Pokémon Radiant Sun


Alright, so after two years of hearing all about it, I finally found out what all of the fuss was about.

I tested positive for COVID-19 last weekend.

It's definitely been a rough few days, I won't sugar-coat it. No one likes being sick and even if I'm fully vaccinated, I was still knocked off my feet by this crap. Thankfully I've managed to get a lot of rest and I'm slowly but surely getting better. I probably won't be my old self again for a while, but hey, that's how it goes.

So take it from me. Get vaccinated. Get your booster. Wear a mask and keep yourself and others safe.

Gonna give a huge shoutout to my buddy BrambleStar14, who's helped me through most of this past week by keeping my spirits up. You're a real one, mate, and I appreciate you.

Shoutout to the legends who reviewed since the last update, which includes Oragonking, RC-DA, AnonymousEmboar, Anasazi Darkmoon, Augar and Muramasa96. Thanks for the feedback and support everyone!

We're coming down to the final three chapters of the Cipher Arc! Let's finish this in style!

The battle theme for this chapter is "The Calm" from Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth. You can find an extended loop on YouTube by Coup de Grace that I recommend checking out.

Enjoy.


Chapter 134: Crown of Sorrow


Kanto Region, Celadon City

14 Months Ago…


"How could you do this to us!?" Laura screamed at her husband, who simply stared at his wife with an unreadable expression as she advanced towards him. He had just arrived home after spending two weeks in Unova, during which he had ordered Perfect Kyurem to murder a friend's Pokémon and freeze an entire city solid.

While Ashton privately thought it was possible to reverse the process, he wasn't planning on doing so for some time. And so for the time being, the world watched as an entire city was frozen and so were millions of people. It was a horrifying display of power that had sent the Pokémon League reeling.

The secret Cipher Admin was more concerned with the fact that Laura had apparently done some snooping on their home computers. Likely at the behest of her old friend, Oliver, from the International Police. While he respected the man greatly, Ashton always suspected him to be a little too close to Laura for his liking. And now, yet again, his mistakes were blowing up in his face.

In Laura's hand was a thick packet of documents that detailed explicitly how he had been manipulating events in Unova from afar. In-depth financial records for Cipher from the past few years he had kept in a safe that he kept guarded by the toughest security he could afford, and screenshots of various members of Cipher including several of the Admins. It was damning evidence, and not anything he could refute.

"How did you find those?" Ashton asked, genuinely curious. Laura ignored him and thrust the papers in his face, scowling at the man as tears shined in her eyes.

"You were planning to have those psychos attack Celadon too! What about all of the innocent lives? What about me and Sun?" Laura demanded, tears in her eyes as Ashton sighed, taking a step back as his eyes flickered to black for a few moments.

"What do you want me to tell you, Laura? That I'm the bad guy? Because I can lie to you if you want." Ashton said as he grabbed the papers and tossed them aside. He looked at Laura with a pleading expression. "I'm doing this for you. For Sun. For our family, and for everyone else! For the future of this world. It's incredibly complicated…But I'm willing to explain everything. Just give me a chance, darling. Please."

"No! I don't want to hear you weasel your way out of this!" Laura shouted, poking her finger into Ashton's chest. "I've already notified the police. I just wanted to…I don't even know what."

"Talk to me, Laura. Please." Ashton begged his wife, even as he sent mental commands to a lurking Deoxys to begin gathering various items from around the house and teleporting them away. Now he simply needed to wait, and keep his composure.

"I just don't get it…Why would you hurt so many people? Was the life we had not worth it?" Laura asked Ashton, with the man opening his mouth to speak, only to stop short. He could have told her why he chose this path of darkness to save their world. He could have told her of the friends he had lost back in Alola, the years of abuse at the hands of his father and the betrayal of Roran, as well as the frustrations he had encountered with the Pokémon League.

Instead, he remained silent. The truth was a terrible thing, after all.

"Get out." Laura said quietly, turning away from Ashton. "I'm giving you this chance to get away. The police will be here soon. Get your things and get away from me and our son. You owe us that match."

"I'll leave…Just know that no matter what, Laura, I love you. I will always love you." Ashton said gently, turning away from Laura as tears formed in his eyes. This was nothing compared to the tears streaming down Laura's face. Ashton ignored this as he walked back to their bedroom, quickly stuffing some things into a suitcase while Deoxys warped around the house, snatching things of value to Ashton but not to Laura.

All too soon, Ashton was walking down the steps of their villa, his chest aching from the sight of Laura crying as he wiped his own eyes. However, a new emotion had risen to the top of his mind and heart and was a concerning one at the very least.

Anger.

"Dammit...No. I won't let you ruin all of my hard work, Laura. I have to stop this." Borlath muttered as he stormed off of the property, even as he heard the distinct sound of sirens in the background. He snapped his fingers and a Greninja stepped out of his shadow, looking at him quizzically. Ashton ignored his Greninja as Deoxys teleported to them, a handful of briefcases held within its tentacles and held up by Psychic.

"We're going on a trip. Damien's already at the Cipher Base here, so we'll head there and regroup…I'm not going to lose everything." Ashton muttered to himself as Deoxys drifted towards him. "I can fix this…I can make it right."


Present

Thirty Minutes before the Death of Amber Fontaine


The elevator stopped and the group walked out into the night air, with Sun and Lillie both shivering in the cold that was no doubt a result of Perfect Kyurem's power. In the distance, roars from the monstrous Arbiter of Tomorrow echoed out Borlath snapped his fingers, directing some kind of command to the dozen or so armed Cipher Peons on the top deck who stared at their leader in surprise.

"Prepare the battlefield. I need someone to referee a Pokémon Battle. And do something about the cold, damn it." Ashton ordered the bewildered underlings, who scrambled to do his bidding. To Sun and Lillie's surprise, within the next minute, several massive changes occurred to the top deck of the Absolution.

For one, the cold that had engulfed them all as a result of the ancient dragon rampaging throughout Hau'oli City suddenly cut off, thanks to a strange energy field that now surrounded the top deck of the ship. Lillie sighed with relief while Sun simply wondered what other gadgets his father had at his disposal.

Second, the flat expanse of metal that stretched out before them that was the main deck of the ship slowly opened up, revealing that beneath it lay a standard battlefield that most stadium's used. In particular it reminded Sun of the kinds of battlefields the Elite Four typically had installed in their Rooms.

Third, and most importantly, was the fact that several armed snipers currently had weapons trained on them. Sun tried not to shiver as they made their way across the deck of the ship alongside his father, knowing full-well that if his father hadn't cared so much about him, Sun and Lillie would've died a long time ago. He made sure to hold Lillie's hand the entire way though, and she held back on tightly as her scared eyes drifted across the top deck of the ship. Sun had his eyes focused on his father, thinking about the discussion they had that led to this moment.

Ashton Aupuni would face him in a Pokémon Battle. If he won, then Cipher would be no more. If he lost…then Sun would watch as each of his Pokémon died in front of him, and Alola would be razed to the ground. And then Ashton would rewrite the history of the world by undoing all of his actions with Cipher.

"I have to make him see sense." Sun thought to himself as they walked towards the four pillars of light that he knew were the Tapu. To his shock, as they neared the lights, a door opened across the deck of the ship and a vehicle emerged, driving across the ship towards them. Secured on the vehicle were four glass-like containers shining brightly with light…each of them containing one of the Tapu of Alola!

Two Tapu that Sun had never seen before were hunched over in their containers, still conscious but also visibly in pain due to the various wounds and injuries that they were covered in. Tapu Lele, who Sun did recognize, was lying unconscious in its glass pod and slumped against the wall.

Tapu Koko stood impassively in its pod, staring out towards them despite the jet-black electricity sparking around within its container. Sun now understood exactly what his father meant by breaking the will of Tapu Koko. The God of Conflict stared back at Ashton Aupuni with a defiant glare, despite the blood and injuries covering its body.

As if sensing what his child was thinking, Ashton Aupuni spoke up. "The Tapu's Prayer is pretty simple in execution, it's just lining up the pieces into place that's the hard part. You must make all four of the Island Deities, the Tapu of Alola, submit to your will. Only then will they invoke their darkest of powers and allow one to sacrifice their very soul in order to bring about their greatest desire. Tapu Koko, as expected, has not yet fallen in line. So I've been subjecting it to some of the same stimuli used to turn Pokémon into Shadow Pokémon. It's…not working as planned. But it's only a matter of time before Tapu Koko bows to my will."

Sun grit his teeth, furious at the blatant disrespect Ashton was showing the Alolan Gods. The fact that he was so carelessly using cruel experiments like those done to Shadow Pokémon to break a Pokémon's will was just…beyond terrible.

"Now. Here we are…This should be good. Weather is just right, the battlefield is in good position, and Amber should be able to buy us plenty of time to have our bout." Ashton said as he gestured towards the battlefield. One of the Cipher Peons jogged forward, with Ashton pointing to him. "You'll be our referee. I want no outside interference, from our end or from anyone mad enough to storm the Absolution. Understand?"

"Of course sir. Do you want a standard six-on-six battle?" the Cipher Peon asked. Ashton nodded in reply, leaning forward and muttering something into the man's ear. That was when Sun realized a very unfortunate fact.

"I don't have six Pokémon, though." Sun admitted, earning a look from Ashton that was something between exasperated and smug.

"Well, I'm giving you until the count of ten to figure something out. Because I've got a full team of six ready to go and I'm not so high-and-mighty as to not accept a win based on a technicality." Ashton Aupuni said with a grin. Sun felt a bit of panic creep into him at that, since he had never even thought of this. How on earth could he get a sixth Pokémon on such short notice?

"I could loan you a Shadow Pokémon if you wanted." Ashton suggested, his grin widening as Sun took a step back and shook his head.

"Never. I'd sooner die than take one of your Shadow Pokémon!" Sun yelled at his father, receiving a casual shrug in response.

"Well, it's not you but your Pokémon who will pay the price. Clock's ticking, Sun." Ashton chuckled as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. To their surprise, Lillie chimed in.

"W-wait! W-w-what…what if he can get a Pokémon?" Lillie asked Ashton, who shrugged in response.

"If he can get a sixth Pokémon then sure. The battle can proceed as planned. You really should've thought about that before storming a terrorist's battleship, Sun. So where's this magical sixth Pokémon that you know about but Sun doesn't, Lillie?" Ashton asked, glancing at Sun who seemed completely bewildered by Lillie's interjection.

The girl trembled under the gaze of the mastermind behind Cipher, but in response Lillie opened the gym bag on her shoulder and out popped Nebby, who let out a joyful cry. Sun quickly realized what Lillie had thought of that he hadn't.

"Lillie, no! I can't risk Nebby getting hurt!" Sun protested as the Cosmog flew over to him, nuzzling his chest.

"So that's your plan. Loan Sun your Cosmog for the battle so that he fulfills the six-Pokémon requirement?" Ashton asked, grinning at the girl's resourcefulness. "Smart. That's quite the risk though."

"He doesn't have to battle. Right? If you can beat him with your team, then he doesn't even need to be in danger." Lillie said to Sun, who looked hesitant. "Sun, this is the only thing I can think of that gets you a Pokémon. Your Dad is okay with it."

"I don't know, Lillie…Nebby can't even fight. He's basically defenseless…" Sun trailed off, but he stopped when he took in Lillie's pleading expression.

"Papa, I wanna help!" Nebby cried out, floating away from Sun. The boy sighed and put a hand over his face, rubbing it for a moment before nodding.

"Fine. I'll make sure he stays out of the fight. Thank you, Lillie and Nebby." Sun said to the two of them as Nebby floated over to Sun's left shoulder. "Nebby, I know you want to help, but I need you to listen to me. Okay? This is going to be dangerous."

"Okay Papa!" Nebby replied, causing Ashton to chuckle as he walked towards his side of the battlefield.

"He certainly got that side of himself from me." Ashton muttered as he smiled to himself, his eyes flickering to black as he considered that fact. Sun walked to his side of the battlefield while Lillie took position a few spaces behind him. Rotom Dex floated by Sun's right shoulder, ready to offer assistance as needed.

"The following Pokémon Battle will be a six-on-six contest. As per Master Borlath's instructions, only the challenger, Sunshine Smiles, will be allowed to switch out Pokémon or use items in battle." The referee said much to the surprise of Sun, which earned him another smile from Ashton Aupuni.

"He's toying with me. Overconfident. But I'll show him…Everything I've learned. Every lesson, battle, and experience. You're going to witness the fruits of my journey!" Sun thought as his eyes flashed red with anger before returning to their neutral state of storm-gray.

"Alright then, my boy…I'll start off first." Ashton said as he plucked a Poké Ball from his belt, tossing it into the air once with a smile as he faced down his child. It was a scenario that Ashton couldn't have ever imagined would play out. But here they were, in a literal fight to the death.

"Bruce, come on out!" Ashton barked as he tossed the Poké Ball forward, calling out a Hitmonchan to the battlefield. Sun nodded to himself and looked at Rotom Dex, who grinned at him.

"Hitmonchan. The Punching Pokémon. Hitmonchan is said to possess the spirit of a boxer who had been working toward a world championship. This Pokémon has an indomitable spirit and will never give up in the face of adversity." Rotom Dex explained as Sun grabbed a Poké Ball and looked down at it.

"You can do this…Believe in my faith." Sun muttered to the sphere in his hands before throwing it forward. "Oliver, let's go!"

The Dartrix appeared in a flash of white light, fluttering to the battlefield and staring down the Hitmonchan with a glare. But then his gaze went to the strangely familiar man standing behind the Hitmonchan and he gasped. Oliver rotated his neck to look back at Sun.

"Sun…is that…?" Oliver trailed off, confused and concerned as to why they were facing this particular Trainer. Sun nodded, smiling back at his Partner.

"Yeah, it's my Dad. This is our final fight against Cipher, Oliver. And I wanted to start out strong. Are you ready to do this?" Sun asked his Starter, pumping his fist with a determined grin. Oliver looked back at the boy, almost tearing up at the declaration of support from the boy.

"Starting out strong…with me?" Oliver muttered as he rotated his head back to face Bruce the Hitmonchan, looking at Ashton Aupuni as well. The father of his Trainer smiled fondly at the display, his arms crossed despite the obvious signs that he was currently bleeding from the chest.

