Was that really Mew?
After a battle without smoke or gunfire.
Haru sat on the edge of the bed, absentmindedly gnawing on the lollipop he'd casually swiped from Cynthia yesterday, sinking into thought.
He was still in a state of "primal regression," but the surge of adrenaline and "battle lust" that had driven him before had already ebbed away.
Simply put, he was now in a post-climactic lull—a sort of "sage time."
Not that he'd lost all ability to fight, but if he wanted to spark another battle, he'd definitely need a bit more external provocation—
like, say, Lusamine's hands-on "training," or Lillie cosplaying as Lusamine.
Beside him, Liko lay curled on her side, fast asleep.
Even so, Haru could clearly see that the girl in the cheongsam still had scorch marks on her thighs from the frenzied flames earlier—marks that were strikingly eye-catching.
Perhaps sensing his gaze even in her sleep, the girl's lips, dry from drinking some high-concentration liquid earlier, unconsciously smacked together.
As for "Lillie," she was already gone.
Haru had meant to track her down and confirm whether she was actually that keycap of Mew's.
But just as he'd thrown on a jacket and stepped into the hallway, he found that "Lillie" had vanished, as if she'd teleported.
So he could only let it go for now, telling himself he'd deal with it later.
In truth, when Haru first saw "Lillie" he'd all but convinced himself it was Mew—but in combat something had felt off.
Because while "Lillie" had been perfectly willing to serve as his "propellant" and "reload" him, she'd refused to take part in the battle itself.
That was completely unlike Mew.
If it were really Mew, she'd be the type to jump in gleefully, maybe even conjure up a whip or a feather duster for him to use.
In fact, Mew's kinks were practically identical to Lusamine's; she'd be dying for Haru to use all sorts of ridiculous methods on her.
If it really were Mew—that punishment-thirsty keycap—how could she pass up such a chance?
So… who was she?
Haru pulled out a Poké Ball, crunched the lollipop between his teeth, and tossed the ball lightly in his hand.
Just then, a voice he knew all too well drifted from the ball.
"Hi-hi~ Master, were you looking for me, nya?"
With that playful greeting, a tiny feline Pokémon appeared on his shoulder.
She swayed back and forth as she perched there, flicking her long tail under his chin to tease him.
"That 'Lillie' just now—was that you, Mew?"
Haru didn't bother with small talk and asked his question straight out.
"What Lillie? I've been hiding inside the ball playing Genshin the whole time, nya."
"I peek outside sometimes, but I never once left my Poké Ball, nya."
Mew drew back her tail and gave a long yawn.
For all her usual lies, this time she was actually telling the truth—she wasn't last night's Lillie.
…Well, part of the truth, anyway.
Since Haru hadn't asked about her live-streaming the scene, she could conveniently leave that out. Perfectly reasonable.
"You're sure it wasn't you?"
Seeing Mew's clean denial, Haru's expression grew serious.
If that "Lillie" really wasn't Mew, then whoever it was…
It couldn't be Lusamine all the way out in Alola, could it? Or Necrozma?
"Really not me, nya.
Oh—and definitely not Necrozma either, nya. She stayed quietly in her Poké Ball all night."
"…"
With another plausible suspect eliminated, Haru felt a creeping unease.
Besides Ditto and Mew, the remaining shapeshifters—human or Pokémon—were all bad news.
"Why not guess Cynthia, nya?"
"No way. Absolutely not!" Haru shot back immediately.
"Cynthia's far too proper to dress up as Lillie and sneak into my room for something like that!"
He scoffed at Mew's suggestion. In his mind, the chance of Cynthia "falling" was lower than the success rate of three straight Ultra Ball captures.
She had no motive at all.
And she didn't have the ability to transform into Lillie. She hadn't even seen Lillie in person.
"You're sure?"
Mew's tone took on a teasing edge, and Haru felt a sudden bad premonition.
He put a huge question mark over his own thoughts.
It shouldn't be… right?
After all, just the other day Cynthia had come rushing to him to "destroy the evidence" after wetting the bed.
That alone proved she still had plenty of pride and shame. Why would she suddenly disguise herself as Lillie and sneak into his room?
Even so, Haru resolved to discreetly test Cynthia later, to see if that "Lillie" had been her after all.
Meanwhile—
As Haru and Hakimun were discussing the night's events, Cynthia, back in her own room watching a recording, suddenly sneezed.
"Why do I feel so uneasy?"
The girl murmured to herself, fresh from the shower.
Above her, a little airplane-shaped Pokémon floated, staring down at her with huge, puzzled eyes.
Tonight, it felt like it had learned a lot—but also like it had learned nothing at all.
Humans really were fascinating.
==============================
When it came to her childhood friend Goh, Chloe liked to think she knew him fairly well.
Like her, Goh had little ambition to become a top-tier Trainer; he didn't seem to plan on training his Pokémon to be stronger either.
