Pokémon Radiant Sun


The following chapter delay was brought to you by Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Destiny 2: The Witch Queen.

Yeah, I had to take an extra couple of weeks to play through these two long-awaited games. Not the best excuse for a six-week wait in between chapters, but that's the honest truth.

Plus I'm still pretty roughed up from dealing with Coronavirus these past few weeks. Honestly I'm just thrilled I've been able to write at a steady pace despite being more or less bedridden for three weeks. It could've been worse, so I'm grateful to be still standing.

As always, please be safe out there everyone. Get vaccinated, do a booster shot if they're available and wear masks. Protect yourself and everyone around you.

Shoutout to the absolutely awesome people who reviewed since the last update, which includes SolanaLeonhart, Oragonking, EL Hunter, AnonymousEmboar, Augar, fatwhiteguy, PigniteGamer29, a Guest reviewer, RC-DA and two new reviewers that go by PokekidKantoFF and ConnivingG! Thanks for the support and feedback, folks!

The two battle themes of this chapter are "Final Boss (Phase 1) - Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Music Extended" by splatMeggy on YouTube and "Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth OST - The Tempest [Extended]" by Coup De Grâce. Definitely recommend reading along with those songs as background music for this one, as they definitely lend this showdown the gravitas that it deserves.

Enjoy!


Chapter 135: Lord of the Castle


Celadon City

14 Months Ago


Sun couldn't breathe as he stared down into the foyer, cold fear and horror gripping his soul even as he watched the blood from Padma spread across the floor, staining the white carpet. He couldn't believe it. He had seen it happen with his own eyes, but he couldn't believe what his father had done.

The young boy's grip on the handrails tightened until Sun's hands began to hurt, even as his mother began screaming at the man standing in the foyer. The small Meowth that was crouched beside Sun simply stared down at the dead Persian on the floor below, its young mind barely able to comprehend what had just happened.

The raven-haired man who had begun all of the night's violence just shook his head, his eyes blazing like thunderstorms ready to unleash their deadly wrath upon everyone in their sights. Sun's father, a man who he idolized and adored with all of his heart, had just murdered his mother's Partner Pokémon in cold blood.

Gone was the man who read him stories to help him sleep. Gone was the man who made jokes about himself and Pokémon and laughed and smiled. The man in front of him was something else…

And he had just killed one of Laura's Pokémon with one of his own.

Ashton Aupuni now wore the mask of a monster. Someone unrecognizable to Sun, even though he knew that man to be his father.

"Are you happy now?!" Ashton spat, towering in the doorway as Damien trotted back to him, crimson fluid still dripping from his mouth as the Pokémon regarded the mother with a remorseful expression, hating what he had just done.

"You're a monster, Ashton. I don't know why I didn't see the signs sooner. As soon as I realized you were with Cipher I should've taken Sun and left. You're disgusting…You destroyed that city and you're teaming up with a bunch of monsters! You threw me and your son away for this! So many people are going to die if you keep this up! Don't you care!? Don't you understand!?" Laura screamed, pain and anger in her voice as she readied another Poké Ball in her trembling hand, but Ashton had taken a step inside of the home and allowed two men in gleaming white armor to step inside, aiming their guns at her. Just visible outside were the bodies of several police officers, torn apart by something with very sharp teeth. Laura's fierce expression faltered as the men aimed their weapons at her, though her gaze of hate and anguish remained.

"All those years of me being your wife…and you're throwing it away to chase a nightmare." Laura whispered, tears of hurt and disbelief flowing freely down on her face as her husband remained silent at her words. Ashton's face contorted into a horrific scowl, a slash of fury against his face that was smoothed over a few moments later as he reigned in his emotions with a visible effort.

"Dad…please stop." Sun whispered, feeling his body tremble with horror, despite being frozen in place and only able to watch as his father replied after what seemed like an eternity.

"I didn't throw either of you away…Laura, this is what I have to do. I was born to change this world, can't you see it!? With my power and influence I can revolutionize whatever I set my sights on…And so why not use that power to change the world in the only way it knows how to? Force. And if some have to die on the way…" For a moment Sun saw it, the hesitation and regret flash across his face. Sun then saw those dark gray eyes harden and all doubt was swept aside like a thunderstorm washing over a beach.

