"Lillie!"
Seeing her collapse, Ash and the others quickly rushed over, calling her name in concern.
"What happened to her?" Iono asked, worried.
"Lillie is extremely afraid of Pokémon for some reason," Mallow explained quickly. "Back at school, even if a Pokémon just approached her, she'd freeze in terror!"
"…"
Naoki's eyes narrowed slightly.
So, she really was the same Lillie he knew.
He stepped forward to check her condition and reassured everyone, "Don't worry, she's okay. She just fainted from a sudden spike of fear. With some rest, she'll be fine."
Then he turned to sister Indeedee, and said gently, "Indeedee, can you help our guest to a room?"
"Aiyi~!" Sister Indeedee chirped, nodding. The Indeedee calmly used its psychic powers to lift Lillie off the ground and carefully carried her inside, placing her in one of the guest rooms to rest.
After hearing she was alright, Ash and the others finally let out a breath of relief.
Just then, Ash's gaze drifted toward the open yard, and his eyes widened in delight. "Whoa! Look over there! It's Entei, Raikou, and Suicune!"
Hearing his excited voice, the three Legendary Beasts turned away from where they had been watching Elara play with her toys. Slowly, they looked in Ash's direction.
And then recognition sparked in their eyes.
That boy... it was the Rainbow Hero, Ash Ketchum!
The three Legendary Pokémon hadn't forgotten him. A few years ago, they had helped guide him to Mt. Tensei, where he completed the Rainbow Hero's trial.
And now, they were meeting again in this peaceful place.
Kiawe, Mallow, Lana, and the others noticed the powerful presence of the three unfamiliar Pokémon.
"Huh? Ash, do you know them?" Sophocles asked in surprise.
"Of course!" Ash grinned, nodding with excitement. "They're the Legendary Pokémon of the Johto region! The one on the left is Raikou, an Electric-type. The one in the middle is Entei, a Fire-type. And the one on the right is Suicune, a Water-type!"
"Legendary Pokémon?!" Mallow gasped, covering her mouth.
Ash gave a proud nod. "Yep, they're the real deal!"
With a big wave and a cheerful voice, he called out, "Hey Entei! Suicune! Raikou! It's been a while!"
Entei's thick mane flowed in the breeze, and the great beast stood tall and dignified, radiating majesty.
The Fire-type looked at Ash with those glowing golden eyes, then gave him a respectful nod in response.
Naoki raised an eyebrow at the interaction, then smiled in understanding. Of course, Ash from this world had visited Mt. Tensei and completed the Rainbow Hero's test. No wonder he knew the three Legendary Beasts.
It was then that the others noticed something else, standing in the middle of the three Legendary Pokémon, protected like a precious gem, was a small girl.
She had soft pink hair, wide dark eyes, and wore an adorable little dress. Barely more than a year old, she looked like a delicate doll, bright, curious, and undeniably cute.
Mallow blinked, slightly startled. She glanced at Naoki and Iono, a realization forming in her heart.
Could it be…?
And as if on cue, Ash's voice answered the question spinning in her mind.
"Mr. Naoki, is that little one… Elara?"
Naoki smiled warmly and nodded. "Yes."
Ash's eyes sparkled. He quickly jogged over, crouched down at a respectful distance, and beamed. "Hi, Elara! I'm Ash!"
Elara looked at Ash with a blank, curious expression.
"Elara, say hi to big brother Ash," Naoki encouraged gently.
This time, Elara got it. She blinked her big eyes, then opened her mouth and said, "Ass… Ass!"
"It's Ash!" The way she said his name reminded Ash of Hoopa, who had once called him and Pikachu just like that.
Elara giggled and repeated, "Ass!"
"…"Ash gave a helpless smile and rubbed his forehead.
Elara clapped her hands and laughed with glee.
"She's adorable!"
Mallow and the others couldn't help but smile. They squatted down beside her, waving and greeting her cheerfully.
But then, a new realization hit them, Mr. Naoki had actually entrusted the care of his daughter to three Legendary Pokémon.
They all turned their eyes toward Entei, Raikou, and Suicune standing close by, now even more amazed than before.
Mallow gulped. "Mr. Naoki is seriously on another level!"
Naoki was genuinely happy to have visitors at the ranch.
He looked at Iono, then went inside and brought out plenty of snacks and drinks to share with Ash and his friends.
Kiawe, being from a ranching family himself, wasn't particularly surprised by anything on the farm.
But Mallow, Sophocles, Lana, and the others, who hadn't seen much of ranch life, found everything around them fascinating.
