Gladion frowned.
"I think this isn't working," he said.
Agreed, Silvally said, Psychic Memory active. The idea of searching for Zoroark is a good one, but in practical terms it is nearly impossible."
"Not completely impossible, but nearly," Gladion said, sitting down on a log. "Zoroark could be literally any Pokémon, and… hmm."
That sounds like you have an idea, Silvally noted.
"That's because I do, I think," Gladion replied. "Or, it's a different way of thinking about this."
He ticked off. "Firstly, Zoroark could have left. If that's happened, or if Zoroark is completely uninterested in me – in us – then there's no way we're finding them anyway."
Which would be disheartening, Silvally said.
"Yeah, it would," Gladion sighed. "But it's possible. Then, secondly… if Zoroark doesn't know we're looking for them, then we just need to go around Melemele until we run into them. That's the only thing that's necessary for that to happen, at least."
A nod.
"But thirdly, there's where Zoroark is aware we're looking for them, but isn't sure about us," Gladion finished. "Because – I'm not my father. And Zoroark left rather than come to us, so."
He shrugged. "I think maybe that means Zoroak has their reasons for staying away, but they're not sure about them. Maybe they don't know that Mohn is alive, or maybe it's just a Pokémon being wary of someone they've not met in years. Those are all reasons that make sense for Zoroark, even if it is a bit sad for me that Zoroark doesn't feel comfortable making contact."
That… could be it, Silvally agreed. So… what is your plan, then?
Gladion lowered his voice. "If Zoroark is around, then they're going to need to be nearby. But I think it's time for us to practice Multi-Attack."
He sent out Umbreon. "Umbreon, I don't know how much you were listening to that, but I've got a plan… we're going to practice Multi-Attack and quick type shifting. Stick to Tackle and Shadow Ball, okay?"
"Bree-on!" Umbreon agreed, her ears flicking, and Gladion opened the Memory case.
"Switch," he said, tossing a Memory at Silvally, and Silvally ejected his Memory before catching the incoming one to change his Type to Electric.
Gladion caught and stowed the Psychic Memory with a sure motion, and pointed. "Multi-Attack that rock."
"Ull!" Silvally confirmed, stamping a forefoot, and a beam of electrical energy shot out.
"Eject!" Gladion added, spotting Umbreon preparing a Shadow Ball, and the multi-typed Pokémon switched to Normal just in time to completely ignore the attack. Then Gladion tossed the Psychic Memory, and Silvally switched to Psychic.
Gladion ordered another Multi-Attack, this time at Umbreon, and called for a switch halfway through. The attack went off Psychic, just, with Silvally's Type switching into Rock the moment the Multi-Attack ended, and Gladion nodded his approval.
"Good," he said, looking around. "Hmm. That pool looks like a good target for a Fire one… Umbreon, can you check if it's occupied?"
Umbreon loped over to the pool, dipping her head in to have a look, then raised her head again and looked around in an alert stance.
Gladion looked again, and frowned.
"All right, let's try it," Gladion said. "Switch."
Silvally ejected the Rock memory, catching the one Gladion had thrown, and froze for a moment as the RKS System drive loaded.
Gladion pointed. "Multi-Attack!"
A burst of Ghostly energy flashed out to hit the Buneary Gladion had pointed at – and knocked them backwards in a swirl of smoke, resolving into a Zoroark.
"Zoroark!" Gladion said, before the Dark-type could fully pick themselves up. "Mohn is alive. I want to find him."
He threw Silvally the Psychic memory, catching the Ghost one the Pokémon fired back, and closed the case again.
"Zorroooo…" Zoroark said, softly.
They're asking how you knew, Silvally passed on.
"I didn't know," Gladion replied. "But I guessed. Umbreon could tell something was up, and I thought you might be watching us… and a Ghost-type attack wouldn't do much damage to you, but it'd do nothing at all to a real Buneary. And it was the only difference from the first time I'd looked around."
"Zoro-ark!" the vulpine Pokémon said. "Arrrk! Zoro-zoroark!"
