It was nighttime in Sarah's adopted household as her Pokemon and her parents, their partners, and the Lycanroc Couple were all fast asleep as they awaited another day of surprises in the Alola Region. Silvally and Mudsdale slept peacefully outside due to their size but the former was now able to sleep soundly and better than ever since his and Sarah's return to the Aether Foundation when they uncovered the origins to his creation. Before she went to sleep, Sarah took some time to write in a personal diary, recording memories of her times with the gang since she first enrolled in the school and things in between.
"Everything that happened yesterday was a wild ride for Silvally and I. Not only did we and the others saw that Nebby was capable of knowing Teleport and using it with us in conjunction to our thoughts, we uncovered my partner's tragic origins and how he and two other Pokemon like him came to be. I was happy, though, since he now has me and my family to live with," Sarah thought as she wrote. Her mind returned to when Professor Burnet and Wicke told her about what caused Lillie to have her irrational fear of touching Pokemon, "I was also shocked to discover that one Type: Null belonging to Lillie's older brother, Gladion, was unfortunately part of the reason why Lillie was so vehement of touching other Pokemon, the main reason being that an Ultra Beast attacked her and she sadly misjudged its saving her as an assault on her." "I couldn't imagine what was going on in her mind but I couldn't help but feel sorry for her and the trauma she went through. I was also worried for her since my friends and and I witnessed the tension between her and her mother, Lusamine, when we went to the Aether Foundation the other day. I just hope things between them will get better, somehow." Sarah sighed as she finished writing and closed the diary before smiled at the sleeping Nebby with her. He took him to her bed and together, they slept and prepared for a new day.
The Next Day...
Sarah was outside giving her pokemon a bath. "Pikachu Pika.." Blitz giggled as Aqua and Oshawott lightly sprayed her with Bubblebeam and Water Gun.
"Hehehe.. you'll be nice and clean, buddy."
"Pikachu..." Blitz smiled and then Sarah got him out of the tub.
"There we go." Blitz smiled before shaking himself dry, "Hahah, hey..!" Sarah whined before Nebby came over and giggled at his mother.
"Guess whose next~" Sarah said, looking at two familiar Ground Type pokemon.
"TRA-?!" "MUDS-?!" gasped Mudsdale and Trapinch in shock.
The two Ground Types hated water as much as Rock Types and they didn't want to be washed; Trapinch was panicking as he shook his head frantically as he protested but Mudsdale turned his head away in a huff, his hatred for water being very clear.
"If you're not gonna let me clean you, you're gonna stink up the whole classroom and Professor Kukui will have to kick you out~!" Sarah replied incredulously as she spun the brush in a circle, not wanting any funny business from her Draft Horse and Ant Pit Pokemon. But, the Draft Horse and Ant Pit Pokemon wouldn't budge as they turned away, trying to make their point clear.
Sarah just groaned at them. "Okay then, if that's how you want it," she sighed before she turned to the rest of her Pokemon waiting their bath time. "Get 'em," she muttered to them and then they all pounced on the panicking Ground Type Pokemon, causing a small tussle between them before they got Mudsdale and Trapinch restrained and Aqua and Oshawott finally used Bubblebeam and Water Gun on them.
Mudsdale and Trapinch were very annoyed as they spitted out water and groaned while Sarah began scrubbing them. "That's what you get for trying to skirt your baths," Sarah told them as they shook themselves dry after she finished. "You know how much Mom and Dad hate having to put up with you being stinky and skipping your baths for weeks." She continued to clean her Pokemon, one by one, as some soap bubbles got onto Nebby with one flying into his face. Sarah smiled as she looked to him.
"Those bubbles are poofy, Nebby. They're like you except they pop if you touch them," she said to the baby Pokemon while Nebby laughed and tried to gather more bubbles. Everyone giggled at him before Sarah turned to Dusk and Luna, "Bath time, Dusk, Luna!" The two Rock Types got into the tub and she began to scrub them but while she did so, Silvally looked out to the sea, thinking of the Type: Null with Gladion.
"Snivy?" "Sliggoo?" Snivy and Sliggoo came over and gently called to Silvally.
"I'm alright... just... thinking about the other Type: Null that Gladion has..." Silvally said to them. "Maybe... he could be my brother... or.. at least I think..."
Snivy and Sliggoo were a bit concerned for the Synthetic Pokemon.
Nebby heard Silvally and he grew worried for him as well before he floated to him and hugged his head as best he could. Silvally was surprised by this act of kindness but he accepted it with a smile. At the same time, Gladion's Type: Null was looking out towards the sea over a cliff.
The brief encounter with Silvally and Sarah had given it quite a start and it started to think back to a time when it was in the Aether Foundation's lab with him when they and the third Type: Null were first created and initially rejected the RKS System. It grunted as he closed its eyes before it opened them again as it continued to watch the ocean. Then, it let out a soft growl, as if it was trying to ask the Tapu Guardians, particularly Tapu Lele, about Silvally and whether or not they could be related to each other.
What it didn't realize is that the two Synthetic Pokemon will soon meet as if fate would be sending them on a collision course that will bring them together for the first time in a while.
(Opening 3 – Rurouni Kenshin Opening 1 – Freckles (English Dub)
(The opening begins with a silhouette of a young girl with a Chinese straight sword sheathed in a gold scabbard sitting within images of Team Rocket, Team Skull, Guzma and Plumeria, the three mysterious grunts, and the grunts' leader before the image brightens and the girl is left alone) (The girl gets up and awakens to reveal herself as Sarah as she and her Pokémon are on a large boat as it sailed across the ocean to one of the other Islands of Alola. While some of her Pokémon are relaxing on the boat ride, Silvally, Lolita, Blitz, and Red Eyes look out into the ocean with determined looks on their faces with their trainer) I brush against the freckles that I hated so and life goes on but I heave a little sigh for you. It's heavy, the love that I would share with you. Then it dissolves like it was just a sugar cube!
