When Caitlin arrived at Haru's room, an unexpected pair appeared outside her door.
Standing to the left was a blue-haired girl dressed in a typical Unova-style school uniform—but she wasn't really a student.
To the right stood a brown-haired girl with a long ponytail. Unlike her companion, she actually was a student—Chloe.
"This should be the room," Chloe whispered, her wide eyes fixed on the door. "Wonder what's inside?"
Her temporary partner, Mewtwo, folded her arms over her chest and said nothing.
Yes—Caitlin's little "mission" had been discovered.
Although Cynthia herself hadn't noticed, while Caitlin was crouched outside Cynthia's door, spying on her in the same awkward pose as "that monk trapped under a mountain," Chloe had been watching from around the corner.
Chloe couldn't tell what Caitlin was looking at, but she recognized whose room she was peeking into—Cynthia's.
Then she saw Caitlin sneak into the Champion's room and come out later with a noticeably bulkier bag.
It didn't take a genius to figure out she'd stolen something.
At first, Chloe planned to just report the whole thing to Cynthia or Haru. They could handle it.
But before she could leave, she ran into Mewtwo.
Mewtwo claimed she'd seen everything, too—and added that Caitlin was hiding some very valuable research back home. Then she invited Chloe to join her in taking a look.
Chloe had meant to refuse. Somehow, though, she'd ended up saying yes. Which brought them here.
"So… what now? We just wait here?" Chloe asked.
"Why would we wait?" Mewtwo raised an eyebrow. "If there's something important inside, we take it."
She placed her hand on the lock.
The door was secured, but locks meant nothing to Mewtwo. A gentle twist of the knob—and it opened without a sound.
Caitlin's room looked ordinary, which only made the out-of-place stack of papers on the desk stand out more.
"Found it," Mewtwo murmured. "That's the one."
She and Latias—still invisible beside her—stared eagerly at the pile.
Anything Caitlin risked stealing from Cynthia had to be significant. Maybe it was a secret Champion training manual. Something that could make anyone stronger.
After all, every League Champion was a powerhouse. They all had their own techniques, their own unique battle insights.
Mewtwo's fingers tingled in excitement. She'd always believed that if you wanted power, you took it for yourself.
That's why she was here—to learn, to seize strength firsthand.
If she mastered Cynthia's "experience," maybe she could even defeat a complete, unrestrained Necrozma one day.
As for ordinary humans? They barely registered.
Latias, still cloaked in invisibility, shared her anticipation. She knew exactly what the word Champion meant.
She and her brother Latios had lost everything because they weren't strong enough. But with a Champion's knowledge—and her own legendary power—maybe she could take him back someday.
Hearts pounding, hands trembling, the two approached the desk. Just as Mewtwo reached for the papers—
The lock clicked again.
Someone was opening the door.
Caitlin was coming back? Or had someone else come for the same thing?
They exchanged looks. Panic.
Mewtwo wasn't Mew—she didn't know Teleport. And invisibility wasn't her specialty either.
Latias could stay hidden, but if the newcomer wasn't just an ordinary person, even she might be discovered.
What now?
They had seconds to decide.
---
Meanwhile, in Haru's room…
He and Caitlin were still talking.
"So, what brings you here? If it's about your psychic surges, come back tonight. I've got other things to take care of right now."
Haru had noticed Caitlin's odd behavior, but assumed she was dealing with some personal problem.
Helping others was something he was used to.
Underneath his calm demeanor, Haru was a professional at "helping"—whether that meant putting people at ease, sending them on their way, or… helping them relax.
But he had no idea how his casual words had shaken the blonde psychic in front of him.
Tonight? That time of night?!
She'd planned to visit then, sure, but she'd changed her mind twenty minutes ago—after Cynthia had warned her that Haru often spent his nights doing "strange things" with Cynthia and that young trainer, Liko.
If she went at night, she might get caught up in whatever those "activities" were.
And if Cynthia was no longer the same calm Champion she used to be… she might even help him.
Plus, visiting a man's room alone at night? That just sounded wrong.
Yet now he was suggesting it himself.
Could it be that Haru was inviting her at night on purpose—to take advantage of her under the cover of darkness?
Considering the rumors that he'd somehow changed Cynthia, the thought wasn't unreasonable.
After all, she was a beautiful woman.
"Tonight? That doesn't seem… appropriate," Caitlin murmured, eyes flickering nervously.
