Catch Feelings, Not Just Pokemon

Cold. Shivering.

Even with her eyes closed, Iono could still feel the distant sunlight piercing through.

It was as if she were being forced to stare straight at the noon sun.

Yet her body felt none of the expected warmth—only a deep, bone-chilling cold that clung to her like a shadow.

Confusing, strange, and above all, a creeping sense of discomfort.

What… happened?

Her sore muscles twitched slightly before she finally opened her eyes.

Then, memories she had nearly forgotten came flooding back all at once—everything that happened the night before.

She had challenged Haru with a surprise move… but something had gone wrong afterward. Did her sneak attack even succeed?

Her body still ached like she had been through a titanic battle all night.

Ever since becoming a Gym Leader, she'd never experienced anything so physically draining.

After several seconds, her mind finally cleared, and last night's events came into focus.

Oh, right!

They had a Pokémon battle, didn't they?

She had challenged Haru first, hoping to take him down with momentum on her side.

She had thought she had the upper hand—but in the end, she was utterly defeated without putting up much resistance.

She even fainted from exhaustion.

Then what about…

Lillie, that traitor who stood by and did nothing? Was she still in Haru's room?

Recalling Lillie's "watch-from-the-sidelines" behavior last night, Iono felt her anger rise again.

Not only had Lillie refused to help, she even pulled up a chair and watched from the side like a spectator—what kind of person does that?!

Had she run away in fear after Iono lost consciousness?

Or… did she seize the opportunity to turn things around and take on Haru herself?

Probably the former.

Lillie had been acting odd, but she didn't seem like the type to confront a frenzied Haru directly.

Even if given the chance to one-up him, she'd likely choose to retreat.

Still fuming, Iono pushed herself off the floor, ignoring the soreness that still lingered in her muscles.

After lying on the ground all night, even her cheeky Pawmot felt like it had been flattened.

Luckily, her Pawmot was resilient—it hadn't been turned into a fried egg just yet.

After checking herself over, she sighed in relief.

At least the floor wasn't as hard as she feared.

Yes, the floor—not a bed.

She had passed out on the tatami mat last night. No one had even bothered to cover her with a blanket.

That must be why she felt so cold… only the sunlight from between the curtains had reached her face.

Now fully awake, Iono looked around—no sign of either Haru or Lillie.

A glance at the clock told her it was already noon.

Well, she wasn't officially part of this outdoor excursion. Otherwise, someone would've dragged her up by now.

In any case, time to check in and see what's going on. Even if the plan failed this time, there'd be plenty more chances.

She just had to be more careful with experimental methods next time... Haru seemed to have unusual reactions to certain stimuli.

After freshening up, Iono stepped out of the room.

After wandering around a bit, she spotted both Haru and Lillie.

By now, the joint outdoor activity between the two academies had begun.

According to the plan, students from both schools were to pair up and explore the "legends" of Kitakami Village.

Most of the students had already set off, showing a fair bit of interest in the event.

Of course, not everyone followed the teachers' pairings…

Or maybe they agreed to the assignments, only to change course once Ms. Briar left.

Lillie, Nemona, Liko, and two students from Blueberry Academy—Carmine and Kieran—had all gathered around Haru.

To Iono, this whole setup felt very suspicious.

Carmine seemed to be arguing with Lillie, red-faced and clearly agitated.

Lillie, on the other hand, wore a smile and had both arms wrapped around Haru's right arm, completely unfazed.

In fact, the more aggressive Carmine got, the more amused Lillie seemed—refusing to let go of Haru's arm, like a victor mocking the defeated.

Kieran and Liko simply huddled off to the side, worried the whole group might start brawling.

Thankfully, Carmine eventually cooled down, giving Haru the chance to speak:

"Don't you guys have anything else to do? You've all got assigned partners for this hike, don't you?"

"They didn't come find you?"

He rubbed his temple, a headache beginning to set in.

These kids might be young, but none of them were easy to deal with.

They weren't as cunning as Lusamine's crowd, but their seemingly innocent demeanor made it easier to get caught off guard—especially Lillie.

In more ways than one.

Yes, Haru had fully pieced together what had happened last night.

And in the course of "mentoring" Lillie, his mind had cleared up completely.

From that point on, everything was done of his own volition… like trying to promote a Saratoga-class to a Yukinoshita-class.

Even now, Haru felt it might've been too soon to involve Lillie.

It would've been better to wait a few more years—by then, she'd probably have trained her boobs well.

After all, she had Lusamine's genes. No way she'd be underdeveloped, right?

But what was done was done, and Haru couldn't exactly reject her now—though doing it in front of a passed-out Iono had been awkward.

In retrospect, he may have inadvertently made Iono collateral damage—though arguably, she'd brought it on herself.

