Kiawe. Marowak and Turtonator.
Mallow, Lana, and Sophocles. Steenee, Popplio, Togedemaru and Charjabug. Rowlet and Litten.
Gladion. Umbreon, Midnight Lycanroc, and Silvally.
Lillie. Snowy. Dusk Lycanroc.
They were all fighting. Over and over, they'd told him not to worry about them, to keep moving and not look back. He believed in them. He'd seen how strong, how awesome every one of them was. He knew they could win their battles without him there.
But still. Riding along through this dark, barren place, with only the heat and steady rhythm of Solgaleo's muscles shifting as it bounded along after their target...he wasn't worried, exactly, but he still wished he could see what was happening. Whether they were still there, battling it out to buy him time, or if they were coming after him, victorious.
What if they do lose?
He'd shaken his head stubbornly as soon as the thought entered, trying to dislodge it as he gripped the fur in his hands tighter. He shouldn't be doubting his friends like that! They were great trainers, all of them! They could overcome any obstacle!
But this whole situation was eerily familiar...
He hadn't noticed at first, because Ultra Beasts and Wormholes and Nebby were all such new, surprising experiences. Alola was a region totally different from any of the others he'd visited. But now that he was here, riding alone in a weird new dimension with only his buddy Pikachu by his side and an uncertain time limit...
It was just like the castle. It was just like all that time ago...
His own mother, carried away by something strange and largely unknown, something he hadn't been able to chase down in time to avoid her disappearance. Running desperately after her, screaming out at the top of his lungs as she was pulled further and further away, out of his view entirely.
Discussions with the professor, trying to figure out what took his mom and why. Time ticking away while they tried to find a way to even get inside that place.
Brock and Misty, standing there with the fire of determination in their eyes, telling him to run and keep climbing the stairs and not look back, to find her while they battled against Molly and her powerful pokemon.
They had been some of the strongest trainers he'd known, and they'd still lost those battles.
When he'd finally found his mother, she'd told him she'd been in a daze, brainwashed by Entei. She wouldn't have wanted to leave, wouldn't have remembered anything if she hadn't snapped out of it...
It's exactly the same...
Lusamine doesn't remember. She can't think clearly with that Ultra Beast holding her hostage and merging with her. She doesn't want to leave this place, and she's lashing out at anyone who tries to stop her like a little kid, even though we're only trying to help her.
Ultra Beasts are powerful. It won't give in without putting us through the fight of our lives...
Listening to the steady thumps of Solgaleo's paws bounding along, he turned to glance at the pokemon sitting next to him, his first and most loyal partner.
"Pikachu...do you remember Entei?"
"Chu?" His buddy pricked his ears, cocking his head at the sudden question. But after a moment of staring at him, he shuddered, ears pinning back as he scampered up to cling to his shoulder. "Pika, pika pi..."
"Yeah, Entei was real scary...it hurt you pretty bad...and Cyndaquil, and Totodile..." He had to grit his teeth at the memory of his pals, lying there bruised and unconscious because of his failed commands. He'd sent them up against a foe that was just too far above their abilities. Above his own abilities as a trainer.
"Charizard couldn't even beat it...We were riding on his back, clinging for our lives so we didn't fall, and then he saved us, but...Entei pinned him down, with its paws on his neck, a-and..."
If Molly hadn't finally stepped in, begging, crying...
Charizard had been so loyal, flying all the way there and risking his life to help them. He'd raised him from that sweet little Charmander, and even after he'd become so different, so strong, he was still there whenever it counted.
Here they were now, riding on Solgaleo. On Nebby, who he'd raised and played with and cared for, and now it was so powerful, and so brave, and it had carried them all here to this world, and it was chasing after Lusamine with all its might. It would follow him into battle, and fight without hesitation.
I'm not gonna let the same thing happen this time. I promised I'd protect Nebby, and I'll keep that promise, no matter what!
"Solgaleo, listen to me!"
The wind was rushing past his ears as they charged ahead, but he could still make out the loud rumble of acknowledgement.
"I want you to know, I believe in you! You're super powerful and cool, and I'm sure you've got all kinds of abilities I'm gonna be surprised by! I know we can do this! But...if things start getting really bad...if you get really hurt...just stop. Don't keep pushing, okay? I don't know what that Ultra Beast can do, and I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to you! The others can come and back us up! So if you can't fight anymore...it's okay to run."
He never believed in running away. No matter how high the odds were stacked against you, if you just tried, if you put all of your heart into it and took a risk, then...you could pull through. You could win. He'd proved that, over and over again.
He wasn't going to run. He'd see this through to the end if he had to grab Lusamine with his bare hands and drag her back to Earth. It wasn't just himself he was risking though. Solgaleo and Pikachu were here, and he wasn't going to make that mistake again. He wasn't going to let them carry on a losing fight until it was too late to escape.
But that didn't mean that they weren't going to fight at all. No, they were going to go full-throttle, z-powered, giving everything they had!
Gladion was counting on him. Lillie was counting on him. She had watched her mother, dragged away screaming into a portal, and she'd run so desperately to get here, only to find an empty woman she didn't recognise. She'd found someone who was angry and childish and lashing out with everything she had, blind to the good that was right under her nose.
It was terrifying, to think that you might lose the person you loved more than anything in the world. The person who raised you, played with you, kept you safe and happy, and you think you might never see their smile again, or hug them again...
It pierced your chest and made your throat catch, to know that you are their only hope for rescue, but the odds are completely against your favour. To know that you're going up against a creature capable of more than you could imagine, more than you've ever trained for.
But all we can do is try. We don't give in. We can't afford to. We have to be brave, and give it all we've got, until we win!
"Pikachu, Lillie said that Lusamine wasn't very nice to her. She cared more about work and experiments than about her and Gladion. I guess, when I think about my mom...Lillie was right. Lusamine hasn't been acting like a real mom. And now she's been screaming those bad things, like how she hates us, how she hates her..."
"Pi-ka..." He felt Pikachu's fingers grip him tighter, his furry head sinking sadly.
"But remember when Nebby took us to all those different places to help Lillie get her memories back. There were all kinds of happy memories too. She had all those pictures in her office, and Lillie's room was kept the exact same! So...I know Lusamine was good once...deep down, I know she still loves Lillie, and Gladion! And they still love her."
Tightening his grip, he nudged Solgaleo's side with his foot, urging it to run faster. He could dimly make out her voice now as it carried across the empty space. They were closing in on her, and she should be running out of pokemon. He would have to corner her, so that she couldn't keep running away.
"Lillie, Gladion, I promise...We're gonna save Lusamine. We're gonna bring her back home."