Pokémon Radiant Sun


Whelp, these past two week's been a nightmare and a half.

But I guess when you're packing up all your stuff and preparing to move across to the other side of the planet, things kinda gotta be a pain in the ass. And that's not even taking into account the Coronavirus stuff.

Thankfully I've got a bit of a break ahead of me, so I'll be taking a siesta from things before my next big adventure. Not much to say other than that, so let's get this thing going! These next few chapters, and basically the remainder of this Act, are going to be an absolute blast.

Shoutout to those who reviewed since the last update, which includes Oragonking, SolanaLeonhart, fatwhiteguy, sceptilezeno, Xim the Despot, a new guest reviewer known as lolxddddddddd, three Guest reviewers, BraviaryScout, SonicIKE and a new reviewer known as Aligax. Thank so much for the feedback and the support. It honestly makes weeks like these worth it. This is probably the most reviews this story has gotten in months, so it means the world to me to see such an awesome outpouring of support for RS.

I'm gonna give a special shoutout to my Discord crew for help on the chapter name, because I was having a complete brain fart on this one and they came at me with a lot of great suggestions. An additional shoutout goes to SpoonyAzul, who ended up coming up with the chapter title I ended up going with. I'm really happy about this one.

Enjoy!


Chapter 106: Electric Trial! The Lightning Round Quiz!


Route 3, Alola Region

Many Years Ago...


"Ash, stay back! These two are way too strong for you to deal with!" Lusamine shouted as she called out her Delphox, who promptly threw up a Protect to shield them from a blast of lightning thrown at them.

"I want to help!" Ash protested, calling out Damien as he glared at the two men down the road who had begun attacking them. The two men that stood ahead of them both wore bright red clothing, with baggy pants and glittering red cloaks draped around their shoulders. Strange armor could be seen on their body underneath the cloak, and the two men were both wearing swords at their waists.

They were members of the Ruby Raiders. A group of criminals that had been operating out of Alola for many years, and had become much more active as of late. They were violent thugs who ran several illegal operations in Alola that included drugs, kidnapping and Pokémon smuggling.

At their feet was an unmoving woman and a man who was lying on the ground clutching his chest and groaning. Beside them stood a Tauros, snorting softly while a Jolteon fired off deadly amounts of electricity at them. A Shedinja floated overhead, simply observing the proceedings.

"I was wondering when we'd have a run in with the Champion. Alrighty...so here's how this works. Hand over your Poké Balls, phones and money, or we'll rip you apart." One of the men said with a smirk, stomping down on the fallen man's head and driving it into the dirt. "Or...we could make it interesting. You don't comply, and we'll kill these two dregs right here and now."

Ash grit his teeth in fury as Damien growled softly beside him. Tommy crossed his arms, a frown on his face as his Lurantis hissed and crouched slightly, as if preparing to attack. Meanwhile Lusamine stared down the two criminals, trying to think on what to do. Mohn smiled and called out a large Stoutland, who let out a bark.

"Use Dig and take those jerks out, would you?" Mohn asked his canine in an undertone, to which the Stoutland replied by quickly burrowing into the ground, much to the chagrin of the two criminals.

"Didn't you hear what we just said!?" one of the Ruby Raiders demanded. The other raised a hand and grabbed the Shedinja, shouting, "Phantom Force!"

The Shedinja and the Ruby Raider vanished, reappearing beside Lusamine and Mohn and viciously kicking Lusamine into Mohn. Meanwhile Shedinja smashed into Delphox, disrupting her shield and allowing the whole group to get blasted with Thunderbolt, save for the Ruby Raider that had attacked them, thanks to a well-timed Protect. As Stoutland erupted from the ground a short distance away, knocking the Jolteon into the air, the Ruby Raider lunged forward with his sword and stabbed the canine in the side.

"Aaaagh...Y-you...Y-you'll p-p-pay for that…" Mohn groaned as he struggled to get up. However, the Ruby Raider that had bypassed the barrier pulled out his sword and pressed the blade against Lusamine's chest as she weakly stirred.

"Yeah, yeah. Now die!" the Ruby Raider bellowed, drawing back his arm to plunge the blade into Lusamine's chest and through her heart. Ashton let out a scream of despair, as did Mohn, while the ruby-clad man let out a bark of laughter...However...

None of them could have expected the intervention of a curious little bird.

As the man slashed downwards, a wild Pikipek suddenly flew at the man's face, making him swear loudly and miss completely. After a few moments, the man swung his fist around and connected with the bird, sending it tumbling through the air with a screech as it landed in Ash's arms.

This gave Adele the Delphox enough time to finally retaliate, blasting Shedinja with a Flamethrower and throwing away the Ruby Raider with a Psychic, sending him back over to his ally. The powerful blast was enough to hit the Jolteon as well, with Stoutland being able to barely dodge the blast in time.

The Pikipek twittered softly, shuddering in pain. Ashton looked down at the little bird, concerned, and said, "Thanks, little birdie. That was awesome."

"I underestimated you lot...That won't happen again." Lusamine said as she limped forward, glaring at the two criminals as they tried to regroup. After seeing the state their Pokémon were in, they seemingly decided to cut their losses.

"Just you wait. The Chosen One leads us, and once we gain control of the Alola region...Well, ain't no point in spoiling the fun." The larger of the two men growled, calling out a Kadabra with a rub red scarf wrapped around his neck.

"Mystical Fire!" Lusamine ordered Adele, who raised her arm-

Only for the two men to vanish into nothingness. Lusamine sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose as Tommy and Ashton ran forward to check on the injured Trainers ahead, with Ash holding onto the Pikipek in his arms.

"Those guys were nasty. Robbers ain't anything new, but that was more violent than what I'm used to seeing. And much smarter, too." Mohn remarked worriedly as Lusamine nodded, the Champion beginning to walk over to where the younger Trainers were checking on the injured.

"They'll live. But they definitely need a hospital. The woman's out of it and this guy's got a few busted ribs. Looks like that stomp has him really dazed, maybe a concussion" Tommy said as Ashton hovered nearby, concern on his face.

"Let's touch base with Roran. He's in Iki Town helping Kahuna Hala. There's not a moment to lose." Lusamine said firmly, with Tommy and Ashton nodding in agreement as Mohn put a comforting hand on his girlfriend's shoulders.

Ashton chose that moment to set the Pikipek down on the ground, preparing to thank it for intervening, but he noticed something about it quickly.

"Oh...it's hurt." Ashton muttered, bending down and examining the Pikipek. It seemed like it had a broken wing, or at least one that had been injured during the fight.

"A bird with a wing like that wouldn't last the night." Tommy remarked, bending down to examine the little bird. Ashton frowned at that, concerned. He then nodded and pulled out a Poké Ball from his backpack, tossing it at the Pikipek. The bird chirped in surprise, getting sucked into the ball. It shook back and forth three times before...click.

"I'll name her Penelope." Ashton said as he picked up the Poké Ball, smiling after a moment. Tommy nodded in approval, a smirk on his face as he fist-bumped the child. Ashton and Tommy stood, helping pick up the injured couple while Mohn treated his Stoutland.

Lusamine's mind was racing, however, as she reflected on the developments of the day. And that she needed to look into these Ruby Raiders a little more.


Present Day

Aether Paradise


"So then...so then! He looked up and said, 'Oi, dat's my bird'!"

A small crowd of Aether Paradise employees laughed as Dawson finished his joke, red-faced and giggling as everyone cackled in delight. Miss Wicke wiped her eyes, trying to maintain her composure as she chuckled.

"Knight, where the hell do you come up with these?" one man asked, propping himself up against the wall to help keep himself balanced as he tried to regain his composure.

"Oh come on, I can't take all the credit. Heard that one from a friend of mine in Galar. Apparently Pidove are all over the Wild Area there. It's some crazy stuff!" Dawson said with a shrug, earning another few laughs.

"You're really well-traveled, man. Why come to Alola?" a female APT member asked, leaning against the wall and taking a sip of her coffee.

"Are you kidding me? Wonderful weather, exotic Pokémon, awesome beaches? Plus there's so much history here. How could I stay away? Besides, I've always thought there's more we can do to help out Pokémon in other regions. Why not do what I can to help? Aether caught my eye and here I am!" Dawson said cheerfully, earning a few nods. Dawson knew that a few of the others had similar stories. Alola was an incredible location for anyone to work out of, and working with a place with as good of a reputation as Aether probably didn't hurt.

"Fair enough. A decent chunk of us had the same thoughts when we joined. President Lusamine's vision for the world is an incredible one. It's really inspiring to be led by someone like her." One of the Aether members remarked, laughing after a moment as he texted on his phone.

"Naturally. President Lusamine's conservation efforts across the planet are well-documented. Both she and her late husband worked to set up our main Kalos HQ nearly two decades ago. Alola, being such a hotspot of rare Pokémon and natural beauty, was an obvious location to set up our second branch." Wicke explained as Dawson crossed his arms, interested.

"So, going back to our Galar discussion, why not set up a branch there? God knows they need it." Dawson remarked, knowing about the country's past history. He had been to Galar a few times as a bounty hunter.

"As much as we'd love to set up a branch in the Galar region, it's simply not in the cards at the moment. The pollution in that country has had such a powerful impact on the Pokémon there...We can only do so much. But I hope someday we can do more." Wicke said quietly, sighing softly before shrugging. "All we can do is the best we can, I suppose."

A few of the workers nodded in agreement, with a few making statements of agreement with what Wicke had said. Dawson took that moment to reflect. After all, he was on break, right?

In the short time Dawson had worked undercover at Aether Paradise, he had definitely learned quite a bit. While most of it was unimportant, he did learn some very interesting things about the labs underneath Aether.

Apparently most of the personnel were aware of the labs that lurked below the facility, and some, but not all, of the experiments down there. Mostly the ones that were far too positive-sounding and made Dawson very skeptical. He himself had been lucky enough to escort Faba to the labs to assist in lifting some heavy equipment, but it was enough for him to spot his target and figure out a way to infiltrate the labs. He needed a bit more time to figure out how to connect all the dots, but he figured he'd get there in time.

