Chapter 44 – Arc 3 (Ula'Ula Island) Just Like Fire

"There was nothin' else you could'a done."

Selene, despite her offer to help Makua with Po Town earlier, had hidden away back in one of the peeling, disarrayed bedrooms of the Shady House following her and Elio's confrontation. Makua had told her to do that, to take some time for herself, and Gladion had quietly insisted she should as well. For a while, she had been enjoying the silence, scrolling a myriad of pictures on her phone from before the chaos of Alola had begun, back when Elio had goofily taken picture after picture of them, back when he had still cracked silly jokes and, well… had been her brother. So, when Nanu entered the room and Bowtie perked up and looked at him, she had irritably set her jaw and pointedly ensured to keep her gaze locked anywhere but on him. At his words, she said nothing. She didn't want to talk about it.

"I know it's not easy… this place messes everythin' up. Up becomes down, left turns right, right is wrong, you get the idea." He shuffled inside, half-dragging his feet, and flopped down on a mattress near hers. An Absol limped after him and laid down at his side. Nanu sighed. "Some people can take it. Some can't. That's not their fault, but… well… it ain't everyone else's responsibility to be their punchin' bag, either."

Clenching her jaw, Selene glared up at him, eyes ringed with a slight glow. She did not want to talk about it, and most certainly not with him! She didn't need or want his pity! "What do you know?" she spat. "You live out here, friends with the Skull Gang, for Arceus-knows-how-long, and apparently your best friends otherwise are Meowth! What the hell do you understand about any of that?" What the hell do you understand about being responsible for someone else's downfall? Her voice was breaking, and that sandy color was beginning to take shape in the air again, like the metaphysical pictures she had put on display for Hau. The underside of her arms glowed, and a few fleeting images flashed in her mind's eye. In her aggravated state, she found she was able to largely ignore them, yet still understand they were memories from Nanu himself. She caught brief, flitting stills of a beautiful woman, a brown-haired man, and a massive pokémon that she couldn't name with rows and rows of horrible teeth. Then, in the air around her head, the images replayed, as if regurgitated immediately from her mind. "Do you have siblings, Nanu?" Selene frustratedly pressed, still fuming from his attempt to console her, trying to ignore the floating, meaningless pictures around her.

Yet, Nanu's eyes were stretched wide, and his jaw fell open. His expression could have only been described as sheer horror, yet he couldn't seem to wrench his eyes away from the pictures. Disarmed by that, Selene dared to look up at the display she had created. She watched as a beastly creature, unknown to her, but seemingly made mostly of jaws, roared at three people, one of which she was able to vaguely recognize as Nanu. He and another nameless man held up Poké Balls in their hands, but the third, a woman, stood in front of them (and the beast) fearlessly. The beast lunged forward with its horrible jaws, and Nanu pitched his Poké Ball.

The other man didn't. And jaws descended on Nanu's pokémon as well as the woman, and then the images vanished like dissipating mist. Blinking in apprehensive confusion, Selene swallowed hard, and tentatively looked up at Nanu. Her anger from seconds ago waned as she mulled over what such images could have meant, and as it dawned on her then that her power had just been put on show for a native Alolan. "Please," she started to plead brokenly, "please don't t-tell anyone about—"

"You're a Mind Jumper," Nanu whispered breathlessly, interrupting her, and clutching at the mattress below himself for support. He was trembling all over. "That… that… nobody should know about that… 'Cept for th-that… fool, Looker, himself…"

Starting to shake, unsure if she wanted to know, Selene nervously asked, "Wh-what…?"

"You're a Mind Jumper. Like Kaua," Nanu repeated, strangled. He abruptly jerked his head to face her, piercingly narrowing his eyes. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Huh?" Selene fearfully lowered her head somewhat. "Wh—why would—I just thought that, well, people would m-make me do the—"

He jumped up, staggering, as if he had forgotten about his unsteady muscles. "You're a Mind Jumper. You can show people their memories, get in their dreams, do all sorts of craziness!" he exclaimed, waving his hands in disbelief. "You could end all o' this right now!"

"Nanu… What do you mean?" Selene shook her head. This doesn't make any sense!

Beginning to haltingly pace, he sputtered, shaking his head. "This changes everything," he stammered. Giving her a wild-eyed stare and an out of place grin on his normally gray and defeated façade, he repeated, with much more conviction: "This. Changes. Everything."

Fidgeting nervously, Selene dared to ask, "How?"

"You'll see. Let's get your friends together."

