Pokémon Radiant Sun
Alright, so...this was supposed to be waaaay longer, but I had to split this chapter into two because otherwise it'd be nearly 25K by the time I was satisfied.
Mainly because the Guzma fight is something just about everyone reading this story, me included, was looking forward to and I was going to make sure it was as good as possible.
So let's jump right into it!
Shoutout to those who reviewed since the last update, which includes Oragonking, Dracus6, JDunks890, BraviaryScout, SonicIKE, and a new reviewer known as PokeDude802. Thanks for the feedback and the support, as always.
Also, RS has broken 250,000 views! Holy freaking crap, that's insane! And you people are all amazing! Thank you for the support. It means the world to me.
All of the lyrics in this chapter are from Man on the Internet's "Pokémon Musical Bytes - Vs. Guzma", which I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who has reached this point in the story, because it's brilliant.
Enjoy.
Chapter 109: Throwdown
Many Years Ago…
Alola Route 10
It was a dark and rather cold, stormy night on a route infamous for its trees, where Flying-types would happily leap out and sneak-attack random passerby. No one knew why they did it, but it was commonly accepted that they were simply defending their territory.
Either way, the route was mostly empty, save for three figures on the muddy path. Two larger figures fighting with a much smaller one who was struggling fiercely in what seemed to be a losing battle.
"You really shouldn't struggle, lass! It'll only make things worse for you in the end."
"It might even be fun. So stop fighting!"
"FIRE SPIN!" came the furious shout above the din of rainfall around them, a voice none of the three recognized. The men dropped the little girl in the mud, looking around in surprise at the voice, startled that they had been caught.
The coldness of the night gave way to a suffocating heat as a raging hellfire erupted from all around them, brilliant flames of red, yellow, and orange released from the maw of a Houndoom as it padded through the mud, growling ferociously as it snapped its jaws shut. Behind him was a teenager wearing a drenched raincoat, his wild black hair hanging over his face that was barely visible under his hood. The boy's mouth was contorted in an angry scowl, his eyes flashing red with rage in a manner that made the two men take several steps away from the girl on the ground that Ashton Aupuni now stood protectively in front of. The man scrambled away from the Trainer, trying to grab their Poké Balls so that they could properly fight back.
"Flamethrower!" the boy shouted, throwing out a hand as the Houndoom released a jet of powerful flames from his mouth towards the two men. The two men threw themselves to the side to avoid the flames, though when they got to their feet the two men called out a Machoke and an Electabuzz respectively. The girl that had been their victim curled into a ball on the ground, shaking as Ashton focused his ire on the men.
"Sunny Day!" Ashton bellowed as Damien opened his maw, firing off a sphere of energy that exploded around them, halting the rain in its tracks and causing a sphere of light to shine down on all of them, basking them in intense sunshine. He then pointed at their Pokémon with a single finger.
"Thunderbolt!"
"Focus Blast!"
"Overheat." Ashton spat coldly as Damien grinned darkly, lunging forward to tank the Focus Blast and Thunderbolt before releasing a colossal fireball towards the two Pokémon and their Trainers, who both let out screams as the attack exploded against their Pokémon violently, the torrent of flames consuming everything in their general direction. The girl that had been there would-be victim watched the flames with awe before turning towards the Houndoom and its Trainer, who simply gazed at the fire with matching expressions of grim determination.
The Sunny Day vanished after a few minutes, which was around when the flames around them had finally died down. The girl was shocked to see the Machoke and Electabuzz knocked out, badly injured and covered in terrible burns. The Trainers weren't much better off, screaming and sobbing in pain.
"That's the end of that." The girl turned around to see the Trainer turning towards her, reaching into his bag and pulling out an umbrella, opening it around them both but mostly over her. The girl weakly pushed herself up as Ashton looked her over, throwing back his hood to look at her properly.
The girl couldn't have been more than 11, with her black hair messily covered in mud and water. She was thin, and wearing blue jeans and a red shirt that was hopelessly torn, which was why Ashton quickly shucked his coat and handed it to the girl in order to cover her better and protect her modesty. Damien watched the injured men as Ashton inspected the girl for more injuries, but was thankful that aside from some likely bruising, minor cuts and some torn clothes, she was okay.
"Let's get you to a Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy can do a better checkup than me." Ashton said comfortingly to the girl, thankful that Lusamine and Mohn had insisted on basic First Aid training for him years ago.
Damien cast another Sunny Day so that his Trainer could better help the girl, with Ashton quickly applying some bandages and antiseptic on her injuries. The teenager helped the girl off of the ground, where she leaned against him a bit while favoring her right leg. It was around that time that the harsh sunshine around them faded for a second time, allowing the rain to fall once again.
"So, what's your name?" the boy asked, with the girl hesitating a moment before answering.
"Hina. I-I'm Hina. I'm from Po Town." The girl meekly answering, her blue eyes downcast as Ashton nodded.
"I'm Ashton Aupuni, from Malie City. Now, let's get you out of the rain and into Nurse Joy's care. She'll probably be annoyed about the mud, but it is what it is." Ashton remarked, shrugging as Hina looked at him quizzically. She then turned her attention to the two men who had accosted her.
The two of them had jumped out at her as she had made her way towards Malie City and promptly knocked her down, stole her sole Poké Ball and then tried to...to...
"Are...are they going to live?" the girl asked quietly, shuddering slightly as she tried to focus. The men and their Pokémon hadn't moved from where they had fallen, though their moaning had quieted down as the rain fell around them once more. Ashton walked over to the two men and rifled through the belongings, pulling out a Nest Ball and a rather feminine cell phone after a moment. Hina limped over to where he was glaring down at the men, but he handed her possessions back to her.
"That depends. Besides roughing you up a little, did they do anything to you?" Ashton asked, an edge creeping into his voice. It was very obvious what the two men had been planning on doing to the young girl. Ashton had thwarted several robbery attempts during his travels around Alola, but this was the first time he had stopped two would-be rapists.
"They…they didn't do anything. T-thank goodness…" the girl sighed, letting out a weak laugh that sounded closer to a sob. Within moments the girl had broken down into tears, crying into her hands as the shock began to wear off. Ashton bit his lip for a moment before walking over and hugging the girl comfortingly with Damien glancing around, keeping an eye out for more trouble.
"There there...It'll be alright. Listen, let's get you back to Malie. I'm gonna let you ride on Damien, okay? He'll keep you safe. See how big and strong he is? He'll protect you. Promise." Ashton said kindly to Hina, who nodded into the boy's drenched chest before allowing herself to be put down on the back of the proud Houndoom, who had grown quite a bit over the past few years. Ashton hadn't yet challenged the Kahuna of Ula'ula yet, but he knew that his team was far too overleveled for this area. Damien was probably strong enough to battle Roran on his own, but the rest of his team weren't too far behind in terms of power.
The trio began to make their way towards Malie, with Ashton making some small talk along the way, hoping to keep Hina calm. Again, he was thankful for his friends helping him become better with the whole "socializing" thing. Commander Jackal in particular was great in his lessons, in the few times Ashton had tagged along with him and Gretel for some of their investigations. Ashton had even gotten paid for some of the criminals he had managed to track down in the Wilds, earning a few bounties.
"My circle of friends is bizarre." Ashton thought with some amusement, though he was stopped in his musing by the arrival of a strange humming sound that filled the air as the rainfall around them slowed to a crawl. Damien stiffened and looked skyward, where Hina and Ashton followed his gaze.
Floating above them was a strange Pokémon, one which cast a veil of reverence over the three of them. It was an odd-looking creature and a colorful one at that, with hues of red, white, black and yellow adorning its body. It had a strange red shell-like armor surrounding the horns that stuck out of its body, as well as a bell-like tail hanging underneath it.
"Is...is that…?" Hina trailed off, her voice leaving her.
Ashton swallowed once, his voice shaky but otherwise fine. "Tapu Bulu...the God of Abundance."
The Guardian Deity of Ula'ula Island hummed softly, ringing its bell gently as it placed both of its hoove-like hands together before shutting its eyes, focusing its efforts on the sphere of energy that quickly formed within its hands. Before Ashton could call out, thinking that the Tapu had decided to attack, the Guardian Deity released the sphere of energy and sent it towards Ashton, who blinked as he beheld a strange stone within the ball of light that shimmered of its own accord.
"Is this...a Sparkling Stone?" Ashton asked himself, staring at the rock before reaching out to grab it, his gaze still on Tapu Bulu. The Tapu nodded, floating lower to the ground as Hina looked back and forth between the two with amazement. Ashton then frowned as he pocketed the stone, jerking a thumb towards the still forms of the men that he'd just taken down.
"Thanks for the help." Ashton said flatly to the Tapu, who simply stared at him for a few moments before it suddenly shut its eyes, snorting softly. It then retreated into its armor and flew away from them, leaving Ashton to glare after it for a few moments before shaking his head.
"Are...are you okay?" Hina asked quietly, with Ashton nodding.
"I know that the Tapu are fickle and don't usually interfere with the matters of humans, but I have a problem when it's well-aware that there's a girl being attacked by some scumbags and it chooses to do nothing to help. Lazy asshole…" Ashton muttered as Damien and him began to walk again.
"You know that...um, if a Tapu gives you a Sparkling Stone, that means that they've chosen you as their personal Champion, right?" Hina asked Ashton, who simply scoffed at that.
"I don't need a Tapu's blessing. I have my own strength now, and the strength of my friends and team. That's all I need." Ashton said quietly but firmly before looking towards the battered girl, smiling at her. The girl felt herself flush at the boy's smile, unsure of quite why that was.
"So, enough about my crap. What's your story?" Ashton asked Hina, who remained quiet for a few moments before she began to talk about herself. The trio made their way to Malie City, and with the girl known as Hina under the protection of Ashton and Damien, there were no other attempts to hurt her that night.
Present
Malie Garden
Sun and Guzma glared at each other from across Malie Garden, as both Team Skull and the crowd of civilians cheered raucously as the two well-known Trainers began to battle. Various important figures were scattered about in the crowd, watching with clear interest.
Adrian Battlestorm, now mostly-recovered, stood beside his camerawoman and now-girlfriend Kelly, filming the standoff between the two Trainers. Acerola and Lillie were also present within the crowd, as was Captain Oliver who watched with just a little bit of excitement, though he was ready to step in if things got violent.
