The battle against Neo-Cipher had finally begun. Their plan was to blow up Mt. Lanakila within a 90 minute time frame! The Ultra Guardians were in a race against the clock to defeat Cipher once and for all and put an end to their asinine plans! While the others went on ahead to the base, Takeba stayed behind to deal with Reath and her Ampharos. As it stood at the moment, Honchkrow was currently circling around the air, avoiding Ampharos' Discharge since it couldn't get in close without being in danger. "I have to wonder…" Reath began, tapping her chin with her index finger. "How dumb can you be? Using a flying type with an electric type is out on the field! At least try to make things even!"

Little did Reath know the Pokémon Takeba brought to Alola in general weren't very good against electric types! "Hah! Jokes on you! My team sucks against Electric types!" …And now Reath knew that. Takeba blinked and let out a heavy sigh. "Um…can you forget you heard that?"

"Not a chance, sweetie." Reath snapped her fingers. "Ampharos, use Power Gem!" Ampharos swung its tail forward, releasing a bombardment of silver rocks that shot into the skies, all aiming to take Honchkrow down. Honchkrow was able to avoid a majority of these rocks with its quick movements, but one struck its wing, causing an explosion and made Honchkrow tumble down towards the ground. "Gotcha~"

"Honchkrow! Use Mirror Move!" Honchkrow was spiraling out of control for a few seconds but it was able to regain control. As soon as it did it flapped its wings, turning Mirror Move into Power Gem! Feathers mimicked the properties of Power Gem, slamming into the ground around Ampharos to kick up an abundance of snow in front of it.

"Hey, what the heck!?" Reath narrowed her eyes.

"Now, Drill Peck!" Honchkrow used this chance to spin around, taking the shape of a drill as it burst through the snow veil it created, slamming into Ampharos' chest with enough force to nearly knock it over! "Got'cha!"

"Don't think so! Thunder Punch!" Before Honchkrow could fly past Ampharos, the electric type's tail gave off a strong discharge of lightning and it slammed right into Honchkrow's chest, knocking the bird down to the ground a few feet away.

"What!?" Takeba's eyes widened. "That's not fair! How do you punch with your tail?!"

"I thought you were a little better than this! Dragon Pulse!" After Reath taunted Takeba, Ampharos exhaled, releasing a multicolored blast that resembled a wyvern! The blast shot through the air, splitting apart the snow as it intended to explode against Honchkrow!

"Mirror Move!" Honchkrow recovered in time, opening its beak to make use of Dragon Pulse via Mirror Move! The two attacks collided and exploded against one another, creating a thick cloud of smoke that obscured the sight of all parties. "Now, use Psychic!" Honchkrow's eyes lit up as it took a telekinetic grasp of Ampharos, releasing a powerful shockwave in its direction while it was helpless!

"Magnetic Flux." Reath commanded. Ampharos' eyes lit up as it released another discharge of electricity, but it was non-damaging. The air was electrified and they could feel it. Just as Psychic hit, Ampharos didn't budge as it was freed from the telekinetic grasp.

"Huh!?" Takeba's eyes widened. "That didn't do any damage?!"

"Magnetic Flux raises the defenses of Pokémon with the ability Plus or Minus. My dear little Ampharos has Plus as its ability! That means you won't be hurting it with what you have to offer!" Reath explained. "Ah! But don't you have a Mega Blastoise? Surely that could be a clash, I'm pretty curious."

"Eh…" Takeba started to sweat. Now she was really regretting leaving her Keystone back in Kanto. But she also felt her stomach drop at the idea of Reath knowing that she did have one. "Ditto and Blastoise aren't going to be very good against this Ampharos. I can't afford them to be too injured right off the bat. I have to help the others when I'm done here! I have to think…"

"But…" Reath then dug into her pocket, pulling out her own Keystone. The red gem on Ampharos' tail started to glow as it was actually a Mega Stone. "If you don't have anything to offer, I suppose I can make this one quick."

And that's when Takeba's face paled. "Oh no…"

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Ash and the others sprinted into Neo-Cipher's HQ! It was vaguely reminiscent of the building they had in Kalos. "I sure hope that Takeba's going to be okay…" Mallow mumbled.

"I can understand the sentiment." Scott said. "But you've seen her battle. When she puts her mind to something, she can surprise even the smartest of people." He spoke from experience. Takeba managed to surprise him numerous times during the Regional Tournament.

"I know she looks out of it most of the time, but trust me, she always pulls through when we really need her to." Marcus said with a confident grin. "Aside from that, when did they have the time to build this!? It's huge!"

"Probably when they were hiding out." Lovrina sucked her teeth in annoyance. To think that Cipher had gotten nice and cozy on the mountainside. The group came to a halt in a large circular room. There weren't any other pathways so they hit a dead end off the bat.

"Uh…so what now?" Lana asked.

"There must be a secret path somewhere…" Sophocles surmised. But where? He hadn't the slightest clue.

At that moment, a screen appeared in front of them. Those who were on the screen were…Miror B and Venus! They were expecting Ein at least, but this was a subversion of their expectations. "Hello everyone! Welcome to our lovely little hideout!" Venus said, clasping her hands together, her sweet, yet malicious smile hidden under the veil around her mouth. "It's not much, but I do hope it'll be enough to accommodate our guests!"

