If someone said that there was something in Kitakami that drew Liko in, Haru could actually believe it.
After all, Haru knew very well—Liko was not the true holder of Terapagos.
The original trainer of this Pokémon was an adventurer named Rystal, over a hundred years ago.
Rystal, the Explorers, and the "Rising Volt Tacklers" (whom Liko would have joined in the anime) all shared the same goal—a place called "Paradise."
And as luck would have it, one of the keys to unlocking "Paradise" was none other than Terapagos itself.
Incidentally, the other key to Paradise was a black Rayquaza…
Aside from being Terapagos's original trainer, Rystal also happened to be Liko's great-great-grandmother.
The only reason Liko ended up with Terapagos was because she "inherited" her ancestor's Pokémon—though to this day she knew nothing about it.
In the anime's story, Liko would, through Terapagos, form all kinds of connections to Rystal.
And in Kitakami's Crystal Pool, she would meet this person in the flesh, and from her learn certain secrets about Paradise.
Both in the games and the anime, it's clear that as long as Terapagos is present, Kitakami's Crystal Pool has the power to let people meet those from the past.
Moreover, this phenomenon can indirectly influence history.
The names of Koraidon and Miraidon in the games are the best evidence of that.
So in a sense, it's not too much to call it a kind of time machine.
Unfortunately, thanks to Game Freak's love of riddles and their habit of leaving plot threads dangling, Terapagos, Area Zero, and the Crystal Pool all remain shrouded in unanswered mysteries.
Terapagos's role is still fuzzy; no one even knows why Miraidon and Koraidon can be considered Legendary Pokémon of the highest tier.
Even Haru, who had crossed worlds, could only be certain of one thing—if you brought Terapagos to the Crystal Pool at the right time, something would happen.
If possible, Haru would love to get his hands on the Terapagos deep in Area Zero, take it with Liko to the Crystal Pool, and see who they might encounter.
Of course, that was a matter for later.
Right now, Haru had a bigger problem… Liko was acting very off.
In Haru's memory, Liko should have been the shy, timid type.
So why was she now… this enthusiastic?
No—this went way beyond enthusiasm. It was as if she might open her mouth and swallow him whole at any moment…
Could it be that Liko had been "influenced" by Pecharunt too?
But that didn't seem right. At the very least, Liko hadn't reached Iono's level, nor could she be called a full-on "pervert."
"What's wrong, Mr. Haru?"
Seeing him frozen in place, Liko called out to him again.
"Oh, nothing. Let's go find Lillie first. She's been waiting downstairs for a long time."
Haru had originally come upstairs to tidy his room and then pay Lusamine a visit—to advise her to leave this place as soon as possible.
Kitakami right now was extremely dangerous for someone like Lusamine. If she were taken over by Great Ambition…
Well, then the Succubus Queen might just walk into the real world.
But with Liko stuck to him like this, it didn't seem the right time to meet Lusamine.
If Liko were to ask what Lusamine's relationship with Lillie was, and why he was keeping it from her, that would be very awkward.
Better to wait for another chance.
Surely Lusamine couldn't stir up any earth-shattering trouble in such a short time, right?
Unlikely—and besides, she didn't have a Legendary Pokémon on her. Even if she did "go dark," it shouldn't cause too much trouble.
Not a big problem.
Comforting himself with that thought, Haru led Liko out of the room.
---
Meanwhile, while Haru was busy handling Liko, Lusamine's room had gained another "guest."
Well… perhaps "guest" wasn't quite the right word.
Because to be precise, this "guest" had been invited—by Lusamine herself.
The blonde, mature beauty in a fitted long dress had seated her "guest" comfortably, all the while studying the girl trussed up like a rice dumpling, a bright smile on her face.
"My, my… could it be—you're a little thief?"
"You kept loitering outside that room's door. What were you planning, hmm? Could it be you were trying to… steal a little fragrance?"
Her fingertip traced lightly along the girl's cheek as she leaned close to whisper in her ear.
But the "little thief" in question made no reply—shaking like a witch who'd just triggered her "Danger Sense" ability, muffled "mmmph" sounds spilling from her mouth.
Yes—her mouth had already been stuffed with a ball gag by Lusamine.
So even if she wanted to explain, all she could produce were those strange muffled noises.
This "little thief" was none other than Carmine—and she felt she was having an incredibly unlucky day.
First, her "jailbird" little brother suddenly went berserk, declaring war on the Naranja Academy! On Haru! On the Blueberry Academy! On all of Kitakami! On Carmine herself!
Strutting around as if he could take down the entire world with the "power of the ogre," never stopping to think that said "ogre" wasn't even in his possession.
Then, in her desperation to bring him back to normal, she had been forced to seek help from Haru—someone she normally didn't get along with.
Yet all she'd done was pace outside Haru's room a couple of extra times while debating if asking for his help was even the right choice… and then this inexplicable woman had swooped in and dragged her here.
Heaven help her—how did that make her a thief? And such a beautiful thief, at that?
Steal a little fragrance? What decent woman would go steal that from a man? What kind of world did this woman live in?!
And the way this woman treated her… was outrageous.
Not handing her over to Officer Jenny, but tying her up instead.
And not just any tying—this was some sort of special rope technique.
Any slight movement and she could feel certain… forbidden "territories" brushing against the rope, sending dangerous ripples through her.
If she were even a little more sensitive, she might have… overflowed already.