Guzma was infamous as one of the best Trainers in Alola, a Bug-type expert who was Professor's Kukui's eternal rival. His ruthlessness was almost as well-known as his craftiness, and he was the leader of a group of misguided youths who had plagued Alola for several years now. Even if Team Skull was a joke, no one in Alola thought the same of Guzma.
On the other hand, there was Sun. The boy was clearly a talented rising star in Alola who had gained recognition from the public by defeating Cipher Admin Dawson and stopping the attack on Royal Avenue. Even if Sun didn't want to admit it, people had their eye on him and expected great things. He was also recognized by one of the Guardian Deities of Alola, which carried great weight. The fact that it was Tapu Koko who had chosen him was even more incredible, for the fickle creature had not chosen someone to hold a Sparkling Stone since Kahuna Hala over three decades ago, and that was for the position of Kahuna. It had not given the stone as a gift in over two centuries.
Now the two Trainers would do battle.
Experience and tenacity versus talent and adaptability.
Would would come out on top?
Brago, let's go!" Sun shouted, hurling Brago's ball forward and calling forth the massive canine. The crowd roared as Brago crouched low, hitting Goliath with Intimidate. The Golisopod hissed softly, though it didn't back down, instead narrowing its eyes and hunching over to look more threatening.
"Rotom, what was that move Guzma used on Oliver?" Sun asked the device as it floated above Sun, slowly nodding its head to the beat of the song blaring out of the boombox behind Guzma as a Team Skull Grunt beatboxed over the music.
"That was First Impression. It'zz the signature move of Golisopod. On the very first turn Golisopod izz in battle, thiz move allowzz Golisopod to attack with incredible speed, delivering high-damage. It can usually outspeed most Pokémon attacking." Rotom explained to Sun, who hummed thoughtfully.
"How am I supposed to counter something like that? It took Oliver out in one shot." Sun muttered, with Rotom beeping after a moment.
"Sun, Golisopod can only use First Impression right after it'zz been sent into battle. Meaning that it can't use that attack unlezzz it gets returned and then sent back out. So you're safe from it for now! Bzzz!" Rotom explained to Sun, who turned towards Guzma and Goliath, nodding slowly.
"So I only need to worry about it when that thing gets called out. Then I don't need to worry about it for a bit. Good." Sun looked towards Brago, who was ready to fight. "Flame Charge!"
Brago bounded forward, flames enveloping the canine's body. Guzma grinned, shaking his head as Golisopod crouched slightly, bracing itself as it narrowed it's eyes.
"Liquidation!" Guzma barked as Goliath held out a claw in front of itself, hissing softly. To Sun's amazement, a sword made of pure water formed within the massive bug's claw and Goliath gripped it tightly, tucking the sword underneath its arm as if it was a samurai preparing to deliver a deadly strike.
"Tear him to shreds!" Guzma bellowed as Goliath lunged forward, getting smashed into by Flame Charge but using Liquidation to stab Brago in the chest with the sword, sending the canine skidding backwards twenty yards with a pained snarl. To Sun's surprise, Brago winced and leapt back a little, eyeing Golisopod warily with a pained look on his face.
"That one is very strong, Alpha. I might not be able to take another hit like that." Brago warned Sun, with the boy nodding. They had to play things safe for now, at least until the Golisopod went down.
"I still can't believe this runt took down a Shadow Legendary like Articuno. That Dawson guy must've been retarded or something, because that's the only thing that makes sense to me!" Guzma remarked, making Sun narrow his eyes in anger. Guzma's gaze went back to Brago.
"You will not insult my Alpha like that." Brago growled softly, with Guzma letting out a bark of laughter, shaking his head.
"Or what? Pft. I've heard all sorts of stories about you, kid. But they don't mean a thing when you're fighting for your life. Or against the hardest man in Alola." Guzma continued, grinning at Sun wickedly. Guzma's eyes flicked to Kukui, who was surprisingly silent during all of this.
"I've had to fight for my life plenty of times. I know what I'm fighting for." Sun replied, trying not to get annoyed at the man's insults. Guzma smirked, shaking his head in bemusement.
"No you don't. You're a kid. And you ain't gonna accomplish a goddamn thing. You think you can stop your crazy dick of a father? Fat chance, brat! Guzma's got a score to settle and he's not sharing the spotlight with some daddy's boy who doesn't even belong here!" Guzma said as he threw apart his arms, with Team Skull laughing in the background. Sun winced at that, feeling heat rise into his cheeks.
"At least my father managed to beat the Island Challenge, unlike you and the rest of Team Skull!" Sun shot back, wiping the smile off of Guzma's face and shutting up the gang of hooligans. The Boss of Team Skull's face twisted into a terrible scowl as he spit on the ground.
"You're nothing but a fad, kid. I'm gonna prove it. Guzma's gonna break you. And then I'll dismantle Kukui's beloved League. I'm gonna tear the entire system apart, starting with you!" Guzma shouted as Goliath roared in agreement. Sun adjusted his hat, his expression set in a determined frown.
"You're just another roadblock. I'll become strong enough to protect everyone from not just Cipher, but people like you! Bullies that are more bark than bite!" Sun yelled back, focusing his attention back onto the battle. Specifically, Goliath the Golisopod, who had been patiently standing beside his Trainer. It was currently rubbing its chest, a pained expression on its face.
"Your big bad bug doesn't look so good, Guzma. If just one attack did that to him, then he's not gonna last long!" Sun called to the Team Skull Boss, a faint smile on his face. Guzma looked briefly concerned, but then scowled and gave the boy a middle-fingered salute.
"Golisopod just let you get that lick in. That mutt's gonna get put down. Right Partner?" Guzma asked Goliath, who let out a roar of defiance as it drew its blade once again and levelled it at Brago. The canine stared down the much stronger Pokémon fearlessly, much to the approval of the audience, and scoffed at the display.
"You're powerful, but even with your strength you're still nothing but a coward. You hide it well, but I see it plain as day." Brago growled before crouching yet again, barring his teeth. Sun observed the exchange, watching Goliath with interest and seeing how much pain the Hard Shell Pokémon was in from that one attack.
"Professor Kukui mentioned that he and Guzma took down Amber at Royal Avenue. And from their conversation just now, Guzma's team got hurt pretty bad. Meaning that even if Goliath has probably a decade or more of experience battling and could probably sweep my team with ease, it's nowhere near peak-condition, and that it can't use its full power. And that's where we strike!" Sun thought, grinning as he punched forward. "Keep up the offensive, Brago! Flame Burst!"
Brago opened his mouth, flames forming quickly before being expelled outwards, with the flames forming into a large fireball and exploding violently, sending streaks of fire towards Golispod. Guzma grinned, expecting that.
"Block 'em with Liquidation! Then go for Pin Missile!" Guzma ordered his Pokémon, who hissed in response, taking a step back and holding its water-sword out behind it and glaring up at the flames that soared towards it. Then, at the last second, Goliatih spun its entire body around in a quick circle and smashed each of the flaming streaks apart with Liquidation, shocking Sun and Brago.
Golisopod threw both of its arms back with a battle cry and hunched over, with a section of it's back armor opening slightly, glowing bright white. Sun and Brago's eyes widened in unison as a barrage of white missiles fired into the air from Golisopod and shot towards Brago.
"Use Flame Charge to dodge, then go in for the hit!" Sun commanded Brago, who snarled softly as flames erupted from around the canine before he bounded forward. Pin Missile dropped down from the sky, exploding lightly around the Arcanine as he dashed towards Golisopod, which hissed in surprise as Brago evaded his attack and slammed into him. Goliath was knocked backwards across the stone path, groaning in pain before letting out a harsh roar.
"Rapid-fire Ember!"
"Liquidation!"
Brago barked out, repeatedly releasing a series of small fireballs at Goliath, who summoned forth another Liquidation and casually smashed them apart one after another with a wave of swift slashes, with Guzma grinning smugly as each attack was blocked. Golisopod slashed at Brago, who dodged by leaping into the air and landing beside Sun.
"Swords Dance!" Guzma barked.
"Brago, use Sunny Day!" Sun commanded, with both Pokémon using moves that powered themselves up greatly. The two Trainers winced at the harsh light surrounding the field, though they both knew that this round would be ending soon.
"Flame Burst!"
"Liquidation!"
Brago roared as he shot forth a stream of fire as Golisopod summoned it's water-sword yet again, launching itself towards the Legendary Pokémon. This time Goliath blocked the flames with the flat of the Liquidation, destroying the fire that was sent his way.
"He used Liquidation to block again...I guess you can only do some much when the Pokémon you're fighting is that strong." Sun muttered, thinking hard on what to do. "Alright, we're gonna have to get creative. Brago, use Flame Diversion, into Revenge!" Sun commanded the canine, who responded with a grin before speeding towards Golisopod.
"Flame what? Dafaq is this shit?" Guzma demanded, standing up at last. Golisopod glanced back at his Partner, shrugging its shoulders for a moment, before pointing its Liquidation at the speeding Arcanine and lunging forward.
Brago leapt back to dodge the Liquidation, landing on his feet and breathing a torrent of flames to create the usual fireball for Flame Burst. However, he ceased the attack and used Flame Charge, speeding forward and colliding with the fireball, sending it straight at Golisopod.
"What the hell!? Dodge it!" Guzma yelled as Golisopod snarled in surprise before the attack struck the Hard Shell Pokémon, sending an explosion of fire in all directions as Guzma grunted from the heat. As if that wasn't enough, Brago tore through the flames and rammed into Goliath with Revenge, sending him crashing to the ground harshly. Goliath groaned, noticeably shaking from the pain of the onslaught of attacks. Despite the contrast in strength between the two, Goliath was still taking a great deal of damage in his weakened state.
"Brago, go for Fire Fang!" Sun called, punching forward.
"Not a chance! Throat Chop!" Guzma bellowed as Brago leapt towards the downed Goliath, only for a claw wreathed in purple flames to smash into his face as he went for the final blow. Brago went flying backwards and crumpled into a heap a short distance away, completely knocked out. Sun sighed, but offered Brago a small smile as the crowd clapped appreciatively.
"Arcanine is unable to battle! The winner is Golisopod!" Plumeria shouted, gesturing in Guzma's direction. Team Skull whooped and cheered, and began to sing along with Guzma's theme song as it blared from the radio.
TEAM SKULL ROLL OUT WE GOT THE MOVES!
