Everyone listened curiously as Kit finished telling them all about how she and Lilac met. "That's very impressive," Clemont nodded. "And to think she'd been raised by Pokémon all this time..." he glanced over at Lilac, who was chatting to her Pokémon about their finished ice creams, blissfully unaware of the conversation about her.

"When I realised Lilac doesn't know much about human life, I figured I should take her all over the region so she can see and experience it all for herself." Kit smiled. "Maybe even other regions, if she wants to keep going."

"You guys must be really close," Ash commented, smiling. "Yeah, I guess we are," Kit agreed, emerald gaze locked on Lilac.

~•~

"So, where are you two planning to go next?" Clemont asked, turning to Kit and Lilac. Lilac looked to Kit, who shrugged. "Wherever, really. We still have a lot of Kalos to see, after all; different cities and towns, different Pokémon, battles, showcases..."

"Serena and I are gonna join a Pokémon Showcase soon! Why don't you come with us so you can see?" Bonnie suggested. Lilac looked curious about this. "Pokémon Showcases are like dance contests, right?"

"Sorta," Serena nodded. "I think it would be good for you to watch one. Maybe even join in, if you'd like to."

"And we seem to be going all over Kalos and other regions, so I'm sure you'll both see and learn a lot if you want to come along," Clement added, remembering what Kit said the pair wanted to do. "What do you say?" Ash asked with a grin.

Kit looked to Lilac. "Would you like to? I'm happy with whatever you're comfortable doing." "I... if it's not too much trouble, it sounds fun," Lilac smiled slightly. "Then we're in," Kit grinned to the group. "Thanks so much!"

~•~

Ash was confused when he got a call that night. He glanced at the others once he'd turned off the ringtone, making sure he hadn't woken anyone. Lilac was missing from her bed upon first glance, but a quick scan showed her outside on the balcony, chatting with Missy while wrapped up warm in a blanket.

"Hello?" Ash asked groggily, realising he hadn't properly answered yet. "Ash!" A familiar voice sighed in relief. "I've been calling you for ages!"

"Huh? Mallow? It's two in the morning for me, what's going on?"  Ash grumbled, rubbing his eyes. "Sorry, Ash, but there's a problem!" Mallow replied, sounding concerned. "We probably should've called sooner, but... we just thought we could handle it..."

"What's wrong?" Ash asked, frowning. He was a lot more awake now he knew there was a problem. "Nobody's in danger, right?"

"No, no, it's not that," Mallow assured him quickly. "It's not technically an emergency, but... well, you know how when Lillie saw Type: Null, she went back to not being able to touch Pikachu or Snowy?"

"Yeah, why? Did it happen again?" Ash asked. "Yeah," Mallow sighed. "We didn't notice at first, she did whatever she could to keep it a secret. But lately she's just not been able to even go near the Pokémon. I've been taking care of poor Snowy all week, she's too scared to even go near her anymore. It's even worse than before. We tried getting her to at least be able to be in the same room as the Pokémon, but she just can't do it. You helped last time, we're all hoping that... well, maybe you could do it again?"

"Did you try getting her to battle?" Ash recommended. "That was how she grew comfortable to touch Pikachu."

"We tried, she's just not able to," Mallow sighed, her voice strained. "Hey, no need to cry," Ash said gently. "I don't think it's safe for us to come to Alola just now, but I know a place we can bring her in Kalos that's safe. In fact... that also gives me an idea on how to help her. I'll come over in a few hours to grab her, can you check that that's alright with her?"

"Sure," Mallow agreed. "Thanks so much, Ash. You're the best." "No problem," he replied. "Anything to help out a friend." "One second, Lillie's here. I'll go ask her..."

Ash waited patiently for a minute or two, then finally heard a reply. "Hey. She said she can do it, but she's worried about this. Don't push her too much, but... please, Ash, she needs to be able to at very least look after Snowy again. I don't mind having Snowy around and taking care of her, of course, but she needs Lillie. She misses her a lot."

"I get it. I'll be there in the morning and grab Lillie. I know someone that might be able to help her. Do you and the others wanna come, too?"

"I can ask my dad, but I'm not sure I can leave the region since I have to take care of the restaurant," Mallow sighed. "I'll ask the others if they wanna come and they'll meet you with Lillie if they do, okay?"

"Got it," Ash agreed. "I'll see you guys soon, then." "Yeah, good night, Ash. Sorry to keep you up so late." "No problem," Ash assured her. "See ya."

Ash hung up, then, knowing it'd be hard for him to get back to sleep now, decided to check on Lilac. She didn't look upset, but it's always best to make sure. He headed outside. "Hey, Lilac. Everything okay?"

Lilac looked up at Ash in surprise, then nodded. "Oh, Yeah. Sorry, did I wake you up?" "No, I got a phone call from a friend in Alola, it'll be morning over there," Ash smiled, sitting beside Lilac. "So what are you doing out here?"

"No reason, I just couldn't sleep," Lilac shrugged, looking up at the stars. "And it's so beautiful out here. Why do people sleep during the day when the night is so wonderful? You miss out on so much when the world's asleep."

"Yeah," Ash nodded in agreement. "And it's a great time for Ghost types to be out, isn't it?" "Where we live, it's always dark," Lilac reminisced. "Day is so bright. Too bright for me. And yeah, the sky's pretty in the day as well, but the night is best."

Ash nodded at this, curious. "Must've been weird seeing daylight for the first time, Huh?"

"It's not the first time, I think, just the first time I can really remember," Lilac mumbled. "But yeah, it's really weird. A nice weird, though. Change is good. Change is always good. Once change got me to all the Ghost types, another got me to Kit, another got me to you guys. Change is the best."

"Couldn't agree more," Ash smiled, then the two settled into a comfortable silence, admiring the glistening night sky.