Catch Feelings, Not Just Pokemon

Sabrina was a bona fide psychic—a psychic several levels stronger than the average Esper.

Sure, she couldn't shoot laser beams from coins or manipulate electromagnetic fields to take on the entire world single-handedly.

But if she simply wanted to escape from that dark underground room, it'd be an easy task.

If no one was guarding her, it was very possible that the moment Haru stepped out, she'd break free and bolt.

If that happened, all the lies Haru had spun for her would unravel on the spot.

So before leaving Paldea, Haru had deliberately left Necrozma behind to keep her in check, with a strict order: under no circumstances was Sabrina to be allowed to leave the basement.

No matter how unpredictable Sabrina was, surely even she couldn't outmatch a top-tier, Psychic-type deity like the mighty Necrozma acting as her warden.

To stave off boredom, Haru had even asked Mew to leave her a pile of game consoles…

If Sabrina ever got restless, she could at least kill some time gaming.

So why was Necrozma here now—with Sabrina in tow?

This place was absolutely off-limits. If Lillie discovered them here, the whole situation would explode.

And, of course, Haru just happened to be with Lillie at that very moment. If Sabrina casually brought up the word "deal," wouldn't that just…

No good. At the very least, Haru had to protect his image in front of Lillie.

With that in mind, Haru crouched down beside the girl, trying to quietly convince Lillie to leave first.

Too bad Necrozma's arrival was way faster than he expected.

Before he could even open his mouth, a glowing Ultra Wormhole opened in front of him. From within, a dainty, pale hand reached out.

"Master, I heard Team Rocket is planning to ambush you!"

"But fear not—I've brought Sabrina to rescue you! We'll make sure those Team Rocket scum don't leave here alive!"

As the speaker made this bold declaration, she stepped fully out of the wormhole to reveal her true self.

Mew hadn't lied. It was Necrozma.

Except… she'd changed her appearance again.

Her face was mostly the same, but her body had somehow shrunk. And she was now wearing an extravagant kimono.

If Haru had to describe it, this "loli-version" of Necrozma looked like a miniaturized Lana.

Except this mini-Lana had a strange, almost sultry flush on her face—like she'd just watched one of Mew's latest scandalous blockbusters. No matter how you looked at her, she gave off major succubus gremlin energy.

Which is why… Haru found himself strangely tempted by her.

He wanted to just pin her down right here in the wilderness, force her into submission, and teach both her and Sabrina a harsh lesson about "listening to your Master."

If only Lillie wasn't here! That kind of fantasy could wait—for now, it was more important to not blow his cover with her.

"..."

But that, sadly, was easier said than done.

The moment Lillie got a good look at the newcomer—a black-haired, kimono-clad psychic loli with brat energy—her eyes sharpened like daggers.

These two clearly came here for Haru.

So… what exactly was their relationship to him?

Could it be that once again, without her knowing, Haru had gotten tangled up with more of those "dubious" women?

And the kimono loli had even called him "Master"? Could it be…

Noticing Lillie's expression shift, Haru hurriedly turned to Necrozma and scolded her:

"Necrozma, what the hell are you doing?! Why'd you bring out the Team Rocket officer we captured? Aren't you worried she'll escape?"

"It won't be so easy to catch one of their executives again!"

While berating her, he subtly gave Necrozma a look, hoping she'd get the hint and play along with the "official business" angle.

Right now, the most urgent task was to explain the situation to Lillie.

If he could get her to believe that Sabrina was just a prisoner, then everything would smooth over.

And with the mention of Team Rocket—a dangerous criminal group—maybe Lillie would forget her suspicions for a moment and start worrying about his safety…

As long as Necrozma and Sabrina didn't say anything out of line, this crisis could be contained.

In times like this, controlling the conversation was all Haru could do.

But Necrozma seemed completely oblivious to the hint. She casually tossed the dizzy Sabrina at him and laughed, hands on hips:

"Don't worry, Master! I've been watching her the whole time—there's no way your plaything would run away!"

"Plaything?"

Lillie's eyes narrowed.

That word—plaything—was practically a trauma trigger.

Back during the Alola incident, it was that word that set everything off. Lana and Wicke had both lost their minds trying to make Haru new toys—all because Lusamine had cooked up that twisted plan.

If Lusamine hadn't come up with the idea of "toys," none of that would've happened…

And now? Haru was calling even Team Rocket executives his playthings?

So… Haru had a thing for bad girls, did he?

And Necrozma—she looked like this now. Was Haru seriously into Pokémon too?!

Oh god, Mew was the perfect example…

Lillie suddenly realized: it wasn't just other women she had to be wary of—even Haru's Pokémon needed monitoring.

Under Lillie's increasingly icy gaze, Haru did not catch the tossed Sabrina. He let her hit the ground, feigning innocence.

