Pokémon Radiant Sun


Alright, so another delayed chapter. I honestly don't even know how to explain this one in a way I haven't already.

As hard as I try and as much effort as I put into this story, sometimes I just can't keep up with my own ambition of keeping to a weekly schedule. Especially with other obligations to deal with as well as just not always being able to write. So thanks for bearing with me, and for continuing to support the story. I'm hoping the next few chapters are shorter and therefore come out quicker, but I've underestimated myself before. I won't skimp on the content, because I want the chapter to tell everything I want it too before I'm done with it. Sooo...yeah.

In other news, E3 happened. God did it happen. I'm hyped as hell for everything that's coming our way, especially in regards to Nintendo. BOTW sequel? Banjo-Kazooie in Smash Ultimate? Sword and Shield being awesome? Yes. Just...yes.

Also, on a happy note, I'm pleased to announce that the "Phase Two: Genesis" is back from its lengthy hiatus! What's that, you might ask?

Well, I happen to be a part of the fanfiction group called The Freelancer Collaboration, which is a group of writers on this site that do multi-perspective stories. The one I happen to feature in is in the sequel to our main Red vs. Blue fic, "Phase Two: Betrayal."

I write for two of the Freelancers, Agent Minnesota and Agent Indiana, as well as many other characters from time to time. It's a fantastic read and if you're into RvB and like awesome stories, check out the fics we do because they're just plain awesome. Though if you're going to read P2B, you're going to need to read the first story in the trilogy, "Phase One: Genesis." I don't feature in that one, but it's an amazing read and you should totally check it out.

Alright. Enough plugging.

Shoutout to those who reviewed since the last update, which includes Oragonking, a Guest reviewer, PigniteGamer29, BraviaryScout, Cottonmouth25, Ew futf, a Guest reviewer, Boy Knight, SonicIKE, a Guest reviewer, and Sai Og Sus. Thanks for the patience and support folks, it's so, so appreciated.

Not gonna waste time. Here's another monster chapter because life is suffering, and suffering is really long chapters. Seriously, this is now my new second-longest chapter in the story. Heh.

Enjoy.


Chapter 86: Burn It Down


Many Years Ago…


Hoenn: Route 109


Charlie yelped as a spray of water washed over him, making the teen shiver as his brother cackled gleefully. The Hoenn sun shone brightly overhead, unobstructed by any clouds. It was a truly beautiful day.

"Jamie, you want to stop being an idiot for like, two seconds?" Charlie grumbled, wiping the salt water out of his eyes. His younger brother grinned mischievously at him, stepping backwards as Charlie glared at him.

"Naaaah! Messing with you is way to fun!" Jamie said as he sat down in the shallows, fighting back a giggle. Charlie scowled, looking away from his brother to gaze at the flock of Wingull and Pelipper that were fluttering around the beach. They seemed a lot more active today, the older teen noticed, but he didn't think much of it. His own Wingull seemed perturbed by something earlier, but Charlie didn't know what.

"Hey!"

Charlie was snapped out of his thoughts by his brother waving his hands in front of his older brother's face. Jamie cocked his head, much like a confused dog. "You good, Charlie?"

"I'm good. Just thinking, man...You wanna get some Soda Pop and fries at the Seashore House? Dad gave me money for lunch." Charlie asked his little brother, who shook his head.

"I wanna head out to the sand bar. Maybe this time we'll see a Tentacruel!" Jamie said impatiently, stepping out towards the deeper parts of the ocean. Charlie scowled. That was all very well and good for Jamie, but Charlie was a bad swimmer. Just because Jamie had found success as a Trainer, the boy thought he was invincible.

Against his better judgement, he began to wade out to the deeper waters. Jamie smirked, knowing that he had gotten his way yet again. Charlie loved his brother, but it irked him to no end that the boy could wrap everyone around his fingers.

"What a brat…" Charlie muttered as a Wingull landed on his head. Charlie looked up at his Partner, smiling at Flappy as the bird chirped softly to him. ''Ain't that right, Flappy?"

The Wingull nodded, with Jamie scowling. Apparently he heard the entire conversation. Jamie pointed at the Wingull and said, "Don't make me sic my Manectric on you! It'd clip your wings in two seconds!"

"I ain't a Trainer, stupid." Charlie grumbled as they ventured further and further out. They were by no means the ones farthest out to sea, but they were much further out than Charlie was comfortable with without his parents there.

"I know! When are you gonna start your journey, Charlie? I'm already at my fifth gym!" Charlie complained, crossing his arms and sinking down into the water. Charlie scratched the back of his head, chuckling.

"No idea. Battling just doesn't appeal to me. Honestly, I still wanna become a cop." Charlie said with a sheepish grin, with Jamie frowning in disappointment. Charlie frowned right back at his younger brother. "Dude, don't give me that look. It's a freaking career, instead of turning into an awkward loser at 20 or so who gets wrecked by some 11-year old starting his journey. I want a career, not a lifestyle. You know?"

"I mean...do get it. It's a good idea and I totally support that idea. But as your brother, I say that kinda sucks and you should go on a journey with me." Jamie said, grinning at his older brother. While Charlie was less talented as a Trainer, the idea of hanging out with his brother in the wilds was way too fun to pass up in Jamie's eyes. Charlie sighed, shaking his head. He didn't really want to be dragged through the Gym Circuit just to appease his dork of a brother.

"You can't get everything you want in life, James." Charlie said as Flappy cawed in agreement. Jamie opened his mouth to retort, but the distant rumble of thunder make the two brothers blink in surprise.

"No way...Mom said there wasn't supposed to be rain for like, another week. Cloudless skies…" Charlie muttered as he looked up, and saw something not quite what lined up with the forecast. Dark clouds were quickly spreading across the sky like a thick blanket, bringing with them a powerful downpour of rain. Several other beach-goers caught sight of the approaching clouds and pointed out at them, confused. Flappy screeched at the approaching clouds, shivering slightly. Charlie narrowed his eyes at the storm, feeling his Partner's unease. Something was wrong...

"That looks kinda rough." Jamie remarked, cocking his head before grinning. "I bet those Tentacruel are gonna be poking their heads out of the water any minute now! We might not even have to go out to the sandbars!"

"You moron...Let's head back. I don't want to be caught in a storm like that." Charlie said, looking back towards the storm. His eyes widened in surprise to find that the storm clouds were almost directly overhead, despite having been miles away just a few moments ago. Thunder boomed out from overhead, with the sky crackling with deadly lightning.

"H-how did it move so fast!?" Jamie sputtered, obviously just as confused as Charlie was. "There's no way a storm could move that fast in seconds!"

Within moments, the curtain of rain had reached the two brothers. The boys fell into the water with two yells of pain, completely thrown off-balance by the sheer force of the rain hitting them now. The water began to swell and twist around them, making it harder to pull themselves out of it. Charlie managed to stand and pulled his brother to his feet, with the boy shivering uncontrollably as the storm raged around them. Flappy the Wingull screeched at the storm, ruffling its wings.

"What's with this rain!?" Charlie shouted over the deafening deluge, wincing in pain from the downpour. He had never seen a storm like this. He had never seen rain never fall so hard and so fast before.

"M-m-maybe we should get back to the shore?" Jamie suggested, a note of fear in his voice as he spotted several flocks of Wingull frantically trying to escape the wrath of the storm as the wind began to howl. The boys shivered as the rain slapped them and the wind tore mercilessly at everything around them, making the water rend wildly and threaten to drag them down. Charlie realized something terrible after several moments.

The water was rising around them.

"Jamie, we've got to hurry!" Charlie barked as he forced his way towards the beach that was quickly being swallowed by the sea. Charlie saw to his horror that many others were fighting against the storm that had engulfed them, with the ocean quickly rising around them. Thousands of people all along Route 109 were struggling against Mother Nature, and Mother Nature was winning.

"C-charlie, what's happening?" Jamie cried out, trembling slightly as the water rose up to his shoulders.

"I don't know! Get on my shoulders! That way you're above water!" Charlie yelled, bending down slightly so his brother could be further away from the hungry maw of the ocean that was rapidly climbing higher, defying the laws of nature. Jamie hopped on his brother's back, fear shining in his eyes as the sky overhead rumbled and groaned.

"What on earth is going on...This isn't normal!" Charlie hissed as he forged onward, his terrified and shivering brother clinging to his back as Flappy chirped encouragement to the teen as he plodded ahead. Charlie took a look up into the sky, towards the east, and felt his heart stop.

Drifting through the sky, illuminated by a strange blue light engulfing its body, was some strange creature. Charlie couldn't make out what it was due to the distance away, but just looking at it made the teen shiver. But seeing it made the teen feel a great sense of dread. As if this was the beginning of something so much worse.

Charlie stared into the sky with his eyes trained on the faraway beast, his heart filling with absolute terror as the creature let out a earth-shattering roar from the heavens below. The sky crackled with blue lightning as the clouds became as black as death, the rain coming down even harder now. Little did the teen know that this harsh downpour descending upon Hoenn was going to drown them all. It would return everything to zero. Nothing would be alive. All would fall before the might of the sea, and the one who commanded the ocean's power.

"Charlie! Come on!" Jamie urged his brother, who began moving again at his brother's request. In the few moments he had been distracted, the ocean had risen another few inches. Around him Charlie could see limbs flailing in the water, with…

The teen ignored what he saw and pressed on, determined not to let the same fate befall him and his brother. The tide fought hard, however, and soon enough the brothers were up to their necks in the raging sea. The shore seemed to be an impossible distance away. Jamie screamed in terror, his body flailing as Charlie struggled to remain standing as the waves threatened to knock him down. Flappy flew off from Charlie's head and stuck out her leg to her Trainer, who grabbed it. With that, the Wingull flapped her wings hard, helping move Charlie and Jamie through the ocean yet again. They made it another few steps before a wave slammed over the two of them, knocking Jamie off of Charlie's back and sending Charlie straight into the water.

The older brother struggled to the surface, and when he broke free he was greeted by a downpour that threatened to consume him. Flappy screeched and flew down to him, trying desperately to pull him to the shore by grabbing his hair and pulling. The small bird strained and screeched, unable to prevent Charlie from being dragged back into the raging seas. However, when the boy did pop back out of the water, he saw his little brother thrashing in the water several meters away.

"Jamie! Come here!" Charlie screamed, desperately trying to swim towards his little brother as he frantically tried to stay above the water. Another wave smashed into both boys, sending them deeper into the oceans maw. Charlie kicked and moved his arms as hard as he could under the water, but to no avail. Charlie's lungs burned as he struggled against the riptide he was caught in, terrified for not only his safety but that of his brother as well. Finally, as a burst of blue light flashed overhead, a Pelipper suddenly dove into the water and grabbed Charlie by the arm, pulling him to the surface. The teen gasped for air, coughing hard as the Pelipper flapped its wings above him. Charlie stared at the Pokémon for several moments before he realized his Partner had evolved in order to save him. He couldn't revel in this moment, however, as there were more important things to focus on.

"Jamie! Come over here! Flappy can get us to shore!" Charlie screamed as he turned towards his brother, but was terrified to see that the boy had vanished. Charlie thrashed against the current, desperately trying to see where his brother had gone. Flappy squawked urgently, but Charlie shook his head.

"Not without Jamie!" Charlie yelled, trying to fight the waves to see where his brother had gone. He was barely making any headway, when all of a sudden another wave washed over him, knocking the breath out of him. Charlie choked and flailed under the water, only for Flappy to dive in and pull him up a second time, grabbing both of Charlie's hands within her mouth and flying towards the shore with her Trainer.

"No! Flappy, we have to go back! Jamie's still out there!" Charlie shouted, struggling against his Partner's hold on his hands. But the Pelipper was stronger, and they neared the waterfront within moments, thanks to Flappy's stronger wings.

"Jamie...JAMIE!" Charlie screamed as the newly evolved Pelipper flapped her wings hard against the wicked wind, with Charlie's horrified screams drifting into the storm…

Four hours later, the rainfall would finally cease. Team Aqua would be apprehended that evening, with it being reported that the nationwide scare was their doing. As citizens exited their shelters and homes, they saw firsthand the devastation the eco-terrorists had caused.

Charlie and his parents found Jamie's body floating alongside thousands of others who drowned in the great downpour Primal Kyogre had caused. That Team Aqua had caused...Because of them, so many innocents had died a terrible death. And Jamie would never live to see his older brother become a cop. He would never become a full-fledged Pokémon Trainer and beat all of the Gyms. He'd never challenge for the Championship, like he had always dreamed of. Charlie's annoying little brother would never get the chance to grow up and live out his dreams.

And because of that Charles Dawson would never forgive Team Aqua.

Nor would he forgive the people who let something like this happen to Hoenn under their watch.


The crowd screamed in horror as Shadow Articuno landed on the barrier, letting out a shriek of fury as its eyes burned with darkness. The Legendary opened its mouth and released a blast of darkness from its beak that arced towards the crowd, exploding open impact and destroying a thankfully empty section of the stadium. People screamed in terror at the furious Legendary as it rampaged through the arena, firing off beams of ice and darkness as the crowd evacuated the building. Dawson watched the display with a detached feeling of awe, even as some of the Cipher Peons in the stands raised their guns into the air and began to fire their weapons, effectively scaring more people out of the stadium and discouraging those who would try to stop them. Dawson turned his attention back to the task ahead.

"Okay...showtime." Dawson said with a small exhale, twirling his pistol as he glanced at the Peons standing nearby. "Collapse the entrances. Leave one open for us, just in case."

