The battlefield roared with chaos. In the center stood a lone warrior wielding a glittering, double-bladed weapon, holding back the storm—but even a bystander could see the fatigue dragging at his stance.
He was on the edge.
And while the trio fighting him didn't look much better, the numbers game was on their side. They pressed on, relentless.
Victory was within reach.
But what truly broke Lillie's spirit… was that one of the fighters below—one of the three—was an imposter. An imposter of her. And not just any lookalike, but one that fought better, moved faster, and somehow tanked a full barrage of Bullet Seed like it was confetti.
"…"
She and Lana stared in silence until Lillie finally said, in a voice quiet and deadly calm:
"Break the glass. I'm going down."
Her expression was unreadable. Her tone carried no anger, no urgency. Only resolution.
Whatever storm had raged in her heart… it had passed. She was ice now—calm, focused, and immovable.
This was what it meant to grow up.
She wasn't reacting with emotion anymore. She had gained clarity. Perspective. And now, she had made her choice.
"You're serious?" Lana asked hesitantly, peeking over the edge of the rooftop again.
It was still a battlefield below. If anything, it looked worse now.
Lillie had no combat experience to speak of. If she jumped down now, what would happen to her?
Turn into a human shield? Or worse… a literal milk tank?
"I'm not here to fight. I'm here to stop this farce."
Lillie's words landed like iron.
She wasn't going to join whatever bizarre mess was unfolding down there. Not like those other women. She had pride. Standards.
She wouldn't… not before marriage, anyway.
Even if the whole mess had escalated into some unholy brawl, she would show up—and shut it all down.
Just then, Mew's projection chimed in:
"Need some help? I'm very good at crashing parties~"
Mew knew full well Lillie's heroic declaration was just talk. Once she got down there, choice would no longer be hers.
The chemicals running through the air didn't care about ideals or monogamy.
And Mew? She was all for chaos.
"Break the glass. Now."
"No problem! Leave it to me!" Mew grinned as she reeled back her tiny fist.
"Mew Punch… wait, huh?"
Right as she was about to smash through the glass and release Lillie into the madness, a brilliant white light—blazing and absolute—engulfed the entire building like divine judgment.
"What the—?!"
Lana and Lillie froze. Only Mew's smile dropped.
Oh no.
It was time.
Forced return protocol. Unskippable.
She hadn't planned for this to happen now. She was this close to throwing Lillie into the fun.
What a twist. Lillie's timing couldn't have been worse—Haru was getting pulled back now.
Well… guess Lillie would have to wait until next year to make her comeback.
Haru's time jumps could only be triggered from Paldea's Zero Lab—and they were never predictable.
He couldn't choose when he left. Or where he landed. Or how long he'd be gone.
Sometimes it was days. Sometimes it was years.
Last time, he'd spent two and a half years stuck in the past. Arceus had eventually dragged him back by force.
So all things considered, a one-year gap wasn't bad. At least, not for anyone but Lillie.
For Haru, it would feel like no time at all.
And if he really wanted to? He could jump back to the "present," then immediately teleport to one year later in Alola using Necrozma and the Ultra Wormhole trick.
Because now he had Necrozma.
That terrifying, masochistic Ultra Beast had finally joined him—and it meant freedom.
But what would happen to Lillie during that year?
Not even Mew, with all her foresight, could say. She could only hope the girl would be okay.
For the first time ever, Mew genuinely worried about a human who wasn't her trainer.
Her tone softened as she addressed Lillie:
"We're leaving now. If nothing goes wrong, you'll hear from us in a year."
"You can come find us then."
"Or maybe… he'll find you first. If he grows a conscience~"
"Wait—why are you leaving?" Lillie was still confused. The pieces weren't fitting.
"I'm sorry," Mew said. "This isn't what he wanted either, nya."
"You can think of it like… my trainer's about to be captured by something very, very scary. He won't be free again for a year."
"Wait, hope, and hang in there, Lillie."
"He'll miss you. I promise."
"Oh—and don't worry. I'll make sure the other girls are cured of… those effects… before I go."
Mew's image flickered, becoming transparent like a fading hologram—her consciousness returning to her real body.
Panicked, Lillie rushed to the edge of the rooftop again—just in time to meet Haru's gaze.
He was fading, too. Covered in weird marks, half-disheveled, but his eyes never left hers.
"I'm sorry. I'll come find you."
She couldn't hear the words. But she read his lips—and she knew what he meant.
"Wait… no! Don't go, baby! Why is it always when it's finally my turn!?"
"Why is it always like this!?"
She reached out—but this time, she didn't even know who to blame.
---
Haru blinked, and he was back in Paldea.
Arceus's energy had apparently knocked Faba out cold—he lay unconscious on the floor.
Though… his outfit was questionable at best.
He was wrapped in a mix of different people's underwear, and inexplicably holding a fish bag.
More importantly, two figures approached him.
He knew one of them instantly: Iono.
The other was someone he'd only heard of until now.
Nemona.