Catch Feelings, Not Just Pokemon

What exactly was the deal between me and Sabrina?

What else could it be? You already know, don't you? Why even ask me?

If he could, Haru really wanted to shoot back with that retort.

But he couldn't—he didn't have the right.

When it came to Sabrina, Haru knew he owed Lillie an apology.

Even after getting together with Lillie, Haru had still somehow gotten involved with other women for various... bizarre reasons, betraying the bond he had with her.

But to be fair, at the time, Haru honestly didn't feel that way about it.

Deep down, he still saw Lillie as a "junior"—not a lover—so naturally he didn't feel the guilt of emotional betrayal.

It didn't help that most of the people Haru interacted with were older than Lillie.

Plus, he'd shared gym experiences with many women—just not with Lillie. Subconsciously, that made him continue to treat her like a little girl.

It wasn't until last night that he finally realized—despite still being a bit of a file and vise—Lillie had matured a lot emotionally.

No matter how he looked at it, he shouldn't have "overlooked" her like that. Lillie was a thoughtful, sensitive girl.

But unfortunately, Haru had already entangled himself with too many women—and the lascivious deity Mew had been messing with him, consciously or not.

As a result, Haru would sometimes do things that no normal person would understand—completely naturally.

Sabrina was a prime example.

That thing he said at first about "ripping her tights"? That really was just a dumb joke… but somehow it spiraled into actions that really shouldn't have happened.

Thinking about it now, Haru couldn't help but feel a surge of guilt.

Damn it, it's all Mew's fault! If it weren't for Mew, Haru would still be a decent man!

But it was too late to go back.

Lost in self-reproach, Haru nervously rubbed his hands together under the intense gaze of the girl before him.

"Um… it really was all just… unexpected."

"But Lillie, the one I love the most has always been you!"

"Really now?"

The blonde girl held her face in her hands, visibly pleased.

But in the very next second, she snapped out of it. She was still interrogating Haru—how could she let him break her momentum like that?

So, she quickly resumed her stern expression.

"Then tell me—will this kind of thing happen again, Mr. Haru?"

"I swear it won't! No more shady deals from now on!"

Haru looked deadly serious, his tone dripping with sincerity.

"Then what about the deal with that woman?"

"And what about those other women in Alola?"

In truth, the usually gentle Lillie hadn't wanted to interrogate Haru.

Back when Sabrina first showed up, she already suspected something was going on between her and Haru.

Still, Lillie had chosen not to confront him. She just pretended she didn't know anything.

After all, that's just how Mr. Haru was—somehow, random women would always get interested in him.

But after hearing about the kind of deal Sabrina had made with Haru—and then showing up during his battle against Team Rocket and hearing what he'd said to Ogerpon—Lillie couldn't take it anymore.

Loving Pokémon wasn't the issue—but Ogerpon looked a little too much like a human. That reminded Lillie all too vividly of that time Necrozma had ended up "devolving" into a little-girl lotus form.

Her instincts screamed at her: if Ogerpon got mixed in with Haru's crew of unruly Pokémon, she might very well become the next Necrozma.

After everything that had happened in such a short time, Lillie was... jealous.

So right after Haru's battle with Team Rocket ended, she started her interrogation.

"..."

But faced with Lillie's questioning, Haru was at a loss.

Everything she asked was extremely difficult to answer—no matter which one it was.

As for Alola... that whole situation was already a complete mess, no matter how he handled it.

And with Sabrina—if he suddenly broke their deal, it would mess up his entire upcoming plan...

Noticing Haru growing more and more flustered, the girl who'd originally intended to torment him for a while finally softened her stance.

"Sigh... Mr. Haru. Since the deal is already made, and Sabrina's even paid her 'deposit,' then let's just carry it out as agreed."

"Even I don't have the right to force you to become someone who breaks their promises."

"As for those people in Alola... I'd just like to ask you not to see them during this time."

"I understand."

Seeing Lillie ease up, Haru felt like he'd been granted a royal pardon.

He really was terrified of Lillie's interrogations.

Anyone else, he could take it. But Lillie? He couldn't handle her wrath.

Because Lillie had always been the one getting hurt. It was always others who wronged her—never the other way around.

If she ever used that moral high ground to make him promise something impossible… guilt might just force him to agree.

Not that his feelings wouldn't shift afterward...

Fortunately, Lillie hadn't chosen to go that far.

