Many months had passed since the Team Flare Crisis. Everything seemed like it was back on track. The damage to Lumiose City had been cleaned up and the city itself was repaired and even improved. The damage to Lumiose City was so great that people said that it was an understatement to say that it was like a tornado had struck the city. Many trainers volunteered to help get the city back on its feet. During the time of repairs, Ash and his friends worked on lifting the peoples' spirits and fixing the gym. Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, and Scarlet were traveling to the wetlands to return a pokemon that had been transported to the Lumiose City Pokemon Center. The original Currier, that brought the pokemon to the Pokemon Center, was stuck in the Lumiose City Hospital with some significant injuries from the crisis. His car had been destroyed as well so he couldn't transport the pokemon back to the wetlands. Scarlet had been helping to reduce the severity of the man's injuries when he asked her to do him a favor and return the pokemon to the wetlands. Once they brought the pokemon back to its home in the wetlands, they began to travel back to Lumiose City to help with the repairs.
On the way there, Ash and Scarlet both felt that something wasn't right. The aura that Kalos gave off had mysteriously changed. Ash, Scarlet, and Greninja had sensed this in earlier days, but they didn't think too much of it at the time. It was then that Giant red and black vine surfaced from beneath the ground threatening to bring harm to Ash and the others. Ash and Greninja powered up and they found a strange energy flow within the ground and the vine itself. Ash and his Greninja made their move and destroyed the vine and the energy creating it. Out of nowhere, another vine appeared and started to attack Ash and his Greninja. Scarlet turned into the phoenix and she used her fire breath to destroy the vine, while Ash and Greninja destroyed the energy. Scarlet regrouped with her brother and their friends and they praised her for her quick actions, but their celebration was short-lived when a third vine sprouted from the ground. They noticed that this particular vine was acting very strangely. The other two vines attacked them on sight, but this one was reaching out in a different direction. It was then that a Flamethrower was launched and they all gasped in shock. It was then that a powerful burst of magic began flowing throughout the entire area. Ash and Greninja both watched the energy change to what Kalos's energy was supposed to be like. They all watched the vine vanish completely. It was like it had never existed in the first place. They were staring dumbfounded until they saw Alain and his Charizard land in front of them. Alain turned to see Ash and his friends and he ran over to them.
When he got to them, Alain panted at first. It was very clear that he was tired. It was then that he said, "Are you guys okay?" Ash replied, "It's good to see you again Alain and yeah. We're okay." Alain was relieved and he responded, "Thank goodness, I thought Luna and I would have to defend you guys. It seems like we had no reason to worry." Scarlet then reminded, "Yes, we are fully capable of defending ourselves. There's no doubt about it, but still it's become really dangerous to try because we don't know what's going on. We have no clue what we're up against. We all could end up seriously hurt because of the lack of knowledge." Everyone, including Alain, nodded in agreement as Scarlet inquired, "Alain, do you have any idea of what's going on here?" Alain nodded and explained that there's some kind of negative energy flowing throughout the entire Kalos Region and it is theorized that the energy is a lingering effect that remained after the Team Flare Crisis. Luna was the first to voice her concerns to the Kalos and Hoenn Champions, Diantha and Steven Stone, about lingering effects of the crisis. The two champions, however, were not worried at all about the subject. As far as they were concerned, the crisis was over and there was nothing to worry about. Alain further explained that he and Luna had been out destroying vines since the crack of dawn that day. He then expressed his concern if they should keep going. It was then that he turned and looked behind him and saw that Luna was approaching. Ash and the others also saw Luna. Bonnie was excited to see her and she started to run towards her. Ash and the other older kids, on the other hand, all could tell that something was wrong with Luna.
The moment where Bonnie and Luna were about to hug, Luna immediately started to cry out in intense pain as shock waves struck Luna without warning. The shock waves were invisible to the human eye, but Ash and Greninja were able to see them through their special bond. It was in that moment that a vine appeared. Ash gave his Greninja a non-verbal cue to go and help Luna. When Luna was unable to vanquish the vine, Alain grew very worried about her well-being. When it seemed that Luna was going to be hurt be the giant vine, Greninja leaped to her side and used its giant water shuriken to destroy the energy forming it. Luna had watched Greninja do this and she was amazed. Her sudden intense pain also vanished. Ash and Greninja were able to deduce the fact that Luna seemed to be linked to the energy of Kalos, since the shock waves were coming from the energy that was forming the vines. After Alain made sure that Luna was okay, everyone grouped around her and they watched as Luna was in her alicorn form and struggled to get up off the ground. They all noticed that something was different with the form. Luna's coat was a lighter shade of blue and her mane didn't sparkle like stars in the night sky. Her mane was also an even lighter shade of blue and it was shorter than the last time they saw her. Scarlet was the first to speak, "Luna, your alicorn form looks….. Different. Are you okay?" Luna replied, "I suppose that it does look different. Alicorns have a wild magic that flows around them. This magic does many things to an alicorn. Sometimes it can increase their height and give them a constantly flowing mane. Other times it increases their height, changes their color scheme, and gives them a flowing mane. The wild magic represents their strength, power, and immortality. This ability, however, can be disrupted. Fortunately, it's only a temporary effect. As for my well-being, I'm not okay, but I'm improving. On the other hand, it's a very slow process." Everyone grew worried as Luna openly admitted that she wasn't alright. Serena responded, "Will you ever get your wild magic back?" Luna nodded, "Yes, I will it back. As I mentioned earlier, this is only a temporary effect. I'll only get it back when most of the negative energy, that's flowing all over Kalos, gets cleaned up." Ash then grew even more intrigued by Luna's words. Luna had just indirectly confirmed that the negative energy was badly effecting her.
