"Oh? You're awake already? Hmph, I suppose that's barely passable by human standards."
"Too bad—it's already too late! Some things can't be undone, even if you've regained consciousness."
"Anyway, someone like you… it won't be long before you're completely entranced by my charm."
"Right now, I possess the power of a god. Isn't conquering a divine being more satisfying than taking down a mere Island Kahuna?"
"Men are really simple creatures, aren't they?"
Still sitting on top of Haru, Lana realized her 'charm' ability had lost its effect.
Yet she remained composed, as if everything was still under her control.
Or maybe... like a villain finding out the hero is actually their long-lost sibling, she just got even more fired up?
Earlier, she'd made Haru hallucinate that she was Lusamine, simply to enjoy the reaction—not because she enjoyed being someone's substitute.
As for Haru, still unclothed… he genuinely didn't know how to respond to the absurdity of the situation.
Or rather, even now, he couldn't wrap his head around how Lana had become this outrageous.
In his memory, Lana was just a bit sharp-tongued but ultimately a kindhearted Pokémon Trainer…
How on earth had things escalated to this level?
Was this some bizarre swap of traits between her and Lusamine, turning Lana into the seductive one?
And this whole thing about being overwhelmed by someone's charm—that's the kind of nonsense you'd only hear in certain questionable comics.
Usually from those bratty, smug girls who are destined to get humbled later.
How had Lana turned into one of those?
With a bit of effort, Haru finally managed to break free from Lana's hold and get off of her.
He didn't immediately reach for his scattered clothes but instead stared down at her and asked:
"Why are you doing this? I don't think I'm that attractive, am I?"
"At the very least, not to the point where someone would abduct me to another world and… try something like this."
Once fully awake, Haru had noticed the blood on Lusamine's body.
None of the three had any visible injuries, so the source was obvious—the cocky girl in front of him.
But Lana just sneered at his words:
"Does it matter? The strong get to humiliate the weak—and you and that woman were the ones I chose."
"So don't get it twisted. I conquered you, not the other way around."
"I'm the one enjoying this. Got it?"
But was that the truth?
Of course not.
Even if Lana had been the one to initiate things, the moment things turned real, pain had flashed in the corners of her eyes.
Though she had pent-up feelings that she tried to release, there was no enjoyment—only discomfort.
She had chosen a… rather aggressive way to assert dominance, one that ended up causing her far more than she let on.
Still, she kept up the act. She didn't want that woman—Lusamine—to see her falter, so she forced herself to pretend it was all part of the plan.
The outcome? Sure, she managed to enrage Lusamine—but at considerable personal cost.
No one knew why Haru had been so… intense. It was like he had the firepower of a rampaging Ursaring.
His "moves" were precise and relentless—like a swordsman who skipped warmups and went straight for critical hits.
But that was fine. As long as she could win—win against that woman—any price was worth it.
Besides, she did need an outlet for all that frustration.
In the end, she won. Lusamine had never been so thoroughly humiliated in her life.
But Lana… didn't exactly feel triumphant either.
She was still sore, emotionally and physically. Her feelings hadn't been fully released, and now she just felt… off.
Haru, oblivious to her inner chaos, furrowed his brows at her speech:
"You really believe that?"
"Of course. You think you actually 'won me over' with your so-called charm? Don't make me laugh."
Haru frowned deeper.
"Then why'd you use Lusamine as a… prop? She never even did anything to you."
Among the three of them, Haru knew the least about what was really going on.
He had always assumed Lana and Lusamine were barely acquaintances. No bad blood, no grudges.
From his perspective, Lusamine had just been caught in the crossfire.
"I don't owe you an explanation," Lana said coldly. "But if you must have one… then it's because I felt like it."
"I hate that woman. So I'll treat her however I want. Is that so hard to understand?"
Another lie.
Lana didn't care about hiding things for Lusamine's sake. She just didn't want anyone—especially Haru—to know what had really happened in her past.
Especially since they'd just shared something so… complicated.
She could've told Haru the truth. She might've gotten his sympathy. Maybe even his understanding.
But that was exactly what she didn't want.
The weak, helpless version of her was long gone. The Lana standing here now had the power of a god.
And gods don't need pity.
"I see. I understand now."
Expressionless, Haru nodded. He stepped forward, towering over Lana.
"Huh?"
She tensed, not sure what he was planning—but something felt off.
Was he powering up again?
No way, right? Things had just calmed down—surely he wasn't about to go in for round two?
He wasn't some kind of perpetual motion machine!
Even in the "training videos" she'd watched, Haru wasn't portrayed as that strong—at best, he was evenly matched with Lusamine.
She might be a little weaker than Lusamine, but still…
Yet Haru did move.
And he moved with purpose.
"You're completely out of control," he said. "And it's time someone corrected that."
"If you enjoy this kind of chaos so much—then let me give you all you can handle!"
He pinned her arms and brought her down in one swift motion.
Looking at his posture...it's obvious that he wants to make Lana 'confess' in the most primitive way!
"Wait—! I wasn't—mmph—!"
In her panic, Lana's first instinct wasn't even to fight back with psychic powers—it was to explain herself.
Too late.
Unfortunately, before she could finish her sentence, her throat of fate was promptly silenced by an unidentified object-and what followed was a battle for 'dominance' between her Shellder and his Onix, played out with her flat on the ground.