Shinku was in his room.
He had just finished speaking with the Mikan Family.
Mostly discussions regarding trade routes, medical distribution networks, and how the Harmonia Corporation could assist with expanding healthcare infrastructure throughout Johto.
It was important work.
Necessary work.
But exhausting work.
For the moment, he had stepped away from the Gala to rest.
A cup of tea sat on the table beside him.
Then—
Knock.
Knock.
"Father."
Shinku blinked.
"Akagi or Asagi?"
The door opened.
"Neither."
Shinku's eyes narrowed slightly.
Standing at the doorway was a man with red hair.
Blue eyes.
An elegant black suit.
Fingerless gloves.
And a smile that never quite reached his eyes.
Lysandre Lawliet.
Shinku leaned back slightly.
"I suppose that answers my question."
Lysandre chuckled.
"May I come in?"
"You already opened the door."
"Fair enough."
Lysandre stepped inside.
Behind him stood Akagi and Steven.
Akagi immediately noticed the atmosphere.
Tense.
Not hostile.
Not yet.
But definitely tense.
Shinku looked toward his daughter.
"Should I be concerned?"
Akagi smiled.
"Probably."
Steven sighed.
"Definitely."
Lysandre laughed.
A genuine laugh.
Yet somehow it made the room colder.
"Mr Harmonia."
"Mr Lawliet."
The two men shook hands.
Firm.
Polite.
Neither gave an inch.
For a brief moment—
Steven swore he felt the pressure in the room rise.
Like two Tyranitars politely introducing themselves before deciding whether to destroy a mountain.
Akagi silently moved to stand beside Steven.
She had seen this before.
Powerful businessmen were terrifying.
Powerful businessmen who actually liked each other were worse.
Lysandre took a seat.
Shinku remained where he was.
For several moments nobody spoke.
Then—
Lysandre smiled.
"I met your son."
Shinku immediately reached for his tea.
"Which one?"
Lysandre blinked.
"You have multiple sons?"
"No."
Shinku took a sip.
"But Ethan causes enough incidents to count as several."
Steven covered his mouth.
Akagi immediately looked away.
Lysandre laughed.
A real laugh this time.
"Yes."
"That sounds accurate."
Shinku nodded.
"Thank you."
Silence followed.
Then Lysandre spoke again.
"He made quite the impression on my daughter."
Shinku nearly choked on his tea.
Steven immediately looked at the ceiling.
Akagi looked like she was trying very hard not to smile.
Shinku slowly lowered the cup.
"...I'm sorry?"
Lysandre's smile widened.
"Lusamine finds him interesting."
"Oh."
A pause.
"That is significantly less dangerous than where I thought this conversation was going."
Steven finally lost the battle and started laughing.
Akagi buried her face in one hand.
Lysandre looked genuinely confused.
Shinku sighed.
"I have seven daughters."
"...Ah."
"Exactly."
For the first time all evening—
The atmosphere became lighter.
Yet beneath the laughter—
Both men were quietly studying each other.
The head of the Harmonia Family.
The head of the Lawliet Family.
Neither revealing their true thoughts.
Neither lowering their guard.
And somewhere below them—
Ethan and Lusamine were completely unaware that their fathers had already started measuring one another.
Back in the room.
Lysandre looked at Shinko. "Now the main reason, I came here".
Shinko looked at him. "That being".
Lysandre smiled.
"The Aether Foundation calls it Project A.D.A.M."
Shinku leaned back slightly.
"And what exactly is A.D.A.M.?"
Lysandre folded his hands behind his back.
"The ability to bring back extinct Pokémon."
Silence.
Not confusion.
Not skepticism.
Silence.
Because nobody in the room had a reference point for what he had just said.
Steven stared.
Akagi blinked.
Even Shinku's expression shifted slightly.
Lysandre continued casually.
"We used fossil remains, residual Type Energy, genetic reconstruction algorithms, living descendants, predictive evolutionary models, and enough computational power to make Arceus nervous."
Steven finally found his voice.
"That's impossible."
Lysandre chuckled.
"So were Poké Balls once."
Steven stood there frozen.
Because he wasn't hearing a scientist describe a new machine.
He was hearing someone describe the resurrection of an extinct species.
Akagi slowly crossed her arms.
"You successfully recreated an ancient Pokémon."
Lysandre nodded.
"Technically, it's a clone."
"Technically?"
"Nothing living today is old enough to verify whether our reconstruction is one hundred percent accurate."
The room grew quiet again.
Shinku finally spoke.
"You're trying to play God."
Lysandre's smile didn't disappear.
But it became smaller.
More serious.
"Interesting."
The red-haired man walked toward the window.
Snow-white lights from the Gala shone through the glass.
"You know, most people say that immediately."
He turned.
"They said the same thing when mankind learned to heal diseases."
Nobody spoke.
"They said it when mankind learned to fly."
Steven's eyes narrowed.
"And they said it when mankind first captured Pokémon."
Lysandre spread his arms.
"So tell me, Shinku."
His blue eyes sharpened.
