"No matter what you do to me next, I will never give in!"
It was in that moment that the head of the Aether Foundation finally let out a voice of defiance.
Humiliation, rage, regret, and frustration—all those emotions stacked atop one another made Lusamine even angrier than a Trainer who'd missed every move only to get struck with a critical hit.
Haru could already imagine it: if Lusamine could break free from the restraints placed on her by Mew and himself, she would absolutely come for him with unrelenting vengeance.
Unfortunately for her, neither the human nor the Pokémon present had any plans to pay her outburst the slightest bit of attention, much less seek her "forgiveness."
Perhaps, without even realizing it, Haru—under Mew's influence—had started to adopt a bit of that mischievous, chaotic mindset himself, curious to see just what Lusamine would end up becoming.
…Though to be fair, he still firmly believed he was doing the right thing for the Pokémon.
Humans are complex creatures, after all. Haru was no exception.
Guided by this strange line of thought, Haru used the move Coaching on Mew.
"If she's feeling pain, then why not turn that pain around?"
"So—try using Trick Room."
The Mew hiding within Haru's body lit up with sudden realization.
Oh! Of course! Just reverse it—why didn't it think of that sooner?
Only its Trainer could come up with such an idea—clever and considerate. Mew suddenly felt like it still had much to learn.
Pokémon moves truly were deeper than they looked on the surface.
In the games, Trick Room reverses the speed hierarchy, allowing slower Pokémon to move before faster ones. It's a fairly common move in double battles, especially for teams built around slow Pokémon who need it to get the first strike.
But now, under Haru's guidance, Mew was about to take Trick Room a step further—applying it not to a battlefield, but to the human body, flipping the sensory experience inside out.
While the original theory behind Trick Room involved manipulating space-time itself, it wasn't simply about twisting abstract concepts.
Then again, with Pokémon, you don't need to overthink it. What can't be done in the games isn't necessarily off-limits for a Mythical Pokémon like Mew—especially not on someone as fragile as Lusamine.
After a brief moment of thought, Mew unleashed its customized version of Trick Room directly onto Lusamine.
Just in case the first-time use turned out weak, it even dialed up the power a bit.
And the effect was immediate.
Lusamine's expression changed the moment the altered Trick Room hit her. In fact, the move worked even better than Haru had expected.
"What did you do to me?! Why—no, stop—!"
Whatever else she might've said didn't matter. The anguish once written all over her face had completely vanished, leaving behind a blush that was noticeably deeper than before.
Not that Haru or Mew particularly cared. Haru had already helped Mew wrap things up—now it was time to leave.
As for Lusamine, well… she was "no longer in pain." He had done his part.
He'd hurt the enemy, then personally alleviated her suffering afterward. Haru felt like he must be the kindest person on the planet.
With that noble thought in mind, he reached out and gently picked up Lillie along with the Cosmog cradled in her arms.
Even though the girl bore emotional burdens far too heavy for someone her age, her body felt soft and light in Haru's arms.
Maybe it was the exhaustion. Lillie hadn't had a proper night's sleep in who knows how long, and she remained in peaceful slumber, showing no signs of waking even after being lifted.
Meanwhile, diagonally across from him, Lusamine realized Haru was about to escape—and she finally panicked.
"Don't you dare leave! Stop right there! What exactly are you planning?!"
Yes, she was panicking now.
After everything she'd just been put through, how was she supposed to get her revenge if he ran away?
Worse yet, he was planning to take her daughter and Cosmog with him—utterly unacceptable.
Who knew what this man, who controlled a Mew, truly wanted?
What if… what if he did the same thing to her daughter?
Forced to process the confusing signals flooding in from every part of her body, Lusamine felt like she was on the brink of madness.
Her mind—sharp and controlled since birth—had never been in such chaos.
Some strange part of her even wanted to blurt out, "Please stay. I'll do anything."
But no—that wasn't right! She had sworn to get revenge! To punish him—severely!
Unfortunately for her, Haru no longer had any intention of entertaining Lusamine at all. He stepped toward the entrance of her mansion, gazing at the high walls in the distance.
As the largest conglomerate in Alola, the Aether Foundation's estate was absurdly massive.
Leaving by conventional means was out of the question—especially with Foundation personnel crawling everywhere.
They might not be a threat to Haru himself, but they could definitely slow him down—particularly since he was carrying Lillie.
Luckily, Haru didn't need to rely on conventional means.
Mew, a Mythical Pokémon, was the embodiment of versatility. If a move could be learned, Mew could learn it—including Teleport.
"Mew, get ready to use Teleport. Take us out of here."
A flash of soft purple light. In the blink of an eye, the two vanished like mirages, leaving only Lusamine behind.
And the moment they disappeared, all the restraints on Lusamine vanished too.
The pink ropes, the vines—everything was gone, as if nothing had ever happened.
But…
Even though she was free, Lusamine didn't immediately recover. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the floor like she'd lost all strength.
Her lips parted in ragged breaths, and her eyes were glassy, dazed—like a magical girl who had just escaped the lair of some eldritch tentacle monster.
She was still human, but at that moment, Lusamine somehow instinctively understood a secret technique only Pokémon could use.
That move was called… Aqua Jet.
Her disoriented state didn't last long. Within two minutes, she was slowly pulling herself together and rising to her feet.
Dignity. Composure. Pride. All the traits of someone in power returned to her once more… even if she was still slightly damp.
As if nothing had ever happened.
At that same moment, members of the Aether Foundation began to rush in.
And not just grunts—this time, even executives like Faba and Wicke arrived on the scene.
"President Lusamine, are you alright? We heard there was an intruder."
"I'm fine."
She paused briefly, forcing herself to speak in her usual calm tone, suppressing the lingering strange sensations in her lower back.
"The intruder has escaped. He took Lillie and Cosmog with him."
"We don't yet know who he is, but it seems Cosmog was his target."
"But the surveillance in the hall has already recorded all of his features. We can dispatch a team to capture him immediately."
"Yes, President!"
"But… do not harm them. That man may still be of use to me."
Of use?
A strange tingle welled up in Lusamine's chest.
"Lillie is still with him. If we use force, he might hurt her."
"Once he's captured, send him directly to me. No interrogations."
"Yes, ma'am."
Even Lusamine herself didn't fully understand why she was giving those orders. All she knew was…
That string of bizarre events that just occurred—was really, truly… bizarre.
Especially that final twist—it had been strangely addictive.