Catch Feelings, Not Just Pokemon

Sabrina, the Gym Leader of Saffron City in the Kanto region, had picked up an unfortunate new hobby.

She... had gotten into vaping.

Though this modern "vape" wasn't as harmful as the old-school stuff, it still wasn't exactly healthy.

And indeed, during her first puff, Sabrina choked and coughed for quite a while, clearly unaccustomed to it.

Maybe she was still several ranks below the level of a "Snow Leopard" — she had no hope of becoming Empress-tier…

Still, this Rocket executive really did live up to the villainous reputation.

What does Team Rocket love most? Snatching other people's stuff, obviously!

And that's exactly what Sabrina did.

She didn't own her own vape — so whenever she wanted a puff, she would sneak hits off someone else's. Never her own.

Case in point: While rehearsing for her "detective infiltrating the villains" role, her cravings hit halfway through the performance.

So she shamelessly stole Haru's vape — yes, the one playing the villain — mid-scene.

And not just that. While puffing away, she even stared him down with a smug, provocative look, acting like she owned the place.

Naturally, Haru wasn't going to let that slide. The two of them scuffled.

But Sabrina was a Psychic-type specialist after all — not easy to subdue. Their spat escalated into a full-on aerial brawl, with neither gaining the upper hand.

In the end, Haru had no choice but to let her "reclaim dominance" as the undercover officer.

Now, most people just take a puff, let it pass through their lungs, and exhale.

But not Sabrina.

She puffed like she was sampling a fine dish — savoring every note before swallowing the vapor like it was wine.

Of course, even with a vape, it's still not exactly great for your health. Sabrina still coughed constantly while smoking.

But even that didn't stop her.

As both a Rocket executive and Gym Leader, she had a reputation to uphold. Defeat wasn't an option.

Half an hour later, thoroughly smoked out by the fifth-gen Dick Stick, Sabrina finally couldn't take it anymore:

"Is this still not over? What kind of monster are you?! No human can keep this up!"

Damn it — why could Haru even cancel animations while doing this? He was combo-canceling cooldowns like a pro.

"Of course I kept going. Didn't I already 'capture' you?"

Haru smiled at her with perfect composure.

"Don't underestimate me — I'm the guy who's 'defeated' both Mythicals and Legendary Pokémon."

"So don't think you'll take me down so easily."

"You… you actually pulled this on a Pokémon?!"

Sabrina looked truly shocked.

Wasn't it usually the other way around?

"That's not the point. The point is — you haven't finished your down payment yet."

"Only when you've paid in full will I help you round up your 'teammates.'"

"So keep at it."

"Of course, you're welcome to quit halfway. I don't mind. But I'm afraid you'll have to forfeit your deposit."

"…"

Sabrina glared once more at the still-not-dead vape in her hand… and, reluctantly, took another puff.

She mentally recorded this grudge — once she regained her powers, she'd make Haru pay for this.

So you like this vaping game, huh? Oh, you're going to play it.

As she silently cursed him in her head… she obediently inhaled another plume of vapor.

---

Having left his home, Haru — the hero of Alola, Lillie's beloved, owner of both Legendaries and Mythicals, and current Battle Studies teacher at Naranja Academy — was finally starting his day.

To prevent Sabrina from escaping, he had left Necrozma at home.

Necrozma, being a Psychic-type as well, was more than capable of keeping her in check.

Originally, Haru had considered leaving Mew behind instead.

But the more he thought about it… the more he realized if Mew stayed, he might come home to find Sabrina turned into something straight out of a certain Chounan-sensei manga — Mew was a very avid fan of that genre.

This time, Haru planned to go straight to Naranja Academy. Gym battles could wait.

Though his lectures weren't until the afternoon, he had his reasons for heading there early — he wanted to check on Liko.

There have been quite a few Pokémon anime over the years, but protagonists with Legendaries? Not that many.

And even when they do exist, they usually only get minor Legendaries — the real, top-tier ones are rare.

But Liko from Pokémon Horizons was different.

She actually owned a true-blue Legendary.

Inherited from a relative, Liko had a gem-pendant… which turned out to be none other than the sleeping Normal-type Legendary — Terapagos.

Sure, the Pokédex entries made it sound underwhelming, but in practice, it could rupture a Master Ball and even bend time-space.

In the anime, it even tanked a Draco Meteor from a black Rayquaza — yeah, she's legit.

Still, that brought up a troubling inconsistency.

In the games, Terapagos is supposedly sleeping in the deepest part of Area Zero.

Yet in the anime, it's hanging around Liko's neck.

From Haru's perspective, the one in Area Zero probably does exist… so then, could Liko be carrying another?

He needed to find out.

On top of that, Liko also seemed to have some connection to the black Rayquaza released from an ancient Poké Ball.

That Rayquaza clearly cared about Liko — and her Terapagos — and had "tested" them multiple times.

So if Haru could secure Liko, he might just get two Legendaries in one go!

And Liko had that soft personality — she seemed fun to tease!

—Ahem. What Haru meant was that he just wanted to make sure she was safe.

After all, the villain group Explorers was after her pendant. That made her a high-risk target.

As a good sensei, it was his duty to protect his students.

Just as Haru stepped outside with Hakimon, he bumped into someone head-on.

The girl barrelled right into his chest with full force.

"Nemona…? What are you doing here?"

He caught her and took a step back, instantly recognizing her.

"I came to find you, of course! The timing's perfect — let's have a battle!"

"Then when we finish, it'll be just about school time!"

"You… You came all the way to my house for a battle?"

"What's the big deal? I've actually been waiting here for an hour already. I was just about to head inside when time started running short."

"…"

"Anyway, I can't battle right now — I'm off to check in on your new classmate."

"?"

"Why are you going to meet her? A rival's position belongs to me and no one else!"

Nemona's face turned uncharacteristically serious.

"It's for another reason. If you want to tag along, be my guest."

Haru adjusted his slightly crumpled clothes and walked on ahead.

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