"I had no right asking her for help that day…"
A panicked Lillie was standing at the Mahalo Trail, frantically glancing back between the bridge and the trail behind her. It only took one second of carelessness for Nebby to slip out of her bag and onto the bridge where it found itself in trouble; cowering while a trio of Spearow circled around it from above. "Nebby…!" She wanted to help, but she was too scared.
That was when an unfamiliar girl arrived; a girl about her age, maybe a year older. She had wandered up the trail only to see Lillie in a panic. Her hazel eyes held a curious and somewhat concerned stare. "Is something wrong…?"
"H-Help…!" Lillie pleaded. "N-Nebby's trapped on the bridge and I…I want to help, but I'm too scared…!" She felt so pathetic for having to admit this. She didn't have the courage herself to save Cosmog, which is why she had to ask someone. It was lucky that this girl showed up when she did, but there was no guarantee that she would even help.
The girl looked at Lillie, immediately noticing the high levels of destress on her face. She then glanced at the bridge, noticing the unfamiliar Pokémon being attacked by Spearow. "Okay, wait right here."
"H-Huh?" Lillie was taken aback. This girl was really going to help. "B-Be careful!"
"I was frightened and overwhelmed. I didn't know what else to do, but there she was, acting so brave for the sake of someone she didn't even know…"
The girl made her way onto the bridge, crouching down to shield Nebby with her body. Now that she had gotten this far, she was drawing a blank on what exactly to do next. She didn't have a Pokémon of her own so she was a sitting Ducklet against these Spearow. "Okay. You made it this far and now you don't have a plan B. Excellent work…"
Nebby was growing increasingly uncomfortable. Eventually it couldn't withstand the stress it was under and let out a cry, causing a shockwave to erupt from its body. As a result, the Spearow were frightened off, the bridge broke, and the girl was now falling towards the water with Nebby in her arms.
"AHHHH!" The girl cried out.
Lillie's eyes widened in fear at what transpired before her. "No…!"
In that moment, a streak of lightning flew by, whisking the girl and Nebby from the sky and bringing them to safety. It all happened so quickly no one realized what happened, but they were standing in the presence of Tapu Koko, the island guardian of Melemele Island. Lille and the girl were absolutely stunned. Tapu Koko left some strange black stone near the girl before flying off like nothing happened, just leaving them in awe. "…What just happened!?"
"That was Tapu Koko…" Lillie was in shock. In all of the time she spent on Melemele, she didn't even have the chance to see it once, yet it arrived to rescue this girl and Nebby in their time of need.
"Tapu…Koko…?" The girl shook her head. She seemed bewildered, but ultimately shrugged it off and handed Nebby back to Lillie. "Anyway, this is yours, right?" Nebby was pretty thankful since it recognized that the girl saved it.
"T-Thank you so much." Lillie offered a meek smile before turning her attention to Nebby. "How many times do I have to tell you to stay in the bag? You can't let people see you!" After scolding the curious Cosmog, she carefully placed it back in the bag where it belonged.
The girl sat down on the ground, letting out an exhausted sigh. "One hour into landing in Alola and I'm already falling off bridges. Mom is going to throw a fit when I tell her this."
"One hour into…you're new to Alola?" Lillie tilted her head.
"Yeah. I moved here from Kanto…" The girl said, begrudgingly. "Oh, I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Moon."
"Moon? It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Lillie!" Lillie gave a smile. "Again, thank you so much for saving Nebby! I…was too scared to move. And you rushed in to help and almost got hurt."
Moon waved a hand dismissively. "It was no big deal. Er…although, to tell you the truth. I was terrified that whole time. Heights scare me. Especially falling from them."
Lillie's green eyes widened. So this brave girl was actually terrified the whole time!? Furthermore, she was acting so casual about it. Now that she thought about it, it was incredibly reckless and made her sweat. "I'm jealous that you were able to muster up the courage to act."
"Eh?" Moon tilted her head. "My dad once told me that it's important to help people, so I just did what he told me. I didn't really think about what to do next until I got stuck."