DON'T THINK 'BOUT WHAT WE GONNA DO!
ROCK AND ROOOOOOLLL!
GO TEAM SKULLLLLLLL!
NOW BACK TO GUZMA!
"Not bad, brat. But you're gonna need more than that to take me down!" Guzma laughed as Sun returned Brago, smirking a bit now. Goliath slowly rose to his feet, letting out a harsh roar as he threw apart its claws. It still seemed ready to battle, though it was noticeably panting.
"I only see two Poké Balls on you, Guzma. And I think my two remaining Pokémon have got your number." Sun said before unclipping one from his belt. "Penny, let's do this!"
The Kanto-native called out his Toucannon, who calmly landed on the ground. She flinched as the crowd roared around her, and Sun wondered about that for a moment. He remembered Oliver mentioning that Penny didn't like crowds at the Festival of Light, and upon reflection the boy realized his starter was correct.
Penny looked incredibly uncomfortable as she ruffled her feathers for a moment before focusing on her opponent, clearly trying to clear out the roar of the audience. After a few seconds though, her gaze landed on the splash of crimson on the ground not too far from her.
"Trainer, why is there blood here?" Penny asked, glancing back at Sun. The boy looked pained before sighing, shaking his head slightly.
"I messed up and let Oliver get hit with a sneak attack. He got knocked out by it in one strike and it cut him open. I'll be taking him to the Pokémon Center as soon as we're done dealing with these bozos." Sun informed Penny, who stared at him for a moment before slowly turning her gaze to Guzma and Goliath, her eyes focused on the crimson splashed against the claws of the Golisopod.
"I see…" Penny's voice was very quiet, which worried Sun. He was further worried when, despite the sunshine pouring on them from Sunny Day, he felt the air outside become much colder.
Penny continued to stare down Guzma and Golisopod, who both looked a bit surprised by the sudden aura of hostility radiating from the Toucannon now. "Trainer? I have a question for you."
"Um...Yeah, Penny?"
"May I hurt them now?" Penny's eyes narrowed sharply, making Goliath hiss softly in response, taking a step back in response to the Toucannon's glare. Even Guzma seemed shocked at the sheer fury pouring from the Toucannon.
"I feel like I'm gonna regret pulling that trick on that Dartrix." Guzma thought to himself as Sun stepped forward to stop Penny, but seemed to think better of it. Instead he pointed at Golisopod, a fierce grin on his face.
"Show them your stuff, Penny! I'm right behind you!" Sun called to the bird, who nodded once.
And then soared straight at Goliath.
"Alright, I'll sort you out right quick. Ice Beam!" Guzma barked as Goliath opened his mouth, firing off a powerful beam of icy energy straight at Penny as she soared towards her opponent faster than Sun had ever seen her move. Penny veered sharply to the right with a hard flap of her wings, dodging the attack completely before her beak glowed bright white. The Toucannon slammed into Golisopod's softer torso with a crunch, making the massive arthropod hunch over in pain and let out a groan before Penny kicked off of his body, flying away as Golisopod snarled and fell to one knee.
"Damn. That looked painful." Plumeria muttered as she winced. Team Skull groaned collectively, covering their eyes. Goliath slowly rose back to his feet, letting out a powerful roar of fury as Guzma scowled.
"Oh really? By all means, shut me up. I'm waiting." Penny responded coldly as Golisopod hissed irritability, slashing out with its claws.
"Enough of this. Use Iron Defense and-" Guzma was cut off by Goliath opening his mouth wide and charging up another Ice Beam, firing it towards the Toucannon who dove to dodge as Guzma blinked in surprise.
"Hey, stop that! You know what happens when you just start attacking randomly! Pay attention!" Guzma barked as Penny neared him for another Pluck. Goliath lunged forward with an overhead Liquidation, which Penny veered upwards to dodge before smashing into Goliath's face with her glowing beak.
"Come on, man! Don't ignore me like that!" Guzma barked at the incensed Golisopod as it staggered back clutching its eyes, roaring in pain as Penny soared away, her eyes still burning with anger. Golisopod slashed the air with both claws, snarling at Penny before firing off a third Ice Beam, which Penny nimbly dodged again as the crowd cheered loudly.
"You keep talking...But I still haven't seen you do anything about it!" Penny shouted to the furious Pokémon below, who responded with yet another Ice Beam that Penny dodged. Guzma looked absolutely dumbfounded by this.
"Is...is that bird talking shit to us?" Guzma muttered, his left eye twitching after a moment.
"That depends...Am I going to beat you without taking a single hit?" Penny asked as she swooped down, her beak glowing brown before a burst of energy erupted from it. Sun recognized the attack as Hidden Power, but the boy had nearly forgotten that Penny knew the move. Golisopod tried to jump to the side to dodge it, but was too slow. The attack exploded against its side, causing Goliath to roar in pain and stumble slightly, slashing out with its claws.
"Hey! You wanna talk crap, why don't you come down and face us like a real Pokémon!" Guzma bellowed as Goliath fired off a Pin Missile, who Penny expertly dodged by tucking in her wings and hurtling towards Goliath and Guzma at top speed yet again, smashing into the Hard Shell Pokémon with Fly. Goliath cried out, swiping at Penny as she soared away again.
"I came, I saw, and...I'm not impressed." Penny remarked before opening her beak, firing off a wave of Rock Blast at Goliath, another super-effective Rock-type attack that caused the Golisopod to take major damage.
"Iron Defense!" Guzma barked, with Golisopod smashing its forearms together like a shield as its entire body glowed. The attacks continued to smash against the Hard Shell Pokémon's arms, but it was doing significantly less damage.
"Sun's not even bothering to direct Penny's moves...That's incredible." Lillie breathed, holding her hands together worriedly as she and Acerola watched the brawl. Lillie then blinked in surprise as she noticed a strange green dog watching the battle from afar on one of the bridges i the distance.
Lillie wondered briefly why Zygarde had come to watch this battle, but her thoughts were cut off by Acerola, who had realized exactly what was going on.
"It's not that, Lillie. I've seen this before. Some Trained Pokémon are actually smart enough to battle without commands or instructions from their Trainers and be very effective on the battlefield, since your opponent doesn't know what move a Pokémon is gonna use until it's being used. Whereas when a Trainer is ordering a Pokémon to attack…" Acerola trailed off, and Lillie grinned.
"There's a delay there when ordering around a Pokémon regularly, where the opponent can use a counterattack! Sun is letting Penny do what she wants because he knows she's smart enough to use her advantages to their fullest potential." Lillie realized, with Acerola bobbing her head.
"I think he didn't have much choice, seeing how mad she is." Acerola remarked, seeing Penny blasting Goliath from all sides as she circled the massive Pokémon, who was struggling to block the attacks let alone score a hit.
"She's usually so calm and well-behaved too...I guess that old saying is true." Lillie said softly, smiling a little as she watched Penny continue to dodge Goliath's onslaught of attacks, with Sun grinning proudly the entire time.
"And what saying would that be, Lils?" Acerola asked curiously, tilting her head.
Lillie's smile became just a little mischievous. "Beware the quiet ones."
"What the hell is this!? You're just gonna let your bird boss you around!?" Guzma bellowed as Goliath threw up another Iron Defense to block a Hidden Rock Blast though it still received a groan from the massive arthropod as Goliath's body began to shake from the pain. Goliath hissed in response, pushing through the pain and slashing upwards to smash aside a Hidden Power sent towards it, which surprised Sun but didn't matter one bit to Penny.
"Are you okay? You're looking a bit tired." Penny said as she soared forward yet again, dodging a Liquidation and scoring another Pluck attack, making Goliath clutch its chest with a pained grimace.
"And that, everyone, izz exactly why you don't piss Penny off!" Rotom cheered as Penny continued to circle Goliath, beginning to hitting him with Rock Blast again.
"Keep it up, Penny!" Sun shouted as the crowd began to cheer again, with Guzma punching the ground in frustration. Guzma ignored the pain, as well as the blood now dripping down his knuckles.
"No WAY this is happening to me!" Guzma thought as Penny continued to pummel his Golisopod, who was having a very difficult time landing a blow on the furious Toucannon as she pummelled Goliath from just about every angle. Even with repeated uses of Iron Defense, Goliath was still taking heavy damage. Guzma knew he had to turn this around.
"Use Aqua Jet!" Guzma shouted almost desperately, with Sun's eyes widening in surprise as a flume of water surrounded Goliath before he shot into the air with incredible speed and slammed into Penny, who was sent tumbling through the air with a screech of pain.
"Thank the Tapu...who can go to hell." Guzma muttered to himself, sighing with relief as Goliath landed on the ground, heaving from exhaustion as it fell to one knee.
"Penny!" Sun called out worriedly, though thankfully Penny righted herself in midair and swooped towards Sun, soaring past him and landing on the ground rather awkwardly, a pained expression on her face.
"Alright...I got it all out of my system." Penny panted, with Sun laughing softly.
"You have no idea how much I appreciate you being so well-behaved, Penny. If I had to deal with you and Oliver both being so crazy at the same time, I probably would've just decided to become a fry-cook or something."
"Mmm...But that would mean you would be a better cook, which means tastier food."
Sun rolled his eyes before pointing forward. "Let's wrap this up! Pluck!"
"Goliath, use Sucker Punch!" Guzma bellowed, wanting this fight to be over sooner rather than later. Goliath hissed as it kicked off of the ground, dashing towards Penny as she sped towards him. However, things changed as Goliath suddenly smashed his claws into the ground and opened his jaw.
Guzma grinned.
"Ice Beam!" The Boss of Team Skull shouted as Goliath fired off the icy stream of energy, which Penny swooped down to avoid, much to Guzma's shock. As Penny skimmed the grass, barely an inch above it, the Toucannon smashed into Golisopod's stomach, slightly lower than she had been hitting before. As a result, the massive arthropod groaned and hunched over, looking towards Penny with a surprised expression.
"How strong is this thing!? It won't go down!" Sun muttered, feeling a pang of worry. His team was good, but the constant barrage of super-effective attacks seemed to have only winded the massive arthropod Pokémon, even though it was battling while injured. Golisopod snarled viciously at Penny, who rolled her eyes.
