Lillie felt as though Bai Chen's question had struck her like a physical blow. If he ever discovered she had secretively followed him across the ocean to Kalos, he would surely think she was a creep.
At that point, it wouldn't just be about him being angry; it would be about him being genuinely repulsed.
"I..." Lillie's mind raced, frantically searching for an explanation.
Just then, the ever-mischievous Bonnie stepped in. "Lillie already told us! She's in Kalos for work!"
Bonnie glanced at Serena, and the two girls shared a look of instant, silent understanding. Serena immediately backed her up. "That's right! She's here on a mission for her company."
"Company business?" Bai Chen tilted his head. "If you had to come here, you should have just messaged me. I could have had Cosmog teleport you instantly. There was no need to go through the trouble of a long flight."
Lillie avoided his eyes, her voice barely a whisper. "Well, it's a corporate task. There's expense reporting, travel logs, and... official protocols to follow."
She knew the excuse was flimsy at best, but she was desperate. Bai Chen remained silent for a moment, then let out a light laugh. "I see. Fair enough."
In many cases, the absolute truth didn't matter as much as the comfort of the lie. "Is the work finished then?" he asked.
Lillie nodded vigorously. "Yes! I've already requested a month of leave from the President. If it's alright, I'd love to stay in Kalos for a while and... perhaps travel with you?"
"I don't mind at all," Bai Chen said, before looking toward Ash and the others. "Though I am currently traveling as part of their group."
Serena and Bonnie didn't hesitate. "We'd love to have you! Right, Ash? Clemont?"
"Definitely! The more the merrier," Ash chirped, with Clemont nodding in agreement.
The Mystery of the Contact List
With the group's consent, Bai Chen smiled. "Great. Kalos has plenty of beautiful sights. Let's go explore together."
"Wait... explore?" Lillie blinked. "But what about your training, Mr. Bai?"
"Relaxation is just as important as effort," Bai Chen replied. "Otherwise, I really would become a 'muscle-brained' person, wouldn't I?"
Lillie lowered her head in embarrassment—that was the exact phrase she had used to insult him just minutes ago.
Taking a deep breath, she decided to push her luck while she still had the momentum. "Um... Mr. Bai... have you... Added a lot of girls' contact information lately?"
"Contact information?" Bai Chen repeated.
"Yes! You know... the ones from all those 'pursuers' Bonnie mentioned."
"Oh, that." Bai Chen pulled out his phone, unlocked it, and handed it to her.
Lillie took it with trembling hands. She scrolled through the list. It was shockingly short; he had fewer than ten contacts, and she recognized almost every name on the list.
"I don't have the interest or the time for flings," Bai Chen said as he took his phone back.
"But Bonnie said she gave your info to people!" Lillie turned to look at the young girl. The whole group turned to look at Bonnie. If it wasn't Bai Chen's number, whose was it?
At that exact moment, Bonnie's small shoulder bag began to vibrate uncontrollably. Clemont's face went pale. "Bonnie... whose number did you give those girls?"
Bonnie pulled out her phone, which was shaking so hard it made her hand numb. She admitted it quite proudly: "I gave them mine!"
"Why would you do that?" Serena asked, bewildered.
"To screen potential brides for my big brother, of course! There are so many cute and talented girls in that crowd."
Clemont's face turned bright red. "I've told you a thousand times, I'll find my own girlfriend!"
He snatched the phone away, trying to delete the contacts, but as he opened the messaging app, the notifications sounded like a machine gun. His eyes nearly popped out of his head. "One hundred thousand?! How are there this many people?!"
"Someone probably posted Mr. Bai's photo and 'his' contact info on the internet," Bonnie mused.
"Bonnie, this is fraud!"
"It is not! The first thing I send them is a photo of you, Brother. Most of them stop messaging after that, but I'm sure someone will appreciate you eventually!"
Clemont realized he had been humiliated on a global scale. Every time he deleted one contact, ten more added him. Serena sighed, "You're going to have to cancel that SIM card."
Lillie, however, didn't feel relieved. She felt a profound sense of crisis. He only took his armor off for a few minutes, and this happened... if he ever decides to step into the spotlight permanently...
