It was a bright and early morning in Alola, just a day or so after Takeba's grand Trial. Ash, Moon, Kukui, Burnet, and their Pokémon were all eating breakfast. As Moon chowed down, she had a thought, recalling something she saw on TV the other day. An old Masked Royal bout that got her thinking. "Oh! I just remembered something!"

"What is it?" Kukui asked curiously.

With her fork, the otherworldly girl pointed at Kukui. "You're the Masked Royal!" There was an awkward silence that followed. Moon's eyes widened and she frantically waved her hands. "Oh, wait…! I-I mean…!"

Kukui and the others ended up laughing at Moon's reaction. "No, you're right." At this point, after the Pokémon League, everyone knew his identity. "There's no need to worry. I've been unmasked already."

"Huh? Everyone knows?" Moon tilted her head.

"Did the me from your Alola tell you that?" Kukui was curious now. Prior to the incident at the Pokémon League, the only people who knew of his identity as the Masked Royal were Faba and Molayne. Ash's Incineroar as well, but it figured that out when it was just a Litten.

Moon shook her head. "Not exactly. The people don't know you…er, the other you is the Masked Royal, but I was handed the mask and was told to give it to the Professor, so…you know, the pieces just kinda fit together."

"Oh, is the other me a big fan of him as well!?" Burnet was practically swooning already. To be married to the Masked Royal!

Moon nodded. "Mhm. Although she doesn't know she's married to him." She then pointed at Rotom. "I had a Rotom-dex, too, but…clearly it's not with me."

"I would've loved to compare data with another Rotom-roto!" Rotom said. Its goal was to be the ultimate Pokedex after all.

"Your Alola really does sound a lot like ours." Ash said. It amazed him how many similarities they kept finding the more Moon remembered.

Although Moon knew what Ash was trying to say, she kind of took it the wrong way. "Mhm…" For a brief moment, she was reminded that she didn't exist here. A frown tugged her lips, but she forced a smile in its stead. "Anyway, I'm gonna take the Island Trial today."

"We wish you the best of luck!" Burnet said with a soft smile.

"Pichu and I can do this!" As Moon said this, Pichu jumped onto her shoulder and nuzzled its cheek onto hers. "Ash's has been really helpful with training."

"It's not a problem." Ash gave a cheeky grin. "Although we should be a little more careful with Thunder…" A quick flashback to when Pichu unintentionally shocked both Ash and Moon. They were down for a little bit after that.

"You two have been getting along rather well." Kukui pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess so." Moon glanced at Ash. "I guess it's because I don't really remember meeting anyone like him. I feel really bad for saying this, but I don't think you exist in my Alola, which makes it easier for me to talk to you. Everyone else is the same, so…I guess we're kinda similar?"

Before Ash could give a response, the doorbell rang. "Oh, I got it!" Hopping from his chair, Ash rushed to the door, where he was greeted by Kiawe, Mallow, and Lillie. "Hey guys!"

"Alola!" The three of them said in unison.

"We wanted to watch Moon's trial!" Kiawe said with a grin. He did say he didn't want to miss it.

"Lana is stuck babysitting her sisters and Sophocles, said he was busy, so we're going to support her in their stead!" Mallow explained.

"Also, Takeba and the others said they were busy helping her train, so they can't make it today." Lillie passed the message along. "But they're rooting for her regardless!"

Hearing all the commotion at the door, Moon arrived, waving to everyone. "A-Alola." She was a little hesitant because of Lillie, but still made somewhat of an attempt to be friendly. "Are you all here to support me?"

"That's right!" Kiawe said, eyes blazing. "We're here to support your battle spirit so that it burns as strongly as Wela Volcano!"

"Okay then!" Moon pumped both fists into the air. "I'll show you all what Pichu and I can do!"

"Good luck!" Kukui and Burnet exclaimed as Ash and others went off!

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Verdant Cavern, the site of Melemele's Island Trial. Ash, Moon, Lillie, Rotom, Mallow, and Kiawe arrived at the cavern. They had a guest accompanying them that they encountered on the way there: Hau. He was curious to see what Moon could do since she was planning to challenge his grandfather. "Mhm…" Moon glanced around the cavern. "It's the same."

"What's the same?" Hau asked. He wasn't exactly in the know just yet.

