Author's note: guess what, putting what's new pussycat on repeat does WONDERS for productivity. this was supposed to be about half as long as it was, but, uh...whoops. i know it's not my best work - i feel like the oc's introduction in this chapter is a biiit sudden, but trust me, he's important.

as for notes regarding recent announcements by nintendo: thotb is probably gonna take place in a separate universe from usum, HOWEVER, given sun's search for necrozma, i doubt it won't come into play once november's rolled around. as for the switch game...that'll be noncanon to this. come on, we have a long wait for that one. it's not gonna be incorporated in this, even if it is the long-awaited sinnoh remake.

at any rate, i hope you enjoy - i'm very glad to have returned to my baby!

"Young master? I've taken care of everything in your stead. Security has tightened considerably tonight."

Gladion gave a weak nod as Wicke entered the room again. Her heels no longer hit the ground as a rapid, tireless staccato. Instead, her steps were heavy, slow, even, perhaps, clunky. It was abundantly clear that she'd been working herself into exhaustion throughout the day, no doubt trying to keep things in Aether Paradise running steadily when he couldn't. To see that everything had finally visibly gotten to her…

She deserved a break. A little time to sit down and relax, to take a few breaths before she inevitably collapsed from trying to carry herself further. It was unfortunate, to say the least, that this wouldn't come to her for a long time if things kept going the way they were.

"Th...Thank you," Gladion wheezed, "M...Miss...Wicke." The thought of calling her something else came to mind. No, he couldn't call her auntie, not when he had to maintain unbiased professionalism. It felt so...Wrong, after everything, as well. Childish. It was a rather somber reminder that he carried the foundation on his shoulders.

A single slip-up could ruin his career in an instant. Even if he hadn't chosen to be president, he had to be. The foundation as a whole needed someone to turn to, even if that someone was a small, scrappy teenager returning from a life serving Team Skull.

At the very least, he was a survivor.

He had lived. He would continue to live, even if the same creature that had taken hold of Lusamine took hold of him.

Wicke moved slowly to his bedside, her eyes turning, briefly, to the tube emerging from his arm. Gladion swore he saw a look of resignation in Wicke's eyes as she looked him in the eye again.

She hadn't wanted to accept it, but there he was, the hot mess he'd always been, still trying to stave off thoughts that it had gotten to him. Even if he still had so much fight in him, this was…

This was Nihilego. This wasn't just any threat. This was what had torn his family apart. It'd hurt his mother, it had hurt Lillie. This thing could have made its way inside his head, and then what would happen? What would become of him? Or everyone else, for that matter?

Questions were still buzzing around in his head like Beedrill in their nest.

Yet in the midst of it all, Wicke carried herself with that tired smile, still trying to comfort those around her before daring to turn to herself.

"It's been a long week for everyone," Wicke mused wistfully, "…I never thought such a thing would happen. I'm so sorry I couldn't do more for you."

Wicke couldn't tell if her words were truly meant in regards to what was going on. Her words, in a way, echoed her thoughts of the past.

Of Lusamine.

The Beast…Even if it didn't intend to, it destroyed lives.

She couldn't let it destroy Gladion's once again.

Gladion didn't say anything in response, he only nodded and shifted his position in the bed he'd been confined to.

"Gladion…" Wicke whispered, "You're not her. I assure you that come what may, you will never be her. Even if I no longer stand by her…I still stand by a capable young president. Please don't forget this."

"I…Understand," Gladion rasped hesitantly, "A-Again…Thanks. You've done so much…"

I don't deserve it. The thought of saying this crossed Gladion's mind in that brief moment, and it took a great deal of effort to dispel the urge to do so. He couldn't say such things to Wicke. Not when there was the risk of being pitied in such a statement.

It was perhaps the worst scenario he could imagine: Wicke deciding he needed that. Not that he'd blame her too much - She cared. She cared perhaps far more than she had to. She'd tried to keep his mother away from him and Lillie and, at times, she'd succeeded.

But Arceus forbid someone feel bad for him after that. He'd taken it all quietly. Nobody would change this.

