Popular streamer Miss Iono had been feeling like her luck was... off lately. Very off.
Sure, she did get to finally meet the person she'd been longing to see, and yes, she was relieved to know he was safe. But somehow, she just couldn't feel happy about it.
No—what she felt was an intense, bone-deep sense of crisis.
Lusamine, Lana, Lillie... these three were her real rivals.
Lusamine? Iono didn't even know where to start with her.
Based on what she knew, Lusamine was the textbook definition of a "natural-born seductress."
Whatever she was doing—no matter the situation—she could always twist it into some freaky play scenario, and acted with such explosive initiative, she was faster than a bullet heading straight for its target.
According to Lana, Lusamine was the woman who got the very first taste of Haru. A threat to be watched at all times.
As for Lana, her danger level was actually a bit lower.
Sure, she'd once caused a huge stir using Necrozma's power, but now she'd returned to being a regular ol' Trainer. Her desires weren't nearly as aggressive as Lusamine's anymore.
By her own words, she now called herself... Lillie's Blade or something?
Iono wasn't really sure what that even meant, but it sounded vague and low-impact. Threat level: minimal.
But the last one—Lillie herself—now she was a whole different beast.
Nicknamed Cuck'd Lillie, she was the strongest Trainer in Alola and its reigning Queen of Endurance.
After enduring betrayal after betrayal, she'd forged her will through sheer despair and even earned the righteous support of her girlfriend.
At this point, she was Haru's one and only officially acknowledged girlfriend.
And because she'd been so outrageously "cucked" before, now, whenever she wanted, a ton of people would offer to help her "atone."
If she wanted, she could probably get Lusamine to hand over the entire Aether Paradise with a single word.
On top of all that, she now had Lana as her backup...
This was the sheer power Lillie had gained from being publicly humiliated—it had turned her into an absolutely unbeatable force.
Thinking it all through, Iono realized she couldn't afford to wait around any longer.
She refused to become the next Lillie.
After leaving Ultra Megalopolis, she returned with Haru and the others to Aether Paradise.
Since both Lillie and Lusamine were unconscious at the time, the one running things there was Gladion.
Gladion, for his part, had no idea what was going on. He didn't even know what to call Haru. And he definitely couldn't figure out who the shark-faced guy with two Magnemites stuck to his head was.
But still, he handled things responsibly and decided to wait until Lillie and the others woke up before making any decisions.
Then, just this morning, Iono randomly decided to check her fortune online.
Her daily horoscope said her lucky direction was east, her lucky color was green, she should go out wearing a hat, and she needed to beware of "thieves."
The gist of it? Something of hers might be stolen today. Not great vibes.
Sure, when Iono saw the words "minor misfortune," she rolled her eyes and dismissed it as superstition, but deep down she still felt uneasy.
Like somewhere in the world, something that definitely shouldn't be happening... already had.
Her pure love radar was going off. Something NTR-adjacent was in the area.
Driven by this mysterious instinct, the girl subconsciously headed toward Haru's room in Aether Paradise.
Unfortunately, she didn't find him there.
After asking a few nearby researchers, she learned Haru had gone off to a secluded research lab somewhere in the facility.
Also, he'd looked kinda pissed when he left—like he was about to confront someone.
Was he out to settle a score?
Iono rubbed her smooth chin and figured maybe she was just overthinking things.
I mean, seriously—how many bulls could there be in Alola? It wasn't like NTR incidents happened every three days.
Still, she figured it was best to hurry up and get Haru out of this place. At the very least, away from all these bizarre Alolan women.
What if they started treating him like a... well, a "resource" to be drained?
Boys were in real danger out here. Maybe once they got back to Paldea, she should just lock Haru in the basement for safekeeping.
Glancing at a nearby Tauros, Iono quietly plotted Haru's future while heading in the direction staff had pointed her toward.
When she finally arrived at the so-called "lab," she found the doors locked tight.
But the building had a glass dome ceiling, and through it, she could see someone moving inside.
At first, she thought about leaving—but after a moment of hesitation, she decided to stick around and observe.
She just couldn't relax until she was sure Haru was okay.
Scanning her surroundings to make sure no one was watching, the girl pulled out a Poké Ball.
"Come on out—Mismagius, my great conjurer!"
With a flash of light, a dark purple Pokémon appeared before her.
It looked exactly like the kind of Pokémon you'd associate with ghosts—sporting a droopy-brimmed witch hat that guarded its gleaming, pitch-black eyes.
Below the brim was a flowing cloak adorned with three gleaming gemstones.
It might not look especially scary on the outside, but make no mistake—Mismagius was a legitimate Ghost-type Pokémon.
And it came with an ability that even Gengar dreamed of—Levitate.
Thanks to that, it was completely immune to Ground-type moves, which gave it a valuable extra resistance.
Considering Ground was a major offensive type—boasting moves like Earth Power and Earthquake that hit like trucks—Levitate was no joke.
(Except maybe for one Ground-type Pokémon with zero aim and a signature move that keeps missing...)
But Iono wasn't here to battle.
She had something else in mind for Levitate—flying.
"Lift me up there, Mismagius. Take me to the glass roof."
The lab was shaped kind of like a giant thunderbolt—except with sharper edges.
Its top was gently curved, making it easy for Iono to sit up there without sliding off.
And conveniently, it was completely transparent, giving her a perfect view of what was going on inside.
Mismagius didn't understand why its Trainer suddenly wanted to copy Baka and Smoke and climb to high places, but it obeyed faithfully nonetheless.
"Brr—it's kinda cold."
As soon as she reached the top, the petite girl shivered.
"Alright then... let's see what Haru's up to down there. What kind of trouble is he stirring now?"
Rubbing her hands together, she leaned in and peered through the glass into the lab below, where a bright light illuminated the scene.
And then… she saw exactly what Haru was doing.
And went completely silent.
Why... why was Haru playing Uma Musume?
"..."
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