Carl had a deeper intention behind gathering the three Cosmog around Lillie.
"Come here, little ones," he called softly.
The three little creatures tilted their heads, a bit puzzled but obediently floated over to him.
"Try this," Carl said, pulling out a handful of star-shaped colorful candies from his pouch.
These were special treats made by Serena, which he always carried with him just in case. The Cosmog adored these candies, and even after evolving, their preference didn't change.
Predictably, the little creatures perked up at the scent of the candy and eagerly devoured the treats from Carl's hand in no time.
"Lillie, why don't you give it a try?" Carl suddenly suggested, handing her another batch of candies.
"Me?" Lillie was surprised but took the candy. She tried to call Nebby, but it was completely engrossed with the candy and didn't respond.
The three little creatures eyed the candies in Lillie's hand, visibly eager. However, on Carl's command to stop, two of them obediently stayed put, although their eyes still lingered on the candy.
This reaction pleased Carl. The two Cosmog from the World Tree were friendly towards Lillie, yet they listened to him when it mattered.
Nebby, however, was completely unresponsive to Lillie, distracted by the candy, and it seemed anyone could easily lure it away.
"Why is it like this?" Lillie felt a bit disheartened.
Seeing the distinct reactions from the Cosmog, she quickly realized that Carl was behind this.
"Don't be upset. I've known them for a long time, so it's only natural they listen to me," Carl smoothly lied.
Lillie believed him, as it was the only logical explanation.
Though she had seen Nebby many times before, today was her first real interaction with it.
"Come on, let's eat together," Carl said, grabbing another handful of candies to reward his two Cosmog.
The little creatures chirped happily.
Carl gently patted their heads and turned to Lillie, "Can you tell me how Nebby brought you here?"
"Of course," Lillie replied, thinking Carl shared her curiosity about Nebby's teleportation ability, and began recounting the events in detail.
The story started a few years ago.
Lillie noticed her mother, Lusamine, becoming increasingly distant, always stern and urgent during their meetings.
As she grew older, Lillie secretly discovered her mother was researching Nebby at the Aether Paradise.
Though not harsh, Lusamine's eagerness to achieve results led her to treat Nebby like a puppet.
Feeling sorry for Nebby and frustrated with her mother's neglect, Lillie decided to rescue it.
After careful observation, she chose today to act and successfully took Nebby out.
But Nebby refused to escape alone and stuck with her, resulting in them being cornered by her mother and her team.
In the critical moment, Nebby teleported her to a spot over the ocean.
Frightened by the height, Lillie screamed for help.
Unexpectedly, Nebby teleported again, bringing her to Carl's backyard.
That's how it happened.
"You mean to say, Lillie was supposed to be teleported to a beach near Alola City, where she would be taken in by Professor Burnet and Professor Kukui, and only months later start investigating Nebby's identity."
"Why did it end up here?" Carl pondered, looking at the three Cosmog enjoying the candy nearby.
Upon closer reflection, it wasn't teleportation but rather a spatial rift that had appeared.
It seemed the two Cosmog sensed Nebby's presence and combined their power to create a portal, bringing their companion over.
Was this a 'buy two get one free' deal?
As for Nebby bringing Lillie, that was purely accidental.
In this case, the lack of interference from the World Tree made sense.
In the end, it seemed only Carl benefited.
"Ahem..."
After realizing this, Carl felt a bit awkward.
But with Lillie looking at him expectantly, he couldn't reveal the truth.
Especially since he had just acted like he was about to call the authorities.
"Well..."
He pretended to think seriously, then spoke in a gentle tone, "Although I've captured these Cosmog, I don't know much about them, only that they're Psychic-type Pokémon."
"But since Lusamine values their research so much, they must have something special. Perhaps their ability to teleport you thousands of miles is the power your mother is searching for?"
"Makes sense!" Lillie thought along his lines and nodded repeatedly.
