Erdrick and Hannah arrived at Malie's port, to see Gladion inspecting something on his ship's hull. Erdrick gave a wince- not even knowing what was wrong, he could tell this would slow their arrival at Aether Paradise. Hannah rushed forward, looking at the problem herself.
"Oh… you two are here. Is Hau here yet?" Gladion asked. Hannah shook her head, entranced by the well-placed holes. Whoever had sabotaged it knew a thing or two about boats- it would only start to sink once the ship got moving.
"...You know… I always did envy Hau… he stands in the shadow of his father and you can barely tell," Gladion remarked. Hannah smiled.
"Yeah, Hau's pretty good like that…" she told him, turning back towards Erdrick, who was fiddling with his belt to pull out his game. Hannah looked beyond him, and noticed Nanu had followed them.
"Erdrick!" Hannah called. Erdrick looked up and around, noticed Nanu, and fiddled the game back into its belt, closing the pouch. Hannah knew those pouches were waterproof… she'd have to hope they could stand to her plan later.
"Alola, Nanu," Erdrick stated, waving his arms with good practice. Nanu didn't reciprocate.
"So you're on your Island Challenge, right? You've cleared Sophocles and Acerola's Trials? I'm supposed to battle you right now, right?" Nanu asked. Erdrick was taken aback by his bluntness, staring with an agape jaw. Hannah looked for Hau, before giving a shout. Erdrick shook himself out of his stupor, and nodded.
"They always say yes… very well, boy," Nanu stated. He threw forward an Ultra Ball, sending out a Sableye. Erdrick responded with Clefable. Clefable wiggled her finger, allowing Sableye a chance for a strike. Sableye chose a Power Gem attack, which Clefable took with shocking aplomb. Clefable responded with a Moonblast, something that had the Sableye reeling. A quick Thunderbolt had the Sableye dropped, with Clefable idly and cheekily grinning as she swayed.
"Not bad," Nanu remarked, sending out his Krokorok. Krokorok shuffled backwards, and got on all fours, unleashing an Earthquake. Clefable and Erdrick staggered, and Krokorok lunged forward with an Assurance move, an attack that did Clefable in.
"That's not very fair," Erdrick remarked, no hint of malice in his voice as he considered his next Pokemon.
"I'm a Dark type user. That's my MO," Nanu told him, expecting to see the Starmie come out. Starmie wasted no time, dodging Krokorok's Crunch and weakening its Moxie before spitting a massive Scald attack. Krokorok growled, shaking itself from the water, before fainting from the heat. Erdrick grinned, knowing that the burn effect of Scald had helped him win that matchup.
"So it's come to this… go on, Persian," Nanu grunted. The queen of pudge appeared, and Erdrick prepared a Scald, knowing burn's secondary effect of halving Attack would help the next Pokemon. Persian was not burned, however, and instead began to shine. Erdrick instinctively ducked for cover, as Persian's Z-Move Black Hole Eclipse was unleashed. A massive black hole appeared overhead, pulling Starmie in before collapsing. Erdrick felt Starmie return to the Poke Ball, its data recovered. Erdrick's next Pokemon was less obvious- his Fairy type was down, and he didn't have any Fighting or Bug types. His eyes widened, as he realised he could use a Bug-type move. A good one at that. He chose his Porygon2, rushing some code input on the fly as it appeared on the battlefield. Nanu grinned, preparing a Fake Out. Erdrick knew the attack didn't work outside the first move, and used the opportunity to upload Signal Beam and Bugnium-Z data into his Porygon2. Nanu grunted, and ordered Power Gem. Erdrick activated his Z-Power Ring, and between that and Porygon2's bulk, he could get off his own Z-Move. Porygon2 shot forward a cocoon of web, covering Persian within, before waving the cocoon around from the other end of a spindly string. When said string broke, Porygon2 fired Signal Beam directly into the cocoon, leaving Persian to break out a battered, defeated Pokemon.
"...Grand Trial complete," Erdrick told Nanu. Nanu gave him a long look, before smirking.
"That was actually pretty fun. You certainly know how to work a Porygon, at any rate. Take this… the Darkium-Z," Nanu stated, throwing the Darkium his way. Erdrick caught it in his Z-Power field, absorbing it into his Z-Power Ring. He held his hand skyward, the black aura of darkness emanating from within.
"There you go. I did my bit. I'm done for today. Meowths are probably hungry, too. You lot go do what you do. Save the princess or whatever," Nanu murmured, wandering off. Erdrick looked towards Hannah, who was leaning into the water with one hand dipped in, and Gladion, who was glaring after Nanu in what Erdrick was sure was just his normal face. Or maybe Nanu calling Lillie a princess did bother him. Erdrick turned back towards the city, and saw Hau running up.
"Sorry I'm late. Took a wrong turn. Hey, was that Nanu?" Hau asked, with very little of his normal enthusiasm. Erdrick nodded, turning back to Hannah.
"Hannah, what are you doing?" Erdrick asked.
"Setting up our ride. Erdrick, how waterproof is that belt of yours?" Hannah asked.
"...How wet will we be getting?" Erdrick asked. Hannah's eyes widened, and she turned back to the water.
"AaAaAaaaAaAaAAAaaaAaAAAaAaaaAaAaAAAaAaaaaaaa…" Hannah called out, one hand still in the water, sending ripples out into the deep blue. Something was stirring within.
"Did you ever actually go Mantine Surfing?" Hannah asked.
Erdrick and Gladion held themselves tightly on Mantine's back. Their Mantines, sensing the anxiousness in their rider, remained at a steady pace- fast, but not blisteringly so. Erdrick was keeping his pouches holding his various gadgets as safe as possible- they were waterproof to some extent, but not so much that he could go swimming. He looked up at Hannah and Hau, whose more playful Mantines were rocketing up and down the wave running parallel. Erdrick ducked as the splash of Hannah's Lanturn 360 descended on the pair.