Ash then asked, "The negative energy is the reason why you're like this, right?" Luna turned to Ash and she answered, "I can't believe that you picked up on that. Yes, I am linked to the energy of Kalos. When the energy suddenly takes a negative turn, it greatly effects me. The negative energy sends painful shock waves that strike without warning. It's usually a sign that the energy is about to surface." It was then that little Bonnie then pointed out, "I thought Squishy destroyed all of the vines during the crisis." Luna then replied affectionately, "Unfortunately, what Zygarde destroyed was merely what was on the surface. Zygarde couldn't destroy what lies beneath, however, Ash you and Greninja are somehow able to see that energy. You're also able to destroy the negative side to the energy and restore the positive energy that Kalos is supposed to give off." It was then that their conversation was interrupted by a vehicle approaching. Ash told Alain to hide Luna just in case it was someone evil. They couldn't risk her getting captured again, especially since she was too weak to fight back. Alain nodded and helped Luna to her feet and they hid within the dense forest. It was then that Team Flare's scientist, Xerosic, was collecting the cells of Zygarde with intent on creating the complete form and controlling it. Ash and the others attempted to fight against him, but the attack stirred up smoke leaving the kids blinded. It was then that Clemont was lifted off the ground with a psychic attack. Scarlet was the first to see Clemont getting picked up, so she acted without hesitation and she leaped up towards him. Clemont saw her and he reached out to her with his hand. Scarlet grabbed Clemont's hand and they both were taken into Xerosic's custody. Ash then tried to contact Scarlet through their mental link and he said, Scarlet, what are you doing?! Scarlet heard her brother's voice and she responded, Don't worry about me, brother. I'll be okay. If we're going to save Clemont, we'll need to get someone on the inside to find out what Xerosic is planning on doing with Clemont. I already have an idea of what he'll do with me. He failed to do it last time, so I know he'll try to do it again. I'll use it to my advantage and fool him. You remember the new move I've been practicing right? Ash replied, Yeah, I remember you telling me that you were working on a new move, but you didn't tell me what it is. Scarlet continued, Right, well, I'm gonna use my new move and fool Xerosic. What's gonna happen is that our mental link is going to be severed, but only slightly. You will, however, be able to see the images that my brain will be picking up. Try not to be too alarmed by this when it happens and you'll get to see my new move very soon Ash. I think you'll like it a lot. Ash agreed, Okay. I trust you, Scarlet. Just please be careful. As he proved during the crisis, Xerosic is unpredictable. Keep your guard up at all times, sis. I'm not willing to loose you again, or come close to it. Scarlet answered, Don't worry, Ash. I'll be careful. What happened last time, will not happen again. I can promise you that. I'll see you when you get here, brother.
After they ended their conversation, Alain and Luna came out of hiding. They were now concerned about how they were going to catch up to Xerosic. Serena decided to help Luna by using her healing abilities. This would allow Luna to get stronger and keep up with them. Luna agreed to this because it would make it easier to purify the negative energy more permanently. When Serena used her healing abilities, Luna was now at ninety-percent of her strength. This was enough for Luna to be able to keep up and purify the negative energy more permanently. They began heading off to bring back Clemont and Scarlet. Ash had his Greninja follow Xerosic's vehicle before hand. Meanwhile, Xerosic was with Scarlet in a chamber he had in his vehicle. Xerosic said, "You have some nerve to stowaway in the way that you did! Well, now you'll pay for trying to get in my way. I will finish what me and Lysandre started by exterminating you and weaken your pathetic brother. I might add him to my list of abductees next." Scarlet lit up in flames and yelled, "WATCH YOUR MOUTH! NO ONE SPEAKS ILL OF MY BROTHER! I repeat, NO ONE SPEAKS ILL OF MY BROTHER!" Scarlet's flames were so hot that the chains she was bound in melted off of her. Xerosic chuckled with an evil grin as Scarlet was now free. He then spoke, "My, My, we have a feisty one. Those are the best kind to play with." Scarlet only grunted in response. Xerosic began explaining to her about his new plan to eliminate her with toxic fumes that not even the Scarlet Phoenix could resist. Scarlet then went into S Rank acting as she actually attempted to fight Xerosic. Xerosic then closed the door and Scarlet was now trapped. She demanded to know what Xerosic planned to do with Clemont. When Xerosic told her that he was going to make Clemont the new head scientist for the new Team Flare, Scarlet went ballistic. Or at least, she pretended to go ballistic just to keep up her act. Xerosic seemed to be buying into her act and he further mentioned that he planned on controlling Clemont. Scarlet's anger seemed like it was going to skyrocket. Xerosic started the process of eliminating Scarlet. Scarlet backed up and was stopped by the back wall. She was in great fear of the toxic fumes. Xerosic was overjoyed to see her tremble and he decided to leave her and let the poison do it's job. The minute he left, however, Scarlet dropped her act. She pulled off a sly smile and she sent the memory of her conversation with Xerosic to her brother. She even added in her last thoughts to him. She thought, I hope this is useful to you, Ash. Now it's time to use my new move, or else I'll die to this poison gas. See you when you get here, dear brother. Scarlet then cut her connection to her brother off temporarily.
