On the drive to the Lysandre Research Institute, Bai Chen sat in the back seat, glancing sideways at Lillie. She was hunched over a small notebook, scribbling and sketching with intense focus.
"What are you writing?" he asked.
Lillie jumped, her face turning crimson as she snapped the notebook shut. "N-nothing! Just... recording some things."
"Recording things?"
"W-work plans! Official Aether Foundation business!" she stammered, holding the book like a shield. As she did, a colorful flyer slipped from the pages and fluttered onto the floor.
Bai Chen picked it up. It was a brochure for the Lumiose City Amusement Park.
Lillie snatched it back, her voice pitchy. "That's... a potential investment site! Purely professional!"
Bai Chen chuckled, deciding not to tease her further. "It looks fun. Once this is all over, let's go there together."
Behind the notebook, Lillie's eyes sparkled. "Mhm," she whispered happily.
In the front seat, Quinn watched the exchange through the rearview mirror, gritting her teeth. Give us single people a break...
Bai Chen turned his gaze out the window. The streets of Lumiose were in chaos. Long lines of cars choked the outbound lanes, and citizens were packing suitcases, their faces etched with anxiety. Shopkeepers were boarding up their windows with heavy timber.
He expanded his Super Perception. A wave of fear, dread, and confusion washed over him from the crowd.
"What's happening?" he asked.
Quinn checked her tablet and handed it back to him. "The city government issued an Emergency Evacuation Order three days ago. They claim a severe disaster will strike Lumiose within the next ten days. They haven't specified the type of disaster, but they're moving everyone to underground shelters in the outskirts."
A disaster? Bai Chen frowned. It shouldn't be me—I'm not planning to level the city. Is it a warning about a criminal organization?
He considered Team Rocket, but even Giovanni wouldn't announce a terror attack ten days in advance. Regardless of the coming storm, his goal remained unchanged: the Legendary Megalith.
The Vision of the New World
Inside the Lysandre Research Institute, Lysandre was re-watching the encrypted video Quinn had sent. Beside him stood Xerosic, the lead scientist of Team Flare, recognizable by his crimson goggles and pale, sickly skin.
"Xerosic, is the footage verified?" Lysandre asked.
"Representative, it is 100% authentic," Xerosic replied, his voice trembling with excitement. "A human using a Z-Move without a Pokémon... It's unprecedented. Even if he's some kind of genetic anomaly or a Zoroark in disguise, the energy output is real."
"The Aether Foundation wouldn't play such a petty joke," Lysandre said. "If this 'human evolution' is possible, it is the key to the beautiful world I envision."
Xerosic leaned in. "We must secure a blood sample. But more importantly... how is the progress on Z?"
He pulled up a monitor showing a massive, cylindrical vat. Inside floated a small, green, cellular creature with a brilliant red core: a Zygarde Core (Z1).
"By scanning the Megalith and Z1, we've confirmed their energy signatures are nearly identical. Once we refine the Mega Evolution energy system, we have a 99% chance of controlling this Order Pokémon."
"Excellent," Lysandre murmured. "Accelerate the research. I can no longer tolerate this filthy, crowded world."
He checked his watch. "Our 'evolved' guest has arrived. I shall greet him personally."
The Champion and the Socialite
Outside the institute's cafe, Steven Stone, the Hoenn Champion, was returning from a walk. He was about to enter when two sleek black sedans with Aether Foundation logos pulled up.
He watched as Lillie stepped out first. The Aether Princess? he thought. Then, he saw the man following her.
Bai Chen's presence was striking. Even in casual clothes, he carried the aura of a predator in repose. Steven, being a man of high etiquette, felt he couldn't ignore the arrival of such high-profile figures.
"Miss Lillie, I didn't expect to see you here in Kalos," Steven said, walking over.
Lillie blinked, searching her memory. Steven smiled. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Steven Stone."
Lillie gasped. "The son of President Stone from the Devon Corporation? My apologies, Mr. Steven. I didn't recognize you immediately."
Bai Chen raised an eyebrow. "You two know each other?"
"The Foundation and Devon have many partnerships," Lillie explained, before introducing Bai Chen. "Mr. Steven, this is one of our executives, Mr. Bai Chen."
Steven looked at Bai Chen with newfound interest. An executive this young?
"The Knight, Bai Chen," Bai Chen offered, extending a hand. "The Hoenn Champion, Steven Stone," Steven replied.
The two men shook hands. As they did, Steven remarked, "I remember seeing Lillie in the Social Registry when she was only thirteen."
Lillie's face flushed again. "The Registry? What's that?" Bai Chen asked.
"It's a list passed around by elite families—photos and info of eligible heirs and heiresses," Steven explained. "Essentially a high-end matchmaking book."
Lillie turned to Bai Chen frantically. "My mother put me on that without asking! I threw a tantrum when I found out, and I had my name removed ages ago!"
Steven laughed. "I can testify to that. Lusamine called my father and several other businessmen, claiming she 'made a mistake' and thought the book was a contest for whose child was the cutest."
Bai Chen nodded. Yeah, that sounds like Lusamine.
The Order Pokémon Calls
Lysandre emerged from the institute to greet them. As he and Bai Chen locked eyes, Lysandre felt a physical weight press down on him. Even with 99% of his power suppressed, Bai Chen's sheer biological "level" was overwhelming.
If humans can evolve... he is the answer, Lysandre thought.
As the group moved inside, Bai Chen's Super Perception stayed focused on an alleyway 600 meters away. There, the Team Rocket Trio was changing into stolen Aether Foundation uniforms. They had successfully bluffed their way past the initial perimeter using Meowth's silver tongue.
Good, they're in, Bai Chen thought. I'll keep the Champion and the Representative busy.
Just as he was about to retract his mental sweep, a voice—ancient, cold, and resonating with the weight of the planet—echoed in his mind.
"Can anyone hear my voice? Can anyone hear me? If you hear me, answer..."
Bai Chen traced the source. He found it in a high-security lab at the edge of his 800-meter range. It was the green cell with the red core.
Zygarde.
The cell pulsed, sensing Bai Chen's mental touch. It sounded shocked.
"You... you can hear me?!"
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