This chapter is something of a side-story, a break from Ash and Chloe's adventures to spend some time with the characters that were brought back at the end of the last chapter. I struggled with whether to include this as it's own chapter or to simply make it a one-shot and advise the readers of this story to read it before continuing, but after much consideration, it makes the most sense for it to be included here as it was intended to be read.

I apologize for this diversion, and thank you for continuing to read this story. Next time, we'll see Ash and Chloe again.

The blonde girl pulled her jacket around her even tighter than before. There were many, many differences between her home region and the one she currently found herself in, but if Lillie could pick the one she liked the least, it would be the temperature. Tropical Alola was much more hospitable to her than frosty Galar.

Looking at her feet where her Vulpix lay, she at least could smile knowing that her partner was comfortable. As an Ice-type, the Alolan Vulpix acclimated to the colder temperatures very quickly. Even her brother, who normally dressed in ripped clothes, was putting on an extra layer under his sweatshirt to stave off the cold.

Gladion sat with her on a bench in the train station they had stopped at as the family took a few moments to recharge, especially the mechanical Pokémon that sat some distance away with the sibling's mother, who was also dressed much more warmly than she normally was. The Magearna sat quietly, temporarily powered down to rest as the rest of the family took a moment to gather their bearings.

Lillie turned to her brother and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Gladion. I'm sure we're closer than we think."

He gave her a smile as he peeked at her between his bangs, but there wasn't much light in his eyes. "I'm not so sure…" he said. "I mean, I know Magearna is pointing us on the right track, but it's not like the beam of light she uses goes with the curvature of the planet or anything. She's just a living compass, and that means even if she's pointing in the right direction, there's no telling if the path we're taking is the best one."

Lillie hummed to herself, her mind opening up her mental library to think through all the books she's read. 'What Gladion is saying is true, she thought. 'It's like if there was a path over a mountain or a path around it, the path around the mountain would be faster, even if it looked like you were going the wrong way.' She shook her head, though. "I disagree," she said. "Even if Magearna isn't pointing us in the most efficient path, I feel like there's a reason she's taking us the direction she is."

"And why do you think that?" Gladion asked, his tone of voice communicating curiosity over confrontation.

To that, Lillie could only shrug. "I… suppose it would be best to call it faith."

"Faith?" he responded.

Lillie looked across the train station to where Magearna sat with her mother. "It's thanks to Tapu Fini that we even have an idea that Father is alive somewhere. And Magearna is pointing the way to something. We have no guarantee that what Magearna is pointing to is Father or that Tapu Fini even gave us the correct information. The Tapu can be incredibly fickle when helping people, even cruel at times."

Gladion frowned. "You're sounding like you're starting to doubt that Father is even out here somewhere…"

She shook her head. "No, it's not that. I just know from the books I've read that there's a lot we're taking for granted. But still… I feel like if Father was truely dead, Tapu Fini would have shown him to us. So I have faith in her, and in Magearna. I know we're getting close. I know!"

"Vul!" cheered Snowy, standing up and shaking her six bushy tails.

"Snowy has faith, too," Lillie said, looking once more at Gladion, "so I can't let you give up hope! Not you and not Mother, either!"

From across the way, Lusamine visibly slumped over, hearing Lillie call her out. The daughter of the Aether Foundation President could only look upon her childish mother in pity; when she isn't calling her a baby, Lusamine is acting like one herself. "Mother, I saw that," she chastised, causing Lusamine to slump over further, almost falling off the bench now.

"So what should we do next?" Gladion asked. "We arrived here in Motostoke only a few hours after Magearna shut down. She's probably just as exhausted from the search as we are. Don't you think we should try to take some of the burden off of her?"

Lillie nodded. "At the very least, we can try to find something nice for Magearna to show her we're thankful for all the work she's been doing!" She got up and walked over to where her mother was slouching. "Mother, Gladion and I are going to go look around the city for a bit. Will you and Magearna be alright here?"

Lusamine looked up with the saddest eyes that reminded Lillie of a Rockruff for a moment. "I will…" she said in an exaggerated, childish tone.

Lillie tried very hard not to think poorly of her mother, since this was hard on all of them, but there were times she just wanted to shake her until she started acting like a real grown-up.

