Let us ask the great Dialga to rewind time just a little…
While the great Haru and the fake and real Lillies were engaged in their earth-shattering battle, the real Lillie had begun her own mission.
At first, Lillie had followed Lusamine's instructions and stayed put, waiting for her and Haru to return so they could continue touring Aether Paradise.
But as time passed, something began to feel… off.
Hadn't they said they'd be back in an hour? Why had she been waiting for two hours with no word?
Could something have happened?
Even though Aether Paradise was Lusamine's domain, Lillie couldn't help but worry about the two of them.
After all, they were both incredibly important to her. If anything were to happen to them…
And for some reason, ever since Mr. Haru started interacting with Lusamine, an inexplicable sense of unease had been gnawing at her.
But why? What in Alola could possibly threaten those two?
Lillie thought long and hard, and eventually, only one possibility remained in her mind.
Could it be that their relationship… was strained?
Maybe they were only pretending to get along for her sake, when in truth things were tense between them!
No, Lusamine had already shown signs— Lillie had seen it with her own eyes— of keeping her distance whenever Haru was around.
Perhaps it wasn't that she feared Mr. Haru, but that she was trying hard not to argue with him.
And as for Mr. Haru…
Everyone knew that the first time Mr. Haru came to Alola and "did nothing at all", he still became a wanted man in Aether Paradise. There was no way he could be totally free of resentment, and Lillie didn't believe otherwise.
And yet Mr. Haru had shown no trace of bitterness. On the contrary, he had saved Lusamine without a second thought...
It was obvious— he did it out of love for her!
So the truth must be that the two of them had plenty of unresolved tension. Maybe they were even arguing right now!
They had already done so much for her sake.
The more Lillie thought about it, the more convinced she became, her heart filling with a deep sense of gratitude.
Those two had truly given so much for her.
But as more time passed, her unease kept building, just like a tank in League of Legends whose blood pressure only kept rising.
Her intuition told her that if she waited any longer, something precious would be lost.
In the end, Lillie couldn't resist taking action. She decided to ask some of the Aether Foundation staff about the situation before making her next move.
After all, Lusamine was the president of Aether Paradise. If she'd shown up somewhere, the employees would surely remember it clearly.
It was like when the boss walked by at the office— you could always tell because you'd reflexively check if you'd been caught slacking.
Though her relationship with Lusamine hadn't always been great, Lillie was still the heiress of Aether Paradise. It wasn't hard for her to get the answers she needed.
And so, she soon learned that the ever-compassionate Lusamine and Mr. Haru had been delayed because they were busy trying to save a Dratini.
Lillie's worries were eased, and she let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Thank goodness nothing bad had happened— it had all been in her head.
Still, she needed to find them quickly— what if they ended up clashing?
But… on her way to the emergency room, she was suddenly ambushed by several unknown attackers.
Their goal was clearly to snatch her Cosmog. Without hesitation, they lunged for the Pokémon in her arms.
The location was remote, and there was no time for others to come to her aid— it was obvious the attackers had planned it that way.
Under normal circumstances, a helpless girl like Lillie would have had no chance of escaping.
But— much like Haru's off-target Photon Geyser, the world is full of surprises.
Just as Lillie was falling into peril, a powerful, invisible guardian revealed itself— Mew, the Asura-path master.
With a simple, elegant Dazzling Gleam, the peerless Pokémon dispatched the attackers in an instant and saved Lillie just in time.
It was then that Lillie realized— Mr. Haru had never stopped caring about her.
Even though he wasn't here in person, he had left his strongest Pokémon to watch over her, clearly worried something might happen.
Why would you be so kind to me… Mr. Haru?
You need Mew's protection just as much...
Lillie remembered very clearly: Mr. Haru only had two Pokémon— Mew and a Misdreavus.
Now that Mew was with her, Mr. Haru was left with only that little Misdreavus.
And Misdreavus was a fragile Pokémon.
Of course, not all Misdreavus were weak, but the one Mr. Haru had— timid and skittish— surely wasn't very strong.
There was no way it could even beat a Turtwig, surely.
So in truth, Mr. Haru was in greater danger than she was, being without Mew!
As she gazed at Mew's back, Lillie's eyes misted over, growing more and more hazy.
Though Mew wasn't human, it could still sense the emotions of the girl behind it.
It was sorely tempted to tell her just what her beloved Mr. Haru had been up to— that would make for quite the interesting scene.
But… that would feel like a betrayal. Mew knew full well that Haru didn't want Lillie learning those things yet.
And as a steadfast Mew, it would never betray its Trainer!
Besides… some things are far more fun when left unrevealed...
So Mew continued playing with its phone as these thoughts swirled in its mind.
Finally, under Mew's escort, Lillie safely arrived at her destination and at last saw the two people who had been on her mind.
Lusamine's expression was visibly anxious. Mr. Haru seemed to be saying something, and off to the side stood a short-haired blue-haired girl.
Her expression kept shifting, as though she were wrestling with some inner conflict.
The atmosphere was a little tense, but it didn't seem like they were fighting.
And she wondered— how was the Dratini doing?
The blonde girl pondered this as she stepped into the room.
Though she hadn't yet seen the endangered Dratini, her kind heart was already worried for the poor Pokémon.
And then… she was met with what could only be called strange treatment.
Why? Why was everyone looking at her like that? Even that unfamiliar blue-haired girl?
Especially Ms. Wicke and that unknown girl— why did they seem to be looking at her with pity?
Lillie was completely bewildered.
At last, it was Mr. Haru who stepped forward. After clearing his throat, he spoke:
"Ahem, Lillie, you've come at just the right time."
"This Dratini happens to need your help."
"My help?"
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