Lusamine's feelings for her children take precedence even over Ultra Beasts and the Aether Foundation.
She immediately summoned the Aether Foundation's two key staff, Wicke and Faba, as well as her good friend, Professor Burnet, now leading spatial research at the Foundation.
Clearly anxious, Lusamine pleaded with them to drop their current work, gather members, and help her search for her son, Gladion.
Emotionally shaken, Lusamine, guided to sit down carefully by Burnet, did not notice Faba's guilty and hesitant expression.
Instead, she only rubbed her temples tiredly, inwardly praying for Gladion's safety.
Now that Mohn is no longer by her side, she cannot afford to lose Gladion as well.
…
Meanwhile…
Compared to the chaos at the Aether Foundation, things were much calmer and more peaceful at the villa where Lucas had returned.
After taking the special medicine Lucas brought back, Gladion's condition improved greatly. He was sipping restorative soup that Oranguru had spent the whole afternoon preparing.
Luxray was at the bedside, curiously pawing at electric seeds that crackled slightly with electricity.
According to Lucas, bringing these seeds into an electric terrain would boost Luxray's defense.
Defense wasn't Luxray's strong suit, but in some situations, it could have miraculous effects.
And the best part was, these seeds could be planted to grow more, so there was no worry about running out— Luxray could even hide some in its mane.
Luxray liked the taste, too—somewhat like the popping candy Lucas once bought from an old candy shop, the kind that snaps and crackles on the tip of your tongue.
It wasn't as sweet, but the popping sensation was quite satisfying.
While Luxray was happily playing with the Electric Seeds, Lucas entered with several portions of Pokémon food.
"Not going to let your Pokémon out? They probably need some energy, too."
Lucas glanced at the three Poké Balls beside Gladion's pillow, his tone carrying a gentle question.
"This…"
Gladion hesitated, instinctively glancing at the special Premier Ball.
After spending the whole day here, he was fairly certain Lucas was a kind and helpful person. Lucas not only took in a feverish, unwell stranger, but even cooked delicious meals without asking for anything in return.
During their conversation, Lucas also revealed he was a teacher.
Since Gladion's younger sister Lillie attends Pokémon School on Melemele Island, Gladion sometimes drops by just to check on her from afar before quietly leaving.
He had a good opinion of anyone patient enough to help Lillie.
But whether he could expose the presence of Silvally to this man was something Gladion still hesitated about.
After all, taking away Silvally would certainly draw Faba's suspicion.
He would likely search for Gladion in secret, hiding it from Lusamine. Gladion couldn't risk Lucas possibly revealing Silvally's existence.
Lucas could tell Gladion was hesitating, but he didn't push.
He understood trust took time to build; since Gladion wasn't ready, he simply acted as if he didn't know.
Putting the Pokémon food down and calling Luxray over, Lucas walked to the doorway.
"We'll head out for now. Tomorrow I have to leave for some business. If you want to contact your family or just stay and rest, let Oranguru know and it'll help."
Gladion instantly understood the hidden message.
If he disappeared without a word, Lusamine might not notice, but Hobbes and Lillie would worry themselves sick.
It'd been four or five days since he'd been home—Hobbes probably suspected something already.
But any contact with home risked Faba tracking him down.
Maybe… when he recovered, he could sneak home and leave a letter for Hobbes.
But first, he had to check on Silvally's condition.
Knowing that Lucas and Luxray left to give him privacy, Gladion's expression grew complex.
To avoid damaging the room, he let out his Umbreon and Midnight Lycanroc first.
Once they'd eaten and regained their strength, he released Silvally from the special Poké Ball.
…
Outside in the living room, Lucas was discussing tomorrow's plans with Oranguru.
The chef Pokémon interviews were scheduled for the day after tomorrow, so Lucas was free to go out.
He planned to visit Tapu Bulu and see if it would introduce him to Tapu Fini—having a connection through Bulu greatly increased his chances compared to going alone.
Oranguru would stay behind to look after Ogerpon and the Eevee sisters, who were dying to explore the forest behind the villa.
According to the anime, there was a special Pokémon deep in the forest behind the Aina's Kitchen.
But since Aina's Kitchen was now on Akala Island rather than Melemele as in the show, Lucas wasn't sure if that "Forest Sage" really existed here.
He could only hope Ogerpon and the Eevee sisters wouldn't run into it, or else a major conflict was bound to brew.
Just thinking of that chaotic scene, Lucas felt like it would be the end of the world.
Holding onto a sense of "prayer," Lucas washed up and drifted off to sleep.
Even if the guest room's beast-like roaring would occasionally break the silence, Lucas's own sleep quality was unaffected.
…
But on the other side, the Aether Foundation had been busy all night.
Fortunately, the Foundation was one of the top organizations in Alola, well-connected, and flush with funding.
Through Lusamine's all-out efforts, they finally tracked down Gladion.
He couldn't just vanish into thin air. After leaving Aether Paradise, he moved from Melemele Island to Akala Island, and plenty of people had seen him.
…
Inside the president's office, Lusamine carefully reviewed the report Wicke had prepared.
The report tracked all of Gladion's movements over several days; it even marked possible places he might be hiding after dropping off the radar.
The likeliest was near the beach by Konikoni City.
Some witnesses claimed that, on a rainy night, someone matching Gladion's description ran to the beach.
