Chapter 2 – Crisis

Exactly two hours had passed since the attack on Hau'oli City, and Kukui still felt numb. As he stood with his two remaining students inside the Ultra Guardians headquarters, his brain went over the avalanche of events that had transpired since the incident for what felt like the millionth time. He could still scarcely believe that any of it had happened.

Lana and Lillie, who now stood alongside him with stony expressions, had contacted headquarters in such an emotional state that they were barely able to give their report. Kukui, as the Ultra Guardians' manager on site, had been standing by when the hologram flickered on and transmitted the girls' terrified babbling. It had been Lana who mumbled the first intelligible words, as Lillie was too distraught to manage so much as a complete sentence – Ash and the other Ultra Guardians had gone through the Ultra Wormhole along with the Ultra Beast they'd been fighting. Kukui remembered losing the strength in his legs as the news sank in, making him feel like something vital had been torn from his chest. He'd been forced to sit down even as he gave the order to fall back to headquarters immediately.

After notifying the Aether Foundation and sending the Ride Pokemon, all injured, to the nearest Pokemon Center, Kukui had been left as the sole adult presence for the shell-shocked girls to cling to until the Foundation got back to them. He didn't know how he'd managed to pull it off, comforting his students when he, himself, felt traumatized as well. Even as he had patted Lillie's back while she sobbed into her fifth handkerchief, all Kukui could think of was his other students – ripped away from him in the blink of an eye, lost in a dimension even the experts knew little about, and subject to horrors he couldn't even imagine.

When Kukui had given the green light for the formation of the Ultra Guardians and their secret base on school property, he'd still been riding high on relief and pride for his students, who had just succeeded in rescuing Lusamine from the unknown reaches of Ultra Space. He was confident that Ash and the others would serve the Aether Foundation well – if they could battle the Ultra Beasts on their own home turf, they were the perfect Trainers to assist in the capture and rehabilitation of Ultra Beasts that invaded Alola. He'd wanted them to be an integral part of the Aether Foundation's ongoing research, and their first few missions had ended in success as one beast after another was defeated without incident.

It was exactly this victorious streak that had stopped Kukui from fully considering the risks involved. Never had he anticipated the arrival of a foe so dangerous. Never had he contemplated the possibility of losing his students to the Ultra Wormhole itself.

Now, at present time, the Aether Foundation was finally ready to discuss matters with the Ultra Guardians that remained. As the Foundation president's Clefable rushed to answer the incoming holo-message, Kukui forced himself to focus on the present. Lillie was calm but still teary-eyed, and the look of quiet melancholy had not yet left Lana's face. He needed to abandon his despair, to put away the desire to give into mourning, because there were children for whom he needed to remain strong. They cared for their classmates as family as much as he cared for them as students. He would show them that hope still remained, now that it was finally time to discuss their next course of action.

We will get them back, Kukui thought. It was not a wish, but a vow.

The hologram sprang to life, filling the empty space above the communication device. The somber faces of the Aether Foundation president, Lusamine, and her fellow researchers Wicke and Burnet appeared larger than life before them.

"Thank you for being patient with us," Lusamine began the discussion. "We have just finished sorting everything out with our research department. This incident is being given top priority, and a lot of major projects needed to be set aside so that we could get our top minds working together on this case. We need to find a way to bring Ash, Mallow, Sophocles, and Kiawe back from Ultra Space."

Kukui found himself nodding along in agreement as Lusamine continued with a sigh, "I am thankful, at least, that not all of our Ultra Guardians were lost, and that my daughter has not been harmed."

Something like a snort came from where Lillie was standing, but it was too quiet for Kukui to know for sure.

"But other than that silver lining…" Wicke spoke up now, shaking her head sadly. "These are uncharted waters even for the Foundation. Ultra Space research is still in its infancy – we're not anywhere near ready to start exploring what's on the other side."

"What of the Ride Pokemon?" Burnet asked, leaning closer to the screen. "We were informed that most of them sustained injuries in the battle. Are they alright?"

Rotom Dex, who had been uncharacteristically silent ever since coming back to the school, darted close to the screen so it could be the center of attention. "Leave this to me!" it beeped. "According to the medical data provided by Nurse Joy, all the Ride Pokemon have sustained standard battle wounds. However, symptoms of bad poisoning have been found in Flygon, Altaria, and Dragonair, and their recovery is going much slower than expected. Nurse Joy has deduced that the venom carried in the Ultra Beast's claws is different from the toxins used by Poison-type Pokemon! More data must be collected!"

