A day passed since Moon's Grand Trial. There was heavy tension in Kukui's house. To cope with her frustration, Moon gathered numerous blankets and pillows and held herself upstairs, wrapped up in a small pillow and blanket fort. A bit childish, but it was her way of keeping people out. Not even her Pikachu was allowed it, and it poked the pillows a few times with a concerned look. "Pii…."
"…" Moon didn't say anything. "Sorry, Pikachu…I want to be alone right now."
"Pi…" Moon's Pikachu frowned. It then looked up, noticing that Rowlet had taken a perch on top of the little fort and fell asleep. It was worried about Moon as well.
Burnet looked up to the second floor concerned. "She's been like that since she came home yesterday. I didn't want to pry, but I don't want to leave her like this. Did something happen?"
Ash, Lana, Mallow, Sopocholes, and Kiawe visited to check on Moon, and it was just as bad as they thought. "Yeah…" Ash sighed, thinking back to yesterday. Moon's victory against Hala was such a great celebration until she yelled at Lillie. That's when all the progress they had been making with her backfired.
"Her time around Lillie ended up having both a negative and positive effect on her-roto," Rotom explained. "It all stemmed from how much she misses home."
"It was hard to watch." Mallow rubbed her cheek. "One second she was happy and the next it all turned on its head."
"I see…" Burnet let out a quiet sigh. It all made sense. At the end of the day, Moon was a young girl who was far away from home. While everyone was familiar to Moon, the opposite was not true. Even though Ash and his friends were trying, it was difficult to ultimately get through to her.
"I feel bad for her." Kukui adjusted his hat. "I wonder if there's anything we can do to make her feel at home. While she's here, I want her to know that we'll treat her like family. At the same time, that might be the problem." It was a precarious situation with no clear solution. They just had to take their time with Moon and wait for her to open up on her own terms…which was hard when she took 2 steps forward, then reclined with 4 steps back. But no one blamed her for this. They understood.
"What do we do, then?" Lana asked. "I don't want to leave her like this."
"Should we try to cheer her up?" Sophocles asked.
"I'll try talking to her." Burnet offered a smile, climbing up the ladder to speak to Moon. "Hey, Moon?"
"….Hm?" Moon mumbled. It was a response, but a quiet one.
"Are you okay?" Burnet's tone was soft. In this situation she was likely the only one who could approach Moon and talk to her.
"Not really…" Moon replied.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Burnet took a seat next to Moon's little fort.
"…I miss home." Moon said. "And I said some mean things because of it…"
"And you feel bad about it?" Burnet asked gently.
"Mhm. A little…" Moon gave a nod.
"Maybe you just need some time to yourself. Whenever you're ready to talk, I'll be here to listen, okay?" Not wishing to press the issue too far, Burnet simply gave Moon a smile and went back downstairs. "I think it's best we leave her be for the time now." She told Kukui and Ash. "Sometimes a girl just needs her space."
Kukui smiled, trusting his wife on this matter. "Okay."
"All right." Ash nodded. This was just something Moon needed a little time to adjust to, but he was certain she'd be all right.
"I think we just have to be there when she needs us to be." Kiawe said, crossing his arms. "We haven't known her for very long, but I feel like we've seen enough to know how determined and strong she can be."
"She'll be okay." Ash said firmly.
That just left Lillie…
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Lillie was at home in her room, lying on her bed. The events of yesterday continued to play in her head nonstop. She was aware of what she was doing, but she didn't think it would get that bad. Snowy and Magearna were trying their best to cheer her up and she acknowledged their efforts, but it wasn't enough. "Was I being selfish?" Lillie wasn't sure anymore. She did want to help Moon, but she unintentionally did more harm than good.
It was at that moment that Lusamine gently knocked on the door. "Lillie, it's me."
Lillie sat up, surprised to see her mother here. "Oh, Mother…what are you doing here?"
"I had a feeling something was wrong, so I came to check on you." Lusamine then walked in and sat on Lillie's bed, giving a soft smile. "What happened?"
Lillie tucked her knees close to her chest, staring out the window. "I think I hurt Moon. I was just trying to help her feel at home and I truly wanted to support her, but…she ended up yelling at me yesterday. I think I just made her miss home and her Lillie even more."
Lusamine placed a hand on her daughter's back after listening to her story. "It's not an easy situation to deal with for anyone. To be trapped in a world that reminds you so much of home, but isn't your home, must be very hard on Moon. Moon and the other you must be exceptionally close. You are probably the most difficult thing she has to deal with. You're such a kind girl, Lillie, for wanting to help Moon. But you were only thinking of the good, weren't you?"
"I was…" Lillie admitted.
"There was nothing wrong with that, but you need to be more careful in the future. Even if Moon is upset at you, I have no doubt that she wants to get closer to you as well. You just need to give her a little time and space. She'll come to you when she's ready."
"How do you know…?" Lillie looked up to her mother.
