"Hello, Miss Wicke."
Lucas reached out politely to shake her hand, smiling gently.
"Thank you for showing me around today."
"How could it be any trouble? The president is very grateful to you for taking care of Master Gladion."
Wicke covered her mouth with a soft laugh—it was obvious she'd already heard from Lusamine about this.
She was always kind to others, and now, with this bit of background as an "introduction," her goodwill toward Lucas was at a notably high level from the start.
Adjusting her slightly slipping bag on her shoulder, Wicke continued, "Please come in. We'll head straight to the conservation area by elevator, and I'll be your guide."
"Alright."
Lucas nodded gently, following behind Wicke as she led the way.
Although visiting the conservation area was just Lucas's excuse, he was, in truth, curious about the Pokémon Conservation Area inside Aether Paradise.
While it wasn't a totally artificial biome like an Terarium Dome, the indoor conservation area at Aether Paradise simulated a natural environment so that protected Pokémon could live in settings familiar to them.
This, Lucas thought, offered valuable reference for the "Terarium Dome" he hoped to build in the future.
As they walked, Wicke explained,
"The heliport is used either by President Lusamine herself or for receiving prestigious guests. It has a direct lift to the conservation area on the second floor."
"Even a staff member like me uses the waterway below, riding a boat from the docks into Aether Paradise."
"This is all to prevent Pokémon hunters, who travel from far away hoping to capture rare Pokémon, from sneaking in. Security here is very strict."
They took the direct elevator. Soon, as the doors slid open, a spacious area greeted Lucas.
Almost everywhere in the conservation area was lush and green, and a flowing river—meandering through the whole zone—provided aquatic Pokémon with their activity space.
Even indoors, the space was huge; you could tell from the occasional Braviary soaring overhead.
The air was crisp and fresh, without a hint of stuffiness.
Now and then, staff in Aether Foundation uniforms hurried past, but they never forgot to greet Wicke—a sign of how well-respected she was.
Stepping out of the elevator in her heels, Wicke introduced, "The entire artificial island of Aether Paradise is powered by tidal energy. Since our core mission is environmental protection for Alola and the world, as well as Pokémon in need, we take such measures for sustainability."
"We also rescue many wild Pokémon from across various regions, and after they recover, we aim to release them back into nature, keeping their wild instincts intact—so some may not be particularly friendly toward people."
As Wicke finished speaking, she noticed Lucas standing by the riverbank, waving to attract the attention of two Swanna—not native to Alola.
True to her words, the Swanna glanced briefly at Lucas but then turned away and paddled off, utterly uninterested in responding.
Lucas didn't mind at all; instead, he turned to Wicke, marveling, "You're right~"
He'd paid genuine attention to her explanation, but he was just multitasking as usual.
"Ah, yes…"
Wicke blinked, suddenly feeling that Lucas's train of thought didn't quite match the research she'd read up on.
After all, this concerned Master Gladion, and when President Lusamine returned earlier that morning, she'd asked Wicke to check Lucas's background.
Everything basically matched what Gladion had said: Lucas was indeed a teacher, at the prestigious and historic Naranja Academy, and his students had recently defeated Blueberry Academy's team—news that was still fresh.
Digging deeper, a more surprising truth surfaced: a retired Champion-level Trainer from Paldea, hero of the Orange Archipelago incident half a year ago, and now a farm owner growing world-famous specialty produce.
Wicke had only felt shocked by how all those descriptors could apply to a single person.
But now, she oddly found herself accepting it.
She walked to stand at Lucas's side, about to suggest they keep touring the area.
But at that moment—
Bubbles suddenly rose from the river before them, and a dark shape surged up from underwater, quickly approaching.
Out burst a bizarre, indescribable thing, tangled from countless water plants, letting out an eerie, inhuman shriek.
"Wah!?"
Completely caught off guard, Wicke's foot slipped and she nearly fell into the river.
Fortunately, Lucas grabbed her just in time.
Patting the still-startled Wicke on the shoulder, Lucas looked to the source of the commotion in the water—and saw its true form:
A white-haired woman dressed in a wetsuit, gear clinging to her damp figure, and beside her, a Munchlax uttering those unearthly cries.
"Hahaha, sorry for startling you—well, mostly you, Wicke."
The woman pulled tangled waterweeds from her head, flashing a bright smile and offering an apology to Wicke.
Meanwhile, Munchlax's eyes gleamed at the waterweed before it, and it happily dug in for a feast—thank you, nature!
Having just seen this woman that morning, Lucas's mouth twitched as he said, "Professor Burnet, what are you...?"
"Oh? If isn't Mr. Lucas!" Professor Burnet removed her goggles, gazing at Lucas. "I didn't expect we'd meet again so soon."
"Let me introduce my companion—this is Munchlax."
Clearly quite sociable, Burnet pulled the still-munching Munchlax over for an introduction.
Lucas nodded politely, while Wicke chided, "Honestly, you shouldn't just appear before others like that!"
Still, with her kind nature, that was as harsh as Wicke ever got.
"The waterweed blocked my vision, I didn't see anyone was ashore. Truly, sorry." Burnet apologized sincerely, then resumed, "I'm investigating the sanctuary's environment with Munchlax, making sure it's suitable for Pokémon to live in."
"I trust personal experience more than cold data."
"Oh…"
Something about this scene felt familiar, but Lucas didn't dwell on it.