Once she did that, she began concentrating as she began to reveal her new move. It was then that she shutdown her body completely and went into a stasis mode. She stopped her heart, her lungs, and her blood circulation. The only organ that remained alive was her brain, but only in a certain area that allowed for her body to shutdown completely while still remaining alive. It was this part of her brain that initiated the stasis shutdown and controlled how long she would remain like that. She would remain this way until she detected the presence of her brother. It was then that she avoided her death by the poison gas. Once the gas was filtered out, Xerosic went in to see if the gas had done its job. When he saw Scarlet lying on the ground unconscious, he checked her to make sure she was dead. She indeed was dead, or so he thought. It was then that he had his Malamar pick up Scarlet's body and he began heading to the room he had placed Clemont in. When he revealed himself to the blonde-haired boy, Clemont then demanded, "Where's Scarlet?!" Xerosic then gave an evil chuckle, "You want to see your friend?! Well, here she is and this time it's too late for you to save her!" Malamar then brought in Scarlet's 'supposed' dead body. Clemont stared shocked and horrified to see that Xerosic had successfully managed to kill Scarlet. Malamar laid Scarlet's body in front of Clemont and he held her in his arms as tears streamed down his face. He refused to believe that Scarlet was dead. Xerosic went on with his plan to control Clemont, but the Lumiose City gym leader had already won the fight before it even began. Back with Ash and the others, they continuously tried to catch up with Xerosic to get their friends back. Ash had learned from Scarlet's memories about Xerosic's plans for Clemont and herself. They had climbed to the top of a tall mesa and they were waiting to make their move to get on Xerosic's plane. When the time came, Ash ran forward with Serena and Bonnie in tow. They then leaped off the mesa and hoped to jump onto the plane, but they fell short. Luna, however, had their backs she she used her magic to levitate them and Greninja pulled them into the camouflage barrier. They managed to sneak into the plane and they found where Xerosic was keeping Clemont and Scarlet. When they arrived, Xerosic showed himself and he revealed that Clemont had been controlled and that Scarlet had been successfully killed this time. Ash looked at Scarlet and something told him that she shouldn't be counted out yet. The first thing to do was help Clemont. It was then that after Ash said a few words, Clemont revealed himself to be faking all along.
Clemont pulled a chip off of the side of his head. It was this chip that helped to keep his mind clear of the mind control. Clemont told Ash about his sister and Serena told him that they already knew. Bonnie, Clemont, and Serena were all tearing up because they really thought Scarlet was dead. They all looked up at Ash and they saw that he seemed indifferent to the idea that his sister was dead. Ash knew that things weren't adding up. Scarlet wouldn't have put in so much effort to practice a new move only just to fail completely when trying to use it. Ash walked over to Scarlet's limp body and he wondered if Scarlet's unconsciousness was the new move she had been practicing. When he knelt down over her, he held her in is arms and just looked at her. Ash said quietly, "I'm here, sis." Ash had a hand over Scarlet's heart and at first he couldn't feel for a heartbeat, but then Scarlet's heart started to beat. Ash's eyes widened and he grew happier. His instincts had been right: Scarlet was alive and her unconsciousness was her new move. Scarlet had fooled everyone in the room. He watched as Scarlet woke up and she smiled when she saw her brother, but she held a finger to her lips and told Ash to not tell anyone that she was alive just yet. She linked the two of them back up and she said, Hey brother, glad you could make it. Although, I don't want you telling the others that I'm alive just yet. What I need you to do is, help me keep up the act. I need you to pretend that I'm really dead. I'll need you to step up your game with your acting skills. I don't want Xerosic to get suspicious, so I need you to make this look good. Ash understood and replied, Okay sis, I'll try my best to make this look good. How long do you want me to drag it out? Scarlet answered, Only until after Luna her part and then we'll drop the act. Try not to over do it. Ash agreed and they disconnected. Ash started to fake cry, but it looked so real that everyone in the room couldn't even tell that he was faking it. Ash pulled his sister into a tight hug and he said through his tears, "No! I refuse to believe that she's gone!" Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie continued to cry as well because they didn't know that Scarlet was only faking her death. Luna and Alain arrived and they saw the kids in tears. Luna looked over at Ash and Scarlet. The Lunar Princess already knew what her part was. She walked over to them and she began casting a spell for dramatic effect, but she pretended to bring Scarlet back to life.
