Chapter 169: Bilan's Past

"Tsk, what nonsense are you up to again? You look like you just burst out of the wild forest." Huo La pushed a steaming cup of tea toward Bilan, his tone a little impatient, though not the least surprised she could find this place.

Bilan opened her mouth, but the words she was about to say were swallowed back; the eyes that had been shining dimmed instantly, like a candle snuffed out by wind.

"Enough, stop whining like a little girl." Huo La glanced at her, his tone cold.

"I'm a girl, after all!" The remark hit Bilan instantly; she snapped her eyes up, her tone tinged with grievance and defiance.

Huo La raised an eyebrow, gave a noncommittal nod: "Now that's more like it."

"Hmph!" Bilan puffed up, turned her head aside, cheeks slightly swollen, like a little hedgehog that's been provoked.

"Fine, if you won't say it, I'll ask straight." Huo La poured himself a cup of tea as well, his fingertips tracing the warm cup wall, his gaze fixed on the swirling tea, his voice dropping: "Masked Man, that's the person behind you, right?"

Bilan's shoulders trembled imperceptibly, then she lightly nodded, her voice as thin as a mosquito: "Hmm."

"The last time the Masked Man appeared at Tianqing Mountain, the information was also passed to him by you?"

Another low "Hmm," Bilan lowered her head even further.

"Got it." Huo La raised his hand to Break her silence, his tone suddenly shifting: "Tell me about these injuries of yours, how did they happen?"

"Huh?" Bilan jerked her head up, eyes full of disbelief, as if she hadn't expected him to skip the previous topic, "You… you don't blame me? And you don't ask why I helped him?"

"The more you know, the more trouble there is." Huo La said casually, deliberately leaning back against the chair, shifting his body backward to create some distance, his tone bright with a hint of "wanting to clear himself": "All I need to know is that you did this, and I'll stay away from you."

The deliberate gesture was like a bucket of cold water, instantly dousing the flicker of hope in Bilan's eyes; her gaze sank again, her voice tinged with a barely perceptible choke: "I'm an orphan; I was adopted by the Masked Man when I was little."

"Adopted?" Huo La's hand holding the tea cup paused, his eyebrows knit slightly, clearly stunned—this didn't match what he remembered.

"Yes, adopted." Bilan nodded vigorously, her fingertips absentmindedly tugging at her clothing edge, "Those adopted with me include kids our age and some older than us."

"He adopted us, surely for his own reasons… but regardless, we finally have a place to settle, I guess that's a 'home.'" When she said "home," her voice was soft, tinged with nostalgia, quickly overtaken by bitterness.

"But later, he changed. He became especially distant, especially terrifying… even wanted to lay a hand on A Yin."

"A Yin?" Huo La caught the unfamiliar name.

"He's the child who was adopted by the Masked Man together with me," Bilan's gaze softened, with a hint of affection, "That Kamen on your hand is his. I've always treated him like a younger brother. The day the Masked Man tried to lay a hand on A Yin, I risked everything to get him out."

"But… later we got separated. Since then I've been searching for him." She said, her shoulders slumping, full of helplessness.

Huo La was silent for a moment, then asked, "Then why did you hijack the League's Pokemon transport vehicle back then?"

"It was an accident." Bilan's voice lowered, with a hint of embarrassment, "At that time I was being chased by the Masked Man's men, had nowhere to run, so I thought deliberately hijacking the League's vehicle and getting caught—ending up in the League's prison, at least I could get shelter, no longer having to hide. But I didn't expect Professor Oak to step in and protect me, and… even gave me a Squirtle."

When Professor Oak was mentioned, her eyes flickered, clearly deliberately concealing something.

Huo La was clear‑hearted; there must be a deal between them—nothing more than Professor Oak helping her find Xiaoyin, and she doing something for the professor, like acting as an undercover.

He was too lazy to press further.

"Since you've already escaped, why are you still getting involved with the Masked Man and passing him information?"

"Escape? It's not that easy." Bilan shook her head, fatigue in her eyes, "But thanks to the Squirtle Professor Oak gave me, the Masked Man seemed to remember something; he didn't do anything to me, instead gave me a bizarre task—to help him find the legendary Articuno and Lugia, and he promised to release me and Xiaoyin."

"You know, even if I still don't know where Xiaoyin is, I can't refuse that condition." Her voice carried deep helplessness.

Huo La nodded; this part matched his memory. The Masked Man's goal wasn't just Articuno and Lugia, but also… Celebi.

"So, when I learned the news about the Rainbow Hero, I contacted the Masked Man and told him everything." Bilan said, bowing her head deeply, as if repenting for her actions, yet also feeling powerless.

Huo La watched Bilan's hesitant expression, stopped probing for Masked Man clues, shifted tone, his gaze landing on the abrasions on her arm: "Putting that aside, you still haven't told me how you got these injuries."

Bilan froze for a moment, looked up at Huo La, her eyes tentative: "You… don't blame me?"

"What good would blaming you do?" Huo La rolled his eyes irritably, then shifted tone, speaking seriously, "But I promised Marshadow to help it rescue Articuno. On this matter, you have to join me, as a way to atone."

"Rescue Articuno?" Bilan sprang to her feet, face full of shock, shaking her head repeatedly like a rattle, "Are you crazy? Rescuing Articuno means confronting the Masked Man head‑on, Hard Clash! His power is far beyond anything we can match; you're basically signing your death! I urge you to drop this idea immediately!"

Having been raised by the Masked Man, Bilan knows better than anyone how terrifying his strength is.

In her view, Huo La's current combat power plus hers, going Hard Clash with the Masked Man, is like an egg hitting a stone; even if they added Xiao Gang, he'd just be another cannon fodder, unable to change the outcome.

"I'm not a fool; of course I know that challenging the Masked Man now is courting death." Huo La's tone was calm, unaffected by Bilan's words; then he leaned forward, his gaze burning, "But have you ever wondered who the Masked Man's true identity actually is?"

Bilan furrowed her brows, thought for a moment, then slowly shook her head: "Even though he raised us, he's never taken off his Kamen in front of us. But…"

She paused, recalling past details, "From his daily habits and tone, he should be the same age as Professor Oak."

Huo La heard that and nodded, his inner speculation further confirmed—being the same age as Professor Oak fits.

Professor Oak, though he has a head of white hair and looks aged, is actually only about fifty years old; the white hair is from years of Pokémon research, draining his spirit.