Chapter 831: Super Guilt

All All Baimu wasn't panicked.

He had no reason to be. "Were there any murders on Ula'ula Island?"

"Don't change the subject or try to distract me. You can escape your own mouth, but not my eyes."

Modan shook his head. One day without practice makes hands clumsy and feet slow; three days without practice turns you into an outsider.

His idle retirement life had cost him many professional skills.

But the sharpness of his decades-long experience had not been taken from him by heaven—he had always seen people clearly.

This young man carried a aura of bloodshed, buried or gradually fading with time, yet to him it shone as brightly as fluorescent light in darkness.

Those who have taken lives are fundamentally different from ordinary people.

This was Modan's conclusion and instinct, forged over decades as an international police officer, having seen countless criminals—and he had never been wrong.

He said: "Time doesn't wash away the smell of blood."

"…."

All All Baimu's right eyelid twitched violently, speechless.

Modan said: "Show me your identification, and place your hands where I can see them. For safety, I'll need to search you."

"Don't think of resisting pointlessly. If you're truly innocent, you have even less reason to resist—you understand the weight of my words."

He pulled out a pair of gleaming silver handcuffs and slapped them onto the table.

"Wait."

All All Baimu raised his hands in surrender. "Please allow me to plead my case."

Modan reached gently for his right hand, smiling. "Alright. I'll give you one hand's freedom."

Though he could easily dodge, to avoid escalating conflict, he reluctantly let Modan cuff him to the table.

That cuffing changed everything.

The Alolan Meowths clinging to All All Baimu instantly retreated like lightning, eyeing him with suspicion and revulsion—as if their earlier affection had been fake.

Modan's cats are ridiculous…

He called out his Multicell and, while Modan was distracted, said: "Call Flobo for me—speaker on."

Calling Liu Ge always invited scolding; the good older brother wasn't the good older brother anymore. A man under thirty acted like he was going through menopause.

The name Flobo made Modan feel a flicker of familiarity.

Dū—

Kāchā.

"Huh? Why are you calling me? I'm flattered!" Flobo's offbeat voice crackled through.

All All Baimu glanced at Modan. "I've been arrested."

Flobo: "Huh? What?"

All All Baimu: "Someone wants me to confess to a crime. I had no choice but to call you—calling Liu Ge would get me yelled at."

Flobo: "…"

This guy's brain is fuzzy.

Flobo: "What did you do? Hand the phone to the officer in charge—I'll talk to them!"

All All Baimu gestured helplessly at Modan, who tapped his finger on the table.

Modan lifted his eyelids slightly, didn't pick up the Multicell. "This is the Ula'ula Island Police Station, Alola Region. I'm Chief Modan. Who are you?"

Flobo: "Modan? MODAN! Senior Modan!"

Three shouts of "Modan"—his tone shifted from thoughtfulness to enthusiastic excitement, like bumping into Jay Chou on the street and immediately tackling him like a golden retriever.

Flobo: "I'm a prison guard under the International Police Judicial Department, Southern Prison of the Orei Region, ID: ***0823, Codename: Sand Hunter, saluting you!"

Huh?

International Police Judicial Department?

All All Baimu blinked curiously—he'd always assumed Liu Ge and Flobo had left the International Police. Now he heard this title—so they'd been reassigned elsewhere!

Modan's brow furrowed. He glanced at All All Baimu. "Orei Region… you're from the Orei Zhenxin Group?"

Flobo laughed: "I was. The Orei Zhenxin Group was disbanded—we won!"

Hearing the joy in the other's voice, Modan's stern expression softened. He chuckled. "Congratulations. All those years of hardship finally paid off."

Flobo: "Yes! Senior Modan! Thanks to everyone's support! By the way—you've always been my idol. I never imagined I'd actually speak with you…"

He chattered on for ages, making Modan's head ache.

Modan quickly interrupted: "Wait! Later! This man here—"

"All All Baimu."

All All Baimu quietly gave his name.

Modan continued: "Mr. All All Baimu—is he also from the Orei Zhenxin Group?"

Flobo finally remembered why he was on the call. "Yes, yes! He's from the preparatory class! ID: ***1945, Codename: Demon Wood! After Orei's liberation, he quit and renounced his status! What did he do? Punish him if you must!"