"Ah…" Lillie started to sweat some more. This girl was…
"So reckless. So brave. I was jealous, but I admired it at the same time…"
Moon then sat up and dusted herself off, picking up that strange rock Tapu Koko left by her side. "Oh, right! The Professor was looking for you! We should go back together, okay?"
"Ah, right." Lillie nodded and followed behind Moon.
"That was the day we first met…"
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"Moon was always so full of energy. She brightened Alola just by being there."
Lillie had just finished showing Moon where the Pokémon Center was located in Hau'oli City. Next was the clothing shop, which made Lillie feel a bit apprehensive. "Say, Moon…" Lillie had to figure out how to ask this question would sounding too odd. "Do you pick out your own clothes?"
"Mhm!" Moon responded with a nod. "Have for a while now. I think what I have now is good for me." She then gestured to her red hat. "This hat is one of a kind, though. My dad made it for me when I was younger and it still fits, haha…"
"Your dad…" Lillie trailed off for several reasons; one, she thought about her own father who had gone missing when she was young; two, whenever the topic came to Moon's father, she sort of brushed aside any potential follow up questions, and three…she couldn't help but envy how independent Moon was. "I see. I still wear the clothes my mother prepared for me."
Moon held her arms behind her back, leaning in with a smile. "There's nothing wrong with that. When you're ready to step out of those clothes, it just means you've grown!"
"Moon…"
"It was so strange. She didn't know the slightest thing about what was going on with my mother or my family, but her words stuck with me for the longest time…"
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"Moon was an incredible trainer, even after she just got her first Pokémon. Before anyone knew it, she was already challenging Hala in a Grand Trial! But as strong as Moon was getting, she had one flaw that was buried deep into her psyche: self-confidence. For someone who could inspire others so easily, she had so much self-doubt and feared failure…"
Moon's Dartrix's Breakneck Blitz failed against Hala's Hariyama. The battle was growing increasingly tense but Moon's confidence crumbled. Even with her training, performing a Z-move just didn't click with her as fast as it did with others. "Ah…"
"MOON!" Lillie shouted at the top of her lungs. "YOU CAN DO IT! THIS BATTLE ISN'T OVER YET!" She honestly had no idea if her words of encouragement had any effect, but she knew how cornered Moon felt. After all Moon had done to inspire her during their time of knowing each other, Lillie felt that she had to do the same in any way she could.
"Lillie…" Moon glanced over her shoulder to glance at Lillie. The spark of confidence returned to her eyes and she nodded. "Right! Let's go, Dartrix! This fight isn't over yet!" Lillie's encouragement gave Moon the boost she needed to clear the battle and her very first Grand Trial!
By the time the battle was over, Lillie was rushing towards Moon excitedly. "Moon, you did it!" And before she knew it, she threw her arms around Moon for a hug.
Moon returned the hug, giving Lillie a soft smile. "Thanks to you. I thought I was done for up there, you know…"
"Nonsense. I just gave you a little push. Right Nebby?" Lillie glanced into the bag, where it gave a 'pew' sound in response. "I'll support you in all your endeavors, don't worry. That's what friends do, right?"
"Mhm. I'll do the same for you!" Moon said with her usual great big smile.
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"Before I knew it, I was trying to be like Moon. I wasn't a trainer myself, but sometimes I'd pretend with Nebby that we were in a battle. She caught me imitating her one time and it was really embarrassing, but she told me that I'd probably make a great trainer one day. The Professor and his wife were so kind in allowing me to stay with them after I ran away from home, but I didn't have anyone to connect with since Gladion wasn't around. I learned that Moon was the same and maybe that's why we bonded so quickly. But even then…she was always doing the most for me. No matter how much I wanted to be like her, I couldn't. All I could do was wait for her and the others to save me at Aether Paradise. Because of me, Nebby was unresponsive and hurt bad, and my mother jumped into Ultra Space. I decided that I couldn't be such a weak link anymore. I had to find my mother, tell her how I felt, and drag her back home even if she was kicking and screaming! And Moon was with me the whole way…"
The Sun Flute was given to Moon and Lillie by Gladion. In order to complete the ritual in Vast Poni Canyon, they needed to retrieve the Moon Flute. In order to do this, they needed to travel to Exeguttor Island. When they got there, however, it was night time and started to rain pretty badly. "Oh…it started to rain."