After that, all clues disappeared. Unless he had managed to cross the sea somehow, the only possible place he could be was that beach.
According to Hobbes, Gladion typically stayed at inns, with expenses paid regularly by him.
But this time, Gladion hadn't checked into any inn. The innkeeper said he hadn't shown up for several days.
He almost never carried cash; even his shopping card was left behind at the inn, as if he had hurriedly left.
This made Lusamine even more worried about what might have happened to him.
…
As dawn approached, aside from leaving Faba and Wicke at headquarters, Lusamine, along with Burnet and Hobbes, boarded a private helicopter from Aether Paradise to Akala Island.
Searching near the beach was easy— a birds-eye view from the helicopter could quickly survey the area.
The region was known for its beach villa rentals and many tourists stayed here.
Since it was still early in the morning, even with their urgency, Lusamine and her party landed the helicopter nearby, picked up their prepared gifts, and went door to door asking each household if anyone had seen Gladion.
…
Arriving in front of a wooden villa, Lusamine's buried memories suddenly resurfaced.
"This place is…"
Hobbes reminded her in a timely fashion: "You and the Master once brought young Master Gladion here to stay for a period."
A look of nostalgia appeared on Lusamine's face. "I remember. We had a wonderful time here—those were our happiest days."
Burnet also recalled, "Back then, you told me Gladion loved Alola so much that Mohn moved the entire Foundation here."
"I thought you were crazy then, but now Aether Foundation is the most famous group in Alola."
"Yes." Lusamine nodded. The Foundation's ideals meshed perfectly with Alola's culture, and it had flourished.
Moving into this villa changed the fate of their whole family. In fact, Lillie was conceived during their time here.
Looking at the villa now, Lusamine had an inexplicable feeling—perhaps Gladion was inside.
But she hesitated.
Did Gladion even want to see her?
She looked at Hobbes. "Hobbes, why don't you go knock and ask?"
She and Burnet would step away, maybe that would make Gladion more likely to come out.
Even with Burnet's attempts to dissuade her, Lusamine made up her mind.
Hobbes could only comply.
But before Hobbes could approach the door with the gift, Spectrier—hidden in the shadows and wary of their suspicious behavior—appeared to block their way.
"Neighhhhh—!"
The cold, ghostly cry made it clear that if they got any closer, it would attack.
Oranguru had warned Spectrier that in unfamiliar places, there was always a chance of encountering people or Pokémon with ill intentions.
At such times, Scpectrier had to use force.
To it, Lusamine's party were all adults, and not nearly as pitiful as Gladion had once been— so Spectrier felt nothing.
"!!!!"
Startled by Spectrier's sudden appearance, Hobbes was the fastest to react. He sent out his Oricorio and moved to shield Lusamine and Burnet.
"Madam, be careful!"
Seeing Hobbes summon a Pokémon made Spectrier even colder, its ghostly chill radiating outward.
"What kind of Pokémon is that?" Burnet whispered.
Pitch-black mane, chilling aura—only the island guardians could match that presence!
Why would a Pokémon like this appear here?
Just as things grew tense, Oranguru, donning an apron and holding a spatula, came out—ready to cook breakfast—after sensing trouble outside.
Spotting Lusamine's golden hair among the group, Oranguru immediately realized what was happening and managed to stop Spectrier.
Receiving Oranguru's telepathic message, Spectrier was slightly surprised, but without another word, it slipped back into the shadows, leaving the three adults stunned.
Oranguru sighed and addressed them, "May I ask why you are all gathered here?"
His telepathic words echoed in their minds.
Recovering from their surprise, Hobbes stepped forward with the picture and said, "Sorry to disturb you so early, but have you seen this person?"
Oranguru saw right away it was Gladion in the photograph.
But he didn't answer right away. Instead, he said, "Please wait a moment. My master is washing up. I'm just a Pokémon butler—you'll need to ask the master whether he has seen this person."
Lusamine, Burnet, and Hobbes were seated outside at the patio table while Oranguru went in to inform Lucas about their visit.
Lucas paused mid-brush, a little surprised.
Impressive. The Aether Foundation really is Alola's biggest shark—they managed to find him.
But whether to reveal Gladion's presence was up to him.
After finishing washing up, Lucas went to knock, but Gladion opened the door first.
Dressed tidily, Gladion apologized, "Sorry, Mr. Lucas. The people outside are probably my mother and the butler."
He'd heard them and noted Faba's absence.
Though surprised they found him so quickly, Gladion felt he had to go out.
"You want to see them?" Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow.
If Gladion didn't want to, Lucas could probably get rid of them.
"Yes," Gladion nodded softly.
…
Soon, Lusamine, Burnet, and Hobbes, waiting anxiously, saw the door open once more.
Besides Oranguru and Lucas, Gladion followed out as well.
"Gladion!"
Lusamine immediately rushed forward to embrace her son.
But Gladion evaded, stiffly asking, "Why are you here?"
Though hurt, Lusamine quickly composed herself.
"Hobbes said you hadn't come home in several days; we were really worried…"
But Gladion interrupted, "Mr. Lucas is a teacher and an excellent Pokémon Trainer. I'm learning from him to get stronger."
"If there's nothing important, please head back. I'll come home when I have the time."
Lusamine, Burnet, and Hobbes were all stunned.
And Lucas, watching from the side, couldn't help but sprout a row of question marks over his head.
…