Looking at Haru's face—gloomier than a certain senior's notorious poker face—Mew rubbed her palms together awkwardly and forced a sheepish smile.
"Hehe… truce?"
Back when she was putting together those plans, it honestly hadn't occurred to her to think too deeply about what her Trainer might do once he found out.
Or rather, she had considered that possibility… but promptly shoved the "I'll get caught" option to the back of her mind.
She'd thought maybe she could reveal everything to Haru gradually, breaking the news up into little bits. That way, he wouldn't get too angry.
After all, doing a little bad thing once in a while just earned her a spanking or two at most—but doing a bunch of bad things all at once?
Even she wasn't sure what might happen. Her imagination had already filled in several ultra-heavy R-rated scenarios straight out of the dark corners of the internet.
"At this point, you're kidding, right?"
Haru gave a smile that couldn't be read, but his tone was cold enough to make your spine tingle.
Mew, who knew Haru far too well, understood immediately—this was his seriously pissed off mode.
He wasn't short-tempered by nature, but when he did get mad… the results were not pretty.
Last time someone triggered him like this, it was a trainer from Paldea who tried to drug him and steal his Poké Balls.
As for what happened to that guy… let's just say, hopefully he enjoys the embrace of that very affectionate female Machamp with the particularly long chest fur.
"M-Master, I-I… I know I was wrong, nya!"
"Mmm~ I really didn't mean it, nya."
The pink cat girl (still in her humanoid form) kept rubbing her face against Haru's legs and arms, wearing the most exaggerated look of pitiful charm.
Even though she had turned into a human girl, some of her habits clearly hadn't changed.
And that made Haru feel particularly… awkward.
After all, a cat acting all cute and snuggly versus a beautiful girl doing the same thing? Very different vibes—even if they were technically the same being.
Cats made people feel doting and indulgent. Pretty girls… carried a hint of seductive ambiguity.
"So I forgive you… and let you go wild again next time?"
"No way! I'll definitely learn my lesson this time, nya."
Suddenly, as if she'd just remembered something, she sat upright and pointed toward Necrozma, still lying on the ground a short distance away.
"I can help you capture that Pokémon! Just let me off the hook this once, nya?"
"That's a real top-tier Legendary, you know. If you want, you can 'use' her however you like."
"You were pretty satisfied with her, weren't you? Both in terms of power and… that side of things, right?"
As she said that, it was like something weird flipped inside her—she lit up with excitement.
"Actually, when you're 'playing' with her, could I tag along and do a field study?"
"I promise I'll take it seriously! I'm so curious!"
"…"
Haru was left completely speechless.
She was beyond saving. Absolutely, fundamentally unsalvageable.
Maybe this was his fault. He never should've let Mew near the internet.
She used to be just a bit mischievous, sure—but this? This was straight-up anime-girl-with-a-research-fetish levels of depravity.
No… maybe that wasn't quite accurate either.
Because it genuinely seemed like Mew saw all this as a serious academic research project—she was, without a doubt, one of the most dedicated researchers Haru had ever met.
However, off to the side, Iono had picked up on an even more disturbing detail.
"If I heard that right… did she just imply you did something with that Legendary?!"
Whatever she imagined, her eyes flew wide open in shock.
What happened to being herbivorous?! This was extremely hardcore! Humans can't—no, shouldn't!
"That's not the point."
Lana suddenly cut in, having remained silent until now.
"Besides, Haru doesn't need your help to catch Necrozma, Mew."
"I'm not sure what you did to that 'other' me later on, but it seems like she found… a whole new kind of joy."
"If you want to catch her, I think she'll probably agree pretty easily—at least easier than she would for the average trainer."
"But this only applies to Necrozma. Not to Solgaleo, who got dragged into this as a prop."
As she spoke, Lana pointed at the lion-like Pokémon lying next to Necrozma.
Of all the Pokémon here, Solgaleo was probably the most innocent one.
He was just chilling, singing karaoke over hot pot in his own territory, when he suddenly got mugged, beat down, and forced to participate in some fusion-collab nightmare with three Legendaries and a Mythical.
"So no, your Trainer doesn't need your help. What you should do now is accept his punishment."
"My personal suggestion? Increase her sensitivity a thousandfold, then reenact everything she did to me—scene by scene."
"Th-there's no need to go that far, right?!"
Mew gave Lana a strained laugh, then tugged on Haru's sleeve and whispered, "Y-you wouldn't really do that to me, right? I'm your most beloved Mew~"
But then, she paused.
Wait a minute… that idea might actually not be so bad?
There were stories where female characters got their sensitivity ramped up multiple times, and they usually ended up becoming the perfect "tools" in the end.
And she, Mew, was certainly no worse than those characters. If she could control the process during punishment and turn it into an experiment?
What was that old saying again? The best research subject… is the researcher herself.
Thinking about the wonders of it all, even Mew couldn't help but softly hum to herself.
Haru gave her a look—"I'll deal with you later, when no one's watching"—then turned back to Lana.
"Capture Necrozma? But after separating from Solgaleo, she's lost her light, right? Won't she soon go mad from the pain?"
"That's why I suggested you be the one to catch her. You're the only one who's ever helped her ease her pain."
"What did I do?"
For some reason, the first things that came to Haru's mind were those ridiculous flying harness and push-back tool memories.
"That's something only you would know. I don't have a clue what you two actually did."
At that moment, Iono suddenly interrupted:
"Wait, if that Legendary Pokémon really did have something with Haru, then capturing her would mean…"
"Exactly. That's why I've been recording everything since earlier."
"Everything, including Mew's plan, Haru's party in Ultra Megalopolis, and whatever's going on with Necrozma."
"When Lillie wakes up, I'm handing over all the evidence."
Lana waved her phone, which had somehow started recording at some unknown point.
"I promised her before the battle—if she beat me, I'd tell her everything and do anything she asked of me."
"Right now, I am Lillie's blade."
"?"
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