Lillie

"Surskit, dodge!"

Amid the torrential rain, Surskit's four delicate legs pushed off continuously as it darted between the dense foliage.

Kangaskhan stood in the forest clearing, occasionally unleashing destructive Hyper Beams in an attempt to hit its agile opponent.

With Swift Swim activated, Surskit moved gracefully through the rain like a ballet dancer.

Despite the gap in strength, Surskit managed to narrowly evade each attack and countered with Bubble Beam under Denver's precise commands.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Loud explosions echoed through the forest, spreading into the distance.

Professor Kukui, disguised as the Royal Mask, heard the sounds and immediately turned his head in that direction.

There!

Without hesitation, he rushed toward the source of the commotion, his Decidueye soaring beside him.

The closer he got, the louder the noises became.

Explosions, trees collapsing, a young yet firm voice giving commands, and the furious roars of Kangaskhan.

I found them!

Pushing through a dense patch of trees, the Royal Mask immediately took in the sight before him.

A Surskit was engaged in a Pokémon battle against a raging, red-eyed Kangaskhan!

His eyes quickly scanned the clearing. Confirming that the two missing children were unharmed, he sighed in relief.

But when he focused on the battle scene before him, his expression turned from relief to shock and amazement.

Because Surskit wasn't just fighting on its own.

It was battling under the direct command of a five-year-old child—Denver!

He recognized that Surskit—it belonged to his assistant. And he knew it had Swift Swim as its ability.

"Using the rain to trigger Swift Swim, leveraging speed to outmaneuver Kangaskhan…"

The Royal Mask was stunned.

Sure, this was a basic strategy among experienced trainers.

But this boy—Denver—was only five years old!

His commanding ability was incredible!

This child has the makings of a Champion! The thought crossed the Royal Mask's mind.

"Decidueye, go assist them!"

After a brief moment of surprise, the Royal Mask gave the order. His priority was to ensure the children's safety.

Decidueye gave a slight nod before diving forward. A surge of powerful Grass energy burst from its body, transforming into countless sturdy vines that erupted from the ground, wrapping around Kangaskhan's legs.

The sudden force tripped Kangaskhan, sending it crashing to the ground.

"Royal Mask!"

"Kuku—"

Seeing their rescuer, both Denver and Lillie lit up with joy.

"Children, don't worry, everything's fine now! Leave the rest to me!" The Royal Mask reassured them with a smile.

Denver was beyond excited. As far as he knew, the Royal Mask's true strength was far beyond that of an Elite Four member—almost at Champion level!

And just as he expected, the wild, untrained Kangaskhan was like a clueless child before Decidueye. Within just a few rounds, it was completely defeated.

Denver's eyes burned with excitement.

So this is the strength of an Elite-level trainer?

So powerful!

One day, I'll become a trainer like this!

The Royal Mask approached the fallen Kangaskhan.

Denver's attention followed, and he and Lillie stepped forward. Unable to hold back his curiosity, Denver asked,

"Mr. Royal Mask, what should we do about this Kangaskhan? It seems like it lost its baby, which is why it went berserk…"

Hearing the concern in the boy's voice, the Royal Mask smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry! Before coming here, we already contacted Officer Jenny. She rescued Kangaskhan's baby from the poachers."

Upon hearing this, both Denver and Lillie's eyes lit up.

They exchanged a glance.

"That's great!"

The defeated Kangaskhan, now regaining some clarity, slowly opened its weary eyes upon hearing this news.

"Don't worry, Kangaskhan. You'll see your baby soon!"

Back at the Summer Camp

The teachers at the campsite anxiously watched the distant forest.

The rain had finally stopped, but the two missing children had yet to return.

One of them was the heiress of the Aether Foundation—if anything happened to her…

"Hey, look over there!"

A voice filled with excitement rang out.

Everyone turned their heads and saw the Royal Mask walking toward the camp, holding a child in each hand.

"We're back, everyone!" Denver waved enthusiastically.

The camp staff's eyes brightened with joy.

"Thank goodness!"

The Royal Mask safely returned the children to the camp. "Alright, I'll leave them with you now. I'm off—see you around!"

With that, the Royal Mask turned and disappeared into the distance.

Moments later, Professor Kukui appeared from seemingly nowhere.

"Thank goodness, you two are safe!" he said.

Denver: "…"

You really just did a quick turnaround, huh?

Given the situation, the summer camp couldn't continue.

Officer Jenny had to deal with the poachers in the forest, and some of the children were still shaken from the ordeal. Under these circumstances, the best option was to end the camp early.

Denver wasn't discouraged by the news. After all, he had already gotten plenty of chances to observe wild Pokémon up close!

Finally, it was time for goodbyes.

With his backpack secured, Denver enthusiastically waved to everyone.

"See you, Professor Kukui!"

"Goodbye, Denver," Professor Kukui replied with a smile.

"See you, Lillie!"