Oddly enough, the pain actually helped Sabrina recover a bit.

She rubbed her sore rear, glared up at Haru with a betrayed expression—almost as if asking, Why would you treat me so violently?

From what she'd learned from Necrozma, some people were actually into that kind of thing.

But Sabrina wasn't one of them. She couldn't fathom how warped someone would have to be to feel pleasure from pain.

"Ahem… Lillie, this isn't what it looks like."

In this moment of pure awkwardness, Haru's brain kicked into overdrive, desperately searching for a plausible explanation.

But the more he thought, the worse it seemed…

Lillie wasn't dumb—just innocent.

Sabrina was obviously a beautiful girl. Add in the word "plaything," and if Lillie didn't suspect anything, she wouldn't be Lillie—she'd be Eri-rin.

Yet, instead of blowing up like a typical jealous girl, Lillie calmly said:

"Why would I blame you, Haru?"

"I believe you'll make the right choice in the end… right?"

Though her face wore a soft smile, Haru could feel the pressure emanating from her.

The gentler Lillie got, the more terrified Haru became.

If she had just yelled at him, he'd at least know she was venting.

But now? She was bottling everything up. And when she finally snapped one day...

Terrifying.

But in truth, Lillie wasn't as angry as he feared.

After all she'd been through in Alola, her heart had grown tougher than steel. As long as Haru didn't pull anything truly outrageous, just a few more women weren't enough to shake her faith.

Still, Haru had to make his stance clear.

She was his true love—not these strays. One day, they'd all have to leave.

"Right... right?"

"Ah—yes, yes! Of course!"

Haru had originally wanted to smooth-talk his way out, but sensing Lillie's intensity, he changed his tone immediately.

Damn that Necrozma! She seriously had no sense of timing! Time to write her name in the little black book.

Necrozma, of course, had no idea her one comment had just earned her a spot on Haru's "revenge list."

Glancing around, she suddenly asked:

"Wait a sec, Master—where's Team Rocket? I thought they were supposed to be here?"

"That's what I want to know. Why'd you even think Team Rocket was here?"

Haru looked at the now-seated Sabrina, then at the barefoot mini-Lana dangling her feet by the wormhole, and said flatly:

"Team Rocket may be powerful, but they're not omnipresent."

Sure, this backwater village in Kitakami held four minor legendaries and a Mythical Pokémon. That was enough to draw their attention if they knew about it.

But those ancient legends? Way too vague. Team Rocket might not even care.

"I got the info from Sabrina."

"While I was teaching her to do a midair split."

"A midair what?"

Lillie perked up at the phrase.

If Sabrina was just a prisoner, why was she being trained in midair gymnastics?

What was the point of that?

"Yeah! A midair split!"

Completely oblivious to Lillie's increasingly dangerous tone, Necrozma nodded eagerly.

"If she can hold the pose and spin herself with psychic power, she can perform a 'Level-5 Fan Dance' for Master!"

"I'm sure he'd love that, right?"

"Get to the point!"

Haru finally lost it.

Damn it! Was Necrozma trying to kill him?!

Lillie's smile had been steadily fading for a while now.

If he let this go on, she'd snap for real.

Sensing the tension, Necrozma finally got a little more serious.

"Right, anyway—while we were practicing, I mentioned you'd gone to Kitakami."

"That's when Sabrina told me Team Rocket had people here, and that they were after the local legendaries."

"Three of the minor legendaries are still in recovery, so they haven't made their move yet."

"I rushed over, thinking they'd target you first. Guess I was wrong—they're more cautious than I thought."

She glanced at Sabrina.

If they were as reckless as her, we could've wiped them out already.

Even without words, Haru could feel that implication.

"What's their plan, then?"

Haru massaged his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

Sure, Kitakami was geographically close to Kanto, but in the game, there were no signs of Team Rocket showing up.

But then again, the game wasn't reality.

"I'm not sure. I didn't interact with them directly—I just overheard some things."

Despite the rough treatment, Sabrina still answered earnestly:

"But I do know the ones they sent here are elite Trainers. Even Giovanni's secretary, Matori, came along."

"They're trying to force out the 'Ghost' of Kitakami and offer it to Giovanni."

"And, of course, they won't spare the other legendary Pokémon either."

"Oh, Master wanted to meet the ghost too!"

Mew, having popped out of her Poké Ball at some point, chimed in cheerfully.

Just then, Necrozma turned northwest, pointing toward a grove of trees:

"Hey, is that the ghost you were talking about?"

Everyone turned to look—and spotted a small, cloaked Pokémon sprinting toward Oni Mountain on stubby legs.

Ogerpon?! She'd been nearby all along?

And he hadn't even noticed?!

Haru recognized the fleeing Pokémon instantly.

"Let's chase her down first!"

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