Wicke quickly explained to Burnet that she was giving Lucas a tour.
Predictably, Burnet brightened and immediately requested to join them.
Lucas had no objections; in fact, the sight of Burnet reminded him of something.
Since this was a Pokémon sanctuary, all the necessary equipment should be here...
Although he trusted the power of "Life Formula #1," he thought it prudent to recheck things scientifically for safety's sake.
With both Burnet and Wicke present, now was the perfect opportunity.
Organizing his thoughts, Lucas gently cleared his throat to get their attention, and said, "Do you have facilities here for a physical exam?"
Both women started in surprise, then nodded.
Certainly—they kept a full set of medical devices here, to minimize environmental stress on rescued wild Pokémon.
But why was Lucas suddenly asking?
While the two women looked on, Lucas drew a Dive Ball and released Popplio.
Popplio wasn't afraid of the unfamiliar surroundings; it just cuddled in Lucas's arms, looking curiously at their sanctuary.
"How adorable!" Wicke's tone turned even more gentle, her gaze practically sparkling with affection.
To someone dedicated to Pokémon welfare, even a Muk is precious—let alone a naturally cute Pokémon like Popplio.
By now, Munchlax had finished off its waterweed. It waved at Popplio, eyes squinting in contentment.
"Munch!"
"Rruu~?"
It was Popplio's first time seeing a Munchlax, so it hopped from Lucas's arms to sniff it.
Soon enough, the two Pokémon were joyfully playing together.
Examining Popplio, Burnet murmured, "Hmm, looks like it only recently hatched. Its build is a little slimmer than usual—what kind of checkup did you want?"
As expected of a Pokémon Professor, Burnet instantly saw through Popplio's condition.
Since both present were kind-hearted, trustworthy people, Lucas decided there was no point hiding anything—it was safer to be honest from the start.
He took out another Dive Ball and pressed the button.
This time, Wicke and Burnet froze in total shock.
"Tapu Fini?!"
Wicke was stammering, her gaze bouncing between Tapu Fini, Lucas, and his Dive Ball, utterly confused.
What was she seeing? An island guardian emerging from a trainer's Poké Ball!?
As a more astute professor, Burnet noticed something off.
"This color… it's different—"
She remembered, in a book about the guardian deities she'd read at a fellow professor's house on Melemele Island, Tapu Fini wasn't colored like this.
"It's a shiny Pokémon. More exactly, this Tapu Fini is a shiny from a parallel world."
With a calm, almost casual demeanor, Lucas dropped an earth-shaking secret, thoroughly stunning the two ladies again.
Parallel worlds? A shiny guardian deity?
What on earth was going on?
Tapu Fini, seemingly aware of Lucas's intentions, looked around and, seeing the rescued wild Pokémon living safely in this environment, its frosty expression softened.
After all it had been through, it had long since adapted to artificial settings—especially since this was just an artificial island.
Nodding to Wicke and Burnet, Tapu Fini greeted its first "friend," Munchlax, and the jubilant Popplio.
Seeing the tenderness in Tapu Fini's gaze, Wicke and Burnet realized that Popplio was also likely from the "parallel world" Lucas had mentioned.
Just then, a cute Stufful strolled out of the nearby woods, balancing a rock several times heavier than itself—it seemed to be playing alone.
Wicke's eyes lit up. "Stufful!"
At her call, Stufful cheerfully tossed aside the rock—which landed with a thud, carving a small crater in the ground—and bounded over.
Watching this, Lucas's expression twitched, recalling Stufful's legendary strength.
But now was not the time to bring that up.
After Wicke had embraced Stufful and explained how she had rescued it while patrolling Melemele Island's forests, Lucas nodded lightly.
"Let's head over there," he suggested, "and I'll explain the whole situation as we walk."
The treatment and examination facilities in Aether Paradise's conservation area weren't far away.
After passing a special enclosure for a few Ditto, they reached the entrance.
As a staff member, Wicke authenticated their access with a palm and retina scan.
Inside, surrounded by sleek, high-tech equipment that somehow avoided feeling sterile, Wicke gently reminded Stufful,
"Be good and stay here—don't break anything, alright?"
With full knowledge of Stufful's power, she set it in a cradle on the periphery, then brought Lucas and Tapu Fini (carrying Popplio) into the inner room.
Wicke and Burnet both looked a bit conflicted, casting frequent glances at Popplio and Tapu Fini, unsure of what to say.
It was hard to imagine another Alola in a parallel world with such a grim environment. Both resolved then and there to pay more attention to Alola's environmental issues going forward.
"Since Popplio's egg remained in that state for so long in a harsh environment, let's give it the most thorough checkup possible, just to be safe."
Once Burnet donned her white coat, her professional demeanor emerged.
Carefully taking Popplio from Tapu Fini, Burnet softly murmured,
"It's so light…"
She barely needed to check—Popplio was clearly underdeveloped and malnourished.
Still, only these expensive, high-end devices (provided by President Lusamine) could fully rule out deeper issues.
Before the main checkup, they conducted a basic exam, partly to familiarize Popplio with the setting.
Burnet carried out the test while Wicke assisted, with Munchlax helping however it could.
Lucas and Tapu Fini quietly watched from the side.
Before long, the basic results were in. Burnet held up a chart.
"First off—hm, she's a little girl."
…