Lusamine shot a sharp glare at Faba, who fidgeted nervously, rubbing his hands together with an awkward smile. But considering he had successfully opened an Ultra Wormhole this time, surely he deserved some credit, right?
"Besides, something just dropped out of the Ultra Wormhole."
"Oh? Is it a rare and powerful Pokémon?"
Lusamine's eyes lit up with excitement as she eagerly stepped forward, wanting to see what had emerged from the Ultra Wormhole.
"Ah, well... it might not be exactly what you were hoping for." Seeing Lusamine's enthusiasm, Faba hurriedly added a clarification.
The staff standing in front of them stepped aside, revealing a young man unconscious on the floor.
Lusamine: ???
Why is it a person?
"Yes, so... the Ultra Wormhole opened, and this guy just fell out of it."
"Stop staring and take him to the medical room for examination. See if we can get any information out of him."
Lusamine massaged her temples in mild frustration. While this wasn't the extraordinary Pokémon she had been hoping for, the fact that this young man had emerged from the Ultra Wormhole meant he might hold valuable information.
Perhaps... something about that person. Even if it was a slim chance, Lusamine wasn't about to let any potential lead slip away.
...
"Where... have I ended up this time?"
Maki slowly opened his eyes, but instead of a blue sky, he was greeted by a silver-white ceiling.
"Oh! You're awake! Are you feeling unwell anywhere? Wait, wait, wait—since you fell out of the Ultra Wormhole, you might not even understand our language! Uh... what should I do then?"
The nurse beside him first expressed concern before slipping into a self-directed monologue.
"Uh... I can talk, you know." Maki weakly raised a hand to remind her.
"Ah! I should go inform the President!" Realizing that Maki had heard all of her slightly embarrassing rambling, the nurse's face turned bright red, and without another word, she bolted out of the room.
"President?" Maki mulled over the title.
"Ah!"
A startled yelp came from outside—likely the nurse bumping into someone in her hurry.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine! I just need to inform the President about something."
"Oh~" The responding voice belonged to a young girl, but her tone flattened slightly upon hearing the mention of the President.
"Also, be careful! The person inside fell from the Ultra Wormhole. Who knows if he might be dangerous!"
Maki, who was definitely not eavesdropping (just listening openly), immediately felt a twitch in his expression. If they were going to talk behind his back, couldn't they at least step aside to do it?
"Oh!" (⊙o⊙)
Outside, the girl let out a slightly dazed-sounding exclamation. After the nurse hurried away, the door to Maki's room slowly creaked open.
"You can come in."
From the looks of things, they had taken him in after he fell from the Ultra Wormhole. Maki reached for his Poké Balls at his waist—they were all there. He sat up and carefully placed them in front of him.
"Ah!?"
The girl outside seemed startled that he had noticed her. She hesitated for a while before finally stepping in cautiously.
Maki, meanwhile, was busy inspecting his Poké Balls. After another journey through an Ultra Wormhole, most of them had been further damaged. Right now, only his Whimsicott's Poké Ball was still functional.
Since he was back in the human world, he could just get them repaired later.
Hearing a soft chime, Maki confirmed Whimsicott's status before releasing it from the Poké Ball.
"AAAAHHHHHHH!!"
The moment Whimsicott appeared, a piercing scream echoed through the room.
"C-Can you put your Pokémon away first?!"
The sudden outburst startled Maki. He turned to look at the source of the scream.
A girl with golden-blonde hair, dressed in a white sundress, was clinging tightly to a pillar, peeking at him cautiously from behind it.
Maki: "…"
A familiar face, combined with an extreme fear of Pokémon—Maki immediately guessed her identity.
Lillie.
So, he had ended up at the Aether Foundation instead of being found by Professor Kukui? Given the nurse's earlier reference to "the President," it was likely the former.
"Sorry, but my Poké Ball is broken, so I can't recall it."
Maki awkwardly waved Whimsicott's damaged Poké Ball at Lillie. The device had completely stopped working after he released the Pokémon.
"Whim~!"
Seeing that Lillie was so terrified of it, Whimsicott puffed up its cheeks in indignation. Was it not adorable enough?
Annoyed, Whimsicott floated toward Lillie, hoping to show off its cuteness—only for Lillie to shriek again and scramble further up the pillar.
"AAAAAAHHH!!"
Maki: "…"
Whimsicott: This is the most baffling experience of my life.
"Come back, Whimsicott. Don't scare her."
Maki quickly called Whimsicott back. With a huff, the little Pokémon stomped its foot in frustration before returning to Maki's side.
Seeing that Whimsicott was no longer approaching, Lillie finally slid back down from the pillar.
"Sorry for scaring you," Maki apologized sincerely.
"Whim~!" Whimsicott pouted, convinced that the problem wasn't with it—it was this girl who was weird!
"Ah, no, no, it's my fault! I just... I just can't bring myself to touch Pokémon. It's not your fault at all!" Lillie waved her hands in a flustered attempt to clarify.
As Lillie and Maki spoke, Lusamine arrived outside the room.
"You're awake. How are you feeling?" Lusamine immediately inquired about Maki's condition before noticing Lillie.
"Ah, Lillie, you're here too?"
"I've been standing here for a while, Mother." Lillie's tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction.
"Oh dear, I have some very important things to discuss with this young man. Why don't you go play for a bit?" Lusamine gently patted Lillie's head, trying to coax her into leaving. She had questions she wanted to ask Maki.
"Alright…" Lillie replied dejectedly before stepping out. But Lusamine seemed completely oblivious to her daughter's frustration over being brushed aside.
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