As Wicke stepped towards his bedside, though, Gladion couldn't help but sit up and hold out his arms, just slightly.

Wicke let him pull her forward into a hug, and it felt like an eternity before either let go. The feeling, for Gladion, was nostalgic. It brought back memories and left a hollow stabbing sensation in his chest as he remembered what it felt like. This was what it'd felt like long ago, back when Lusamine had her senses about her. This was the feeling of having someone watching over him, ensuring that he had someone to turn to even when things went awry. It hurt to remember, and it only brought back the nausea that'd come with remembering what she'd done under Nihilego, yet…

He couldn't let go. He couldn't pull himself away from the one adult he had left to look to. The warmth of her arms, how she held him like he was her own kin. It had become so foreign to Gladion that feeling it again, feeling the simple touch from a family member, was overwhelming.

Choking back the lump in his throat, Gladion finally let go.

"S…Sorry," Gladion muttered as he lay back down, "'S been a long day."

Wicke shook her head, the gentle smile she usually carried returning to her face as she took a step back.

"It's fine," she replied, "...Have I overstepped any boundaries?"

"No…" Gladion felt his lips curve upward as he closed his eyes. "Thanks…G'night."

Auntie.

The quiet tapping of feet against the floor faded out, and Gladion hoped only for a night of silence.

And if not that, clarity on what was to come.

"Ruff! Ro-ruff!"

The sharp cry of a Rockruff brought Sun out of his daze, forcing him to look up, turning his attention away from his wound for a single moment. A wild Rockruff had immediately taken notice of the situation, and in that moment, it had stricken out at the Sableye. Leaping forward without any hesitation and throwing the Sableye to the ground by tossing a single rock, the puppy Pokémon was quick to leap on the creature and sink its fangs deep into the Ghost-type's shoulder. Blood began to seep from the Sableye's arm as it hissed, clawing at the Rockruff's face frantically in hopes of an escape, but the Rockruff held on with an iron grip.

Shaking its head violently from side to side, the Rockruff was clearly trying to disable its foe's arm. After a good while of holding its foe down, however, the Sableye managed to claw deep enough into the Rockruff's face that the Rockruff was forced to let go, providing the Sableye with an escape. Its eyes gleamed at the sight of Sun, who had clearly drawn its curiosity beforehand but now hardly seemed like worthwhile prey to it, especially when its arm dangled limply from a clearly broken shoulder. Letting out another hiss and looking to the Rockruff, the Sableye dashed off, giving the other Pokémon a chance to see who it had saved.

Looking over Sun and whimpering, the Rockruff began to lick at the gash in his cheek, prompting a soft, nervous laugh out of him. Had this Pokémon truly saved him? It was so small, and looking at it again, Sun realized that it seemed to be dragging its back leg along, but it had been primed to tear the Sableye apart for so much as touching a young trainer. Not only that, but it wanted to make sure he was okay! Immediately, Sun wrapped his arms around the small Pokémon, his laugh soon ringing through the cave.

He was…Would he be fine? Blood still dripped from the cut, dripping down and staining his shirt, and the pain was still enough to bring him to tears, but this Pokémon had saved his life! It had been amazing, watching the Rockruff battle - Was that what he'd missed out on by not going with Moon? There were League regulations to prevent them from getting as violent as that one had, certainly, but had he truly missed out on that much? Everything had sounded so scary when he'd talked to trainers in Kanto, especially when the news reports began to surface about the Champion and the fate of their oldest Dragonite, but…

This was different.

This looked fun.

This looked like exactly what Moon had described the life of a trainer to be.

As the Rockruff continued to lick and nuzzle at Sun, no doubt to make sure that he was still awake, its ears perked up, causing it to leap off him for a single moment, taking a defensive stance.

Another trainer's shadow appeared in what little light remained, but this person clearly meant no harm, if their first words were anything to go by.

"Are you Sun? Your mother was concerned about you," the trainer began, "And I just happened to be passing through. I came here with a local-"

"SUN!"