"We can't stay in this rain…" Moon glanced around, noticing a little enclave not too far away. "This way!" And that is where the pair escaped to to hide away from the rain. They managed to escape before the rain picked up even more.
There was a moment of silence as the rain fell. This spurred one of Lillie's memories. "Seeing this rain…reminds me of a time when I was little. I'd seen it in a move; a man singing and dancing in the rain. It captivated me so much that I wanted to try it for myself. My mother was shocked when she saw me and ran out into the rain without an umbrella and then…she smiled and started to dance with me. Of course we both caught colds after that. She let me sleep in her big bed with her. I was so happy I kept waking her up again and again." Lillie's reminiscent smile faded, replaced with a melancholy frown. "But then she changed and all she cared about were the Ultra Beast. Null and Nebby, they suffered so much and I couldn't do anything to save them."
Moon listened to Lillie's story while leaning against the wall. "Lillie…"
Lillie then turned to Moon. "But you know what, Moon? Whenever I feel like there's nothing I can do, you seem to show up and…you do something. Every time you've shown me that it's possible…to do something. Even the first time we met, Nebby was in danger and all I could do was look on in horror. Even at Aether Paradise, all I could do was wait for you and the others to save me…"
Moon faced Lillie with her usual smile. "It's not so one sided. When I feel like I can't do something…you're always there to tell me I can. I don't know what I'd do without you, Lillie. You're really important to me and I'll always be there for you. That's why I'm with you all the way; we're going to fix Nebby, confront your Mom, and bring her back kicking and screaming no matter what! Because whatever we do, we'll take it on together!"
"Moon…" Lillie was taken aback.
"I…!"
The both of them spoke at the same time. It seemed as if they wanted to say something but felt too awkward about it. Lillie cleared her throat and changed the subject. "What are you going to do…when your Island Challenge is over?"
"Er…I…I don't know." Moon rubbed the back of her head. "I haven't really thought about it."
"I think…I'd like to become a trainer and travel with you, Moon." Lillie said.
"….Lillie…I…I'd like that a lot." Moon had a pink tint on her cheeks. Right after that, the rain slowly began to let up.
"Ah!" Lillie ran outside into the clear skies, where a rainbow was now overhead. "I guess there are some good omens, wouldn't you say?"
"Everything only went up from that moment. We found the Moon Flute and travelled to Vast Poni Canyon, where Nebby revealed its true power and became Lunala. We were able to rescue my mother and bring her back home…and Moon just continued to get stronger and stronger from that point on. I wanted to travel with her, but there was no hiding the fact that we were so far apart in ability…"
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Fast forward to the present day. Aether Paradise was taken over by Team Rainbow Rocket. Lillie and Lusamine were barely able to escape Giovanni's clutches thanks to the estranged scientist Colress and former Team Skull leader, Guzma. With the Paradise loss, they had no choice but to hide away at Moon's home. Hau and Professor Kukui were already there, anxiously waiting their return for better or worse. It was all over the news, so when Lillie and Lusamine arrived, Moon's mother was understandably worried. "Oh, Lillie! Lusamine…where's Moon?"
Lillie immediately looked away, clenching a hand into a fist. There were tears in the corners of her eyes; she had been trying not to cry this entire time but was on the verge of collapsing. "I'm….I'm sorry…"
"What happened!?" Hau asked.
"She threw herself in harm's way to protect me…to protect Alola. She was thrown into an Ultra Wormhole that leads to who knows where!" Lillie choked out. "If it wasn't for her, Mother and I wouldn't have been able to escape when things got dangerous. I wasn't…strong enough to help her at all. All I did was get in the way!"
"That girl was entirely too reckless!" Lusamine scoffed. "Along with her went Team Rainbow Rocket's only true way to expand their influence beyond Alola…"
"It was thanks to that that we were able to escape, Mother!" Lillie shouted in her fit of anger. "So you should be thankful instead of criticizing her actions!" Even after all this time, their relationship wasn't great. It was healing, but an incident like this was no help to it.
