Lillie's Determination

Also in Aether Paradise, also in the Aether Foundation, behind the Mechanical Island, far away from the Aether Foundation's work area, is the mansion of its president, Lusamine.

She lives here with her children.

On the upper floor of the mansion, there is a young girl's bedroom.

The bedroom is decorated in pink and white, with expensive and exquisite brand-name furniture and appliances, and various Pokémon dolls that turn the room into a luxurious and girlish princess room.

This shows how much Lusamine loves and cares for her daughter.

Of course... That was before.

"Mom."

Lying on the soft bed, Lillie, a young girl in a white dress, with the same brilliant blonde hair and emerald eyes as Lusamine's, looked at the spotless ceiling with a sad face, her pale eyes slightly red, as if she had just cried.

Today, she tried to talk to her mother about Nebby again.

But today Lusamine seemed in a bad mood, and no longer had the gentleness and patience with which she had treated Lillie in the past.

The woman, for the first time in her life, lost her temper and scolded Lillie mercilessly for her ignorance and willfulness.

This made Lillie, who had finally made up her mind to find Lusamine, feel extremely hurt.

Obviously, this was not the way her mother used to be...

"Mom..."

Repeating Lusamine's relationship with her, Lillie couldn't help but feel a mist in her eyes once again.

Lillie wasn't a willful child who didn't know any better.

On the contrary, she was a very sensible child, who knew how to feel sorry for adults and understand them.

That's why she could really feel the change in her mother over the past two years.

Once upon a time, her mother, Lusamine, was a bright, gentle, strong woman.

Since the incident that tore their family apart, Lusamine has taken over the entire Aether Foundation on her own.

As a woman, she did not bring down the Aether Foundation, as some people in the outside world, or even inside the Aether Foundation, claimed.

On the contrary, under her leadership, the Aether Foundation continued to develop brand new business, and even developed the function of harboring and protecting wild Pokémon.

Aether Paradise is thriving...

Lillie was happy to continue her life as a young lady.

Even at that time, Lusamine, who was busy with a lot of work all day long and was tired and exhausted, did her duty as a good mother.

She was gentle and didn't put any pressure on young Lillie.

She is considerate, even when she has a lot of work to do, she still pushes Lillie's studies and health.

She is calm, even in the face of Lillie's trouble, but still exudes the light of motherhood, giving her tolerance and gentle education.

Lillie loved her mother very much.

She thought Lusamine was the best mother in the world.

Her princess room was a perfect example of the love she poured into her.

But... When did her mother change?

Lillie didn't know.

All she remembers is that at some point, her mother stopped being like she used to be.

She began to pay less attention to Lillie.

It was clear that the Aether Foundation had stabilized, and she wasn't as busy as she used to be, and didn't need to work as tirelessly as she once did.

But...

Lusamine became obsessed with something, and her whole heart shifted from Aether Paradise and Lillie to something Lillie didn't know about.

The woman who used to love Pokémon so much that she even organized the Wild Pokémon Sanctuary in Aether Paradise, gradually showed a scary side...

It was by accident that Lillie found a laboratory somewhere in Aether Paradise.

Inside the lab, a group of researchers in white coats were really experimenting on Nebby.

Lillie couldn't understand what they were doing, but from the look on Nebby's face, it must have been very uncomfortable.

Lillie's heart ached.

She tried to talk to Lusamine about stopping Nebby's research and experiments.

But Lusamine's response sent chills down her spine...

"Children should listen to their parents as a shortcut to happiness. Don't meddle in things you shouldn't. Mommy won't hurt you. Be a good girl and stay out of adults' business."

At that time, Lusamine glanced at Lillie with a slanting eye, and gave such a reply that did not fit her former gentle image at all.

Even today when I think of these words, Lusamine's eyes and warm expression still make Lillie feel like falling into an ice cave.

Since then, the relationship between mother and daughter has gradually drifted apart...

No.

Lillie thought about it carefully, and it seemed that since that incident, the distance between her mother and herself had gradually shrunk along with her busy schedule.

But she was too young to realize it.

When I realized the seriousness of the problem, my mother... She had become that horrible person.

She was as caring as she should have been, but that care was followed by an overwhelming desire to control.

She also had a great love for wild Pokémon, but Lillie had seen her mother come out of the locked room of the house more than once, with a cold but wild smile that scared her - Lillie didn't know what was in her mother's room, but she could tell from her mother's reaction that there was nothing normal in there.

Until today...

Once again, Lillie and Lusamine began to argue about Nebby.