Luna then said loudly, "By my command, the dead shall live again!" Luna cast the spell and her magic went everywhere. Scarlet opened her eyes and Ash moved his position to let everyone see what was going on. Scarlet rose to a sitting position and she looked at her brother and then looked at Luna. Then the three of them just busted out laughing. They had now dropped the act entirely. Clemont, Bonnie, Serena, and Xerosic were all confused by this sudden turn of events. Once they stopped laughing, Xerosic was now furious. He asked, "How? How is this possible?! Luna can't bring the dead back to life! How is it that you were brought back?!" Scarlet chuckled and flipped her hair, "Allow me to lay it out plainly for you, Xerosic. I was never dead in the first place." Xerosic questioned, "But how? The toxic fumes should've killed you!" Scarlet explained, "Yes, the poison gas would have killed me if I had inhaled it. I, however, did not inhale those fumes. I shutdown my body before I was able to. It's called 'Stasis' a new move I've been practicing for a while now. I am able to shutdown my body on command, this includes my heart, lungs, and a majority of my brain, and I go into a deep slumber. It may look like I'm dead, but I'm still alive because one part of my brain remains alive and it initiates the shutdown while releasing a chemical that allows for my body to continue functioning in very subtle manner. Everything functions so slowly that no one could even tell that my body is still functioning. So to put it simply, I faked my own death." Xerosic responded, "But all of those things that you did before..." Scarlet replied, "That was all S Rank acting. Speaking of which, you performed some S Rank acting yourself, dear brother. I almost lost it because of how real you made your emotions seemed." Ash chuckled, "Well, I have been practicing and some of what I portrayed was based off of experience." Scarlet hugged her brother and she then turned back to Xerosic.
The final battle began and it resulted with the kids prevailing over Xerosic. The former head scientist tried to escape, but Luna immediately leaped out of the plane and caught him before he could escape successfully. Xerosic at first was furious that she was interfering, but she looked at Xerosic with kind eyes. She then said, "Enough, Xerosic. Team Flare's legacy is over. The war has long been won. It's time to stop now. The goal you desire is impossible when kids like Ash and his friends step up to do what's right." Once they all were safely on the ground, Xerosic was officially arrested. Xerosic asked Clemont a question regarding his strength and the Lumiose Gym leader replied by saying that he wasn't as strong as he was until he went on a journey with his friends. He further explained that the encouragement of those who supported him is also what factored into his growth and development. Xerosic was surprised by this and was then taken away. Just minutes after Officer Jenny left, the kids turned to see familiar faces approaching. The Kalos Champion, Diantha, was riding on Steven Stone's Metagros along with Steven Stone. Riding in on a Salamence, was the Elite Four Member, Malva. The second place winner of the Kalos League, Sawyer was the trainer who owned the Salamence. Among these familiar trainers, was someone very close to Luna. In fact, Alain was the only person who had met her at the time. When they landed, Diantha greeted everyone. It was then that she got down to business and said, "We came to investigate on a report saying that a Team Flare vehicle was spotted stealing Zygarde cells. We originally went to your temple to ask you for your help, Luna. But, you weren't there at the time." Luna nodded and replied, "Yes, Alain and I have been flying around Kalos trying to stop a sudden energy crisis. The energy of the Kalos Region has taken a negative turn and the vines seen from the Kalos Crisis are appearing all over the place. You might say that, 'Zygarde got rid of all the vines when it restored the order', however, what Zygarde destroyed was merely the surface of it all. Zygarde couldn't destroy what lies beneath." Diantha and those she came with, except one, were shocked when Luna said these words. Each of them questioned if the crisis was still going on even after they defeated Team Flare.
Luna noticed their sudden silence and she knew that they were wondering if the crisis was still going on. Luna then approached and she continued, "Don't worry, this is merely a lingering effect of the Kalos Crisis. It can be corrected, but it is a matter of when and how that determines how long this will last. This effect isn't extremely serious, however, if it's left alone what happened during the Kalos Crisis could happen again. So, I have to deal with it now before it becomes a growing problem." Each of the trainers now understood that the energy crisis was merely a lingering affect that could grow into an extremely big problem. Steven Stone then asked, "Can't you just purify the energy of the entire Kalos Region?" Luna sighed and responded with slight annoyance, "If I could, I would." It was then that the Dreamwalker healer, Samantha, hopped off of the Salamence and she explained, "Her majesty has lost a majority of the strength she possesses because of the fact that she is directly linked to the energy of Kalos. A simple problem, such as this, will take much longer to be dealt with." Diantha took a good look at Luna and saw that her alicorn form was different from when she last saw Luna in it. It was then that Diantha offered, "Do you want us to help you with this energy crisis until you fully recover in strength?" Luna looked at Diantha. Before she could even speak, the shock waves struck. Luna was now on the ground and in serious pain. Samantha quickly got down next to her queen and used her powers to reduce the intensity of the pain. Ash gave a non-verbal cue to Greninja to act the moment the vine surfaced. Just as the command was given, a vine came up from the ground and Greninja acted immediately to destroy it. Everyone, except a few trainers, were shocked by Greninja's quick actions. It was then that a second vine grew in the place of the first vine that Greninja destroyed and it barreled towards the ninja frog. Out of nowhere, a dragon pulse was fired and one of the Zygarde cores had arrived on the scene. Luna felt some relief to see Zygarde. But just as quickly as the second vine was destroyed, a third vine surfaced from the ground. The negative energy surging through Kalos refused to die. Luna looked at this last vine and she stood up. She was determined to end the vines life by purifying the negative energy that was feeding it.