With Lusamine settled in next to Magearna, Lillie, Gladion, and Snowy left the train station in Motostoke and began looking for something to eat to start. Motostoke was wholly unlike any place Lillie had ever gone besides the Aether Paradise itself. The entire city seemed like it ran on machinery with large steam pipes running along walls high enough that a person couldn't accidentally burn themselves on it.

Quite a few people turned their heads toward Snowy as she walked. 'I suppose Snowy would be quite the sight out here to people who aren't used to seeing an Alolan Vulpix,' she thought. The Fox Pokémon was cheerful as she walked beside Lillie through the streets of town, though, headed down to a cafe that her phone said was highly reviewed.

As they continued to roam the streets, Lillie turned her head towards a large, red building with a red roof that she recognized as being similar to the Pokémon Centers in Alola. She relaxed, smiling at it. "Look, Gladion! A Galarian Pokémon Center! I wonder how it's different from the ones back home?"

Gladion shrugged. "I can't say I think it's very different at all," he said. "They probably have their own Nurse Joys, just like ours do."

"You're right," she said with a smile and a giggle. As she pulled her eyes away, though, something in one of the windows caught her eye and she froze, causing Gladion to bump into her from behind and Snowy to turn in shock.

"Lillie?" her brother asked. "What's wrong?"

Eyes as wide as saucers, Lillie walked up toward the window of the Pokémon Center, where apparently notices and posters were placed so that passers-by could see them. And in one of the images, looking like a somewhat scruffy mugshot was a blonde man with green eyes and a somewhat familiar expression on his face.

"Father…?"

It was a relatively recent posting of a poster that indicated that a man had turned up, and anyone with information about him was being asked to step forward. It stated that this man was currently in Freezington and that anyone who had any information could call them or visit them at the building where they were located.

Gladion's eyes went wide as well as he read the document, quickly memorizing any details. "Lillie… he really is alive…"

A thousand questions began racing through her mind. 'Why hasn't he tried to contact us? Is he alright? How did he end up in Galar, of all places?' and many, many more. But one thought emerged above all others, and caused a single tear to slip down the girl's cheek.

'We've… finally found him.'

When they hastily returned with food, the first thing they did after rousing Lusamine was alert her to the poster, which they then took her to. Upon Lusamine questioning Nurse Joy inside, they learned that Freezington was a small village located in the far south of Galar, in a region called the Crown Tundra. The poster had only gone up fairly recently, and Lusamine suspected that since Aether didn't have a branch here, gathering information from this region was difficult.

"Macro Cosmos has always pushed back against any attempts we've made in establishing a base here…" Lusamine had whispered under her breath while they were in line buying Crown Passes, so that they could board the train to the Crown Tundra.

The further they went south on the train out of Motostoke, the colder it got. Lillie and Snowy looked out the window to the place that the Galarians called the Wild Area, but other than seeing some strange red lights as well as some wild Pokémon, she didn't understand what was so interesting about it. Eventually, they passed through a tunnel, and on the other side was a great mountain of snow with a giant tree on top, and that captured Lillie's imagination more than anything else she'd seen up to this point. She began making notes about it in her diary until it got so cold she had to wear mittens inside the train itself.

When they arrived, the Crown Tundra was experiencing a reasonable snowfall for a place with 'tundra' in the name. It reminded Lillie very much about Mount Lanakila and the times she visited it with her friends. She was very thankful she had her winter clothing available for such an occasion.

As they looked around, though, it quickly became apparent that there was no easy pathway to their next destination, and that they would be walking through the snow to get there.

Gladeon let out his Umbreon, who shook at the cold but quickly acclimated. "Umbreon's rings can glow even through a snowstorm," he said. "It may help us find some travellers and ask for directions."

"Breon," the Moonlight Pokémon said, flicking his tail through the air.

Walking through the snow was difficult as it was up to Lillie's knees in places. But even through all of this, her spirits were kept high by watching Snowy leap and play in the snow as they walked ahead.

When Lillie looked to her mother, all of the childish immaturity that had characterized Lusamine had seemed to vanish. There was a cold look in her eyes as she pressed on despite the snow blowing in her face. But in the depth of Lusamine's cold, green eyes there was a passionate spark that Lillie was sure warmed here even in this environment.

'Mother knows that we're close,' she said. 'That's why she's so serious now.'

Gladion had the unenviable task of carrying Magearna, and after attempting to lift and carry her for a short time, he settled on letting Silvally out. He smiled as he slid an orange disk into his partner's RKS System. "May the warm memories that have carried us this far ignite a blaze with us, my friend," he said as Silvally's colors shifted, initiating a change to Fire-type.