"She assured us that Dragonair and the others will heal, but…" Lana trailed off, and she and Lillie hung their heads.

Burnet smiled sympathetically at the kids. "You and the other Guardians have already done your part," she assured them. "All you must do now is trust Nurse Joy to do hers."

To the surprise of all the adults present, Lana stepped forward. "We can't just sit here!" she demanded fiercely, in stark contrast to her previous glumness. "What about Mallow and Ash and the others?! We have to rescue them!"

"Th-That's right!" Lillie chimed in, her voice high-pitched with apprehension yet backed by an iron core of determination. "J-Just because the Ultra Beast is gone d-doesn't mean we sh-should do nothing! Our friends n-need us!"

"Lana…" Burnet began, perhaps to soothe the girl's outburst, but was cut off by a much sharper sound from Lusamine.

"Lillie!" the blonde woman exclaimed, with clear concern but also a stern bite. Kukui had been waiting for this side of her to appear – the formerly professional Foundation president allowing her overbearing tendencies toward her daughter to come out. "You could have been seriously hurt by that Ultra Beast, if not sent through the Wormhole as well! After everything that just occurred, I would feel much better if you and Lana left this to the adults, so we don't lose any more children."

"I'm a Pokemon Trainer and an equal member of the Ultra Guardians!" Lillie protested. Anger now gave her words a sharp edge. "Snowy and I are more than capable of assisting!"

"It's likely we'll have to go into the Wormhole to retrieve your friends!" Lusamine yelled, slamming her hands onto the table before her. "As your mother, I must ensure you stay out of harm's way. There is no guaranteeing your safety if you're out there risking yourself!"

"You mean like when we rescued you?" Lillie snapped back, accusingly.

With the timid girl's rocky relationship with her mother coming to the forefront of his mind, Kukui intervened before the argument could escalate. Standing between Lillie and the screen, he knelt down to her eye level and placed both his hands atop her shoulders, holding firmly onto her so they could make eye contact. The anger and resentment swiftly left Lillie, replaced with confusion as she relaxed her posture and tilted her head.

"No one is saying that you can't do anything to help," Kukui said calmly, a teacher providing guidance to a frustrated student that had lost her path. "Everyone's just trying to figure things out right now. But once we've put our heads together and found a way forward, your help will still be more than welcome. We all want to save your friends, and so it will take all of us to do that. Okay?"

Lillie brightened at his words, a spark of hope preluding a return to her usual optimism. "Okay…!"

"Burnet." Kukui's tone turned serious as he stood up and addressed his wife. "You were able to re-open Ultra Wormholes on each occasion they appeared, right? Are you able to do the same with this one?"

He watched with a sinking heart as Burnet shook her head, eyes filled with regret. "I'm sorry, Kukui. As soon as news arrived at the Foundation, I took the Ultra Locator out to the site to see if I could open another pathway. But as soon as it hit the spot where the Wormhole had been located, the energy just… bounced off, and the machine broke down. It can be fixed, but it's not the machine I'm worried about – it's the fact that it failed in the first place."

"Why?" Lillie inquired, ever the studious one. "Is this Ultra Wormhole particularly unusual in some way?"

"Well…" Burnet fidgeted, clearly unsure about how to continue. By now, all eyes on both sides of the hologram were fixed on her. "It's just… Like Wicke said, this is an entirely new field of study, and we know next to nothing about the Wormholes. We're aware that they've appeared in Alola for centuries, most likely because of the Z-Power that allows Z-Moves and Totem Pokemon to exist here. Because the Ultra Beasts we've seen have, until now, resembled ones that appeared in the paintings at the Altar of the Sunne…"

Another screen flashed into being, this one showing a wall carving that Kukui had seen before, featuring multiple alien figures emerging from a black hole, while amongst them the four tapus were depicted with coronas of ethereal white light. He did notice the similarities between the figures and some of the Ultra Beasts he'd seen footage of. Did that mean the latest Wormhole and its inhabitant were, indeed, different somehow?

