Chapter 556: A Terrifying Harem Crisis

Lusamine's feelings for her own children ranked even lower than her devotion to the Ultra Beasts and the Aether Foundation.

She immediately summoned two Aether Foundation executives, Wicke and Faba, along with her close friend, Professor Burnet, who was currently assisting with research at the Space Energy Laboratory under the Foundation's auspices.

With an anxious expression, Lusamine begged them to halt their current tasks, assemble their teams, and help her search for traces of her son, Gladion.

Due to her extreme emotional turmoil, Lusamine, seated with Burnet's careful support, failed to notice Faba's guilty and hesitant expression.

She merely rubbed her temples wearily, praying inwardly for Gladion's safety.

Now that Mohn was no longer by her side, Gladion absolutely could not come to harm.

At the same time.

Compared to the chaos engulfing the Aether Foundation, the villa where Luo Mu had returned was far more peaceful and tranquil.

After consuming the special medicine Luo Mu had brought back, Gladion's condition had improved significantly, and he was now sipping a nourishing soup that Oranguru had simmered all afternoon.

By the bedside, Luxray curiously pawed at an Electric Seed, which emitted faint sparks of electricity.

According to Luo Mu, carrying this item while activating Electric Terrain could enhance one's own defensive capabilities.

For Luxray, increased defense was better than nothing, and in certain specific situations, it might even produce miraculous effects.

What mattered most was that these seeds could be planted to yield more seeds; even if consumed, there would be no regret, and some could usually be hidden within its mane.

Luxray quite liked these seeds; it had tasted one, finding the flavor somewhat similar to the popping candy powder Luo Mu had once bought for it at an old candy shop, which crackled on the tongue.

It just wasn't as sweet, but the popping sensation was quite thrilling.

Just as Luxray was tirelessly playing with the Electric Seeds, Luo Mu entered the room carrying several portions of Pokémon food.

"Aren't you going to release your Pokémon? They probably need to replenish their energy as well?"

Luo Mu's gaze fell upon the three Poké Balls beside Gladion's pillow, his voice carrying a hint of inquiry.

"This..."

Gladion hesitated, instinctively glancing at the Cherish Ball.

Over the course of the day, he had largely determined that Luo Mu was a remarkably kind person, who had not only taken him in while he was in poor health and running a high fever but had also prepared delicious food without asking for any reward.

During their conversation, Luo Mu had also revealed that he was a teacher.

Since his sister Lillie attended the Pokémon School on Melemele Island, Gladion would occasionally go nearby to watch over her from a distance for a while before silently departing.

Gladion held very favorable impressions of those teachers who patiently instructed Lillie.

However, he was still hesitating over whether to expose Type: Null, his Silvally, to the other's eyes.

After he had taken Silvally away, Faba would likely discover its absence very soon.

At that time, Faba would surely conduct a secret search for his whereabouts behind his mother's back; he could not gamble on whether Luo Mu might leak Silvally's existence.

Seeing Gladion's hesitation, Luo Mu did not pressure him.

He roughly guessed what the other was hesitating about; trust could not be built overnight, so if Gladion did not wish to speak yet, he would simply pretend to know nothing.

Thinking thus, Luo Mu set down the Pokémon food in his hands, called to Luxray, and walked to the room's entrance.

"We'll head out first. Tomorrow I have some matters to attend to outside; whether you wish to contact your family or stay here to recuperate, you can tell Oranguru, and it will make the arrangements."

Gladion naturally understood the implication behind Luo Mu's words.

Indeed, if he disappeared without a word, leaving aside his mother Lusamine who was busy with work, James and Lillie would surely be extremely anxious.

Calculating the time, he had not returned to the estate manor for four or five days; James must have already noticed something amiss.

But making contact with them now would mean allowing Faba to trace his location.

Perhaps, once he recovered, he could find an opportunity to return home and leave a letter for James.

But before that, he must first check on Silvally's condition.

Knowing that Luo Mu had taken Luxray and left the room to provide him with private space, Gladion's expression became exceedingly complex.

To be on the safe side and avoid damaging the surrounding environment and furniture, Gladion first released his Umbreon and his Lycanroc (Midnight Form).

After they had eaten and replenished their stamina, he then released Silvally from the Cherish Ball.

Meanwhile, in the living room outside, Luo Mu was discussing tomorrow's itinerary with Oranguru.

The interview with the chef Pokémon was scheduled for the day after tomorrow, meaning he still had one day to go out freely tomorrow.