After enjoying some treats, the group excitedly began exploring the ranch.
When they arrived at the Gogoat pen, Mallow asked curiously, "So the milk we just drank, was it from Gogoat like these?"
"Exactly!" Ash nodded enthusiastically, helping Naoki explain. "In fact, these three Gogoat have reached Champion-level strength! Back when Mr. Naoki lived in the Paldea region, tons of people came to challenge them, but none of them won!"
"What?!" Lana gasped, her eyes wide in disbelief. "Champion-level Gogoat?!"
"That's right!" Ash confirmed with a proud grin.
"Wait a minute... does that mean the milk we just drank came from Champion-tier Pokémon?!" Mallow's jaw dropped.
Mr. Naoki didn't bring these Gogoat to the League or into battles, and instead had them working on the ranch producing milk? That was insanely extravagant!
"Uh… I don't think a Pokémon's milk quality has anything to do with its battle strength…" Ash said, scratching his head in confusion. "Right?"
"And it's not just the Gogoat!" Ash added with growing excitement. "Mr. Naoki even uses a Champion-level Dragonite to water his crops! And he's got a Champion-tier Pawmot managing the henhouse!"
Sophocles, Mallow, and the others were completely stunned.
They stood frozen for a moment, at a complete loss for words.
It was Mallow who finally found her voice.
She turned to Kiawe and asked in disbelief,
"Kiawe… do you have any Champion-level Pokémon at your ranch?"
A bead of cold sweat rolled down Kiawe's forehead.
"…"
What kind of question is that?!
When Lillie regained consciousness, she found herself lying in an unfamiliar bed.
She stared blankly at the ceiling for a long moment before gradually recalling what had happened.
She had fainted… just from touching a Pokémon.
Her cheeks flushed bright red. How embarrassing!
But… when that Eeveelution brushed past her leg, something had stirred deep inside her mind. Fragmented, shadowy memories emerged, perhaps triggered by her intense fear.
In those flashes, she seemed to be trapped, ensnared by a Pokémon.
Its body had wrapped around her, its limbs or tentacles tightening so much that she could barely breathe…
"Ah!"
Lillie gasped and instinctively clutched her head, her thoughts scattering into a blank void. After that point, everything was a blur.
"What was that?" she murmured, looking down at her trembling hands. "Was it just a dream? Why did it feel so real…"
The room was utterly silent. So quiet, in fact, that she could hear her own heartbeat echo in her ears.
Then, suddenly, a burst of laughter and shouts drifted in from outside.
Lillie got out of bed and walked to the window.
Looking out, she saw Ash and Kiawe engaged in a friendly Pokémon battle on the ranch grounds.
Ash was using Pikachu, while the opponent was Mr. Naoki's Jolteon.
The battle was fast-paced and intense, sparks flying across the field. Lillie's gaze sharpened as she observed each movement.
Ash's Pikachu let out a powerful Thunderbolt, and Naoki's Jolteon responded with the same move, Thunderbolt, to counter.
Twin bolts of lightning collided midair, crackling with electric force.
The resulting flash lit up the entire field.
But when the energy finally dissipated, it was clear who had the edge.
Jolteon had been pushed back.
Compared to Pikachu, Jolteon seemed to lack battle experience, and Lillie could see it.
If this went on, Jolteon was going to lose.
Just as Lillie predicted, when Ash noticed that Jolteon was losing ground, he immediately seized the opportunity to go on the offensive.
He had Pikachu unleash its Z-Move: 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt, channeling all its power into a final strike.
As expected, Jolteon couldn't withstand the blow. The Thunderbolt overwhelmed it, and Jolteon collapsed, unable to continue battling.
Watching the conclusion from the window, Lillie let out a slow, quiet breath.
Now, she had to figure out how to face everyone downstairs, with all those Pokémon around.
She hesitated, collecting herself.
And just then, the door creaked open.
Startled, Lillie turned around quickly.
Standing at the doorway was the house butler—more specifically, a Pokémon butler who had opened the door with its paw and was now gazing at her with concern.
It was a Indeedee, the female form native to the Galar region. Lillie's thoughts flashed quickly through the facts: a Psychic and Normal-type known as a caretaker Pokémon…
But the moment she realized her situation, her body stiffened. She quickly raised her hands and said nervously,
"Please wait a moment!"
Sister Indeedee paused mid-step, tilting her head curiously.
"Ai-e?"
She could sense something.
From the air, from Lillie's expression, from the way she froze, she felt it: fear.
This guest was afraid of her.
