Chương 234: Chapter 224

Our time in this open field somehow turned into an impromptu picnic. We should have probably headed to a Pokémon Center to better recollect ourselves, but everyone seemed to silently agree that this was just as fine a place as any to relax in peace. No longer dressed in Aether Foundation uniforms, Hope, Lillie, and I joined with Phoebe to recline in our foldable chairs and enjoy a meal I whipped up.

Our Pokémon either noisily smacked their mouths while eating or ran around the area, playing and working off any tension that remained. Ribombee zipped through the air, Sylveon giving chase in a game of tag. Hope's Tangrowth extended several vines for a similar purpose as Lillie's Clefable and Shiinotic did their best to run away.

Rapidash and Lillie's Primarina stood off to the side to watch, amused, and several shadows followed almost all of our Pokémon along on the ground, with Phoebe's many Ghost Types popping in and out of view. And then of course, Kartana had returned to hovering just behind Hope's shoulder, like always. The cheerful sounds of our Pokémon playing were completely opposite to the situation we just left. Some nerves still remained after the end of the infiltration, but it was still nice to relax for once.

We probably should have been talking, but we ended up just eating instead. I did send the occasional glance to the Beast Ball containing Blacephalon, but from the completely unworried look on Phoebe's face, she apparently had it completely contained. (Though, she did soon send me a dirty look when I "accidentally" knocked some extra food on the ground. Banette greedily snapped that right up, and then I did the same for Mimikyu a few moments later.)"So, to summarize," I eventually said, putting down my empty plate and ignoring Phoebe's stares of judgment, "Nebby has finally woken up, we have evidence the Aether Foundation is gathering Ultra Beasts, and we also know they plan to do something with them around when the Conference begins." Hope put down her plate as well, and Lillie paused in the middle of her bite, going wide-eyed now that the conversation was properly starting. She coughed, taking a sip of water, then sat up straighter.

Everyone's attention was firmly on me, but it was Phoebe that spoke next.

"You know, Alex, you're leaving out a rather important piece of information. It's not good to miss something so key when summarizing." I rolled my eyes.

"Just get to the point you want to make," I said. She had been sitting in her chair, cross-legged, but she took this moment to hop off and pace, stealing the attention away from me.

"The biggest and most important piece of information you've acquired is that the Aether Foundation is specifically moving their Ultra Beasts. Yes, they're planning something on the date of the Conference, but this is an important clue what. The photos of Faba's documents as well as their Beast Ball storage only confirmed assumptions, but now we know for sure that the Foundation is building up to something. We have a deadline to bring everyone in before then."

"But that's being reactive rather than proactive," Hope interjected.

"Are we really going to wait to move until the Aether Foundation has already made its move? Let's get all of our people ready and act before they do anything."

"That's the plan," Phoebe easily replied. I blinked.

"Wait, what?"

"Yup. The time-table has shifted forward. The whole point of the infiltration was to get evidence to justify the more elite of us being called in. Sure, we don't technically know for sure what the Aether Foundation is planning, but we have far more than just a suspicion to call for help." I ended up sitting back in my seat, taking in the good news.

"Huh. It hadn't properly settled in until now, but our final plan includes raiding Aether Paradise, huh? Not just an infiltration?"

"Yup, again," Phoebe replied.

"We'll be trying to rescue their captured Ultra Beasts and stop any unethical experiments. Lillie here is a key witness for that piece of information, so thank you for that. We'll have the vast majority of our arrivals prepare themselves for the raid while we position others around the region to guard key locations, like the Altar and Lake of the Sun and Moon." Lillie went quiet, her eyes turning towards the ground.

She unconsciously brought a hand out to scratch behind her dozing Granbull's ear, next to her on the ground.

"The Aether Foundation has a lot of good people," Lillie said quietly.

"They don't deserve to get hurt. And all of the Pokémon there have all been rescued in one way or another." Phoebe nodded.

