At that same moment, on the sunny farmlands of Akala Island…
Naoki was standing beneath a banana tree, lifting his daughter Elara up so she could pluck the golden fruit hanging from its branches.
These bananas had been nurtured by the ranch's Gogoat, whose Grass-type energy made the trees grow faster and bear sweeter fruit.
Clusters of bright yellow bananas swayed gently in the breeze, and the entire field was filled with the rich, sugary scent of ripened harvest.
Perched on her father's shoulders, little Elara stretched out her chubby arms and patted at the hanging bananas above.
Butterfree flitted gracefully alongside them, its wings glimmering in the sun. With a delicate motion, it snapped a ripe banana from the tree and offered it to her.
But Elara didn't catch it in time, the banana slipped from her tiny hands and bonked Naoki squarely on the head.
"Ah—ouch!" Naoki yelped in surprise, rubbing his head with a wince.
Startled, Elara realized she might have done something wrong. She gently poked his head with her finger, then leaned down and puffed soft breaths on the spot, just like how Naoki would blow on her bumps when she got hurt.
"Phoo, phoo!"
Naoki couldn't help but chuckle at her adorable imitation. "Ahh, so much pain!" he teased, feigning agony.
Worried, Elara blew even harder this time.
"You're such a good girl," Naoki smiled warmly. "Okay, it doesn't hurt anymore. Let's pick a few more. I'll fry up some sweet bananas for you tonight!"
He bent down to retrieve the fallen banana and placed it into the large basket strapped to Koraidon's back.
The basket was already brimming with bright yellow bananas and a golden pineapple.
Just then, a voice called from nearby.
"Hey Naoki, looks like we've got visitors!"
It was Iono, waving from the other side of the grove.
"Visitors?" Naoki blinked, puzzled. He didn't recall anyone he knew in Alola besides Kiawe.
"Well, I guess that's enough harvesting for today. These should do." He turned to Butterfree with a smile. "Thanks for the help, Butterfree!"
"Fuwii~!" Butterfree chirped cheerfully, its antennae bouncing.
Naoki adjusted Elara on his back and made his way out of the banana grove, with Koraidon trailing behind, basket swaying gently with every step.
As they neared the pasture entrance, Naoki spotted a tall, elegant woman with long golden hair standing at the gate. Her presence was refined and graceful, with a commanding yet gentle air, like a blooming Philomel flower.
Naoki paused, startled. That was… Lusamine?
The President of the Aether Foundation?
Lusamine, meanwhile, was quietly observing the peaceful ranch before her.
It wasn't a sprawling estate, but every inch of it radiated care and life. Dozens of Pokémon roamed freely, some she recognized from the Pokédex, others she had never seen before.
In the distance, lush green pastures rolled gently under the sky. Neat plots of farmland stretched out beside them, where fruits and vegetables flourished under the watch of attentive Pokémon.
Heavy fruit hung from every tree. A flock of cheerful bird Pokémon picked fruit from the branches while others napped under their shade.
And in the center of it all, the man who had so effortlessly defeated UB02 walked toward her with a little girl riding on his shoulders, a proud red-scaled dragon Pokémon carrying a full fruit basket at his side.
A young woman with bright blue and pink hair stood nearby, smiling at the scene, clearly the mother of the child.
Together, they looked like the picture of a happy family, working side by side with their Pokémon to build something meaningful.
For a moment, Lusamine felt an ache in her chest. An emotion she rarely acknowledged anymore, envy.
Her husband, Mohn, had vanished years ago during an Ultra Wormhole accident, leaving her to raise their children alone.
In recent years, her children had slowly drifted away from her…
If Mohn were still here, the four of them might have lived a life like this, peaceful, warm, and full of love.
That thought made Lusamine's heart ache. But such dreams felt impossibly distant now.
Just then, a gentle voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Madam, is there something I can help you with?"
Lusamine looked up and saw Naoki approaching, the trainer who had effortlessly defeated the Ultra Beast earlier that day.
Composing herself quickly, Lusamine offered a polite smile.
"Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Lusamine, president of the Aether Foundation. I came to personally thank you for what you did at the beach in Hau'oli City. That Ultra Beast could have caused serious harm if not for your intervention."
Naoki was a little surprised. For someone as high-ranking and busy as Lusamine to come all the way here just to thank him for something like that… it felt like too much.
"You're welcome. My wife and daughter were there at the time, so of course I wasn't going to just stand by."
Lusamine smiled faintly at his modest response. After a moment of polite pleasantries, she got straight to the point.
"To be honest, this isn't the first time Ultra Beasts have breached into Alola. We've been dealing with these incidents for years now."
"That's why I've come to see you today. I'd like to formally invite you to join the Aether Foundation and assist us in handling these threats."
She paused, then continued with practiced calm.
"I've already begun planning a specialized unit called the 'Ultra Guardians', a task force dedicated to containing and returning Ultra Beasts that slip through Ultra Wormholes into our world. We believe you would be a valuable asset to that team."
So that was it.
Naoki nodded in understanding.
No wonder Lusamine had come to visit him in person. She must have seen the fight earlier and been impressed.
But joining the Aether Foundation…
Naoki thought for a moment. Then, with a soft smile, he shook his head politely.
"I really appreciate the offer, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline."
"I run this ranch full time, and between looking after the Pokémon, managing the land, and raising my daughter, I barely have a moment to spare. Plus, once winter ends, we plan to return home, we won't be staying in Alola for long."
As far as Naoki was concerned, the Ultra Guardians and whatever came next in Alola's adventure… could be left to Ash and the others.
Lusamine looked momentarily disappointed, but then nodded with understanding.
"I see. Thank you for your honesty."
"I won't take up more of your time, then," she said graciously. "If your plans change, the door will always be open."
Lusamine came and left in a hurry.
Her brisk, decisive behavior left Iono blinking in confusion.
"She just left like that?"
"As the president of the Aether Foundation, Lusamine is probably buried in work," Naoki explained calmly.
After all, she was the kind of person so caught up in her duties that she could even forget about her own daughter, Lillie.
But speaking of that…
Now that Ash had become a Champion, would he still come back to Alola?
If he didn't, Lillie's emotional roadblock might never be resolved. And without his help, the lingering threats to the Alola region might spiral out of control.
If the butterfly effect ended up derailing the entire Alola storyline…
That would be a problem.
After thinking about it for a moment, Naoki decided to give Ash a call, just to test the waters.
He handed Elara over to Entei and the others to look after, then pulled out his Rotom Phone and opened a video call.
Soon, the screen lit up, and the familiar faces of Ash and Pikachu popped into view.
"Mr. Naoki? What's up? Why the sudden call?" Ash's eyes widened in surprise.
He was currently back in Pallet Town, helping take care of his old partner Pokémon at Professor Oak's lab.
Naoki smiled warmly. "I called to congratulate you, of course! I watched all your matches. Congratulations on becoming Champion!"
Ash laughed with joy, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "Aw, thanks! That means a lot!"
"But speaking of which," Naoki continued, "do you have any plans for what you're doing next?"
Ash tilted his head in thought. "Hmm… Not really, not yet."
But then, a spark lit up in his eyes.
"Oh! I've got it! I'm gonna head to Paldea and challenge you, Naoki!"
Naoki's heart skipped a beat.
W-what?! The plot really was getting rewritten!
He quickly composed himself and said with a calm smile, "Haha, too bad. I'm not in Paldea at the moment. I'm vacationing in the Alola region."
"Alola?" Ash perked up.
"Yeah. It's an incredible place, full of Pokémon that only live here. And aside from normal wild Pokémon, there are legendary island guardians too. If you earn their trust, they'll teach you to unleash powerful Z-Moves!"
Naoki's tone was intentionally tempting.
Sure enough, Ash's eyes lit up like stars.
Just then, Professor Oak walked in from outside and overheard the conversation.
"Oh? Heading to Alola, Ash? That's perfect timing," he said with a smile. "Would you mind doing me a small favor and delivering this Pokémon Egg to the professor of the Pokémon School in Hau'oli City?"
...
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