If the days in Alola were filled with a tropical heat, then the nights in Alola were much cooler and more comfortable, especially for someone used to spending all his time in doors.

Now, with the lights off and a pillow under his head, Goh laid there on the couch, eyes shut and trying to go to sleep. Usually he had the bottom bunk at the lab to mute Ash's snoring, but the other Research Fellow was now on the other end of the Kukui's corner-couch, sounding like he was clear-cutting a forest. Between Incineroar and Lycanroc snoring as well, Goh was beginning to consider putting himself in a Poké Ball if it would let him rest.

So there he was, trying to keep his eyes shut and will himself to sleep. At least the familiar weight of Grookey on his chest was helping him slowly nod off in the darkened home… though there was more than a little anxiety on Goh's part that Lei would wake up and his crying would ruin this opportunity to get some shut eye.

The subtlest click made Goh's eyes snap open, and he tilted his head to look around. There was a bright beam of Alolan Moonlight now coming in through the opened door. Goh sat up, his heart beginning to race in his chest. 'An intruder!?' his mind immediately jumped to the conclusion. But watching closely, he saw that it wasn't someone entering, but leaving.

With his eyes still adjusted to the dark, he looked around. Ash and Pikachu were on the other side of the couch, snoring, so he used their noise to mask his own movements as he stood up and began creeping around the house. Looking down the hallway, he saw the room to Professor Kukui and Burnet's bedroom was closed, which quickly shrank the list of suspects that Goh had as to who could be slinking out at this time of night.

He walked over towards the window, and sure enough, he saw the long fluffy hair of his childhood friend walking towards the beach in the moonlight, a scampering Eevee following her from behind. He felt Grookey's small hands climb up his back until reaching the top of his head as they watched.

Thinking over the talk they had earlier that day with Kiawe and Sophocles, Goh went outside to follow Chloe to the beach. If there was going to be a better opportunity for him to speak with her alone, he wouldn't know how to describe it.

As soon as he opened the door, the cool, salty air of the Alolan night washed over both himself and Grookey. He was still dressed in his pajamas, as well as barefoot, but that just made the cool grass and sand on the beach that much more an interesting sensation.

Alola was very different from the familiar home of the Kanto Region, Goh was sure. And yet, it had its own charms and appeal, the thoughts of which were on his mind as he came behind Chloe, who was sitting in her own pajamas on the beach, looking at the moon and stars.

"I wouldn't think you'd be the one to sneak out at night," Goh lightly teased her as he walked close. "Mind if I have a seat, too?"

Chloe turned to look at him, a flash of surprise on her face, but it was quickly replaced with a wave of disappointment that made Goh's chest ache just a bit. 'She's probably disappointed it's only me and not Ash,' he thought wryly to himself. Even if he understood Chloe's growing romantic interest in his best friend, Goh was, himself, still human with his own anxieties about losing his friends as they grew closer to each other. His sharp mind, however, pushed those thoughts aside. He knew, at least academically, that Ash and Chloe weren't the kinds of people to leave him high and dry and their strengthening friendship with him was proof of that. He would just have to be more mindful until his heart caught up.

"It's a free beach," Chloe said with a shrug as Eevee scrambled into her lap.

Goh sat down next to her and took in the view as well. "The sky here's really different from what there is in Kanto, isn't it? Even with all the huge cities I know that are on Melemele Island, you can see the stars so clearly out here."

Chloe nodded. "Ash talked about the night sky in Alola and honestly I don't think he did it justice," she said. "It's so incredibly beautiful out here… I can see why it's such an important place to him. It's like…" She gestured widely. "It's like someone threw a glitter bomb up there and it exploded, and the glitter is all stuck up there…"

"Yeah… it's definitely an incredible sight," Goh said, looking up at it. "I guess Ash knows what he's talking about with this."

This made her giggle. "Well, he is good for something at least," she said, trailing off.

Goh sat quietly with her for a moment, sitting with his friend and their Pokémon looking. He could tell by looking at her face lit up by the moon that there was something on her mind and when her green eye glanced over and saw him looking at her, he knew she'd realize that if she had something to say, he'd listen to her.

This was just how these friends could operate.

"...So Lana and Mallow figured it out," she said, beginning her explanation.

"That fast, huh?" Goh said, stretching his legs out, letting his toes dig into the sand.

Chloe nodded. "I don't know how they somehow got that idea so fast," she said, shrugging. "I guess they just knew Ash that well and they were like Sharpedo smelling blood in the water or something…"

"Is that a bad thing?" Goh asked, looking over at her. "I mean, it doesn't seem like they're upset that you like him, so at least there's no jealousy you have to deal with, right?"

