Chapter 7: First Encounter with Lillie
After resting for a while on beach chairs, Sylveon and Beedrill returned from their explorations, curious about their new teammate. Ryan also opened Froakie's status screen to check its information.
Pokémon: Froakie
Level: 15
Gender: Male
Height: 30cm
Weight: 7kg
Ability: Torrent
Moves: Toxic Spikes (Egg Move), Pound, Growl, Bubble, Quick Attack, Lick, Water Pulse
Ryan remembered that after Froakie evolved into Greninja, there was a chance its ability could become Battle Bond. When their bond reached its peak, Greninja could transform into its Ash-Greninja form after defeating an opponent. However, that was only in the games - he had no idea how it would work in reality.
He quickly asked his system for clarification, and it immediately provided an answer: "The host possesses Bond Power and can directly use it to help Greninja achieve its Battle Bond transformation. The specifics are left for the host to discover."
Ryan nodded, finding this acceptable. Reclining on beach chairs and enjoying the sun, his four Pokémon gathered together and began bonding with each other.
While they were enjoying their peaceful moment, a scream pierced the air. Ryan immediately sat up and looked around. He saw a girl surrounded by several Pyukumuku. The sea cucumber Pokémon seemed to be trying to get close to the girl, but she appeared terrified, sitting on the sand and backing away repeatedly.
"Ding. Side quest triggered - Help Lillie overcome her fear of Pokémon. Reward: Special Training Items, Rare Berries, Bond Enhancement."
Ryan touched his chin thoughtfully. It was the heroine from the Alola games! No wonder she looked familiar. However, helping Lillie overcome her fear of Pokémon would require addressing the psychological trauma from her childhood.
But first, he needed to deal with these Pyukumuku. "Beedrill, use Twin Needle. Gently move these Pokémon back to the sea."
Beedrill obeyed, quickly flying in front of Lillie and using its stingers to carefully guide all the Pyukumuku back into the ocean. It wasn't that these Pokémon were dangerous, but their defensive ability - Innards Out - was simply problematic. When knocked out, they would expel their internal organs at the opponent. Given the situation, it was better to handle this diplomatically.
Ryan walked over, extended his hand to Lillie, and said, "Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"
"Yes, I'm fine. I was just startled." Lillie took Ryan's hand and stood up. "Hello, my name is Lillie."
"I'm Ryan from Pallet Town. Nice to meet you," Ryan said, noting the softness of her hand and reluctantly letting go.
"Pallet Town? Are you here on vacation?" Lillie asked.
Ryan took in Lillie's pure white swimsuit and innocent, beautiful face, feeling his heart skip a beat. He nodded and said, "Yeah. I won a grand prize from a vending machine, and it turned out to be this amazing resort trip."
"Then you're really lucky." As Lillie spoke, his other three Pokémon approached. Sylveon's ribbon feelers accidentally brushed against Lillie, and she felt a sudden shock, her words becoming stuttered.
"Hmm? Lillie, are you afraid of Pokémon?" Ryan asked with concern.
Lillie took a few steps back, away from Sylveon. "Yes... I don't know what happened. I loved Pokémon as a child, but somehow, one day, I started to fear them."
Lillie's expression grew somber. After all, this change must have been very painful for her. Ryan had played the Sun and Moon games before, so he understood the whole story. But he didn't have psychic powers, so he couldn't break the mental barriers himself.
Speaking of psychic powers, Ryan thought of someone: Sabrina, the Gym Leader of Saffron City. If Sabrina were to break the seal, it would be simple. Ryan could also potentially learn psychic abilities through intense training, but that would take far too long and might not even work.
Looking at his limited resources, he decided to try convincing Lillie to accompany him to Saffron City. After choosing his words carefully, Ryan said, "Would you like me to take a look? I have some... unique abilities, and I might be able to help you figure out what's affecting you."
"Really? Is that possible?" Lillie said hopefully.
"I can only try. I can't guarantee a solution, but I think we might be able to identify the cause," Ryan said honestly.
"Okay. Please try. I wish I could interact with Pokémon like I did as a child. After all, I love Pokémon!" Lillie said excitedly.
Ryan nodded and led Lillie to his beach chair, where he had her sit down. He placed his hands gently on her temples and then focused his Bond Power. After all, even if he was improvising, he had to make it look convincing. However, as his Bond Power touched Lillie's mind, Ryan sensed a powerful psychic force sealing a portion of her memories.
He tried to use his Bond Power to break the seal, but it remained unmoved. Releasing his focus, Ryan shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, I can't help directly. But there's a powerful psychic barrier in your mind that's blocked off some of your memories. That's definitely the cause."
"Oh... Thank you, Ryan. It's okay. After all these years, I've gotten used to it." Lillie tried to sound upbeat, but the disappointment on her face was obvious.
Seeing Lillie's crestfallen expression, Ryan felt a pang of sympathy. He couldn't help but say, "Even though I can't solve it, that doesn't mean others can't. You could actually ask a powerful Psychic-type Pokémon to help break the seal, but the fact that you can't touch Pokémon is the main obstacle. Whoever did this to you really wanted to make sure these memories stayed buried."
Lillie's expression grew even more downcast. Ryan quickly continued, "But I have another idea. The Saffron Gym in Saffron City in the Kanto region has an incredibly powerful psychic trainer. If you ask her for help, she should be able to break that seal easily."
Lillie's eyes immediately lit up, and she grabbed Ryan's hand eagerly. "Really?"
"Absolutely. There's no reason for me to lie to you about this. The only question is whether you'd be able to make the trip. I'm vacationing here for three days and two nights, then I'm flying to Saffron City. I'm planning to challenge the gym there and prepare for the Indigo League Championship. If you want to come along, we could travel together in three days," Ryan said seriously.
"Yes! That sounds perfect. I'll go back and discuss it with my family, and we'll meet here again tomorrow. Please wait for me!" With that, she hurried away.
Ryan watched her graceful figure running farther and farther away until she disappeared from sight, wondering what tomorrow would bring.
To be continued...
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