It was the night before Moon's Grand Trial. After a last minute day of training with Ash and Kiawe, all that was left was to sleep the night away, but Moon couldn't sleep. She sat on the second floor couch, staring up through the skylight at the moon above. She was so anxious. This sensation was familiar, she was certain she felt it once before. Lifting her head up, she saw Pichu and Kommo-o asleep, which made her smile. "I may not have my memory back fully, but at least I have some things…" A quiet sigh then escaped her. She missed her home terribly. These sort of thoughts kept her up and it didn't help that she had a huge battle tomorrow.

That's when Ash poked his head up from the ladder. "Can't sleep?"

"No." Moon responded. "Too nervous."

That's when Ash climbed up the ladder, taking a seat on the floor next to the couch. "I know how it feels, but you'll do just fine. You have Pichu and Kommo-now."

"Mhm…" Moon continued to look up at the night sky. "Kommo-o is really strong, and Pichu has been getting there thanks to your help. Pichu's still got a lot to learn, so I worry about it sometimes. I'm glad I found Kommo-o to help relieve some of the weight it's been carrying these days."

"But what about you?" Ash glanced at Moon, who seemed to glance away.

"I'm fine. It's just taking some getting used to." Moon was telling a half truth. "But we'll try our best tomorrow. I have faith in Kommo-o and I believe in Pichu." She was quick to change the subject off of herself.

Ash noticed but gave a smile nonetheless. He wouldn't press the matter if Moon didn't want to talk about it. "You can do it." He the stood up and started to head back downstairs. "So don't worry about it too much, and try to get some rest."

"…." Moon didn't say anything. "He's a strange one…"

As for Pichu, it wasn't exactly asleep. Its eyes were closed, but it overheard the conversation between Moon and Ash. Hearing that Moon believed in it caused it to smile and eased whatever worries it may have had, allowing it to fall asleep. "Pi…"

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Iki Town. The time had finally come for Moon's grand trial. Moon and Hala stood on opposite ends of the battlefield and the judge for this bout was Melemele's most popular character: Illima (along with his band of fangirls watching)! "Thank you for allowing me to proctor this Grand Trial, it is an exceptionally huge honor." The pink haired male said.

"I'm getting a little nervous just sitting here…" Sophocles said, shifting in his seat.

"Moon looks so focused." Lillie pointed out. It was a completely different expression than seen on her so far.

"That just means she's ready to take this trial on!" Ash grinned.

"Now then…" Illima cleared his throat. "This battle will be a 2 vs 2 single battle! The battle is over when both Pokémon on one side are unable to battle!"

"Wait, 2 vs 2?" Marcus blinked. "Doesn't Moon only have Pichu?"

"Heh…" Kiawe had to withhold his knowing smirk.

"You'll see~" Mallow chimed.

Now Lana was curious because Mallow was keeping it a surprise from even her! "Now I really wonder what she caught…"

"It's pretty strong." Hau remarked.

"Are you prepared?" Hala asked Moon.

"Yes." Moon nodded.

"Very well. Crabominable, you're first!" Hala tossed his first Pokeball into the air, calling forth Crabominable.

"Hm. Alright, you're first!" Moon tossed a Pokeball out and her first choice was Kommo-o, which let out a mighty roar! "Kommo-o!"

"What the!?" Takeba's eyes widened. "When in the world did she catch that!?"

"That's a pretty big jump from a Pichu…" Elizabeth was in awe.

"Now I wish I had gone to that trial myself…" Grace grumbled.

"That's impressive." Scott said.

"Whoa….!" Lana and Sophocles were completely taken off guard. The look on everyone's faces made hiding this little secret all the more worth it. While everyone was preparing to watch this battle with excitement and anticipation, there was one more guest watching from within the nearby trees: Tapu Koko. It had also been watching Moon's trial the other day, but no one was aware of its presence.

"Now, let the battle begin!" Illma exclaimed.

"Crabominable, use Bubble Beam!" Hala commanded, being the first one to start this bout off. The large snow crab opened its mouth, releasing a blast of bubbles directly for Kommo-o.

"Kommo-o, block it!" Kommo-o held its arms in front of its body, using its defensive scales to shield itself from the Bubble Beam. It was a direct hit, but Kommo-o barely suffered any damage and it showed. This made Moon grin. "That's it!"

