Lucas's shock faded as he noticed the boy looked unwell.
Dry, cracked lips. Pale face.
A damp, cool towel on his forehead.
The boy lay curled up tightly in a blanket, shivering—classic signs of a fever.
Frowning, Lucas turned to fetch the medicine from his luggage, just as he heard someone entering through the front door.
It was Oranguru and Luxray, the latter's fur dotted with dew. Oranguru carried a basket of herbs.
Thanks to his training with Nurse Joy back in Los Platos, Lucas had gotten better at identifying medicinal plants. These herbs all had some effectiveness for treating fever—dispelling evils, clearing heat and toxins.
When Lucas considered the post-rain weather outside, he understood why the boy had fallen ill.
Sure enough.
While Lucas had deduced most of it, Oranguru confirmed why there was a stranger in the house.
Apparently, in last night's downpour, Spectrier had awoken Oranguru and shown him the semi-conscious, shivering boy seeking shelter under the eaves.
Oranguru, seeing the boy's condition, immediately brought him in, gave him a hot bath, dried him off, dressed him in an oversized set of Lucas's pajamas, and tucked him in.
After that, dawn was nearly breaking.
With the rain over, Oranguru and Luxray went off to gather some restorative herbs to make medicine for the boy.
With Lucas's help, it didn't take long to boil a potent herbal brew and get it into the still-sleeping boy.
The effect was swift—within ten minutes, his condition had notably improved.
Deciding the boy would wake soon, Lucas went into the villa's kitchen to prepare a light breakfast.
The idea of eating casually at a nearby resort was put on hold.
As he cooked, Milotic, the Eevee sisters, Ogerpon, and Dragonite all woke up—Swampert even returned just in time for breakfast.
Seeing the stranger, the Pokémon were all curious.
But at Luxray's stern reminder, they refrained from disturbing the sleeping boy, simply watching from the sidelines.
When Gladion finally regained consciousness, instinctively rubbing his aching temples, he found himself staring into the "wise" but intimidating eyes of a mighty Swampert.
"Swamp?" (Awake?)
Swampert blinked and offered his version of a friendly smile.
"!?"
But with a physique even bulkier than average, the creature's look was so intense that Gladion nearly toppled off the sofa in fear.
Luckily, Luxray and Milotic helped steady him.
"Th-thank you…"
Still a little overwhelmed, Gladion glanced around at the room—and the crowd of curious Ogerpon, the Eevee twins, Dragonite, and the rest. No one dared move or speak.
Suddenly, Gladion noticed something wrong:
Where was the Premier Ball that should've been in his hand?
Panic rose in his chest. He checked his hand, as if hoping the familiar feeling would still be there.
After confirming the ball was gone, his face changed—he shot upright, searching the room, his sore, raspy voice tremulous:
"My ball—where's my Premier Ball!?"
The commotion drew attention—Lucas, oven mitts on, stepped out of the kitchen holding a steaming clay pot. He raised an eyebrow at Gladion's anxious look.
"You recovered fast. You must have a good constitution."
Gladion, ever observant, quickly realized he must be in the villa, cared for by Lucas.
With barely concealed worry, he said, "Thank you for saving me. Did you see a white Premier Ball? It's very important to me!"
Lucas looked puzzled, glancing at Oranguru.
Oranguru nodded, and, with a wave of his feather fan, levitated the Premier Ball and two other Poké Balls from a nearby table to Gladion.
Via telepathy, Oranguru explained, "You let go when you became feverish. I put it with your clothes and the other two Poké Balls from your pockets."
"Telepathy!?"
Startled at first, Gladion quickly understood.
He'd read before that some gifted Pokémon, like Oranguru, could communicate telepathically.
Realizing the situation, Gladion hastily apologized. "Sorry, I got carried away."
"No worries. So, a precious partner inside that ball, huh?" Lucas smiled, setting down the clay pot. "But really, it was Oranguru, Luxray, and—well…"
Lucas looked into a dark corner.
"Spectrier, you found him first. Aren't you coming out?"
The shadows near the sofa rippled; an icy aura spread as Spectrier materialized.
"Spectr—Spectrier?"
Gladion's eyes widened at seeing the imposing legendary horse, unfamiliar and unrecorded in his mind.
