Chapter 128

What... what should I do! My mother saw me like this! Could she have really misunderstood something? No... no! Could it not be a misunderstanding...? No, no, no... it's definitely not okay for her to see me like this, right??

"Pfft."

Seeing Lillie's flustered appearance, Lusamine, contrary to her usual self, suddenly burst into laughter.

"Alright, you don't need to explain anything else. Just tell me what's been happening lately, okay?"

"Mother... you..."

Lillie was taken aback again. She had expected her mother to scold her for violating family rules and being impolite, but Lusamine seemed to be even more... magnanimous than she had imagined.

"Has your body... recovered?"

Lillie scrutinized Lusamine's face. After her father was swept away by the Ultra Hole and disappeared, Lusamine, as her mother, had shown an extremely strong desire to control everything around her, with Lillie, her daughter, and Lillie's brother Gladion being the first to be affected.

If it were Lusamine back then, she certainly wouldn't have shown such tolerance towards Lillie.

Being so intimate with a strange man is absolutely intolerable.

"Yes, your friend has helped me a lot, but now I'm more interested in you, Lillie."

Lusamine sat down next to Lillie, just like an ordinary older sister.

However, beneath that long Golden hair, and in those emerald green eyes that resembled Lillie's, lay an undeniable sorrow and grief.

"Mother..."

This was the first time Lillie had seen Lusamine so haggard and frail, like an ordinary girl. Before, Lusamine seemed like an omnipotent being in Lillie's eyes. However, after her family was separated again and the foundation she had built with her own hands completely collapsed... it would be unbearable for anyone.

"Yes, I'll tell you little by little. Everything will definitely be alright."

Lillie patted her cheeks, looked at Lusamine, and nodded firmly.

Past sins and mistakes cannot be erased, but now, as her daughter, Lillie must bring a glimmer of hope to her family.

"It all... started with him..."

Lillie turned her gaze to Qiao Ran and began to recount the story from her own perspective.

"Hmm? You've already started chatting?"

After the great battle, Mei, having released all her pent-up emotions, moved closer to Lillie. To her surprise, Lillie and Lusamine sat together harmoniously, with Lusamine listening quietly, only occasionally showing a smile or a surprised expression. Lillie was mostly the one telling her story.

Releasing Lusamine from the container was something Mei had only decided to do a few days prior—after all, Lillie and Qiao Ran had been missing for far too long, and Mei's unease was growing stronger. Moreover, Lusamine's condition had basically stabilized, Mei thought that perhaps the president of the Aether Foundation could come up with a solution.

However, before Lusamine could show any effect, Lillie and Qiao Ran finally returned. Although the joy of reunion prevailed in her heart, Mei felt that she couldn't swallow her anger. The more she thought about it, the more confused she became, so she still used Qiao Ran as a target to teach him a lesson.

"Aren't you the same..."

Hearing Mei talking about herself, Lillie looked at Mei walking over and couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark.

--Because on Mei's right, she was holding another person's hand, which was undoubtedly Mei, who had just been at odds with her. The two of them were as natural as best friends who had just gone out for a walk, and they were even chatting and laughing as they walked.

How did these two get together so quickly?

Is this what they mean by instant connection?

Section 248, page 244 [Method]

"Us?"

Hearing Lillie's complaint, Mei Mei exchanged a glance and fell silent for a moment. Yeah, why did they become so familiar with each other so quickly?

In the past, such a thing had never actually happened.

However, such things probably happen quite often; they just hadn't encountered them before.

"I guess... it's because I sensed the other person's feelings during the battle? And that's how it happened? I guess everyone experiences something like that, right?"

Mei blinked, and Mei beside her nodded repeatedly.

"That's how it is, that's how it is."

They both sensed that the other's personality traits and values were basically the same as their own, down to the smallest details where they were in perfect Synchronize, and even the rhythm and judgment in commanding Pokémon battles had obvious similarities.

If it weren't for the obvious difference in their appearances, they would have thought the other was their long-lost sister.

"..."

Listening to Mei and Mei's stories, Lillie could only respond with silence.

Is everyone really like this?

Mei and Lillie's conversation also piqued the interest of Lusamine, who had met Mei before, so this time her attention was mainly focused on Mei.

"... Are you all Lillie's friends?"

Lillie is her daughter whom she cares about very much, so Lusamine needs to keep a close eye on Lillie's friendships.

"Ugh... ugh... my head hurts so much..."

Feeling sore all over, Qiao Ran woke up from his coma. His memory had been fragmented since he arrived at the Aether Foundation, and he really couldn't remember anything after that.

Qiao Ran loosely clenched his left hand, only then realizing that he hadn't brought Zacian's Sword with him. To allow Zacian to rest properly, and also to reduce the burden on himself, he hadn't carried the sword directly on his back.

The current Aether Foundation isn't a place where he needs to be constantly vigilant. If it were Galar's side, Qiao Ran probably wouldn't be so relaxed.

"Um...?"

Qiao Ran opened his eyes, but the first person he saw was someone who surprised him.

Long Golden hair, a seductive figure, long, narrow, deep eyes, and very distinctive clothing...

"Dew..."

Lusamine???

Qiao Ran glanced to the side and breathed a slight sigh of relief when he saw Lillie, Mei, and the others were also there.

--Lusamine was someone he had met when he first came to this place, but back then she was locked in a strange facility, which was obviously incomparable to her current state.

Moreover, unlike her youthful appearance, Lusamine is actually Lillie's biological mother, and judging from her age, she is at least in her thirties or forties.

