In the wake of their victory over Nihilego, Gladion prepares to leave his family and allies behind without so much as a word of farewell, continuing his journey to get stronger by tackling the Grand Trials. However, Ash interrupts when he runs over to inform him of Professor Kukui's impending nuptials... not that he cares, cutting him off before he can even finish his sentence.
Then Lillie arrives, ready to see her brother off with a parting gift: a bouquet of orange Gladilous lilies, his namesake flower. While the meaning of their rich hue flies over Ash's head, Gladion immediately demands to know just what she's trying to say, and she readily declares her newfound hatred of her brother for repeatedly abandoning her in her hour of need. A harsh argument follows before he storms off, fuming over her apparent ingratitude — how dare she be upset over him leaving her for years while taking the key to her missing memories with him?! Can't she see how he was doing this entirely for her sake?!
His anger summons the Infinity Train to him like a beacon, gliding across the sea as if it were its rail. Drawn in, he finds himself overwhelmed by a piercingly white light, awakening before a large gate made out of pearls. Though he wonders briefly whether he's actually died, an incongruently cheerful voice welcomes him aboard, inviting him to watch an orientation video.
In a Flashback, Mallow warns Lillie not to follow through with her plan, but gets shot down, leaving her worrying that Gladion's about to go through an experience much like she did after her final argument with her mother. As she drifts off to a restless slumber, she hums a lullaby that she learned during her time on the Train.
After being briefed on the purpose of the Train, Gladion decides that he's going to prove his sister wrong: that he is a true protector, worthy of becoming a knight of legend. Surely that would teach her not to take his heroism for granted. Entering the pearly gates, he's thrown off by the preternaturally pristine and smooth appearances of the residents, gliding around as if part of a living art exhibit. While most are clad in flowing white tunics, one woman, Lady Margaret, is wearing an ornate black dress instead, and welcomes him with open arms, offering to show him around.
While relaxing at her house, he decides to set the bouquet aside. Unable to find a vase, he places them in the empty hand of a statue, sardonically commenting on how they add some extra color to the room. He fails to notice the statue blinking in response.
Lady Margaret proposes a toast to his future journey, breaking one of the black pearls in her hair and dusting their drinks with it. Upon downing his drink, Gladion is overcome by a sudden dizziness, passing out.
Time passes. Kukui and Burnet's wedding proves to be a wonderful affair, marred only for Mallow by her mounting worries. Meanwhile, Lady Margaret celebrates the return of her beloved son Dar, pleased to have him back safe and sound.
But her bliss doesn't last. Larkspur returns the bouquet Gladion gave her to Dar, triggering his memories of the argument he had with Lillie and causing the rest to come surging back. Margaret rounds on Larkspur, blaming her for how she lost Dar the first time round, and ordering her out of her sight — but it's far too late. Gladion breaks free of the alabaster coating his skin, pissed off and vengeful, demanding to know what she did with his friends and clothes. Before he can fall upon her in a frenzy, Larkspur intervenes, teleporting away to retrieve his Pokémon, and encouraging him to see the weeping woman at his feet as somebody who lost her only child.
Thus, Gladion learns of The Apex, and vows to put an end to them. To succeed where others have failed. To... to get himself some new pants.
Meanwhile, Lusamine and Lillie make a few promises of their own, in the form of a bet. If Lillie winds up forgiving her brother before six months have passed, then she'll have to attend the Hau'oli-Con with her mother in a cosplay of Lusamine's choice. But if their fight lasts longer than that, then Lusamine will step down from her position and leave Wicke running the Aether Foundation so that she can focus more upon her family.
This arc contains examples of:
- Accomplice by Inaction: Lillie sees her brother as this — rather than informing anyone of what he'd witnessed the night of the incident, he took Type: Null and ran off, abandoning her for years while working to keep her Locked Out of the Loop.
- Afterlife Express: Gladion initially mistakes the Infinity Train for one after seeing where he woke up.