"Wow, no damage!" Lana smiled. "That's really strong."

"Now, fire back with Focus Blast!" Kommo-o cupped its hands at its side, generating raw energy that took the shape of a sphere. It then fired this destructive sphere forward, watching as it flew to collide against Crabominable!

"Brutal Swing!" Crabominable wildly swung its large arm around before slamming its fist into the Focus Blast, using its sheer strength to knock the Focus Blast into the sky, where it exploded violently.

"Gah…" Moon had a sweat drop. She wasn't expecting the Focus Blast to be deflected like that. "No matter, move in for a Drain Punch!" As she said this, she punched the air in front of her to mirror the command. Kommo-o roared and did just that, lunging forward as a green aura swirled around its fist.

"Power up Punch!" Crabominable scurried forward, meeting Kommo-o in the middle of the field with a Power Up Punch to clash against Drain Punch. Since Kommo-o didn't hit it directly, none of its health was being leeched, and since Power Up Punch boosted the user's attack upon usage, the tides shifted in Hala's favor. "Now, Ice Hammer!"

"Wait…!" Moon gasped, realizing her mistake. Crabominable's free arm was suddenly covered in a chilling aura, in which it used to slam into Kommo-o's side for a super effective hit. Kommo-o let out a roar of pain while staggering backwards, growling at Crabominable.

"That had to hurt…" Kiawe surmised.

"Ice is super effect against Dragon-roto!" Rotom said, pointing out the obvious as usual. "But despite that, Kommo-o took that hit rather well!"

The secondary effect of using Ice Hammer was a drop in the user's speed. Crabominable wasn't very fast to begin with, so this drop wouldn't affect it too much in the long run. Moon took a deep breath before issuing another command, planning to use that speed drop to her advantage. "Clanging Scales!" Kommo-o's scales began to vibrate intensely. The warrior dragon held its arms forward, releasing a large wave of sound from its scales. This destructive soundwave struck Crabominable directly, forcing it to slide backwards from the hit! While Ice Hammer dropped speed, Clanging Scales dropped Kommo-o's defense.

"That's a risky ploy." Scott pointed out. "It did good damage, but now…"

"Kommo-o is more susceptible to physical attacks!" Rotom said.

"Drain Punch once more!" Kommo-o sprinted forward, preparing to strike Crabominable with a Drain Punch.

"Brutal Swing!" Just as Kommo-swung, Crabominable shifted its body to the side, much to everyone's surprise. It then spun its body around quickly, brutally swinging its massive arms into Kommo's side, which crushed it into the ground. "Now, Ice Hammer!" Crabominable launched itself into the air, aiming both frozen fists down to put Kommo-o into an icy grave!

"Outrage!" Moon commanded at the last second. There was an impact and a cloud of smoke and when it cleared, Kommo-o was holding Crabominable back with its own raw power. The dragon roared as a fierce red aura flared around its body and its eyes turned blazing red. The warrior then let out a mighty cry as it tossed Crabominable backwards.

"Whoa, that's seriously strong." Marcus said.

Kommo-o then rushed forward violently, aiming a series of quick, brutal strikes at its foe with its arms. Every incoming punch was as strong as it looked, leaving Crabominable under a relentless assault. Hala simply had to wait for an opening, which he saw between strikes. "Ice Hammer!" Crabominable then swung its frozen fist forward, striking Kommo-o right in the chest! Ice Hammer already hurt before, but with the defense drop, it did even more damage than last time!

"Kommo-o!" Moon exclaimed worriedly. Kommo-o's Outrage ran its course after dealing a considerable amount of damage to Crabominable. Now, Kommo-o had to suffer the secondary effects of such a powerful move: confusion. The dragon was stunned, unable to move.

"Brutal Swing!" Crabominable swung its arm around before slamming it into the ground. This prompted a powerful shockwave to shoot through the battlefield and explode upon hitting Kommo-o.

"Oh no!" Lillie gasped.

But as that smoke cleared, all one could see was a heavily damaged Kommo-o that did not fall. This made Moon smirk. "Sorry to disappoint, but it's going to take a lot more than that to put us down! Now, Focus Blast!" And just as before, Kommo-o fired focused energy towards Crabominable.