"This is the man who put Sun through so much pain. Who's responsible for all of the trouble we've gone through. I can't…I WON'T let Sun down!" Oliver thought to himself as he flared his wings, preparing himself for a harsh battle.

(Begin playing "The Calm")

"Let the battle begin!" the Cipher Peon shouted, throwing up both flags. Behind Sun, Lillie clasped both of her hands together and watched helplessly as her best friend fought for not just the lives of his Pokémon, but their world as they knew it.

"Bruce, Bullet Punch!" Ashton barked out, with Bruce speeding forward and leaping into the air to deliver a blindingly fast punch with a glowing fist, which knocked Oliver backwards through the air. Sun's eyes widened in surprise at the quick first opening move, but realized that he was indeed facing someone who was a former Champion. This wasn't an opponent to take lightly, and he'd need every shred of skill and cunning for them to survive.

"I don't know how strong this new team of his is. If I was facing his original team, he'd probably crush my team with just one or two of them." Sun thought to himself as Oliver got back to his feet. "But if this team is still growing and learning…then I may have a chance."

"Oliver, use Razor Leaf!" Sun shouted to the Dartrix as he took flight. The Dartrix swung down his wings and released a wave of spinning leaves at the Punching Pokémon. Bruce cried out as the leaves slashed deeply against him, scoring what Sun realized was a critical hit.

"Use Agility! Follow-up with Rock Tomb!" Ashton called as Bruce put distance between himself and the owl, who flapped towards the Hitmonchan and released another wave of Razor Leaf. Bruce used Agility on himself and dashed to the side, dodging the attack before punching the ground hard, creating several pillars of rock that struck Oliver, making the Dartrix screech in pain as he crashed onto the ground.

"Oliver, are you alright!?" Sun asked the Dartrix, who quickly forced himself upright and nodded, flaring his wings. Ashton grinned at the two of them, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"As I suspected. My team is roughly around the same strength as your own, Sun." Sun's father said as he clasped his hands together. "This will be a wonderful test of how far you've come as a Trainer. Show me everything. It'll take all that you have to survive, after all."

"Use Pluck!" Sun shouted as Oliver shot towards Bruce, but this time the Hitmonchan was ready for the move and ducked under Oliver as he sped back.

"Comet Punch!" Ashton called as Bruce swung his fists upwards, upper-cutting Oliver and delivering a barrage of fists to the reeling Dartrix as Sun watched helplessly. After four waves of attacks, Oliver managed to kick away the Hitmonchan and fly away from him.

"Pluck again!" Sun shouted as Oliver flapped his wings harder than before, hoping to catch the Hitmonchan off-guard.

"Agility to dodge, then go into Bullet Punch!" Ashton barked as Hitmonchan quickly boosted its speed once more, this time calmly side-stepping Oliver's glowing beak as he sped by. Bruce spun around and slugged the bird in the chest with a shining fist, knocking the Dartrix out of the air.

"Razor Leaf!" Sun shouted out as the bird tumbled onto the ground. Ashton barked out a laugh, snapping his fingers. To Sun's surprise, Hitmonchan suddenly sprinted to the side, leaving behind afterimages that he recognized as Double Team. Even as Oliver flung leaves through the copies left behind by Bruce, the Hitmonchan kept making more and more thanks to it's enhanced speed.

"Come on, Sun…What's your move going to be?" Ashton asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets as his eyes shifted to gray. "Think."

Sun grit his teeth at his father's words, but realized after a moment that there was indeed a move that Oliver knew that would help them turn the tables.

"I hardly ever use this move, but…Oliver, use Foresight!" Sun shouted as Oliver nodded and shut his eyes. When he opened them, a red beam of light erupted from his gaze that dispelled the illusions of Bruce. Oliver quickly rotated his head, dispelling all of them within a moment and revealing the real Bruce as he sped towards the bird.

"Close Combat!" Ashton bellowed as Bruce began to brutally pound away at Oliver, punching the Dartrix repeatedly with furious shouts erupting from the Hitmonchan as he attacked Oliver.

"Pluck!" Sun shouted desperately as the Hitmonchan continued to beat the stuffing out of his Partner. To Sun's relief and Ashton's surprise, Oliver managed to duck a punch and slammed his shining beak hard into Bruce's stomach, knocking him backwards through the air. Bruce flipped backwards in midair and landed lightly on the ground, wincing in pain as he clutched his chest. Meanwhile Oliver unsteadily fluttered to the ground, panting from the beating he had taken.

"Dad's drawing this out…he's using moves that aren't effective against Oliver on purpose. Why though?" Sun wondered as he noticed Oliver's Overgrow Ability take effect, with an emerald-colored aura leaking out from the Dartrix's body. He also noticed that Oliver's body had stiffened, and that he was glaring at the Hitmonchan with a terrible rage that he had seen several times now.

Whatever was wrong with Oliver was seemingly rearing its head again.

"Oliver, focus on my voice!" Sun shouted, causing the bird to start and glance towards him in surprise. "I need you at your best right now! Don't lose sight of the battle!"

The Dartrix considered the words of his Trainer, specifically the fact that Sun needed him to keep fighting at his best, which he wouldn't be if he gave in to the wild instincts that had become so much stronger ever since he had been attacked at Aether Paradise by the monster from beyond. That being said, Oliver knew what was more important, and knew that his Partner's strategy would be the key to winning this fight, not wild anger.

"As interesting as this has been, I believe it's time we got serious." Ashton said with a nod towards Bruce, who shifted his fighting stance. "Ice and Fire Punch! Finish this!"

"Mooooonchaaaan!" Bruce shouted as he kicked off of the ground, speeding towards Oliver as fast his Agility-boosted speed could allow him. Within three seconds, he was in front of Oliver with a fist of raging flames and a fist of freezing ice. In the end, Sun could only give out one command.

"Protect!"

Ashton's eyes widened in surprise as a brilliant blue shield enveloped the Dartrix, causing Bruce to bounce off of the shield, his fists reverting to normal and knocking him off-balance.

"Follow up with Pluck!" Sun cried out as Oliver's shield vanished and the Dartrix flapped his wings hard, jamming his glowing beam into Bruce's chest once again. Bruce cried out in pain and crashed hard onto the ground, rolling to his feet a few moments later to avoid blade quills that Oliver tossed towards him.

Ashton smirked with pride at his child's desperation move. "Well, well. Color me surprised. Bruce, use Ice Punch!"

"Grass Knot! Then use Razor Leaf!" Sun shouted as Bruce sped towards Oliver with two glowing icy fists. To the Hitmonchan's surprise, it tripped as something grabbed his feet and slammed him hard onto the floor. That was when a deluge of spinning leaves rained down on the Hitmonchan from above, adding on even more pain to the situation.

"Vacuum Wave to block!" Ashton boomed as Bruce cried out. The Hitmonchan's eyes flew open and he punched towards Oliver with both fists, creating a shockwave through the air that blasted apart the leaves coming towards him and knocked Oliver backwards out of the air.

"Ice and Fire Punch! Bring down that bird!" Ashton boomed as Bruce nodded, wincing slightly as he staggered upright before dashing forward. Thanks to Agility, Sun knew that going for a direct attack wasn't the right move. So he'd try to go for one of his favorite combination attacks. As Oliver righted himself in midair, Sun gave the command.

"Protect Charge!" Sun ordered the Dartrix as Oliver soared towards Bruce, who had leapt into the air with a cry of fury. Oliver grinned nastily as he soared towards Bruce before spreading his wings, summoning Protect for a second time this fight. To his delight, it worked just as well as the first.

Bruce slammed hard into the shield, getting stunned as Oliver's momentum carried them through the air towards the battlefield. Eventually both Bruce and the shield collided with the ground, shattering it completely as Bruce cried out in pain.

"Bruce, don't give up! You can win this!" Ashton shouted to the Hitmonchan as it shuddered on the ground. To Sun's surprise, the Hitmonchan rolled onto his stomach, eyeing Oliver with smoldering rage in his eyes as he slowly pushed himself upright with his fists. Ashton nodded with approval, taking his hands out of his pockets and grinning at Sun.

"You're doing well. I had forgotten you tend to favor surprise attacks and combination moves to deal high amounts of damage and to catch your opponent off-guard. But we'll see whether experience can trump talent tonight, won't we?" Ashton said to his child, with Sun responding with a sharp nod.

"Get airborne with Vacuum Wave! Then use Fire Punch!" Ashton commanded Bruce as the Hitmonchan shakily nodded and dashed forward, even as Oliver sent another Razor Leaf his way. Bruce looked down and punched at the ground, releasing a burst of force that propelled himself skyward much like in the way that Finn did. The attack allowed him to dodge the Razor Leaf entirely…

But also put in prime position from Sun's next move. The younger Trainer suddenly grinned, punching forward as he shouted out, "Oliver, use Leaf Drive!"

The Dartrix flapped his wings hard, releasing a Leafage at the Hitmonchan as his fists burst into flames. Oliver then dove into the leaves with Pluck, creating a drill-like whirl around himself as he slammed hard into the chest of Bruce, who cried out as he was sent flying backwards through the air.

"Bruce!" Ashton called out as the Hitmonchan crashed down twice onto the deck of the Absolution. Bruce panted hard from the pain he was in and tried desperately to get back up to his feet, only to collapse and faint.

"Hitmonchan is unable to battle. The winner is Dartrix!" the referee shouted, much to the relief of Oliver and Sun who both sighed gratefully. One down, five to go.

Ashton grinned at Sun, clapping his hands together as he applauded his son. "Well played! I've seen some of your battles and combination attacks, but experiencing them in-person is a whole new deal. Very well done, my boy."

"T-thanks…" Sun said quietly, surprised by the sudden display of sportsmanship and pride from his father. He was startled when Lillie chose that moment to call out to him.

"Don't let him get inside your head, Sun!" Lillie warned the boy, causing Sun's eyes to widen in shock before he looked back at his father. Ashton's eyes narrowed slightly, his smile becoming amused now at the girl's words.

"What? I can't be proud of how far my child has come as a Pokémon Trainer? Even if it's not what I wanted for him, I can still cherish the fact that he's learned to think on his feet and plan well." Ashton said as he returned Bruce, clipping the Poké Ball back to his belt and grabbing another. "Creed, it's showtime!"

Ashton Aupuni called out his second Pokémon, a strange-looking purple lizard that Sun didn't recognize at all. Thankfully, Rotom Dex was on the case.

"Toxtricity. The Punk Pokémon and the evolved form of Toxel. Amped Form. This short-tempered and aggressive Pokémon chugs stagnant water to absorb any toxins it might contain. When this Pokémon sounds as if it's strumming a guitar, it's actually clawing at the protrusions on its chest to generate electricity." Rotom explained to Sun, who slowly nodded as he considered the haunted device's words.

"Oliver, use Synthesis!" Sun called to Oliver, who nodded and shut his eyes. The bird's body began to glow, and with it some of the injuries he had taken from his violent battle with Bruce began to fade.

"Discharge!" Ashton shouted as the Toxtricity swung out its arms, releasing a massive wave of electricity that surged over the battlefield. Oliver shrieked when the attack struck him, but Sun knew that the gambit was worth it. Despite the Electric-type attack hitting him, Oliver had regained enough health for Overgrow to stop taking effect. While the extra damage that came with the Ability was nice, Sun knew that keeping his Dartrix weak for the sake of extra attack power wasn't the play against something that was likely a Electric/Poison-type based on what Rotom Dex had said. The name Toxtricity also kind of hinted at that too.

"Razor Leaf!" Sun shouted as Oliver flapped his wings to put some distance between himself and Creed, sending a wave of spinning leaves towards the Toxtricity. The leaves slashed against the skin of the Punk Pokémon, doing only a little damage.

"Alright then…Use Pluck!" Sun shouted as the Dartrix shot forward, his beak glowing brightly as he dove down towards Creed.

"Poison Jab!" Ashton barked as Creed nodded, bracing himself for the attack. Oliver smashed hard into the chest of the Punk Pokémon, making him skid backwards with a hiss of pain. Before Oliver could fly away, however, Creed's right hand glowed a bright purple color and he swung it forward, sucker-punching Oliver hard enough to send him flying backwards through the air and landing hard on the ground.

"Oliver!" Sun shouted as he watched his Dartrix slowly try to rise to his feet, with Overgrow taking effect once again due to the damage he had taken. "Use Razor Leaf!"

"Toxic." Ashton ordered calmly, crossing his arms as Creed opened his mouth and belched out a deluge of purple liquid that covered Oliver in head-to-toe even as a barrage of Razor Leaf slashed deeply into Creed's skin, causing him to wince. The Dartrix screeched in distress as the Toxic struck, partly from his feathers getting absolutely filthy but also due to the pain as Toxic began to take effect.

The Dartrix felt that terrible sense of anger creep into him yet again. A wild rage that compelled him to cast aside all caution and attack as hard and as fast as possible. It was only the firm knowledge that his Trainer and Partner were counting on him that kept Oliver in the midst of the battle and his mind focused despite everything.

"Discharge!" Ashton called out as Creed swung down his arms yet again, sending out a wave of wild electricity that rushed forward.

"Use Protect! Then follow up with Razor Leaf!" Sun called out as Oliver flared his wings, throwing up a shield as the lightning slammed against it. The shield held, however, and Sun grinned as his bird took flight once again, sending a Razor Leaf towards Creed even as he winced in pain at the Toxic damage taking effect.

"Oliver doesn't have much more time, even if I could get him to use another Synthesis…This is just a bad match-up." Sun thought with an inward sigh as Creed snarled in annoyance at the leaves slashing against his skin yet again.

"Creed, end this farce once and for all. Venoshock!" Ashton shouted as the Punk Pokémon chuckled darkly, charging forward and opening his mouth to fire off a series of glowing purple bubbles towards Oliver.

"Dodge it and use Razor Leaf!" Sun shouted as Oliver tried to fly away, only for one of the bubbles of Venoshock to clip his wings. Oliver shrieked in pain, seizing up as more and more of the attacks struck him in midair before an explosion ripped through the air. Sun's heart fell as his Dartrix struck the ground, senseless.

"Dartrix is unable to battle. The winner is Toxtricity!" the referee shouted, raising a flag in the direction of Ashton and Creed.

"It was a losing battle from the start. Though I do applaud you not switching out to a Pokémon that had an advantage against Creed." Ashton said to his child, earning a sigh from the boy.