"I know that much myself," Silvally replied, speaking both out loud and psychically for the benefit of everyone present. "Gladion sought out Tapu Fini to get closure for Mohn's death, only to find he was still alive. Your trainer did not die years ago… we simply do not know where he is."
Zoroark considered that, for a long moment, then loped over to Gladion and knelt.
"Oro," they declared. "Zor-ark. Zorororrrr…"
That's two things, Silvally reported. Firstly, I'm with you, and secondly… it's mostly the word 'how'.
"I've been listening to Lillie talk about her lessons," Gladion answered. "With Ash Ketchum for a teacher, they're learning a lot about lateral thinking."
"Zoro!? Orr… zororo-ark…"
Zoroark thought they were a myth, Silvally passed on. "Though I have to ask, Zoroark. What is your gender?"
"Zoroark," Zoroark replied.
After a few seconds, Gladion looked at Silvally. "Was that an answer?"
The answer was, Zoroark, Silvally supplied.
"...ah," Gladion frowned. "Well, that's probably reasonable enough."
The next morning, at Gladion's request, Ash visited their house.
"I found Zoroark," Gladion explained, as soon as Ash arrived. "But we can only talk with Psychic Form Silvally translating them for me. Can we get Lokoko's help?"
"Sure," Ash agreed, sending her out. "I guess you're going to be trying to find Mohn now?"
"That is the plan," Gladion nodded. "Though I don't know how long it'll take."
"We were planning on looking into his old study," Lillie provided. "Mother's at work, but she said that she didn't disturb anything in the study… our butler Hobbes knows where it is."
"Indeed I do," said the butler, making Lokoko jump.
"How did you do that?" she asked. "I haven't been surprised like that in centuries!"
"I am a butler, madam," Hobbes said, smiling enigmatically. "Now, if you will follow me, please…"
He pointed, then got moving, and the others hurried to keep up with him.
"No, seriously, I want to know how you did that," Lokoko said. "I'm extending a broad-spectrum translation field across the whole area, and I should have noticed you, but I didn't until you started talking."
"Alas, I could tell you, but I'd have to recruit you," Hobbes chuckled. "And through here, please... watch out for that raised tile, please. It might trip you over, I've been meaning to fix it."
"Where is Zoroark, anyway?" Lokoko asked, skipping the tile. "Unlike Hobbes I at least shouldn't be able to sense them, but… are they in their Pokéball?"
"That's right," Gladion confirmed. "There's hopefully going to be time to have a proper conversation, but it might be better to do it in Mohn's study."
They were all in the same room, now, and Hobbes crossed to a bookshelf. He ran his fingers along the books, then pulled on one.
It came out of the bookcase.
"Huh!" Ash said. "I was expecting it to be a hidden room behind the bookcase."
"It is," Hobbes told him. "However, I haven't opened the door in several years. It's definitely one of these…"
He pulled on another book, and this time it went click and the bookshelf shifted slightly.
"There we are," he said, then pushed the bookshelf inwards to reveal a room.
"There's several rooms in this wing," Hobbes told them. "The study itself is downstairs."
"Is that a bed?" Gladion asked.
"Sometimes, Mohn got a little… too focused on his work," Hobbes explained. "It was up to him, of course, and it was never anything too concerning, but sometimes he preferred to sleep near the study rather than lose time heading upstairs."
He adjusted his jacket, needlessly. "It's one way in which he and Lusamine were alike, in fact."
"Are alike," Lillie said, firmly. "I know we don't know anything about how he is now, or – or why he hasn't come back, but he's still alive. And… it's much harder for me to think of something that could change a whole person like that."
She picked up Snowy, and snuggled into her tails. "We spent years thinking of our father as being gone. But we're trying to find him. So let's remember that."
"Good point, Lillie," Gladion agreed. "Zoroark?"
One of the Pokéballs on his belt fell off, turning out to be a Voltorb, and reformed into Zoroark.
"Since learning that Ash Ketchum is real, I have been somewhat inspired," the Dark-type said.
"You're the one who's been in here most," Gladion said. "At least, while Mohn was using it. If your Pokéball is in here, you're the one who'll recognize it, and… it just feels right for you to lead the way."
"Thank you," Zoroark bowed, then prowled down the steps.
