Ultra Alola.
The battle to liberate the Aether Foundation in Ultra Alola was nearly complete. While Lillie, Hau, and Guzma were the ones pushing forward against the weak defenses of Rainbow Rocket, it was Lusamine doing most of the work. She was determined to wretch her home and company free from the grasp of Rainbow Rocket. The last Grunt went down and fled, leaving Lusamine and Lillie standing in front of their home…the last place they saw Moon… "…."
"We're finally here…" Lillie let out a small exhale. Even though Rainbow Rocket had so few numbers compared to before, it was still a difficult battle to make it this far. She glanced at Lusamine, noticing the hesitation on her face. "Mother, is something wrong…?"
"…I don't know if I have the right to be doing this." Lusamine admitted, choking at the finish line. She knew it was urgent they try to help Moon, but when she thought back to the things she had done, it was difficult for her. "I'm not very different from Giovanni. Opening wormholes across Alola for the sake of a selfish dream? Putting you and Moon in danger? I know you've been trying to look at me like you used to, but it's not easy, is it, Lillie?"
"…." Lillie glanced away a bit. Lusamine wasn't wrong. While their relationship was on a slow road to recovery, she couldn't deny that it was hard to look at her mother the same. But she was trying and that was the important part. "It's not. I can't pretend what happened in the past didn't happen…but I'm also doing my best to look forward, too. After you got better, you were making the effort to change, so I have to meet you halfway!"
"Still, I'm such a terrible mother…that won't change." Lusamine closed her eyes and shook her head. "Everything I've done has hurt you in some way…and I haven't once been able to put myself on the line for you like you, Gladion, or Moon have for me. I can't do anything right…"
"But that's not true…you saved me earlier." Lillie insisted.
Guzma and Hau were done cleaning up the rest of the grunts. Overhearing the conversation, Guzma stepped forward, hands on his sides. "I can definitely say one thing, Madam Prez. Not too long ago, you were just like that Giovanni punk."
"Guzma…!?" Hau glared at the former boss of Team Skull.
"You had the same look in your eyes. Like you knew you had the power to change the world. I used to wanna be like you." Guzma admitted.
Lusamine kept her gaze averted elsewhere. "And are you disappointed with how I've turned out?"
There was silence for a moment, before Guzma finally responded. "Nah." His words took Lusamine by surprise, causing her to turn to him. "The way you look now…? A mother fighting for what's important to her family, her kids? That's a way better look on you. No one said the road to redemption is an easy one, but you got the right support for it. If you're not gonna put in the work, then turn around and leave, simple as that. But I think I know you well enough by now to say you don't like leaving things unfinished."
Strange. All Lusamine did was boss and drag Guzma around, yet he managed to see right through her and her doubts so easily. "…I see I'm not the only one who's trying to change."
"Mother…" Lillie managed a soft smile. That's how she knew her mom was trying to change for the better.
"So what are we going to do?" Hau asked.
Lusamine stepped forward, pushing the doors to her office opened. It still looked corrupted since Giovanni took over. "So nothing's happened yet. Good." Everyone followed her inside and just seemed confused at what she was doing.
"Uh…what's your plan, Ms. Lusamine?" Hau tilted his head.
Digging around in her desk, she found the device she was looking for. "Ah ha." She then pointed said device to the last spot she remembered seeing Moon. "This device detects where an Ultra Wormhole will open and where it leads. Moon was blasted over there, and the Wormhole that opened up sent her along Route 1 of another Alola. Giovanni forced open a Wormhole…right here!" She turned the device, grinning as she saw where it led. "Directly into the office of another me."
"So what you're saying is….?" Guzma was scratching his head.
"When you open an Ultra Wormhole, exit and entry points are locked in the same spot. So if you reopen one, it will lead to the same place." Lusamine explained. "Now, I know this idea may sound risky, but I'm going to have to ask you all to trust me on this."
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"Weezing, Sludge Bomb!" Petrel's command went to all six of his Weezing. He didn't have to waste time giving indivual orders if all six of his Pokémon knew the exact same moves. So the six Weezing flew about, firing off multiple, explosive globs of sludge at Zangoose, Crobat, Wobbefett, and Mareanie from all angles. The trainers may have found a way to protect themselves from Poison Gas, but it wasn't going to stop him from taking them out. It just meant he'd have to put a little elbow grease into his efforts now.