President Lusamine, it seemed, ran quite the show here at Aether Paradise. And Dawson was curious just how deep the hole he could go. And whether or not Borlath's paranoia was justified.

"Regardless of how or why you chose to join us, it's good to see you're enjoying your time here. We're like one big happy family here, newbie. President Lusamine is like a mother to everyone." One woman remarked, grinning at Dawson as he snapped out of his daze.

"And Miss Wicke is the awesome aunt who brings monopoly and sneaks out the wine coolers for Walden's birthday!" one of the men remarked, laughing loudly.

"Hell yeah, she did!" Walden yelled out from the back of the room, leaning against the wall while Miss Wicke blushed in embarrassment.

"You have no proof I ever did such a thing!" Wicke remarked with a wink, making everyone laugh in reply and making Dawson grin at her.

"I'm guessing Faba is the weird uncle that everyone tolerates." Dawson said under his breath, but audibly enough to where everyone heard him. This earned another chorus of laughs from the other workers, as well as a very-unladylike cackle from Miss Wicke.

"Something like that." Wicke responded before hearing a faint tone ring from her watch. The woman sighed and said, "Alright, folks. Back to work!"

Despite the call to return to their jobs, most of the Aether personnel didn't seem too bothered by it, which Dawson took note of. They all seemed very enthused about their job. On top of that, they were also very loyal to the woman they worked for.

Dawson had only met President Lusamine once since he arrived, and was shocked to find out the woman was in her mid-forties. And that she still was a solid 12/10 on her worst day.

"Knight, are you there? Earth to Knight?"

Dawson snapped out of his thoughts a second time, realizing the room was empty save for him and Miss Wicke, who was staring at him in amusement. Dawson grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"S-sorry ma'am. Got a lot on my mind. Working here's a trip, let me tell you." Dawson said as he hopped off the couch. Wicke crossed her arms, her smile fading somewhat as her gaze became a bit more...calculating.

"You know...You're really good at getting people to like you, Knight. You've been here just a matter of days and already you're a favorite among some of the workers here. What's your secret?" Wicke asked Dawson a little suspiciously. The Cipher Admin barked out a laugh.

"Hell if I know. It's a gift. Or a curse, I guess. Either way, I don't see what's so odd about treating people with respect and being cool with them. I've always been like that." Dawson admitted, shrugging as Wicke shook her head.

"You're going to be a terror to the women on this island, I can tell already." Wicke remarked wryly, with Dawson shooting finger guns at her. Wicke rolled her eyes, though she wore an amused smile. However she was cut off by a nasally voice that spoke up from the intercoms.

"Miss Wicke, you're needed in the Main Office immediately. Miss Wicke, to the Main Office immediately. Do not keep me waiting!" Faba snapped over the intercom, making Wicke sigh and rub the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"Does he have to be such a...well, you know, all the time?" Dawson asked Wicke, who simply rolled her eyes.

"That's just Faba being Faba. Believe me, if I had to choose between speaking to Faba or shooting myself in the foot and going to medical, I'd choose the self-inflicted injury." Wicke said dryly, making Dawson burst out laughing. Wicke looked at him in surprise as he struggled to regain control of himself.

"S-sorry, but I was not expecting something like that from you. Jeez. No wonder everyone likes you." Dawson remarked lightly as he wiped a tear from his eye, already giggly from telling his jokes earlier.

"I'm not that great. I just do what I can. For now, though, we should probably get back to work. Faba gets cranky when he sees...well, anything to be totally honest. And it's best not to keep him waiting." Wicke admitted as Dawson joined her, smirking at the remark.

"Yeah, he seems like a real douche-canoe. I don't know what the President sees in him. Just...uh, don't tell him I said that." Dawson remarked, shaking his head. Wicke smiled ruefully before walking out of the room, glancing down her watch. Dawson's smile changed a little, becoming a bit less pronounced.

"It's a shame I plan on stabbing these people in the back. To work for such a truly good cause...I almost envy them. I hope that when the time comes, we can just complete our objective and leave them out of it." Dawson thought sadly, whistling an old song as he made his way down the hallways, trying to keep his eyes from drifting downwards as he followed Miss Wicke and continued his mission.


Borlath stood there at the bottom of the Snowpoint Temple, on the cusp of achieving yet another incredible feat on his quest. His quest to truly make this world a better place. A quest that had caused so much pain and bloodshed, and had threatened to crush his spirit all the while.

And yet, the only thing on his mind was talking to his son.

"Are you serious? Can't this wait?" Dakim growled, stomping towards the Cipher Master.

Borlath gave Dakim a glare, his eyes burning bright red before they flicked to light gray. "Hold on a moment Sun, I'm moving to a place with better connection."

"I can't believe you're letting some rebellious brat affect your operation like-" Venus began to say before Borlath's arm shot out and clamped down on her throat. Borlath lifted Venus into the air with ease as Dakim and Amber watched with surprise, with Damien smirking at the display. Venus' eyes bulged in surprise as she fruitlessly clawed at the iron-like grip suffocating her.

"You don't get to insult my son. None of you do. Are we clear?" Borlath said quietly, his tone leaving no room for argument. Without waiting for a response Borlath dropped Venus on the ground and turned to Amber. "Amber...Watch them. Don't start without me. You know how important something like this is to me."

"Take your time. I've got this under control." Amber said with a nod, calling out Avis and Aou, as well as drawing a magnum out of her armor. Venus gasped for air on the ground, rubbing her throat while Dakim frowned with disapproval, watching as Borlath walked away with Damien padding alongside him.

"Sorry about that, Sun. The other Admins weren't exactly...understanding. Now, what was it you wanted to talk about? Is everything okay?" Borlath asked as he sat down on the top step, with Damien sitting down beside him. The canine pressed against Borlath's side, providing a welcome source of warmth for the Cipher Master.

"Where...where are you?" Sun asked, sounding almost hesitant. "You know what...never mind. You're probably doing some top secret villain stuff that I can't know about."

"I suppose that this can be a step towards mending the distrust you have towards me. I'm currently in Snowpoint Temple with the other Admins, preparing to awaken Regigigas." Borlath said to Sun, who remained silent. "I know, I know. But it'll be a crucial asset in what's coming next. If used properly, it can be a force for good."

"And all the other Legendaries you have under your control isn't enough power?"

"Not if I want to make a difference in this world. Not if I want to make people truly listen. A strong enough Trainer can topple a single Legendary. You are proof of that." Borlath explained to Sun, a note of pride in his voice as he said the last part. "However, assemble enough of them and soon I won't have to fight anyone. Those with the power to make the changes I seek will simply listen to sense. I wish things were easier, but life is anything but simple. Now, a question for a question. You don't have to answer, considering everything, but I am curious. Where are you?"

"Why would I tell you that? You're just going to try and kidnap me again."

Borlath frowned at the wording, but didn't respond to that. Instead, he said, "I know you defeated the Kahuna of Akala Island a short time ago. If you're following the path of the Island Challenge, you're on your way to Mount Hokulani to tackle the Steel-type Trial."

"Steel? I thought it was an Electric Tri-" Sun stopped himself, perhaps realizing he had given himself away. Borlath smiled slightly, amused at that.

"You forget that I walked the same road you did, son. It wasn't by choice, but I did walk it once upon a time. And as for that comment about taking you back to where you belong, I have no interest in taking you anywhere. You made it clear at the Battle Royal Dome that you don't want to come with me. So I won't make you. I've even instructed all Cipher personnel to leave you alone." Borlath admitted to Sun, though he heard a faint scoff on the other end.

"How can I believe you?" Sun asked, his voice hard.

"I don't know. You're old enough to believe what you want. But I have no reason to lie to you. If I was serious about taking you from Alola, I would have sent Amber after you and just been done with it. I may not approve of the direction your life is going in, but it's heading in that direction and there's not much I can do about it from here without resorting to drastic measures I'd rather stay away from. It's obvious the schooling Laura gave you and my own teachings that you've become a Trainer capable of thinking on his feet. You were able to defeat Dawson and my Shadow Articuno. You're clearly a very skilled Trainer, son. I may be terrified of what might happen to you, but it's not like I'm able to come to Alola to get you myself." Borlath said with a mixture of pride and bitterness in his voice. There was a very long pause after that, and the Cipher Master wondered if Sun had hung up.

And then…

"You keep talking about me. How this is all about me and how I'm doing so well as a Trainer. But what about you, Borlath? Why can't you come to Alola?" Sun asked his father, practically demanding an answer. Borlath sighed deeply, not really wanting to discuss his childhood with his son. It was hardly appropriate for him.

"If we're going to have this conversation, then let's drop this little game. Despite all of this, I am still your father. Now...why did you call me? What's wrong?" Borlath...no, Ashton asked his son, his eyes flickering blue. Damien saw the concern in his gaze, the barely-masked worry about what could possibly possess Sun to contact him after everything that had happened.

"I just want answers. You owe me that much...Dad, what happened to you in Alola? Why are you so afraid of this region?" Sun asked his father, a note of desperation in his voice. Ashton shut his eyes, trying to find a way to word his answer.

"There's too much hurt there, Sun. Disregarding the fact that there's no real need for me to return to Alola, it's simply because I don't feel comfortable returning home. Why should I ever go back to a place that causes me pain? It's honestly very simple. There's a reason I barely discussed my past with Laura, and why I've never discussed my upbringing in any capacity with you. I wanted to focus on my future. And when you were born, you became my future." Ashton said simply as Damien scoffed.

"You still should have told us. It would've made things a lot more clear. Instead I'm having to hear second-hand accounts instead of directly from my father." Sun said to Ashton, who's expression hardened slightly.

"I wanted you and Laura both to be as far away from Alola as possible. Especially because there are people there who would most certainly try to harm you or her if they knew you were there. I was trying to protect you both from very real threats. I only hope they haven't caught wind of you being in the region." Ashton said as his expression became a scowl of disgust.

"I still regret not tearing that judgmental fool to shreds. If anyone deserves to die, it's him." Damien remarked, baring his teeth slightly.

