Pokémon Radiant Sun


They seriously cannot stop introducing awesome things into USUM. Like…seriously? All of the previous villains, including a new and improved Team Rainbow Rocket? And craptons of legendaries to capture? A darker and more in-depth story with some of the best characters in the series?

Just…shut up and take my money, damn you…

Now, onto other things. This past week I managed to successfully graduate from my first course within my training. Meaning this next week I'll be moving across the country to a new base, and won't have access to internet for a few days at worst, a day at best. I don't know how it'll work, so I'm warning you all in advance that the next chapter could be delayed as a result of this. Or it won't and all will be well. Just figured I'd keep you all posted.

Now...have I have been waiting long time for this chapter. But I say that a lot with a lot of chapters, to be honest. Seriously, in a story with 200 chapters, it sucks to have to wait to introduce a character or have an awesome scene happen. It makes the story even more worth it as I write it, but makes those moments when they do finally get there be all the more fun. Next chapter will by our last in Heahea City, at least for now, so that the path to the Water Trial will begin. There will be a return trip later with more fun stuff.

Also, quick sidenote? I love having an outline for this story. It keeps me excited and motivated and helps me in general to plan out things. Totally recommend it to everyone out there. Because it took me years to realize how much they help.

So that brings us back to this chapter. I'm excited, just gonna say that.

Shoutout to those who reviewed since the last update, which includes Madame Rodoshe, Gokan123, Cottonmouth25, BraviaryScout, Anasazi Darkmoon, BouncingFish, DarkestShade73, Consumer of Fantasy, Ways, a Guest reviewer, and two new reviewers known as LoveGlutton and sceptilezeno. Thanks as always for the support and feedback.

Enjoy.


Chapter 37: The Heroine Appears


Sun had just enough time to throw himself at Lillie and tackle her to the ground before the Shadow Celebi attacked, hurling the barrage of black orbs at them. Sun crashed onto the ground with Lillie on top of him, crying out in pain as the orbs exploded violently all around the road, sending smoke through the air as screams erupted from those still on the street, who fled into the city, leaving them alone with Celebi.

Lillie scrambled off of Sun in worry and pulled the boy to his feet, with Sun grunting as he pulled out three Poké Balls, rolling his shoulder that now throbbed with pain. The smoke quickly cleared, with Celebi floating ahead of him with a cruel little smile on its face, malice gleaming in its eyes. Eyes that burned with hate and pain and suffering until it had slowly become a force of evil. Sun stepped forward, a fierce scowl on his face, already preparing himself for a battle.

"Sun…" the boy looked behind him, seeing Lillie giving him a terrified expression. Sun looked back ahead, gritting his teeth at the impossible task ahead. He wasn't a bad Pokémon Trainer, and didn't doubt he was capable, but this was a legendary Pokémon. A being that could travel through time itself. And Sun could tell from that last attack that it was immensely powerful. That said…

"Lillie. I promise you…I'm not going to let that thing hurt you or Nebby. I swear it." Sun breathed, releasing Oliver, Penny, and Brago at once. All three of his Pokémon readied themselves to attack, staring down the legendary fearlessly as their Trainer glared at the infamous Shadow Pokémon. The one that caused so much trouble to his friends from Unova while under Cipher's control. The Time Travel Pokémon regarded Sun with amusement, its harsh eyes widening as its smile did the same.

"Hehehe…You have such a familiar feel to your mind…it's like meeting an old friend. You even look like him, you know…How odd." Celebi murmured, sending a shiver of horror down Sun's spine. Did his father have something to do with this? Did he send Shadow Celebi to capture him and bring him home? Or was it here to wreak havoc on Alola like it had the other regions?

"But…do you think you can defeat me, human child?" Whispered a soft voice within his mind. Shadow Celebi smiled even wider at him, flicking out a hand as several black tendrils of darkness slithered out of nowhere.

"Absolutely. Penny use Echoed Voice!" Sun yelled out, taking a step towards the legendary as his Trumbeak shot forward, opening her beak and releasing a blast of explosive sound. Celebi giggled as it flashed out of existence, dodging the attack completely and effortlessly before reappearing a few feet to the right, looking amused.

"Penny use Pluck! Brago, hit it with Ember! Oliver, use Razor Leaf!" Sun yelled out as his three Pokémon rushed forward, separating and surrounding Shadow Celebi. Brago opened his mouth and unleashed a blast of flame from his maw, but the fire was repelled away with a burst of black energy from Celebi. The Time Travel Pokémon lazily swung to the side to dodge Penny's attack, giggling now as it turned to face Oliver, who was flapping his wings and raining down Razor Leaf with a fierce cry.

Celebi raised a finger skyward and a series of glowing rocks suddenly ripped free from the ground and hurled themselves upwards, smashing into all of the leaves and making Oliver soar away with a screech to dodge the attack.

"Brago, hit it now! Bite!"

Celebi whirled around in time for the Growlithe to sink his teeth into the chest of the Celebi. Despite the massive difference in power between the two, Celebi still snarled in pain at the super-effective attack.