(Ash and Pikachu were shown at the Pokémon School trying to practice the steps to a new Z-Attack until they missed or exaggerated a few steps and fell down on the ground. Lana, Mallow, and Sophocles, who were with them along with their Pokémon Partners, either laughed at or groaned at them. Ash and Pikachu smiled sheepishly as the scene pans from the school to the beach near the school) Now, the little pain sitting in my heart has shrunken a bit but it really does hurt me now. Those silly horoscopes, I guess I can't trust them after all~! (Kiawe was there with Pyroar and Turtonator as he commanded a Double Flamethrower and gave a satisfied smirk as his partners landed on either side of him as he then looked to his right) If we could get further away~! I wonder what it would be li-i-i-i-i-ke, yeah~! (The scene pans to Lillie looking out her backyard from her mansion with Snowy as she had a happy look on her face before they turned to their left in surprise)
I'd be so happy inside my hea-a-a-a-a-a-art! (Sarah and her Pokémon are surrounded by mysterious grunts and a small team of people in white uniforms as she held a strange cosmic-like Pokémon in her left arm and the Sword of the Sun Lion on her right hand as she was then attacked by a mystery grunt's Houndoom and its Flamethrower attack) All the memories I have are beautiful in my mind! (A Thunderbolt appears and blocks the Flamethrower to reveal Zeraora as the Thunderclap Pokémon shielded her) But, they don't feed the hunger deep inside my soul! (Silvally, Lolita, and the Puppy Pair use Tri Attack, Dark Pulse, and Double Rock Slide to beat their foes getting to Sarah) And, tonight, I thought I'd be just sitting in my sorrow! (Ponyta and Wooloo attack together with Electro Ball and Moonblast while Aqua and Milotic use Bubblebeam and Dragon Pulse before Candy and Blitz joined forces to use Thundershock and Signal Beam at their own enemies)
And now, I must wonder why, what did it really mean to you? (Sarah appears and opens her eyes as she saw her family and friends, humans and Pokémon alike, waiting happily for her to join them as she walks to them. The Season 2 titles appear just as the song ends) I just can't see it anymore~! I just can't see it anymore~! O-o-o-o-o-oh~! Pokémon Alola Journey – The Trials of Sarah
Despite being Rock Types, Luna and Dusk were happy having their baths as their human aunt scrubbed them from top to bottom as they gave satisfactory growls.
"I can't imagine what your parents would think if they sniffed you without having a bath like this one before we met you," Sarah smiled at them. "They would've had a fit having to deal with you being so stinky."(edited)
Dusk and Midnight playfully licked her face, making Sarah laugh, "Hehehe..."
"Meowth..." Sarah then felt Loita tapped her side, "Hmm, what is it girl?" Lolita then pointed over to Silvally. Sarah then went over to her Synthetic Pokemon along with the other pokemon.
"Silvally, what is it buddy...? Thinking about Gladion's Type: Null?"
"...I am," he replied simply, not turning around to face her and his family. Sarah understood; the memories of their first surprise encounter with Gladion and his Type: Null and discovering their origins at the Aether Foundation thanks to Professor Burnet and Wicke still had him thrown in a loop.
Throughout the entire time he was with them since Tapu Koko first entrusted him to his human mother, he had never thought once about his past and he never went around to telling Sarah more about it. He also had no idea that it was another Type: Null that was unintentionally responsible for Lillie's fear of touching Pokemon after she was captured by an Ultra Beast when it saved her. Not to mention, he never knew about it and the third Type: Null after he escaped with Tapu Koko's help when he was released from his icy prison. "...You want answers as to whether or not Type: Null is really your brother?" Sarah asked, choosing her words carefully.
"Yes, Mother... It's just that, I never knew I had a brother let alone two," Silvally nodded as he mused sadly. "I don't remember much after we went wild after we first rejected the RKS System and committed those horrible deeds before we were frozen." "We never interacted with each other, we never got to know one another. When I was free from the ice, I was so desperate for freedom and to get away from the people that put us through so much hell, I just rushed on out. I never bothered to look around for my first brother or find my third brother..."
The younger Pokemon felt the sadness from their chimeric brother and nuzzled and hugged him to give him more comfort while the others frowned solemnly. Sarah had told them and her parents about his origins and what happened to Lillie involving Gladion's Type: Null and they couldn't help but feel sorry for the Synthetic Pokemon. Thankfully, they didn't hold it against Wicke and Burnet when she mentioned how much they regretted what they and their organization did.
Nebby cooed sadly for Silvally and touched his face to comfort him... which ended up as a teleportation for the group! The group reappeared in the air, "What the-GAH!" Sarah screamed as she fell down along with some of the other pokemon... on some wild Pinsar.
"Huh? PINSAR! GAH!" Sarah screamed in fear as the Pinsar screeched at her, "Osha...!" Oshawott readied his Razor Shell attack and slashed two Pinsar away from her.
"Urgh, Pinsir!" Silvally snarled as he shielded Sarah and Nebby from them.
"Nebby, don't tell me you used Teleport again!" Sarah shouted in panic as she held Nebby tightly to protect him from the Pinsir swarm. The baby Pokemon whimpered in apology, he and Sarah knowing that it was an accident.
Coincidentally, they landed at Ten Carat Hill, the same place where she, Ash, Professor Kukui, and their Pokemon first crossed paths with their friend, Kaito, from another dimension. But, when they teleported there, Gladion, his Umbreon and Lycanroc, and his Type: Null were already there and were about to battle the swarm of Pinsir before they crash-landed between them. Lillie's brother gasped in surprise when he saw Sarah again, it was the same girl that appeared to him and his Pokemon one time at their cavern hideout.
