Catch Feelings, Not Just Pokemon

A delivery? At this time?

To be honest, the moment Haru heard the news, his first reaction was that this package reeked of "suspicion" in every sense of the word.

He had already been in the Pokémon world for a while now, but there were still very few people he was truly familiar with.

And most of those people were all the way over in Alola—it was highly unlikely any of them would suddenly decide to send him a package.

Which raised the question:

If it didn't come from Alola, then where exactly did this mysterious parcel come from?

Especially considering that Kitakami right now… wasn't exactly peaceful.

Granted, Ogerpon hadn't corrupted the entire region like in the game's storyline, plunging the land into complete chaos.

But according to Haru's own observations, a considerable number of people were still under its influence.

Aside from Sabrina and Iono, the affected were all locals.

These locals showed a clear amplification of certain desires or impulses.

Once he confirmed this, Haru immediately contacted Naranja Academy and urged them to send someone to retrieve the students as soon as possible—to avoid any unexpected incidents.

After that, he planned to team up with Ogerpon to resolve the strange happenings in Kitakami—and maybe track down the ever-AWOL Necrozma while he was at it.

That said, perhaps because Ogerpon's influence hadn't fully taken root, the abnormal behavior of these locals wasn't so extreme that it raised alarm among the unaffected residents.

Instead, they just blamed it all on one thing:

"Ghosts."

Yes, even though they had no clue what was really happening, "ghosts" had always served as their local mythological scapegoat. So once again, the blame fell on this so-called villain of folklore.

After all, if you pin everything on the ghost, things just sort of… made sense.

Why were people acting so out of character?

Because it's a ghost—it's perfectly normal for ghosts to turn people evil, right?

Why was the ghost targeting the village?

Because it had never given up on destroying Kitakami. The moment it resurrected alongside its partner Pokémon, it came back to torment the villagers.

What's the ghost's ultimate goal?

To corrupt all the good people into becoming like it—then recruit them into its villainous organization and bring ruin to the land.

In short, Kitakami's so-called "ghost" had become the ultimate all-purpose scapegoat.

Anything strange that happened could be blamed on it.

And as for Ogerpon? She was extremely annoyed by all this.

Sure, she was a bit hot-headed, loved a good fight, and had a mischievous streak—but deep down she was still a kind and straightforward Pokémon.

So how had her reputation sunk to this level?

Clearly, everything was Pecharunt's fault.

Despicable locals!

Still, the residents of Kitakami didn't actually know what the "ghost" looked like. They'd just made up an image of some terrifying monster on their own.

Which was probably why, when Haru commanded Ogerpon to battle Munkidori, they didn't show much fear.

Instead, they speculated that Haru must've secretly caught some powerful local legendary Pokémon.

After all, Ogerpon's Terastallized mask had very distinct Kitakami flavor—like it belonged to a native Pokémon.

Also, the fact that Haru had managed to defeat both Munkidori and the "Fried Chicken" (Fezandipiti) had stirred up some resentment among the villagers...

It was like watching their beloved hometown hero get one-shot KO'd by some random outsider who showed up out of nowhere.

And to add insult to injury, the weapon he used was apparently one of their ancient sacred relics.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, a new, darker possibility crept into Haru's head:

Could this package… have been sent by some radical from Kitakami?

Was there a Graveler in there set to explode any second?

But then he shook his head and dismissed the idea.

No, no, the Pokémon world wasn't that grim… Kitakami's residents hadn't gone that far off the deep end.

Best to just go take a look himself.

Who knows? It might actually be a gift from someone.

Perhaps because he had stayed silent for too long, Lillie suddenly leaned in and asked curiously:

"Mr. Haru, what are you thinking about?"

"Want me to help you pick up that delivery?"

"No, no need."

Haru shook his head and quickly headed for the door. Before leaving, he turned and said to Lillie:

"Keep an eye on them while I'm gone. Make sure nothing else happens."

"I understand, Mr. Haru. I'll ask Nebby to help watch over them too."

The girl gave a soft nod and then smiled warmly at him:

"Be sure to come back soon, okay? I'll make you some porridge. It won't taste as good if it gets cold."

"Alright. Thanks, Lillie."

