The sun shone brightly from the sky as our heroes stood in front of the Altar of the Sunne and watched the four Guardian Pokemons of the islands hovering in front of them.
"Tapu Koko... Tapu Lele..," Ash said, shifting his gaze first from the orange Pokemon to the pink Pokemon.
"And Tapu Bulu and Tapu Fini," continued Professor Kukui. "Guardians of the Ula'ula and Poni Islands"
"Why are they here?" said Gladion aloud everyone's thoughts and everyone stared at the four Pokemon hovering in front of them.
Suddenly, Pikachu, who had stood beside Ash, ran to the stairs leading to the altar. Tapu Koko landed in front of him and Pikachu said to it, "Pika pika!"
Tapu Koko cooed to Pikachu and Ash also stepped in front of the Pokemon. "Tapu Koko, Lillie's and Gladion's mother Lusamine was captured by the Ultra Beast. We are going to do anything to save her!"
Tapu Koko listened quietly and Lillie said desperately, "We need Solgaleo's help so we can reopen the Ultra wormhole. So, please, could you help us?"
Tapu Koko said nothing and just stared at the desperate group in front of it. Then it suddenly flew up and joined the other Guardians.
They seemed to have a wordless conversation and then shouted out loud into the sky. As a result of the shout, a colorful cloud began to form in the sky, which began to spread over the group like a colorful bubble.
"Electric Terrain, Psychic Terrain, all four terrain moves combine!" Professor Kukui gasped as the combined moves formed a colorful bubble over them.
Then a white, shimmering.. thing appeared in front of them, as if on a large screen, and it began to show, like a movie, a description of how Solgaleo and Lunala came through the Ultra wormholes to the altar.
"Hey, that's just like in my dream!" Ash exclaimed as he watched the description. "Solgaleo... Lunala..", Gladion muttered. "Alola's Legendary Pokemon"
When he said that, the Solgaleo and Lunala seen on the screen turned into blue and orange lights and merged exploding. And the explosion revealed a character who formed Nebby.
"Nebby?" Ash said as the screen showed Nebby and Tapus looking at Lunala and Solgaleo. They roared and Tapus nodded, as if realizing what those two legendary Pokemon meant.
Then Nebby and Tapus disappeared and then the screen showed a familiar description of how Ash and Pikachu had found Nebby in the woods.
But now it also showed how Tapus had placed Nebby on the grass to Ash to find it and then disappeared from the scene.
That was the end of that description and the colorful bubble and the shimmering screen disappeared. "The Guardians of the islands... so they were here then," Ash said and Professor Kukui walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder.
"That's right. And Solgaleo and Lunala entrusted Nebby to your care," he said with a smile. "And not to forget all Guardians of the islands!"
"Entrusted?" Ash said and just then Ash's backpack started to move and the alarmed Rowlet rushed out.
"What's the matter, Rowlet?" Ash asked his owl-like Pokemon, but then Nebby also hovered out of the backpack and landed equally lifeless on Ash's palms.
"Nebby?" Ash said confused. "Why did it suddenly hover over?" The others gathered at Ash and looked equally confused.
Suddenly there was a loud exclamation and Tapu Koko flew to them. Ash turned and stepped in front of the Guardian and held Nebby in front of him.
"This is Nebby. It doesn't move anymore, it doesn't noise and it doesn't really do anything else," Ash said quietly and Guardian Pokemon listened to him quietly.
As he said it, Nebby hovered from his palms up into the sky and Tapu Fini and Tapu Lele started spinning around it as if doing some kind of dance. Tapu Koko and Tapu Bulu looked at them with a smile from below.
"Oh c'moon! Could you focus, I have to save my mother and there is no time to waste!" Gladion exclaimed angrily and Tapu Koko flew in front of him and said angrily, "Koko!" Gladion swallowed and Lillie came to her big brother, putting her hand on his shoulder soothingly.
"Gladion, we have just wait now," she said. "Now we just have to trust the island Guardians"
"Fine," Gladion growled, his gaze turned to the ground.
****
Time passed and Tapu Lele and Tapu Fini continued dancing. Ash and his partners watched it in amazement from the ground and admired the sparkle brought about by the two Guardians.
Suddenly Professor Kukui's phone rang and he answered it. "Kukui here. What? I see, go somewhere safe and stay there. I'll go there."
Having said that, Kukui turned and went for a walk away from the altar. "Professor, where are you going?" Ash asked and the professor replied, "Burnet called. She's coming here, so I'm going to make sure everything goes well. I'll be back soon!"