"Would you cut that out?" Gladion barked, echoing Erdrick's thoughts. Hannah looked down at the pair, pouting, but complied when she saw Erdrick's fear.
"I'm just tense… what will we do once we get to Aether? What'll be happening to Lillie?" Hannah asked, her Mantine playfully but carefully approaching the two.
"I don't know, and I don't know… we have no idea what state the Aether Foundation is in. And while Lusamine loves Lillie with all her heart… I think her interpretation of love is open to a whole breadth of situations. At the very least, I suspect Lusamine won't leave scars," Gladion told her.
"Not very reassuring…" Erdrick murmured. Gladion turned to Erdrick contemptuously.
"No one's more worried about Lillie than I am, Erdrick. If I didn't suspect we'd need one or more of your gadgets once we actually arrive, I'd be urging this Mantines faster," Gladion told him.
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about you being the one most worried about Lils, Gladion," Hannah remarked. Gladion turned to her, to see her lounging on her Mantine. She gave him a wink, and nodded Erdrick's way.
"...But I'm her brother," Gladion muttered.
"Think about the situation from Erdrick's point of view, Gladion. And… well… think about-" Hannah told him. Whatever else about Erdrick Hannah was about to point out was lost in Hau's whoop, as he performed an Over-the-Gyarados too close to the wave. His Mantine crashed hard into the water, sending a splash over Gladion, and sending Hannah underwater to fish him out. The two playful Trainers emerged on the same Mantine, Hau with a firm grasp on Hannah and the pair beginning to laugh about the crash. Gladion smiled vaguely, before realising the sight jossed one of his own notions about the Trainers accompanying Lillie- he thought Erdrick and Hannah were seeing each other in a romantic way. He turned to Erdrick, who was looking at the Aether Foundation ahead with sheer determination. Did this mean…
"Erdrick," Gladion barked softly. Erdrick turned to Gladion, seeing not the tough street rat, but the older brother of Lillie.
"...Show me what you can do in there, all right," Gladion remarked vaguely, after a short pause. Erdrick nodded, turning back to the floating island.
"...And if I have to go… take care of Lillie… you know, better, this time…" Gladion whispered under his breath. He ignored Erdrick's confused double take, and narrowed his own eyes as he approached his old prison...
The Mantine launched the four Trainers onto the Aether Foundation's inner pier, before diving out and away of the facility. Gladion scanned the area ahead of them, and Erdrick pulled out one of his gadgets to do the same on a technological level.
"What sensors are online?" Gladion asked.
"...Two visual, an audio, a motion and what appears to be some kind of infrared," Erdrick remarked. Hau and Hannah, at least, had no idea how he knew that, and they were looking at the gadget supposedly telling him how.
"That's the status when Aether is engaged in criminal activity, but they're not actively searching for intruders. They'll find us eventually… but they won't want to attack us immediately," Gladion remarked. Hau shivered.
"Then what will we do?" Hau asked.
"I know this place like the back of my hand. Hiding's not really going to be an option… but I do know how to work the elevator to get to the secret labs. As for the security system… I'm less sure, but I don't remember the actual punishment for tripping them being anything like gassing. Erdrick, reckon you could hack the security network?" Gladion asked.
"Security's not going to be accessible via Wi-Fi. I'll need to access some kind of computer within the facility itself that is hooked up to the Aether network to begin probing the way it is set up, and once I've done a bit of that, I might be able to answer your question," Erdrick told him. Hannah and Hau did not understand a word of that, but somehow, Gladion did.
"I want to check on the labs… they should probably have a computer like that in there. We'll do that first. I know where Lillie is likely being kept, but I want to know what else is there before we go there," Gladion told them. That was something Hannah and Hau understood. Go to the labs, find a computer for Erdrick to perform some magic on, and look for Lillie using Aether's own security systems.
Or something to that effect.
Gladion led the way through the facility, avoiding the sight of the Aether Foundation employees who were starting their search. Though they locked the door behind them, Erdrick could figure out a little tweak to disable said electronic lock and allow them access. The two came upon the elevator, and Gladion punched in access to the Aether Foundation's darkest depths. The elevator moved- Gladion's access was a biological link that could not be removed from the system easily. From a young age, his parents had declared him the next owner of the facility and had logged his biometrics thusly.
The four entered the corridor, a number of doors on each side. Gladion looked across each of the doors, furiously pondering what was waiting behind each one, before they stopped. From four of the doors, two either side of the place they stopped, poured a pair of Aether Laboratory Assistants. Each raised their arm in unison, and sent out a Pokemon each. Gladion and Hau sent out Decidueye and Type: Null to take out the rear, while Erdrick and Hannah's Incineroar and Comfey took to the front. Among the enemy were a Muk, a Magneton, a Porygon2, a Vanillish, a Machoke, a Huntail and a Gorebyss. Despite the strength Erdrick recognised in most of these species, it took few attacks from their own Pokemon to defeat the enemies.
"...What happened?" one of the Aethers asked.
"I'm asking myself the same question, buddy. I mean, I know we're tough, but we're not that tough…" Hau remarked.
"...The secret labs shouldn't be accessed by people other than those with the proper privileges, and the labs are locked by difficult accessway and biometric control. I… think they skimped on the security," Gladion remarked.
"And that's what you get for said skimping!" Hannah roared excitedly. The Aethers began blocking the doorways with their bodies, but Gladion pushed aside the ones leading into one of the labs. Erdrick nodded, and she and Hannah did the same, picking a lab at random. Hau was less enthusiastic about doing the same, and elected to merely keep an eye on the two Aethers the other three didn't bowl over.