Two trainers had appeared, and one of them a familiar face, to boot. Sun instantly recognized the panicked sound of Hau's voice. Immediately, Hau dashed over to him, the Rockruff easing a little once it sniffed his leg, making sure to familiarize itself with his presence. Whimpering to the boy, the Rockruff immediately moved closer to Sun, trying to point out the cut across his face.

Panting heavily, Hau gently shooed the Rockruff away, the other trainer following behind him. The Rockruff stayed close, however, not wanting to leave the human it'd become attached to.

Kneeling down next to Hau and gesturing for him to step away, the other trainer, his features obscured by the low light, let out a sigh as he reached around for something, eventually opening a small box and placing a damp cloth to his cheek.

"S-So how is it, doc?" Hau asked nervously.

"It's nothing severe, thankfully," the trainer replied, "We're lucky to have found him so soon, and we're lucky it wasn't a bite, though it'd be best to get him proper treatment regardless."

Pausing for a moment and looking back to Hau, the mysterious trainer let out a soft, reassuring laugh.

"Your intuition was spot-on, I must say," he continued, "Have you known for a while that he was planning on coming here?"

Hau...Hau had known?

"Yeah, I think it was like that?" Hau stepped away for a moment, turning back to the Rockruff, who continued to sit patiently as it awaited Sun's recovery. "Sun spent a lot of time on the beach after Moon left - I was gonna offer to take him myself tomorrow, but, ah…I guess it's too late for that."

"Ah…" The other trainer's voice was laced with sympathy for the boy. "At any rate…It's going to take a few more minutes to stop the bleeding completely. Please stay still for me, won't you?"

Sun held himself from giving a weak nod as he let out a soft "Mhmm." The Rockruff finally returned to his side and curled up, licking at her leg.

"But wow, Sun, this Rockruff's incredible," Hau commented, "How'd this one find you? Was it just trying to chase off that Sableye?"

"Yu…Uh…Yup," Sun replied weakly, "They were…They just ran in, a-and…I dunno how it happened, really!"

Sun felt the stranger trainer's hand lifting from his face, and immediately he began to stand up. Hau was quick to offer a hand, pulling Sun upwards so that the two finally stood together next to the stranger.

"By the looks of it," the stranger cut in, "This Rockruff seems to be female. She's rather small. Of course, I'm afraid I can't comment accurately on this - I'm no expert on Pokémon."

Sun turned to face the older trainer, who looked down at him and Hau with an amused look on his face. Finally, Sun could make out his features - He stood tall, with a slender face and shaggy, dark hair. His deep brown eyes were framed by a thin pair of glasses. Over his shoulders hung a long, sleeveless silver jacket, one with deep pockets that seemed to hold multiple first-aid kits, and his neck was adorned with a thin, charcoal gray scarf. Though hard to make out on his complexion, a shade darker than Sun's, Sun could tell he'd been marked a bit too harshly by Alola's weather, and he wondered if it was carelessness or simply his drive to help keeping him in the sunlight that had caused that.

The stranger bowed, chuckling softly.

"I never did introduce myself, did I?" he asked, "My name is Komugi. I'm a traveling medic who happened to take interest in Melemele's legends. When I heard someone might had gone to Ten Carat Hill, particularly someone your age without a single Pokémon to his name, I couldn't stand idly by."

"He's gonna be staying in Iki Town for a bit!" Hau cut in, "I was hoping he'd be able to meet Moon before she left, but…"

Hau trailed off, a sudden downcast tone lacing his voice. Before Komugi could speak again, however, Hau piped up once more.

"...Sun," he continued suddenly, "I've got a lot to tell you about, actually! Moon's asked me to tell you something, and now you've got this Rockruff…Komugi! Thanks for helping Sun out! Come on, let's get outta here, we've gotta get back!"

Already, Hau's feet were moving. Not wanting to be left behind by someone so young, Komugi followed at a brisk pace. Though his steps were unsteady, Sun followed behind the two, his footsteps echoing through the cave just like those of the small Pokémon behind him.