"Yes sir!" the three men chorused before heading to the far entrance. Dawson turned towards Cynthia and strode forward with purpose, his eyes gleaming with determination. The frozen Champion and her loyal Garchomp stared at them from within the ice, and Dawson smiled at them. He raised Justice and began firing shots into the ice near Cynthia, weakening the ice around her slightly by blasting away chunks of it. Stepping back, he flipped a switch on the side of his hand-cannon, causing the tip of the weapon to begin to glow white hot with heat. Dawson pressed the tip of the Justice into the ice, making it hiss as it began to melt. Within minutes, and as he watched Shadow Articuno finally drive out the last of the spectators and those foolish enough to try and break through the barrier, he finally melted enough of the ice to free Cynthia's head and some of her torso.

Dawson regarded the Champion for a few moments, a small smile coming to his face before he exhaled deeply. His hand this lanced through the air, slapping Cynthia hard in the face and making her jerk back, snapping her back to consciousness.

"What...Who…" Cynthia sputtered, shivering violently as she weakly looked around. Upon seeing the ice encasing her and Garchomp, she turned her gaze to Dawson and her eyes widened in horror upon seeing she was defenseless and alone.

"W-w-what...what have you d-d-one?" Cynthia chattered, weakly looking at Dawson as he stared down at her, clipping his hand-cannon to his belt.

"What I've done...is taken some time out of your busy schedule for a chat." Dawson said smoothly, taking off his hat and flipping it in his hands, his tone gentle and smooth.

"However, I'm here on business. Not pleasure. Otherwise I'd slit your throat." Dawson said with a careless shrug. "Thanks to this shield, nothing can get in or out of this battlefield except through the single door that my men are guarding. Nothing short of Arceus itself could break that thing down, and nothing can bypass it. However, this also means I can't just take you to our HQ to interrogate you. So I'll do it here. My personnel and fellow Admins will keep everyone else out of our hair for a while so we can have a nice discussion." Dawson said as he placed the hat back on his head, drawing a knife from a sheath on his left leg. The blade was small, black, and rather thin. Other than that, it didn't seem all that special.

"Now...How does one enter the Snowpoint Temple?" Dawson asked the Sinnoh Champion, drawing closer and looking her dead in the eye.

Cynthia spat in Dawson's face.

Dawson blinked twice, wiping away the spit with a bored expression. Dawson shrugged again, leaning back on the balls of his feet before smirking. "Not the first time I've gotten that one. Some people peg me as a womanizer. I won't lie and say that not I'm a bit of a flirt, but it's mostly a fun way to get people to not see the bigger picture. It's a fun facade to hide something else." The words the former bounty hunter spoke were innocent enough, but the expression on his face was hard. Cynthia could tell that the man was telling the truth, and that he was capable of getting much nastier if provoked.

"See the bigger picture, Champ. There's a lot of bad people in the world. And Cipher's nothing if not good at making sure they're the biggest bullies on the playground. So...now that we've got someone not who's not a total slimeball in charge of the group and wants to do some good with it, maybe things can take a course for the better. Cipher can do a lot of good in the world with just a little more firepower. A few more Legendaries and we'll be strong enough to take on whatever the Leagues throw our way. We can fix things. Truly fix things. And make sure no one else rises up to try and upset the natural order of the world...Ahh...But that's the crux of the issue. You all don't want to fix your broken system. Because you hold all the cards. All the power...And do nothing with it." Dawson spoke slowly, twirling the blade expertly in his hands as the words drifted from his mouth, his tone light as a feather.

"There's ceckss and balances in place. The Champion can't just do whatever they want. Borlath...He knows that. It's why he's never tried to be Champion himself." Cynthia spat out, with Dawson nodding.

"Because while the Champion is a powerful position, it isn't one that allows someone to change the world. To fix it. And to protect it from those who wish to force their will upon others. It's a leadership role more than anything else, and it's a position that allows someone to essentially control a country and help shape the laws and order of that region. The politics involved with the Leagues is quite a mess." Dawson remarked, taking a few steps away from Cynthia. He glanced back at her, his cheerful look fading away completely.

"Let me tell you a story. Of a Champion who sat on his ass while Team Aqua and Team Magma threatened the world with their schemes. His name is Steven Stone. Sound familiar?" Dawson asked Cynthia, who scowled at the man. "Yeah, you two are pretty good friends. Some even claim that you're more than that, though I've never been one to care for gossip." Dawson nearly smirked as Cynthia's face turned slightly pink, but he continued.

"You see, over a decade ago, there was a threat to the region of Hoenn by the name of Team Aqua. They sought to expand the ocean for the sake of both humans and Pokémon. To that end, they enacted a series of schemes and set about making their dreams a reality."

"They succeeded."

Cynthia shivered, and it had nothing to do with the ice encasing her. The words were spoken with no amount of emotion in them. Utterly dead. Soulless. Cynthia knew what this meant.

"They were stopped in the end. May put an end to their plot and saved the region!" Cynthia barked at Dawson, her expression almost pleading, but the man smiled at Cynthia as some emotion returned to his face, but it was just as intimidating. The smile was cold. Calculating. And as sharp as a knife.

"That's very true. May did exactly what Steven Stone couldn't. She did the Champion's job and protected the region he was supposed to safeguard. She put an end to Team Aqua's awful plan that would have drowned the world in a furious downpour...But she couldn't save everyone. All it took was a few hours for plenty of damage to be done," Dawson said quietly, reaching down into his pants pocket. After a moment, he pulled out a crumpled photograph and showed it to Cynthia.

The picture was of two young boys, both of whom were grinning at the camera. Two brothers. The two blond-haired boys were sitting on a sandy beach, a small sand castle built in front of them. The younger of the two brothers had shorter hair than the other and had two large front teeth in his smile. The other looked more awkward and was much taller, with longer hair and a sheepish smile on his face. A Wingull sat on the taller boy's head, cawing happily. Cynthia looked at the wrinkled photo for a moment, taking in the scene of the two happy boys on the beach before looking up at Dawson.

"It's incredible, you know. Everyone loves to focus on the aftermath of the debacle. May's Championship win and Rayquaza's return. But they never seem to realize just how much damage was done in the 4 hours that Primal Kyogre ravaged the land with its powers." Dawson said quietly, folding the picture up and tucking it back into his pocket. "A super-ancient Pokémon like Kyogre being awakened like that had a terrible effect on the beaches and coastlines of the world. Natural disasters kicked up like crazy. Hurricanes, tropical storms, tsunamis, you name it. Over a twenty thousand people died in Hoenn thanks to the actions of Team Aqua. So many people were destroyed while at sea, drowned from flooding, or were swept away by the storms that ravaged the world in those terrible hours before the downpour ended."

"And on the southern coast of Slateport City, there was a particularly nasty storm surge. One of many that occurred all around the Hoenn, but one I was personally there to witness. I managed to escape the grasp of the ocean by the skin of my teeth, thanks to my Wingull evolving. My brother Jamie, however…" Dawson's voice faded off for a moment, with the man sighing deeply and shutting his eyes. Cynthia stared at the man for a few moments before he opened his eyes and spoke, his voice steady again.

"Jamie was a bit of a brat. He was a know-it-all and was sometimes annoying. He was the family's golden child, for some reason that could never be figured out. Maybe it was because he was pretty good at battling whereas I never developed any real talent for it. He had the uncanny ability to make anyone do whatever he wanted, twisting them around his little finger. But most importantly…" Cynthia gasped as the blade in Dawson's grip suddenly began to glow a cherry red color, giving off an alarming amount of heat. The bounty hunter twirled the blade in his hand for a moment before burying it into Cynthia's shoulder, making her scream in agony as the scorching blade ripped through her flesh and muscle, searing everything it touched.

"He was my little brother...and I loved him."


Lillie huffed as she ran alongside the others, the cacophony of the crowd pounded against her ears, the screams of panic and horror echoing through the stadium as everyone had the same idea. Thousands of voices rose up throughout the Battle Royal Dome, a maelstrom of fear slowly reaching fever pitch as it sank in that Cipher had attacked and taken out two of the strongest Trainers currently in Alola. Which is why a single thought was on everyone's mind at the moment.

Escape.

"Sun, who was that guy?" Lana asked the boy as they made their way down the stairs and began to exit the stadium proper, a look of bewilderment on her face. The sound of distant gunfire echoed through the building, making several people scream in terror. "You called him Dawson?"

"Yeah! I knew him before he joined Cipher!" Sun called back, looking ahead. The thick crowds of people had already formed just outside the stadium. Lillie faintly remembered how civil Sun and Dawson had been to each other. He was certainly different than Amber and that masked man that attacked Hau a few weeks prior.

Hugh scowled angrily at that information, which Laura Smiles noticed, because she said, "For your information, this was before we knew Ashton was with Cipher!"

"It's alright, we're not blaming you or anything. Sun, wasn't Dawson the one who kidnapped you and Lillie a few days ago?" Vivian asked the boy, who nodded. Sun's eyes then widened in horror as he realized something.

"Dawson warned me to stay out of the area. He didn't want me to get hurt...when he led an attack on the stadium." Sun stated as the others exchanged glances.

"Why would he do that? He's a Cipher Admin." Hugh asked, confused and annoyed.

"Just because he's with the bad guys doesn't mean he's completely evil like Amber is. Dawson was always nice to me whenever he came around to talk to Dad. He even gave me some good advice about dealing with some of my problems before things got really bad in Kanto." Sun retorted, making Hugh scowl. "I just don't get why they'd attack like this! Why go after Cynthia?"

"Region Champions know all sorts of secrets. I'd wager he wanted a chance to interrogate her." Kukui said with a worried frown as they reached the stadium lobby. "And he's got all the time in the world. They started collapsing the entrances from what I could see before we left. And that barrier is nearly indestructible. Even the stadium collapsing on top of it wouldn't damage it at all."

"So why are we running instead of fighting?" Korrina asked as she looked worriedly around the lobby.

"Because this is just the beginning. Cipher has extremely dangerous Pokémon and weapons at their disposal. We don't have the kind of Trainers Kanto did when Cipher attacked at that concert. There's thousands of children and people who can't defend themselves. We should be focusing on helping them first." Burnet said, looking at Lillie.

"We can't focus on Dawson anyway. There's more to this. There's no way there's only a handful of Cipher guys doing this. It's just like the superdome in Kanto. This is a full-on assault." Aria said as she clenched her fists. "We need to get outside. Regroup and figure out a plan of attack. We can't let them get away with a Champion and we can't let them secure a place like Royal Avenue. Especially with millions of people tuning in to see this Tournament. The fear they could generate worldwide would be nothing short of massive."

"The panic...would be...incredible." Noah wheezed, his face bright red as he struggled to keep up. Vivian made a strangled cry as she ran over to help Noah, who was panting heavily and seemed exhausted. The group stopped as the young man tried to catch his breath.

"As much as I hate running, we can't really stop for a break!" Clemont said nervously, eyeing the Cipher Peons nearby who were shouting at them with a large rifle aimed their way, with Clemont making sure Bonnie wasn't in his line of sight. Vivian turned a furious gaze to the Kalosian, her eyes burning with fury.

"He can't run like this!" Vivian snapped at the Gym Leader. "He's got leukemia, you ass!"

"How was I supposed to know?" Clemont asked, looking conflicted and confused. Hugh took that moment to grab Noah and lift the young man onto his shoulders, grunting slightly but otherwise unbothered by the weight on his shoulders.

"My...hero…" Noah panted, grinning despite everything.

"Don't worry man, I've got your back." Hugh said with a snarky grin to the sickly Trainer, who gave a weak laugh in response. Vivian shot Hugh a look of absolute gratitude, to which the other Trainer just shrugged with a small smile. With that, the group set off again to escape the occupied arena and sort out just what was going on. And perhaps, find a way to fix things.

As they finally emerged outside, they beheld a worrying sight. Flames had consumed many of the tents and makeshift buildings within Royal Avenue, with the sound of distorted laughter echoing through the air. Worst yet was the sight of several battling Trainers quickly being subdued by Cipher's Shadow Pokémon. Especially a floating orange and greenish-blue Pokémon that Sun could have sworn he saw before that was soaring through the skies, firing off lasers into the fair.

"What in the…I've never seen a Pokémon like that before!" Mallow said, sounding horrified as the creature was suddenly blasted by a stream of water. The group spotted Misty, Volkner, and Jasmine standing together, ordering various Pokémon to try and subdue the strange creature. Surprisingly, Rotom Dex floated in front of them, waving its arms frantically.

"That Pokémon was at the Superdome! That's the one Borlath used to get away!" Aria shouted, recognizing the creature as it changed its shape slightly and easily began to dodge the attacks launched at it, including a massive Thunder attack.

"I've got a match! From the National Dex! Bzztztzzzt!" Rotom Dex yelled out, flipping to the appropriate entry.

"Deoxys. The DNA Pokémon. Deoxys emerged from a virus that came from space. It is highly intelligent and wields psychokinetic powers. This Pokémon shoots lasers from the crystalline organ on its chest." Rotom Dex informed Sun as the creature easily dodged the barrage of attacks from the three Gym Leaders. In response, it groaned and the gem on its chest began to glow a harsh green color before firing a massive beam of raw energy that ripped through the air, taking out the Pokémon attacking it. Every single one of them dropped to the ground, unconscious. The Gym Leaders recalled their Pokémon and retreated as Deoxys soared away, unleashing attacks upon the stadium and the crowds below.

"Incredible…" Kukui breathed, both awed and horrified. "That thing is brutally powerful. We need to get out of here!" Kukui said tersely, quickening his pace and grabbing Burnet and Lillie's hand. Meanwhile, Deoxys was sweeping through the air, teleporting to dodge attacks from below and firing off beams of light. Cipher itself remained mostly passive, shouting at them and brandishing their weapons but not actually attacking. Sun wondered if Dawson was keeping them in check somehow.