After checking the labs for anything useful, Erdrick found a computer hooked up to a decently-sized monitor in a lab at the end. Though Gladion didn't know what exactly the room was for, Erdrick was willing to guess the computer had good network access naturally. Erdrick sat down beside the keyboard, and woke it up.
Enter login credentials.
"What are the usernames?" Erdrick asked. Gladion shrugged, and Erdrick clicked on the box. A bunch of numbers appeared, but one entry stood out- Lusadmin88.
"That would be Lusamine's, right?" Erdrick asked. Gladion let out an affirmative noise, and Erdrick clicked on that name. The password was not filled in. Erdrick checked the other usernames, to find the same thing.
"We'll try Lusamine's. I think her password will be easiest to guess. Any suggestions?" Erdrick asked.
"I think we can rule out mine or Lillie's names," Gladion snarked. Erdrick chuckled.
"So what does Lusamine value?" Erdrick asked.
"Those UBs," Gladion suggested immediately. Erdrick typed 'Poipole', and returned an incorrect message. The password hint was 'Symbiont'.
"So it's got to do with UB-01 Symbiont?" Gladion asked.
"That's the jellyfish you fought last time you were here, right?" Hau asked. Erdrick nodded, thinking back to his conversations with Soliera and Dulse.
"You fought a UB? You're a tough cookie… though, it was just a
"Nihilego!" Erdrick exclaimed, typing the word into the password field, thanking his lucky stars it was as intuitive as it sounded. No silent letters or funky spellings.
"I could've done that!" Hau exclaimed. Erdrick chuckled.
"Really, hacking is kinda easy if you know what to do. It can just be hard to figure that out. Plus, in big hacks like this one, social engineering is just as key as technical expertise. Anyway… ooh, sensor shutdown," Erdrick commented. He triggered it, and a siren blared out. Erdrick gasped, but Gladion held out a hand.
"That siren means the threat has passed, and the guards can drop their guard. They probably won't, because it's fairly obvious we're not taken care of, but this hasn't done anything but help us. Anyway, Erdrick, do you have some kind of remote communications?" Gladion asked. Erdrick nodded, pulling out a pair of earpieces, before hesitating.
"You're not going to leave me here, are you?" Erdrick asked. Gladion looked down, vaguely annoyed.
"...I know you like my sister, Erdrick. But this is my mission. And I need you keeping control over Aether's tech. We need you controlling the system," Gladion told him. Hannah stepped up to him, and took a hold of his shoulders.
"I'll be there for Lils, Erdrick. Once she's safe, you'll have plenty of time to see her. But first, you need to help us get to her. You can trust us, Erdrick…" Hannah told him, looking into his eyes. Erdrick looked down, before giving Hannah an earpiece.
"Save her," Erdrick told her, turning to the computer and inspecting the routes the cameras could see.
"...We all miss her, Erdrick. We'll get her… I promise," Hannah told him. Erdrick nodded, clenching his fist still.
Gladion activated the lift, and the trio shot up the lift. Gladion hit the button to head to 1F, but the elevator jumped up beyond to the Conservation deck.
"Erdrick, what happened?" Gladion asked.
"...The elevator? Oh… uh oh. Someone's changing the settings. Who else has administrative access?" Erdrick asked.
"Lusamine keeps her cards close to her chest. It's just Nanny Wicke and… Mr Faba," Gladion remarked. Hau snorted, but Gladion was too busy looking around the conservatory to shoot him a glare.
"I'll try to get the elevator working, but Faba's changing some of the other settings, too. I need to combat him as he works… I have an idea of how to stop him, but I need him to slow down. Find him and stop him," Erdrick told them. He pulled up the cameras, and hunted down Faba- finding him hiding near the home of some Starmies. There was no method to erect barriers, but Gladion had a plan. Erdrick opened a panel in the elevator, and Gladion removed a crucial component.
"You're stuck in here with us, Faba. You can't run forever," Gladion taunted.
Faba growled, finding out his re-enabling of the motion sensors had been countered. Someone was still running the Aether network. He knew the intruders were up on the conservatory… unless…
"One of them is still down there," Faba growled. He looked up, and noticed one of the boys running up to him, an angry scowl on his face.
"Faba. You will get off the network and let us get to Lillie," Hau told him, throwing forward a Dusk Ball and summoning forward his Noivern. Faba responded with his own partner, Hypno. Hau stepped back.
"Noivern, Air Slash!" Hau ordered. Of course, like most trainers, he didn't order his attack verbally, but used his Battle Ring. Faba, however, could hear the order loud and clear, and organise a dodge with Hypno, followed up by a Psychic. Hau scowled, but what did Faba care? He should've used a more accurate attack.
"Shadow Ball," Hau ordered. The Shadow Ball was likewise dodged, but Hau's Noivern did the same. Hau was well and truly incensed, just as Faba liked his foes.
"You're a useless little boy," Faba taunted.
"I'm… I'm not useless. I will help Erdrick save Lillie. And… Air Slash," Hau responded, yelling his command. Faba gasped, the blast of air shooting not at Hypno, but at the computer on his wrist. Faba gasped, falling backwards as he tried to avoid getting struck by the Air Slash himself.
"That… boy?" Faba asked.
"Don't think I don't know a little bit about your idea of ethics here at the Aether Paradise. I know it's wrong to attack people… but when it comes to people who hurt Pokemon like Nebby for their own nebulous gain, I'm willing to make an exception," Hau growled. Faba snarled, and ordered his own Hypno to strike Hau in kind. Hau grunted, still feeling a little bad about attack on Faba himself.
"Golbat!" Gladion's voice called. Hau looked up, seeing the Golbat throw forward a claw into the Hypno, freeing him from the Psychic blast. He ordered a Tailwind from Noivern, granting more speed to the Golbat to approach. Hypno cast a Psychic, something the Golbat took like a champ. Hau's jaw dropped, but Gladion smirked. Faba growled, casting another Psychic.
