Gladion stood in Bai Chen's way, expression hostile—like a delinquent ready to start a fight.
│ "Lillie's brother?" Bai Chen greeted calmly.
│ "Who are you? And why are you allowed to enter our home?"
Gladion rarely came home, so he had no idea the family had hired Bai Chen.
│ "That's a bit hard to answer," Bai Chen said.
│ "Officially, I'm your mother's partner in work.
│ But in terms of actual duties… I'm your sister's bodyguard."
│ "Bodyguard?" Gladion frowned.
│ "A normal bodyguard wouldn't make my mother personally fly to Galar to pick you up."
│ "Oh? You know that much already?" Bai Chen raised an eyebrow.
│ "Don't joke around!" Gladion snapped.
He grabbed a pure-white Poké Ball from his belt.
│ "Tell me who you really are.
│ If you won't talk… I'll make you."
Bai Chen sighed.
A heartbeat later—
His body ignited in a crimson Overlord aura.
Gladion felt an ocean of bloodlust crash over him.
His limbs locked.
He couldn't move a single muscle.
Behind Bai Chen, a towering blood-red phantom—hundreds of meters tall—loomed over him.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Each step Bai Chen took echoed like hammer strikes on concrete.
Gladion could only watch helplessly as Bai Chen approached.
His whole body trembled.
Fear crawled up his spine.
Bai Chen reached him, placed a hand on his shoulder—
—and the crushing pressure vanished instantly.
Gladion collapsed to his knees, gasping for air, sweat pouring down his face.
What… what kind of monster is he!?
Bai Chen's voice came gently.
│ "Gladion, now you should believe I'm qualified to be a bodyguard… right?"
Bodyguard?
Gladion did not believe that at all.
│ "There's no way a bodyguard is this terrifying.
│ Where did Mother find you…?"
Bai Chen shrugged.
│ "Or think about it this way.
│ With my strength—if I wanted to harm your mother or your sister…
│ Would they still be perfectly fine right now?"
Gladion froze.
He had felt that suffocating aura.
If Lillie had taken even one percent of that pressure, she would've fainted instantly.
After a long moment, he asked coldly:
│ "Who is Lillie to you?"
│ "Whoa, that's quite a jump," Bai Chen said.
│ "But okay."
│ "Answer me.
│ Your answer decides whether I trust you at all."
Bai Chen thought for a second—then answered openly:
│ "Someone I absolutely intend to marry, no matter what."
│ "She's nineteen!"
│ "She'll be twenty in a few days.
Gladion was speechless.
He stared hard, trying to judge if Bai Chen was joking.
│ "…You're serious?"
│ "Do I look like someone who wastes time joking with you?"
Gladion inhaled sharply.
He's really serious.
He straightened.
│ "I acknowledge your strength.
│ But I still do not acknowledge YOU.
│ If you ever try to take Lillie by force…
│ I will stop you even if it costs my life."
Bai Chen didn't care about threats.
Whether Gladion accepted him or not was irrelevant.
But—
│ "Since you care that much about Lillie,
│ there IS something we're both on the same side about."
│ "Oh?" Bai Chen smirked.
│ "What is it?"
│ "An accident from years ago.
│ And a bastard named Faba."
Bai Chen's eyes brightened.
Just moments ago, he'd been wondering how to approach the issue naturally.
Now someone was handing him the perfect excuse.
│ "Details," Bai Chen said.
Gladion began explaining everything.
Meanwhile — Aether Paradise, Underground Lab.
Faba adjusted his machine rapidly.
│ "Damn it… The President sent Lillie to intern here.
│ If she remembers anything, I'm finished!"
Yesterday, when Lillie brought him documents,
her memories had shown signs of returning.
Panicking, he'd ordered his Hypno to use Hypnosis on her again—
just like years ago—
erasing everything.
But he knew it wouldn't last.
Lillie was the future successor.
One day, she would remember.
│ "There's only one way…
│ Capture an Ultra Beast and restore my reputation!"
The machine he was using was co-developed with Professor Burnet.
Years ago, it had opened an Ultra Wormhole.
Today, the upgraded version would do the same.
After hours of frantic tuning, the device activated.
Above it, a small blue dimensional rift opened.
Faba released his Alakazam and Hypno.
From the wormhole, a jellyfish-like Ultra Beast—UB01—slithered out.
│ "UB01! Today I will catch you and cleanse my shame!"
He raised an electric capture cage.
│ "Alakazam, Dazzling Gleam!
│ Hypno, Psychic!"
His Pokémon were strong.
Together, they defeated UB01.
Just as Faba was ready to trap it—
—dozens of UB01s crawled out of the wormhole.
Some were stronger.
Before he could react, they seized his Pokémon effortlessly.
A UB01 appeared silently behind him.
Its tentacles wrapped around his head.
Faba couldn't move.
He couldn't resist.
The Ultra Beast infiltrated his mind—
and dragged Alakazam, Hypno, and him into the wormhole.
The dimensional rift closed.
As if nothing had ever happened.
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