Chapter 80: Iono Hides in the Air Vent

Watching the two figures (questionable though they may be) approaching in the distance, Iono was stunned.

Seriously though, why was Lillie showing up at a time like this? Could it be that she, too, had some kind of pure-love radar go off and came to bust someone cheating?

But if Lillie really had that kind of sixth sense, how could she have ended up in such a mess herself? It just didn't add up.

Also—wasn't Mew still down there playing cosplay substitution games? Why would she be with Lillie?

To verify Mew's identity, Iono glanced down at the heated "horse racing" scene below.

In that short span, Mew had already transformed from "Iono in a suit" to "Lillie in a suit"—and not just any Lillie, but Lillie wearing Lusamine's clothes.

Meanwhile, Haru's speed seemed to scale with the rate of character swaps—his tempo and rhythm were absolutely snapping, with no sign of fatigue.

That sight made Iono fume.

Damn it, why did Haru seem so much more hyped when he was "operating" Lillie compared to when it was her?

Was there something about her that didn't measure up to Lillie? Weren't they both gorgeous girls?

She really wanted to interrogate Haru and ask what kind of twisted stuff was going on in that head of his.

Still, based on Mew's behavior and Haru's reactions, Iono could confirm who the "substitute" below really was.

Transform… that was a move only Mew could use. No doubt about it.

If it wasn't Mew playing horse-racing with Haru, there's no way she'd be able to swap identities so seamlessly.

So was the Mew beside Lillie a fake?

Iono looked up at the pink-haired girl chatting with Lillie and fell deep into thought.

Wait… what if… both of them were the real Mew?

As her Pokémon helped her shift positions, Iono quietly pondered the situation.

In any case, the top priority was hiding. If Lillie or Mew spotted her now, it would be a disaster.

With that in mind, Iono climbed into a ventilation duct above the lab to lie low and observe.

When the time was right, she'd make her move—grab Haru and get him out of Alola for good.

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Elsewhere, Lillie and the faux-Mew continued marching toward their destination.

Whatever she had gone through, the pink-haired girl—posing as Mew—looked like she had just stepped out of a steaming hot bath. Her whole body was flushed, shimmering slightly with a suspiciously… dewy glow.

Even so, she kept enthusiastically sharing her "personal experience" with Lillie.

This included—but was not limited to—standard implements like whips and candles, as well as many not-so-standard techniques.

Mew was doing everything she could to help her "student" Lillie quickly level up and unlock the secrets of synchronized combo attacks.

But Lillie had never even heard of such "theoretical knowledge" before. Just days ago, she was still a sweet, innocent girl…

So even with several metaphorical hats already on her head, Mew's instruction had her blushing bright red. Her brain was practically turning into a Galarian Weezing, puffing smoke in both directions.

She couldn't wrap her head around why a Pokémon—of all things—knew so many... specific details.

"T-Too shameless! Just what kind of stuff does Haru make you watch every day?!"

"These are all things you can easily find online. It has nothing to do with Master," Mew retorted, quick to defend her Trainer as the internet's honorary hand-deliverer of weird content.

Then, without missing a beat, she jumped to the next "lesson"—Haru's punishments.

But when Mew began describing how Haru punished her, Lillie frowned.

"You're saying I should learn how your Trainer punishes you… and then use that on him?"

"That doesn't seem right…"

"You're his Pokémon. What's the worst he could even do to you?"

From her perspective, Lillie assumed that with all the mistakes Mew had made, Haru would've punished her—sure. But probably just a few spanks or something. Nothing overboard. Definitely not enough to leave her sweaty and trembling.

Now Mew wanted her to mimic that punishment...?

Wouldn't that just be like asking Haru to punish himself?

No way. She wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily.

After all, Lusamine had cheated on her with him! There's no way a "three-shot penalty" was going to cut it.

If Haru really wanted three shots, he could pour them himself.

Clearly, Mew was being way too soft on him.

Mew shook her head and calmly said,

"No, no, it's not that simple. Master's way more advanced than I am."

"Some of his techniques, I still don't even understand. The only way to describe them is… surreal."

Hearing Mew slander her beloved Haru, Lillie immediately snapped:

"Lies! You pervy cat! Haru may have done some bad things, but he's not like you… a complete deviant!"

Though she hadn't known Haru for long, Lillie felt she had at least some idea of what kind of person he was.

She refused to believe the man who helped her out of her darkest moment was some kind of pervert—especially not the kind described by this deranged Pokémon.

"Sigh… if you ever saw his tricks for yourself, you'd understand."

Mew sighed and shook her head, then motioned for Lillie to keep following.

This girl's still so naive, she thought silently.

But just as the two of them came within about 300 meters of the lab, someone else appeared ahead of them.

It was a girl.

She stood silently beneath a tree, her hair the color of a summer sky, billowing gently in the breeze, giving her an air of effortless charm.

She wore a loose-fitting white T-shirt and held a fishing rod in one hand, looking every bit like someone who'd just returned from a seaside trip.

"Lana, what are you doing here?"

Lillie called out the girl's name the moment she saw her, her voice laced with an edge she herself didn't fully realize.

Though they hadn't interacted much, Lillie had more than enough reasons to dislike this girl.

If her proverbial "hat" of betrayal weighed a full stone, Lusamine accounted for five pounds of it… and the remaining five pounds were all thanks to Lana.

Even if there were deeper reasons behind everything, it was hard for Lillie to let go of her grudge against her.

"I came to help you, Lillie!"

Lana didn't seem fazed in the slightest by Lillie's hostility. She simply stated her purpose without hesitation.

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