"What's the matter, Mr Faba? Scared of me now that I resist that little trick of yours?" Gladion laughed. Faba gasped, as Golbat used a Night Slash, piercing Hypno's defences and knocking him to the ground.
"Hypno… but… but I still have Lillie!" Faba exclaimed.
"And no control over her. Not since…" Gladion remarked, checking in with Erdrick.
"Administrative privileges revoked for Branch Chief Faba," Erdrick confirmed triumphantly.
"When I'm in charge, little man, you will be fired. Count the days my mother keeps the reigns of this facility," Gladion told him coolly. He turned to Hau, returning his Zoroark.
"You OK?" Gladion asked. Hau nodded, before catching a little bit of wooziness from the Psychic.
"...We'll still need you to save Lillie. Erdrick is stuck downstairs, keeping the computer systems in our favour. Sure, it'll be easier without Faba, but he still needs to be there in case someone else hacks in. Take it easy, but…" Gladion told him. Hau nodded.
"I understand. And I am good… I think. I've got to help Erdrick save Lillie, though," Hau told him. Gladion rolled his eyes.
"She's my sister too, Hau. But as long as you want Lillie safe, I don't care who you want to save her for," Gladion told him. Hau laughed vaguely.
"...Elevator returned to normal. The hallway to your mansion looks clear, but if they know I'm controlling the camera, they'll be in the outside hallway. Why isn't that filmed, anyway?" Erdrick asked.
"I'll install some cameras there when I'm president. And… be less sloppy with my login credentials. Keep an eye open," Gladion told him. Erdrick chuckled.
Lillie sobbed, fearing for Nebby. She had long since abandoned trying to get through the glass to get to Lusamine. She was trapped here… a helpless damsel in distress.
"Lillie…" Erdrick's voice echoed. Lillie looked up. Erdrick was here… her chest was heaving. She looked around, shivering slightly, waiting for the boy. She saw an Aetherbot spawning ahead of her, and stand before her, none of the fluid motions she had come to expect of them from her childhood.
"All right… let's see how this works…" Erdrick's voice muttered. Lillie's heart was caught in her throat. Erdrick was controlling an Aetherbot… it was like her childhood dream come true.
"Erdrick…" Lillie muttered, looking around for the camera. She knew there was one even here, if more obscured than normal.
"Lillie, I have the Aether Paradise's tech under my control. I'll need to keep an eye on it so Gladion, Hannah and Hau can get to you. But they should be safe… as well as out of my control. They're outside," Erdrick told her. Lillie beamed.
"I knew you'd come, Erdrick," Lillie told him.
"...I'm sorry I ever had to let you go," Erdrick sighed. Lillie let out a sob- whether of sadness or joy, she didn't care.
"Erdrick… don't blame yourself. I would rather you alive and saving me later. Just promise me… promise me you'll always be there for me," Lillie asked. She wanted to give him a soft stare, but she still hadn't figured out the camera.
"I promise, Lillie. Now, let me see if I can get this lug working…" Erdrick muttered. The Aetherbot walked uncertainly towards the bed, and plopped on face first. Erdrick let out a hiss, trying to flip it over. Lillie leaned in and helped, pulling it up. She plopped on to the Aetherbot's lap, finding it surprisingly soft… it was trivially easy to, if she closed her eyes, imagine it was Erdrick himself holding her.
"Lillie, my dearest flower… I will be there soon," Erdrick assured her.
"Of course, my knight…" Lillie murmured.
Gladion walked through the hall, Team Skull shying away with just a movement of his hand and a smile from Hannah. Mostly the smile. Gladion held up a hand, and the three kids stopped. Before them, his foot on his boombox and a confident smirk on his face, was Guzma.
"So, you're here for the girl, right?" Guzma asked.
"Guzma, my boy, why? Will you subject a girl to the same fate you suffered?" Hannah asked.
"Shut up! I can't afford to stop now. Lady Lusamine is counting on me… I will stop you here. I must stop you here…" Guzma muttered. Hannah opened her mouth again, but Gladion held up his hand.
"...I shall fight him," Gladion told her, holding out his first Poke Ball. Guzma smirked, pulling out one of his own. He pushed a button on the boombox, switching his theme to the heart-pumping battle song, and sending out Golisopod. Gladion responded with Type: Null, though everyone knew that could be the Zoroark in disguise. Guzma opened with First Impression, and Type: Null took it to the helmet. Gladion ordered a Thunder Fang, sending Type: Null forward into Golisopod's shell. Golisopod gasped, and activated his Emergency Exit. He ran from the battlefield and hid in his shell. Wimp Out by another name, and little else.
"You did good, buddy. Pinsir!" Guzma called, and Gladion stepped back, choosing his move on Type: Null carefully. Type: Null turned back to him, and noticed something in his pouch. He nodded, and reared back, firing an Air Slash. Pinsir was knocked to the ground. Pinsir got to his feet, and Type: Null growled. He pulled his head back, and Gladion held out his hand. He touched Type: Null's helmet, and it burst into pieces. Gladion stepped back, seeing a silver-haired face rearing out from underneath it.
"A silver ally…" Hau remarked, watching Type: Null's Air Slash devastate the Pinsir. To prove it wasn't a fluke, it did the same to the following Vikavolt. Guzma snarled, sending out Masquerain. Masquerain's Intimidate lowered Type: Null's attacking power, but with Air Slash, it hardly mattered. Masquerain managed to hold on long enough to get off a Bug Buzz, but Type: Null's following Aerial Ace made sure to take it out. Guzma called upon Golisopod again, who was nervously eyeing the helmetless Type: Null with some trepidation.