"Okay!" Ash said cheerfully and turned back to the dance of Tapu Lele and Tapu Fini. Kukui instead took one Pokeball from his pocket and said seriously, "I'm counting on you, partner"
****
It took a little more time again and Ash, Serena and the Alola gang sat down on the steps of the altar waiting for the Guardians to be ready for whatever they ever did.
"I was just wondering, what are they really doing?" Serena thought as she watched the Guardians hovering around Nebby and the sparkle that followed from their dance. She leaned against Ash's shoulder and Ash stroked her hair distracted.
"I don't know, but something important it certainly is," Lillie said and looked at her big brother, who sat on the stairs a little further away from them and leaned his elbows on his knees. What does Gladion think when he looks so overwhelmed with his thoughts? Lillie thought and sighed slightly.
Meanwhile nearby cave:
Munchlax was sweating. It did not like the opening vision, not at all, and Professor Burnet, standing behind it, also had to admit that the vision was not the most inviting of all.
The same herd of Jangmo-os and Hakamo-os that had harassed Lillie and Gladion were now hissing at Burnet and her Munchlax. "Munchlax, we seem to agree that this doesn't look very good," Burnet said quietly to her Pokemon, and Munchlax nodded and swallowed.
Lizard-like Pokemons approached the duo when they suddenly heard, "Burnet!" and Burnet gasped and saw Professor Kukui standing at the exit, his coat fluttering.
Jangmo-os and Hakamo-os turned growling in his direction and Kukui threw his Pokeball into the air, causing Braviary to appear in front of him.
It flew Kukui to Burnet and Kukui landed in front of Burnet. "Are you okay?" he asked Burnet, standing defensively in front of her and for a moment Burnet could do nothing but stare at him with her mouth open.
"Yeah," she then said, and Jangmo-os and Hakamo-os roared menacingly again. "Good," Professor Kukui said, smirking and improving his glasses so that they flashed.
"Braviary, use the Brave Bird!" he then exclaimed and Braviary set out to plunge towards the lizard-like Pokemons and at the same time it began to glow bright yellow.
Jangmo-os and Hakamo-os exclaimed in horror and then Braviary pounded between them and caused a big explosion.
Then Braviary flew back to Kukui and Kukui exclaimed, "Yeah! That's right, Braviary! Just keep going!"
And Burnet stared at him with her mouth slightly open and breathing in awe.
Back to the altar:
At the altar, Tapus had stopped their special dance and now they had all started singing a peculiar but beautiful melody.
"What are they singing?" Serena thought, and just as she got her sentence said, the altar under the Tapus began to tremble and shine bright.
"What is happening?" asked Gladion, and then above at each Tapu a bright line of light set out toward the sun pattern.
The streaks merged and ended in a solar pattern. Then the sun pattern began to move and open, eventually revealing a bright, sparkling yellow disk.
It emitted a bright beam towards the pattern on the ground in front of the group, and when the beam hit it, a bright ball of light formed on it.
Nebby hovered over the ball of light and when it touched it, the ball turned into a bright pillar of light. The crowd protected their eyes with their hands, trying to look blinding at the bright light and then, the light evaporated and a large, silvery-white, lion-like Pokemon hovered in front of them.
Everyone breathed in shock and Solgaleo roared. It shone with a still bright light that also showed a hint of orange and red and Lillie breathed, "Nebby... it turned into Solgaleo"
"Unbelievable!" everyone breathed and Ash exclaimed, "Yeah! This is awesome!" Then Solgaleo landed in front of them, slamming and causing a small cloud of dust in the air.
Solgaleo slowly stepped up to Ash and his partners and stopped in front of Ash. "Hey, Solgaleo," Ash said, Pikachu on his shoulder. "You look really great!"
Solgaleo stared at him quietly and then Lillie walked over to it. "May I touch you?" she asked quietly. "That would be really nice"
Solgaleo purred quietly and bowed its head so that Lillie could touch it. Lillie leaned against her forehead at Solgaleo and said quietly, "You're so warm."
Then she pulled away and Ash remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot!" he said and dug out of his pocket a slightly damaged-looking star candy bag. He dropped a few candies on his palm and stepped in front of Solgaleo.
"Here, Nebby," he said, holding out his hand toward Solgaleo. "Or should I say Solgaleo? You liked these, after all."
Solgaleo looked at the candies quietly and Ash said, a little disappointed, "You don't eat them anymore, I guess?"
But then Solgaleo ate candy from Ash's palm and then it licked Ash's face with its big, yellow tongue.