For now, he'd follow her lead. At least make things look good on the surface, right?

As for other women? The fewer, the better!

...However, neither Haru nor Lillie realized that a certain rich blonde from Alola was already packing her bags.

She'd promised Lillie not to go to Paldea on her own—but Haru wasn't even in Paldea right now, was he?

Besides, it's not like she was "going of her own volition"—being express-shipped to Kitakami hardly counts as voluntary, right?

---

Back in Kitakami, Haru and Lillie hadn't exactly been keeping their conversation a secret—so Kieran, who was nearby, had heard everything.

He didn't speak up to interrupt them, but his mind grew darker by the second.

Women from Alola... women from Team Rocket...

What's so great about that guy, anyway? Having a mythical Pokémon is one thing, but why is everyone flocking to him?

Is it just because he's good-looking? Has the world really gotten this shallow?

And on top of that, this guy wants to take Ghost from him.

Back then, he tried to stop me—it was probably just to keep me away from Ghost.

Figures... only this kind of "main character" gets everything handed to him.

Kieran's expression darkened even further, lost in thoughts no one could hear.

---

Golden light filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing a wide office in the Kanto region with a soft glow.

The office decor was primarily dark-toned, with a few expensive abstract paintings on the walls, creating an atmosphere both grounded and contemporary.

A massive black marble desk dominated the room, topped with a sleek computer and a few carefully arranged files.

In front of the desk sat a man in a crisp suit.

He didn't look particularly remarkable—his receding hairline was worryingly severe, the typical look of a middle-aged salaryman.

But unlike most office workers, his eyes were piercing and deep—like he could see through your soul and uncover your darkest secrets.

He carried a unique presence. Just by sitting there, he exuded an overwhelming, suffocating pressure.

Curled up lazily beside his arm was a light-yellow Siamese cat, occasionally nuzzling against him.

Yes—this seemingly average "office worker" was none other than the true mastermind of Team Rocket: Giovanni.

He was currently listening to a report from one of his subordinates regarding recent intel from the field.

But the moment Sabrina's name came up, his hand froze mid-pet.

"Sabrina's defected? And she appeared in Kitakami?"

Sure, every now and then, some of his people would get caught up in sentimentality and 'bonds' or whatever and abandon Team Rocket.

Some even joined the enemy to fight back against him.

But Sabrina, Koga, and Proton were his personally selected executives—their loyalty shouldn't have been in question. How could Sabrina betray him so easily?

Of the three, she was the strongest—and the one he trusted the most.

He understood that someone like Sabrina would never fit into normal society. Team Rocket was the only place for her.

There were many in Team Rocket just like her—outcasts and misfits. Giovanni welcomed them all equally.

If villains had their own "messiah," then Giovanni was it.

And yet... she still chose betrayal.

He'd even gotten a report from Proton that Sabrina had been captured by an enemy.

He'd already started making arrangements to rescue her from this Haru character.

But now... there was no need.

In fact, now he needed to eliminate her.

As a high-ranking executive, Sabrina knew too much. There was no reason to let her live.

"Inform Koga and Proton—the mission has changed. Eliminate Sabrina and that man. Ensure none of our secrets leak."

"I'll send reinforcements to support them. Use any means necessary."

He had briefly considered going himself—especially to see that mysterious Legendary Pokémon mentioned in the intel.

But with everything going on in Team Rocket lately, his schedule was too tight.

Managing a massive underground organization wasn't easy.

Just looking at his hairline—worse than Ash's—and you could tell how much work he did every day.

Even so, he hadn't fallen behind in Pokémon battling one bit.

In fact, his strength likely exceeded that of most Elite Four—and may have even touched the realm of Champions.

Even against a Legendary Pokémon, Giovanni wouldn't hesitate to send out his Beedrill and fight toe-to-toe. He had confidence he could take it down.

So Haru's so-called Legendary hadn't scared him. It intrigued him.

"Yes, Giovanni, sir! I'll make all the arrangements!"

The subordinate's eyes gleamed with near-fanatical admiration, even as he bowed.

He knew Giovanni wasn't a "good guy," but that didn't stop him—or many other Team Rocket members—from worshipping him.

"Go."

Giovanni picked up his pen, casually waving his other hand.

But just as the subordinate reached the door, Giovanni called out again:

"Oh, one more thing."

"How is the Mewtwo project progressing?"