"Brutal Swing it again!" Hala shouted.

"Not this time! Clanging Scales!" Kommo-o's signature soundwave followed behind the Focus Blast, wrapping around it to give it a substantial boost in speed and power. This sudden burst meant that Crabominable wasn't prepared and the Focus Blast exploded right on it! As the smoke cleared, it was clear as day that Crabominable was down.

"Crabominable is unable to battle! That means Kommo-o is the winner!" Illma exclaimed and as he did this, his fangirls cheered since he was such a good referee in their eyes.

"She's got the lead!" Mallow grinned.

"It's a good start…" Grace folded her arms over her chest. "But it's too early to count her victory just yet. Kommo-o took a lot of damage."

Hala returned Crabominable with a smile. "Thank you, old friend. Take a good rest. Now, Hariyama, it's your turn!" And out came Hariyama, taking a sumo-wrestlers stance as it was called into battle.

"Just one more. Let's keep going, Kommo-o!" Moon exclaimed. "Focus Blast!" Kommo-o wasted no time in launching a Focus Blast towards its new foe, looking for a direct hit!

"Arm Thrust!" Hariyama simply thrusted both of its large palms forward. The first hit stopped the Focus Blast in its track. The second and third hits were all it needed to completely destroy the Focus Blast, leaving it unharmed.

"Eee…" Moon felt the sweat roll down the side of her head. That was scary. "Okay…let's try Drain Punch!" It looked like another straightforward assault.

"Arm Thrust again!" Hariyama was prepared to meet with Kommo-o, but just as the large Pokémon thrust its arm forward, Kommo-o evaded and slipped to the right, meeting the Arm Thrust Pokémon with a rising uppercut to its rib! "Ah…!" Hala gasped.

"That's it!" Moon grinned. With a successful Drain Punch finally connecting, some of Kommo-o's lost health returned to it. "Again!" Kommo-o aimed for another Drain Punch, but Moon's greed would cost her as Hariyama stopped the next fist cold with its large palm. "Uh oh."

"Arm Thrust!" Hariyama then aimed a series of high speed palms strikes at Kommo-o, each one hitting harder than the last. The final strike pushed Kommo-o backwards and the damage it received was starting to slow it down.

"Clanging Scales!" Once more with feeling. Kommo-o's signature soundwave collided against Hariyama, dealing a moderate amount of damage, which is what Moon was looking for. "And now…!"

"Heavy Slam!" Before Moon could issue her next command, Hariyama was already in the air, bringing down all of its weight onto Kommo-o. Hariyama was a heavy Pokémon, so this impact caused the surrounding area to shake violently. When Hariyama jumped back, Kommo-o was finally defeated.

"Kommo-o is unable to battle! This makes Hariyama the victor!" Illma said.

"That looked painful…" Lillie shuddered.

"Kommo-o is a double edged sword with how powerful it is." Marcus said. "At least she was able to take out one Pokémon with it and damage the other."

"Hariyama is Tutu's strongest Pokémon. The battle won't be easy." Hau said with clear hints of pride for his grandfather.

"Thank you, Kommo-o. Take a good rest." Moon smiled as she returned Kommo-o. She only had one Pokémon left. "Okay Pichu, you're up!" Pichu was called out and was immediately intimidated by the Pokémon at least 5x its size. But it shrugged off this off and prepared to fight. "Quick Attack!" Pichu dashed forward in a straight line towards Hariyama.

"Heavy Slam!" Hariyama had experience in battling opponents in higher speed tiers. So it lifted one leg up and slammed all of its weight down onto the ground. Heavy Slam was not used as a direct attack, but rather to create a pseudo-earthquake that took Pichu off balance. "Now, Close Combat!"

"Pichu, move!" Moon pleaded. But it was too late; Pichu was assaulted by extremely fast and powerful palm strikes that dealt heavy damage. On the upside, Hariyama lowered its own defenses by using Close Combat. Pichu hit the ground on its stomach, but immediately bounced up despite the damage it took. "Thunder!"

"PIIIICHUUU!" Pichu gathered as much electricity as it could, firing off a potent bolt of lightning that struck Hariyama directly.

