On an otherwise ordinary day, someone stirred up a major incident in Alola.
Though the full picture remained unclear, plenty of people had noticed something unusual happening over at Aether Paradise.
An overwhelming psychic energy had erupted from within the foundation and blanketed the entire facility.
Speculation quickly spread: a powerful Psychic-type Pokémon must have broken into the foundation and clashed with its forces.
In the aftermath, Aether Paradise fell into complete disarray. Practically every available combat unit had been mobilized in response to the intruder.
It wasn't until nearly half an hour later that the turmoil finally began to subside.
Maybe the mysterious Pokémon had achieved its goal and left of its own accord, or maybe the foundation had managed to repel it.
In any case, the colossal conglomerate at the heart of Alola had resumed operations.
Immediately following the incident, the Aether Foundation launched an "investigative operation."
They released a photo of the so-called intruder, accusing him of "property damage," and promised a generous reward for any information that could lead to his capture.
That's when trainers across Alola learned the truth: the one who broke into Aether Paradise wasn't some wild Pokémon—it was a mysterious trainer.
A trainer who had somehow breached the facility, wreaked havoc, and even managed to escape unscathed?
Such power caught the attention of trainers everywhere.
But when asked for further details—or how exactly the foundation planned to handle this so-called "intruder" if caught—Aether Foundation employees could only stammer awkwardly.
"It was the president's orders," they said.
No joke—none of them had any idea what actually happened.
Even though they were technically in the facility at the time, and the entire place had been saturated with that bizarre psychic energy...
Only one person remained conscious through the whole incident: their president, Lusamine. The others had either not yet arrived on scene or were knocked out cold.
And when those unconscious personnel finally woke up, it was like they'd all experienced a bout of sudden amnesia—nobody remembered a thing.
But the strangest part? Lusamine's own behavior.
She flatly refused to divulge what happened during the period when everyone else had been unconscious. Press her too hard, and she'd fly into a rage, chastising whoever dared to ask.
She even locked down access to the facility's surveillance footage, releasing only a single still image and demanding they track down the man in it.
Honestly, the whole thing felt like she'd been... well, violated by the guy or something.
And then things got even weirder.
The intruder had made off with Cosmog—a Pokémon of enormous importance to the foundation—and had taken Lusamine's daughter with him. By all logic, he should've been marked as public enemy number one.
But the bounty she issued was... peculiarly vague.
Yes, "vague" was the only way the foundation's staff could describe it.
Avoid direct confrontation if possible. Do not interrogate. Do not harm. Deliver him directly to the president as soon as he's apprehended.
Like... seriously? Is this guy a criminal or a runaway boyfriend?
But no matter how much they grumbled about it, orders were orders. They had no choice but to carry them out.
If they could persuade the suspect to come in voluntarily, great. If not, well, there wasn't much they could do.
Meanwhile, Alola's Island Kahunas were also paying close attention to the incident.
When the psychic disturbance erupted within the foundation, the guardian deities of each island had grown visibly agitated, as if some terrifying force had trespassed on their land.
But... what kind of being could unnerve even Alola's guardian deities—each one a fully fledged Legendary Pokémon in its own right?
Alola is composed of four large natural islands and one manmade island—Aether Paradise.
While Aether Paradise fell under Lusamine's control, the other four islands were governed by their respective Kahunas.
Unlike most other regions, Alola had yet to establish a formal Pokémon League. Instead, its local tradition was the Island Challenge, deeply rooted in the region's culture.
But that didn't mean Alola was in any way inferior.
Each island had its own guardian deity: Tapu Fini, Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu, and Tapu Koko. These Tapu were true Legendary Pokémon, not just in name but in power.
Anyone with even half a brain would think twice before trying to stir up trouble in a region with four Legendary guardians.
The Kahunas hoped the intruder wouldn't escalate the situation. A direct clash with Alola would benefit no one.
Unfortunately, that same "intruder" soon turned up right out in the open—on Melemele Island, no less.
Not far from the shoreline, a young man sat cross-legged beside a small campfire. His right hand lazily stroked the Mew curled in his lap, which was using its psychic powers to play some sort of game.
It was them—the wanted "criminal" from Aether Paradise, and his so-called "accomplice."
As for Flutter Mane... perhaps emboldened by the absence of people, it was floating in midair, performing a graceful dance in sync with the flickering flames—just for its trainer.
Across from Haru, wrapped in a small blanket, lay a sleeping blonde girl.
It had been about two hours since Haru left Aether Paradise, and Lillie still hadn't awakened.
Maybe Mew's hypnosis had been a little too strong, or maybe the immense pressure Lillie had been under had simply worn her down.
Haru couldn't say for sure.
But he wasn't too worried. He'd already noticed the signs of her waking.
The blonde girl's fingers twitched slightly, curling ever so faintly—then, bathed in the soft light of the fire, her emerald eyes slowly fluttered open.