Chapter 62: Iono: How Could I Possibly Be a Cuckqueen?

Damn it, this bastard's not even human anymore! Once I get my strength back, I'm landing a solid punch right in his smug face!

Even though she was furiously cursing Haru in her heart, Lana's body still obediently pushed his forward.

And just as Haru completed a perfect "hole-in-one," her body swung backward from the recoil.

However… even though she had exerted quite a bit of force…

All she managed to do was barely graze that mysterious object with the tip of her Lilligant form.

Lana didn't give up. She kept applying pressure, determined to get this damned task over with as soon as possible.

But things were never that simple. Every single time, she fell just short.

Maybe she could touch that thing, but fulfilling the mission's conditions? Not so easy.

Worse still… every time she made contact with it, she'd feel this strange sensation.

Like being hit by an Electric-type move—but without the pain.

It felt more like… pleasure?

She didn't know exactly what it was, but whatever it was, it made her movements noticeably faster.

Her teacher was still waiting for her—she had to escape!

But… was escaping really the only reason she was doing this?

The "Lana" who now found herself strangely addicted realized that the agony she had felt from lack of light seemed to be fading.

In its place… was an odd sort of craving.

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Meanwhile, on the other side of the Ultra Wormhole, Lillie and the others were rapidly approaching.

Unlike that dumb Legendary giveaway obstacle course in the Ultra Sun and Moon game, real Lunala didn't need to constantly recharge while flying through the Ultra Wormholes.

As a true Legendary, traversing Ultra Space for Lunala was about as easy as swinging an Ancient Sword card in some old gacha game.

Lunala went wherever it pleased!

It flew at astonishing speed, maintaining perfect balance the entire way.

In the past, Nebby might not have noticed these finer details, but now—it had grown.

It could clearly tell the difference between humans and Pokémon.

Unfortunately, since they had no idea where Haru and Lusamine had been taken, Lillie and the others could only trace Necrozma's energy signature and follow it.

It might take a bit of time, but Lunala was confident it would track that Pokémon down.

As for whether they could actually win once they did…

Come on, what kind of joke was that? According to Lillie, that Pokémon had been controlled by a human before—completely unable to resist that human's will…

How disgraceful was that?

With its current power level, what difficulty could there possibly be in defeating a Pokémon that let a human boss it around? Guaranteed win!

No way—surely no real Legendary would let itself get caught and made to work for some random trainer, right?

What a disgrace. That so-called Legendary might as well retire.

Hmph. Once Lunala completely crushed its opponent in front of Lillie, it would show her just how overwhelmingly powerful it really was!

Lillie and Haru would both end up absolutely worshipping it!

Having just evolved and now on the verge of a major showdown, Lunala was fired up, imagining the perfect dramatic victory.

It had even planned out how it would celebrate afterward.

Meanwhile, the two girls riding it were still busy discussing everything that had just happened.

"So you're telling me that guy got captured by a woman who somehow has the powers of a Legendary Pokémon?" Iono asked.

"And among those captured… is your mother, too?"

After listening to Lillie's full recounting of the events, Iono's expression grew more complicated, and she even looked at Lillie with a bit of sympathy.

She still vividly remembered what she saw on Lillie's phone earlier… This girl really was unlucky, wasn't she?

She seemed like such a nice girl—why did the universe insist on giving her such grief?

If it were her, she'd never do anything that terrible.

"I love Mr. Haru," Lillie said with steely conviction. "And that woman, Lana, did something so unforgivable. I can't let her off the hook!"

"The livestream's over now… I can't even imagine what kind of suffering Mr. Haru must be going through."

She turned her gaze to the overly flamboyant girl beside her.

"You said earlier you were an old acquaintance of Mr. Haru's… so you'll help me, right?"

"...Right?"

Iono, who'd originally come to Alola to drag Haru back to Paldea and force him to be her "friend," let out an awkward laugh.

What was she supposed to say? That they were actually love rivals? She'd probably get murdered on the spot.

Panicking, Iono quickly changed the subject.

"Anyway, are you sure this just-evolved Pokémon of yours is really up to fighting that 'Lana' woman you mentioned?"

"You said she has Legendary-level power, right?"

"It's fine," Lillie said, clenching her right hand, her face filled with determination. "Mr. Haru himself acknowledged Lunala's strength. And besides, Necrozma's still fighting Lana for control—she'll definitely be affected during battle."

"That puts the advantage squarely on our side!"

"If anything, Lana is the one who's overreaching."

Just then, Lunala let out a piercing shriek—it had detected Necrozma's presence.

Strangely enough, it sensed two presences—but they were so close, it didn't matter. It just needed to take them both down.

At the same time, a massive explosion rang out in the distance—clearly Necrozma attacking something.

"Eh?!"

Just as Iono was starting to feel pumped, a strange force tugged at her body—and the next moment, she vanished from sight.

When she came to, she realized that her appearance—from clothing to facial features—had completely changed.

And in the distance, another girl who looked exactly like her, wrapped in mysterious vines, was diving at breakneck speed into a rainbow-colored portal blasted open by unknown forces.

"...?"

What the heck just happened?

"I didn't think you still had enough strength to make such a big move… Looks like I underestimated you," said a familiar male voice from nearby.

"But trying to escape again? That deserves punishment."

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