Time flew by, and another week passed in the blink of an eye.
To Dylan, workdays all felt the same, but lately, he'd noticed that challengers seemed to be showing up less and less.
Which made sense—the end of the year was fast approaching, and the Indigo Conference was right around the corner.
Most qualified trainers had already been confirmed, and they were all focused on intense training regimens to power up their teams. The same was happening across other regions.
For a trainer, regional tournaments meant everything. To rise through the ranks and finally claim the championship—that was the ultimate dream.
And winning also meant the right to challenge the Elite Four and the reigning Champion. A true badge of honor.
But for Gym Leaders like Dylan, this was the calm season. As the conference drew near, things slowed down, and soon the gyms would enjoy a well-earned break.
This past week hadn't seen any particularly interesting challengers, so Dylan mostly had Silver and Yellow handle the battles.
The two apprentices had been improving at a frightening pace.
At this rate, Dylan figured both would reach Elite Four-level by year's end.
"Lillie, let's head to Alola tomorrow."
It was a Friday, and Dylan sat beneath a tree, watching Lillie brush Incineroar's fur.
"Huh? Alola?" Lillie tilted her head, puzzled. Then realization hit—and her face changed.
Right—Alola!!
Her expression turned guilty. She'd completely forgotten!
Her birth mother was still waiting for her to return and "save" her. Her brother was still on the run.
And here she was, living comfortably in Kanto—for four whole months now!
"Oh no…"
"Are we leaving tomorrow, Big Brother?" Lillie asked solemnly. Her delicate, pretty face was unusually serious. Yes—she had to take care of the Alola situation.
Only then could she return to Kanto with peace of mind.
Kanto was her home now—but she'd never forget Alola! She'd just… temporarily forgotten. Totally not on purpose!
"Yeah. Let's bring Leaf along, too," Dylan said with a smile.
To him, the Alola issue wasn't difficult. It'd be easy to handle. This trip was more about easing Lillie's heart—and catching some Ultra Beasts while they were at it.
After all, after spending so much time with Lillie, he'd grown really fond of this cute, well-mannered little sister.
You really couldn't go wrong with little sisters—they were the definition of moe.
"Let's wrap up your family stuff, so you won't have any regrets, okay?"
"Huh? You already know?" Lillie blinked, surprised. She'd never told Dylan—or their adoptive parents—about her birth family.
"Your mother is Lusamine, right? The Aether Foundation's president? Don't underestimate our intel network, silly."
Dylan ruffled her golden hair. Lillie had been missing for months now—of course Lusamine was looking for her.
After all, Lusamine needed Lillie's Cosmog to open the Ultra Wormhole to Ultra Space.
"I'm sorry, Big Brother. I didn't mean to hide it from you."
"No need to apologize. We're family. Your problems are my problems. I'll always be on your side."
Dylan rested a hand gently on her slender shoulder, smiling softly.
"No matter what it is, I'll help you solve it. You can rely on me, okay?"
Lillie froze, then a wave of warmth flooded her chest. Her clear eyes misted over.
"Yes! I understand, Big Brother!"
She nodded firmly, lips pressed together as she looked up at him.
"Big Brother…"
"What is it?"
Dylan looked at her, puzzled.
"…Can I hug you? Just once."
Lillie's cheeks turned a little red. It was her first time making such a bold request.
"Of course you can, but—Lillie, you're a young lady now, it's not really appr—"
Before he could finish, Lillie had already thrown herself into his arms.
"Mmm~ You smell like Big Brother."
She buried her face in his chest, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, taking in his scent.
How had she gotten so lucky?
Lillie silently thanked her past self again. If she hadn't mustered the courage to run away with Cosmog, and then been taken in by kind people… she'd have never met Dylan.
"…Something's off with this girl."
Dylan fell into thought. Lillie was hugging him tighter and tighter. Wasn't it supposed to be just once?
And this didn't feel like the Lillie he remembered. She'd always been more shy and reserved.
The next day, Rota Gym once again hung its "Leader Away" sign.
Dylan, Leaf, and Lillie boarded a plane bound for Alola.
Same as before, they arrived at Hau'oli City on Melemele Island, heading to the same seaside villa. This was Dylan's second visit to Alola.
"Feels so familiar~"
Lillie opened the villa door without hesitation and walked in, a nostalgic look on her face.
After all, when she was adopted by Itto and Amelia, this had been her home.
"Dad and Mom won't be back for a bit—let's rest up first," Dylan said after checking his phone. He sighed.
No airport pickup. Again.
"Alright! Leaf, I'll show you my room!" Lillie said brightly.
"Sure, I'd love to see it."
