Travelling through Ultra Space was weird to say the least. We were only in there for a brief moment, but I saw warped violet shapes, a multitude of Ultra Wormholes varying in color, and crystalline structures. Then my feet hit solid ground and I experienced vertigo.

"You get used to it after a couple times," Hau said, steadying me. "You're lucky you don't have to wear one of their suits." He pointed at Dulse and Zossie. "Quick travels like that don't require them."

Once my senses had fully returned, the first thing I became aware of was the smell. It wasn't bad, but neither was it pleasant. It was stale in a way, sharp as well. We appeared to be in some sort of dark cave with faintly glowing rocks shaped weirdly. They provided the only light, highlighting a path leading through the cave.

"Where are we?" Robert asked, feeling the wall and touching a glowing rock.

"Ultra Deep Sea," Zossie announced. "This is a good place to come up with a plan don't you agree?"

Hau nodded and turned to face the whole group. He was the leader here, the one who obviously fit the role. A Champion and someone who already knew what lay beyond. "Alright, we've done this once already and that ended in disaster. But," he held up a finger, expression grim. "We didn't have a solid plan and rushed in without really thinking." Lillie looked slightly guilty as she fidgeted with her ponytail. "But in the end we all escaped alive. That's what counts. Plus, we know what we're up against."

He glanced behind him down the path. "For those who are new here, Zeno, Alex, Robert, Goth Girl I haven't gotten the name of yet," Clara scoffed at that. "Down the path you'll see why this place has been named Ultra Deep Sea. The terrain is rocky and broken. One false step and you'll go plummeting into the sea. We don't really know what happens if that occurs."

"Encouraging," Alex muttered beside me, but I hushed her.

"Lusamine is still currently in control of the Nihilegos," Hau continued. "If we try to engage her, the Ultra Beasts will try to surround us. So we'll need a couple teams," he gazed at us, frowning slightly. "Dulse, I need you to be with Team B. Have Mohn, Solgaleo, and Robert back you up. Zossie, you're leader of Team C. It'll include Lillie, Alex, and Nebby. I'll lead Team A, naturally." He grinned slightly. "Gladion, Zeno, Goth Girl, you three are with me. Gladion, I know you'll be protecting Isabelle, so make sure to hang back behind us more. Everything clear?"

Alex raised her hand. "Why not have the legendaries help battle Lusamine. She was super powerful last time in Ultra Megalopolis, remember?"

Hau nodded. "Fair point. However, we have two Beast Killers here, Silvally and Mahina. Plus I remember Zeno's Arcanine being able to finish things off. But it won't just be them, so I'm confident we can take her down. Also, Solgaleo and Nebby need to be with you all to help hold back the Nihilegos. They're probably best suited to that job."

Nebby cried in agreement while Solgaleo just nodded his head.

Hau clapped his hands together once. "Alright folks. Let's go save Lusamine." He turned and lead the way down the path, our footsteps echoing.

Clara caught up to him, hand gripping his shoulder. "It's Clara by the way. Remember that."

Hau grinned cheekily. "Goth Girl it is then." His face turned serious. "I'm putting my trust in you despite not knowing you very well. But if you're one of Zeno's rivals, that must mean you're strong. And strong trainers and Pokemon is what we need."

Clara blinked at that and let go of him. When I came to walk beside her, I said, "A gracious Champion. Alola's lucky to have him."

"You really lost to him?" Clara raised an eyebrow. "That cheerful kid?"

"Yep," I grinned. "My best friend. Who's stronger now, I wouldn't know unless we battled. But I'm confident he could still pull a win."

Clara was about to say something else, but the words seem to disappear from her mouth as the area around us became less dark and opened more. Hau stopped ahead of us at the edge of the path which ended in a sheer fall into dark blue and purple clouds of sorts that swirled around like a sea in all directions. Shards of rocks and crystals floated in the air and there appeared to be islands floating around as well. One appeared to be drifting closer to us, the pieces of floating rocks coming together as well to form a bridge-like structure.

"That's highly convenient," Robert mused, staring over the side.

"The exact science I'm told isn't known yet," Hau rubbed the back of his head. "But that large island up ahead is where we need to go. Lusamine should be over there. You may not see any Nihilegos around at the moment, but they're there, swimming about in whatever all this is."

He went first, stepping with confidence that I'm sure he didn't fully feel. But the bridge of stones held and soon we were across. This new island was large and more open, with a large cave near the back.

"Is she in there? Lusamine?" Alex asked, coming to stand next to me.

"If not she's around here," Gladion spoke. "We haven't been gone that long. You can see blast marks from our battle earlier."

He was right. Scorch marks, small craters, jagged rocks that must have been blown apart, and spots that had oozing purple liquid.