"Wobbefett, use Mirror Coat!" Jessie pushed Wobbefett forward.
"Wobbefett!" The pokemon saluted and cried as it jumped ahead, a rainbow glow appearing round its body as it sustained damage from the Sludge Bomb. That damaged was then returned twofold in the form of a gigantic beam shooting forward, exploding against a Weezing to knock it out of the sky.
"I still have plenty left!" Petrel scoffed. The loss of one Weezing wasn't too significant to him. "Weezing, use Thunderbolt!" The five Weezings flew up in a particular formation, all of them gathering electricity to fire off in all directions! It was like using Discharge, bolts of lightning flying out in every direction to damage the opposition.
"Zangoose, dodge with Quick Attack!" Marcus commanded.
"Crobat, Acrobatics!" Elizabeth exclaimed. Zangoose and Crobat deftly moved to evade the bolts of lightning. Crobat used its small frame and aerodynamic maneuverability to dodge the incoming Thunderbolt, getting close and closer. It spun around, slamming into a Weezing to break the formation and send it falling towards the ground. "Divide and conquer!"
"Go, Zangoose!" With the speed it obtained, Zangoose sprinted up a wall, propelling itself forward towards the falling Weezing. "CRUSH CLAW!" Rearing its claw back, Zangoose violently swiped at the Weezing, knocking it into the ground with such force that it bounced up, crying out in pain after.
"Mareanie, Spike Cannon!" James finished the job. Marenie pointed its body forward, releasing a barrage of spikes that exploded against Weezing, taking it out just like that! Now there were four Weezings left!
Petrel narrowed his eyes. His forces were falling quickly, so he was going to have to become a bit more creative. "Heat Wave!" The four Weezings took a line positon, expelling a fierce wave of heat from their bodies. It was surprisingly forceful, causing Zangoose, Crobat, Mareanie, and Wobbefett to recoil more than the trainers expected.
"Gah…it's burnin' up…!" Meowth was hanging back, not wanting to get too close just yet. But he was still feeling the heat from the attack.
"It's getting really stuff in these suits…!" Marcus groaned.
Luckily for everyone else, Acerola had Gengar lying in wait, searching for the perfect chance to ambush Petrel again. This was the perfect chance! "Gengar, Shadow Ball!" Gengar emerged from the floor, firing off a single Shadow Ball that took an unsuspecting Weezing by surprise. Shadow Ball exploded, taking a third Weezing out while forcing the others to scatter from the explosion. "Hehe!"
"Thanks, kid!" Elizabeth nodded.
"Now we're cornering him!" James said confidently.
"Cornering me? Ha!" Petrel just laughed. "I'm only just getting started! Poison Gas!" The three Weezing could still produce enough poison gas to make it lethal. This caused the group to back up just a bit, even though they were firmly protected.
"Are you a fool? We found these suits specifically to combat that!" Jessie scoffed.
"Now, Heat Wave!" He was taking a page from the book Marcus showed him earlier. After filling the air with highly volatile fumes, he planned to make them explode via Heat Wave! By the time everyone realized what he was up to, a massive explosion took place, knocking everyone off their feet. "How's that!?"
"Agh…crazy jerk…" Elizabeth had to shake that off. When she glanced at everyone's Pokémon after that explosion, they had seen some better days.
Zangoose was not only down, but inflicted with poison from the gas as well. Noticing that one was in prime position to be defeated, Petrel focused on that one, preparing to take it out before the others could recover. "Take out the Zangoose! It's weakened and poisoned!" The three Weezing closed in on Zangoose, preparing to finish it off!
"Hah…" Marcus had a knowing smirk on his lips. "Do you know anything about Zangoose? It's usually immune to poison…but mine has a very special ability." Zangoose's eyes flashed opened, suddenly lunging at an incoming Weezing with violently intent. Its Crush Claw doubled in size and power, slamming that Weezing into the floor violently. That left only two out of six Weezings left.
