While Lana was still resisting the perverse demon's mental erosion, Lillie encountered an old acquaintance.
Or more accurately... she got caught by him.
Honestly, Lillie didn't understand it anymore.
How had her well-secured Aether Paradise turned into some kind of public space like Sayu's café—anyone could come and go as they pleased?
Where were the guards? What is this, a JRPG town where anyone can just walk into the castle?
At least this time, the person who had come to find her wasn't here to cause trouble.
It was her brother, who simply wanted to talk about recent events.
Yes, this intruder was none other than Lillie's older brother—Gladion.
Or one might also call him... the young master of Aether Paradise.
This man was quite similar to a certain older brother who liked to say "my foolish little brother" all the time.
They both cared deeply about their siblings, both ran away from home early, and both... possessed Paowa (power).
Before leaving Aether Paradise, Gladion had taken with him an artificial Pokémon known as Type: Null.
Originally, this Pokémon had been created by the Aether Foundation as a weapon against Ultra Beasts.
And its prototype was none other than the so-called true god of the Pokémon world—Arceus.
Though Type: Null was an artificial Pokémon, nicknamed Little Arceus, it was still classified as a Legendary.
Of course, it was only a sub-legendary, nowhere near the level of the twin deities of Sun and Moon.
Even so, this meant both Lillie and Gladion had Legendary Pokémon as their starter partners—putting them in the same league as that Mythical Beast boy, Haru.
However, in Lusamine's eyes, Gladion's actions were nothing short of betrayal.
Which was why, for a time, her attitude toward Lillie had also turned cold...
After leaving Aether Paradise, the edgy Gladion became obsessed with training himself and pursuing endless Paowa.
He believed that with enough strength, he could change everything—even his tragic family.
For that, he was willing to do whatever it took, no matter the means.
Which somehow led him to connect with the "cool and edgy" Team Skull.
Unaware that Team Skull had actually been under Lusamine's control the whole time, Gladion struck a deal with Guzma and became an unofficial member of the team.
He wasn't subject to Team Skull's command structure, but could take on certain missions for them and earn rewards—like a mercenary in a story.
Gladion wasn't thrilled with the arrangement, but it suited his needs, so he went along with it.
This time, when Guzma attended a meeting with Faba and the Ultra Recon Squad, he received a request from Faba.
Faba wanted Guzma to help capture Cosmog.
And he claimed this Pokémon was crucial to their upcoming plans.
But Guzma had zero interest in personally snatching a little girl's Pokémon, nor did he want to risk Lusamine's displeasure.
So he passed the job down to his subordinates.
The grunts of Team Skull, thinking "even the boss finds this risky—if we go, we're dead meat," figured it'd be better to find a scapegoat.
And so, the mission was outsourced yet again—landing right on Gladion's lap.
At first, Gladion had been in no mood to take on Team Skull missions.
But when he saw the task after its triple outsourcing, he was completely stunned.
What the hell—this mission wants me to kidnap my own sister and steal her Pokémon?!
Damn it, Guzma you bastard, what kind of nonsense are you pulling this time?!
Gladion was furious.
Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to go storming off to confront Guzma head-on.
Instead, he chose to first meet with his sister—to warn Lillie of the danger around her.
But...
Things didn't seem to be going the way he'd imagined.
"So what you're saying is, after I left, you met a handsome, powerful, gentle boy—who helped you escape Aether Paradise, asked for nothing in return, and even got that woman to soften her heart and care about us again?"
"And now everything is getting better, so there's no need for us to keep struggling?"
As Gladion listened to Lillie's story, the blond young man's hands began to tremble.
What kind of fairytale plot is this? How did this random deus ex machina show up?!
Then what was the point of all my hard training out there? Just so I could become a useless goldfish?
And why did his sister look so smitten whenever she mentioned this Haru guy...
Could it be... Lillie's already fallen for this man? No way—that can't happen!
"Then... what were you frowning about just now?"
For some reason, Gladion's voice softened.
"You were frowning the whole time—something must still be bothering you, right?"
At these words, Lillie reacted like a Quaxly vs. Pawniard showdown—visibly flustered.
"..."
"What is it? Something you can't tell me?"
"Did that guy—Haru—do something to you?!"
Now Gladion was getting anxious.
As Lillie's brother, he knew full well how charming his sister could be.
If that man had really done anything to her, how could Lillie resist?
Thankfully, Lillie finally shook her head firmly.
"No... Mr. Haru would never hurt me. He's always been kind to me—he's never wronged me in any way."
"But lately... he seems to have gotten involved with a girl with blue hair..."
"I think it's probably a misunderstanding, but I..."
At this point, Lillie couldn't continue.
She lowered her head slightly, hiding her delicate face beneath her wide sunhat, trying to conceal her shyness and embarrassment.
"I... I see."
Now he understood. Gladion fully understood.
His sister was clearly already head over heels—even learning to feel jealous.
The saddest part? As her brother, he was now stuck offering dating advice.
"You think this Haru likes you, don't you?"
"Of course! Otherwise, why would Mr. Haru do so much for me? If not for me, would he have done it all for Mother?"
"Then... have you two made it official?"
"Of course not! Even though Mr. Haru likes me, he hasn't confessed to me yet—and I haven't accepted him, either."
"Then have you thought about... making the first move?"
"M-me...? Make the first move...?"
Lillie was completely flustered by her brother's question.
She honestly hadn't considered taking the initiative.
Or rather—that would be far too embarrassing for her.
"If you just sit and wait, are you really okay with watching him get stolen away by another girl?"
"?!"
"No! Lillie will do her best!"
The girl clenched her fists, her voice growing louder with determination.
She wasn't about to lose to that strange blue-haired girl.
And beside her, Gladion...
His face was now full of resignation.
At this point, this was about all he could do to help his sister.
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