The group quickly made their way to the massive crowd outside by the main street, which was in full-blown panic mode. Hau dashed to where Hala was standing, talking to Adrian Battlestorm's assistant, Kelly.

"Nanu is already coordinating a rescue attempt with Quill. The barrier is impassible, even with Shadow Sneak or Teleport." Hala grumbled, crossing his arms. "Worst part is that they've got hostages. Adrian and Olivia, along with a few others. Cipher's already warned that if the we act, they'll be killed."

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Aria growled, looking around. Lillie wondered what was going through the Snagger's mind, but didn't say anything. She felt someone grab her hand though, and a quick glance told her it was Sun. The boy looked like he was both angry and scared. Lillie worried about him, but she knew he was strong enough to get through whatever Cipher was doing.

"Ash…" Laura Smiles muttered, catching their attention. "Why are you doing this? What do you gain?"

"This isn't just some random attack, Mom. This was planned out. The barrier rising and falling when it did, the lights cutting out, and waiting for Cynthia to be out on the battlefield. This was a really elaborate setup." Sun said to his mother, who nodded in agreement. Lillie wondered just what all of that meant. Sun's father was the new leader of Cipher, after all, and had done worse things. As if on cue...

"Enough!" came a familiar voice that boomed through the city, making Lillie's heart fill with dread and her blood run cold. Deoxys floated to the ground and landed on the ground in front of them, humming softly as everyone warily stared at the extraterrestrial Pokémon. Lillie spotted someone walking into view and turned her head, and that feeling of dread worsened.

The man looked tired, as if he hadn't slept properly in weeks. His hair was neatly arranged in a ponytail and his usual white suit was pristine as always. His eyes scanned the crowd with some slight distaste, but his expression was neutral. Finally, the man stopped beside Deoxys, his dark blue eyes flickering to the DNA Pokémon for a brief moment before settling on the crowd. His eyes changed to white, green, and white before settling on a bright purple. The man looked as if he was Sun, just aged about twenty years or so and filled with a lifetime and sadness. He seemed familiar, too. Like a long lost friend.

"It's been a long time, Alola…" Ashton Aupuni said quietly, eyeing the crowds as they stared at the man with awe. The black-haired man's eyes flickered to silver as he beheld the people around him as he stood alongside Deoxys. The businessman-turned-criminal stood there for a moment, a small laugh escaping his lips for a moment before he spoke again.

"A lot has changed in the years I've been gone." Ashton said softly, a little smile on his face. The crowd was held spellbound by the man's smooth and rich voice, gentle and calm. "Royal Avenue...I remember when this place was just a dream. A place for everyone to come together and celebrate the ancient tradition of the Battle Royal, birthed here in Alola. To see it take form is pretty strange, to be completely honest."

"Though, Alola itself is home to so many oddities. And to think that somewhere, my child and my wife are hiding from me...Well, that's another matter entirely. Odd doesn't begin to cover that particular subject." Borlath's eyes turned red for several moments before he slowly exhaling, the color changing to storm-gray in both of his eyes. Eyes that drifted through the crowd and found the only other person whose eyes reflected those of himself. Borlath's eyes turned pure white then, replaced by a jet-black. Lillie had come to recognize the colors of emotion regarding the strange eye disorder the father and son shared. White was shock, and black was despair.

"My little boy...My Sunshine." Ashton whispered, a wide smile coming to his face. Lillie could tell this was a genuine smile of happiness. There wasn't any faking that sort of emotion. Ashton stepped forward, his eyes changing to a gold color before he stopped himself, chuckling slightly. Gold was happiness.

"I'm getting ahead of myself. It's good to see you again, Sun. I'm sorry I had to crash the Tournament, but it was necessary. Once we get what we want we'll be on our way. You made it pretty far though, and even if I don't approve of your new career...I can't deny you definitely showed everyone that you're truly my son." Ashton said to his son, who clenched his fists as his eyes turned bright red. Red was anger. Lillie shuddered at the fury in the boy's eyes, and burning rage that raged through the Trainer as he stared down the man who had raised him...and ruined his life, along with the lives of countless others.

"I hate you." Sun hissed at Ashton, who jerked back in surprise before smiling again.

"No, you don't. You're angry. You're disgusted. And you're hurt." Ashton said gently, crossing his arms. "And you have every right to be, son. I've done a lot of terrible things lately. But you and I both know why. Think back, Sun. Why do I do what I do? Why would I unleash so much bloodshed and stain my soul like this?...For a better tomorrow. A world I know that you and Laura will be able to live in without fear. A world of peace. This day is just another step towards that goal, my son. And know that what I do, I do because I love you both."

"You're a liar. You lied to me! You lied to Mom! You lied to Aria and Hugh and everyone else!" Sun shouted at Ashton, stepping forward. "How do you expect me to ever trust you again!?"

"I don't." Ashton said quietly, reaching forward and cupping Sun's face, his expression one of regret and shame. Ashton removed his hand before he could do anything else, stepping away from his child. The sadness on the man's face was clearly visible, but his expression was determined. "But that's okay. I don't need you to understand, Sun. I've come to realize many of my mistakes when it came to raising you. I tried to teach you how to run a business and think like me...When I should have explained things to you. I tried to protect you from the darkness of the world, the darkness I had consumed myself in order to save it. And this was what came of my actions. Regardless, I will make this world a better place by ensuring that no criminal will ever threaten this world again. Cipher will be the only evil left in this world, a sadly necessary one, however. In the end I will become the hero this world needs."

The crowd remained silent at the man's words. Was this really the true goal of Cipher? To become powerful enough to drive out the other criminals of the world?

"I don't believe you." Sun growled at the man, stepping forward. "Not after everything you've done. To Erika. To Lorelei. To me and Mom...To Nova." Sun growled at his father, who winced at the last name. "You're a murderer. You're a liar. And I don't believe for a moment that you're going to stop at whatever scheme you say you're going to. That once you've gotten the Leagues to listen to you, you'll keep the peace. You want control. Power. You always have!"

Ashton sighed, shaking his head as his eyes changed to black before turning blue. "Son, why would I lie to you? If I wanted to, my forces could tear this crowd apart with ease. All I need to for Dawson to interrogate Cynthia. Depending on how easily she gives in, we could be out of here within the hour."

"What are you doing to Cynthia?" Kukui demanded, his face darkening. Ashton smirked, crossing his arms. His expression changed, then, and Lillie saw for the first time the darkness within the man. What Sun feared...

"Professor Kukui, It's been a while. Glad to see you're doing well, Johnny. If you really must know, Dawson is torturing the Sinnoh Champion within the Battle Royal Dome, surrounded by one of the strongest barriers in the world. I would know. I helped fund its development with the Devon Corporation. Once we have the information we need, Cynthia will be released and you may resume your little Tournament."

"What kind of lies did you tell Dawson to get him to join Cipher?" Sun demanded, with Ashton's smile becoming sharper.

"Again, you're under the delusion that just because I lived a double life means that I lied to you. I rarely lie. I prefer to tell awful truths instead, since they're funnier. Dawson came to me many months ago and joined Cipher of his own accord. I offered him a position with us because he and I share similar ideals, Sun, but in the end he voluntarily came to become a valuable asset to our team. He understands that in order to change this world, blood must be spilt and pain must be shared. Change is a harsh thing. Dawson is one of the few who took justice into his own hands and silenced Team Aqua and Team Magma when others would not. He, like myself, wants to help make this world a better place."

"I'm not going to stand here and hear you lie to me! The more you talk, the more you try to paint this picture of peace and happiness built on the bodies of innocent people! Not again! I'm tired of your lies!" Sun shouted at the man, who seemed taken aback for a moment before allowing himself a small smile.

"This world is broken, my son. It shouldn't be as easy as it was for someone like me to achieve power like this. To amass a horde of super-powerful Pokémon and threaten worldwide peace. To turn a Champion's power into nothing. I've explained this before, Sun…" Ashton trailed off, but Sun picked up where he left off.

"In this world, there are heroes and there are monsters." Sun said softly, with Ashton nodded in response, a small smile coming to his lips. "But you're hurting millions of innocent people. People who have nothing to do with those bad people!"

Ashton's smile faded, a flicker of something that seemed like true regret on his face. Lillie wondered then...Was this a man who could handle the weight of his crimes? And then it was gone. His expression still remained somber, however.

"Yes...Many will have to die. I'm not as deluded as some of the others who have come before me. Displays of fear and destruction are needed to rally the public. To make the fools who hold the cards understand that change needs to happen. Ineffectual Leagues with do-nothing Champions cannot continue to run this world. Sooner or later, a hero will not be enough to save the day, and the world will fade into oblivion." Ashton explained, looking towards the setting sun.

"Aqua, Magma, Galactic, Flare, Cipher...So many more in just these past few years. The world is constantly on the edge of destruction. An entire planet constantly hangs within the balance, Sun. And I refuse to live in a world where my wife and child are threatened by madmen. So I claimed the reins of Cipher and gave them power. And now I control the strongest criminal syndicate in the world." Ashton said with a smirk, shrugging after a moment. "I didn't want to hold the reins myself. Greevil was supposed to be my puppet. He would do the dirty deeds himself, while I influenced things from behind the scenes. But things got complicated and I had to step up. Arceus knows I didn't want to...My conscious might not even be able to handle the stress of it. Even now I struggle some days. But sometimes life doesn't work out the way you want it to, now does it?"

"No. But we also didn't freeze an entire city and kill millions. We didn't help madmen get into power and control a region. And you killed my...m-my best friend!" Laura shouted at Ashton, who shut his eyes, looking away again. Lillie could see it, again, and it confused her. Sun's father clearly regretted the awful things he had done, but he wouldn't be swayed, and continued to do them for the sake of the future he wanted.

"I did. It was an act of anger and fear. I was worried you would corrupt Sun. I decided that I would have to silence you and take him away, before I lost everything. I could stand to lose you, Laura...but not my Sunshine." Ashton said softly, looking at his wife in the eyes before turning to Sun. "All of this was for you, my son. I want a world where you don't have to suffer. I could use Cipher to eliminate the broken systems of the world that have allowed evil to flourish and destroy the criminals that plague this world, leaving only Cipher standing."

"That's...insane." Mallow whispered, her eyes wide. "You became a villain so you could get rid of all the other villains? You literally became the thing you were fighting?"

"True, But I've not lost sight of myself. What I do is for the greater good of the world. What are a millions compared to the world? And I'm willing to pay whatever price I have to in order to create a future where my son is happy and can live in peace. I think a few million lives are worth the price of ensuring the planet doesn't get destroyed in some ridiculous scheme." Ashton responded, silencing Mallow.

"You already failed, then." Hau said, speaking up. Ashton turned his attention to the boy, who said, "Sun's suffered a crapton because of you."

"It's also incredibly selfish." Laura growled, glaring daggers at the man. "You've condemned the lives of millions because of your selfish wish. You can't make the world perfect, Ash. You can't just stamp out all evil by being the baddest kid in the schoolyard. You've become something else entirely...I don't even recognize the man I married. All I see is a monster!"

Ashton stared at Laura Smiles in shock before he looked down at the ground, but it wasn't before Lillie saw the color of his eyes. Black. Ashton chuckled softly then, a faint thing that slowly picked up in volume until he picked up his head and simply grinned at Laura, his eyes reverting to silver.

"Alright then. If that's how you want it." Ashton said calmly, his voice as smooth as it was before. He snapped his fingers and Deoxys hummed beside him, its eyes burning with energy as Laura Smiles was lifted into the air, yelling out in pain as the attack struck her. Sun screamed in horror and tried to pull her down, but to no avail. Lillie stood there, horrified, as Ashton just smiled at them.

"I tried to be civil. To explain what was going on. To make up for the secrets and misdirection before. Being open and honest doesn't seem to be working though, and if you two want me to be the bad guy so much...Then I can be the bad guy." Ashton whispered darkly, closing his eyes as Deoxys tightened its grip on Laura as she choked for air. "If anyone tries to interfere, I'll escalate this further. I will not hesitate to kill the hostages and my ex-wife if a single one of you moves an inch."

"Dad! Please, just stop it!" Sun desperately tried to pull Laura away, but the psychic hold on her was too strong. Lillie horrified to see that the man was smiling with his eyes shut, ignoring the boy's pleading.

"In this world, there are heroes and there are monsters. But I suppose sometimes, the two must become one for the greater good." Borlath said as he opened his eyes, which were both blue. Sadness, Lillie realized. "If it destroys what's left of the good man that I am, then so be it. I will save this world from destruction and become the darkness to its light. A darkness that blots out the evils of this world and protects it from destruction! Cipher will become the only shadow in this world, and if I have to burn everything down in my path then I'll do just that!"

"Not quite." came a familiar voice that made Lillie feel a small spark of hope. A flash of silver behind Borlath caught Lillie's eyes and suddenly a massive blade slashed through Deoxys, making it groan in agony as it's severed arm dropped to the ground, dissolving into the air. The DNA Pokémon floated away as Borlath whirled around, only for Ollie to suddenly leapt towards the man from a nearby shadow and whip out a pistol from his jacket, placing it against the man's head and firing-

Only for Borlath's body to shimmer in and out of existence, with the man smirking at the International Police Captain. Ollie stared at the image of Borlath in horror before scowling at the man.

"Once again, I'm one step ahead of you Agent Quill." Borlath said quietly as the hologram shuddered for another few moments before regaining its form. "You think I would actually step foot in this cursed place? Not on your life. The technology to allow me to see and direct events from afar has been around for years, now. A simple hologram suffices for a disgusting place like this. Now stand down or I'll have Deoxys lay waste to this crowd and have the blood be on your hands."

