Chu-e was at the coffee machines only because he was thinking if it was worth it to brew some decaf. Sometimes he did miss the taste of coffee even if it was bad for him.

Madeleine Miro was given a quick glance and nod to acknowledge her. He didn't talk right away, busy squinting at labels, before shrugging and dumping out the pot that had been sitting there before.

"I think something's wrong with her." Or, at least, suspicious. For the sake of the time-line, this thread can take place after 'Platinum', where Chu-e talks to her.

"Could you tell me some about your routines with her?"

"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

The coffee pot bubbles and Chu-e blinks.

"Okay. That's a lot to unpack."

He raises a brow at her, ticks off some mental boxes. Madeleine Miro was certainly... interesting. He'd need to see if Cillian Quinn knew anything about her.

"But that's not what I meant. What else?"

For the moment, professional and patient. It would be up to her if he stayed that way.

"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

'Well, stop that."

An idea was already forming in his mind. Placing his fingers in mouth, he let out a loud and shrill whistle. When it quieted, ears probably still ringing, a Mimikyu pushed up from the shadows of the ground. In hand was his phone and a notepad, which he both took.

The phone was set to record, voices, and he sat it on the table.

"Tell me everything you've implanted in her mind. Be concise. I'm taking that over."

Madeleine Miro

"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

"Because you'd laid a pretty little foundation for me to build a mansion, Miro."

High praise. Yet, it was earned. Not something to try and soften any of her edges.

"You can still do anything else you feel like you need to do. But the mind altering will be mine for a while."

He motions to his phone, still recording their voices. While Chu-e is calm, it's clear this brokers no argument.

"Which is why it's very important I know everything. This is a delicate process. I don't want to fuck her up."

Madeleine Miro

"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

Chu-e hummed as Madeleine Miro listed off all she had done to her child.

This woman was fucking insane.

"Thank you." He stopped the recording and slid his phone back into his pocket. Once inside, there was a subtle tap to start it up again. Just in case she said something he could use in his own fucked up little experiments.

"I don't know exactly how long it will take. I won't mess with anything you've already set up, just adjust things to suit my goals. Think of this as... a modification rather than a rewrite."

The coffee machine dinged, worn, and Chu-e grabbed the cat-paw mug he had brought with him and began to fix his cup.

"With the right nudge from my own pokemon she could be an invaluable source of information for Rocket."

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

"I am." There was no reason to lie to Madeleine Miro about what he wanted. Chu-e was going to turn Melody Miro into a pig who would squeal when asked.

He was no better than mothers who called their children 'it' at the end of the day.

Briefly, he wondered when his humanity had left him so completely.

"I'm an expert in this. Melody won't even know what's happened."