Kiawe's Charizard currently had Olivia's Lycanroc restrained. It was still snarling and growling since it was affected by Nilhilego's toxins. It wasn't a very strong dose either, but the toxins were just that potent. The next best option was to knock it out, which was unfortunately what it came to. "Sorry…" Kiawe told Olivia and Lycanroc. It wasn't the most preferable option, but they were running of time.

"It's alright." Olivia offered Kiawe a slight smile, gently patting the unconscious Lycanroc before returning it into its Pokeball. "Thank you for the help. But I don't quite understand what's happening. They were talking about capturing Tapu Lele?"

"Yeah, it looks bad." Kiawe grunted, staring up at the sky as some dark clouds began to roll in. It didn't just seem to be on Akala Island either, but Alola as a whole. Something bad was happening and their time was running out. "If I had to guess, they're plotting to use Ultra Beast to capture the Tapus. I don't know what their end goal is, but we have to stop them, no matter what."

"I agree." Olivia stood up straight. "Too many people are getting comfortable attacking Alola. It's about time to set them straight. What's our first move, Kiawe?"

"Well…" Kiawe looked upwards. "We have one team dealing with Venus. Lana and Mallow went to deal with the other one. It might be our best course of action to help them first…"

"Then let us do that. I'll tend to Lycanroc when I can." Olivia said. With the Tapus in danger, Alola was at risk. The Island Kahunas had to do everything they could to ensure that the region remained safe. Cipher's gambit could not work and they were determined to ensure that it didn't.

.

.

Ferma put Mallow and Lana on a chase, using Nilhilego to fire off Power Gems to keep the two and their Pokémon at bay. They had to take cover behind some trees to avoid being caught in the fire. Ferma just grinned at having these good for nothing kids on the backfoot and kept up the pressure. "Ambipom, Focus Blast!" The twin tailed monkey leapt forward, cupping its actual hands at its sides before releasing a sphere of raw energy at Lana and Mallow.

"Tsareena, Trop Kick!" Tsareena leapt from behind the tree, throwing her leg forward with a mighty kick to send the Focus Blast right back! Ambipom wasn't prepared for this turnaround, so the Focus Blast exploded on it, throwing it backwards.

"Tch…" Ferma grit her teeth before pointing her hand forward. "Nilhilego, drown them with Sludge Wave!" The Ultra Beast complied, floating forward as liquid poison began to swirl around its small body. That liquid poison then turned into a gigantic tidal wave of poison that rushed the two girls and their Pokémon down.

"Oh that's bad…" Mallow gulped.

"I got it!" Lana stepped forward. "Primarina, use Surf!" Primarina countered the incoming Sludge Wave by creating its own tidal wave, water and poison crashing together in a deadlock in the middle of the clearing. "Now, Icy Wind!" As part of Lana's plan, Primarina exhaled a frigid breath, freezing over the two attacks at once, leaving it an icy field.

"Nice work, Lana!" Mallow grinned at her friend. "Shaymin, Tsareena, use Magical Leaf!" Shaymin and Tsareena attacked in unison, sharp leaves flying and striking Nilhilego. The joint attack did collide, but it was difficult to discern if it did any damage. "Ah…?"

Ferma just scoffed at this. "Nice try…but not good enough! Acid Spray!" Nilhilego fired off potent acid from its body at Tsareena, Shaymin, and Primarina. They were able to avoid the attack, but the acid truly did eat away at the ground and nearby trees it scattered onto. "Heh…"

"That's not good…" Lana narrowed her eyes. This one Ultra Beast contained a type that wasn't favorable for their Pokémon. "Aqua Jet!" Primarina was surrounded in water that it used to propel forward, slamming into Nilhilego at full throttle. While the poison typing wasn't great, it was still part rock, which was what Lana sought to damage. "Got it!"

"Or did we get you!?" Despite the damage sustained, Ferma was quite confident about the situation as Nilhilego wrapped its tentacles around Primarina, keeping it nice and stuck. "Meteor Beam!"

