The girl anxiously scanned her surroundings, calculating how far she was from the Westvale Haven and realizing she needed to leave with her Cosmog as soon as possible. A sudden thought struck her, and she frantically looked around. "Where's my Cosmog?" she muttered.
To her astonishment, she spotted three Cosmog not far away, playing gleefully. Three of them? How could that be? She was wide-eyed, incredulous, murmuring to herself. Though she didn't entirely understand what Cosmog was and had named it herself, she knew her mother valued it greatly, deeming it the key to some mysterious realm.
The sudden appearance of three was beyond belief. Could this place be the mysterious realm her mother had mentioned? The thought of her mother finding out about this sent her into a spiral of worry.
Carl watched the girl, lost in thought, and sighed. He deliberately pulled out his phone, saying, "Miss, not only have you not thanked or apologized, but you've been staring at my Pokémon. It seems I should call Officer Jenny."
Of course, he had no intention of alerting the authorities, especially with the need to keep the World Tree's secrets. As a gym leader, he had enforcement rights and didn't need to involve the police. Mentioning Officer Jenny was just a tactic to scare this reckless girl.
"Please, don't call the police!" The girl panicked, bowing deeply. "I'm sorry, brother. Thank you for saving me and forgive me for intruding into your yard. It was a complete accident, please forgive me."
Carl nodded. "Apology accepted. But can you tell me why you're so scared of the police?"
The girl hesitated for a long while before whispering, "Because... because my Cosmog..."
Lillie was at a loss for words. She couldn't possibly reveal that her mother wanted to use Cosmog for experiments. Though the experiments weren't cruel, if Carl heard that, he'd likely call the police, causing trouble for her mother and the Westvale Foundation. The worst case would be Cosmog being forcibly taken back.
Yet, she wasn't good at lying.
"Uh..."
Her eyes welled up with tears as she gazed at Carl.
"Uh..."
Carl felt a pang of guilt, realizing he might have gone too far.
"Don't cry." He hastily offered her a tissue and changed the topic. "By Cosmog, do you mean those three little creatures over there?"
"Cosmog?" Lillie blinked in confusion.
"Yes, those three little guys." Carl pointed to the three swirling nebula-like forms.
So, Cosmog was its real name? Lillie thought in sudden understanding.
"Not necessarily."
"Not necessarily?"
In ancient times, they were called the Children of the Stars. The name Cosmog was coined recently by a scientist from your mother's Westvale Foundation. But nobody truly knows their real name. Carl kept that thought to himself, merely crossing his arms and saying, "Before we delve into that, shouldn't you introduce yourself and explain why you suddenly appeared here? That way, I can decide whether to call the police."
The underlying message was: if you can convince me, I might not call the police.
"Well..."
Lillie looked troubled. Introducing herself might reveal her identity. Despite her objections to her mother using Cosmog in experiments, she didn't want this affecting her mother's plans to find her father. But if she ended up at the police station without explaining, things would worsen.
As for lying—she had neither the talent nor the inclination to attempt it with a psychic nearby.
After weighing her options, she chose the lesser evil.
"Hello," Lillie said with a slight bow. "I'm Lillie from Westvale Haven."
Carl grinned knowingly. Just as he suspected, the blonde girl before him was indeed Lillie, the heiress of the Westvale Foundation.
In his past life on Earth, the Alola League was often nicknamed the Island League due to its laid-back nature, unlike other regions requiring eight badges for competition. Although Ash's victory there fulfilled many dreams, it also stirred controversy.
This didn't mean the Alola region was weak. Its top-tier power included Lunala and Solgaleo, comparable to legendary Pokémon. The highest caliber, Necrozma, stood alongside legends like Kyurem and Rayquaza. The presence of the guardian deities and Ultra Beasts underscored the region's formidable strength.
The Westvale Foundation was a crucial Pokémon protection organization headquartered at the man-made island of Westvale Haven. Besides aiding injured Pokémon, they were dedicated to Ultra Beast research. Despite being relatively new, they rivaled the Silph Company.
