Hearing Lillie's hopeful words, Damian couldn't help but smile.
He gently hugged her and leaned closer to her hair.
"Of course I'm willing. It's an honor for me to date you, Lillie."
Lillie broke into a bright smile. She rested her head against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.
She felt so, so happy!
Lillie opened her arms and hugged Damian's waist tightly. Happiness filled her chest.
"Damian..."
Hearing Lillie murmur his name, Damian rubbed her golden hair.
"You don't need to add 'Mr.' anymore."
"Mhm... Damian!"
Lillie looked up. Her voice was clear and sweet.
They were really together! She had finally gotten what she wanted!
Seeing Lillie so happy, Damian couldn't help but smile too. This girl really was cute.
Now that their relationship was official, Lillie was clearly much more cheerful. She held Damian's hand and refused to let go.
She took Damian for a walk around the villa for quite a while. This was the place where she grew up, and it held many of her memories.
So, she really wanted to share this place with the person she loved.
However, because of Selene, Lillie decided not to make her relationship with Damian public for the time being.
Lillie understood that Selene was the one already by Damian's side.
Lillie did not want to take that place from Selene. To her, being with Damian secretly behind Selene's back already made her feel like she had wronged her best friend.
In the afternoon, Damian and Lillie sat together by the shore. Lunala landed behind them, looking bored.
Especially when it saw Damian and Lillie being so close while ignoring it completely, Lunala felt like it did not belong there.
It felt a little left out.
Just as Lunala was wondering if it should go to Ultra Space and find Solgaleo...
Lunala seemed to sense something. It suddenly raised its head, shocked and uncertain.
A huge Ultra Wormhole opened in the sky. A strong white lion leaped out of the wormhole.
"Eh? It's Solgaleo."
Lillie also noticed the scene in the sky. She looked up at Solgaleo in surprise.
She naturally recognized Solgaleo because Lunala had brought it over a few times.
Selene also really liked Solgaleo and wanted to catch it, though her previous attempt had failed.
"Mhm, it's injured."
Damian raised his eyebrows as he looked at Solgaleo.
It had to be admitted that Solgaleo looked very impressive. Its overall image was that of a white lion, with a star-like pattern on its face that kept shifting.
But right now, Solgaleo looked badly hurt. There were many wounds on its body. Judging from the situation, it had been chased out of Ultra Space.
"Mah-shee~?"
Lunala was shocked by this and hurriedly flew toward Solgaleo.
"Rah-lee!"
However, Solgaleo roared at Lunala, warning it not to come closer. It turned around and stared at the Ultra Wormhole that had not disappeared yet, wanting to close it.
The Ultra Wormhole continued to shrink, but at that moment, a giant black claw suddenly grabbed the edge of the wormhole and forced it open.
A black Pokémon shot out of the Ultra Wormhole, slamming hard into Solgaleo.
Solgaleo roared in pain. Its entire body was driven down by the impact, falling heavily.
Boom!
The black Pokémon pinned Solgaleo firmly to the ground, making it unable to move.
"What is that?!"
Lillie stood up, looking at the Pokémon that had attacked Solgaleo in shock.
"Necrozma!"
Damian's eyes changed. That was definitely Necrozma.
Why was Necrozma here? It was supposed to be sealed in the Ultra Megalopolis Tower.
Did it break the seal itself? That wasn't impossible.
As for Necrozma chasing and attacking Solgaleo, Damian wasn't surprised by that.
What Necrozma needed was light and Ultra Energy. Both Solgaleo and Lunala had large amounts of light and Ultra Energy inside them, which were exactly what Necrozma needed.
Therefore, in the original story, Necrozma would choose them as targets. For a Necrozma that had been sealed for so many years, it desperately needed to recover its light.
"Mah-shee!!"
Seeing Solgaleo being attacked by Necrozma, Lunala let out a sharp cry. It flapped its wings and rushed toward Necrozma.
Because it had inherited memories, Lunala knew very well what Necrozma was.
Because of that, it was anxious. It knew exactly what Necrozma wanted to do.
However, Lunala was still too late.
Solgaleo roared and struggled constantly, but Necrozma only stared at it with cold, violent eyes.
Crack, crack, crack...
Light flashed on Necrozma's body. Its black crystalline body began to break apart, and then it embedded itself into Solgaleo's body.