"…we assumed that Ultra Wormholes led to, essentially, the same place. That's why we've referred to it as just 'Ultra Space'," Burnet went on, while Kukui stroked his chin in thought. "But that might not be the case here. What if every Wormhole we've seen so far has led to its own world, independent of the rest? It could explain why I can't re-open the most recent one – if I'm right, the world it leads to could be separated from ours by such a distance that the Ultra Locator can't re-establish a connection."

Uncomfortable silence descended as Kukui and the rest digested Burnet's hypothesis. Kukui himself had no idea what to think – alternate dimensions were Burnet's expertise, not his, and even she was merely dipping her toes into a vast, mysterious sea. From what little he knew of the Wormholes, though, it was as good an idea as any to explain why their instruments weren't working.

Think, Kukui, he demanded of himself, wracking his brain. Ash was depending on him –

"Excuse me, I have a question," Lana interjected. Her voice broke through Kukui's musings and made him double-take as the diminutive girl stepped boldly forward. "The first time we traveled to Ultra Space, Ash used a Z-Move to give Neb– I mean, Solgaleo the power to open a Wormhole. Do you think it'd be possible to do the same thing to power up the machine?"

"That… could work," Burnet replied, tentatively. "The Ultra Locator was designed to use the Z-Power that surrounds Alola to force open Wormholes in the places they've already appeared. Absorbing Z-Power from a more concentrated source shouldn't be a problem, provided I have a few tweaks made to the design…"

Lana raised her arm and stared speculatively at it – or, more accurately, at the glinting Waterium-Z that was set into the amulet on her Z-Ring. Kukui realized what she was going to say even as she lifted her head to fix him in a gaze hardened by resolve, and dread swam in the pit of his stomach.

"Lana, you can't be serious!" Kukui blurted, confronting her out of panic borne from the protectiveness he felt for all his students. "You might have earned that Z-Crystal directly from the Totem of Brooklet Hill, but you've had very little training with it! If you pour all your Z-Power into Burnet's equipment, it could exhaust you or worse."

But Lana didn't back down. If anything, she looked more resolute, a fire blazing in her glare that Kukui had only witnessed in the demure girl a select few times. "Is it true what you told us one day in class?" Lana asked, but it didn't come across as a question at all. It sounded like a challenge. "That the best way to learn to use Z-Moves is by taking on the Island Trials?"

For a moment, Kukui was taken aback by Lana's intensity. It almost looked as though she were using a Z-Move right now, surrounded by a burning aura of emotion. "… Yes, it's true," he finally admitted, a beat of sweat sliding down his temple. "But… are you sure about this, Lana?"

"If it'll help Burnet and rescue my friends, I'll do it," Lana vowed with clenched fists and eyes blazing ever brighter.

Still stunned by the amount of passion Lana exuded, Kukui gave her a hesitant nod. "Alright," he relented. "I'll arrange a meeting with the Kahuna."

"I-I still want to help too!" Lillie cried. "If the existence of Ultra Wormholes has been known throughout Alola's history, surely th-there are ancient records and legends about them, right? I could look into those for clues!"

"L-Lillie, you don't have to go so far…" Lusamine tried to say, but was cut off by the sound of Burnet chuckling.

"You continue to impress me with your powers of observation, Lillie. Kukui must be proud," Burnet half-praised, half-teased. "You're right, of course. Many references to the Wormholes can be found in Alola's mythology. So far, most of our research has been done on Wormholes in the present, and we've looked at very little of their history. While I get the Ultra Locator fixed and Lana prepares to harness its power source, I'll ask you to do that for us."

Wicke spoke up now, adding, "The best source for Alolan historical texts is the library on Ula'ula Island. From what I understand, the local Kahuna has a relative who's done a lot of reading into those texts, so I'm sure she'll be willing to assist you with whatever you need."

"Y-Yes! I promise I'll do my best!" Lillie replied, shining with delight.

Kukui took a steadying breath – everything was accelerating too fast for him. The situation had seemed so uncertain just minutes ago, and now he had an appointment with Hala to make and a ferry to Malie City to schedule. But this was good. They were only taking the first step to attempting the monumental task ahead of them, and many steps still lay ahead, but they were moving in the right direction. Gone was the helplessness Kukui had felt at the start of this meeting, replaced by a sense of purpose.

