When the sirens faded, Kukui finally snapped out of it.
The way he looked at Lucas now defied any simple description.
How to put it—even as he watched his own former schoolmate get handcuffed and escorted away, utterly bewildered, the only thought in his mind was—
There's actually a way like this!?
For Kukui, it was as if a whole new world had opened up.
Seeing his expression, Lucas just smiled slightly. Once Swampert restored the ground at Pokémon School, he greeted Kukui, Samson Oak, and Lana, then turned to leave.
He looked as relaxed and cool as could be.
Lana was swarmed by curious classmates, asking why Lucas had spoken to her. She could only repeat that they'd met while fishing.
Kukui stared after Lucas, deep in thought.
Looking back, Guzma's actions definitely met the requirements for "endangering student safety" and "provoking trouble."
With Officer Jenny taking him, he'd probably spend a while in holding—with some "special teachers" providing "counseling."
Guzma's rebelliousness was probably related to his past, and Hala had always been too soft to give him tough love. Maybe, Kukui thought, this incident would finally help Guzma settle down a bit.
The more he considered it, the brighter Kukui's eyes became.
Lucas had just solved a long-standing headache for him!
As he pondered, a rustling noise came from the canopy above.
"Hmm?"
Kukui glanced up, just in time to catch a yellow blur darting away at lightning speed—disappearing in the direction Lucas had left.
The air held a faint electric scent. Most students noticed nothing, but Kukui's sharp eyes saw the true form of that yellow flash.
Tapu Koko—the guardian deity of Melemele Island and one of Alola's four Island Guardians.
His own teacher, Hala, was the island kahuna; as a child, Kukui had seen Tapu Koko several times and learned a bit about it from Hala.
Tapu Koko was notoriously curious, capricious, prone to anger, but would always quickly forget what made it upset.
Tapu Koko kept a close eye on powerful trainers—sometimes even sneaking into Hala's room to steal finished Z-Rings and leave them for trainers it favored.
Could it be that the final, awe-inspiring Z-Move drew Tapu Koko's attention to Guzma and Lucas's battle?
Kukui wasn't sure what the guardian deity planned next, debating whether to warn Lucas.
Odd as it might sound from someone born and raised here, he knew: once Tapu Koko takes an interest in someone, it'll tail them obsessively, like a stalker.
Friendship with Lucas warred with respect for Tapu Koko in Kukui's mind.
After leaving the Pokémon School, Lucas didn't immediately return to Akala Island, instead wandering Melemele for a bit.
Seeing the Pokémon School students, he thought about grabbing lunch at Mallow's "Aina's Kitchen."
But remembering that Mallow's family actually ran their restaurant on Akala, near his own villa—and that, despite the anime, she's an Akala resident—he second-guessed.
Maybe next year Mallow would move to Melemele.
Same with Lana—he'd met her fishing on Akala's coast, though the anime had her living on Melemele.
Odd, indeed.
With a shake of his head, Lucas headed straight into Hau'oli City, the island's biggest city.
Alola's popularity as a tourist destination truly showed in Hau'oli. Lucas's goal was the city's shopping mall, intending to pick up some Alolan specialty items as souvenirs for his Pokémon back at the ranch.
He also wanted to buy new dresses for the Eevee sisters, some "Electric Seeds" for Luxray and the house-guarding Raging Bolt, a "totem-pattern" apron—ugly-cute—for Ceruledge, plus other goodies.
He nearly filled his spare backpack, stopping his shopping spree only with great reluctance.
He had to admit: Alola's charm wasn't just its scenic beauty. The locals were friendly, the staff everywhere helpful and polite.
When he tried dresses on the Eevees, staff immediately arranged for steaming-hot Malasada—the city's most popular snack—to be sent right over, skipping the line entirely, once they heard where he was headed next.
This kind of service would make anyone want to come back.
Lucas wandered Hau'oli till nearly dusk, then hopped on Dragonite and started for Akala Island.
Midflight, Dragonite suddenly called out.
"Bwu~"
Its mastery of air currents now let it detect vague information via the wind, alerting Lucas that someone had been tailing them since they left Akala.
Whoever it was, though, kept just the right distance—Dragonite couldn't quite locate them.