"I'm so sorry!" Lillie quickly apologized, flustered. "I didn't mean to! It's not you, it's just…"
The young Indeedee recalled what Naoki had explained earlier. She softened immediately, understanding.
"Ai~"
With a gentle nod, she backed away, stepped out of the room, and slowly closed the door behind her, leaving Lillie with her space and dignity intact.
Seeing the Pokémon leave, Lillie finally exhaled. Her shoulders sagged slightly with relief.
If only she had worn a protective suit before coming...
But now wasn't the time to think about that. Everyone was waiting for her downstairs. Hiding away like this would be far too rude.
She braced herself and carefully stepped out of the room.
One step at a time, she descended the wooden stairs.
The moment she emerged, Mallow spotted her.
"Lillie! Are you okay?" Mallow called out in concern.
Lillie gave a small nod and glanced at everyone, then politely bowed.
"I'm really sorry for causing so much trouble."
Seeing Lillie come downstairs, the group lost interest in continuing the battle.
Instead, they all gathered around the small wooden table Naoki had prepared, where tea and snacks had been laid out. As they sipped and nibbled, the conversation turned to Lillie's sudden fainting spell.
"Lillie, what happened?" Mallow asked gently.
Lillie shook her head slightly. "I… I don't know. I used to really like Pokémon. But then, something must have happened… something I can't remember. Now, every time a Pokémon gets too close, I feel afraid."
Whenever a Pokémon got too close, Lillie would feel her blood rush uncontrollably and her body tense with fear.
"I see…" Ash muttered, his expression turning thoughtful. He'd experienced many strange things in his journeys, and after considering her words for a moment, he looked serious and said, "There has to be a reason for this! Lillie, do you remember anything at all about how it started?"
Lillie shook her head. "I… don't remember," she admitted softly. Then, after a pause, she added, "But just now, when I fainted, I think… I remembered something."
Everyone around her immediately perked up, their gazes locking on Lillie with concern and curiosity.
Naoki's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
If his memory served him right, Lillie had once been a polite, kind-hearted girl who adored Pokémon.
Until that day… the day Lusamine brought her daughter to visit Aether Paradise. They were just supposed to have a pleasant outing, but unbeknownst to Lusamine, Faba had conducted an unauthorized experiment and successfully opened an Ultra Wormhole.
Out of that portal emerged the Ultra Beast: UB-01 Symbiont, commonly known as Nihilego.
In the underground corridors of Aether Paradise, it encountered Lillie… and attacked her.
Though she had been rescued in time, the trauma left Lillie with deep psychological scars. The memory of the attack was completely sealed away, buried beneath her fear, and ever since then, she had been terrified of Pokémon.
Faba, afraid of facing the consequences, hid the truth from Lusamine, which drove a wedge between mother and daughter, and eventually caused their emotional estrangement.
As Naoki recalled all this in silence, Lillie began to speak, her voice faint.
"I remember being attacked by a Pokémon… It looked like a translucent jellyfish, kind of like a Tentacool, and it swallowed me into its body…"
Her voice trembled. The fear in her eyes showed how vivid and painful the memory still was, even after all this time.
"A jellyfish-like Pokémon attacked her…?" Ash echoed, thinking hard.
Mallow and Kiawe exchanged confused glances.
Even Tentacool, as a jellyfish Pokémon, didn't fight by wrapping and absorbing prey. They relied more on poison attacks than on enclosing others inside their bodies.
It just didn't make sense.
Seeing the confusion on everyone's faces, Ash finally turned to Naoki with hope in his eyes.
"Mr. Naoki, do you know what Pokémon she might be talking about?"
Lillie also turned toward Naoki, her expression anxious.
Naoki paused, then sighed inwardly.
Of course he knew.
It was UB-01: Symbiont, the Ultra Beast better known by its codename: Nihilego.
A mysterious creature born from another dimension, Nihilego possessed a powerful neurotoxin that allowed it to parasitize both Pokémon and humans. The toxin didn't just harm its host, it could influence and even control their thoughts and behavior.
The moment Ash saw the recognition in Naoki's expression, his eyes lit up.
He knew it, Mr. Naoki did know something!
Seeing the hopeful looks aimed at him, Naoki could only sigh again. Eventually, he nodded and began to explain.
"If I'm not mistaken… the Pokémon Lillie saw is an Ultra Beast called Nihilego."
Everyone fell silent.
"I came across it by chance when I was younger, while traveling through the Alola region," Naoki said quietly. "And based on Lillie's description… it matches exactly."
...
Bonus @1500
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