"Ah!?" Mallow and Lana's eyes widened, as they hadn't heard of that move before. But they bore witness to it now. A gigantic beam erupted from Nihilego's center, blowing Primarina away a far distance with a cry of pain.

"PRIMARINA!" Lana screamed in worry and rushed to see how her partner was doing. She ran through the trees to a nearby cliff side, which Primarina barely managed to avoid falling over. It lead to the ocean, the waves crashing loudly against it. "Are you okay!?" The dark clouds above them grew darker, a rainfall soon descending down on them.

Mallow, Tsareena, and Shaymin quickly followed. "That looked like it hurt a lot…" Mallow frowned.

"Don't you see now?" Ferma stood with Ambipom and Nilhilego at her side. "You don't stand a chance against us?"

"That's not true! Trop Kick!" Tsareena lunged forward.

"Double Hit!" Ambipom met Tsareena head on, using one of its tails to clash with Trop Kick, while the other slammed into Tsareena and set her flying into Shaymin at high speeds. "And Power Gem!" Nilhilego followed suit, firing off numerous special rocks at the two grass types, pelting them nonstop for several moments until they too began to struggle.

"Tsareena! Shaymin!" Mallow panicked.

"You can't beat Cipher." Ferma was standing proudly. She was no Admin like Miror B or anything, but she was still an extremely competent Trainer, her power only bolstered by having an Ultra Beast at her side. "This crummy little island region is going to sink once we're done. We've already captured Tapu Lele too! The other Tapus are likely in our possession as well. There's not a lot you can do in this situation, even if you did win."

"That doesn't mean we're going to stand idly by as you endanger our home!" Mallow shot back.

"It doesn't matter if you do or don't, you're not gonna win either way." Ferma said while taking another step forward. Mallow and Lana were backed into a corner here. "There's nothing you can do."

The rain began to intensify. Lana looked back at the ocean and her eyes widened. She felt…a familiar presence looming closer in the water. She looked back to Ferma and shook her head. "You shouldn't insult Alola like that. The region has a way of fighting back on its own terms…like a fierce upstream river; it will fight back against those who try to push against it."

This just made Ferma snort. "Like I'm gonna believe that. You're the dangerous one here anyway. You beat Dakim. The other one is a mild inconvenience if left alone…"

"That's not-!" Mallow exclaimed.

"Primarina, use Sparkling Aria!" Lana commanded.

"Meteor Beam!" Ferma wasn't going to let them get the chance. Nilhilego fired off another powerful beam towards Primarina. Surprisingly, the bubbles from Sparkling Aria were not used to attack, but defend. The bubble enveloped Lana and Primarina, who took the Meteor Beam head on within the bubble. It didn't last long as the bubble popped and the two were pushed back over the cliff, right into the waters below.

"LANA!" Mallow's eyes widened and she screamed in horror as her best friend was knocked off the edge.

That was when Kiawe and Olivia arrived via Charizard. They were only seconds too late and only saw Lana and Primarina fall off the edge. "Oh no…" Kiawe's jaw dropped at the scene that played out before them.

"That's awful…" Olivia placed her hand over her mouth in shock.

"Heh…" Ferma just smirked victoriously. Cipher was truly willing to do anything and everything they needed to succeed and that was clear. "I guess this ran is pretty fitting. Now, who wants to be next?" As she turned her attention to the others around, she was more than prepared to finish them the same way she did Lana. The waves crashed more intently against the cliff side. It was much more forceful. So much, in fact, that it made the area tremble a bit. Everyone grounded staggered for a few seconds in confusion. "Huh?"

"What was that?" Even Mallow could tell that the way the water was moving was far from natural.

Olivia peered into the waters. From the view on Charizard, she could see the large sillhoute in the water, far bigger than any normal water Pokémon. "Is that…?"