"...You're talking about your parents, aren't you? My grandparents." Sun asked quietly, making Ashton's eyes widen in surprise.

"How...how did you-" Ashton began to say, but Sun cut him off.

"Miss Lusamine told me about them. How you were abused by them. Forced to undergo the Island Challenge against your will. She told me about some of your adventures and how a Kahuna named Roran betrayed Alola. I think I'm starting to understand some things about you. Why you're so protective of me. I didn't really understand until I met my grandparents today, but I think I'm finally starting to understand why you're going to such lengths for my sake." Sun's voice spoke through the phone, but Ashton's eyes had gone wide white with sheer horror and fear, his expression one of absolute shock.

"You...-y-you met them? Did they hurt you? Did he...did he touch you? Are you okay!?" Ashton demanded, standing up as his eyes slowly darkened as the fear became something darker, crimson flickering into his eyes. "I swear upon everything, if that lunatic laid a single hand on you I'll...I'll…"

"Ash, just breathe!" Damien growled at his panicking Trainer, who whirled around to face him with bright red eyes.

"Dad, it's okay! Please, calm down! I'm safe!" Sun said placating as Ashton took a steadying breath, flexing his hands. Ashton slowly sat back down, running a hand through his hair. A few breaths later and the Cipher Master was back in control of his emotions.

"Sorry. They...It doesn't matter. You already know anyway." Ashton took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as his breath puffed out from his mouth. "You said you're okay. I can be happy with that. What did you think of them?"

"Ano and Lahela were terrible. Ano thought I was you for a while. He wasn't in his right mind, but something tells me he hasn't been for a long time." Sun said to his father, who simply shook his head in response.

"My father has always been delusional, and a complete sociopath obsessed with preserving Alola's culture in a changing world. Age has only made him worse. He's a danger to everyone around him, and the only reason he's not in jail is because he has my mother making excuses for his behavior and friends on the City Counsel protecting him." Ashton said in response, a slight growl in his voice of anger.

"I saw a bit of that earlier. After seeing how your parents were and thinking it over, I decided I just needed to talk to you. I...I wanted to talk to my Dad." Sun said quietly as Ashton's eyes flickered gold, a smile coming to his face after a few moments.

"Things may be different now, Sun. But no matter what, I am still your father. And I will always be here for you, even if we may not agree with each other's lifestyles." Ashton said to his son, grinning now.

"Lifestyles, huh? That's one way of putting it. You killed Nova because you were so against me just doing what I've wanted to do since I was little." Sun accused Ashton, who flinched at his son's harsh tone, his eyes returning to gray.

"And I'm sorry for that, Sun. I thought...Well, I overreacted. Harshly. Fear can make a man do very stupid things when it comes to those he cares about." Ashton said to Sun, crossing his arms and hunching forward. "I don't expect you to forgive me, Sun. I'm sorry for hurting you. For hurting Laura. For killing that little Eevee in a fit of anger and desperation. I may have gotten better at controlling my emotions over the years, but despite that, sometimes they get the better of me. Like earlier, when you mentioned that you met your grandparents. I want you to know that I've only done what I have because I care about you and Laura. Please understand that many of the things I've done were mistakes made in the moment, and not acts of complete evil. Adults aren't perfect and we make mistakes. I've made many of them concerning you, and I hope when you become a father someday you don't mess up like I have."

Sun let out a breath, an exhale of emotion that Ashton didn't know how to feel about. After a moment his child responded, his voice quiet, "And part of me believes that. I'm just having a hard time understanding what I'm feeling right now. That's why I called you. I want to hate you, Dad. But another part of me believes that I can save you from all of this. That everything can go back to normal."

Ashton smiled sadly as Damien pressed a paw against his side. "Me too, Sun. Me too."

"I guess I'll have to think about this for a while, but...I am glad that I could at least talk about this with you for once." Sun said as Ashton leaned forward, smiling a little.

"It's good to hear from you. Even if I was hoping for a more lighthearted conversation with my boy, I'm glad to be able to help put you at ease. I'm sure you have a lot on your plate already, without me causing more trouble." Ashton remarked with some amusement, which made Sun snort with derision.

"That's an understatement. I have a Trial I'm supposed to be focusing on, but the only thing I could think about is the fact that even though you're a criminal mastermind who killed my Eevee and nearly killed Mom, that you're still a better father than Ano was to you."

"That's not saying much. My father hated me. But I'll take whatever compliments I can get from you, for now." Ashton said with a touch of amusement in his voice. "You mentioned some concern about an Electric Trial, correct?"

"Yeah. I know you hate the fact that you're a Pokémon Trainer, but...um...do you have any advice?" Sun asked, which made Ashton smile after a moment. Despite it having to do with Pokémon Battling, the Cipher Master was more than happy to offer his child some advice.

"You have an Dartrix, Toucannon, Poliwag and Arcanine, right?" Ashton asked Sun, shutting his eyes and thinking.

"Yeah, though my Poliwag evolved a little while ago." Sun replied as Ashton tried to think what the Totem would be. He considered all of the Electric-type Pokémon of Alola and decided after a few moments of thought what the Totem could be.

"My advice is to rely on your Arcanine for this one. It'll almost definitely have a major advantage against the Totem Pokémon of Hokulani Observatory, as will your Dartrix to some degree. The other two won't be of much use." Ashton explained to Sun, opening his eyes.

"Why do you think that?"

"There's not many Electric-type Pokémon unique to Alola that don't have a major weakness to fire. Togedemaru and the Grubbin line comes to mind. That being said, prepare for anything." Ashton warned his child, who took a moment to reply.

"Then I'll try to keep Brago healthy for the Trial then. Alright. Um, thanks Dad."

"I'm glad I was able to help Sun. Now, I have a question for you. Feel free to take some time to consider it before you answer. Now...What can I do to earn some of your trust back? Short of turning myself in and completely derailing my plans." Ashton said to Sun, exchanging a look with Damien.

"I don't know...There's a lot of things I wish you didn't do. All I know that I can do is get stronger so that I can stop you myself." Sun said with a note of determination in his voice.

Ashton couldn't help a smile, even if it hurt. His child was growing up so fast. Even if it wasn't the life he wanted for Sun, his boy was chasing his dreams and doing well in his goals.

"I'm sure you'll do great. You are my son, after all. Just promise me you'll be safe, alright?" Ashton said softly, with Sun taking a moment to respond.

"I'll try. You'll be safe too, right?" Sun asked, surprising Ashton. The man smiled, the gesture one of sorrow that made Damien give him a look of confusion.

"Of course. I'll be just fine." Ashton said dismissively, his eyes flickering gold for a brief moment before settling on gray again.

"You asked me what you can do to show me that I can trust you...How about this? No more killing, for one." Sun said to his father, his voice becoming harsher. "It's hard enough to sleep at night knowing you're the reason so many people are suffering. But seeing you kill Lorelei and other people is just...you don't have to kill people to make your point heard."

"I've never wanted to kill in the first place. It haunts me more than you could ever know, but if it'll give you some peace then I'll agree to that. No more killing, at least from me. I'll do my best to ensure the others keep the casualties to a minimum as well. Anything else?" Ashton asked, curious as to where Sun was going with this.

"I guess I'll take what I can get. I don't have any way to be certain you're actually going to keep your word. Hmmm...You said Cipher wasn't monitoring me or Mom, right? Can you make sure that sticks?" Sun asked Ashton, who nodded once. And then spoke up upon remembering Sun couldn't see him.

"Yes, I ordered all of Cipher to cease any surveillance on you. I actually never did sort out where Laura lives these days, so I actually never had anyone keeping an eye on her. So that I can agree with as well." Ashton said easily, smirking a little. "Come on, Sun. Give me something difficult."

"Alright then. You and Dawson keep going on about taking care of the criminals in the world, but you're still working with Neo Team Plasma. I want you to stop working with those guys. You can't have their help but also condemn them at the same time." Sun said to Ashton, who laughed at that.

"True, it is a conflict of interest in some capacity. Very well. But you know what has to happen if they're no longer useful to me, correct?" Ashton asked Sun, who remained quiet on the other end of the phone. "But you know what? For you, Sun, I can agree to that."

"You can't...You're not serious. You wouldn't give up such an important asset like that. You view all of this like you do your business. My peace of mind shouldn't be worth losing Neo Team Plasma." Sun said, sounding disbelieving. Even Damien looked a bit surprised, though he wore a small smile on his face.

"I can when it comes to you, my boy. Remember...I'm doing this all for you." Ashton said quietly, his smile still one of amusement more than anything else.

"But why? Why? I don't get it. Why destroy everything for me?" Sun asked, genuinely confused. As if he simply couldn't understand.

"Because you're my son. That's really all the justification I need. Now, any other demands?" Ashton asked, laughing quietly as Sun went quiet on the other end of the phone.

"I want you to promise me that you'll try and talk things out with the Pokémon League." Sun said to his father, making the man's eyes widen in surprise.

"That's very unlikely to happen. They wouldn't dare to even consider my demands or desires. It's why I've had to go to such lengths. If it were as easy as talking to them in order to enact the reforms I'm hoping for I would be sitting at home with you and Laura right now. This world needs change, and I don't think it's something the Pokémon League would be willing to do under its own volition." Ashton said doubtfully, his eyes turning a shade of orange.

"You're the man who brought an entire region to its knees and destroyed Team Rocket. I'm sure you can get a bunch of Trainers to figure out a way to do their jobs better." Sun said to his father, which gave Ashton some pause.

"I will only promise to try. That's all I can do, Sun." Ashton said quietly, rubbing his chin as he glanced towards the wall. Even as he spoke the words, he knew that it was pointless. The Pokémon League was completely useless when it came to dealing with threats. "I'll see if I can come up with something."

"You're a shrewd businessman, Dad. You'll figure something out." Sun replied, sounding almost relieved.

"Maybe. Anything else that you can think of?" Ashton asked, still trying to think of a way to sort out Sun's previous demand.