"None of my Pokémon really have an advantage against him. I may as well have just stuck with Oliver and see how Creed fights." Sun said, returning Oliver looking down at the ball. "You did great. Thank you so much."

"So do you have a plan?" Lillie asked Sun hopefully. Sun looked to his best friend, managing a brief grin before turning back towards his father with a determined stare.

"Absolutely. Brago, let's go!" Sun called out as he hurled the ball forward, sending forth his Arcanine. Brago landed on the ground with a soft growl, crouching low as he glared down Creed and struck him with Intimidate. Brago then stiffened as he looked at the Trainer who stood opposite of him.

"Alpha…this man smells like you." Brago noted calmly, glancing towards his Trainer.

"I am his father." Ashton responded, grinning at the Arcanine disarmingly. Brago heard the words, and Sun nodded in confirmation that they were true.

"And we're battling him for the fate of everything we know right now. If he beats us…it's the end of our journey. Everything we know will be completely overwritten by my father abusing the Tapu's powers." Sun explained to the Arcanine, who's eyes widened with horror. "It means I won't have ever met any of you. No Lillie, no Professor Kukui or Hau…No one."

"And that means no Winter. No pups or kits…I won't allow this!" Brago snarled angrily, turning towards Ashton with an expression of mounting fury that seemed eerily familiar to him.

"You're a father?" Ashton asked, surprised by this sudden revelation.

"His mate is Professor Kukui's Alolan Ninetales. She's pregnant and expecting Eggs." Lillie explained to the Cipher Master, who slowly nodded. He then allowed himself a dark grin.

"I guess that means you better fight your hardest then, huh?" Ashton said as Creed looked back at his Trainer with a horrified expression. "Creed, don't falter. Use Toxic!"

"Dodge with Extreme Speed and use Sunny Day!" Sun called out as Creed hesitated and then fired off a stream of purple liquid, but Brago was already moving as a blur around the battlefield, firing off a shining ball of energy into the air that made an artificial light hang over all of them, drenching them in harsh sunlight.

"Discharge!" Ashton barked as the Toxtricity yelled out, swinging its arms and releasing yet another blast of lightning outwards in a wide arc.

"Flame Charge!" Sun shouted, punching forward as Brago dashed towards Creed, his body exploding with flames as lightning surged through him. Brago lowered his head and snarled as he collided with the other Pokémon, knocking him backwards.

"Sludge Bomb!"

"Flame Burst!"

Brago leapt backwards and opened his mouth wide, breathing out a harsh tongue of flames that coalesced into a raging fireball above. The fireball exploded violently, sending three streaks of flames towards Creed even as a purple ball of gunk exploded against him, making him howl in pain at the same time as Creed.

"Hmmm. That speed is a problem. Scary Face!" Ashton called out as Creed's eyes gleamed bright red, its expression twisting into something terrifying. Brago snarled softly, crouching low even as he felt himself slow down slightly.

"Brago, use Flame Burst again and then use Flame Charge into it!" Sun called out as his Arcanine dashed forward, forming a ball straight ahead of them.

"Thunderbolt, full-power!" Ashton shouted as Creed punched forward with both arms, charging up a frantic surge of electricity before unleashing it with a battle cry. To both of their surprise, Brago's Flame Burst did not explode like before. Instead it surged forward as one massive fireball with a speed faster than either one expected. Brago then leapt into the air, still burning with Flame Charge. Creed redirected the Thunderbolt towards Brago in the air at Ashton's command.

Just as Sun expected.

The massive fireball on the ground slammed hard into Creed, exploding violently as Creed shrieked in pain from the flames. Ashton grunted as the flames rushed past him, though his eyes were still on the Arcanine that was dropping down towards them, even as he was being struck by Thunderbolt.

"Creed, Hyper Voice!" Ashton shouted as Creed looked upwards, opening his mouth and releasing a harsh blast of sound that washed over Brago. The Arcanine was thrown backwards through the air with a pained whine, crashing down hard onto the battlefield.

"Shock Wave!" Creed let out a snort as he held up his hands, sending out a blue bolt of electricity towards the Arcanine as he rose to his feet, striking him before he had any chance (however futile it would be) to dodge.

"Brago, use Extreme Speed!" Sun shouted as Ashton grinned maliciously. The Arcanine snarled as he pushed through the pain and sped towards Creed as fast as he could.

"Toxic!" Ashton retaliated as Creed, opened his mouth, firing off a stream of purple fluid from his mouth.

"Counter with Ember and keep charging!" Sun shot back as Brago sped forward, slowing down just long enough to fire off an Ember. The fireball connected with the Toxic fluid and detonated, kicking up a harsh black cloud that Brago dove into and burst out of the other side within moments, ramming hard into Creed and sending him flying backwards.

Creed crashed onto the ground and groaned in pain, slowly pushing himself upright as he panted hard, turning back towards Brago. Ashton nodded in approval, clenching his fists.

"Let's wrap this up. The next time he gets close, Poison Jab." Ashton instructed Creed, who nodded sharply as he shakily took a step forward, which Sun took note of. Brago looked better off, but it was obvious that he had taken a significant amount of damage from the Toxtricity.

"Just like I thought. He hasn't gotten any better at dealing with sudden surprises in battle. Meaning if I can keep surprising him, I can manage this." Sun thought as he considered his next move. He then smiled and said to his Arcanine, "Brago, how're you holding up?"

"He's strong. But I refuse to be defeated by someone so selfish." Brago growled, crouching low as if preparing to pounce. Ashton Aupuni scowled with anger at the words, stepping forward.

"Selfish? Maybe I am. But you know what's also selfish!? Breaking promises. Making me think that an absolute psychopath was going to tear my boy to pieces while I had to watch!" Ashton snarled back, his eyes dilating with ringed madness.

"I had to save my friend from Roran! And I thought you were dead!" Sun shouted back at his father, clenching his fists. "I wanted to make that jerk pay for what he did! I thought you, of all people, would understand!"

"Roran was too dangerous for anyone but me to handle! You haven't seen what he did to people like you, Sun! You should have trusted me! I'd die before I let you down…" Ashton then caught himself, letting out a broken laugh as his anger faded. "Maybe that's the irony of it. I've let you down. I've let Laura down. I've let everyone down…I was too weak to be a villain. But not strong enough to be a hero. That's why I have to die."

"Not yet…I'm not going to let it end that way." Sun said with a determined glare, causing Ashton to offer his child a soft smile in response as he lowered his head. "Especially not when my father breaks promises of his own. You killed Roran and your parents. So don't talk like that to me when you're not any better."

"I did…But I was eliminating threats. And after you broke your promise to me, I realized that I didn't really care so much about keeping my own anymore." Ashton admitted, placing a hand against the mangled Mega Crown on his head. "Show me, Sun. Every bit of your power. Creed, use Shock Wave again!"

Ashton commanded Creed with a swift gesture as a sharp grin came to his lips. The Punk Pokémon lashed out with another bolt of blue lightning towards Brago, striking him directly and causing the fierce canine to skid backwards across the battlefield.

"Flame Charge!" Sun ordered the fiery canine, who growled as his body exploded into flames and he charged forward as quickly as his enhanced speed (from using Flame Charge multiple times now) could allow.

"Poison Jab." Ashton calmly ordered as Toxtricity sprinted forward, crashing hard into Brago and letting out a pained scream as the Flame Charge struck him directly. However, it also allowed Creed to deliver a powerful uppercut of Poison Jab to the canine directly.

"Fire Fang!" Sun shouted as Brago brought down his head and chomped down directly on Creed's head, even as his mouth burst into flames. Creed let out a scream of agony as Brago began to repeatedly slam the Toxtricity into the ground, and Ashton couldn't hold back a wince as his Pokémon was knocked out by the Arcanine.

The entire time, Brago kept unblinking eye contact with Sun's father. Ashton didn't look away from the furious stare of the dog, his eyes shifting to something darker as he realized what the very loud and clear message being sent his way was.

Brago finally released Creed, with the unconscious Pokémon slumping onto the ground with a groan. He then leveled a fierce glare at the father who had condemned his child to so much pain.

"We will stop you. That I promise." Brago said simply to the man before turning around and padding towards his Trainer. Sun smiled at the Arcanine, patting him on the head as he rejoined him on his side of the battlefield.

"Thanks for the hard work Brago." Sun said quietly, earning a smile from the Arcanine and a lick on the cheek. The both of them were then surprised by the sound of clapping from Ashton Aupuni, who was smiling at them both despite everything.

"Good show. Combining speed and power in such a way, it really does show how well you've trained your Pokémon." Ashton said as he returned his Toxtricity, though he did tilt his head slightly in confusion as Sun returned Brago as well, clipping the Arcanine's Poké Ball to his belt.

"I should try and save as many Pokémon as I can for whatever comes at the end. I remember that Dad has a habit of saving his strongest Pokémon for last when he wasn't just sweeping teams with Damien, using his weakest Pokémon first. And since he's not using Damien yet…then I'll have to prepare." Sun thought to himself as drew another Poké Ball and readied it.

"Hmm. Interesting…Rooto, come on out!" the Grand Master of Cipher shouted as he snatched another Poké Ball from his waist and hurled it forward. A scary-looking tree Pokémon appeared in a flash of light, letting out a groan as it prepared itself to fight.

"Alright…Penny, let's go!" Sun called, much to Ashton's amusement as his son sent out his Toucannon. The calm bird leveled a steely look at both Ashton and the strange Pokémon that stood beside him.

Sun's father looked at Penny with a somber smile. "What a lovely Toucannon, Sun. She's a bit smaller than Penelope, but she'll get bigger with age. And you named her Penny? Heh. Like father, like son."

"It was the first name I could think of. I didn't want to name her after your Toucannon, but I also never forgot how much your Pokémon cared for me. Even when you decided to be evil, it wasn't like your team ever hurt me. Besides Damien...I wanted to pay my respects in a way, Dad." Sun amended, causing Penny to look back at him. The Toucannon noticed a strange similarity between the two humans that stood across from one another, but the man's words drove it home for her. They were facing the mastermind behind all of her Trainer's recent woes. His own father, who turned down the path of evil.

However, Penny had a more pressing question to ask.

"So, much like Oliver, you named me after a figure that had an impact on your life?" Penny asked, earning an embarrassed nod from Sun. The Toucannon smiled at her Trainer, facing forward once more. "Then I'll continue striving to be worthy of the name you gifted me. Now, let's knock some sense into your father, shall we?"

Sun grinned at his faithful bird while Ashton's smile widened at the display between the Trainer and his Pokémon, his eyes shifting to gold with joy for a few moments before they returned to their default color of gray. Meanwhile, Rotom Dex was doing his thing.

"Trevenant. The Elder Tree Pokémon and the evolved form of Phantump. To the creatures dwelling in the forest, it offers great kindness. Through its roots, it exerts control over other trees. A deadly curse falls upon anyone cutting down trees in forests where Trevenant dwell." Rotom Dex explained as Sun slowly nodded, considering the current match-up. It seemed like the best possible scenario for Penny, considering she resisted Grass-type moves and was immune to Ghost-types.

"He's dragging this out. He could've ended this immediately with Damien, but he's making a big show of this. Why?" Sun thought to himself, not realizing that the next round had begun.

"Will-o-Wisp!" Ashton barked out as the haunted tree flung out its hands, sending a wave of bright blue flames towards Penny.

"Dodge it!" Sun shouted to the Toucannon, who flapped her wings hard to get into the air, though the effort was in vain, as one of the flames brushed against her stomach. Penny winced in pain as flames erupted from her chest, showing that she had been burned.

"Dang it. Penny's going to keep taking damage and her physical attacks are going to be weakened. "Sun thought angrily as Penny flew overhead. "Dad went for Will-o-Wisp because he knew that Penny had a huge advantage. I've got to focus!"

"We've still got Sunny Day up, so use Solar Beam!" Ashton barked out to Rooto, who held out his hands and quickly charged up a sphere of pure solar energy. This time, Sun was ready.

"Penny, use Fly!" Sun ordered the Toucannon, who flapped her wings hard and soared into the air right as Rooto fired off the powerful attack. To Sun's relief the attack missed completely, allowing Penny to Fly forward and strike the Trevenant directly.

"Use Drill Peck!" Sun shouted as Penny winced in pain from her burn, though that didn't stop her from soaring forward as she spun wildly in midair, slamming her shining beak into the chest of the Elder Tree Pokémon, earning a roar of pain from the monstrous tree.

"Poison Jab!" Ashton countered as Rooto drew back a fist as it glowed bright purple, delivering a nasty uppercut to Penny and knocking the bird to the ground. "Follow up with Leech Seed!"

"Echoed Voice!" Sun shouted as Penny opened her beak and released a harsh blast of sound, knocking away the seeds before they could come anywhere near her.

"This is fun." Ashton noted as Penny fluttered back into the air, a soft smile on his face. "Even if I hate battling, this…I'm enjoying myself. You really do have a knack for this, Sun."

"Mister Aupuni's emotional state is all over the place." Lillie noted quietly to herself, growing more wary of Sun's father with each passing moment. "He's trying so hard to keep himself together long enough to battle Sun, but mentally he's falling apart. His emotions are switching around and his eyes are shifting colors so quickly. It's amazing that he's even able to battle at this level…"

"Imagine how good I'd be if my Dad had actually supported my dream." Sun remarked, causing Ashton's expression to darken as Lillie returned her focus to Sun. "I'd probably be at the Pokémon League by now. But no, you killed my baby Eevee and forced the League to raise the Trainer age in Kanto. You decided that if you couldn't make the world nice and safe for me, then you'd go on a global conquest to stamp out all of the evil."

"I believe we've discussed this. My own past as a Trainer led me to decide that I didn't want you going down the same path. I wanted to keep you safe. Safe from a dangerous world that is incredibly determined to destroy itself." Ashton said to the boy, his tone slipping into something more dangerous. "I love you, Sun. Despite everything I've done, it was out of love. You have to understand that."

"The only thing I understand is that you're obsessed with me!" Sun shouted, causing Ashton to flinch at the accusation. "I understand wanting to protect your child! I get wanting others to not go through the same crap you did as a Trainer! But can't you get it through your head that this isn't normal, Dad! You are killing people just for the idea that you might be making the world a better place. Capturing gods and blowing up cities and funding crime! How is any of this rational? You are so completely and utterly obsessed with protecting me that you've hurt me more than Team Rocket ever could!"