"Uh, guys?" Robert pointed above us at the "sky" where moving shapes were becoming clearer.

"Detecting multiple signatures of UB-01 Symbionts entering from the Ultra Deep Sea," Dulse warned us and the forms of the Ultra Beasts suddenly became all too familiar. White jellyfish-like parasitic Pokemon descended from the void around us, converging on the large island.

"Team B! Take the left!" Hau said, pointing his arm in that general direction. "Team C, the right! Team A, advance!"

Solgaleo and Nebby both roared, their cries seeming to be sucked away once having started to fade. I ran after Hau, who alongside his Raichu, headed for the cave. I heard twin blasts of energy being shot behind us and assumed the Legendaries had started the fight. Gladion and Isabelle with Silvally followed us several meters behind while Clara and her Scizor ran alongside my right side. The cave wasn't that far ahead now, but several Nihilegos converged on the entrance, denying us entry.

"Thunderbolt!" Hau shouted, skidding to halt.

"Arcanine," I slid to a halt next to him, tossing out the Fire type. "Flamethrower!"

Both attacks blasted two of the Nihilegos away, creating an explosion. Arcanine shook himself and looked around, then cocked his head at me.

"Yeah, I know," I nodded. "Weird place. But this is going to be tough, trust me. We'll have to give it everything we got!"

He woofed and squared his shoulders, hot breath escaping his maw. Hau didn't move, so neither did we. Then, something appeared within the dark confinements of the cave. A large moving shape, twisting and bobbing. I remembered the last time I had seen this particular fusion of human and Pokemon back during my journey in Alola, in Ultra Megalopolis. Dark purple and black tentacle creature with a bulbous head, with someone's upper body suspended within, her legs hanging out. Her skin had turned violet and black, her flowing hair black as well. Yellow eyes reflecting madness stared down at us as she emerged from the cave, two tentacle hands smashing into the sides of the rock with heavy force.

"Well well well," Lusamine's voice sounded different, slightly deeper and more sinister, as the words spread across the Ultra Deep Sea. "Back so soon little Hau? And you brought help this time." She rose to her full height, the Nihilego trapping her body more than double the size of a regular Nihilego. "Zeno. Alex. Robert. My awful children. My missing husband. Hau. Join me." Her tentacles spread wide, more Nihilegos appearing from the void. "Join me and become part of the family."

"Sorry Lusamine," Hau shook his head, staring up at her defiantly. "We're going to bring you home. We're going to cure you. We may have failed last time, but we won't this time!"

Her eyes widened in disgust. "How ugly! All of you deny my love!? Nothing as terrible as creatures like yourselves must be allowed to live."

"Lusamine," I stepped forwards. "This isn't you. You yourself recognized this back in Alola. You saved ALL of us back then! Don't you remember?"

Lusamine closed her eyes, her facial features tightening, before suddenly relaxing. "I have come to truly see what is beauty, Hero Born of Darkness. And I will do what I must to ensure that this beautiful world never dies."

"Well screw you then," Clara looked irritated. "Because whether you like it or not we're going to beat you into submission."

Lusamine's eyes swiveled to face the goth. "YOU IMPERTINENT CHILD! DIE!" One of her tentacles descended quickly towards Clara, who's Scizor brought up both hands and barely managed to block the attack. His feet were driven into the rock as he struggled to hold up the heavy tentacle.

"Crunch!" I threw out my hand and Arcanine latched his maw onto the tentacle, biting down with extreme force. Lusamine whipped back the appendage, an energy beam blasting towards us, ripping up the ground, sending shards of rock flying all around us.

"GARCHOMP!"

Hau's Garchomp appeared, taking the full force of the attack. He roared as the energy faded and he blasted Lusamine with draconic energy. The Nihilegos around us made to attack as well, but Silvally held them off with an arrange of long-rang attacks, but made sure to stay close to Gladion to protect him and Isabelle.

"Mahina, we need you!" I yelled, releasing her. She locked her eyes on Lusamine, rushing forwards.

"Zeno!" Gladion shouted, flinging something towards me. I deftly caught the object, recognizing it as a disc. I nodded in his direction before launching it towards Mahina. It caught up to her and was immediately sucked into the disc drive on the side of her head, turning her horns a beige color. Her claws began glowing as she leaped, striking Lusamine in the head. She screeched in pain, blasting Mahina away, who landed on all fours.

Multiple attacks hit Lusamine all at once, all originating from Hau and Clara's Pokemon. She roared in fury, multiple beams of energy forcing all of us to separate. I came face-to-face with a Nihilego, who's tentacles began glowing and shot towards me.

