Within the underground basement of the Aether Foundation, one lone scientist had been roaming the vaults, observing many of the items that had been sealed within its depths and kept out of touch, yet not out of sight due to the strengthened glass windows that were embedded in each vault's door. Through his bright green and large visor, even one could sense lament from his expression as he strolled down the corridor for the first time in months, pondering about those that were locked within each chamber of this room, whether they were objects or otherwise. Very rarely did employees of the organization save for its top ranking members come to this place, knowing how secure it was and how dangerous some of what was stored here could be.

Eventually, he came to a stop outside a vault nearly at the far end, glancing at its window to see what was contained inside. Within on top of a table, lay several pieces of the Mask Fragments that Gladion had given to Wicke the night before in addition to an extra three that had been found by her beforehand. Unlike a few who merely toured the vaults out of curiosity to see what lay inside, he too was one of the few to recognize what these pieces truly were and what they formed. His gaze was broken by the sound of footsteps, causing the man to turn towards the woman in question who had been entering the corridor and walking towards him.

"Why Wicke, fancy seeing you in this place," he greeted with a smile "I trust you've brought something of importance to bring to these hallowed vaults."

"Indeed, but nothing that concerns your intellect Faba," she replied with a sigh.

Walking up to a console at the door, she put down her right hand on a flat screen which then scanned across it for several moments. A bulb on top of the door turned from red to green, allowing it to open up and allow her entry into the room. She then emptied her purse of an additional four pieces of the Mask Fragments onto the table, all the while whilst Faba watched on with intrigue outside, patiently awaiting her exit as she eventually left the vault itself, the door shutting behind her when she came back into the corridor. Not saying another word to him, she began to walk away from the vaults and back towards the elevator. Before she could leave however, she turned around to see the man in question still glancing through the vault window, muttering aloud to himself.

"Even before focusing singlehandedly on the Ultra Beasts... you had something almighty that you almost perfected Lusamine," he said, holding a hand against the titanium alloyed door "I only wish we could see it as whole once more."

"And for what? To start another disaster?" Wicke asked, her eyes slightly narrowing "Faba, even you know how dangerous those fragments were in their completed form."

Faba said nothing more, merely shrugging playfully as if he was not concerned with his new superior's concerns for what those fragments held and how dangerous they truly were. Wicke sighed in exasperation, knowing it was like the scientist to be intrigued in matters such as this, but at the same time, she also knew that even the strongest Pokémon he could ever find could never break open the vault, let alone bypass the biometric scan that was keeping it locked. She hoped with time following the Ultra Space incident that he had toned down in his cunning and desire to learn more about the darkest of areas, but alas, she knew he was who he was and that only time would tell if any sort of change would occur within him.

"By the way, how is Lillie these days?" he asked "I recently heard she apparently acquired a strange language that has been planted into her mind."

"She's... recovering," Wicke replied with a worried sigh "I can only hope this mystery is one that can be solved sooner rather than later."

"I see," Faba commented "I wish you the best of luck with easing her transition into this recent knowledge."

When the woman received no further comment, she took the elevator back to the main level of the Aether Foundation, leaving Faba alone in the corridor of vaults surrounding him. Looking back through the window of the one containing the masked fragments, he spoke aloud to himself now that his company was far out of earshot.

"For she will need it."

Although he had been wise to keep his distance on certain subjects following the Ultra Space fiasco, there were truly some things that would never change about him and his interest into the unknown and what it possessed was something many within the organization would hope he did not drag them too far within. But following the discovery of the Mask Fragments Gladion and Wicke were seeking to ensure would be kept out of the wrong hands, memories from a time all of Alola save for a mere few had forgotten had begun flooding back into his mind as he recognized the shape of what these captured fragments and the many that remained scattered across the region had formed.

"He certainly taught you all too well when you singlehandedly decided to go that far in your first attempt to reach Ultra Space," he said to himself "Even if things didn't go as planned, your finest creation proved to be the pinnacle of Alola's history."

A hologram was projected from twin beams of light from the left and right edges of his visor, drawing out a translucent shape on the window frame. Its silhouette resembled that of a facial object, the silhouette being large with many spikes protruding out from the top half upwards, left and right in those directions. A pair of red lights shone from its shape to indicate eyeholes on the silhouetted shape, implying that the object itself could very well be the mask alluded to by what Faba had referred through the fragments.