His Type: Null growled from the intrusion but it widened its eyes in shock as they landed on Silvally again. He narrowed his eyes and growled again, recognizing him from the initial surprise appearance Nebby pulled on them. The Pinsir swarm proceeded to attack the group as Sarah and her Pokemon got into battle stance while she held the cowering Nebby. "Use Air Slash!" Gladion called to Type: Null. Quickly, Type: Null unleashed a flurry of Air Slash attacks at the Pinsir, causing the Bug Types to panic and scurry away to avoid any more punishment.
"That was too close," Sarah sighed before she looked around. "I wonder where that Air Slash came from." "Sarah, I think I know who..." called Silvally as he looked at Gladion and Type: Null in bewilderment. Sarah and her other Pokemon looked and were also shocked to see him.
"Gladion?" she called before she ran to him and his Pokemon and looked at Type: Null with Silvally joining her. "I never thought you'd be here. Is that your Type: Null?" Type: Null growled at her while Silvally looked it over.
"I wasn't expecting you to be the one to see it, let alone see you with one," Gladion responded coolly.
Gladion's Type: Null looked at Silvally with some curiousity in its eyes, "I'm guessing you had a Type: Null too?" Gladion questioned.
"Y-Yeah.." Sarah said and little Nebby floated over to Gladion's Type: Null.
"So, I'm guessing you're the girl I've been hearing about here and there?" Gladion asked again, looking at Sarah while Nebby floated around his big Pokemon. "Are you the one they call Sarah?"
"That's me," replied Sarah. "And, you're Gladion, Lillie's older brother, right?" Gladion nodded, his cool expression not changing. "So, what are you doing here on Ten Carat Hill?" she asked as she looked around.
"Not much, We've been doing some training here and there. Much of our time together was spent on getting him to trust me after I got him out of a horrible place." His Type: Null looked around at Sarah's entire Pokemon family, a little intrigued to see an eclectic roster under the human girl's wing.
He then turned to Nebby and growled at him but the baby Pokemon panicked and started to cry and whimper as he hid behind Sarah. "Wait, Type: Null, please! Don't scare him," she begged, worried for Nebby as Type: Null turned to her but she stood her ground under his stare. But, Gladion was shocked when he looked at the baby Pokemon in the girl's arms. "No way! Is that really...?" he gasped quietly.
"Oh, it's okay, Nebby! Type: Null's not that scary, it's just the mask," Sarah soothed, rocking the crying baby Pokemon with her Pokemon helping her calm down their baby brother. "I'm sorry, Gladion! I know he didn't mean to offend your Type: Null, really!" The control mask over Type: Null's head prevented it from showing any expression and if it was shocked to see Nebby, it didn't show it.
"It's alright, Silvally. Calm down, it'll be okay," Gladion soothed as he pushed it gently away. "So, you named your Type: Null Silvally as well?" he quizzed curiously.
Sarah nodded, "Yeah... I don't know why I came up with that, it just came to me." Gladion nodded before he spoke again, "Sarah, that Pokemon in your hands. It looks like... It's an Ultra Beast, am I right?"
"Yeah, but how do you know about them?" she asked, surprised that Lillie's brother knew about Ultra Beasts. Gladion looked down at the ground for a moment.
"I did learn about them from my and Lillie's mother, Lusamine," he admitted. "We had a bad encounter with one of them once." Sarah thought back to the incident that caused Lillie's fear of touching Pokemon. She wanted to tell Gladion she knows about the whole thing thanks to Wicke and Professor Burnet and the promise she made but she felt like she wanted Gladion to know, too. "I see. But, if Nebby's an Ultra Beast, I assure you he's not a danger to anybody. He's lived with my family for days and nothing bad's happened because of him."
"What is it with you? You had it for days and you're already a mother to it, don't you understand? That thing is dangerous!" he told her firmly. "Nebby, dangerous? Gladion, I'm sure Nebby's harmless, he couldn't even harm a fly," Sarah retorted gently as she tickled her baby Pokemon, making him laugh. "Look at him, he's so little and he's been a bucket of joy to all of us since we welcomed him with open arms." Gladion's glared worsened and he clutched his right arm as it shook from his anger. "Then, you don't understand a thing about Ultra Beasts," he snarled darkly before he turned away.
"Gladion, please..." Sarah soothed, trying to defuse the situation. "You must understand, I promised your mother that I'd take care of and protect him as long as he's under my care. You might not believe this but I also made that same promise to the Sunne and Moone Pokemon: Solgaleo and Lunala, when they came to me in a dream."
The mention of the two Legendaries caught Gladion's attention as he turned to her in surprise, "What, Solgaleo and Lunala, the Legendary Pokemon?"
"Yeah, and I know about what happened to Lillie from Wicke and Burnet," she added, much to Gladion's astonishment. As Nebby went to sleep, Sarah's other Pokemon comforted him with Umbreon joining them and Silvally and Blitz remaining with Sarah as she told Gladion everything she knew from the women scientists before she touched on the dream involving Solgaleo and Lunala.
"They both told me... about what happened to Lillie years ago..." Sarah added. "I'm sorry to hear that."
Gladion was sorry as he looked how sorrowful Sarah felt for him and Gladion and what they had to go through that caused Lillie's fear of touching Pokemon. He was a little steamed but he sighed and relaxed , knowing that because of Wicke and Burnet, he can trust her with this revelation.
"...Thanks, I guess," he said slowly. He was still conflicted from what Sarah told him and about what she knew from them about the Ultra Beast War but couldn't dwell on it any longer. "I suppose you could be trusted. Sarah, how did you find us on Ten Carat Hill? We returned to Melemele Island days ago and nobody knew about us."