"Now let's calm down…" Kukui tried to ease the situation.
Lusamine looked away. "…I didn't mean it like that. I'm thankful for everything Moon's done, I just…" Lillie didn't want to hear anymore and scurried off into Moon's room, slamming the door behind her.
"Moon…" Moon's mother was understandably distraught. More so than anyone could understand.
"So what do we do next?" Hau asked. "We have to stop Rainbow Rocket before they do anything else!"
"He's right." Kukui crossed his arms. "But the Aether Paradise is on complete lockdown now. The Island Kahunas and Elite 4 are preparing do what they can to take the fight to Team Rainbow Rocket. I don't know if we can rely on the Island Guardians just yet…it might not have reached the point where they feel they have to be involved. Hopefully we can avoid that as well."
"That kid did cripple most of Rainbow Rocket before she was ejected out…" Guzma did not read the room at all. "So we can crush the rest of 'em!"
"Not so fast, Guzma." Lusamine shook her head. "We can't just walk in there. At worst they've probably recovered a sizeable force, even though Moon did remove those Admins from our world. But Giovanni is still a threat. I don't know what Pokémon he had on him lying in wait, but it was extremely powerful. He and Moon were in the midst of their battle before things turned sour. If we walk into the Paradise unprepared, it could be the end." It pained Lusamine to say this. Aether was everything to her; it was where she met her husband and where her life truly began. To have it wretched out of her hands…. "If Gladion weren't on his own journey, we'd have more fire power…"
"So we're just supposed to sit here and look cute until they decide they wanna do something!?" Guzma groaned. "That ain't my style!"
Lillie sat on the bed, all kinds of frustrated with herself. "All I did was get in the way." It was a horrible memory that stuck in her mind. She pulled out the Sun Flute from her bag, letting out a heavy sigh. "I wanted to catch up to you, but all I did was hold you back and you got hurt because of me…" She then held out a Pokeball, staring into it intently. "Nebby…what should I do?"
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"I wanted to get stronger. Watching Moon inspired me. She became so strong; the strongest Trainer in all of Alola. The whole region celebrated her victory and milestone in its history. I knew I couldn't be like her the way I was now. I had two things I needed to do: I had to go to help my mother recover from the illness the Ultra Beast left her with and I had to become a trainer. And yet…"
Lillie stood at the dock, waiting for her boat to arrive. It was early in the morning so she thought she could get away with sneaking off. It felt like forever and she was growing anxious. Kukui was the only one seeing her off. "You know, Lillie. Kanto's is a long way away from here. Try to not let the jet lag hit you too hard." He then shook his head. "Burnet's, well…she said she'd be too sad to go. She wouldn't even come out with me. I know it's a lot to ask, but please forgive her this one time, all right?"
"Lillie!" The voices that called out to her were Hau and Moon.
Darn it. She wasn't able to leave fast enough. Lillie faced her two friends with a sad smile. "Hi…"
"W-Were you really just going to up and leave without saying anything!?" Hau was panting for air. Between running to Moon's house to tell her the news, and sprinting with her back to the dock, he was understandably winded.
"I'm sorry." Lillie said. "This is already hard enough, but I've decided that I'm going to Kanto. I heard there's someone there who could help my mother…and then I'm going to become a trainer. I'm going to meet all kinds of Pokémon and travel around like we did for your Island Challenge! Of course I'm sad to leave Alola, but I have to do this."
"….." Moon didn't say a word. While she tried to keep a straight face, one could see her emotions slipping through. "So this is what you were hiding from me…you were going to leave and not say anything…?"
"…." Lillie glanced away. "Moon, I…it's not…" This was precisely what she was trying to avoid. Shaking her head, she handed a Clefairy Doll to Moon. "H-Here. I want you to have this. I know it's a little worn, but that's because it's my most treasured possession."
Moon accepted the doll, wrapping her arms around it. "Lillie…you can't go. I…" A horn blared, cutting Moon off. The ship was here and it was time to go.