"Because I…Because I couldn't protect them!" Ashton shouted back as his eyes flashed pure-white with genuine terror. Sun and Lillie were alarmed to see that the madman looked as if he was on the verge of tears. "Again and again I failed. I still see their faces, Sun! If something happened to you…I couldn't bear it. I have to protect you. Even if it's from yourself. You'll thank me, someday-"

"Drill Peck!" Sun shouted, cutting off his father's words as his eyes flashed red. Penny responded to her Trainer's orders, flapping her wings hard as her body spun like a top as she sped towards Rooto yet again.

"Counter with Horn Leech!" Ashton barked, his eyes mirroring that of his child's as their Pokémon charged towards each other. Penny's Drill Peck struck Rooto directly, but just as her attack ended, Rooto retaliated by lowering its head and ramming both of his glowing horns into Penny, making her screech in distress as she felt her strength drain away, only for Rooto's injuries to heal before Sun's eyes.

"Penny, use Rock Blast!" Sun shouted as Penny fired off a barrage of pellets from her mouth, momentarily stunning the Trevenant as it tried to fend off the bullet-like pullets with its arms. Ashton smirked as three waves of the attack struck his Pokémon before giving the order for his next move.

"Hyper Beam!" Ashton bellowed as Sun's heart dropped. Rooto held out both hands and let out a horrible groan as a flickering sphere of raw energy formed within its claws before erupting forth as an almighty beam that struck Penny in midair and created a wicked explosion.

"Penny!" Sun shouted as smoke and force erupted away from the blast, forcing Sun and Lillie to cover their faces with their arms as Nebby quivered behind Sun. Meanwhile Ashton Aupuni was taking slow and deep breaths to calm himself, his eyes settling back into a stalwart gray.

"I did so much worse to my own Toucannon. What makes you think I wouldn't go all-out against yours?" Ashton asked with a chuckle as Rooto remained still, recharging its energy after using the powerful attack. To the father's surprise, his child was only momentarily phased by the brutality of the move before leaping back into action.

"Penny, use Roost!" Sun called out, despite not being able to see his bird. Ashton's amused expression grew as he saw a faint glow from within the thick black smoke, and as it cleared Penny became visible again. The Toucannon was shaking slightly from the pain she had just been subjected to, but she had endured the attack and managed to heal herself.

"What a wonderful bird you have, Sun…She truly is a fighter. I admire that." Ashton said fondly, his smirk becoming a genuine smile.

"I won't stop fighting. Not until we can make you understand!" Sun shouted at his father, who's eyes flickered black for a few moments they reverted back to gray.

"We'll see, Sun. We'll see. Until then, Rooto, let's keep up the pressure!" Ashton called out as the Trevenant shifted slightly, moving forward now that it had been able to recover its strength.

"Penny, Drill Peck again!" Sun instructed his Toucannon, and within moments Penny was airborne and speeding towards Rooto as she spun rapidly through the air. Ashton's smile shifted into something more fierce as he considered his options.

"Stop her attack with Energy Ball!" Ashton barked out as Rooto held its claws together and quickly charged up a pulsating green orb of energy that it fired towards Penny. The attack struck the bird in midair, and while she continued to spin and still managed to strike Rooto, it was with considerably less force than she had wanted too.

"Horn Leech!" Ashton commanded as Rooto rammed Penny with his glowing horns yet again, striking her and drawing strength away from Penny and knocking her down. "Follow up with Return!"

"Charge up!" Sun shouted desperately as Penny's eyes narrowed, her beak glowing brightly as she aimed it upwards to block the glowing claw. The attack connected with Penny's beak, causing Rooto to let out a pained cry as its hand was engulfed with flames. Borlath's eyes widened in surprise, and mentally he cursed himself for forgetting about Toucannon's signature move.

"Beak Blast!" Sun shouted as Penny opened her beak widely, releasing the powerful explosive force contained within and striking Rooto directly in the face. The Trevenant staggered backwards with a ghostly wail of agony before collapsing onto the ground a few feet away. Penny winced in pain from her burn, but fluttered to the ground despite the damage she had taken.

"Trevenant is unable to battle. Toucannon wins!" the referee called out, raising a flag in Penny's direction. The Toucannon nodded in response, sighing softly after a moment. Sun unclipped Penny's Poké Ball from his waist and prepared to return her-

"No, don't return me. I want to keep fighting." Penny said to her Trainer, much to his surprise. Penny then turned towards Ashton Aupuni, her furious gaze narrowing. The father returned her gaze with a wistful smile, as if lost in his own memories. "I've been with you almost as long as Oliver. I've seen how much you've suffered at his hands. The nightmares. Your fear. All of our battles against these evil people are because of him. Let me fight a little longer…Because I'm really angry!"

Sun was stunned at the declaration from his usually-reserved Toucannon. Penny was the all-too-important voice of reason on his team, the one who kept everyone in check as of late. To see her get absolutely furious on his behalf was something that made Sun almost tear up. Because it was true.

Penny had been Sun's second Pokémon. Oliver had only been with him a few days before he had caught her. She had been with him since he had left his new home on Route 1 and began the Island Challenge. She, alongside Oliver, had seen everything.

"Alright Penny…Let's do this!" Sun shouted as his father returned Rooto, smiling at the display between his son and his Toucannon.

"Such emotion." Ashton noted as he clipped Rooto's Poké Ball to his belt and pulled off another. "You did connect with your Pokémon in the past few months, huh?"

"Of course I did. We're showing every bit of our growth and strength to you right now!" Sun shot back, though inwardly he was surprised that he had taken down half of his father's team while only losing one Pokémon. But Sun also knew that whatever came next would be even harder to take down.

"Indeed you are. You've done well so far. But can you withstand what is to come?" Ashton said as he readied a Poké Ball in his hand. "Puffy, let's go!"

Ashton hurled the capsule forward and a grinning Wigglytuff appeared in a flash of light. Sun frowned at the smiling Pokémon and felt a twinge of unease. Beside him, Rotom Dex was firing up the appropriate entry.

"Wigglytuff. The Balloon Pokémon and the evolved form of Jigglypuff. It sheds its fine fur when the seasons change. The fur is gathered and spun into a luxurious yarn. As it inhales, it expands...and expands...and expands. Wigglytuff compete to see which one can inflate itself the most." Rotom explained to Sun, causing the boy to hum thoughtfully.

"Sun, be careful! That Wigglytuff has a lot of tricks up its sleeve!" Lillie warned her friend, earning a chuckle from Ashton Aupuni. She had seen its battling skills in-person when Ashton had defended her from the Aether Foundation.

"You're not wrong. But it would be more fun to show Sun, now wouldn't it? Defense Curl!" Ashton commanded Puffy, who curled into a ball as his fur shimmered brightly.

But Sun wasn't going to let his father set up whatever plan he had in mind. "Penny, use Rock Blast!"

Penny let out a screech as she opened her mouth, releasing two waves of rock-like pellets towards the huddled form of Puffy. The Wigglytuff let out muffled cries of pain from within its ball, but Ashton continued to grin at them all.

"Rollout." Ashton breathed, a weak laugh escaping him as Wigglytuff suddenly shot forward, rolling along the ground with surprising swiftness, bouncing into the air and striking Penny directly before Sun could counterattack. The connecting strike reverberated throughout the air, making Sun flinch as Penny tumbled out of the air and landed harshly on the battlefield with a pained cry.

"Penny!" Sun called out as the Toucannon forced herself upright, determination blazing in her eyes as Puffy circled around her while giggling softly.

"Sun, you have to be careful! Rollout might not have the best accuracy, but it gets stronger with each hit!" Lillie reminded Sun, earning a glance from the boy.

"Bzzt! That's not all Sun! Rollout gets a power-up if you use a Defense Curl beforehand." Rotom Dex added as Sun looked forward once again, adjusting his hat as he watched Penny get back to her feet, her body shaking from the pain she was in. The Toucannon's burn still trickled flames from her chest and Sun grit his teeth.

"She's not giving up. I won't either. Ever! Penny, Drill Peck!" Sun shouted out as Penny screeched out, flapping her wings hard and spinning wildly, becoming a twisting force that crashed into Puffy hard enough to send him flying backwards with a squeal of pain. Ashton's smile widened at the display, with the Cipher Master clapping at them all with his eyes bright gold with joy.

"That's my boy. Don't give up! Keep fighting! Show me every ounce of your strength!" Ashton barked out, stepping forward and swaying on his feet as he thrust his hand out. "Show me that this world is worth fighting for. Puffy, keep going! Rollout!"

"Penny, Echoed Voice to block it!" Sun shot back as Penny flapped her wings hard, moving backwards as Puffy sped towards her, bouncing off of the ground. Penny opened her beak and released a sharp blast of sound at the Wigglytuff, slowing it down for a moment but not enough for it to stop the second Rollout from hitting Penny. The bird screeched in pain as she fell from the sky and crashed hard onto the battlefield.

"Come on…What's a way to stop that thing in its tracks? Or at least make it miss?" Sun thought to himself as Puffy continued to bounce off of the ground and continued to roll along the ground, gaining more speed and power. Sun looked at Penny and knew that she couldn't withstand another super-effective attack like that.

Sun was surprised when Penny suddenly let out a piercing and echoing screech from her beak, which rushed forward and enveloped the speeding Wigglytuff. Almost immediately, Sun noticed that Puffy was slowing down and making strange noises. It was then that Sun realized what Penny had done.

"Supersonic…Of course." Sun thought with wide eyes as he realized the brilliance of what Penny had done. Puffy suddenly stopped rolling along the ground and stumbled forward, face-planting onto the ground with a pained squeal. "Penny, Drill Peck!"

"Puffy, snap out of it!" Ashton shouted as Penny flapped her wings, launching into the air and then diving towards Puffy with a fearsome screech. The Toucannon spun in midair, becoming a fearsome whirling mass that collided with the Wigglytuff and sent him flying backwards across the battlefield.

"Don't stop now! Drill Peck again!" Sun called to his Toucannon as she continued to push herself despite the pain, narrowing her furious gaze and soaring after the stunned Wigglytuff.

"Thunderbolt!" Ashton ordered the confused Wigglytuff as it crashed onto the ground. Puffy tried to get to its feet and held out its hands, only to suddenly punch himself in the face before getting struck with a second Drill Peck. Ashton grunted in irritation for a moment, though he was smiling again despite himself.

"I don't even know what I want anymore. I just want everything to end. Wish all the pain away and start anew. But seeing my little boy, here and now, standing across from me…" Ashton thought to himself, his eyes shifting to several different colors as he tried to make sense of his conflicting and muddled emotions.

"He became strong." Ashton muttered to himself, his smirk becoming a grin of pride. "Without me standing over his shoulder, he raised a team well-enough for them to take their own initiative. Show me more, son. Show me everything you've learned! Show me your hope…Make me believe, damn it!"

"I'll do more than that! Penny, use Drill Peck again! Keep up the pressure!" Sun yelled out, surprising Ashton, since he hadn't thought his words were loud enough for the boy to hear him. Penny circled through the air and began to spin around, hoping for a third direct strike on the Wigglytuff.

"Ice Beam!" Ashton bellowed as Puffy's eyes seemed to snap back to normal, with the Wigglytuff grinning widely before opening his mouth and firing off a frigid beam of energy that struck Penny just as she began to gain momentum. Sun let out a distressed yell as Penny dropped to the battlefield unconscious.

"Toucannon is unable to battle. The winner is Wigglytuff!" the referee shouted out as Sun silently returned Penny, smiling down at her Poké Ball for a moment before considering his options. As of now, he had Finn and Alastor in reserve with their full-strength. Brago was hurt but still able to fight, and Nebby wasn't going to be seeing any combat if Sun had his way.

"Who would've thought…This team is far less battle-tested than my original team, but they're not pushovers by any means. They helped me defeat the Tapu that have protected Alola for centuries. And me, who's battled Champions and stood against the might of both heroes and monsters alike. You're standing on your own two feet and facing me! When did my little boy become a man?" Ashton laughed with a genuine smile, stopping only when he clutched his mangled chest with a pained expression. Despite this, his eyes were gold with joy.

"After everything you did, I was lost…Scared. Confused. But I found so much here in Alola. My team. My friends. People who taught me things you never could have!" Sun spat back at his father, drawing an Ultra Ball from his belt. "Alastor, let's go!"

Sun called out the Alolan Golem, who appeared in a flash of light with an annoyed expression on his face. However, he was surprised to see a human that reminded him of the one who had captured him and took away his freedom. And was gratified when an expression of brief fear flickered across the man's face before it twisted into anger.

"I stand corrected. You caught one of those evil little creatures, huh?" Ashton Aupuni growled softly, glaring down Alastor as the Alolan Golem growled right back at him.

"Evil? Tch. Typical human, not knowing what it speaks. I'll bring honor to my clan by crushing you!" Alastor laughed, flexing his claws as lightning crackled along the length of his cannon.

"Your demented clan nearly killed me as a boy!" Ashton spat back at Alastor, staggering forward and ignoring the concerned look on Puffy's face. "I would've scoured your miserable lives from Alola myself if it wasn't for my respect for Lusa and her protection of your lands."

"That's because you humans murdered my people! Terrorized us and slaughtered us! And I'll return the favor here and now! Even if I have been captured by one of you dirty humans, I still have my pride!" Alastor bellowed, lashing out with a Thunder Shock towards Ashton Aupuni. The Cipher Master scoffed as Puffy retaliated with a Thunderbolt, blocking the electrical attack and creating an explosion that rippled across the battlefield.

"As expected from a clan of monsters. Sun, how could you catch something that hates humans so much?" Ashton harshly demanded of his child, earning a flinch from the boy.

"It was an accident, to be honest. Alastor's clan attacked us while we were in the area and I threw a Poké Ball at him when he went after me." Sun admitted, shaking his head while Alastor scoffed. "To be honest, he's been nothing but a jerk the entire time I've known him."

"Naturally. Which is-" Ashton began to say, only for Sun to cut him off.

"But he's still my Pokémon. And I won't let you kill him! Or anyone else!" Sun shouted back at his father, receiving a look of complete surprise from the Alolan Golem. "I'll protect everyone from you, Dad! So bring it on!"

Sun locked eyes with Alastor, seeing the confusion in his eyes for a moment before the Pokémon turned back towards Ashton Aupuni, his calculating mind racing with thoughts. Alastor then allowed himself a cruel grin, bracing himself for what would surely be the fight of his life.