Deoxys began to reform as it floated away, throwing a Shadow Ball at Ollie and Aegislash as they jumped away from the attack. Ollie growled at the man, but knew his hands were tied. Instead he began to mutter to himself as Borlath turned his attention back to Sun, who was now holding his mother's hand and Lillie's hand as he glared down his father. Laura was panting from the pain she had just been subjected too. Sun looked at his father with a silent, pleading expression. The man's expression softened for a moment as he allowed himself a small smile.

"You choose to stand with them rather than me." Borlath said quietly, shutting his eyes. Lillie could hear the faint note of hurt in his voice. "I don't blame you, Sun. After everything I've done to you both, I'd probably do the same thing. Very well then...If it's a fight you want. It's a fight you'll get." Borlath said as his eyes darkened to red, his smile fading. "Just know that you brought this upon yourselves."

Borlath turned to his forces, who were growing in number by the minute. Sun could see that there was at least a few hundred of them around, looking at his father for guidance as they cradled weapons and prepared to unleash the barely controllable monsters by their sides.

"Cipher! Turn this city to rubble! Show them the strength of evil we seek to cleanse! Maybe a demonstration of force will make them realize the truth of our mission!" Borlath roared as a few dozen mire members of Cipher teleported into the area, grinning under their visors as they called out Pokémon that gave off shadowy auras of pure malevolence. Some of the men and women cheered and shouted in approval of the man's words, admiration in their eyes. Sun could see that somehow, his father had won over the personnel and earned their loyalty. A few them even raised their weapons and took aim at the crowd, making others scream and shout in fear.

"OVER MY DEAD BODY!"

The Cipher collective turned to their left to see several rocks hurtling towards them. Deoxys teleported off to the side as Borlath calmly watched as several of the Cipher Peons yelped and cursed as they and their Pokémon were pelted with rocks. Sun spotted two familiar faces charging towards them down the street. Adrian Battlestorm and Olivia, with the former looking worried and the latter looking absolutely livid. Borlath tilted his head slightly in curiosity as the Kahuna and the media mogul arrived on the scene. Borlath raised a hand to hold his forces back, his expression curious.

"We managed to subdue those assholes and free the hostages. Thank god one of them had a gag reflex." Adrian said with a shaky laugh as his assistant suddenly tackled him in a fierce hug, which completely surprised him. "K-kelly! Professionalism!"

"Miss Olivia! You're okay!" Mallow and Lana cried out as Olivia stopped a short distance away. Kiawe just looked relieved. The Kahuna nodded, her expression warm for a moment as her eyes lingered on the crowd, before she turned her attention to Borlath as he stood beside Deoxys, her eyes narrowed in righteous fury.

"I am Olivia Ailani, Kahuna of Akala Island. Chosen by Tapu Lele, the God of Life. You are not welcome here, members of Cipher! You attack our people and disturb our land! You harm the cherished guests of our proud islands and sully our hallowed ground. Even if it costs me my life, I will protect my region no matter the cost!" Olivia bellowed as her Z-Ring glowed a harsh white color.

"You Kahunas are just as self-righteous as the Champions are. But no matter. All we need is time for Dawson to do his work...Which is why I'm more than happy to teach you a demonstration of our power." Borlath said smoothly as a Cipher member with a yellow bandanna around his neck approached him from behind. "Captain Naps, can I trust you to deal with this? I'm needed elsewhere for the moment."

"Of course, Master Borlath. We'll teach them to fear our names." Naps said as he unclipped a Poké Ball, calling out a massive armored dragon. Sun shivered as the beast bellowed in fury, signaling a call to the other members of Cipher to advance towards the crowd. It was a terrifying display, even as Deoxys rose into the sky and let out a groan. It's body began to morph into something sleeker, more dangerous. Olivia drew a Poké Ball and prepared herself for a battle, only for a Banette to suddenly appear from her shadow and drag her into the ground with a shout of fury.

"No!" Kiawe shouted as Olivia vanished yet again, with some of the Cipher members laughing. Naps took a few steps forward, clutching his chest for a few moments as he giggled with mirth.

"It's astounding how she didn't see that coming for a second time." Naps said with a shrug as his Shadow Haxorus hissed angrily at the crowd. "Get them! Burn this place to the ground! For a better tomorrow!"

Cipher roared in approval and commanded their legion of Pokémon to rush forward as the crowd fearfully screamed, with most of the crowd beginning to run away out of fear of what they criminals with tainted Pokémon and weapons would do to them. Naps grinned as he pointed forward and he opened his mouth to speak, only for an angry voice to cut him off.

"What are you people doing!?"

Sun and Lillie looked to Adrian Battlestorm, who was looking at the crowd in disbelief. It was so strange to see the cheery and happy-go-lucky man looking so outraged. The man scowled and shook his head, pointing at Naps and the rest of Cipher.

"Are you really going to let these monsters try and ruin our homes? Right now they've got a Champion held hostage in that building! They kidnapped our Kahuna! They want to hurt you! Kill you and your families! These people care about nothing other than power and destruction!" Adrian shouted, glaring down Naps as he shot the man a grin.

"You idiots don't get it. You have no idea how liberating it is to work under someone like Borlath. Someone who isn't blinded by greed and evil, but a genuine desire to improve the world. If you were smart, you'd sit tight until Dawson's done with Cynthia." Naps said as Shadow Haxorous hissed at him.

"Absolutely not. That man thinks he's different than the madmen who've come before, but he's just like them! Deluded into thinking the world he envisions is best for everyone, without any consideration for anyone else!" Adrian shot back, his expression becoming more fierce. Lillie and the others were likewise stunned by the fire in his eyes as he turned to the crowd behind him. The words of the man were quickly taking effect. Adrian was right.

As she got over her fear, Lillie found herself getting mad at the criminals. How dare they come here and try to harm them? How dare Borlath try to harm Laura Smiles? And how dare that man put Sun through more pain than he had already been through? Lillie clenched her fists, her hands going white from the sheer intensity of it. It was such a strange feeling, anger was. She didn't know what she could do, but she'd do whatever she could to help!

"I don't know about you all...But I'm done sitting around. I'm done playing nice! These bastards come here and try to order us around? Attack our friends? Terrorize us into simply rolling onto our backs and giving in? Absolutely not!" Adrian shouted, his words pounding with emotion. Lillie could see it in the faces of those who heard the man's words. They were getting angry. They agreed with the man. They were ignoring the fear that Cipher had instilled in them, and were realizing that the media mogul had a very good point.

"Shut your mouth! I won't hesitate to kill you!" Naps growled, noticing the looks of the people had changed. Adrian offered the man a disarming grin in response, which was practically a trademark of the news icon.

"I choose to fight." Adrian proclaimed as he raised his Z-Ring in defiance. As if on cue, a snarling Dragonite dropped out of the sky and slammed down into Shadow Haxorus with a massive aura of energy surging around it, slamming its head into the cement with a savage roar.

"Shadow Haxorus, use Shadow Rush!" Naps barked as the monster writhed under the weight of Dragonite. To Adrian's surprise, the Axe Jaw Pokémon slowly began to stand again and threw Dragonite off of itself, roaring in fury as it charged forward and slammed into the Dragon Pokémon. Dragonite screamed in agony, but drew back its fist as it began to glow whitish-blue. Dragonite punched Shadow Haxorus in the jaw with Ice Punch and sent it crashing to the ground as Adrian ran over to where his partner was glaring down Naps.

"Friends! Listen closely!" Adrian shouted, throwing a hand to the crowd. "Right now, we're facing a fight unlike any we've faced before! A fight for our lives!"

"Shadow Ravage!" Naps shouted as Shadow Haxorus roared, jet-black claws of raw darkness erupted from its hands as it charged at Adrian instead of Dragonite. The man jumped back with a swear, barely avoiding getting shredded by the monster, who was blasted back by a Dragon Pulse.

"We stand here on the brink of war!" Adrian shouted, stepping forward with a furious glare at Naps. "Cipher has threatened the world for years! And now they have come to Alola! Our home! They have chosen to attack us during a time of friendship and unity! They seek to fill our lives with pain and fear! Like they've done in Unova! In Kanto!"

"Well...I say we show them to fear us instead." Adrian turned to face the crowd, watching him with mesmerized eyes. The media mogul made a striking figure, his eyes blazing with determination and righteous fury. Lillie and Sun and all the others were likewise entranced, with the fear that Cipher had instilled in them now gone. That was now replaced with a burning desire to retaliate. To drive them from this sunny paradise. To fight back and stand their ground.

To make them pay.

"The world is watching, Alola! They're waiting to see what we do next! I say we show these idiots what it means to mess with the sons and daughters of Alola! Standing shoulder to shoulder with our friends from around the world! Together our hearts beat as one!" Adrian bellowed, stepping fearlessly towards Naps with the people behind him cheering in approval.

Captain snarled angrily at the crowd's reaction to his words. Kukui scowled as Korrina and Clemont clenched their fists. Some of the other Gym Leaders looked similarly pumped, with Brock cracking his knuckles with a small smile on his face as Volkner grit his teeth in fury.

The Unova Trainers looked especially ready to throw down, especially now that there were no longer hostages to worry about. Aria extended the blade within her Snag Machine while Hugh looked ready to charge into the fray and start swinging. Vivian pulled out her violin, smirking deviously as Noah tapped his cane with a neutral expression.

Hau wore a determined frown on his face, though Hala put a hand on the boy's shoulder to comfort the boy. Ollie was muttering frantically into a mic, no doubt attempting to regain control of this mess. Laura Smiles looked at Sun, who was watching the media mogul with an expression of determination, not anger. Only a powerful resolve to stop the criminals before they hurt anyone else. Lillie could see that Laura felt nothing but pride in her little boy, who had grown so much during his journey and would only grow more from here.

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Naps bellowed, with the Captain throwing a hand forward, just in time for Dragonite to smack Shadow Haxorus in the face with a Dragon Tail and throwing it backwards onto the ground.

"WHO'S WITH ME!?" Adrian screamed, his words booming around the area. The crowd around them erupted into yells and screams as the group completely let go of their fear and became galvanized thanks to the man's fiery words. What was now a terrorized crowd fearful of Cipher's power...was now an army dedicated to tearing them apart.

And with that, all hell broke loose as Cipher attacked. But they were met with resistance. Both Trainers and civilians alike, from all around the world, would come together at the words of Adrian Battlestorm. They heard his call to action and would fight these invaders with everything they had. Even if it would cost them their lives, they would stand and fight against the evil that had come for them. Shoulder to shoulder, they would fight until they had nothing left against the monsters. Brothers and sisters from all walks of life would come together against the darkness that threatened to consume them all.

Meanwhile, Adrian Battlestorm and Captain Naps continued to battle with their dragons, with Shadow Haxorus unleashing a putrid blast of darkness that sent Dragonite soaring backwards with a growl. Adrian grinned, raising his hands into the air. Sun and Lillie, along with many others, watched as the battle unfolded, mesmerized by the showdown.

"Alright Partner...just like old times!" Adrian barked, his grin becoming more serious as he began to strike a series of poses, holding his hands out in front of him and slowly opening them as energy burned around him and transferred to his Dragonite as it glared down the Shadow Haxorus.

"Alola is watching as we strike the first blow, old friend! Let's make it count! Channel Dragon Rush...And use Devastating Drake!" Adrian bellowed as a Dragonite fired a huge beam of energy from his mouth, which quickly soared upwards into the air and multiplied in strength and shape until forming into a massive dragon-like burst of energy. Naps' jaw dropped in shock as the attack suddenly rushed towards him and Shadow Haxorus, smashing into the Shadow Pokémon and creating a massive explosion that shook the city.

"Now THAT was a Z-Move!" Sun said with a grin as the group walked over to the man. Adrian chuckled as the smoke cleared an unconscious Haxorus lay on the ground, defeated. Meanwhile Captain Naps scowled at the man, quickly returning his Pokémon and before being suddenly pulled into his shadow.

"Looks like we've got a real fight on our hands." Aria said with a small grin, feeling fired up after Adrian's speech. "We need a plan, though. A way to get them to retreat for good."

"Adrian, are you okay?" Kelly suddenly asked, stepping forward worriedly. Sun turned around and actually looked at the media mogul, who was breathing hard and clutching his chest. Both he and Dragonite seemed to be rather exhausted for some reason, a pained expression on the man's face.

"Y-yeah...I'll be fine. Using a Z-Move for the first time in over a decade took more out of me than I thought it would. But no worries. Me and Dragonite have got plenty of fight left, believe me." Adrian said with a weary grin to his assistant and camerawoman, turning around. Kelly didn't seem convinced, but stepped away from her boss. "Still, this is a disaster. There's gotta be hundreds of them! We've got to start evacuating people who can't fight and stop these monsters before more people get hurt!"

"I'm already on it." The group looked and saw Ollie striding their way, his Dodrio trotting beside him. "Looker and Anabel are already working to get anyone who can't fight away from here. Captain Acerola and Kahuna Nanu are coordinating efforts to get people who can't fight to safety."

"So what's the game plan here?" Noah asked the group, eyeing the crowd as the battling began in earnest. They spotted Lana, Mallow, and Kiawe leading the charge forward, each of them fiercely fighting back as hard as they could. "And where's the police? I thought they were out in force!"

"There's apparently a commotion further into the city. I can't contact anyone, since our comm system seems to be down. They've been down for about half an hour now. I imagine there was something that lured them away from the main stadium." Ollie said with a scowl, his Swellow and Braviary soaring off to assist in the battle while his Dodrio glared at the nearby enemies. Laura stood beside the man, looking angry.

"Which begs the question...where is Amber?" Aria asked quietly. Everyone exchanged glances, unsure of how to answer that question. What followed the silence was a massive explosion in the distance, and when everyone turned their heads they saw a huge fireball rising into the air in the distance.