If she hadn't marched in so boldly, she wouldn't have ended up as someone's plaything…

Today, Haru had planned to spend the day with Lillie in Kitakami, just the two of them, enjoying the local scenery like a proper date.

But of course, trouble never seemed to leave him alone.

Once the students began their activities, those two local siblings—Carmine and Kieran—showed up again.

They were both a handful… and Haru had no desire to get further involved.

He just wanted to send them on their way, maybe convince them to join the step-tracking activity on social media.

Besides, Carmine clearly didn't get along with Lillie. Maybe she'd be scared off by Lillie's presence.

But things didn't go according to plan.

After calming down a bit, Carmine suddenly pushed her brother forward and said enthusiastically:

"No worries! We've already been assigned different partners. It's fine."

"Besides, I heard you're investigating the 'ghost' legend, right? Are you planning to face it?"

"Our Kieran is really into ghost stories! And after watching your battle yesterday, he totally idolizes you, Lillie."

"He mentioned your name a dozen times last night."

"So, how about letting Kieran guide you guys on the investigation?"

"He knows more about the ghost's whereabouts than anyone else in town!"

Carmine genuinely meant well—her little brother was so withdrawn, and even though she never said it out loud, she hoped he'd make some friends.

But maybe her words hit a nerve.

Kieran, usually timid, suddenly raised his head and shouted:

"No! I don't want to defeat the ghost! It's not a bad guy!"

Carmine didn't bat an eye. She was used to his outbursts.

"Don't mind him," she said with a wave. "Boys his age think villains are cool. Totally normal."

"You don't understand anything!"

Kieran scoffed and turned away, unwilling to argue further.

"What did you say?!"

Her timid little brother had actually talked back! Carmine, already on edge, was now genuinely angry.

"Then tell me, how do you know the ghost isn't bad? Got any proof?"

"…"

Kieran couldn't answer.

Because he didn't have proof.

He stayed silent, hunched over like a stone—refusing to admit she had a point.

Haru didn't comment either way.

Whatever the siblings' dynamic was, he knew the truth.

From his godlike perspective, Haru knew that Kieran didn't really understand the ghost's story.

He admired the ghost because it was strong… and because its isolation reminded him of himself.

That was it. He called the ghost a "good guy" because he needed it to be.

Truth didn't matter to him.

In his mind, the ghost had already become something else: strong, cool, fearless.

He'd even ventured into the Crystal Pool many times, hoping to meet the ghost face to face.

But from what Haru knew… the ghost (Ogerpon) had no interest in Kieran.

She wasn't the brave, cool figure he imagined.

She didn't even want to be a ghost.

She was just a lonely Pokémon, afraid of being alone.

"Alright, let's end this here."

Haru cut in, growing bored of the sibling squabble. Then he looked at them:

"As for bringing Kieran along…"

"We've got some personal business. It might not be appropriate."

Because of certain developments in The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero, Haru wasn't interested in Kieran.

Plus, this was supposed to be his and Lillie's day. Why bring a third wheel?

"But I think Nemona wouldn't mind."

"If we're talking about strong trainers, Nemona definitely qualifies. And she's interested in Kitakami's legends too."

…At least enough to want to beat up the "ghost" once she found it.

To stop Nemona from objecting, Haru added:

"Nemona, if you agree, I'll battle you with that pink Pokémon back in Paldea."

Nemona, who had been quietly spectating, blinked in surprise and pointed at herself.

"Eh? Me?"

"You'll really battle me with that Pokémon? Seriously?!"

Although it was just a verbal promise from Haru, Nemona was completely fired up.

She wanted to improve so badly! Haru's promise was irresistible to her.

We're talking about Mythical Pokémon, after all—Mythical Pokémon! Anyone who could resist that offer had to be some kind of saint.

"Alright! Then before we start our activities… let's battle!"

"Let me see your strength, Kieran-kun."

"But I should warn you in advance, I will be using Terastallization in our battle—and I'm very strong!"

"Eh? I'm battling someone with a Tera Orb?"

Kieran, who hadn't done anything and yet somehow found himself unceremoniously scheduled into a battle, was completely dumbfounded.

He did admire Lillie's strength and wanted to get closer to those who possessed power.

But… he had this nagging feeling that he'd just fallen into the clutches of a truly terrifying woman.

And it was clear she had zero interest in him—yet she was apparently coming at him with her full power right off the bat.

From what Kieran knew about Paldea, he understood that only true elites were qualified to possess a Tera Orb and perform Terastallization.

Which meant… was he about to get completely wiped out?

Whatever Kieran was thinking, he kept to himself.

At the very least, after Haru had promised Liko some "private tutoring" and Iono a "night-time gym challenge variant,"

They finally got a brief taste of freedom…

Carmine had wanted to battle Haru herself, but she was quickly dragged away by the overenthusiastic Nemona.

