Panic immediately seized her as she stared at the eyes of her captor. Familiar chartreuse green eyes met hers, and the resolution she had minutes ago quickly evaporated. Her body went rigid as she remained sitting on the floor. Whatever words she was about to say died in her throat when her older brother hissed at her.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Lillie's throat felt dry like the Haina Desert, and Gladion was still tightly gripping her upper arm. His hold did not hurt, but the entirety of her was scared. She could not move, could not even pull back her arm back. At the back of her mind, she thought she was done for. She felt small and helpless under his glare, and she wished she was anywhere but here. It was stupid of her to think she could pull a stunt as dangerous as this, unlike her older brother, Moon, or even Hau.
Gladion must have sensed her fear, and he promptly let go of her arm. He knelt in front of Lillie and wrapped her trembling frame in an embrace. "It's okay, Lillie. I'm here. You're safe."
Lillie buried her head on his shoulder. Her eyes burned, but she tightly closed her eyes to ward off the tears that were threatening to spill. It felt like when they were younger – Gladion had not run away from their suffocating home yet, and all they could do was to watch their mother descend to mad obsession. Behind the polished white and glittering gold of the Aether mansion, all they had was each other and nothing more.
Gladion rubbed circles on her back and continued whispering reassurances until she finally calmed down. Lillie pulled away and wiped the tears on the corner of her eyes. She was not as shaken as before, but her hands still trembled. "We'll talk about this later," Gladion said as he held out a hand. "But first, let's get out of here."
Lillie nodded and took his hand. Gladion helped her up on her feet and led her out of the shop. She wanted to ask how he managed to procure a key of the abandoned shop, but she felt light-headed to speak a few words. She could no longer hear the hushed voices from the corner – the light was gone, and whoever was talking back there must have left already. Gladion did not let her hand go until they reached the hotel, and Lillie had to hasten her pace to keep up with her brother's quick strides. He seemed to be in a hurry to get out of that place, and from his expression, he seemed bothered by something.
Instead of going to her room, the elevator led them two floors up, and Gladion steered her to his assigned room. He ushered her inside and closed the door shut behind him. Lillie wanted to ask, but Gladion headed straight to the balcony with his phone at hand. Is he going to tell Mother? He seemed really angry. Lillie stood uncomfortably by the door as she watched him pace back and forth on the balcony. She could not hear what he was saying with the glass doors shut, but he could see how infuriated he was.
Her older brother stayed outside for a mere three minutes before he stepped back inside. The last fragments of his conversation over the phone trailed behind him. "…soon." He said. "I will see you tomorrow."
Lillie reluctantly approached him. "Big Brother… I'm sorry. I should have called you first, but I-"
Gladion paused and raised his palm to stop her. "Lillie, sit down first." He gestured to the coffee set, and it was the first time that Lillie noticed the mess on the table. There was a thin stack of papers and a few folders on one side. A couple of them have the Aether Foundation logo, while the rest have the Alolan League symbol. A few of the papers have notes written in red – no doubt that it was Gladion's handwriting.
Gladion disappeared into the bathroom just as Lillie settled down uncomfortably on the sofa and returned with a medical kit. He sat down next to her and dropped his find on the table. He gestured for Lillie to show her left hand. There was a minor scrape that Lillie did not notice earlier. "You probably got it when you fell on the floor after I pulled you. Sorry about that."
"It…it didn't hurt that much," Lillie admitted, watching her brother roll up his sleeves and begin gently cleaning the scrape with an alcohol-soaked cotton ball. She winced when the alcohol made contact.
"Still, I should have been more careful," Gladion said. "When I received that message, I panicked. All I was thinking back then was to get to you as soon as I could."
"What message…?"
Gladion did not answer right away and put aside the used cotton ball. He unfurled a roll of bandage and wrapped her cleaned palm. Satisfied with his work, he picked up his phone, opened it, and handed it over to her. Lillie gingerly took the gadget and looked at a message displayed on the screen. It was from an unknown number, but Lillie felt her throat closed up as she read.
Your little sister is being too nosy for her own good. If you want her out of trouble, get to this address as soon as you can. I am sure you would not let me down, Mr. Future Aether President.
Below it was an address and a virtual map where she was supposed to have gone before her brother found her. Gladion gently pried the phone off her hand and placed it on the table. "I do not have to go to the police to know who sent it." He said. His eyes darkened as he continued. "When I first read it, I thought it was a sick joke, so I went down to your room. When I discovered you haven't returned yet, I immediately ran to the place."
Lillie decided to ask the question that had been bothering her. "How did you get in?"
"What?"
"How did you get in that shop? Wasn't it supposed to be abandoned?"
"That's…" Gladion frowned, trying to remember. "When I get there, it was open. The doors weren't locked. I thought someone might have rented it…." Realization flashed in his green eyes. Do not tell him-!