"You really don't learn, do you?" Penny asked, opening her beak and preparing to use Rock Blast again at close-range. Golisopod let out a sudden cry of dismay, taking a step back and turning towards Guzma. Sun was surprised when Goliath suddenly morphed into a stream of red energy and leapt into the Poké Ball on Guzma's belt, with an Ariados appearing in a flash of light with a surprised look on its face.
"Shadow Sneak to dodge, and then follow up with Bug Bite!" Guzma quickly shouted as Ariados leapt backwards into its own shadow, causing Penny to stop mid-attack and glance around in confusion. Ariados then emerged from below Penny out of her shadow, clamping down on her chest with large glowing fangs. Penny screeched in surprise, writhing around in midair from the sudden attack.
"Brick Break! Knock it off!" Sun yelled out, with Penny quickly obeying as her beak glowed white, with it smashing into Ariados and knocking it to the ground with a soft hiss. Penny flew towards Sun, flapping her wings tiredly as Sun glanced at Rotom. The Pokédex quickly flipped to the appropriate entry.
"Ariados. The Long Leg Pokémon and the evolved form of Spinarak. There are some areas where people use the string Ariados spins for their own weaving. The resulting cloth is popular for its strength. It spins thread from both its rear and its mouth. Then it wraps its prey up in thread and sips their bodily fluids at its leisure." Rotom explained to Sun, who then looked towards Guzma.
"So how'd that switch thing happen? You didn't even touch a Poké Ball and you managed to switch your Pokémon mid-battle." Sun asked Guzma, who smirked in amusement.
"That was Golisopod's Ability, brat. It's called Emergency Exit. When things get too dicey and Goliath takes too much damage, I can make a quick switch to another waiting Pokémon. Ariados, teach that winged twit some respect!" Guzma said as the spider hissed softly, crouching slightly in preparation for the fight.
"You're the one who had his big bad Pokémon run away…" Penny muttered just loud enough for Guzma to hear, which made the man grit his teeth angrily.
"Penny, use Roost!" Sun called out.
"Swords Dance!" Guzma boomed, with Araidos tapping its legs against the ground as a red glow surrounded the Pokémon's body. Guzma punched a bloodstained fist forward. "Now X-Scissor!"
"Penny, use Hidden Power!" Sun called, now that the Toucannon had a brief moment to heal. She was still tired from battling the formidable foe that was Goliath, but was in far better shape to battle a tricky opponent like an Ariados.
"Sucker Punch!" Guzma barked, grinning darkly. Penny opened her beak and released the wave of energy, but Ariados darted forward to dodge and smashed into Penny hard, sending her reeling back with a squawk of surprise. It didn't stop her from blasting away the spider, making it squeal in pain as it landed roughly on the ground. Penny landed on the ground as well, flaring her wings in a manner that reminded Sun of his Starter Pokémon.
"This one's not nearly as tough as the last one was. It should be a far more fair fight." Penny said with clear exhaustion in her voice, but she seemed more than willing to keep up the fight. Sun smiled with pride at his Toucannon before pointing towards Guzma and Ariados. "Rock Blast!"
"Shadow Sneak! Then use a String Shot!" Guzma ordered his Ariados, who darted into its shadow once again to dodge the attack from Penny. Sun let out a shout of surprise when he was suddenly knocked over, with Ariados emerging from his own shadow and firing off a String Shot at Penny, hitting her from behind.
"Hey! That was cheap!" Sun shouted at Guzma, who promptly yawned as Penny was covered in sticky spider web.
"All's fair in love and war, kid. NOW SMASH IT!" Guzma bellowed to Ariados, who swung the surprised Penny upwards and then slammed her into the ground before ripping its head back, bringing Penny towards it.
"Fell Stinger!" Guzma yelled out, though Sun smirked at that command.
"Use Pluck!" Sun shouted to Penny, who looked dead at Ariados and pointed her beak at it, with the whole length of it glowing white. Penny and Ariados slammed into each other, with both flying backwards as a result of their attacks. Ariados got the worse end of it, though, thanks to Pluck being super-effective. Penny landed roughly on the ground and focused energy into her beak, heating it up enough to break through the string that surrounded her. She broke through and flapped her wings hard to avoid a Signal Beam from Ariados, soaring high into the air.
"Surprise Toxic! Go!" Guzma bellowed as Ariados chittered softly before it vanished into its own shadow. Sun looked at Guzma in surprise, wondering why his Pokémon had used Shadow Sneak when…
"He's using a combination attack, just like I've been doing!" Sun realized with some horror before shouting, "Penny, dive!"
Penny reacted instantly, diving towards the ground and dodging a burst of purple liquid by mere inches, spinning around glaring down as Ariados retreated into the shadow of Guzma before appearing out of Rotom Dex's shadow, firing off another Toxic. Penny again dodged, this time firing off a Bullet Seed that Ariados dodged by vanishing with Shadow Sneak before leaping out of Guzma's shadow again, hissing softly as it shook its head.
"I wonder if using that move repeatedly starts to wear on the Pokémon. Doing that again and again can't be easy." Sun wondered, making a point to ask Professor Kukui about it later. The boy snapped back to reality as Guzma began to instruct his Pokémon once again.
"Shadow Sneak! Follow up with X-Scissor!" Guzma ordered Ariados, who nodded and darted into its own shadow.
"Penny, use Hidden Power below you!" Sun called to Penny, who obeyed and looked straight down as her own shadow darkened slightly. Penny fired the attack downwards, right into the face of Ariados as it began to leap into the air, it's own eyes widening in surprise. The Long Leg Pokémon was struck directly, flying backwards into the shadow it had just left and vanishing from sight, only to somehow get violently launched out of Guzma's shadow and crash onto the battlefield in a crumpled heap, unconscious.
"Ariados is unable to battle! The winner is Toucannon!" Plumeria called, with Sun glancing at the woman.
"Why didn't you do that call when Oliver was knocked out?" Sun asked the Team Skull Admin out of curiosity, who shrugged.
"You two were too busy smack-talking. I didn't get the chance. But I can amend that mistake. Your owl got his ass kicked, Golisopod won. Get gud." Plumeria responded dryly, which made Penny glare at the woman while Sun crossed his arms.
"I don't think that improves things." Sun muttered with an annoyed sigh, turning his attention back to Guzma, who returned his Ariados with a soft scowl.
"That kid took down Ariados huh? Not bad...But I ain't done yet! Goliath, finish the job!" Guzma bellowed as he called his Golisopod back out, with the battered bug chittering softly before lashing out with its claws, delivering a powerful roar. It looked worse for wear, sporting scrapes and dents all around its armor. Sun could even see a clearish liquid dripping from some of its injuries, which Sun would later learn was called hemolymph, or insect blood.
Guzma grinned, standing up again and rolling his shoulders back as Goliath got into a fighting stance. Sun grit his teeth, preparing himself for the final bout. Guzma had no more Pokémon to call upon. If Sun knocked out the powerhouse that was Golisopod, it'd be an upset win.
Sun took that moment to consider things, looking at Goliath and then Penny. Between the two, Goliath was in far better condition. Penny had taken less damage, but she was exhausted after having battled for so long. She also lacked Goliath's sheer endurance and experience, which was now showing. At this point she was running on pure determination and a desire to avenge her friend.
Sun chose to believe in his Pokémon and forged ahead. Because he knew that it'd take everything he had to stop the Team Skull Boss.
"Penny, charge up and brace yourself!" Sun shouted, knowing what was coming. The Toucannon's beak began to gather heat, slowly glowing a bright red color as she began to build up energy. She also prepared herself for whatever attack would come next, which Sun already was expecting.
"First Impression!" Guzma yelled triumphantly, grinning as his Golisopod launched itself forward with the same incredible speed as earlier. The boy grinned as Goliath neared Penny, swiping downwards as she blocked the attack with her burning beak. Penny pushed through the pain, ignoring the crimson dripping down her face now. Golisopod let out a roar of agony and staggered back a step, clutching it's left claw that was covered in harsh burns and was slowly radiating fire. Guzma's eyes widened in surprise, seeing that Goliath was now burned.
But Penny wasn't done.
"Beak Blast!" Sun shouted as Penny released the energy she had been building up, causing the attack to explode outwards and strike Golisopod at point-blank range. The Hard Scale Pokémon screamed in pain, it's smaller arms shrinking back and clutching its body as Goliath hugged itself, since the attack had struck its chest. The Golisopod fell to the ground, groaning as Guzma felt a cold wave of concern ripple through him. That was quickly followed by anger, and then overpowered by the white-hot wave of indignation.
"Goliath! Come on, Partner, push through! You got this! Liquidation!" Guzma bellowed as Goliath let out a hiss of fury, holding out a hand and forming another blade of water. Sun noticed the blade was distinctly smaller and thinner this time as Golisopod lunged at the bird. Penny swooped out of the way, barely dodging the attack as Golisopod winced from it's burn.
"Hidden Power!" Sun shouted as Penny flared her wings, charging up the energy and releasing it as Golisopod was distracted. Goliath snarled softly in pain as the super-effective attack struck home, but to Sun's chagrin the Golisopod still continued to endure. Sun briefly wondered if anything could take this thing down before brushing the thought aside.
No one was unbeatable.
To Sun's disappointment, the harsh sunlight that had been present over them from Sunny Day had now faded, and with it the weakening effects of it on Golisopod were over. Sun adjusted his hat, thinking fast.
"Rock Blast!" Sun shouted as Penny landed on the ground, heaving with exhaustion. The bleeding from the wound had stopped quickly, thanks to Pokémon's innate ability to heal from most injuries, though she still seemed a bit unsteady from the sheer damage she had taken.
Despite this, Penny pushed through, releasing a series of rock-like bullets from her mouth and blasting Goliath back, making the Hard Scale Pokémon stagger backwards while hissing in anger. Guzma was incensed by this point, since this one Pokémon was about to take out his prized Pokémon.
"Sucker Punch!"Guzma bellowed just after the fifth wave of Rock Blast ended, with Golisopod taking a step back before kicking off of the ground, again with a burst of surprising speed. The massive arthropod punched Penny and sent her crashing senseless to the ground, though not before Golisopod hissed in pain and cradled it's burned claw.
"Toucannon is unable to battle. The winner is Golisopod!" Plumeria declared, gesturing towards Guzma, who wore a wide smirk of contempt on his face.
TEAM SKULL ROLL OUT WE GOT THE MOVES!
DON'T THINK 'BOUT WHAT WE GONNA DO!