"I…I have to go now. B-Bye, Moon." Lillie flashed a quick, somber smile before hurrying onto the boat. Not only did she try to leave without saying goodbye, but that goodbye was utterly awful and she knew it. She did wave as Kukui and Hau waved her off, but she saw Moon not moving.
"…." Moon coiled her arms around the doll as she watched Lillie leave her behind. "I thought we were supposed to do everything together…? Was I not good enough…?" For the first time in a long time, Moon started to cry, clutching onto the doll Lillie left behind.
Even from this distance, Lillie could see it. It made her heart sink and she was glad that she was only moving farther away. "…I'm sorry, Moon…"
"I had so many things I wanted to say, but I just…couldn't."
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Months passed. Mother was finally cured from her illness and we were able to return to Alola. Gladion had taken over Aether during that time, but when we returned, Mother returned to her position and Gladion went on his own journey. Moon was really busy those days, but I tried to surprise her."
Moon was fast asleep in. The last few days were running her to exhaustion and she finally had a break. The sleeping girl cuddled with the Clefairy Doll since it helped her sleep. "Zzz…" There was a knock on her door, causing her to stir. She didn't want to wake and up and just grumbled. "I'm not awake…"
Lillie crept around the corner, staring at Moon. "Are you sure?"
That voiced caused Moon to lift her head up. She was groggy and her vision was adjusting but… "Lillie…? Am I dreaming again?"
Lillie shook her head. "No, you're not. I'm back, Moon."
"I…welcome back." Moon rubbed her arm. Of course she was excited to see Lillie, but she wasn't exactly over their awkward farewell. This reunion wasn't going the way she expected. She had rushed to hug Lillie in her dreams numerous times, but now that it was actually happening…
"….." Lille felt the same way. Things were not going as she hoped, even though she knew she was entirely to blame. "I'm not going away again, I promise. Mother is better and I even became a trainer. I'd really like to battle you soon, Moon. So you can see how far I've come."
"Oh, I…I'd like that soon." Moon flashed a tired smile. "Nebby's missed you too. I guess we have a lot to catch up on…I'd like to hear about your journey…"
"It didn't feel the same. I realized that as soon as I saw her again. The feelings were still there, but we just couldn't communicate the same like before."
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"And then that horrid day arrived. The day Team Rainbow Rocket invaded Alola. Ultra Wormholes opened all over Aether and they took over so fast. It was all Faba's fault. Moon and I beat some sense into him later, but we had to save Mother and the others from this attack. We had help from Guzma of all people…well, Moon had help. I was only able to help a little bit. Moon did most of the work. That scary man Ghetsis took me hostage after he lost…I'd never seen Moon look so angry before. Was it at me for holding her back? I talked so much about wanting to become stronger, but in the end, I wasn't able to do anything. That man Colress helped us out and we were able to reach the leader of Team Rainbow Rocket…"
Giovanni. "I've never had a child like you stand up to me before. They've all fallen. What do you hope to accomplish?" Giovanni's Nidoking was in fierce combat with Moon's Decidueye. "I will expand my Empire beyond this world and further beyond.
"I'm not letting you invade my home for your own personal gain!" Moon exclaimed.
"You may have defeated the others, but you should know that I'm far above them. No one else had the leadership to unite them under a single roof." When in truth, Giovanni was just letting the do as they please under his banner.
While Moon and Giovanni were battling, Lillie rushed over to Lusamine to shake her awake. "Mother…! Mother wake up!"
"Nng…" Lusamine groaned. "What happened?"
"Aether was attacked! But we have to help Moon somehow!" Lillie said.
Lusamine snapped out of her grogginess, looking around before noticing the machine that Faba had left on. "That machine! If we remove the key it will shut down. They won't be able to reliably open Ultra Wormholes." And effectively it would put a wrench in Giovanni's plans.
"Okay!" Lillie then rushed over to the machine. It was fairly simple to take the key out, but as she did, there was a chain reaction and as luck would have it, an Ultra Wormhole opened up a few yards to her left. It was already drawing her in and she didn't have much to hold onto. "Ah…!"