"What?!" Petrel's eyes widened.
"Toxic Boost! When poisoned, Zangoose's physical strength skyrockets!" Marcus said proudly.
"Gh…!" Petrel realized he was up the creek now. Of course one of the few Pokémon he could actually poison benefitted from it. Seeing his options were running low, he thought it best to retreat! "Weezing, return! We're not good to Giovanni if we're defeated!" He did try to return them, but they weren't going into their Pokeballs. "Huh!?"
"Oh, don't you know? Wobbefett's ability is Shadow Tag." Jessie said, patting Wobbefett on the head as it saluted. "You're not going anywhere."
"Gh…!" Petrel's eyes widened in fear. This situation took a drastic turn for the worse.
"Air Cutter!" Crobat flapped its wings forward, releasing several blades of wind that sliced the other two Weezings after an explosion. They fell from the sky and hit the ground, unable to continue battling since Petrel never gave a command. "You got numbers, but you yourself aren't that strong. No wonder those Weezing went down so fast." Elizabeth said giving a cocky grin. "So, let's chat, shall we?"
"G-Gah…!" Petrel turned to flee, but as soon as he did…he saw Mimikyu standing in his path. "W-What is that…!?"
"Kyu…" Mimikyu twitched and crawled forward. The unsettling nature of this Pokémon had Petrel backing up in fear. The funny part was that Mimikyu wasn't even going to do anything. It wasn't fighting a Pikachu so it didn't care. But it was still frightening enough to make Petrel think he was stuck between a Geodude and a hard place.
.
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RR Giovanni was keeping a watchful eye over the events occurring in Aether Foundation. The arrival of Cipher was not missed, but ultimately did not concern him. If they wanted to try and stand against him personally, he'd take them out in a heartbeat with Mewtwo. He'd allow them to sneak around as they wished, confident that his remaining forces would handle them. But he couldn't see where Moon and Lillie were thanks to Drapion demolishing security footage in that area. "I wonder if they've decided to back out at the last moment."
"They wouldn't do that. I know Moon wouldn't." Lusamine said firmly.
"And how can you say that? You don't know the girl that well." RR Giovanni questioned.
"I haven't known her long, but I've seen what she can do when she puts her mind to it. That's why I know she won't back down." Lusamine said firmly.
"We'll see…" RR Giovanni shrugged. Then, the front door suddenly exploded, a thick cloud of smoke covering the entrance. "Oh? Mewtwo, use Psychic!" A sneak attack? That wasn't going to get them very much mileage, whoever this was. Mewtwo's eyes lit up as it used its overwhelming psychic power to halt whatever blew up the door, but it's eyes then widened as its powers had no effect. "What?" Two stingers emerged from the smoke, one grasping around Giovanni's neck and the other onto his left hand, pinning him to the nearest wall. "Gnk…!"
Just as Giovanni was around to raise his right hand, Snowy leapt from the smoke. "Ice Beam!" The Vulpix shot a powerful beam of frost forward, freezing RR Giovanni's hand, effectively leaving him pinned against the wall.
"Pikachu, Volt Tackle!" Pikachu sprinted forward, a yellow aura of electricity flaring around its body. It lunged at Mewtwo, but the legendary Pokémon had enough mind to hold its hand out, creating a barrier that Pikachu slammed against. Since it was so last minute, Pikachu was able to at least break the barrier before flying back from the recoil, but this exposed Mewtwo long enough for Moon's next command. "Kommo-o, Clanging Scales!" Kommo-o's scales vibrated as its arms were thrown forward, a vicious soundwave shooting forth and exploding against Mewtwo, covering it in a cloud of smoke.
"Moon, Lillie!" Lusamine's eyes lit up.
Lillie rushed over to Lusamine, beginning to free her from her binds. "Sorry we're late, Mother…!"
"Traffic was awful." Moon held a slight grin while staring into the smoke. As it cleared, Mewtwo was mostly unharmed. It extended its arm forward, blocking the Clanging Scales with just that. Moon's smile faltered before she turned to Giovanni. "I wouldn't move if I were you. This is a Shadow Pokémon that's barely under my command. If you move in a way it doesn't like, I can't promise it won't crush your windpipe."