"Arcanine!" I shouted, pushing myself backwards. He was there in an instant, smashing his body into the Ultra Beast before engulfing it in flames. It gave a cry and floated away. I turned to see chaos. Teams B and C were being heavily assaulted by Nihilegos, and even with the support of Solgaleo and Nebby, it looked as if they were barely holding their own.

A scream came from behind me and I swiftly turned to see a wounded Gladion covering a fallen, shaking Isabelle, with several Nihilegos descending upon them. I knew Arcanine was busy behind me with several new arrivals and Silvally and Mahina were tied up somewhere either with Lusamine or other Nihilegos.

As fast as I could, I swung a pokeball in their direction. Greninja appeared and he barely had time to assess his surroundings before I shouted, "SAVE THEM!"

In an instant, I felt our minds connect. He blasted forwards, a cyclone of water forming around him. It condensed around him in a spherical shape as he crouched, springing towards Gladion and Isabelle. Slamming into one of the Ultra Beasts, he rebounded off of it and blasted another away. He leaped upwards, the water disappearing, forming into his cloak and revealing his Bond Form.

"We are," I breathed, adrenaline coursing through my body as our senses were enhanced. "The Kage-Shinobi!"

Shurikens formed in his hands as he smashed both together to form one larger one and slamming it into the third Nihilego. The resulting blast sent the Ultra Beast tumbling back into the void. As I trusted Arcanine to watch my back, I closed my eyes, commanding Greninja not through words, but thoughts and emotions. I crouched, slamming my palm against the rock. Greninja mimicked my movement, cracks spreading from his webbed fingers. Geysers shot from them, blasting several Nihilegos trying to swarm him.

He ran, forming two blades. He leaped, blocking rocks sent flying towards him and slashed through another Nihilego. Jumping back, a blast of energy ripped apart the ground. By now Silvally had returned to Gladion's side, so I had Greninja focus his attention on Lusamine, who was battling with Clara's Pokemon, Hau and his Pokemon furiously trying to fight his way towards them, but there were just too many Nihilegos.

"LUSAMINE!" I shouted, getting her attention, allowing Clara's Scizor and Barbaracle to land their attacks. Greninja shot towards her, throwing several Water Shurikens. Each one found their mark, angering Lusamine further.

"ARGH!" she roared. "DON'T SCREW WITH ME, HERO BORN OF DARKNESS!"

"C'mon," I gritted my teeth, my heart pumping faster in my chest. "We have to stop her! To save her!" Images of Lillie and Gladion surfaced, making my emotions surge. "FOR THEM!"

Greninja roared alongside me and our thoughts converged once more. I saw through his eyes and we were no longer two individuals. We were one.

I rocketed forwards, slicing apart projectiles as they were fired at me. Leaping over a Nihilego, Lusamine was close now. Ignoring Clara entirely, she threw her tentacles up, five beams of psychic energy blasting towards me. Smirking on the inside, the beams passed straight through me, and I twirled my body, slashing past her with Cut. She turned quickly, firing wave after wave of poisonous liquid. I threw my webbed hand into the air, a wave of water surging behind me. I leaped into the air, directing the flow to collide with the poison, then cascade into Lusamine.

Her body began to glow brightly as energy radiated from her. I swung my cloak off, protecting myself against the attack. It exploded, leaving me without the cloak, but a large shuriken formed on my back. I slid one foot back, dashing forwards. High speed rocks shot towards me, faster than the ones before. My eyes sharpened and I flung two shurikens, taking out two of the four rocks. One smashed into my thigh and another grazed my cheek. It crashed into the ground behind me with insane force while I tried not to give in to the pain.

I ran on, more Nihilegos flying towards me. With a yell, I shot past them, swinging my arms together, a dark wind blasting outwards. I landed running, forming a sphere of water that I sent flying towards Lusamine. She knocked it aside and blasted several beams of energy at me. They were blasted away by another beam originating from Mahina, joining in on the assault. She headbutted Lusamine, sending her crashing to the ground.

I felt my senses sharpen and the blade on my back enlarge. Both our bodies made the same fluid movements at the same time. I reached back, grasping one end the large shuriken, and pulled it off, holding it behind me in preparation to throw it. Our mind roared and we flung it and it shot towards Lusamine's fallen form like a missile. Her eyes widened and it slammed into her, a blast of water shot back up near me at an angle. I landed, rolling to my feet past her. I turned to feel a mist drifting over me, the cool water refreshing.

Suddenly, Lusamine rose from the ground, roaring in anger. I flinched and our minds were separated.

"Gah!" I gasped, falling to one knee. I glanced up to see Greninja in the same position, but he was still in his Bond Form. I slowly felt my strength return, not as strong as before, but I found I was able to stand firmly. Arcanine was at my side now, no Nihilegos near us thanks to him.