"Well, I was giving my Pokemon a bath when we noticed my Silvally looking out to the sea. He was thinking about your Silvally or Type: Null, wondering if it was really his brother from the failed BKP experiment. Seeing it in that split second when my friends and I discovered that Nebby could use Teleport according to our thoughts and my Silvally was thinking about your Type: Null so Nebby transported us to your location.
Gladion just nodded. "And, of the dream involving Solgaleo and Lunala? What was it about?" he asked.
"It happened days after our Akala Island field trip. I was asleep in my bed until I found myself in a bright space with Ash and a boy named Kaito Shirogane from another dimension across the Multiverse. But, the Ash I met in the dream only seemed to know Kaito and we didn't know what was going on until we saw Solgaleo and Lunala appearing before us," she told him. "It wasn't much after they appeared but before I woke up, we were blasted with a huge gust of wind. Then, Lunala and Solgaleo looked to me as a bright, sparkling blue and purple blip appeared between them which turned out to be Nebby. And, when Ash and I are heading for school one day, Tapu Koko appeared and led us to him." Gladion was intrigued from Sarah's story as he took it all in.
"You're saying you were teleported and it was that Ultra Beast that did it?" he questioned.
Sarah nodded as she looked at Nebby, resting happily. "Yes, Nebby was the reason we met." She stroked Silvally, remembering everything she went through with the baby Pokemon. "If he really is dangerous, he would've done us in when he did. But, as I said, he's nothing but a bundle of joy and happiness ever since he came into my life," she recalled.
Gladion nodded, deciding to trust Sarah's words and saw that Nebby did no harm to her. He looked over to her Pokemon and was intrigued by Dusk and Luna, Dusk more so when he saw his unusual size and the emerald green leg bands.
"Sarah, that Lycanroc, are those Lycanroc yours?" he quizzed. "Last I heard, Ash had a Lycanroc like it but yours is really strange."
"That's Dusk, he's Luna's little brother," answered Sarah as she looked to her two Lycanroc. "The Midnight Lycanroc is Luna and as for Dusk's evolution, I don't know how he became like that in his Dusk Form but he has something in him that made him special when he evolved from the Green Flash." Gladion was even more intrigued; he could tell there was something about Sarah that many people didn't see before and not even Sarah herself knew it.
Later...
Sarah and Gladion were sitting side-by-side with Silvally, Type: Null, and Lycanroc as they were joined by Dusk and Luna. "I see you and your Pokemon made your home here in Ten Carat Hill, Gladion," Sarah conversed again. "You guys picked a good spot to live in."
"Yeah, it's a good place to avoid people," Gladion agreed with a smile as he petted Type: Null. "After I got Type: Null out of the Aether Foundation after the incident, I brought it here, hoping to keep it out of sight."
"I sure wish you could come and see Lillie again," Sarah told him. "She misses you and wonders what you've been up to and she's great friends with our Pokemon despite her fear."
"Is that so?" asked Gladion, interested in the news. "She and Snowy have gotten on so well and they've done lots since she told me about her seeing you again."
Gladion gave a small smile.
He then recalled the time when he returned to Melemele Island after running away with Type: Null after the Ultra Beast incident and saw her holding Snowy. He was initially surprised when he saw his little sister holding a Pokemon let alone touching one. But deep down, even if he didn't show it, he felt happy and proud of her for being able to touch Pokemon again, even if Snowy is the only one she currently touches.
"Well, what do you know..." he muttered softly. "Yeah, I couldn't believe it when she told me herself," Sarah agreed before she turned to see Nebby, who was still napping away. "And, she was the one responsible for naming my little baby Nebby. I even promised her to be his personal babysitter whenever she comes to visit me and my family. Your sister is really special, Gladion. She must really love Pokemon back then before the Ultra Beast incident."
"Incredible, she loved and named an Ultra Beast and she named it 'Nebby' of all things," he muttered again in disbelief and happiness for her. The Ultra Beast incident then came back to Sarah's mind. She wanted to know what Gladion went through after seeing things from Lillie, Wicke, and Burnet's side of the story.
"Gladion, about the Ultra Beast incident that caused Lillie's fear, how did you feel about that?" Gladion hummed and thought for a moment while frowning, his mind returning to when UB-1 attacked Lillie and his Type: Null saved her which unfortunately lead to her being traumatized from the whole thing. "I don't know, there were a lot of things running through my mind that day," he recalled. "When I saw Lillie taken by the Ultra Beast at Faba's lab, I was in a panic like everyone else. I was so scared, there was nothing I could do about it. But, it was Type: Null, my Silvally, that rescued us. But, as you know, Lillie was traumatized and she went through so much fear that it cast a deep shadow in her heart. As a result, she never touched another Pokemon again until Snowy came into her life."
Sarah felt really bad for Lillie and her brother for going through something like that.
"I know I said it before but I'm still sorry you two had to go through all that," Sarah apologized. "If it helps, I'm trying to ease her into it until she's ready to fully remember. She didn't have any problems with my Silvally since it was nothing like the one that saved her thanks to me. But, I still want to help you guys. You can't let this go on forever."
"It's alright but I appreciate the help," thanked Gladion. "Even so, I have to protect her. I won't let her be terrorized by that incident, I won't let it happen again."
His Silvally and Lycanroc knew what their trainer meant and agreed with him. "Look at me carefully, Sarah, I'm no longer the same person that I once was," he said, directing her towards his uniform and his Z-Ring with the Rockium Z-Crystal on it. "I'm a Pokemon trainer now. We're all getting stronger and stronger and it's all so that I can defeat every last Ultra Beast that tries to hurt her!" Sarah became conflicted by Gladion's resolution; she wanted to help Gladion and Lillie become stronger in their own ways but she couldn't help but feel that Gladion was taking his hatred for the Ultra Beasts a little too far as she looked out towards the city below. "They bring misfortune to everyone they come across. They should not exist in this world," Gladion continued. "And, Nebby is no exception despite what you two have done to prove he's not a threat."
