"Pulaii!"
Tapu Fini tried to summon cleansing water between its hands to drive back the pollution.
But the now-dead nature of Poni Island didn't respond; even the source—the sea—had been wholly tainted.
As a guardian whose power was tied to nature, Tapu Fini was in dire straits. Old wounds had yet to heal.
For now, even "the pure water to purify all filth"—its signature move—couldn't be conjured.
It no longer had the power to cross the poisoned sea and seek help from its fellow guardians.
Tapu Fini's eyes, once full of mercy, looked anxiously at the dying little Popplio before it, utterly distraught.
To it, the little one was a miracle, hope, the last remnant left on this ruined island.
But it could do nothing.
In Tapu Fini's arms, Popplio whimpered, trying to comfort Tapu Fini by licking its cheek with a tiny pink tongue.
Just then, hurried footsteps interrupted Tapu Fini's thoughts.
Humans and Pokémon?
But how could there still be humans on Poni Island?
Tapu Fini froze, remembering how it recently rejected another version of itself's appeal for help, losing faith in humanity.
Could that other Tapu Fini still have sent help anyway?
No time to think further—biting its lip, Tapu Fini placed a thin water bubble beneath Popplio, separating it from the stained sand.
With a backward glance, Tapu Fini ignored Popplio's calls, diving into the polluted sea.
If someone sent by "another me" was really here, perhaps they could save Popplio.
Tapu Fini's shell protected it from harm; the pollution wouldn't affect it—not at once.
It still couldn't fully trust humans. If Popplio weren't so critical, it wouldn't risk this much...
As Tapu Fini slipped beneath the surface, Lucas and Luxray arrived.
All that remained was Popplio, wrapped in a water bubble; Tapu Fini's shadow faded into the murky water.
"Meowr!"
Luxray nudged at Lucas, reminding him.
Lucas nodded. "I saw it, but—"
He glanced at the ailing Popplio. "First things first: let's treat this one."
Once Lucas and Luxray were gone, Tapu Fini resurfaced, watching the direction they left.
If memory served, that way led to the Ruins of Hope.
—
Finding the Ruins of Hope wasn't simple. Even if the structure was the same, different worldlines meant unfamiliar terrain.
Thankfully, with Luxray's x-ray sight, Lucas found the buried, stone-blocked entrance.
Swampert blasted the rocks away in a few mighty punches, revealing the tunnel.
Lucas marched in, winding through turns before finding the familiar altar of the ruins.
All the beautiful coral was gone; even the crystal-clear pool now murky and clouded. At least the pollution was less intense than the open sea.
Only the ancient altar remained unchanged.
Compared to the exposed Sunne/Moone altar, the Ruins of Hope had weathered the years best.
Handing Popplio—fainted and ailing—to Swampert, Lucas pulled out an inflatable pool and pump, quickly set it up, and said, "Fill it with water gun."
Swampert took a deep breath, and—with Lucas's help removing its mask—carefully filled the pool with water generated from within.
Once finished, Swampert hurriedly put the mask back on.
Lucas, meanwhile, examined Popplio: its skin was dry, with symptoms of dehydration, malnutrition, poisoning—all at once.
During diagnosis, Lucas made a stunning discovery.
This Popplio had likely only recently hatched.
It was frail, born unhealthy—much worse off than his Eevee had been.
He'd wager Popplio had never touched water—its natural element.
That it even hatched in such a place was a miracle.
Maybe it was connected to that black shadow—Tapu Fini.
And with medical emergencies like this, he didn't have Comfey, Calyrex, or Victini.
All he could do was try basic care, with makeshift tools and amateur medical skills.
But he was, at least, always prepared.
Lucas dug out a vial of rainbow-colored potion.
Five secret spices for coloring, mix of herbs crafted in Sister Shuckle's armor, and a touch of life energy gifted by Calyrex.
He called this five-in-one formula "Life No.1." It couldn't resurrect life like Ho-Oh's "Sacred Ash" or grant eternal life like Xerneas.
But as long as the patient wasn't dead, it solved most congenital and acquired problems—or at least, kept one alive.
"Help me hold it steady," Lucas said to Swampert, while Luxray guarded the tunnel.
Swampert's huge hands, normally able to crush rocks, now held Popplio with utmost care.
That was Swampert: dull at times but always reliable and gentle when it counted.