So that was what it felt like, he thought, to have one's own Pokémon.

Still, something seemed off about this - Sun's mind drifted back to when he and Moon had first arrived on the island. What had Hala said then, when Moon had come back from Mahalo Trail?

"I am kahuna of this island, after all. Whenever there is a problem on the island, it is my duty to resolve it."

So why had Hau and some strange traveling medic come around, rather than him? Sun couldn't help, as the group stood outside once again, the rock in front finally shattered by a Tauros Hau had called for a short while, but speak up.

"Hey, Hau," Sun inquired, "Why'd you and Mister Komugi show up, anyway? I thought this'd be something the kahuna would get involved in…He came back from the League recently, didn't he?"

"Actually, something's been goin' on," Hau replied, "My gramps got called to a meeting out near the League! I dunno what it's about, but it was urgent - All the kahunas were supposed to gather for this."

"Alola has seemed rather hostile in recent days," Komugi mused, "I would imagine that the kahunas are being gathered near the source of such a problem. Personally, I wouldn't be too worried - You are a strong trainer yourself, are you not? Even if the kahunas cannot face up to something alone, Alola has no shortage of those with Champion-level strength."

"Yeah," Hau agreed, "Everyone's lookin' a lot stronger now that summer's over! We gotta be ready for whatever happens! Right, Sun?"

Sun couldn't help but feel like he'd been put on the spot there - No doubt Hau had picked up on his excitement at having a Pokémon with him. That tiny Rockruff…

She needed a name, didn't she? Giving her a name was definitely going to prove that they'd already bonded.

"Yeah," Sun replied softly, "I think I'm gonna…I'm gonna keep this Pokémon. D-Do you think Tsubaki is a good name?"

Hau nodded enthusiastically, taking a look out towards the ocean.

"Yeah, I like that!" he chirped, "You gonna train her? She looks like she liked that battle! I bet you two'd make a good team!"

Sun fell silent, simply looking out at where Hau's gaze was pointed. Was he going to? This would make him a trainer, this would mean that he'd run the risk of losing Tsubaki, wouldn't it? No, that…He couldn't think about that. Tsubaki wanted to battle.

Tsubaki wanted a trainer.

Maybe.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sun swore he saw a flash of light shooting across the sky. A shooting star! If nothing else, maybe that would provide him with a little hope. If it had truly been a shooting star…

I want Tsubaki to become strong.

With that, Sun turned back to Komugi.

"Mister Komugi? You said I was gonna need better treatment for this, but…" Sun couldn't tell if he'd simply been distracted from the pain, or if Komugi had simply done enough that it no longer hurt. "It doesn't feel like it."

Shaking his head, Komugi let out a soft sigh.

"I believe it'd be best to return to Hau'oli regardless," he replied, "Hau? If you'd be so kind as to lead the way back…"

"Yeah, of course!" Hau chimed, "C'mon, Sun! I'll tell you everything I gotta tell you after you've been checked out!"

As Hau dashed ahead, the thought of Moon rushed back into Sun's head.

Following behind him and Komugi, Sun realized that he'd finally received his first Pokémon. At some point…

At some point, maybe he'd be able to stand up to Moon.

Besides, training under Hau didn't sound like it'd be bad at all - The two of them had been friends for a while, especially with Moon's Champion duties.

Maybe, just maybe, he'd finally be able to beat his sister.

He'd finally be able to come out on top.

With this thought in his head, Sun stepped away from the tall grass and beach, returning to the light of Hau'oli's outskirts, knowing that once he'd been looked at, he'd be able to better himself and Tsubaki.

Then, when Moon came back home from her training, he'd be able to let her know he was strong.

"Attention Aether, security has been breached in the medical wing, I repeat, there's been a breach in the medical wing!"

A voice echoed throughout Aether Paradise, forcing Wicke out of the bed she lay in. Just when she thought rest would finally come to her, something had managed to slip past high security, forcing her to take action once more. The wing was no doubt on lockdown, but she had her own place to be. The threat could have once again been Steven, but at the same time, there were other possibilities.