"Oh, right…" Moon let out a quiet sigh. "This cavern looks like how I remember it."

Ash then leaned in to whisper to Hau. "Moon's actually from another Alola that's very similar to our own. The people and places are the same."

Hau's eyes widened. That suddenly explained the awkward situation the other day. "Oh! I'm not making things awkward for you, am I, Moon!?"

"No, no…" Moon waved a hand, letting out a nervous laugh. "It's fine. You're not the problem." Who was the problem? Herself and…

Lillie was looking around Verdant Cavern, head tilting to the side ever so slightly. "I've heard that there have been some disturbances around this cavern recently. That wild Kommo-o the people are talking about…the one that saved Moon and I might be around here."

"Ah!" Moon's eyes widened. "I hope so! I've been worried sick about it since that Shadow Pokémon attacked.

"A wild Kommo-o? Here?" Hau was understandably doubtful on this. "You can't even find a Jangmo-o here."

"Hau is right!" Rotom added.

"There is one here." Lillie said firmly. "It saved Moon and I."

"I hope it's not hurt or anything." Mallow frowned.

"It must be worried about Moon, too." Kiawe crossed his arms.

"I'll make sure to look for it again after this trial. But for now…" Moon cupped her hands around her mouth. "HEEEY! GUMSHOOS!" There was silence for a second. That silence was then interrupted by a Yungoos and a Gumshoos, but not the Totem that Moon was looking for. "Er…"

"I think you'll have to beat them first if you want the Totem." Mallow pointed out.

Moon took a quick glance at Pichu, who hopped off her shoulder and got into a battle ready stance. "Okay, bring it on! We'll take you both!" The Yungoos and Gumshoos responded to this and prepared to fight.

"Good luck, Moon!" Lillie cheered.

"You can do it!" Ash, Mallow, Kiawe, and Hau all exclaimed.

"Pichu, Quick Attack!" Pichu darted forward, its small size making it a difficult opponent to track. It moved in a zig-zag pattern, keeping its movements a mystery to Yungoos and Gumshoos. Pichu then slammed its head against Gumshoos' chest, pushing it away with a surprising amount of power. "Now, Iron Tail!" On a dime, Pichu rebounded off of Gumshoos, whipping its tail at Yungoos for a direct hit!

"Wow, look at her go!" Mallow beamed.

Yungoos and Gumshoos recovered from Pichu's attacks before retaliating. They then moved in their own zig zag pattern before stopping, raking their claws against the ground to kick up a large amount of sand! It was a dual Sand Attack that blinded Pichu for a bit. "Pichu!" Moon cried out in worry. Yungoos then struck Pichu with a Tackle, while Gumshoos followed up with a strong Bite! Both attacks dealt a lot of damage and Pichu was thrown back as a result. "Oh no!"

"Ah, she is in a 2 against 1 scenario…" Hau said.

Pichu stood up, but it was unable to get the sand out of its eyes, much to its chagrin. Moon had to act as Pichu's eyes. "Okay, Thunder, right in front of you!" Pichu listened to Moon, firing off a potent bolt of Thunder at Gumshoos, but it was able to dodge since Pichu's aim wasn't the greatest anyway. "Ah, a miss…" This was already going downhill for her. "Uhm…ah! Okay, use your ears, and when you find the chance, use Thunder!

"Pi!" Pichu nodded, keeping its ears at the ready. Yungoos and Gumshoos moved once again, both intending to finish Pichu then and there while it was unable to see. The two of them moved in to use Bite and that's when Pichu's ears twitched. Right there! Pichu released a strong bolt of lightning that fried both Pokémon! Yungoos and Gumshoos fell to the ground, KO'ed after the Thunder.

"She did it!" Kiawe grinned.

"Nice work, Pichu!" Moon then knelt down, using her shirt to get the sand out of Pichu's eyes. "That better?" Pichu nodded.

With the Yungoos and Gumshoos defeated, it was time for the main event. The Totem Gumshoos had been watching and finally made its presence known to everyone, letting out a loud cry as it appeared. Moon whistled lowly at the size of the Totem Pokémon. "Just as big as I remember too…"

"The trial's just getting started. But you can do it!" Ash continued to give Moon his support

"Quick Attack!" Just like before, Pichu darted ahead at impressively fast speeds! But when it went to strike Gumshoos, it simply countered with a strong Frustration, its claw slamming Pichu into a wall. "Ah!"