Ash laughed and hugged Solgaleo's big head. He remembered all those fun memories of Nebby and his tricks and then he retreated a little further from Solgaleo, still smiling wide.
"So it is Nebby!" the others exclaimed and ran closer excitedly. Well, all but Gladion, who remained grumpy farther.
"Didn't we have more important things to do?" he asked with his hands in a gust and Ash became serious. "Oh yeah," he muttered, then said, "Solgaleo, we'd like you to take us to the Ultra wormhole."
"We're trying to save my mother," Lillie said desperately, looking at Solgaleo begging. "So please. Help us"
Solgaleo stared at them quietly and suddenly something small and glittering landed in front of Ash. He took it between his fingers and realized that it resembled an orange Z-crystal, but was of a different design than usual.
"Is this... a Z-crystal?" he asked. "Do you want me to make a Z-move?"
Solgaleo answered nothing, so Ash tried to place the Z-crystal in his Z-ring. However, it did not succeed.
"What's wrong?" Serena asked after noticing Ash's confused look and Ash said, "It doesn't fit. The crystal is the wrong shape."
Suddenly Tapu Koko flew to them and was left hovering over them. It touched its winged limbs ends and that's when Ash's Z-ring began to glow and slid off the boy's wrist.
Everyone gasped in wonder as the ring flew slowly to Tapu Koko and was left hovering in front of it. Then Tapu Koko closed its winged limbs with lightning speed and the ring remained inside them.
Tapu Koko did some dance moves and at the same time electricity was discharged around it. It then flew the Z-ring to Tapu Lele, who did the same thing for it.
"What the heck are they doing?" Kiawe asked and everyone was confused to watch the Guardians' peculiar performance.
"No idea," Ash said, wondering what might happen to his Z-ring.
Tapu Lele finished its dance and now flew the ring to Tapu Bulu. Now the ring had started to glow a little blue and Tapu Bulu also did its special dance.
Last in line was Tapu Fini and it also made its special moves to the ring. When it finished its dance, it threw a ring in the sky and now the ring shone in the colors of the rainbow.
The ring set off to join towards Ash and he took a step back. He raised his arm and the ring slid on his wrist in its usual place.
The glow of the ring dimmed and Ash could now see that the ring had changed. It had changed color from silver to dark gray and the position of the Z-crystal had changed.
"It evolved!" he exclaimed in wonder and now placed the Z-crystal that Solgaleo had given in its place. Now it fits perfectly and Ash grinned with satisfaction.
"Yeah! Thank you, Tapu Koko!" he exclaimed and all Guardians cooed happily. "And now, let's act"
He stepped in front of Solgaleo and asked, "Solgaleo, are you taking us to Lillie's mother now?" Solgaleo stared at him for a moment quietly and then roared loudly.
It flexed its knees and Ash blinked a few times until he realized. "You want us aboard, don't you?" he asked and Solgaleo stared at him silently.
"All right. Come on, let's climb on it!" Ash exclaimed and jumped on Solgaleon's back at exactly the point where its mane began. Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder and the others looked at each other and then nodded.
They climbed on Solgaleo's back and finally Ash helped Serena stand next to him. "Solgaleo really is warm, just like the sun," Serena noted as she stroked the hard mane of a lion-like Pokemon and Ash nodded.
"Everything ready?" he asked others and they exclaimed in agreement. "Good. Solgaleo?" Ash told the big Pokemon and this one straightened his legs so that he was standing upright again.
Tapu Koko flew to Ash and touched the Z-crystal on his wrist. The crystal began to shine brightly and Ash grinned.
"I get it. So the Z-move then," he said, touching the orange Z-crystal. He then crossed his arms and made the movements needed to activate the Z-move.
The Z-move formed a sun pattern on Solgaleo's forehead and the Pokemon began to glow brightly. It roared and then jumped into the air, running in the air towards the sky.
Suddenly a hole opened in the sky, similar to the one Clemont had made on the beach. It formed an Ultra wormhole and Solgaleo ran straight through it.
Just then, two people ran to the altar, panting heavily, and left staring at the hole in the sky in wonder.
"So they succeeded," Professor Burnet said. "They managed to open the Ultra wormhole and go through it"
"All we can help is hope that they succeed in their mission," Professor Kukui said quietly and they watched as the hole closed in front of them.
Inside the Ultra wormhole:
Solgaleo ran along a colorful tunnel and those on board were very quiet and serious.
Don't worry, mom, we're going to save you, Lillie thought as Solgaleo ran forward in the tunnel. I just hope it works out.