"Well well…look who finally arrived…" Despite being pinned to the wall, RR Giovanni still had the audacity to grin.
"I came to throw you back into whatever Wormhole you first came from. You don't have a place here and I'm not letting you hurt my friends!" Moon exclaimed. Drapion, Pikachu, and Kommo-o were all at the ready to strike Giovanni. Fighting Mewtwo was an uphill battle, but she did not mind bringing harm to Giovanni if it meant putting this madness to an end once and for all.
"Come on, Mother. It's not safe here!" Lillie said.
"Mewtwo." Giovanni didn't even have to speak, for Mewtwo could read his thoughts. Mewtwo flicked its wrist forward, throwing a Shadow Ball that struck Drapion, the force of the impact forcing the shadow Pokémon to release RR Giovanni and free him from the wall.
"Drapion…!" Moon rushed over to see if Drapion was alright, cursing herself for not seeing that coming.
"History sure does have a way of repeating itself…" RR Giovanni chuckled while rubbing his wrists. "Once again, here you stand with your friend and her mother. But I must admit, that was a fantastic sneak attack. Had it not been for Mewtwo, I dare say my ambition would have ended right then and there…but it is also because of my ambition that I have a Mewtwo. Such a thing does not fall into one's lap. You must take for yourself if you wish to see your goals through to the end."
"…" Moon and Lillie didn't say a thing; they just stood next to each other, glaring at Giovanni.
"…" Lusamine was also silent. She saw some of her old self in Giovanni, which unsettled her greatly. Selfish, only wanting to do what she thought was right…
"Your friends are very impressive. This is the second time that children have attempted to stand against me…that sort of resistance makes my conquest more fulfilling. Knowing that those who attempt to stop me are promptly put in their place." RR Giovanni said while walking to Mewtwo's side, keeping one hand in his pocket. "But you can be spared being crushed…I will ask you the same question back then…but based on what I've heard, you don't remember what I asked, do you?"
"…What is it…?" Moon questioned.
"Your strength was enough to best various team leaders who accomplished their goals in their worlds. That is no small feat. Team Magma, Aqua, Galactic, Plasma, and Flare…all of them fell to your feet; Moon…so my offer to you is simple. Why don't you join Team Rainbow Rocket? You can have a front row seat to my Rocket Empire. You don't have a place in this world and you know it. I'll leave your Alola alone and use this one as my base of operations, if you hand the key over and go straight home. Nothing would change if you left right now. We both know that." RR Giovanni said with a smile. This offer was…genuine.
"That's not true!" Lillie objected. "Moon is important to me…so don't you dare say nothing would change if she left! Because that's not how I feel…"
"No deal." Moon shook her head, not even thinking about it for a second. "You've hurt my friends across two worlds now. What makes you think I'd want to join such an evil organization!? I promised Lillie I'd protect what's important to her, and I will! I want you out of this Alola! Go back to your own world!"
"Hm…you said something similar when we first clashed." RR Giovanni shrugged. "Such is the mindset of children. They push away what they do not understand, unable to grasp the bigger picture. Oh well, that doesn't matter. I'll simply have to finish what we started in your world…and once I wretch that key from your hands, this Alola will become the stepping stone to my ambition."
"We won't let that happen!" Lillie shouted.
"Hah…and you think you can stop me?" RR Giovanni let out a chuckle. "The girl here is nowhere near as strong as she was back in her home…and you're barely a threat. The only thing that keeps my eyes on you is your Z-ring, but that won't do much in the end."
"Don't underestimate my daughter." Lusamine tossed a Pokeball into the air, calling out her Absol. "If you think I'm sitting here and letting them do all the fighting, you're very wrong. You have a lot to answer for, Giovanni."
RR Giovanni shook his head. If they were so desperate to stand against him, then he'd crush them underfoot like the leader he was. "I'll crush your resistance right here and now."
Moon narrowed her eyes, keeping a glare on the syndicate boss. "We have to stop him here and now! I…don't know how we're going to do it, but I swear it! I'll kick you out of this Alola myself if I have to!"
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Next Time: Across Worlds.