Within the higher levels of the Aether Paradise, Wicke wandered from the elevator until she found herself standing back in front of the mansion that belonged to Lusamine, overlooking the ocean before her as the sounds of many Wingull could by heard, the winged Water-Type Pokémon soaring across the sunny sky with the calm breeze that followed in their wake. Yet despite the calm atmosphere and the lack of noise from the busy staff on hand, she was still troubled by recent events as well as ones that most had forgotten. Faba she knew was always an ambitious member of the Aether Foundation, but his sudden reignited interest in the mask fragments collected by Gladion had caused her to feel rather troubled.

She didn't have time to dwell on such thoughts as the boy in question eventually walked up to her, carrying a small sash in his hands with the intent of delivering the contents inside to her. He eventually stopped in front and opened up the tiny bag, revealing another seven shards of the Mask that only the pair and Faba had prior knowledge of.

"Any trouble?" she asked.

"No," he replied "I investigated the site of the explosion around Iki Town last night whilst everyone was at the beach. No one suspected a thing."

Wicke couldn't help but inwardly sigh in relief, seemingly happy that all around Iki Town had not been suspicious following Gladion's investigation and recovery of the Mask Fragments, knowing that with each one recovered and brought in to be behind lock and key in the vaults, the less likely they would be able to do any harm to the Region of Alola, its populace and Pokémon at the same time. Seeing the multiple coloured substances within those pieces and the knowledge of what happened on the day that mask was whole, he then recalled the list of materials that were seemingly used to create this one mask.

"18 Z Crystals, many Sparkling Stones and the discs acquired from that other dimension, all were used by Lusamine herself in the construction of the object the fragments once formed," Wicke counted "Even shattered, we've discovered the pieces alone hold a danger to the islands of Alola. Not only that, Faba has renewed his desire to obtain those fragments. Then again, he was ambitious back then too."

"That makes sense," he muttered "He was the only one who didn't oppose the eventual construction of the mask. Even now, he has a dangerous interest in the fragments themselves."

Gladion then walked towards the front doors of his home and sat down on the step just outside, clearly deep in thought about not just Lillie and the strange visions she had been receiving, but there was also the matter of the Mask Fragments he had been collecting to keep out of unsafe hands, which formed a nightmare he had never wanted to experience. And yet despite his efforts, he couldn't help but feel worried that something similar to that event that shattered the mask and rained destruction on Alola could become a threat once again.

"Mother wanted to go out of her way to bring back our missing father," he sighed, thinking back to years ago "And she wasn't going to give up any means at her disposal. She was willing to go to achieve that end by her own hands back then, no matter the cost. It was only now that she has finally come to her senses, thanks to my sister and Elio."

"Indeed," said Wicke "Back then, she was unaware of the danger she was putting the entire region and herself in just to fulfill her wish. All to make a deal to a stranger to find your father which drove her motivation to creating an object of immense power that could bend the elements to the bearer's will in exchange for that stranger's promise. If only we knew what would transpire next from the completion of back then, what was dubbed her ultimate project. Even before that fateful battle in Ultra Space, I feared energies from the shards had seeped into Lusamine's sanity, warping it until her defeat at the hands of Soglaleo."

Holding out a tablet, she displayed a photograph that had been taken of the event which displayed the completed mask in the image beneath a cracked lens and damaged flash. It was obscured by shadow, but six notable spikes had protruded from the sides and the top of the silhouetted mask, giving it a rather imposing shape. With the two of them being the among few who remembered this devastation, they knew what the name of this object was called and its original intended purpose.

"The Kanohi Magnika. The Mask of Ultimate Power."

It had been a strange turn of events for Vakama. One moment he had been in a meeting with his other fellow Turaga along with Dume and a Glatorian from the Water Tribe, then a dimensional gateway had abruptly opened and closed within the chamber, sending him hurtling towards one of Alola's four islands. It had been some time before he had eventually recovered consciousness, but fortunately for him, his Firestaff along with his Noble Kanohi had not landed far from his initial spot and had recovered them with relative ease.