"But, Gladion, Nebby may be an Ultra Beast but he's not like the Ultra Beast that attacked your sister," Sarah defended. "Not after everything we've been through with him!" "How can you be so sure about that? If Nebby ever shows his true colors as an Ultra Beast, I'll take him from you and strike him down, too. Like Pokemon and me," he countered as he and his Silvally looked to each other. "You mean with the Silvally? The files I looked at said that they're BKP, Beast Killer Pokemon, created to annihilate the Ultra Beasts," Sarah noted as Gladion nodded in confirmation to her.
"Exactly. The surviving files and video evidence that Wicke and Burnet showed you told you all that you need to know. Your Silvally is fine with everyone since you've been able to take care of it with Tapu Koko's blessing but my Silvally can't be seen by anyone for all the reasons we told you."
"So, that's why you came to Ten Carat Hill and have been wandering around Alola after you ran away and took your Silvally with you, right?" Sarah put in.
"Yes, but I've said enough on my part. You and your Pokemon were the ones that dropped in on us while we were training, correct?" Sarah blushed as she didn't deny his words. Gladion nodded but then he became thoughtful for another moment.
"But, there's got to be a reason why an Ultra Beast would show up here now," he mused. "It's important that I find out the reason why it came to you." He then turned to Sarah, still full of questions for her.
"Why were you entrusted with an Ultra Beast such as Nebby to begin with? Who else knows about the Ultra Beasts besides you and your friends? And, what about my mother, did she agree to all of this?" he continued, becoming more demanding. "Did Solgaleo and Lunala think that the Ultra Beast could be dangerous? What's going on here?" "And a few more things, what about Dusk? What about all the Pokemon you have under your wing? What kind of powers do you possess, what kind of influence do you have on Pokemon?"
Sarah was hesitant to reveal that she was the child of the Last King and Queen of Alola and the prophecy involving Team Eclipse and the Black Beast of the Ultra Dimension among a few things to Gladion. She felt like she doesn't have all the answers she wanted to tell her new friend but she was keen to prove herself as the trainer she is to him. "I don't have all the answers, Gladion, but how about this? Why don't we have a battle so you can have some of the answers you need?" she offered before she smiled at him.
"A battle?" Gladion asked, a little perplexed.
"Yeah. Since you want to learn more about me, I want you to start by having a Pokemon battle with me," Sarah elaborated. "I'll give you whatever answers you need to your questions. What's more, I've always wanted to battle with you. When I heard about your battle with Ash from Lillie before Team Rocket came in, I thought you were a great trainer yourself."
"I've always wondered how you've been raising and treating your Pokemon including your Silvally ever since that moment and when she told me about you. And, I wanted to see what kind of trainer you really are." Gladion was skeptical about her idea, "I'm not seeing the logic in this."
"I want to help you and your Silvally become stronger and from what Lillie told me, you and Ash never finished your battle. So, I think I should finish it for him. I also want my Silvally to know what his supposed brother is capable of in your hands, he also wants to know if it's really one of the Type: Null from the failed experiment with him before he ran away."
Gladion realized what Sarah was talking about since he and her Silvally have questions that they needed answers to. He also never got to meet Sarah and see how formidable of a trainer she is and a battle could be the only way he'll get them.
"You have a point. Silvally, Lycanroc, what do you say?" he asked his Synthetic Pokemon and Wolf Pokemon, who agreed.
"Thank you, Gladion. Silvally, Dusk, let's show Gladion and his partners what we're made of," Sarah told her two partners.
"Lycanroc Lycan!"
"Right," Silvally and Dusk replied with a smile and a nod.
Gladion looked at his Lycanroc, "That Lycanroc, what do you think about it?"
"Lycan..." His Lycanroc went, looking at Dusk and Gladion looked at him too.
"Yeah, the eyes shows how it's grown..." Gladion added.
"Lycan..." "Umbreon..." Gladion's Lycanroc and Umbreon looked at Dusk with interest.
Several weeks had passed since Dusk and Ash's Lycanroc had evolved to their Dusk Forms and already, they could tell something was different about the second brother this time. His trainer looked to them, particularly to his Lycanroc.
"Lycanroc, you take on her Silvally. I want to see how much they've grown since they first came together and if they have the Memory Drives that were left for them," he asked his Rock Type partner. Lycanroc nodded as he went forward. "Would a Double Battle work out for you, Sarah?" Gladion asked when he turned to her.
"That's fine. I always wanted to do any Pokemon battle with you," she nodded, agreeing to the offer.
"Alright, witness the power of the Pokemon of the Mask! Silvally, let's go!" Gladion's Silvally jumped forward, joining Gladion's Lycanroc to challenge Dusk alongside Lycanroc, who will battle Sarah's Silvally.
"Sarah, before we start our battle. tell me. Do you have the Memory Drives for your Silvally?"
"Yeah, do you know anything about them?" Sarah asked. "You'll find out after our battle, I was partially responsible for getting them to you. Now, shall we begin?"
"You bet," she nodded and with her word, Dusk and her Silvally went forward to begin their first battle against Gladion and his own partners.
As Gladion and Sarah began their battle, neither they nor their Pokemon noticed that they're being watched by a familiar white Pokemon looking down at them from the ridge. It was Absol as it stared down at Sarah and kept its mellow authoritative stare towards her and looked to Nebby.
"Dusk, start things off with Rock Slide!" Sarah called before Dusk jumped and unleashed a Rock Slide attack on Silvally.