"If extinction can be reversed..."
A pause.
"Why should it remain permanent?"
The question lingered in the air.
Because nobody had an immediate answer.
Steven looked troubled.
Akagi looked thoughtful.
Even Shinku remained silent for several seconds.
Then he spoke.
"No."
Lysandre blinked.
Shinku's red eyes met his.
"You're asking the wrong question."
The room became still.
"The question isn't whether extinction should remain permanent."
Shinku stood.
"The question is whether humanity has earned the right to decide otherwise."
For the first time—
Lysandre's smile faltered.
Only slightly.
But Steven noticed.
And suddenly realized this wasn't a discussion about fossils anymore.
It was a discussion about limits.
About power.
About whether humanity should be allowed to rewrite nature itself.
And judging from the look in Lysandre's eyes—
He had already decided the answer.
Shinku looked at him.
"You're trying to play Arceus."
The room fell silent.
Lysandre simply met his gaze.
"You think that?"
Shinku's eyes narrowed.
"You know my family's history with the Twin Dragons."
For the first time, Lysandre's smile faded slightly.
"I do."
The answer came immediately.
Which only made the room feel colder.
Shinku rose from his chair.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
"And because of that history, I will not be involved in this."
His voice remained calm.
Neither angry nor emotional.
Just firm.
"Not me."
"Not my family."
"And certainly not my company."
His eyes drifted briefly toward the files resting beside Lysandre.
"Especially not in a project named after the First Trainer recorded in the Book of Arceus."
For several seconds, neither man spoke.
Then Lysandre reached into his coat.
Steven tensed slightly.
Instead, the man simply withdrew a thick collection of documents.
Research reports.
Projections.
Financial estimates.
A proposal.
He placed them on the table.
"Very well."
Lysandre's voice remained polite.
"But should you change your mind..."
He tapped the files once.
"The Aether Foundation can be contacted at any time."
Nobody moved.
Nobody reached for them.
Lysandre's eyes swept across the room one final time.
Past Shinku.
Past Akagi.
Past Steven.
Then he turned and walked toward the door.
The sound of it closing echoed softly behind him.
Silence followed.
A long silence.
The kind that remained after a storm had passed.
Steven finally exhaled.
"I don't think I've ever seen someone reject that much money before."
Shinku didn't answer.
His gaze remained fixed on the files.
As if they were something poisonous.
Or cursed.
Then—
"Akagi."
His daughter straightened immediately.
"Yes, Father?"
Shinku pointed toward the documents.
"Take those to Violet and Midori."
Akagi blinked once.
"To review?"
"Yes."
His voice hardened.
"I want both of them to read every page."
Steven frowned.
"And after that?"
Shinku looked away from the files.
"Burn them."
The room went still.
Akagi's expression became serious.
"You believe it's that dangerous?"
Shinku didn't answer immediately.
Outside, faint music from the Gala drifted through the windows.
A world of celebration.
Completely unaware of the conversation that had just occurred.
Finally, he spoke.
"No."
His eyes settled on the closed door Lysandre had used.
"I believe he's serious."
And somehow—
That answer was worse.
Meanwhile, back at the Gala...
Lusamine smiled softly.
"Good, she has been enjoying the gardens at the Aether Foundation."
Ethan nodded.
"Scyther likes ours too."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Lusamine tilted her head slightly.
"I imagined Scyther would prefer training."
"He does."
Ethan took a sip of juice.
"He trains."
A pause.
"Then trains more."
Another pause.
"Then complains about not training enough."
Lusamine laughed.
"That sounds exhausting."
"It is."
Sentret, sitting on Ethan's shoulder, immediately pointed a tiny paw.
"Sent!"
"Not you too."
"Sentret!"
Lusamine covered her mouth as she laughed.
The little Pokémon was clearly agreeing with Ethan.
Nearby, guests continued talking, dancing, and discussing business.
Nobody paid much attention to the two children standing near the balcony.
For a few moments, it was peaceful.
Then Lusamine looked toward the night sky.
The stars were visible beyond the mansion grounds.
"...Do you ever think about the future?"
Ethan blinked.
"Sometimes."
"What do you want to do?"
That question caught him slightly off guard.
Before his regression?
The answer would've been easy.
Survive.
Now?
Ethan looked across the Gala.
At Whitney laughing somewhere in the crowd.
At Lyra trying not to get lost.
At Bugsy enthusiastically explaining bugs to a businessman who clearly regretted asking.
At Erika and Sabrina speaking with several noble families.
Then he smiled.
"I want to travel."
Lusamine nodded.
"That's all?"
"No."
His smile widened slightly.
"I want to see everything."
That made her pause.
Everything.
Not becoming Champion.
Not becoming rich.
Not becoming famous.
Just...
Everything.
Lusamine found herself smiling.
"That's a very Harmonia answer."
Ethan looked confused.
"What does that mean?"
She giggled.
"I don't know."
Then she looked at him.
"It just sounds like something you'd say."
For a moment neither spoke.
The music continued.
The Gala continued.