Mohn's study was lined with books, left either exactly or almost exactly as it had been when Mohn had last been in the room, and his children slowed down a little as they entered.
"I've… been here before," Gladion said, surprised. "Not often, but I remember it."
Zoroark vaulted over a guardrail on the last part of the steps down to the basement, and loped to the desk.
"Here it is," they said, holding up a Pokéball. "This is mine. Gladion."
Gladion saw the Pokéball coming, and caught it. "You're sure?"
"I will ask Mohn, when we find him," Zoroark replied. "Until then, you are my trainer."
"Thank you," Gladion said, nodding, then blinked in surprise as Zoroark went straight from there to one of the bookshelves – and opened it, like a cupboard, to reveal something mechanical in a space behind.
"What's that?" Lillie asked.
"It looks like a Pokémon, right?" Snowy said, jumping from Lillie's arms to inspect it. "I don't recognize it, though…"
"I do!" Ash told them. "That's a Magearna. They… might be shiny, actually, I can't tell because I haven't met many Magearna and neither this one nor that one ever sparkled. Hmm…"
"You actually know what it is?" Hobbes asked.
"I'm surprised as well," Zoroark stated. "Mohn found it at an antique store, it wasn't working. He planned to restore it to working order, so it could play with Lillie, but… for obvious reasons, he couldn't."
"Poor thing," Lillie said, entering the room more fully and looking at the inactive Magearna. "I hope they're not able to notice time going past, like that, because otherwise it would be terrible…"
"There's a Z-ring here," Gladion said, then. "Lillie, do you have one? Because, if not, it might make sense to ask the Kahunas or Tapus if you can keep this one."
"She does have a Z-crystal, I remember that, but I don't think a Z-ring was involved…" Ash frowned. "Hmm… hey, Hoopa, are you awake?"
A Hyperspace Hole appeared.
"Hoopa is always awake!" Hoopa declared, leaning through a Hyperspace Hole that showed late-evening Dahara behind them. "To mischief. Hoopa is sometimes asleep in the conventional sense, but when mischief is involved Hoopa is always awake. Is there mischief?"
"There's something, I guess," Ash replied. "Can you check if Volcanion and Magearna on the Nebel Plateau are awake?"
"Hoopa will find an answer!" Hoopa said, popping back through the hole. "Allez Hoopa-ring!"
They sent a second ring skimming through the air, then a big reddish Pokémon fell out and hit the ground with a wham.
"Who did that?" Volcanion demanded.
"Volcanion is awake!" Hoopa said. "Now Hoopa will test if Magearna is awake!"
"Volcanion!" Ash called. "Hey, Hoopa, please don't, I can ask Volcanion – Volcanion, some friends of mine just found a Magearna in a cupboard. Do you know how to fix a Magearna? They haven't been active for a long time…"
"Hmf," Volcanion huffed. "If you try to fix Magearna, and that's what you're trying to do, then it won't work unless you actually want them to be healthy for their own benefit. I'm not convinced most humans are capable of it."
He hissed like a steam valve. "But I suppose you're an exception, Ash. So maybe these ones will be too."
Lillie and Ash, with Lokoko's help, got the Magearna out of the cupboard it had been kept in, but after a few minutes Ash had to admit that he wasn't really sure where to start.
"I do want Magearna to be better, but… I'm not great with machines," he admitted. "So, I don't know."
Rummaging in his pocket, Ash got Arc out. "Do you have any ideas?"
"I do not," Arc replied. "Unfortunately, while I have the notes for an overwhelming majority of Pokémon, in this case Magearna is a wholly artificial creation."
They paused. "And yes, I know I am as well, defining Mew as artificial if Mew was involved in the last few years. However, I am using a definition of artificial which means that natural things are possible."
"Makes sense," Ash decided.
As he was thinking, though, Gladion looked through the still-open portal to Dahara.
"How does Hoopa actually know when someone's going to call on them?" he asked.
Hoopa zipped into view, and waved. "Hoopa is psychic!" the Pokémon explained. "Hoopa is also Ghost sometimes. But Hoopa is always able to tell where Hoopa should put a ring to make sure that the Pokémon Hoopa is after appears, and so Hoopa is able to tell where Hoopa is needed! Hoopa is like Super Hoopa because Hoopa can hear someone who needs Hoopa's help from all the way around the world!"