Luo Mu planned to take this opportunity to go out and see if Tapu Tapu Moumou would be willing to take him to meet Tapu Fini; with Tapu Tapu Moumou's connection, the likelihood of Tapu Fini helping him would be higher than if he went alone.

Oranguru would remain stationed at the villa to look after Ogerpon and the Eevee sisters, who planned to stay nearby to play and explore; they had been clamoring yesterday to go see the forest behind the house.

According to the plot of the anime, within the forest located behind the Aina Cafeteria, there was a Pokémon that Luo Mu was not particularly eager for Oranguru to encounter.

However, since the Aina Cafeteria was now located on Akala Island rather than Melemele Island as in the anime, Luo Mu was uncertain whether the Forest Sage resided in that forest.

He could only hope that Ogerpon and the Eevee sisters would not encounter that individual; otherwise, a terrifying harem crisis would surely begin to brew—merely imagining that chaotic scene made Luo Mu feel that the end of the world would be no worse.

Harboring a sentiment akin to "prayer," Luo Mu washed up and fell into a deep sleep.

Even though beast-like roars occasionally erupted from the guest room where Gladion was staying, it did not affect Luo Mu's sleep quality in the slightest.

But on the other side, the Aether Foundation headquarters had been genuinely busy throughout the entire night.

Fortunately, the Aether Foundation was one of the top organizations in the Alola region, possessing ample connections and funds.

Under Lusamine's relentless search regardless of cost, they finally located traces of Gladion.

Gladion could not turn invisible, and moreover, after departing from Aether Paradise, he had moved from Melemele Island to Akala Island, so there were naturally quite a few eyewitnesses.

Inside the Chairman's office, Lusamine carefully reviewed the data Wicke had organized and submitted.

It not only marked Gladion's movement trajectory over the past few days but also delineated the areas where he might be staying after his trail went cold.

The most probable location was the beach near Konikoni City.

An eyewitness reported that during the rain the night before last, someone matching Gladion's characteristics had run through the rain toward the seaside beach.

Since the clues had broken off after that, and unless the other party had used some method to cross the sea, the only place Gladion could possibly be was that stretch of beach.

According to James, Gladion usually stayed in various hotels, with the accommodation expenses being steadily covered by him.

But this time, Gladion had not checked into any hotel, and the hotel owner stated that the other party had not shown up for several days.

Moreover, Glazio rarely carried cash normally, and the card he used for shopping had been left behind in his hotel room, as if he had departed in a sudden hurry.

This made Lillie's mother even more worried that something might have happened to Glazio.

With dawn fast approaching, aside from leaving Zaubo and Bikkue to guard the headquarters,

Lillie's mother called upon Burnet, who had stayed with her all night, and the butler James, boarded a private helicopter, took off from Aether Paradise, and flew toward Akala Island.

Searching the area near the beach was simple; the helicopter could survey everything clearly from the air.

However, the vicinity was a well-known rental district for seaside villas, with many tourists staying here. Furthermore, since it was early morning, despite their urgent desire to find her son, Lillie's mother and the others still landed the helicopter nearby, took out prepared gifts, and went door-to-door on foot to ask if anyone had seen Glazio.

It was not until they arrived before a wooden villa that Lillie's mother's long-sealed memories suddenly awakened.

"This place is..."

James, beside her, promptly reminded her: "In the past, the Master and Lady brought the young Master Glazio here to live for a period of time."

A look of reminiscence appeared on Lillie's mother's face as she whispered softly: "I still remember; we had so much fun back then. Those were the best memories."

Burnet also recalled something and said with some emotion: "It seems you told me back then that because Glazio loved the Alola region so much, Mr. Mo En simply made the decision to relocate the Aether Foundation to the Alola region."

"At the time, I thought you were all crazy, but now the Aether Foundation has become the most famous organization in the Alola region."

"Yes."

Lillie's mother nodded gently; the Aether Foundation's philosophy did not conflict with the customs revered in the Alola region, and instead, it was here that the Aether Foundation developed rapidly to its current state.

One could say that moving into this villa was the turning point for their family's fate; calculating the time, even Lillie was conceived back then.

Gazing at this villa, Lillie's mother felt a vague premonition deep within that Glazio might perhaps be inside.

Yet, at this moment, she felt somewhat hesitant to proceed.

Lillie's mother was uncertain whether Glazio still wished to see her.

She looked at James and spoke: "Perhaps, James, you should go knock on the door and ask."

Lillie's mother herself planned to temporarily step aside with Burnet; perhaps in this way, at least Glazio would be willing to see James.

Even with Burnet's attempts to dissuade her, Lillie's mother had made up her mind.