- And Then What?: With Nihilego gone, Gladion finds himself wondering what to do with himself. Deciding that neither Lillie or his mother require his presence, he's ready to leave them behind without saying farewell before his sister derails his plans, unintentionally setting him on a different path.
- Armor-Piercing Question:
- During their argument, Lillie asks what her brother's happiest about:Gladion: I don't have to hear any of this. I'm just glad that it's all over.
Lillie: Glad that I'm all right, that Mother is recovering, that karma finally caught up with Faba, that Nihilego can never hurt us again or that you can stop playing pretend of being a knight in shining armor? - Mallow concedes that Ash might not be worried about Gladion's absence given that he's used to traveling around for months on end for his Pokémon journey. But she wonders why nobody else seems to care.
- During their argument, Lillie asks what her brother's happiest about:
- Awful Truth:
- The would-be knight in the Prologue's fable eventually learns that he died on his quest, leaving his sister behind to mourn. Unable to accept this, he traps himself in an Epiphanic Prison.
- Gladion regarded what happened with Nihilego as this, deciding to shield Lillie from the truth about what traumatized her to the point of developing an aversion to Pokémon.
- The idea that his actions and inaction might have done more harm than good serves as one for Gladion
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Gladion wishes for the opportunity to go on a real quest to prove that he's a true knight. Enter the Infinity Train, ready to pick up another passenger for some life lessons.
- The Bet: Lusamine stakes her position as the President of the Aether Foundation on the notion that Lillie and Gladion will make up within six months time. If she wins, Lillie will have to attend a convention with her, wearing a cosplay outfit chosen by her mother.
- Broken Pedestal: Lillie's Big Brother Worship crumbled apart once she realized how he effectively abandoned her for years, and had no intention of changing that anytime soon.
- But Now I Must Go: Gladion planned to leave without word in order to tackle the Grand Trials and learn how to use Z-Moves.
- Cassandra Truth: Mallow warns Lillie that her plan could leave her or Gladion in a 'bad place'. Lillie dismisses her because she was already in a bad place, unaware that she meant it literally.
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot:
- The would-be knight from the fairytale prologue could have avoided his grim fate had he only been willing to ask his mother for help.
- Had Gladion told Lusamine, Wicke, Burnet, or practically anybody else about what he'd witnessed on the night his sister was traumatized, rather than assuming that his mother already knew about Faba's actions, Lillie might have been spared years of suffering and grief.
- Gladion himself briefly considers the notion that he could have done something else, but rejects the idea, then doubles down on his stance after Lillie calls him out.
- Dramatic Irony:
- Gladion insists that everything he did was for his sister's sake... while completely dismissing how she feels about all of it as ingratitude, refusing to acknowledge why she's so upset.
- Failed Attempt at Drama: Gladion dramatically announces that he will take on the Apex...and gets swiftly tackled by his relieved Pokémon and realizes that he's naked.
- Flower Motif:
- Orange lilies, symbolizing hatred. Specifically, Lillie's newfound hatred of her brother for abandoning her when she needed him most.
- While in the Pearl Gates Car, Gladion muses about how the bouquet will shrivel and die without water, much like how he expects Lillie's anger will fade without anything sustaining it.
- Fluffy Cloud Heaven: The Pearl Gates Car features this as part of its aesthetic.
- For Want Of A Nail:
- Part of the driving force of the story is the notion of how differently things might have gone if Gladion had confessed about what he'd witnessed that fateful night much sooner.
- Lillie confronting Gladion before he slips away to tackle the Grand Trials winds up dramatically changing his plans, as his outrage over her daring to go off-script attracts the Train.
- Had Gladion not given the bouquet to Larkspur, she might not have returned it to 'Dar' and jogged his memory.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Deconstructed; Gladion's decision to hide critical information ultimately did more harm than good, fueling his sister's resentment upon realizing just what he did... and didn't do.
- Missing Child: Mallow was only five years old when she abruptly disappeared for three months after running out of the hospital. Her father and older brother had no idea where she'd gone or where she ended up... not that knowing the truth would have made things much better.
