Admittedly, with just that one simple sentence, Liko managed to make Haru's CPU overheat and run Burn Out.
Crap! Who corrupted Liko?
Mew, this has your fingerprints all over it, doesn't it? Are you trying to turn Liko into some kind of disciple of Lust?
The moment Haru realized what he'd just been subjected to, his suspicion almost instantly fell on Mew.
And honestly, you couldn't really blame him—Mew had already caused enough chaos in the past.
Legendary director Mew was no joke.
Having an "eccentric" personality wasn't the issue—it was that this eccentric personality came with absurdly overpowered initiative.
Necrozma, for instance, also had a weird personality, but Haru was never worried about her.
After all, so far Necrozma hadn't stirred up any real trouble; she'd even helped Mewtwo turn the tables on Team Rocket.
Which meant Necrozma was still "pure-hearted."
But Liko? No matter how you looked at her personality, she didn't seem like the kind of person who'd say something like that. Which could only mean—someone was pulling the strings behind her!
With that thought, Haru softened his tone.
He crouched slightly in front of the girl and asked gently,
"Can you tell me who told you to say that to me?"
"Was it Mew?"
"..."
Liko didn't answer.
Seeing her still trembling with unease, Haru continued to coax her:
"It's all right. Whatever it is, you can tell me directly. I won't blame you."
But Liko still kept silent, standing there with her face burning red, head hung low, looking completely shut down.
She couldn't open her mouth—really couldn't.
The kinder Haru was to her, the more Liko felt like a bad girl—worse than even a Whimsicott!
Haru hadn't asked for anything in return for mentoring her. He'd even taken her along to Kanto to broaden her horizons and introduced her to all sorts of influential people.
And how did she repay him? Every night, she was doing unspeakable things!
Changing clothes more diligently than anyone else...
And yet Haru remained oblivious, still thinking she was just a pure, innocent girl.
This is bad, Liko. Do you really deserve the trust he's placed in you?
Overwhelmed by guilt, Liko couldn't hold it in anymore—
She couldn't hold back her desire to squeeze Haru's legs in half (?).
No, wait—her desire to just come clean and spill everything to him.
But her strange behavior only made Haru suspect once again that Mew had threatened her, maybe told her under no circumstances to give him away.
So he gently reassured her again, even promising he'd properly punish Mew himself.
And then—at last—Liko finally spoke:
"No... this was all my own idea."
"I know it sounds strange, but my body seems... different from other people's."
"I could still just about endure it before, but now... I can't hold it in anymore."
"So, whether you treat me as a 'patient' or as a 'tool,' please just do whatever you want with me."
"I beg you—I'll do anything."
As she said this bizarre line, a faint sheen of liquid appeared at the corners of her eyes.
It was hard to tell whether it was sweat born of nerves or tears born of shame.
Even so, the seriousness in her expression and voice was unmistakable.
"..."
Haru reached out, rested his hand on her forehead, and stroked twice. Finding no fever, he withdrew, troubled.
He had to admit—his heart was in turmoil.
Damn it... could it be that he really was carrying some terrifying curse?
That any girl who came near him would start acting strangely? Otherwise, how could this be explained?
And just as he began to pull his hand away, Liko suddenly caught it—
Then pressed it into the space between her chest armor.
If someone like Lusamine, with her titanic proportions, did this move, it would certainly inflict a "Confusion" status effect on Haru.
But Liko was different.
She was only on the same "tier" as Lillie.
Lusamine was a Lightning-type Electrode; Liko was just a Steel-type Mirror Armor.
So rather than becoming "confused," Haru grew calmer.
Warming his hand on the "Mirror Armor," Haru mulled again over what could have caused Liko's condition.
If Mew's influence was ruled out, then the most likely culprit was their previous encounter in Kitakami.
Back then, Iono and the others had been affected by Pecharunt.
Though everyone seemed to recover after Nemona was defeated, Haru himself had never actually confronted the true culprit.
And Pecharunt's influence hadn't seemed completely erased.
Take Nemona after they returned to Paldea—something was clearly off. Her obsessive drive toward battle was normal, but why had it suddenly escalated into such an overwhelming hunger?
Something wasn't right. But since Nemona's symptoms weren't too severe, and no one else seemed affected, Haru had let it slide.
Now, though... could it be that Liko had also been contaminated the same way?
Watching as Liko's encroachment spread further over his body, Haru couldn't shake the thought.
If that were true, it was a real problem—because beyond "battle," he didn't really have a good way to resolve it.
And if it came to that... wouldn't he be betraying Lillie again?
No, no—that would be too far.
Haru had his limits!
Just as Liko's small hand was about to reach his Rayquaza, Haru finally stopped her.
He'd made up his mind.
"Wait. This impulse of yours—what level is it?"
"Do you have to play Pac-Man, or is just making contact enough?"
The question made Liko pause, but she quickly answered:
"I... at least right now, I just want to touch it under your gaze. It has to be under your eyes."
"If Professor Haru isn't watching, watashi... onegai..."
"I see."
Haru nodded, rummaged through his cabinet, and pulled out a pair of wool gloves.
"Wear these, and then do whatever you want."
As long as there was no direct contact, it didn't count as betraying Lillie!
One centimeter was still distance. Don't ask—if it didn't touch, it didn't happen.
But... Liko seemed to completely misunderstand.
"You—"
Her lips parted slightly as she looked at the gloves, surprised.
Then suddenly, as if she'd realized something, her expression lit up with reverence.
"I see... so there's even a method like this. As expected, you're the expert here."
Saying something Haru couldn't make sense of, the girl seriously slid the glove onto her right hand.
Haru thought she'd understood his intent—until her next move shocked him.