Hoopa balanced a ring on their head. "Plus, if you want to call someone, you give them a ring, but Hoopa already has all of Hoopa's rings. Hoopa is the best, obviously!"
"Well…" Gladion said. "What I was wondering is – if you know that, do you know where Mohn is?"
"There are many Pokémon! Which Mon do you mean?" Hoopa asked.
"He means my trainer," Zoroark explained.
"Oh!" Hoopa said. "Hoopa can do that!"
Hoopa caught the ring that had been balancing on their head, threw it through the other one like a discus, and it glowed and opened over Zoroark.
It also opened underneath Gladion, and Gladion landed unceremoniously on Zoroark.
"Sorry," Gladion said, a bit breathlessly, then rolled off and glared at Hoopa.
"Hey!" Hoopa protested. "Hoopa is Ghost type!"
"We meant my father, Mohn," Gladion said. "How could you not tell that if you can tell where someone might want your help from halfway across the planet?"
"Hoopa is alert," Hoopa said. "Hmm… Hoopa is having a not found error. Are you sure your father is a human?"
"Quite sure," Gladion answered, then looked at Ash. "...almost sure. Zoroark?"
"Mohn is human," Zoroark confirmed.
"Wait, I think I worked something out," Ash said. "Volcanion, can I ask something?"
"I don't think I'm going to stop you if I say no," Volcanion grumbled. "I was going to look for enough water to generate steam. I think I can get back through that portal Hoopa dropped me through…"
"Well, what I was wondering is – does Magearna know any self healing moves?" Ash explained. "The one who's your friend, I mean. I'm wondering if healing moves work on them."
"It is not a move, but Magearna can heal others with flowers from her arms," Volcanion said. "Now I'm going to find a river."
"Why bother?" Hoopa asked. "Hoopa will bring the river to you!"
Hoopa drenched Volcanion, who seemed unappreciative.
"Okay, here's my idea," Ash said.
They were now outside, in the garden of Gladion and Lillie's house, but Hoopa was still watching through a Hyperspace Hole.
Quite possibly a different one.
"Cresselia knows some healing moves," Ash explained. "And so does Dr. Agonite, but he's on a residential at the moment? Anyway, Cresselia knows them, and my idea was that if Lillie can work with Cresselia to do it then it should work out."
"How do I work with Cresselia, though?" Lillie asked. "She's your Pokémon."
"Yes," Ash agreed. "But if you can use a Z-move to do it, you can borrow one of my Z-crystals and we can turn it into a Z-Heal Pulse or a Z…"
He checked his set of Z-crystals.
"-Jungle Healing, probably," he said, holding up a green Z-crystal. "I think that's the main one. I don't have a Water or Psychic crystal so it can't actually be Life Dew or Heal Pulse."
"I've never actually heard of Jungle Healing," Gladion frowned.
"You know how it is, Mew turns up, your moveset expands," Cresselia shrugged. "But if the first step is to make sure Lillie can use a Z-move, I'm up for it too."
She produced a large paperback book. "I've read this one before but it's still enjoyable."
"All right," Lillie said. "Snowy, we're going to use Powder Snow for this one… I don't know the poses, though."
"I believe I can assist, there," Hobbes announced, and took the Ice poses with poise.
Lillie copied them, twice, then exhaled.
"Let's do the move as normal a few times, so we know we're doing it right," she said. "Then we'll try a Z-move."
"Got it!" Snowy agreed. "Don't worry, Magearna, we'll help you out when we know how!"
Learning to use a Z-move wasn't an instant process, but they had time, and within an hour or so Mohn's Z-ring and Lillie's Z-crystal were lighting up visibly each time Lillie did the poses and Snowy exhaled her Powder Snow. It hadn't yet turned into a proper Subzero Slammer, but it was getting close, and Gladion smiled faintly as he watched.
Then frowned.
"Have you kept that portal open the whole time?" he asked. "I'm surprised you're not bored yet."