Haru frowned slightly. "You busy tonight? Or are you saying you don't want treatment anymore?"
He poured himself a cup of tea as he spoke, the herbal scent filling the air.
"If you've got other plans, that's fine. Wait a few days. If you just don't want to do it—well, your choice. I'm not forcing you."
Honestly, he'd prefer if she skipped it. That would free up his schedule.
He had a lot going on: coordinating with Nessa, interrogating the thief sisters, dealing with that Lugia situation…
Each of those was a handful. Even a simple "interrogation" could easily escalate into a full-on battle.
So if Gardevoir was hesitant, that didn't bother him at all.
"I do need the treatment," she said quickly. "But that's not why I came. I came to ask… about Cynthia."
"Cynthia?" Haru tilted his head. "What about her? She seems perfectly normal to me."
He took a sip of tea.
She didn't touch her cup.
In her mind, everything about Haru looked suspicious.
What if the tea was drugged? What if one sip turned her into another of his "pawns," like Cynthia—beautiful, hollow-eyed, bound to him?
"Cynthia's been acting strange lately," Caitlin continued cautiously. "I want to know what happened to her."
Haru shrugged. "Strange? Doesn't seem that way to me."
He took another sip, savoring the warmth of his herbal brew—his latest obsession. The stuff was packed with vitamins and antioxidants. After all the crazy battles lately, he needed the boost.
You never knew when you'd have to "handle" a tough opponent—especially the kind that could drain you dry in one go.
If things kept up like this, he might have to start scheduling them in rotation.
Once upon a time, Haru had liked multitasking…
Cynthia, normal? Not even close.
Lately, she'd become one of the biggest handfuls in Haru's entire circle.
It wasn't that she was hard to handle—normally, Cynthia was composed, sharp, and easy to reason with—but she'd turned fiercely competitive in every possible way.
After watching Liko, in her more "assertive" mode, go ten rounds with Haru, Cynthia had insisted on matching her—and then topping her score.
All while smirking and teasing, "Heh, I'm not losing this time."
Of course, Liko wasn't the type to back down either. She took it as a direct challenge. The result? A clash of pride that nearly broke Haru in half.
Naturally, none of that was something he could explain to Caitlin.
What was he supposed to say? "Yeah, Cynthia's fine—she's just been… operating at high RPMs lately"?
So instead, he kept it vague.
But that only made Caitlin more suspicious. She locked eyes with him and pressed on.
"Are you sure she's fine? I've noticed a clear shift in her personality lately."
Haru sighed. "Okay, maybe she's changed a little. But that's not abnormal, is it? People evolve after big experiences."
He drained the last of his tea and exhaled slowly.
"I get why you're worried. Really. But I'd advise you not to dig too deep."
He leaned back, his tone almost gentle. "Some things are better left alone."
And for once, Haru genuinely meant it.
As long as Caitlin stayed in the dark, she wouldn't have to face the harsh truth—that her closest friend, the great Champion Cynthia, had gone completely off the rails.
Cynthia herself probably wouldn't want her to know, either.
Unfortunately, Caitlin took it all the wrong way.
"Some things are better left alone"?
Was that a threat?
Was he implying that if she kept snooping, she'd end up just like Cynthia—under his control?
Her suspicions flared. This man was far more dangerous than she'd imagined. Maybe he already considered her his next target.
But Caitlin refused to give in.
Not only would she resist—she would save Cynthia from whatever spell Haru had put her under.
And she would succeed.
That determination burned brightly in her eyes.
Then—
The bathroom door swung open.
Steam rolled out into the room, followed by a tanned girl with damp hair and a towel draped loosely around her shoulders.
Her skin still glistened with moisture, and the faint scent of shampoo lingered in the air. She looked effortlessly radiant—like a model stepping out of an ocean commercial.
But what really drew Caitlin's horrified attention was what the girl was wearing.
At first glance, it looked like a swimsuit. But on closer inspection, it was clearly a child-sized one, the kind with a cute pink Skitty printed on the front.
The problem? The fit was… let's say ambitious. The poor girl didn't exactly have the build for it, yet somehow, the snug design managed to squeeze a little shape into view—just enough to match the cartoon on her chest.
And that was only the top half.
The lower half was even worse.
Instead of a proper swimsuit bottom, she wore torn black tights riddled with holes—some of which reached dangerously high up her thighs.
Nothing indecent was showing, but the overall look was… questionable at best. The kind of outfit that could crash a PokéTube channel in seconds.
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