At first, she was still a little dazed, as if unable to grasp her situation. It wasn't until she clearly saw Haru's face that she sat up from the ground.
This… isn't Aether Paradise? She actually escaped?
"Um… Hello, sir. Did you bring me out of Aether Paradise? Ah—Nebby too!"
Lillie clutched the Cosmog in her arms tightly, her face breaking into a rare smile.
Strictly speaking, Haru had abducted Lillie—right after subduing her mother no less—and made off with her daughter right in front of her.
But Lillie would never blame him for it. She could see that Haru had no ill intent toward her at all.
If he had wanted to do something bad, there's no way she'd be waking up peacefully on a beach—more likely, it would've been in some dark basement somewhere.
And as for Nebby? Please. If he had really been after Cosmog, there's no way it would still be in her hands—it'd probably be locked away somewhere already.
Besides, just looking at the new blanket wrapped around her and the fire beside them, she could tell this older boy was a gentle soul.
But still… why would this self-proclaimed "wandering traveler" go out of his way to help her?
And her mother… he didn't do anything to her, right?
Thinking back to the way all those Foundation grunts had been dealt with earlier, Lillie instinctively assumed Lusamine had simply been knocked unconscious. She didn't give it too much thought.
"Haru. Just call me Haru."
Tossing a stick into the fire, Haru turned his head toward Lillie. He seemed to be staring thoughtfully into the flames, lost in thought.
But truthfully, that was just a front.
He still hadn't figured out how to face Lillie after what he'd done to Lusamine.
Every time he looked at Lillie, Lusamine's sultry expression would flash through his mind.
God help him—Lillie wasn't her mother's substitute, and Haru, despite everything, was a decent human being. He couldn't afford to let his imagination go there.
Flutter Mane, seeing Lillie had woken up, shyly stopped dancing and fluttered back to Haru's side, rubbing against his arm in search of head pats. For a Pokémon from the past, she was surprisingly clingy.
"Haru, sir… why did you…"
"You're wondering why I helped you, right? The answer is—there's no reason."
As if he'd been expecting the question all along, Haru gave a small shake of his head and rose from beside the fire.
"People do what they want to do. If I felt like acting, then I acted on that impulse."
"As long as you don't resent me for pulling you out of there without asking, that's good enough for me."
"Why would I?"
Lillie immediately shook her head. She wasn't ungrateful—how could she possibly blame the person who saved Nebby?
In fact, she owed Haru a huge favor. If it weren't for her, leaving Aether Paradise would've been way less of a hassle for him.
And yet… she had nothing to repay him with.
Money? Sure, if she were still the Aether Foundation's princess, that wouldn't be a problem. The Foundation was a financial juggernaut with influence over the entire region.
But now that she'd fled, she couldn't use the Foundation's resources anymore.
What then, get a job in customer support to pay him back? Not a chance.
Pokémon? Aside from the fact that Pokémon are partners, not commodities, even if she wanted to give him one—what could she offer?
A girl scared of Pokémon who only had a completely helpless Cosmog?
So… what now?
Lillie found herself tangled in thought.
Haru, however, didn't seem to notice her inner conflict.
"So what are you planning to do next? I might've gotten you out of Aether Paradise, but they're still tracking you down. You won't be able to stay hidden for long."
"I can't protect you forever. And if you can't overcome your fear of Pokémon…"
At that, Lillie's spirits sank even further.
Yeah. So what if she escaped for now?
She was up against the Aether Foundation—one of the most powerful organizations in all of Alola.
And she… she was just an ordinary girl who was afraid to even touch a Pokémon.
What right did someone like her have to escape from the Foundation's pursuit?
Stick with Haru?
Not likely. Haru didn't owe her anything. He had no reason to keep helping her.
What was she going to do? Say to him, "Let's be partners forever, okay?"
Get real. Even if Haru agreed, just saying something like that sounded like a marriage proposal!
But wait… something wasn't adding up.
Lillie, still drowning in her gloom, suddenly realized—Haru had said something he shouldn't have known.
"You… how did you know I'm afraid of Pokémon?"
It wasn't exactly a secret in the Foundation, but anyone not paying close attention to her definitely wouldn't know.
"I know a lot more than you think," Haru replied. "And if you don't have any plans, how about listening to a suggestion?"
Still refusing to meet her gaze, he turned to look off toward the dense jungle beyond.
Lillie's fear of Pokémon stemmed from trauma—specifically from the Ultra Beast Nihilego. It wasn't going to be easy for her to move past that. Her heart had been deeply scarred.
But Haru still believed she could do it.
Because he knew, beneath that delicate exterior, she was stronger than anyone gave her credit for.
Still… before helping her, perhaps he needed to do something about Lusamine's twisted thinking.
At the very least—he couldn't let her go any further down that path of madness.
"Haru…?"
Lillie blinked her wide green eyes, unsure what Haru was thinking. The air around him felt increasingly mysterious.
In all her life, she'd never experienced anything quite like this. Nor had she ever met someone who treated her with such kindness—a complete stranger, no less.
But… was he really a stranger?
If he was, why would he go so far for her?
First, he'd "coincidentally" shown up during her fight with her mother—in the heart of the Foundation, where no outsider should've been able to reach.
Then he'd taken on a whole squad of Foundation grunts to break her out without a second thought.
Now, after bringing her to safety, he was helping her plan out her future. And it was clear he'd already made up his mind about what to do.
And earlier, he'd revealed how much he already knew about her.
Would someone really do all this for a stranger? Just because he was "passing by"?
Could it be… could it be that Haru actually had feelings for her?
Otherwise, what could she possibly have that he would care about?
Lillie's thoughts spiraled faster and faster until her entire face flushed red. If this were a manga, steam would probably be coming out of her head.
She slapped both sides of her face in a panic, trying to stop her imagination from running wild.
Unfortunately, because Haru was too guilty to look her in the eye, he missed the entire scene.
Only Mew, curled up on his shoulder, and Flutter Mane saw everything—and the flick of Mew's tail suggested it had just discovered something very interesting.
Taking two steps toward the bushes, Haru continued laying out Lillie's "path forward."
"The Aether Foundation may be a juggernaut to the average person, but if we're talking about the other powers in Alola… it's not that unbeatable."
"Don't you think so… Guzma, boss of Team Skull? What did the Foundation offer you to make you sell your soul for them?"
"…"
"…So you noticed. Tch. You've got guts showing your face here while you're still wanted. Guess you really are asking to die!"
Guzma had already sent Haru and Lillie's location to Lusamine, waiting for her to personally come capture them. He was her most loyal hound, confident that once she arrived with her forces, everything would be resolved.
As for that laughable "wanted notice"?
Please. There's no way Lusamine actually issued something that soft—it had to be her underlings messing around.