Several Minutes Earlier…


"That should scramble any communication devices, save for our own."

Mask stuffed the remote for the device into his black cloak, huffing slightly from the heat. Try as he might, there was only so much you could do against the unbearable heat of Alola.

"I'm looking forward to this. I hope Dawson makes a recording of him torturing Cynthia." Mask remarked as he began walking down the math, Shadow Heatran padding alongside him and breathing flames on everything in sight. Amber sighed, shaking her head as Avis floated alongside her.

"You're sick in the head." Amber remarked, her pink eyes narrowed in disgust.

"I can't help if I'm a sadist and that sort of thing excites me. Besides, you're one to talk. You'd be agreeing with me if not for that stupid curse." Mask retorted, with Amber scowling.

"That doesn't matter. This is horrible. I don't even get what you're getting out of this. Dawson wants change, Borlath wants reform and to make the world safer, and the original Admins are greedy assholes who want power. Giovanni wants to make Team Rocket stronger...But where does that leave you?" Amber asked Mask, who chuckled darkly.

"You're asking the wrong questions. But I think we have company, so we'll have to move this talk to another time, my dear." Mask said as he turned around, seeing several squads of police charging towards them.

"Stand down! Drop your weapons!" one of them barked, with the force quickly surrounding the two Admins. Not as many people as they had been hoping for, but it was enough. Mask's expression couldn't be seen, but Amber looked slightly worried. Though that mostly had to do with the fact that Tapu Lele's curse was in full effect, healing the mental trauma she had been through and allowing her to feel the impact of the situation they were in.

"Dawson said he only needed an hour or two. We need to make this count." Mask said, his voice hiding his excitement. "You want to deal with them? I feel as if I should save my Pokémon's strength for some of the fools we'll have to deal with later."

"Do I have to? You're more than a match for them. Especially with that abomination in your party." Amber sighed, glancing down at the Poké Ball on Mask's belt with several cracks running down the side, glowing black lines of energy glowing along the edges. Mask shrugged, chuckling again.

"You have an Umbral Pokémon as well, Amber. Don't be a hypocrite." Mask remarked, glancing back at the crowd of men and women assembled before them. "Fine. We'll take care of them together. You can even be non-lethal if you want."

Amber sighed and said, "Avis?"

"I'll take care of it, don't you worry." Avis said comfortingly, putting a wing on her Trainer's back as the police around them drew closer, calling out Pokémon. Avis screeched and teleported behind them, releasing a blast of Psychic that knocked down a group of the police and drawing their attention away from Amber.

"Pathetic. Making her do all the work just because you don't want to get your hands dirty." Mask said with a sigh, glancing at Amber. "You're no fun like this, you know. I hope that curse wears off and you can become a bloodthirsty maniac again."

"I don't understand how you people can live with yourself. I can barely comprehend how many terrible things I've done. I'm an awful person…" Amber hissed as she watched Avis dodge attacks. Mask began ordering attacks on the police as some of them turned their attention back to Amber and Mask, ordering their Pokémon to attack them. Shadow Heatran easily repelled them with a blast of black flames.

"And yet you're here, helping out. You could have told Dawson and Borlath no. But you're here. Nothing has changed, Amanda." Mask said with a chuckle, making Amber glance at the man in surprise. "What? You think I haven't heard the story? I have eyes and ears all around."

"Who are you? Seriously?" Amber asked the man, who simply shrugged once more. Amber was about to say something else when a familiar pressure began to build up in her head, making her hiss and grab onto her skull.

"About time. I was nearly getting bored." Mask remarked carelessly as Amber began to scream in agony, falling to her knees. Amber howled as her eyes began to burn with a black fire, her body shaking as the curse faded away. This allowed the nearest officer to tackle her to the ground, surprising Mask as he took a step back.

"You want me to get that?" Mask casually asked as Shadow Heatran hissed besides him. Avis screeched in horror and teleported to Amber's side, using Psychic to hurl the officer into a nearby tent before throwing up Protect to shield Amber from further harm. The assassin slowly rose to her feet, exhaling softly as her emotionless light-blue eyes looked upwards at the scattered police force trying in vain to subdue Shadow Heatran as it breathed fire all around them.

"Amber? Are you alright?" Avis asked worriedly, concern visible on her face. Amber responded by rolling her shoulders for a moment, taking stock of her surroundings before turning her attention to the nearest police officers, who had ordered their Pokémon to attack once again, trying to go around Shadow Heatran. She responded to Avis' question with three simple words.

"Alright...My turn."

The words were said with an emotionless grin, with the assassin cracking her neck as the officers collectively flinched. Avis dropped the shield and vanished alongside Amber, only for them to reappear in the midst of the police. Amber lashed out with her dagger, slashing into an officer's chest and kicking them away while ducking to avoid a punch. Amber grabbed the man's arm and brought it down over her armored knee, cracking the arm in half before punching the man in the chest.

Three more of the men rushed at her, opening fire. Amber's visor clicked down, blocking her face as she rushed forward, kicking the pistol out of the hands of a woman while wrestling it away from a man, breaking his wrist and shooting him twice in the leg with his own weapon. Amber whirled around, kicking the woman in the head before dropping to the ground, ducking several shots fired by the other officer before springing up and kneeing him in the face, knocking him senseless to the ground. Amber spun around a second time, ripping free three silver throwing knives and hurling them into the horde of officers, downing three of them as the knives struck various points on their bodies.

Meanwhile, Avis was teleporting around the area, dispatching Pokémon that came towards her. Mask aided in this, with Shadow Heatran's sheer power making up for what Avis lacked. Together they easily decimated the force that had come to stop them.

"There we go. That'll make things easier for later." Mask said, obviously pleased as Amber pulled out a dagger and flipped it in her grasp.

"Maybe. Borlath, status?" Amber asked.

"Looks like the citizens have been rallied. Their attacking our forces now, and this has devolved into an all-out war. I was hoping to avoid this, as I wasn't expecting them to get over their fear that quickly...Mask, go defend the barrier generator. That'll be their first target. Amber, go cause some chaos and draw attention away from Mask. Dawson needs as much time as we can give him. If he's compromised, the jig is up. I'll have Deoxys cause trouble elsewhere" Borlath responded into their comms. Amber opened her mouth to respond when they heard a voice speak up.

"So...You're the one who attacked my grandson." Mask and Amber turned around to see Kahuna Hala standing in the path behind them, wearing a guarded expression. "You lead these terrible people, don't you?"

"We do. Hala Pakelaai, the years have not been kind." Mask rasped, chuckling to himself. Hala huffed, crossing his arms as his frown deepened.

"Perhaps. But at least I don't have to hide my cowardice behind a mask. I'll be happy to tear it off and pound you into mulch for hurting Hau." Hala rumbled, walking forward fearlessly. Mask laughed darkly, throwing out his hands.

"By all means! Let's see if you've still got it!" Mask called out as Shadow Heatran growled angrily in unison with its master's shouts.

"I'll head elsewhere. You have fun." Amber remarked with a bloodthirsty grin, vanishing on the spot. Mask shook his head for a moment before turning to the Hala.

"Well old man...Let's dance." Mask breathed, laughing as Heatran roared from beside him as flames escaped from the Lava Dome Pokémon's mouth. Hala grunted, instead drawing a Poké Ball and getting into a fighting stance. Mask cackled in response, throwing a hand forward as flames rushed towards the Kahuna. Hala called out his Machamp, who braced itself for the attack.


"Zzzt! Shadow Pokémon detected!"

"Oliver, Razor Leaf! Brago, Flame Burst!" Sun shouted as he ran forward, his Pokémon launching attacks at a Shadow Lapras. The Transport Pokémon cried out in pain before launching two orbs of darkness at them, which Oliver blocked with Protect.

"Sophie, Thunderbolt!" Aria barked as she grabbed an Ultra Ball from her bag, clutching the ball tight with her Snag Machine as her trusty Jolteon dashed forward, releasing a massive blast of lightning from her body.

"That should do it!" Sophie yelled out, gritting her teeth as Shadow Lapras screamed in pain, thrashing around. "Throw it!"

Aria hurled the Snag Ball at the Transport Pokémon as its Trainer swore loudly, taking a few steps back and calling out an Exeggutor. This was a normal one, which Sun quickly began to attack.

"Pluck! Flame Charge!" Sun commanded as Oliver shot forward like a bullet, slamming into the Coconut Pokémon and making it double over in pain. The Flame Charge that followed made matters worse, but not before Noah's Machamp rushed the Exeggutor and hit it with a Dynamicpunch, knocking it out.

"Snag confirmed." Aria said as she picked up the Ultra Ball containing Shadow Lapras, grinning at the Cipher Peon as they tried to run away, only for Hugh to tackle them to the ground and knock him out with a fist to the nose.

Lillie watched as Vivian frantically played her violin nearby, with her Beatric and Chatot unleashing very precise attacks that made quick work of two Peons she was battling with. Her Beartic picked up an Electrode and threw it hard, sending it rolling down the street with a roar as he Chatot swooped overhead, releasing blasts of sound into the attacking bands of Pokémon. The sheer amount of chaos going on was almost unbelievable, with Trainers from all walks of life coming together to battle the criminals who had dared to come to Alola. Lillie watched as Sun battled with his team, cheering him on as much as she could and making sure Nebby stayed in his bag. She couldn't do much, but she would do what she could.

After a few minutes of battling some of the nearby Peons and watching Sun have to fall back as one of the stronger ones began to give him trouble, she caught sight of several Cipher Peons converging on Hugh and Aria, who stood back to back as they Pokémon lashed out at everything near them. This would have been fine if not for the Cipher Peons firing their guns at the Pokémon in question, laughing and jeering as their opponents tried desperately to dodge the attacks. Sun noticed this and grit his teeth. He started heading their way, determined to help.

"Brago, Flame Charge! Let's help them!" Sun barked as the canine shook his head frantically, muttering to himself. Sun felt a pang when he remembered Brago's sensitivity to the horrible auras Shadow Pokémon gave off. Constantly having to be around them had to be awful for the Puppy Pokémon. She was about to return Brago when he suddenly dashed forward with a whirlwind of flames around him. Sun grinned with pride and charged forward, with Oliver and Penny circling overhead and with Finn trying to keep up. Lillie remained close, watching as Brago slammed into a Shadow Cacturne that was just about to attack Aria from behind, knocking it away. The Scarecrow Pokémon snarled and smacked into Brago with Needle Arm, only for Finn to leap into the air and spray it down with Scald. While it didn't do very much damage, it gave Penny and Oliver an opening to double-team it with Pluck until the Shadow Pokémon fell to the ground, fainting from the overwhelming attacks.

Sun and Lillie then caught sight of Kahili overhead, flying atop her Mandibuzz as her Skarmory and Toucannon descended onto the Cipher squad, attacking their Pokémon with no mercy. Kahili dropped onto the ground with a wince, brandishing her golf club with a look of fury in her eyes as she swung it like the pro she was, knocking one of the Cipher Peons to the ground. Several of the Peons opened fire on the golfer with their guns, only for her Skarmory to run forward and block the gunfire before it and smashed into them and sent them crashing to the ground senseless.

Kahili looked to the group of Trainers, offering them a nod before she reached behind her Skarmory and carefully out a feather, which resembled a machete of sorts. Regardless, it was a blade and a weapon that Kahili looked all too ready to use as she began striding forward, her birds ready to deliver more pain. The two children's attention snapped back to Aria as she began speaking again.

"There's way too many of these guys! With their Pokémon just attacking everything we can't really regroup!" Aria called out, gritting her teeth in frustration. A moment later, a Shadow Mightyena slammed into her from behind, growled ferociously. Aria cried out as the beast snarled in her face, attempting to tear her apart but being hampered by the Snag Machine that was shoved into its open mouth. Aria cried out as her arm was wrenched around, with the beast growling angrily, only for a click and the sound of metal filling the air. Aria's expression turned to horror as the Shadow Mightyena made a choking sound, shuddering for several moments before dropping to the ground. Aria slowly removed her arm from the monster's mouth, her eyes filling up with tears as she revealed that the blade on the Snag Machine was extended...and covered in blood. Lillie tore her eyes away from the sight, nearly throwing up. Sun shivered, but didn't look away. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen anything worse.

"Damn it…" Aria whispered, her body sagging as she fell to her knees. Hugh knelt down and hugged the young woman tightly, shielding the view of the dead Mightyena from her sight. Lillie walked over and hugged Aria too. Sophie the Jolteon nuzzled the Snagger from behind, muttering something softly.

"It's okay. You saved him, in a way. He doesn't have to hurt anymore." Lillie said softly, making Sun smile slightly. Her words seemed to work on Aria, as she shrugged off Hugh and Lillie and took a shaky breath, looking down at the bloody blade attached to her hand before turning her attention to where several Cipher members were attacking a group of younger Trainers who were barely fending off the criminals. Without another word, Aria and Sophie bolted towards them, her expression fierce. Hugh followed after a moment, glancing back at the two children before turning back to Aria.

Sun turned to Lillie, who seemed worried but remained silent. "Lillie...You need to get out of here. It's not safe for you and Nebby."

"I...I can't just go. Not with everyone else fighting so hard. I may not be a Trainer, but I can still help!" Lillie said to her best friend. The boy who had given her so much strength and inspiration. She had to be here for him, even if it was dangerous.

"Come on, Lillie...Please? I don't know what's going to happen here. I can't risk you getting hurt." Sun pleaded with his best friend, who shook her head with a flash of anger appearing in her eyes.

"No! I'm not leaving you!" Lillie protested, stomping her foot down. Sun was about to protest when all of a sudden a Cipher Peon grabbed Sun from behind, grinning widely as he tightened his grip on the boy's throat.