"Lillie!" Lusamine cried out.
"Huh!?" Moon snapped away from the battle instantly, eyes wide at what she was looking at. "Lillie!" And without thinking, she immediately ran towards Lillie to try and save her.
Giovanni turned, eyes narrowing as Lillie attempted to throw a wrench in his schemes. He wouldn't be thwarted by a child! "Nidoking. Flamethrower." This was aimed right at Lillie. Giovanni didn't care who or what was in his path, he'd stomp them out all the same.
There was hardly any time to act. Lillie could only stare wide eyed at the attack coming her way. But that was when Moon used her body to shield her! The flamethrower hit Moon directly in the back, causing her to cry out in pain. "M-MOON…!?"
That hurt a lot. There was steam coming from Moon's back and she nearly passed out on the spot, but as she fell, she held Lillie's hand, taking the key from her. "I told you…I'd…protect you…right…?" As Moon's vision started to fade, she managed to throw a Pokeball out, calling forth Lunala. "Nebby…Decidueye…keep her safe…" She passed out, now falling to the pull of the Ultra Wormhole.
Of course Lillie wasn't just going to let this happen. She forced herself up, rushing after Moon with a hand extended. That Wormhole led to who knows where. There was a strong chance Moon wouldn't come back if she went through it! "NO!" Lillie reached out to grab Moon, but she was too late. She grazed Moon's fingertips with her own and the girl fell through the hole, which led to it closing. "…!"
Giovanni sucked his teeth in annoyance. "A minor setback. We'll deal with these two."
That's when Lunala let out a fierce cry, holding its wings out to resemble a full moon. Nebby released a full powered Moongeist Beam that sliced through a section of Aether Paradise, causing a large explosion that shook the island facility. The damage wasn't appreciated but it did serve as a suitable distraction. There was smoke everywhere and someone could've been injured. "W-We have to go…" Lillie choked.
"Don't let them escape!" Giovanni commanded. He couldn't allow anyone to think that they could just interfere with his plans and get away with it.
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"How pathetic can I be?" Lillie's mind couldn't erase those events. She thought she was strong enough to be helpful, but in the end, she just brought trouble and got Moon hurt. "All I did was get in the way…."
Lusamine quietly opened the door. She wasn't sure how to approach Lillie, but she knew she had to do something. "…She wouldn't want you to beat yourself over this. She protected you of her own volition."
"I wanted to get strong so I could protect her." Lillie's head lowered. "But instead, I got her hurt. I haven't…gotten stronger at all."
"That…isn't true." Lusamine shook her head. "You've grown, Lillie. I know that and you know that. Even if you two were in a rough patch, she still put herself at risk as usual to help you. Because of that, you were able to help us escape and plan another fight."
"But I…" Lillie frowned. "She could be…"
"Can you honestly tell me that you think she's not okay?" Lusamine placed her hands on her hips. "That girl can do the impossible. Even if she's in a rough situation, she's always made it out. She wouldn't want us to worry about her too much and you know that."
Lillie did know that to be true. At the end of the day, Moon was strong. Just as strong as Lillie wanted to be. "It's not…impossible." Lillie mumbled. "She's always done something even when it looks like nothing can be done. I…That's the kind of strength I've always wanted! I don't think winning against Team Rocket is impossible!"
Lusamine held a slight smile. "That's why we have one chance to make this count. Knowing Moon, she's probably doing all she can to get back home and fight with us again."
"We have the strength to do something." Lillie looked out the window. She did believe that Moon was all right somewhere. "Don't worry, Moon. We'll hold and fight…and when you get home, you'll have a safe Alola to return to, I promise. I'll do everything in my power to ensure that I can welcome you home when a smile. And then…I'll make sure that we can go back to how we used to be."
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Next Time: Debriefing.
** This is the cumulative 100th chapter of the Pokémon Series I've been writing! It's a nice milestone and I want to thank you all for your support and reading! Hope you continue to enjoy the story as the action will soon begin to pickup!
