"What isn't wrong with it?"

She'd roll her eyes back into her head if she could. Melody could sing, sure, but not much else about the doll stood out without work. So many lessons, dance tutors, and beauty coaches.

Del took a Raggedy Ann and turned it into Barbie. A broken Barbie doll, but if you tugged the string on its back hard enough, it would work.

"I wake it up early in the morning. It eats, exercises and then..."

The Hypno.

Madeleine's secret weapon to craft an obedient daughter - the perfect toy.

"And then we head to its gym to train and battle. If it performs well, puts on a good show, I might allow it to rest. Though Melody often disappoints."

Chu-e Choi

"Oh, right. Apologizes, I'm so used to keeping this to myself."

How silly of her.

"I hypnotize it."

She says it plainly like she's letting Chu-e know the time or asking him about his day. Not the slightest regard for how callous the revelation paints her. Playing rough with your toys isn't cruel, and despite what Toy Story told you - toys don't feel.

"Whenever it acts out, becomes unruly or gets a bit too independent." sometimes, Del didn't have a reason other than the rush it gave.

Her lips spread into a wide snake of a smile, "Its brain must be little more than mush at this point." a callous laugh bounced her chest.

Chu-e Choi

"I'm sorry?"

Why on Arceus's green earth would she stop? Melody needed the Hypno. Without it, without Del, the doll was useless.

The sudden whistle stopped her thoughts before they got any further. Sharp, it pierced her eardrum, painful enough to tighten the delicate features of her face.

"Excuse me, taking over?"

It's brief, but Chu-e's little more than an annoying gnat in her vision, ready to be swatted. She almost does, the energy to strike vibrating her arm until the beast's reputation pops like a firework into her mind.

"I was told when I agreed to Melody's capture that I'd remain in charge of her care. Why the sudden change?"

Chu-e Choi

"I -"

Praise? That's unexpected but not unappreciated. Madeleine smiled. She had done a fantastic job on Melody, hadn't she? It's about time someone noticed.

"Thank you. Some of your peers don't agree with you."

Small-minded of them.

"How long is a while?"

For as long as it was on the sub? That didn't seem unreasonable. She followed his nod to the phone. Right, he wanted her to spill all the secrets. The damage she'd left in her wake while carving a path to the stars for her daughter.

"To begin with, it can't disobey me. When I give an order, there's a...suggestion buried in its subconscious that compels it to listen. I doubt it even notices."

Chu-e Choi

No idea.

That wasn't good news, but it's not like Del could say no. Chu-e's docile now, but she'd heard rumors of times when he wasn't.

She'd like to keep her face and hands void of scars.

"Be careful," she sounded almost concerned, "Melody is important to me. If anything happened to it, my heart would break." and so would Rocket's bank.

"You plan to turn it into a rat, don't you?"

Inside the walls, the Rattata squeaked as they scuttered along the pipes.

"I'm not stupid. I've thought of it myself, but by then I'd already done too much."

Chu-e Choi