"Stupid little-!" Celebi cut itself off by pressing both of its hands against Brago and sending him flying away from the Shadow Pokémon as a tendril of shadow smacked into him. Brago tumbled through the air with a howl, the smell of burnt fur filling the air as Penny let out a cry of distress and Oliver's eyes narrowed in anger from above.

"Brago!" Sun screamed as the dog slammed into the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop. The Growlithe stirred feebly on the ground, but was unable to get back up, passing out with a faint whine.

Penny and Oliver screeched in fury and dove at the legendary, who lazily launched a barrage of glowing leaves at the two birds. The two of them cried out as the Magical Leaf attack sliced through them both, sending them both spiraling into the ground, shuddering in pain and showering the ground with feathers and blood.

"NO!" Sun yelled out, running forward before he felt the air shudder in front of him. He jumped to the side, falling to the ground, but moving just in time for the ground beneath him to explode with energy. Sun crashed onto the ground with a yell of pain, but managed to roll on the ground and stumble to his feet, panting as adrenaline pounded through him. To his surprise, Oliver slowly rose from the ground beside him, quivering in pain but still able to fight.

"Weak…It'd almost be a shame to kill you all." Celebi whispered, though that didn't stop it from raising a glowing hand. A swirling black ball of energy formed in its palm, charging up to obliterate the Trainer and his starter with one last attack.

"Stop right there!" came a familiar voice. Shadow Celebi turned around and fired off its attack at the new arrivals, but a Protect barrier went up just in time to stop the blast, which exploded harshly against the shield and cracked it heavily. Dexio stood behind an Alakazam, wearing his heroic ensemble and ready to stop this new threat. Sina stood beside him, a massive Abomasnow towering beside her as she regarded the legendary with cold anger behind her mask. The shield protecting them flickered away, and the warriors from Kalos took a challenging step forward.

"Looks like we were right to follow them." Sina murmured to Dexio, who simply replied with a sharp nod.

"We won't let you hurt anyone else, Shadow Celebi!" Sina declared as she charged ahead with her Abomasnow stomping beside her. Sina held out her hand, where a shimmering Key Stone was attached to her bracelet.

"Oh? More victims? How fun! You can die too!" Celebi cried out, flinging its arms outwards as the street cracked with the force of the movement.

"We're the Masked Heroes of Kalos! Prepare to face justice!" Sina shouted as Dexio revealed the Key Stone around his arm as well.

"Abomasnow! Mega Evolve!"

"Alakazam! Mega Evolve!"

A dazzling display of light erupted from the two Pokémon, and a few moments later Sun beheld a floating Alakazam with a series of spoons floating above it and an even bigger and meaner looking Abomasnow standing tall beside the two foreign Pokémon Trainers.

"Interesting…A challenge." Celebi laughed as it raised a glowing hand, several glowing rocks ripping free from the earth as it floated forward.

"Abomasnow, Ice Beam! Spread outward and enclose it!" Sina barked out the command.

"Alakazam, use Shadow Ball! Full-power!" Dexio yelled out, clenching his fist forward. Alakazam nodded, charging up a jet-black sphere of surging energy. Mega Abomasnow roared in response at the command from its Trainer, opening its horrifying maw and spewing forth an icy torrent of sheer energy that soared into the air and spread outward, above the Shadow Celebi. The Time Travel Pokémon watched the display in wonder, confused as to what the woman was up to. It received its answer as the Ice Beam suddenly struck down all around it, with small blasts of energy surging into the Celebi and making it snarl in pain. It then became aware that it was suddenly surrounded on all sides by ice, save for directly in front of it, where Mega Alakazam stared it down, firing its attack and hitting the Celebi directly.

"Blizzard!" Sina commanded as Celebi hung in the air, shuddering in pain and too stunned by the super-effective attack to flee or warp away. Mega Abomasnow roared an affirmative before releasing a deadly gale of icy fury at the corrupted legendary.

"Hyper Beam!" Dexio shouted, with Mega Alakazam giving him a nod in response. A massive beam of raw energy erupted forth from above the head of Mega Alakazam, surging towards Shadow Celebi as it screamed in pain.

Sun wretched his gaze away from the showdown between the two sides and saw the Passage of Time glow brightly before another figure began to materialize within its depths. However, the vortex shuddered and flashed white several times before someone was suddenly launched from the depths of time itself, crashing harshly onto the road and rolling several times before coming to a stop, smoke trailing off of their body as they exited the vortex.

"Oh my…" Lillie gasped, watching the newest arrival as they slowly picked themselves up off of the ground, trembling in pain. The figure rose to its feet shakily, and Sun saw it was a woman.

She had long, black flowing hair that was coated with a thin layer of snow, though a pink streak of color was also barely visible underneath the snowy mane. Her dark, deep blue eyes were wide in shock, her small mouth wide open in a silent scream of agony as the bag around her shoulder fell to the ground. The woman pushed herself to her feet, dressed in a thick black jacket that she quickly tore off and threw to the ground, seeing as it was no longer needed in the scorching heat of Alola. Despite this, she wore a red and black sweater and black gloves on her hands. She wore a pair of black boots and worn blue jeans, with four Poké Balls clipped to her belt. She looked to be in her late teens or early twenties at a glance, and as she looked over the scene before her and seeing the Shadow Celebi, her eyes narrowed.