"Big Brother?" Lillie watched him rummage through the folders and files on the table. The Aether files were moved aside as Gladion picked through a couple of folders containing reports before the championship. All of them were copies of the official information from the League.
"That guy-!" Gladion gritted his teeth. "He knows. Sun was expecting for something like this to happen!" He pulled out a paper with much force that it almost ripped to half. It was an account of businesses that rented or bought a place within the stadium. There was a small two-dimensional map of the whole Manalo stadium, with many buildings colored in green. A list of business names was enumerated on the side. Lillie recognized the shop she went to and gasped when she saw it uncolored.
"Tch! How did he-? No one rented that place, and the key was entrusted to the Aether Foundation!" Gladion gripped the paper. "Don't tell me he sneaked into the mansion and stole it?" He turned to his sister, who looked shocked as he was infuriated. "Lillie! What happened there? What did you see?"
"I… I'm not sure." She admitted as she clasped her hands on her lap. "There were crates, lots of them, and a light. I saw shadows…I think people were talking at the back of the shop. When I tried to get a look, I thought I saw…I saw…her…."
"Who?" Gladion prodded. "Who did you see, Lillie?"
"I…" Lillie bit her lower lip and lowered her eyes. "I saw-"
Lillie almost jumped from the sofa when her brother's phone buzzed. Gladion made a sound of irritation and picked up his phone. Lillie watched his face morph from a look of annoyance, shock, and then anger. His fury was palpable that she was afraid that he might hurl his phone across the room. She risked a peek and felt her heart drop from her chest.
To Gladion,
Alola! Congratulations on qualifying for the quarterfinals of the eighth Alolan League championship! Here is the lineup for the four official matches for tomorrow:
First Match: Sophocles vs. Mina
Second Match: Lillie vs. Sun
Third Match: Guzma vs. Lana
Fourth Match: Gladion vs. Kiawe
Each contestant is required to call out three Pokémon only in this round. Make sure to stay within the stadium's premises before your match. Your opponent will win by default if you are absent within the first fifteen minutes of your official match. Thank you and do your best!
- Alolan League Confederation
Sun gazed at the framed paintings hanging on the walls of his hotel room. The bright, still landscapes of the Alolan islands washed in soft strokes of lively colors have become a familiar sight in the few days he has taken temporary residence. Though he could simply step out on the balcony and revel in the real-life versions of the paintings, he prefers the static imagery of the artworks. It was melancholic – a reminder of why he was in this region in the first place.
Leaning against the backrest of the woven chair, he tapped an impatient finger on the back of the phone that had been ringing for a minute and a half now. He understood the need for secure communication, but it should not take them that long to answer, especially if they are the ones who provided him the device. After another minute and a few security checks, the call finally picked up. A woman's voice answered from the other line, barely audible amidst the noise in the background.
"This is Sun." He started, not giving the receiver a chance to speak first. He knew that if he gave a chance, he would have to deal with unnecessary dramatics. "I know that I am not supposed to call, but there have been recent developments."
His eyes swept at the clutter on the coffee table in front of him. A few folders were stacked on one side, with the top bearing the scrawled title Eighth Alolan League Championship: List of contestants. A few papers were detached from it and spread on the glass surface. Attached to each were familiar faces he recognized from the past two days. "The second day went off without a hitch as expected, and so did the first phase of the plan. I just hit a small snag tonight, but it has been taken care of. The ship will depart and reach its destination before sunrise tomorrow as scheduled."
"How about them?" The woman's voice asked. "Have they suspected our interference with Alola's affairs?"
"No…not that I heard of. They are still scrambling their heads. They have no idea that the Foundation is already sinking its fangs deep into the region. They would, probably, but only if they are aware of them." Sun reached to the pocket inside his jacket and pulled out a black Z-Crystal. He raised the crystal against the fluorescent light, noting how it absorbed the light and left only a black void. "The Z-Crystals can only be used once, effectively destroying any evidence into dust. Literally. And with the professor's data disproving its connection to the Shadow Pokémon in Orre, they are simply charging in blind."
"You sound confident. I hope you are aware that one of Alola's Elite Four almost managed to track down your movements three months ago."
Sun waved off the not-so-noticeable alarm in the woman's voice. "Why am I not surprised?" His eyes trailed to a file of a particular Steel-type Elite Four member. "Don't worry about it. I already got in touch with the twin Champions. They told me that the Galarian League have gotten hold of the documents and have already sent it your way a month ago."
"We received them, yes, but that is not the problem -"
"My cover's still intact if that's what you want to know." Sun interrupted as he slipped the crystal back inside his pocket. "Those theatre lessons in Unova really paid off. If my cover's blown," He smirked to himself. "It's up to you to get me out. They will not be very pleased once they find me out."
There was a subtle huff from the other end. Probably from her companion. "Very well." The woman's voice relented. "Proceed with the plan and exercise caution. I will keep outside interferences from hindering our movement. No one must know what we are after in that region. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"I know you will not fail us, Sun." With that, the line fell dead.