And so, the group of them walked through the snow, with Lusamine an icy cold contrast to her warm children. They marched forward in the direction they could only assume was Freezington and the destiny they had in their hearts and minds. Lillie watched Umbreon stay up front, his rings glowing warmly as they walked. Snowy was filled with energy in this palace, and Magearna watched the scenery silently.

Eventually, a tiny flame began to flicker in the distance, and Lusamine picked up her pace towards it, with Gladion and Lillie matching her new speed, though for Lillie it was becoming more and more of a struggle the faster they went. "We have to hurry," Lillie's mother said. "That could be a torch or some other light of the village!"

As they drew closer, however, it was apparent that the flame did not belong to a town, but to a Pokémon, one that the family from Aether Paradise recognized on sight.

"Is that… a Charizard?" Lillie asked as they got closer.

Her mind immediately went to her passionate friend Kiawe, back home in Alola. She wondered how he was fairing in his training to become a Kahuna. And her mind quickly began sweeping through the rest of her friends: Mallow, Lana, Sophocles, and -

"Hey, stand back!" the tall man next to the Charizard said, having turned to them as they approached. "This place can be dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Lillie asked innocently. "How come?"

The man turned to the sight behind him. "Charizard, can you clear the skies for me? Use Sunny Day."

The man's Charizard flapped his wings and formed a warm, glowing sphere in his mouth before launching it into the air. It flew up and exploded with the sound of a loud 'pop', and the clouds above quickly parted, and the warm sun began to shine down upon them.

Looking back at the man, Lillie took a closer look at him, now that the snow wasn't obscuring her view. He wore a black snapback and what appeared to be a sports jersey with a sword and shield symbol on his chest. Most strange of all, he wore a cape that looked to be made of fur covered in logos that were only vaguely familiar to her at this point, and he had long purple hair.

He fixed his golden eyes on the mountainside that came into view, and the giant cavern they were standing at the mouth of. Even more surprising was that this man wasn't alone. There were men and women scattered about in white and black suits all with the logo of a 'C' made of concentric circles on them, and they seemed to be in the middle of building a fence.

"What is this place…?" Lillie asked.

"This is called the Max Lair," the man explained. "It's a place where you can find all sorts of Dynamax Pokémon inside in the long, maze-like tunnels."

"Dynamax Pokémon?" Gladion asked, raising an eyebrow.

The man laughed. "You three aren't from around here, are you?"

Lillie shook her head. "No, but I read about Dynamax Pokémon in a book once," she said. "They're supposed to be giant Pokémon you can only find in the Galar Region. I was wondering why we hadn't seen any since we arrived. Do they only live in this lair, mister?"

The man shook his head. "'Mister' is just a bit too formal for me. Please, call me Leon. And you're right, miss…?"

"My name is Lillie," she said with a smile. "And this is Snowy!" she added, gesturing to the white fox at her feet.

"My name is Gladion," her brother said, sizing up Leon closely. "These are my partners Umbreon and Silvally. We're also travelling with Magearna."

Leon scratched his chin. "I've never seen Pokémon like those before…" he muttered.

"I'm Lusamine," she said, her tone cold. "And you're with Macro Cosmos, aren't you?" When Leon looked over at her in surprise, she stepped forward. "Don't lie, I recognize the symbol on your workers here."

Leon put up his hands. "Not exactly right, but not exactly wrong, either. I'm working with these guys since their actual president is…" He hummed on his words a bit. "Away."

Gladeon rolled his eyes. "Like that isn't suspicious," he whispered to Lillie.

"I don't care," Lusamine said. "There's only one thing I want, and that's to get to Freezington. It's important."

Leon took a step back. "I'd be more than happy to guide you guys to Freezington!" he said with a guarded smile. "It's not even that far, you know?"

Leon's Charizard turned in Leon's direction and looked closely over the people who had approached before locking eyes with Silvally. The two Pokémon stared at each other for a moment before Silvally flinched and looked away.

Gladion noticed this. "Your Charizard is very strong," he said. "It's will even managed to make Silvally flinch. I wouldn't mind testing my skills against you in a battle."

Leon gave him a sad smile. "I wish I could, but my hands have been busy with things like this-" he gestured all around him-"for a long time now. I could really go for another battle sometime soon, but right now it's not to be. Although…"

"Although?" Gladion asked.