Taking the time to assess his surroundings, he slowly and carefully walked across the beach, uncertain of what new dangers could lurk within the land he had been sucked into. In spite of the unfamiliarity of where he was however, he could not help but feel a little nostalgic as he took note of his surroundings. The calm environment and the tropical nature had brought back memories of a different time over a millennia ago when he along with his fellow Turaga and Matoran had settled on an island paradise until the arrival of the Toa Nuva and the advent of the Toa of Light. Though those memories had also been riddled with bad ones as well, such as the calamities Makuta Teridax had terrorized the inhabitants with, even he knew there was some good that came out of the experiences as well.

The stroll he took reminded him of the time he had walked along a beach back on that former paradise to discover the canister of Tahu, the Toa of Fire and protector of the Ta Matoran on the island of Mata Nui. The Turaga despite his concerns for his fellow companions back on Spherus Magna knew from accumulated wisdom from the experiences in his life that panic regarding the unknown would not help him discover where he had ended up being transported to or how to return to his council. But he knew there was also no room for complacency with no knowledge of his own about what other dangers could lurk in this land. Eventually, he came up to a wooden bridge spanning across a large lake, the sunlight glistening upon its surface.

Vakama slowly crossed it to reach the other side, intending to see what could lie in in this strange new world that awaited him. He heard several splashes to the left and right as he saw several Water Type Pokémon native to this area swimming nearby with one type in particular even gliding across the surface with four spindly legs. The Turaga noted that whilst these creatures were fully organic in nature, they were not enhanced like the Glatorian, Agori and what little creatures native to Spherus Magna that he had encountered. When he eventually came across the bridge to reach the other side of the lake, he stopped to observe them from a safer distance on the bank, not wanting to provoke the Pokémon with what little knowledge he had regarding them.

As he got back onto his feet to resume his journey, he turned around to leave the bank and walk back towards the path he had come off, recalling that it had led to a trail between the surrounding trees. Vakama had only taken a few steps in his intended direction when he suddenly heard a loud splash, followed by a voice that let out a small gasp of surprise. For a few moments, only the sound of small ripples in the lake and nearby wild Pokémon followed. He then turned back around to see who it was that had reacted in one way or another to his presence.

There was Lana riding atop one of her Pokémon submerged beneath the surface and carrying a fishing rod, a common tool some trainers used to widen their search for Water Type Pokémon to catch in their natural environments. She glanced curiously across his features, having never seen someone or something like him before, yet she was also hesitant to approach, uncertain of what powers the Turaga could hold. Seeing that his Firestaff was likely the reason for her being that apprehensive, Vakama placed it a few meters to his right and came back to the edge of the bank to approach her.

"Do not be alarmed," he said calmly "I mean you no harm."

"Who are you?" Lana asked curiously.

"My name is Vakama," the Turaga greeted kindly "I am but a stranger to this land."

The Trial Captain took note of his features and tone, sensing that they at least understood each other through their spoken language. Despite his strange appearance, he seemed friendly enough to her and could see he was curious to learn more of his surroundings and who she was as was she with him. She had been not present on the surface when the portals created by the Olmak and Iruini's Kanohi appeared, having been underwater when that had happened and had not realized the circumstances that lead to Vakama's arrival in Alola.

"I am Lana," she said with a smile as her submerged Pokémon carried her over to the bank "It's nice to meet you Vakama."

"Likewise," he replied, offering out his hand in a friendly gesture, to which she happily returned.

At that moment, Lana's submerged Pokémon began to climb out from the water on its spindly yellow legs tipped with dark grey feet that clung onto the bank of the lake like daggers. Vakama for a brief moment had mistakenly almost assumed they had belonged to a very familiar and rather vicious species of Rahi from the stance and similar of those front legs alone until the rest of the Water Bug Pokémon had pulled itself out with an extra two legs along its body to help it with each one having a pale blue coloured joint that resembled a sphere like shape. A bubble surrounded the creature's head which had two light blue eyes and three bumps atop with the same colour whilst the majority of its body was dark gray with accents of yellow-green and light brown.

Seeing the Turaga of Fire before its form was enough for the Pokémon to be apprehensive from his appearance alone at first, but when Lana patted the creature's head and smiled before gesturing for it to look back at Vakama, it soon felt it no longer had a need to percieve him as a threat. Seeing his intrigue, the Trial Captain decided to introduce the two to one another.