Instead of imitating the legendary staff-wielding Sun Wukong, she shoved both her hand and her Onix into the roomy glove opening.
Yes—she literally "captured" her Onix by putting it and her hand into the glove together.
"You—"
Haru was left speechless.
Liko... might be even "cleverer" than he'd imagined.
This definitely wasn't what he'd intended, but at this point, stopping her would be like covering his ears while stealing a bell.
And honestly... it was hard to refuse.
Liko was downright terrifying.
And Haru wasn't the only one witnessing all this.
Mewtwo, peeking from behind the door, was also dumbfounded.
From her understanding, what Haru and Liko had just been doing was some sort of human courtship ritual.
Weird, maybe, to watch her genetic template involved in something like that... but then again, maybe not.
After all, their "relationship" really didn't go any further than that.
According to Necrozma's lectures, this was when she was supposed to "win Haru over with pleasure."
In Mewtwo's mind, that probably meant doing what Liko had just done.
But then things took a strange turn... What even was this? "Hand Cage"?
Mew 2.0 felt like she was absorbing a wealth of knowledge Necrozma had never taught her.
Knowledge that might come in handy one day...
Of course, they weren't the only ones watching.
The ever-vigilant Korrina was also observing.
She had no idea what was really going on inside Haru's room—she just assumed Mew 2.0 was spying on him again.
So this time, clever Korrina whipped out her phone and started recording the footage, intending to show Haru later.
Hmph—no peeper escapes justice. Not even a Legendary.
After recording long enough to gather "evidence," Korrina yawned loudly.
It was already late in the day, but she'd stayed up last night chatting online and watching videos, so she hadn't gotten much sleep.
Now that her "mission" was done, she figured she might as well nap a bit.
It wasn't sleeping in if Haru wasn't awake yet—she was just syncing with her roommate's schedule.
That's how Korrina rationalized it as she flopped back on her bed.
---
By the time Haru and Liko finally emerged from the room, it was already noon in Kanto.
Haru had originally just wanted to ease Liko's "symptoms" until he could find a proper cure.
But thanks to Liko's "innovative methods," even he had nearly gotten carried away into the next step.
Thankfully, he'd managed to hold the line—at least this time.
As long as her "illness" didn't keep escalating, maybe it would be... manageable.
But if it grew worse, the one in danger might not be Liko anymore—it might be Haru himself...
He sighed. The burdens he carried were far heavier than most could ever imagine.
At the same time, just as promised, Cynthia sought him out again.
She'd mentioned before that a friend of hers had a newly hatched Ralts and even a Ralts egg.
But when she met Haru, that wasn't the first thing she brought up. Instead, she gave him surprising news.
"Professor Oak wants to see me?"
Still in his Babo pajamas and Shark slippers, Haru looked stunned.
As far as he knew, he'd never crossed paths with the world-famous Pokémon Professor. Why would Oak suddenly want him?
"That's right. Professor Oak originally wanted to contact you directly, but realized he didn't have your info—so he came to me instead."
"Mm... I think it might have to do with the rare Pokémon you keep around you."
"He's in quite a hurry, so I was thinking we'd go see him first, then head to my friend afterward."
"Or... are you planning to turn down Professor Oak's invitation?"
Haru shook his head. "Forget it, let's go. I should meet him."
He still didn't know what Oak wanted, but he was curious about the very first Pokémon Professor.
After all, Oak was the one who had guided the very first generation of "players" onto their Pokémon journey.
"I thought so. Hardly any trainer would refuse Professor Oak's invitation."
At that, Cynthia's eyes suddenly drifted to Liko:
"By the way, Liko... what's that white stuff near your chin?"
"Ah... this."
Liko froze, then her face turned crimson.
She hurriedly wiped at the spot with her hand.
After hesitating a moment, she popped her finger into her mouth and muttered shyly to Cynthia:
"This is just Thousand Island dressing from the sandwiches."
"I really like the taste, and I guess I got a little carried away while eating... it must have smeared on me by accident."
"Huh? Thousand Island? Is it really that good?"
The sweet-toothed Cynthia perked up immediately.
After all, Liko had been unwilling to waste even a trace of the "dressing" just now—surely it must be something truly delicious.
"It's so good. The only pity is that you can't really eat it plain—you have to pair it with something."
Looking every bit the gourmet critic, Liko only piqued Cynthia's curiosity further.
Of course, Cynthia could never have guessed that Liko's "something" didn't mean bread—it meant gloves, hands, necks, and chins...
"Really? Then I'll have to try it next time."
"Of... of course! As much as you want. Maybe we could even eat it together..."
Liko fought to suppress a grin as she spoke.
Her odd attitude only made Cynthia more suspicious.
It felt like Liko wasn't just talking about Thousand Island dressing.
But no matter how hard she looked, Cynthia couldn't detect anything out of place—so she let it drop.
Meanwhile, the actual Thousand Island dressing manufacturer kept a poker face, saying nothing.
Before long, Mewtwo and Korrina also emerged from their rooms.
With everyone gathered, they grabbed lunch outside before following Cynthia to Professor Oak's home—Pallet Town.
The place where dreams begin.
Pallet Town might have looked like an ordinary village, but in both the anime and the games, this was where the Pokémon story first started. Ash in the anime, Red in the games.
And, of course, Oak's lab was home to the classic trio of starters: Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur.
As for Oak himself, there was no need to say more—his reputation alone carried immense weight anywhere.
All of this made Pallet Town deceptively ordinary but in reality, world-famous.
Countless trainers visited daily, drawn by its legendary status.
And on this visit, Haru found not only Professor Oak waiting—
But also a future professor.
Yes—Sonia.