Damn.

This guy's suddenly being perfectly impartial!

And when did I get the codename "Demon Wood"?

All All Baimu was furious at Flobo's fanboy behavior, rolled his eyes, and sat sideways.

Modan was sweating with worry. He lowered his eyelids as if thinking. "No, just a small… misunderstanding. We've mistaken this young man for a criminal. Alas, you've arrived just in time—could you go buy us some tea and snacks?"

"Okay~"

Alasora beamed and ran off.

The Meowths realized All All Baimu wasn't a criminal—they scrambled back onto him, forgetting their earlier hostility.

Modan quickly unlocked the cuffs. "Sorry about that, kid."

"It's fine. You were just doing your job."

All All Baimu didn't care—he hadn't lost anything, and Modan hadn't insulted him. Besides, he still needed the Island King to assign him a task.

Seeing All All Baimu's calm demeanor, Modan's small guilt escalated into super guilt. He couldn't help saying: "I remember Orei's liberation was last year…"

The current situation was All All Baimu silently playing with the cat, waiting for Modan to speak, while Modan, realizing the situation was troublesome, didn't know how to begin.

"You were seventeen then?"

"The first time was even earlier—I was sixteen."

He knew exactly what Modan wanted to ask. For him, there was nothing to hide. "Born there, you have no choice. If you don't strike first, they strike you. Your life isn't yours to control. Besides, I've been lucky."

Modan scratched his head. "..."

Super guilt evolved into super-duper guilt.

Whether as Island King or former international police officer, hearing a teenager speak so calmly about such bloody things made him feel sorrow—and somehow, wrong.

But he knew his position made many words feel hollow.

Orei was a swamp. Sending people to rescue them again and again changed nothing—it still came down to them.

When he heard Orei had been liberated last year, Modan had been overjoyed.

But now, seeing All All Baimu, thinking of children like him—minors, even younger—paying hidden, terrible costs in forgotten corners, he couldn't feel joy at all.

Everyone is human.

Yet some never get a normal life.

He picked up the sword-and-ball toy beside him and clacked it rhythmically, as if he himself had been forced to kill.

"You don't need to feel so guilty. Everything's moving toward something better. I've gained the freedom to chase my dreams."

All All Baimu sensed the emotion and spoke to comfort him.

He was surprised Modan cared so deeply.

So deeply that even though those events had nothing to do with Modan, he still felt burdened and troubled… What a good man.

"Earlier this year."

"You were only seventeen then?"

"The first time was even earlier—sixteen."

He knew exactly what Modan wanted to ask, and for him there was nothing to hide; he said frankly, "Born there, I had no choice. If I didn't strike first, someone else would. My life wasn't mine to control. Besides, I've already been lucky."

Modan scratched his head, "..."

Great guilt evolved into super guilt.

Whether as Island King or former international police officer, hearing a just-adult child speak so calmly about such bloody things brought sorrow—and a persistent sense that something was off.

But he understood that from his position, many words sounded too hollow.

Oule was a swamp. No matter how many times they sent people to rescue, it was useless; in the end, they had to rely on themselves.

Last year, when Modan heard the news of Oule's liberation, he was elated for a long time.

But now, meeting All All Baimu, thinking of children like him—minors, even younger ones—who had paid such hidden costs in forgotten corners, he couldn't bring himself to feel joy at all.

We're all human.

Yet some never got the chance to live normal lives.

He picked up the sword-and-ball toy beside him and swung it clack-clack-clack, as if he himself had been forced to kill.

"You needn't dwell on it—everything is moving toward something better, and I've gained the freedom to pursue my dream."

All All Baimu sensed this emotion and spoke to comfort him.

He was surprised that Modan cared so deeply about this.

So deeply that, though those events had nothing to do with Modan, he still felt weighed down and troubled... What a good man.

No wonder they went to great lengths to help the bad boy turn over a new leaf and even took care of Aserola.

One reason All All Baimu loves the Pokémon world is that there are many good people here.

After retirement, are you now paying attention to the next generation?