"Um...Nothing comes to mind. I guess I can come up with more later." Sun muttered, making Ashton smile ruefully.

"You sound so uncertain, Sun. What's on your mind?" Ashton asked his son as Damien snorted, a puff of smoke coming from his nose.

"I don't know how I feel towards you, Dad. You easily agreeing to all of that, on top of sort-of understanding why you're doing this...There's so many different things going on right now in my head and my heart that it's impossible to tell what makes sense." Sun admitted, his voice cracking slightly, which made Ashton smile sadly.

"That's alright, Sun. It's perfectly okay to feel like that. You have every right to hate me after everything that's happened. And you shouldn't feel guilty if you still care about me. Love isn't something you just turn off, after all. Take some time to process your emotions. Reflect. Maybe discuss some of what's on your mind with your friends. It helps a lot." Ashton advised his son as he shifted on the cold step he was sitting on.

"I'll...I'll do that." Sun said haltingly, seemingly surprised at Ashton's supportive response. The Cipher Master smiled mournfully at that thought, and decided to put his child's fears to rest.

"Sun, at the end of the day, I am still your father. I want what's best for you. We simply disagree on what that is. But the fact remains that I would go to the ends of the earth to protect you. It's mostly why I'm striving so hard to create a world of peace in this manner. I am still here for you if you ever need me." Ashton said to his only child, with Damien nodding once in approval. "I don't approve of your new lifestyle, but I want you to know that if you need anything, that I will do whatever I can to support you."

"So...if I call again, you'll answer?" Sun asked, sounding almost hopeful. At least, that's what Ashton was hoping himself.

"Of course I will. I love you, Sun. No matter what happens between the two of us, please don't forget that." Ashton said to Sun, who remained quiet on the other end of the line.

Click.

Ashton's entire body sagged as he sighed, shutting his jet black eyes as Damien frowned beside him. Ashton's eyes opened, revealing them to be a dull shade of yellow. "I guess that's about what I could have expected."

"There's a lot to that you're not telling him." Damien remarked, with Ashton nodding.

"He's got enough on his plate to deal with...I'll collect him in time, once things have settled and he's gotten this Trainer business out of the way. Maybe even after he completes the Island Challenge? We'll see. For now, as long as he is safe, I'm happy."

"Do you plan on upholding the promises you made to him?" Damien asked Ashton, who responded by placing a hand on his head. The Houndoom shut his eyes in contentment as his Trainer patted his head.

"I plan on doing what I must to secure a better tomorrow for my boy. If he doesn't want Neo Team Plasma in the picture anymore, then so be it. If he wants me to try to talk things out with the Pokémon League, then perhaps I could try to reason with them before I tear them asunder." Ashton said as he began to descend the cold stairway, his loyal partner walking alongside him.

"It's about time you listened to reason." Damien grunted, with Ashton cracking a grin at that.

"It's not reason, per say. I'm just willing to indulge Sun. After all...this is all for him. It's the least I could do for my boy." Ashton said as he and Damien drew closer to the statue of Regigigas. Ashton stood in front of the massive being, brushing past Dakim and Venus and stopping beside Amber.

"How'd it go?" Amber asked, her eyes bright pink. Ashton was surprised that the curse was in effect at the moment, but his shock was short-lived as he looked at her, and then back towards Regigigas.

"About as well as I could have hoped. He knows too much about the hell I went through before, and I'm still livid about my father meeting Sun. But...he seems to be willing to reevaluate his opinion. I'll take what I can get." Ashton explained to the assassin, which made her frown in concern.

"After everything he's dealt with, I'd be amazed if he actually tried to reconnect with you. The fact that he called you is something I couldn't have ever imagined." Amanda admitted, making Ashton smile at her.

"I was surprised too. He seems to be willing to hear me out, and didn't outright dismiss me like last time. I did everything I could to make it clear to Sun that I want to fix things. The rest is up to Sun, and I feel he needs time to determine what he wants to do next."

"You really think he'll just change his tune in time?" Amanda asked, sounding doubtful. Ashton shrugged in response.

"I'd like to hope so. Sometimes when children are overwhelmed, they need time to cope and process how they feel. Sun is a brilliant child, but he's still just that. A child. I'm willing to give him all the time he needs." Ashton said, smiling a little before hearing a scoff from Venus.

"That's stupid." Dakim grunted, stomping forward. "You should just kidnap that brat and keep him at our base until this thing is done with."

Ashton smirked at the man, shaking his head in clear dismissal of the idea. After a few moments he allowed himself to become more focused on the task at hand, mentally prepared to deal with what he would do as the leader of Cipher.

"You wouldn't understand, Dakim. Being a father changes your priorities. It's not about me...None of this was ever about me." Borlath said before he thrust out a hand towards Regigigas, with the three Regi Pokémon assembled before them beginning to glow bright white.

"Now...Back to business."


Sun lowered the phone from his ear, his finger still on the end call button. Zinnia and Kukui watched the boy's troubled face, his mouth an unsure frown. Oliver simply moved closer to the boy, resting his head against Sun's side.

"Rotom, what do you think?" Sun asked as he looked down at the device sitting in his lap. The haunted Pokémon/device remained silent for several moments before buzzing softly.

"Bzzzt. Buddy, I don't know how to tell you this...But your father only lied once during that entire conversation." Rotom Dex said to Sun, glancing up at the troubled boy's face. Sun's eyes darkened further, with him looking out of the window.

"Sun?" Oliver asked worriedly. Sun looked back towards Oliver and placed a hand on his head, scratching it for a moment before looking back towards Rotom Dex.

"What was the one part he lied about?" Sun asked the device, which remained silent for several moments.

"When he told you that he'll be safe. Aside from that...every word he spoke was the truth." Rotom Dex said to Sun, with the boy's eyes growing darker at that.

"Sun? What's on your mind?" Kukui asked, concern evident in his voice.

"I don't know. I don't know how to feel towards him anymore. On the one hand, he's done all of these terrible things. But I'm starting to understand why. Why go to these extreme lengths for the sake of me. Why try so hard to protect me from everything...There's more to this though. I can feel it." Sun said to Kukui, who nodded after a moment of thought. "On top of all of that, I...I don't want to hate my dad. He raised me. Up until the very end, he made sure me and Mom had everything we could have wanted. Even though he's been doing these awful things, I can't help but remember the good times. Where Borlath was Ashton, and instead of him being the Grand Master of Cipher...he was just my Dad. And I know that he's doing this out of love."

"Love is a powerful emotion. People do stupid things because of it." Zinnia remarked sagely before pointing towards the window. "We're nearly there, by the way."

"Are you going to be alright, Sun?" Kukui asked Sun, who didn't respond right away. He continued to pet Oliver, looking out the bus window.

"I say give the kid some time. He'll sort it out." Zinnia said with a smile, reaching forward to pat Sun on the head before leaning back into her seat. The group remained silent until they arrived at the top of the mountain, coming to a stop just outside of the large blue building known as the Hokulani Observatory. A Pokémon Center was a few dozen yards away from where they parked, with several backpackers and Hikers mulling about the mountaintop with eager eyes.

As Zinnia and Kukui left the bus, Sun trudged off of it still deep in thought. Oliver nudged him with his head as he fluttered by, with Sun looking at the owl in surprise.

"I'm sorry your heart hurts so much, Sun. But I want you to know that we're here for you. I'm here for you." Oliver said as he landed in the nearest seat. Sun managed a small smile, bending down to hug Oliver in thanks before returning him. Sun then stepped off of the bus, huffing after a few steps as he tried to catch his breath, taking in several gulps of the chilly air. Sun was surprised when a voice spoke up, catching his attention.

"Over here!" Kukui called to Sun as he took a moment to get his bearings. The boy shivered slightly in the breeze, finding it rather hard to breathe in the higher altitude. Nevertheless he walked over to where Kukui was standing, right at the edge of the railing set up around the mountaintop.

"Heh. Adjusting yet?" Kukui asked Sun, who simply answered with a shrug. "Fair enough, cousin. So, as you may or may not know, Mount Hokulani is the second tallest mountain in Alola. And the tallest…"

Kukui's gaze shifted until he was staring out over the mountain, a wide smile of sheer joy on his face. Sun followed his gaze and spotted another mountain in the distance that was significantly taller than Mount Hokulani. Snow covered the peaks of this mountain, which surprised Sun. He didn't think a place as hot as Alola would have temperatures low enough for snow. It was then that Sun noticed something odd about the mountain across from them. It looked as if there were a series of lights sparkling around the top of the mountain, as well as several large buildings or structures sticking out at the top of it.

"Check it out, Sun!" Kukui boomed with pride, "You see the steep, jutting, majestic peak over there? That's Mount Lanakila...the highest peak in Alola!"

"It's definitely something…" Sun said quietly, trying to get a better look at what was at the top of the other mountain. Meanwhile, Kukui continued.

"It's a sacred spot, yeah, the closest you can ever get to the Legendary Pokémon of Alola, said to be the sun incarnate." Kukui said as he turned to Sun, his grin somehow widening further. Sun could feel the sheer happiness radiating from the Professor right now.

"That's it! Right there! On the peak of Lanakila! That's where I'll establish our Pokémon League!" Kukui declared Sun's head jerked towards him, his gray eyes wide in surprise.

"A Pokémon League? Here in Alola? Is that what you've been working on all this time?" Sun asked the man, earning a light chuckle from Kukui.

"It's been one heck of an undertaking, cousin. I've spent years working out the logistics and organizing everything. We'll get everyone who's finished their Island Challenges, yeah, and up there on the peak of Mount Lanakila, they'll battle against the Kahunas to become the Island Challenge Champion!" Kukui shouted, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Wow...that sounds amazing." Sun breathed, smiling now with his own excitement. Kukui placed a hand on his chin, shutting his eyes for a moment.

"I've always valued our old traditions here in Alola, but it's time to make a Champion the whole world will recognize! It's time to get our own Elite Four and make our own Pokémon League!" Kukui said as he put his hands on his hips, his eyes shutting as his smile became more joyful and gentle.

