Acerola arrives to a cave wondering if "he" came there and as she enters seeing he didn't come, but becomes pleased when she sees a basket of fruit. She places her basket and comes to the field where Nanu is as she is glad that he did act as an Island King to make a tribute for the Grand Trial as she is fully thinking he is a different man now. Nanu simply replies he wants this to be done quickly as possible and as the sun rises up, Nanu claims he is tired having to come to the altar, but believes it is good to do that some of the time. Ashly places the Rockium-Z to the Z-Ring and braces her Pokémon to victory. At the battlefield, Acerola wishes Ashly luck before going to her position as the judge as Nanu declares the start of the Grand Trial while stating that both righteousness and malice should fuse to transcend evolution. Nanu explains Ashly has to defeat three Pokémon, but using only one of her own Pokémon much to her shock.

"WHAT?! WHY?!" Ashly is displeased while Rotom exclaims how unfair the sides are as Nanu replies she can just give up while Acerola describes Nanu expects a great challenge from the Grand Trial. Ashly kneels to Lycanroc who accepts the challenge as Nanu is disturbed as he did believe Ashly would have just give up, but Ashly claims Lycanroc wants revenge and is motivated for the task. Nanu doubts that while thinking it is just Ashly mixing this up with her feelings which Ashly denies that, but Nanu questions her if she is prepared to battle to the fullest which Ashly confirms this, so Nanu sends Krookodile which Rotom notes it is the opponent Lycanroc lost to in the previous battle. Krookodile attempts to intimidate Lycanroc who remains unfazed, so Nanu starts seeing that they did grow up a bit the last time they battled them. With the battle starting off, Krookodile uses Mud-Slap which Lycanroc evades the attack, but falls into the Sand Tomb.

Lycanroc fires Mud-Slap which hits Lycanroc and with it's fur tarnished, Lycanroc becomes furious before Lycanroc jumps out of the Sand Tomb, but it's rage disappears and Ashly sighs while Acerola is glad that the training with Tapu Bulu has paid off as Lycanroc shakes off the dirt while Ash boasts they will win today. Nanu dares her to prove those words by showing such a battle and Ashly goes to declare Accelerock, but remembers Krookodile used Counter to defeat Lycanroc. Instead, Lycanroc fires Rock Throw which Krookodile negates by shaking the rocks with it's tail off. Lycanroc repeats the move, but so does Krookodile. Nanu predicts Ashly is afraid since using Bite or Accelerock results in a close combat and that can be stopped with Krookodile's Counter which Ashly shouts that is natural to avoid those actions if it means victory and a safe rout until she came up with a better plan and calls Nanu a 'sadist nasty Normal/Dark-type who brings his Darkness out to those he deems weak and kills them' while shocking Nanu at that counter of hers.

Lycanroc avoids Krookodile's Crunch and fires Rock Throw which is stopped once more as Nanu is unamused by this boring battle and he is thinking Lycanroc is gutless that it does not want to risk the Counter move. Nanu reminds that battles are to show one's greatest strength and reminds Ash did say she was prepared for these sort of things. Ashly hesitates, but seeing Lycanroc's determination has casted her doubts away as Lycanroc uses Accelerock and Krookodile goes to use Counter, but is pushed away which was surprising Nanu how fast Lycanroc is which Ashly explains he used Extreme Speed to get closer and then attack shocking Nanu even more. With a Rock Throw, Lycanroc defeats Krookodile. Nanu claims he really can do it making Ashly to blush since she trains all of her Pokémon really and she also trains with them as well, too, but Nanu was referring to Lycanroc which Ashly said she knows and that's way she said what she said as Nanu noticed the choker around her neck and wonders who she is married to really.

