Just as Haru and Iono had predicted, the authorities in Alola had already begun to take action.
However, since the timeline had only just been altered, the current ruler of Alola was still Lusamine—not Lillie, nor the still-clueless Gladion.
Before Haru's journey through time, the Aether Foundation's investigation team had already clashed with him in Area Zero. As a result, Lusamine—who had been watching the livestream at the time—learned of Haru's location.
And she knew that Haru had captured Faba.
Before regaining her memories, her plan was to apprehend Haru and seal him away in her collection room like some designated artifact.
Now, though, she had changed her mind... She would only seal part of Haru.
She wasn't sure why there had been a gap in her memory, why she'd only now recalled everything—but for Lusamine, that didn't matter. Haru's trail was clear.
And unlike in the memory where Lillie had gradually seized power, she was still the one in charge of Alola. She could decide who was right, who should be punished... and who should sleep.
She'd basically just won the emperor's lottery.
Still, before dispatching anyone to Paldea, Lusamine had one critical thing to handle: a total information blackout.
Too many perverts lived in Alola, and Lusamine felt a deep responsibility to protect Haru's "purity."
What if those weirdos got wind of his whereabouts and made a move before she could?
Haru belonged to her, Lusamine.
This was something even Lillie had considered—tightening the information flow would cut down on competition.
In just a few short days, those damned flirts had already crowned Lillie with more horns than a Tauros.
As the person who cared most about Lillie, Lusamine would never allow history to repeat itself.
Once she "captured" Haru, she'd tell Lillie everything. It'd be a surprise—something Lillie would surely appreciate, right?
Surely, in time, Lillie would forgive her.
Having issued orders to temporarily detain Wicke, Lusamine lay on her back, staring at the ceiling, deep in thought.
Of course, once Haru was in her custody, she'd need to give him a personal inspection. Just to make sure he hadn't changed too much over the past year.
All for Lillie's safety, of course.
Lusamine felt her soul ascending.
—
Paldea, in the depths of Area Zero.
While Lusamine was already moving, Haru was still caught up in the bombshell that Nemona had dropped on him.
His head was buzzing with one thing:
"Blue sent me a challenge request?"
"Why? I've never even met him."
From Haru's perspective, the whole thing was baffling.
Blue was a major figure—why was he picking a fight with some random nobody like him?
And using newly trained Pokémon, no less...
Really? Of all the trainers he could've picked, he chose the guy with only three Pokémon—who just so happened to include a Paradox Pokémon, an Ultra Beast-level legendary, and literal Mew.
Nemona shook her head and replied,
"I don't know, but it might have something to do with Iono's stream."
"I remember someone in the chat asking a user with the ID 'AzureBreeder' a question like, 'Excuse me, are you the Blue from Kanto?'"
"But we thought it was just a joke, so nobody paid it any mind."
She rubbed her smooth chin thoughtfully, head tilted.
"I mean, Blue's the former Champion of Kanto. Why would he be hanging out in Iono's chat room? That doesn't make any sense."
Unfortunately for her, those words struck a nerve with Iono. She was, after all, Paldea's top streamer—attracting a Champion wasn't that strange!
"What's that supposed to mean? You looking down on Iono's Ionostream?!"
"Ahaha, no, no, that's not it! I just meant Champions are so mysterious. Most don't show up in public—except for that one guy who wears a cape as a billboard."
"Especially Red. He's been off the radar for ages. Blue—his rival—has also been lying low."
"But now that I think about it, maybe that 'AzureBreeder' really was Blue. He even re-shared a clip from your stream."
"He was pretty active in the chat, too. That kind of guy... isn't he called a stalk—uh, a 'fanboy'?"
"Rude! I am not pretending to be anyone! That's the real Iono in every sense! Don't call me a stalker!"
Nemona's poor choice of words had clearly annoyed Iono.
"Alright, I get it now."
Haru sighed. He really did get it.
So Blue had seen his strength during Iono's stream, recognized him as the guy who once 'bullied' Iono, and decided to throw down.
Well, regardless of the reason, it was a chance to fight a Champion-level trainer.
Even if Blue used only newly raised Pokémon, a Champion was still a Champion.
Especially one known for breeding strong Pokémon from scratch—those 'new' Pokémon might be just as tough as seasoned veterans.
More importantly, battling Blue might give Haru the chance to uncover the real reason behind the challenge.
That, and figure out this whole 'fanboy' situation.
Just imagining that possibility got Haru fired up.
He ran through the pros and cons. Aside from the risk of getting tracked down by Alola's agents, there weren't any downsides.
If they did show up, he could always bolt the moment the battle ended.
Unless Lillie came herself...
And if Lillie came to "arrest" him—maybe it was time to just invite her along for the ride. She'd always wanted to travel with him, right?
He was sure she'd forgive him eventually.
"Haru? Haru?"
Seeing that Haru was zoning out, Nemona reached over and gave his arm a little shake.
"Ah, oh! Right, I mean—I got it. I'll accept Blue's challenge. How are we arranging the timing?"
"Also, you can just call me Haru. No need to say 'Mr. Haru.' That name reminds me of someone else."
He'd met a lot of girls in his time, but when anyone called him 'Mr. Haru,' his mind instantly went to Lillie.
Which is why it felt all kinds of wrong when anyone other than her said it.
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