ROCK AND ROOOOOOLLL!
GO TEAM SKULLLLLLLL!
NOW BACK TO GUZMA!
"It doesn't matter what you throw at us, you stupid kid! We're gonna take you down! And this whole damn system along with it!" Guzma boomed, crossing his arms. "You'll be thanking me! So why don't you get down on your knees right now and bow down?"
"Not a chance!" Sun yelled back at the man, causing Team Skull to loudly boo him as the crowd cheered behind him. "Alright then...Finn, I'm counting on you!" Sun called, sending out the Poliwhirl. Finn appeared in a flash of light, flexing and striking a pose as the crowd cheered. He then took notice of his opponent, putting his hands on his hips.
"Huh. Looks like I've got a real brawl on my hands." Finn remarked casually, taking in the menacing-looking Pokémon known as Goliath with an easy air. He turned a bit towards Sun, giving him a thumbs up.
"Hey buddy! You ready for this? I've been itching for a fight since that stupid bug tricked me! I wanna go all-out!" Finn boomed, looking ahead and punching his fists forward, as if he was boxing. Guzma wasn't impressed.
"Pft. Whatever, Polidork. That Toucannon was admittedly interesting, but you're nothing special. Just like you're Trainer. Nothing special." Guzma breathed, grinning sinisterly.
"Hey, take that back!" Finn shouted at Guzma, who simply shrugged as his gaze went to Sun.
"No type-advantage to speak of and a middling evolutionary form. This'll be child's play!" Guzma bellowed as Goliath let out a roar, throwing a hand towards the Poliwhirl in a threatening manner. Finn laughed before getting into a proper battling stance, and with that Guzma made the first move.
"Use Pin Missile!" Guzma barked as Goliath hunched over, opening a section of his armor and beginning to fire his attack down upon Finn.
"Dodge with Scald, then use Bubble Beam!" Sun ordered Finn, with the Poliwhirl nodding slightly before kicking off of the ground, jumping towards the attack. However, Finn turned downwards in midair, blasting a jet of water from his chest and dodging the attack by soaring above it with a flip. Finn then fired a barrage of bubbles from his chest which rained down upon Golisopod, though the massive Pokémon shrugged off the attack.
It did, however, wince in pain from its burn.
"Interesting. I'd expect that kind of move from a Politoed. But that won't save you! Ice Beam!" Guzma barked, seemingly oblivious to Golisopod's situation. The Hard Shell Pokémon fought through the pain and opened its maw, firing off an Ice Beam towards Finn as he plummeted through the air.
"Body Slam and then Scald, then get close for Doubleslap!"
"Use Slash!"
Finn used Body Slam to dodge the Ice Beam, with the force of the move causing him to drop like a lead weight through the air, only for Scald to gently halt his decent. However, he wasn't expecting Golisopod to be waiting for him down below, hissing as its glowing claws drew back.
"Redirect your water at Goliath!" Sun ordered Finn, who Finn poured a bit more power into Scald and aimed it right at Golisopod's face. The other Pokémon jerked back in surprise, hissing softly, though this had the effect of allowing Finn to land a short distance away from where Goliath had been standing, with the Hard Shell Pokémon hissing in annoyance as the boiling hot water washed over it.
"Stop flipping about and just fight! Or are you too scared to battle in a straight fight?" Guzma challenged, with Finn glancing back at Guzma before turning to Goliath, who Finn realized was heaving with exhaustion and riddled with various injuries all over his body, as well as several scorch marks and a badly burned claw.
"Looks like the others already had their turn with this one. Meaning it's up to me to win the day! ALRIGHT!" Finn yelled as Sun flashed Guzma a grin.
"Get in close and use Body Slam!" Sun called, with Finn sprinting right at the Golisopod. Goliath snarled softly, summoning a Liquidation without being ordered to and lunging forward, spinning around as Finn neared them. Finn managed to duck under the attack and leapt up to Body Slam Golisopod in the chest, knocking the arthropod back a step before Goliath suddenly lashed out with something Sun recognized as Rock Smash, which sent Finn hurtling backwards before he landed roughly on his back.
"Finn, are you okay?" Sun asked his Water-type, who responded by doing a kip-up, landing on his feet with a wince.
"I wonder why it didn't hit Finn with something harder...Maybe because moves like Rock Smash might be easier to use than something like Liquidation or Throat Chop? Eh, not gonna dwell on it." Sun thought as he focused back on the action, where Guzma had ordered Golisopod to use an Ice Beam on Finn.
"Redirect it with Psychic!" Sun ordered Finn, who's eyes and stomach glowed a harsh blue color as the powerful Ice Beam hurtled towards him. The wave of psychic energy struck the attack, causing it to spread apart slightly, but not nearly as much as Sun was expecting. Finn let out a groan of exertion, barely managing to split apart the Ice Beam enough so that it narrowly missed him. As the attack sailed by him, Finn swayed on his feet, nearly falling to the ground with a wheeze.
"What happened? I've seen Pokémon use Psychic all the time to redirect stuff. Why is Finn so tired now?" Sun asked, confused. Rotom Dex beeped a few times, considering this.
"It'zz most likely because of the fact that those Pokémon in question were considerably more experienced in both battling and using the move Psychic. It'zz a powerful move, but it requires intense concentration and effort. A Pokémon like Amber Fontaine's Xatu would have no trouble redirecting an attack like Ice Beam, due to its experience and strength. But a Poliwhirl who just learned the most today? The fact that Finn wasn't hit anyway is incredible. You should definitely train Finn more on it before you try to use it to block something so powerful." Rotom Dex warned Sun, with the boy carefully considering his options as he looked back towards the battlefield.
Finn was tiring, especially thanks to Sun's miscalculation. However Golisopod looked to be in very rough shape, visibly shaking from the pain it was in. Sun was hoping that the Burn would've knocked it out by now, but the fact that it hadn't yet was a testament to the strength of Guzma's Pokémon. Despite battling Sun's entire team, the beast still remained stalwart.
"Finn, let's get ready for the final round! Get in close with Brick Break!" Sun called, with Finn slapped the sides of his head with both hands before letting out a yell and dashing forward. Golisopod made a soft noise before glancing back at Guzma, who smiled.
"Go wild, my friend. Crush them like the vermin they are." Guzma breathed as Golisopod nodded, summoning a Liquidation and dashing forward. Goliath snarled as it neared Finn, slashing downwards with Liquidation and bisecting the area Finn was in. However, he met nothing but air as Finn dodged to the side, doing a brief handspring before firing off a Scald to propel himself to Golisopod, delivering a Brick Break to its face and knocking his opponent back a step. Golisopod roared in anger, slashing at Finn again, only for the nimble Poliwhirl to dodge its attack yet again.
"Focus! You've got this!" Guzma yelled to his Partner as it hunched over, firing off a wave of Pin Missile at Finn, who ahead yet again, attempting to dodge the barrage of attacks. And while he dodged the first three, number four struck home and sent him flying backwards with a yell. Golisopod took a step forward, wincing in pain as it rubbed its burning claw.
"Finn!" Sun yelled out as the Poliwhirl hit the ground hard, wincing as he tried to get back up. Golisopod's eyes narrowed as it lunged forward, with both of its claws burning with purple energy as it prepared to deliver a brutal Throat Chop to Finn.
"Scald to dodge into Body Slam!" Sun called to Finn as he pushed himself to his knees, his eyes catching the sight of an approaching Goliath and the triumphant grin of Guzma. Finn fired the stream of boiling hot water at the ground, sending himself into the air as Goliath swiped at the Poliwhirl with both claws, narrowly missing the Tadpole Pokémon yet again. Finn flipped through the air as Golisopod looked upwards, hitting struck in the face with a Body Slam that stunned him.
Finn landed lightly on the ground as Sun called for another Scald, spraying the back of the other Pokémon with Scald before Golisopod whirled around, roaring as it lunged forward with X-Scissor. Finn shot into the air yet again with Scald, though Golisopod fired off an Ice Beam to freeze the water all the way up to Finn, who was now frozen to his own water now.
"Finn!" Sun called out to his Pokémon. Guzma chuckled softly, stuffing his hands into his pockets as Golisopod winced in pain, shaking its burned claw briefly.
"Smash it apart with Brick Break!" Guzma bellowed as Goliath drew back it's good claw, which glowed a brief flash of white before it struck the icy pillar. To the amazement of the crowd, the entire thing exploded into a shower of ice crystals, causing Finn to fall towards the ground. All the while Golisopod waited eagerly as its claws burned with purple energy yet again.
"No! We're so close!" Sun thought as he watched Finn plummet closer and closer to the Golisopod. He couldn't have Finn keep using Scald, since Guzma could now counter with Ice Beam. Finn was a mere fifty feet from Golisopod's clutches when a sudden idea struck Sun.
"Use Psychic on yourself!" Sun shouted to Finn as Guzma's eyes widened in surprise.
Standing behind Sun, Professor Kukui shut his eyes, smiling softly with pride.
Finn threw apart his arms as his eyes and stomach glowed a harsh blue color, which then surrounded himself. To the amazement of everyone present, Finn had halted his downward fall and was now floating in midair a few dozen feet above Golisopod, which meant that Golisopod's swipe met nothing but air. It winced in pain from it's burn, hissing softly in annoyance as it considered its options.
"Oh come on! What the Cinnamon Toast Fuck is this crap!?" Guzma groaned, face-palming in disgust. Unfortunately, Guzma losing his temper caused him to miss any chance of counter-attacking a prone, if out of reach, opponent.
"Hypnosis!" Sun shouted as Fin released the attack, falling towards the ground and Goliath. The move struck the Golisopod directly, though thanks to its Burned Status Condition, didn't actually put the massive bug to sleep. It did however disorientate it enough for Finn to land safely on the ground and put a bit of distance in between himself and Goliath.
"Psychic on yourself, and then Body Slam!" Sun ordered the Poliwhirl, grinning wickedly as Guzma's eyes widened.
"Wake up! Just hit him once and it's over! Use Liquidation!" Guzma shouted to Goliath, who had fallen to one knee and was lightly smacking its head to try and regain focus. Meanwhile Finn was sprinting towards Golisopod with determination burning in his eyes.