"To think that, someday, the kiddos in Alola will be able to go from being the Island Challenge Champion to the world Champion! And then, when we have our own Champion, they can show the rest of the world what's so special about Alolan Pokémon and their Trainers, yeah!"

Soon after that, Professor Kukui then decided that Sun should stay the night at the Pokémon Center. Sun asked why, and Kukui simply said that Sun had quite a long day and would benefit from a good night's sleep so that he could tackle the Trial with everything he had the next day. The Kanto-native did just that, booking a room at the Pokémon Center and spending the night talking to his team.

Sun woke up the next morning feeling somewhat better, eating a quick breakfast and feeding his team before meeting Kukui in the lobby of the building, where the Professor was enjoying a cup of Komala Coffee. A few minutes later the duo were walking to the Observatory, which Sun realized must be the Trial Site. This struck Sun as odd.

Each of the Trials until now were in a natural setting in the wilds. A cave, a series of lakes, a volcano, and a forest. Why was the Trial being held at an observatory of all places?

"Hey there!" Kukui greeted the rather geeky-looking man standing at the front of the building, who let out a small laugh and stepped forward. The man himself wore a blue sweater and a light blue shirt and black sweatpants. He had grey glasses and messy light-brown hair, but his smile was friendly as he stepped forward, clasping arms with Professor Kukui and embracing the man in a tight hug.

"You're still as fired up as ever, eh 'Royal'?" the man laughed as the two men separated, the two of them wearing happy smiles. Kukui's took a small hit upon hearing the last word, though he recovered quickly with a laugh.

"Ha! Sun, lemme introduce you. This is Molayne. He runs the observatory here, and also manages PC boxes, but he's not Hokulani's Captain." Kukui explained as the be-speckled man shook his head.

"But I was the Captain once, my masked friend." Molayne corrected Kukui, who once again laughed him off. The man turned his attention to Sun, his eyes widening as if recognizing him.

"It's Sun, right? Thanks for coming all the way up Hokulani to visit us." Molayne said to Sun, reaching a hand out to the boy. Sun smiled and shook it. "But our Captain Sophocles is a busy young man. Always calculating comet's paths or working on that Festival Plaza thing of his…"

"Festival Plaza...wait, I've heard about him! You're telling me the Captain of this Trial is the creator of Festival Plaza!?" Sun yelped, amazed by that fact.

"That's right. He may be our newest Captain, but he's a genius in his own right and a fantastic Pokémon Trainer. I've heard the same thing about you. The Hero of Royal Avenue, some call you." Molayne said to Sun, who looked away bashfully. The be-speckled man grinned at Sun's uncomfortable expression. "You should take some pride in what you've done, young man. You saved many lives that day. And not everyone can claim to have bested a Legendary Pokémon on the battlefield."

"Can we just get on with the Trial?" Sun asked, looking back towards Molayne. The man shrugged in response, his smirk widening.

"Possibly. Like I said, Soffy's pretty busy. So I'll just determine whether you're qualified to take on the Trial." Molayne finished, placing a hand to his chin and scratching the stubble there.

"You're on. I could use a warm-up." Sun countered as Kukui smirked in response, as if expecting that response from Sun.

"I told you, Mo. This kid's a natural. You're gonna have to pull out all the stops to trip him up. His match with Olivia was intense!" Kukui said excitedly, punching forward. Molayne simply nodded, opening his eyes slightly as he evaluated Sun with his gaze.

"I'll gladly show you the skills of a Trainer who toughened up while adventuring alongside Kukui back in the day!" Molayne said before pointing towards a clear section of the peak they were on that seemed to serve as a makeshift battlefield. "Let's walk over there and get this started."

The trio made their way over to the field, though they soon found it was occupied by Zinnia, who was playing a soft song on an ocarina. The Lorekeeper opened her eyes as they approached, moving out of their way and sitting on the railing nearby. Sun wanted to question her, but decided to focus on the task ahead. Kukui moved over to where Zinnia was, crossing his arms and smirking with anticipation.

"Who's the nerd?" Zinnia asked, stopping her song.

"Molayne Kaulona, ex-Captain of the Steel Trial and one of my closest friends. His younger cousin, Sophocles, is the newest Captain to preside over the Island Challenge. Mo's making sure Sun is up to snuff, since this is Sophocles' first Trial and he's still working out the kinks." Kukui explained as the woman nodded slightly, stowing away her instrument into her cloak.

"Interesting. I've done a bit of digging into Alola's culture, and I know a bit about it from my grannie. I'd like to watch one of these Trials go down myself." Zinnia remarked as Sun and Molayne stood across from each other.

"Three-on-three work for you?" Molayne asked Sun. The boy nodded, drawing a Poké Ball as a smile came to his face.

"Finn, let's go!" Sun yelled as he threw out the ball that contained his Poliwhirl. Finn landed on the ground and struck a flexing pose, letting out a little laugh as Molayne adjusted his glasses.

"Alright. Skarmory, prepare for battle!" Molayne called as he tossed an Ultra Ball into the air, releasing a rather formidable armored bird.

"Not exactly an ideal matchup...Let's change that. Rain Dance!" Sun ordered Finn as Molayne's eyes widened in surprise. Finn held out his hands, a misty sphere of energy forming within his palms that was soon thrown into the sky. The ball exploded, and soon the area they were in was being rained on heavily by an array of stormclouds that had formed.

"Dang it. I hate getting wet!" Molayne sighed, annoyed that water was getting on his glasses. "Very well. Air Cutter!"

Skarmory screeched as it shot into the air, flapping its wings hard and sending spinning discs of razor-sharp wind at Finn, who was knocked backwards by the attack, skidding in the newly formed mud.

"Scald!" Sun ordered Finn, who took aim and fired off a powerful jet of boiling hot water. Skarmory tried to dodge the attack, but was struck in the face and tumbled through the air, sporting burns on its face.

"Agh, what awful luck...Alright! Steel Wing!" Molayne ordered the metal bird, who flared its wings and shot towards Finn as its wings glowed a silverish color. Finn stood his ground, bracing himself for impact.

"Use Scald to blast yourself into the air!" Sun shouted, making Finn chuckle as he leapt into the air, firing off a Scald at where he was standing before. Skarmory swooped below, getting struck in the back by the attack and letting out a screech of pain, landing on the ground with an angry chirp.

"I'm feeling really nostalgic...It's incredible how there's always some prodigy child waiting in the wings to make the world take notice of how amazing children can be." Zinnia remarked quietly, smiling as the two Pokémon prepared to go another round.

"Metal Claw! Tear that Poliwhirl a new one!" Molayne called out, grinning with excitement as his Skarmory took flight once again, shooting towards Finn. The Poliwhirl leapt backwards, only to be raked by the glowing claws of Skarmory.

"Grab it by the talons before it flies away!" Sun yelled out to the surprise of Molayne. Finn reached immediately, reaching out and grabbing Skarmory with his arms. Then, with an impressive display of strength, swung the bird down into the mud with a harsh slam.

"Hypnosis!" Sun commanded Finn, who laughed heartily as his stomach began to glow blue. Skarmory screeched, shaking its head as it desperately staved off the overwhelming urge to slumber. Sun knew that the bird wouldn't fall asleep, thanks to its burn, but Sun just needed it to remain still for one final move.

"Brick Break, while it's stunned!" Sun called to his Poliwhirl, who leapt forward and delivered a glowing punch to the Skarmory's forehead, knocking it out. Finn let out a sigh of relief, falling to one knee while huffing. Sun frowned with concern as Molayne let out a laugh. To their relied, the rain ceased falling and the sky around them cleared.

"Alright then, Sun. Let's see how you handle this one!" Molayne yelled out, calling forth a blue metallic Pokémon that Sun had never seen before. Rotom Dex was on the case, however.

"Metang. The Iron Claw Pokémon and the evolved form of Beldum. When two Beldum link together, their psychic power is doubled. Their intelligence, however, remains unchanged. It adores magnetic minerals, so it pursues Nosepass at speeds exceeding 60 mph." Rotom recited as Sun appraised the new Pokémon with a frown, looking at the worn-out Poliwhirl in front of him.

"Finn, return." Sun said as he called back the Poliwhirl, clipping the ball to his belt and pulling out another ball. Sun sent out Brago, with the large canine growling at the Metang. However it didn't seem to have any effect on it, which struck Sun as odd.

"Bzzt! Just so you know, Brago'zz Intimidate Ability won't work on Metang. That'zz because it hazz the Ability known as Clear Body, which preventz itzz statzzz from being reduced!" Rotom helpfully pointed out, prompting Sun to nod once in understanding.

"Definitely something different...Alright Brago. Let's take this one out quick! Flame Burst!" Sun yelled out as Brago crouched low, bounding forward with a rush of speed before firing off a fireball towards Metang. However, the Iron Claw Pokémon sped towards Brago, drawing back both of its glowing hands and delivering a punch to Brago's face that stopped the canine in his tracks.

"How...did he even give a command?" Sun asked as Molayne smirked, with Metang floating higher into the air as Brago gave the Pokémon an annoyed glare. "It doesn't matter. Flame Burst!"

Brago opened his mouth and tried to attack once again. The Metang attempted to avoid the incoming flames, but was unable to dodge the fireballs as the exploded in the air, making Metang groan in pain as it barely avoided crashing into the dirt.

"Hit it with Bite!" Sun ordered Brago, who lunged forward and chomped down on Metang's arm, leaping into the air before slamming it down on the ground. Metang glowed a faint red color and punched Brago in the face with it's free arm, which Sun realized later was Pursuit. Brago released his foe, shaking his head for a moment to clear it.

This allowed Metang to charge forward, delivering another Bullet Punch to the canine and making him take a step back with a growl of annoyance before he suddenly exploded into a aura of fire and charged forward, hitting Metang with a direct Flame Charge and knocking out the Iron Claw Pokémon.

"That was...interesting." Brago remarked with a slight huff, padding back over to Sun.

"Good improv at the end. I was gonna have you use Fire Fang, but that works too." Sun said as he patted Brago on the head. Molayne returned his Metang, looking amused.

