"I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are."

-Mewtwo; from Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back (1999)

"I just don't understand it, Ms. Wicke." Lani was fidgeting in her seat, fiddling with her fingers anxiously. She'd been talking for Ms. Wicke for a better part of the older woman's break. Wicke had no problems listening to the young girl's problems. Ever since Lani had come to live in the Aether Paradise, things had been difficult. Gladion and Lillie were refusing to acknowledge their youngest sibling at all, and it was effecting Lani greatly. "What did I do that made them not like me?" the young girl asked. "I'm just as surprised as they are. Lusamine didn't even tell me I had older siblings until I got here."

"Don't blame yourself," Wicke replied, giving a comforting smile. "Gladion and Lillie are..."

"Please don't say 'adjusting'," Lani exclaimed. "It's been over two weeks and they won't even look me. I may as well go back to my father."

Wicke's face fell, her eyes hardening. "You know how your mother would feel about that," she rebutted. "Lusamine's a very strong-willed person, she stops at nothing to get what she wants."

"She doesn't need me here." The young girl looked over at where her Cubone was, the young Pokémon napping on a bundle of blankets on the ground. Wicke was the only person who knew that Cubone had accompanied Lani to Aether. The older woman had warned Lani that should Lusamine discover the Ground-type Pokémon, the consequences would be dire. "Why Lusamine felt the need to bring me all the way over here makes no sense," Lani grumbled. "I was perfectly fine on my father's farm."

"You're still her daughter." Wicke threw a sympathetic look the young girl's way. "I'd like to think that maybe your mother's trying to catch up on lost time." All the older woman got was a snort in response. "You think I'm wrong?" she questioned.

"Lusamine hasn't gone out of her way to do anything with me," Lani said. "Ever since she made me come here, she's been locked up doing work. The last time I saw her was almost a week ago, and that was because she needed to ask me something." Fiddling with the edge of her t-shirt, Lani shrugged. "It's just like back home," she grumbled.

The older woman looked at Lani with a forlorn look on her face. Lani really wanted to spend time with her mother, but because of Lusamine's obsession with the Ultra Beasts, it was wedging itself between them. The same could be said about Gladion and Lillie, as well. Lusamine's two older children were starting to become restless due to their mother's constant need for perfection, her constant need for beauty. Gladion's behavior was becoming less and less what his mother wanted and more rebellious, he'd lash out more whenever he got mad and Lusamine would lash right back. Lillie would do subtle things, things Lusamine wouldn't catch on to right away. Unlike her brother, who was more upfront with his erratic behavior, Lillie was acting out in a way that wouldn't draw too much attention. Lani was still trying to figure out what kind of relationship she wanted with her mother. Wicke could tell that even the slightest bit of affection would make a smile come across the young girl's face, even more so from her siblings, but Lani was being isolated. She was being ignored.

"You know I'm always here for you, right?" Wicke asked, her tone soft. "You don't have to think you're alone here."

"You don't need to go out of your way for someone like me." Lani shrugged her shoulders. "Aether Paradise is big. I could do some exploring, get Cubone adjusted to everything." The small Pokémon lifted his head at the mention of his name. Lani gave a small smile Cubone's direction. "Don't worry about Lusamine finding out about Cubone, either," Lani added. "I've done a good job at hiding him so far."

. . . .

"How are you doing on the retrieval, Faba?" Lusamine glanced back at her top scientist with a perfectly arched brow. Lusamine wasn't a patient woman to say the least. When she had her mind on something, she'd stop at nothing to get it done, regardless of setbacks.

"We're doing the best we can, ma'am," Faba responded, waving his hands absentmindedly. "As of now, we're just going over the data we do have. Without Cosmog, though, it's hard to tell what needs improvement..."

"There's still one Null left," Lusamine responded. "Why not send more forces out with it to find that blasted Pokémon?"

"Because we're not entirely sure where Lillie has run off to." Faba shrugged nonchalantly. "She has completely dropped off the radar with Cosmog. She could be anywhere."

"Alola isn't that big," Lusamine responded, "even if there are four islands."

"What if she and the Pokémon were transported somewhere outside of Alola?" Faba questioned. "Some of the workers who chased her down said Cosmog teleported itself and Lillie off Aether grounds, so they could very well be in another region."

The older woman's face scrunched up. "That thing was always smarter than I gave it credit for," she muttered. "But it doesn't matter. We'll get it back, won't we, Faba?"

"Of course, ma'am."

"And I was serious about using that last Type: Null," Lusamine responded. "Have some of our workers use it to track down those disgraceful children. Maybe it could be useful after all."

"I don't see how that could work," Faba responded. "The Type: Null were supposed to be Ultra Beast fighters, not trackers."

"They were failures," Lusamine responded. "Whatever you and your workers did to make them made them ugly and unstable. Who knows, though, maybe this last one could help us find Cosmog? Besides, isn't Cosmog supposed to be an Ultra Beast, anyway?"

(A/N):

Another short chapter, but hopefully it's tolerable anyway. If there's anything you believe needs improvement, be it in this chapter or previous ones, let me know and I'll do my best to change it. Other than that, I hope things are getting interesting so far.

Nothing in this fandom belongs to me, and I have a feeling that you guys already know this. Why am I still doing these disclaimers?

Also, if you've got ideas for OCs or subplots, don't hesitate to let me know. I would love to put in your characters and/or subplots into the story! I think the contributions of reviewers are super important.

Thanks a bunch.

Willow