"Then so be it. I will save this world from itself, my dear. Even if I have to resort to drastic measures like this. Through Cipher, we will begin our conquest of the world and make everything how it should be." Ashton replied as he crossed his arms, shutting his eyes for a moment. Ashton's expression turned into something terrible as he scowled, and Sun wouldn't help but wonder if the man he called his father had ever existed in the first place, for this man wearing his father's face was breaking everything Sun ever knew about his life.

"Save this world…Ashton, you're going about this in the absolute worst way possible! You've condemned millions to an early death just for what!? You'd be no better than that psychopath Lysandre or Team Plasma!" Laura shot back, clenching her fists despite being held at gunpoint.

"And how many died during the Plasma riots? The floods that Team Aqua unleashed? How about Team Rocket? How many lives did they steal? Except they were selfish…they had no true endgame in mind for their deeds. I do." Ashton said, his voice swelling with power as he took a step forward, his scowl deepening and contorting even further, a splash of emotions on his face. Sun couldn't tell what though. Anger, disgust, resentment, disappointment, concern, pain, regret. It could have been all of these emotions or none of them at all.

"What about our child?" Laura hissed at Ashton. The man smiled then, however it was anything but comforting. Gone was any sense of warmth or amusement from the smiles Sun was used to from his father. The smile the man below him wore was dark, cold, and the amusement on display there was of the grimmest sort.

"I plan on having my Sunshine standing by my side. I've groomed him into a fine heir to my business and to follow in my footsteps down the road. Should I fall short of my goal, then my son will ensure that this world will become a better place in my stead." Ashton explained softly, his voice reducing in volume.

Sun dropped to his knees in abject horror, wrapping his arms around his body as he realized the implications of what his father had said. All of the time he had spent with his father was…was it all a lie? Was he just using him like a tool? A backup plan in case he failed in his ridiculous scheme? Did he intend for Sun to join an evil group like him to hurt and cause others suffering?

Sun felt a tear roll down his face as he looked down at his hero…and realized that everything he had admired and loved about his father meant nothing, because the man he cared so much about…the man that Sun gave up so much of himself for…

Was a monster.

"You're not going to lay a hand on him. You've corrupted him enough, Ash." Laura growled, the steel in her voice not betraying the raw horror she felt in her heart.

"No. I gave him the education he needs to help me on my way. You may have tried to poison his mind with that Trainer nonsense, but I put an end to that. Pokémon Trainers may be able to save the world from the bad guys, but they can't save the world from itself. I intend to end this cycle, my dear. Not as a Pokémon Trainer, but as a man financing a revolution of the darkest kind…Sun will understand in time." Ashton said to Laura, receiving a slow shake of the head in response as Laura stared at her ex-husband in abject horror at his words. Ashton sighed deeply, reaching up and rubbing his forehead, a small gesture to show that the events of the evening were wearing down on him.

"You're an idiot…Our child is too smart to fall for that. He knows right from wrong, unlike you." Laura spat at her former husband.

"I've already twisted the boy's arm enough. He'll be whatever I want him to be.I hate having to use love to make people do what I want, but if that's what's necessary then I'll do it. I've done worse things, after all. When all of this is done, he'll forgive me." Laura growled at the man as he spoke, glancing down at the dead Pokémon at her feet before looking back up at her ex-husband.

"You're wrong, Ashton…You really don't understand people nearly as well as you think you do." Laura replied, clenching her fists and stepping forward, despite the two Cipher grunts raising their weapons at her. Ashton just scoffed in reply, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Too bad. Someday he'll understand that if you want to save the world…sacrifices have to be made. Goodbye, my dear. I did love you, despite everything." Ashton said before he reached down, placing a hand down on Damien's head, the Pokémon's eyes gleaming the dark with unrestrained sorrow. Because he knew exactly what was coming next.

"Damien…kill." The Houndoom stepped forward, baring his razor sharp teeth in a deadly snarl of frustration at what things had come too. Damien crouched low as Laura's breath hitched and Sun felt true fear roll through him at Ashton's quiet yet firm command, and as his father's Partner Pokémon lunged at his mother Sun let out a scream-

Only for a ghostly shield to rise up in front of Laura, protecting her from Damien and throwing back the massive hellhound. Damien landed on his feet with a grunt while Ashton scowled at the Aegislash that now stood in his way, it's blade pointing at them as its shield hovered in front of Laura.

"You!" Ashton shouted as the familiar figure of Captain Oliver of the International Police stepped out of the shadow of Aegislash, scowling with fury at the man who had attacked his own ex-wife.

"Laura, are you okay?" Oliver asked tersely, not looking at Laura and instead eyeing Ashton Aupuni with a determined expression.

