Chapter 83: Party Time!
So weird… What is this? Why does it feel so… exhilarating?
Bullseye. Dead on…
Staggering under the effects of some unknown drug, Iono held her head, trying her best to stay conscious.
Alola is seriously messed up! Besides the sweet and innocent Lillie, Lusamine and Lana were already a heavy enough duo to deal with.
Originally, Iono thought those two were already the pinnacle of chaos in Alola—a real dragon-phoenix combo of insanity—but now, yet another high-level menace had appeared.
A respectable-looking researcher on the outside, but secretly a succubus? That contrast was hitting way too hard.
So, should she just head out now? If she couldn't fight, surely she could at least flee?
No! If she ran away like this, wouldn't that mean she'd also be stuck playing Lillie's hat trick?
Even from a glance, it was obvious—this mysterious researcher must have something going on with Haru.
If Iono left now, there'd be no one left to protect Haru's purity!
The Conduit Gym Leader wouldn't run away so easily!
These thoughts flashed like lightning through Iono's mind.
And in the next second, she made her decision.
She was going to go deeper! Just hide for now, and wait for that succubus to make a move—then she'd swoop in like a divine avenger and stop them from throwing a party with Haru!
Face flushed from the effects of the drug, Iono made a decision completely divorced from logic.
---
Meanwhile...
Wicke, who had been crouched against the glass to observe the drug's effects, suddenly noticed something off.
Hadn't she just lured Lillie and her group away? Why was someone else approaching from the distance?
Could Lillie have sensed something and come back?
Wicke pushed up her glasses, trying to see more clearly.
But the figure walking toward the facility was like an abstract manifestation of power. She looked very much like Lillie—but wasn't Lillie.
To be more precise, she could be described as "Electric-type Lillie"—as in, the shocking kind.
"…Lusamine? What's she doing here?"
Wicke softly muttered the name of the newcomer, a creeping sense of unease welling up inside her.
Honestly, when she pitched her "revenge plan" to Lana earlier, she had said she wanted Lusamine to get "pummeled" by Haru—to the point of no return.
But that was just to manipulate Lana…
Come on, that power pole? She still needed that for her own Water Curtain Cave! No way she'd just give it away to Lusamine!
Not only that—she was planning to throw a massive party soon, one that specifically excluded Lusamine and Lillie.
But now Lusamine had shown up out of nowhere… Had she somehow caught wind of Wicke's plan?
That woman was way more difficult to deal with than Lillie. Wicke couldn't afford to be careless.
With that in mind, Wicke snapped to full alert.
She scanned the surroundings and quickly noticed the same ventilation duct she had used earlier to toss in the drug.
Perfect. She'd crawl in there and hide. If Lusamine tried anything, she could make her dramatic appearance from the duct like a divine protector, stopping her in the name of Lillie.
As for the drug she'd tossed in earlier…
It should've fallen all the way to the lowest level of the research facility. As long as she didn't get too close, she'd be fine.
Resolved, Wicke didn't hesitate any further and dove headfirst into the duct.
Her body was larger than Iono's, and she was also dragging around two massive… "voltorbs," so it was a bit harder for her to move.
But it wasn't a deal-breaker. The duct still had enough room for her to crawl through.
Only… the moment she entered, she collided with a girl who had two-toned hair.
"…Who are you?"
It took Wicke a second or two to recover from the surprise, but then she stared at Iono in confusion and asked the question.
And right then—she caught a whiff of something incredibly familiar.
Hmm… What was it?
She'd smelled something like this now and then lately, but this one was way more potent.
The effect of this stuff was insane!
…
Oh god. Wasn't this the latest prototype of her "AtoZ—Divine Dragon Annihilation Cannon"? The ultimate mega-overcharged version?
The drug hadn't fallen to the lowest level… It had hit this woman instead?
No good… that feeling… it was coming!
"Ha~ I really want to… I want to so badly~"
The beast slumbering within Wicke stirred awake.
---
"Hm… So this is where Haru 'educates' his Pokémon?"
"Come to think of it, this is also where I first gave him a 'lesson,' isn't it?"
"He really hasn't forgotten those beautiful memories."
Lusamine strolled toward the facility, taking in the scenery of her artificial island with nostalgic fondness.
She had been interrogated—well, tortured—by Lillie earlier. And while Lusamine had found her own kind of "joy" in it, she couldn't help feeling a little blue afterward.
In the end, she figured—if Lillie was the source of her bad mood, then fixing it required Lillie's boyfriend.
Why bother punishing Pokémon when she could go punish her?
As for whether she'd be betraying Lillie again…
No worries. This time, she'd make sure to keep it in moderation—no need to let Lillie down again.
She knocked on the research facility's door first, but when no one answered, she had her Pokémon carry her up to the domed rooftop.
She remembered it clearly: the very top of the building had a transparent panel. She could spy on what was happening inside from there.
This facility was isolated enough that no one ever passed by, let alone climbed to the roof to peek in.
Otherwise, she never would've chosen this place for her rendezvous with Haru.
But now? Perfectly convenient.
She planned to observe what Haru was up to before making her move.
And then she saw…
Lillie.
Charging toward the facility in a fury.
Somehow, she'd changed outfits too, and she looked absolutely livid—like someone had just stacked several new hats on her in the past few minutes.
Oh crap. Did she find out Lusamine had come for Haru?
Not good, not good!
She had just sworn to Lillie she wouldn't do anything shady again—and now she was literally caught red-handed.
Busted!
With Lillie getting closer by the second, Lusamine panicked and dove for the nearest hiding spot—the ventilation duct.
…
"…?"
"…??"
"…What is that smell, may I ask?"
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