Only now, Gladion truly noticed—the Pokémon in this living room were all of remarkable caliber, some completely unknown to him.
This resident, only a few years older than himself, was clearly a strong Trainer.
A surge of excitement swept through Gladion, but he forced it down.
He'd been saved, he was penniless—how could he ask for anything more?
After earnestly thanking Spectrier, Gladion sat awkwardly on the sofa, hands fidgeting behind him.
"Um...I might not have enough to repay you," he stammered.
Typical rich kid, Lucas thought, feeling a big question mark hang over his own head.
He chuckled, "It was no trouble. No need for a reward."
"More importantly—are you hungry? I've just made some porridge, want to try?"
"Let's talk about your situation over breakfast."
Only then did Gladion notice the steaming clay pot in front of him.
The aroma of nutritious porridge made his stomach rumble, startling him: Was it the fever, or did he suddenly crave something so mild when he normally only liked meat?
He swallowed nervously.
And Lucas asked, "I've also steamed some buns—meat and veggie, your pick. Or both?"
"But I suggest you stick to something light to recover faster."
"I'll take a meat bun…" Gladion replied, trying to sound formal.
"Alright!"
Lucas nodded knowingly. He had already made the fillings less oily, and with the medicine working, there was no harm in a little.
After sharing out breakfast to Luxray and the other Pokémon, Lucas sat opposite Gladion, about to make some conversation—
Gladion, feeling perhaps a little anxious, suddenly spoke: "At home, we don't talk while eating or sleeping."
Lucas raised an eyebrow, then grinned, "Alright, we'll chat after."
It figured, Lucas mused. The boy was every bit the child of a big family, just like Nemona back in Paldea, though Nemona's family was more relaxed on etiquette.
After the meal:
Oranguru volunteered to do the washing up. Lucas poured two glasses of water, and finally began, "Let's introduce ourselves. I'm Lucas, from Paldea. Just arrived in Alola for vacation yesterday."
"...Paldea."
Gladion repeated under his breath.
Then, taking a deep breath, he introduced himself solemnly, "Hello, Mr. Lucas. I'm Gladion."
"As you can see, I left home for certain reasons. Which is also why I can't offer you an adequate reward at the moment."
"Eh, forget the reward—wait, what did you say your name was?"
For a moment, Lucas looked as if he'd been struck dumb, wide-eyed.
Gladion, flustered, assured, "My name is Gladion."
He nervously worried that simply giving his name might somehow connect him to Faba or that Lucas was one of Faba's people.
Lucas was stunned.
Of course, he recognized Gladion.
The son of Lusamine—the "Mother-in-law" to many, both beloved and controversial; whose game and anime personalities varied greatly.
Also the older brother of Lillie—fan favorite, whose TCG card "Cheerful Lillie" was outrageously expensive.
He was also Ash's greatest Alolan rival and the final challenger in the season's league.
The Gladion before him, though, didn't look quite right.
That's it!
The Gladion here was neither cold nor overly edgy—just a polite, proper young master.
Not even dressed like his anime/game counterpart; his clothes and hairstyle were normal.
He'd even mentioned running away from home already. Lucas recalled in the Sun & Moon anime, Gladion was indeed often running away.
That must mean the Premier Ball he valued so much was Type: Null—the Silvally in embryo.
Lucas's mouth twitched. He couldn't quite decide if his luck was good or bad to encounter something like this right after arriving in Alola.
But he stayed calm on the surface and patiently engaged Gladion in conversation.
Most of their discussion centered on why Gladion left home.
At first, Gladion was awkward, reluctant to talk.
Even as someone he owed, he was still cautious toward outsiders.
But Lucas's steady patience won him over, and eventually Gladion explained:
"I want to free Type: Null, and—"
"I want to become stronger."
Gladion clenched his fists, his eyes unwavering.
The helplessness he'd felt three years ago, when he was powerless to protect Lillie, was something he never wanted to relive.
Over the years, he'd trained hard. But learning that the Silvally that had saved Lillie was still imprisoned by Faba pushed him to act—he snatched Silvally's Poké Ball and ran, got caught in the rain, fell sick, and was then picked up by Spectrier.
