Bai Chen stepped out of his quarters with Tinker at his side.
The sun had only just climbed over the canopy of the colossal ancient tree when he found Zinogre and Basarios resting beneath its shadow.
The two had been overworked these past days—running full force without the regenerative abilities of Bai Chen and Nergigante.
He drew out two monster balls and pressed the switches lightly.
"You've both done great. Take a break for now."
With twin flashes of light, the dragons vanished back into their orbs. Bai Chen turned toward the village's great hall.
Inside, Elder Yoomlana was bent over scrolls and reports when the door creaked open.
"Elder Bai Chen? What brings you here?"
She immediately set down her work. Her tone carried nothing but respect now.
In the span of only a few days, Bai Chen had accomplished what no one in Ancient Village ever had—sixty-one completed missions.
That was nearly the village's annual total.
To her, he wasn't just a hunter anymore—he was a living legend, shining with a noble, almost divine light.
"I'm preparing to depart," he said without preamble.
"So soon?"
Yoomlana had known this day would come—Bai Chen had mentioned needing to leave for about a month—but she still felt reluctant.
"Yes. If I don't leave now, I'll miss my timing."
He had told her only part of the truth: that he had to return to the Old World for a long-term investigation.
The part about traveling between worlds was not something anyone needed to know.
If he had claimed it was another exploration assignment, it wouldn't hold up—Wyverian settlements dotted every corner of the New World. A month of silence would be impossible to explain.
"Then please, attend to your affairs," Yoomlana said, bowing slightly. "While you're away, I'll focus on overhauling our logistics. When you return, our support teams will finally be able to keep up with your pace."
Bai Chen gave a rare smile.
"Good. That was the weakest link in the chain."
He paused, then added:
"Oh—and next time I come back, I'll be retrieving that Valstrax egg. I'll leave the information gathering to you, Elder."
"Naturally," Yoomlana promised. "I'll have my people search every lead we can find."
To her, Bai Chen's strength was the tribe's strength.
And if he could tame Nergigante—the most malevolent of elder dragons—then taming the Valstrax would be child's play.
"I'm counting on you."
After a short farewell, Bai Chen made his way to the mid-tier hatching chambers.
Inside, he retrieved the Diablos egg—his chosen birthday gift for Lillie.
He padded the egg carefully in his pack with layers of soft cloth, double-checking that not even a jolt during flight would crack it.
Only then did he allow himself a quiet sigh of relief.
Outside, the Wyverians had gathered, eyes filled with admiration and a hint of sorrow as they watched him climb onto Nergigante's back.
To them, Bai Chen was no longer just a guest—he was a guardian deity.
Waving once in farewell, he gave the signal.
With a thunderous flap, Nergigante's colossal wings carried them skyward, the village shrinking beneath the golden dawn.
A short flight later, they landed on a quiet ridge beyond Wyverian territory.
The timer in Bai Chen's vision ticked down: 10 minutes until transfer.
He opened his system interface for one final check.
After days of relentless missions, his free skill proficiency total now stood at 92,500 points.
Enough to level entire disciplines if he wanted to—but he'd hold off.
"The Pokémon world's safer. No need to spend these in a rush."
From his hunts, he'd also acquired three Skill Enhancement Stones from rank-5 monsters—on top of the rare ones he already owned.
Total inventory:
2 × Rarity 1 Stones
2 × Rarity 2 Stones
1 × Rarity 4 Stone
1 × Rarity 6 Stone
1 × Rarity 7 Stone —the most valuable, capable of evolving a Lv 7 skill into Lv 8.
And then there was the Universal Energy Core he'd been feeding ore to—it had reached Lv 2, doubling its storage capacity.
Add to that two golden monster eggs from Yoomlana—each one worth enough in the Pokémon world to cover half his debt to Lusamine.
He reviewed everything one last time. Perfect.
The countdown hit zero.
[Transfer Initiating]
Pokémon World — Aether Paradise
Footsteps echoed briskly down a polished corridor.
Lillie, clutching a stack of documents to her chest, hurried through the hallways of the pristine research facility.
At the door to an office, she stopped, took a steadying breath, smoothed her hair, and knocked.
"Come in."
The soft, composed voice belonged to Wicke, the bespectacled woman with lavender hair who served as an Aether Foundation executive.
Lillie stepped in, bowing politely.
Across the room, beside Wicke, stood another woman—white-haired, sharp-eyed, lab coat tied at the waist.
Professor Burnet.
A researcher specializing in the Ultra Wormholes.
"Ms. Wicke, I've brought the documents you requested."
Wicke smiled warmly, scanning through the files before nodding in approval.
"Excellent work, as always."
She nudged a plate of cookies across her desk.
"You've been working hard, Lillie. Try one—I baked them myself."
Lillie blinked, caught off guard. She'd been in such a rush to leave that she wanted to refuse—but since Wicke herself had made them, she couldn't.
"Then... thank you."
She nibbled one, and her eyes lit up.
"Delicious! You're really good at this."
After another polite smile, she declined the offer of tea.
"If there's nothing else, Ms. Wicke, I'll report to the President's office. I plan to request a few days of leave."
"No problem, dear. You've earned it."
Lillie bowed gracefully, thanking both Wicke and Professor Burnet before excusing herself.
When the door shut, Wicke sighed.
"President Lusamine really can be reckless. One month ago she suddenly declared she'd make her daughter her personal secretary—and has been sending her all over the place since."
Burnet chuckled softly.
"You don't see the intention behind it? She's letting Lillie learn the Foundation from the inside out—training her as a successor."
She tapped the classified folder on the desk.
"These are high-security files. Only someone being groomed for leadership would be allowed to handle them."
Wicke nodded, though her brow furrowed slightly.
"I just don't understand why now. She's never shown interest in Aether before."
Burnet shrugged.
"No idea. Though I did hear from her teacher that Lillie hasn't attended school in weeks."
The two exchanged puzzled looks.
Meanwhile, Lillie's hurried steps echoed through the marble hallways as she made her way toward the top floor—the President's Office.
Through the wide glass windows, the ocean shimmered below, and her heart pounded with excitement.
Today... he's coming back.
She had worked tirelessly for thirty straight days without a break, just to ensure she could take this one.
Stopping before the grand office doors, she composed herself and knocked.
"Come in," came the familiar voice of Lusamine.
Lillie stepped in and bowed.
"President Lusamine, I'd like to request a few days' leave—starting today."
Lusamine looked up from her desk, eyes flicking briefly to the calendar beside her.
There, in elegant handwriting, one date had been circled in gold ink.
'Bai Chen — Return.'
She smiled faintly to herself.
So the day has finally come.
She, too, was waiting for his return.
But instead of answering immediately, Lusamine opened a drawer and retrieved Lillie's work schedule.
"It's Wednesday," she said seriously. "Technically, it's against policy to grant leave mid-week... but considering your perfect record these past thirty days, I'll make an exception—two days."
Lillie's face brightened with relief and gratitude.
Yet before she could thank her, Lusamine slid a sealed folder across the desk.
"One last errand before you go. Deliver this to Director Faba in the research wing. After that, you're free."
"Yes, ma'am."
Lillie accepted the file obediently—but as soon as she saw the name printed on the tag, she hesitated.
Director Faba.
Ever since she'd started working at Aether Paradise, that name had given her an inexplicable chill—an uneasy sense of déjà vu, as though she had forgotten something terribly important.
Holding the folder to her chest, she turned and left the office, unaware that the faint hum of teleportation energy was already building somewhere far above the sea.
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