"Somehow…you arrived right in the nick of time, Ollie." Laura said weakly, her voice holding a note of both relief and fear at his ex-husband's expression of mounting anger.

"Is Sun okay?" Oliver asked his old friend, eyeing the slain officers outside with a quiet rage that he shoved down. Oliver needed focus if he wanted to save everyone he could.

"He's upstairs, I-" Laura began to say, only for a child's cry to cut her off.

"Stop it! Stop fighting!" Sun screamed out, catching all of their attention. Meowth slunk off into the shadows as Sun ran over to the railing, tears dripping down his face as the adults looked up at the distraught child. Oliver recovered from his surprise first, looking back at Ashton Aupuni with smoldering fury in his eyes.

"Sun!" Ashton called out to the boy, but he could see the horror in the boy's eyes and knew that Sun had witnessed everything that he had done tonight. It'd take a lot of work to regain his trust.

But that was fine. He'd simply need to take care of Laura and the meddler, and he could fix everything.

"You know, I really wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt. You were a pillar of the community, Ashton. A Champion in every sense of the word. A genuinely good man…why did you have to do all of this?" Oliver said with steel in his voice as he stared down Ashton and Damien, alongside several members of Cipher who had suddenly drawn their weapons.

"I am a genuinely good person. It's this world that's messed up. I will save us all from destruction, Captain Oliver. Even if people have to die for me to reach that goal, it's a goal that'll save countless lives in the long run. It's worth the heartache now if it means a revolution that'll change our world." Ashton responded quietly, even as his Houndoom looked down at the slain form of Padma the Persian on the ground. The cat had been Laura's first Pokémon and a friend to him.

"Holy shit, you sound like a psychopath." Oliver breathed, eyes wide at the sudden declaration from Ashton Aupuni. "You…You really are one of Cipher's big wigs, huh? What kind of goal could you possibly hope to achieve with a bunch of terrorists?"

"You wouldn't understand, Captain. None of you would. You haven't seen what I've seen. The true evil of this world. If I have to embrace the dark to save everyone from it, then that's just what I have to do." Ashton responded cryptically, his eyes flashing in the dim light of the foyer.

"And so you decided it'd be a good idea to freeze an entire city and then try to kill your ex-wife?!" Oliver demanded, trying to keep his voice level. To his surprise, he saw the other man's expression crumple for a moment before Ashton looked away, taking a few seconds to compose himself.

"If Laura's going to stop me from saving everyone, especially my Sun, then I c-can't let her stand in my way anymore." Ashton said to the Captain, even as Oliver heard the man's voice tremble. It was obvious that Ashton didn't truly want to do any of this. He probably loved Laura still. But that wasn't going to stop what happened next.

"I'm sorry, Ashton, but I'm going to have to deal with you. Your crimes against humanity aside, you just murdered another Trainer's Pokémon and attempted to kill your ex-wife. I can't just stand aside and let you do this. Now stand down." Oliver said to the Cipher Admin, finally receiving a smile from Ashton as the Captain drew his sidearm.

"Stand down? In case you haven't noticed, you're surrounded." Ashton remarked, stuffing his hands into his pockets with an easy movement. "And I sincerely doubt whatever backup you've brought would be willing to jump into a hostage situation like this."

"Is that what you think?" Oliver asked harshly, drawing another Poké Ball as Aegislash shifted slightly. "My backup will be here in a matter of seconds. I'd like to think I can hold off you and your new friends easily enough on my own.

Ashton grinned as his eyes flashed crimson, sending chills down the spines of both Laura and Oliver as they looked into the hateful eyes of the man who had given up his family for the sake of his ambitions. Sun simply watched on with horror in his eyes, shaking as tears ran down his face.

"Damien, do not let that man stand in the way of us ending this." Ashton instructed the hellhound, who looked down at the ground for several moments before sighing and looking up, his teeth bared into a snarl.

"You know how powerful Damien is, Captain. I've no doubt that Damien alone could decimate your entire team. Do you really think you can stop me?" Ashton asked Oliver, his eyes shifting back to gray and blue respectively.

"I don't really have much of a choice. You won't be hurting Sun or Laura tonight, Ashton. I'd bet my life on that." Oliver said as he readied himself, his mind racing as to what his next move would be. Ashton chuckled as he pointed a finger at Laura and Oliver, with Damien padding forward with a soft growl.