"Well, if you want to ensure we get a battle, you could always enter the World Coronation Series."

Gladion blinked again. "World Coronation Series?"

"That's right. The worldwide ranking of trainers who want to call themselves the strongest."

"Are you participating in the World Coronation Series?" Lillie asked.

He chuckled. "I'm the one ranked at the top, the World Monarch."

Lillie and Gladion gasped as Leon and Charizard began walking away.

"C'mon, let me show you the way," he said. Leon stepped to the left before Charizard yanked on his cape, pulling him back towards the Fire-and Flying-type. Charizard grunted and gestured in the exact opposite direction Leon was trying to walk before turning and beginning to trudge through the snow. The world's strongest trainer sighed to himself, somewhat embarrassed, and began following his Pokémon's lead.

Lusamine followed the Monarch soundlessly.

Freezington was a small, small village blanketed in snow. There was a torch, but given that it, too, had snow covering it, Lillie figured that it was blown out in the snowstorm that reemerged once Charizard's Sunny Day had expired. There were only a handful of small wooden buildings in this village, but before there was any debate about where to start, Magearna stirred on Silvally's back and looked up. From the device in her chest, a pink beam shot out, pointing at one very particular house on the edge of town.

Lillie's breath caught in her chest.

Lusamine led the way as they approached the building. Once they arrived, she knocked hard on the door and waited only a few moments before she moved to knock again. Before she could, the door opened to a girl with brightly colored hair who looked about Lillie's age, blinking at the crowd that appeared before her before locking eyes with Leon. "Hey, Dad?" the girl said, turning around. "Leon's back." She stood back and gestured for everyone to come inside. "And he brought friends."

Gladion recalled Umbreon and Silvally into their balls, as did Leon with Charizard. Lillie, Snowy, Magearna, Lusamine went ahead and packed themselves into the small building, more of a wooden cabin than anything, with Leon closing the door behind him once everyone was inside.

Coming in from the other room and closing the door behind him was a man with a rough, grizzled beard wearing an orange outfit that Lillie thought looked perfectly warm for the Crown Tundra. "Leon!" he greeted in his large, boisterous voice. "I didn't expect to see you again so soon! What brings you back?"

Leon took off his hat and scratched his head. "I guess these people have business with you," he said. "And they almost wandered right into the Max Lair, so I thought I'd guide them the rest of the way here."

"You'd better get back to the team out there," the man said. "You never know if-"

"Right, right," Leon said, waving off his words. "I'll handle it, Peony. You help these people, alright?"

Peony nodded. "That I will, Monarch," he said. Leon turned back to the door and stepped into the freezing cold temperatures once more. Charizard came back out of his ball, and Lillie watched them fly through the snow back towards the Max Lair.

"Now that that's settled, how can I help you folks?" he said, offering Lusamine a hand. "My name's Peony and-"

"Where is he?" Lusamine asked.

"Beg your pardon?" he asked.

Gladion sighed since Lusamine was so laser focused. "We saw a notice saying that you had someone here and you were asking for more information on him. He's mine and Lillie's father."

Lillie watched the realization dawn on Peony's face as it was twisted into horror before the man forced his expression back in place. "So that man is-"

"My husband. His name is Mohn. Is he in that other room?"

Peony shot a glance at the girl who was standing in the back now. She shrugged at him and he sighed. "I mean, I certainly can let you in to see him," Peony explained, "but you might want to curb your expectations, you understand? If you go in there before you're ready, it could be more upsetting than anything you've had to get through to get here."

"Nothing could be more upsetting than spending another moment out here when he's in there." Despite Peony's height advantage, Lusamine pushed past him and threw open the door and walked inside.

Lillie looked closely and her breath caught in her chest once more.

Sitting at a table in this room was a large man, dressed in what she supposed was a set of clothing Peony had loaned him. He was rubbing a few whiskers on his chin as he read a book. His calm green eyes looked up and beheld Lusamine. He blinked a few times.

"Hello, there," he said.

"You're here…"

Lusamine took the sight in, and gasped. Lillie's mother looked like she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"After the accident, I… I gave up hope. I thought you were truly gone. I neglected our children, but they persevered, and they gave me hope. And you're here. Mohn…!"