"You scare me no longer, Guzma. Silvally! Take this!" Gladion called, throwing forward a disc. It connected to Silvally's cheek, and its crest changed colour to a dull brown. It charged forward, striking Golisopod with a Multi-Hit powered by the Rock Drive. Golisopod was sent staggering back, and Guzma gasped in shock.
"What is wrong with you, Guzma? Losing to this toady? You're nothing but a failure, a failure to yourself and Lady Lusamine!" Guzma roared, sinking to his knees and beating the ground.
"No, Guzma, you're not. Not every battle is going to be a win. Sometimes, there's nothing to do but tell yourself you'll win the next one. I have faith in you…" Hannah told him. Gladion glared at her, the strokes he was giving his new Silvally continuing to be gentle still.
"He doesn't deserve it," Gladion spat.
"...You haven't seen Po Town, have you?" Hannah asked.
"You think that's depressing? Pah. They don't know the meaning of the word hardship," Gladion snapped, heading towards the mansion. Hannah looked up at his retreating back angrily as he knelt beside Guzma to help him up.
"Just because your childhood was worse doesn't make theirs any less horrible," Hannah muttered, turning to Guzma. He waved her away, and Hannah nodded, following Gladion and Hau to rescue Lillie. Guzma took in a breath. He had to heal, and then follow them.
But would he help Lady Lusamine or the girl? Guzma pondered his reasons for doing both on the walk.
"Lillie!" Gladion cried out. Lillie looked up from the chest of the Aetherbot, and smiled.
"Gladion!" Lillie called, jumping from the Aetherbot to wrap her arms around her brother. Erdrick smiled, deleting the Aetherbot.
"Erdrick? Were you…" Gladion asked, turning to face the room's camera without a second thought.
"What was I supposed to do? That hallway you guys were in was a blindspot," Erdrick told him.
"Yeah, well…" Gladion snarled, looking around the room. He knew where the door he needed was… he just wasn't clear on how to open it. He heard a whoosh, and turned back to the mirror. It had opened.
"Do you think the only thing I did while you lot were offline was virtually snuggle Lillie? Figured out how to do this, too. There's also a camera feed in there… but at range, I can't tell how Nebby is. It doesn't look like Lusamine hurt him yet…" Erdrick told him. Gladion caught the underlying hint immediately.
"Lillie, you should stay back," Gladion remarked.
"No. I'm going to make sure Nebby is safe. He is my responsibility, and I can't pawn that off," Lillie rebuked. Gladion smirked.
"I guess we can take that. We have Hannah, and I'm not entirely sure why," Gladion remarked. Hannah scoffed, before realising he was referring to the fact she was out of her element- there were no ally Pokemon to call in the Aether Paradise.
"So you lot getting on that teleporter, or am I going to have to figure out how to control that entire room remotely?" Erdrick asked. Gladion was the first onto the teleporter, swiftly followed by the other three.
Lillie was the one to step forward, past Gladion, as the four appeared in Lusamine's private lab. Hannah and Hau were aghast at the sight of the frozen Pokemon scattered about. Lillie was more concerned about Nebby.
"Let him go, M-Lusamine!" Lillie yelled. Lusamine turned, smiling as she looked between the four, and towards a camera.
"So, the boy did come… as did your friends. You know, I kinda liked that kid… such a shame he had to go and meddle with things that weren't his problem," Lusamine remarked. Lillie blushed. Gladion sent out Silvally, glaring at the woman before him.
"I know you're trying to fluster Lillie, Lusamine. But that won't work on me," Gladion growled. Lusamine looked between the two.
"How perfect. You bothersome pests have disowned me as your mother. Saves me the trouble of doing it myself. Listen… Cosmog is my property, and I shall do with it as I please. And right now, I want to open an Ultra Wormhole with its power. There's nothing you can do about it…" Lusamine remarked, stomping her heel. Silvally screeched, and edged behind Gladion. Gladion reeled back, and Lusamine waved her hand. Hau made to send out Decidueye, only to find it didn't work.
"...She can activate her permissions remotely. Hold on, let me override…" Erdrick muttered, typing something furiously.
"...Sorry, it seems Lusamine's in the network another way," Erdrick remarked.
"Foolish boy. Did you think such an obvious backdoor was going to get you all the way out?" Lusamine asked, looking at Gladion's headset.
"...Holy smokes… damn, Lusamine. You're better than I gave you credit for," Erdrick remarked.
"You flatter me, dear child. But it as it has been said… those thieves are no children of mine. The Type: Null is no longer necessary. Now that we have Cosmog… mere extracts were enough to open a Wormhole. With the full thing… it's finally time. I will liberate my beautiful Ultra Beasts, and let them free among the Alola region!" Lusamine proclaimed.
"No way, Lusamine!" Hau called.
"Please… just let Nebby go…" Lillie begged. Lusamine closed her eyes, and hefted up the box containing Nebby. Erdrick gasped, frantically typing away, the permissions he had access to being denied by Lusamine's own. He logged off Lusamine's account, and started his Plan A- break into the network's very mainframe and surpass any normal account. He had a lot of work to do.
"Fly, my pretties…" Lusamine exclaimed. An Ultra Wormhole opened above her head, a Nihilego coming down to meet the group. Readings were appearing on screens behind Lusamine- it wasn't the only one.
"My pretties are all over Alola…" Lusamine remarked. Hannah stepped forward, her hips swinging.
"Oh. The jungle girl. What do you plan to do?" Lusamine asked.
"Gladion, Silvally's gotta fend off the Nihilego. As for me? AaAaAaaaAAAaAAAaAAAaaaAaAaAaaaAAAaAAAaAAAaaaAaAaAaaa…" Hannah called. Erdrick heard the yell on his headset… and then again as it echoed from her position above him. The sound would surely reach the islands.