The woman scowled, taking a step forward. However, the woman bent over and threw up in the ground before falling to her knees with a gasp, her body shaking violently. Sun and Lillie ran over to the woman's side, even as she wrapped her arms around her chest, her breathing ragged and strained. The woman took notice of the two children, giving them a shaky smile.

"I'm not in Unova anymore…Am I?" she asked weakly, her gaze going between the two children.

"No. Welcome to Alola." Lillie said softly, making the woman quietly laugh before uttering a groan, bending back down to the ground.

A loud crash brought their attention back to the showdown behind them. Celebi smashed into the ground as another Hyper Beam slammed into it from above, fired by a Mega Alakazam that was slowly floating back down to earth. Sina and Dexio grinned underneath their masks, pleased that they had brought down the legendary. The ice that had been used to corner the legendary was shattered and broken at this point, with the legendary itself twitching as it struggled to stay awake.

"With all the damage that thing has taken, it'll be a while before it can attack again. We should capture it now, before it gets back up." Sina suggested to Dexio, pulling out an Ultra Ball. The Masked Hero hurled the ball towards Celebi as it weakly flew out of the crater, shuddering and twitching in pain. The Time Travel Pokémon gasped as the ball hit it squarely in the forehead, enveloping the legendary in the red glow of capture-

That shattered a few moments later, with the Celebi still floating where it was as the useless Ultra Ball clattered to the ground. Dexio and Sina felt horror roll through them as Celebi laughed softly, eyes shut tight in pain.

"Idiots…Grand Master Greevil…saw fit to capture me to prevent any stray fools from attempting what you just did. Regular Poké Balls won't work on me…" Celebi explained before the Pokémon let out a yell, its body glowing bright white. A few moments later the glow faded, revealing a fully-healed Celebi. Sun shivered, realizing that Shadow Celebi had used Recover.

"Heh…Back to normal. You two, however, won't be as lucky." Celebi said lightly before its eyes glowed bright white. Sina called for an Ice Beam, which was fired at the legendary, but Celebi simply vanished into the future, reappearing high in the air and dodging the attack. It let out a yell of glee, picking up Mega Abomasnow with Psychic and throwing it across the street. Sina let out a scream of horror before she too, began to glow. Sina was flung backwards, crashing into her Pokémon fifty yards down the road and falling onto the ground senseless. Celebi then vanished and reappeared in front of Mega Alakazam, throwing a massive maelstrom of leaves at the psychic-type and making it yell out in pain and fall to the ground.

"Sina! Alakazam! No! You little…It seems we bit off a bit more than we could chew." Dexio growled as his Alakazam rose to its feet, panting as it floated back into the air.

"Alakazam, use Recover." Dexio growled, a ripple of anger spiking through him. Mega Alakazam glowed bright white, healing its injuries as Celebi lazily watched with boredom.

"We won't give up though. Use Psychic and match its power! Let our bond shine, my friend!" Dexio barked with his eyes flashing, with his Alakazam snarling in agreement as its eyes glowed bright. Celebi laughed in malevolent delight as its eyes glowed as well, and the street shuddered as the force between the two psychics met each other.

"I am really glad they didn't use those against us in our battle earlier." Lillie whispered to herself, shivering at the caliber of battling going on before her. Lillie heard a cough and looked beside her, and saw the woman from the portal looking over at the battle with a worried expression.

"They need help…you kids didn't hurt by Celebi, did you?" the woman whispered, rising to her knees and watching the battle with an exhausted expression on her face. Despite that, Sun saw the kindness and intensity in her eyes, as well as a fire of resolve that Sun could barely comprehend. It was like an inferno radiating from within the woman herself. A fierce refusal to ever give up…

Determination.

Celebi let out a snarl, vanishing from sight before it reappeared to the side of Mega Alakazam, grinning widely in triumph. It unleashed a tendril of darkness that slammed into Mega Alakazam, sending it crashing to the ground with Dexio yelling out in horror. The Shadow Pokémon laughed as it held out a hand, releasing Magical Leaf towards Dexio and Mega Alakazam, the latter of whom tried to protect them with Reflect. However the shield failed, and the two were mercilessly cut apart by the attack, with Dexio falling to the ground underneath his Mega Alakazam as it tried to shield its Trainer with its body.

Celebi huffed tiredly before turning its attention to the children it had been playing with before. Its eyes widened in surprise at seeing the woman who was speaking to them.

"We'll be okay. Who are you? You followed that thing through the portal, right? So what's going on!?" Sun asked the woman. He received a shake of the head in response, with the woman turning back around to face the legendary Time Travel Pokémon, who now was quivering in fury.

"Why won't you just die!?" Celebi snarled at the woman, though it made no move to attack. It sounded downright rattled if anything else.

"I honestly don't know what's going on, little guy…Getting thrown into the Passage of Time has really messed me up…" the woman trailed off, a tremor racking the woman for a moment before she took a deep breath.

"But you kids…will be just fine. I promise...I'll take care of this." The woman panted, looking back at them again with a broken smile. "But as for my name? Just call me Aria. Now if you'll excuse me…I've got a stupid time-travelling asshole to deal with."