"A direct hit!" Lana said.

But Hariyama seemed relatively unfazed despite the Thunder. Damage had been dealt, but it didn't look like it did much for Moon. "Gah…" Moon shook her head. "Quick Attack again!" Pichu darted forward, moving in a zig-zag motion.

"Stop it with Heavy Slam!" Hariyama was about to repeat the same motions as last time, but Moon wasn't going to fall for the same trick a second time.

"Jump forward!" Just as Hariyama brought its leg down, Pichu proceeded to jump ahead. It was small enough to slip under Hariyama and avoid the shockwave all at the same time. Now that it was behind Hariyama, Moon could strike. "Volt Tackle!" Using all of its momentum, a fierce veil of lightning exploded from Pichu's body and it lunged forward, slamming its tiny frame into Hariyama's back, forcing the large Pokémon to stagger forward. Pichu flipped, landed on all fours, and grimaced from the amount of recoil it sustained.

"Impressive, young Moon!" Hala gave earnest praise. "But let's see how you handle this! Belly Drum!" Hariyama then began to slam its belly with its palms, a strange flowing around its body. At the large cost of whatever vitality it had remaining, its attack rose to the maxium!

"Oh that's not good…" Takeba gulped for Moon.

"Ah…" Moon clenched a hand into a fist. This situation was looking dire.

"Heavy Slam!" Hariyama jumped into the air once again, intending to bring its full weight down upon Pichu. Considering that Hariyama absolutely weighted 100x more than Pichu, the damage this move was going to dish out would absolutely finish the tiny mouse.

"Pichu, evade with Quick Attack!" Moon's command was more out of desperation than anything. Pichu jumped into the air with Quick Attack just as Hariyama came down, sweating itself as it knew that attack would end it. "Iron Tail!" Pichu then dove down, slamming its tiny tail against Hariyama's face for a direct hit. Moon hoped this hit would finish Hariyama, but that was wishful thinking.

"Arm Thrust!" One palm strike knocked the wind out of Pichu and the other nearly crushed it into the ground. Belly Drum made Hariyama a force to be reckoned with.

"Pichu…!" Moon cried out. Pichu had one eye clenched shut and struggle to stand on all fours. "It's so strong…what do I do…I don't know if Pichu can take the recoil of another Volt Tackle…"

"That Hariyama means serious business…" Grace said.

"Hariyama…!" Hala was about to issue one last command, but then…static. Electricity appeared around Hariyama's body, inhibiting its movement completely. "What?!"

"Ah!" The others gasped.

"Is that Static!?" Hau asked.

"Of course!" Rotom chimed in. "Pichu's ability affected Hariyama! It's paralyzed and can't move!"

"The drawback of attacking it all those times." Elizabeth said.

"This is your chance! Finish it, Moon!" Ash shouted.

"R-Right…!" This was her only chance. Moon stared at her Z-ring. The last time she used one she failed. This time had to be different, right? "It was a lot easier to use one when I had no memory, but I believe in Pichu. So it can do this!" "Pichu!" Moon crossed her arms, the Z-ring on her wrist shining, the Electricium-Z resonating with her movements and Pichu. "This one is all you! So take the Z-power and make it your own!"

"It's a Z-move…" Lillie watched carefully. She was aware of how Moon felt about using Z-moves and truly hoped this would pan out for her.

"GIGAVOLT HAVOC!"Moon crossed her arms in a Z formation, allowing the Z-power to flood into Pichu. Pichu let out a powerful battle cry as a spear of lightning appeared in front of its body, all composed of Z-power. The spear of lightning then shot forward, racing towards Hariyama. Would this be the trump card Moon needed to finish this battle off!? …They'd never find out, because the Gigavolt Havoc dispersed before it could land. "A-Ah…!?"

"I-It failed!?" Sophocles gasped.

"What happened?! She could use one before!" Kiawe asked. This didn't make any sense.

"…." Moon just stared in wide eyed shock. "I-It failed…again…I failed…again…"

Hala stroked his chin. "I see. Even if your Pokémon can perform the Z-move, it means nothing if your mental state is in dissonance with your Pokémon's." Hala understood full well what happened. It wasn't Pichu's fault. Moon was the problem for her Z-move failing.