Beyond freeing Silvally, he yearned for strength—a strength great enough to keep his partner by his side, to help Lillie overcome her fear of Pokémon, and one day find his father, lost to an Ultra Wormhole and presumed dead.
With each thought, Gladion's resolve only hardened.
Lucas, observing Gladion's expressions, felt reassured.
Well then, this is the Gladion he remembered—the one who could state "I want to become stronger" with total seriousness.
However, unlike the anime version who'd long since run away and learned self-reliance, this Gladion was still a pampered young master—just weighed down by some emotional baggage.
Lucas glanced at his bag, where several photographs still sat.
He'd considered handing them to Gladion after hearing his name, but decided against explaining how he knew Gladion's father. Better to wait until Gladion brought up Mohn—then Lucas could "coincidentally" share the photo.
After learning the reason behind Gladion's runaway, Lucas stopped probing, not wanting to tire him out.
He arranged for Gladion to rest in a spare guest room.
When shown kindness, Gladion found it hard to refuse, bashfully accepting Lucas's offer.
After breakfast, drowsiness soon returned.
Gladion recalled Butler Hobbes' advice about the importance of sleep for recovery—deciding to follow Lucas's advice for now and recuperate before thinking about strength or Silvally.
Tucked in and full of warm porridge, Gladion soon fell deeply asleep.
Outside—
"I'll leave him in your care," Lucas told Oranguru.
"Don't worry, young master," Oranguru replied, nodding gently.
It wasn't interview day with the Pokémon chef, and it had few urgent tasks, so tending to one more person made no big difference.
With Oranguru briefed, Lucas recalled his Pokémon and went about his own business. After yesterday's play, it was time for serious work.
As for Gladion, he'd check in on him later.
Originally, Lucas had intended to arrange a meeting with Lusamine to deliver the photographs, but now he could just hand them directly to Gladion.
Seeing Gladion's growth follow the anime's path, Lucas relaxed.
This likely meant the whole family were like their far friendlier anime counterparts—especially Lusamine.
Unlike the game, where Lusamine was obsessive and twisted—freezing her favorite Pokémon as live exhibits—anime Lusamine was much more normal.
Thank goodness.
And as for worries that his involvement might disrupt events or the family's growth, Lucas wasn't concerned.
He'd already seen from the earlier incident with Clemont and Luxio that while his actions might shift some events, true character would always prevail, and everyone would still find ways to grow, perhaps just in new directions.
Maybe the process would be slower, but it also meant the family could reunite much sooner.
It wasn't self-satisfaction—he simply did what he could, believing it wouldn't bring harm.
Outdoors, Lucas summoned his Dragonite.
Dragonite was clearly pumped, wings twitching in anticipation.
Lucas didn't hide his intent: "Right. After meeting an old friend, let's go find Tapu Fini."
It was time, now that he was in Alola, to settle Dragonite Leader's business.
And also handle the purification of the Treasures of Ruin from Paldea.
According to the wooden plaque found in the Ruins beneath the Asado Desert, to purify the Treasures of Ruin polluted by human desire and curses and return them to their blessed forms, he needed "water of absolute purity"—as recorded on that plaque.
Besides Suicune, only Tapu Fini, the guardian of Poni Island in Alola, could provide such water.
So regardless of whether it was Dragonite Leader's issue, or the Treasures of Ruin—they all required Tapu Fini's power.
This was Lucas's highest priority for his Alolan journey—nothing else came close.
Delivering photos, finding the Pokémon chef, relaxing—they all came after this.
With Dragonite's powerful wings, Lucas soon arrived at his destination—
Since Alola cities allowed flying mounts, Lucas flew straight into Melemele Island, rather than landing in the wild as in other regions.
Dragonite landed smoothly, and Lucas smiled at the building before him.
This was the Pokémon School where, in the future, Ash would study and ultimately capture the title of "Alola's First League Champion."
This was where Professor Kukui, after earning his doctorate and concluding his travels, chose to teach.
The timing, however, didn't seem ideal—
A large group of oddly-dressed, colorful-haired, clearly non-mainstream folks were streaming towards the Pokémon School in a noisy crowd.
And Lucas found himself blocking their path.