Operation: Aether (Aureliashipping Variant)

Chapter 4: Complicated Meetings...!

"Say, Ash?", Chloe asks, "Am I the only one worried they're getting too reckless over this?"

"They haven't seen their dad in a while, of course they're in a rush to see him!", Ash replies, "Let's just make sure the rest of this trip is a safe one!"

Chloe agrees, as they run and attempt to catch up to the Aether family. Though Ash makes a slight grimace when he looks ahead at Lillie

"Lillie...", Ash thinks to himself, "what are you not telling us?"

They all run to the house, with Lillie speeding ahead of them, with determination in her eyes. She was locked in, and nothing was stopping her from reaching her father

When Lillie gets to the house, she notices how dirty the windows are, and begins to take a peek. She sees something inside. Although she can't make out what it is, she finds it... unsettling

"Father, where are you...", Lillie thinks to herself

Before she could do anything, however, someone comes out through the door

"Hello?", a strange man says, "What was all of that noise?"

The man then looks at Lillie

"Who... who are you?", the man asks

Lillie then pauses for a moment, and takes a step back, covering her mouth with a light blush and a look of disbelief. She couldn't believe it... it was her father, right in front of her!

She then tackles her father with a hug, shedding tears of joy and smiling like she never had before

"Father! You're here, you're actually here!", Lillie said, in a grateful voice

"F...father?", Mohn questions

Lillie then breaks from their hug

"Yeah! Father!", Lillie replies

"It has been a while, we haven't seen each other since... well...", Lillie continues, thinking about the accident that got him lost in the first place, "but the important thing is, I'm Lillie! Your daughter!"

Mohn still looked confused, which started to make Lillie's smile fade away

"You... remember me... right?", Lillie asked

Before Mohn could answer, we hear a voice. "Lillie, where are-", Gladion says, before being stunned by the sight of his father. Lusamine catches up, and is also stunned by the sight of her long lost husband

"F...father?", Gladion says, almost in disbelief. "It's... it's really you!", Lusamine says, shedding a tear of joy

Zoroark comes in and rubs his head onto his former partner, showing him love and affection

"Wow!", Mohn says, with a slight laugh to what he's saying, "Your Pokémon here sure is affectionate, isn't he?"

"That's your partner Pokémon, father!", Gladion responds, still smiling, "Your oldest friend?"

"I...", Mohn replies, "I don't remember ever owning a Zoroark."

Zoroark, confused by this, steps back and looks at him

"Perhaps you have the wrong guy?", Mohn suggests, "I've never met any of you in my life."

Everyone is shocked to hear this. Ash and Chloe, having just arrived to hear this, are also surprised

"But... but we followed Magearna here", Lusamine says, denying that the man who stands before her isn't the man she had married all those years ago, "it has to be you!"