She clenched her fists. She had to step up her game.
The Aether Branch in Lumiose
That afternoon, Bai Chen said a temporary goodbye to Ash's group. Serena needed to train in Dendemille Town for the upcoming Pokémon Showcase.
While they were busy, Bai Chen had his own lead to follow. According to his calculations, Team Rocket should have arrived in Lumiose City by now.
He needed to find out if the "Legendary Megalith" was actually being held there.
Bai Chen teleported with Lillie to the top of Prism Tower, the glowing landmark at the heart of Lumiose City. From the peak, the city seemed to stretch into infinity.
"The most prosperous city in the world," Bai Chen remarked, looking down at the urban sprawl.
Lillie looked around, suddenly remembering something. "Actually, the Aether Foundation has a branch here."
"They do?" This was an unexpected bonus for Bai Chen.
Lillie called her mother, Lusamine, to confirm. After a brief explanation, Lusamine's voice came through the speaker. "Oh, you're in Lumiose? Yes, we have a branch there—it's registered as a Pokémon Nursery."
The Aether Foundation's core mission was the protection and rescue of Pokémon. Their nurseries were world-class facilities for rehabilitation and breeding.
"Since you're there, go check in on the branch," Lusamine said. "And Bai Chen, I'm planning to expand our investments in Kalos. If it's convenient, feel free to use the Foundation's name and resources for your actions."
She had a gut feeling that following Bai Chen's lead would result in significant growth for the Foundation.
"Aren't you afraid I'll give the Foundation a bad reputation?" Bai Chen asked, knowing his plans for Lumiose weren't exactly "charitable."
"It doesn't matter," Lusamine replied airily. "When I promoted you to an executive, I accepted the risks of your strength.
To want rewards without risk is childish. Just remember, you're an executive now. If our income drops, your 'salary' drops too. And don't forget, you still owe me a lot of money."
"Yes, yes, boss. I hear you," Bai Chen shrugged.
The Infiltration of Team Rocket
That evening, Bai Chen and Lillie arrived at the Aether Nursery. It was an immense facility, the size of a modern shopping mall, sitting on some of the most expensive real estate in Kalos.
Inside, they were met by the branch manager, a woman named Quinn. After the introductions—and a brief moment of tension when Quinn asked if Bai Chen was single (resulting in a chilling stare from Lillie)—Quinn led them on a tour.
As they walked through the "Pokémon Paradise," an indoor habitat with simulated biomes, Bai Chen noticed a massive hole in the glass ceiling.
"What happened there?" he asked.
Quinn sighed. "We were raided yesterday. A group of thieves broke in. We caught them, of course, and sent them to the police."
"Thieves?" Lillie asked, worried. "Are the Pokémon okay?"
"None were hurt. We have top-tier security."
Bai Chen had a hunch. "The thieves... who were they?"
"They claimed to be 'Team Rocket.' An evil organization from Kanto, apparently. They tried to snatch several Pokémon at once."
"A trio? Including a talking Meowth?"
Quinn was stunned. "How did you know, Mr. Bai?"
Because I'm the one who suggested they come to Lumiose, Bai Chen thought. Aloud, he said, "I ran into them in Laverre City. They tried to steal my Nergigante."
Later that night, after dinner, Bai Chen excused himself. He teleported to a park near the Lumiose Police Station and expanded his sensory aura. He knew a standard jail cell couldn't hold the Team Rocket trio.
Boom!
A localized explosion rocked the station. Using Meowth's "helpless Pokémon" act to gain trust, the trio had managed to smuggle in explosives and stage a breakout.
Bai Chen watched from the shadows as their Meowth-shaped hot air balloon drifted into the night sky.
"At least they aren't totally incompetent," Bai Chen smiled. "Now, go find that Megalith for me."
He followed them to the outskirts of the city, where he found them huddled over a map, plotting their next move: infiltrating the Lysandre Research Institute.
"The plan to expand the team failed, but I've got the intel, meow!" Meowth hissed. "The Legendary Megalith is definitely inside that lab, meow!"
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