Elio felt a fire in the very core of his being, as if it burned in his very bones and soul. It was stronger than when Macho had used his Fire-type Z-Move, stronger than any time they had all battled as one, or whenever they had been in danger before. That burning, internal blaze was a sensation he had felt so few times before, and he certainly wasn't appreciating it now.

Betrayal.

At first, he had believed Selene didn't mean what she was saying, that she was just scared and he needed to do better to make her see she didn't need to be so scared. That, coupled with his already turbulent anxieties and fears about Alola, had pushed him and pushed him—and then she had pushed him away!

As much as it hurt to have them—including his sister—turn their backs on him, that hurt had quickly traded itself in for outrage. Despite all his efforts to protect them, despite his apologies, despite how far he was willing to go—they still saw him as liability! Well, this time he wasn't going to break, or crumble under the pressure. He would embrace that anger, embrace the destructiveness, and he'd make them wonder why on Earth they would have ever turned their backs on him.

At least he still had hope for one person… Lillie. He wanted to save her just for the fact he was furious anyone would have dared hurt her and because he missed her and cared about her, of course, but deep down, there was a twinge of desperation worming its way into his motivations. After all, what if Lillie was the only person left that wanted anything to do with him? What if she was the last person on Earth he had to hold onto? For weeks, he had felt like he was walking a tightrope, trying to balance to keep everyone happy and safe, and he was faltering. The hope that Lillie might be at the end of that rope was all that kept him determined to remain balanced.

Squelching down the path outside of Po Town, Elio reached a cliff overlooking the sea when Macho grabbed his arm and dug his claws in slightly. Not enough to break the skin, but enough to make him wince and falter. Whirling to face the Incineroar, he snapped, "What?"

Macho set his jaw and then growled, clearly unappreciative of Elio's terseness. He shook out the fur on his head, spraying Elio with droplets of rainwater, and then chuffed, nodding toward the motel just a little behind them, as if asking if they could stop for a while. Elio could see how soggy the pokémon's fur was, and for a Fire-type, that had to have been uncomfortable… Admittedly, his own feet ached as well. Ached was a kind way to put it, even; they stung painfully with every step, thanks to the ever-present mud in this accursed part of Ula'Ula Island, where it seemed rain never ceased to fall. Yet, to Macho's pleas to stop, Elio only grit his teeth, and shook his head.

"No, we can't," he insisted. "There's no telling how fast they've gotten Lillie back to Aether Paradise. And there's no telling what they'll do to her once they're there. We have got to keep moving."

With a violent shiver, Macho hissed in frustration, and started to pull Elio by his arm.

"Macho, stop!" Elio intended to yell, though it came out more as a whimpering plea, and he attempted to wrench his arm free of the Incineroar's grasp. The movement inadvertently caused Macho's claws to dig in harder, and when he popped free of the iron hold, a few cuts were scored into his skin. Wincing, Elio cursed and immediately covered the wounds with his other hand, aware of the hot blood already seeping out against his fingers.

Apologetically purring, Macho lowered his head somewhat and then slowly shifted ahead of Elio, as if brokenly agreeing to continue.

"You're awful brave for wandering around this area with just an Incineroar out at your side."

The smooth voice made Elio jump, and when he looked up, he found a man in a monochrome kimono looking him up and down. He flipped a coin in his right hand as he sussed Elio out.

Staggering away from him and sucking in fast breaths at the pain in his feet, Elio anxiously swallowed and demanded, "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Was headed up this way to check on some friends. Noticed you and stopped." The man frowned and tilted his head. "You're not even Alolan. You also look like you've been through hell. Oh, my… you're one of the Kantonians that Nanu was telling me of, aren't you?"

Heart beating faster in his chest, Elio bared his teeth. "What's it to you?" he snarled. "Come on, Macho, let's go," he insisted, beginning to turn away from the strange man.

Yet, Macho didn't move, and neither did the kimono man. "My name is Grimsley," he softly said, tucking his hands behind his back, coin grasped firmly in his right palm. "I can assure you I am not here to cause you any harm. Now, c'mon, tell Uncle Grimsley. Where're you headed looking like that?"

"Looking like what?" Elio asked dubiously, shooting him a mutinous glare. Uncle? Who the hell does he think he is, anyway?