"Oh!" Hoopa gasped. "Hoopa is sorry, Hoopa was not checking the time! You are right, Hoopa is bored!"
The Hyperspace Hole closed.
"What a strange Pokémon," Zoroark said.
Then a smaller Hyperspace Hole appeared, and dropped a beanbag on their head.
"Ow."
That, of course, was the point when Lillie actually got it. Unearthly sunlight blazed from the Z-ring and the Z-crystal slotted into it, and Snowy's Powder Snow turned into a Subzero Slammer that knocked Cresselia backwards halfway across the courtyard.
"We did it!" Lillie cheered, then blinked. "Oh! Sorry!"
"No, I was expecting this," Cresselia replied, shaking herself and sending ice dripping off her close-packed feathers. "That's why I was re-reading something, otherwise I'd lose my place. Recover."
"Glad to hear it," Snowy said, trying not to fall over. "Those are really tiring…"
Then Magearna stood up.
"Soul-Heart online," the Fairy-type announced. "Which one of you is Lillie?"
Lillie raised her hand automatically, too surprised to do anything else, and Magearna walked quickly over to her before curtseying.
"I am Magearna," they said. "I am quite sure I am intended to be a gift for you, though you appear to be taller than I was expecting. It is nice to meet you."
"...oh, I get it!" Ash said. "That's what Volcanion meant. Magearna's Soul-Heart is what helps them out, that's what needed to heal, and Lillie using a Z-move worked out just great for that."
"I'm never sure how you make a deductive leap like that," Gladion sighed.
About fifteen minutes later, Lusamine had arrived (by Dragonite) and so had Kahuna Hala (also by Dragonite).
"So, here's what we know so far," Ash said, and began ticking points off on his fingers. "Firstly, we went into Mohn's old study, and we found Zoroark's Pokéball. We also found Magearna, deactivated in a cupboard, and I asked for some help from an expert about how to revive Magearna."
Magearna waved, a little uncertainly.
"Who is Mohn?" she asked.
"That's my father… oh!" Lillie realized. "You weren't working, were you? So you wouldn't have known… but then how do you know that you were meant for me?"
"I do not know how I know, but I know," Magearna said. "It is impressed on my Soul-Heart."
"And – you don't mind?" Lillie asked. "I'd hate for you to be in a situation like that when you didn't want to be."
"I do not mind," Magearna answered.
"...so while I was getting advice," Ash resumed. "We also asked Hoopa if Hoopa knew where Mohn was, but Hoopa couldn't find him."
Ash frowned slightly, then shook his head. "Uh, I just had a thought, but we can't really use it yet… but the next thing we decided to do was to try and revive Magearna, in case she knew something and because it was the right thing to do."
"Is this related to the Z-ring Lillie is wearing?" Hala asked. "May I inspect that?"
Lillie took it off and held it out, and Hala stepped closer to have a good look.
"Yes," he said. "This is Mohn's Z-ring, I recognize it well."
"Do you want it back?" Lillie asked. "I'd… rather keep it, but I should offer."
"Have you done anything with it so far?" the Kahuna asked.
"I have," Lillie said, glanced at Ash, then took up the account. "So Ash had the idea that I could use a Z-healing move with a borrowed Z-crystal to restore Magearna, but first we wanted to make sure I could make a Z-move work with Snowy. She's my partner Pokémon so it was the right place to start, I… think?"
Lusamine nodded in confirmation. "That's where Z-moves usually start, yes."
"And she did," Ash provided. "But when she did her Z-move correctly for the first time, it just woke up Magearna anyway. What I think is going on is that Magearna reacts to emotions, like Mohn wanting to introduce Magearna to Lillie so they could be friends, and the emotions and dedication Lillie and Snowy had when they used the Z-move together – plus Necrozma's power, I guess – powered Magearna up all the way."
He looked at Magearna. "Is that right? I don't know how my own liver works very well, but I guess you might know more about how your own systems work."
"It seems plausible," Magearna decided, after considering it. "I am not an expert in the workings of the Soul-Heart, but I know that just before I woke up properly I felt a burst of energy – and happiness."