"Oh, I felt that…" Hau rubbed the back of his head.

Pichu recovered, panting softly from that one hit. "Okay, let's try this; Thunder!" Pichu released strong Thunder towards Gumshoos, but it swung its claw against the ground, kicking up a cloud of sand to block it. "It used Sand-Attack to block? Geez. Okay, we can do that too! Pichu, use Iron Tail!" Pichu jumped into the air, feinting a swing at Gumshoos, but in truth, its tail hit the ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt to obscure Gumshoos's sight. "And Volt Tackle!" Lightning then exploded around Pichu as it jumped forward, violently slamming its body into Gumshoos's chest. It was a strong direct hit that sent both parties flying backwards. When Pichu landed, it grimaced as it suffered from the recoil.

"When Volt Tackle it used, it causes massive recoil damage to the user." Rotom said. "It's a double edged sword!"

"I wonder if Pichu can withstand using Volt Tackle too many times…" Lillie muttered.

Gumshoos did take a lot of damage, but recovered from the Volt Tackle surprisingly fast. Fast enough to lung forward, slamming Pichu with its claw yet again for another Frustration. "Pichu!" Moon cried out. Pichu landed on its stomach, one eye clenched shut as it tried to force itself up. "It's really strong…" Moon then took a look at her Z-ring. "I may need to finish it with a Z-move but I…can I even use one after I failed last time…?

"Toxapex: Poison Sting!"

On that command, numerous poisonous needles dropped down from the left. Moon noticed that the KO'ed Yungoos was in danger and without thinking, dove and rolled to catch it and keep it out of harm's way, despite the fact she was nearly pelted with a Poison Sting. "Are you okay!?" Yungoos gave Moon an appreciative smile.

"What the heck was that?!" Hau turned and they were met with… Tupp, Rapp, Zipp, and K of Team Skull. "Team Skull!?"

"You guys again? Don't you ever give up!?" Kiawe was growing tired of seeing Team Skull.

"We're here for important business!" Tupp said smugly, his three Salandit at his side. "And in order for that to happen, this little trial needs to be put on hold!"

"So step aside!" K placed her hands on her hips.

"You're the ones who need to leave!" Ash said.

"Pi…?" Pikachu's nose sniffed the air. It was catching a familiar scent…

K stared intently at Ash before pointing at him. "You. Alola's Champ! Buzz off."

Ash blinked. That voice… "Huh?"

"They really don't learn…" Mallow said before calling our Tsareena. They could never escape an encounter with Team Skull without some kind of battle.

"Decidueye, come out!" Hau called for the forest sniper to aid them.

"Turtonator, you're up!" Kiawe exclaimed as he sent out his partner.

"This is the second time Team Skull did this to me." Moon groaned and stood up. "What are you even here for!?"

"Word has it there's a strong Kommo-o lurkin' in this cave!" Rapp said while bringing out his Garbodor.

"And we want it!" Zipp added, her multiple Zubat at her side.

"That Kommo's mine!" Moon exclaimed angrily.

"Not after we catch it." K responded with a dismissive wave. "Let's make this quick! Toxapex, use Poison Sting!"

"Gumshoos, we'll handle this!" Mallow told the Totem Pokémon. Tsareena, Magical Leaf!" Tsareena complied, tracing both hands in a circle before releasing numerous leaves to clash with the Poison Sting, all of which resulting in small explosions.

"Snowy, use Powder Snow!" Lillie took aim at Rupp and her three Zubats. Snowy exhaled a frigid breath of air at the three Zubats, but they all scattered in different directions. "Ah!"

"Use Supersonic!" Rupp commanded. The three Zubats all let out loud cries that struck Snowy, pushing it backwards.

"Pikchu, Thunderbolt!" Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder, releasing a bolt of lightning that fired the three Zubats, forcing them to retreat after sustaining damage.

"Turtonator, use Focus Blast!" Turtonator let out a battle cry, a focused sphere of energy rocketing from the hole in its chest, soaring right towards Toxapex.

"Water Pulse." K commanded. Toxapex easily matched the Focus Blast with Water Pulse, the two spheres exploding against each other violently, shaking Verdant Cavern. While the violence was going on, Moon was making sure that neither Yungoos or Gumshoos that she KO'ed earlier were getting hurt. As it stood now, she felt like she would only get in the way.