"We can still fight," I said, Greninja adopting my same stance of defiance.

"Why do you defy my love!?" Lusamine wailed. "Why do you insist on hurting my children!?"

"Mother."

Lillie was there now, stepping closer to Lusamine. "We're your children. Me and Gladion." She clasped her hands together, trying not to cry. "Please, Mother! Come back to us!"

Something flickered in Lusamine's eyes, an emotion that contrasted her actions. Then it was gone and back was her rage. "YOU STUPID, UGLY CHILD! YOU ARE NOT WORTHY OF MY LOVE!"

Lillie's eyes widened as a massive tentacle came bearing down towards her. Then Hau was there, shielding her as Raichu held off the tentacle. Blasting electricity outwards, he managed to blast the tentacle away.

"Greninja, Arcanine," I crouched. "One last assault. We can't afford to lose here." I slid the Z-ring onto my wrist, inserting the Z-crystal into its slot. "Greninja, distract her!"

He nodded, and alongside Scizor, Mahina, and Silvally, they attacked Lusamine, leading her away from Hau and Lillie. I saw Hau stand, eyes burning.

"Raichu!" he yelled, thrusting out his hand. "Thunder!"

An even stronger bolt of electricity fired from Raichu, blasting into Lusamine.

"Hau!" I shouted, running towards him, holding up my wrist. He blinked, then nodded, holding up his own wrist. Once we were side-by-side, we began our dances. His flowing with electricity and mine with flames.

I drew back my arrow, and let it fly. "INCINERAZING ARROW!"

"STOKED SPARKSURFER!" Hau roared beside me.

Fire swirled around Arcanine, sharping into an arrow. Raichu sparked with electricity and basked in its glow, he shot towards Lusamine right alongside Arcanine.

"GOOOOOO!" Hau and I roared, pumping out our fists in unison. Both Pokemon collided with Lusamine, resulting in a large explosion. When the dust settled, Lusamine lay beside a fainted Nihilego, bruised, burned, but back to normal and most importantly, alive.

"Mother!" Lillie cried, rushing past Hau and I and towards Lusamine.

I fell to both knees, exhausted as Greninja reverted back to normal. Hau staggered for a second, then recomposed himself, hurrying after Lillie. I smiled, grateful that I was able to help my friends in their time of need.

...

"You sure you'll be okay?" Alex asked again as we stood back in the swamp.

Hau nodded and looked at his group, almost all of them through the portal, Mohn having taken in Lusamine first. "We'll be fine." He looked back at us as Gladion and Lillie joined him. "It was really great to see you three again. Being Champion has its perks, sure, but I do miss our times together, journeying through Alola."

"Yeah, I guess I do too," Gladion rubbed the back of his head.

"I'll miss you all," Lillie smiled sadly. "I just wish we all could have spent more time together."

"One day," I promised. "A day where nothing terrible is happening."

"I look forward to it," Hau stepped forwards, fist bumping me. "And when that day comes, let us have a battle to commemorate it. And then we'll see who's truly stronger."

I smirked. "Of course. Wish Alex and I luck in the Kalos League will you."

"Here," Robert passed three devices to them. "These are communicators I modeled off of the Holo Casters. Usable for Holographic calls and such."

"Sounds more useful than the phone booths," Gladion nodded appreciatively.

"Till the day we meet again," Alex said, waving goodbye after giving Lillie a hug.

"Till the day we meet again," they echoed and disappeared into the Ultra Wormhole, Nebby flying into it and closing it. Silence followed aside from the movement of the swamp water.

"That was something else," Clara commented.

"Yes," I nodded. "But nostalgic all the same."

"Anyone else notice how late it is?" Robert asked. "It's nearly night and I don't want to be stuck out in a swamp at night. Bad things tend to happen then."

I chuckled. "Alright, fine. Snowbelle City isn't far off, right? Just beyond the bridge?"

"Yes," Clara nodded.

"Good," Alex stretched. "I'm ready to sleep and add this to another page of our Misadventures in Alola's company."

As we began walking, I glanced back one more time at where our friends disappeared and whispered, "Till we meet again."

And thus this two parter special has come to an end. Till they meet again. Which can happen whenever. Or never. It'll likely be another couple of days until I can get the next chapter out, but I'll aim for soon. Oh, and this is kind of a day late, but HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! Exactly one year and one day ago this book was only at Chapter 6. I've managed to write 50 chapters in one year! And one day, but that was because I was being extra lazy. But man, that's a lot, but I can't help but feel I could've written more. Oh well, no time to dwell on the past. Time to look forward to the future! Toodles!