"That's why we'll be leaving the actual raid to the professionals. The evidence you have means people like Cynthia and Steven will be the ones to show up and take command of anyone there. The only iffy part of this situation is actually informing the local leadership. I don't doubt the Aether Foundation is keeping tabs on them. Informing any locals might alert Aether and risk the entire operation."

"You've put a lot of thought into this," I said. Phoebe stopped walking, turned to face me, and had an utterly confused look on her face.

"Alex, that's my job. That's why you called me here."

"Yeah. Yeah, I know," I said, heat rushing into my face.

"I just meant I'm surprised how on top of things you are." She scoffed as if to not know whether to be complimented or offended before plopping back down in her chair, rubbing her chin in thought. Her eyes kept flicking to Lillie, who hadn't yet looked up from where she stared at the ground.

"And that brings up another matter," Phoebe said softly. With that, I realized she wasn't looking at Lillie, but someone else entirely. There, on Lillie's shoulder, was the smallest Pokémon here. Nebby remained awake from when he had bashed Blacephalon, and he was not acting like he was going to fall back asleep any time soon.

"Lillie," I said, quickly catching on to what Phoebe was referring to.

"When it comes to Nebby—" The young girl snapped her head up to face me as if caught off guard. I paused, biting my tongue, and I took a moment to choose my next words carefully.

"Are you alright?" I ended up asking. Lillie opened her mouth to reply, but she paused before speaking just the same.

"I'm fine. I'm just... thinking."

"About Nebby?" Hope asked. I said nothing, and Lillie slowly nodded her head. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Nebby didn't evolve at the Altar on Poni Island. I thought that meant he needed more training, but maybe he just needed to wake up? I have this gut feeling that the next time we head there, he'll evolve, and then he'll be a true Legendary Pokémon, and then he'll need to—" She was interrupted by the very Pokémon in question. Nebby zipped off her shoulder to float in front of her face and bonk her right in the forehead.

"Ow!" Lillie pursed her lips in pain and sent a withering glare towards the tiny Legendary Pokémon, but her expression immediately softened when she saw the look on his face. Nebby was refusing her statement. His expression was a mixture of both concern and determination.

"You've had these worries for a while," Phoebe pointed out.

"... Yeah," Lillie replied, rubbing the growing bump.

"When he evolves, Nebby will have to patrol Ultra Space, but I'm selfish. I don't want to see him go." Nebby moved to rub against her cheek affectionately at the end of Lillie's statement. She blinked briefly, surprised, before bringing up a hand to pat him on the back.

"I know you've brought this up before, but, Lillie, you know that you'll always be Nebby's friend, right?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said, sniffing.

"And then you also know Nebby will be able to open wormholes whenever he wants, right?"

"... Yeah?" She already seemed lost.

"That means that he could visit you at the slightest whim," I said, leaning forward in my seat.

"Alternatively, he could just hang out with you all day and go on the occasional trip to make sure he isn't slacking off behind the scenes. That level of teleportation means he can be anywhere he wants." Something about what I said made Lillie choke, and then she hugged Nebby that much tighter.

"I'm an idiot," she said.

"Not an idiot, just young," Phoebe chided. A fit of laughter escaped Lillie as relief washed through her, and everyone else slightly laughed with her. Though, the moment didn't last long. We had more business to attend to.

"So, what's the plan?" I asked.

"How are we going to swing Nebby's evolution, get everyone into this region, and get through our eventual assault against the Aether Foundation alongside everything else?"

"We'll have to move as soon as tonight. We might have a few weeks, but they'll go by quickly," Phoebe said with a hardened look on her face.

"I plan to be quick just in case Aether moves everything up, but going too fast risks alerting them. Lillie and Nebby should have plenty of time to spend together now that he's awake once again. You won't need to worry about him leaving you suddenly, Lillie, and Hope can continue to defend and travel with you just like before."

"Thank you," Lillie replied warmly. Phoebe said, "You're welcome," but I wasn't smiling.

