At the moment, Lana's outfit was... especially "unique."
She wasn't wearing a single piece of proper clothing. Instead, her body was wrapped in red ribbons—like a meticulously wrapped gift box, looped and tied again and again, as if waiting for its owner to finally receive it.
The only problem was, the person who "wrapped" this gift had absolutely no skill. They'd missed several key areas entirely.
Bits were peeking out here and there—ironically, making her look even more alluring than if she had just been completely nude.
And the kicker? This whole setup had been Lillie's idea—or to be more precise... a suggestion planted by Lusamine in Lillie's mind.
Lusamine's original plan was even worse: she wanted Lana dressed like this and thrown into a pitch-black room filled with Beedrill.
Thankfully, Lillie had softened the idea somewhat—modifying the request so that Lana would stand outside her bedroom at a "specific time," wearing that outfit while playing some weird flute solo.
Of course, Lana didn't want any part of this. But "obeying Lillie's every command" was a vow she herself had made. So whether she liked it or not, she had to go through with it.
Even if she'd done some over-the-line things under the influence of Necrozma and a certain mysterious force, there were still some principles she refused to compromise.
And so, when even her last "reasonable" request was denied, she chose to swallow the bitter fruit of her oath.
"Got it. I'll learn the piece properly. Just let me know when you two are ready to start your little game."
"But seriously—why me? If this is punishment, shouldn't it be those two getting punished?"
Lana gestured in two directions—one toward the research facility practically carved into her DNA, and the other toward Lusamine's residence.
And if you listened closely, you could still hear faint cries echoing from the lab:
"N-nooo! Don't gang up on my husbando—!"
"...That's a Tauros!!"
At some point, Aether Foundation's entire aesthetic had clearly gone completely off the rails…
[Time skip — courtesy of the mighty Dialga]
The morning sunlight filtered gently through a gauzy curtain, bathing the girl's bedroom in soft, golden light. Her long blonde hair shimmered with a warm glow.
A subtle hint of lavender lingered in the air, as if echoing the dreamscape she'd just wandered through. Her eyelashes trembled faintly, like butterflies deciding whether to take flight, and then—she opened her eyes.
That same familiar ceiling.
Having returned to Alola and undergone treatment, Lillie was finally awake again.
She pushed herself up from the bed, arms trembling slightly, and glanced around as though searching for something.
Eventually, her gaze settled on the man dozing at her bedside.
And with that, a small, serene smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
She'd done it—defeated the radiant god, rescued both Lusamine and Haru.
For the girl who'd always felt useless, this moment was deeply validating.
She'd overcome despair.
And now... she had nothing left to fear.
Reaching out, she gently touched Haru's face, as though trying to feel the warmth of the one she loved.
Just as her hand was about to pull away, Haru's eyes suddenly snapped open.
He sat up quickly, his voice full of concern.
"Ah—Lillie! You're awake."
"The doctor said the Z-Move took a massive toll on your body. It's going to take a while to fully recover."
"Thank goodness there were no lasting injuries. That could've gotten really bad."
"So just take it easy for a while, alright? If you need anything, just ask—I'll take care of it."
Then, in a gentler voice, he added:
"Still... that was way too reckless. I hope you'll be more careful from now on. If anything had really happened to you—"
"I understand, Mr. Haru. If it's you saying it, I'll always take it to heart."
Lillie gave a faint nod and a bashful smile, her cheeks tinged pink from the embarrassing line she'd just spoken.
She remembered it clearly—back in Ultra Space, Haru had agreed to her request.
So that meant... they were officially together now. Like, actually in a relationship.
Just the thought of it made her heart flutter with excitement.
She had done it. After all the trials, she had finally found her own happiness!
But just then, Haru—unfortunately—had to ruin the moment:
"Yeah... there's something I need to tell you."
"Some... odd things that happened while you were out."
His voice dropped lower and lower, like a criminal nervously fumbling with a heat lamp hanging over his head.
Originally, Haru had considered asking Lana to break the news for him.
But in the end, he decided it'd be more sincere if he confessed everything himself.
As for how Lillie would take it... even he couldn't say for sure.
But at least the sweet, angelic Lillie probably wouldn't straight-up murder him. Probably.
Lillie, who already knew part of the story from the "broadcast," gently interjected:
"Is this about you and that girl—Lana?"
Truth be told, when it came to what happened in Ultra Space, Lillie had never blamed Haru.
She knew he must've been manipulated—controlled somehow. There was no way he'd act like that of his own free will.
What bothered her the most... was that, during his activities with Lana, Haru had apparently kept calling out Lusamine's name.
It was hard not to wonder if something had actually happened between the two of them.
And then there was that moment when Ultra Necrozma tore open space and she saw Haru... brushing Iono's teeth.
That was clearly Haru in a conscious state. Which meant—he'd done it willingly.
Even so, Lillie still forgave him. Her love for Mr. Haru ran deep.
Besides, back then, the two of them hadn't made their relationship official.
Still… from the look on Haru's face, Lillie suspected this wasn't the end of what he had to confess.
There wasn't actually something between him and Lusamine... right?
"Yeah, it's about that—but also not just that."
"Not just that?"
"It's mainly about Lusamine…"
"Ah. I've already tied up the 'mastermind'—Mew. If you want, I can go beat her up for you right now!"
***************************
Read advanced chapters ahead of everyone else on my P@treon.
P@treon/GodDragcell
100+ powerstones for 1 extra chapter!