As she approached, Mohn closed the book on his table. "I… what are you talking about? What accident?" The look on Lillie's father's face was one of confusion, and when he opened his mouth to speak next, Lillie couldn't have predicted how much the words would shatter her world.

"Who are you?"

The question hung between Lusamine and Mohn for a moment, with Lusamine staring back at the man she loved and her heart shattering like a glass picture frame knocked from her desk.

"I… I'm Lucy," she said, trying to fight the tears in her eyes.

"Lucy…?" Mohn asked. "I don't know anyone named Lucy."

Lusamine's body began to quake as she hid her face in her hands. "I… I…" She looked up at him, hot tears pouring down her face in the cold room.

"I'm your wife…!" she bawled like a child.

Mohn stood up and put the chair he was sitting in between them. Lillie saw the look of fear in her father's eyes, the confusion, the despair.

"He…" Lillie was the one who finally found the words. "He doesn't remember us."

She tried to take a step into the room and reach out to her mother, but Gladion took her by the wrist. She looked at her brother and saw the pain and tears forming in his eyes as well before finally noticing her own tears rolling down her cheeks.

Lusamine stood there crying, locking eyes with Mohn for only a few moments longer before she collapsed to the floor, fainting. Peony stepped past the children and picked Lusamine up, holding her upright, but she was unconscious.

"Gladion…" Lillie said, her voice barely above a whisper. "This… this must be Tapu Fini's cruelty," she said. "We came so far, all through this time, believing that he was still with us…"

Gladion pulled his sister into a hug and held her tightly as Snowy whined at her feet.

"He's… he's really gone, isn't he, Gladion?"

Gladion said nothing, but held his sister tightly.

"And this is the mansion where we lived," Lillie said, sitting in a seat next to a hospital bed. "There's a big garden where Pokémon come every day, and your own Pokémon live there, too!"

Mohn, sitting up in the bed, looked at the tablet Lillie held in her hands. "We lived in a mansion like that?"

It had been a few weeks since the scene in the cabin in the Crown Tundra.

It took some time, but Lusamine recovered and Lillie and Gladion had managed to calm her down, and they explained everything to Peony, who then explained everything to Mohn.

Peony, in turn, told them a few details; Mohn had appeared in the Max Lair after an event that they called the Darkest Day, and completely without any memory. It had been a long time bringing him back to where he could do even basic tasks once more, and when he had recovered to a point where he could at least do some things, Peony had sent out word, asking for information. It had been a month or so after going around Galar, putting up the notices, that Lusamine had appeared on his doorstep.

Mohn agreed to be moved to somewhere where he could get a proper medical examination, and Lusamine spared no expense in leveraging the Aether Foundation's considerable wealth, flying him straight to the largest hospital in Wyndon to get him checked out. He had gone through several rigorous tests that checked his health, and now he was resting with Lillie, going through images of her home, Alola, with him.

"We sure do," Lillie said, a sad smile on her lips as Snowy laid down gently at her feet. "We have a kind-hearted butler named Hobbes, and we even have a lot of friends from the Pokémon School there, too!"

Mohn, rubbing his scratchy whiskers on his chin, sighed. "I'm sorry I don't remember you, Lillie," he said. "You're such a bright, cheerful girl. This must be so hard for you…"

Lillie shook her head. "It's alright, Mr. Mohn. The truth is, I don't have any memories of you other than seeing your photograph at home. I'm sorry that this is so hard on you. Discovering that you had a family you entirely forgot about… I can't even imagine how you feel."

Mohn fell silent, looking at Lillie. He put his hands together and covered his mouth with them. "You… aren't going to call me 'Father'?"

"I didn't want to impose on you," she replied. "I thought that having someone call you that might make you sad or upset."

Mohn thought over this. "And you're so considerate of the feelings of those around you, as well… I believe what you are all telling me. The photos I've seen do look like me, after all, and I don't remember anything from my past from before Peony found me. I just… feel terrible for not remembering you, my daughter."

Lillie willed herself not to cry. "Father…"

Mohn smiled at her, reaching up to cup her cheek. "I have to admit, it does sound a bit strange to be called that. But… I like it."

"Oh, Father!"

Lillie stood up and put her arms around him, finally embracing the father she had heard so much about but had never ever met.

Father and daughter embraced for a moment of silence as the door to the room opened, possibly from hearing the commotion inside the room. Lillie stepped away from her father and looked at the door, seeing her brother stand there in the shadow of the doorway.