"Just Hope will defend Lillie, huh?" I mumbled. There was a certain omission in Phoebe's words. Our little picnic site fell silent. Lillie looked at me with wide eyes.

"Yeah, um, here's the thing, Alex," Phoebe started, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck.

"I can sneak around, I can hide people and things, but I can't do everything on my own. With the sheer number of people soon heading into the region, I'll need some help getting everyone in. And since Lusamine is probably keeping an eye on you in particular, if we occasionally send you off to random places on your own, we'd be able to distract the Aether Foundation to better hide what's going on.... And this is part of the process I mentioned needing to start tonight."

"Sounds like a smuggling operation," Hope commented under her breath. I stared blankly at Phoebe, almost in disbelief.

"So I'll need to leave just like that, huh? How soon?" She looked away.

"I'd prefer within the hour, but we can wait until it's dark," she eventually replied.

"It's hard to manage so many people, and some of them are more determined to arrive than others." I sat back and took a deep breath. I'd known I'd eventually have to part ways from Lillie, but I hadn't expected this day to come so soon. I'd spent so long traveling with her and tutoring her and watching her team grow stronger and stronger each and every day that to suddenly be told that I needed to leave? To be told we'd likely part until this whole operation—and the season itself—was over?

"I'll miss you," Lillie said, rubbing her eyes. I tried to reply, but all I did was bring up an arm to stop an annoying mist from getting in my eyes.

"I will too," I managed to choke out. Then, out of nowhere, something wrapped around my chest. I looked down to see Lillie giving me a big hug, and Nebby was pressing against me too. Not waiting even a single beat, I hugged her right back. So close, I could hear her doing her best to hold back her sniffs.

"I want you to know that I'm proud of you," I said. Lillie nodded at my words.

"You've improved at an incredible pace. I would say you're becoming a great trainer, but you already are one. You're the best Fairy Type specialist I know." She pulled back, trying to not outright cry but failing horribly. I put a hand on her head.

"Phoebe said we still have a few hours. Most of this discussion she and I can have later. For now, how about a last bit of training, just for old time's sake?" Through her tears, Lillie smiled the brightest smile she could muster.

"Right!" she said.

"Right," I replied, smiling back. Again, we should have probably talked about our plans a bit more, but all of that could be handled later. For now, I wanted to give the girl who was my apprentice one last good memory together. Anabel strode through the halls of Aether Paradise as fast as she could. She couldn't exactly run, as that would inspire panic, but she couldn't exactly walk, either, given the rushed nature of the situation.

In no way did the agent of the International Police expect to be called in so suddenly. Her Alakazam had teleported her over at a moment's notice, and she had done the best investigation she could within the sparse few minutes she had been given. Around her, the nerves and worries of all of the employees watching her rush by pressed down on her mind. Yet again, she wished she had never been born with this ability of hers. While psychic sensing could be useful, it frequently just added unwanted stress.

Soon enough, she managed to make her way into an elevator and up to the upper floors. This section of this facility was where the executive offices laid. A few white-uniformed guards almost tried to stop her, but the second they saw who she was and the badge on her chest, they backed off and gave her their own acknowledgements of respect. A single door sat at the end of a hallway. On a plaque, front and center, two words stood out. PRESIDENT LUSAMINE.

While not her main office, Lusamine needed a place to operate from inside the facility itself. Approaching it, Anabel knocked, and then she entered without any further delay.

"... telling you that it was awful," a certain man's voice said, invading Anabel's ears.

"I can't even begin to describe the horrors they unleashed on me! I'm going to have nightmares for weeks!" She had to hold back her laughs when she saw him, but the mad expression on Faba's face contrasted the scribbles that marred his skin. He went and made a dramatic show of pressing a hand to just under his receding hairline, buckling his knees as if weak, but not weak enough to fall to the floor.