Everyone watched as Luna charged forward and ran at full speed towards the vine. Her horn started to glow with the aura of her alicorn magic. Once she got close, the vine lunged at her. She faked left and banked right and managed to get close enough to the vine to cast her spell. She pointed her horn down towards the roots and she then released the energy she stored up and cast the purifying spell. The vine seemed to let out a shriek as it was destroyed by Luna's spell. It was then that Luna purified the energy beneath the Kalos region. She cast the spell and she ended up purifying just over one-third of the Kalos Region's energy permanently. Once the energy was purified, Luna collapsed and was exhausted from using so much of the power she had gained. Everyone went to see if Luna was alright. Luna breathed heavily, but she knew that she could now rest without worrying about the shock waves for awhile. Samantha was not happy that Luna wasted the strength that she had been gathering to restore her alicorn form on purifying the Kalos Region. She believed that Luna should rest and conserve her energy until her alicorn form was back to normal. She even voiced this opinion to Luna and others started to agree with her. Alain, however, checked the watch Luna had given him and saw the progress that had been made. Luna had purified over a third of the Kalos Region's energy and there was no doubt that she had given herself more time to rest and regain strength. It was then that Alain finally spoke, "Actually, Luna just did something that will allow her to recover faster than she was before. According to my watch, Luna purified over a third of the Kalos Region's energy. Earlier this morning, the energy was so bad that Luna was getting attack by shock waves every few seconds. She had little to no recovery time. Later after cleaning up the negative energy a little, Luna was attacked by the shock waves every few minutes. Any amount of strength or energy that Luna gained would be stripped from her once they hit and Luna would be back at square one. Luna's overall recovery was very slow because of this fact. Now, Luna has now purified way more energy than she could earlier. Yes, it was a risk and a bit reckless, but it paid off because Luna has given herself more time to rest and recover. She'll be able to recover faster then before and she'll be able to retain the strength and energy she gains. So, I'm gonna support Luna's decision here. For her being around for as long as she has, I'm certain she knows when it's appropriate to take a risk." Everyone was in shock and Luna even confirmed that she was thinking this thought when she destroyed the third vine.
Samantha was still not pleased because she was afraid of losing Luna. The Lunar Princess looked at Samantha and she already knew what was going through her head. Luna then said to Samantha, "Samantha, I know you're concerned about my well-being and your heart is in the right place. I really appreciate how much you care for me. You're undoubtedly one of my best healers and I couldn't be any more grateful to have you among my ranks, but you know that you can't protect me every second of my life. I know that you're afraid of losing me, but that's never going to happen. It will take a lot to get rid of me, to be honest." Samantha replied, "I know, but you're going to be crowned in a few months. We can't risk you getting hurt. We can't lose you like we lost your parents!" Luna's eyes widened, but then they gazed at Samantha with a softness and kindness. Luna smiled and responded, "Samantha, what happened to my parents will not happen to me. I can assure you that I won't let that happen. My parents trusted the wrong humans, but I learned how to find and trust the right ones." Samantha smiled and she finally trusted the words of her crown princess. Everyone watched as Luna got up and she lied down under a tree and she fell asleep. Alain sat down next to her and placed her head in his lap and everyone gathered around to relax. Sawyer then spoke, "Wow, Luna sure is tired." Alain nodded and Samantha explained, "Luna's job of fighting nightmares keeps her up all night, so she usually sleeps during the day. However, Luna hasn't been able to do that in a long time. Ruling the kingdom and fixing dreams is really taking a toll on her. She's never able to get the rest she needs." Alain added, "Which is why I want to help her by ruling the kingdom during the day for her." Samantha nodded and smiled, "I'm so grateful that Luna has someone like you, Alain. I'm also very grateful that you're willing to help her. It will really take a load off of her shoulders." Everyone smiled at how much Samantha and Alain cared for Luna's well-being. When many hours passed, Luna awoke and she saw everyone had fallen asleep. She chuckled to herself, but then she saw her sister sitting a waiting for her.
Luna immediately rushed over to her sister, but she also tried not to wake anyone up. Luna then hugged her sister and whispered, "It's good to see you again, Celestia. I wish I could visit you more often, but ruling my kingdom has become much more difficult these days. So, how have you been?" Celestia replied, "I wish I could catch up with you, Luna, but we have to restore your strength. We have to go to the Time and Space Nexus now!" Luna questioned, "You mean 'Arceus's Platform?' that really tall mountain?" Celestia nodded and Luna continued, "Then, I guess I have to leave them behind." Luna had turned to her human friends and she was saddened. Celestia then responded, "Arceus figured that you'd want to bring them, so you can bring them as far as Giratina's Ridge. The giant mesa that stares directly at Arceus's Platform." Luna was hesitant to bring her friends to Giratina's Ridge because an extremely hostile pack of wolves had invaded the sacred territory. She voiced her concerns to her sister and Celestia told her not to worry as she reminded Luna that the lunar princess had experience with hostile packs. Luna confirmed it as truth, but the pack wasn't like the others that she faced. They were led by a wolf named Mawgrim. Celestia gasped, "That wolf? Hmmm, that will be a problem. Unless, you can defeat him." Luna replied, "I'm not worried about not being able to beat him, I'm worried I won't be able to transform into my wolf form..." Celestia said that if Luna absorbed some energy from the night, she would gain enough energy to transform into her human form. Luna nodded knowing that this needed to be done. She went off to go gain some strength.
