Look now—within the far-off Aether Paradise research lab, something wonderful was unfolding.
Inside the sealed facility, the shadows were thick, almost like ink, pooling into tangible darkness.
At the very heart of it, a pink-haired girl was bound by countless green vines.
Her long, pastel-pink hair looked dull under the warm, amber lighting, like a sunset swallowed by melancholy.
Her features were delicate and beautiful; though the shadows had robbed her skin of its usual luster, her fragile resilience still shone through.
But… there wasn't the slightest trace of fear or despair on her face from being restrained—instead, it was filled with eager anticipation?
"M-Master… have you decided how you're going to punish me, nya~?"
The pink-haired girl rubbed her hands together, staring at Haru with sparkling, pleading eyes.
"…"
Standing before her, the gloomy "villain" Haru didn't speak for a long while.
Only after she prompted him again did he finally break his silence. "Mew, why did you tie yourself up?"
"And what's with all those weird drawings on your body? You think this is funny or something?"
Honestly, Haru had nearly lost it the moment he was booted out by Lillie and arrived at the room he had set up for Mew.
He'd just asked her to wait for him here.
Instead, what he walked in on was Mew tying herself up, covered in doodles that read things like "For Master Only" and "Insert Here?" and other bizarre phrases.
Anyone who didn't know better might've thought he'd stepped onto the set of a very questionable doujin.
This Mew was absurd—Haru had never seen a Pokémon this abstract in his life.
She was basically the Pokémon version of Lusamine.
"Punishment, nya~! I was just helping Master punish me more easily!"
Mew licked her lips, answering without a second thought.
"But the whole point is to make you learn a lesson! What is this?! Are you Lusamine Mk. II?"
"If only Lillie had any interest in punishing you—I'd throw you to her in a heartbeat."
Mew truly gave Haru a headache.
If he didn't punish her, she'd be climbing the walls in three days flat, and who knew what trouble she'd stir up next?
But if he did punish her, it felt more like a reward than a consequence.
Even just a few swats would probably make her giggle and treat it like some kind of kinky game.
But taking it too far? He didn't have the heart for that—after all, this was still his Pokémon.
And Mew was pretty adorable… most of the time.
It was maddening.
"Come on, Master~ I'm being sincere! I definitely won't do another livestream next time!"
"You've got nerve even bringing that up!"
Out of all her shenanigans, the livestream was the worst. Haru was sure Lillie had gone into a full rage after that stunt.
"Well then… what if I give Master some ideas? I can transform into other people, you know, so you can try all kinds of different 'games'."
Mew raised a finger and tilted her head, cheerfully listing off possibilities.
"Like Iono… Lusamine… or Lillie! Or maybe Lana and her mom?"
"Oh, and if you want, I can become people you've mentioned before—like Cynthia or Nessa!"
"Whatever you want, I can be it, nya~!"
"I'll say it again. I didn't come here to play. I came to punish you."
Haru sighed and stepped closer, his voice dropping.
"Fine. Since you love all this weird crap so much, I'll give you exactly what you want."
"Mew, use Bide—but modify it so that for every bit of satisfaction I feel, you feel double."
"No problem, nya~! If it's Master's order, I'll do anything!"
Even though she was still tied up, Mew used the move effortlessly.
And as the effects kicked in, she was already marveling in her mind at how generous her Master was—so worried she might not enjoy it enough, he'd gone and made it twice as good!
Haru, feeling a strange tingle himself, solemnly pulled out a pink gaming console.
"Alright. Let's see how strong your resilience really is."
"For every time you 'give in,' I'm deleting one piece of gear from your game inventory."
"Every five times? I'm deleting an entire account. And we'll keep going until I can't 'fight' anymore."
"I know how many games you play. I know how many accounts you've got. Even after three months, you'll probably still have some left."
"So don't worry—you won't lose everything."
"This is your punishment. And frankly? It's still way too light compared to what you pulled."
"So if you want to minimize the damage, you'd better give it your all and wipe me out fast. If you can."
"But if you slack off? Who knows how many accounts will go down."
"?"
Mew, who had just moments ago been blushing with excitement, froze.
"Gwah! Master, you can't! You can't do this!"
"If those accounts get deleted, I—I—"
Yes, Haru was forcing Mew to take it seriously. She now had to push herself to the limit and make sure Haru hit his cap before she lost too much.
And thanks to Bide, her "threshold" was even lower than his—she'd hit her limit faster.
Worst of all, Mew knew her trainer's stamina. This wasn't someone you could wear out easily.
Like many chatroom degenerates, Mew had theory knowledge in abundance—but when it came to practical experience, she was hopeless.
"M-Master, are we… gonna play Uma Musume now? I've already got the saddle ready…"
"That's it?"
"N-no, you can also… use the reins however you like…"
As she said this, her hairstyle somehow transformed into twin pink pigtails, and her outfit morphed into something suspiciously minimal—revealing what shouldn't be shown while covering all the wrong places.
"Please… ride me, Trainer."
The "horsegirl" gently crawled up to her rider's side, voice soft and submissive.
"…You're seriously underestimating me. But fine."
The Trainer took the reins in both hands.
At that moment… Iono's face was pressed up against the glass.
"…"
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