The woman faced forward, taking another calming breath before she slowly stood up to her full height, towering above them both. Her breath was ragged and uneven but her expression burned with an intensity that made Sun shiver as he stood beside her, healing his team as he looked over at the other Trainer. Aria held no fear in her eyes, even as she took a small step forward, barely able to move as she slowly drew back her sweater sleeve.

Sun was surprised to see that her arm was covered with a metallic sleeve of sorts, ending in a red and black gleaming leather and metal glove that encased her entire hand that thrummed with glowing lights.

Sun began putting the pieces together…until everything clicked.

He knew exactly who this mysterious woman was. Lillie seemed to catch on as well, as her eyes were wide in surprise.

"Sun...I think this is Hugh's friend, Aria. The one who vanished...she's the personal student of Wes." Lillie said quietly, eyeing the strange device attached to the woman's arm. Sun nodded slowly, also staring at the Snag Machine on the woman's arm and wondering how she had acquired it. She was supposed to be dead...but here she was.

"You have it? How…No. No, it doesn't matter. I'll still end your miserable life! We got rid of Wes, and that means we can get rid of you!" Celebi snarled, black energy crackling around it.

"I'll be damned if I let you hurt anyone else, you little shit." Aria growled, reaching down to her belt and pulling out a Poké Ball with a small scratch on the front.

"You're so determined, little girl! Let's see what good your determination is against this!" Celebi snarled mockingly, flaring out its arms.

"Sophie, let's go!" Aria shouted, releasing her Pokémon as Celebi let out a screech and sent a glowing barrage of leaves at her. A yellow fox-like Pokémon with spiky fur landed on the ground in a crouch, staring down the legendary with a fierce expression on her face.

"Protect!" Aria shouted breathlessly. The Jolteon let out a yell and a blue shimmering barrier surrounded Aria and Sophie, as well as Lillie and Sun (and his team). The Grass-type attack smashed into the shield, creating an awful grating sound as it struck. The barrier held firm, however. To Sun's surprise, the mysterious woman's Jolteon began speaking. Sun then realized the Eeveelution was wearing a black band around its neck that resembled one of Colress's translation collars.

"Aria, what's going on!? Why is that Celebi here? Where are we? And…you're hurt." The last words were spoken softly, worry creeping into the voice as the Pokémon as Aria put a hand on her aching head, pulling it away and finding her hand was stained crimson. The older Trainer wiped her hand on her sweater and took another step forward and grimacing in pain.

"I'll be fine. Your other questions? No idea. Let's deal with this thing for good so we can figure out just what happened to us." Aria replied as she grit her teeth, taking a shuffling step forward, as if the very movement had caused her great pain.

"Use Pin Missile!" Aria shouted as the Protect-shield dropped. Sophie let out a yell as her fur bristled and became even more spike-like. Then, dozens upon dozens of glowing yellow needles fired out of her back like gunfire, darting through the air and slamming into Celebi, making the legendary scream as the attack sliced through it again and again.

"DIE!" Celebri snarled, soaring out of the attack as scratches and dings covered the Pokémon. The legendary flung out its hands and two orbs of darkness erupted out of its hands, racing towards Sophie.

"Use Quick Attack to dodge! Agility into Return, let's go!" Aria barked, throwing out an arm. The Jolteon swiftly dodged a barrage of black orbs from Celebi, who began getting increasingly frustrated as the nimble Jolteon dodged the attacks. The Jolteon then remained still as it landed on the ground, a white glow surrounding it before the Pokémon vanished, moving so quickly towards Shadow Celebi that it was a blur. Sophie's body then began to burn with a harsh, white fiery aura before it slammed into Celebi, sending a clear ringing sound through the air that made Sun shiver. Celebi toppled out of the sky and crashed onto the ground, letting out a squeal of pain.

"Rotom, that attack. What was it?" Sun asked, curious despite everything.

"Zzzt! Return. A physical attack that can be learned by most Pokémon. It is a move that grows in strength proportional to the strength of the friendship between the Trainer and the Pokémon using the move." Rotom Dex warily explained from the safety of Sun's backpack as Sophie landed on the ground. Sun looked back at the Celebi as it clutched its chest, eyes shut tight as it began floating again and clearly in intense pain.

Suddenly, Celebi began to glow and Aria let out a yell of anger as Celebi straightened in midair, a smile crossing its face as Recover healed all of its injuries.

"Crap…How could I forget?" Aria growled as Celebi laughed at her.

"Stupid girl. I will never falter, while you're barely holding yourself together. Your little trip through the Passage of Time wasn't kind to you, was it? Shame…Wes handled it so much better." Celebi taunted the girl, whose eyes narrowed with loathing.

"You leave him out of this!" Aria barked. "Sophie, Shadow Ball!"

Sophie charged up the ball of darkness and fired it at Celebi, who vanished and reappeared behind the Jolteon. Sophie began to glow bright blue and was flung across the street behind Aria, slamming harshly into the ground. Aria whipped her head around, worry flashing across her face even as Celebi grinned in triumph, flinging out its arms as a massive pulsating orb of darkness formed above its head.