"Moon!" Ash shouted, but it didn't look like she heard him.

"You are an exceptional battler, but you are in your head far too much and it hinders your abilities." Hala took a stance of his own, his Z-ring beginning to shine. Hariyama could move now and everyone could see what was coming. "In exchange for a wonderful bout, allow me to show you the full power of an Island Kahuna!"

"Moon, do something!" Takeba exclaimed.

"Don't just stand there!" Lana shouted. "Please!"

Moon's eyes dulled and she just stood there. She couldn't hear anyone else. "I can't do anything right…I'm gonna lose…I failed again…" Those words were on repeat in her mind over and over. This was why she opted out of joining the Ultra Guardians, how could she protect this Alola, let alone her own, when she was such a failure? Her hand dropped to her side and she just stared at what was to come. "I'm sorry, Pichu…I failed you…"

"MOON!" That was Lillie's voice.

Moon snapped back to reality at the sound of Lillie's voice. She turned around, staring at the blonde. "Lillie…?"

"YOU CAN DO IT! THIS BATTLE ISN'T OVER YET!" Lillie shouted at the top of her lungs. She honestly had no idea if her shouts of encouragement would even work, but she knew more than anyone else how cornered Moon felt. She couldn't sit and watch Moon like this. "I believe in you." (Play Alola!)

"…." Moon's eyes widened. For a moment she had a brief memory. This happened before. Her Lillie cheered her on in the exact same way during this battle. The life returned to Moon's eyes, she nodded, and turned around. "Pichu, can you still fight!?"

"Pi!" Pichu nodded, giving a slight grin.

"Oh no…I don't like that look on her face. That means she's about to do something ridiculous." Elizabeth turned to Ash. "What have you been teaching her!?"

"Hehe…" Ash just grinned.

Hala was punching the air in front of him rapidly and Hariyama followed suit. Their pose was complete and the Z-power flooded into Hariyama. "ALL OUT PUMMELING!" Hariyama then began to strike the area in front of it, sending numerous orange fists flying towards Pichu. If even a single fist hit Pichu, it was over and everyone knew that.

"Pichu, Quick Attack!" Moon commanded brazenly.

"She's gonna dash right into it!?" Takeba was stressed. "It's she mad!?"

"Can Pichu make it!?" Hau asked.

Pichu started to dash forward, using its high speed and small frame to dodge and weave through the numerous fists flying at it. Each fist that hit the ground exploded, causing large debris to fly into the sky. Pichu was getting closer and closer to Hariyama, giving it less time to react and dodge, but somehow it managed to do this. Everyone was silent and tense as they watched the events play out, unable to utter any sounds. Finally, the last hit of All Out Pummeling occurred, which involved Hariyama itself lunging at Pichu with a large fist to finish it off! This was the chance that Moon was waiting for. "I BELIEVE IN YOU, PICHU!"

Pichu's eyes flashed as it jumped up, using the airborne rubble as platforms. Pichu's entire body began to shine a bright neon blue light as it continued to bounce off the rubble, soaring high into the sky, right in front of the sun as the blue light changed its entire body. When that blue light exploded, Pichu having evolved into Pikachu in the blinding light of the sun! "PIIII!"

"What…!?" Hala gasped.

"Pichu evolved…" Scott was as surprised as everyone else!

"VOLT TACKLE!" Moon yelled while pointing her hand forward. The newly evolved Pikachu fell from the sky, using all of its momentum to its advantage, falling towards Haryiama with an even stronger aura of lightning blazing around its entire body.

"CLOSE COMBAT!" Hala yelled at the same time. Hariyama prepared to strike Pikachu down with one last strike. Pikachu collided into Hariyama's large palm, resulting a large explosion that created a thick cloud of black smoke! When the smoke cleared, Pikachu landed on all fours behind Hariyama, panting heavily as it suffered from another dose of recoil. Hariyama didn't budge and neither side fell.

The air was tense and silent, everyone staring intently until….Hariyama collapsed.

"Hariyama is unable to battle! That means the winner of this Grand Trial is Challenger Moon!" Illma exclaimed.

As soon as Moon's victory was announced, Pikachu collapsed. It was holding on to the very end to ensure its trainer won. But just as it fell, Moon ran into catch it, smiling widely. "Thank you so much, Pikachu."

