Sun threw the Pokéball and called out Corviknight. At the Ula'ula Island's Kahuna signal, the opposing Pokémon immediately launched toward each other. The Raven Pokémon's talons clashed against the Pincer Pokémon's claws as the two Steel-type fought with speed and force. Guzma ordered Scizor to use Bullet Punch, but Corviknight evaded and seized his opponent's arm. The Flying-type Pokémon propelled upward, carrying the struggling Bug-type to the skies, before releasing him. His body burst in orange aura, and he dove down toward the freefalling Pincer Pokémon. The battlefield exploded with dust as Guzma's second Pokémon struck the ground, and the cheers of the spectators in the stadium overwhelmed the announcer's voice.

"I am happy you came by to visit, Gladion." The soft clink of a plate caught Gladion's attention. He pried his eyes off the television and looked up to thank his company. "You've been quite busy these days. Apart from helping Lusamine to run the Aether Foundation, you're also a contestant in the League."

"It's manageable," Gladion replied as he gratefully accepted the spoon offered to him. "My match this morning was already finished. I'm just waiting for the other finalist."

Selene set down her plate of curry on the table and sat across him. "Of course. I watched your and Sophocles' match. Both of you are incredible." She sighed wistfully. "Ah…how I wish I could battle again. I'm too old to take the Island Challenge."

Gladion's spoon clinked at the rim of his plate. "I think you still can, Missus Selene. There's not really a rule prohibiting anyone older than eleven years from taking part in the Island Challenge."

Selene chuckled. "Even so, I'd rather watch you kids. You, Hau, and Lillie have a certain shine in you whenever you set out to a Pokémon battle." She smiled. "Especially you, Gladion."

Gladion coughed, veering his flustered face away from the older woman's line of sight. The television screen flickered to a side-by-side display of both contestants' faces. Sun has a smug smirk on his face; Gladion expected Guzma to be irritated at that self-satisfied expression, but strangely, the older man is grinning widely. His eyes have that kind of sparkle in them – a seemingly fiery look that is not anger but something akin to excitement. It is the kind of thrill that he knew so well – the one that gets your blood pumping through your veins as you and your Pokémon become one on the battlefield. Whether the result is a win or lose, you could not do anything but thirst for more.

Gladion could not remember when was the last time the ex-Team Skull leader made that expression - years ago perhaps - but one thing is for sure, Guzma is clearly enjoying his battle against Sun. His eyes looked at the side of the screen, where a timer was displayed. Sun still has five minutes left to defeat Guzma. The stadium crew must have put it up following the red-eyed Trainer's earlier declaration.

"How's your mother, by the way?" Selene asked. "She must be busy, given those Ultra Beasts attacking Alola again."

"Yes, we are currently working on advancing our Ultra Aura detection system and re-training the response team. Last night's battle was the toughest one we had yet." Gladion answered, keeping his face as passive as possible. He did not want to admit it, but he was frustrated with his performance last night. He was supposed to be the most experienced in dealing with Ultra Beasts, yet he retreated early during the operation. It might already be a given, seeing how unpredictable the Ultra Beasts have become, but still… "The President is currently working together with the Ultra Recon Squad. There are still other issues to address, but I'd rather keep them undisclosed for now. Sorry."

"It's alright." Selene smiled encouragingly. "There's no need to apologize. As for the Ultra Recon Squad, I think I heard about them before. Were they the ones that helped Moon with that Ultra Beast Necrozma six years ago? Elio told me that he is working on them as well. My husband has not been home as of late and has not called for days. I know he tends to forget things when he's buried with his work, but I couldn't help but worry."

"Is…that so?"

Now that Gladion thinks about it, he has not seen the professor since the start of the tournament. The Ultra Recon Squad, too. The last time he saw Phyco and Soliera was the day following their arrival. He has not paid much attention to it because he has been busy keeping an eye out on Sun. He has confidence that any new information they could find will be eventually relayed to him, but he has yet to hear anything. Not even the President approached him the past days and told him any news he might have missed. Maybe he should come by her office tonight.

"If you happen to see him, tell him to come home and call once in a while."

Gladion nodded. "I'll tell him."

Selene thanked him and picked up the remote to turn the volume up. The screen was showing the battlefield where both semifinalists are down to their last Pokémon. Guzma and his partner, Golisopod, must have taken down Sun's Corviknight somewhere during their conversation, but it seemed to have put up quite a fight as Golisopod's health bar is down to less than seventy-five percent. Unlike his previous matches, Sun did not call for Dragapult and opted for a different Pokémon. This time it was a white, rabbit-like Pokémon with a red and orange tuft sticking out of his forehead and a navy patch of fur over his shoulders. The fur on his lower body resembles what seemed to be a navy-blue and red pair of pants.