Possibilities that would leave the outside at risk.

The idea remained in Wicke's mind as she stepped out into a hallway that led to the main entrance of the foundation, trying to size up her options. The foundation was on lockdown, and the elevators…Few could actually use them at such a time, not unless they had authority like hers.

Where was she needed most? Her thoughts raced as alarms echoed through the halls, guards rushing every which way, shoving past even her as she desperately ran towards the elevator. Was it best to simply follow her instincts, to run towards whatever felt right in her mind? If that was the case, her instincts only drove her upwards towards the Conservation Area. Upwards towards what could very well be another encounter with Steven.

With Nihilego.

Standing in the elevator, all it took was the swipe of a key card to send it upwards, the ride there seeming endless. What had it been this time? Had it truly even been Nihilego this time around, or was something, or even someone scratching around in the halls, trying to stir up some sort of mischief beneath the noses of Aether's higher-ups?

Or worse, were they targeting Gladion? That…If it wasn't Steven escaping, perhaps that was the case.

The elevator stopped, and the walkways greeted Wicke again. She'd been carrying her Corsola's Poké Ball with her throughout, hoping she wouldn't have to send out her only Pokémon against anything that night. Hopefully this one would be resolved just like the previous incident.

Walking at a brisk pace down the walkways, glancing around the environments in hopes of spotting something out of the ordinary, Wicke had to admit that nothing looked wrong. Everything in the Conservation Area looked as it always had. After finally reaching the back, Wicke took a moment to observe her surroundings again, trying to make out anything she might have missed.

There was nothing. Nothing she could have failed to see hiding amongst the greenery, nothing setting off any of the nearby Pokémon…Though she hadn't checked the rocky area, guards were already investigating the corner with it, and she could hear their comments in the silent air.

"Nothing's here. If it'd been him, you'd think he'd be back here…"

"Yeah, I know. Any word on him, anyway? He still there?"

"Dunno yet…The staff in there's been pretty quiet. Something's fishy here, y'know?"

Fishy indeed, Wicke thought, If even what's become of the president hasn't been addressed.

Heading towards the mountainous habitat, Wicke breathed heavily, trying desperately to shoo the thought of something happening to Gladion from her mind. At the same time…Two security breaches in a day, and not a word on the second. What would become of Steven at the end of it all? Would he have to be deemed too dangerous to keep at Aether?

Or even…No, they wouldn't execute him so soon. There was still a trial, and Aether still hadn't found a cure. Something had to come of it all before she was willing to give up on Hoenn's ex-Champion. Until then, she'd keep on her toes, keeping everyone she could alive, keeping conflicts from brewing too fiercely before Aether's leadership was once again destroyed.

Reaching the halfway point between two corners, Wicke looked off to the central walkway, sighing.

It seemed like her intuition had steered her wrong.

If that was the case, she'd be needed somewhere else. Her Corsola wasn't a fighter, she'd admit this, but she could do something. De-escalate anything that might turn out in the enemy's favor. She just had to return to the lower floors.

Her heels hit the floor in their usual rhythmic pattern, and nearby, she heard something.

A bush rustling. Immediately zipping around to face it, Wicke watched as a shadow fled out of sight towards the back of the room.

Was this it? It couldn't simply be a Pokémon, could it? Even if it was…Investigating couldn't hurt. Immediately, Wicke dashed towards the corner she'd just been investigating, turning to face the intersection in the back.

She could hardly believe what she was greeted with.

This was no Pokémon. This was clearly a human, and clearly a trainer. Wicke tapped the button on Corsola's ball, letting the Pokémon take an offensive stance.

Corsola was primed to let Spike Cannon loose, but when the silhouette of a trainer turned to face Wicke, they simply let out a laugh, letting a Gengar appear in the shadows behind them.

Was that how they'd made it in? Even after all the security measures taken, had this trainer simply been able to travel through the shadows with their Pokémon?