The Poliwhirl leapt into the air and its stomach and eyes glowed blue before the aura surrounded itself. Finn winced in pain as he shot quickly through the air like a bullet, flipping around and aiming his feet towards Goliath as it slowly seemed to come to its senses. The Golisopod groaned as it stood back upright, summoning a Liquidation with its non-burned arm-
Only for Finn to smash into its face feet-first with tremendous force, making the Golisopod stumble backwards with a screech of surprise as Finn backflipped through the air and landed with a slight stumble before striking another pose, casually glancing behind himself as Goliath slowly dropped to his knees…
And then fell to the ground, where he remained still.
Plumeria waited several seconds, swore silently, and then gestured towards Sun. "Golisopod is unable to battle. The winner of the battle is Sun and his Poliwhirl!"
"Psychic Dropkick for the win!" Rotom cheered as the crowd erupted around them, with Sun letting out a sigh of relief. Finn did the same, though he turned around to Sun and gave him a thumbs up.
"See? What did I tell you, buddy? Your plan was awesome!" Finn boomed as Sun placed a hand on the head of the Poliwhirl, grinning at him.
"Everyone was great today, but that's definitely a combo we can use in the future. Great job, Finn." Sun said proudly, beaming at the Tadpole Pokémon before returning him. With that, he turned to a stunned Guzma, who seemed to be staring forward with an expression of horror on his face.
Lillie clapped with a joyous smile on her face while Acerola whistled from the crowd. Adrian Battlestorm punched the air with a whoop before excitedly telling the viewers at home about the incredible showdown's surprise outcome. A boy with a pink mohawk scowled from within the crowd and walked away from the commotion.
Kukui watched Sun from behind, a small but happy smile on his face. It was one thing to beat a normal Trainer using improvised moves, but to take down a Trainer as skilled as Guzma? Kukui couldn't help but feel pride in just being a small part of Sun's journey as a Pokémon Trainer.
"Best part is that my little gamble totally paid off. I had a feeling Sun might have been able to pull it off, but to actually take down Goliath...It usually takes two of my Pokémon to do that. Goliath may have been hurt this time around, but that's still a hell of an achievement. Sun, just how much stronger can you get?" Kukui thought as Sun walked over to Guzma, who was still staring forward with an expression of absolute shock and horror on his face.
"That was a really good battle. Might need to do another one of these sometime, if you're game. Do you get now what I was talking about when I said that the Island Challenge would help me get stronger?" Sun asked with a smirk to the man, snapping him out of his trance.
"I see. Great work...I guess." Guzma said quietly, hands clenched into fists as he looked at the downed form of Goliath the Golisopod with frustration. The Boss of Team Skull returned his Partner, his expression still one of disbelief.
The crowd continued to cheer for Sun as the boy continued to smile pleasantly at Guzma, allowing himself to feel a bit smug about putting the nasty man in his place. Guzma reached into one of his coat pockets and pulled out a stack of bills tied together with a rubber band and tossed it to a surprised Sun. Though what surprised the boy more was Guzma suddenly clutching his head as if he was in pain and screaming loudly.
"Guzma! What is wrong with you!?" Guzma bellowed, shaking his head frantically before suddenly becoming still as Team Skull collectively shuddered, with even Plumeria shutting her eyes.
"Gah! Is everything okay?" Sun asked, both startled and concerned at the same time. Guzma's expression was wild and almost deranged, but he continued talking as if Sun hadn't spoken.
"Now's the time for your vaunted team to let loose and destroy everything!" Guzma continued to shout, his rage finally breaking free. He let out a shuddering breath, trying to remain calm as he finally noticed the crowd cheering and Team Skull being rather quiet, likewise shocked that their leader had been defeated by a child.
"Isn't your team still recovering from battling Amber? The fact that they're able to battle at all is incredible. I probably wouldn't have won that fight if Goliath was fighting at full strength." Sun conceded to the Boss of Team Skull, who scoffed at that. Sun grinned again at the man a moment later. "Still, a win is a win."
Guzma calmed down a bit at the boy's words. Sun was absolutely right, of course. If Goliath was at full-strength, or even if Guzma had any of his actual team on him right now and weren't under extensive rehabilitation at the Aether Foundation, beating the Kanto-native would've been a cinch.
The Boss of Team Skull exhaled and rubbed his face before speaking in more measured words. "It was Sun, right?" Guzma said to the boy, who nodded. Guzma then gave the boy a crooked smile, to everyone's surprise. "You got spunk, brat. Ain't many people that can hang with Guzma, so maybe you're something to keep an eye on"
"Um...thank you?" Sun said, confused by the genuine compliment coming from the leader of Team Skull. Kukui also seemed a bit taken aback by the good sportsmanship of Guzma. Thankfully that was ruined a moment later.
"That being said, I'll remember you...as someone I'll be happy to beat down anytime!" Guzma growled, as he walked towards the boy. Sun stiffened as the large man approached him, with Kukui stepping up with a harsh look on his face and putting himself between Sun and Guzma. The Boss of Team Skull didn't look the slightest bit phased, stopping just a few inches from the both of them. Guzma looked at Kukui with a bored expression as his smile faded completely.
"If you're not gonna do what has to be done, then I will. Those kids don't have a future, Johnny. They've got no one but me in this cruel world, so I can't afford things like mercy. Keep that in mind the next time I've got a murderer on the ropes and you decide to stop me." Guzma breathed, with Kukui flinching at the man's words. Guzma then turned to Sun, his expression changing to one of amusement.
"Get stronger, brat. Next time my team's gonna crush you and your pathetic dreams. But in the meantime, I think we both know that there's something out there a bit more deserving of our attention. The next time we fight, expect a bloodbath." Guzma said with a roguish grin, which threw Sun off for a moment before he realized what Guzma was talking about.
Before Sun could ask him anything, though, the man walked past the two of them, making sure to shoulder check Kukui as he walked through the parting crowd. The Professor watched Guzma, a sorrowful expression on his face as Sun sighed angrily.
"Man that guy is frustrating! No wonder he's the leader of Team Skull." Sun remarked, glancing towards Axen and Kevin as Team Skull slowly departed the area, though some of them were running away.
"Don't mess with the boss, yo!" Kevin warned Sun, who crossed his arms. "You don't want him to get serious!"
"Do you guys get stuck with all of the shitty jobs or is it just these past few months? Because it's always you two." Kukui asked bluntly, with both Team Skull Grunts exchanging a look and then shrugging. Sun couldn't help but laugh, because it was true. Most of his run-ins with Team Skull involved Axen and Kevin, who had been the very first Team Skull members he encountered
"I still can't believe you beat Goliath…" Axen murmured, looking at Sun with a new measure of respect in his eyes. Axen then shook his head and said, "Yo! Next time, leave the beatings for us Grunts! Leave the Boss outta this!"
"Then he shouldn't start fights like the way he did. He's the one who tried to battle with an injured Pokémon." Sun remarked, crossing his arms.
"The point remains, little homie! Guzma's on the warpath and you better stay out of his way! It's for your own good!" Kevin said with a shrug.
"I didn't want to battle him in the first place, guys." Sun sighed, giving Kukui a pointed look. The man had the dignity to look away while Axen snickered.
"Just keep out of our way, man. You're alright, and we wouldn't want you to get squashed. Team Skull's got a feud with these Cipher fools, so just steer clear. You feel me?" Axen said to Sun, which surprised the boy. He knew that Amber Fontaine had an encounter with Team Skull at Royal Avenue, but he didn't know that Team Skull had basically declared war on the terrorist organization.
"For real, yo. Anyways, we've gotta make like a tree and leave. Peace!" Kevin said before both Team Skull members suddenly dashed away. Sun noticed that most of Team Skull had vacated the area while the short discussion had happened.
"Team Skull will have to go lick their wounds now! Getting beat by a child just doing his Trials!" a man in the crowd cheered.
"Haha! The Hero of Royal Avenue just trashed Guzma! What a battle!" an older man laughed, raising a hand in the air.
"Aue, Sun! You are one righteous Trainer!" a woman in the crowd shouted happily. Sun blushed slightly at the attention. He was brought down to earth again by Kukui turning to him, looking rather proud.
"Woo, Sun! Those were some nice moves! I can feel my soul shaking!" Kukui cheered, a joyful grin coming to his face as he clapped Sun on the shoulder. Sun gave the man a small smile, trying to be annoyed with the man, but finding himself unable to.
"Any particular reason you signed me up for a battle with your eternal rival, Professor?" Sun asked the man, receiving a nervous chuckle in response.
"To tell the truth, I didn't think Guzma would be stubborn enough to battle with Goliath, even against a rookie Trainer. Guzma called my bluff though...and you still beat him! Man those were some crazy moves, Sun! I can't tell you how hyped I am after seeing something like that!" Kukui laughed, snatching Sun's hat away and ruffling his hair fondly.
Sun couldn't help but laugh himself, his annoyance fading as Kukui replaced his cap. The victory was a hard-fought one, after all. That being said, Sun knew he needed to get to a Pokémon Center quickly. Especially after how Oliver was blindsided by First Impression. When he mentioned this to the Professor, the man slapped a hand to his own forehead.
"Oh yeah! I almost forgot to give you something super important!" Professor Kukui said as he dug into his coat pocket and pulled out a Z-Crystal, which he then handed to Sun. "Here you go cousin. This is the Z-Crystal for Decidueye...The Evolution of the Rowlet you chose all those months ago."
"Wow, that's incredible. I forgot that certain Pokémon have Z-Crystals made just for them, don't they?" Sun remarked as he admired the dark green crystal, a faint streak of purple running down within the depths of the gem.
Sun looked up at the Professor, grinning at him. "Thanks Professor. I'll use it well."
"I hope so cousin! Treasures like that are almost impossible to come by. Thankfully Olivia's got her hands on quite a few of these, and was kind enough to give me a few to hand out to Trainers who I think are responsible enough to wield their power. And regardless of the bad blood between me and Oliver, you and that Dartrix are Partners, and I'm sure you two will go on to use this Z-Crystal well." Kukui said as Sun looked down at the crystal, not sure what to make of that statement.
On the one hand, he was pleased by the Professor's praise. On the other hand, it didn't sound like he was particularly bothered by how Oliver had been treated by himself and Hala when the owl was younger. Sun decided to brush that aside for now and decided to focus on other matters.
"By the way, I have something of yours." Sun said as he shrugged off his backpack and placed it on the ground. Kukui looked at the boy with bemusement before he suddenly went pale as the boy pulled out the Masked Royal's famous mask.
