Catch Feelings, Not Just Pokemon

During the time Haru was away, Miss Sabrina had gradually started to show signs... of being successfully "bamboozled" by Big Neko.

Truth be told, Sabrina had always strongly resisted things like vaping or even pounding mochi.

What made it worse was knowing she'd soon have to play along in Haru's ridiculous role-playing games just to earn a shot at revenge. That idea made her stomach turn.

She was one of Team Rocket's top three executives—how on earth did she end up in a mess like this?

No. Absolutely not. She would never accept such a pitiful fate.

But Necrozma asked her: "Isn't this actually a good thing?"

Sure, her freedom was temporarily revoked—but she could now experience soul-deep pleasure and had others doing the grunt work for her.

Wasn't that, like, heaven?

Back when Necrozma was still in her "wild state," this was exactly how she lived. The only difference was, back then, she enjoyed the experience—but had no one to "do the work" for her.

And Sabrina, born human, should all the more cherish this rare opportunity.

Of course, as a prisoner, Sabrina wasn't about to be moved by such nonsense—nor could she begin to comprehend Necrozma's bizarre way of thinking.

All she could think about was revenge. How to strike back. How to turn the tables.

Surrender? As if! She was Executive Sabrina of Team Rocket, dammit. This kind of minor setback was nothing.

Seeing how stubborn she was, Necrozma decided to bring out the big guns again: her Fusion Technique.

She had once used it to fuse with Mallow and escape containment ahead of schedule.

And now, she'd grown quite skilled with the move—developing several new features for it.

For example… a fully upgraded CG Memory Room.

So, she used that very method to make Sabrina feel everything she herself had experienced.

And then… something shifted in Sabrina.

The CG Memory Room was even more effective than Necrozma had imagined.

Seeing the subtle change in attitude, Big Neko grew increasingly satisfied.

As long as she kept running the playbook, Sabrina would voluntarily do all sorts of fun things.

Her master once scolded Mew, saying, "Brainwashing is the lowest of the low. Anyone with real insight wouldn't stoop to such means."

And yet… had she not already far surpassed that old coot?

---

Liko was feeling anxious. No—terrified might be more accurate.

She might be shy in normal social settings, but that didn't mean she lacked perception.

During Haru's earlier exchange with Lillie, she'd already picked up on something... off.

From what Liko could tell, this Miss Lillie had most likely been seduced—and then dumped—by Haru!

Which would explain why she dropped everything and rushed all the way from Alola to Paldea the moment she got word of him.

From the looks of it, Lillie still had lingering feelings for him, and Haru himself clearly felt guilty toward her.

Otherwise, why would that man named Haru be acting so guilty and awkward?

Instead of the joy one would expect from a heartfelt reunion, what Liko saw on Haru's face was mostly discomfort and unease.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what had gone down between them.

And it was also painfully obvious that—since arriving in Paldea—this guy named Haru had found other women...

Most telling of all was when the Gym Leader known as Iono visibly tensed up the moment she noticed Lillie. She was clearly wary—very wary—of Lillie's arrival, as if desperately hoping she wouldn't show up.

Which meant Iono knew Lillie. And she definitely understood why Lillie was here.

This wasn't just a love triangle—it was shaping up to be a full-on romantic deathmatch. Add a fourth person, and someone might actually get torn to pieces.

And now… that womanizing scumbag had set his sights on her!?

Though Liko kept a calm front, internally she was panicking.

She was just an average-looking girl, so why was she attracting this kind of predator!?

She barely knew Haru. Just because he was in charge of Pokémon battle classes didn't mean he should be privately contacting a totally unremarkable transfer student like her.

He couldn't seriously want to talk about life with her, could he?

Actually… it didn't even matter why he was looking for her.

Because the moment Haru opened his mouth, Lillie's gaze shifted from wary to outright hostile.

She'd definitely gotten the wrong idea... and if this misunderstanding wasn't cleared up soon, Liko was going to become a thorn in Lillie's side.

"Um… excuse me, but… did you need something from me?"

Liko finally forced herself to speak, like a frightened kitten backed into a cliff's edge.

"There's something personal I need to confirm with you," Haru said. "It's related to you too."

"So… please don't turn me down."

In the Pokémon Horizons storyline, Liko—the chosen girl of the legendary Pokémon—initially didn't know the true identity of the pendant she carried. She simply treated it as a keepsake passed down from an elder.

The villainous Explorers Squad, however, had been targeting Terapagos from the beginning and were clearly planning to do something with it.

So even though Liko hadn't faced any attacks yet, it was only a matter of time before the Explorers made a move.

And they weren't limited to just one region...

In that sense, Haru was completely right—this was something very important to Liko.

If she remained in the dark and had no one to help her, Explorers might just rip Terapagos away from her.

But with her mind already filled with preconceived notions, Liko, of course… misunderstood.

She never expected Haru to be so bold—to make such a "request" right in front of Lillie and Iono!

"I… I see..."

Her heart was pounding faster and faster, her mind racing for ways to brush this man off—though his position made it harder to outright reject him.

"…"

Forget it! If he tried to pull anything weird, she'd just say no on the spot.

She wasn't about to fall into the trap of some womanizing playboy.

Still, just to be safe...

"Can Lillie come with us too?"

"Hmm?"

Haru looked surprised. Glancing at Lillie—who was equally caught off guard—he asked, "You two became close that quickly?"

"If it were someone else, maybe not. But I trust Lillie."

"If that's what you want, then sure. She can come along."

Now Liko was the one who looked surprised.

Haru had agreed way too easily. Did that mean she'd misunderstood the whole thing?

No, no, no. She couldn't let her guard down just yet.

People said guys like him were masters at lying through their teeth.

She couldn't afford to get played.