If that was the case…

"You will stand down," Wicke commanded, "On behalf of the Aether Foundation, I-"

"Ahahaha! What," the figure laughed, "You think that little Corsola's going to be able to do a thing? I told your president something big was coming, and he told you. I think it'd be best to go back to the center…"

The Gengar sank its claws into the trainer's shoulders, causing them to sink a few inches into the shadows below.

"...Or do you not care about your president? I'll tell you now, this isn't even the half of things - I've done my part with him, and with Stone. I'm sure that once this is over, we'll have a lot of time to get to know each other, but until then…Goodbye."

"Wait!" Wicke called, running towards the trainer as her Corsola leapt into the air, releasing a flurry of spikes towards where the trainer stood, "Stop right-!"

In mere moments, the trainer was gone.

That was…That was the one speaking to Gladion. They'd spoken in his dreams, created an environment to speak with him, they'd told him that something was coming…And they'd learned how to travel unseen with the help of their ghost Pokémon.

It couldn't have been Phoebe - She'd left for Hoenn earlier, hadn't she? This was someone else, somebody whose motives couldn't be determined but somebody who knew what was happening.

A piercing cry interrupted Wicke's thoughts. That was right - The center of the room! The stranger had directed her there, and she couldn't let anything else happen. Turning to face the center, the intruder's actions finally became clear as day.

They hadn't just taken Gladion out of the medical wing.

Looming over the boy, glassy tendrils outstretched and wrapped around his arms, was a massive Nihilego.

And in the center of the glassy creature's body, eyes closed, perhaps even blissfully unaware of what was going on, was Steven. His limbs seemed to have taken on the same glassy texture as the Beast, looking as if they'd simply faded into the creature's body. Parts of his torso seemed to be fading into it, but his head remained untouched.

A long cut across the side of his neck glowed brightly.

Gladion was clearly struggling, but Silvally was nowhere to be seen. The Beast remained floating low to the ground, any attacks from guards' Pokémon deflecting off it.

Even her own Corsola's attempt to hit it with Spike Cannon had done nothing.

Wicke tried to run forward, to grab Gladion herself. If nothing else, she'd save him. He was their president, and he'd clearly viewed her as the one family member he still had. By Arceus, even if Steven got out, even if Moon had to be called back to Alola, even if Nihilego was allowed to roam free…

At least I'd have saved him.

Rushing forward, Wicke grabbed Gladion's shoulders, attempting to tear him away from the Beast's clutches.

"Get…" she gasped, "Get away from him!"

Immediately, one of Nihilego's tendrils lashed out at her, landing a heavy blow to her shoulder. Shrieking in pain, Wicke struggled to hold onto Gladion, but she wouldn't let the creature take him.

"He's…Our president…!" she snarled, "I won't allow harm to come to him! Not this time!"

Another tendril struck her shoulder. Again and again, it attacked the same shoulder, eventually striking fiercely at whatever part of her arm it could until her grip finally loosened. In that single moment, Gladion was torn away from Wicke, who fell onto the metal flooring, a sharp crack echoing through her eardrums as the Beast rose upwards.

"M-Miss…" Gladion's voice, for a moment, was faint. "MIss Wicke! No, shit! Let me go, you little-! Somebody! HELP!"

That his voice was choked, Wicke could tell that much. Her vision began to blur as a white-hot pain seared through her right shoulder, but she watched.

She watched as the Beast rose upwards.

She watched it flicker, again and again, until it had risen above Aether Paradise, through its roof, carrying Gladion all the while.

It looked to be little more than a vivid star in the sky as it floated there for one final moment before immediately flying off in a flash, a long trail of light following it as if it was little more than a simple shooting star.

Ula'ula…She wanted to say it was headed there.

It was too late.

Once again, she hadn't saved him.

She'd done nothing.

And all she could do was gasp out a few more words before darkness took hold.

"Young…Master…I'm…"

The world faded into nothing.

Steven was gone.

Gladion had been taken.

Somebody was pulling the strings

And once again, she'd failed to do a thing.

…I'm sorry, young master.