Hala wandered up the Malaho Trail, humming happily to himself. He looked up from his stroll, noticing the sky darkening. A blue rift opened overhead, and from it appeared a massive black shape. It shot towards him, and Hala ran to the side, looking through his partners. He paused, hearing a faint call. Hannah's yell echoed softly in his ears.
"Hannah… she's in danger!" Hala exclaimed.
No… the islands are in danger, a deep voice, much closer by, boomed in his head. Hala turned, seeing nobody behind him. When he turned back to the beast, he saw Tapu Koko in between them.
"Great defender Tapu Koko!" Hala exclaimed, jumping a mile. Tapu Koko turned to him.
The one you call Hannah has awakened Alola's defences to the dangers of these invaders. The Cells of Zygarde are making sure the threat is repelled, while Hannah herself fights the origin point. Now, Kahuna of Melemele, now is your chance to watch your Guardian Deity fight! Tapu Koko explained. Hala understood the explanation only somewhat, but there was one part that did sink in- Alola was in danger, and Hannah's call summoned Tapu Koko to fight this beast. Which it did gracefully- electricity coursed through the air as the guardian of Melemele brought himself to bear against the foreign monster. Hala knew that to warn the people of Melemele might've been the most prudent course of action, but he found himself entranced.
Tapu Koko was indeed a fierce fighter.
Olivia looked up from her visit to the Ruins of Life. The sky outside was as dark as the cave interior, with a single portal overhead to break the monotony. A creature tumbled from it, landing surprisingly steadily before her. It very much resembled a clown, and Olivia instinctively guessed it'd be about as competent. The creature tossed a ball at her, knocking her to the ground and shaking her of that assumption. Before she could call upon an ally, she heard Hannah's yell. She looked towards the Aether Paradise briefly, before turning back to the beast, cursing her lapse in attention. She blinked in confusion, seeing Tapu Lele before her.
Kahuna of Akala, fear not for your safety. I, Guardian of Akala, shall aid you to reach your village and spread an alert. Hold one second, Tapu Lele's sweet voice echoed. She held forward her hands, and the head of the clown exploded. Tapu Lele turned to the shocked Olivia, beaming, before sensing continued danger on the path. She turned back, to see another head, identical to the first, blowing up like a balloon where the original sat. Even with the matching sound effects, it was terrifying.
...This foe poses a greater challenge than I thought… oh well. That just means I need to put in some effort. Ready, Kahuna? Tapu Lele observed. Olivia nodded, looking curiously at the way her guardian deity fought.
Nanu jumped off the back of his Honchkrow, looking up at the Ruins of Abundance. He knew he had received an urge to come here, but beyond Hannah's echoing call, he had no idea what that would be. A guttural roar echoed from within… no, above the ruins. Nanu looked up, and watched the UB Glutton jump down in front of him.
"You again. It might please you to know that the girl whose family you took is currently living happily," Nanu remarked. Guzzlord let out a large roar.
"...I said it might. Look, I don't care if she's better off now- you tore apart family. And I've lived next to Team Skull long enough to have a vague opinion about that," Nanu told him, reaching for a Poke Ball.
I shall handle this, Kahuna… a booming voice echoed. Nanu looked up, a very dull surprise at the sight of the guardian deity Tapu Bulu descending in front of the beast.
"I guess you will, huh? Honchkrow is tired, so I guess I'll stay around to watch," Nanu muttered, as Tapu Bulu charged forward, his helmet closed to form a bull's.
Lusamine's first Pokemon was a Clefable. Hannah stared it down even without a Pokemon on her side- not even Comfey was sent out. Lusamine gave her a smirk, watching her with keen eyes. Hannah pointed at last, and a blast of poisonous matter landed in Clefable's face. Hannah smirked, as a Salazzle landed in front of her.
"Where did you get that?" Lusamine asked. The Salazzle reared up, letting out a piercing call. Lusamine noticed that the Salazzle was much larger than normal, and also coated in a faint, golden glow. Lusamine ordered a Hyper Voice, but Salazzle's next gob of poison landed directly in Clefable's mouth. Clefable spun around, dizzied, before landing on her back.
"Not fair…" Lusamine called, sending out Milotic. Her aim was short-lived, however, as Salazzle retreated behind Hannah. Lusamine considered whether she could make use of this, before realising that no, she couldn't. She only had five Pokemon. There were more Totems than that. And if need be, that Salazzle could come back into action… she was starting to regret not bringing along Mismagius.
Lusamine's Milotic was matched against Hannah's Totem Lurantis. She had heard rumours about this monster and its proficiency in battle. With a Sunny Day set up, Lurantis needed fire only two Solar Blades to make short work of her Milotic, even with her Icy Winds in an attempt to slow the beast down. Lusamine watched the Lurantis bow and jump behind Hannah, making room for a new Totem Pokemon. She thanked her lucky stars she needn't deal with Lurantis anymore.
To take advantage of the sun, Lusamine sent out her Lilligant. She had deemed it safe- the Totem of Fire, Salazzle, had already been spent. What she didn't count on was the Totem Marowak. She spluttered, watching Totem Marowak's bone spin around. Flame Charge. She could handle that… she ordered a Teeter Dance. Marowak danced to Lilligant's tempo, grinning as the Lilligant nervously, furiously tried to succeed in confusing the ghost. With another Flame Charge boosted by Lurantis's sun, Lilligant dropped, confused herself by the Totem's success.
"You…" Lusamine growled, Lopunny put on the field. Hannah giggled.
"Alola does not take kindly to those who seek harm upon it. I, Hannah of the Wild, speak on behalf of the Heart of Alola. I am Alola," Hannah called, a Totem Kommo-o crashing down in front of her. Hau and Erdrick watched in pure horror as the Kommo-o sent Lopunny into the ceiling with his Sky Uppercut. They would have to fight that at some point. Hannah turned to them, and grinned cheekily. She knew what they were thinking.