"Salandit, fry 'em with Flame Burst!" Tupp's three Salandit scurried across the ground, all three of them aiming potent bursts of flame at Tsareena and Decidueye.

"Decidueye, use Spirit Shackle!" Decidueye used one of its many quills as an arrow, ghastly energy swirling around the tip as it took aim with its makeshift bow. The single arrow pierced through the Flame Bursts and struck the Salandits, preventing them from moving due to its secondary effect.

"Now, Tsareena, use Trop Kick!" Tsareena jumped forward, using its leg strength to kick at the trapped Salandits repeatedly. This was going well until Garbordor's Gunk Shot hit Tsareena directly! "Ah!" Mallow gasped.

"We've been learning from Guzma and Plumeria!" Rapp was likely grinning under his scarf. "Now, Venoshock!"

"Venoshock!" K commanded as well. Both Toxapex and Garbodor began unleashing beams of poisonous energy. They were dangerous on their own, but combined it was an extremely potent attack that caused their opponents to go on the defensive.

"Watch out!" Lillie cried while Snowy tried to freeze whatever beams came its way with Powder Snow.

"There are so many!" Hau grunted as Decidueye took a hit. "Oh no!"

Moon just couldn't stand by and watch this. After handing Yungoos and Gumshoos to their Totem guardian, she commanded Pichu to act. "Thunder!" Pichu's Thunder hit both Garbodor and Toxapex, catching the attention of the Team Skull grunts.

"Eh, who's this one?" Tupp didn't recall seeing Moon before.

"We'll show her what happens when she messes with Team Skull! Gunk Shot!" Garbodor fired off a thick beam of sludge and poison at Pichu. At the speed it was coming, Pichu wasn't going to be able to dodge and Moon knew this.

"Pichu!" Moon prepared to use her own body to shield Pichu!

"Moon…!" Lille gasped. Once again, Moon was putting herself in harm's way to help someone else.

There was an explosion as contact was made. No one was expecting Moon to take an attack in Pichu's stead, so even Team Skull was silent as the purple smoke surrounded the girl. "What's with her…" K said with a sweat drop. They weren't actually here to hurt people! Just get them out of their way.

"I hope she's okay…." Ash grit his teeth. "Moon!"

"…" Moon had her eyes squeezed shut, She had braced for an impact….that never came. "H-Huh…?" Everyone's eyes had widened at what took the blow for her. It was a Kommo-o, using its armored scales to shield itself and her from the hit. "AH!"

"A Kommo-o really is here?!" Hau was shocked.

"There it is!" K pointed at Kommo-o, getting a Pokeball ready. "Toxapex, use Poison Sting on it!"

"Uh, that thing doesn't look too happy…" Tupp pointed out.

Regardless, Toxapex listened to its trainer's orders, firing off a Poison Sting towards the dragon warrior! Kommo-o acted on its own, its scales vibrating intensely. The dragon then held its hands out, using the vibration of its scales to use Clanging Scales! The intense soundwave it created easily overpowered the Poison Sting, exploding against Toxapex, Garbodor, Zubat, and Salandit! "Whoa…" Moon was in awe.

"That thing is really strong…" Kiawe couldn't believe it. Was this really Moon's!?

Moon stood up and shook her head, pointing at Team Skull once more. "One more time; Clanging Scales!"

"Wait, we're not ready!" Zipp pleaded, but it was of no use. Clanging Scales hit their Pokémon once again, resulting in another explosion. When that explosion faded, the only Pokémon that was still up was Toxapex, and it had been heavily damaged. More importantly, one of their scarves had blown off in the explosion, catching everyone's attention.

It was K's scarf, revealing the lower half of her face. Upon realizing this, K quickly used the back of her hand to cover her mouth, sweating profusely as her face was nearly revealed. The reason she had been trying to hide it? There was a scar on her right cheek that her hand couldn't quite cover up. "Ah…my face…"

"Pika!" Pikachu was yelling at Ash, trying to tell him something.

"Huh?" Ash looked at Pikachu, then at K. The resemblance was uncanny but it couldn't be. "Are you…?"

"We're leaving!" K demanded, returning Toxapex and sprinting off ahead of everyone else.