"So you were able to adapt to a change in strategy from your opponent on the fly. Not bad. Here's my last Pokémon! Let's go!" Molayne called out, sending his Ultra Ball flying forward. What came out was what Sun took to be a Dugtrio, except that it had long and rather beautiful flowing blond hair.

"Uh...That has to be the most stylish Dugtrio ever." Sun remarked, confused.

"Bzzzt! Absolutely! That's because it's a Regional Variant!" Rotom Dex remarked, floating by Sun and flipping to the appropriate entry.

"Dugtrio. The Mole Pokémon and the evolved form of Diglett. Alolan Regional Variant. These Pokémon are cherished in the Alola region, where they are thought to be feminine deities of the land incarnate. It's shining gold hair provides it with protection. It's reputed that keeping any of its fallen hairs will bring bad luck." Rotom explained to a bewildered Sun, who turned back to face the strange Pokémon.

"Alright then...if it's a Regional Variant, then it's not gonna be just a Ground-type. Let's test this out! Flame Bur-" Sun began to say, but Molayne cut him off.

"Sucker Punch!" Molayne called out, with Dugtrio diving into the ground and popping up below Brago within a single second, knocking the canine into the air.

"Flame Burst!" Sun shouted to Brago, who growled and released a stream of flames that became a large fireball. As it exploded, the streaking flames pelted the Alolan Dugtrio, making it squeal in pain.

"So it's a Steel-type just like the others...I figured." Sun remarked, grinning triumphantly as Brago landed on the ground, growling softly.

"We should wrap this up sooner rather than later." Brago remarked, which made Sun notice that the canine had indeed taken a fair bit of damage thus far. This made Sun become a bit more serious about the battle, which was good because Molayne had called for Sucker Punch, which knocked Brago back instead of hitting him into the air.

"Reversal!" Sun ordered Brago, who began to glow with a harsh red aura. The Legendary Pokémon allowed himself a dark grin before slamming into the Alolan Dugtrio hard. The Mole Pokémon flew backwards through the earth, tearing through and ground and coming to a stop in front of Molayne, unconscious. Brago sighed with relief, grinning tiredly as he walked back over to Sun with a look of pride on his face.

"You're with Kukui...Looks like he brought along a good Trainer." Molayne said as he returned his Dugtrio, rubbing the back of his head with a disappointed sigh. However, after a moment he shot Sun a grin and walked towards him. "Well, well, you certainly seem qualified to take on the Trial."

"It was a good match." Zinnia agreed, hopping up off the ground with a grin. "It reminds me of a certain brat back in Hoenn! Except you're not nearly as adorable as she was!"

"Yeah, I think he's even stronger than we were at this point of our Island Challenge!" Kukui boasted, clapping Sun on the back roughly and jolting the boy forward.

"Yep! I can definitely see him going far in the Island Challenge, Royal. I wonder how he does against Soffy's Totem? Heh…" Molayne chuckled, though he withered slightly under the annoyed glare his friend was giving him, complete with his hands on his hips.

"One more thing, cousin - the name's Kukui! Who's this Masked Royal you're talking about!?" Kukui demanded to an increasingly nervous Molayne.

"So you admit it!" Sun shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at Kukui.

"I ain't admitting anything except for the fact that I'm heading back to Malie Garden. I've set aside time today to have a nice picnic with Lillie and Madeleine, so I'll be seeing you. I figure Hau should be done eating malasada by now, yeah?" Kukui asked Sun, his smile returning after a moment.

"Probably not, to be totally honest." Sun admitted, making Kukui's grin slip away as he realized Sun was completely right.

"...I'll make sure he makes it up here, too. You two take care!" Kukui said as he walked off, leaving Sun with Molayne as Brago huffed slightly.

"He could have stayed to watch." Brago remarked, glancing at Sun. "Is he not a friend of yours?"

"These Trials are generally supposed to be a private thing, big guy. That said, we actually do have an Observation Room set up for those who want to watch Soffy's Trial." Molayne remarked brightly, glancing over at the departing form of Kukui. "And while he could have stayed to watch, I know how much he values spending time with his loved ones with his busy schedule. Heh. That guy's as interesting as ever. My old buddy!"

Molayne turned to Sun, laughing after a moment and saying, "Seriously, though. Welcome to our observatory, Sun! I hope you learn a little something here and have fun during your Trial."

With that, Molayne turned around and entered the building, with the doors opening and shutting automatically behind him. Zinnia took that moment to step forward, placing a hand on Sun's shoulder.

"Well, I've got nothing else going on today! May as well cheer you on, little guy!" Zinnia said brightly, much to the bemusement of Sun. The boy stared at the Lorekeeper for a moment before Rotom Dex spoke up, jarring him out of his thoughts.

"I think you better go with Molayne there, pal. Maybe see what Hokulani Observatory hazzzz to offer?" Rotom Dex suggested, though Sun frowned at that.

"I should probably heal my team again real quick before I do anything else." Sun remarked, seeing some of the damage that Brago had taken. The canine scoffed, shaking his head.

"I'm fine. I can handle a lot more than this, Alpha." Brago said as the boy smile, ruffling the mane of the large canine.

"Maybe. But Dad said that you were probably going to be my ace today and I want everyone at their best for this thing. Finn took a lot of damage during that battle and you're not exactly at 100%, you know." Sun said to Brago, who simply nodded after a moment of thinking about it.

It was a simple matter to head to the nearby Pokémon Center, heal his Pokémon, and then return to Zinnia. With that being done, the duo entered the Hokulani Observatory.

The inside of the observatory was about what Sun expected. Or at least, the main lobby was. A clean room filled with men in lab coats surrounded by glowing panels. A man standing behind the counter gave Sun a wave, beckoning him over.

"Mo just went through the main door there. By all means head to the back, sir." The man said, pulling out a glittering shard of rock and handing it over to Sun. "Take this to commemorate your visit to the observatory and keep a bit of space with you! It's a fragment that fell to earth when a comet passed by our planet. You can feel the vastness of space! Oooh, what a sense of adventure!"

"You need to get laid. Desperately." Zinnia deadpanned as the man hung his head in despair.

"I know…hey, you wouldn't be int-" the man began to say before Zinnia punched him in the throat and casually walked away with a cheery smile. Sun glanced and back forth between the two of them before he slipped the Comet Shard into his backpack, with the full intent on selling it as soon as he could. The Kanto-native walked through the main door, which automatically zoomed open just for him. He was greeted by a long hallway filled with boxes of equipment and office supplies.

"I guess it's been a while since they did a spring cleaning." Sun remarked as a man in a lab coat looked their way. The man smiled at the comment, laughing slightly.

"That's Mo and Soffy for you. This is their mess." The man replied, shaking his head in dismay.

"Really? Seems kind of irresponsible." Sun admitted, with the man nodding in agreement.

"Old Molayne and Sophocles are thick as thieves. They're up all day and all night, playing games together and whatever else they do. It's amazing that they still manage to get their work done, but it's not easy on the rest of us…" the man sighed, hanging his head. He perked up after a moment, pointing towards the yellow and purple door. "Captain Sophocles is right through there."

Sun thanked the man and entered the room with Zinnia, where they beheld what looked like a cross between a lab, a game room, and a child's bedroom. Several game stations were set up alongside a large TV, with several whiteboards propped up showing various paths of comets and meteors. Directly in front of them was a rather fat and short boy wearing a white shirt with a yellow scarf, his orange hair spiked up wildly.

"You're getting close to your goal…" the boy said, his voice sounding odd and rather formal. "I imagine that you must have come here to attempt the Trial, huh?"

"Nah. I just like mountains." Sun replied coolly, which completely threw Sophocles off. Zinnia stifled a laugh as they beheld the Captain giving them a look of complete confusion, as if he had no idea what to do next.

"So...Uh…Do you like Festival Plaza?" Sophocles asked, with Sun shrugging.

"I mean, it's definitely impressive. I'm not much of a social media person, though." Sun admitted, putting his hands behind his head. "I'm more focused on being a Trainer than anything else."

"Oh! If that's the case then...Fine. Whatever. Let's get started." Sophocles said, sounding a little annoyed. Sun blinked twice in surprise, glancing around the room.

"Right here?" Sun asked.

"Seems kind of a lame location for a Trial." Zinnia remarked, sounding bored now. Sophocles ignored her, focusing on Sun with an intense expression.

"Right now, right here." Sophocles said, his gaze hardening. He then explained. "You summon the Totem Pokémon and prove your strength to it...That's what every Trial boils down to, right? So I thought...Why not just call the Totem here from the start?"

"I mean, you have a point. Yeah, it's definitely not as fun as doing the entire Trial, but it would be nice to just cut to the chase for once." Sun admitted, with Sophocles grinning at Sun's statement.

"I thought so as well! So I tried a bit of this and that, and I think I've whipped up a little device to call the Totem Pokémon." Sophocles said, adding a moment later. "Perhaps you're wondering why I built a machine?"

"Not really, but go for it. Why did you build a machine for the Totem?" Sun asked.

"Here at the Observatory, we also monitor sounds we detect from outer space. There are some sounds that are inaudible to people but Pokémon can hear just fine." Sophocles looked towards the strange device at the back of the room that showed a glowing map display, as well as several horns hooked up to an intercom-like system. "We broadcast the sounds we have gathered terrestrially and monitor the reactions of Pokémon. The machine that summons the Totem Pokémon makes use of this technology…"

"Wow. That's really cool, actually." Sun admitted, smiling a little now. Encouraged by Sun's interest, the young Captain continued to explain.

"Utilizing other sounds we have gathered, we also developed a security system here...But that was actually Big Mo's invention. Just so you know…" Sophocles suddenly looked really uncomfortable, which confused Sun.

"What's up?" Sun asked.

"This will actually be my first time trying it out, so I'm glad you came. I needed a test subject." Sophocles said as he dug into his pocket and pulled out a small blue and white remote.

