Mu Xue stared at Oliver in disbelief.
Ten top-tier Energy Cubes per day—that was no small sum.
That was 300 cubes a month.
Even the Pokémon League provided its Champions with only about 200 top-tier Energy Cubes monthly, and that didn't even count other resources.
Yet Oliver—alone—could afford this.
The contrast was terrifying.
"You should know the Genesis Society's methods," Oliver said calmly.
"With your status in the League, I expect protection worthy of the price."
Mu Xue snorted.
"As long as I'm around, unless they send a Genesis Cadre, you're safe."
Oliver paused.
"So it's not absolutely foolproof?"
"Do you even know what a Cadre represents?" she shot back.
"They're second only to the Genesis Society's hidden leader. Every Cadre exposed so far has been Champion-level."
"They won't waste someone like that on you."
For now, Oliver thought silently.
A new Pokémon type would shake the foundations of the world.
Once Fairy-type was confirmed, the attention—and danger—would multiply.
"Wait," Oliver said suddenly.
"You said Cadres would have a chance… which means you're the same level?"
Mu Xue removed her sunglasses.
A breathtakingly beautiful face was revealed.
Oliver froze.
He recognized her instantly.
The No.3 Champion of Xia Kingdom, Water-type specialist—
the League's most famous beauty.
So she had been in the Energy Cube auction after all.
That explained everything.
"Then what about the body and the Pokémon?" Oliver asked.
"The League will handle it," Mu Xue replied.
"The Pokémon will be reclaimed—most will be retrained, some used for breeding, and a few given to meritorious investigators."
After the handover, the two finally drove home.
Oliver spoke again,
"Since my starter is Milotic—and yours too—I'd like to ask you for guidance."
Mu Xue glanced at him.
"You're a researcher. Would battle experience really help you?"
"Absolutely," Oliver said firmly.
"Evolution, training, technology—research covers everything."
They finalized security arrangements.
Normally, Mu Xue would stay next door.
In emergencies, she'd respond immediately.
When Oliver went to school, he would carry one of her main Pokémon for protection.
Back home, Oliver acted as if nothing had happened.
He briefly introduced Mu Xue to his mother—only as "Miss Mu."
Then he politely sent her away.
There's no way I'm letting her see Celebi, Oliver thought.
After she left, Oliver brought Celebi out and handed it the new phone.
He had already enabled Parental Control Mode.
After a quick tutorial, Celebi rushed upstairs, fully absorbed.
At dinner time, it still didn't come down.
Then—
"Daily usage limit reached. Please request parental approval."
"Bi?"
Celebi stared blankly at the screen.
Defeated, it trudged downstairs and placed the phone in front of Oliver.
Oliver smiled warmly.
"Too much screen time is bad for your eyes. You're welcome."
Celebi: "…?"
Oliver continued,
"Help train Kirlia regularly, and I'll raise your limit to three hours."
"Bi!"
Celebi held up its hands—six fingers total.
"Six hours? No. Four, maximum."
In the end, Celebi earned 4.5 hours of daily screen time in exchange for training Kirlia.
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