"Sir! After that battle with Mew, we managed to recover one of her leftover hairs. From that, we successfully extracted the necessary genes."

"All other preparations are complete. As soon as we merge human DNA with Mew's, we'll be able to create a Pokémon that truly surpasses gods."

Giovanni nodded slightly, voice calm:

"Good. Continue screening human gene candidates. Only the strongest will be used for Mewtwo's genome."

"We must create the ultimate Pokémon."

"Yes, Giovanni, sir! We've narrowed it down to three candidates."

"But one of them is… the man you ordered killed—Haru. As a human, his physical attributes and genetic profile are almost unnaturally ideal."

"That man, huh? Hmm..."

Giovanni furrowed his brow, then slowly relaxed, a small smile playing at his lips.

"Interesting. I didn't plan on using him—but this could turn into quite the show."

"Filicide... isn't that an entertaining idea?"

"Continue with the plan. I'll think more about the gene selection."

The subordinate bowed again and rushed off to continue the work.

To serve Giovanni was an honor! Creating a godlike being? Just the thought was enough to make him tremble with excitement.

This was a feat no one had ever achieved.

Giovanni twirled his pen thoughtfully after the man left.

"God's power, huh?"

"In the end, even that will just be another tool for me."

Artificial Pokémon weren't new—people had created Mythicals in ancient times.

But a Legendary? That would be a first.

Especially when the base was Mew—the Pokémon said to contain the genes of all others.

There was no doubt that this unborn Pokémon held terrifying power.

And it would be completely under his control...

With Mewtwo's power, Giovanni's underground empire could expand without limits.

While Team Rocket was busy building Haru's "son," the Mask Festival in Kitakami had already begun.

Iono had wanted to attend the festival with Haru, but just as she was choosing a yukata, Lillie called her away.

Then—somehow—she got dumped into Nemona's hands. Something about a Gym Challenge?

Yep—on the day of the festival, Nemona had her heart set on completing the Electric-type Gym challenge.

And with Iono—the walking Gym—right beside her, how could she resist?

But once Iono realized she'd been tricked, she immediately fled using the classic excuse: "My roommate Rick forgot to unplug the charger."

When she arrived at Haru's place... they were already gone.

Fuming, Iono grabbed her prepared mask and yukata and ran off.

The Mask Festival was held near the center of Kitakami—basically halfway up the mountain.

If she ran fast enough, she might still catch them before they got there.

As long as she kept an eye out while approaching the venue, she'd be fine.

...What she didn't expect was that Haru and Lillie weren't in a rush at all. In fact, they hadn't made it very far before stopping under a torii gate, cuddling and whispering sweet nothings.

Originally, Haru had intended to head straight for the festival—but Lillie looked so ridiculously cute today, he just wanted to spend a little time alone with her.

Ten or twenty minutes later wouldn't make a difference, right?

And Iono, focused solely on speed, didn't check any of the cozy little hiding spots on the way up—so she completely missed them.

Not really her fault. Everything just... lined up too perfectly.

"Haru," Lillie murmured from his lap, her lips brushing against his ear, "you've been paying close attention to this festival in Kitakami. Is there a reason?"

"Yeah," Haru replied. "Ogerpon's likely to appear there. If I want to catch her, this is my best chance."

"You... really like that Pokémon, huh?"

Lillie couldn't help but frown at the mention of that name again.

Haru had no idea she was actually jealous of a Pokémon, so he nodded without hesitation:

"Of course! Isn't she adorable? I've always wanted to raise one like her at home."

"Then, Haru... once you catch her, what are you planning to do?"

"Are you... going to raise her the same way you did with Mew and Necrozma?"

"Huh? What?!"

It was only then that Haru realized Lillie had completely misunderstood, and he hurried to explain.

"No way! I really do just like her as a Pokémon, that's all!"

"When it comes to those kinds of feelings... the only one I love is you, Lillie."

As Iono rushed past them, Haru whispered those words into Lillie's ear.

"Then... as a reward, I'll tell you something, Mr. Haru."

"The Pokémon you've been looking for… is right behind you."

Nestled in Haru's arms, Lillie gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek before pointing toward the pitch-black woods behind him.

"...?"

Haru whipped his head around—and sure enough, he spotted a Pokémon peeking out from behind a tree, half its face visible, its eyes blinking curiously.

Who else could it be but Ogerpon?

She didn't go to the festival to stir up trouble—she actually came looking for him?

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