"In that case…" Ash said, thinking. "I know it's a long shot, but you were connected to Lillie before you woke up. What about Mohn?"
"Mohn… is the person who purchased me," she said. "He thought that his little daughter should have a friend."
"This was his," Lillie volunteered, holding up the Z-ring.
Magearna's eyes closed, then a tracery of light glowed around Soul-Heart in her chest.
After a long moment, she turned, and fired out a beam of light.
"He is… that way," she said. "But that is all I know, and the direction is vague."
"That's great news, though!" Ash told her. "That means we can find him, because we can do that thing Max did to find the Temple of the Sea!"
Everyone else looked puzzled.
"Ash, you're literally the only person in this room besides me who was there," Pikachu said. "Well, except Ibid, but he has a great Pokédex face."
"Oh, yeah," Ash realized. "That's a good point… what Max said we should do is mark the direction on a map, and then go off to the left or right, and that way we'd be able to draw lines and see where they joined up."
"Triangulation, right," Lusamine nodded. "Then let's go. Right now, if possible."
"There is one thing that has to be sorted out, first," Kahuna Hala interrupted. "It's of critical importance."
He put his hand on Lillie's shoulder. "Whether you find your father or not, I feel you have earned that Z-ring. Or another, if Mohn wants it back. Good luck."
It did take a few minutes to get ready for their trip to find Mohn, mostly because Ash got Ibid to contact Nebby for help and transportation and also made sure they had some spare Dragonites just in case, but before long they were all ready for take-off.
"Where do we go first?" Nebby asked, spreading her wings.
"Poni Island," Lusamine suggested. "It's off to one side of the beam direction, and it'll give us some idea of how far we have to go."
"Got it!" Nebby agreed. "Let's do this, Ash!"
They struck their poses together, and Nebby's Moongeist Beam blew a hole in the universe.
After Magearna's second beam, which had been almost directly parallel to the first, Lusamine was silent for a long moment.
"You know what this means, don't you?" she asked.
"What?" Gladion said.
"This is an international rescue mission!" his mother replied.
Lillie groaned. "Oh, come on…" she mumbled.
"You've got… a lot of Pokémon with us, haven't you?" Gladion asked, after a detour to Unova for another bearing. "Why so many?"
"Well, a lot of these are the ones I had with us already," Ash replied, now riding Articuno. "But Articuno and Zacian are both Galarian, and that's where the lines cross over, while Zygarde is just because Zygarde is everywhere and they might be helpful."
"Correct," Zygarde confirmed. "In addition I am hopeful that I will be able to help refine the targeting information, but that is a subset of being helpful."
"That's true, yeah," Ash nodded. "Okay, Nebby, let's go!"
He switched out his Lunalium for a Solgalium, because Nebby was in Solgaleo mode at the moment. "Three, two, one-"
They blasted an Ultra Wormhole to Galar, and Articuno was the first through.
"Ah, it's good to be back," Articuno sighed, wings glowing faintly as she shielded them from the weather. "Think we can have a curry before we head back?"
"We could do," Ash said, already unzipping his bag so Zygarde could get inside. "It's cold enough that a curry would be nice!"
"I have been spoiled by Alola," Zygarde lamented.
A flight of Dragonite came swooping through the Ultra Wormhole, carrying Lillie, Magearna, Lokoko and Lusamine, and Gladion's Silvally conveyed his trainer through the wormhole as well before Nebby joined in and it shut.
"We should do it from here," Lusamine advised. "We're above Galar now, so that will give extra information… Magearna?"
"I will," Magearna replied, hands going to her Soul-Heart, then released a beam of light.
Zygarde Core stuck their head out of Ash's bag for a moment.
"Targeting," they said. "Location is between ten and twenty miles south."
"Good aim, Nebby!" Ash praised, as they turned south. "Articuno, do you know what bit of Galar this is?"
"It's the Crown Tundra, is what it is," Articuno answered, spreading her wings. "It's more Galarian than the rest of Galar, which is to say, bloody cold and the weather's terrible. Lovely place."
Two more beams and they had it narrowed down to a single log cabin, halfway up a mountain, and the flight of Pokémon landed outside.