Lusamine's final Pokemon appeared before her. Bewear, the killer hugger. Hannah's Totem of choice was the Totem Mimikyu. Mimikyu's charcoal eyes bored into the dull gaze of the Bewear. Bewear charged forward, preparing a crushing hug for the lost soul. Mimikyu completely ignored the presence of the Bewear, even without busting its Disguise. Hannah crossed her arms, and Lusamine growled.
"Is using the Totem Guardians of Alola not enough overkill for you?" Lusamine asked.
"Nope," Hannah replied childishly, making the classic shrug pose. Mimikyu's already larger-than-normal base grew even larger, engulfing the Bewear. From within the depths came bulges from under the cloth, sounds of… something striking Bewear repeatedly echoing around the room. Mimikyu flicked Bewear out of the cape, sitting as delicately as it had started the battle. Bewear, meanwhile, was beaten just short of drawing blood.
"You arrogant… you…" Lusamine growled.
"What's the matter? Scared of me now that I have the power of four islands? To your one?" Hannah asked, grinning. Lusamine turned to the Ultra Wormhole, noticing Silvally had dealt with the Nihilego that had approached.
"You are a wild… beast. You have no refinement compared even to ordinary Pokemon, let alone my precious Ultra Beasts," Lusamine growled. Hannah smirked.
"You say that like I'm going to get offended. On the cusp of everything you have done, an insult like that is childish. Lusamine, I am going to apprehend you. I am going to knock some sense into you any way I can. And then, eventually, you are going to apologise to your kids for being a terrible mother," Hannah told her, her own aura flaring to life.
"Guzma! Grab her!" Lusamine called. Lillie turned around, noticing Guzma had appeared behind them, and jumped behind Gladion to be safe. Guzma, however, was eyeing the aura with alarm, slowly backing the way he came.
"...Incompetent fool. Very well, I must take matters into my own hands," Lusamine remarked. A Poke Ball appeared in the air beside her, and she added it to her party.
"I know exactly how to deal with you, child. And my answer is not here. Farewell," Lusamine snarled, turning and vanishing into the Ultra Wormhole. Guzma gasped, running past the kids to chase after her. The wormhole closed behind him, leaving nothing but a layer of tension behind. Hannah looked down at the shuddering case holding Nebby, and opened it with a blast of Alola's power. Nebby hovered into the air above it, its shape changed drastically by the experience. Rather than a gaggle of puffy clouds, it was a massively condensed, brooch-shaped creature.
"Nebby!" Lillie cried out, running forward and taking the creature into her hands. It floated above them rather than resting in her palms, but after a few concerned movements, Lillie determined it was still safe there.
"...Alola, what are we going to do about it?" Gladion asked, turning to Hannah. Hannah let out a reverberating chuckle.
"I am not quite as all-knowing as Alola itself. I'm only a wild orphan. But I do think it would be wise to head to the Altar of the Sunne…" Hannah remarked.
"Why?" Gladion asked. Hannah thought to herself.
"...I don't know. Maybe Alola is talking to me. All I know about the Altar of the Sunne myself is that's where I met… well, if I had never gone there all those years ago, I'd be dead," Hannah told them. She looked around, and turned to the Totem Pokemon.
"AAAaAaAaaaAAAaAAAaAAAaaaAAAaAaaaAaaa…" Hannah softly called. The Totems nodded in whatever way they could, and vanished to their resting places. The aura faded from around Hannah, and she slumped slightly in exhaustion. Hau rushed to her side instinctively, and Hannah allowed him to throw his arms around her.
"...Lillie, will you be all right? I've gotta make sure I can unscramble everything I did in the Aether network here before I leave my station," Erdrick's voice asked. Lillie turned to Gladion, her eyes focusing on the receiver that broadcasted Erdrick's voice.
"I can cope. As long as we can leave for Poni Island together tomorrow, I can handle this. Though Hau, I might need to borrow Hannah if it turns out I can't," Lillie remarked. Though Hau and Hannah chuckled, Erdrick did not.
"Wow… I promise I'll try and see you before you fall asleep," Erdrick assured her. Lillie nodded, and Gladion gave a curt nod in turn.
"Lillie, show those lovebirds to one of the spare rooms. You and Erdrick can take your old room, and I'll take mine," Gladion told her. Lillie blushed furiously, turning to Hannah for help. Unfortunately for her, Hannah was also taken askance by Gladion's remark.
"...Gladion, brother… Erdrick and I aren't that close…" Lillie muttered, her gaze dropped in embarrassment.
"I-I'll sleep with you, Lillie," Hannah stammered out, her and Hau broken away in an instant. Hau looked at Gladion, who had already left the room. Hau followed, mostly to get out of Lusamine's lair.
Gladion entered the lab Erdrick was left in, and set his earpiece on the desktop beside him before he drew up a seat to watch Erdrick work. In the brief time he was away, the earpiece had disappeared into Erdrick's belt.
"So how bad is the network?" Gladion asked, looking at the screen.
"Pretty bad, but not unsalvageable. I took a lot of unsuccessful routes to try and get into the network, and I was very uncaring about how I left those," Erdrick told him. Gladion looked at the screen- it was black with white text, displaying a bunch of words, numeric sequences and even alphanumeric sequences. Even amongst the words, Gladion recognised only half of them, and he was sure some of them had different meanings when put into the context of computing.
"Did you turn it off and on?" Gladion asked.
"No. I'm scared the island's capacity to float is governed by something in the network. Trust me, I've seen a movie where this ends badly," Erdrick told him. Gladion stared at him blankly.
"...You trust a movie's judgement?" Gladion asked. Erdrick rolled his eyes.
"Unless you have a convincing argument in favour of me potentially shutting off the island's capacity to float, I'm doing this manually," Erdrick remarked. Gladion nodded, watching as he crawled through the white text as if he knew what it all meant, and more importantly, what he had to do to call the mess fixed.
