Yes—Lana and Wicke weren't just admiring a battle between two peerless powerhouses.
And Mew, the "director" of this little show, was absolutely confident that her performance would bring a smile to her Emperor Haru's face…
Perhaps Lana and Wicke themselves didn't realize it, but the "lecture audio" they were hearing had been specially processed.
In terms of move pool, Mew possessed the largest of any Pokémon—second only to Smeargle, and only because Smeargle could Sketch anything. If it could be learned, Mew had already mastered it.
For this reason, Mew was the most versatile Pokémon—on every level.
And this time, Mew had employed a move called Alluring Voice.
It might sound dubious—and frankly, it was dubious… especially in Mew's paws.
She had woven the move seamlessly into the "lecture content," then optimized it even further. The whole process was subtler than even the corruption of Ultra Space.
Thus, as Lana and Wicke "attended the lecture," the move was slowly, imperceptibly influencing them—amplifying the darkness within their hearts.
Of course, Mew carefully controlled her output—keeping the effect just strong enough to torment them, but not so strong that they couldn't resist. It was like boiling a frog—slow, steady erosion of their will.
Mew knew perfectly well that her beloved master didn't want just a simple toy.
If all he wanted was a humanoid toy, she could whip that up herself!
No, the true prize was when the toy still clung stubbornly to its sense of self—desperately resisting, even as its body betrayed it—and ultimately came crawling to him of its own accord…
Only then would the most intoxicating flower bloom.
Mew firmly believed in this philosophy—in these matters, she had her own principles.
This level of fine control wasn't something your average Pokémon could pull off. But for a Mew in her perfected state, it was child's play.
Of course, she'd also picked up some of these techniques from… certain mysterious works.
Whenever she thought about it, Mew couldn't help but marvel at the depth and brilliance of human culture—so many seemingly casual little details held such hidden meaning.
Just like the ropes now wrapped around Lana and Wicke—exquisite craftsmanship.
Humans. Such fascinating creatures.
And so, under the combined effect of Alluring Voice and the "lecture," Lana was slowly transforming into a true "Lana"—in every possible sense.
Face flushed, she tried to escape this hell and pull herself together. But doing so was at least fifty times harder than beating a final boss on nightmare difficulty.
As for Wicke… she had it even worse.
The glasses girl had been reduced to the perfect ripe peach—just waiting for a hand to come pluck it.
Perfect. It looked like success this time! Mew did have a knack for this, after all.
Having set everything in motion, Mew completed the final step of her plan before leaving—using a move called Encore.
In the games, this move forces the target to repeat their last used move, locking them into it for several turns.
But after Mew's "optimization," its effect here was to trap the two girls in an endless loop—repeating the same "lecture" over and over, while the Alluring Voice effect continued to cycle with it.
The two had no choice but to keep "attending class," with each and every moment drawing them in deeper.
It wouldn't be long before they fully mastered the lesson and became model "good students."
And when those good students, straining under the weight of their desires, finally reached the moment of "dismissal"… oh, something very interesting would surely happen.
As for Mew herself… she was ready to leave.
Much as she found the "material" intriguing, she had no intention of wasting too much time on those two women.
As Haru's most devoted Pokémon, she had to prioritize her beloved master's safety above all else.
That's just how thoughtful a partner she was.
---
By the time Haru emerged from the research lab, night had fully fallen.
He'd originally planned to go find Lillie, but he'd barely stepped out when a long string of messages from her arrived on his phone.
Lillie seemed very excited—sending him several messages in rapid succession, all along the same lines: asking if they could meet again.
From the last message, it looked like she was currently waiting at a secluded lakeside pavilion within Aether Paradise.
And Haru… well, the moment he read it, he got hit with a sudden wave of PTSD.
This was the second such invitation he'd received today, and the last one had left him stuck in "teaching mode" until just now.
If he agreed again, he had a sinking feeling it'd turn into another billion-yen ordeal.
But in the end, Haru still went.
After all, Lillie and Lusamine were quite different in temperament. Haru didn't seriously believe Lillie would pull anything of that sort.
And if she did... well, he'd put on a live demonstration on the spot—
...okay, no, that wasn't going to happen.
Sure enough, Haru's instincts were right. When he arrived at the lakeside pavilion, Lillie greeted him as usual—nothing strange or out of the ordinary.
And beside her stood a young man Haru could actually name—Gladion.
After Lillie finished her greeting, the boy strode forward and said in a low voice:
"So you're Haru—the man who tricked my sister's heart. I'm Gladion, Lillie's brother."
"Wh-what do you mean tricked! That's not what happened!"
Lillie panicked.
Sure, she'd resolved to take the initiative, but was this really the way her brother had to phrase it?!
Seeing his sister so "worked up," Gladion could only sigh helplessly.
"Looks like she can't wait anymore. I'll get to the point."
"Guzma and some suspicious figures are apparently plotting something."
"Earlier today I beat up a guy claiming to be from the Ultra Recon Squad. He told me they're planning to open multiple Ultra Wormholes to achieve some goal."
Haru gave him a look and calmly asked:
"It's related to Necrozma, isn't it?"
"?!"
"How do you know that name?!"
Gladion was shocked.
He'd only learned that name and a few related details after interrogating the Ultra Recon Squad guy. But how did Haru already know?
"That's not important. Just give me their locations—I'll handle it."
"Understood. I'll send you all the details later."
With that, Gladion decisively turned, giving his sister a wave:
"Do your best, Lillie. I'll always support you."
That one simple line made Lillie's cheeks flush all over again.
"M-Mr. Haru..."
Her voice was so soft that Haru almost didn't catch it.