The rabbit-like Pokémon, Cinderace is his name, darted to and from the battlefield, efficiently avoiding Golisopod's Pin Missile. It seemed that Golisopod had already used First Impression before Cinderace's appearance and could not do so now. The Hard Scale Pokémon tried for a Poison Jab, but the Striker Pokémon leaped away and retaliated with a powerful High Jump Kick. The attack cut a significant portion off Golisopod's health, but he seized it as an opening for a counterattack. The dual-type Pokémon gripped his opponent's leg and lunged a Throat Chop. The move hit its target successfully, but Cinderace managed to escape Golisopod's grip with a Gunk Shot.

"That kid, Sun, wasn't it? He is an outstanding Trainer." Selene remarked. "If he were to go for it, he might become the next Champion."

"…Yeah." Gladion has long acknowledged Sun as a worthy and dangerous opponent, yet he is someone he cannot accept nor allow to become Alola's next Champion. Whether it was deliberate or not, that guy has too many red flags to be seated in the highest position in the region.

"But that boy…he seemed lonely."

Gladion turned to her with a questioning look. "Lonely?"

"That's right." Selene nodded. "He might look like he's enjoying right now, but he is holding back. No, not holding back, but he is being restricted. That boy seemed to be carrying a burden that only he knows about." She placed her spoon down on her plate. A sullen look on her usually bright face. "He reminds me of Moon."

Gladion's hand stilled at the mention of the former Champion's name but said nothing as Selene continued. "You might not have noticed it, but as her mother, I know that that child has her cross to bear. She could have asked for help, but she didn't want to burden anyone else. She's far too kind and stubborn for her own good." She sighed and smiled sadly. "I guess she got it from me."

Gladion stared at his half-eaten curry as he contemplated over her words. He wanted to say something, anything to reassure her, but what could he say to a mother whose daughter disappeared without a word for five years? That, and he is never a man of words. That role is best left to Hau, who is the most outspoken among the three. It is a trait he never claimed for himself.

The cheers of the stadium crowd jerked him away from his self-deprecating thoughts and back to the live League match. The camera showed Golisopod with his arm plates raised over the soft portion of his body as Cinderace leaped and kicked at him in swift succession. Both Pokémon have barely a fourth of their health bars, but Cinderace kept up with his relentless attacks as Golisopod continued to defend. Eventually, Guzma ordered to use Liquidation, but Cinderace was faster than Golisopod and ducked from the move's reach. Using his foot, he flicked up a small stone from the battleground, and flames began to ignite and cover the rock. The fiery ball grew in size with each kick as Cinderace raced back toward his opponent.

Guzma shouted for his Pokémon to defend, but it was a split-second too late. Using the momentum Cinderace gained, he lunged forward and kicked the fiery ball toward Golisopod. The Pyro Ball struck the exposed belly of the Hard Scale Pokémon and engulfed him in an explosive blaze. The silhouette of the giant Pokémon staggered before collapsing on the ground with a THUMP! There was a moment of silence as the onlookers watched the flames slowly die down before the stadium erupted into approving roars and applause.

"WHAT A HEART-STOPPING BATTLE!" The announcer exclaimed on air. "The winner of this match is Sun, and he will be facing Gladion in the finals!"

So, Sun won. Gladion glared at the television screen, now displaying his face side-by-side with Sun's. This is it. The League finals are this afternoon. The deciding battle. He gripped the handle of the spoon tightly. He will win. No, he has to win, no matter what.

"Gladion…" The older Aether sibling flinched and looked at Moon's mother. She was studying him with a soft look that Gladion could not place. "Tomorrow…tomorrow is the day either you or Sun will fight the Elite Four and Hau. Do you remember what that means?"

Gladion racked his brain for an answer. "I don't kno-" He paused as his eye caught the calendar hanging on the opposite wall. Realization dawned on his face. "Ah…."

"That's right. Tomorrow is Moon's birthday. Her eighteenth birthday, no less." Gladion felt all his energy drain out from his body as Selene continued. "I know that she might not be here to celebrate the most important birthday in a girl's life, so instead, I would like to ask for a favor as her mother."