"~Shadow Salvo!~" Celebi sang, forcing the attack to erupt forth as Aria turned back around in surprise, the barrage of massive black lasers soaring towards her from the sphere above Shadow Celebi, rushing forward with deadly purpose-

"Oliver, use Protect!"

Aria's eyes widened as a turquoise shield sprang into existence just before the shadowy blast hit her. The beam slammed into the shield, passing harmlessly around it. The woman looked to her side and saw Sun standing next to his Dartrix, whose eyes were glowing the same color as the shield.

"I'm sick and tired of this. Of Cipher hurting people while I just watch on...their stupid legendaries have done enough damage, don't you think?" Sun asked Aria in a tone that surprised the woman. His tone was deathly serious, a tone that sounded almost profane coming from a boy so young. Aria saw Sun's fists clenched in anger, his entire body shaking with barely controlled anger, his eyes flashing like thunderstorms intent on releasing their fury.

"I'm guessing you're familiar with them?" Aria asked Sun.

"Yeah…I guess you could say that." Sun replied quietly as Oliver flared his wings, dissipating the shield.

"I'm not letting him ruin another home for me…Alola has helped me through so much. I'll protect it with everything I've got from those monsters." Sun breathed, making the three Pokémon ahead of him shiver at the livid tone of their Trainer's voice. Lillie's eyes widened in surprise at Sun's righteous fury, but when she realized what her friend was talking about, she understood his anger.

Once again, Cipher had found its evil influence in Alola. While Amber had apparently been a fluke, having one of the prized assets of Cipher, Shadow Celebi, appear out of nowhere was too big to be a coincidence. Lillie understood the rage Sun felt. She'd be furious too if a parent who had abused and betrayed her kept meddling in her life and tried hurting the people she cared about…

She knew that feeling all too well.

Aria seemed confused, which didn't help her already dazed state. The woman felt another wrack of pain surge through her, making her clutch her chest in pain. Lillie noticed and went over to the woman, looking her over and putting a hand on her back. Lillie was alarmed to see that the woman was bleeding in several places and was clearly not used to the heat of Alola, considering she was drenched in sweat. Lillie was jarred back into reality by Shadow Celebi flying torwards them more shadowy tentacles creeping forth from its body…

Before a massive blast of lightning crashed into it, sending it reeling backwards. Lillie sighed with relief as the Shadow Celebi slammed into the ground, creating a small crater.

"Sophie…you're okay." Aria murmured as her Jolteon bounded back to her side, concern on the Pokémon's face. The Jolteon seemed alright, but was clearly damaged a bit from the attack it had sustained.

"What about you?" Sophie asked.

"I'll be okay…I have to be, right?" Aria breathed, shaking her head and forcing herself to remain conscious. Every moment was a struggle for her, so she knew this had to be ended quickly. "We'll get back to that comment you made later, kid. For now, we fight. Sophie, get ready! I'm going to try and Snag it." Aria said as she dropped her bag on the ground and reached within, pulling out a strange purple Poké Ball with a large M on the front.

"What is that? Some kind of Poké Ball?" Sun asked, curious despite everything.

"This is a Master Ball. It'll catch any Pokémon without fail. A friend of mine named Colress entrusted it to me after Wes…" Aria's expression darkened for a moment before she shook her head, snapping back to reality. "We were saving this for Kyurem, but I think tackling that thing isn't happening in the foreseeable future…no pun intended. Between you and me, we should have a good shot at getting Celebi off-guard. Be careful though…This thing will not hesitate to kill you or your Pokémon, and I've probably got just one shot at this."

"Noted. Brago, hit the thing from below with Ember! Oliver use Peck and keep moving. Penny, you do the same with Pluck! Keep this thing busy so that Aria can make the catch!" Sun instructed his loyal trio, who nodded in response and rushed ahead. Sun felt an arm grab his and saw Lillie giving him a worried look.

"Sun…please don't put yourself in danger." Lillie said quietly, holding his arm tight.

"I'll try. But this thing is dangerous. It's a Shadow Pokémon. If we don't catch it or…deal with it, it's just going to wreak more havoc until it can get back to Cipher. And then who knows what it'll do? It might even tell Dad where I am!" Sun said to his friend, who hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"What can I do to help?" Lillie asked, surprising Sun. She looked horrified at the proceedings, but still wanted to help? Sun looked over at where Sina and Dexio were slowly stirring, their Pokémon looking worse for wear as they were still unconscious.

"Go get them some help. Heal their Pokémon if you have the supplies for it. Stay low and avoid drawing attention to yourself. Okay? Be. Safe." Sun said to his friend, stressing the last two words. Lillie nodded quickly and jogged off, leaving Sun with the task of facing Celebi as he took a place next to Aria.

"Sun, right?" Aria asked the boy.

"Yeah. Sunshine Smiles. If you laugh at the name, I'll sic my psychotic starter on you." Sun warned the woman, who couldn't help but smirk.