Upon hearing this, Modan smiled helplessly and said, "You're right. I'm an old man now, and I can't help dwelling on things, turning them over and over in my mind—don't take it personally… So you're traveling across regions and challenging others now?"

All All Baimu nodded. "Yes, please give me the trial."

As they spoke.

Aserola returned with tea and snacks, all Japanese wagashi made from glutinous rice and beans.

"Ta-da~! Wagashi tea snacks! I bought all your favorites, Uncle!"

Malie City's architecture resembles Kalos, and its eating habits have been invaded by Kalos culture.

A Gengar's face appeared from the shadow, then vanished.

It was a little hungry for these unfamiliar sweets, but the morning's failure had been too painful, making it too ashamed to grab food as it normally would.

On the other side.

The Poké Ball containing Gulpin began to stir.

The young lady had always loved three things above all—Trainer, cute things, and sweets; wagashi covered the latter two, so it couldn't hold back its urge to come out.

But after shaking for a long time and seeing the Trainer remained unmoved, it gave up.

Meanwhile, the greedy Meowths jumped off All All Baimu's body one by one, trying to snatch the sweets.

The police station descended into chaos.

Modan was worn out, but fortunately, dealing with the cats was easy for All All Baimu and Aserola; within minutes, they lured the Meowths away with other snacks.

The police station instantly fell silent—even the Meowth cries vanished.

"Trial… How about this? There are three mountains on Ula'ula Island. I want you to photograph the sunrise without using any transportation."

Modan ultimately didn't give a too-hard trial, mainly because he felt ashamed for reopening All All Baimu's wound.

Even if time could rewind.

He would still have done the same thing without knowing the full situation.

"Alright."

All All Baimu's first reaction to the trial was that Modan was quite a troublemaker—making someone climb a snowy mountain in the middle of the night to photograph the sunrise.

But then he thought again.

Photographing the sunrise holds great sentimental value for many travelers; Lanakila Mountain, rising above the sea of clouds, is breathtakingly beautiful.

Modan probably considered that All All Baimu was traveling and would surely explore Ula'ula Island anyway.

And just happened to take the photo along the way.

Is that it?

Right?

He looked at Modan, who had resumed his lazy posture, sipping tea and eating sweets, and suddenly felt unsure—after all, being good and being lazy or troublemaking aren't mutually exclusive.

After finishing tea and stepping out of the police station,

Aserola enthusiastically invited All All Baimu to sit at the library.

All All Baimu was also curious about the deceased Ghost-type Pokémon Meltan, so he agreed.

Malie Library.

From the outside, it felt less like a library and more like a fairy tale house.

Inside, it was small—only two stories, with books on the lower floor only, perhaps a few ten thousand volumes total; the upper floor featured a mosaic-glass arched decorative wall.

Aserola said she worked here regularly, organizing books and reading stories to children.

Hmm.

What a heavenly job!

All All Baimu looked at the book Aserola brought him—just as expected, it was the same one Ash had read, about the Legendary Pokémon Solgaleo.

Solgaleo is the Legendary Cosmic Pokémon.

Also a god who went mad after losing its power.

Unlike the game's lore, where Solgaleo was never seen by humans, in the anime it is the radiant god who brought light to the Alola region, passed down in Alolan legends.

After reading the anime's account of Necrozma's legend, All All Baimu turned to the floating Meltan and asked, "By the way, can Ghost-type Pokémon die?"

"Of course they can. Ghost-type Pokémon are still Pokémon—any Pokémon has a lifespan," Aserola said matter-of-factly.

Pokémon have lifespans.

The first thing he thought of upon hearing this was Dracovish and Galarian Corsola—the Pokédex described the former as born from Pokémon long dead in the sea, the latter as ancient dead sun corals.

Died once, then died again?

After confirming from his Pokédex that he couldn't photograph Meltan, he said:

"Can I touch it?"

"Of course."

Aserola readily agreed.

But Meltan was a phantom existence—All All Baimu couldn't touch it at all, just as he couldn't touch the lost souls beneath Huang Tie Town.

He asked Aserola and Meltan if they knew anything about the Spirit Realm; both shook their heads.

A true Ghost, yet unaware of the Spirit Realm?

How strange.

Intuition told All All Baimu that Meltan must be some kind of special individual.