When they came out of the claw machine arcade, they had so many Ogerpon plushies that their backpacks couldn't hold them all. They gave a bunch to children along the street, and Terapagos, perched on Ogerpon's head, had a wonderful time too.
Only Latias trailed alongside them with a pink Gengar plushie in her arms, looking utterly defeated. Lillie had even won it for her. And to think she'd laughed at Mingyou's lousy claw-machine skills. From now on, she and that idiot would be sitting at the same table.
"Huh? You came to compete in the Pokémon World Championships? Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Selene, who had been asking why they'd come to Alola, looked startled. She knew Mingyou was competing—everyone online did—but she hadn't known his first match would be in Alola.
"Who's your opponent?"
"Gladion. I'm battling him tomorrow afternoon at Aether Paradise."
"Huh? My brother?"
Lillie suddenly joined the conversation, one small hand resting on her sunhat, surprise all over her adorable face. Her reaction made Mingyou realize something was off.
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing..."
Lillie shook her head gently. After a moment's hesitation, she bit her lip and said, "My brother ran away from home two years ago. No one knows where he is. Mother searched for ages but couldn't find him."
"???"
Mingyou was baffled. Then who was the trainer who'd accepted his challenge? Surely the venue couldn't have been listed as Aether Paradise by mistake too.
He took out his Rotom Phone and showed Lillie his opponent's information. "Could he have come back?"
"I don't know..."
Lillie shook her head, but as she looked at Gladion's picture on the screen, she pressed a hand to her chest, unable to contain her joy. This was the first news she'd heard of her brother in