When Alain and the others woke, they saw Luna was gone and they would've panicked if they hadn't seen Celestia nearby. Alain walked up to Celestia, but before He could ask where Luna was, Luna came out of the forest and made her way to the group. Alain sighed in relief to see that she was fine. They both hugged each other and Luna explained to Alain that she had gone off to gather strength. Diantha asked Luna if they were going to purify the rest of the Kalos region. Luna answered affirmatively, but she told them that they were going to make a slight detour to Giratina's Ridge. Sawyer gasped, "Giratina's Ridge?! Are you crazy?! There are monster reports coming from that place! That place is way too dangerous!" Luna sighed, "I know, Sawyer. Giratina's Ridge has become an extremely dangerous place, but I wouldn't bring us there if I didn't believe we could face it together." Sawyer was still not convinced to go to Giratina's Ridge, but Luna continued to persuade him and he finally caved in and agreed to go.
They began their journey. Luna led the way to Giratina's Ridge, but she was very worried. Mawgrim was a very powerful wolf and she and his pack have had skirmishes before. She began wondering if she would finally be able to beat him this time. Alain took notice that Luna seemed troubled, but they arrived at their destination before he could ask her what was wrong. They landed between the town and the sanctuary. The park ranger of the ridge recognized Luna and immediately ran up to her. He said to her, "I'm so glad that you've come, your majesty. Have you come to liberate our town of those awful monsters that have come to Giratina's Ridge?" Luna replied, "In a way, yes." The park ranger explained to them about the situation. He showed photos of the victims that were either killed by the monsters or severely injured. He told them that they had wanted to get in contact with Luna, but since she's hard to track down, they were unable to inform her. Luna then spoke, "I'm already aware of this. I've had trouble with these 'monsters' once before, but it seems that no matter how many times I drive them off, they find a new place to terrorize and cause chaos. I might actually have to banish them this time." Steven then questioned, "Wait, you've actually seen these monsters and managed to remain unharmed?" Samantha then answered, "You do realize who you're talking to right?" He looked at Samantha and realized quickly that she was right. Everyone noticed Luna's facial expression and they all were wondering what Luna knew about the monsters. Alain walked up to her and placed his hand on his shoulder and said softly, "Luna, you seem to know a lot about these 'monsters'. Isn't there anything you can tell us about them?" Luna looked at Alain and she was about to say something when she suddenly heard something. She turned to the ranger and she said, "Did anyone go up this trail recently?" The ranger said that he didn't see anyone go up the trail.
Luna moved towards a nearby bush and placed her hand on it. Everyone was confused as to what she was doing. The lunar princess's eyes closed for a few seconds before opening again as she looked towards the trail. She was using her wolfblood ability called, "Eolas" to look up the mountain trail and find the source of the scream that she heard. When she saw three male pokemon trainers in their teens, her eyes began to widen. These teens had come looking for trouble and found more than what they bargained for. They were separated from their partner pokemon by Mawgrim and his pack. One of the teens had been bitten by Mawgrim. Not only that, Mawgrim was driving the teens towards the edge of the ridge. After she had seen what she needed to see, Luna breathed heavily and soon her anger began to rise. She bolted up the trail and Alain called out to her and asked her to wait, but Luna just kept going. Alain and the others mounted their pokemon and the ranger got in his truck and followed Luna up the trail. As they were watching Luna, Scarlet asked, "How is she so fast?!" Samantha responded, "There are a lot of things you don't know about, her majesty, Princess Luna. Give her time and she'll reveal the reason herself." They soon arrived at the top of Giratina's Ridge. They saw why Luna had taken off the way that she did. There were teenage pokemon trainers and one of them was hurt. Mawgrim's wolves, though no one knew it, they were keeping the pokemon safe until Luna showed up. Luna watched as Mawgrim continued to drive the trainers closer to the ridge. She finally yelled out with anger clearly evident in her voice, "Mawgrim!" The massive black wolf turned to Luna the moment his name was called. Luna then continued, "Back off!" The massive black wolf chuckled, "If memory serves, you're not my alpha anymore, Luna. I don't have to listen to you." Luna responded, "You forget that I'm the guardian of this entire region. It's my responsibility to protect Kalos and its inhabitants from miscreants like you. Back off, Mawgrim, before I make you!" The black wolf was reluctant, but eventually he backed down.