As the foundation's heiress, Lillie's pedigree was as prestigious as any noble family, making her a top-tier heiress.
Lillie and Cosmog appearing here and her worry about Lusamine finding out... was it following game plotlines? Carl pondered, but needed more confirmation.
Lillie, unaware of his thoughts, explained, "Our appearance in your backyard was unintentional. Cosmog—I mean, it suddenly teleported us."
She looked earnestly at Carl, who responded with a skeptical expression.
"You expect me to believe you can teleport?"
"Are you serious?"
"I'm not lying!" Lillie said urgently.
"You can't just instantly teleport here."
"Why not?" Lillie asked, puzzled.
"You said you came from Westvale Haven?"
"Yes!" She nodded.
Westvale Haven was a well-known Pokémon sanctuary run by the Westvale Foundation, nothing to hide there.
"Do you know where we are?"
"Where?" Lillie suddenly felt something was off.
"Havenport," Carl replied.
Lillie was stunned.
Havenport?
Could it be that Havenport of the Westvale League?
"You mean the Havenport in the Westvale League, one of the four major Pokémon leagues?" she asked incredulously.
"That's right," Carl confirmed.
Lillie was completely bewildered.
Alola and Westvale were thousands of miles apart. How could they have teleported so far?
"See for yourself."
Carl opened his Rotom Phone, pulling up a map.
Lillie examined it closely, utterly shocked.
Crossing half a continent in a blink? Absurd!
"Now you see why I didn't believe you," Carl said, putting away the device. "Teleporting thousands of miles? Not even legendary Pokémon can do that. Are you suggesting Cosmog is a mythical Pokémon?"
Cosmog was indeed a mythical Pokémon, but Lillie was unaware of it.
She opened her mouth but found no words to argue.
"Have you lost your memory, miss?" Carl quipped, pulling out his phone. "Shall I call Officer Jenny?"
"No!" Lillie hurriedly stopped him. "You can't!"
"Why not?"
"My mom will take Cosmog away!" In her panic, she blurted out the truth.
Carl probed further, "Who is your mother? Why are you worried she'll take Cosmog?"
Lillie hesitated briefly but soon spoke with pride, "My mother is Lusamine, president of the Westvale Foundation. You've probably heard of her."
In Alola, her mother's name was well-known, even globally renowned.
Carl feigned surprise, "You're Lusamine's daughter?"
Lillie nodded seriously, "If you don't believe me, give me your phone and I can prove it."
Carl paused, then handed over his phone.
Lillie logged into her social account, showing a photo album filled with pictures of her and her mother. The resemblance was clear, unmistakably showing their relationship.
Carl pretended to be convinced, scrolling through more photos, until one made him freeze, his expression turning awkward.
Lillie noticed the change, leaned in for a peek, and her face flushed crimson as she snatched the phone back. "How could you look at that!"
Carl sighed inwardly, lamenting, "No wonder some people dream of being scoundrels."
As for the photo's content—best left undescribed.
In the steamy atmosphere of a hot spring, Lillie and Lusamine were enjoying rare mother-daughter time. Carl's eyes were drawn to Lusamine, marveling at how youthful she appeared, not at all like Lillie's mother. Carl couldn't help but tease, "Are you sure that's your mom? She could pass for your sister."
Lillie's face reddened further, losing her usual composed demeanor. "My mom's not here, so there's no need for such flattery!" she huffed, adding, "And forget what you just saw!"
Sensing danger, Carl quickly backtracked, "Alright, alright, I believe you're Lusamine's daughter, okay?"
Lillie took a few deep breaths, calming down. "So... you won't report me to the police, right?"
Carl nodded, but as Lillie began to relax, he added, "But I plan to contact your mother directly."
"What?" Lillie's heart skipped a beat.
"What's the problem?" Carl asked, arms crossed. "How bad can a mother-daughter disagreement be? Probably just teenage rebellion, right?"