"She won!" Mallow and Lana jumped for joy together.

"Wow, that was…stressful to watch." Marcus placed a hand on his chest.

"You're telling me!" Takeba stood up. "I lost a year off my life watching that!"

"That aside, I can't believe your plan is actually working…" Elizabeth was shocked at that more than anything else.

"You did great, Moon!" Ash said with his usual cheeky grin.

"She's amazing." Hau admitted.

Hala approached Moon, shaking hands with the young girl. "That was a fantastic battle."

"T-Thank you." Moon said with a bashful smile.

"I cannot offer you anything, but…" As Hala spoke, Tapu Koko caught everyone's attention. Not in a grandiose way, but it made sure that everyone saw it before it left. "…But it seems that you've also caught the attention of Tapu Koko. It must have been watching over your trials these last few days."

"T-That's embarrassing…" Moon returned Pikachu into its Pokeball so it could rest.

"So, how does it feel to have completed a Grand Trial!?" Sophocles asked.

"It feels like a big weight is off my shoulders." Moon responded before turning to Lillie.

"It's a weight off my shoulders too, you're crazy." Grace said with a sigh.

"You were great out there." Lillie told Moon with a soft smile. She hoped that the barrier between them would lower just a bit now.

"Ah…Lillie, you…" Moon was about to say something to Lillie's smiling face, but that's when it happened. She had another memory return. The way Lillie was looking at her now was the same as her Lillie during the start of her adventure. "It's the same…you look just like her…"

"Huh?" Lillie tilted her head.

"But you're not her…" Moon turned away. The only reason Moon was able to get out of her own head was because of Lillie, but in that moment, she forgot that it wasn't her Lillie. That she wasn't home. She was in another world where she didn't exist. "You're not my Lillie, so stop acting like you are!"

"..!" The joyous atmosphere shifted immediately.

"M-Moon, I was just…" Lillie began.

"Stop acting like you're her." That wasn't a fair thing for Moon to say and she knew it, but it all just came out at once. "Everything's fine, but I can't be around you! It reminds me home and how much I miss it, how much I miss her! Yet you've been around me so much these last few days and it's been driving me crazy! Every time I have to remind myself you're not the person I think you are and it just hurts more and more! So just…leave me alone, Lillie!" Moon then sprinted off without any warning. It happened so suddenly no one could even process what just happened.

"…I-I'm sorry, I…" Lillie turned away. Those words hurt far more than she could've ever imagined. Lillie could feel the tears well in her eyes. Why did that hurt so much? She knew what she was doing; she knew that being around Moon was both good and bad, but she was so focused on the good, she never foresaw this worst case scenario playing out.

"…I…I think my planned backfired…" Takeba was aware that a fallout could've happened, but not to this scale.

.

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Another Alola:

The Aether Foundation had been completely overrun by Team Rainbow Rocket, being used as their temporary base of operations. A Rainbow Rocket grunt sprinted into the main room, panting heavily while speaking to the man with his back turned. "S-Sorry sir…the girl and her mother escaped…they had help."

"I see…" The man responded, folding his arms behind his back. "It doesn't matter. I would've liked to have the president as a member, but it doesn't change anything. The Aether Foundation is ours now."

"But we can't do anything because that other girl escaped into the Ultra Wormhole…" The grunt sighed. "Moon, I think it was. We would've had that blonde girl and her mother if that Moon girl didn't leave her Pokémon with them!"

"A temporary setback." The man said calmly. "This was the first step in my goal to expand my dominance over other worlds. They can all run, but they cannot escape the grasp of Team Rainbow Rocket. Once we retrieve that key from that girl, nothing will stop my conquest."

"Another note, sir." The grunt reported. "During our scouting mission in the other Alola, where Moon fled to, there were reports of locals mistaking us for Team Rocket."

"Another Team Rocket? Now this is interesting. I wonder if we can forge an alliance with that Team Rocket…I know that I'm a logical man and we both share the same goal at the end of the day…" The man then turned around to face the grunt. Who else to lead Team Rainbow Rocket other than the man himself…

Rainbow Rocket Giovanni.

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Part 1: End.