"I've captured the Prince. I repeat, I've captured the-" the Peon began to say before Lillie threw herself at the man, trying to pry his grip away from Sun.

"Leave him alone!" Lillie shouted, only to be shoved to the ground hard by the man. Sun's team rushed forward, though they stopped when the man pressed a pistol against Sun's skull, a nasty grin on his face. The boy shivered with fear, knowing that he was caught between a rock and a hard place.

"Yeah? Stay there. Or I'll blow his brains out!" the Cipher Peon laughed, seeing the conflicted looks on the Pokémon's faces. That was at least until a Flygon slammed into him from above, disarming the man and breaking his arm (and many other bones) in the process. The Cipher Grunt screamed in pain, only for Hugh to rip off the man's helmet and punch his lights out.

"You two should probably keep moving." Hugh said breathlessly, his Flygon nodding in agreement. Sun just stared at the young man, unsure of what to even say. After a moment he turned around and began walking away, only for a voice to call out to him.

"Wait." Sun stopped, turning around to see Hugh looking at him. His expression was torn, but after a moment he sighed deeply and walked over to Sun, looking the boy right in the eyes.

"I'm sorry, Sun." Hugh said after a pause, his voice heavy. "For everything I did. Everything I said...You're not your father. And I'm sorry for ever thinking you were anything like that man. I'm sorry for turning my back on you. And I'm sorry for every thinking you had anything to do with Borlath's crimes. You're a better person than he ever was, and don't ever forget it." Hugh said to the boy. Sun looked into the young man's eyes and saw nothing but sincerity.

Sun responded with a smile and extended a hand to the young man. Hugh smiled and grabbed the hand, shaking it. Lillie beamed at the two Trainers having made up, proud that Hugh had finally taken that step forward and that the two had finally made amends.

"Alright...let's teach this bastards to fear our names." Hugh growled, turning forward as three Cipher Peons leapt down from a nearby rooftop. Sun nodded and with that the two Trainers and their Pokémon rushed forward, with Lillie jogging alongside them wearing a smile. The duo battled hard against the criminals, with Lillie watching in awe of their strength.

"Maybe someday I could become that strong...Maybe." Lillie thought as she glanced around the battlefield, taking stock of her surroundings. Lillie was surprised to see Team Skull present, as she thought they would have run away. However, they were currently looting everything that wasn't nailed to the ground from the tents and stalls in the fair. Lillie could have sworn she spotted Bone Unit 71 running away with a collection of souvenir T-shirts bundles under their arms along with a few bags of money hanging over their backs. Lillie sighed and shook her head, continuing to follow Sun and Hugh as they did their best to battle Cipher. The trio and their Pokémon arrived in time to see Hau and Lana having a Double Battle with two female Cipher Peons, with Lana wearing a solemn expression and with Hau wearing a little smile.

"Kaha! Shadow Ball! Let's go!" Hau called out, punching forward as his Eevee charged up the attack, firing it off as a Shadow Haunter and connecting with the hit.

"Charlotte, use Waterfall!" Lana called out, with her Araquanid lunging at the Shadow Haunter under a flume of water and knocking it clean out of the air.

"Shadow Shock, let's go!" the other Cipher Peon called to her Shadow Zebstrika, who neighed furiously before releasing a massive wave of lighting at all of them. To their horror, the attack didn't just go for the Araquanid, but for her Trainers as well. Lana and Charlotte screamed as the electricity shocked them, with Hau looking horrified.

"Lana! No!" Hau yelled out before turning his gaze to the laughing Cipher Peon, a rare expression of anger on his face. "Kaha, Take Down!" The Eevee nodded and shot forward with a cry, a white outline of energy surrounding it as the Evolution Pokémon knocked back the Shadow Zebstrika, making it stop its attack.

"Follow up with Dig!" Hau barked, taking a step forward as Hugh, Sun and Lillie approached Lana, with Hugh kneeling down to the Captain.

"You alright?" Hugh asked, with Lana panting and shaking slightly.

"I'll be okay. J-just need a minute." Lana breathed, shutting her eyes. Her Araquanid slowly rose besides her, hissing angrily as it darted forward, leaping at the Shadow Zebstrika and slamming into it with Lunge, only for Kaha to erupt from below with Dig and knock out the Shadow Pokémon.

"Those Shadow Pokémon...they'll attack humans with absolutely no provocation." Lillie noted with a shiver. Hau returned Kaha and ran over to them, dropping down to his knees with worry in his eyes at Lana.

"You got them...Good work Hau…" Lana murmured, smiling weakly at the boy. Hau nodded, looking a bit shaken, but otherwise okay. After a moment the boys helped Lana to her feet, and after a slight wobble, the Captain stood tall.

"We're trying to find a way to take out whoever is leading them. These are coordinated attacks. If we beat the leadership, they should retreat." Lana said to the others, wincing slightly. "Adrian Battlestorm is scouring the area for them, and any sign of Olivia as well."

"I say that masked weirdo is a good first place to look. He's got to be around here somewhere." Hau said, earning a chorus of nods. Sun then got a look of horror on his face, as if remembering something.

"Wait, where's my Mom?" Sun asked, looking at Hugh and Lana.

"Last I saw she was battling Peons over towards the stadium entrance. We kinda all got separated in the battle so far." Lana remarked, looking down at her Z-Ring for a moment.

"I'm going to go find her." Sun said, with the others nodding after a moment.

"Lillie, stick with Sun. I'm going to catch up with Aria and see if we can find one of the Admins." Hugh said before turning around, jogging off into the chaotic fray. Lana and Hau looked at each other for a moment before heading off in another direction. Sun looked to Lillie and held out his hand, which she grabbed with a small smile before the two set out towards the front of the stadium.

While they were running, they caught small snippets of people battling that they recognized. Vivian was prancing along, playing her violin with a smirk as her team decimated three other Trainers at once. Professor Kukui was grappling with a larger Peon, quickly getting behind the man before suplexing him into a nearby trash can. Professor Burnet grinned at her husband before her Bronzong blasted away a Shadow Leafeon with Psychic. To Lillie's surprise, several members of the Aether Foundation were battling Cipher alongside everyone else, fierce expressions on their faces. Despite everything, she still hoped that none of them got hurt in the battle taking place.

Lillie spotted Team Skull again, this time with Plumeria and some of the Grunts raiding some of tents carrying more valuable items. Most of the tents and stands were either on fire or destroyed, so she wasn't surprised one bit. Lillie could only hope Gladion had gotten to safety.

However, as the two children searched for Laura Smiles, Lillie wondered where her own mother was. However, she didn't have gone to ponder this much as a chilling voice from the past jarred her out of her thoughts.

"There you are. I've been wondering where you got off too." The two children whirled around and saw Amber Fontaine standing there behind them, a soulless smile on her face.

"To think...I nearly killed you all those months ago without knowing who you really are. Fate's an odd thing." Amber said quietly, stepping towards Sun. Oliver released a barrage of quill blades at the assassin, who took the attack head-on, with most of the attacks bouncing off of her armor. Avis teleported in beside Cipher's Angel of Death, looking amused.

"Lillie...get away. Go get help. I'll stall for time" Sun said quietly, stepping forward. Lillie hesitated, not wanting to leave Sun alone, but knew he was right and quickly ran off. She would be back quickly, and then she could keep supporting her friend. Avis turned her head and her eyes glowed blue, only for a burst of flames to smack her in the side, courtesy of Brago. The Xatu glared at the canine, who bared his teeth.

"You're not made of shadows and hate. You don't scare me." Brago growled at the Mystic Pokémon.

"I bet when Dad found out you tried to kill me, he got really mad with you." Sun said tersely, calling out Penny and Finn as well. The Admin shrugged, not really looking all that bothered.

"He lashed out, as he does when he's overloaded with stress. For as long as I've known the man, he could never really hide what he really feels. And he's angry. But he's also just as driven as he's always been to make this world better for everyone but stamping out the other scumbags of the world." Amber said to Sun, who grit his teeth.

"You really do think he's just blowing smoke, don't you? I've known Ashton for years, kid. Yes, he took control of Cipher for the sake of amassing power. But he understands that change doesn't happen overnight, and peace only gets you so far. Force is far more convincing...And if that's what takes to change things, then that's what it takes." Amber said to the boy, with Avis landing on the ground beside her.

"Even if peace isn't always the best way forward, that doesn't justify murdering millions of people!" Sun shouted back at the assassin, who nodded.

"You're...AGH!" Amber suddenly screamed as her eyes shined with a pink light, making the assassin collapse onto the ground, shaking uncontrollably. Avis screeched in surprise, quickly shielding Amber with a Protect as the woman writhed on the ground.

"KILL ME! JUST END IT ALREADY FOR GOD'S SAKE!" Amber screamed as she rolled onto her stomach, screaming with tears now streaming down her face. Sun and his Pokémon watched in horrified silence. The light show ended after a few moments and Amber sat up, looking up with a hurt and wounded expression.

"Please kill me...Avis, I can't take this anymore. The transition just gets worse each time. What I'm doing is horrible. Just take us away from here." Amber pleaded with the Xatu, who hugged her tightly.

"It'll be okay. See? We're not hurting anyone." Avis said gently, trying to console her Trainer.

"What's going on?" Sun asked, wary. Amber turned her attention to Sun and offered the boy a smile. A genuine, if weak, smile.

"You stupid boy...You should have run the second Borlath vanished. He won't stop until this place is burned to the ground. And once the curse wears off and I'm broken again, I'm going to be in a bad enough mood to want to tear you apart." Amber said to the boy, sighing sadly. "I just want this to end. I'm...I'm tired."

"Just give it a few moments. Your reaction to it was much stronger this time, meaning it's just a little time this go around." Avis said comfortingly to Amber, who hugged her Xatu.

"Thank you." Amber muttered, holding the Xatu in a tight embrace. Sun watched the scene with bewilderment. It was as if Amber had become an entirely different person.

"Rotom, can you shed any light on this?" Sun asked the boy. Rotom Dex hopped out of his backpack, beeping.

"Nope! Humans aren't in my area of expertise. I'd say however that she's display no signs of psychosis or mania, like she was before. She seems completely normal, if traumatized!" Rotom Dex remarked, drawing the attention of Avis and Amber.

"If you really want to know, Tapu Lele cursed me a few days ago. For brief periods of time, I'm healed off the mental damage I received many years back. I get my emotions and empathy back. And I have to feel the burden of my actions. The weight of my sins." Amber said, getting to her feet. "For all intents and purposes, I'm back to who I was before I met Hazel."

"Hazel?" Sun asked.

"It doesn't matter, now. All that matters is you running away. Get to safety, Sun. When I'm back to normal, I'm going to order Avis to subdue you and kill everyone you care about." Amber warned the boy, sounding remorseful. "I'm sorry about all of this. But there isn't much I can do."

"I'm so confused…" Sun muttered, with Amber offering the boy a simple shrug in response.

"That's life. Once Dawson gets the information we need, we'll be retreating. If you wanted to avoid all of this, you could just hide somewhere out of the city. At the most it'll be an hour or two before we're done." Amber said to Sun, who blinked. What she said made sense, but...why was she offering that advice?

Amber saw Sun's expression and said, "Right now, I'm not the person you think I am. Right now, I'm the person Amber should have been before our life turned to complete despair and suffering. The person your father is trying to save. And right now you have a choice. Run and ensure you live to fight another day...Or wait until I'm back to normal, and fight a losing battle. Because rest assured I'm more than a match for anyone in this city."

"If I ran away when things got rough, then I'd be a coward. I won't leave my friends behind when trouble comes. I'm going to fight for my home. And I'm going to fight you!" Sun yelled out, with Amber sighing and shutting her eyes.

"As much as I respect that response, it's incredibly foolish. I-" Amber broke off, wincing. "S-she's coming back! Brace yourself!"

Sun didn't have a chance to reply before the woman suddenly screamed in agony, clutching her head as a black fire erupted from her eyes and her body shook violently. It was downright terrifying to watch as Amber screamed and shouted, with Avis trying to desperately soothe her Trainer. And then it all stopped.

Amber collapsed onto her knees, her body heaving as she struggled to breathe. Avis gently helped her to her feet, and the assassin braced herself against the Mystic Pokémon for a moment before looking up at Sun. There was no emotion in her eyes except for a twisted amusement, and a thirst for blood as endless as the ocean.

"Now...where were we?" Amber said as Avis made the shield dissipate.

"Finn, Scald! Brago, Flame Wheel! Penny and Oliver use Pluck!" Sun shouted as his Pokémon frantically unleashed attacks as Amber and Avis. The assassin leapt to the side to dodge the scalding hot blast of water while Avis teleported above them all, swooping to dodge the flaming canine and the two birds rushing towards her. Avis summoned three Shadow Balls and hurled them towards the Pokémon, hitting Brago and Finn and sending them to the ground. Penny released an Echoed Voice that Avis dodged with a Teleport before blasting the bird away with Psychic. The Xatu turned to face Oliver only to be pelted with a barrage of Razor Leaf.

Avis jerked back with a hiss, which allowed Oliver to shoot forward and slam into her chest with Pluck, sending her flying backwards. The Xatu then flared out her wings, giving Oliver a look of loathing as her eyes burned with energy.

"Suffer!" Avis screeched as she blasted Oliver with Psychic, making the owl screech with pain before sending him crashing into the ground. Sun ran forward to try and help his Partner, but was met with Amber instead. The assassin drew her foot back and kicked Sun hard in the chest, where the boy heard as audible crack that followed the terrible pain he felt in his ribcage. The force of the kick sent the boy flying backwards into the air, crashing down hard on the concrete with a scream.