Lillie, infected by his cheerful mood, softly replied, "Goodbye, Denver."

"See you, Surskit!"

"Sursk~!" Surskit chirped happily.

"Goodbye, everyone!"

The other children called back in unison, "Goodbye, Denver!"

With that, Denver grinned and turned away, disappearing into the streets of Hau'oli City.

Professor Kukui's Research Lab

"That kid, Denver… he has real talent!"

Reflecting on what he had seen today, Professor Kukui spoke to his assistant.

The assistant blinked in surprise. "Denver?"

He still remembered the lively, cheerful boy.

"What about him?"

Professor Kukui explained, "That kid demonstrated an impressive ability to command Pokémon—he directed your Surskit to battle against that enraged Kangaskhan, protecting both himself and Lillie."

The assistant looked at his Surskit in shock.

Surskit nodded its tiny head in confirmation.

"Sursk~!"

The assistant was stunned.

A five-year-old… with that level of battle sense?!

"Denver…" Professor Kukui was intrigued.

If he remembered correctly, that boy lived in Hau'oli City. Once he came of age, he would likely visit the lab to receive his first Pokémon, just like all the other kids.

I should keep an eye on him. When the time comes, I'll prepare an equally outstanding Pokémon for him.

Hau'oli City – Denver's Home

At a two-story house with a small yard, Denver pushed open the door and called out, "Mom, I'm home!"

Silence.

Denver tilted his head in confusion and stepped inside, only to see Machoke movers carrying furniture and packing up their belongings.

His mother, Nanako, was busy organizing things. When she spotted her son standing in the doorway, she called out,

"Denver! Hurry and pack your things!"

"…What's going on?" Denver was completely baffled.

Nanako smiled. "Silly boy, we're moving! Your dad just got a job with Macro Cosmos, so we're all moving with him."

Macro Cosmos…

"Wait, isn't that in Galar?!" Denver's eyes widened.

"That's right!" Nanako chuckled. "Hurry and pack up. Once we're there, we'll visit your grandma in Freezington—she's been asking about you for ages!"

Denver remembered visiting his grandmother in Freezington when he was four.

Back then, he had secretly snuck out into the Crown Tundra, hoping to find Calyrex, the King of Bountiful Harvests—only to end up catching a cold instead.

"Awesome!" Denver's excitement surged.

He didn't find Calyrex last time—but this year, he'd try again!

Aether Paradise

A tall, elegant woman with long, golden hair looked at her well-behaved daughter and finally sighed in relief.

When she heard that her daughter had gone missing after a Pokémon attack, she had been utterly terrified.

This woman was Lusamine, the president of the Aether Foundation.

"I heard that a boy protected you from the wild Pokémon?" Lusamine asked.

"That's right, Mother," Lillie nodded gently.

"Hmm… In that case, we must properly thank him," Lusamine mused before deciding, "Let's have your brother bring a gift and visit that boy's home."

"Yes!"

Lillie felt a small sense of happiness.

As the heiress of the Aether Foundation, other children always treated her with a certain level of formality and distance. Her mother was also strict, leaving her with little opportunity to interact with kids her age.

But Denver was different—he hadn't treated her like a wealthy heiress. Instead, he had simply helped and protected her from the wild Pokémon.

Maybe… she and Denver could become good friends.

They could read books together, observe Pokémon together…

Lillie imagined their future friendship fondly.

After her mother left for work, she had dinner under the care of the family butler and then went to bed early.

Even though she wasn't physically hurt, the events of the day had left her shaken, and that night, she had a nightmare about being chased by Pokémon.

The next morning, as soon as Lillie woke up, she saw a teenage boy leaning against her bedroom door with his arms crossed, his expression cold.

"Brother, you're back!" Lillie exclaimed in surprise.

Gladion gave a small nod. "Mother already found out where that boy's family lives. Today, I'll take you there to thank him."

"Yes!"

Lillie quickly got up, washed up, and ate breakfast before the two of them took a flying Pokémon to Hau'oli City on Melemele Island.

Following the address they received from Professor Kukui, they walked through the streets, searching for Denver's home.

Soon, the siblings arrived at a house.

Gladion stepped forward and rang the doorbell.

Lillie's heart was full of anticipation.

But after waiting for a long time, no one answered.

"Huh?" Lillie blinked in confusion.

At that moment, the door to the neighboring house opened.

An elderly woman with graying hair saw the two children standing there and asked curiously,

"Are you looking for Denver?"

"Yes! That's right!" Lillie nodded eagerly. "Does Denver live here?"

The elderly woman smiled kindly.

"He did live here, but that boy's family moved out yesterday."

Gladion frowned slightly. "Do you know where they moved to?"

"I'm not too sure…" The old woman thought for a moment before adding, "But from what I heard, it seems they moved back to their hometown."

Gladion's expression darkened slightly, remaining silent.

Lillie lowered her head, her voice tinged with disappointment.

"…So he moved away…"