"I don't know what you're talking about…" Kukui said nervously, with Sun rolling his eyes "So...Molayne gave you that, yeah?"
"Yep."
"I'll take that back, if you don't mind. I can make sure it gets back to the Masked Royal safe and sound…"
"I bet you will."
Kukui coughed awkwardly, stuffing the mask that totally wasn't his within the depths of his lab coat. He then crossed his arms."So what happened to Lillie? You lose her somewhere, Sun?"
"Sir, do you really want to start that conversation? You're the one who abandons children all the time." Sun replied, also crossing his arms as the Professor flushed slightly, tipping his cap slightly.
"I uh...well, you got me there."
"I'm right here." Lillie piped up, making Kukui jump in surprise and make Sun smile as the girl emerged from the crowd. Sun spotted Acerola standing behind his best friend, wearing a friendly grin.
"And so is Acerola!" the young woman proclaimed merrily, making Lillie roll her eyes with a fond smile on her face. Kukui put his hands on his hips, a smirk on his face.
"And Hau is...probably at a malasada shop somewhere, yeah?" Kukui asked, with Lillie nodding while Acerola giggled. Sun briefly wondered what Hau would make of this most recent development...
Meanwhile…
"They've got an apple and a banana-flavored malasada here, team! Let's dig in!" Hau proclaimed as he and his entire team began to chow down on the platter of desserts assembled before them in Malie City's Malasada Shop.
Those sitting in the restaurant watched the display with a mixture of awe and disgust. The cashier was likewise amazed, barely paying attention to anything else besides Hau's atrocious manners and enthusiasm for the Alolan delicacy. He didn't even notice that the girl in front of him was ready to order until she lightly tapped the register. He turned towards the customer in question and was briefly surprised at what he saw, mainly because she certainly stuck out among the normal folks in Alola.
The girl in question was likely in her early teens, rather young but definitely old enough to be a Pokémon Trainer, as evidenced by the odd Pokémon sitting on her shoulder. The Pokémon in question was a rather adorable-looking rodent with yellow, brown and black fur with pink cheeks. The pale-skinned girl was dressed in an elegant and tasteful pink sundress and wearing black spiked boots. She had black hair bound with a black ribbon, and her green eyes showed a calmness to them that was well beyond her years.
"S-sorry, miss. What'll you have?" the cashier asked the girl, who jerked a thumb towards Hau.
"I'll take ten of whatever that guy's having." The girl remarked, her rather thick accent carrying a hint of amusement despite the scene Hau was causing. "Plus two chocolate-filled ones and a lemon custard, please."
"You won't regret it! The apple-banana ones are amazing!" Hau cheered with a mouthful of food, much to the girl's displeasure.
"I'd keep your gob closed while eating." The girl said to Hau with slight glare. Hau blinked twice, swallowed his food and then nodded. He glanced at the girl's Pokémon and made a few connections after a moment.
"That's a Morpeko, right? I saw one once on TV. Are you from Galar? I've heard they have all sorts of awesome curry there! And awesome battles and Pokémon too!" Hau said excitedly, with the girl considering a response to Hau's excitement before shrugging.
"Sorta. I'm not really a cook or an official Trainer. I'm only here 'cause of my brother." The girl remarked as she paid for her food and was handed a large bag full of maladas that her Pokémon eyed with interest. "It's worth a look, I 'spose."
"Ooh...I wonder if curry-malasadas are a thing?" Hau wondered briefly before shrugging and returning to his desserts with his team while the girl shook her head in bemusement, glancing at the rodent on her shoulder with a more relaxed expression.
"Come on, Morpeko. We've got enough snacks for the guys back at the hotel, I think." The girl said as she walked out of the Malasada Shop with the adorable rodent on her shoulder, nodding in agreement. Hau continued to chow down on his preferred treat, quickly forgetting about the girl from Galar as he focused on his favorite thing in the world.
The group laughed as Malie Garden finally cleared, with Sun waving to Adrian Battlestorm and Kelly as they walked off, shouting promises of excellent press. Lillie shook her head, fighting off a shiver. She looked at Sun with concern in her eyes. "You and the Professor fought those horrible Team Skull thugs again, huh Sun? Just thinking about it makes me worry. They sound like a scary group…and how they act is even worse."
"You think? I don't know. Exchanging a few moves in battle is the quickest way to get to know someone in my book." Kukui laughed before glancing at Sun. "Don't you agree, cousin?"
"Absolutely. I mean, it definitely helps you understand people. It's how I managed to get through to Dawson." Sun agreed with the Professor, who grinned before clapping both Lillie and Sun on the shoulders.
"Well, I'm going to head up Mount Lanakila. I've gotta make sure the Pokémon League gets finished and everybody has the chance to find their own perfect move." Kukui explained to them, looking to Lillie. "I'll call you tonight. Stick with Acerola or Sun at all times, okay? Or someone else you feel comfortable with. No wandering off."
"Of course. Good luck, Professor." Lillie said as she stepped forward into a hug from her caretaker, who held the girl for a moment before releasing her. Sun smiled at the exchange. It was so easy to forget that despite how easygoing he was, Lillie was Professor Kukui's assistant and that he was the girl's guardian. The man cared for her dearly despite how silly he was at times.
The Professor turned to Sun, beaming at the boy and giving him a thumbs up. "Keep training hard on your Island Challenge, Sun, and one day you'll make it there! Once I sort out the League stuff, I'll be off to Kanto for another big meeting in the morning! How about we meet for some sushi in a few days?"
"That sounds great, sir. Have fun with the Champions!" Sun said as Kukui waved and walked away, leaving them down one person.
"Well...Now what?" Sun remarked, laughing a little now. "I guess I could head to the next Trial. But at the same time, I want to check out Malie Cape."
"Sun...Be sure you're not pushing yourself too hard." Lillie said quietly, which made Sun smile. Acerola then interjected herself into the conversation, as she usually does.
"You made it through Sophocles Trial, huh? That's really great! You can take on the next Trial up past Route 11. Through the Tapu Village, you know?" Acerola chirped, doing a spin as her dress swished. "If you get lost on your way, ask a police officer for directions. They're here to protect and serve, right?"
"Um...sure?" Sun said, somewhat thrown off as Acerola suddenly threw herself onto Lillie, hugging the girl much to her own surprise.
"Now, Lillie, you're coming with me to do some shopping!" Acerola cheered before sprinting off with a cackle, leaving a trail of dust in her wake. Lillie looked towards Sun with a sheepish smile before following the purple-haired girl, leaving Sun standing there with an amused smile on his face.
"So, that was one hell of a show."
Sun glanced over at where he noticed Ollie was still standing, wearing a smirk. The man shrugged, walking over to Sun with a smile before raising a fist to the boy, who tapped it with a grin.
"You think so?" Sun asked, with Ollie nodding.
"Absolutely. You were perfectly in sync with your team and defeated a much more experienced opponent. It's definitely a victory to be proud of, Sun. Now, why don't we get you to the Pokémon Center and give your Mom a call? After that, we can do dinner. It's on me." Ollie said fondly, calling out his Dodrio. Sun beamed and nodded, and with that the two of them walked towards the Pokémon Center as the moon gleamed overhead. Sun spotted a familiar figure standing on the roof of the Pokémon Center and stopped in his tracks, staring at it in surprise.
Dizz didn't look at him directly, but Sun could tell that the Anomaly had sensed his presence. Sun continued to stare at it while Ollie did the same, noticeably confused.
"A Heliolisk? In Alola?" Ollie remarked with some surprise. The Anomaly shifted then, looking towards Sun and Ollie.
What? Can't an abomination admire the moon in peace?
Sun continued to stare at the Anomaly before shrugging and continuing to walk inside the Pokémon Center. Ollie looked back and forth between the two of them before following the boy, clearly wanting to ask Sun questions about what the Anomaly was.
Dizz shut its eyes and exhaled deeply, even though it didn't necessarily need to breathe. It could still feel, and it would enjoy the feeling of the ocean wind on its body. It was almost relaxing, allowing the unstable mayhem that made up its being calm for a time. At least that was a constant within all of the worlds that it had been to. The ocean was something to be admired.
"I thought I would find you up here, you silly!"
Dizz allowed itself a smile as he heard the voice of one of the more interesting humans it had ever encountered within its travels. Vivian sat down beside Dizz on the roof of the Pokémon Center, wearing a joyful smile on her face.
Well, I wasn't exactly hiding myself. What brings you here, Vivian? Shouldn't you be with Noah?
"That Zinnia lady was prowling around again today. Punched Hugh in the stomach when we cornered her in the market. She warned us that you were a danger to everyone. I wanted to warn you in case she tried anything." Vivian said as she opened her violin case, looking at Dizz with amusement.
I am a danger, aren't I?
"Well, yeah. But you're not bad!" Vivian exclaimed, giggling a bit to herself. Dizz rolled its eyes, reverting from its favorite form as a Heliolisk to becoming a swirling mess of pure distortion. Vivian shut her eyes, knowing that the form would give her a headache due to the inherent wrongness of it.
"You're being unusually moody today, Dizz. Something's up, huh? Is something bad going to happen soon?" Vivian asked as a buzzing sound filled her ears, followed by a grunt of displeasure.
It's nothing I haven't seen time and again. More will die for the simple sake of amusement.
"That is pretty grim. But I think we'll be fine. We've managed so far, haven't we?" Vivian said brightly as the buzzing sound faded. Vivian opened her eyes and found herself staring at a new form of the Anomaly.
It had taken the form of a large man wearing a rather terrifying suit of black, grey and white body armor, much like another one of his forms did. A strange baton of sorts was attached to his waist, as well as a serrated knife and an elegant sabre, with a rifle of some kind resting on his back. The man himself had long white hair and bright red eyes, the color of blood. He smiled at Vivian and the girl shivered. She somehow knew that this form was of someone who had killed many people.
"So which one is this? I haven't seen that form before." Vivian asked the Anomaly, who rolled its shoulders.
"This is Captain Alexander Jacobson, one of the many enigmatic leaders of the United Revolutionary Front, a faction that caused a great deal of trouble in a reality far from this one. Jacobson would become feared for the millions he killed out of the sheer joy of mayhem, and in the end it was his own insanity that was his undoing, as well as his loyalty to someone he cared about very dearly." Dizz-Jacobson explained quietly, glancing at Vivian.
