Time flew by in the blink of an eye—two days passed.
Hau'oli City is a place brimming with joy and peace, the vibe light and carefree—truly a vacation paradise.
On the beach, Damian lounged on a chair in his shades, lazy and content. A straw poked out of a coconut. After a sip, he glanced at the people playing around in the surf.
Not bad—there really are tons of beauties in the Pokémon world. Damian confirmed that once again.
"Hey! What a great day! Kid, how about a nice, clean Pokémon battle with me right here on the beach!"
Out of nowhere, a young man in a swim cap, goggles, and trunks stepped in front of Damian, flashing a big white grin.
A Swimmer. Yep—one of those classic NPC types from the original games.
"?"
Damian tilted his head, a question mark practically popping up over it. He just stared quietly at the Swimmer without saying a word.
One second. Two. Three…
The Swimmer's sunny smile faltered. Why was this kid just staring at him and not talking?
"You're blocking my view. Mind moving aside?"
Damian's smile could kill—but paired with the faint, ghostly purple haze rising behind him, it was downright terrifying.
"My apologies for disturbing you. I'll be on my way right now."
The Swimmer gave a textbook-deep bow and hurried off. What a scary kid!
"Alright, Gengar, that's enough." Damian lay back again, and the ghostly haze faded.
"Gengar~"
In the shadow on the ground, two scarlet eyes lit up. A pudgy arm slipped out of the darkness and, in a flash, snatched a slice of cake off the table. The red eyes curved into little crescent moons.
Damian set down his coconut and reached out—grabbing at air.
"Where's my strawberry shortcake? Gengar!!"
He froze, then immediately looked toward the ground.
"Gengar?"
Gengar poked half its body out of the shadow, little chubby hands spread, the picture of innocence.
"You sneaky little glutton…"
Damian's eye twitched at the cake crumbs at the corner of Gengar's mouth.
"Hurry up and go buy me a few more." He tossed his wallet at Gengar, annoyed.
"Gengar!" Gengar's red eyes lit up at once. Its pudgy gray-black body floated up and rocketed toward the shop.
Gengar, little cakes—my little cakes, Gengar—
Watching his Gengar zoom off, Damian couldn't help a snort-laugh. This greedy ghost ran faster than anyone when snacks were involved.
Elsewhere.
"Waaah!! The ocean's so beautiful!"
A girl in a flowered sun hat sparkled with wide-eyed wonder.
"Right? Alola's sea is clear, blue, and gentle. Selene, if you're journeying in Alola, you really have to try the signature Mantine Surf."
Another girl in a white dress clutched her bag, her tone soft and her smile sweet as she suggested it to Selene.
"Emmm…"
The girl named Selene wavered, staring at the folks out on the water surfing on Mantine backs. So cool!
"Alright! I'm signing up right—"
"Hey! What a great day! Girl, how about a nice, clean Pokémon battle with me right here on the beach!"
Suddenly, a Swimmer leapt out, flashing a big white grin and giving the two girls a thumbs-up.
"Sure!! I love Pokémon battles!" Selene's face lit up with pure delight.
"Then let's bet our allowance and settle this!"
"Eh?"
The Swimmer blinked. Why were they betting allowance on a battle??
"Wait, girl—I don't have any cash on me!"
"Then bet your swim trunks. Between Trainers, don't sweat the material stuff! Come on! Dratini, you're up!"
"??!!"
The Swimmer felt like luck wasn't on his side today. He just wanted a battle.
Getting spooked by that creepy kid earlier was one thing; now, moments later, he'd run into a seemingly harmless girl—who turned out to be a bandit!!
Watching Selene and the Swimmer suddenly jump into a battle, Lillie smiled softly.
She hadn't known Selene for long. According to Selene, she'd moved here from Kanto and came to Alola to train and become a strong Trainer—that was her promise with her boyfriend.
Though Lillie had never met Selene's boyfriend, the Dratini Selene used was a first Pokémon he'd given her.
Which said a lot—Selene's boyfriend really cared about her.
Even though she wasn't a Trainer, Lillie knew this much: Dratini was one of the rarest and most precious Pokémon.
A breeze stirred, lifting the girl's golden hair. Lillie quickly pressed down the white sunhat on her head.
But her bag suddenly popped open, and a tiny, nebula-like creature poked out.
"Wait! Nebby, don't run off!"
Lillie called after the Pokémon named Nebby in a panic, but Nebby acted like it hadn't heard and drifted quickly away.
Lillie had no choice but to chase after it.
Nebby's curiosity was intense. Every time it got out, it ran wild—and sometimes caused Lillie no small amount of trouble.
Like the day she first met Selene—if not for Selene's help, she might've gotten hurt.
Lillie hurried after Nebby, but the beach was crowded. In no time at all, she lost sight of it.
Anxious, Lillie asked passersby while scanning the area quickly.
"Do you like this?"
"Cosmog~ Cosmog~"
Lillie heard Nebby's cry and turned toward the sound. Sure enough, not far away, Nebby had settled into a boy's arms.
The boy was teasing Nebby with candy. Lillie let out a breath of relief.
"What a cute little one."
Damian tucked the candy gently into Nebby's mouth and stroked it with his other hand. Nebby squinted contentedly, biting into an candy.
Lillie pressed her lips together, a little spellbound by the scene.
A handsome boy sat cross-legged, feeding Nebby on his lap. The light fell soft and hazy; the boy's lips held a faint smile. It was a beautiful, serene picture.
Sensing someone approach, Damian looked up.
"Is this little one your Pokémon?" The boy's clear voice brought Lillie back to herself.
"Ah, yes. I'm so sorry—Nebby seems to have bothered you."
Lillie apologized to the boy.
"It's fine. This little thing's adorable. But be more careful going forward—try not to let it wander off."
Damian stood, lifting Nebby and handing it to Lillie.
"Yes—thank you very much." Lillie took Nebby back.
"Nebby seems to really like you. It's hardly ever this friendly with people."
Lillie watched Nebby, who looked about ready to float right back into the boy's arms.
"Probably my gift. Pokémon tend to like me."
Lillie blinked. A gift that makes Pokémon like you? That counts as a gift?
"Right, this strawberry shortcake's pretty good—give the little one a taste." Damian smiled at Lillie and motioned toward the shortcake on the table.
"Eh? We can't accept this…"
Lillie hurried to refuse.
"Lillie! Lillie, where are you?"
Suddenly, Selene's voice called from a distance. Lillie reflexively stopped and turned her head.
"Looks like your friend's looking for you. See you around."
Damian glanced at Selene not far away—who hadn't noticed them—and his smile deepened before he turned to leave.
Selene, we will meet again—but not yet. Your journey isn't over. I'll be waiting.
I'm very patient.