Ash and the others aren't out of our reach, he told himself, and clenched a fist. It'll be a difficult Endeavor, but we can save them.

"W-Well then," Lusamine stammered, appearing to mirror Kukui's own difficulty in keeping up with the decisions being made. Attempting to again take charge of the situation, she went on, "It appears that our immediate course of action is clear. Professor Kukui and Lana will work on improving her Z-Move so that the Wormhole may be reopened. Professor Burnet, please ensure that the Ultra Locator is back up and running by the time Lana completes her Grand Trial. Every minute we delay is another minute the Ultra Guardians are in danger."

"Of course," Burnet agreed.

Finally, Lusamine turned to Lillie, her mouth set in a firm line. "And Lillie…" she trailed off, then let out a resigned sigh. "Good luck on Ula'ula Island. I look forward to hearing the results of your studies."

Lillie, who had stiffened upon hearing her name uttered, loosened her posture and gave a confident fist-pump. "I'll do my best!" she promised, lacking any trace of trepidation.

The meeting concluded with Lusamine officially dismissing them and the kids responding with the Ultra Guardians' salute. When the hologram faded, Kukui took a step forward to address his students, returning to his role as their sole voice of authority. When Lana and Lillie turned swiftly around, intending to rush out of the room, Kukui was there to halt them, putting a hand on each of their shoulders and giving them a steadying smile.

"Now, I know that we have much to do, and you want to get started as soon as possible. That's great to see from you," he told the girls, keeping his voice light so as not to discourage them. "But we've all been through a lot today, and it'd be best if you took this time to unwind and rest."

They both exchanged a look of alarm, and simultaneously protested, "But Professor, we need –"

"You need to be careful not to overexert yourselves," he interrupted, not unkindly. "I already promised, Lana, that I would arrange something with Kahuna Hala. Lillie, I still need to secure a ferry ticket for you. I want you both to go home, have a good night's sleep, and return to the school refreshed and ready for the challenges awaiting us. We're going to save your friends by giving each other a Helping Hand."

The disappointed faces in front of him softened, and they gave a single nod at his encouraging pun. Kukui stepped aside, allowing them to pass, and only then did they rush into the elevator on that side of the chamber, the lift pushing them out of sight. Only then did Kukui allow the mask to fall, displaying his concern for the well-being of the girls, and that of the four that had been conspicuously absent the entire briefing.

"They're much more confident about this than usual," Rotom Dex made itself known, displaying a thinking emoji on its screen.

"You've seen that even those two are capable of some incredible things when motivated, Rotom," Kukui replied as he stared at the now empty elevator. "I didn't expect they'd go as far as to challenge the Kahuna or take a whole research trip, but… I understand it fully. Their friends are in trouble, and they'll do anything it takes if it means seeing them again."

"I see," Rotom mused. "Then, as Ash's designated Rotom Pokedex, I will continue to assist him by assisting you in rescuing him!"

"Now you're thinking with Calm Mind," Kukui joked, though his mind was already in another place as he thought of the herculean task ahead.

"Pikapi?"

"…"

"Pikapi!"

"… mmmf… tired…"

"Piiikaaa…"

"… five more minutes, Mom…"

"CHUUUUUU!"

Tingling pain surged through Ash's nerves, like pins and needles but amplified a hundredfold. With a shout, he sat upright, the smell of singed hair already filling his nose as he blinked away the last remnants of sleep. Beside him, Pikachu sighed and shook his head with obvious exasperation, not liking being forced to act as Ash's alarm clock as often as he did. With his partner's annoyance in mind, Ash chuckled sheepishly as he picked up the Electric-type and set him on his shoulder.

"Thanks, Pikachu. Sorry if I worried you there," he said gently, reaching up to give Pikachu a rub around the ears. While Pikachu cooed a contented "chaaaaaa!" in response to Ash's touch, he frowned at what he could recall of his last memories.