Chloe, in contrast, brought her knees in and hugged her legs, frowning. "I guess, but that brings its own problems.

"Such as?"

"I feel like they're hijacking this party that's supposed to be welcoming Lillie back," she said, frowning. "It's supposed to be about her, and her homecoming right? Why are they trying to set it up like it's some formal dance or something…?"

Goh's eyes widened, putting the pieces together that explained why they were hanging stars in the classroom. 'I guess it's going to be something like couples going to dance, huh…? Suddenly, all that stuff makes a little more sense…'

But more than that, he read Chloe's face and saw that she was still looking away from him, and in her body language, that meant she wasn't telling the truth. At least, not all of it. He felt a small smile rise on his face. "...but that's not the part that's really bothering you, is it?" he asked.

Chloe's cheeks reddened in the moonlight and she turned away from him. "I can't keep anything to myself, can I?" she sighed. "I'm a terrible liar."

He shrugged. "It only makes sense," he said, smiling. "You're someone who hates getting pushed into things, especially when it's related to something you really care about."

This just made Chloe sigh again. "...sometimes having a friend who can read you like a book feels like a curse."

"But I'm not wrong," Goh followed up.

Chloe finally looked at him, her gaze sharp enough to cut his face. "No, you're not," she admitted bitterly. She relaxed from her curled up position and Eevee unfurled herself into the girl's lap."I get that they're trying to help me out, but I haven't even ASKED for their help with this, you know? I don't want to rush into things before I'm ready and they're setting up this party like they're trying to make it into a date! Do you know what that feels like?!"

Goh chuckled darkly. "Afraid not," he said. "I haven't exactly gone on any dates."

Chloe scowled. "Wanna trade?" she joked.

"But it's not like you're unsure of how you feel, right?" Goh asked, not engaging with the question presented to him. "Even if we hadn't been going on our research trips together with Ash, I can see with my own eyes just how over the moon you are with him. Why not ask him how he feels about you and see where it goes?"

Chloe stood up, causing Eevee to tumble into the sand on the beach.. "And now my supposed 'friend' is trying to push me into it, too" she spat (irrationally, Goh noted to himself). "What did I just say about not wanting to rush into things?"

He stood as well, waving his hands. "Hey, I'm not trying to rush you into anything you're not ready for," he said, explaining himself calmly, "but from where I'm standing, I think there's such a thing as being too cautious, isn't there?"

Chloe glared at him, clearly not satisfied with that explanation.

Goh continued.

"I mean, think about how it was with me trying to become a Research Fellow," he said. "I did a lot of work and research on my own to get ready to do it, didn't I? But when the opportunity was given to me, I didn't hesitate because I knew it's what I wanted. I followed my heart and got to where I wanted to be." As he spoke, Chloe's glare softened, which bolstered his confidence. "And now you should be following yours, right?"

Chloe flinched like he had struck her. "...it's not that simple-" she tried to explain before Goh interrupted her.

"You're worried about what Ash would say, aren't you?"

She quietly nodded.

Goh turned back towards the ocean. "I can't help you there," he said. "I'm not exactly sure how he'll respond to having that said to him, you know? He and I are friends, but there's a limit to what I can infer."

Chloe slumped her shoulders. "...b-but you've been observing him too, right?"

Goh glanced back over towards her, his mind already moving ahead on this train of thought. "I have," he said.

She began digging her toes into the sand. "Well… based on what you've seen of him… with your analytical expertise… with all the data you've collected… what do you think his response would be if I told him I wanted to be his girlfriend?" The more she spoke, the redder her face got, and she didn't look up at all from the ground.

As nervous as she was, Goh had already formulated his answer based on how he'd seen Ash act since his return from Pallet Town after spring break.

"...I think… no, I'm sure that on some level, Ash definitely feels the same way about you," he said.

Chloe looked up, her eyes wide like a wild Pokémon that he was about to toss a ball at.

"You really think so…?" The hope in her tone was palpable.

"I do, only…" Goh turned back to her and crossed his arms. "...only it's like there's a block in his mind that prevents him from seeing it…" He thought over his words and shook his head. "No, that's not quite it, either. It's more like there's a gap between what he understands about falling in love and what he thinks falling in love is. If that gap could be filled in, I'm sure he'd instantly realize that he loves you, too."

"T-That's a pretty bold statement."