As it stood, Anabel found the man rather distasteful, especially with everything she knew he had been up to in the past. Unfortunately, while he was currently under "surveillance," he had been deemed too important to be arrested and had been passed over to Lusamine, who was "keeping an eye on him." What made Anabel dislike him the most was the occasional glimpse of emotion that slipped out from underneath his Pokémon's protection.

Practically every ounce oozed selfishness, revealing just how self serving he actually was. She wasn't certain he had even an iota of empathy in his bones.

"Enough, Faba. We have company," Lusamine ordered. The President of the Aether Foundation turned her sharp green eyes to her new guest. Anabel stood at attention in front of the blank mask seated behind a desk. Lusamine was unreadable, both in expression and in mind.

"I've gone over the scene of the crime, as asked," Anabel said, doing her best to subtly straighten out her appearance as she did.

"The cameras recorded three people knocking out an employee and entering your Pokémon storage room."

"Oh, it was just awful," Faba added despite Lusamine's previous command.

"Assaulted in my own office! All of my files thrown about! I just know that those thieves raided my room for nothing more than petty directions. Luckily, I managed to come to in time to prevent them from stealing more than one."

"Yes. They stole one of your... Ultra Beasts, correct?" Anabel asked.

"Correct. One Ultra Beast, designation UB-Burst, has gone missing from our stores," Lusamine calmly answered. Anabel glanced down to her notes. Truth be told, she knew exactly who had come here. Two adults, and one person short enough to be a child or a growing teen. The Pokémon they displayed were pretty obvious, too—Grass and Fairy Types. It was like they weren't even trying at all.

"What have you figured out, Agent?" The tone of Lusamine's voice told Anabel there would be no room for errors. She had to hold back a wince when the words entered her ears. It reminded her of the chewing-out she received from the IP higher-ups only moments before.

"I... Ahem." She cleared her throat.

"Apologies. Before I begin, my superiors wish to know if this will affect any of your plans." Lusamine frowned.

"No. It was a minor loss. And Faba at least had the sense to not keep any important, unencrypted documents in his room, yes?" The man's smarmy grin sent a shiver down Anabel's spine. She was about to speak up, but Lusamine spoke again.

"Though, I think our schedule might be pushed forward a few days," Lusamine said, causing Faba's head to snap her way.

"Experiments have been going well, so we can afford to act sooner than initially planned."

"Experiments going... well?" the man mumbled before an understanding light flashed in his eyes.

"Yes! Of course! With the energy we've gathered, we'll be able to properly construct that device I proposed! Any Ultra Beasts that approach will be ours!" He began to laugh quite proudly, and Anabel kept her face perfectly blank. As she did, memories flashed through her head. Inescapable jaws. A darkened, striped form. A scene of destruction, before falling backwards, never to be seen again. Do I want that? Do I want to go through all of that again? They aren't just planning to stop the Ultra Beasts.

They're planning to...

"Agent. Go ahead," Lusamine said. The President of the Aether Foundation waved her hand forward as if she was granting a gift, but Anabel knew in her heart that the "kindness" of being able to speak in Lusamine's presence was anything but.

"It may come as a surprise, but I know exactly who the people of this trio are," Anabel started, coming to a firm decision after applying everything she'd learned.

"Really? Intriguing." Lusamine leaned forward and crossed her hands.

"Elaborate." Anabel took a deep breath and began to explain.

"Three individuals, two tall and one short. A penchant for stealing Pokémon. Masters of disguise. The occasional use of Grass Type Pokémon, as well. These three are crafty, and they have a bit of a reputation here and there. As a whole, you'd be surprised they actually operate as part of a greater organization." Lusamine raised an eyebrow. Faba looked enthralled.

"It's blatantly obvious. Clearly, these three are the group colloquially known as the Team Rocket Trio," Anabel said, lying through her teeth.

"Their names are Jessie, James, and Meowth. I'm not sure what they're doing in this region, but following the patterns of their usual exploits, this is likely a one off event, and I doubt that there'll be any further interruptions to your very important work..."