Chapter 145: Rising Tensions
Seeing Lillie, Maeve, Nanahoshi, and Hobbes waiting for them outside the villa’s entrance, a mix of relief and guilt washed over Jason—forcing a wry smile to his face.
“Welcome home…” Lillie greeted softly, stepping forward to grasp Jason’s hands and present him with a reassuring smile.
“I’m home…” Jason responded, his expression softening as he and Lillie stepped closer and brought their foreheads together. He had expected her to greet him with panic, concern, and a barrage of questions. Instead, she welcomed him back with a smile, filling Jason with a sense of comfort he couldn’t put into words…
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Following their warm exchange at the villa’s entrance, Jason relocated with Lillie, Maeve, Nanahoshi, and Ren to the sitting room. There, before anyone could ask him what happened, he took it upon himself to recount the afternoon’s events.
“And that’s exactly why we train as if we’re fighting for real. If I had been soft on you, you would have been filled with doubts and hesitated when it mattered most~” Maeve affirmed with a hint of smugness, pleased to hear that her training had helped Jason overcome his impromptu trial.
“That wasn’t the only time your training helped me,” Jason stated, piquing the group’s interest as he revealed, “After Tapu Koko was finished testing Ren’s Terra and Sky Formes, he rewarded us with a Lucarium Z. After that, he introduced us to what I recognized as a young Zinogre—a wyvern with the ability to absorb and discharge electricity…”
“Zinogre? I’ve never heard of that Pokémon…” Maeve remarked, voicing the thoughts of everyone present.
“From this world’s perspective, it would be categorized as an Ultra Beast—a Dragon and Electric-Type with tremendous growth potential…” Jason explained, expanding, “For added context, it should come from the same world as that serrated serpent shown to us by Champion Iris.”
“Dalamadur…” Nanahoshi recalled aloud, having committed the name to memory since it was speculated that Dalamadur possessed dual Dragon and Steel Typings. As a Steel-type specialist, it was a matter of pride for her to know the identities of all Steel Types.
“That’s correct…” Jason confirmed with a nod, revealing, “Tapu Koko had entrusted the Zinogre pup to Ren and me, but the moment he departed, it attempted to leave on its own. Ren got in its way—spurring it to attack her and then me in turn…”
“My goodness…” Lillie exclaimed softly, eyes wide and left hand rising to cover her mouth.
“That’s where your training really came in clutch…” Jason stated, meeting Maeve’s gaze and surprising her as he sincerely expressed, “Seriously…I owe you an apology for all the times I internally complained or questioned the efficacy of your training. Thank you for not giving up on me…”
“I was just doing my job…” Maeve countered, her cheeks tinting red as she avoided Jason’s gaze. Sincerity was her greatest weakness, so much so that she felt the sudden urge to get up and perform a few laps around the villa…
“Even so, I’m grateful…” Jason reiterated, his affectionate smile and sincere, appreciative tone causing Maeve’s blush to spread into her ears before she abruptly stood up.
“I…I need to finish my patrols…” Maeve stated, using the excuse to depart the room with haste.
“I should get ready for my shift as well…” Nanahoshi appended, rising to her feet, posing with her hands on her lower back, and rolling her neck to stretch out the tension in her body.
“Then let us continue this conversation later~” Lillie hummed, a luminous smile adorning her face as she stood up, met Jason’s gaze, and asserted, “I’m certain that you and Ren are hungry after your ordeal. Come—let us eat. Then you can tell me all about your encounter with this Zinopup you mentioned.”
“Sure…” Jason responded, rising to his feet and trailing after Lillie as she led the way to the dining room. Ren naturally followed along, with Runa in tow. But as they had both already eaten, they ended up cuddling together atop the three-tiered Pokémon tower decorating one of the dining room’s corners…
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Following dinner, Jason and Lillie were preparing to retire to their room to rest and study when Jenni, accompanied by Xendalah in her raven-haired maid form, intercepted them.
“Special Agent Jenni? Xendalah? Is there something you needed from us…?” Lillie questioned, her brows creasing and a slight frown marring her face.
“Just Jenni will suffice,” Jenni responded, sporting a serious expression and thumbing over her right shoulder as she added, “There’s something the two of you need to see.”
“Could it be that the Zinogre pup is here at the villa…?” Jason asked, correlating the duo’s approach with the events that had transpired that afternoon.
Nodding, Xendalah confirmed, “It’s currently curled up in the central play area—after spreading its scent all over the premises.”
‘Then it either tracked us here or knew we were staying here from the get-go…’ Jason determined, outwardly responding, “I’ll try talking to it. Tapu Koko entrusted me with its care, so I should make an effort to try and win its trust.”
“I get where you’re coming from, and I trust the judgment of Melemele’s Island Guardian,” Jenni stated, her expression hardening into a glower as she argued, “But we don’t know what kind of diseases or pathogens that creature brought with it from its world. Until we know for sure that it isn’t a threat, my position is that it should be placed into quarantine as soon as possible.”
“I can’t deny that would be the most prudent course of action…” Jason affirmed, his own expression hardening as he added, “But I can also say with certainty that if we attempt to hold that Zinogre pup against its will, it will never trust us.”
“I understand your position, but this matter is bigger than anyone here. It represents a potential existential threat to the world,” Jenni stated, pulling out a matte black, military-grade Holo Caster as she contended, “I have a duty to report this to my superiors.”
“That is perfectly reasonable,” Lillie affirmed, her expression and tone firm as she asserted, “However, it is beyond your and the International Police Force’s authority to unilaterally dispatch a containment team to secure an asset on private property. You are welcome to notify your superiors of the situation, but this is a matter for the Aether Foundation and the League to manage and resolve.”