"I'm in way too much pain to laugh. But I'll give you crap for it later. Now…Sophie, use Thunderbolt!" Aria yelled out. Sophie nodded as she bounded forward, towards the Celebi that was furiously lashing out at the three smaller Pokémon attacking it from three different angles. The younger Pokémon attacked mercilessly, fueled by the desire to protect their Trainer and stop the monster that had come upon them. Brago repeatedly blasted flames from below, dodging the attacks of the Shadow Pokémon as it launched them his way. Penny and Oliver were working in perfect unison, ramming into the legendary repeatedly with super-effective attacks that, while not strong enough to seriously damage a legendary as strong as Shadow Celebi, did cause it pain and whittled away its strength.

"Back away now!" Sun yelled out as the lightning burst out from the Jolteon. Sun's Pokémon broke away from the Celebi, hitting it with a Razor Leaf, Ember, and Echoed Voice at the same time as Sophie's savage Thunderbolt struck the legendary, making it shriek in agony as the overwhelming damage coursing through it. The Celebi vanished and reappeared a short distance away, panting in pain before raising a hand. A ball of darkness crackled within its grip before the legendary hurled it. Not towards any of the Pokémon…

But at Sun.

"Sun, move!" Lillie screamed at her friend, who was frozen to the spot in horror.

Sun could feel the attack even as it raced towards him, ripping through the air with a horrible intensity to it. And yet, right before the attack hit him, a green blur dove in front of him. It slammed into the attack head-on, creating a deafening explosion and made Sun stumble to the ground. Sun looked up and saw Oliver hanging in the air, smoke trailing off of his starter's form. The Dartrix then began to fall.

"Oliver!" Sun screamed as the Dartrix crashed onto the ground, twitching in pain. Sun ran over to his owl and scooped him up in his arms, grunting slightly at the weight as Oliver looked up at him. He was barely conscious as Sun put a hand next to the Dartrix's face, adjusting a few feathers that were out of place as his eyes burned with tears. Despite how much the Dartrix had messed with him, Sun knew that his starter cared about him just as much as Sun did Oliver. This wasn't the first time the owl had saved his life, after all.

"Dar…" Oliver chirped weakly, nuzzling Sun's head before passing out. Sun returned Oliver, not wanting to push the Dartrix further, even if he could just use a Revive on him. Sun got to his feet again, scowling at the Shadow Celebi as it began fighting Brago, Sophie, and Penny again.

"Brago, use Ember again! Penny, hit it with Pluck before it can hit back! Then back away!" Sun barked, anger surging through him. He wouldn't let Oliver's sacrifice be in vain. Penny and Brago continued to pepper attacks at the legendary while Sophie distracted Celebi, but the legendary was quickly getting frustrated and erratic, it's attacks becoming harder to dodge. Sun then realized that he had one last trick up his sleeve...or rather, on his wrist.

"Maybe if I can just catch it off-guard…" Sun realized, glancing down at his Z-Ring.

"Penny, get back over to me! Brago, use Bite!" Sun ordered his two Pokémon. Brago lunged at Shadow Celebi as another blast of lightning slammed into the legendary, making it shriek in agony, but not before unleashing Magical Leaf on Sophie, making the Jolteon cry out in pain. Brago chomped down on Celebi's head, completely distracting it.

"Penny, land! Let's put everything we've got into this!" Sun said to his Trumbeak as it landed on the ground.

Sun took a deep breath, calming himself and steadying his heart-rate.

The Kanto-native began to strike a series of poses, invoking the sacred powers of the Z-Ring on his wrist. Energy exploded outwards from him, making him shiver and feel alive as it extended outwards towards Penny, who became enveloped in the energy as well. Like before, she could feel the strength of her Trainer flow into her. The love, pride, and faith he had in her was almost overwhelming, and made her want to try even harder. She had to help her new teammate Brago, and avenge her friend Oliver, who had been injured protecting their Trainer. And now…She and Sun would finish this together. The two of them, Trainer and Pokémon, became of one mind and heart. Their very souls merging to combine their strength into one final attack to bring down this powerful foe.

"Sophie, use Thunder!" Aria shouted as Sophie bounded past her. Brago was suddenly engulfed in a harsh blue aura before being thrown into the Jolteon, knocking them both to the ground.

"Penny, channel Echoed Voice…and use Breakneck Blitz!" Sun screamed, feeling the power of the bond he shared with his Trumbeak surge through him. Penny screeched in unison with her Trainer as the aura around her exploded in fire and the bird charged forward, speeding down the road towards the Celebi that had landed briefly on the ground, shuddering in pain and trying to gain enough will to use Recover again. Celebi opened its eyes and looked towards Sun and Penny, horror and surprise in its eyes before the Trumbeak collided with the legendary, creating a sonic-boom of sheer force and kicking up a cloud of smoke. Sun strained to see through the smoke, but felt relief fill him as Penny soared out of the haze with a triumphant cry. The smoke then cleared, revealing the Time Travel Pokémon.

Celebi lay there on the ground, eyes wide in shock and pain at the final move. Despite the difference in strength between the two of them, the Z-Move had been enough to surprise the legendary and sent pain coursing through its small body, the accumulated damage nearly being enough to make it faint.