"Do you believe now that I didn't do it on purpose?" she suddenly asked.
"I believed you a while ago, or I wouldn't have offered you an apprenticeship, right?"
Did he have a choice? It was mostly his fault anyway.
"That's good." Lillie sighed in relief.
After all, she would be staying with Carl for quite some time, and being constantly suspected would be difficult.
"Let's not dwell on this."
Carl decisively changed the subject, smiling, "This is my secret base. Close your eyes, and I'll take you out."
A secret base?
Lillie quickly closed her eyes.
It's not uncommon for trainers to have secret bases; the Hoenn region champion Steven Stone is a prime example. Obsessed with collecting rare stones, he reportedly had secret bases throughout the continent. Trespassing into someone else's secret base was far worse than illegal entry.
Now Lillie understood why Carl was so upset earlier.
"Take my hand and follow me." Carl, unaware of Lillie's thoughts, led her towards the garden.
They soon reached the backyard. Just as Carl was about to tell Lillie to open her eyes, Serena's voice suddenly rang out, "What are you two doing?"
The question boomed like thunder in the backyard. Lillie instinctively opened her eyes, and both turned towards the source. Serena's expression was incredibly complex, a mix of anger, disappointment, anxiety, and jealousy like a master display of changing expressions.
"Enjoying yourself, aren't you, Mr. Gym Leader?" Serena's tone was low. "I've been looking for you all morning, even searched the entire gym, only to find you here on a date. Seems like I've interrupted. Sorry, I'll leave now." She turned to go.
Carl just chuckled silently. Even the most oblivious person could sense the jealousy in the air. The cohabitation these past days was working better than he expected.
"A... a date?" Lillie finally processed, her pale cheeks turning crimson. She was underage and had only met Carl minutes ago—there was no way they were in that kind of relationship.
"Wait! We're not on a date!" Lillie hurriedly explained.
Serena stopped, eyes fixed on their still entwined hands. It already looked like a date. If she hadn't shown up, they might have kissed by now.
Then Serena realized she had no real reason to be angry. She calmed down, pondering why she reacted that way.
"Impressive!" whispered Evan, giving Carl a thumbs up from the back. He had witnessed the entire scene and was quietly impressed. His boss was truly extraordinary, even in the art of courting.
Carl glared at Evan, who had been absent for three days only to return and cause trouble.
"Enough," Carl said, releasing Lillie's hand to clear up the misunderstanding. He introduced them, "This is Lillie, a distant relative of mine, and soon to be an apprentice at the gym. Serena, as the senior, you'll need to look after her."
On the way down the mountain, they had discussed Lillie's background story. As a gym leader, Carl could arrange a temporary identity for her.
"This is Serena, our chef. If you want to eat well, you better stay on her good side," Carl joked to Lillie.
"Hello, Serena!" Lillie greeted politely.
Serena was caught off guard by the sudden courtesy. Their behavior seemed natural, and it was clear she had overthought it. Realizing this, Serena felt a wave of embarrassment, not only misunderstanding their relationship but also revealing feelings she shouldn't have.
Serena lowered her head, her mind in turmoil, unsure of Carl's reaction.
"Serena, why don't you show Lillie around, get her familiar with the place?" Carl's voice broke the silence. "Lillie, I'll leave the Cosmog to you."
He intentionally brought all three Cosmog out. After some testing, he was confident his two wouldn't be lured away. As for Nebby, since it had been teleported here once, it could happen again, and even if it got lost, they could find it.
Lillie taking care of them was perfect, given her experience raising Nebby to its final form.
"Evan, let's go!" Carl didn't wait for their response, dragging Evan towards the dining area. His stomach had been growling for a while.
The yard left with only two girls. They exchanged glances, and the air suddenly felt a bit tense.
"Serena, shall we grab breakfast first?" Lillie broke the silence, her tone clearly friendly. Knowing about Serena eased Lillie's tension.