Still, the latter thanks Nanu for reminding the part about facing out the opponent with strongest power which Nanu is surprised, but becomes annoyed that he motivated Ashly to fight. He pretends to have lied to lure Lycanroc into being hit by Counter which made Ashly gasps while Acerola who smiles asks of Nanu to send the second Pokémon out. Nanu sends Sableye thus starting the second stage of battle as Sableye fires Shadow Ball, but Lycanroc counters the attack with Rock Throw. With Shadow Sneak, Sableye inflicts some damage on Lycanroc and the latter retaliates with Bite and collides with Sableye's Shadow Claw. Just as Lycanroc goes to use Accelerock, it gets frozen in fear by Mean Look and Lycanroc is unable to use Rock Throw, too which allows Sableye to use Shadow Claw and Lycanroc attempts to retaliate with Bite, but Sabelye is out of reach for that attack. Sableye goes some steps back to use Shadow Sneak, but then Lycanroc becomes enraged, but Ashly yells it to calm down forgetting the Aura Bond with him.

Getting hit by another Shadow Claw, Lycanroc starts evading the Shadow Claw attacks. Ash tries to command Lycanroc, but Nanu points out Lycanroc is evading the attacks while enraged, believing it is stronger this way. Ash explains Lycanroc does not listen to him while enraged, but Nanu doubts that. Sableye goes to use Shadow Claw, but Ash has Lycanroc use Stone Edge which defeats Sableye. Lycanroc snaps out of it's rage and is praised by Ashly while Poipole snuggles with Pikachu for these victories. Nanu looks at the group who praise Lycanroc who is now exhausted, but suddenly, Tapu Bulu flies above the group and drops a Sitrus Berry. Acerola asks Nanu can Ashly feed Lycanroc with that which Nanu is displeased to see Bulu is interfering, but has to respect the Guardian Deity and with Lycanroc being fully recovered, Nanu sends his final Pokémon, an Alolan Persian, commenting he would've hoped the Grand Trial would've been finished by now as Rotom comments it is as big as a Totem Pokémon.

"That's because, Rotom, it's a chibimon of a Totem Pokémon and is only half grown really." Ashly said shocking Nanu as he wonders how Ashly knew before she mentioned she's different and this doesn't change Ashly's enthusiasm to win. The final stage starts as Nanu's Persian uses Power Gem which Lycanroc is hit and fires Stone Edge which wounds Persian. Nanu admits Lycanroc is well-trained, but claims it could've done that without Ashly around and he claims it doesn't need Ashly as he could grow stronger without it's trainer around. Ashly is upset to hear such words, but Nanu exclaims a Pokémon has to choose it's trainer as well as Ashly realizes Nanu is telling her that she is not worthy to have any of her Lycanrocs by her side making her eyes to go hazed over and Ashly states Lycanroc was with her since it was a Rockruff like the others and is Aura Bonded to her as she loves her Pokémon like family as she was raised by them since she was three-years-old.

Ashly tells that they worked hard even after it evolved, but Nanu thinks that "needless" friendship is restricting Lycanroc to do better though was shocked she was raised by Pokémon and wasn't even wild at all from being raised by the so many Pokémon really. Ashly, in fury and a dark glow around her body with red hazed over her eyes, questions "needless" friendship while Nanu shows that fury of hers will be her doom and belittles Ashly that she is an unworthy trainer though kept quit on the dark glow around her body with the red hazed over look in her eyes really. Nanu grins to have upset Ashly and has Persian use Dark Pulse which Ashly snaps out of her hazed fury as Rotom comments she was distracted to have Lycanroc take the damage. Lycanroc recovers from the attack, an ability Nanu attributes to it's rage as Lycanroc uses Accelerock, but is hurt by Dark Pulse and Nanu questions Lycanroc since it should be able to shake that attack off.

Lycanroc does so, but gets hurt by another Dark Pulse making Ashly to wonder why is Persian repeating the same move, but sees Lycanroc has become enraged again which Ashly sees that Nanu's strategy was to infuriate them which Nanu confirms this since Lycanroc does not listen to Ashly this way which gives Nanu an advantage. Ashly refuses to let Nanu win in this and yells at Lycanroc to snap out of it as her eyes were more hazed over making Nanu to wonder what is going on. Nanu continues belittling Ashly being a worthless trainer who yells out she is Lycanroc's family, his partner and she doesn't care what happens to her as long as he is safe and sound shocking Nanu as that selflessness is one he didn't expect as he saw how Lycanroc and the others were also shocked making him to think of something fast to get her to lose it and have him win the battle to snap her out of it making Bulu to glare at Nanu for that though really, but understood why as he continuous to watch the battle.