"Anyway…" Ferma shook it off and pointed at Mallow. "Let's take her out, too! Meteor B-!" A pillar of water exploded from the ocean, towering high into the sky with massive force. Everyone was caught off guard by the creature that emerged from the waters. Lana sat atop Kyorge, yellow eyes burning directly towards Ferma. "I-IS THAT A…!?" Ferma's eyes widened and her jaw dropped in utter shock.

"Whoa…!" Kiawe couldn't even form words. This explained where the sudden rain came from, it was Drizzle, Kyorge's ability!

"I told you, didn't I?" Lana said while smiling down at Kyorge. It was the very same one she fished up on her own a while ago, and it now it was coming back to help her after she helped it. "Alola has its own way of fighting back when threatened."

Well, having a Kyorge of all things stare you down in the face was pretty terrifying. "W-Well, I'm not gonna back down from this!"

"You would be wise to." Lana pointed her hand forward. "Kyorge, use Origin Pulse!" Kyorge gladly did so as well. Multiple blue spheres appeared in front of the king of the ocean, all of them shining brightly while being pointed directly at Ferma and her Pokémon.

This made Ferma sweat. "W-Wait a second now..! Nilhilego, Meteor Beam!" As a last ditch effort, Nilhilego fired off another Meteor Beam towards Kyorge, hoping to take it out in one shot.

"Fire!" Lana exclaimed. Origin Pulse was released, multiple beams of water shooting forward. They easily overpowered the Meteor Beam, crashing into Nilhilego and Ambipom, sending them flying back, defeated instantly.

Ferma could only watch with widened eyes as it all happened so fast. She really never did stance a chance against a beast like that. "Ah…." There was nothing she could say or do at this point. She just collapsed to her knees, still in shock that a Kyorge of all things was staring her down in the fact. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!" She panicked, now just pleading for her own safety.

"I guess you guys have things covered here…" Kiawe said while Charizard landed on the ground, letting Olivia down.

"Wow, that was incredible!" Mallow beamed. "I was really worried though! Don't scare me like that again, Lana!"

"Sorry." Lana gave a meek smile. "But I knew it'd be fine!"

"Well, let's have a nice chat about what you've been up to on my island." Olivia's Probopass and its mini-noses surrounded Ferma to ensure she wasn't getting away. "You put my dear Lycanroc through some trouble as well, I can't forgive you for that."

"Meh…" Ferma huffed, sitting up straight while on the ground. "What I do doesn't matter at this point. We've already accomplished what we set out to do. Tapu Lele is already captured and being brought to Ein."

"What's Cipher planning?!" Kiawe demanded to know.

"Why don't you go back to Melemele and find out? By the time you get there, it'll already be too late." Ferma gave a defiant grin. Even if she lost, she played her part well enough.

"That's where Ash and the others are…" Lana mumbled.

"You all go ahead." Olivia told the trio. "I'll make sure this one here doesn't go anywhere."

"Okay!" Lana, Kiawe, and Mallow nodded. Mallow joined Lana on Kyorge, and the ocean's ruler sped off towards Melemele, Charizard flying right above it. There was something happening on Melemele…they could only hope that they weren't too late to stop it…

.

.

At the same time as the clashes on other Islands, Gorigan was battling Tapu Fini with Kartana on Poni Island. The Ultra Beast and Tapu flew around wildly in the skies, attempting to outmaneuver one another. Gorigan was taking a read on Tapu Fini's movements, though it was a bit difficult with the Misty Terrain its ability set up. Nevertheless, he had a plan. "Psycho Cut!" Kartana's tiny body slashed the air several times, sending multiple crescent slashes of kinetic energy Tapu Fini's way.

Tapu Fini was able to avoid the incoming Psycho Cut. It was no slouch in movement and it was capable of holding its own just fine. After clearing the Psycho Cut, it raised its arms up, gathering the power of the moon before releasing a Moon Blast directly towards Kartana.