"Ping Totem Pokémon 2.0, engage!" Sophocles shouted dramatically, pressing the button. A strange warbling noise began to call out from the speaks beside them. Sophocles began to explain once more. "Now the Totem should-"

And then everything went dark.

"Well...shit." Zinnia's voice spoke, sounding more amused than annoyed. Meanwhile Sophocles was losing his composure.

"Gyargh!? No way! Did I blow a fuse!?" Sophocles yelled out from the dark.

"Do you mean in regardzzz to the invention or yourself? Because I'm feeling like it'zz a bit of both! Bzzzt!" Rotom Dex chimed in, making Sophocles scream in dismay. Making matters worse was a beeping sound, signaled by a loud clang. Sophocles then let out a yelp and there was a nearby thud.

"Oww! Did the door close? Let's see, we'll need to turn off the security system to get the door open...You'll have to pass an audio quiz!" Sophocles said almost cheerfully, which made Sun confused.

"An audio quiz? How does that make any sense?" Sun asked, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"I-it's fine. I definitely feel a powerful presence. I caught this Totem myself when I became a Pokémon Trainer. It's coming now. The Totem Pokémon is coming. So let's get this Trial going, OK? My Trial is about to begin!"

Suddenly music began to blare from Sun's backpack, which surprised all of them. Sun hadn't done a Trial in quite some time, so he forgot that Rotom Dex liked to provide music to accompany these things. As soon as the music started, an automated voice began to speak.

"IN ORDER TO OPEN THE DOOR, PLEASE RESPOND TO THE FALLING AUDIO QUIZ. WHAT SOUND DO YOU HEAR?"

A familiar tinkling music played after a small pause. Sun recognized it right away, since he had just visited one recently.

"That's from a Pokémon Center. That's the little jingle that plays when you get your Pokémon healed." Sun answered after a moment. A pleasant beeping sound was Sun's response.

"CORRECT! OPENING DOOR…"

The group heard the sound of the door opening...but then they heard something else.

"Gru-grub!"

Sophocles reacted with a yelp. "Whoa! As soon as the door opened, a Pokémon came through! I'm counting on you, Sun!"

"I can't battle in the dark! Uhh...I can't see which ball I'm grabbing. So here goes nothing!" Sun grabbed a Poké Ball and called out a Pokémon. Someone landed on the ground ahead of him, with what sounded like a rustle of feathers.

"Wow, it's really dark in here. Why are we...Oh. Hold on." Oliver's voice spoke up from the darkness.

There was a flutter of wings and for a moment Sun saw a flash of white light as Oliver's beak glowed for a Pluck attack, knocking out a Grubbin that was approaching them with a single strike. Once again they were immersed in darkness and the owl flew back over to them.

"That was fun. It's a shame it's not Cassy or that Professor, but I'll take it." Oliver said brightly before pausing. "I mean...I'm glad I was able to help out?"

"We really need to work on your suppressed anger, Oliver. Holding a grudge is never healthy." Sun said to the bird, bending down and wrapping the owl in a hug. Despite the darkness, Sun was able to embrace his Starter for a few moments before letting him go.

"Thank you, Sun. Your hugs are always nice-erk, I shouldn't have said that! Why can't I stop myself from saying things I shouldn't!" Oliver screeched in the darkness.

"No idea. Maybe it's a side effect of the poison? Faba and his team might have been able to help you recover, but who knows what kind of side-effects there were to it? Faba might be smart, but he doesn't know everything." Sun remarked, smirking a bit to himself.


Meanwhile...


"I feel a...disturbance in the Force. As if someone was doubting my genius!" Faba declared suddenly as Wicke and Dawson stared at him in confusion, along with the rest of the squad assembled before Faba.

"Holy shit...I almost miss dealing with Amber's crazy ass. This guy's a douche." Dawson thought dryly as he exchanged a glance with Wicke, who seemed to be biting her tongue to stop herself from commenting on Faba's outburst.


"I knew you could do it, Sun! Oh, and just when I said it, the door closed again! I-It's gonna be OK. The Totem Pokémon is on it's way." Sophocles said bracingly as Zinnia sighed beside them.

"If I end up dying in here, I'm haunting you first, Captain. And then I'm haunting Steven Stone."

"Why him?" Sun asked.

"Because he's a complete tool and messing with him is fun."

"...I like her style." Oliver piped up, sounding very amused.

"Bzzzt! Look at us, making friends in the dark! How wholesome! And people thought this Trial was going to be boring."

"Um...who thought that?" Sophocles asked.

"DETECTED PRESENCE OF APPROACHING TOTEM POKEMON! IN ORDER TO OPEN THE DOOR, PLEASE RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING AUDIO QUIZ. YOU HEAR THIS SOUND WHEN YOU GET WHAT?"

A strange buzzing sound rang out through the room, which made Sun smile after a moment. He glanced towards where he had thought he heard Rotom Dex speak. "That's just Rotom Dex whenever he feels like being useful."

"Which izz all the time! Hee hee!"

"CORRECT! OPENING DOOR!"

The door opened with a whoosh, though it was right when Sun stepped forward a cry of "Charj!"came from the doorway, along with a crackle of electricity. Sun was shoved back by something feathery as something swooped past him, landing on the ground. Sun figured it was Oliver putting himself between Sun and the new Pokémon that had arrived. Sophocles confirmed it a moment later.

"Whoa! As soon as the door opened, a Pokémon came through! This one's up to you, too, Sun!" Sophocles said excitedly as Rotom Dex popped out of Sun's backpack.

"No worriezz, Sun. Rotom Dex doesn't need light to see! I'm powered by spookiness! Bzzt!" Rotom Dex said merrily as it's bright screen blinded Sun for a moment before it dimmed to a brightness that didn't hurt Sun's eyes.

"Charjabug. The Battery Pokémon and the evolved form of Grubbin. From the food it digests, it generates electricity, and it stores this energy in its electric sac. On camping trips, people are grateful to have one around." Rotom explained as Sun squinted through the darkness ahead, barely able to see the small Pokémon on the ground.

"Alright then...Pluck, Oliver!" Sun commanded his Starter, who shot forward through the darkness with his glowing beak, slamming into the Charjabug and sending it crashing into the wall. The room lit up slightly as the Charjabug began to glow, with electricity surging around it.

"Pluck again! Keep hitting it until you've knocked it out!" Sun said to Oliver, who obliged with a hidden grin. As the bird slammed into Charjabug again, the Battery Pokémon hit Oliver with a Vice Grip before promptly being knocked out by a third Pluck. Sun heard a faint chitter in the dark before something landed beside him.

"Done. That wasn't too bad." Oliver remarked, preening his feathers in the darkness. Sun couldn't see any of that, since it was so dark.

"I knew you could do it, Sun! Oh, and would you look at that - the door closed again while I was flapping my jaw!" Sophocles yelped beside him.

"Should probably do a bit less of that, then." Zinnia quipped from Sun's other side. "So what now?"

"I-it's gonna be OK. The Totem Pokémon is on it's way." Sophocles remarked, just in time for the automated speakers to activate again.

"TOTEM POKEMON STILL APPROACHING! THE SECURITY SYSTEM HAS BEEN 50 PERCENT SHUT DOWN. IN ORDER TO OPEN THE DOOR, PLEASE RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING AUDIO QUIZ. WHAT POKEMON'S CRY IS THIS SOUND?"

A cry sounded out from the speakers, but Sun had no idea what it was.

"I don't know, uh...A Pyukumuku?" Sun guessed, hoping he was right. He honestly had no idea what it was.

Needless to say, this was the wrong answer.

A massive bolt of electricity ran from the doorway, brightening the room enough to blind all of them. Zinnia managed to barely avoid getting blasted by the lightning, but Sophocles wasn't so lucky.

"Yeaaarrrrrgh!" Sophocles screamed as he writhed on the ground before collapsing into a heap. The smell of smoke filled the room, making Sun cough a few times.

"Can we do that again?" Oliver asked, sounding as if he was trying not to laugh at Sophocles twitching form on the ground.

"When you get an answer wrong, the security system kicks in and sends out a shock." Molayne said dryly over the intercom, sounding not even the slightest bit worried. The Captain huffed as he got to his feet, glaring at them.

"That's not funny." Sophocles grunted as the automated voice spoke up again.

"THE SECURITY SYSTEM HAS BEEN 50 PERCENT SHUT DOWN. IN ORDER TO OPEN THE DOOR, PLEASE RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING AUDIO QUIZ. WHICH POKEMON'S CRY IS THIS SOUND.

Sun opened his mouth to speak, but Oliver cut him off by saying, "It's a Pikachu."

"Oliver, what are you doing?" Sun asked his Starter, confused as to what he was up to. It soon became very clear when a bolt of electricity surged outwards from the door for a second time, hitting Sophocles again and sending him flying across the room, twitching slightly. Oliver burst into giggles while Sun facepalmed in the darkness.

"I think I peed a little." Sophocles whined from the floor, his body glowing slightly.

"Damn...I like his style." Zinnia commented, sounding almost impressed.

"I like the part where he stops moving." Oliver admitted as Sun threw up his hands in disbelief, wondering why his Partner was such an ass sometimes. Sophocles began to stir after a few moments.

"Big Mo, if you don't hurry up, I'm gonna be an Electric-type by the time I get out of here!" Sophocles cried out as he got up off of the ground.

"Stay calm, Soffy! Electric-types can't be paralyzed, after all!" Molayne said bracingly over the intercoms, sounding only a little bit worried.

"THE SECURITY SYSTEM HAS BEEN 50 PERCENT SHUT DOWN. IN ORDER TO OPEN THE DOOR, PLEASE RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING AUDIO QUIZ. WHICH POKEMON'S CRY IS THIS SOUND."

As the sound played for a third time, a series of glowing words appeared in front of Sun from a computer screen. It displayed several options, which Sun assumed were the possible answers for this quiz.

"I guess I'll go with Charjabug." Sun remarked with an unseen shrug, tapping the screen with his finger. The word became highlighted as Sun pressed it, and with that the automated voice spoke once more.