"Come, human. Allow me to end the blight that is your existence!" Alastor laughed as he held out his arms, which crackled with electricity as Puffy braced himself for a fight.

"Stealth Rock!" Sun called to the Alolan Golem, earning a contemptuous glance before the Pokémon thrust out his hands, causing several small segments of his rocky body to explode outwards, forming into glowing stones that landed all around Ashton's side of the battlefield.

"Ice beam!" Ashton roared as Puffy opened his mouth, releasing a beam of frigid energy. But Sun was already thinking of a way around this.

"Rollout to dodge! Then go into Thunder Punch!" Sun called out Alastor curled into a ball and sped out of the way, dodging the Ice Beam handily. The Alolan Golem continued to barrel towards Puffy, avoiding a second Ice Beam before emerging from Rollout and swinging a crackling Thunder Punch towards Puffy, upper-cutting the Wigglytuff and sending him skywards.

"DIE!" Alastor laughed as he aimed his cannon upwards and launched a Thunder Shock to Puffy while he was still moving, a sadistic grin on the Golem's face all the while the Wigglytuff shrieked.

"Ice Beam!" Ashton barked as Puffy tumbled through the air, crashing down lightly on the ground before getting back to his feet with an annoyed huff and leaping into the air again. The Wigglutuff then opened his mouth, firing off another Ice Beam at Alastor. The Alolan Golem roared in pain as the attack struck him, freezing over parts of his arms and legs in the process.

"I won't be stopped. N-n-not by…a disgusting human!" Alastor hissed, forcing his body forward as Puffy drifted slowly through the air.

"Drop down and use Brick Break!" Ashton shouted out, his eyes gleaming with crimson hate as the Wigglytuff flipped in midair, drawing back a fist that shined brightly before bringing it down on Alastor's skull.

"Alastor!" Sun called out as the Alolan Golem was knocked to the ground, all the while Puffy landed lightly on the battlefield and skipped away giggling.

Ashton Aupuni grinned as he watched the Alolan Golem hit the ground hard, his mouth open in a cry of pain from the super-effective attack. The Cipher Master thrust out a hand and called, "Finish this with another Ice Beam!"

"Block with Rock Tomb! Then use Defense Curl!" Sun called as Alastor quickly responded, calling forth rocky pillars from the ground to divert the Ice Beam while he curled into a ball and bolstered his defense.

"I see what you're doing, son, and I'm ready for it! Defense Curl!" Ashton barked out as the Wigglytuff curled into a ball, buffing its defensive power for what was to come.

"Rollout!" both Ashton and Sun shouted out as both of their Pokémon sped towards one another, with Alastor launching himself off of the frozen Rock Tomb to speed towards the other side of the battlefield. Both Pokémon collided with one another, creating a wicked shockwave of force before bouncing away from one another.

"Evenly matched. But I refuse to let one of those damned rock monsters get the better of me again!" Ashton snarled, thrusting out a hand. "Puffy, more power!"

"Alastor, don't let him win!" Sun shouted to his Alolan Golem, trying to appeal to the Pokémon's sense of pride. Both Pokémon rushed towards one another a second time, this time colliding and spinning against one another as they screamed out in pain. It was obvious that they were both taking damage from one another's attacks, but now the gauntlet had been thrown and neither would be deterred.

"Alright…time to get creative." Sun muttered as he smirked, nodding to himself as both Pokémon were blasted away from one another yet again, though this time instead of speeding towards one another in a display of dominance they began to circle one another on the battlefield. Sun waited until Alastor was closer to him before giving him the command.

"Head straight for Puffy and use a Gyro Ball!" Sun shouted, punching forward. "Use the momentum from Rollout to boost the attack and send Puffy flying!"

"Wait, what?" Ashton said as Alastor sped forward towards Puffy. Even as he did this, however, his body began to glow brightly and he smoothly pitched forward.

Within moments the Alolan Golem was locked in a wicked spin while using the same amount of speed he had built up using Rollout. Ashton's eyes went wide in shock as the two Pokémon connected for a third and final time, but with vastly different results. The moment Puffy and Alastor connected, Puffy let out a scream of pain as the super-effective attack made contact with him, but it was even worse thanks the extra force that Alastor had brought forth that had outmatched his own strength, breaking him out of his Rollout.

"Press the attack! Finish him off!" Sun shouted as Alastor laughed from within the Gyro Ball, speeding forward and smashing into Puffy one final time and sending him flying across the battlefield. The Wigglytuff collapsed onto the ground with a sigh of pain while Ashton simply stared in surprise.

"Hahahaha! Once again, I've proven my superiority." Alastor cackled as Ashton returned Puffy, scowling with annoyance. He looked down at the Poké Ball and clipped it to his belt.

"No matter how good a Pokémon Trainer is, they all have a weakness in their battle styles. Or in the way they think. It's just a matter of reality. Yours is fairly well-balanced, but I've deduced your weakness now. Just as you've seen mine." Ashton said to his child, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"While I excel with strategy and executing them, it doesn't mean I'm good with handling sudden changes or shake ups. Recent events have made this flaw of mine even worse…" Ashton admitted, coughing painfully for a moment as Sun stared him down.

"You've always been bad at it. Mom explained it to me one day and once she pointed it out, I was always able to see it. You really hate being surprised. It's gotten even worse over the past few months." Sun agreed, his gaze darkening as Ashton shrugged.

"Keeping me on my toes as you have so far in this battle has been very clever of you, Sun. I really should have done a better job of watching more of your battles and analyzing them." Ashton said ruefully, shaking his head as a sigh escaped him. "Maybe it was because it was too painful to watch. Oh well…"

"You've got two Pokémon left to my four. I'd like to think I'm doing pretty well." Sun said with a small smile, causing Ashton to smirk in response. Alastor watched the exchange between the father and son before looking down at his claws, clenching them for a moment.

"I've become strong in the short time I've been a Trained Pokémon." Alastor said as he flexed his claws, glancing back at Sun. "I will never forgive you for what you've done to me. But I will acknowledge that I would not have come so far in so short a time had I not been forced to walk down this path alongside you."

Sun took in those words and slowly nodded, walking up to Alastor as the Alolan Golem stared down Ashton Aupuni. Sun considered what words he wanted to say to the aloof and hateful Pokémon that he was forced to have on his team.

"Maybe. But we'll see how you hold up against my next Pokémon. Zorro." Ashton said the final word to the Greninja standing beside him, earning a surprised look from the Pokémon in question. "Get in there. End this once and for all. Full-power, nothing held back."

The Greninja warily nodded and leapt into the air, landing on the battlefield lightly as it got into a fighting stance. The Greninja then let out an alarmed yelp as Stealth Rock activated, causing several boulders to suddenly smash into the Ninja Pokémon while Alastor laughed. The Greninja burst free from the rocks with an annoyed hiss, landing in a crouch. Meanwhile, Rotom was fulfilling his duty to Sun by reading out a certain entry from his files.

"Greninja. The Ninja Pokémon and the final evolved form of Froakie. It appears and vanishes with a ninja's grace. It toys with its enemies using swift movements, while slicing them with throwing stars of sharpest water." Rotom Dex explained as Zorro stared back at them, its gaze somber as Sun sighed tiredly at the thought of having to fight a Pokémon he knew from when he was younger.

"Alright then…nothing held back. Use Thunder Shock!" Sun shouted as Alastor released a blast of electricity towards the Greninja, who leapt high into the air to dodge it without a command from Ashton Aupuni.

"Keep to the skies, Zorro! If it had anything stronger for long-distance Electric-type attacks, he would have used it by now. Use Ice Beam!" Ashton barked, receiving a nod from the Greninja.

Sun knew he needed to stop that tactic right away, so he quickly changed gears. "Smack Down!"

Alastor chuckled as he held out his hands, charging up a golden sphere of energy before firing it skyward. To his annoyance, he wasn't able to stop Zorro from attacking with Ice Beam, which struck Alastor and made him hiss with pain. However the Alolan Golem was able to watch with amusement as the Smack Down struck Zorro and exploded against him, causing him to swiftly plummet towards the ground and hit it incredibly hard.

"Clever. Zorro, get up and use Water Pulse!" Ashton called as Zorro rose to his feet, wincing slightly before swiftly making several hand gestures and summoning a sphere of water that rocketed towards Alastor. The Alolan Golem screamed as the attack exploded against his body, sending him crashing onto the ground.

"Alastor, can you get up?" Sun asked, concerned as the Pokémon twitched violently on the ground. The question seemed to invigorate Alastor, causing him to roll to his stomach and push himself upright.

"Of course. I won't allow myself…to be done in by such a miserable excuse for a human. I still have my pride. Now let's destroy them both!" Alastor roared, punching forward with a claw as the Greninja sped towards them.

"Water Shuriken!" Ashton barked, with Zorro sweeping its hands back and forth and sending a barrage of watery stars towards Alastor.

"Block it with Rock Tomb!" Sun called as Alastor made a hand gesture and yelled out, causing a pillar of rock to erupt out of the ground directly in front of Zorro. The Greninja's stars were blocked by the attack, but he simply leapt over it and spun in midair, delivering another wave of Water Shuriken to Alastor and causing him to scream in pain as the attack sliced against his rocky skin.

"I'm enjoying your pain." Ashton commented to Alastor as Zorro landed on the ground, unleashing wave after wave of its signature attack upon the Alolan Golem. "Does this make me a bad person? Probably. I don't really care anymore, though. I just don't. Because nothing really matters anymore…does it?"

"Of course it does! Alastor, block with Gyro Ball!" Sun yelled as Alastor suddenly retreated into his body, spinning around and causing several of the stars to get blasted away from the force of the spin. Zorro shook his head and stopped the attack, glancing back at Ashton for further instructions.

"Zorro, keep up the pressure. Waterfall!" Ashton called to the Greninja, who turned around and dashed towards Alastor as he stopped spinning. Alastor hadn't even stopped moving when Sun called on him to use Thunder Shock, but the cunning Golem aimed towards the Greninja's feet rather than his chest, much to Sun's surprise.

Alastor swept a claw along the ground and threw a Thunder Shock towards Zorro as water formed around his legs and chest, with the result being that Thunder Shock struck the Greninja just as he began to use Waterfall…causing Zorro to scream in agony as he collapsed onto the ground. Alastor chuckled darkly, despite the occasional twitch his body was making due to the immense pain he was in.

"I'm enjoying this as well. There's something really delightful about fighting for your life." Alastor remarked, holding out a hand towards Zorro as he recovered from the surprise attack. "Now come…Get back up and fight!"

"Alastor stay focused! He's not done yet!" Sun warned the Alolan Golem, receiving a roll of the eyes from the Alolan Golem.

"Enough! Zorro, use Surf!" Ashton shouted as the Greninja staggered to his feet, sweeping its arms widely with a cry of fury. Suddenly a massive wave erupted outwards from the battlefield, rushing towards Alastor and soon towering above him.

"Alastor, use Rollout and speed towards Zorro!" Sun shouted, knowing full-well that there was no escaping this attack. Alastor seemed to sense it too, as he quickly rolled into a ball and sped towards the attack, letting out a scream of fury before smashing through the water. The tidal wave exploded as Ashton began to laugh.

"What, did he really think that he'd be able to-" Ashton began to say, only for Alastor to erupt out of the closest side of the Surf right in front of Zorro. The Greninja had time to be surprised before Alastor's unconscious, but still rolling, form crashed into the Greninja and sent him flying backwards.

"They both knew that Surf would knock out the Alolan Golem, so he used that moment to make a last ditch effort to inflict a bit more damage on Zorro…brilliant. Ruthless, too." Ashton breathed, grinning at the move as he clasped his hands together. Zorro flipped in midair and landed in the crouch, shaking his head to clear it.

Sun returned Alastor and regarded the Poké Ball for a moment. Despite how awful the Alolan Golem acted at times, he had listened to every single one of Sun's instructions and had even went along with the desperation Rollout move that Sun had thought of at the last moment.

"Thank you…I do appreciate you helping me." Sun said quietly, clipping the ball to his belt as he looked at his father. Lillie stood behind the boy and held onto Nebby with a concerned frown on her face, seeing what had caught her friend's attention. Ashton Aupuni now wore a wide smile on his face, and he flung his arms outwards with a triumphant expression.

"And now that we've eliminated the trash…Zorro!" Ashton suddenly shouted, causing the Greninja to lower its head. Sun's eyes widened as the both of them began to mirror the movements of one another, their arms at their sides and legs slightly bent. "Brace yourself! For the sake of everyone's future, use Battle Bond!"

"Greeeeeeninja!" Zorro suddenly let out a scream as a wicked cyclone of water erupted from around the Greninja, its eyes gleaming bright red from within the vortex as Sun watched on with an awed expression.

"Zorro…You really admire Dad that much still, huh?" Sun whispered quietly as the cyclone exploded outwards, revealing Zorro's transformation. It's face had gained a black and red ragged appearance with crimson eyes staring back towards Sun, it's body now a slightly lighter shade of blue. A massive Water Shuriken rested upon its back, a far more lethal version of what had been used against Alastor.

"Now then…Send out your next Pokémon." Ashton panted, grinning sinisterly as he swayed on his feet, smacking his face twice to keep himself alert (Zorro mimicked the motions of his Trainer all the while). The Cipher Master took a ragged breath, bracing himself for the final stretch of the showdown with his child. It would require everything he had left to remain standing. But he would give everything he had left to prove this lesson to the boy who had turned his back on his father.

"Bzzzrt! Sun! Watch out! That Greninja has the Battle Bond Ability!" Rotom Dex warned Sun, causing him to look at the device.

"I know…I've known Zorro for a few years now. And I know exactly what it means going forward." Sun said quietly, staring down his father.

"Sun, what is Battle Bond?" Lillie asked.

"Battle Bond is a very unique Ability that's extraordinarily rare. It can only show up in Greninja, and even then it's only seen in a few cases where one will have the Ability Battle Bond. Whenever a Greninja knocks out a Pokémon, and shares a really strong bond with their Trainer…" Sun trailed off, trying to explain it.