Goh shrugged at her interjection. "I'm giving you the answer based on the data that I have. I've noticed you guys holding hands from time to time, not to mention the pictures that the Rotomdex took yesterday. It's not like Ash was trying to get away or totally misunderstood. He's initiated it several times. He likes doing it. He just probably can't put why he likes doing it into words."

There was a look of relief and joy on Chloe's face that Goh hadn't seen since she had caught Eevee. It made him smile to see his friend so happy.

"Then… then I should talk to Ash about it in the morning," she said, looking back out towards the sea. "If… if he really does like me back just as much as I like him… then I should be able to get him to understand."

Goh shrugged. "Assuming you don't get cold feet and change your mind at the last minute to save face."

Chloe's more confident posture slumped once more.

"Hey, I'm a guy, right?" Goh said, smiling. "I'll talk to Ash, man-to-man, and I'm sure that I'll be able to make him understand what he feels. And once he knows, I don't think ANYONE will be able to stop him from bringing his feelings up to you, you know?"

"You'd really do that for me, Goh?"

He nodded. "What're friends for? I want you guys to be happy and if doing something like this helps, then let me be your wingman!" He winked and gave her a thumbs up.

Chloe smiled and put her arms around Goh, hugging him.

"Thanks for being such a great friend, Goh. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"If there was someone I liked who you could talk to, I'm sure you'd do the same thing for me," he replied as he put his arms around her and hugged her back.

Under the Alolan moonlight, Chloe didn't refute his words.

Under the Alolan sunshine, Goh was beginning to feel the pressure.

Goh had followed Ash into a clearing in the forest on Melemele Island where he was getting some private training in, and as soon as Ash caught sight of him, he had instantly asked Goh a question he couldn't reasonably refuse.

"Let's have a sparring battle, Goh!"

Now, across the field, Ash stood with his Sirfetch'd and Dracovish in a double battle against his Inteleon and Cinderace. The mis-matched Fossil Pokémon was charging them.

Pikachu and Grookey stood on the sidelines, cheering for their trainers and friends as Goh began his attack.

"Use Snipe Shot!"

Inteleon pointed his hand towards the charging Dragon-type and snapped his pressurized shot of water at Ash's Pokémon.

"Charge on through it!" Ash shouted, and Dracovish did exactly that, completely unfazed by Snipe Shot. They lunged at Inteleon, who leapt out of the way of the attack, his long tail only just avoiding those powerful jaws.

"Cinderace, use Blaze Kick on Sirfetch'd!"

"Cin-DERACE!" Goh's first Pokémon leapt forward on his powerful legs, flipping in the air as his feet became engulfed in flames.

"Block with your shield!" Ash called out.

Sirfetch'd raised his leek-like shield up to Cinderace's kick, and while the force seemed to make the Fighting-type's arm recoil, and the flames singed the shield, the Wild Duck Pokémon stood firm.

"Great, use Night Slash!"

At Ash's order, Sirfetch'd's leek-like sword began to spark with the negative energy befitting a Dark-type move and he quickly brought it to bear against Cinderace.

"Knock it back with a Double Kick!" Goh called out before trying to turn his attention back to the other side of the field. "Inteleon, use U-Turn!"

Cinderace imbued his feet with a more focused energy than a raging fire and kicked the leek out of Sirfetch'd grip.

"Nice!" Goh shouted. "I knew a Fighting-type move would beat a Dark-type one!"

On the other side, Inteleon flipped around to snap his tail at Dracovish, but getting the appendage close to that mouth was a miscalculation as Dracovish sunk their fangs into Inteleon's tail and began to swing them around by it.

"Inteleon!" he called out. Gritting his teeth, he turned his attention back to Cinderace. "Use Quick Attack to push off against Sirfetch'd and spring towards Inteleon!"

Cinderace built up the energy for the preemptive strike, going for the charge, but Ash just grinned wildly. "Sirfetch'd, use Detect!"

As Cinderace leapt towards the Fighting-type, Sirfetch'd leaned backwards, and the tall Striker Pokémon went sailing over his head, foiling not just the attack but Goh's attempt at repositioning. Sirfetch'd used the opportunity to leap towards his leek and rearm himself.

Goh grit his teeth at being on the backfoot. Usually he kept up with Ash in their training battles, and so he was looking for his opportunity to make a play for his advantage.

Ash raised his hand and gestured forward. "Alright, let's-"

Before the command could be finished, Ash's stomach growled audibly through the clearing and he let his arm drop.

"...Let's take a break for lunch."