"You have a soaked shoulderbag as your only supplies, a Fire-type walking beside you in a part of the island known for its incessant rain, and you, yourself, are clearly injured based on that face you keep making every time you move. Not to mention, your voice is scratchy and broken, and that look in your eyes tells me you're not thinking straight." Grimsley issued him a beaming, wide grin. "Reminds me of how I tended to look after a long night in Castelia a few years back." He chuckled and shrugged. "But that's not a good thing. So, I'll ask again: where are you headed?"

Attempting to take another step, but finding it too painful, Elio submitted to this 'Grimsley's' demands and begrudgingly growled, "I'm going to Aether Paradise. Laugh if you don't believe me, I don't care, but they kidnapped my friend, and they're going to hurt her and her pokémon. They did the same to Po Town already. M-my si…" He trailed off and his lip twitched. "My friends," he spat like venom, refusing to acknowledge Selene as his sister right about then, "say that I can't be trusted, or something. So, they kicked me out of Po Town. That's where they're staying at the moment." Irritably, he ended with, "Are we done now?"

"Interpol is on their way to that island as we speak. They are coming up with plans to siege it and apprehend everyone that works there. And yet, you intend to go there on your own two feet and that raggedy Fire-type?" Grimsley pressed, almost amusedly raising a brow at the way the Incineroar indignantly chuffed. "If the wild Noivern don't pick you and your friend there off, you'll die of hypothermia. Or of any number of the thugs that call Ula'Ula home. Skull isn't all you have to worry about, you know. In fact, I'd say they're upstanding citizens compared to the other scum that lays in wait around here."

"I didn't ask!" Elio bellowed, losing his patience with the man. Ignoring the searing pain in his feet, he half-stumbled away, beginning to march down that path leading away from the motel and away from Po Town. Damn it all, he thought contemptuously. Damn them all. He was vaguely aware of Macho limping and padding after him.

"Wait!" Grimsley cried, darting ahead of them both. He sighed and held out a hand. "Allow me to help. I know of a way you can travel much faster and avoid most of the danger I just spoke of."

"What?" Elio tiredly asked. Why couldn't he just go away?

"Let me see your Rotom Dex. I'll register my Sharpedo in it. He's registered as a private Ride Pokémon, so generally, he's not up for public use…" Grimsley sighed and rubbed the back of his head, ruffling wet, black hair. Snorting with amusement, he carried on, "But I can tell I can't stop you. I'd like to at least give you some sort of chance of getting through this alive. You should really leave this to Interpol, though, kid… There's no telling how their confrontation on Aether Paradise is gonna go. I don't think you wanna be in the middle of that."

"Neither should Lillie," Elio pointedly replied. Yet, without even thinking, he found his hands moving to pull his Rotom Dex out and shakily hand it to Grimsley. The Rotom's eyes were droopy and, itself, not moving around much. Guiltily and privately, Elio wondered if his dire moods had put the pokémon into a downtrodden state as well… Or perhaps it was the fact he had been all but ignoring it lately, when at the start of their travels, he had often called it out for pictures… "But here," he weakly stammered.

"Thanks," Grimsley dipped his chin as he thumbed on the Rotom Dex's keypad. "You can use my Sharpedo to bypass all this awful walking and hell, if you wanted, he could take you right to Aether. But…" Grimsley set his jaw as he thrust the Rotom Dex back at Elio. "I'm warnin' ya, kid. This is so much bigger than you realize. The stuff Aether's been messin' with… It's nothin' I can even joke about anymore." He shuddered, and then shaking his head, huffed, "I shouldn't tell you this. I could get in huge trouble for it. But Interpol can't even handle everything that Aether could do. That's why they're on their way to shut it down by whatever means necessary. Last-ditch effort."

Dully, as if uninterested in what Grimsley had to say or perhaps too tired to heed his warnings, Elio mumbled, "I know what all Aether's up to… Or most of it. Lillie's the daughter of the president. She told us…" He paused, mulling over everything Grimsley had said. He sounded as if he were close to the situation. Did he work for Interpol? Was he an informant? He sighed and felt a deep, thorough pang of sadness. It wasn't like it mattered, regardless. Us. There is no 'us' anymore. "She told me everything she knew…" Starting to tremble, he looked up at Grimsley. "But… Lillie is innocent… a-and I don't know what Plumeria and Guzma have done, but they got taken there, too…" He remembered what Lillie had told him once, back on the volcanic mountainside of Akala. "There are other people that work for Aether, too, that probably don't even realize all of what Lusamine and her goons are up to… They… are they all going to get hurt by Interpol's siege?"

Brushing back some of his glossy black hair, Grimsley swallowed hard. "That's not for you to worry about, kid."