"Hey, when did you start calling the shots!?" Tupp was the leader of this small group here! At least his own trio. But after they returned their Pokémon, they followed behind K in a flash.

"…" Ash was stunned. "That looked a lot like her…"

"Are you okay?" Lillie noticed Ash seemed off.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine!" Ash presented his usual smile.

Attention then turned to Moon and Kommo-o. Despite the dragon's menacing appearance, it was nuzzling Moon and Pichu rather happily. "Ah, I'm so sorry! You protected Lillie and I and I couldn't even find you after! Are you okay!?"

"I guess that is hers after all." Mallow held a relieved smile. "It looks so happy with her!"

"It was so fierce just a second ago…" Kiawe pointed out. It was almost scary.

Rotom was snapping pictures of Kommo-o. "This Kommo-o managed to survive in an environment that wasn't suited for it!"

That's when Totem Gumshoos lifted a hand and made a noise. It was trying to explain that it founded Kommo-o wounded and offered it aid. Moon smiled and somewhat assumed that to be the case. "Thank you, Gumshoos. Mind if we continue our battle now? I want to use Kommo-o." And to that notion, Gumshoos nodded.

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Pichu finally got to rest while Moon and Kommo-o picked up where the battle left off! Gumshoos was the first to start, moving quickly to strike at Kommo-o with a Frustration. "Drain Punch!" Kommo-o sprinted forward to meet Gumshoos in the middle, beating it to the punch with a literal punch. Drain Punch slammed into Gumshoos' frame, knocking it backwards a great distance.

"Whoa! That Kommo-o is super strong!" Hau exclaimed. Compared to the damage Pichu dealt, it was already noticeable how strong Kommo-o was.

Gumshoos landed after the super effective hit, now violently clawing at the ground to mask its presence with a Sand Attack. "Clanging Scales!" Moon commanded. Kommo-o's attack broke through the cloud of sand, but Gumshoos was no longer there! "Huh?!" Where did it go? It used Dig! Moon realized this too late when the ground under Kommo-o broke apart and Gumshoos rose up, slamming its claw into Kommo-o's jaw! The power was enough to force it back, but at the same time, Kommo-o gripped its arm to ensure Gumshoos wasn't going anywhere. "Outrage."

"RAAAAH!" Kommo-o let out a loud roar as a fierce red aura flared around its body. For a brief moment its power went into overdrive and it proceeded to swing Gumshoos around like a ragdoll before hurling it into the nearest wall at full force. That one attack was all it took to finish Gumshoos off. While Pichu did manage to deal decent damage, Kommo-s strength was vastly superior and it showed, leaving everyone shocked.

"I-It looks like Gumshoos can't battle anymore…!" Lillie said.

"So fast…so strong…" Mallow clapped her hands together. "The others are going to be so shocked when they hear about this!"

"I wanna battle it!" Was the first thing Ash thought to say.

"Me first!" Kiawe stood in front of Ash, as if that would get him to fight first.

"No, me!" Even Hau was in on this! Those three were birds of a feather.

Moon hugged both Kommo-o and Pichu. "Ah, you guys are great! I'm so glad to have you back, Kommo-o! I really didn't mean to make you worry like that…" Gumshoos did recover from its defeat, walking towards Moon with a hand extended. Moon shook its hand, giving a wide grin. "Thanks for the battle and protecting my Kommo-o, Gumshoos. "I owe you one."

"And with that, you've completed Melemele's Island Trial." Ash told Moon. "That means you can fight Hala now!"

"I'm really interested to see how you fight Tutu." That was the whole reason Hau tagged along for this trip. After seeing Moon in action, he knew that this Grand Trial was about to be one heck of a show!

Moon rummaged around in her bag before pulling out Kommo-o's Pokeball, tapping the capsule against its nose to return it and did the same for Pichu, allowing them to rest. "I'll do my best tomorrow. Ash, Kiawe, will you help me out?"

"Of course!" The two said in unison.

"I'll invite the others to the diner so we can have a celebratory lunch!" Mallow beamed.

Lillie held Snowy in her arms, watching Moon smile. "It looks like she's been doing a little better. That makes me happy."

Ash, on the other hand, couldn't get the encounter with Team Skull out of his head. It was hard to tell since she covered her face, but K looked all too familiar, despite her facial features appearing different. "I wonder…"

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Next Time: Moon vs Hala.