---

Following the staff member's guidance, Haru was soon brought to the so-called "delivery."

And the moment he saw it, his mood turned… complicated.

Why?

Because the package was so oddly shaped and sized that only two things came to mind:

One: a coffin.

Two: an adult toy for single men with a little too much free time.

Was this… someone's idea of a joke? Did someone actually send him a doll for… "special" use?

But who would be so bored?

And besides, barely anyone even knew he was living here.

Surely Clavell wouldn't go so far as to send him a "relief tool" to stop him from getting inappropriate with students… right?

Or maybe someone back in Alola was using the doll to confess their… longing?

As his brain ran wild with increasingly bizarre theories, Haru finally decided it'd be best to ask the manager for a separate room to open the package—just in case it was something unfit for Lillie to see.

Even if he and Lillie had already done this and that, Haru still felt a duty to protect her innocence.

The manager had no objections to the request and cheerfully handed over a room key.

Although as he left, he muttered something along the lines of, "Kids these days sure are wild…"

Clearly, a misunderstanding had occurred, and he now thought Haru was some kind of deviant.

Once the manager's figure had completely vanished, Haru hefted the coffin-shaped package onto his back.

It was even heavier than he'd expected. If not for his above-average strength, he might've needed Mew's help to carry it.

As he carried it through the dormitory hallway, a girl suddenly appeared around the corner and came face to face with him.

"Mr. Haru? What's with the big box…?"

Wrapped in a light yukata, Liko looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

She had been in Kitakami for two days already, yet had barely seen her teacher at all.

She'd actually been hoping to ask him for some battle training—so she could learn to protect herself sooner rather than later.

But Haru seemed constantly busy. She'd heard his name pop up multiple times these past few days, and today he had apparently caused some major commotion.

So after giving it some thought, Liko had decided not to disturb him.

Tonight, she'd just gone out to clear her mind—but who would've guessed she'd run right into Haruki, carrying a suspiciously large, oblong box that practically screamed "sketchy."

Haru, too, was startled by Liko's sudden appearance.

But then he remembered: nothing had ever happened between them. So he quickly composed himself and said coolly:

"Ah, good evening, Liko. Just went out to pick up a package. Nothing worth fussing over."

"It's late, you should head to bed."

And without waiting for a reply, he turned and hurried toward the stairs.

Left behind, Liko stood in place, quietly watching his retreating figure, her suspicion only growing deeper.

Wasn't Mr. Haru's room on this floor? Why was he heading upstairs?

Surely he hadn't gotten fed up with Lillie and moved out?

Driven by curiosity, the girl began tailing him quietly.

After all, it was the middle of the night, and her already-mysterious teacher was now hauling a gigantic suspicious package to an unoccupied floor—anyone not tempted to follow him would have the patience of a saint.

Haru moved fast, but with the box weighing him down, shaking a stalker proved difficult—giving Liko the perfect chance.

She moved like a cat, light and silent. Haru didn't notice a thing, even as he opened the room door.

Mew, who remained cloaked in invisibility, did notice—but decided not to say anything. She was far too amused.

Haru hadn't asked her, after all.

Once he'd shut the door behind him, he exhaled deeply.

For crying out loud, all he wanted was to open a package—why did it feel like he was sneaking around?

But whatever. It was finally up here. Time to find out what was inside.

Just as he picked up a pair of scissors to cut the tape...

A blade suddenly slid out from inside the box.

It ran cleanly along the seam, slicing open the tape bit by bit.

Then the entire box unfolded like a blooming rose, petals peeling back to reveal the "center of the flower" within.

At that moment, Haru definitely knew who sent the package—

Because the sender was inside the goddamn box.

Yes, inside was none other than Lusamine—the woman he hadn't seen in over a year.

And let's just say, Lusamine was not dressed appropriately.

In fact, she wasn't wearing any clothes at all.

Only a large, crimson ribbon wrapped around her body, tied like a gift.

Clearly, she'd decided to turn herself into a literal present.

"Well? Aren't you going to unwrap your one-of-a-kind gift?"

She pointed at the bow tied across her chest, her smile tinged with something sweetly—dangerously—unhinged.

"It's been waiting just for you."

"…"

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