"Who's tailing us?"
[Ping! The Pokémon following you is Melemele Island's guardian deity—Tapu Koko.]
Lucas: ...What!?
What did Tapu Koko want with them, anyway?
Surely not revenge for Guzma.
Completely bewildered, Lucas stopped Dragonite and looked back as the sun set.
Nothing but clouds tinged orange with evening light.
Where could Tapu Koko be hiding out here?
He half wondered if his system had glitched for lack of use.
As if sensing this, the prompt flashed again, pinpointing Tapu Koko's location.
It was a certain cloud, tinted gold by sunset—if he hadn't looked closely, he never would have noticed a faint outline in its wispy edges.
But as Lucas's gaze locked onto it, the hidden figure moved—vanishing instantly.
...
Lucas didn't chase after Tapu Koko.
Not only did he have no desire for another fight, he figured: if Tapu Koko wanted to see him, it would show itself.
And if not, there was no reason to go looking.
Better to go home, check on Gladion—the "fragile young master" as he called him.
He'd even picked up some top-tier antipyretics for him in Hau'oli.
Patting Dragonite's back, he signaled to resume flying.
Once they left, a shadowy figure drifted silently in the air where they'd stopped, then continued trailing towards Akala.
…
At the same time—
Having finished her classes for the day, Lillie was riding home in her family's car, excitedly telling her butler Hobbes about what she'd seen.
"So it seems the challenger was quite the skilled trainer."
Hobbes replied as he drove, glancing back during a red light.
After a moment, he cautiously asked, "Miss, do you think you could interact with those three Pokémon—Luxray, Dragonite, and Swampert?"
Hearing Lillie's enthusiastic descriptions, Hobbes knew: if she liked them, her mother would probably start preparing their starter forms as gifts.
But Lillie hesitated, a forced smile dimming her eyes.
"That… that might still be a bit hard."
A somber silence fell over the car.
Hobbes quickly apologized for his insensitivity and drove on in silence to their mansion.
After stopping, a visibly anxious maid hurried up, whispering in his ear and changing his expression on the spot.
"Master Gladion hasn't been home in days!"
He always came back every couple days for food, training equipment, or a nap, even though he preferred being alone.
Hobbes had warned the staff to keep an eye out, but now days had gone by—and still no sign of Gladion.
After ensuring Lillie got home safe, he hesitated but chose not to worry her, saying nothing about Gladion's absence.
He revved the engine and raced out of the estate.
He headed straight to inform Madam Lusamine!
…
On Artifical Island "Aether Paradise," Aether Foundation Headquarters, the office was bright and quiet.
Long, waterfall-gold hair dangled over a perfectly-maintained face; despite having both a son and a daughter, Lusamine's figure was as graceful as ever. She lay her cheek on her desk, gazing at a family photo.
That beaming smile had disappeared from this fractured, helpless family ever since her husband, Mohn, vanished.
The burden of her rebellious son Gladion, searching for her missing husband, and running Aether Foundation left Lusamine exhausted.
And she was still deeply involved in UB research. Only her doll-like, obedient daughter Lillie gave her any peace.
Only at times like this, idle at her desk, could she recall those happy days.
"Mohn, where are you…"
Lusamine choked out her late husband's name.
The official story was that Mohn disappeared, but only Lusamine knew the truth—years ago, he'd been swallowed by an Ultra Wormhole; he was neither alive nor dead.
Her obsession with Ultra Beast research was only a means to an end: one day, find and rescue him.
She couldn't believe Mohn would ever leave them forever.
It was her neglect for work, she knew, that had left Gladion so prickly.
After a little while, Lusamine wiped her tears and returned to her work.
Hobbes' urgent arrival broke this silence.
Seeing Hobbes so flustered—brows furrowed, out of breath—Lusamine sensed at once something was wrong.
"Hobbes? Why are you here now? Where's Lillie?"
Hobbes, panting and cursing his aging body, disregarded formalities and quickly reported that Gladion hadn't been home in days.
At heart, Lusamine cared deep for her children—more even than her obsession with Ultra Beasts. Her expression changed drastically, and she sprang to her feet, her voice rising despite herself.
"You said—Gladion is missing!?"