Haru noticed something was off with Nemona, and right away his mind leapt to certain possibilities.
Wait wait wait—what the hell? This explosive?!
Looking at Nemona's pale, unnatural complexion, Haru felt his own heartbeat quicken.
At first, he thought this was just a normal battle. But now… things didn't seem right at all.
If he wasn't mistaken, Nemona had just shown signs of losing the ability to keep battling herself.
But… that didn't make sense. A trainer collapsing in the middle of a Pokémon battle? That was a little too abstract. He hadn't even touched her.
Haru had once used his various "special techniques" to subdue other trainers, so he knew exactly how trainers tended to react after being defeated.
And Nemona's symptoms weren't just similar—they were identical.
So what now? Should they even keep battling? What if Nemona suddenly collapsed on the spot?
Out of genuine concern, Haru, her opponent, found himself considering this very serious possibility.
But the battle-hungry girl before him had no intention of stopping—in fact, if anything, her fighting spirit only blazed higher.
Seeing Haru and Ogerpon pause for just a moment, she immediately seized the opportunity to try and turn the tide.
"Okidogi, keep using Gunk Shot! Force Ogerpon back, cut off her angles, make her retreat!"
Even though it had just taken a nasty hit to the head, Okidogi was still a tough beast—nothing like its "doglike" kinsman Smeargle, that ultimate glass cannon.
And on the physical defense side, its durability even rivaled that of Incineroar, the so-called strongest Pokémon in the cosmos.
Of course, Incineroar's Intimidate ability inflated its real defensive stats much higher. You couldn't just look at base numbers.
In any case, sheer toughness alone let Okidogi withstand Ogerpon's assault.
As for that huge welt on its head? Bah, just a scratch. A mere fatal wound—hardly worth mentioning.
Not only that—the thorned cudgel had actually riled up Okidogi's savage side.
The weak pup from yesterday was long gone. Now it wielded a strength it had never known before!
It thumped its chest like a gorilla, then unleashed Gunk Shots in rapid succession.
This time, it wasn't laying down "field magic." It was aiming to crush Ogerpon outright.
Low accuracy? Who cared. Fire five times, and if even one hit, it was worth it.
Seeing this, Haru could only push aside his concern for Nemona and refocus on the battle.
"In that case, we'll drop the formalities too."
"Ogerpon, use Spiky Shield—turn it into a giant shield wall. Stay behind it and fire off Seed Bombs in rapid fire from cover!"
"Forget accuracy—go for a wide-area saturation bombardment!"
In the games, nearly every Pokémon can learn Protect.
It's like the anime's legendary "Dodge It!"—a move that completely blocks incoming attacks.
Protect has its limitations, of course—try spamming it, and it'll likely fail, or be pierced by specific moves or Pokémon.
Still, it's one of the most vital moves in competitive battles, especially in doubles. Many matches are decided by Protect.
But Ogerpon, being a prestigious DLC Pokémon, had no interest in such a common tactic.
She had something more noble: Spiky Shield.
In-game, Spiky Shield is one of Protect's superior variants. It retains all of Protect's effects, but also chips an opponent's HP by one-eighth on contact.
In reality, it couldn't block everything—but it allowed her to keep attacking while forcing foes to fight through her spikes.
Haru called this technique "shield-jabbing."
Shame Ogerpon didn't know moves like Fire Spin or Will-O-Wisp. Otherwise, Haru would've loved to see her turtle behind a shield while letting burn damage tick away.
…Add in Hypnosis or Spore on top of that, and it'd be even nastier. Burn the opponent, then put them to sleep.
Unlike the games, reality didn't limit you to one status condition at a time.
A foe could be burned and asleep—slowly cooked alive, never realizing what hit them until they lost all strength.
Thinking this far, Haru felt almost merciful—he was even considering the opponent's feelings.
But Nemona, realizing Haru was starting to play dirty, grew anxious.
Sure, Seed Bombs would be resisted by her Poison-type Okidogi—but Haru's barrage was overwhelming, practically a map-wide carpet bombing. Dodging it was nearly impossible, especially for a big body like Okidogi.
Meanwhile, Okidogi's Gunk Shot had higher raw power, but Ogerpon's shield reduced the difference.
And unlike Ogerpon, Okidogi had no access to "carryable shields."
So after some thought, Nemona made her choice.
If Haru was going low, she'd go lower! Get just as dirty, and she wouldn't lose.
"At this point… run, Melos—no, Okidogi!"
"Keep pulling back! If Ogerpon chases, circle around and counterattack, then retreat again!"
"As long as you run fast enough, she won't catch you!"
If Seed Bombs were grenades, then Gunk Shot was a sniper rifle. In range, Gunk Shot absolutely outclassed Seed Bomb.
So as long as Okidogi could maintain distance, it could hit Ogerpon, while Ogerpon couldn't hit back.
If she chased, she risked a counterattack. If not, she'd just take potshots.
Obeying orders, Okidogi abandoned its "field magic" and bolted.
Cheap as it was, Okidogi thought this tactic suited it perfectly.
Within seconds, it had sprinted far off and ducked behind a rock, "sniper rifle" at the ready.
If Ogerpon pursued, she'd have to wade through the toxic swamp Okidogi had spread, and the sludge would slow her.
This exchange left the young Liko absolutely stunned.
She'd only just begun battling. Until now, she thought battles were about training quality and type matchups.
Raise your Pokémon well, use the right moves at the right time—that was what made a competent trainer.