"An incredible transformation takes place." Ashton Aupuni said, taking control of the explanation as he held out a hand, with Zorro doing the same. "Both Trainer and Pokémon become one in both heart and mind, not unlike when utilizing Z-Moves. When a Trainer and a Greninja are perfectly in sync, they can achieve a transformation much like the one you see before you. I call this the Ash-Greninja form. And with it, Zorro's strength and speed have increased dramatically."

"It also means that Zorro's Water Shuriken move has greatly increased in power. And that Ashton Aupuni will be feeling any damage that gets inflicted on Zorro." Rotom Dex explained, floating lower to Sun. "And considering the state your father izz in right now…"

"He's really pushing me to my limits. What's more important? Hurting my Dad even worse and risking killing him? Or winning this battle, knowing what's at stake?" Sun thought, gritting his teeth at the warring emotions tearing at his mind.

Ashton grinned and clasped his hands together. "What are you willing to risk, Sun? Do you want to win? Or is my worthless life worth something still, despite all of the pain you've put me through?"

"All of the pain he's put you through!?" Lillie yelled out, surprising Sun with the outburst. "You're the parent! How dare you blame Sun for hurting you! After everything you've done to him!"

The Cipher Master's smile faded at the words, his gaze flickering to black for just a moment. To Sun and Lillie's surprise, Zorro's eyes changed colors in sync with his Trainer's. Then, Ashton Aupuni took a step forward and his eyes reverted to a gray color, showing that once again he was in control of his emotions enough to be at his default eye color.

"Send out your next Pokémon. We'll see who's right in just a few minutes more." Ashton Aupuni said firmly as he began to move, with Zorro grabbing his massive Water Shuriken and readying it for use.

"Alright then…Brago! I'm counting on you!" Sun shouted as he hurled his Poké Ball forward. The Arcanine appeared in a flash of light, landing on the battlefield once more. He crouched low and struck Zorro with Intimidate, making both Ashton and the Ash-Greninja flinch at the withering glare of Brago.

"He's bonded to that Greninja now, and it's extremely strong. Get ready for a tough fight!" Sun warned Brago as the Arcanine slowly nodded.

"Water Shuriken!" Ashton barked out, slashing out with his hands as Zorro swept his hands apart and released a massive wave of watery throwing stars towards the fiery canine.

"Extreme Speed to dodge!" Sun called to the Arcanine, who sped forward faster than the eye could track, dodging the onslaught of Water Shuriken that resembled a rainstorm rather than a Pokémon attack. Brago somehow managed to avoid the deluge of attacks and rammed hard into the Ash-Greninja, causing both Ashton and Zorro to cry out in pain.

Sun felt a stab of concern for his father as the man staggered backwards, but hardened his resolve when he remembered what he was fighting for. Not just his future. But the fate of his team. Of Lillie's future. Of the entire world and everything they cared about.

"Use Sunny Day! Follow up with Flame Burst!" Sun shouted as Brago charged up a shining ball of light and fired it skyward. As a harsh sunlight filled the battlefield, Brago spat out a breath of raging flames that formed into a huge fireball in the sky that exploded a few moments later.

"Dodge it with Quick Attack and follow up with Night Slash!" Ashton bellowed as Zorro nodded, even as the roaring flames streaked towards him. Zorro sped forward just as quickly as Brago had with Extreme Speed, swiftly dodging the fireballs even as his hands suddenly exploded with darkness. Zorro closed the distance between himself and Brago and struck the Arcanine with both hands along the side of his body, causing the Arcanine to howl in pain before the Ash-Greninja kicked the fiery dog backwards.

"Water Shuriken!" Ashton shouted as the Zorro readied the weapon, but Sun shouted, "Dodge with Flame Charge!"

Brago shot forward as flames erupted from around his body, speeding forward and smashing hard into Zorro before he could attack. Both Ashton and Zorro staggered backwards, with Ashton clutching his chest in pain alongside Zorro.

"Shake it off! Use Waterfall!" Ashton roared as Zorro placed both hands against the ground and sped forward, a rush of water beneath the Ash-Greninja as he slammed hard into Brago.

"Hold strong! Don't let up!" Sun shouted as the Arcanine howled in pain as the Ninja Pokémon shoved him across the battlefield, trying to knock Brago over, but to the surprise of both Zorro and Ashton, Brago held strong.

"That's right Brago! Now use Revenge!" Sun commanded Brago as he punched forward, causing Zorro and Ashton's eyes to widen in surprise as Brago's body exploded with a bright orange glow, his eyes narrowing with savage pleasure. The Arcanine dug his feet hard into the battlefield, stopping Zorro's efforts to push him back firmly in their tracks. That was when Brago reared back on his hind legs and swiped a paw upwards, raking his shining claws against Zorro's chest before hitting him in the chin with his paw. The wicked strike sent the Ash-Greninja hurtling backwards with a scream of agony at the super-effective attack.

"Did Brago just punch him?" Lillie asked in dumb-founded amazement, causing Rotom Dex to chuckle while Sun grinned with pride at his Arcanine.

Ashton Aupuni howled in pain as he fell backwards to the ground, clutching his chest and mouth as he writhed on the ground. Overhead, the harsh light from Sunny Day vanished, but this was hardly noticed as Sun watched his badly-injured father with some concern on his face.

But he knew not to move. Not to care, at least for the moment. This was a battle with everything on the line. And his father was the one who had made the choice to invoke the Battle Bond despite his poor health.

"Sir, are you alright? Do you want me to-" the referee began to ask, only for Ashton to roll onto his stomach and glare at the man with bright red eyes.

"Finish that sentence…And I'll kill you. And everyone else here. No one…stops this battle." Ashton hissed, making the Cipher Peon's eyes widen in horror at the bloodlust in the words. Sun shivered with fear as his father slowly got to his feet, with Zorro doing the same on the battlefield. Sun was impressed, considering the power behind the Revenge attack that Brago had just done.

"D-don't…give up now. There's too much at stake…" Ashton rasped, staggered forward as Zorro did the same. "All or nothing, my friend. We can't lose after we've come so far. Use Water Shuriken!"

"Brago, Flame Charge! Let's go!" Sun ordered the Arcanine as the dog crouched low and his body burst into flames, speeding forward as Zorro dashed right towards Brago.

ROAAAAAAAH!

Both Pokémon stopped in their tracks as the roar washed over them, and Ashton Aupuni visibly paled and turned his head towards Hau'oli City. Sun followed his gaze and realized he was staring at Perfect Kyurem, who was still visible in the distance.

The Arbiter of Tomorrow had been thrashing about in the distance and roaring wildly for the past few minutes before going oddly quiet, and then finally just now released a triumphant roar. That was when the air around them all began to noticeably warm up, and the ice that surrounded the city in the distance began to quickly thaw all around them.

"No…NO!" Ashton screamed out, trembling slightly as his eyes darkened to pitch-black. "Amber, they couldn't have possibly stopped you. There's no way. Not…Not like this!"

Sun grinned despite his father's terrified ramblings, looking at Lillie who was wearing a smile too. If Perfect Kyurem had been taken down somehow, then that meant Amber Fontaine was likely beaten and no longer a threat, one way or another. And that meant that sooner or later, they were going to get some backup.

"I don't even need to win this fight. I just need to stall until the others can get here and end this one and for all." Sun thought to himself as he looked forward once again, where both his father and Zorro were clutching their heads. Zorro looked visibly terrified, likely due to the rush of frantic emotions Ashton was feeling at the moment.

"Damn it! This is all my fault! I shouldn't have let her go alone! Even with Perfect Kyurem, she wasn't used to using its power! I could've helped her…I could've done something." Ashton hissed, tears dripping from his eyes as he mourned the woman who had stood beside him for years. Who had been his right hand from the very beginning, sacrificing what was left of her moral compass to help protect him and his family.

"You hear that, Dad?" Sun asked his father, grinning at the man despite knowing how much heartbreak he was in at the moment. It was obvious that Ashton had cared deeply for Amber. "It's the sound of your plan falling down around you!"

"Can you feel the rumble of the coming storm?" Ashton asked his child, suddenly bursting laughing despite the tears running down his face. A mad grin flashed across his face even his body shook from the force of his sobs. "Amber…D-damn it, Amanda. I'm so sorry…I couldn't keep my promise."

"Brago, Extreme Speed!" Ashton's eyes snapped back to the battlefield as Brago sped forward, slamming hard into Zorro and knocking him backwards with a pained hiss. Ashton snarled in agony as pain lanced through his body due to the Battle Bond, but he braced himself against the ground as he and Zorro stood as one. Ashton then regarded his son with a grim smile.

"Well played…I lost my composure there for a moment. And you chose that moment to strike. I applaud that decision. But you've officially pissed me off." Ashton said as his eyes twisting from black to crimson, making Sun shiver with fear at the hateful fury of his father.

Zorro was looking at his Trainer with a genuine expression of alarm, sensing the whirlwind of emotions through the bond that they were sharing at the moment. A toxic hatred that poured outwards from the man who had once upon a time been so kind to all of them.

"Zorro, don't let me down. I need your help. We are one." Ashton said as he spat a globule of blood on the ground. No smile of amusement or kindness was on his face now. Amber Fontaine had failed to hold off the enemy and was likely dead. It was just him now. He had to hold strong.

"Not only is he completely losing his mind here…But he clearly cared a lot about Amber. If Aria and the others managed to kill that psychopath, then he's going to be even more deranged from anger and grief and everything else. He's going to be tougher to battle than ever…But he might also be more prone to mistakes." Sun thought as he put a hand on Brago's back as he returned to his side.

"Alpha…can you feel it?" Brago said quietly, staring down the man who glared them down with hate in his eyes, even as tears trickled down his cheeks. "His anger. His sorrow. His hatred for this world. It's so pure and raw."

Ashton's expression twisted into something terrifying at the words, with the madman swinging down his arms with a scream of fury. Zorro leapt into the air while swinging down his arms and releasing a deluge of watery throwing stars down upon the Arcanine.

"Brago, dodge with Extreme Speed!" Sun shouted as Brago sped forward, speedily leaping around the battlefield as Zorro continued his assault.

"Just another example of why this world should just be rewritten…My wish won't just fix my mistakes. But it'll fix all of the lives that could have been saved had I not gone down the wrong path! In another life…maybe I could have saved her!" Ashton screamed out, his voice hoarse with pain and rage. "This world doesn't deserve to go on! So just let me fix everything with my own worthless life!"

"Just because this world can be cruel doesn't mean that it's worth erasing. Just because life hurts, doesn't mean you can hide away from it. Just because you can lose someone at a moment's notice doesn't mean you have to lose your mind!" Sun screamed at his father, tears stinging at his eyes as he watched the man he had once admired so much tear himself apart as his scheme fell to pieces all around him. "There's still hope! There's still good in the world that you can protect, Dad!"

"Hope is nothing but a memory now, you ungrateful brat! I've lost everything to give you the world, Sun! And you threw it back in my face time and time again!" Ashton practically sobbed as Brago roared in agony, watery stars slashing through his fur as the Ash-Greninja finally struck him with Water Shuriken. Brago crashed hard onto the ground, panting in pain as Zorro landed on the ground, his own distress visible now. Though Sun only had eyes for the man who had raised him.

"I didn't ask for any of that! I didn't ask you to protect me from everything! I didn't ask for you to control every aspect of my life! I just wanted…to be me." Sun spoke the final words quietly, staring down his father with an almost pleading expression. Ashton's eyes flashed black in response to those words, and for a moment, Sun thought he had gotten through to his father.

"Isn't that what you wanted when you were Sun's age? To just be the person you wanted to be?" Lillie asked Ashton, who's breathing hitched as he looked down at the ground at the girl's words.

"Dad…Please. Just let go. We can end this now. We can talk this out. No one else has to hurt anyone else." Sun quietly begged his father as Ashton's Aupuni's tears fell to the ground, with the man shaking as he began to sob with despair.

"Sun…Lillie…"

The two children saw Ashton Aupuni as he looked up at them, his expression one of abject misery as the full weight of everything he had done crashed down upon him. Everyone he had hurt. Everything he had lost in his pursuit of power. Every mistake made and every decision that had been chosen. He could truly feel his sins crawling on his back.

"You deserve so much better than this world." Ashton Aupuni cried, shaking his head as he shambled forward, placing a trembling hand on the cracked Mega Crown that rested upon his head. "But I can't…I can't live with what I've done. I'm not strong enough. Please forgive me. Please…p-please…"

"Brago, use Revenge!" Sun shouted as Brago nodded, his body glowing bright red as he rushed forward, snarling at the madman he simply stared down the canine with bewildered surprise.

"Protect!" Ashton screamed, thrusting out a hand as Zorro mirrored him, summoning a shield that blocked Brago's attack and stopped it in its tracks. "Well done. We are in a battle after all. Got to stay…stay focused. A lesson needs to be…learned. Yes."

"Ninja!?" Zorro asked of his Trainer, glancing backwards at the Cipher Master as he shook his head as if to clear it.

"Throw him back with Hidden Power. Then use Water Shuriken." Ashton ordered Zorro as the Greninja released the Protect and then swiftly made a hand-sign, sending out a golden pulsating beam of energy that blasted Brago backwards. As the canine landed on his feet, wincing in pain, he looked up in time to see the Ash-Greninja speeding towards him and slashing downwards with a massive water-star.

"Brago!" Sun screamed out as the star slashed against Brago's side, sending him to the ground and knocking the fiery canine. Sun watched the unconscious Arcanine for several moments before smiling weakly, returning Brago to his Poké Ball.

"You did great." Sun whispered as he clipped Brago's Poké Ball to his belt, bringing out a Poké Ball and staring up at his father. Zorro landed on the ground in front of Ashton Aupuni, wincing slightly as he touched the ground.

"Looks like you're down to your last Pokémon. Besides little Cosmog there, of course." Ashton noted with amusement, grinning a bloody smile at his son while the boy shuddered, tightening his grip on the capsule in his hand.

"Finn, I'm counting on you! Let's go!" Sun shouted as he called out his Poliwrath, who landed on the ground gracefully and struck a pose. He then pointed a finger at Zorro and Ashton Aupuni, his eyes narrowed.

"I hope you're ready for a showdown!" Finn boomed, flexing as Sun stepped forward.

"Finn, how much of the current situation do you know?" Sun asked his Poliwrath, who chuckled in response.

"I know that this guy reminds me a lot of you, little buddy. And that he's some seriously bad news." Finn admitted, getting into a fighting stance. "You know I'm not good with the details. But no matter how bad it is, I'm gonna go at it full force!"