Is this person a friend or foe?

In the original game storyline, Lusamine was once obsessed with the power of Ultra Beast, making her undoubtedly a villain and directly causing a series of crises. However... in the Pokémon anime, Lusamine is completely redeemed, becoming a "good mother" completely Frisk of the conspiracies.

"..."

Qiao Ran was instinctively wary, but looking at the relaxed expressions of the girls around her, she seemed to understand something.

"Ah, Qiao Ran, are you awake?"

The first person to notice that Qiao Ran had woken up was Lillie, who had been taking care of her. Soon after, the others gathered around and started asking about Qiao Ran's condition.

"Wait, how come you two are so close?"

To Qiao Ran's surprise, Mei and Mei stood together like old friends. If Qiao Ran hadn't known beforehand that the two didn't know each other, he would have definitely wondered if he had made a mistake.

Is this the attraction between the female protagonists?

"Isn't it normal to have a good relationship? Besides, if you hadn't been dawdling, I wouldn't have had to wait here for so long."

Facing Qiao Ran, Mei clearly lacked the patience she had when answering Lillie. Although the Punishment had been given, her anger hadn't subsided yet.

"Chairwoman Lusamine was also there because you guys hadn't shown up for half a day... so I figured out how to get her out first. I thought you guys... humph."

Mei turned her head away and didn't continue.

"Yes, I've checked out the equipment here over the past few days, and there are many things that have exceeded my expectations... I heard it's all thanks to Lillie; she's really done a great job."

Lusamine picked up the conversation, and also praised her daughter.

"No... it's not that amazing. I just looked at the notes my mother left behind..."

Lillie was a little embarrassed by the praise; she really couldn't handle such compliments, or rather, Lusamine hadn't praised her like that in a long time.

"By the way, I also heard Lillie say that you came here through a special method? Did you go to other worlds before?"

Suddenly, Lusamine the subject and started talking about a ten

This is an important topic.

She had been concerned about this issue since Lillie told her about it, but Lillie had evaded it by saying she didn't know the principle behind it. However, as a scientist who had spent her life studying Otherworld creatures, Lusamine was clearly not going to give up this opportunity easily.

"Could you tell me about your method of traversing this world?"

"A method to travel through the world...?"

Qiao Ran paused for a moment, glancing at Lillie and Mei with some suspicion. He wasn't sure what they had said to Lusamine. However, looking at Lusamine's face, a somewhat absurd idea inexplicably popped into Qiao Ran's mind.

There aren't many ways to travel through time, or rather, if Qiao Ran wants to bring other humans through time, he only has one path to choose from—

Lillie was parasitized by Nihilego and accidentally ended up inside a sphere... Mei willingly allowed herself to be parasitized by Nihilego, and could also be put into a sphere... As for Lusamine, she was parasitized by Nihilego before... Doesn't that mean...?

However, this idea was interrupted by Lillie's trembling voice the moment it came to mind.

"Mother... you wouldn't... you wouldn't still be thinking about those... those things, would you?"

"Father and Older Brother!... They're already..."

Lillie's expression changed abruptly.

The atmosphere in the room instantly became tense.

Section 249, page 245 [Reflection]

"Ha... hahaha, I guess I went a bit too far."

Everyone sensed the unusual atmosphere, and finally—it was actually Chairwoman Lusamine who stood up, her face still bearing her usual smile, but she walked out of the room.

Clearly, she wasn't as at ease as she appeared.

Lillie's words also pierced her heart.

"By the way, there are still some devices up there that need maintenance, so I won't bother you any longer. The rest of the time should be left for you young people."

"..."

Before long, Lusamine's figure had disappeared from the room, and no one stopped her.

After everything happened, Mei looked at Lillie beside her with some concern. "Is this okay...?"

"..."

Lillie silently looked at her hands, which were clasped tightly on her knees, and shook her head.

"... That's enough, that's all."

The joy of reuniting with her mother was one thing, but once that joy faded, Lillie also felt resentment towards Lusamine, who had destroyed the Aether Foundation, causing her Older Brother and countless Foundation employees to disappear into another dimension.

She might... truly be unable to forgive him before everything is over.

Seeing that Lillie had made her decision, Mei didn't say anything more. She knew that these matters might have gone beyond the scope of ordinary "household affairs" and couldn't be easily dismissed with a few words.

"Hello."

However, Mei couldn't help but nudge Qiao Ran with her elbow. This guy is usually quite quick, so why does he always mess up at crucial moments?

Under Mei's various subtle hints, Qiao Ran quickly realized what was happening and pulled Lillie into his arms.

What are you doing...?

Lillie was initially startled by Qiao Ran's actions, but after her initial slight surprise, she did not resist further and instead quietly leaned against Qiao Ran's arm.

This feeling... seems pretty good...

Her heart, which had become empty due to various changes, gradually became warm and full.

Lillie closed her eyes, savoring the tranquility of the moment. However—in the eyes of the "tool man" Qiao Ran, she made direct eye contact with two people.

Mei: "..."

Mei: "..."

The three of them remained silent, but the regretful looks in Mei and Mei's eyes revealed their inner desire to cut Qiao Ran into pieces.

"Let's go out first."

"Um."

In the end, the two who couldn't stand it any longer left. Although Qiao Ran's actions were prompted by Mei herself, she hadn't expected to feel so uncomfortable watching this scene. As for Mei, it was even simpler; she just felt uneasy, as if something was missing.

My thoughts are not clear.