Lunala (ルナアーラ)

Biology: Lunala is a large Pokémon resembling a skeletal, legless bat. It has a short snout, dark pink eyes with white centers, and a deep blue area on its upper head that shows a constantly changing starscape. A rigid raised hood wraps around its head in a crescent shape and drapes around its neck as well. The outside of the hood is yellow, while the inner part that curves around Lunala's head is white with deep blue streaks. Its torso resembles a ribcage with a slightly curved spike on each shoulder and three spikes extending from the bottom toward its tail. Its massive wings resemble a bat's wings with the skeleton exposed, except that Lunala's wings have a total of seven "finger bones": four running through each wing, one running along the edge to the outermost tip, and two pointing upwards that may act as claws that are more functional. The four "bones" in Lunala's wings are only visible in segments. The skin of Lunala's wings is an iridescent deep blue and a light blue light source appears to glow from behind its ribcage. A large, pale yellow crescent connects the outermost tip of each wing to the next two inner tips, and the remaining two innermost tips are adorned by yellow, four-pointed stars. The bottom of Lunala's tail is also lined by a yellow crescent with a ridge running up the middle of the tail towards the rib cage.

When Lunala enters its Full Moon phase, its third eye—a light red symbol of an eye—appears on its forehead, and the starscape turns to streaks of light. The skin of its wings glows a bright, light blue. It spreads its wings wide so that the golden parts on each wing are arranged in a circle. It enters this phase while using its signature move or traveling through Ultra Space. The phase is no longer present in the core series as of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Lunala has long been honored as an emissary of the moon; in ancient times, it was known as "the beast that calls the moon". This Pokémon constantly absorbs light to convert it into energy and can obscure daylight with darkness. When it spreads its wings to absorb light and glitter, it resembles a beautiful night sky. It is said to live in another world, which it returns to when it opens its third eye. Lunala can create Ultra Wormholes to travel to and from Ultra Space. It can emit a sinister ray to attack its target. Alongside its counterpart, Solgaleo, it can create Cosmog, which it is said to be the female evolution of. Lunala and Solgaleo also have the power to create Z-Crystals and even restore Necrozma's light, allowing it to return to its true, Ultra form. It can also influence a Rockruff's evolution into Lycanroc's Midnight form with lunar energy. Ultra Recon Squad use Lunala as their own Ride Pokémon to travel through Ultra Space.

Lunala, similar to Solgaleo, is a being composed of light; due to that, it is constantly hunted down by Necrozma through Ultra Space, so it can try and devour Lunala's light to ease its nonstopping pain and regain its original, form. When taken over by Necrozma, Necrozma's body divides into pieces that connect to Lunala's body like an armor, possessing it and transforming itself into Dawn Wings Necrozma, as its pieces constantly absorb Lunala's light. However, Lunala can coexist with Necrozma willingly, regardless of fusion. Lunala loves Lunala Treats made by Snacksworth, who once encountered it in the past.

Lunala and Dawn Wings Necrozma are the only known Pokémon capable of learning the move Moongeist Beam. They are also the only known Pokémon capable of using the Z-Move Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom. Additionally, Lunala is the only known Pokémon that can have Shadow Shield as an Ability.

Size: 13'01" tall, 264.6 lbs.

Evolution: Lunala evolves from Cosmoem and is one of the final forms of Cosmog, the other being Solgaleo.

Facts/Origins: Lunala loses the most weight of any Pokémon after evolution, weighing 879.9 kilograms less than Cosmoem. In Pokémon Journeys: The Series, Zapdos and Lunala share the same cry, as seen in A Crackling Raid Battle!. Lunala's verbal cry in Pokémon Moon, "Mahina-pea", may be based on the words mahina (Hawaiian for moon) and ʻōpeʻapeʻa (Hawaiian for bat). In addition, mahina piha is Hawaiian for full moon. Lunala appears to be based on a bat with a Moon motif. In particular, it might reference the two known Hawaiian bat species, the still living Hawaiian hoary bat and the extinct Synemporion, or the ghost bat. It could also be based on Itzpapalotl, a skeletal Aztec goddess and star demon, often depicted with bladed bat wings; Camazotz, a Mayan bat god that was associated with the night, death, and sacrifice; Leutogi, a Samoan protector bat goddess; and Pe'a-pe'a-makawalu, an eight-eyed bat that Hawaiian demigod Maui snatched eyes from. This may also be a basis for Lunala's auxiliary eye in Full Moon phase. Its Ghost typing and association with the night may also connect it to Hine-nui-te-pō of Maori legend; goddess of the night and the receiver of the dead, and in myths is said to be the reason why the sky turns red during twilight, similar to Lunala's Shiny coloration. The combination of Lunala's skeletal appearance and bladed sickle-like wings may also bring to mind, the Grim Reaper, another personification of death. Its Shiny coloration may also be based on the reddish color of the Moon during a total lunar eclipse. Additionally, Lunala resembles a sun dog. Lunala may be a combination of luna (Latin for moon), ala (Latin for wing), and possibly lunula (which means something crescent-shaped).