And to top it off, the woman had gagged her so she couldn't even speak.
But still—Carmine was not going to bow to this perverted woman's tyranny!
This was Kitakami's Civic Hall—if she could just make enough noise, someone would come rescue her.
She just needed an opportunity.
She also couldn't help but wonder—what was this woman's connection to that "golden beast girl," and why did they look so alike?
While she was still mulling it over, Lusamine suddenly threw out a question:
"Do you want your freedom?"
"??"
Not sure what Lusamine was after, Carmine still nodded quickly.
"Good. Then… as long as you explain what you were doing at Haru's door, and follow my instructions from now on, I'll let you go. Can you do that?"
Carmine nodded again, more eagerly this time.
Apparently satisfied, Lusamine reached over and unfastened the gag.
And the instant she was granted "freedom of speech," Carmine turned toward the window and shouted at the top of her lungs:
"Help! I'm being held prisoner in Room 404 on the fourth floor! There's a pervert here!"
Hah? Explain? Follow her orders? As if!
Carmine was no fool—there was no way complying with this woman would end well.
Anyone who tied her up like this was clearly a serious pervert. People like that didn't just "let you go."
Better to draw the whole building's attention—her chances of escape were far greater that way.
Yet instead of rushing over in a panic to silence her, Lusamine simply stood there, arms crossed, a faint smile still playing on her lips.
"All done? Then let's continue."
She sat back down in her chair, crossing her pale legs, bare toes swaying in the light in a way that was dangerously enticing.
"You… you're really not afraid? You could still run away now, you know."
Carmine was stunned.
This "kidnapper's" actions were clearly illegal—so why was she so calm?
Surely… surely this entire building wasn't under her control?
No way… the Kitakami Civic Hall, infiltrated?
"Why would I be afraid? When did you get the idea I hadn't already sealed this place? The power of Pokémon is amazing, isn't it?"
"And a certain big-name director has graciously agreed to cooperate with my little performance… After last time's failure, we won't be messing it up again."
Hearing that she was using Pokémon powers to commit crimes, Carmine was furious.
"Using Pokémon for this… you're not even human!"
"I'd rather not be called that by someone who's basically a criminal-in-training."
"I've been watching Haru closely. I saw you 'passing by' his room five times—and even once trying to open his lock. Don't you think that looks a lot like a thief?"
"Or will you try to convince me you were just 'passing by'?"
"?? You were watching him? Why?"
"Because Haru and I have a gym leader's camaraderie. Isn't it normal to keep an eye on his love life?"
Normal?! And wasn't Haru's girlfriend Lillie?
Carmine was baffled.
"I just… had something I wanted his help with, but didn't know how to bring it up. I'm not a thief."
"Oh, is that so? A troublesome favor, then…"
Lusamine's smile deepened, and Carmine couldn't shake the feeling she was hatching some sort of scheme.
"In that case, I can tell you—Haru agreeing to help you is highly unlikely."
"From the way you hesitated, I can tell your request is either something Haru has no interest in, or something difficult.
"And unfortunately for you, he's got more than enough on his plate already—no time for unrelated matters.
"So your chances of rejection are extremely, extremely high. And that's not just scare talk."
Carmine bristled. "And what makes you so sure?"
"Because I know Haru very well—our relationship is deeper than you think. I understand how he operates.
"If it interests him, he'll help without being asked.
"But if it doesn't—well, even if you're on your knees clutching his pants leg, it won't work."
"…"
At that, Carmine fell silent.
Deep down, she knew—asking Haru for help here was a stretch.
On their first day in Kitakami, she'd gone out of her way to provoke Haru's girlfriend. It was hard to believe Haru would have any goodwill toward her.
They weren't even from the same school, so whether he helped or not had no impact on him.
And as for Kieran himself—ever since Ogerpon appeared, his attitude toward Haru had grown worse and worse…
After going "dark," he was obsessed with reclaiming "his" ogre, then trampling Haru underfoot.
From any angle, Haru had no reason to help her—or Kieran.
But if Haru wouldn't help… who could she turn to? Lillie, the Legendary Pokémon holder?
Unlikely.
Or their supervising teacher, Briar?
Don't be ridiculous—Briar had no combat ability whatsoever, just a Terastalization researcher. What could she possibly do for Kieran?
Just as Carmine was sinking deeper into "despair," Lusamine's tone suddenly shifted.
"That said… it's not completely hopeless."
"??"
Carmine perked up. "What do you mean?"
"Offer Haru a reward so tempting he can't refuse. If the payment moves him, the matter becomes much easier."
"But… I don't have anything that could tempt him."
"Then you're asking the right person! First—take off your clothes. I'll re-tie you myself."
"???"
---
With Liko in tow, Haru smoothly regrouped downstairs with Lillie, who was keeping an eye on Iono and Sabrina.
Lillie didn't seem to mind Liko's sudden appearance.
From her observations over the past few days, even ten Likos combined posed less threat than one Iono—never mind compared to Lusamine's crowd.
And Haru had personally vouched for Liko, saying she had a fated connection to Kitakami and the Legendary she carried.
On matters like that, Lillie had always taken Haru at his word. Since he said so, she chose to believe it.
But just as the three were about to visit Ogerpon and the Rocket Trio Haru had hidden away somewhere, a girl stepped out from the Civic Hall.
"Well, hello there. What are you all up to?"
It was Carmine—waving at them, her movements oddly stiff.
***************************
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