's eyes started spinning, steam coming out of her ears from trying to think about it.
"In short, there are a lot of worlds, some of which are parallel to our own." Wicke said. "In Moon's case, it seems as though her world has had similar events play out compared to ours."
"Which means that Lillie and a few other others do exist where she's from." Kiawe stroked his chin in thought. "And she said she completed the Island Challenge, which must be true as well."
"Another incident with an Ultra Wormhole…" Gladion mumbled. This situation reminded him too much about the incident concerning his father, Mohn.
"No wonder she was so confused." Lana crossed her arms. "She doesn't have her memory, but everything around her looks and feels the same…even the people are the same. I feel bad…"
"Me too…" Sophocles nodded in agreement. With the truth about Moon out in the open, it was hard not to feel bad for the girl. Lost in a home faraway from home. "Is there a chance we can help her get back home?"
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Grace crossed her arms. "The Team Rocket of that world was after her. If she's this far away from home with people on her tail, who knows how her Alola is faring. Furthermore, I wouldn't feel right sending an amnesiac back when she's got a target on her back."
"I agree." Lusamine said. "Not only would it be dangerous sending her home in her condition, but there's also the issue that we might not be able to."
"You…might not be able to?" Ash asked. "But that's…"
"Bad? I know." Lusamine rested her hands on her desk. "Based on the Ultra Wormholes that opened up on Melemele earlier, they were temporary. We won't be able to open them up." Which was generally how they managed to return Ultra Beasts back to their own world.
"That's an issue…" Ash stroked his chin. If they couldn't open up the Ultra Wormholes from their side, that effectively meant that Moon was stuck here.
"Moon is a rare case of an actual person falling through an Ultra Wormhole into another world." Lusamine explained to everyone. "She is what we call a Faller. Faller's give of a signature that is very similar to an Ultra Wormhole, so Ultra Beasts are attracted to them. They can't tell the difference between a Faller and a Wormhole, so they assume they are one and the same." She didn't think she needed to say why this was an issue.
"So that's why Naganadel kept giving Moon strange looks." It was all coming together for Ash. "It won't attack her, will it?"
"If it hasn't then you have no need to worry." Wicke offered a slight smile. "But it is concerning. I wonder what could have happened to that girl to whisk her so far away from home…?"
"Furthermore…" Scott was finally adding his piece in. "That Team Rocket. They mentioned that they would be unable to make another attempt for some time. I can only infer that the devices they are using must be devices from this Foundation, yes? I understand that this is an assumption, but I have a strong feeling that something has happened to the Aether Foundation in Moon's Alola if they can travel to this world almost freely."
Scott made a good point. One that Faba had to investigate using the equipment they had here. "I see. If anything that means the power source for the machines they used must be limited. Now if I can determine how much time we have before another attempt…"
"Hey, maybe he is good for something." Elizabeth nudged Gladion, who didn't seem too particular pleased. "…Tough kid, huh."
.
.
Lillie was running right after Moon. Luckily Moon didn't get too far ahead; it seemed like she knew where she wanted to go. Moon was sitting outside on the ground, her arms wrapped around her knees as she tried to take in what Faba had told her. Pichu was desperately trying to comfort her, but it wasn't doing much good. Lillie was at a crossroads now, but decided to see if Moon was all right. "Moon…?"
Moon didn't respond at first. She wiped away her tears so no one could see her cry, and then stared out at the ocean. "I don't exist to you, do I?"
"…!" Lillie's eyes widened. She wasn't prepared for that statement and had trouble finding the right words. After what Moon told her earlier, Lillie realized that this probably hit Moon a lot harder than it looked. And Lillie was the only one who knew this. "N-No, that's not it at all!"
"I'm sorry, Lillie." Moon let out a dry laugh while rubbing Pichu's head. "I should've realized it sooner, but I was too dazed to really catch on, even though the signs were all right there. You called me Mizuki because you didn't know my name. You have a Z-ring, a Pokémon…you're a little different than the Lillie I knew, but everything about you is also the same. You two were so alike and she was the only thing I could remember, so I attached to you immediately. Even though I talked and acted like we knew each other for ages, you've only really known me for a few days. That must have been terribly awkward for you, putting up with me like this. This girl that you don't even know."
"Moon, it's not like that…" Lillie shook her head. She chose not to confirm how awkward it really was, since she knew that would make Moon feel worse. "Even if we haven't known each other for very long, that doesn't mean we aren't friends!"
"…." Moon didn't respond to that immediately. "Lillie...did you pretend like you knew me to avoid hurting me?"
"…I did." Lillie admitted, glancing away. "I'm sorry. You sounded so fond of the Lillie you know, and so sad at the same time. I didn't want to take away the one thing you could remember."
"…That sounds like something you'd do. Thanks." Moon replied. "You two really are so similar, it's no wonder I got confused. Even if you're slightly different, you're still the same Lillie. Ah…well, no, that's not quite right."
Lillie took a seat next to Moon, glancing at her with a smile. If anything, her presence was keeping Moon's spirits up. "I was worried how you'd take this news. I've known for a while that you weren't from here…right when you showed me that picture."