"He sounds even darker than that Yena guy." Vivian noted, with Dizz-Jacobson nodding, his white hair flowing slightly in the breeze.
"He was a terrible person, Vivian. He hurt a great many people, including Agent Indiana, who I told you about earlier. Cursed with a sickness that would claim his life, he was determined to find a way to live forever...He succeeded, in the cruelest of ways. And lives on as a living nightmare within the mind of a hero who suffered far too much." Dizz-Jacobson remarked, his voice soft as he sat down beside Vivian, though he took that moment to throw a hand out. To Vivian's surprise, a saxophone materialized within the hand of the Captain.
"He was also very fond of smooth jazz. He and his best friend Ian would occasionally listen to it after successful missions. They were some of his fondest memories." The creature finished, a somber smile on his face.
"Even in the darkest abyss, there's some kind of light there." Vivian remarked, with Dizz-Jacobson offering her an odd look before shrugging.
"Perhaps. Jacobson was many things. Sadist. Murderer. Monster. But he was also other things. Brother. Friend. Comrade. And loyal to those he cared about until the bitter end." Dizz-Jacobson remarked as Vivian continued to prepare her violin to be played.
"Sounds a bit like someone else I know." Vivian laughed, grinning at Dizz. "I think you're way too hard on yourself. And I don't think I've heard his story in any of our talks. Tell me about him."
"His story isn't a happy one, Vivian."
"Not all of them are. Tell me anyway."
The Anomaly laughed at that, shaking its head. Despite its travels, the woman sitting beside him was definitely one of the oddest beings it had encountered. But that was why Dizz enjoyed her company so much. Maybe that was why it had the strangest urge to share a song with the girl, though after the story she wanted.
"Alright...Well, it began with two very broken men on the same side of a meaningless conflict. Two soldiers who, in time, became the best of friends...And their names would be feared across the universe."
The Next Day...
Kanto
Indigo Plateau
Pokémon League HQ
"You think it'll be okay, Leon? It's not a bother or anything?"
"It's all fine, Diantha. I've got Piers and Opal keeping an eye on things for me in Alola as a favor to the League. It was easy to work out, since Piers wanted to go on a vacation and Opal is scouting for a possible replacement. Chairman Rose said it was good for PR too, to show that we're serious about the Cipher threat." Leon said with a shrug before turning to Kukui, who was standing in the corner of the room beside an annoyed Kahili.
Chairman Rose made a noncommittal noise, instead glancing at the door every few moments while Oleana simply stood beside him, looking uncharacteristically bored with the proceedings. They were all waiting on a guest of the Chairman's that had yet to arrive, but aside from that, none of them knew who it would be.
On top of that, Rose and Oleana were surprisingly quiet today. Normally Rose interjected in conversations and was involved with others, but he seemed withdrawn. When pressed, he simply said that he'd discuss things later and had other things on his mind.
"Your Gym Leaders are more than welcome in Alola! I wouldn't mind some of my Elite Four members showing off their stuff to them!" Kukui said brightly, making Raihan chuckle.
"Goodness knows Piers needs a tan." Diantha chuckled, making Leon smirk himself.
"Just be careful Opal doesn't get her hands on them. If she finds someone in Alola with enough 'Pink', she'll kidnap them and force them on-stage in one of her dresses." Raihan remarked, earning a look of shock and horror from Blue and Red.
"She'd do that?" Blue asked, earning a nod from both Leon and Raihan, causing the Legendary Trainer to shudder.
Red inwardly briefly pictured Blue in a dress, smirked to himself, but then hid his amusement as Blue glanced at him.
"I might have to take some time to explore the beaches there when I visit next." Steven Stone remarked, with Lance smirking slightly.
"You should've done that when you went there before. But I guess you were too busy checking on our beloved SInnoh Champion." Lucian said with some amusement, making Steven scowl in response while Leon chuckled. Steven glared at Leon, who threw up his hands in mock defense.
"Hey man, don't give me the death glare! I'm just glad no one's making fun of me about Sonia for once." Leon admitted sheepishly, causing everyone to laugh in response.
"Speaking of doing things, when is this meeting gonna start?" Kukui asked, with several people looking towards Rose. The man smiled at the remark, softly laughing.
"Patience, my friend. I'm not going to ruin the surprise." Rose demurred, with Oleana rolling her eyes without him noticing.
"That's surprising, coming from you, Chairman Rose. You're the most impatient person I know." Lance remarked with a chuckle, though his direction was diverted when he looked towards two figures opening the door to the room.
"Sorry about that, everyone. The elevator was stuck and and…"
The man that had just entered trailed off, having just shut the door behind him after allowing a woman to walk past him. He stared at them all in confusion, his eyes landing on the duo watching them from across the table...who looked exactly like them.
"W-what on earth is going on here?" Chairman Rose sputtered, stepping forward as a few of the Champions exchanged looks of confusion.
"Two Chairman Roses and two Oleanas?" Leon muttered, glancing between the four figures that looked exactly the same.
The "Chairman Rose" that was sitting down bridged his fingers, a winning smile on his face as he gestured to the chair directly across from himself. "Take a seat, League Chairman Theodore Rose. We'll be here for some time."
"Not before you reveal yourself." Rose responded calmly yet coldly, making the other "Rose" crack a rather sharp smile before his eyes flickered gold, red and blue before settling on gray. The "Rose" sitting down tapped his sleeve twice, and the man's appearance began to fade. A wave of digital distortion passed over the man in the chair, revealing a powerfully-built man wearing a crisp white suit with long black hair tied into a ponytail.
Behind him, "Oleana" did the same thing, slapping her wrist and causing her disguise to vanish, revealing a red-headed woman wearing silver body armor and wearing a white mask over her face. Several weapons were strapped to her person, and everyone in the room knew that the woman could use every single one extremely well.
"You!?" Steven Stone shouted, with everyone else in the room screaming out in surprise, reaching for their Poké Balls. They had mere moments to react before a Deoxys teleported into the room with a furious humming sound, forcing each of them still with its psychic powers and neutralizing them instantly.
Amber Fontaine quickly searched everyone present for any weapons, taking care to take everyone's phones and Poké Balls and stuffing them in a bag before returning to her leader's side. The man in question was smirking as Deoxys released everyone from it's hold, causing everyone to glare at him and and move away from him slightly. But every single one of them knew that the only person in the room that was sitting down at the moment held all the power right then.
"Please sit, my friends. We have business to discuss." Borlath said with a polite smile, drawing a silver magnum from within his coat. Slowly, each of the Champions assembled in the room sank into their chairs as Borlath's smile deepened into a triumphant grin. He finally stood, sweeping his arms apart as if to welcome them all, but all eyes in the room were on the weapon in the crime lord's hand.
"I think it's about time we had a bit of a heart-to-heart. Don't you?"
And that's a wrap folks!
Next chapter we've got more plot twists and nonsense coming your way. Stay tuned!
Q & A
From: Oragonking
1)Borlath's love for Sun and Laura? That's very doubtfull for what he did to Sun. And he tried to kill Laura with a smile on his face with no hesitation, even Damien didn't hesitate!
2)He killed many people, doing it for a future that doesn't exist. He and Ronan are the same despite their differences, and if you add Amber as well since she is the same as him.
3)How did Ronan even managed to become a Kahuna? And how could Tapu Bulu fall for that?
4)Will we learn what promise Damien did with Borlath that he didn't hesitate to kill Padma and Laura?
People can change, and people make mistakes. And not even the Gods are exempt from that.
And that promise will become clear soon.
From: PokeDude802
There's a large part of me that wonders what would've happened to Sun if he'd gone on a journey around Kanto with Nova. What Eeveeloution would they have picked? What different Pokèmon would Sun have caught? Who would he have met? All interesting but the most of all is; Would Ashton have gone after Sun more relentlessly knowing he was closer than in Alola?
In another life, if Ashton had allowed Sun to keep Nova the Eevee, Ashton would have eventually relented after Sun's 14th birthday and allowed his child to become a Trainer in Kanto, though not after a few years of the best survival training money could buy. Nova would eventually evolve into a Espeon, and Sun would later go on to tear apart the Kanto Gym Circuit thanks to the training both his mother and father had given him.
He would then learn the truth of his father's various acts of villainy as an Admin of Cipher and confront his father about it. Ashton would later be convinced to turn against Cipher and Neo Team Plasma in exchange for leniency, and together the father and son would correct the former's mistakes. Laura would still divorce her husband, but Ashton didn't blame her in the slightest, and Sun would forgive him in time.
Sun would go on to become a Champion of Kanto, promoting the change that his father was unable to create during his own time as Champion. With the help of Champions Lance and Leon, Sun would help spearhead a movement to increase the security and safety of the regions as well as to develop protocols for dealing with villainous teams.
Meanwhile in Alola, a girl named Moon would take Sun's place in this journey, albeit without much of the same drama, and when Moon became Alola's first Champion, she would work with Sun and the other Champions to ensure Alola would be a place where youths were welcome to be themselves and not be forced to undergo the Island Challenge against their will, as had been tradition for centuries before.
Along the way, Sun would befriend various figures in Kanto such as Silver, Bonnie (Gym Leader Clemont's sister), as well as Brock's younger brother Forrest, where the two would become best friends. The most prominent of those within Sun's circle of friends would be Erika, who would be an invaluable mentor on Sun's journey to the top as well as someone Sun and Laura would always be happy to take Sunday tea with.
That is until the day Sun would meet a beautiful blond-haired girl named Lillie while visiting the famous Pokémaniac named Bill. Sun would help the girl research treatment to save her sickly mother after hearing her tragic story. A young aspiring Trainer herself, Lillie would be taken under Sun's wing and the teen would become Lillie's teacher, allowing her to finally spread her wings as a Pokémon Trainer. Lillie's mother, Lusamine, would be shocked to learn the child that had befriended her daughter was in fact the son of her longtime friend Ashton, who was now in prison for his crimes as part of Cipher.
Ashton would receive regular updates from his son about the adventures that he and his new girlfriend were getting up to, and was eternally thankful that his boy would live in a world of peace and prosperity despite his own mistakes.
Ain't that interesting? I mean, it's definitely something I've thought about quite a few times. But that wraps up this chapter!
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Stay safe and stay awesome.
Until next time, FlygonNick out!