"He's here," Gladion said, still not really able to credit it. "Now… we just need to know why, right?"
"I'd say that's correct," Lusamine agreed.
She walked up to the cabin. "Hello? Mohn, are you in?"
The door opened, and Mohn stepped out.
It was obvious just comparing him to the pictures back in Alola.
"...who are you?" he asked, looking from Lusamine to Gladion, Lillie and Ash. "And how do you know my name?"
"Oh, I see what's going on," Lusamine said, firmly. "Amnesia. Must be."
"Yeah, I wondered about that!" Ash agreed. "I just couldn't think of a way to use it, but I wondered if maybe the reason why Hoopa couldn't find Mohn was because Mohn didn't know he was Gladion's father."
"What are you talking about?" Mohn said. "I only have one child, my daughter Lillie."
"Does that mean Hoopa might have found Father if I'd asked for Lillie's father?" Gladion said, sounding annoyed.
Lillie's face lit up, then she frowned in confusion.
"But, wait," she said. "If he knows that… well, he last saw me when I was a baby, so I see why he doesn't recognize me. But why didn't he come looking?"
"This is important," Lusamine told Mohn. "What do you remember?"
"Who are you?" Mohn asked. "You just turned up out of nowhere with an enormous collection of Pokémon I don't recognize, and – now you're saying I must have amnesia because I don't recognize you?"
"We're pretty sure you do have amnesia," Ash provided. "Because Lusamine's your wife! And Gladion and Lillie are your children. But if you don't remember them, or not properly, that means you're injured."
"Hmm," Silvally muttered. "Something doesn't seem right… Gladion, can I have the Psychic Memory?"
Mohn watched, amazed, as Gladion swapped out the Flying Memory for the Psychic one.
"That's a very unusual Pokémon," he said. "But a lot of the Pokémon here are unusual. What are they?"
He paused. "Oh – I should introduce you to my daughter, Lillie."
Lillie looked very confused.
Mohn led them inside, then opened a door, and everyone just kind of stared.
"...um," Gladion said, eventually. "Isn't that a Nihilego?"
"A shiny Nihilego," Lusamine pointed out. "We saw lots of them in the Ultra Deep Sea and they did not look like that. Well, that's interesting."
"Go-go," the shiny Nihilego protested, then turned invisible.
"I'm sorry, my daughter is shy," Mohn apologized. "Would you like some tea?"
"Well, he's settling in to the Galarian lifestyle, at least," Articuno said.
Ash had Arc out of his pocket, and stepped forwards.
"Hey, uh… me-ew-mew?" he tried. "Arc, did I get that right?"
"Slightly too low pitched," Arc corrected him.
"...did he just meow?" Mohn asked.
"Ash is… unique," Lusamine said, as Ash kept making Mew noises.
"Fortunately," Gladion added. "He's helped us out more than we could ever tell, but the word very much is 'fortunately' because he's a lot to handle and very odd."
A few minutes later, Ash put Arc down in front of Lokoko, and the Fire-type focused on the screen.
In front of her, the shiny Nihilego appeared again.
"Go-nihi," the alien Pokémon began, then their voice started to translate as Lokoko followed Arc's instructions. "Years ago, I saw a strange creature fall into my home world."
They pointed at Mohn. "That creature was you. You were so injured, and confused, that you could only remember the name of your daughter. Lillie."
Mohn looked very confused.
"I brought you back, or, to here. But I was scared. So… when you healed, I did my best to make sure you didn't remember. I… did not want to be abandoned."
Their tentacles twined. "I did not want to be left alone."
"Do you…" Gladion began, stopped, and tried again. "What do you think will happen now?"
Ash translated, which Gladion still wasn't really used to.
"Mohn will remember, and you will leave," the Nihilego said. "And I will be alone. Here or in the Deep Sea, it will be the same."
"You don't have to be," Lillie told them. "I'm Mohn's daughter, but… you can still be part of the family."
A long pause.
"Would it be too confusing to call me Lillie?" Nihilego asked.
"Absolutely not," Zoroark said, before anyone else could respond. "Top marks, one hundred percent, I'm adopting them if nobody else is."
AN:
Technically this one also did a Journeys episode.