With Ashly distracted, Persian uses Night Slash which hits Lycanroc making Ashly exclaims that was not a fair move, but Nanu does not care since he is a Dark-type Pokémon user. Nanu has Persian finish Lycanroc off whom Ashly asks to calm down in a more louder panic voice as she doesn't want to see that scene were SHE had to watch her own Lycanroc lose it's rage cause of another Pokémon trainer and their Pokémon in the very past and then kills that Pokémon making her parents to be furies with him like the others were as SHE lose it and unlocked her powers and killed him accidentally which calms her down thanks to the elders and said SHE won't be kicked out like they did to him before she killed him and he was going to attack one of the elders for it really. Lycanroc turns around and tackles Ashly fast cause of her voice knocking her off the stage and surprising everyone as that's not normal until Nanu saw her eyes really.

'Shit! What was the kid seeing that had caused her to shout like that if she had tears going down her face really?!' Nanu thinks shocked as he didn't call an attack for Persian as Ashly looks into Lycanroc's red eyes making her to fully realizing it is not blinded by fury, but because it grew in power. She sees Lycanroc actually managed to control this power and Ashly apologizes for not noticing this earlier. Ashly admits she was a fool to pay attention to Nanu's insults and strokes Lycanroc making the bond to be stronger now as all four of her Lycanrocs' eyes now has aura in the bottom half of their eyes as Ashly is ready to continue, but Nanu reminds winning the Grand Trial is not that easy. Persian uses Night Slash though Lycanroc narrowly dodges the attacks as Lycanroc intercepts Persian's Night Slash and blows it away with it's new move, Counter. Nanu is amused admitting he didn't anticipate the moment he'd have to use his Z-Crystal.

Nanu places the latter on the Z-Ring activating it and passing the Z-Power to Persian who uses Black Hole Eclipse Z-Move. Ashly responds to this with a Z-Move of her own: she uses the Z-Crystal to pass the Z-Power onto Lycanroc who uses the Z-Move Continental Crush as the attacks collide negating each other. Boulders fall onto Persia, who becomes distracted. With Accelerock, Lycanroc quickly defeats Persian and Lycanroc's red eyes fade away as it and Ashly have won the battle. Ashly hugs with Lycanroc while Storm who snuggles with Poipole accidentally emits electricity out. Nanu calls Persian back and notes Ashly won the Grand Trial whom Acerola congratulates. Nanu takes out a Darkium-Z, but notes Ashly isn't the type of gal that'd use that which Ashly is disappointed about as she complains that she has a lot of Pokémon that is Dark-type and she can use Dark-type moves, too, but is given a different Z-Crystal, a Lycanium-Z which Ashly is amazed and makes the victory pose with the Lycanium-Z.

The group hears a sound and looks up that Bulu is making that as he drops another Sitrus Berry to Lycanroc who eats it. Later, Acerola waves to Ashly to visit Ula'ula Island one day as Ashly waves goodbye to her and invites her to visit the Pokémon School one day while Nanu, at a corner, admits Ashly is an interesting gal which Acerola points out he could've greeted Ashly, too, but Nanu replies that is not his style. Still, Acerola feels that Nanu had a great time during the battle which Nanu admits he could not lazy off and had to give his absolute best. Ashly braces her Pokémon to continue on and even clear the next Grand Trial as they sail away. As they sail away, Ashly wonders what is Lycanroc's special Z-Move. Rotom describes it is Splintered Stormshards and Rotom makes the pose of that Z-Move which, but Ashly fails to make that pose though did remember to send her power to Bulu causing him to be shocked as Koko and Lele smiles and laughs at him making him to chase them around really as Nanu choose to send a letter to Kukui to avoided hearing any shouting and explained about the Grand Trial and the ending making Kukui and Burnet to be shocked and worried for Ashly really.