That was all the response Elio needed. He waved at the man once. "Thanks, Grimsley."

He had already taken quite a few steps away when Grimsley hollowly mumbled, "No problem, kid."

Although Lillie continued to talk to Plumeria idly throughout the night, within a few hours of being locked in that room, she was fast at work trying to bypass the security features of the door to escape. All the while, Plumeria was curled into something of a ball in her bed, arms still clutched over her stomach. Apparently, the blow she had been dealt had been quite devastating… Lillie wondered if it was because of the sleek, steel suit Type: Zero's handler had worn. That thought, of course, just made her lip twitch. That had most likely been Inaba, if the masculine voice that had come from them was to be trusted. Yet, another part of her was fairly certain the blow wasn't the only reason Plumeria was practically curled into the fetal position there. For someone whose primary worries day in and out had to do with rain and petty thievery, finding herself so quickly wrapped up in Lusamine's psychotic schemes had to be overwhelming, to say the least. It most certainly was for Lillie… so, she couldn't imagine what shock Plumeria was enduring.

Eventually, though, Lillie managed to finesse a smooth panel off the back of the door, one most wouldn't have even known was there. It exposed the internals to her. She wasn't quite sure what they all were, but she hoped she could at least figure out how to unlock it from there…

Yet, before she could, she heard voices on the other side.

"This is a most disturbing development. I am not yet finished with the N-Solarizer." Whoever had spoken, paused. "What rationale is there in being willing to destroy one's own plane of existence for a chance at contacting someone else?"

"She can't be reasoned with… And you and I both know things don't always make sense. So, what should we do?"

"I just need more time…" The man sounded exasperated. Or perhaps exhausted was a better word. "And I think I need to see this beast for myself…"

The woman who replied sounded like she was bordering hysterics. "You can't be serious. Dulse and Zossie told us all about that thing before, and everything it did! You've seen them! Their world straight up doesn't have sunshine anymore, Colress! They have one city left on an entire planet!" She scoffed in disbelief. "And you want to go there?"

Now she recognized these people. Lillie set her jaw. She had met them when she had spoken with Dulse and Zossie… Arceus, how long ago had that been at that point? It was Rosa and Colress.

"Miss Rosa, we mustn't lose our heads. I am sure that I can keep us safe, no matter what happens." He sounded eerily like he was purring as he added, "Come now, after all this time, do you still not trust me?"

There was a bit of sputtering. "Well, yes, I just… I-I… C-Colress, this is—"

"Then it is settled. Aether Paradise is too dangerous for us to remain at. I must continue my research in Ultra Megalopolis. We mustn't waste time. At any rate, we will be safe, Miss Rosa."

There was some hesitation in Rosa's reply that Colress didn't seem to notice. "Yes… of course we will. Let's go."

That was the end of the discussion. Shaking her head and telling herself to focus, Lillie decided their talk wasn't important, and continued to investigate the internals of the door. Nearest to the lock, she found a mechanism she was able to pull apart. Yet, instead of the door opening as she had expected, a short, piercing alarm went off, and red lights started flashing. Heart thrumming in a blind panic, Lillie reeled away from the door, darting back to the side of her bed. She stood poised, frozen in fear, waiting as the lights blinked and blinked to see what the result would be of this transgression of hers. She briefly met Plumeria's gaze and swallowed hard. She already knew she had made yet another mistake.

"I'm sorry," Lillie squeaked through a dry throat, feeling her eyes begin to sting.

Plumeria hardly had the chance to shake her head to try and reassure Lillie before the door to the room opened, though it malfunctioned and didn't quite open all the way, the sliding door caught at the end where Lillie had broken the panel away. Yet, what surprised her was who had come to check on her. It was none other than Dr. Wicke and Inaba (presumably, considering he was the one Lillie believed to be Type: Zero's handler, and this suited person was indeed the one with the catchpole attached to that dangerous, violent pokémon). As they stood in the doorway, Type: Zero narrowed hateful eyes at Lillie and Plumeria both, a whirring growl echoing off the walls, and Dr. Wicke brokenly asked, "What's happening in here?"

"Could ask you the same question," Plumeria dryly retorted at Dr. Wicke.

"Wicke, I can't stay here," Lillie managed to force out, her breathing rapidly picking up as she found herself staring at the murderous Type: Zero. "You and I both know that." Setting her jaw, Lillie managed to tear her gaze away and lock it onto Dr. Wicke. At her defeated expression, her baggy eyes, her trembling voice, Lillie just shook her head. "What happened to you?" she asked quietly, almost in disbelief. You helped me get out of here the first time. What happened to all that fight?

