Truth be told, Lillie was perfectly aware of her own limits.
She was just an ordinary girl, too timid to even touch Pokémon, and when she ran into Skull Grunts, she always had to rely on others to protect her.
All she really had was her identity as the daughter of Alola's richest woman, her status as a pampered heiress, and a face beautiful enough to outshine most.
Aside from that—she had no talent whatsoever.
Being this weak… how could she possibly help Dratini?
Anything she could do, both Lusamine and Mr. Haru could surely accomplish with ease—and probably even better than her.
Well… except for helping Mr. Haru's Dratini with that particular "problem."
That was something Lusamine definitely couldn't do.
If one day she really did become Mr. Haru's girlfriend, then naturally there would come a time when she'd have to help his Dratini "solve its troubles."
But as for this real Dratini here, all she could do was pray for its safety.
At this thought, the little thrill that had built up in her heart quickly faded again.
Having received so much kindness from Mr. Haru, Lillie had of course wanted to repay him.
She even wished—if she could—that she might become stronger, strong enough to travel alongside Mr. Haru, as partners in adventure, taking on Gym challenges and Leagues across the world.
But… she couldn't.
She was ultimately just a weakling.
A weakling who couldn't even bring herself to touch a Pokémon.
Without strength, one couldn't become a hero.
"I… I'm sorry. I really wish I could help, but… I have nothing to offer."
"Ah, come on now. Let me explain first, don't make that face."
Seeing her so downcast, Haru quickly interrupted her.
He then briefly explained the Minidraco's situation, and continued:
"Listen carefully, Lillie—you actually possess a power far greater than you realize."
He paused mid-sentence, turning to glance at Lana, who had been staring intently at him ever since Lillie entered the room. Waving a hand, he said:
"Everyone except Lillie and Miss Lusamine—would you mind stepping outside for a moment?"
"We need to discuss some rather sensitive matters."
"…"
Lana's expression turned stranger and stranger. She glanced at Lillie, then at Lusamine, as if she wanted to say something.
But in the end, she obediently followed Haru's instructions and left the emergency room.
Is that pervert planning to do something indecent here? But that kid looks totally clueless… unless that's just an act too?
Still gripping her fishing rod, the girl mused darkly as she walked out the door.
Wicke looked rather worried. She couldn't quite read what was going on between these two, but she left the room with Lana nonetheless.
The other researchers followed suit.
Meanwhile, Lillie silently observed each person's expression as they left, carefully analyzing any hints she could pick up.
She had the distinct feeling that Aunt Wicke and that unfamiliar blue-haired girl were both hiding something—which made her all the more attentive to their behavior.
Especially that blue-haired girl… she kept staring at Mr. Haru. Very suspicious.
"Alright. Now, let's get down to business."
After shutting the door again, Haru clapped his hands lightly and turned back to Lillie:
"First of all—Lillie, you haven't done nothing."
"At the very least, you kept Nebby safe until I arrived. And now, I'd like to ask Nebby to help solve Dratini's problem."
Perhaps hearing its name, Nebby tilted its head and wobbled its two little antennae.
It looked as if it were saying, Me? Help Dratini? For real?!
"But Nebby doesn't know any moves besides Teleport. It's a rare Pokémon, sure, but it's still weak—it doesn't have any special powers."
Lillie still couldn't figure out what Haru was planning.
She'd been raising Nebby for a while now—surely no one understood Nebby better than she did. And she definitely didn't recall it having any healing abilities.
"That's where you're mistaken. This is a future embodiment of either the Lunala or the Solgaleo. It symbolizes the powers of the moon or the sun."
"It? Nebby? The sun and the moon?!"
Lillie was stunned.
And not just her—Lusamine looked equally dumbfounded.
"If I'm not mistaken… this sounds like you're talking about… gods?"
Holding Nebby in her hands, Lillie could feel her fingers trembling.
Gods… To think that the little thing she'd been protecting all this time was a real god.
But how could that be? And if it was a god, why had it ended up with her?
Nebby itself, though, continued to float about cheerfully, with not a trace of divine dignity.
"It's true. Nebby's final evolution will become either the Sun God or the Moon God—both of them legendary deities in Alolan lore."
"But that's for the future. And eventually this will tie into Z-Power and its origins. We can save that story for another time."
Haru didn't linger on the topic. After briefly explaining Nebby's true nature, he moved on:
"For now, I want to try having Nebby absorb the strange energy inside Minidraco."
"After all, this is the embryonic form of a god, and Z-Power is connected to Alola's three divine beings. So Nebby should be able to handle this energy."
"Who knows—this might even help Nebby awaken a bit faster."
If that didn't work, well—he could always have Mew perform a little "vacuum extraction" and forcibly pull out the energy with psychic powers…
Mew was, after all, the mythical Pokémon said to contain the DNA of all Pokémon. It should have no trouble with that.
But Haru didn't mention the backup plan. He simply presented the option and left the choice to Lillie.
"… I understand! Let's give it a try."
She bent down, gazing earnestly at Nebby: "Would you help me? Please, Nebby."
Nebby spun joyfully in the air, as if saying yes!
"Then… good luck, Nebby!"
Clenching her small fists, Lillie whispered softly.
Will the gods… bless the love between me and Mr. Haru?
Her heart fluttered with excitement.
—
Nebby's "treatment" had clearly drained quite a bit of its energy—once it was done, it promptly fell fast asleep on the spot.
It wasn't injured, though—in fact, it looked more like it had eaten too much and dozed off.
At last, Lillie could breathe easy and calmly reflect on everything that had happened today.
She carefully opened the door to the emergency room, eager to find Mr. Haru and discuss everything—Nebby, the blue-haired girl, and those mysterious attackers.
But—
After searching outside for a while, she finally found Haru.
And what she saw… was that blue-haired girl standing right next to him.
And she even seemed to be reaching out—to touch Mr. Haru's body!?
In that moment, Lillie's mind flashed through all the odd behavior the blue-haired girl had shown… and the pitying looks Wicke and the others had given her.
The clever girl suddenly arrived at a terrifying conclusion.
Could it be… this blue-haired woman was her rival in love—and had already stolen a march on her without her even knowing?!
Had everyone else figured this out already—while she alone was left in the dark?
Lillie's eyes sharpened instantly.
That's right. It's time to make my move.