Selene reached out and clasped his hands. "Please win the finals. I don't know exactly the details, but I know that this match has something to do with what is happening right now in Alola. I don't want to see the region, no, the world that my daughter protected to be destroyed. So, please, Gladion. Please win, no matter what."

Gladion stared at the calloused hands holding his firmly. The television barely was given any attention as the cameras zoomed in on Sun racing out of the battlefield with Guzma right at his heels. Whatever the reason for that is currently far from Gladion's thoughts. He had already made up his mind when he accepted the Second Alolan Champion's challenge and asked the Kahuna of Ula'ula Island to withdraw his search request. There is no doubt that he is doing this for Alola…but is that all there is to it? Is protecting the region the sole reason he decided to go ahead with Sun's proposal?

"Gladioooon! Just admit it! We're friends. Ah, no! We're already more than that! If you don't, I'm not going to let you in the Pokémon League again, you grumpy pants!"

"I…" Gladion took a deep breath and met Selene's brown eyes. "I will win. I promise."

Whatever words of gratitude that Moon's mother was about to say are cut off by Gladion's phone ringing. Gladion gently extracted his hands from Selene's hold and pulled out his phone from his pocket. A frown creasing his features as he looked at the unknown number displayed on the screen. He never gives his phone number to anyone without having theirs registered in his phonebook. He had to change his phone number once when some 'fan' got ahold of it and decided to share it with the public. Since then, he has only given it to people he actually knows, except for Sun. He still has not figured out how in the world did that guy got his number and thought about changing it again, but in the end, he decided against it. If he could use Sun's phone number to track his movements, acquiring a new one would be a waste of opportunity. So far, he tried messaging him back, but the red-eyed Trainer has yet to respond to any of them.

Gladion stood up and excused himself to the front porch of the house. He tapped on the answer icon and pressed the phone against his ear. His voice failed to disguise the annoyance in his tone. "Hello. Who is this?"

He was prepared to hear an irritating screeching and end the call immediately, but instead, a man's voice answered. "Ah, hello. Is this Mr. Gladion from the Aether Foundation? I am a member of the staff for the League tournament. I'm sorry if I called at a busy time, but we were told that you are one of the contacts in case of emergency."

"Get to the point. What is it?"

"That's…" There was a tapping sound in the background, barely overlapping the frantic bustle that accompanied it. "We received a report from one of our own at the west and east sides of Manalo. There is a group of Trainers causing a disturbance within the areas just as soon as the semifinals ended. According to the report, they broke into shops, vandalized buildings, and scared people away from the area. There have been thirty injuries so far, not including the police stationed there."

What? Gladion thought in disbelief. Who would even dare to do that in a place swarming with powerful Trainers? "Did you already identify who they are?"

The man on the other end hesitated. "No, we haven't. The camera feeds in the areas were all destroyed. Additional security was already dispatched, but – " A slamming of a door cut off the man, and Gladion could barely hear someone shouting, WE GOT A PROBLEM! The next words were inaudible, but he could feel the severity of the situation from the next words uttered by the man. "What did you say? They're here? How did they even-"

The statement was drowned by a loud shattering of glass and a cacophony of screams that followed. Gladion jerked back and almost dropped his phone as more glass was shattered and inhuman noises joined the panicked shouts of the staff members. He could only make bits and pieces out of the chaos from the other end.

"-down, ya' punks!"

"Don't hurt us! We're-"

"Shut yer trap, ya' piece of shit!"

"Whatcha doin' with that phone? Give it here!"

"W-Wait! No-!" There was a crashing sound and a cry of pain. Gladion tried calling out for the man, but the line fell dead. He peeled the phone away from his face and stared blankly at the screen. From the inside of the house, he heard Selene urgently calling his name, and he rushed over to see what it was. His heart nearly stopped at what was being shown on the television.

It was live coverage of the stadium itself. What was supposed to be spectators chatting amiably and leaving their seats after the semifinals are replaced with people ducking and running for their lives as a group of Trainers clad in black and white barged in and started destroying everything they set their eyes on. The humongous digital displays were bashed; the screens cracked and flickering. Chairs were toppled over, and banners yanked off the walls and stomped on. Some of the intruders were chasing after the audience, while some had set to spray the walls with vulgar messages.

Before what Gladion assumed to be the last working camera in the stadium, a face he just saw in the latest match appeared on-screen. Guzma had a wicked grin on his lips before the camera toppled over. The screen showed the bright, blue sky of Alola before the underside of a shoe loomed overhead and stomped on it. The discordant feed finally ends to nothing but static.