"She put herself in harm's way just to keep you safe. Even after learning the truth, I saw the way she looked at you. I think she's just unsure how to approach you, but she'll figure it out in time." Lusamine reassured Lillie. "In the end, I think your effect on her is positive."
"Mother…" That made Lillie feel a lot better. Without thinking much about it, she embraced her mother in a hug. "Thank you."
This made Lusamine's eyes sparkle. It was rare for her to be the one receiving a hug, but this overbearing mother would take it and run far away. Arms coiled around Lillie tightly and she was making the most of this hug. "Ahh! My dear Lillie!"
Lillie's eyes widened and her face paled. Lusamine's grip was very, very tight. "A-Ack…Mother…too tight…can't breathe…"
Gladion was outside Lillie's room, leaning against the wall while listening to the events going on. He was going to go in, but opted out since Lusamine seemed like the best person to talk to Lillie. That and he'd rather not have to deal with Lusamine's Vice-Grip of a hug. That was one family thing he'd gladly pass on. "…."
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Back in the beach house with Marcus and the others, Takeba was pacing back and forth. "Oh…my plan so backfired."
"Yeah, what did you think would happen?!" Elizabeth pinched the bridge of her nose. "I told you it was going to end badly. You were shoving the biggest sore spot in Moon's face and you thought she'd take that well?"
"That's enough." Grace stepped in, nipping this argument in the bud. "There's no point in arguing about it now."
"She's right." Scott leaned against a wall, arms crossed. "The damage is done. Now we can only see if things get better or worse between Moon and Lillie. There's not much we can do now."
"Ugh…" Takeba legitimately felt bad. She only wanted to help. "One step forward, three steps back with anything I try to do."
"It's all right. If I've noticed anything, it's that Ash's friends are tough, so you don't have to worry." Marcus slung an arm around Takeba's shoulder to cheer her up. It worked a little bit.
"Moving on, Ash told me about that Team Skull grunt. You know…the one that looks like…Kasumi." Grace struggled to say that. She was clearly trying not to get her hopes up too much. "Apparently she has a scar on her cheek, too."
"Ah, her…" Marcus closed his eyes. "If only there was a way to figure out if it was her or not for sure."
"She won't give you her name but she doesn't look the same. If it is Kasumi, I wonder what happened…" Elizabeth mumbled.
"UGGGH! Smart people are so stupid." Takeba placed her hands on her hips. "You have her Dragonite. So if you run into her again, just make sure to call out Dragonite. It would recognize its own trainer, wouldn't it?"
Silence.
"You're a genius." Marcus said.
"Don't inflate her like that." Elizabeth immediately said. "Even if she's not…wrong."
.
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In Team Rocket's current base of operations in Alola, Jessie, James, and Meowth were currently on the line with Giovanni and his secretary, Matori. Matori was staring at the trio, and while James and Meowth held neutral expressions, there was a glare on Jessie as she stared a hole into the woman she deemed her rival. "We've called for an update." Matori said. "Along with some questions."
"Questions, huh?" Jessie lifted a brow, barely holding back whatever snide remark was on the tip of her tongue. "Is this about it being time to return to HQ, soon?"
"There is that," Matori said, adjusting her glasses. "But I want to know if you've heard anything about Team Rocket members causing trouble in Alola the other day. Giovanni wants to know what you were trying to accomplish."
"Eh?" Meowth blinked. "Whaddya talkin' about?"
"We haven't done anything." James said. Well…excluding the battle in Lush Jungle, they haven't done much to draw attention to themselves. "All we've done recently is test out the new capsule system."
"Wait a sec…" Jessie remembered something that Takeba said the other day. "That pink twerp mentioned something about Rainbow Rocket. Is that a new division we weren't told about!?" Was Giovanni keeping them out of the loop!?
"There is only Team Rocket." Giovanni said, petting the Persian sitting on his lap. "I don't know anything about this…Rainbow Rocket. But I do know one thing." With a snap of his fingers, a brief video played of the events the other day: Team Rainbow Rocket members crawling out of the woodwork, causing trouble on Melemele. "These imposters are attempting to sully the name of Team Rocket and I will not stand for it. So your mission, when you see them, is to destroy them."
"Yes, sir!" The Rocket Trio saluted.
"We will investigate this fake Team Rocket!" Meowth said.
"Good. I trust you'll be able to handle it. I expect a full report in the future." Giovanni said. With the new mission given, the call cut off.
"…How did we miss that fake Team Rocket going around?" James asked the others.
"No clue." Jessie shrugged. "But if they think they can impersonate us and get away with it, they have another thing coming!"
.
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Ula Ula Island. Police officer Nanu was relaxing in his small police station along with his many, many Alolan Meowths. That was when he got a phone call and reluctantly answered. "Nanu speaking."
"Hello, Nanu." The one on the other line was Giovanni. He was quite busy today.