Alain and the others landed and the park ranger got out of his truck and joined them. Alain turned to Samantha and Celestia he asked, "Who is Mawgrim and what can you tell me about these wolves?" Samantha explained, "Mawgrim used to be a general within the Dreamwalker Civilization. He served her parents well and was faithful to them. He was very thrilled to serve Luna as well when she became queen. Both Luna and Mawgrim grew up together, so they are as close as siblings. Mawgrim, however, grew hateful towards humans, much like Luna did, after our king and queen were killed. Unlike Luna, he hasn't learned that not all humans are to blame for that incident. He plotted to kill every human in the entire Kalos region. Luna almost agreed with this plot, until she met Sir Aaron. Once Luna regained her trust in humanity, she spoke out against Mawgrim's plan. Mawgrim then rebelled against Luna and tried to take her position as alpha, but Luna won very quickly. As a result, she exiled him and his followers." Alain grew shocked at this story. Celestia then continued, "Many months passed and Luna had crossed paths with Mawgrim and his pack. Mawgrim was terrorizing a small village and she fought against him, but the battle resulted in her driving his pack out of the village. Everytime the two faced off, she would drive his pack out of his new territories that had human towns or villages in them. She never truly dealt with him properly." Alain then finished the explanation and said, "Because she wanted to give them the chance to change, she would punish them or banish them. Mawgrim and Luna are like siblings and I can imagine that she wants to hold on to that relationship." Celestia nodded and Samantha agreed and everyone watched to see what was going to happen next.
Mawgrim was the first to speak saying, "So, have you come to push us out again, Luna? If so, then I won't allow it this time. My pack and I have traveled too far to give this place up now!" Luna repiled, "No I'm not pushing you out this time, I'm going to do something much worse than that. I'll banish you to a place where you'll never hurt another human ever again. And if you understand the context of the place I'm referencing, then you'll know which place I'm talking about." The wolves of Mawgrim's pack all had shocked expressions on their faces. They knew that Luna was not playing around this time. Mawgrim just remained silent, but Luna continued, "I'll give you one more chance to end your reign of terror here and stop what you're doing. This will be the last time that I offer this chance. You're like a brother to me, Mawgrim. Don't make me have to send you away!" Mawgrim was taken aback by Luna's words and for the first time in a long time, Mawgrim hesitated in his resolve. Mawgrim finally spoke asking, "If you're going to send me to that place, why didn't you do it sooner?" Luna responded, "Because, I was holding on to the hope that you could change and I wanted to give you the chance to do so. But every time I gave you that chance, you dismissed it. I have no desire to send you to that place, but I will if I have to. Your fate depends on you, Mawgrim." Mawgrim questioned, "Then why give me a chance at all? You know that I won't take it, so why?!" Luna approached him and she got down on her knees to meet his eye level and she answered, "Because, besides Celestia, you are the closest thing I have to family, Mawgrim. I don't want to be without you. You served my parents well and I had hoped you would've done the same with me." Mawgrim was in tears when Luna had said this and he inquired, "But your parents died by trusting humans, how can you possibly trust them?" Luna contended, "Mawgrim, you and I both know that I didn't trust humans for awhile. My parents mistake was trusting the wrong humans. I learned from that mistake and found and trusted the right humans. Sir Aaron taught me that lesson. I admit, Mawgrim, that there are bad humans out there. I have to deal with them almost every single day! On the other hand, there are also kind humans who are willing to step up and do the right thing. I've seen it more times then I can even count. Stop living in the past, Mawgrim, and open your eyes to the present and the future. This conquest has gone on long enough." Mawgrim looked down and thought it over for a moment and he finally agreed to stop.
Many of Mawgrim's wolves were thrilled that he finally righted himself with Luna, but a few wolves started to growl. Mawgrim submitted to Luna and renamed her as his alpha and many of his other wolves did the same. When Luna saw the few wolves that didn't submit to her, she knew that she would have to assert her dominance as alpha. Mawgrim saw the remaining wolves that refused to follow Luna. One proposed a challenge for Luna's position as alpha. Luna accepted the challenge to everyone's surprise. Clemont exclaimed, "Luna's going to fight for her leadership role?! Does that mean that if she loses, they'll take her throne?!" Samantha lectured, "No, they won't. Alpha and Crown Royal are two different positions. Luna has two positions in the Dreamwalker Civilization: She's the Crown Princess and she's the alpha of the Dreamwalker Wolf Pack. The Dreamwalker Wolf Pack is our secret police. It is made up of dreamwalkers, who are born a certain way, that train to become these elite warriors. They roam the forest that surrounds the temple we live in and protect us at night. These wolves are challenging Luna for her position as alpha of the pack. They're not allowed to challenge her for her throne." Now that everyone understood what was at stake, they watched to see how this fight would go. Luna and the rival wolf circled each other, while the rival wolf growled loudly. It was then everyone watched as Luna took some steps back and then, right in front of them, she transformed into a wolf. Her wolf form was pure white and almost angelic like. Everyone except, Ash, Alain, Samantha, and Celestia, were shocked that Luna turned into a wolf. Diantha began to theorize that the wolf transformation did not have a magical component to shift the user. Celestia proceeded to explain that Luna was born half human, half wolf. She would further explain that Luna had many wolf-like abilities that were visible in her human form. They had seen her run faster than a normal human earlier. Celestia continued to explain that Luna had a keen sense of smell and hearing. Before Celestia could talk about Luna's diet, the growls from Luna and the rival intensified. It was then that the fight began. The challenger charged forward first and Luna retaliated and much like Samantha described her fight with Mawgrim, Luna won the fight quickly.