"Vakama, this is Araquanid," she said before looking to her Pokémon "Araquanid, Vakama."

"Fascinating," he commented as he studied the creature's features "So these are the creatures of your world?"

"We call them Pokémon, short for Pocket Monsters. You can pretty much find them anywhere..."

Lana suddenly stopped mid-sentence, upon letting Vakama's words sink into her mind. More specifically though, it was the comment he made about Pokémon such as Araquanid being the creatures of the world she lived in. Now both confused and somewhat intrigued, she looked back to him and once again took mental notes of his appearance, throwing out several theories from her mind she was sure would be an accurate summarization of where he came from. He soon noticed her current state when she looked blankly at him before deciding that perhaps answers were in order as to who he was and where he came from.

"So... if Pokémon to you are creatures from another world, are you saying you come from an entirely different planet or something?" she asked.

"That is correct," the Turaga answered "I've been thrown onto this island not so long ago, following the abrupt appearance of a portal from my council back on my home world of Spherus Magna."

"Then... what are your world's creatures called then?" the Trial Captain inquired "And what exactly are you anyway?"

"There are natural organic creatures that roam the planet, but the ones I am most knowledgable of are creatures called Rahi," he replied "As for your second question, I am what is known to the inhabitants there as a Turaga."

"Tu-ra-ga..."

Lana spoke the word in broken up syllables, certain that this was most likely just a blind attempt to pronounce the term correctly, maybe even spell it out on paper in plain English. Araquanid glanced up at its trainer before glancing at Vakama, as if it had been suspicious of the words he spoken to her as of recently, the pair now learning from one another about their respective worlds and creatures.

"So then... Vakama," the Trial Captain said "What exactly do you do as a Turaga?"

Vakama pondered on this thought for a moment, knowing that all the information he had been giving to her following his brief introduction to her had been confusing enough for her to try and comprehend all at once. It was clear her society functioned differently to the one he had been acquainted with all of his life, even up to the reformation of Spherus Magna where he and his fellow Turaga shared their wisdom and tales with the leaders of the Agori Tribes. He would have to relay his answers to her questions slowly and in a manner where she could digest the information that she was now learning about for the first time, as he was with the world he had now been sent to. Still, she had just asked about his role alone and perhaps that could act as a starting point in a manner of speaking.

"A Turaga is what you might describe as an elder," he explained, getting a nod from Lana who understood so far "Their duty is to provide wisdom and guidance from days of old to our citizens, the Matoran."

"Right, I think I get it," she replied "Even though our kinds are completely different, we do have similar roles."

"Which reminds me," Vakama interjected "If the creatures of this world are what you call Pokémon, what are your kind Lana?"

"People like me are what you'd call human," the Trial Captain answered "We live in harmony with Pokémon and often attempt to befriend them. The most common thing amongst us however is that Pokémon will often battle one another. Some of us try to catch those in the wild to use in competitive, yet fair battles as Pokémon Trainers."

"And these battles do not involve brutality?" the Turaga of Fire asked.

"Of course not," said Lana before her expression became a brief frown "Although, that doesn't mean there haven't been nastier people capturing Pokémon and using them to fight for selfish and sometimes evil goals. Nearly all Pokémon Trainers attempt to treat their captured Pokémon with care and respect so they can work as one, but there have been those who only want to use them to attain power and greater heights. Those isolated cases fortunately are a somewhat rare case."

Vakama could only share sympathy for her explanation of the purpose and the place of Pokémon Battles within the society of this world, now seeing that battles between trainers would not have been barbaric as he imagined he would have been quick to assume once upon a time. Before he could ask her another question, more specifically as to where exactly he was on her world, the sound of shaking plant life had caught both of their attention as they looked towards a nearby clearing of trees beside the bank. Leaves shook as the two of them looked on curiously, pondering what kind of Pokémon or creature lay on the other side. Vakama picked his Firestaff back up and held it out in a defensive manner, causing Lana to look down at him in shock.

"Wait...!" she cried out "I know I might be overreacting to your stick, but the use of any kind of weaponry to harm Pokémon is outright illegal!"