Giving her an almost pleading expression, Dr. Wicke slowly shook her head back and forth. It was as if she were willing Lillie to understand something… But what? With a curt nod in Inaba's direction, Dr. Wicke carefully spoke, "Please. Just relax… It will all be straightened out soon. It'll be okay. I promise."

"How can you say that?" Lillie shrieked, not catching onto whatever it was Dr. Wicke was willing her to. "How can you say everything will be fine when she plans to kill Nebby and even me? What happened to you? You used to care about me and the rest of us, damn it! Now you're just… you're just… a pet of hers, like fucking, Faba!"

The visor over Inaba's head lit up blue at the top again. In that resounding, monotone voice, he growled, "That is enough. Stand down. The door will be repaired. You are not to leave these quarters."

"And you!" Lillie whirled on him. She felt so backed into a corner, like she had nothing to lose, that she found herself not caring about the beast growling at her from his feet. "Why the fuck do you sound like such a robot? Your children have been out there worried sick about you and you're here kissing Lusamine's ass! You can't even pick up a phone? Why?"

"Lillie, please, I'm telling the truth, it will all be finished soon," Dr. Wicke repeated desperately, "I just need you to trust me—"

Inaba's visor flickered blue a few times… but then, flashed red. His hands flew away from Type: Zero's catchpole and he scrabbled at the helmet blindly. She swore she heard him cursing and spluttering from inside the visor, but she didn't have time to focus on that, as the second he let go of Type: Zero's catchpole, the beast rushed at her with the blade on its forehead beginning to glow that frightening orange-red and its claws flexing powerfully against the pristine, white floor. Lillie yelped and instinctively brought her hands over her face, as if that might hope to protect her against such a thing.

Yet, when she heard the beast snarl and jump, she didn't feel it bite into her or slash her. Instead, she whimpered as she heard someone else give a guttural yelp, and when she dared to open her eyes, she watched as Plumeria slumped to the floor in front of her. "Plumeria!" Lillie squealed, dropping to her side. Not that she was paying it any mind at that point, but Type: Zero was prevented from lunging at them again by Inaba, whose visor had been restored to its blue state. He had grabbed the beast by its restraints, dragging it back toward the doorway.

But it was too late. Plumeria had been slashed across the stomach, apparently by the blade atop the monstrous pokémon's forehead, and she was bleeding profusely into a massive pool around the both of them. Dr. Wicke had both hands over her mouth, gawking at the scene in shock, while Inaba coldly stared back at them as well.

Type: Zero calmed somewhat within a moment of being secured, and just watched the scene ahead of himself intently. When Lillie dared to look away from Plumeria and up at the beast, she looked it straight in its stormy, gray eyes, different from the night it had attacked Po Town, and noted the blood dribbling down its blade, landing in tiny puddles around its claws. She had never been one to believe anything or anyone in the world was quite evil by nature, but in that moment, she was certain she was looking at something that was demonic by choice. After giving Plumeria empty assurances all would be okay, she dared to bare her teeth at that pokémon, and shout, "What the fuck is wrong with you!?" She hated that pokémon. She hated that monster with every fiber of her being.

"Lillie, please," Dr. Wicke snapped a little more harshly, "listen to me! I'm—I'm going to get help for Plumeria, but you have to calm down! Just, sit here! Trust me! Help is on the way!"

Inaba perked up at that. He turned to face Dr. Wicke. "And what do you mean by that?" he asked coldly.

Dr. Wicke closed her mouth, pressing her lips to a thin line as her eyes seemingly darted around the room. It was like she was trying to summon an answer from thin air, and fast. "I said nothing," she whispered. Abruptly shaking her head, she barked, "Now we need to get help!"

"No, we don't," Inaba responded, beginning to steer Type: Zero out of the room. "Plumeria is not necessary for the plans. In fact, she is an obstacle if left alive."

