Gladion visited that morning.
He carried an elaborately wrapped gift and claimed the elderly butler had told him to prepare it.
This kid...
Honest as ever.
Baimu grumbled inwardly, but smiled and challenged him to a battle, saying they could make up for the one they had missed yesterday.
Gladion shook his head and politely declined.
He still had to find the missing Faba. That mattered far more than a battle.
Watching him hurry away, Baimu stood before the wooden cabin, listening to the waves crash. A thought occurred to him.
What if...
What if I got involved? How far would the plot go off the rails?
For one thing, Nebby would have a hard time evolving into Solgaleo anytime soon.
Faba had practically no chance of succeeding.
And his failure would set off a chain reaction like falling dominoes.
Beyond Cosmog's evolution, Lusamine would not be abducted by Nihilego and merge with it, Lillie would not take another step toward becoming Cheer Lillie, and the Aether Foundation family would lose a golden opportunity to reconcile.
More importantly...
The Ultra Beast storyline of Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, along with the Radiant One Necrozma storyline that grew out of it, both began when Faba suddenly opened an Ultra Wormhole this time.
Before that, the Alola Region might have had a reputation as a place where Ultra Wormholes opened easily, but to the Island Kings who had passed down their knowledge for generations, Ultra Beasts were little more than ancient legends.
Once Faba opened an Ultra Wormhole, legend became reality.
For some reason, it was as though the Alola Region, a long-quiet planet, had suddenly broadcast its coordinates and drawn wave after wave of "aliens" to its shores.
By the time of the league tournament...
Three Guzzlord even appeared and