"We must've gone through that Ultra Wormhole before I blacked out," the Kantonian boy mused, folding his arms in a thinking posture. "That means we must be in Ultra Space, huh? Though it looks a lot different from the last time that happened…"

Indeed, the landscape around the wayward Pokemon Master-to-be was a far cry from the crystalline atmosphere of Nihilego's domain, though still just as strange. In stark contrast to the tropical Alola, Ash's current location was cold and bleak. He was sitting under a rocky overhang that extended from a dark cavern mouth, which yawned wide behind him with fang-like stalactites framing its entrance. The cave was a deep recess in the side of a much larger cliff, which, as Ash turned around to follow its length, formed a circular barrier around a bay whose black waters lapped at a featureless beach. The barren sand and stones were only made bleaker by the overcast sky's all-encompassing grey shadow, and snowflakes were tossed in a tumultuous wind that whistled lowly around the contours of Ash's protective ceiling.

"Pika…" Pikachu moaned, ears drooping at the sight of the lifeless bay.

"I know. What a weird place," Ash concurred. He walked toward the edge of the cave, almost transfixed by wonder at all he looked at. "It's nothing at all like the snowy places we've seen before. All grey and empty and – ah!"

Like a wild Pokemon that didn't want to be approached, the wind suddenly changed and lashed him with stinging snow, which bit deeply at his uncovered arms and face. He stumbled back toward the cave to avoid the unpleasant chill, rubbing at his skin for warmth.

"Pikapi?!" Pikachu cried in alarm. He leaned in to lick at Ash's cheek, which was numb and surely flushed red from the cold.

"I'm okay, Pikachu," Ash assured him, chuckling as the rodent's tongue tickled him. "At least I've still got my Guardians outfit. Wouldn't be great to be stuck out here in a T-shirt…"

He cast his gaze into the cave, staring down its receding throat where only darkness awaited. "Would probably be a good idea to get out of the cold," he mused. "Might as well get our legs moving anyway, huh? What do you think, buddy?"

"Pikachu…" the Electric-type moaned, ears flattening at the ominous sight. Looking away, he turned to his Trainer with a worried question. "Pikapi, chu pika Pikachu?"

"Yeah, and then there's the others," he agreed, understanding the source of Pikachu's concern. "Dunno why they're not here with us… but if we're here, then they should be close by at least. And I don't wanna go about looking in the snow without a coat."

Him and Pikachu shared a grin at that, a weight lifting now that they had something of a plan. Ash already felt better knowing that there was a goal he could work towards, no matter how vague or improvised it was. He twisted his cap around backwards – something he always did to help steel himself before a battle – and marched boldly past the cave entrance. From there, it was a downward journey as he followed the descending tunnel beyond.

Though the tunnel indeed got darker the further Ash descended, it never became truly pitch-black, his eyes still able to manifest a fuzzy impression of his hand as he felt his way along the cavern walls. Deeper and deeper he went, the floor a steady slope downwards, and the farther he strayed from the cold outdoors, the temperature soon became comfortable, and his feet began to squelch over damp rock. The echoing plink plink of dripping water bounced off the narrow walls from unknown reaches that existed still deeper.

Ash's eyes widened as the tunnel unexpectedly began to brighten with further progress. Incredibly, a hole in the stone above his head let a tiny shaft of sunlight illuminate the slippery rock underfoot, and more sunbeams glowed faintly in the shadows up ahead, like a breadcrumb trail the cave meant for him to follow. And they weren't the only source of light, either – fat, wriggling Caterpie-like creatures slithered across the walls and ceiling, nimble tails propelling swollen bodies that pulsed with a crimson glow. An excited thrill coursed through Ash's bones at the sight of the small Ultra Beasts, their light an invitation that he was eager to accept as he rushed in pursuit after them.

"Something's up ahead, Pikachu!" he exclaimed, his Pokemon squeaking in surprise when he burst into a run. "You think it's maybe the Ultra Wormhole that dropped us here? It's gotta be close by, right?"

"Pikachu!" was his reply as he scrambled to stay attached to Ash's side.

The chamber, when Ash arrived, was a vast open space dimly lit by a pockmarked ceiling. The sunbeams washed not only over damp rock, but sparkling water, as half the blue-tinted cavern was home to a shallow pool from which pale stalagmites emerged. More stony spears clustered along the cavern roof, growing like trees in a spot where the sunlight was thickest. There was, contrary to Ash's guess, no sign of an Ultra Wormhole here, but he was far from discouraged – rather, the presence of more Caterpie-things popping out of cracks in the wall held his absolute fascination.