"Yeah, I guess that would tip you off…" Moon sighed. "Despite my initial gripes about Alola, it's become my home. When I woke up I didn't think anything was off, but the more time I spent here, the more I started to notice. I knew in the back of my mind that I didn't belong here…that I didn't have a place here in Alola." It was a very alienating experience. "There was you and I had a bit of hope that it was all wrong, but you weren't the person I thought. So that only made things worse for the each of us. I can't remember who I am, what I am, or where I even came from. I could be a terrible person for all I know."
"Moon…That's not" Lillie wanted to say something. She wanted to say that Moon did have a place, say that she could find one with her, but, well…those words likely wouldn't mean anything coming from her too. So all Lillie could do was stay silent. She couldn't imagine how it felt for Moon. So far away from everything she knew; her friends, potentially pokemon, and even her own family.
Moon had nothing more to say. "…"The air between the two was now even more awkward with the misunderstanding being cleared. Lillie wasn't sure how to approach Moon, and Moon wasn't sure how to approach Lillie now knowing she was a different person.
"When I was little, I had a terrible experience with an Ultra Beast." Lillie started. This caused Moon to turn curiously, facing her for the first time since they started talking. "A Nihilego grabbed me and it was very frightening, but Silvally saved me. But…my memories of that day were locked away tight. It was so traumatizing, I grew a fear of Pokémon. I couldn't even touch them without freezing up and I had no idea why."
Moon blinked several times, genuinely interested in Lillie's story. "When did that change?"
Lillie held up Snowy's Pokeball, calling forth the Alolan Vulpix. It happily nuzzled into Lillie's arms. "I hatched Snowy from an egg. It still took me a while to feel comfortable touching it, but I couldn't imagine what I'd do without Snowy, or Ash and the others. They've helped me so much. They helped me rescue my mother when she was taken by Ultra Beast, and it's because of them that my family has recovered. I owe them so much and I'm very grateful for all they've done."
"Wow…" Moon seemed both awed and a little upset. This Lillie had come a long way in a different, yet similar way than her own. "That's different from my Lill-, er, the Lillie I know."
"How so?" Lillie tilted her head. She'd heard a little bit, but Moon didn't quite go into the full details before they were interrupted. "Tell me about her."
Moon nodded slowly. "Like I said, you two are the same personality wise. She was always there supporting me during my island challenge." She then paused. "Watching Lusamine here, well…she seemed much more loving and caring to you." Moon said and that put a pit in Lillie's stomach. "The Lillie I know ran away from home with Nebby, because she was worried what Lusamine would do. Lusamine was obsessed with her research, with Ultra Beasts. Both Lillie and Gladion ran away and went in separate directions. I supported Lillie's decisions to stand against her mother, who had gone off the deep end. You seem like such a happy family, but what I saw was the opposite. Lusamine only came around after the danger and she got terribly sick."
Lillie's eyes widened. This sounded like an awful alternative to the events that took place with her. "That's…"
"But there was supposedly a way to help her. My mind's a little fuzzy still, but after a big night with everyone from Alola, I told Lillie that I'd do anything I can to help her, that she can always lean on me." Moon's hazel gaze turned away. "I wonder if she didn't believe in me enough, because I wasn't strong enough to save Lusamine before she got sick. Because the next day, she nearly left Alola without saying goodbye."
"Ah…" The other her left? Lillie's green eyes carefully watched Moon's expression fall.
"I managed to catch up to her, but the goodbye wasn't…what I wanted…" Moon dug into her bag, pulling out a Clefairy Doll. "She let me have this as a memento. I cherish it, but…I never got to tell her what I wanted to say."
"What did you want to say?" Lillie asked, her gaze slowly going to the doll. She caught Moon sleeping with it during the night at Kukui's house, but never had the chance to inquire about it.
"I wanted to tell you—er, her, that I…" Moon shook her head. "I…forgot…"
Lillie knew what that meant. Moon didn't want to say it, and how could she be blamed? How awkward would it be, telling what's probably cherished words to someone that looks like, but isn't the person you know? "I'm sure you'll remember." But it did bother Lillie a bit…why would the other her leave without saying goodbye? As much as it would sadden her, Lillie planned to say goodbye to her friends when her own journey started. If she and the other Lillie were so similar, why couldn't she wrap her head around this decision?
"Well, I guess that's enough moping about it…" Moon stood up and stretched. "Being sad won't change the fact I don't exist here."
Lillie also stood up, Snowy in her arms. It was clear Moon was trying to put on a brave face despite making that claim so casually. So Lillie just wanted to support her. "The others are probably worried about you. Are you okay?"
"Not really." Moon admitted while beginning to walk back to Lusamine's office, Pichu propped on her shoulder. "But I don't want to drag you guys down. So I'll go back. I'll try not to be too much of a burden."
Again, not too much Lillie could say to that. It was like Moon was intentionally putting up a wall between them now, as to not get the Lillie's mixed up with each other. This only made it difficult for Lillie to interact with Moon, much to her dismay. Lille started to walk, staring down at Snowy who was also concerned. "I'm worried about her. I want to tell her she's not alone, but I'm not sure how I can do that. I think anything that comes from me might do more harm than good now…"
.
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Next Time: The Shadow Initiative.