"Venus!" Grace shouted.

"Ah ah, please hold all questions until after the video presentation!" Venus wagged her finger. At the very least this confirmed that the video feed was two way.

"I must say, I think you're all looking groovy in those outfits of yours!" Miror B slapped on the compliment while dancing in place. "I'm sure you're all eager to dance with us, right? Well, who are we to say no to that! I hope you all don't mind the partners we've assigned to you!"

"They what?" Kiawe didn't like the sound of that. "Have you been waiting for us!?"

"Oh, but of course! In order to get the best out of your dance partner, you must know everything about them!" Miror B grinned. "It looks like the gang is all here, too! Perfect! We've got so many people waiting to dance; they can barely hold their excitement!"

"The Shadow Pokémon are waiting for the chance to cut loose!" Lovrina giggled.

"We're prepared for your Shadow Pokémon!" Rui said confidently. "Don't get too comfortable, you'll be going right back to jail when we're done here!"

"And you'll see why you shouldn't underestimate us or Alola!" Lillie exclaimed.

"That's right, we're here to win!" Ash said.

"So why don't you just make this easy for us?" Elizabeth flipped her hair. "Also, I'm surprised, Venus. I would've expected the screen you're looking at to crack by now. Your makeup is horrendous. I know you're trying to regain all that lost glory from when Kasumi kicked your butt, but it's just not working."

That comment infuriated Venus. "You little-!" She cleared her throat, preventing herself from saying things that children shouldn't be hearing. Taking a deep breath, she smiled and lifted her hand. "I'll enjoy watching you all suffer. Beep." She then pressed a button, causing the floor to open up under the Ultra Gaurdians. Before they could register what was happening, they all fell through and the floor closed again immediately.

"GAAAAAAAAH!"

"Have a nice fall~. See you real soon~" Venus waved before walking off. "This is going to be so, so much fun…" She gripped the Pokeball in her hand tightly. "I'm going to get my revenge."

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It all happened so fast, Mallow had no idea what happened. One second she was falling, the next she was tumbling into a room, landing face first on the cold hard ground. "Ouch…" She sat up and shook her head. Luckily Shaymin was still with her as well. "Are you okay, Shaymin?" Shaymin nodded. "Good." She then stood up, glancing around. "Lana? Kiawe? Lillie? Ash? Sophocles?" She called out but to no avail. I think we've been separated…" Not great, since Mallow was the one who was carrying the supplies to heal everyone in a pinch. "We have to hurry and find them! If something bad happens…!"

"Aw, man…are you serious…?" That voice belonged to Dakim. He was standing on the other side of the room and he looked disappointed more than anything else. "I got stuck with the small fry!?"

"Ah…!" Mallow's eyes widened. Dakim was far bigger than Lovrina and Rui warned her!

"Hm…" Dakim's eyes then wandered to the Shaymin hiding behind Mallow's leg. "Whoa, is that a Shaymin!? Huh…Ein would love to turn that into a Shadow Pokémon. All right, hand it over." The large man demanded. "Let's do this the easy way. You don't really have a chance of defeating me."

"No way!" Mallow shook her head. "Shaymin is my friend and I won't let you try any of your twisted experiments on it! Tsareena, let's go!" Mallow tossed a Pokeball into the air, calling out her Tsareena, who was ready to fight Dakim.

Mallow's predictable response made him grin. "Well said! You may not be much, but I think we can get a decent warm up out of you! Swampert, it's time to crush them!" Dakim tossed his own Pokeball into the air, calling out his Swampert. He didn't care of the type advantage was not in his favor, Dakim was always one for raw power anyway.

"Tsareena, use Magical Leaf!" Mallow commanded. Tsarenna jumped forward, tracing both hands in a circle before releasing powerful leaves in Swampert's direction. Mallow held the type advantage, but watching Ash fight, and fighting Lana in the League told her that it was more than just what was the surface!

"Block it." Dakim commanded. Swampert held its arms over its body, shielding itself from the Magical Leaf. What was an extremely effective move hardly did any damage to the water type, much to Mallow's surprise. "Now, Ice Punch!" Ice covered Swampert's fist and it lunged forward, preparing to strike Tsareena!

"Wha…!? Mallow's eyes were wide as Magical Leaf did far less than she expected. "Quick, Trop Kick!" Tsareena leapt forward with her leg extended, clashing with Ice Punch. It was a battle of strength that she did not win, as she was quickly slammed into the nearest wall! "Tsareena…!" Tsareena recoiled from the hit, but she shook her head and stood in front of Mallow, preparing to keep going.

"Hahaha…" Dakim let out a chuckle. "It doesn't matter what kind of Pokémon you bring against me. WE'LL CRUSH YOU!"

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What a tumble that was. Kiawe stood up immediately, taking a quick look around his surroundings. The room he was in was nothing special, so it didn't seem like Cipher had as much time to decorate as they wished. "I wonder where everyone else ended up. I hope they're okay."