In her memories, his only pursuit was collecting—collecting more and more Pokémon until his Pokédex was complete.
Put simply, Goh had a serious collector's fetish; he treated Pokémon as precious collectibles.
Of course, Chloe didn't really mind.
It wasn't illegal, after all, and even if she disapproved, she had no right to stop him.
Not to mention, he was her childhood friend.
He might not be her closest friend, but he was definitely "in the okay range."
Yet… she had never felt this uneasy around him before.
At this moment, the boy walking ahead no longer felt like her friend at all—
but like some creature leading her step by step into an abyss.
After another two hundred meters, Chloe abruptly stopped.
She gripped her bag tightly, eyes locked on his back.
She didn't want to go any farther.
Some inner alarm told her that if she kept walking, disaster would be inevitable.
And so, still shaken from a recent accident, she decided to listen to her instincts.
Sensing something, Goh stopped as well.
He turned slowly and met her gaze head-on.
"What's wrong?" he asked calmly.
"I want to know who exactly you're taking me to meet—and why. Tell me, and then I'll decide whether to keep following you."
"Does it have to be like this?"
"It does."
The professor's daughter spoke with quiet firmness. She had made up her mind.
"…"
Goh stared into her eyes, a strange hesitation rising in his chest.
Was it really okay to sacrifice Chloe? She was his only friend. Could he just throw her away like that?
He didn't even know what those two dark figures would do with her.
Would it really just be a "sacrifice" in the… relationship sense? That would be bad enough—but what if it was more than that?
What if it threatened her life?
And more importantly, how could he be sure they'd keep their promise—
that after he handed her over, he'd actually get what he wanted?
Maybe he should test the waters by sacrificing one of his Pokémon first—offer up a token and see if they'd pay out.
That thought surfaced suddenly in his mind.
After wavering again and again, Goh finally decided it wasn't right to push his friend into the firepit just yet. Better to play it safe.
With that, Goh's tone softened.
"Forget it. If you don't want to come with me, go back for now."
"I've got something to do. We'll meet again later."
"Oh—and don't get involved with Haru anymore. He's bad news."
Tossing out that last warning, Goh turned and quickened his pace in another direction.
As he left, he couldn't help a wave of self-congratulation.
He was being such a good friend—so close to the power of legend, yet willing to let it go for Chloe's sake.
Who else could do that?
Compared to that, Chloe… tsk tsk tsk.
Arguing with him over some guy like Haru. Ridiculous.
Chloe watched Goh's figure recede into the distance but stayed where she was, motionless.
Three minutes later, a somewhat familiar voice called from behind her.
"Chloe?"
She spun around and found, to her surprise, that it was Cynthia—the same Cynthia she'd crossed paths with just last night.
"Cynthia! I didn't expect to run into you here!" she said, delighted.
"Is Trainer Haru here too? Is he nearby?"
"No, I just came out for a morning walk. Haru's still at the Alto Mare Sanctuary.
But if you want to see him, I can take you there now."
"That would be wonderful, thank you."
The excited girl bowed deeply to Cynthia.
"It's no trouble. He just called me, actually—said he had something to ask."
Still unaware of the trap ahead, Cynthia smiled and shook her Rotom Phone, then led Chloe—who had seen her heading out the night before—back toward town.
==============================
Meanwhile, Goh was darting through the alleys of Alto Mare like a man possessed, step by step descending into the city's shadowy underbelly until he seemed to merge with the darkness itself.
At last, he stopped before a decaying estate.
Time had gnawed away at most of it; only one small room still stood, the rest reduced to crumbling walls and overgrown weeds.
Vines crept along the walls and twisted over the window frames, whispering of past grandeur and present desolation. Flaking paint marked the passage of years.
Unlike last night, Goh now moved with the confidence of someone who knew the path by heart.
He scanned the surroundings twice to make sure no one was there before quietly pushing open the wooden door.
No sooner had he stepped inside than he saw the same two figures from last night—
hanging upside down from the chandelier like giant bats.
Though it was daytime, the room's light was so dim he could barely make out their forms.
"You failed."
The shadow on the left bared its mouth slightly, and in the faint light Goh glimpsed sharp fangs.
"I almost succeeded. But Chloe must have sensed something and refused to come with me."
"That's your problem. All I see is your incompetence."
"If you can't trick her, then use force—drug her, grab her. Do we really have to teach you such simple things?"
The voice was cold, enough to make his hair stand on end.
"You still doubt us. You still think we won't give you what we promised. Isn't that so?"
"I just…"
Caught out, Goh lifted his head to protest, but was cut off again.
"Enough. I'm not interested in your excuses.
As the price for doubting us, you will personally push the one you treasure most onto the bed of the one you hate most.
Do that, and we'll still grant you the power of Latios.
Fail, and get lost.
You're already worthless."
With those final words, the two shadows vanished into the air, leaving only Goh, his face twisted, standing in place.
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