Luna had grabbed the rival wolf by the neck with her jaws and threw him to the ground. Once she let go, she demonstrated the Alpha's body posture. She held her head up high and her tail was held higher than the rest. She would look down at the challenger who had lost and he could clearly see her superior strength. He submitted to her authority and the wolves who followed him submitted as well. Everyone was shocked at how quickly Luna ended the fight. They were so shocked that they didn't see that there was a dangerous creature behind them. After the wolves finished howling in triumph of their reigning alpha, Luna turned her head towards her companions. They all saw the black crescent moon mark on her forehead. Luna looked towards Scarlet's direction and she saw the creature behind her. Recognizing it as a black grizzly bear equivalent creature, Luna started making agitated sounds to try and warn Alain and the others about the bear. Samantha noticed Luna's agitated behavior and she grew concerned. Alain asked, "Is Luna trying to play?" Samantha shook her head, "No, she's agitated. She's trying to tell us something. Hang on a sec. Let me try to find out what she's saying." The head Dreamwalker Healer observed Luna's body language carefully and found out that she was trying warn them of something. It was then that Samantha inquired, "Hmm, 'Look Out?' is that what she's saying?" Diantha questioned, "Why would she tell us that?" Samantha responded, "I'm not…. Kids! Behind you!" The healer had looked to her right and saw the bear behind the young trainers. Ash and his friends turned around and they saw the bear and they fell to the ground completely frightened by the presence of the bear. Luna had already started running towards the bear to attack it and allow for the kids to get to a safe distance away.
It looked like the bear was about to make its big attack as it reared up on it's hind legs and had its paw with raised. The sharp claws at the ready to greatly injure the kids. Diantha, Alain, Steven, and the park ranger were too late to do anything to help them. Suddenly, Luna jumped clear over the kids' heads and bit the bear on its paw. Everyone watched in suspense at how this fight would turn out. The bear then threw her at the ground in order to resume terrorizing Ash and his friends. It turned to them, but then Luna struck again. She bit the bear in between its eyes and made the bear rear back up on its hind legs. Alain ran over and helped Ash and his friends get to a safe distance along with the others. It was then that everyone watched in horror as the bear hit Luna off of it and she crashed into a tree limb and slid almost over the edge of the ridge. Luna stopped herself from falling completely by digging her claws into the ground. The Lunar Princess was now hanging off the edge of the cliff and unable to fight back against the bear. The bear roared as it approached her and Luna began transforming back into her human form. It was then that Luna began to lose her grip and began sliding. Alain and the others wanted to go help her, but the bear was getting too close. Soon she fell, but Luna had a plan. As she was falling, Luna transformed into her night fury form. She immediately began to fly back up to the top of the cliff. When Luna was back at the top, everyone was relieved that she was okay. She began to fire multiple plasma blasts at the bear. The bear was pushed back towards the forest, but it refused to go back into the forest. When Luna transformed back into her human form, she was pulled into a telepathic conversation with the bear. The bear asked, "Why are you hurting me, Luna?! I'm just trying to get food!" Luna responded, "You attacked my most trusted, young companions because you were hungry?! Why didn't you just reach out to me and tell me that you're hungry?! I have some meat that I can offer you, but I don't have much. I hope the little I have can go a long way to satisfy your hunger." The bear nodded, "If it's from the kindness in your heart, it will satisfy me. Thank you, Luna and I'm sorry for attacking your friends." Luna replied, "Apology accepted." She then pulled out a jar and dumped out the raw meat that she carried with her.
Once the bear took the jar, he left and went back to the forest. Luna then collapsed from the pain from being thrown, hit, and crashing into the fallen tree limb. Alain ran to her side and Samantha immediately began healing her. When Luna was able to stand up again, she transformed into her alicorn form. At this point, Celestia was lowering the sun. Luna was ready to make her way to Arceus's Platform. Celestia had already explained to the other that Luna was going to continue from Giratina's Ridge on her own to Arceus's Platform. There she would fly to the top and restore her powers to full strength. They watched Luna take off and she flew all the way to the top of the mountain. When she reached the top the first thing she did was raise the moon. Once the moon, the stars, the shadows, and the nighttime sky was out, Luna called out in a loud voice, "Nighttime Sky, Shadows of Darkness, Stars of Space, and Moon of the Earth! Hear my call! Restore my powers once and for all!" It was then that the elements that made up the night recognized the voice of their mistress and began filling her with power, energy, and strength. Luna began using it to purify the rest of the Kalos Region. Everyone below on Giratina's Ridge watched and Luna purified the rest of the Kalos Region and now Luna would no longer be effected by the negative energy. After she finished her primary task, she absorbed more power, strength, and energy and her alicorn went back to normal. Luna then paused for a moment to thank the night for being the source of her strength. Then she began to fly back to Giratina's Ridge.
When Luna arrived everyone was overjoyed to see that she was back to normal. Luna did explain that the energy was mostly cleaned up, but there were still hot spots where the energy refused to die. Ash offered to help clean up the remaining energy and accepted it. The next day everyone went their separate ways and Luna, Alain, Samantha, and Mawgrim and his pack went back to the Dreamwalker Civilization to prepare for Luna's coronation. When Luna was crowned, Alain would be crowned with her. Luna was indeed excited for her coronation, but she was also anxious because of the fact that Sombra was returning. She then shook herself out of those thoughts and remembered that her heir would save her. Luna decided to not fear the challenge head of her and began to live in the present and began waiting for what's in store for her in the future.