"Whoa, look at all this!" Ash cried, spreading his arms as if to embrace the cave and all that existed within it. He was standing in an unexplored place with plenty of weird sights and filled with life, and all of that really brought his old wanderlust to the surface, his senses going wild at all there was to investigate. He rushed after one of the Caterpie-things that had been startled off the wall by his shout, eager to pick it up and examine it up close. He stopped when he reached the pond, icy water stinging his feet as they plunged with a splash into the shallow water. Instead, he watched the creature escape, its dull glow fading as it swam out to deeper waters.

"Man, that thing could really move!" he laughed, scanning the farther reaches of the water for any traces of it. "I've never seen a Pokemon like that before! I wonder what the Aether Foundation would call it. Right, Pikachu?"

Pikachu didn't reply, and when Ash turned his head to address him, it was to see his partner sitting up alertly on his shoulder, ears pricked high. He frowned, knowing how sharp Pikachu's senses were. He must have heard something, but wherever Ash looked, only dank cave walls and silent water looked back at him.

"There's no-one here but us," he told Pikachu, which caused the Electric-type to relax and lower his ears. Again, Ash laughed. "You probably heard one of those Caterpie-looking thingies. Let's look around and see if there are more!"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, sharing his Trainer's enthusiasm for exploration. He jumped off Ash's shoulder and onto the shore, scampering a short distance before digging around in the water with his paws.

Ash followed his Pokemon's example, crouching down to shuffle through the shallows with both hands and feet. He didn't mind the cold water lapping along his arms, nor the stones and mud that slipped through his fingers wherever he dug. On all fours, Ash gradually made his way toward the part of the lake that was most illuminated by slivers of sun, a combination of rock and water that glimmered in dappled light. He squeezed himself in between the stalagmites and resumed his search anew, pushing aside handfuls of mud and pebbles with gusto.

Suddenly, the water came alive with color and movement. "Whoa!" Ash yelped, leaping to his feet as several shimmering creatures resembling Inkay were flushed from hiding. As they swirled and somersaulted, they spat out shining ink clouds that turned the dark water into a hypnotic spiral of neon. Delighted, Ash lunged to catch one, but caught nothing but brightly colored ink stains on his palms. He chuckled and spread out his hands to show to Pikachu, calling out, "Hey, look at me! Pretty cool, right?"

Pikachu, left behind on the shore of the pond, stood up and cheered for Ash in agreement. However, the moment of play was short-lived – he stiffened, standing at attention while his ears twitched. This time, though, he seemed significantly more agitated by whatever he'd heard, both his tail and paws waving as he called to his Trainer.

"Buddy? What's wrong?" Ash asked.

For a second, Pikachu stopped trying to get his attention and listened again. Now a look of terror crossed Pikachu's face, and he started to shriek at Ash in a sudden panic. "PIKAPI! PIKAPI CHU PI PIKACHU!"

"What's going on?!" Ash shouted. He started to splash toward the shore, needing instinctively to be by Pikachu's side. But after only three steps, he stopped and realized what Pikachu was now doing: pointing at the ceiling. Icy fear now coiling in his gut, he whirled around and, for the first time, bothered to look up.

He was just in time to see one of the pale, glistening stalactites stretch down from above. With a single writhing movement, the creature's slimy neck was around him, lifting him into the air with its unrelenting grip.

AN:

And so Ash is the first of our humble protagonists to learn why it's called Monster Hunter.

The events of this story take place sometime before Ash's Grand Trial with Nanu – Acerola is still an unknown and Poipole hasn't left Ash's party yet. Also, because Burnet's Wormhole-opener doesn't have an official name, "Ultra Locator" it is.

Ash was someone I needed to give a little bit more thought to how I wrote him. Despite my issues with how he was portrayed in the SM anime, I wanted to keep him consistent with that series but also throw in shades of his more mature incarnations. I hope that this chapter gave him a good balance of childish glee and seasoned experience. The next chapter will feature his first battle, which I'm very excited to start!

As for everyone left behind in Alola, they're going to be the B-plot of this story, working in the background to find a way to reunite with Ash and the others. Both Lana and Lillie will be getting their own arcs alongside the "main four" I'm focusing on. I'm going to try and use this opportunity to improve things that were either glossed over in the anime, or just not brought up to their potential.

Hope you enjoyed! Reviews and feedback are always appreciated!

Next time: Beasts