- Never My Fault: Gladion blames Ash for 'letting' Cosmog teleport Lillie to where he was training Type: Null, and read his mother the riot act for not being aware of what her daughter was going through... while ignoring how his own actions contributed to the problems. His refusal to accept the notion that Lillie's anger towards him is in any way valid helps call the Train to his side.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
- Gladion's decision to leave without warning anyone effectively handed Faba exactly what he wanted, enabling him to hide what happened with Nihilego and Type: Null that night for years. He left his sister at the mercy of somebody willing to ensure her Trauma-Induced Amnesia stuck around, and further enabled him by trying to ensure she stayed Locked Out of the Loop himself.
- Lillie's passive-aggressive gift brings Gladion's issues surging to the forefront of his mind, attracting the Train to him.
- Not Helping Your Case: The fact that Gladion was about to walk out of Lillie's life without so much as saying goodbye again does him no favors. Neither does his complete rejection of the notion that she is allowed to be upset at how he left.
- Parting-Words Regret: Gladion is briefly afflicted with this after seeing where he's arrived, believing that he just died after arguing with his sister.
- Poor Communication Kills:
- The last few years of Lillie's life might have turned out better if her brother had told someone about what Faba had done rather than going out of his way to help hide the information at any cost.
- Mallow's attempt to warn Lillie against giving her brother the flowers fails due to her reluctance to reveal anything about the Train or her own experiences with it.
- Replacement Goldfish: Margaret attempts to turn Gladion into a replacement for her long-lost son, Dar.
- Rule of Symbolism: Gladion hands the bouquet to Larkspur while musing about how the flowers will wither away without water, expecting the same thing to happen to his sister's spiteful feelings. Doing so stirs Larkspur back to life, paralleling how Gladion nurtured those same spiteful feelings in Lillie in the first place through his actions.
- Skewed Priorities: Lillie accuses Gladion of caring more about his self-image as the self-important 'protector' than he does about the people he's supposedly protecting.
- Stealth Pun: The denizens of the Pearl Gates Car are always smiling, showing off their pearly white teeth.
- Tempting Fate:
- Mallow plans to bring up her concerns about Gladion at lunch, believing that there's nothing else to talk about... during the period in which Episode 59 takes place, aka the incident with the "Grandpa Forest" Dranpa.
- Gladion hands the bouquet over to Larkspur while thinking about how the flowers will surely wither and die without water, much like his sister's hatred for him will surely wither away without anything feeding it.
- Lusamine confidently bets that her children will be able to resolve their dispute within six months, unaware that her son is currently trapped on an interdimensional therapy Train.
- Tragic Keepsake: Mallow has a charm bracelet she's kept from childhood that has the number '44' on it. This was the age at which her mother passed away, as well as her starting number when she boarded the Train.
- Uncanny Valley: The denizens of the Pearl Gates Car resemble marble marionettes, their skin smooth and glossy and their limbs strangely elongated. Gladion silently compares the car to a living art exhibit.
- Ungrateful Bitch: Played With; Gladion sees Lillie as this, refusing to acknowledge that there's any validity to her anger or argument, believing that she should just be grateful that he left her behind and kept vital information to himself for years.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: When the Train first manifests, Gladion wonders how nobody else is seeing or reacting to it appearing in the middle of the sea.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Lillie calls her brother out for leaving her behind without warning anyone about Faba or sharing anything he knew about the incident that left her traumatized.
- When You Coming Home, Dad?: Discussed; Lusamine questions whether or not her children's argument has anything to do with her being wrapped up in her Foundation work. This is also part of why she's willing to wager her presidency as part of her bet with Lillie; if the issues between her kids are severe enough that their quarrel lasts half a year, then she'll clearly need extra time to help them work things through.
- You Have to Believe Me!: Mallow chose not to tell anyone about her time on the Train precisely because she wanted to avoid falling headlong into this. Even at her age, she realize how unbelievable it would all sound.
