When Drifloon carried Sophocles away, Sophocles didn't panic. The first step in problem solving, after all, was to stay calm.

"Togedemaru, use Zing Zap!"

Togedemaru leaped and attacked Drifloon. The electric type move was super effective against the flying type Pokémon, but since Drifloon was holding Sophocles, he got zapped, too.

"Stop, Togedemaru!" He held onto his Pokémon. Drifloon kept floating away, farther and farther from the others. He had an idea. "Use Nuzzle!"

Nuzzle was an electric type move that was far less powerful than Zing Zap but also paralyzed the target. Unable to fly, Drifloon cried out as the wind blew them toward the ground.

Sophocles landed on his feet running but tripped on a rock and rolled. Togedemaru activated her Spiky Shield on her own, poking Sophocles's arms and a hole in the balloon Pokémon.

"Ack! Drifloon deflated!"

Togedemaru whimpered. Drifloon lay on the ground, limp and unmoving. Sophocles picked it up. "Don't worry, Drifloon, I'll fix this." He carried Drifloon toward a nearby cave and laid it on a mossy rock that could evolve an Eevee into a Leafeon. "Vikavolt, I need your light!"

Vikavolt shone a light while Sophocles got to work assembling junk and pieces of metal into a sort of bandage for Drifloon. The island was practically a dumpster, so Sophocles had no problem building something for the injured Pokémon. He added some bonus features that Drifloon might like: a compartment for berries and other snacks, a laser that would help it aim moves like Air Cutter, a prototype of a power weight that would build up its stamina when training with the stronger Totem Pokémon. He even personalized it by adding an engraving of a blocked letter X.

The project took him well past midnight, but he was proud of his creation. He held it up for Drifloon. "What do you think, Drifloon? Fantastic, am I right? Now hold still while I install it onto you..."

Drifloon didn't seem to like it at all. Its stringy arms swatted at the machine as it writhed on the mossy rock.

"Careful!" Sophocles exclaimed. He bit his lip. "I don't get it. Why don't you like it?"

It's made of metal, whispered a ghostly voice.

Sophocles whirled around, but he couldn't find the source of the voice. Was it a ghost type Pokémon? Then how could Sophocles understand it? Was it also a psychic type? The only ghost-and-psychic-type Pokémon that Sophocles knew was the legendary Lunala.

Drifloon wouldn't like something so heavy. It'd make it harder to float and carry away lost children.

Sophocles glared at the shadows. "Very funny." He cast aside the metal device and pulled out a roll of sturdy duct tape. "Okay, Drifloon, I know you like tape, so I'll just tape you back up."

Drifloon swatted away the roll of duct tape.

The voice laughed. Not that kind of tape, darling.

"But this is the best kind! It's industrial grade and works well even for machines. Not that I use it for my machines. I'm an excellent inventor. Nothing I build breaks down, no sir."

Right. Anyway, Drifloon likes masking tape. You can get it from Melemele at an excellent discount this time of night. Would you like me to go get some?

Sophocles frowned. "All the stores in Melemele are closed this late. Or early." Which reminded him it was well past his bedtime, but who would tell him to go to sleep here? Mallow and Kiawe were far away on the other end of Fifth Island, and this ghostly companion didn't seem to mind staying up late. "Do you know a place that's open?"

No. That's where the discount comes in.

"You can't steal! Stealing things is wrong. Besides, masking tape doesn't even stick properly."

Fine. If you don't want to use tape, then sew Drifloon back together. I have a needle and thread.

From the shadows, ghostly pale hands reached out to place the sewing materials on the mossy rock next to Drifloon. His hands were around the same size as Kiawe's, his fingers long and slender like Mallow's. Sophocles guessed that this ghost was around the same age as his friends.

Sophocles's chubby fingers fumbled picking up the tiny spool and the tinier needle. "I can't sew."

This isn't embroidery; you don't even need to do a cross-stitch. I'm sure Drifloon will be happy with a simple stitch job.

"I mean, I can't sew at all." He changed the tone of his voice to hide his embarrassment. "It's a silly hobby. Only girls like Mallow sew clothes for their Pokédolls and patch up their brothers' clothes."

The voice was disapproving. Don't be rude. It's a basic skill that even inventors should know.

Sophocles knew that. Kiawe helped out with a lot of chores, including fixing his little sister's clothes, and Lana's skill with knots made her one of the best fishers on all the islands of Alola. He sniffled, and Togedemaru nuzzled his arm comfortingly.

It's okay. Don't feel sad. Here, bring Drifloon into the shadows, darling. I'll patch it up for you.

Sophocles's fingers curled tightly around the needle and spool. "No. I'm an inventor; I don't need other people fixing my problems—especially people who act like ghost type Pokémon. Just show me what to do, and I'll sew Drifloon back together." He patted Drifloon, who had lain sadly on the rock the whole time. "Don't worry, Drifloon, you'll be in top shape in no time!"

It was strange to have a teacher whose face Sophocles couldn't see. He had to stifle a laugh as he imagined Professor Kukui's disembodied hands writing on the blackboard and gesturing toward different Pokémon. It took a few tries to thread the needle, and his hands shook at first when he brought the sharp point to Drifloon, who didn't look reassured, but soon, he found a new rhythm. It was a different process from building machines, but he understood how his friends could spend hours on a sewing or knotting project of some kind. Sophocles barely noticed the sun coming out and his ghostly companion disappearing.

"Sophocles!" called a familiar voice.

Togedemaru leaped away from Sophocles's side, crying out in excitement. Sophocles had just finished securing the last knot and looked up to see Lana and the others, accompanied by Vullaby, Alolan Meowth, and a young girl wearing a ruffled dress. Sophocles waved at them.

"Drifloon's floating away," Serena noticed. "But you didn't get to equip that machine you were working on."

Sophocles patted his original machine. The needle and remaining thread were gone. "That's okay." He held out his hand to their new companion. "Hi there. I bet your Vullaby helped my friends find me, am I right? I'm Sophocles."

"My name is Kiara, and you're right—Vully's Keen Eye comes in handy outside of Pokémon musicals, too."

"Pokémon musicals? That sounds interesting."

On the way back to the boat, Kiara chattered about Pokémon musicals from Unova, which was where she was heading, and how she decided to stay with the group for a while to learn about Pokémon contests and then introduce Serena to a new form of performance.

When they arrived at the boat, Turtonator and Rowlet were in a panic. Kiawe exclaimed, "Our prisoner's gone!"