"Alright, Silvally, use Double Hit!" called Gladion with a smirk and his Pokemon's head scales and back fin turned white as it countered the Rock Slide while it dodges some before sending a rock back at Dusk who dodges.
"Dusk, use Tackle!" Sarah called and Dusk charged towards Gladion's Silvally.
"And Silvally, use Crush Claw on Lycanroc.."
"Sweet..!" Silvally cheered and his claws glowed red and he lunged at Gladion's Midnight form Lycanroc.
Gladion smirked as he eyed Sarah's Silvally coming towards his Lycanroc. "Lycanroc, Stone Edge then Crunch!" he shouted before his Wolf Pokemon punched the ground and sent a row of glowing stones towards Sarah's fully-evolved Synthetic Pokemon.
His Silvally didn't need any commands as it knew what he was thinking as he dodged and used Double Hit to send Dusk back.
"Air Slash, Silvally!" shouted Sarah again as she saw Gladion's Lycanroc charging with a Crunch attack. As soon as Lycanroc came at close range, Sarah's Silvally fired his own Air Slash attack, forcing him back towards his trainer and canceling his Crunch attack.
"Gotcha!" smirked Sarah's Silvally. Lycanroc returned the smirk, amused and impressed by Sarah's Silvally's power and the quick thinking of his own trainer to counter his combo attack.
"It's time to raise your attack power! Now, use Swords Dance!" Gladion called to his Silvally. Transparent swords danced around him before they pointed and the masked Pokemon's attack power was raised as it roared proudly.
"We'll use Swords Dance, too! Dusk, stand guard!" Sarah commanded to her two Pokemon. Her Silvally increased his attack power in the same way as Gladion's Silvally did before while Dusk braced himself for another assault.
"It's all for defeating the Ultra Beasts," thought Gladion as he saw his chance.
"Now, Silvally! Use Crush Claw on Dusk! Lycanroc, Accelerock on her Silvally!"
Using Crush Claw, Gladion's Silvally charged towards Dusk while Lycanroc sped towards Silvally at blinding speed for a full throttle assault with Accelerock.
"Dusk, Silvally, look out!" Sarah shouted to her two Pokemon before they were forced to dodge.
"Urgh! Dusk, you take care of my brother! I can handle Lycanroc!" Silvally called before he came at Lycanroc with his own Crush Claw. Dusk gave an affirmative bark as he dodged Gladion's Silvally before he tried to attack using Bite from behind... Until, it broke his attack and sent him to the edge of the lake.
"Dusk!" "Lycan!" Sarah and Midnight gasped. Dusk came out of the water and shook himself... only to see his mane dirty.
"Rooo...!" he barked horrified and panicked... and he went back in the water? "What the-? Dusk!" Sarah called, confused. Midnight was confused too. Dusk came up out of the water again... this time with his mane clear of water.
"Lycan..." Dusk smiled before shaking himself dry and coming back onto the shore.
"Hmmm... I'll have to ask his mom about that." Sarah thought to herself. "Looks like it doesn't like getting its' mane dirty." Gladion stated.
"I guess he picked it up from his mom," Sarah noted. "She's always the one to crack the whip on him during bath time, had my family and his own on a wild goose chase during every bath time when he was still a Rockruff. He probably didn't take him own looks seriously until he evolved."
"Lycan!" Dusk snapped, feeling flustered before he pouted after seeing Luna failing to stifle a giggle.
"I see, he must have a loving mother if he's like that," smiled Gladion in amusement before he called another attack again. "Silvally, Air Slash, now!"
His Silvally agreed as it continued the battle using Air Slash like before with the Pinsir swarm but this time, with Dusk as their main target. "Accelerock, GO!" Sarah screamed before Dusk charged out of the way and hit Gladion's Silvally back and sent the masked Pokemon skidding back. Sarah's Silvally and Lycanroc were still duking it out as the fully-evolved Synthetic Pokemon and the Wolf Pokemon traded punches and kicks and Dragon Claw attacks before Lycanroc countered with Quick Attack and the two were sent skidding back, both of them on equal ground.
Gladion was impressed when he saw all four of them still standing. "Pretty good," he complemented. "Like my school's Kanto goofball, Ash, will tell you, 'a good offense is a good defense'," Sarah told him. "But, I personally think it's the other way around. Come at me again and see why!"
"My pleasure. Silvally, Lycanroc, combo attack: Air Slash plus Stone Edge!" Gladion said while his Silvally and Lycanroc unleashed Air Slash and Stone Edge together.
"Hyper Beam plus Rock Slide!" Sarah countered. Her Silvally and Dusk unleashed their own combo attack and they blocked the Lycanroc and Gladion's Silvally's combo attack in a stalemate before the Hyper Beam and Rock Slide pushed forward, forcing Gladion's Pokemon to dodge but not without getting some heavy nicks and grazes coupled with a few hits from the Rock Slide attack. This intrigued Gladion even more as he kept watching.
"Resourceful too, interesting..." Gladion said to himself. His Umbreon agreed with him.
"Lycanroc use Stone Edge once more Silvally and Silvally use Crush Claw on Dusk."
"Silvally use Tri Attack in Lycanroc and Dusk use Protect." Sarah called back.
The battle continued with Gladion and Sarah and their Pokemon on continued equal grounds. All the while Absol continued to watch them from its current spot before it turned to Nebby, who had woken up from his nap and was now cheering his big brothers on.
While Absol was still determined to warn Sarah about the impending danger that will befall her and the baby Ultra Beast, its heart was telling it to give them more time before it would make itself known.
Lycanroc and Gladion's Silvally unleashed another combo attack on Sarah's Pokemon while Dusk and Sarah's Silvally did the same to Gladion's Pokemon with Silvally launching Tri Attack first and Dusk quickly using Protect to shield them from Crush Claw before Tri Attack soon canceled out Stone Edge. Sarah and Gladion decided to go for one final assault from both sides before they would get the answers to whatever questions they have left.