"Your friends are the last thing you should be worried about!" Gorigan said with a sinister chuckle. "Lucky me! I get to pulverize one of the actual threats!"

"A threat? Me?"" Kiawe held a smirk on his lips. "That's very flattering, but it won't get you anywhere. I know you're up to no good, and I promise you that I won't allow any harm to come to Alola by your hands!" Kiawe then tossed a Pokeball into the air, calling out his Turtonator! "Turtonator, let's go!"

"You might be a strong one in Alola, but that's nothing compared to the power I've got!" Being out of jail really invigorated Gorigan. So much so that he was brimming with energy as he tossed his own Pokeball out into the air. "Looks like you've been stuck with a bad matchup, kid! Poliwrath, let's crush him! Use Cross Chop!" Poliwrath crossed its arms over its body in an X-formation, lunging forward with the intention of violently chopping Turtonator!

"Use Dragon Tail!" Turtonator tucked into its shell, its tail spinning around violently. Turtonator used this momentum to spin forward, whipping its tail forward to clash with the Cross Chop. The result was a stalemate right off the bat, neither side yielding and refusing to give an inch. Kiawe grit his teeth while Gorigan grinned. Things were only just getting started inside of Neo-Cipher's base!

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While the battles kicked off in Mt. Lanakila, Folly was assigned a very important mission. He took his trusty Noivern and flew across the ocean from Ula'Ula island all the way to Melemele! It wasn't a long trip for him since he left before the Ultra Guardians got close to their hideout and he landed near Professor Kukui's house. It was still early in the morning but he didn't want to take any chances. He looked inside with a pair of binoculars, spotting Burnet and Kukui inside. Perfect. "This is my chance. That Professor is tough, so I have to act before he can." Returning Noivern, he had a brilliant idea!

Inside the house, Burnet was beginning to make breakfast. To tell the truth she was a little anxious about this battle with Cipher. "I hope they're all right."

"They'll be fine." Kukui reassured his wife with a smile. "They'll hit him hard and fast with a Take Down, and then be back with Extreme Speed!" The Pokémon move jokes only helped Burnet. Anyone else would've groaned if they heard them.

"You're right. They're all strong kids who've grown." Burnet did feel more at ease now. She then glanced up at the second floor, where Moon, Pichu, and Kommo-o were still sleeping. "I'm surprised she's still sleeping. I wish I could be as worry free as she is."

Ding dong! The doorbell rang! "Huh? I wonder who that could be so early in the morning?" Maybe it was Oak? Kukui wasn't sure. Still, he opened the door with a smile. "Alo-!" And before he could get that last syallable out, Folly's Exploud punched him in the gut, causing him to fold over. "…!"

"Sorry about this, man. But orders are orders." Folly shrugged and motioned for Exploud to throw Kukui out of the house, which it did, leaving the winded professor on the gound.

"Kukui!" Burnet gasped. It was then that her Munchlaw sprang into action, Headbutting Exploud after what it did to Kukui! Unfortunately it didn't appear to do much damage and it was backhanded into the table. "Munchlax! Why are you here?!"

"For you!" Folly said, arms crossed. "See, we need a bargaining chip to take down our enemies. You're the most expendable person, so…" Exploud then nudged him. "Huh?" The pokemon pointed at Burnet's stomach, making a few gestures. This caused Folly's face to go beat red. "What!? She's pregnant!? Wow. Okay. Uhm. I wasn't prepared for this…I guess we'll have to be gentle, then. I don't wanna potentially hurt the little baby."

Burnet's eyes narrowed. "What a considerate kidnapper you are." Sarcasm.

"Sorry, about your husband…" Folly said while approaching Burnet with Exploud. "But you two were alone and he'd probably smear me across the ground if I didn't take this approach! With those kids fighting the others at the mountain, this was Ein's perfect plan!"

Did he say everyone? Burnet's eyes widened and she glanced at the second floor for a brief moment as she was backed into a corner. "MOON! PLEASE WAKE UP!"

"Huh?" Folly looked around before starting to laugh. "Are you crazy? There's no one else here! I checked with my eyes numerous times!" And that…was his folly.

"Iron Tail!"

"PIKA!" Before Folly could even finish laughing, a Pikachu appeared from seemingly nowhere, slamming its tail across Exploud's face. The impact was so strong Exploud staggered backwards and Folly was now screaming in fear.

"WHAT THE HECK!?" Folly gasped.

"…Good morning." Burnet let out a sigh of relief.

Moon had just woken up, her hair was all over the place and she was still in her pajamas, but she knew a desperate cry for help when she heard one. She glared down at Folly, whose eyes widened behind his shades. Where did this girl come from!? He never saw her once when steaking out this place. Ein didn't mention anything about a girl who lived here either! What was the meaning of this!? "W-Who are you!? What are you doing here?! There should only be three people in this house total!" The peon of Miror B asked, his face growing paler with each passing second.

"I live here." Moon responded, her hazel eyes burning into Folly's soul. She was awake and angry. Kommo-o and Pikachu were just as displeased as she was. "What are you doing here?"

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Next Time: Battle on Mt. Lanakila.