"Aria, do it now!" Sun yelled to the older Trainer. Aria grinned ferally, taking her chance and tightening her grip on the Master Ball. The Snag Machine attached to her arm shuddered as it activated, sending energy into the Master Ball and giving it a grim purpose. To shatter the connection it held with its Trainer and transfer that connection to Aria. Aria felt the ball glow, a slight hum filling the air before a beep notified her that the ball was primed for use. The Master Ball had now become the strongest Snag Ball possible.

"I don't have a cliché line for this one. Wes would be so disappointed." Aria remarked with a small shrug before she wound her arm back and hurled the Master Ball, which whirled through the air and collided with the forehead of the Shadow Celebi just as began to get back up. The Pokémon had time to let out a gasp, its eyes widening in horror. A massive purple surge of energy erupted from the Master Ball, forming into a claw-like hand and reaching upward and closing down on Celebi as it was sucked into the ball. The Master Ball fell to the ground with a thud.

It shook three times before letting out a faint click…

Signifying that the Pokémon was captured.

"Snag…confirmed." Aria gasped, falling to one knee. Sophie the Jolteon bounded over to the purple Poké Ball and picked it up with her mouth, bringing it to the woman. Aria reached forward with a shaking hand, grabbing the Master Ball with a look of relief.

"Thank goodness…it's over…it's finally over" Aria laughed painfully, hanging her head down as she fell to both of her knees. Sun saw a single tear roll down the woman's face, one of absolute relief that the struggle had ended.

"You're hurt…" Sophie said as Aria stuffed the ball containing the Shadow Celebi into a pants pocket. Lillie took a deep breath and began walking towards the woman shuddering on the ground, taking very ragged breaths. Sun followed his friend, but the two of them were suddenly cut off by the Jolteon, who bristled with electricity.

"Get away from her!" Sophie growled at the two of them.

"Your Trainer is hunched over on the ground barely able to breath. We want to help her." Sun said to the Pokémon, who didn't seem to believe his good intentions, despite them working together to bring down Shadow Celebi. Aria suddenly swayed and fell onto the ground, hitting her head hard on the road.

"Aria!" Sophie cried out as she ran over to her fallen Trainer. Lillie and Sun ran over to the woman, this time with no trouble as Sophia tried to nudge her Trainer again and again, to no avail.

"Can't stay grounded…" Aria hissed, shutting her eyes tightly, her breathing even more strained. Sun noticed that her forehead was coated in a mixture of sweat and blood, and that fragments of ice still clung to her. Lillie looked up and saw that Sina and Dexio were walking towards them, looking rather worn-out but thankfully still able to move.

"That was incredible. I never thought I'd get to see a Snagging…And on such a powerful opponent." Dexio said quietly, bending down to inspect the woman. Aria slowly turned her head to look at him, a flash of recognition appearing in her eyes. The woman's eyes then rolled into the back of her head as she finally passed out.

"Doctor Colress is going to be ecstatic that Aria Cooper is back with us." Sina said as she pulled out her phone. The masked girl called the local authorities, as well as making a call to have an ambulance pick them up.

"And hanging by a thread. Whatever Shadow Celebi did to her must have made her very weak…She's barely able to breathe." Sina whispered, sounding horrified as she closed her phone.

"She's very determined. Colress was adamant on that, so I know she'll pull through…hmm…Professor Burnet will be interested in what Aria has to say as well. It's not every day you meet someone thrown through time…I suppose this explains her absence." Dexio said as he looked over at Sun and Lillie.

"Are you two okay?" Dexio asked.

"Yeah…but why are you two dressed like that?" Sun asked.

"Dressed like what? We've never met you two before in our-" Dexio began to say, but Sina cut him off.

"We can deal with that later. Looks like our ride is here." Sina said as she pointed down the road where an ambulance was racing towards them. Sun let out a sigh of relief, sagging with a sense of exhaustion now that the threat was over. Sun began to heal Oliver as best he could, applying a Revive and Super Potion to his brave starter. Brago and Penny moved over to him, on standby should anything else attack.

Lillie walked over to him, giving him a weak smile as she put a comforting hand on Sun's shoulder. Sun smiled gratefully, rubbing Oliver's head as the Dartrix slowly woke up, giving Sun a questioning look. Sun continued fixing the feathers that were out of place Oliver as Lillie sat down next to him, with the boy letting out another tired sigh.

After all…it had been a long day.


"So…What you're telling me is that I'm having a waaaay better day than you?"

"Hau, just for that, I'm having malasadas tonight. I'll send you pictures of each one I eat and do serious poses that show how I'm not having fun with it either." Sun said as he heard a sound of horror from the other end of the phone. Lillie giggled beside Sun from the chair next to him.

"I hear that adorable laughter! Lillie, how dare you conspire with him against me! I've known you longer! This is treason of the highest caliber!" Hau declared loudly.

"Hau, you're not allowed to use words that big. You'll give yourself a headache again." Lillie piped up, making Sun burst out laughing as silence reigned on the other end of the phone. After a few seconds, Lillie and Sun exchanged a look. Rotom popped out of Sun's backpack, wearing a smirk.

"Zzzt! He's gonna need a Burn Heal for that one." Rotom chuckled, landing on the ground

"…Dude, she just got you good." Demi said into the phone after a beat, sounding deeply impressed. Sun extended a fist out to Lillie, and with a wide smile the girl hit it with her own.

