Lusamine and Gladion were getting ready to leave. They needed to carefully plan how to fool Lillie—and how to explain all this to her later.
This was way more important than humming tunes at home.
So from beginning to end, they never once looked at Guzma.
Gladion's mind was a mess; he didn't have the bandwidth to pay attention to Guzma—besides, the guy didn't look like he was here to cause trouble, so he might as well be left to the side for now.
As for Lusamine… well, this might sound a bit cruel.
But she's the kind of person who, if she's not interested in someone, she practically won't care whether they live or die...
More often than not, when she does bother to get involved in something, it's only because she has her own unresolved issues or attachments—otherwise, she simply can't be bothered.
And very unfortunately, no matter how loyal Guzma was, he was never among the things Lusamine cared about.
So really, his fate was sealed from the beginning...
Watching the two of them walk farther and farther away, the "villain," the so-called Destructive Emperor Guzma, felt his heart sink.
Then a strange, almost unfamiliar feeling rose in his chest—the feeling of failure.
Today, my hands shook.
Today, my heart broke.
How did it come to this? I gave everything, and this is how it ends?
What did I do? What did I do wrong? Why is the world punishing me like this?
Guzma, whose presence was lower than that of a Monster Hunter Hammer, stood frozen, endlessly questioning himself—and cursing the heavens.
Honestly, if Lusamine had remained single, he wouldn't have felt this bad.
She had a big plan in motion, two kids to care for—of course she wouldn't be interested in romance. That was understandable.
But now... the woman he thought was busy "playing 5D chess" and plotting some grand master plan had actually gotten involved with another man—and in such a pathetic, groveling way.
What the hell was he supposed to do with that?
The woman he'd been simping for all this time had started simping for someone else. Spiritually, it felt like he'd been violated by another man. Goddamn it!
So—was he supposed to unleash all his fury now?
Destroy that woman? Rip apart the man who seduced her? Make them see what he was made of?
Fueled by these thoughts, Guzma suddenly opened his eyes wide, shoved his hands in his pockets, and stormed forward several steps.
But just as he was about to reach the two of them—he stopped.
Then, facing their backs, he spoke:
"Faba and his people are planning to go after Lillie. He's gotten help from the Ultra Recon Squad. They've got Ultra Beasts on their side, and they're sending a special unit just to deal with her."
"And... they're planning to open a ton of Ultra Wormholes, using them to pin down that man who calls himself Haru."
"So... there's a good chance they'll succeed."
He said it. In the end, he still chose to spill everything he knew.
As Lusamine's sword and shield, he ultimately chose to carry out his mission.
Yeah. He had never actually fallen for Faba's lies.
Guzma may have looked like a brute, but he wasn't stupid.
He'd just wanted to see what Faba was up to—then report it all back to Lusamine later.
Which is exactly how the task of kidnapping Lillie ended up falling on her own brother, Gladion.
Once he had the full picture, Guzma bolted like lava erupting from a volcano, rushing to Lusamine to report in—and maybe claim some credit.
And then... he saw that scene.
Could he really bring himself to raise a hand against Lusamine? No. He just didn't have that kind of courage.
But whatever. What mattered now was making a cool exit.
Come in with style, leave with impact—then Guzma wouldn't be the loser in this story.
Yeah. That's it.
Expressionless, Guzma told himself all this in his heart.
---
Amid the vast ocean stood a desolate island, sparse in vegetation and jagged with rocky spires. The setting sun dyed the sea blood-red, and waves crashed against stone with a deep, booming rhythm.
In the slanted sunlight, a pair of boots stepped onto the island's soil. Behind them followed a petite girl in a white dress.
Yes—Haru and Lillie had finally caught up with Faba and the Ultra Recon Squad.
Now Haru had just one task: crush these schemers behind the scenes, then get back to whatever he was doing before.
Throwing a party to celebrate wouldn't be out of the question either.
But before Haru could tear this place apart, a group of oddly dressed figures stepped in to block his path.
These Ultra Recon members seemed hell-bent on making this their final stand.
"I'm sorry, but this is as far as you go."
Hearing that, one of the Aether Foundation employees who'd come with Haru immediately burst out laughing.
Pfft. These bumpkin beggars from Ultra Space dare to come mess around in Alola?
You wanna compare Pokémon, huh? Our boss has a freakin' Mew, and what do you have?
This is Haru—the guy who made the president kneel and brought her back as some kinda cosmic rage slave. You think a few chumps like you stand a chance? That's like Mega Rayquaza stomping a Caterpie.
Of course, Haru hadn't just shown up with Lillie.
Like all proper delinquent heroes, he came with a full entourage of Aether Foundation "security personnel."
After all, if a fight broke out, there was no way he could guarantee Lillie's safety all by himself.
The Aether people were more than happy to tag along.
Are you kidding? This was prime-time front-row drama right here. Watching a powerhouse Trainer battle in person—worth dying for.
So the more arrogant Haru acted, the more nervous the Ultra Recon Squad got.
They didn't know much about Mew—only vague legends that it was an extremely mysterious Pokémon. Not much else.
But... for the sake of their Ultra Megalopolis, even Mew wouldn't stop them!
"Then let's go—bearing the name of Ultra Beast, you must not lose!"
"It's you—go, Naganadel!"
***************************
Read advanced chapters ahead of everyone else on my P@treon.
P@treon/GodDragcell