James could only agree helplessly.

But before James could carry the gifts to the door and ring the bell, Spectrier, who had been observing from the shadows and found the trio suspicious, appeared first, blocking their path.

"Neigh—"

Emitting a cold whinny, Spectrier looked coldly at the three, appearing ready to attack if they dared to approach rashly.

Oranguru had said that when coming to an unfamiliar place outside, there would inevitably be people or Pokémon with malicious intent or ill will drawing near.

In such times, one must forcefully drive the other party away.

After all, Lillie's mother and the other two clearly looked like adult humans, unlike the wretched state Glazio had been in that night, so Spectrier naturally felt no pity.

"!!!!"

Seeing Spectrier appear suddenly, the three were stunned; James reacted the fastest, immediately sending out his Oricorio and positioning himself to shield Lillie's mother and Burnet behind him.

"Lady, be careful!"

Seeing James release a Pokémon, Spectrier's gaze grew even colder, and a chilling aura spread outward with it at the center.

"What kind of Pokémon is that—"

Burnet also shielded Lillie's mother behind her, looking at Spectrier with eyes full of shock and suspicion.

With a mane as pitch-black as the night and a chilling, powerful aura, perhaps only the Island Guardians could compare to it! Why would such a Pokémon appear here? Just as the tension between both sides grew thicker, fortunately, since it was already early morning, Oranguru, who was preparing breakfast, sensed something amiss outside and walked out the door wearing an apron and holding a spatula.

Upon seeing the blonde hair of Lillie's mother among the trio, as if understanding something, Oranguru called out to stop Spectrier, which was gathering spiritual energy.

Receiving a one-way telepathic message from Oranguru, Spectrier looked at the few people with slight surprise.

Since that was the case, it did not wish to reveal its form before outsiders; without another word, it vanished into the shadows, leaving Lillie's mother and the others, who could not make sense of the situation, staring at each other in confusion.

As for Oranguru, it sighed and looked at them.

"Do you folks have some business standing here?"

Oranguru's voice resonated within the minds of the three.

Realizing this was telepathy, the three had no time to be surprised; James stepped forward carrying the gifts, took out a prepared photograph, and asked: "Apologies for disturbing you so early, but may I ask, have you seen the person in this photo?"

Oranguru's gaze fell upon the photograph; as expected, it was Glazio.

However, it did not respond immediately; instead, it glanced at the three and said: "Please wait a moment; my young master is currently washing up. I am merely a Pokémon butler; you must ask the young master whether he has seen this person."

Lillie's mother and the other two were temporarily seated at a wooden table and chairs outside the door, while Oranguru went inside to inform Luo Mu that the trio had come looking for them.

Luo Mu, who was brushing his teeth, paused his movements slightly and clicked his tongue.

Good heavens, the Aether Foundation truly lived up to its reputation as the local power of the Alola region, managing to track them down here? But as for whether to tell Lillie's mother that Glazio was inside the house, that depended entirely on Glazio's own will.

After quickly washing his face, Luo Mu was about to knock on the room door, but Glazio inside opened the door first.

Dressed neatly, Glazio explained to Luo Mu with a slight apology: "My apologies, Mr. Luo Mu. The people outside are likely my mother and the butler."

He could actually hear the commotion outside clearly and had also noticed that Zaubo was not by Lillie's mother's side.

Although surprised that the other party had found them so quickly, Glazio felt that he still had to go out and meet them.

"Then do you want to go see them?"

Luo Mu asked, raising an eyebrow.

Actually, if Glazio did not wish to see them, he himself could not refuse to send them away.

"... Yes."

Glazio nodded gently.

A short while later.

Lillie's mother and the other two, who were waiting outside with eager anticipation, saw the main door open once again.

Besides Oranguru and Luo Mu, who was obviously residing here, Glazio was actually following behind him as well.

"Glazio!"

Lusamine shot to her feet with a "swish" and moved to embrace Gladion.

But Gladion clearly resisted his mother's embrace; after dodging Lusamine's hug, he asked in a rather stiff tone, "How did you all get here?"

Though somewhat hurt, Lusamine quickly composed herself.

"Because James said you haven't been home for several days, I never expected you to be—"

Before Lusamine could finish, Gladion interrupted: "Mr. Luo Mu is a teacher and also a powerful Pokémon Trainer; I am learning from him how to become stronger."

"If there is nothing else, please go back first; I will return home when I have time."

Lusamine, Burnet, and James were instantly stunned.

Meanwhile, a string of question marks appeared above Luo Mu's head as he watched the drama unfold from the side.

(End of Chapter)