And somewhere else in the mansion, their fathers were discussing the possibility of resurrecting ancient Pokémon.
Meanwhile the children were debating whether Scyther or Vespiquen would win in a rematch.
Sometimes the world was strange like that.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Gala...
Falkner had meet up with his dad.
Falkner looked at Franklin. "I am surprised you came".
Franklin fixed his tie. "All the Gym leader did, it's a Hermonia event".
Falkner srugghed as he stretch. "Fair".
Franklin looked at him son. "Have you notice something son?"
Falkner looked at his dad. "That being?"
Franklin spoke. "The recent increase in Gang Activity's".
Falkner looked at his father.
"The recent increase in gang activities?"
Franklin nodded.
His normally relaxed expression had become more serious.
"Smuggling."
"Poaching."
"Black-market Pokémon sales."
He adjusted his tie.
"Mostly small operations."
Falkner frowned.
"Team Rocket?"
"Some."
Franklin's answer came immediately.
"But not all."
That surprised Falkner.
For years Team Rocket had been the name everyone knew.
The biggest criminal organization in Kanto and Johto.
Franklin continued.
"What's worrying is that some of these groups aren't connected."
"Independent gangs."
"New organizations."
"People getting ambitious."
Falkner crossed his arms.
"Because of money?"
Franklin shook his head.
"Money is always part of it."
Then his expression darkened.
"But recently..."
He lowered his voice.
"Several reports involve unusual targets."
Falkner immediately noticed that wording.
"Unusual?"
Franklin nodded.
"Fossils."
That made Falkner blink.
"Fossils?"
"Ancient ruins."
"Historical records."
"Type-energy research."
Franklin looked around briefly before continuing.
"Someone is gathering information."
The young Gym Leader's eyes narrowed.
"Someone?"
His father sighed.
"We don't know who."
"And that's what bothers me."
Across the room the Gala continued normally.
People laughed.
Music played.
Business deals were made.
Nobody looking at the event would think anything was wrong.
Franklin glanced toward where Ethan and Lusamine were talking.
Then toward the hallway where Shinku and Lysandre had disappeared earlier.
Something about tonight felt off.
He couldn't explain it.
Only that too many strange things had started happening at once.
Pokémon trafficking.
Missing fossils.
Increased gang activity.
Illegal excavations.
People asking questions they shouldn't be asking.
Franklin folded his arms.
"Keep your eyes open, son."
Falkner nodded.
"You think something big is coming."
It wasn't a question.
Franklin was silent for several seconds.
Then finally—
"Yeah."
His gaze drifted toward the crowd.
"And I don't think Johto's ready for it."
Meanwhile, in another part of the Gala...
Bugsy was having the same conversation with his master.
Bugsy looked down at the Poké Ball clipped to his belt.
The Larvesta inside was sleeping peacefully.
Which somehow made everything even stranger.
Kurt stood beside him, arms crossed.
"We've been handling it."
His voice was calm.
"But the Gym Leaders and police haven't worked this closely since the Kanto–Johto War."
Bugsy looked up.
That got his attention immediately.
The old Gym Leader rarely mentioned the war.
"...It's that serious?"
Kurt nodded.
"Pokémon trafficking."
"Poaching."
"Smuggling routes."
"Stolen eggs."
His expression hardened.
"And recently, rare species."
Bugsy's hand unconsciously moved toward Larvesta's Poké Ball.
A sinking feeling formed in his stomach.
"Do you think my Pokémon is connected?"
Kurt was silent for a moment.
Then:
"Maybe."
A pause.
"Maybe not."
Bugsy frowned.
"That's not very helpful."
"No."
Kurt glanced toward him.
"But it's honest."
The old craftsman sighed.
"A Larvesta isn't native to Johto."
Bugsy nodded.
He knew that already.
Larvesta were incredibly rare even in regions where they naturally appeared.
Finding one inside the Bug-Catching Contest was absurd.
Kurt continued.
"Could've escaped from a collector."
"Could've escaped from smugglers."
"Could've been abandoned."
"Could've wandered farther than anyone thought possible."
Bugsy looked down.
"So we don't know."
"We don't."
Kurt's eyes narrowed slightly.
"But someone will be asking questions."
That made Bugsy nervous.
"A lot of questions?"
"A lot."
"Great."
Kurt actually chuckled.
"You wanted a rare Bug Pokémon."
"I didn't mean international incident rare."
For the first time that evening, Kurt laughed.
A genuine laugh.
Then his expression became serious again.
"Keep that Larvesta close."
Bugsy blinked.
"...You think someone might want it?"
Kurt looked directly at him.
"I think if that Larvesta came from where I suspect it came from..."
His voice lowered.
"...then someone already does."
The room suddenly felt colder.
Bugsy slowly looked at the Poké Ball again.
A few hours ago he'd thought he'd won a contest.
Now it felt like he'd accidentally picked up a mystery.
And somewhere in the Gala, conversations about trafficking, fossils, and strange new projects were happening behind closed doors.
The pieces were starting to move.
Even if Bugsy didn't know it yet.
To be continue
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