Seeing her panicked look and motions with her hands to prevent him from using the Firestaff as a weapon, knowing the rules of this world applied differently to his own, Vakama relented and brought his Badge of Office back by his side, no longer planning to use it for such a purpose as a last resort. He decided to wait and watch carefully in the direction of the trees and bushes in that direction, wanting the Pokémon or creature beyond to make the first move before making his own. The rustling grew louder and louder as Araquanid came to the side of Lana, ready to fight off the intruder if it was indeed hostile. The movement of the shaking leaves grew larger and larger until a metallic claw emerged from the bush, spooking the Trial Captain briefly as Vakama and her Pokémon got in front of her, willing to go on the defensive.

To their surprise however, the creature was anything but hostile as it gently used the claw to rip apart a portion of the bush to make it through. When it was revealed, Vakama softly gasped in recognition as he knew what exactly this crab-like creature was. It had six spindly orangish brown coloured legs, a large wide carapace, long black beady eyes and two arms where the claws were present. It glanced across the three beings before it before looking at the Turaga of Fire, as if it had somehow recognized him from not so long ago despite not always seeing one another eye to eye. Araquanid was about to create a Water Gun attack on its own to make the creature back off when Lana held out her hand, commanding it to stop right away and trust her on the subject.

"Easy Araquanid," she soothed as she looked out to the biomechanical crab "I don't think it's going to hurt us."

"That is an Ussal crab," Vakama explained as he approached the creature "One of the many species of Rahi from the universe I knew. The Matoran that tamed these creatures could use them for assistance with tunneling or races within underground caverns."

"Underground racing, that's a new one," Lana remarked as she looked down to the Turaga, noticing his expression "But it looks like you know this one specifically."

"I do."

Vakama gently put a hand over the head of the Ussal Crab, causing it to relax as it realized it was no longer in danger from being hurled through a dimensional gate. It made an excited chirping noise as it then realized who it was that had found it.

"I do not know the circumstances that brought you here, but it is a relief to know that you are safe and unharmed... Pewku."

Pewku then looked up to Lana who couldn't help but feel nervous at seeing the Rahi, one of the creatures of the Turaga's world, one that was alien to her in knowledge alone that she had no comprehension of. She knew the Ussal Crab didn't display any means or intention of harming her directly, but decided it would at least be best to try and befriend her in the same manner she would try to befriend most Pokémon she encountered in the wild.

"Hello Pewku," she greeted "My name is Lana. This is Araquanid, my partner."

Araquanid and the Ussal Crab looked at one another, almost staring into each other's eyes to try and make sense of the physiology of the other before them with one being biomechanical and the other being a purely organic creature like nearly all types of Pokémon in the world around them. Offering out a friendly shake with its claw, Pewku hoped that she hadn't made an error in judgment in showing a gesture of friendship to a complete stranger, that being one from a world that was already unknown to her when she arrived. To her surprise, Araquanid gently shook its front left leg within the claw, causing her to chirp happily along with the Water type bug Pokémon who had made a new friend to this day. Then before Lana could expect what came next, Pewku leapt up and knocked her to the ground, playfully licking her face several times much to the amusement of her Pokémon.

"Hey, cut that out!" she chuckled "Y... You're tickling me!"

Even Vakama couldn't help but mentally chuckle at the sight, memories resurfacing from his time on the island of Mata Nui, knowing how much a certain Toa of Light had once been fond with her before finding his destiny. Now it appeared despite landing on a world different to their own and not knowing about their present circumstances entirely, the two were amongst friends who were willing to help them out in learning more about their surroundings and the way society around them functioned. Eventually, Pewku stopped licking the Trial Captain and moved off of her torso, allowing her to get back onto her feet.

"Wow, are all Rahi this friendly?" she pondered aloud.

"Sadly, not all of them share the friendly nature of the Ussal crab," Vakama replied, getting her to look back at him, noting his brief change in expression "Some are far more dangerous than you think. And if Pewku ended up on this island like me, I fear there may be more dangers that await us all that have come from Spherus Magna."

"I see..." said Lana "There's so many questions I want to ask, but I don't think I could take it all in at once. I do know a person that would be interested in where you come from."

"Who would that be?" the Turaga asked.