At the mention of lunch, Dracovish immediately dropped Inteleon and turned back towards Ash. Goh exhaled, unaware that he had been holding his breath at that moment. 'Can't let him see that I'm thankful that the battle was called early,' he thought to himself. Running his hand through his hair, he tried to play it cool. "That was pretty intense, Ash. You've really been kicking your training into overdrive!"

Ash was already back near Pikachu and Grookey as Goh and the rest of the Pokémon made their way over. Ash was pawing through the picnic basket that Chloe and Professor Burnet had prepared for them that morning, handing a sandwich to his partner Pokémon before reaching in for a can of Pokémon food.

"Yeah," Goh's friend finally responded. "Lately, we've had tons of energy for training! And we're only gonna keep gettin' stronger, right guys?"

"Pika!"

"Sirfetch'd!"

"Draco-ha!"

"Grooki!"

"You don't have to respond as well, Grookey," Goh chuckled before turning back to Ash. "But seriously, you guys have been on a hot streak for a while now, haven't you? Is there a secret to it? Have you been sneaking in training on the side or something?"

Ash bit into his croquet sandwich and chewed it for a moment, thinking to himself. "Well… honestly, I think this newest stretch has been thanks to Chloe," he said.

Goh's eyes widened at the opportunity being placed right before him. "Oh?" he said, trying not to sound too surprised. "And why's that, do you think?"

Ash chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, she's been helping me out a lot, you know? Like, a while ago, we just started talking and I always felt a lot better after talking to her. She's a good listener and sometimes I just got stuff I need to get off my chest."

Goh stifled the fact that he could have been talking to him this entire time and pushed past it. "Yeah, I kinda thought something like that was happening," he said. "You and Chloe have been spending a lot of time together lately."

Ash shrugged. "I mean, not lately," he protested, taking another bite of his sandwich. "She came to me for help with Eevee one day and we just started talking after that. She helped me out when I was mad about those guys almost arresting Pikachu and we talked about school and Alola and all kinds of stuff."

He might have been a skilled battler, but Ash wasn't good at hiding a deflection. Goh shrugged. "Yeah, I remember that time. I actually ended up catching you two hanging out once, but I didn't want to intrude, so I stayed back."

It wasn't entirely a lie, he thought as he remembered seeing Ash practically serenading Chloe in the lab that night, months ago. The heartache at seeing his two friends spending time without him was still sensitive, but he shook himself out of it.

Ash blinked in surprise, his face flushing. "Y-You did?!" he asked, shocked that his talks with Chloe had been uncovered that early.

Goh nodded. "Yeah. To be honest, it kinda hurt that you two were meeting behind my back. I was worried that if you guys were going to spend time together without me, maybe I'd lose two of my best friends."

Ash swallowed that bite of sandwich especially hard. "Oh… S-Sorry, Goh."

"Don't worry about it," Goh said, waving off his concern. "I already talked with Chloe about it. I'm confident in my place with you guys now. Our friendship's stronger than ever, right?"

Goh offered a fist to Ash, which Ash met with a grin. "Right! Of course! You're practically my best friend, aren't you?"

"Pi-ka."

He chuckled. "Okay, best human friend, then."

"Right," Goh acknowledged.

After bringing his fist back, Ash looked at his hand and frowned. "I don't want you guys to feel like you don't know where you stand with me, you know? You've both got a place with me as my friends."

Goh raised an eyebrow. "Both?"

The Palletonian chuckled. "Yeah, Chloe was sayin' something like that a while ago, too. You know she doesn't really know her place in the world, right? We talked about that."

'This is a golden opportunity,' Goh thought. "So you helped assure Chloe that she belongs, right?"

"Of course!" Ash answered cheerfully.

Goh smirked. "And where's that?"

"I dunno!" he replied just as cheerfully. "Maybe she'll find something in Alola that'll help her find it, though!"

Goh sighed. 'Okay, new angle,' he thought. "You've been thinking about Chloe's place in the world, then?" he asked.

"I mean, yeah!" Ash said blithely. "I've been thinkin' about her a bunch lately, since we've started hanging out more!"

'Alright, he's taken the bait. Time to catch me a Ketchum.'

Goh sat up. "And what have you been thinking about her, exactly?"

Ash froze, and his eyes began darting around. There was a touch of guilt on his face, like he had admitted something he wasn't supposed to, or got caught trying to snatch a cookie before dinner. "I uh…"

He took off his hat and scratched his head. Goh could see that Ash was struggling to describe what he had been thinking. He knew that he had led Ash all the way to the gap in his understanding.