"He's my Dad. And he's broken right now, Finn. We have to stop him, or he'll erase everything we know to fix his mistakes. " Sun explained quietly to the Poliwrath, earning a silent nod from his Pokémon. "Are you ready to show him what a little bit of hope can do?"

Finn let out a booming laugh, punching a fist forward as he stepped forward. Sun couldn't help a smile at the display, and knew he had chosen his final Pokémon well. Each of his Pokémon were different in so many odd and fun ways, and Finn was special because of his attitude. Always bringing others up with his enthusiasm.

Sun had saved him for last because he knew Finn would be his best chance against the lurking danger that the boy had been waiting for all night long. But for now, the Poliwrath would be the key to taking down the Greninja that his father had bonded himself to.

"We're all tied up…Zorro! Hidden Power!" Ashton screamed as he and the Ash-Greninja thrust out their hands and released a golden beam of light at the Poliwrath.

"Finn, get airborne with a Water Gun and go into Brick Break!" Sun shouted as the Poliwrath sprinted forward, his feet pounding against the battlefield as he charged directly at the attack. At the last possible moment, the Poliwrath turned his body towards the ground and blasted it with water, catapulting himself high into the air and soaring over the attack to the surprise of Zorro.

"Water Shuriken!" Ashton commanded Zorro as the Poliwrath spun downwards, punching forward with a glowing fist and connecting with the Ash-Greninja's watery star at the very last moment. Zorro slashed at Finn with the weapon, knocking him away with a snarl as the Poliwrath landed on the ground.

"Heh. That's how you wanna do it? Let's go then!" Finn boomed, punching his fists together before returning to his fighting stance.

"Water Shuriken!" Ashton shouted as Zorro lunged forward, speedily slashing at the Poliwrath with his water star. But Sun was ready for this.

"Throw yourself forward with a Water Gun, then use Submission!" Finn fired off a stream of water and soared into the air as Zorro charged, slashing upwards with Water Shuriken. He was very surprised when Finn curled into a ball and dodged the slash, grabbed onto Zorro's outstretched arm and spun them both in the air, hurtling towards the ground.

"Counter with Acrobatics!" Ashton replied, thrusting apart his hands as Zorro let out a scream and slammed his head into Finn's face as hard as he could, using the momentary distraction to break free from the Poliwrath's grasp before suddenly charging into him and knocking him into the opposite direction. Using Acrobatics from so close-up didn't do nearly as much damage as Ashton had wanted, but the intention was for Zorro not to get struck with such a strong move.

"Ice Beam!" Ashton shouted as the Greninja landed on the ground, swiftly making a hand sign before firing off a beam of ice at Finn as he plummeted towards the ground. Finn crashed down hard onto the battlefield, wincing as he bounced a few times. He then gasped in pain as Ice Beam struck, partially freezing his legs to the ground.

"Finn, Brick Break and get free!" Sun shouted as Finn charged up his fists, beginning to punch away at the ice and chipping away at it.

"Acrobatics!"

Finn looked up in time to see Zorro dropping down from above, flipping in midair as his body shined white before slamming both knees hard into Finn's chest. Sun gasped as Poliwrath screamed in response to the super-effective attack.

"Finish him off with Water Shuriken!" Ashton shouted, with Zorro drawing the weapon from his back and lashing out with it on the prone Finn, slashing him once, twice, three times, and then a fourth before suddenly being thrown backwards by a Water Gun hitting him point-blank.

With an almighty shout, Finn punched away the last of the ice and pushed himself upright, panting slightly from the repeated attacks that Zorro had unleashed upon him in such quick succession.

Behind the Poliwrath, Sun was thinking quickly, knowing that he couldn't let Finn take too much more damage like this. The only Pokémon Sun had left was technically Nebby, which didn't really count because Sun knew that the Cosmog couldn't battle. And he refused to put the creature in harm's way in the first place, so it was a moot point. On the other hand, his father had one more Pokémon after Zorro, and Sun couldn't afford to have Finn completely exhausted before he could take on whatever came next.

Even though Sun knew exactly who and what that was.

"Quick Attack! Then use Water Shuriken!" Ashton barked as the Ash-Greninja nodded, readying his massive water-star as he sprinted forward. Finn braced himself for another onslaught, but Sun's instructions immediately caught his attention.

"Wait until it gets close, then use Body Slam!" Sun shouted as Finn nodded, charging towards Zorro as the Ash-Greninja sped forward like a bullet. Finn's eyes darted around the battlefield, desperately trying to keep up with the speedy Zorro.

And then, finally when it was within range, Finn threw himself forward as his body glowed a bright white color, striking Zorro the moment he began to swing the Water Shuriken in his direction. Zorro yelped in pain as Finn's dense form slammed down hard on him, but it was made much worse when the Poliwrath then struck him with a Brick Break to the face that sent him skidding across the battlefield like a pebble skimmed across the surface of a pond.

Ashton screamed as he stumbled backwards, clutching his head as he struggled to stand upright. Meanwhile Zorro rolled to his feet and landed in a crouch, clutching his bleeding skull with fury in his gaze.

"Quick Attack and Acrobatics! Finish that Poliwrath off!" Ashton shouted angrily as Zorro stumbled forward, taking a second to regain its composure before nodding and speeding forward. Sun grit his teeth and thrust out a hand towards the battlefield.

"Let's end this Finn! Use Psychic to match his speed and then use Brick Break!" Sun ordered as Finn held out both hands behind him, narrowing his eyes with concentration as he focused Psychic directly behind him on the ground. Finn suddenly shot forward like a rocket as the Psychic force erupted behind him, propelling him towards Zorro as the Ash-Greninja dashed towards him.

"Hahaha! One final charge to see who comes out on top!" Ashton laughed as Zorro charged forward with Acrobatics, a move that would surely knock Finn out if it struck again.

Thankfully, Sun had a knack for coming up with a different way of attacking that tended to throw people off time and time again.

"Now use Psychic upwards, into an Brick Break uppercut!" Sun screamed as the two Pokémon drew near. Finn's eyes glinted with understanding, a low chuckle escaping the Tadpole Pokémon as he sped through the air. Ashton's eyes narrowed with anger at the thought of Sun using another of his combination attacks yet again

"TEAR HIM APART!" Ashton bellowed as Zorro slashed his Water Shuriken towards Finn as the two Pokémon met in midair…only to meet nothingness as Finn's left hand went upwards and his eyes glowed bright blue, releasing a burst of force with Psychic to force him down to the ground just out of Zorro's reach. While all of this was happening, Finn swung his fist upwards with every last bit of power he could muster into a Brick Break that struck Zorro right in the stomach.

"BOOOOYAAAAAH!" Finn bellowed as his fist connected with the center of Zorro's body, causing the Ninja Pokémon to completely stop in midair.

"Niiiin!" Zorro screamed as he hung there for a moment in midair, eyes bulging from the force of the impact from Finn's super-effective attack halting its enhanced momentum. Meanwhile behind him, Ashton Aupuni had been bowled over, coughing up blood while clutching his stomach. Zorro shoved Finn away from him while landing on his feet, though it was clear that the move was out of reflex and that the Greninja couldn't possibly counterattack due to the amount of pain that he and his Trainer were currently in.

"You wanted me to go all-out, Dad…I'm sorry, but you had this coming. Finn, finish him off." Sun said to the Poliwrath, who responded with a nod. This wasn't the time for laughs. This was the time to end this before anyone else got hurt. "Let's settle it with one more Brick Break!"

"Alright!" Finn bellowed as he drew back his left fist, hopping back for a moment before springing forward and punching Zorro as hard as he could in the chest, a harsh battle cry erupting from the boisterous Poliwrath as he delivered his strike.

"Aaaaghh!" Ashton screamed as he clutched his chest, falling to the ground at the same time as Zorro did, shaking with pain at the force of Finn's strike. The Greninja struggled for a moment to rise to his feet once more, to keep fighting…only for him to revert to his normal state with a strangled gasp and collapse.

"Greninja is unable to battle. The winner is Poliwrath!" the referee called, gesturing towards Sun and Finn as the Poliwrath in question let out a bombastic laugh of delight, punching his forward as Sun smiled with relief beside him. He then turned his gaze towards his father as he struggled to stand up again, managing to get to one knee through sheer force of will. The Cipher Master's body was heaving with exhaustion with blood and tears coating his face, his hair wildly blowing behind him in the wind as his eyes glazed over with flickering colors and emotion.

"Dad, are you ready to just end it? We don't have to keep doing this. I don't want to hurt you anymore." Sun said to the criminal behind so much suffering, so much hurt. But also the man who had raised him into who he was. Who had been his inspiration for the kind of person he wanted to grow up to be.

"Maybe…maybe I am." Ashton whispered, placing a trembling hand over his face. "I didn't think using Battle B-Bond would have such an effect on me. I underestimated just how much it would drain my strength."

"Sun, be careful!" Lillie suddenly called out, drawing Sun's attention. "He might be trying to make you drop your guard."

Sun turned back towards his father, who had gone still at those words. He then lowered his hand, revealing that he was smiling. The Cipher Master slowly rose, standing tall as his intense gaze drifted to Lillie before returning to his child and his Poliwrath, who was bracing himself for what was to come. Ashton Aupuni couldn't help but laugh, even if it hurt.

"Distrusting me was the smartest thing you've done today." Ashton remarked as he returned Zorro, swaying on his feet with a mad grin on his face. The Cipher Master's body trembled from the effort just to remain standing after using the Battle Bond with Zorro.

"Just end this! You're dragging this out for no reason!" Sun shouted at his father, receiving an amused bark of laughter that resulted in flecks of blood erupting from the mastermind's mouth.

"You've both done so well tonight. Genuinely. I'm so proud. But I'm done playing around. With Amber's death, I can't afford any mercy. I'm running out of time, even if I've enjoyed the moments we've spent together, Sunshine." Ashton's expression became more serious, his eyes flickering back to their normal color of gray. "I almost forgot how much I've missed you, my son. So now…I'm offering you a reprieve. Heal your team. I will wait."

"What?" Sun asked, completely baffled by his father's words.

"Revive your team. Heal them. And then leave them all out…So they can all be crushed at the same time!" Ashton laughed as Sun narrowed his gaze at his father. Despite this, he had a strange feeling he knew what was coming, and so he called out his team and began to heal them. Lillie helped as much as she could, using Full Restores, Revives and Max Ethers to bring Sun's entire team back to fighting-fit shape.

"Does anyone beside me have a bad feeling about this?" Penny asked quietly, looking towards where their Trainer's father was standing. The man seemed ready to drop, but the twisted determination in his eyes made Penny shudder with fear. The others felt it too, with even Alastor unnerved by the man's smile and intense stare at them all.

"He's gotten worse in just the few minutes since I was out. Just what has he been through to make him get to this point?" Oliver asked Sun, who didn't respond to that statement. Partially because he didn't know the full story himself, but also because he didn't know if his team could understand what his father had been subjected to.

"Pain, loss and determination have driven him completely insane. He's not in his right mind right now, so he's just lashing out with all kinds of different emotions. Anger. Pride. Love. Sorrow…Mainly the last one. He's so sad." Lillie explained to the assembled Pokémon, who took in that knowledge with different expressions.

"That human is on the edge of oblivion. He reminds me of…" Alastor stopped mid-sentence, scowling at himself as his cannon began to release bits of electricity into the air. "No matter. We will crush this fool and prove our superiority. Otherwise we shall be the ones to taste oblivion."

"Hurry hurry, my son. We don't have much time left and I've got an old friend who's dying to meet you again!" Ashton said with a terrible grin, his eyes shining with madness as he staggered forward.

"What does he mean by that…?" Lillie whispered, feeling a sense of intense dread washing over her. Nebby cooed softly above Sun's shoulder, even as the boy continued to stare down his father. That was when something moved just within his line of sight above him, and the boy looked upwards and felt a chill roll down his spine.

Standing at the top of the battleship, above where the Command Deck had been, stood the silhouette of a Pokémon Sun knew very well. A Pokémon that had been a presence throughout his entire life, from the day he was born until this very moment. A Pokémon that Sun had once found solace and comfort in…but now he viewed the powerful creature that looked down on him from above as the signature instrument of his father's will.

Damien.

"Oh no…Not him." Lillie whispered as her gaze landed where Sun's had gone to. Damien crouched and leapt off of the roof of the structure, flying through the air before landing heavily on the battlefield that had been ravaged by the fierce showdown that had taken place so far.

Sun stared at the Houndoom that had served as his father's ace for over two decades with unrestrained fear. Damien, for his part, eyed the boy with an unreadable expression before turning towards his Trainer's barely conscious form.

"You've overdone it again, Ash." Damien said with a disapproving sigh, shaking his head as he padded towards his Trainer.

"M-maybe so…But it's fine. Everything's going to be okay. I can do this…Damien, I want you to end this." Ashton wheezed, giggling dementedly as he pointed a shaking finger towards Sun's team. Damien followed his gaze and looked at Sun and his team, and every single one of the Pokémon present, even Alastor, felt a thrilled of raw terror go through them at the thought as facing down the mighty Houndoom that stood across the battlefield from them.

A Pokémon in another league of its own that they wouldn't stand a chance against. A beast that had felled Champions and stood against the League's wrath. A Pokémon that was the symbol of Borlath and his might as Cipher's Grand Master-

"No."

Ashton's eyes widened as his loyal hellhound slowly turned towards him, his eyes narrowed with barely restrained anger at the Trainer who had selfishly turned them all down this path. Sun and Lillie both froze at the response that had come from the Houndoom. It was the last thing they would have expected from Damien. Penny let out a small sigh of relief as Brago felt himself unconsciously relax.

"What do you mean no?" Ashton growled, stepping forward and wincing in pain and placing his hands over his chest. He glanced down and noticed that his bandages had practically become soaked through and that now his hands were coated in his own blood.

But he didn't care about that. Ashton Aupuni looked back up at the Houndoom that had stood beside him for decades, against the forces of both good and evil and countless battles…Who now stood protectively in front of the last thing that could possibly stop him at this juncture.

"I mean, Ashton, that I will not hurt Sun. Or any of his Pokémon. I made a promise to you when I killed that Eevee, an innocent infant who had done no harm, that I would never hurt Sun or any Pokémon under his care again. And I stand by that promise. I will not be used as a weapon towards this boy." Damien said calmly to his Trainer, who's eyes suddenly twisted into black, white and red as his hands shook with surprise and indignant rage.