“Zishishishishi…the Aether Foundation’s heiress has fangs~” Xendalah snickered, causing the frown on Jenni’s face to deepen. Lillie was correct in her assertion that the International Police didn’t have jurisdiction over the villa, but that was on paper. In practice, so long as they had cause to mobilize, there was nowhere they couldn’t deploy. The issue was that the Aether Foundation had more than sufficient political power and resources to make things exceedingly difficult for them if they chose…
Closing her eyes and exhaling a tired sigh, Jenni conceded, “Very well. I have no choice but to report this incident to my superiors, but I will inform them that the League has already deployed a team to contain the Zinogre here at the villa. I presume that’s your intention?”
“That is correct,” Lillie affirmed, exuding confidence and authority as she asserted, “I don’t believe it will be necessary, but we will place the entire estate under quarantine if need be.”
“That should be sufficient. But I will have to insist that the International Police are kept in the loop on this matter…” Jenni stated, her green-blue eyes exuding a severity that made it clear she wouldn’t cooperate unless Lillie agreed to her condition.
“The decision is my mother’s to make, but I will be sure to relay to her that the IPPF was willing to give ground and cooperate with us on this matter,” Lillie stated calmly, neither agreeing to nor dismissing Jenni’s condition.
‘I’m engaged to someone incredible…’ Jason thought, unable to keep a smile from his face.
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Sensing Jason’s thoughts, Lillie gave him a slight nudge with her elbow, her way of telling him not to think things that would embarrass her when she was trying to appear composed and in control…
“Right…the decision would be your mother’s to make…” Jenni acquiesced, closing her eyes. She wasn’t satisfied with the direction the conversation had gone, but she knew that pressing the matter would almost assuredly result in her and Xendalah being ousted from the villa. If that happened, the Foundation would make sure their people couldn’t get close to Jason or Lillie—at least while they were students…
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Following Lillie’s contacting her mother to apprise her of the situation, it wasn’t long before a small army of Foundation employees and personnel affiliated with the League appeared to cordon off both the cliff the villa was seated atop and the forest encircling it. Jason hadn’t been aware of it, but the forest was a part of the estate—classified as a nature preserve under the Aether Foundation’s jurisdiction. Thus, rather than quarantining the villa and preventing the Zinogre pup from leaving, the League set up its cordon around the forest, ensuring it would be able to roam and hunt in accordance with its nature and needs.
“I was hoping that the two of you would be able to enjoy your time as students and Trainers, but it appears you can’t wait to get involved in the world of adults…” Lusamine sighed, seated behind the desk of her former study with Jason, Ren, Lillie, and Runa standing across from her.
“In their defense, it’s not as though they’ve been going out of their way to involve themselves with what’s been going on. From where I’m standing, it seems that Tapu Koko has taken an interest in Jason and Ren. He keeps testing and roping them into things. And Jason’s sense of responsibility is too strong to refuse him,” Iris pointed out, having flown over to the villa as the League’s representative.
“Yes, I am aware of Tapu Koko’s involvement in these events…” Lusamine acknowledged with a nod. Then, leaning forward with her elbows on the table and her fingers bridged, she met Jason’s gaze and asserted, “But he should refuse. If he continues to accept every burden that’s foisted upon him in his misguided efforts to demonstrate he belongs in this world, he’s going to get himself or someone close to him killed…”
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Understanding there was more than a grain of truth to Lusamine’s claim, Jason lowered his gaze and didn’t attempt to excuse his actions. Instead, it was Lillie who asserted, “Jason has only ever done his best to make do with the circumstances he’s been forced into. He’s not someone reckless who jumps into situations without thinking, so I would appreciate it if you didn’t cause him to feel even guiltier about things that already cause him a great deal of guilt and stress.”
“Oh, my…” Lusamine exhaled softly, her brows rising in surprise. She was aware that her daughter her been growing more assertive, but she wasn’t expecting Lillie to effectively tell her to back off and be more considerate with her words.
Shaking his head, Jason contributed, “I appreciate you speaking up for me, Lillie, but your mother is right. I orient many of my decisions around trying to fit in and to prove myself deserving of the care, attention, and opportunities granted to me daily. If I had refused Tapu Koko’s request and advised him to entrust the Zinogre pup to the Foundation directly, we wouldn’t need to have hundreds of people working in the dead of night to set up a cordon…”
“Excellent. It’s good that you’re conscious of the fact that your actions have consequences…” Lusamine asserted, a broad, ostensibly approving smile adorning her face. Then, as if she hadn’t been preparing to chastise him moments prior, she sat back in her seat and appended, “But, at least in this particular instance, you made the correct decision. Had you tasked Tapu Koko with bringing the Zinogre pup to us, it almost assuredly would have become a subject in our study of Ultra Wormholes and the creatures that come through them. By accepting Tapu Koko’s request, that adorable creature will be able to preserve its autonomy and eventually return to its world without having to endure excess scientific scrutiny.”
Adopting an even broader smile, Lusamine left Jason at a complete loss for words as she stated, “You did well, Jason. Now, you simply need to sit back and let us adults handle the complicated stuff. Believe me—I will not allow any harm to befall that child. You have my word.”
“Mmn…thank you…” Jason expressed, feeling a mix of warmth and relief. There was a time when Lusamine unnerved him, but the more he came to know and rely on the golden-haired woman, the more he appreciated her presence in his and Lillie’s lives—so much so that when she later insisted on sleeping in his and Lillie’s bed, he found her presence more comforting than concerning…