Lusamine, as if her patience with Lillie had been worn out by her begging, sneered and scolded her daughter for her lack of understanding.

This behavior also completely shattered Lillie's last illusion about her mother...

Now, Lillie finally came to her senses.

She knew that her mother, who loved her and whom she loved, had disappeared.

What used to be mother and daughter were now enemies.

"How could this happen..."

Raising her slender, white wrist in front of her eyes, Lillie's tears flowed silently like broken pearls.

As a daughter, Lillie was extremely saddened by Lusamine's change.

A sense of endless fear wrapped itself around the young girl.

However, Lillie's tough nature prevented her from being degraded, and she went along with Lusamine's ideas.

After the tears were shed, a brave thought came to the girl's mind.

"I'm going to save Nebby..."

At her wrist, a pair of green eyes with tears in them, but shining with a particularly determined light, were radiating a bright color.

...

"This is it."

Riding Charizard, Aisha flew in the sky, looking at the large, humid, but lush forest in the distance with an unusual look in her eyes.

It was located in the western part of the Dayan region.

After Aisha got off the plane in the city, he rode Charizard continuously for a morning before arriving at the forest.

Now he was really in the middle of nowhere.

But he knew that his target, Wo-Chien, was hidden somewhere in this swampy forest.

As for the exact location...

"Heh, it's true, I made the right choice to take Ting-Lu first."

Aisha didn't let the size of the forest in front of him give him a headache, as he smiled and coiled the three Ultra Balls in his hands.

Even he himself hadn't expected that the gathering of the three Treasure of Ruin had directly allowed him to pinpoint Wo-Chien's exact location.

This directly eliminates the need to search and compare, Aisha just need to go towards the destination in his perception, he will definitely be able to find the Wo-Chien hidden in the forest.

If you don't have a down payment for Ting-Lu, you can just come and look for Wo-Chien.

I don't know how long it would have taken to find Wo-Chien with just that image...

"This forest."

Riding on Charizard's back, Aisha smiled as she looked down with interest at the forest that spread out of sight.

"Since no one has named you, let me give you a name... Follow the formation, it's called Wo Forest!"

Instructor Ai's logic for naming was clear.

Chien-Pao's mountain is called Mt. Chien, and Ting-Lu's canyon is called Ting Canyon.

So, what should be the name of the waterfall where Chi-Yu hides and the woods where Wo-Chien hides, need I say more?

"Well, let's go down, Charizard."

After making a snide remark to himself, Aisha patted the Charizard on the neck and let it carry him to the ground.

"Roar!"

Charizard let out a low roar, and then slowed down the strength and frequency of his wing beats.

One Pokémon and one person gradually landed in a part of the forest.

"Hiss..."

As soon as they landed, Aisha heard an almost imperceptible sound.

He immediately waved his hand and pointed to the large tree not far away, saying, "Charizard, Dragon Pulse!"

"Roar!"

Charizard did as he was told without hesitation, and opened his mouth to spew out a raging wave of dragon energy.

Dragon Pulse directly shattered the tree, and even struck the yellow figure covered in electricity behind the tree.

"Hiss!"

It was a large Galvantula.

Charizard's Dragon Pulse had killed it in seconds, and the traces of lightning it had left on the ground indicated that it had intended to attack Aisha.

"What..."

Aisha's eyes changed.

"As expected, it's an area that humans haven't explored much, not only is the road rough, but the number of wild Pokémon and their strength is so high that people are afraid to avoid it."

Looking into the distance, the image that caught Aisha's eyes was the countless sky-high trees blocking their way.

The mud under their feet, as well as the puddles of silt that could be seen everywhere, made it even more difficult for them to make their way.

At the same time... The large, deep lakes of silt, and the trees above their heads, which were big enough to cover the sky, were the best cover for the wild Pokémon to lurk under!

Walking on such terrain, not only do you need to keep an eye on the mud under your feet to prevent getting stuck in the swamp, but you also need to be on guard against wild Pokémon attacking you from all over the place.

It's...

"The best place to exercise!"

Aisha's face lifted into a smile full of excitement.

A good Pokémon shouldn't be afraid of any seemingly dangerous wild environment.

Because, these dangerous areas are often highly challenging, and are a training ground for their own will and Pokémon's strength!

"Come out, everyone!"

Aisha threw out eight Pokéballs in one breath, and with the exception of Caterpie, who was in low spirits for a while, all of his regular teammates were now at his side.

"Lu!"

Azumarill, who was clenching its fists, revealed a battle-ready smile.