"I'm going to go cry myself to sleep now. Goodnight." Hau said, sounding stunned beyond belief that he just got owned by a girl in a fancy dress.

"He just handed the phone to me. He's…he's actually crawling into his sleeping bag. Lillie, remind me to buy you a cupcake or something when we meet back up. Because that was so awesome." Demi said to the girl in white.

"Make it a muffin, please."

"What kind?"

"Surprise me."

"Can do."

"So, are you both getting close to the Trial location?" Sun asked Demi.

"Kinda? It's only been a day. It's about a week to get to the first Trial from where we're at. Hau, despite how eager he is, wants to train a bunch on the way. I'm using him as practice, since I'm not good with Water-types. I think that's the Trial we're heading to, if I remember right." Demi explained to the two children.

"Well, I hope you two do well! Me and Sun are going to stay in Heahea City until this mess gets sorted out. Professor Kukui and Burnet are on their way here now, along with Doctor Colress. He's teleporting in from Melemele Island to see what's going on. Hugh and the others are on their way here right now on a boat." Lillie explained to Demi, who hummed on the other end of the phone.

"I guess that's a good thing. How do you think they'll react to seeing their friend again?" Demi asked.

"Hopefully well. She's really roughed up." Sun said as glanced over at the motionless woman on the hospital bed. She was sleeping peacefully now, thanks to the medicine that the doctors had given her, with Sophie the Jolteon lying down beside her, keeping guard. The Snag Machine and the Master Ball containing Shadow Celebi rested underneath her, meaning that anyone who wanted either would have to go through her.

"Well, thanks for keeping us in the loop. All of the crazy stuff you told me about Cipher and those freaky Neo Team Plasma guys is…odd as heck, but hey, this is a good sign! Right?" Demi said to Sun, who nodded. And then he realized his friend couldn't see the gesture.

"Yeah. Colress said that the Snag Machine is the best weapon against Cipher. Aria somehow has it, so…we'll see what happens when the others get here and she wakes up. I'm willing to wait and see how this works out." Sun said to his friend.

"Us as well."

Sun started as Sina and Dexio walked into the room, still wearing their outfits but looking exhausted. Sun wondered why they kept up the disguise routine despite him calling them both out on their 'secret identities', but he couldn't figure it out.

"You two ate dinner, right?" Dexio asked the children. Both of them nodded. Sun had volunteered to grab them food from the cafeteria, since Lillie wasn't comfortable walking around the area for some reason. They had eaten inside Aria's room after being checked out and cleared by the doctors here. Sun had gotten a few bruises and cuts while Lillie had been totally unharmed. All of their Pokémon had made it out of the battle with no injuries that weren't easily healed, even Oliver.

"Well, the best we can do is wait. I mean, we can't do much until Aria wakes up." Sina said tiredly, leaning against a wall and wincing in pain. Thankfully, the worst the two heroes had been given during the battles was a few bruises, a concussion, and some scrapes. They had been incredibly lucky.

Dexio opened his mouth to reply when a groan from beside them surprised them, making them look at the injured woman in question. Aria shivered before her eyes flickered open. As she regained consciousness, the woman bolted upright in the hospital bed before she fell back down, suddenly weak.

"Yeah, I knew that'd happen. Calm down, Miss Cooper. You're amongst friends." Dexio said calmingly, walking over to the woman.

"Sina and Dexio, right? I…I don't think we've ever met in person." Aria said quietly, giving them a wan smile, looking a bit lost.

"No, but it's an honor. You did much for Unova before it fell. We're glad to see you back amongst us safe and sound. I suppose you do live up to your nickname. 'The Lost Heroine of Unova', if I remember correctly." Dexio said gently, giving her a wide smile.

"Right…Where am I? I'm…trying to piece everything together in my head, but it's all jumbled up." Aria asked, putting a hand on her head.

"Well, you're in the Alola Region, in Heahea City on Akala Island. Quite a distance away from the ruins of Nimbasa City, where you were last sighted." Sina explained to Aria, who seemed confused.

"Alola…I've always wanted to go on a vacation here. Arceus knows I need one…" Aria murmured, a smirk coming to her face after a moment. "It's going to take me forever to figure this out. No wonder Wes was so bewildered back then. It took him days to stop mentioning how the time-travel messed him up."

"If you don't mind me asking…what happened to you? Doctor Colress has explained to us many things, and while we suspected you were taken by Shadow Celebi, we…never expected you to return alive and well. For those of us involved with the efforts to stop Cipher's world-domination efforts, your disappearance has confounded us at every turn." Dexio asked the woman. Aria sighed deeply, closing her eyes. For a moment, Sun and Lillie thought she had fallen back asleep.

"Well…sit down then. I'll tell you all what I can remember. I guess I'll start from after Kyurem froze Nimbasa and we were left scrambling in the ice, trying to save who we could…there's not a whole lot to it, but if it helps piece everything together…" Aria trailed off, seemingly lost in the dark memories. Her gaze wasn't all there, as if she was still lost within the Passage of Time.

Aria regained focus a moment later, shaking her head before she began her tale.