"Professor Burnet from Heahea City," the Trial Captain answered "She's an expert on exploring the relationships between Pokémon and other dimensions, so I'm sure she's got a ton of questions she would like to have you answer. The city is just south from where we are, so I can take you there on foot. Though it will be a while before we get there."

Vakama nodded in understanding before turning to Pewku who chirped and leant downwards, allowing the Turaga to climb onto the right side of her large carapace and sit down. He looked over to Lana and invited her with a gesture to join him atop the Ussal Crab, to which she complied after she was sure that she wasn't too big to ride alongside the being beside her. When she got on, she brought out a Poké Ball and pointed it in the direction of Araquanid. The Trial Captain opened the ball which emitted a beam of energy that absorbed the Water Bug Type Pokémon and brought it inside before closing the sphere. The motion of this intrigued the Turaga beside her.

"Is that device what you use to capture Pokémon?" he asked.

"Indeed, but only after you battle a wild one until it is weakened enough so it can't break free," she explained "Even then, the capture isn't always guaranteed to work all the time."

"I see."

Pewku then looked up to Lana for knowledge on directions to Heahea City, having expected her to know about this part of her surroundings better than what little she already had known. The Trial Captain smiled back, willing to help guide her through whatever pathways she could think of that would avoid most of the tall grass. That was when Vakama decided to offer her a small piece of advice he had known from Whenua, believing it could help the Ussal Crab traverse their surroundings better until they reached their destination.

"Ussal Crabs can climb most vertical surfaces," he said "Trust in Pewku. Let her be your guide as she will be yours."

"Thanks for the tip, that's given me an idea," replied Lana who looked down to Pewku's head "I know a shortcut we can take if we can scale a near vertical rock face. Do you think you can get us over it?"

The Ussal Crab chirped happily in response as she immediately set off down the bridge that spanned the lake, now heading in the right direction to get to Heahea City and find Professor Burnet so that the lack of knowledge between the two worlds could be solved once and for all. As they finished crossing the bridge and disappearing into the forest, a pair of red eyes gleamed from the other side within the shadows of the torn bush. Emerging from the darkness, a spider-like Rahi with four dark blue coloured legs and a golden coloured carapace with two large razor sharp pincers dripping with venom.

This creature was one of many feared by nearly all beings of the Matoran Universe with them being commonly referred to in that kind's language as 'the stealers of life' and now through chance alone, it had been thrown into Alola by the dimensional portals that appeared earlier. It didn't care in the slightest where it had ended up, only that it longed for a decent hunt and now, with the scent of familiar Rahi for prey along with newer beings to fall prey to its wicked web, the creature let out a loud screech to signal its intent.

Rotom Dex's Rahi Resource

Rotom Dex: Greetings readers bzzt! And welcome to my Rahi Resource! With my data banks having been modified to include information on the various Rahi that formerly inhabited the Matoran Universe and are now scattered across Alola, at the end of each chapter, we'll take a look at one of the many creatures of the BIONICLE mythos all in one place. Today's Rahi we will view is one of few Rahi that is tameable by Matoran alone, it's the Ussal Crab.

The screen of Rotom Dex expands and scrolls through several silhouettes until it finds one of a Ussal Crab.

Rotom Dex: Ussals are skiled at tunneling through underground and for ascending vertical surfaces bzzt. They have a vast array of colors and were even used for Ussal Crab Racing in Onu Koro during Makuta Teridax's Reign over the Island of Mata Nui. They are also one of the few Rahi that can age like the average organic creature. They are known to make chirping sounds, but can whine and shriek when they are upset bzzt. In addition, they can also survive underwater with some Ussals living in that environment and having good agiility to be able to climb up most certain surfacs;

Several images of the Rahi in action are then displayed across the screen for a minute or so as the Rotom Dex explains everything about the Ussal Crabs. After that minute expires, the screen changes back to displaying its smile.

Rotom Dex: Well that's all the time we have bzzt! I hope this will build your intrigue. But until then, the author has asked me to send a message for you to please share your thoughts and criticisms of the latest chapter and that he looks forward to hearing what you have to say. He also wishes to apologize for the extensive delay, that life on his end combined with constant fact checking to ensure G1 canon rules aren't broken have set back this fic significantally, but it is finally back on track. Until then, this is Rotom Dex here signing off.

The view of the Rotom Dex then changes to black, ending the chapter at this point.