He left with that, but Dr. Wicke immediately pulled a Poké Ball from her pocket. When she pitched it, a pink and cream Audino spilled free, balking at the bloody situation ahead of it. Shaking her head, Dr. Wicke stammered, "I-it's not the best healing pokémon, but it will help her for now… I snatched it from one of the labs earlier just in case of something like this… Oh, Lillie, I'm so sorry, I was j-just trying not to tip Inaba off, he's—"

Ignoring her, Lillie clutched Plumeria's left hand tightly in her own. Her yellow and pink hair was stained red with her own blood and her breathing haggard, her eyes glazed and lost; she was totally unresponsive to the situation around her, as if she were in shock. Yet, as the Audino worked, its frilly ears and hands glowing a soft white as some unseen force closed the gash in her abdomen, she slowly curled into more of that same fetal position she had been laying in on the bed. At least the Audino's healing had worked to fix the more severe part of the wound… "Plumeria?" Lillie called, beginning to cry. "Plumeria, please, say something…" She was healing… She should have been feeling better… Right? Why wasn't she responding…?

"Thanks for the Audino, that… that helps," Plumeria hoarsely forced after a long, tense stretch of silence. She was shaking all over as she tried to pick herself up out of the reddened floor, but the strength in her arms was gone. When she flopped back down despite Lillie and Dr. Wicke's attempts to help, she didn't try to get back up again, and she swallowed hard. "I'm just… gonna… stay here… for now…"

"Thank you, Plumeria, for everything," Lillie choked after a few minutes of sympathetically clutching Plumeria's hand. Slowly, she looked up at Dr. Wicke. "Wicke, what is wrong with Inaba? Why would he do this? I can't imagine Selene and Elio's parents just… actually being so cold—"

Dr. Wicke just slowly shook her head. "It's the visor," she mumbled, still looking stunned. She tried to help haul Plumeria out of the floor again, but Plumeria unexpectedly snarled at her to stop, and even went so far as to kick her away. "Sorry," Dr. Wicke hastily apologized, "Sorry! Just thought you would want to lay in the bed instead, or something…"

"I just need a damn minute," Plumeria huffed. Lillie said nothing and just kept holding her hand. Somehow, she got the sense that Plumeria was much more upset about something than she let on, but Lillie supposed that was just the adrenaline and shock from the situation…

"It's the visor," Dr. Wicke echoed more loudly as she staggered away, trying to answer Lillie's question. "He and Miki both are wearing one… His is even partially connected to Type: Zero… But they both had a hand in helping Faba design that thing, and helped train and control it after… That Dr. Colress put it all together, the visors, the catchpole, all of it, he brought it all together… Oh, it's all so messed up…"

"They're… they're being mind-controlled?" Lillie pressed in disbelief. There's no way.

Dr. Wicke nodded. "Yes… Lillie, Interpol is on their way… They should get here before tomorrow morning… That's when your mother wants to… wants to use Nebby to open a wormhole… Like they did with your dad…" She shuffled her feet. "That's what I was talking about earlier when I said it would all be okay. I just couldn't be any more clear than that without tipping Inaba off that I knew something I shouldn't… I've been talking to an informant named Grimsley for some time, trying to get help for this place…"

Nervously clutching Plumeria's hand again and once more trying to encourage her up, Lillie begged, "Plumeria, please, get up… Help will come soon, you shouldn't lay there, in all that mess, like that…"

Although she shot Lillie an unexpected glare at first, making Lillie flinch, Plumeria's pained amber eyes watered after that and she eventually just nodded. "A'ight," she whimpered, "a'ight…" Giving the nearby Audino a plaintive expression, Plumeria forced a half-smile and held out a hand as she sat up. "Thanks, lil' buddy, for helpin' me…" Her voice broke at the end and she just burst into tears, covering her face with her hands.

Lillie and Wicke exchanged a worried look. Although she didn't know what Plumeria was upset about exactly, there wasn't a shortage of reasons she could think of… Unable to begin to describe the aching in her chest for Plumeria, Lillie clenched her fists at her sides and gritted her teeth. Anger and hate radiated from her green eyes as she glared at the floor, looking at her own reflection in Plumeria's blood—which only served to infuriate her further. Plumeria's blood shouldn't have been pooled around them like that.

If Interpol really was coming to save them, then after this nightmare was over, she would make sure she was never so helpless again. She would have her own pokémon, her own team, she would fight her own battles—she would never find herself in such a weak position ever again where her friends were suffering and even bleeding for her. She wouldn't have ever foregone training pokémon if she knew this suffering could be the end result. At the end of the day, there would always be others that trained, used, and in the case of Aether, even created pokémon for heinous deeds, and pepperspray and repels didn't exactly have a prayer of stopping them. Pacifism be damned. Some people—like Lusamine—deserved nothing short of hellfire for their actions.

Lillie was just sorry she hadn't realized that sooner… and she was sorry she had dragged Plumeria into it all.

Interpol couldn't arrive soon enough…