"Child's play." Amber muttered, exhaling deeply to try and steady her breathing. "Reverting back to normal twice in a few hours is draining."

"That hurt. I can't believe such a low-level scum actually hurt me." Avis grumbled, ruffling her feathers.

"Give me a minute and I'll do a lot worse than that…" Oliver hissed from the ground, making Avis glare at him before her eyes shined bright blue. All of Sun's Pokémon began to scream as Psychic was applied to them.

Amber ambled over to Sun, who was painfully clutching his chest. Amber reached down and grabbed the boy by the neck, lifting him into the air with ease. The Cipher Admin grinned at the boy with an empty smile.

"I warned you." Amber remarked as Avis ruffled her feathers. Oliver and Penny screamed as they tried to rise move while Brago and Finn stirred lightly on the ground, but they were unable to move thanks to Avis' hold on them.

"Leave him alone!"

Amber looked behind her and saw Lillie looking at her with a determined expression. The assassin laughed in response, turning around to face the girl. Sun's mouth dropped in shock, but then the horror set in.

"Lillie! Run! She's way too strong!" Sun screamed at her, only for the girl to shake her head.

"I have to be strong...Just like Jack said. I might be terrified, but I'm stronger than I think I am. I can stand up to her!" Lillie thought to herself, gathering every bit of her courage. She wasn't very brave. But she had courage, and that was more than enough to take on Amber.

"Sun's living a happy life away from his father! You have no right to take him from that!" Lillie shouted at the woman, who grinned at the blonde-haired girl. If Sun didn't know any better, he would have said that the woman was impressed with Lillie's nerve.

"How hopelessly naive. Life isn't fair, little girl. In fact...How about I go after you instead?" Amber said carelessly as she began walking towards Lillie. The girl shivered with fear and bolted in the other direction, into the stadium itself. "Avis release them. I want to have some fun."

"Of course. Someone else can pick up the trash." Avis said, releasing her hold on Sun and his Pokémon.

"You can run, but you can't hide!" Amber called as she stepped forward, only for a series of quills and leaves to bounce off of her armor. Amber whirled around and saw Sun standing there, glaring at her as he struggled to remain standing. "You recovered quickly. Maybe you do have some potential."

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Sun screamed as Brago unleashed a blast of flames at the Admin, who leapt back to avoid the attack. Amber smirked and vanished into the front entrance, snapping her fingers. To Sun's horror, Avis reappeared in front of him and grinned at the boy.

"How's this for another change of plans? Your father will be very happy to have you back. Amber can play with the girl. You're mine!" Avis screeched as she soared forward, only for a massive, yet familiar, ghost to suddenly tackle the bird to the ground.

"You will do no such thing!" Gretel boomed, slamming Shadow Punch after Shadow Punch into the Mystic Pokémon's body. Avis screeched in agony, struggling to dodge any of the attacks before she finally managed to teleport away after a dozen strikes. This left Sun free to collapse onto the ground, struggling to breath. Jack jogged over to him, helping the boy to his feet carefully.

"You okay, kid?" Jack asked quietly as she caught his breath, clutching his chest in pain. "Easy does it, son. Slow breaths. In and out."

"Amber...she's chasing Lillie. Please...help." Sun wheezed, trying to move forward.

"You're gonna kill yourself going after that assassin in this state...Where'd they go?" Jack asked Sun, who wordlessly pointed at the stadium. Jack scowled, reaching into his coat and pulling out a magnum. It looked like something an officer would use on duty.

"Gretel, let's go!" Jack barked as the Dusknoir swooped over, pulling Jack into her shadow before vanishing from sight. Sun dropped to the ground, growling in frustration. Brago nuzzled Sun after a moment, trying to comfort the boy in his frustration. Oliver tapped Sun on the side with his wing, and after drawing his attention, pointed to the side.

"We have company." Oliver said as he cast a Protect shield around them, just in time to block a Shadow Raticate as it rammed into the barrier. Sun got to his feet, clutching his chest and glaring down the Cipher Grunt ahead of him. For now...Sun would have to trust in Commander Jack to keep his best friend safe.


Lillie's chest burned as her lungs struggled to fill with air, but she kept running. Running for her life from the monster that chased her through the empty halls of the stadium, where there was no one to help her.

"You'll tire eventually." Amber called unhelpfully, firing wildly into the air with an SMG and making Lillie scream in horror, increasing the speed of her already exhausted legs. Amber kept up her brisk stride, grinning sadistically as Lillie tripped over her feet and hit the ground hard. The girl winced, holding her leg, before fearfully looking up at the assassin that had caught up with her.

"Why would you do something like that? Stick your neck out for him? It's stupid...Maybe with that curse in effect I'd understand more, but as it is now...Your efforts were meaningless. Avis will bring your friend back to Borlath, and your life ends here." Amber said, leveling the SMG at Lillie.

"Like hell it does."

Amber whirled around, only to get a fist in the face that sent her to the ground, making her drop her weapon. Jack aimed his pistol at the assassin and fired, with the shot rebounding off of her chest-plate as the assassin hopped to her feet, rubbing her face for a moment.

"What is it with people in this country punching me in the face when I turn around?" Amber asked before Jack took aim and fired a shot at the assassin again, which the woman dodged with a scowl, scooping up her SMG from the ground.

"Mister Jack…" Lillie said quietly, glancing between the man and the woman ahead of her. Jack smirked, his eyes flicking to the girl beside him before they narrowed on the opponent ahead of him.

"Don't worry. I've got this." Jack growled as Amber shrugged, looking amused. As if this was all just one big game to her.

"Very well, then." Amber said before opening fire. Lillie screamed as bullets tore through the air and Jack ducked behind a nearby wall for cover. The gun was swiftly knocked from Amber's hand by Gretel as she leapt out of the Admin's own shadow, grabbing the assassin and throwing her into the nearest wall. Amber grunted as she hit the ground, looking up to see the angry Dusknoir charging up a Shadow Ball, only for a Xatu to slam into her from behind with an Aerial Ace. Amber leapt away from the ghost, scowling before she felt a bullet bounce off the back of her shoulder. Amber whirled around and fired a wave of bullets, only for a shot to blast her hand and knock her SMG out of her hands. Amber stared at her bleeding hand for a moment before turning to a smirking Jack with an annoyed look.

"That hurt." Amber said simply, eyeing the blood coating her hand before grinning. "Good."

Gretel dodged a Shadow Ball and retaliated with an Ice Punch that sent Avis flying backwards with a screech, whirling around and releasing a Dark Pulse at Amber, who did a handspring backwards to dodge the attack before opening fire on Jack. The Commander grabbed a metal table from nearby and held it up as a makeshift shield, blocking the shots before throwing it towards Amber.

"Not good enough!" Amber called as she leapt over the table, kicking Jack in the chest and whirling around with a punch, which the large man caught. Jack jerked Amber's hand back and punched her in the throat, sending her staggering backwards with a choking sound before she charged forward and tackled the man to the ground.

"Get her, Mister Jack!" Lillie cheered for the man as he threw Amber off of, snatching his pistol off the ground and firing several shots at the woman. The first three missed, the next two hit her in the stomach, actually embedding themselves in her armor. Jack panted as he rose to his feet, glaring down the woman before he heard a scream of pain and tore his gaze away to see Gretel crash into the ground.

"Gretel!" Jack cried out.

The Gripper Pokémon fell into her own shadow as Avis released another Shadow Ball, which exploded against the ground and kicked up a dust cloud. Gretel shot out of the smoke, grabbing Avis by the throat and began strangling her with a demented cackled filling the air.

"Send her flying!" Amber barked out, one of the first verbal commands Lillie ever heard the assassin give.

Gretel screamed as she was thrown downwards onto the ground with Psychic, getting blasted with a Shadow Ball a few moments later by a Xatu that was gasping for air. Amber called out a Chandelure, who cooed softly as it hovered in the air.

"Two-on-one? Shit." Jack swore as he took aim at Avis, only for Amber to suddenly lunge at him, grabbed the man's outstretched arm and using it to judo throw him to the ground. Jack lashed out with a kick that knocked Amber to the ground, where Jack tried to get on top of the assassin, but she slipped away with a smirk. Jack moved forward, aiming his magnum at her, only for a torrent of flames to spray down in front of him. Jack looked up see a Chandelure hovering overhead, only for a Shadow Punch to send it flying away with a wail of pain.

Gretel's body trembled in midair, her eye halfway shut as she glared down a wounded Avis. The Dusknoir soared towards the Xatu, who vanished and reappeared behind the old ghost. Gretel spun around and Shadow Punch-ed Avis right in the beak, sending her soaring away into the wall. Gretel floated towards, charging up a Dark Pulse, but she was blasted by a massive star-shaped blast of fire from behind.

Aou, in his newly-evolved form, was hovering just behind her, letting out a horrible wailing sound as he charged up a Shadow Ball and fired it at Gretel as she turned around. The attack exploded against the Gripper Pokémon, making her scream in pain as she wobbled in the air. This was enough time for Avis to get her bearings and return to the fight, teleporting beside Aou.

"You're slipping...It won't be much longer now. Me and you both see what's about to happen." Avis hissed at Gretel, who let out a giggle in response.

"Yes. And I bet that annoys you. What I find hilarious is the future I foresee for your Trainer. Does knowing she meets such a terrible end sadden you?" Gretel taunted the Xatu, who let out a screech and shot forward with Aerial Ace, only to get a double Thunder Punch in response. Avis soared away, hunched over in pain as Aou floated over, firing a Flamethrower at Gretel that caught her from the side. The Gripper Pokémon screamed as the attack struck her, but this was all Avis needed to fire a Shadow Ball at her and knock her out. The Ghost-type drifted down to the floor, and her unconscious body riddled with injuries, with strange purple-ish fluid dripping from her chest. Avis dropped to the ground from sheer exhaustion, shutting her eyes and folding her wings as Aou drifted nearby, watching silently as Avis began to glow a faint white color.

"Gretel!" Jack shouted, worry and fear in his voice now. Avis' eyes shot open after a few more moments, some of her injuries having faded away thanks to her using Roost. The Xatu floated into the air with Aou, with the two Pokémon charging up Shadow Ball and firing down at the fallen Dusknoir. Jack shouted out as the two Pokémon brutalized his Partner further, sending several Shadow Balls down to where the fallen Dusknoir was lying unconscious in an attempt to finish her off. The super-effective bombardment was enough to shock her out of her fainted state as Gretel screamed in agony, writhing on the ground before vanishing into the ground, reappearing behind Jack and panting heavily.

"Are you okay?" Lillie asked Gretel, looking at the ghost. The amount of damage she had taken was absolutely horrifying, with burn marks covering her body and bits of her form...crumbling away…

"Gretel?" Lillie asked, her voice rising in pitch. Jack grit his teeth as Gretel laughed, the noise sounding far away.

"I'll be fine. But they're very strong...I can't take them alone." Gretel remarked, clutching her chest with one arm while the other dropped at her side. Her voice sounded faint. Strained.

"Get us out of here-" Jack began to say before Avis teleported in front of them, her eyes glowing bright blue as the three of them were thrown backwards down the hallway.

"Not on your life. I'm having fun." Amber said casually as she drew two collapsible tomahawk from her back, unfolding them out and twirling them in her hands. Gretel weakly rose to face the Xatu, rushing forward with Shadow Punch and decking Avis in the face. However as Avis stopped herself in midair, she fired another Shadow Ball at Gretel, making her scream as she fell to the ground. Lillie stifled a horrified gasp as she saw smoke pouring from Gretel's chest, with Jack sprinting over to the fallen Dusknoir. Gretel giggled, her voice coming out distorted.

"Jack...I'll be okay...Run." Gretel said gently, her voice no louder than a whisper. Lillie recalled with some horror Gretel's words from the other day. How, given enough damage...A Ghost-type Pokémon could die.

"No! G-gretel...We can't leave you!" Lillie said tearfully, stepping over to the Dusknoir as she looked to her.

"Oh you sweet girl...Death is inevitable. But I refuse to let you two die. It's not your time yet. However mine...has come. Just like I saw that it would..." Gretel whispered, giggling softly to herself.

"No. I...I can get you to a Pokémon Center. They can h-help you." Jack pleaded, his voice shaking slightly as he tried to keep himself calm. Lillie knew how much the Dusknoir meant to him. She was his Partner. They had known each other for decades, and had been inseparable. Jack pulled out a battered old Poké Ball, his hand shaking slightly. He stopped when he caught sight of Amber hurling a tomahawk at him...no. Not quite at him. At something standing right beside him.

Lillie stared at the spinning weapon, too stunned and horrified to move as it sped through the air. Jack moved in front of her, putting himself in between her and the weapon and firing his final shot to knock it out of the air. Jack grinned triumphantly, only for a throwing knife to suddenly slam into his shoulder, making him snarl in pain as he staggered backwards. Gretel watched in horror, even as her body lost its form and she began to fade away completely. The Dusknoir shut her eyes, feeling the grip on the world begin to loosen completely...

"Mister Jack!" Lillie called out, taking several steps back as Amber mirthlessly chuckled at the end of the hallway, with Avis floating silently overhead. Jack hissed as he ripped the knife out, turning to face Amber again before grabbing Lillie's hand and running towards the hallway, gritting his teeth. Amber picked up her fallen tomahawk, glancing at Gretel's form as it faded completely, and continued walking with an awful grin on her face.

"I'm so sorry Gretel…" Jack hissed, ignoring the crimson streaming down his chest. Lillie struggled to keep up with the man, glancing back at Amber as they rounded a corner and saw Amber riding on Avis' back, her second tomahawk in hand.

