Boom—
A dragon shadow, purple and red, descended, causing a strong explosion in the Ula'ula Meadow, scaring many wild Pokémon who were preparing to rest into running everywhere.
At the campsite, all the students heard the commotion and became alert. Lillie glanced in that direction and guessed, "It must be Hoshino. It looks like he encountered a very powerful Pokémon, but there's no more movement, so the battle should be over."
"It should be him. Among us, only he has that kind of strength…" Moon sighed softly, then shook her head and said, "I really want to have a fair fight with him again, but he always refuses."
Hearing this, Sun suddenly darted out, looked at her, and said, "Why don't you fight me? During this time, I've already trained to a level where I can fight you! Bring it on!"
Moon, holding Rowlet, glanced at him, waved her hand, and replied, "Go eat your food honestly. Why are you talking so much? Can't Mallow's cooking make you quiet? I'm about to die from exhaustion."
"I thought the potion ingredients I prepared would be enough, but you guys are really good at causing trouble. It's one thing for Pokémon to get injured, but you Trainers are even more injured than the Pokémon. Is it fun to provoke Beedrill?"
"This… hahahaha…"
Lillie couldn't help but lower her head and chuckle, watching them.
Although it wasn't public, everyone in the class already knew that the two of them had developed a romantic relationship, which was why Moon was so angry.
However, watching them bicker, Lillie's mood became a little anxious again.
These past few days, Moon had been taking her to challenge some wild Pokémon, trying to battle with Vulpix, but the results were always unsatisfactory.
She would clearly think about how to battle before the fight, but as soon as the battle with a wild Pokémon began, she would forget everything. Then she would just watch Vulpix get knocked out, and then the wild Pokémon would rush towards her…
To become a qualified Trainer, battling is a compulsory course. You can choose not to battle, but you must at least get started, and many Pokémon are naturally the type who enjoy battling. You can't possibly never capture other Pokémon, right?
That's why she was anxious. Although Vulpix would listen and battle now, she hadn't actually captured it yet, because of the past trauma brought by Clefairy.
She had finally overcome it a little, and had practiced battling with Moon's Rowlet and Hoshino's Gengar, but she was still afraid of battling wild Pokémon.
Sighing softly, she gently stroked the soft fur of the Vulpix in her arms and murmured, "Maybe I'm really not suited to be a Trainer…"
Although her voice was very soft, Moon, who was beside her, heard it very clearly. She stood up and shouted somewhat angrily, "What are you saying?!"
"Huh?"
The campsite instantly fell silent. Everyone looked over, thinking the class monitor and Lillie were arguing.
Just as they were about to come over to mediate, Moon regained her composure. After letting Rowlet fly onto her shoulder, she put her hand on Lillie's shoulder and said, "Let's go. We just finished eating, and it's still early. I'll take you for a walk somewhere."
"Hmm? Where…?"
"You'll know when we get there. It's not far, and we can be back before 7."
Moon didn't explain. She then pulled Lillie and walked towards the east side of the garden. Sun and the others were about to follow but were stopped: "Nothing will happen. Just wait for us at the campsite."
With that, she pulled Lillie away, leaving a group of people looking at each other in confusion.
…
After a while, the two left the wooden boardwalk and had arrived at the edge of the forest where the garden was located. By the time they reached here, some faint mist had already appeared around them.
"Are we going out?"
Lillie asked, puzzled. She rarely came to the wilderness and had no understanding of the situation.
Moon shook her head, then led her to continue walking forward. And just after passing through this patch of woods, a tranquil lake appeared before their eyes.
"Is this Lake of the Moone?"
"That's right!"
Lake of the Moone, as its name suggests, is the largest lake in the Alola Region. When viewed from above, the entire lake appears perfectly circular, like a full moon.
Lillie knew this place. When she took the bus to come here before, she passed by the opposite side of the lake, but she didn't understand why Moon wanted to bring her here.
Moon looked at the tranquil, empty lake surface ahead, a faint smile appearing on her face. Then she walked all the way to the lakeside. The moon had already risen, and its silhouette was reflected on the lake surface, like a painting.
After admiring it for a moment, she turned around and asked, "Do you know the legend of the beast that calls the moon?"