"I… I dunno."

Now he just had to help him across it.

Goh smiled. "Well, if you're not exactly sure, we can just talk about the reasons you've been thinking about her. Maybe I can help you piece everything together. I am great at gathering data and analyzing it, after all."

Ash crossed his arms, frowning over the puzzle Goh knew he had in his mind. "Well… there's a bunch of things," he said as he struggled. "It's like… all of them separately but all of them at once, you know?"

"Let's just start then," Goh said. "Just start with any topic you'd like."

Ash took a bite from the sandwich and thought for only a moment before looking back at it. "This sandwich," he said. "Chloe helped Professor Burnet make it, right?"

Goh nodded, letting Ash continue.

"Well, I've had Professor Burnet's croquet sandwich before, right? But when Chloe made it, it tasted even better than usual!"

"So you're saying that her food tastes better than food from other people?" Goh asked.

Ash nodded. "It's weird, right? I've been tryin' to figure out why that is, but I keep thinking about other stuff, too."

"Such as?"

Ash averted his eyes. "Well… she doesn't like to talk about her hair, you know?"

The image of Chloe with her long, fluffy hair down appeared in Goh's mind's eye. "Yeah?"

"Well, that's so weird!" Ash said. "With her hair braided, she looks like she'd be kinda uptight or not friendly. But her hair? Goh, her hair is so soft and fluffy! It's like how she really is on the inside! Kind hearted and friendly! And I just keep thinkin' about how she looks different when it's in the braid, but how it's not like her!"

Goh finally got a chance to take a bite from a sandwich, himself. "It sounds like you've been thinking about her a lot."

"Like every day!" Ash said, falling back into the grass, having finally finished his sandwich. "I can't get her out of my mind, sometimes. Like, I'll just be sitting there rememberin' something."

"Like what?"

"Like, just the other day, when we stayed behind to take care of Lei?" he explained. "She took such good care of Lei. She was so kind and gentle with him, and I was kinda… y'know, struck by it. Like I got hit in the head with a Rock Throw."

Goh frowned, not really ready to dig into those implications quite yet. "Is there anything else?"

"Yeah! I think about the Z-Move she did all the time!"

"The Z-Move she did while you guys were on spring break?"

"That's the one!" Ash shouted. "She was so… bright…! And…" Ash frowned, crossing his arms as he laid in the grass. "I… I dunno how to describe it. Sparkly? Like she drew my attention, but kept drawing it even more!"

"She really dazzled you with that, didn't she?" Goh asked.

Ash sat up. "That's it! I was dazzled! It was dazzling! It was so cool!"

Goh looked at Pikachu, who was sitting with Grookey and the other Pokémon. The mouse gave Goh a shrug and a sympathetic look, as if to say 'I'm not sure how to help him any further'.

"I just…" Ash grunted in frustration, punching at the air with his fists. "I just don't know what to say a lot of the time, you know? She's so smart, Goh. I don't want her to think I'm stupid because I don't get it all the time."

"You want her to think you're smart?"

"Not just smart! Cool, too!"

Goh crossed his arms. Of course, he knew the answer to Ash's struggle, the name for the feelings he was wrestling with, but he was lacking the angle he'd use to teach Ash what that feeling truly meant.

He reached into the picnic basket for another sandwich, hoping the food would give him more inspiration when it dawned on him.

"Professor Burnet…!" Goh exclaimed, the eureka moment flashing through his mind.

Ash looked at Goh like he had just had a completely random outburst. "You okay?"

He nodded. "Ash, I think I know the answer to your dilemma."

His friend's eyes widened. "You do?"

"Think about, for a moment, how Professor Kukui acts around Professor Burnet."

Ash frowned, not seeing the connection. "Why?"

"Just trust me," Goh said, smiling. "This is the result of my thorough data analysis."

Ash shrugged and thought about it. There were a few moments of quiet as Ash struggled before Goh realized that he'd need a bit more prompting.

"Okay, like, how does Professor Kukui act when Professor Burnet makes something for dinner?"

This time, Ash's face told Goh that he was remembering a precise moment when it did happen. "He said that it tasted better than anything he'd had before," Ash said. "I mean, it was really delicious…"

"...but isn't that what you just said about Chloe's cooking?"

Ash looked at Goh and furrowed his brow. "Like… I think Chloe's cooking is really awesome?"

"Yeah!" Goh said. "And other things. Like how he acts around her! Did you catch him holding onto her hand?"