"Ah, Giovanni." Nanu's expression grew a bit more serious and he sat up in his chair. "What are you calling for this time?"
"I've heard that there's trouble going on in Alola." Giovanni stated simply.
"Yuuuup." Nanu then reclined in his chair just as fast. "Some trouble going on in Melemele the other day. I was also told by a police friend that the Chiper Organization is making a comeback, if that's what you wanted to know."
"So the rumors are true." Giovanni chuckled faintly. "They will not last very long. Their previous attempt was snuffed out after all. This is nothing more than the weak embers from before attempting to rage on."
"Well, as far as I know, it's not on my island, so I can't say I care." Nanu's approach to this was as lazy as ever. So long as it didn't involve UlaUla, this Kahuna could ultimately care less about what was happening. But if he was needed, then he would step in. Right now, that just didn't seem likely. "Is that all you wanted to call about?"
"Tell me about Team Rainbow Rocket." Giovanni's request was more of a demand.
Nanu shrugged. "There's another Team Rocket aside from yours? Wouldn't know anything about that."
"I see. So they must be from another world, just as the Radiant One. Very well, that's all I needed to know." Without so much as a goodbye, Giovanni hung up.
"Man…" Nanu let out a quiet sigh. If anything, that phone call was a warning to him that things were about to get messy. "Guess I'll have to get serious soon…" What a pain, but it was his duty, so he'd do it.
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The dreary area of Po Town, also known as Team Skull's base. The grunts of Team Skull were messing around as usually. K sat away from the others, looking for a replacement scarf since she lost hers in Verdant Cavern. "Ugh, those stupid trainers."
"They sure gave you a run for yer money, huh?" Tupp said.
"Shut up. You guys lost. I could've still fought." K shot back. "But it was best to cut our loses."
"At least was able to put up a fight." Plumeria said, her dislike for Tupp and his gang showing. The older sister figure of Team Skull then gave K a spare scarf. "Tryin' to hide that scar, right?"
"Yeah…" K nodded, giving Plumeria a faint smile, wrapping the scarf around her face. "Alola's Champion and those other people. They make my head hurt. I don't know why. Do I know them…?"
"If it's your amnesia, you shouldn't be thinkin' about it too hard." Plumeria replied. "I heard it just makes your head hurt."
"I guess you're right." K sighed. "Thanks."
"So, I got a question." Rapp leaned in close to K. "Why's one eye of yours green and the other red? And where did that scar come from."
This prompted K to call out her Toxapex, which immediately pinned Rapp down to the ground. "You can't just ask someone those questions out of the blue! Ugh. We may be ruffians but we aren't savages.
From the top of the staircase, Guzma watched the shenanigans happening with Team Skull. To think he was about to disband this bunch of misfits. A slight smirk curled onto his lips before he decided to leave them all be. "Heh…"
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In an undisclosed location, Ein was still hard at work. He was aware that at the moment, there was only so much he could do on his own, for they were severely lacking the manpower they needed for his plans to come to fruition. "I think it's time to enact the first phase of our plan." The scientist said.
"I don't think we're gonna be able to enact anything with this four-person manpower we've got." Trudely scratched the back of his head.
Ein sneered at such an idiotic response. "I am aware of that, you buffoon. That is precisely why we need more manpower."
"And what's the idea in your brain, Ein?" Miror B asked, sliding from left to right. He truly just could not sit still, even for a second.
"We'll need to execute a swift assault on the prison that is holding our fellow admins captive." Ein stated firmly. Trudely and Folly were shocked that this was Ein's go-to plan, but Miror B just laughed.
"Always shooting for the stars, going above and beyond! Now that's a groove I can get behind!" Miror B said gleefully.
"Are you two insane!?" Folly asked. "Boss, can't you see the problem with this? If we go back there we might get arrested! Then everything we've done will be for nothing!"
"He's right!" Trudely gave his two cents. "Isn't there an easier way that doesn't put us at risk like that?" He did not want to go to jail a second time!
"That is risk of the plan." Ein admitted. One false step and everything they worked for in secret would fall apart before it could begin. "However, this is a gamble that we must take. If we do not, we will be sitting in this dead end, and I refuse to stop making progress. I already have a list in mind of who we should rescue."
"Boys, you have to place a bit more faith in Ein." Miror B said with a slight chuckle. That chuckle only terrified Trudely and Folly since only they understood the true meaning behind it. "He's been the brains of Cipher for quite a while. If he's got a plan, then you should already know that it's a solid one."
"I'm glad you see things my way, Miror B. You've truly matured in our time apart and your eyes can see greatness when it's standing right in front of you." Ein stood up from his seat, grabbing the Z-ring he was using as focus in his research. "There's no point in delaying things. They won't expect an assault on their front doorstep, which gives us the advantage for a quick rescue mission. Now then Gentlemen, we have some companions to rescue."
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Next Time: Prison Break.