"Bite/Crunch plus Dragon/Crush Claw!" they ordered as both Lycanroc and Silvally charged towards their Silvally and landed a hit before the two Synthetic Pokemon returned them in full force, leaving them dazed and bruised and out of the match.
This left the two Silvally's to stand off against each other as they traded glares for a few tense minutes until Sarah and Gladion called off their battle, finding a mutual respect for each other. "Stand down, Silvally, show's over," Sarah announced, much to her Silvally's dismay.
"Mother!"
"You and your Silvally and Lycanroc are good fighters," smiled Sarah, looking to Gladion as she, her Silvally, Luna, and Nebby came to Dusk. "You've must've been working them hard to become a strong as you are to protect Lillie after the Ultra Beast incident."
"You're not so bad yourself and neither are Dusk and your Silvally," Gladion replied, returning the smile as he returned Lycanroc so he could be healed later before he and Umbreon joined Sarah and her group. "You're truly one of the most resourceful and powerful trainers I've ever come across."
Sarah smiled, "Thanks Gladion.." Nebby came floating over and happily hugged Silvally's face while babbling.
"Hehe.. alright you..." Silvally smiled.
"It all makes sense now, I see that our battle was a good experience for my Silvally and I. We saw you and your Pokemon for what you truly are; a loving family who will stand by each other against any and all odds no matter what life throws at you."
"Yeah, we're a lot of things to many people but at the end of the day, we're just us and a family. Nebby's no different in our case," Sarah nodded before she remembered the Memory Drives and the promise she made to Gladion. "As promised, I'll tell you what I know as long as nobody else knows except for you and Lillie. Your mother did know about this but she's kind-hearted and she personally entrusted Nebby's well-being as well as my Silvally's to me. Besides Professor Kukui, Wicke, Professor Burnet, and ugh Faba, nobody else besides my friends know anything about the Ultra Beasts. I'm not sure if Solgaleo and Lunala know that Nebby is dangerous but I trust them with their judgement." Gladion nodded as he, his Silvally, and Umbreon listened carefully.
"As for Dusk, he mainly evolved from the Green Flash phenomenon on during the last days of my class' field trip to Akala Island. He personally wanted to see Tapu Lele to give him answers as to his growing power after our Grand Trial battle with Olivia. But, I'm just loving and caring for my Pokemon not as my friends but my family. I see them more than just pets and not tools of war, they're living breathing creatures that deserved to be loved and happy with people who treat them no differently from a family member including me," Sarah continued. "But, I suppose you don't know or know anything about the prophecy involving Team Eclipse and what is called the Black Beast of the Ultra Dimension?"
Gladion's eyes widened when she mentioned the prophecy; it was as if he somehow did a little digging on it during his quest to become strong enough to punish the Ultra Beasts before meeting Sarah. "Then, I'm guessing you know something about those two in the prophecy as well?"
"Well... you could say that... I'm actually the daughter of the last Queen and King of the Alolan Monarchy.. hehe..." Sarah admitted.
Gladion and Umbreon's jaws dropped while his Silvally widened its eyes and stepped back, stunned from the revelation. "You, you're the last King and Queen's daughter before the Alolan Monarchy was abolished?" he gasped. Sarah chuckled as she rubbed the back of her head, feeling embarrassed from having to reveal such a thing and the reactions the trio gave her.
"Well, yeah... My adopted parents told me and about what supposedly happened to them when they left me with them for my own safety. But, I'm okay with it since I'll keep living my life in their memory," she said. "I found out about the prophecy when my friends and I took part in the Akala Treasure Hunt. Somebody had sent me a map to where the cave it's written on along with the Memory Drives and the Sun Sword are and I found them during the second round." Then, she looked to him with a serious aura, wanting to know who was responsible for giving her the Memory Drives for her Silvally.
"I don't suppose you had anything to do with how the Memory Drives got to me and my Silvally, right?" she asked. Gladion's cool face returned and he nodded, knowing what she was talking about.
"That's right, I'm partially responsible for getting them to you. Somebody else had them and wanted me to deliver them to the cave and be left for you to find," he told the girl. "That person also told me that he sent a few notes involving the Memory Drives that were addressed to you before he left the Memory Drives to me." Sarah was surprised; someone had those Memory Drives and entrusted Gladion to leave them in the cave for her to find? "Someone knew about my Silvally and trusted you to get the Memory Drives to the cave?"
"Yes, the campsite that I found in the cave was already in shambles when I dropped them off, the same state you found it in. The prophecy was there and I also saw the Sun Sword. The one who left me the Memory Drives for you didn't explain much about them but he said they involve what lies ahead for you."
"The prophecy said that 'On that fated day, when the Black Beast of the Ultra Dimension appears to swallow the Light of Alola, the fated heroine, her Pokemon, and everyone she loves and cares for will rise against the darkness of the beast and use her heart and the Sword of the Sun Lion to restore life into its heart. The light will expire if the beast continues to run rampant while unchecked or allow a being with an evil heart to control it but will be brought back by the goodness of her heart and the love she carries for everyone'." Gladion and his pokemon were in awe.
"So far I had a couple run ins with them but the first time a pokemon intervened."
"What pokemon?" Gladion asked.
"Zeraora."
"Zeraora, the Thunderclap Wanderer?" Gladion breathed in amazement. He was amazed, Sarah had actually been saved from Team Eclipse by and crossed paths with the Alola Region's Mythical Pokemon, Zeraora, of all things? "Incredible... Then, if that's the case, you must be special even if you don't know it yet," Gladion remarked before he continued, coolly. "You know, it's tough for us, you and I."