And just like that, Nemona successfully established her image as a "battle maniac" in the hearts of both Carmine and Kieran.

Soon enough, this brother-sister duo started to develop a sense of fear toward Nemona…

She had raised way too many Pokémon—and her battle fervor was downright scary…

Other people might rest after one match, but she? She'd keep going until she physically couldn't anymore, pushing every fight to the absolute limit.

To make matters worse, her Pokémon were well trained and terrifyingly strong—each one could one-shot many of Kieran and Carmine's own partners.

And Nemona thoroughly enjoyed this fish-in-a-barrel kind of fighting—getting more and more hyped as she went…

That damn man! I never should've been so nice to him! He actually dumped me and Kieran into the hands of this demon woman!

Hmph! I will find a chance to teach him a proper lesson later!

So thought Carmine, all while struggling to survive Nemona's outrageously intense offensive.

---

Putting aside all the ghost stories and legends, Kitakami Village was, in fact, quite a beautiful scenic spot.

Sure, it lacked the conveniences of city life, but it gave people a certain sense of peace and quiet.

Lillie, wearing a straw hat, was walking hand in hand with Haru along a narrow country path, swinging their clasped hands up and down as she strolled, looking utterly content.

"Mr. Haru, you actually know quite a lot about the ghost legends of Kitakami Village, don't you?"

Lillie had long ago sensed something unusual about Haru.

Her Mr. Haru seemed to know an awful lot about those mythical Pokémon.

Whether it was Legendary or Sub-Legendary, whether from Paldea or Alola, her Mr. Haru always had something to say about them.

Sometimes, Lillie even wondered if her Mr. Haru wasn't actually a secret alternate account of the Creation God himself—

Like… Arceus or something?

"Yeah, I know more than most of the locals, at least."

Haru felt there was no longer any need to hide this sort of thing from Lillie, so he simply nodded.

Even if Lillie had done something only "naughty kids" would do yesterday, she was still someone he could trust.

"Then… is that ghost really a villain?"

"Nope. That's slander against Ogerpon. The real villains are those three Loyal Three and that Pokémon named Pecharunt."

"As for Ogerpon herself—she's just a pitiful victim. Her belongings were stolen, and then she got saddled with a terrible reputation on top of it."

Haru crouched down in front of the girl in the sunhat, gently ruffling her hair as he explained with a smile.

"Then… no one ever stood up to defend her?"

Lillie didn't doubt Haru's words for a second.

But she couldn't understand the behavior of the people in Kitakami Village.

Weren't they all good people? Why had no one ever spoken up for this Pokémon named Ogerpon?

Didn't that make her even more pitiful?

"It wouldn't have helped. Humans aren't as pure as Pokémon. For most of them, profit outweighs the truth."

"Right now, the people of Kitakami are using the Loyal Three's reputation to build up their tourism industry. And now that the truth is unraveling... well, that's not something they're ready to accept."

"Besides, a lie repeated a thousand times becomes the truth. And the lies about Ogerpon? They've been repeated far more than that."

"If Ogerpon truly wants to shed her undeserved infamy, she has two choices—make a big enough stir that even the outside world knows the truth…"

"Or… she leaves this sorrowful place altogether."

Haru stood up, still smiling as he said this.

"Which is why, in the end, sticking with one's Trainer is the best outcome—Nya~"

A voice piped up—Mew, who had been invisible and lingering nearby, suddenly spoke. But Haru quickly returned the grinning Pokémon to its Poké Ball.

"How can it be like this…"

"So in the end… all she can do is run away?"

Lillie bit her lip, falling silent for a moment, then looked Haru straight in the eyes and said with unwavering resolve:

"If everything you said is true, Mr. Haru…"

"Then—I want to help her!"

"Even if that means hurting other people's interests… it doesn't matter?"

Haru's smile didn't fade—in fact, it only grew brighter.

"No matter what, it's wrong to build your interests on the suffering of the innocent."

"I can't accept that. Not ever."

Her voice was quiet, but her words carried a firm, unwavering conviction.

"Mr. Haru, I want to help her!"

"I understand. I'll help you."

"But—I have a better idea."

Yes… this was the Lillie he liked. Gentle on the outside but strong, upright, and selfless within.

Even when faced with a truly thorny problem, she wouldn't run away.

How could Haru not give his full support to a girl like that?

But right then—Mew, who had just been returned to the Poké Ball, suddenly popped out again.

"Boss, this might be a bad time, but I gotta say it—nya."

"Someone around here seems to be spying on you. And... that one who dares to covet my rightful place is approaching this way-with Sabrina in tow."

"You'd better be ready—nya."

With that, it dove back into its Poké Ball.

"...?"

Wait—what?! Sabrina and Necrozma are coming? Now?!

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