"Gladion…" Mohn said, watching his son walk in.

Gladion flinched at the word, but he forced the shadows from his gaze, and a smile onto his lips. "Father," he said with a curt nod.

"...were you listening in on us?" Lillie asked.

"Heh," he smirked. "Maybe just a bit." He turned his attention to Mohn. "I… wanted to ask. What are your plans to do once you're released from the hospital?"

Mohn frowned. "I'm… not exactly sure."

"You're free to do whatever you want," Gladion responded. "But I was hoping you would come back with us to Alola."

"Come back?" Mohn asked.

Gladion took a Dusk Ball from his pocket and expanded it. "It's said that memories of a place linger where they were made. It's possible that… if you come home to Alola, to your room, your lab, you may be able to recover your memories."

"I might be able to recover my memories…?" Mohn said.

Before Gladion said another word, the Dusk Ball in his hand snapped open, and in a flash of light, the Monster Fox Pokémon who had long been Mohn's partner in battle appeared.

"Zoroark…"

The name came from Mohn's lips unbidden. Did he look up Pokémon and happen upon it, or was the name tied to a deep, hidden part of his memory? Lillie wasn't sure.

Mohn and Zoroark stared deeply at each other, the unspoken bond of trainer and Pokémon once more at play.

Lillie and Gladion watched with bated breath.

After a moment, Zoroark's eyes began to glow, and the room began to change and warp as the Monster Fox's powers of illusion transported them from the hospital room in Galar, to a father's room in Alola.

Lillie squeaked out a gasp, knowing in her mind she was still in the hospital, but her heart told her these images were of her home, and her father's most personal space.

Mohn slipped out of the bed away from Lillie and began walking around, approaching the desk. He picked up the photograph and stared longingly at it. It showed a family of four; a man and a woman with their small children. "These are…"

Lillie could see the look on his face. He recognized those people. He was one of them, after all.

He stepped over to a table in the corner. The words weren't readable in the notebook (even Zoroark's illusions had their limits), but even Lillie could tell there was a feeling of familiarity growing within him.

"This is…"

The door to the hospital room opened, and Lusamine stepped into the illusion.

"Mother!" Lillie gasped.

Mohn turned to her and locked eyes with her for a moment.

"Mohn…" The name is a whisper on her lips.

"Lu...cy…?"

Just as Mohn said the nickname he gave Lusamine in another life, he collapsed onto the ground, holding his head in his hands. "Aaaaah!"

Lillie rushed over to his side. "Father!"

Gladion was the next one over, and he began helping him to his feet. "Father, are you alright?"

Lusamine reached a hand out towards him, but took it back and said nothing as Zoroark's illusion disappeared all around them.

Lillie and Gladion both helped Mohn back to bed and he laid down in it, breathing heavily. "Oh, Father…"

"Lillie, we should let him rest," Gladion said. When Lillie looked up into her brother's eyes, she saw the pain in them. He, too, had been hoping that it would be this simple to restore his father's lost memories, and watching those hopes get dashed so quickly was a vicious blow.

"Right," she said, turning to Lusamine, who just stood there silently, hanging her head. "Come on, Mother. Father needs to rest."

Lusamine nodded silently, and Lillie took her hand and began leading her out.

Zoroark curled up on the ground at the foot of the hospital bed, nodding to Snowy, and the small fox began to follow Lillie out.

As Gladion opened the door and Lillie stepped through the threshold before her mother, Mohn called out.

"Lusamine…!"

The Aether President looked up, her eyes going wide. She turned, and Lillie saw the fresh tears rolling down her mother's cheeks as she looked to the man she loved.

"Lucy…" Mohn said, struggling through the pain, "I promise you… and I promise you, too, Gladion and Lillie. Once I'm well enough again… Once I'm well enough to leave, let's go back to Alola together. I might not remember in my mind, but in my heart, I know you all."

And for the first time since she had heard that Lillie and Gladion had a lead on their father's whereabouts, Lusamine smiled. A warm, happy, motherly smile.

"We will return home together. I promise," she said, the tears running down her face.

As Gladion stepped through and closed the door, Lillie smiled down at Snowy, who had followed her out.

"One day, I'm sure he'll get his memories back," she said to her Pokémon. "The only thing we have to do is keep the faith that it'll happen!"

"Vulpix!"