"What do you mean?" Sarah asked, confused.
"With our Silvally and Dusk, they have their own unique, individual quirks," he answered. "It'll take a long time for them to get stronger and unlock their true strength and potential. The same can be said for the rest of your Pokemon in their own ways as well as ourselves from what I'm seeing."
"That's why I take each day as it comes no matter what life throws at me," Sarah explained. "As long as I have my friends and family with me, I'll become stronger, seizing whatever life offers me and forge the way. And, believe it or not, you and Lillie would do the same, too." Gladion stared but then smiled and chuckled, believing her last words to be true. "I see, perhaps I should see Lillie again. But, it'll be if you ask her and if she's ready, all by her own choice," he said at last. "Sarah, thank you for looking after Lillie for me."
"Thanks, Gladion, I'm glad I got to meet and battle you," Sarah thanked before she offered a few more parting words for him.
"And, Gladion, if I do make the choice to have you two see each other again, can you please bring out your Silvally so we can explain everything to her?" "I don't know, I don't want to put her through such trauma again and let her fear of touching Pokemon resurface..."
"Please, Gladion, do it for her. You know you can't go on like this, neither of you can," Sarah begged, wanting Gladion to reconsider. In truth, while he understood Sarah's reasons, Gladion was still unsure of her offer.
"Gladion, I know it'll be difficult to you but... Lillie has been around my Silvally even when he still wore the control mask on his head and she was already near him... and the memory about your Silvally didn't reappear in her head. If she can be used to being around my Silvally... maybe she can be around yours..." Sarah explained, hoping Gladion would see her logic.
Gladion was worried for Lillie's safety and conscious about the trauma she went through when his Silvally saved her. But, he realized that what Sarah said was true; Lillie didn't have any memories of her Silvally and he wasn't the one that caused her fear despite previously wearing his own control mask before their Grand Trial battle with Hala.
Everything Sarah said to him about involving Lillie's escapades and whatever Professor Burnet and Wicke told her was spoken from her heart and she had no reason to lie to him, at all.
Finally, after thinking on everything he was told, he reluctantly agreed. "Alright, Sarah, you have my word. But, I don't want to put her through more trauma and let her fear take over again at such a rate. As long as you take it slow and work things out with her, then you can find me and we'll tell her everything," he sighed.
"Thank you, Gladion, that's all I want. For your sake and Lillie's," Sarah thanked again with a soft smile. "I promise, I'll only let her know about our meeting and your Silvally and I'll tell nobody else. My adopted parents will be the only exception with your blessing and my word."
Gladion returned the smile with a nod, feeling that he made the right choice to trust Sarah and to put it all to rest for his and his own family's sakes.
"Later," he said as he, Silvally, and Umbreon left. As the two trainers their Pokemon parted ways, Sarah knew she had a lot to think about with everything Gladion told her but for now, it was time to head home again.
"Well, Nebby, it's time for us to go home, all of us," Sarah told Nebby, who cooed and happily used Teleport to bring everyone home where they happily entered the house to rest after an eventful day. Despite their differences, Gladion and Sarah have both found a new friend in each other.
"Sarah has finally met Gladion but are his words about the Ultra Beasts true? Hopefully, he and Lillie will put their UB incident to rest with Sarah's help as the journey continues!"
Sarah's Team:
1. Pikachu
Moves - Thundershock, Tackle, Thunderpunch, Double Team, Thunderbolt, Electroweb
2. Lycanroc (Dusk Form)
Moves - Rock Throw, Bite, Tackle, Rock Slide, Accelarock
3. Lycanroc (Midnight Form)
Moves - Rock Throw, Bite, Tackle, Protect, Rock Slide
4. Silvally
Moves - Crush Claw, Air Slash, Hyper Beam, Swords Dance, Dragon Claw, Multi Attack, Tri Attack
5. Mudsdale
Moves - High Horsepower, Double Kick, Mud Slap, Bulldoze
6. Wooloo
Moves - Wild Charge, Tackle, Electro Ball, Volt Tackle
7. Ponyta (Galar Form)
Moves - Dazzling Gleam, Moonblast, High Horsepower, Heal Pulse, Psybeam
8. Meowth (Alola Form)
Moves - Thunderbolt, Scratch, Iron Tail, Dark Pulse
9. Brionne
Moves - Pound, Water Gun, Icy Wind, Bubblebeam, Aqua Jet
10. Milotic
Moves - Dragon Pulse, Ice Beam, Twister, Mirror Coat
11. Mareep (Shiny)
Moves - Thunderbolt, Confuse Ray, Power Gem, Signal Beam
12. Sylveon
Moves - Tackle, Tail Whip, Copycat, Shadow Ball, Light Screen
13. Sliggoo
Moves - Water Gun, Protect, Tackle, Dragon Breath, Dragon Pulse
14. Noctowl
Moves - Wing Attack, Foresight, Air Slash, Confusion
15. Espurr (Male)
Moves - Helping Hand, Psyshock, Light Screen, Future Sight
16. Espurr (Female)
Moves - Heal Pulse, Psyshock, Dark Pulse, Future Sight
17. Snivy
Moves - Vine Whip, Leaf Storm, Twister, Leaf Blade
18. Oshawott
Moves - Water Gun, Razor Shell, Icy Wind, Iron Tail
19. Tepig
Moves - Flamethrower, Flame Charge, Solar Beam, Rock Tomb
20. Vulpix (Alola Form)
Moves - Protect, Powder Snow,
21. Dragonair
Moves - Dragon Rage, Iron Tail, Ice Beam, Hyper Beam
22. Zweilous
Moves - Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Wing Attack, Flash Cannon
23. Trapinch
Moves - Crunch, Dig, Rock Slide