A smile flashed behind Lucas's mask. He gently opened Popplio's mouth and poured in the Life No.1.
Lucas had tasted a drop himself. Not only was it bitter, it was—well, at least it worked!
But for Popplio, it was like manna from heaven. Even half-conscious, it clutched the bottle and savored it greedily, smacking its lips.
Lucas's brows creased—not displeasure, but concern.
Was Popplio's sense of taste damaged? Or perhaps, this was its very first meal after hatching?
Extreme hunger really did make anything taste good.
The medicine would take time to work. Since healing required energy, Lucas also fed Popplio some Moomoo Milk—but not too much, fearing the newborn's stomach couldn't handle it.
By then, he'd already spent nearly an hour in the ruins.
Despite the featureless day and night, Lucas's exhaustion drove him to sleep.
Watching as Popplio's nose slowly regained its healthy pink, he couldn't help but admire the creature's will to survive.
A newborn, in this hellish world, was already unusual; otherwise, it would have died as an egg.
Future treatment would depend on its recovery.
After some thought, Lucas made a choice:
He fished out a minimized Dive Ball for water Pokémon and expanded it, thinking,
"The Dive Ball holds a clean artificial environment and life-support—temporary capture should be fine by Tapu Fini's standards."
He pressed the Dive Ball gently to Popplio's nose; the Poké Ball opened, and Popplio, too weak to resist, was recalled in a flash.
The Ball didn't even shake—just flashed three stars, and with a "ding," signaled capture was complete.
Lucas and Swampert exchanged relieved looks.
Fortunately, his Dive Ball could recognize Pokémon from this world, giving Popplio a stable place to heal.
With Popplio secured, Lucas set up a sleeping bag and lay down to catch some rest.
Before sleeping, he placed Luxray, Swampert, and Dragonite's Poké Balls by his side, telling them to take shifts watching, and rest in their Balls.
Milotic and Dragonite's mother, however, he excluded.
Dragonite's mother had psychological issues; here, Lucas feared it might panic and flee.
Milotic, being newly evolved and weaker in body and mind, was also at risk. Despite her origin as a hardy Feebas, Lucas wouldn't let her linger even in a relatively safe place like the ruins.
As his mind faded to sleep, Lucas glanced at the altar's clouded pool.
And a line of text, present since he'd started treating Popplio, continued to flicker:
[Tapu Fini, the island's guardian, is watching you.]
So, Popplio's birth was tied to this Tapu Fini.
—
Lucas dreamt.
He was trapped in endless darkness.
The eggshell that protected him became a prison, sealing him within due to the outside world's decay.
Had nothing changed, he would have died in his shell when the yolk ran out.
But then, warm hands cradled him—or his egg, rather.
The owner's gaze, full of surprise, excitement, love—it came through, even through the closed shell.
With a soft clack, the world went even darker.
Yet this darkness was warm, like a mother's embrace.
A mermaid's song echoed gently, and magically, he could understand: four words, repeated endlessly.
"You are hope."
—
Consciousness returned. Lucas, well-rested, became instantly alert.
He opened his eyes and met a pair of gentle, light-blue ones.
The owner had long light-blue hair, curled within a white- and light blue-patterned marlin-helmet shell—mermaid-like.
It was the Tapu Fini who had yet to show herself before.
And a shiny Tapu Fini at that.
Was that dream just now…a message from Tapu Fini?
Though fully awake, Lucas was still puzzled. He looked at Luxray, lying beside him, hoping for some explanation.
Luxray's demeanor made it clear it had already communicated with Tapu Fini—her presence wasn't unexpected.
Yet Tapu Fini, having gone through Poni Island's disaster, hated humans and refused to appear until the real culprit was dealt with—he'd mentally prepared for that.
"Ka-shee."
Noting that Lucas had woken, Tapu Fini blinked and stepped back, giving him space to emerge from his sleeping bag.
Lucas wriggled out like a caterpillar and shamelessly asked, "You're here to see Popplio?"
"Ka-puuu—"
Tapu Fini was about to nod when Luxray suddenly stood and stared, alert, toward the tunnel.
"Meowr!"
A warning cry left Luxray's lips.
Tapu Fini, too, seemed to sense something, and her expression changed.
At the other end of the tunnel, the heavy, unnatural footsteps of something strange drew closer to the Ruins of Hope.