"CORRECT! OPENING DOOR…"

"I-it looks like the door's about to open…" Sophocles stuttered, still trying to shake off being shocked. However, the moment the door opened Oliver flared his wings to stop Sun from walking forward.

"It's another Charjabug. Stay back." Oliver said to Sun, preparing himself to fight.

"I-I knew it! I'm counting on you again, Sun!" Sophocles cheered the other boy.

"Keep hitting it with Pluck and try to avoid taking damage. I have a feeling you're going to be essential for taking down this Totem whenever it does show up." Sun instructed Oliver, who nodded in the darkness before flapping his wings, propelling him into the air.

Oliver soared forward, his beak glowing bright white as he smashed into the Charjabug hard enough to send it crashing into the door. It retaliated with a Mud-Slap, which Oliver thankfully managed to dodge.

Annoyed, the Dartrix hit the Battery Pokémon with another Pluck, though this time the owl was struck back with a Spark, making him wince in pain as the electricity surged through his body. After a moment to recover, Oliver swooped forward and speared the Charjabug with his beak, sending it hurtling across the room and over the sofa behind the humans.

"I've taken care of it." Oliver hooted, landing on the ground and continuing to preen himself.

"I knew you could do it, Sun!" Sophocles said cheerfully, clapping his hands excitedly in the darkness. The sound of the door closing cut him off, making the boy sigh after a moment as something slapped through the darkness. Sun imagined it was Zinnia slapping her hand against her forehead.

"And then of course the door goes and shuts again! Fool me once, shame on the door. Fool me twice, shame on the security system. Fool me thrice, shame on me, I guess…" Sophocles muttered from beside Sun.

"You know what? After seeing what kind of people run the Observatories and study outer space...I'm starting to think I shouldn't have told May how to stop that meteor." Zinnia said darkly, earning a nervous laugh from Sophocles.

"From my understanding, you're the one who ruined the first few plans to stop that thing in the first place." Molayne remarked from the loudspeaker in the room, making Zinnia bark out a harsh laugh.

"Oh, and I imagine destroying another world that had no hope to survive was a better idea? You idiots had no idea what you were playing at." Zinnia shot back, to which Molayne didn't respond.

"They were only doing the best they could at the time." Sophocles said quietly in the dark.

"It wasn't a solution. It was a death warrant for another world...It was a selfish choice. It's a shame when the leaders of the world won't admit that they have a problem. Someone like me shouldn't have been able to run through Hoenn with no difficulties in the first place. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Don't you have a Trial to finish officiating?" Zinnia asked the Captain, who remained silent for a moment before a device in the darkness began to beep erratically.

"Here it comes! We're picking up traces of the Totem Pokémon extremely close by!" Sophocles yelled out, and like that everyone was again focused on the task ahead. Sun wanted to ask Zinnia more about her past, given that she had explained her story to him, but decided to focus on defeating the Totem and passing his Trial.

"TOTEM POKEMON INCOMING! THIS IS THE FINAL SECURITY QUESTION. IN ORDER TO OPEN THE DOOR, PLEASE RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING AUDIO QUIZ. WHAT APPEARS WHEN YOU HEAR THE FOLLOWING MUSIC?"

Sun winced as a very familiar music began to play from the speakers. A music that signaled the arrival of something Sun definitely didn't want to be fighting in the pitch black darkness.

"It's the Totem Pokémon. That's what shows up every time I hear this music...Rotom, I blame you for all of this." Sun said dryly as Rotom Dex buzzed somewhere above him, shining a bit of light ahead.

"I just work here. Bzzzt!"

"CORRECT! OPENING DOOR…"

As the door opened for a fourth time, an incredibly loud buzzing sound could be heard. Sun could hear Sophocles take a sharp breath, with the boy grabbing onto Sun's arm tightly.

"Huhn? This sound...This presence I sense…" the young Captain mumbled, shaking slightly as two bright yellow eyes suddenly shone through the darkness, with the buzzing of what Sun recognized as insect wings became almost deafening.

"Heeeeerrrrrrre!" came the booming screech from the doorway, a sudden explosion of force knocking the three of them to the ground several feet away. Oliver landed on his feet and let out a hiss of fury as he glared down their attacker, able to see their newest foe in the darkness.

"What is that!?" Sun demanded as he struggled to his feet, with Oliver casting a Protect around the three of them. The glow of the shield allowed them to see their mysterious assailant, which took Sun by surprise.

It was an absolutely massive flying stag beetle-like Pokémon with a blue carapace and yellow robotic eyes. The underside of its body was black, with four small legs dangling in the air as the Pokémon's wings beat through the air quickly. It's giant blue and yellow mandibles jutted outward, crackling with electricity that quickly launched at the trio, with the barrier Oliver had conjured protecting them from the attack.

"Agh...It's strong!" Oliver screeched, though Sophocles seemed unconcerned. In fact, he seemed excited.

"Th-there it is! The Totem Pokémon! This is your time to shine, Sun!" Sophocles shouted as Oliver's shield vanished, casting them back into the darkness.

"Wait, so I'm fighting this thing in the dark!?" Sun demanded, glancing towards where the Totem had been. They could hear it buzzing nearby, and the room was suddenly filled with the sound of electricity as it surged around the room, illuminating it in an eerie manner with shadows swarming around them.

"Not totally in the dark. It's aura will definitely brighten the room up. But I've been training this guy up for a while with Big Mo's help! You're definitely in for a tough fight!" Sophocles said proudly as the Totem Pokémon hissed furiously as them.

"We can take it!" Oliver replied as he flared his wings, prepared to fight. After his failure at the Aether Paradise, he wanted to make up for it by taking this Totem down. Especially since Sun was at a major disadvantage in the dark. Out of the entire team, he was the only one with excellent night vision.

"Alright...Let's do this!" Sun yelled out as the Totem let out a horrible screech, with it's Z-Power flaring wildly. The glow of the Totem Pokémon's power filled the room as Rotom continued playing its creepy music, with Sun taking a step back as their newest challenge let out it's battle cry. Suddenly, it's aura seemed to withdraw into itself.

Everything went dark...

And then the Totem Pokémon attacked.


Alright! Next chapter we've got a Totem battle! Get hyped!

Q & A

From: SolanaLeonhart

Boy that team skull grunt was weird, almost like the fossil man. By the way, is the fossil man so bizarre In the games too?

Not at all. He's the best running gag I've ever had in a story.

From: sceptilezeno

1. How'd you come up with Ashton's awful parents? They really frustrate me. In a good way.

2. Will Tommy appear again? Or... have we already seen him...?

3. What's up with that contradictory bus that makes me not feel safe?

4. Will we get any more sane Amber? I really liked her old self.

5. When and where did Cipher obtain the other three Regis?

6. Is "Shadow Kyurem" just Perfect Kyurem, but shadow?

7. If you were in that world, what pokemon would you use primarily when fighting Cipher if you chose to?

1. I had to think about it like this. Ashton had a very difficult upbringing. What sort of characters would inspire him to become incredibly overprotective, yet at the same time despise Alola with every fiber of his being?

2. Yep.

3. That's just what it says in the game. I laughed when I heard their slogan.

4. Oh yeah, absolutely.

5. Before the Unova Campaign began, so like 4 years ago in the context of the story. Borlath's been hunting down Legendaries for his forces for a long time. They are the Unova Regi Trio though, from B2/W2.

6. I guess it's technically Shadow Perfect Kyurem. It's a Shadow Kyurem, fused with a non-shadow Reshiram and Zekrom.

7. Ooh...That's a solid question. Decidueye, Gyarados, Typhlosion, Ampharos, Flygon and Gallade. A combination of power, practicality, and personal preference.

From: Xim the Despot

The more I think about it, the more Alola sounds like a Native American reservation with how they deal with family strife, specifically the Nez Perce and Coure D' Alane reservations. Was that an inspiration or a coincidence?

Nope, that's a coincidence.

From: Guest

Why was Zygarde watching Sun? I believe he was also watching him when he was at the psychiatrist. Wasn't he supposed to be searching for Wes?

Zygarde might not necessarily be searching for Wes. And even if it was, is it not allowed to keep its eye on a child that it senses great power from?

From: Guest

I'm very interested to see how Sun's conversation with Ashton influences his future actions. I'm also super excited to see how the plot lines (Aether Foundation, Cipher, Pokemon League, etc.) will all intersect in the coming chapters. What's the rough game plan for upcoming arcs? Will Sun participate in Kukui's new League before or after his final confrontation with his father? If you can't answer due to spoiler concerns, I understand, but I'm just curious what the general trajectory for the story is going to be (in terms of what story arcs are coming up).

I'm hesitant to explain things in detail, but I will say that the Cipher plotline will mostly be concluded before Sun goes to confront Team Skull in Po Town. The story will then mostly follow the plot of the games, with several of my twists thrown in throughout it. That's as much as I'm comfortable explaining.

From: Aligax

I actually have an oddball question : I noticed some typos here and there while reading which is only normal in such a big story. Do you want people to mention them so that you can correct them or is it too much of a hassle to go over the chapters to correct small typos ?

As much as I do go back through chapters and try to ensure there's as few errors as possible, I do miss a few flubs here and there. So to answer your question, I definitely appreciate it when readers point errors out to me and would definitely appreciate them being pointed out for correction.

I don't always get a chance to go back and correct them, but I more often than not do when I find out they're there and I ultimately want the story to be the best it can be.

I also plan on going back through the story and fixing small errors as I find them. No, I'm not going to be able to find all of them, but I do want to polish up RS a bit. Maybe at the end of this next Act I'll take a month-long break and clean house. Who knows?

That's all for now everyone. Thank you so much for reading and supporting the story. I'm gonna try and enjoy my time in the US for a little bit longer before I go on my next adventure around the world.

In the meantime, please continue to review the story and submit your feedback. It's so helpful and it means the world to me. Also, please favorite and/or follow the story if you haven't already, because it keeps you updated and makes me happy. I also take questions in the review section if you leave them.

Join the conversation about RS on my Discord. PM me for a link to the channel!

Take care and stay awesome.

Until next time, FlygonNick out!