Ash nodded slowly. "I… yeah…"

"Like how you like to hold Chloe's hand, right?"

A look of awe began dawning on Ash's face. "You mean…"

"I'm sure you've got it figured out," Goh said, smiling.

Ash looked at his hands, his eyes gone wide. "I… just like when Professor Kukui would play the ukulele for Professor Burnet…"

"...and like you played for Chloe, right?"

Ash nodded. "So… so you're saying that the reason I feel all mixed up about Chloe is because… I feel the same way about her that Professor Kukui feels about Professor Burnet?"

Ash's eyes were wide and practically sparkling with joy. Goh couldn't help but feel his heart swell with pride that his dense friend had finally put the puzzle pieces in his mind together.

"Right."

Ash looked down, clenching his hands into fists. "I… I guess I do love her, huh?" He laughed at himself for a moment. "I uh… but… Goh, if I love her… then does that mean we've gotta get married?"

Goh almost coughed up the sandwich he was chewing on. "Uh, well…! Maybe take it a bit more slowly than that…!"

"But what if I say something like that and scare Chloe away?" Ash said, standing up. "Goh, you're smart! You've gotta help me figure out how to talk to her about this stuff."

Goh shrugged but shook his head. "Sorry, Ash. No can do."

"What?!" Ash exclaimed. "Why not?!"

He pointed to his head before pointing to Ash. "Because I'm brains," he said. "And you're brawn. But Chloe? Chloe is heart. And if you tell her how you really feel about her, she'll help you with yours the rest of the way."

Ash relaxed and a smile grew on his face. "You're right. Thanks, Goh. I couldn't ask for a better best human friend!"

Goh chuckled. "Well, neither could I," he said, barely able to stop himself from laughing.

The two boys went for another fist bump, but before they could finish it, Ash's Rotom Phone began to speak.

"You have a call from Mallow. You have a call from Mallow."

Ash took the phone from his pocket and answered it. "Hello?"

Goh couldn't hear what was said on the other line, but given Ash's shock and the words that he said, he could only draw one conclusion.

"She's here?!"

As the plane they were on flew through the warmer air closer to her home region, Lillie was finally able to put her jacket away.

Sitting next to her on the flight was her brother Gladeon. Across the aisle was their father, Mohn. Just looking past Gladion, she saw that her father looked more than a little nervous. 'I don't have it in me to blame him', she thought. 'It's only the second time he can remember that he's been flying.'

While his memory still hadn't returned, Mohn still accepted Lillie and Gladion as his children, as well as Lusamine as his wife. 'I'm sure that if we can spend some time with him at home, he'll start remembering more and more!'

There was a part of her that feared it would bring back the intense migraine that her father had felt when he began remembering before, but she had to hope that this trial would pass from them without any further incident.

The part of her stomach that felt when the plane was landing told her that they were descending and it was only a moment afterwards that she felt the plane's wheels hit the runway before slowing to a stop. Looking out the window, she could see the Alola Region once more. The sight of it filled her heart with joy.

"We're home, brother," she said. "Father, look out the window!"

Lusamine, who had been seated next to Mohn, opened the window on their side of the plane,and Mohn looked out at the bright light outside. She couldn't see her father's expression, but the look of joy on her mother's face told her that it was only a good thing.

The seatbelt light turned off and Lillie gathered her things before heading off the plane. Standing at the foot of the stairs from the plane was an older gentleman with a maroon suit, a prickly pushbroom mustache. He wore a monocle on his smiling face.

"Welcome home, Miss Lillie!"

Lillie took off her wide brimmed hat and smiled as the Alolan sunshine soaked into her entire body.

"It's great to be home, Hobbes!"

Behind her, Gladion coughed. "Can we enjoy the sunshine too?"

Embarrassed, Lille hurried down the stairs, letting her family members also disembark from the Aether Foundation's private jet. She quickly took out her phone and shot out a text to Mallow, saying that they had just landed back in Hau'oli Airport.

She looked to see her mother helping her father down the stairs when her phone vibrated. The message came much more quickly than Lillie expected, but in the back of her mind, she expected this somewhat.

Opening her mental library, she could easily recall the various occasions that she and the rest of her friends - Lana, Sophocles, Kiawe, Mallow, and Ash - threw a party for a fortuitous arrival or for a sad separation. She wasn't sure her friends would throw a party for her immediately upon her return, but she couldn't say she didn't expect it.

And the words on her phone only confirmed her thoughts.

'Please come to the Pokémon School as soon as possible! Bring your family with you!'