"We need to get out of here. I'm out of ammo and without Gretel…" Jack's voice broke then, and Lillie could see how distressed he was. He hard he was trying to keep it together now that the Dusknoir was gone. Lillie remembered his words on bravery and courage. Despite everything, he was still fighting. To make sure that Lillie was safe.

Lillie looked back once again, and saw to her horror she saw Amber had leapt off of Avis, hurling her second tomahawk towards directly at her with a manic grin on her face. Lillie gasped in horror, making Jack look back as well. The man's eyes widened in horror as he shoved Lillie out of the way and made the tomahawk miss its target. Jack spun on his heel, growling at Amber as he faced her-

Only for a second tomahawk to hit Jack right in the chest. Lillie let out a strangled scream as Jack groaned in pain, staggering backwards before he hit the ground with a powerful thud. Lillie's body shook with horror and fear as blood streamed from his chest, spilling onto the floor.

"NO!" Lillie screamed, bending down to the ground. Jack choked in pain, staring down at tomahawk embedded in his chest, crimson life fluid leaking from the mortal wound before looking at Lillie.

"R-run...Get away…" Jack wheezed, trying to get back up. To keep fighting. To avenge Gretel and protect Lillie. But the Commander fell back onto the ground, his body already having lost too much blood for him to stand.

"You're welcome for humoring you. I'll admit you put up a good fight, but I'm tired of playing around. We have a job to do." Amber said as she walked forward, grinning like a demon she was. The assassin advanced towards Lillie, who took several steps back as tears dripped from her eyes. First Gretel...and now Jack was dying. All because she couldn't protect herself…

"You know, you're lucky, kid. You've got all these people who look out for you. Who want to make sure you're safe. You've got Sun and that Professor. Plus this guy. Clearly a lot of people care about you...But now you're all alone. So that leaves one question."

"Who's going to save you now?" Amber asked as Lillie choked back a sob, taking a step back as Amber chuckled and shook her head and began to stalk towards her. Lillie screamed and ran away from Amber, who stopped in front of Jack for a moment, grinning down at the helpless and dying man much as she did with Gretel. She ripped her tomahawk out of the twitching man's chest with an audible tearing sound, making him let out a strangled cry of pain.

With weapon in hand, she increased her pace as she chased after the sobbing Lillie. Jack rolled onto his stomach, his vision going hazy as he reached out, trying to in vain to stop the woman before she hurt anyone else. But she was out of his reach within moments and his hand limply hit the ground, the man losing the strength to even raise his hand as more and more life fluid drained from him.

Lillie continued to run down the corridor, but gasped in horror when she found it came to a dead end. The only avenue of escape was a small window nearby, but a quick glance outside told her that they were at least four stories up. She wouldn't be able to survive such a fall without suffering serious injury...or worse.

"It's amazing what kind of perspective you gain once you've been forced to relive your worst memories. I really should thank Tapu Lele…"

Lillie turned around and saw Amber standing about thirty meters away, twirling her bloody tomahawk in hand with a murderous grin on her face. Lillie quickly opened her bag and grabbed Nebby, reaching up to the window and setting the Cosmog down on it.

"Pew?" Nebby asked, confused.

"Nebby, you have to go find Sun! I...I won't be able to take you home!" Lillie said tearfully, glancing down at Amber as she slowly made her way down the hallway, amused at Lillie's efforts. Lillie turned back to Nebby, who cooed softly in response.

"Please Nebby, you have to run! Find Sun! He'll protect you! I...This is it for me." Lillie whispered, a tear rolling down her face as she put a hand on Nebby's head. "I love you...But you have to live!"

"Alright, enough of the waterworks. I've got a job to do. After this, I'll be taking care of Borlath's kid." Amber remarked, sounding bored now. Lillie turneded around to face Amber, an expression of anger in her eyes.

"You will do no such thing!" Lillie yelled back, with Amber's eyes widening slightly, as if she didn't expect such a hostile response from the passive princess.

"Oh? And what will you do to stop me?" Amber asked, tilting her head before she suddenly lunged forward, sprinting towards Lillie with her tomahawk raised. Lillie took a step back, her moment of bravery fading as the full force of Amber Fontaine came barreling towards her. This was it. The end of her journey...She wouldn't be able to save her mother. Or reunite with her brother. She wouldn't get to see Hau become an Island Challenge Champion or watch Aria and her friends save their homeland...And worse yet, she would never get the chance to tell Sun how much he truly meant to her. How much he inspired her...How much she lo-

"Pew pew pew!"

Lillie gasped as Nebby suddenly flew in front of Lillie, staring down Amber as she dashed towards them with her weapon raised. The Cosmog's face was scrunched up in concentration, an expression of determination in his eyes. Lillie lunged forward, grabbing Nebby in her arms and shielding him from Amber.

And then…

Nebby's entire body began to glow.

Lillie's eyes widened as she heard a familiar hum. She had only heard it once in her life, and she looked down to see Nebby glowing a harsh white and blue color. A swirling array of colorful light filled the hallway as Nebby's body surged with energy, the Cosmog's eyes shining like beacons as he screamed out, his voice distorting as he drew upon his power once again.

Amber's eyes widened in surprise, but she was too slow to avoid the sudden explosion of raw energy that was suddenly unleashed from Nebby, which struck her with the force of a speeding truck. The shockwave was strong enough to knock the Cipher Admin clear off of her feet and send her hurtling backwards down the hallway.

"Amber!" Avis screamed as Amber soared through the air, smashing into her Partner and sending both of them crashing to the ground, unconscious. Jack watched the display with shock, and looked back towards the end of the hallway to see a small ball of smoke floating where Nebby and Lillie once stood. The small ball of smoking energy floated there for a moment before soaring out of the open window, drifting down into the courtyard below. Jack slowly turned his gaze back to the unmoving form of Amber and Avis before returning his gaze to the window Lillie and Nebby had escaped from.

"Attagirl, Lillie…You'll...Y-you'll do great, kid..." Jack breathed, grinning with pride as he tried to get into a sitting position. He failed and dropped onto the ground, heaving with pain as his chest continued to seep blood. Jack let out a shaky, painful breath before he shut his eyes. He knew this was the end, but he didn't fight it. He had lost everything. His wife. His little girl. And now his best friend…

He was ready to die. He was happy to die.

"Beeee...goooood…" whispered a strangled voice Jack knew very well. Jack tried to open his eyes again, but saw only darkness. It was felt comfortable. Almost familiar, in a way. The Commander exhaled one final breath, a sense of closure coming over him.

And so Agent Jackal shut his eyes, satisfied that he had done his duty.


And so a hero falls...But this isn't the end. Next chapter we've got more battles, less exposition, and...Well, I'll let you all learn that surprise for yourselves.

Q & A

From: Guest

Dang. If Lucas had a Staraptor instead of a Togekiss, his team would be identical to mine in Pearl- nevermind, on to significant questions!

1: how exactly does Justice work? Does it just disintegrate whatever it shoots, like Colress's red balls of death?

2: Why exactly do people hate Cynthia so much in this chapter? Is it that wrong for a Champion to take some time off?

3: What gender is Zapdos?

1. Imagine the Golden Gun from Destiny, except more broken. It's a solar-powered hand-cannon designed by Team Magma that burns away whatever it manages to pierce. And depending where the shot lands, can either destroy a limb or completely immolate someone.

2. They don't hate Cynthia? They just aren't fans of the fact that she takes a lot of vacation time away from her home region, which is supported heavily by the games. Imagine any politician. They're always going to be criticized for one reason or another. And it's absolutely fine for a Champion to have some time off, but Cynthia takes it a bit too far sometimes.

3. Moltres and Articuno are female, Zapdos is male. Why? Because I felt like it, honestly.

From: PigniteGamer19

A couple more things about the teams. One, who do you think is Red's starter? You implied Pikachu, but I just wanted to be sure. Also, shouldn't May have Latias? She gets it for free in the story. Same with Hilbert and Zekrom, because Nate has Braviary, a White exclusive. Also, if Pikachu is Red's starter, will you give it the Pikashunium Z? It kind of makes sense, seeing as Red and Ash are counterparts. Plus, you need to show off that Z-Move at some point.

Alright, forgive me for being annoyed at this one, because I spent the better part of an hour watching Pokemon Generations a few weeks back and making all these teams for characters that probably won't show up in this story, and this isn't the end of it. I have been literally spammed with reviews asking about something that has almost nothing to do with the chapter I just posted.

1. Pikachu.

2. She should, but I'm capping a Champion-level Trainer's team at 7. Hence Rayquaza. She owns Latias, but she doesn't keep her on her team.

3. Nate and Hilbert don't have the Legendary Dragons? Hilbert is dead and Ghetsis and Borlath stole them ages ago to create Perfect Kyurem.

4. Maybe.

5. Leaf might be in the story, I'm still debating it. If she does, it won't be a huge role.

6. Lyra only has her Azumarill. And honestly? I don't really care enough anymore to give her a team, since I'm burnt out about this whole mess.

From: Cottonmouth25

So in this chapter, we get some cute Sun x Lillie business, Best Girl, our heroes' first real interaction with Guzma, some awesome battling action, Best Girl, interesting backstory courtesy of Jack and Gretel, Best Girl, Team Skull meming, Cipher making another move, and Best Girl. I'd say that this was probably one of your best chapters yet.

I think I'm missing something... did I mention Best Girl? Yeah, Acerola was the highlight. If you couldn't already tell. Such a sweet little ghostly cinnamon roll~

(Also, your Hilbert has the greatest Pokémon ever devised? Nice, my fellow man of culture.)

I'd say that your interpretation of Legendary Pokémon - or at least the tapus - as given through the mouths of Top Lel and Zinnia is a pretty logical one. The longer you live, the less matters to you. You see the lives of thousands of mortals begin and end. You see the grand cycles of nature play out before your eyes. You grow bored and apathetic as you spend day after day trapped on the same tiny blue marble floating in the infinite vastness of space. Is that why Zinnia is implying that Rayquaza is different from the cynical and somewhat mentally ill tapus? Because the green sky wyrm is capable of escaping the planet's pull and exploring what lies beyond?

I really need to ask now. What in the name of all that is holy are you doing with Fossil Man? At first he was a one-off comic relief character, then he became a running gag, and now he's spouting some seriously ominous shit and straight-up almost DYING before shrugging it off like it happens every week? FlygonNick, who HURT you, man?!

That's basically my line of logic when it comes to the Legendaries. Why do you find some just chilling inside of some deep cavern or hidden area? They're sleeping. They've gone dormant. Granted, some of these ancient Pokemon have managed to stay sane throughout the ages, but it's stated many times in the games that the Tapu aren't entirely there. Especially Tapu Lele, who's kind and cruel in equal measure.

He's literally the embodiment of my own mischievousness. Do I want to be funny? Do I want to be serious? Do I want to make a dick joke in a Pokemon story? Just use the Fossil Man, who's become one of my favorite characters (I have many, sue me).

From: Ew futw

How do the protagonists from previous games like Hilbert, Red and Ethan compare in power to characters like Wes, Aria and Professor Kukui?

Wes was strong enough to challenge for the Championship and win in Unova and Sinnoh (he actually beat Cynthia when he was in Sinnoh, though he refused the Champion position), and some of strongest Pokemon were insanely powerful (I'm talking high 70's for his Flygon, Umbreon and Espeon). Aria isn't as strong as Wes, though she's the strongest out of her group by a significant amount (her team is around 60-65). Even with a team of four, she could fight the Elite 4 and have only a some of trouble. And Kukui's team at the present is slightly weaker than they are in the Championship Defense battle, since he's still training up some of the newer ones like Lycanroc and Torracat.

So...imagine your team when you beat the Elite 4, but slightly weaker. That's around how strong they are.

From: Guest

Hi there!

Keep up with ur great story, also I'm just wondering, why did you choose Infernape and Leafeon for Lucas? Wouldn't they be better for Dawn? I mean, I could imagine Lucas having a magmortar due to his cameo for one of the movies, plus torterra is kind of his signature Pokémon even in the Pokémon adventures series. So I'm wondering, why?

From,

ARANDOMGUEST WHO LOVES UR STORY

Because I don't read the Pokemon Adventure series and just went with A.) what seemed fun, B.) what was a feasible team to use in game and C.) what made sense for someone proceeding through a region. Basically my guideline for making Sun's team.

Also, feel free to keep asking about these teams, but I made them on a whim and there wasn't some greater purpose to all of this. Out of all of the playable characters, only like...3 are showing up in the story. MAYBE 4. And I'm including Sun in this. So don't read too much into this, I only made that roster because I was asked to and it seemed like fun at the time. Now I completely regret doing it.

In fact, thanks to how much I've been spammed about it, I'm probably going to start ignoring questions about previous generations teams. I appreciate the enthusiasm, really I do, but it's genuinely exhausted me and I think I got more reviews asking about stuff that doesn't matter more than reviews about what happened in the 20K+ chapter that I posted.

Thanks for being patient folks. With this last bit of nonsense out of the way, we should be able to return to weekly updates. I got the hard stuff taken care of, so now I can delve straight into action, drama, and some genuine awesomeness.

Please drop a review in the section below and offer your ever-so-valuable feedback. Favorite and/or follow the story if you haven't already, and if you've got a question, send it to me and I'll answer it next chapter.

I've got a little poll to ask those who've made it to the end of this massive chapter. What are you most excited about from E3 so far? And does Pokémon Sword and Shield look like it'll be good? Let me know your thoughts in the review section!

ALSO! The Official "Pokémon Radiant Sun" Discord channel is now up and running. Please PM me on this site for the link and join the conversation! It's the best way to stay updated with chapter info, and just a place to chat about nerd stuff and Pokémon.

Take care and stay awesome, folks.

Until next time, FlygonNick out!