Sure, tactics existed, but they were just improvisations.
But now… her worldview was collapsing.
Battles could be this dirty? Saturation bombing, spreading poison everywhere, running marathons when you're losing…?
But then what would happen to Professor Haru? Should he chase? If not, Okidogi's gun was already locked on target.
Could it be… Haru would actually lose to Nemona?
Liko imagined Haru losing, forced into "battles" at Nemona's whim, and felt her Flabébé's stem itch—like she was being corrupted by Nemona herself.
Like Liko, Lillie and Iono also worried for Haru. Only Lusamine remained impassive, a "Thinker" deep in thought.
"Playing favorites, are we? Fine… Ogerpon, Swords Dance on the spot, then set Grassy Terrain!"
"And finally—use Grassy Glide! Ride the grass and close the gap fast!"
In-game, Grassy Glide makes the user rush forward with boosted priority when terrain is grassy.
It was so overpowered—especially with Rillaboom's Grassy Terrain—that in Scarlet/Violet its base power was nerfed from 70 to 55.
Which only proved how strong the move was.
Haru wasn't aiming for damage. He just wanted Ogerpon to close the distance fast enough to land a crushing blow.
Too bad he didn't have a Rillaboom—setting his own terrain felt kind of lame.
"Ummah!!"
Having blocked several Gunk Shots already, Ogerpon was itching to crack Okidogi skull.
On Haru's command, she powered up like mad, transforming the entire town into a lush green field.
Hmph. You think you can run?
Domain Expansion—Dog's Banquet of Subjugation!
Where the grass spread, Ogerpon's reach extended.
Nemona's eyes widened in alarm.
"Not good! Keep running—get out of the terrain range!"
But Okidogi wasn't exactly fast. The grass spread faster than it could run.
It barely managed two steps before Ogerpon was upon it, cudgel raised, giving it no chance to flee.
Sliding in on the grass, she landed a brutal kick, knocking the big dog flat.
Before Haru even ordered, she swung her thorned club mercilessly at its head, hammering away until Okidogi practically saw heaven and earth.
It tried to resist—but her boosted power was overwhelming. Struggling only earned it extra hits.
Not satisfied, Ogerpon snapped its leg with a swing, then stomped its gut.
A Ground-type Stomp—nearly made it vomit up last night's KFC.
Tough as Okidogi was, it couldn't withstand this storm of blows. Soon, it lost all ability to fight.
Ogerpon twirled her cudgel a few more times, but at least spared its skull.
On Nemona's side, her lips flushed red, her face bright. Strangely, her gaze toward Okidogi even carried… envy?
Yet she didn't give up—sending out Lycanroc, Dudunsparce, Meowscarada, and more. But all fell to Haru's boosted Ogerpon and Mew.
When her Goodra finally collapsed, Nemona and the surrounding Team Rocket members snapped out of their trance.
Their deep purple eyes returned to normal. The fanatic devotion they'd shown the "Queen of Lust" vanished, leaving only confusion.
Nemona, more lost than anyone, felt like she'd forgotten something. She also felt like she'd become one of the "Rain Brothers… Sisters," and it hurt.
But she dared not say a word—afraid others would laugh.
Still… what had just happened?
A huge question mark loomed in her heart.
Something incredibly exciting had just occurred—so much so she wanted to experience it again.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't recall.
"What's… wrong with me?"
She looked at Haru, standing beside a strange Pokémon, her voice full of confusion.
"You were being controlled by a Mythical. I took care of it."
Haru's reply was calm.
But inside, doubts lingered.
In the game, defeating or catching Pecharunt broke its mind control. But Haru hadn't touched Pecharunt at all.
Nemona's team had only Okidogi under Pecharunt's curse—the rest were hers.
So why did people obey Nemona? Why did defeating her release Pecharunt's hold?
Unless, by some cosmic coincidence, Pecharunt lurking in Kitakami was taken out by a passing hero the very instant Haru beat Nemona?
No way things were that convenient.
Still, one way or another, the crisis in Kitakami was over.
Haru returned Ogerpon's final Hearthflame Mask to her.
He'd thought of battling her for capture, but maybe because she felt a strong bond with him, she skipped the fight and slipped straight into his Poké Ball.
At last, Haru had officially captured his fourth Pokémon. His mission in Kitakami was essentially complete.
After leaving, he fulfilled his promise to Lillie—writing an article with Iono's help to clear Ogerpon's name, revealing the true history of her and the Loyal Three.
Many online had already speculated about this mysterious Legendary. Once Haru's piece dropped, it caused an uproar.
Though some negative voices arose, overall Ogerpon shed her "ghost" stigma.
And the mysterious trainer who kept pulling out Legendaries and Mythicals—Haru himself—also drew immense attention. Trainers everywhere speculated what other monsters he had hidden.
They knew they couldn't match a Mythical, but curiosity burned all the same.
With Ogerpon's redemption plan complete, Haru resumed his Paldea Gym conquest.
Most Gym Leaders were men, which didn't interest him much. Since they weren't using full strength, Flutter Mane alone was enough to sweep them.
Only when three or four Gyms remained did Haru finally pause.
Not because of difficulty, but because…
His match against Blue was about to begin.
Standing outside Nemona's house, Haru bore heavy dark circles under his eyes.
"So tired… too much to do every day. And my actual job isn't even that busy…"
It was time to head for Kanto. First stop: meeting Blue.
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