"You also made a promise to obey me no matter what! After we let Tommy die, you promised that you would just trust me and take action when I directed you!" Ashton barked at the Houndoom, receiving a scorching glare in response.

"And I have fulfilled that promise for years. I have committed atrocities in your name, Ashton. I will never be able to forget the terrible things I've done for you." Damien spoke the words quietly, but the anger and self-loathing within the words filled the air like a poison. "But this is where I finally put my foot down. I will not harm Sun. I will not allow you to destroy what last strand of morality you have left by hurting the person you are sacrificing everything to save in the first place. Even if I didn't make a promise to protect Sun from you…I can't just stand here and watch you do this to yourself any more!"

"Are you serious? If I made this wish, none of this would matter! None of Sun's Pokémon will have ever met him if we go through with this plan! I can't afford to take any more time with this, Damien! Perfect Kyurem has vanished and Amber is probably d-dead!" Ashton roared at his Pokémon, his voice cracking at the last words.

"I don't care if it'll be undone! I will not harm another hair on that child! Or any other innocents! Just because you're too cowardly to kill anyone yourself!" Damien shouted back at his Partner, growling furiously. Despite this, Sun saw tears forming in the eyes of his father's oldest friend. His very first Pokémon. Damien had been with him since the beginning.

"It's got to be killing him inside to deny my father's wishes." Sun thought as he watched the two of them stare each other down. "After everything Damien's done, why does he draw the line here? What promise did he make?"

Ashton let out a scream of sheer fury and despair, staring down at the ground as he tried to process what was going on. Sun and Lillie exchanged a glance at one another while Sun's team watched on with trepidation.

Finally, the blood-soaked man standing at the end of the battlefield looked up. Sun and Lillie both weren't sure what to make of the expression on the man's face. It was a mixture of anger, despair and grief.

"Please…Just one more time. Damien. Please. I have to fix this…Let me make things right." Ashton begged Damien, placing a hand on his head as if it was hurting. Ashton's eyes were jet-black with despair as the one creature Ashton could always count on stood against him here at the very end.

"No, Ashton…I refuse to fight Sun. It's over." Damien said with a note of finality, a small burst of flames erupting from his maw at the final word. "And should you try anything, I will do whatever I must to protect Sun. "

"Damien…" Sun breathed, amazed that the hellhound would be willing to turn against Ashton for his sake. A Pokémon who had fought and burned and murdered for his Trainer had finally put his foot down and said that enough was enough.

Ashton Aupuni looked at Damien through a haze of tears, blood and exhaustion. His entire scheme was falling apart at the seams right in front of him. Amber and Perfect Kyurem had fallen, his child had confronted him and put himself in harm's way yet again, and Damien was now against him. He was done. Finished. It was the end of the…it was the end…it was…

"No." Ashton whispered, shutting his eyes as he slowly drew himself up to his full height, taking a shaking breath as he wiped his eyes, inadvertently coating his face with his bloodied hands.

"No? What does he mean by no?" Lillie asked, echoing the madman's words from just a few moments ago. She could feel a sense of forbidding as Ashton Aupuni stared down Damien and Sun with a terrible expression of righteous fury in his eyes.

"No. You're going to fight. You're going to be the instrument of my will, one last time." Ashton hissed furiously at his hellhound, even as his eyes shifted into a crimson, showing the absolute seething hatred that he now held for everything in this world. A world where everyone had betrayed him. His wife. His child. His closest friends.

And now his Partner.

"Damien! Crush Sun's team now!" Ashton bellowed at the Houndoom, who growled softly in anger and began to step towards his Trainer.

"I warned you, Ashton. Do not push me!" Damien warned the Cipher Master, who placed both hands on his head. Sun's eyes widened as the damaged Mega Crown sitting atop his father's head began to shine with a black light that rippled outwards.

"Maybe if words can't get through to you…Then I can remind you of our bond! Damien! Remember everything we've been through! Mega Evolve! Let our bond persevere so we can save this world!" Ashton Aupuni bellowed as he held out his hands and called upon the Keystone that rested in the artifact on his head.

"Our bond is stronger than this! We are one!" Ashton screamed over Damien's protests, even as the Houndoomite on the canine's chest activated. Damien dug his claws into the ground, howling as pink energy erupted from his chest.

"Run! Save yourselves!" Damien shouted to the horrified children as Ashton Aupuni grinned maniacally, even as the energy radiating from the Mega Crown shifted from pink to red…and then to crimson. And then it faded to black.

"Everyone I've ever believed in has turned their back on me. My parents. Roran. Laura. Lusa. The Pokémon League. My son…And now you, Damien, the most loyal of all." Ashton Aupuni intoned as he held out his hands, laughing despite the tears and blood that coated his face. Even as the Mega Crown began to shudder upon his brow, cracking even further.

"I will save this world! I will save everyone with my own wretched life!" Ashton bellowed, throwing his head upwards as tears streamed down his face. "We shall go together, Damien! Mega Evolve and clear the slate clean!"

"No! I won't…I can't! I can't let you continue…to let your sorrow and anger destroy you! And everything you ever cared about!" Damien barked back at Borlath even as the energy crackling between Damien and Ashton turned black as the void.

And then everything went wrong.

Ashton's smile turned to an expression of horror as he clutched the Mega Crown, which was now sparkling wildly with black lightning as Damien howled in agony. The Keystone lodged within the Mega Crown cracked in two, causing a shock wave of force to erupt from the gemstone as Ashton let out a scream of agony.

"What's going on?!" one of the Cipher Peons called out, with some of them backing away from the battlefield as Ashton screamed and clutched the crown that was slowly breaking apart atop his head.

"Sun! Lillie! Run for it! " Ashton screamed out as he clutched the Mega Crown, even as more cracks ran down the artifact that Sun realized was now overwhelmed. Somehow, someway the device that Ashton Aupuni had used for Mega Evolution was malfunctioning. "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES-!"

Ashton was cut off when a sudden flash of light erupted from the Mega Crown, causing Ashton to suddenly scream even louder in pain. Damien howled as he threw his head up high, with an uncontrollable torrent of pitch-black flames erupting from his mouth. The flames filled the sky overhead, but strangely remained still in the air and hung over them all.

Clarity came to Ashton for a brief moment as he gazed out at the children now caught up within the danger of his madness. One single thought filled his mind as he watched more and more fire fill the sky above him.

What have I done?

The entire Mega Crown then began to glow atop Ashton Aupuni's head…and then began to melt!

"Dad!" Sun screamed out as the crystalline crown sitting atop Ashton's head slowly began to melt, causing Ashton to scream even louder in pain as the liquid crystal began to flow down his face, discharging raw energy all the while. Ashton tried in vain to yank the melting crown off of his head, but only succeeded in making the liquid crystal that had once been the Mega Crown coat his hands as well, making him scream even louder as it flowed down his hands and arms.

"Stay a-away! Run!" Ashton screamed out as he fell to his knees, his hands coated in crystal even as the melting crown covered his eyes and mouth. That was when a terrible tremor passed through the man's body and he remained completely still…

Only for the black flames that Damien had shot into the air to suddenly fly at Ashton Aupuni's still form, enveloping him like a whirling tornado of pure fire. Lillie and Sun screamed out as the hellfire struck the man's still form.

Ashton's screams intensified as a wicked shockwave erupted outwards as the Houndoom's distorted flames enveloped Ashton Aupuni, whirling around him as his muffled screams continued to fill the air. The overwhelming sense of rage and sorrow that were somehow contained within the mysterious hellfire was enough to bring tears to the eyes of the children, but it was nothing compared to Damien. The Houndoom was openly weeping as he looked towards his Trainer, who at this point had become a human bonfire.

"Ash…Please. Let…go…" Damien panted as he tried to get up, despite the wildly sparking Houndoomite on his chest. To the Houndoom's horror, he got a response from his Trainer.

"What fun is there in letting go? Damien, we're just getting started."

The flames slowly began to disperse around Ashton Aupuni, and the assembled group looked on in surprise and mounting terror at what was gazing back at the group.

Standing before them was Ashton Aupuni, except that his posture and demeanor had changed completely. While just moments ago he had been a mentally devastated wreck of a human being, now he was the picture of calm and power, towering above them all. What was stranger was the fact that the crystalline remnants of the Mega Crown that had coated his hands and head had changed into something new.

Instead of a broken crown sitting atop his head, Ashton Aupuni's face was covered by an intimidating helmet of sorts that gleamed ethereally in the firelight. His hands, which had been coated in liquid crystal, were now spiked gauntlets that ended at the Cipher Master's elbow. What made all of this even stranger was the fact that the black flames that Damien had involuntarily shot out into the sky were currently wrapped around Ashton Aupuni's body like flowing armor.

"Ash…What happened?" Damien asked, clearly concerned for his Trainer. The man regarded his Houndoom for a moment, his expression unreadable behind the helmet that concealed everything except his crimson eyes.

"Not Ash. Not Ashton. Not even Dad. Right now, at this very moment, you may call me Borlath." The man cloaked in flames and crystal said to them all as he slowly walked forward, causing the children to move backwards.

"Now then…where were we? Oh that's right." Borlath said as he extended a hand out towards the shaking form of Damien, even as the Houndoom growled at his Trainer and didn't move from his position in front of Sun. Damien then lunged at his Borlath, opening his mouth as if ready to tear his master's head off with his jaws-

Borlath thrust both hands forward, and to Sun and Lillie's surprise the flames that had enveloped the mastermind of Cipher suddenly rushed forward, acting like tendrils as they snaked outwards and struck Damien through the chest, impaling him right through the chest, right where the Houndoomite rested on his body.

"Damien!" Sun screamed as the Houndoom let out a high-pitched whine of surprise as he was halted in midair, landing harshly on the ground. Damien tried to stand, but the sudden sharp pain he felt from the burning Houndoomite on his chest had intensified to the point where he could barely think. But the worst thing of all was that through the flames, he could feel all of the negative emotions that were pouring from Ashton Aupuni.

Anger. Fear. Grief. Betrayal. Sorrow.

"It's like I said, Sun…there's no hope left. Not for this world. Not for me. And certainly not for you…" Borlath said quietly, his normally melodious voice akin to crackling flames as Damien howled in agony as the black flames smothered him completely. Soon nothing was left of the Houndoom except a writhing mass of flames. "However, I do believe we were in the middle of a battle. I wonder how you'll fare against Damien now that we're on the same page."

Sun and Lillie and all of Pokémon assembled in front of them watched on in horror as the bonfire of black flames crackled and thrummed with energy, the smoke filling the air as the flames grew hotter with each passing second. Soon the light beams of the Tapu were smothered from sight and the sky was filled with fire from whatever was taking place before their eyes. And then, Rotom Dex broke the silence with a terrifying declaration that made Sun's heart drop.

"Bzzzzt! Warning! Shadow Pokémon detected!" Rotom Dex screamed as the flames in front of them slowly began to part around the place where Damien had been before, and a new figure began to rise. Sun and Lillie both felt their hearts go cold at the sight of Damien, and even the Pokémon assembled in front of the boy collectively stiffened in fear at the sight of what had once been a Mega Houndoom.

Damien's entire body had turned a dark purple color, and most of the bones that made up the armor of the Mega Houndoom had turned jet black, even as white and black flames poured from the hellhound's skin and mouth. The worst part was Damien's eyes, completely glazed over with pure rage not unlike the Shadow Pokémon that Sun had encountered over the past few months. Gone was the stern Houndoom who had finally had enough of the bloodshed.

Before them was a Pokémon that had become a fighting machine. And would obey whatever orders were given to it.

The Shadow Mega Houndoom slowly looked upwards and growled at Sun and his team, causing every single one of them to shrink back as the pure killing intent of the monster washed over them. The sheer power radiating from Damien right at that moment was overwhelming, as was the raw emotions held within the terrible hellfire that now surrounded them.

"How…How did he turn Damien into a Shadow Pokémon? What's going on?" Sun asked, his voice a terrified whisper. Meanwhile Borlath simply laughed as he flexed his hands, the burning tendrils that connected him to Damien's back like strings flickering for a moment. The tendrils of fire thinned and shifted until they became chain-like, dripping black flames onto the ground.

"It's a shame he had to fight it. His will is strong…But mine has always been stronger." Borlath remarked with a disappointed sigh before turning towards all of them, his eyes blazing with literal hatred as fire continued to swirl around all of them. Oliver and his teammates moved forward, bracing themselves for what they knew would be a fight to the death.

Borlath's insane eyes peered out from the crystalline helmet that had once been the Mega Crown, what was one an instrument of power and the bond between Trainer and Pokémon that was now the cause of this terrifying turn.

The madman chuckled deeply as the flames around all of them began to burn even hotter. And that was when Borlath uttered two very familiar words that signaled the next phase of the showdown between father and son for the sake of reality as they knew it.

"Damien…Kill."


NEXT CHAPTER: Sun and his team battle against Borlath and Damien!


No questions this go around! So that means we can go straight to the outro!

So quite a few people guessed that Damien would get involved and refuse to fight Sun. Some even guessed that he would become a Shadow Pokémon. Well, how many guessed that things would play out this way? And an even better question for you guys to try to puzzle out is…

How does Sun and his team stop Borlath and Damien now? I'm interested to see your thoughts and predictions!

Also, a quick follow-up! Below is the current list of eye-colors based on emotions. I couldn't find a few, so here's what I've got. Typically colors that are a mixture of two colors represent a mixture of two emotions.

Gold - Joy

Blue - Concern

Pink - Anger and fear

Red - Anger

White - Fear

Black - Despair

Ringed Black, White, Red - Insanity

Crimson - Hatred

Also, here are the levels of Ashton Aupuni's team, for the sake of those who are curious.

Bruce (Hitmonchan) - Level 36

Creed (Toxtricity) - Level 36

Rooto (Trevenant) - Level 34

Puffy - (Wigglytuff) - Level 36

Zorro - (Greninja) - Level 37

Damien (Houndoom) - Level 78

That's it for this update! Please stay tuned as the climax of the Cipher Arc keeps on chugging along! Favorite and/or Follow the story to stay updated, and consider reviewing the chapter to show your support for me and the story. I also answer questions!

Take care and stay awesome!

Until next time, FlygonNick out!