"What… the beast that calls the moon?" Lillie was slightly stunned, recalling carefully in her mind, but she had no impression whatsoever.
"That's right!"
Moon nodded, then turned sideways to look at the lake again and said, "In ancient times, a Moon Emissary from another world came to the Alola Region, and it descended upon this very lake!"
"It helped Alola drive away foreign enemies. Its figure, like the full moon in the magnificent night sky, saved the Alola Region, and it was revered by the ancients, who respectfully called it the beast that calls the moon."
"To commemorate it, the ancients named this lake Lake of the Moone and built the Moonlight Altar above it. It's just a pity that time flies, and many years have passed. The Moon Emissary has not appeared again, and the Moonlight Altar has also collapsed into the lake due to disrepair over the years…"
As her words fell, her tone gradually became regretful, and Lillie was even more bewildered after hearing it. After a long while, she asked, "How come I've never heard any of this? Does Alola have other legends besides the Guardian Deities?"
"Yes…"
Moon responded, then looked at her and explained, "Actually, I don't know if it's true or false, after all, there's no trace of the Moonlight Altar here. I only heard these things from others when I was little…"
She paused slightly, then continued, "I was very mischievous when I was little. I was only a few years old then and didn't have a Pokémon. Because I saw how potions were made on TV, I became very interested."
"To find ingredients, I secretly ran over here, then got lost when the fog rolled in at night. I sat by this lake and cried loudly, attracting some wild Pokémon, and the situation was dangerous."
"Thankfully, Kahuna Nanu found me. He told me this story to comfort me and stop me from crying, and it had a huge impact on my life."
"A Moon Emissary from another world saved Alola and left behind a legend. Doesn't that sound incredibly powerful? So, as a young child, I really hoped that I could also help others like the Moon Emissary, and becoming a potion maker also has this factor in it!"
She had never told anyone about this past, not even Sun, because there was no need, and it would also sound a bit ridiculous to tell it, but now she still spoke it out.
After hearing all this, Lillie felt a stirring inside, as if she finally understood something. Her voice choked up a little as she said, "So that's why you…"
Moon nodded gently, smiling as she replied, "That's right! As your class monitor, and also as your friend, I really don't want to see you like that. Even if we've tried many times and it's been futile, I won't give up!"
"Everyone can find the moon that saves them, and I am your moon!"
"…"
The faint mist began to spread. Looking at Moon, who had her back to the Lake of the Moone, Lillie was momentarily lost in thought. Then she pursed her lips, smiled, hugged Vulpix, and finally cheered up again!
"I won't give up on becoming a Trainer, to live up to all your help, and also to respond to your expectations!"
Lillie shouted very seriously, and the Vulpix in her arms also let out an affectionate cry. Seeing her recover, Moon responded very happily, "That's good! Keep working hard, we'll continue tomorrow. Let's go back!"
"Okay!"
After a heart-to-heart talk, the two were just about to return to the campsite when, suddenly, an anomaly occurred!
The originally calm lake surface suddenly churned with huge waves, and the mist, affected, began to spread even faster. And above it, the sky seemed to crack open, shattered by an unknown force.
Then, the crack shattered, and a white, spiderweb-like structure of a passage, accompanied by faint electrical currents, suddenly appeared in mid-air, looking completely bizarre from top to bottom.
"What in the world is this?!"
It was Moon's first time seeing such a thing, while Lillie, gazing at the sky, despite it presumably being her first time seeing it as well, suddenly felt a headache. She immediately knelt on the ground, her expression one of great discomfort.
In such a situation, even Moon became worried, but at the moment, she felt it was better to leave first. She immediately helped Lillie up.
But then an insect noise suddenly came from the sky, accompanied by an intense sense of pressure and aura. She instinctively looked in that direction, and when she saw the arrival, she was stunned.
"Oh no… it's the Totem…"
At the same time, somewhere in the Ula'ula Meadow, Cyclizar, who was happily enjoying its dinner, suddenly seemed to sense something and abruptly looked up.
"Hmm?"
Hoshino noticed its action and also looked up, following Cyclizar's gaze.
"Huh? Is there something dirty?"
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