"...Um, Erdrick… about my sister…" Gladion began. Erdrick turned to him, seeing confidence on his face.
"You're going to tell me I damn well better do a good job with her, aren't you?" Erdrick asked. Gladion's jaw dropped.
"Gladion, you're not the only protective brother. Probably the only one I've ever met in person, but… point is, I get it. And I agree- Lillie is a special case. I'd like to think it's going to take genuine effort on my part to be her boyfriend and do the job properly. And if I don't do it well, I am going to deserve your wrath. I intend to help her move past her life here, and be a girl with inner strength," Erdrick told him. Gladion smiled.
"Glad to hear I've got such a good brother-in-law to look forward to. As long as Lillie is happy, I'm satisfied," Gladion told him. Erdrick nodded, and turned back to the computer.
"Master Gladion?" someone asked from behind the pair. Erdrick and Gladion turned to her, seeing Wicke behind them.
"...Nanny Wicke," Gladion remarked. Wicke gave him a smile, and leant down beside Erdrick to observe the computer's screen. She pursed her lips as she read what was on screen.
"Wow, you did a number on this. Can I fix this for you, Erdrick?" Wicke asked.
"If you can, you're welcome. It's probably better you did it…" Erdrick remarked, standing and letting her take the chair. She gave Gladion a pat on the hand, sending him away, before turning to Erdrick with a glint in her eye.
"Lillie likes it when you stroke her hair and rub her back. She has problems being touched on her legs, but she does seem like she's willing to let you do it. She's quite partial to meats. I'll… probably write this down for you later," Wicke told him. Erdrick smiled, and nodded.
"I get why you're telling me. Thanks for the leg up, I guess," Erdrick remarked, following Gladion back upstairs.
Lillie's already asleep.
Erdrick knew he should have expected Lillie wouldn't wait for him. But a part of him had hoped… he felt wrong for it, but he couldn't help it.
He was sitting against a railing outside the mansion. Today, he would depart to explore Poni Island, finding the Trials and claiming his last Z-Crystals. But not right now… he had promised he would accompany Lillie on her own journey through Poni, her journey to help Nebby recover. He turned back to face the wide ocean, vaguely trying to figure out what made the view entrancing, before hearing the soft steps that could only be Lillie's. He turned, and his jaw dropped. Lillie had changed from her usual dress, adopting a short-sleeved sweater and a neat skirt. Her face was cleaned up of loose hair by her new ponytail and brightened with a new confidence. Erdrick was honestly stunned as Lillie approached him, taking his hand with little more than a slight red tinge to her cheeks.
"Lillie… what happened overnight?" Erdrick asked.
"I… I had this dream where I was in your arms, overlooking a starry sky falling on this beautiful… err… I… don't remember what it was. I… never mind. Point is, Erdrick, I'm going to be your idea of a perfect girl, starting by wearing the clothes you bought me all that time ago…" Lillie told him, stepping slightly closer. Erdrick was blushing hard enough for the two of them.
"...Lillie, you don't have to do that for me," Erdrick muttered.
"But that's what I want to do, Erdrick. I want to prove to Lusamine that I'm my own girl now, and I will be a strong woman, even if I'm still dependent. Look out, world… this is my Z-Power!" Lillie exclaimed. She swung her arms around in a cross, before holding her hands in front of her and swaying to one side delicately.
"...Well, I mean, sure, but I think you might want to branch out a little more. Even if you're not going to be a Trainer, there might be some other way you can make your own mark?" Erdrick asked nervously. Lillie's confidence seemed to shatter, her blush coming back heavily.
"Erdrick… I… can I do this first? I… take it slow?" Lillie asked. Erdrick smiled, pulling the girl into a reassuring hug.
"If you're not confident enough yet, that's fine. We can work on that later," Erdrick assured her.
"Thank you, Erdrick… You've really given me a sense of purpose, you know? Back when I was just Kukui's assistant, I didn't know what I was going to do for the rest of my life. But now I do. I feel like… I feel like I'm being your wife because I want to, not because I have to. I don't get it either, but…" Lillie let out in a hasty tirade.
"I think I do. You were forced to obey Lusamine, and now that you want to… well, not obey me, but something close to it, you're trying to rationalise it. Lillie, as long as this makes you happy, I'm OK to let you settle in like this. I think you might benefit from one day having a hobby you can share with your own Pokemon, especially a cute or a fluffy one now that my Incineroar is no longer either. But baby steps, of course… but that's all for later. Right now, we've gotta go to Poni Island," Erdrick told her, running his hand through her hair. Lillie beamed, and stepped back, briefly fixing up her hair again.
"Who's joining us?" Lillie asked.
"Hannah said she'll come by when we get to the Altar of the Sunne, but until then, she says she…" Erdrick started, turning back to the mansion. He saw Hannah standing by it, watching them with a grin on her face.
"Hannah?" Lillie asked.
"Don't mind me. Anyway, Lils, I'm not following you lot 'cause I think you two are cute together, and I think you could use some time alone. Give me a holler if you need me, but I trust you've got survival skills down," Hannah told them, looking between them with a wink. Lillie jumped, looking at Erdrick.
"...Relax, Lils. Weren't you just saying you wanted to be my perfect wife?" Erdrick asked. Lillie looked at Hannah.
"I… take it slow…" Lillie muttered. Hannah's eyes widened in realisation.
"You wanted to sleep with Erdrick with me around the corner first, didn't you?" Hannah asked. Lillie nodded, looking at Erdrick worriedly. He nodded, reassuring her.
"...Then I guess I can join you lot for the rest of Poni Island. We'll pass by my parent's graves on the way around, fair warning," Hannah told them. Lillie nodded, giving her a hug with equal mix gratitude and consolation.