"Now! Leaf Blade!" Kartana spun around like a top, an emerald hue shining on the tip of its bladed body. Spinning forward, it sliced through the Moon Blast with ease, cutting into Tapu Fini as well with the super effective attack. Leaf Blade hit so hard, Tapu Fini was forced to the ground, reeling from that hit.

"tuc tuc. I tusm tuc erom." That came from…Kartana itself. It was speaking.

"…That's freaky, but nice job." Gorigan was just going to roll with it. Tapu Fini got back up, firing at Kartana once again with a Hydro Pump.

This was what Gorigan was waiting to see. "Poliwrath!" His Poliwrath jumped forward, taking the Hydro Pump directly. With Water Absorb as its ability, it was able to completely negate the Hydro Pump in its entirety, suffering no damage and only healing as a result. "Leaf Blade!"

Tapu Fini was running out of options. This man clearly came prepared to face it. Left with no other choice, it had to rely on a sacred move that only the Tapus were capable of using. It slammed its hands on the ground, a blue shockwave with wisps of pink aura appearing above the ground. It was using Nature's Madness, using this widespread attack in an effort to push Kartana and Poliwrath back. But much to Tapu Fini's surprise…Kartana just sliced right through it. The Ultra Beast was the personification of a living, breathing sword that would cut anything. The last thing Tapu Fini saw before it was knocked out was Kartana coming at it, slamming into its body with Leaf Blade.

"Got you." Gorigan grinned at Tapu Fini hit the ground, KO'ed. As a result of taking down a foe, Kartana's ability, Beast Boost activated. After defeating something, it only grew stronger in terms of Attack. "Now then…Poliwrath, take this to Ein." Gorigan secured the unconscious Tapu Fini in a net and wrapped it around Poliwrath's body. The Pokémon nodded and jumped into the ocean, swimming towards Melemele Island at full speed.

That was when Takeba and Scott arrived, only moments too late to avoid stopping the capture of Tapu Fini. "Blast! We were a moment too late!" Scott cursed, gritting his teeth as he could see Poliwrath swimming into the distance. It was a fast swimmer and would reach Melemele in no time…

"We gotta stop it!" Takeba said, only to be stopped by Kartana who floated right in front of her and Scott. "Ah-?"

"Now hold on there." Gorigan said while laughing. "Now that you guys are here, why not stay a while and enjoy the scenery?" The scenery that was the Misty Terrain now clearing up. "I can't let you get in our way now, isn't that right, Kartana?"

"tuc tusm I tecjbo sselesu rehtona." Kartana replied.

"….." Takeba and Scott looked at each other. As did Darmanitan and Blastoise.

"Did that Ultra Beast just speak?" Scott asked Gorigan.

"Yeah, it's kinda freaky actually. I have no idea what it's saying, but it's strong and listens to me, so I don't care!" The admin laughed. "And now it's gonna cut you down to size!"

"I know what it said." Takeba said with a fierce glare, catching everyone by surprise.

"You do?" Scott asked.

"Yup! It said…Another useless object I must cut…while looking…directly at us…" Takeba began to sweat the more she spoke. She did not like the direction this was going at all. "Oh, we are so in trouble."

"This baby is fresh off taking down Tapu Fini! So if you think you got the Guts to take it on, be my guest!" Gorigan was simply stalling for time and they all knew it. But he was the one who held all the cards here. As long as Poliwrath reached Ein with Tapu Fini in tow, it didn't matter if he won or lost. This being the running theme in the Cipher encounters across Alola spelt big trouble for the Ultra Guardians. They could stop the Admins, but it meant nothing if they were unable to stop the grand scheme. Regardless, they had no choice.

"I think you'll find that our determination is not something that will break so easily." Scott told Gorigan and Kartana.

"That's right! No sword will be able to slice how ready we are to kick your butts!" Takeba replied, punching the air a few times. "Bring it on, you creeps!"

Kartana held its arms forward, sizing up its targets. How many cuts would it take to bring these two down to size, it wondered? "tuc nwod lliw I."

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Next Time: Unbending.