Although Bea's monsterous power that he had met at the World's No. 1 Martial Arts Conference was also an incredibly powerful Pokémon, Azumarill had been following the rules of the Pokémon world.

However, it's clear that a regular battle isn't as exciting as a wild practice...

Since Instructor Ai had collected the eight gym badges in the Kanto region, he rarely had the chance to practice outside, and he had been suffocating for a while.

"Boo-ee!"

Umbreon's eyes were especially bright.

Not only Azumarill, but also Umbreon, who hadn't fought many people in a while, was itching for a fight.

In the middle of the swampy forest, Umbreon seemed to recall the first time it met Instructor Ai.

In the Viridian Forest under the moon, a powerful wild Pokémon attacked Instructor Ai, who seemed to be powerless, and he himself fell from the sky and saved her in a heroic manner - it was only after a long time that Umbreon, who was still an Eevee, realized that Instructor Ai was much stronger than he was.

"Heh~"

Instructor Ai smiled at Azumarill and Umbreon, who looked like they couldn't wait to fight.

From the strength of the Galvantula just now, he realized that the danger of this swampy forest was no less than that of the Viridian Forest.

The deeper you go, the more high level wild Pokémon you'll find.

There must be a lot of wild Pokémon in the area.

There's enough for them to fight!

It's not just Azumarill and Umbreon who are excited.

The little ones, who had a field trip a while ago, were looking forward to it as well.

They, including Blissey, are all warlike.

What's more, Instructor Ai has called out the seniors... This definitely shows the high intensity of this field practice.

This makes the four kids even more excited.

High-end game!

"Jie~"

Shiny Haunter was grinning like a Soul Temple Elder, his ghostly hands fluttering up and down as he seemed to have fantasized about the scene when it was frantically poisoning its enemies.

"Lar!"

Larvitar clenched its little fists and did a Dragon Dance in place.

He said he was going to stack six Dragon Dances in advance.

"..."

Instructor Ai's expression was a bit complicated when he saw Larvitar's Dragon Dance.

He wanted to take in a Gible.

Well... Is it true that Larvitar and Gible won't fight every day?

"Blissey."

Blissey gave Instructor Ai a look that said, "Don't worry, I'm here."

Instructor Ai looked at his fist and became even more worried.

Blissey smiled brightly as if he hadn't heard.

"Blissey!"

I don't know why, but ever since it evolved, Blissey's desire to fight has gradually increased.

Now it not only wants to be a support, but also wants to use the earth cast to severely humiliate the enemy!

A violent nanny gradually appeared in Instructor Ai's team...

"Ru."

'Dirty.'

Ralts was probably the only child in the room who wasn't too happy.

The little princess, who loved cleanliness, looked at the wet grass at her feet, and the large patch of silt in the distance with a complicated expression.

The silt-covered grass and dead leaves gave her a tingling sensation.

"Ralts."

Aisha called to her little princess.

"Look at me."

Meeting Ralts' puzzled gaze, Instructor Ai used his superpower and lifted his body a little.

"Gather chakra on the soles of your feet... No, I mean lift yourself up with your psychic power so that you don't get dirty when you walk."

"Ruu~"

"Okay~'

Ralts followed suit and floated.

It was much easier for him to do so than Aisha.

After all, Psychic-type Pokémon are the favorites of superpowers.

But Instructor Ai wasn't far behind.

"Uh-huh."

Aisha smiled in satisfaction.

Floating for a short period of time didn't have much effect, but controlling one's body to float in the air for a long period of time was a very good exercise for both the control of one's supernatural powers and one's mental strength.

"Uh..."

Aisha tried to take a step and stepped on the air in front of him.

"Dou Zong powerhouse, scary as hell!"

After exclaiming in a solemn manner, Aisha waved his hand.

"Everyone, charge!"

For a moment, the Pokémon around him let out excited cheers one after another.

Immediately, Instructor Ai's Wild Scrub Team charged straight into the depths of the swamp forest.

Their movements startled a flock of birds in the forest, and attracted the hostile attention of many wild Pokémon.

It wasn't long before the first wave of their enemies showed up in the dense forest.

"Buzz...!"

It was Yanma and Caterpie colony of at least a hundred, led by about twenty Yanmega and Butterfree.

The Butterfree in the lead's mouthparts buzzed, and its wings vibrated, spreading out large patches of white scale powder.

"Hah!"

Instructor Ai sneered.

"How dare you show off your skills, let's go side by side!"

At that moment, the swampy forest, which no one had set foot in yet, completely boiled.

The sound of battle tore apart the silence of the forest!