As Solgaleo let out low roars of pain, an intense light shot into the sky.
"Lee-no~!"
From the light, an enormous golden lion covered in black armor leaped out. It raised its head and let out a violent roar.
The roar echoed across all of Aether Paradise.
The force of the roar spread outward, pushing even the rushing Lunala back.
All of that came from one roar.
Lunala looked at the giant golden lion covered in black crystals across from it, and fear rose in its chest.
My big lion!!
"What... is this?!"
Lillie looked at the changed Solgaleo in shock.
"Dusk Mane Necrozma. This is what it looks like after Necrozma takes over Solgaleo."
Damian clicked his tongue as he looked at this Pokémon. This was indeed the form Solgaleo took after being taken over by Necrozma.
Its name was Dusk Mane Necrozma.
Its overall form was still based on Solgaleo. The difference was that after being possessed by Necrozma, Solgaleo would remain in its Radiant Sun phase.
In the Radiant Sun phase, Necrozma's giant claws were attached to Solgaleo's back. Its face and two front limbs were covered in black crystals. Necrozma's core could be seen on Solgaleo's face.
It looked cold, strong, and dangerous.
That was the feeling Dusk Mane Necrozma gave off now.
"Damian, do you know this Pokémon?" Lillie was stunned.
"Mhm. Lunala, come back quickly."
Damian took out a Poké Ball and called out to Lunala.
Dusk Mane Necrozma was a Psychic and Steel-type Pokémon. Its Ability was Prism Armor.
After taking over Solgaleo, its personality became violent. It would use the claws on its back and its four limbs to tear prey apart.
Many people had a good impression of Necrozma because of the title "Radiant One" in the anime and its great strength.
But in reality, Necrozma's personality in the original story was extremely cruel.
This was true whether it was in its normal form, its Dusk Mane form, or its Dawn Wings form.
In its normal form, it frantically searched for light to survive. It could fire lasers that cut through almost anything.
In its Dawn Wings form, after attaching itself to Lunala, it became even more violent and saw everything around it as an enemy. It used lasers to burn everything to ashes.
Even in ancient times, Necrozma's temper was definitely not good. In ancient Alola, Necrozma's title was the "Light Pillager."
It was said that when it appeared in the Alola region, the world was surrounded by darkness, and Solgaleo or Lunala was taken away by it. Later, the people became very uneasy because of this.
The King of Alola at the time burned all the books about Necrozma, so Necrozma's existence was not passed down.
From this, it could be seen that Necrozma was definitely not a gentle Legendary Pokémon, but it also wasn't completely evil.
The reason Necrozma's current personality was so violent was tied to the actions of the ancient people of Ultra Megalopolis.
The people of Ultra Megalopolis called Necrozma the "Radiant One" because the light emitted from its body provided the light they needed.
But the people of Ultra Megalopolis were not satisfied. They stole its light, causing it to become the maddened version it was now.
That's right. The biggest reason for Necrozma's current violent and cruel personality was the betrayal of the ancient people of Ultra Megalopolis.
They not only stole its light but also kept it sealed until now. It was no wonder Necrozma had gone mad.
"Lee-no!"
After taking Solgaleo, Dusk Mane Necrozma was not satisfied. It immediately turned its gaze toward Lunala.
It could sense the large amount of light and Ultra Energy inside Lunala.
That cruel gaze made Lunala freeze instantly. It immediately backed away to keep its distance from Dusk Mane Necrozma.
"Lee-no!!"
Dusk Mane Necrozma lowered its body slightly and then shot forward, lunging at Lunala.
There was no communication, and there was no need for any. It wanted to devour Lunala's light!
Lunala retreated while spreading its wings to enter its Full Moon phase.
Lunala's signature move: Moongeist Beam!
Boom!
The Moongeist Beam shot toward the incoming Dusk Mane Necrozma at high speed and hit it directly. However, Dusk Mane Necrozma completely ignored it.
It pushed through the Moongeist Beam and charged toward Lunala. Its expression became more and more frightening.
That sight terrified Lunala.
Damn it, you're completely mad!
Lunala did not dare wait any longer. It hurriedly turned around and fled at full speed, flying toward Damian.
"Mah-shee! (Damian, save me!!)"