"Moo~ Moo~"
"Alright, here, pats for you."
Cosmog floated out of Lillie's bag, sleepily nudging its way into Dylan's arms with a soft hum.
This little one was practically another plushie now. Like some spoiled pig-cat hybrid, all it did was eat candy and nap.
Its only real difference from Meowham might be its curiosity—it still wandered sometimes. But even that was becoming rare.
"When are you going to evolve it?" Lunala's psychic voice echoed in Dylan's mind.
"…I kinda like it the way it is." Dylan scratched under Cosmog's chin, smiling at its squinting, blissful face.
Lillie had actually considered giving Cosmog to him long ago, knowing its final evolution was one of the legendary Sun & Moon gods.
That kind of potential would surely benefit Dylan.
But he already had Necrozma and Kyurem. Another Solgaleo wouldn't change much—even if it was cool-looking.
But Cosmog? It was just too cute.
That soft "mooo~ mooo~" melted hearts.
Lunala: "…"
Was "cute" supposed to compete with raw power? Besides, without evolution, Cosmog's mind stayed childlike.
Every time Lunala connected with it, she felt a bit guilty—because she knew it would one day become a Solgaleo.
After a while of playing with Cosmog, the front door opened—and three people entered.
"Well, well, if it isn't Kanto's strongest Gym Leader finally coming to visit." As soon as he saw Dylan, Itto chuckled.
"Thought you'd forgotten about us—it's been months!"
"No way. I've just been busy with Gym Leader duties. Hard to travel far," Dylan shrugged.
"Pfft, save that for someone else, you punk," Itto snorted.
"You've been showing Lillie all around—Unova, Kitakami, Paldea, Hoenn—seems like plenty of traveling to me."
Amelia smiled at the banter while setting down armfuls of groceries.
"Dad! Mom~!"
Lillie came running down the stairs in her sandals, beaming, and gave Amelia a tight hug.
"Aww, my sweet girl. You still video call us every day," Itto grinned proudly.
"Though… Lillie, have you gained weight? Your face looks rounder."
"Ehhh?! Really?! No way!" Lillie panicked, touching her cheeks. She had weighed herself this morning…
"My beautiful daughter is even prettier now. Mind your words." Amelia gave Itto a sharp look.
He immediately shrank back in mock fear.
"Oh right—Mom, Dad, this is Leaf. She's a good friend of mine." Dylan gestured to the girl beside him.
"Hello, Uncle, Auntie," Leaf greeted sweetly. This… this was meeting the parents, right?
"My, such a lovely girl. Dylan, this is Professor Kukui—he helped us a lot with launching the Rotom Pokédex line." Itto introduced the third person: a young man in a lab coat—with no shirt underneath.
Buff, sun-tanned, and smiling, this was none other than Professor Kukui of the Alola region.
"And your Incineroar—it's the offspring of Kukui's own Incineroar."
"Professor Kukui, it's an honor. Thank you," Dylan said with a polite handshake.
He had great respect for Kukui.
The professor was warm, kind, and poured his soul into Alola's development.
In the games, his dream was to establish the Pokémon League in Alola. He'd even traveled to Kanto multiple times to try and make it happen—but always failed.
At the end of Pokémon Sun & Moon, after defeating the Elite Four, the player battled Kukui—a symbolic Champion battle, since Kukui never formally took the title.
And if he had, well, he'd have had the shortest reign in League history—since Moon would immediately dethrone him.
"No need to thank me. I'm just happy to see Incineroar's line go to a good trainer."
Kukui grinned brightly as they shook hands, clearly interested in Dylan.
"I've heard all about you from Itto—and from tourists all over. You're pretty famous, Dylan."
"You've made Incineroar so popular, it's getting hard to find wild Litten out there."
Kukui joked—but it was true. Ever since Dylan showcased Incineroar's Sunlight Blitz moves, countless trainers had flocked to Alola searching for Litten.
Wild Litten were practically extinct in the region now. Dylan had turned Incineroar into a top-tier fan favorite.
Even though it was already strong to begin with—he'd pushed it to new heights.
"…Ehhh." Dylan scratched his head awkwardly.
"Just teasing. Dylan, everyone's calling you the strongest Gym Leader in Kanto now. How about I challenge your Gym someday?"
Kukui's smile gleamed with excitement.
Unlike in the anime, Kukui didn't hide his prowess. In the games, he outright told the player he'd challenged Kanto Gyms—and lost to a certain caped Dragon-type expert.
"And while I'm at it, I'd love to show you Alola's signature—Z-Moves! They're one of our region's unique power-boosting techniques!"
Kukui grinned with pride.
Z-Moves—the pride of Alola!