"So be it. Damien, ki-" Ashton began to say, only to be interrupted by a furious yowling sound from somewhere above him. Startled, Ashton looked upwards, just in time to be blindsided by a small Meowth that had landed on his head!

"Agh! What are you doing!?" Ashton snarled as the cat swiped and bit at his face, hissing furiously as Ashton stumbled backwards. Damien looked at his Trainer in shock, with some of the Cipher Peons doing the same.

Laura watched on in surprise and horror as the baby Meowth, Padma's child, viciously clawed at Ashton as he swore loudly in pain and surprise. Laura glanced down at the corpse of Padma, tears stinging at her eyes as she tried to focus on her murderous ex-husband.

"And there's my shot. Shadow Claw!" Oliver whispered as Aegislash dove into its shadow, even as Oliver tossed a Poké Ball forward and sent out his Dodrio. The three-headed bird rushed forward, slamming hard into Damien and knocking him back as Aegislash quickly began to slash into the Cipher Peons, downing them with screams of agony as they collapsed onto the ground bleeding.

Ashton grabbed onto the snarling baby Meowth with a roar and hurled him across the hallway, sending him crashing hard into the wall before he pointed at the Dodrio attacking the surprised Damien. "Flamethrower!"

"King's Shield!" Oliver barked as Aegislash floated in front of Dodrio as it leapt back, blocking the harsh flames from Damien as the Houndoom unleashed his fire at the Captain.

Ashton turned to his men, seeing all of them bleeding and injured due to the quick action of Captain Oliver. The Cipher Admin grit his teeth for a moment in anger before his face smoothed over, with the criminal looking back towards his now-ex-wife and her protector. In the distance police sirens could be heard, as well as the screech of tires down the road.

"Very well. I'll depart for now. Laura…I will be coming for my son. I promise you that. Nothing will stop me from saving this world from itself." Ashton said before he snapped his fingers.

Laura let out a scream of surprise as a shadow rushed from the side of the room, brutally slamming into Oliver from behind before flipping into the air and landing on the ground behind Ashton, with Oliver's gun being sent flying across the floor out of his reach. Laura watched as Zorro dashed around behind Ashton, swiftly using Shadow Sneak to take away the injured Cipher Peons as Ashton stared them down.

"Y-you…son of a bitch!" Oliver hissed as he rolled onto his stomach, with Dodrio and Aegislash rushing forward, only for Damien to release a wall of hellish fire upon them both.

"Farewell." Ashton said with a strange smile, stepping backwards as the flames began to spread throughout the foyer, with Ashton looking up at the terrified and crying child watching him with pleading eyes.

"Sun…" Ashton began to say, only for his words to catch in his throat. Ashton sighed and turned away, returning Damien as Zorro stepped out of his own shadow. Behind him was nothing but a few pools of blood, with the Cipher Peons now safely evacuated from the area. Ashton was whisked away within moments, and soon Cipher was no longer at the home.

Laura broke down in tears, almost hysterical as she cried in the foyer. Oliver staggered to his feet, wincing in pain as he limped over to the woman to make sure she was free of any injuries. As several police officers entered the house, Oliver barked out instructions for them to sweep the area with their Pokémon as Oliver took charge of the situation and quickly had the flames extinguished in the foyer.

After making sure that Laura wasn't in need of medical treatment, Oliver quickly checked on the unconscious baby Meowth and treated it for its minor injuries. It was then that he turned his attention to Sun, who was still staring at the spot where his father had been standing with a faraway glaze in his eyes.

"Sun, are you okay?" Oliver asked the boy, knowing full-well that he wasn't. Even now, the boy was staring down at them with horrified eyes, tears streaming down his face at the undeniable truth thrown into his face.

His father had become a monster. And not even all the admiration and love that he had for Ashton Aupuni would make Sun forgive what he had done.


Present

Onboard the Absolution


"Damien…Kill."

"Oliver use Protect!" Sun screamed as Shadow Damien released a pitch-black plume of flames directly at Sun and Lillie, only for a brilliant green shield to appear around them. The rest of Sun's team scattered, jumping aside as the flames slammed into the barrier and Oliver screamed at the effort of maintaining the shield, pain evident in his voice as the barrier around them began to crack and splinter immediately.

Lillie shrieked in fear and clutched Nebby tightly as the temperature around them skyrocketed. Within moments the two children were struggling to breathe as the black hellfire enveloped the shield completely.

"I…I can't…maintain it!" Oliver panted as he looked back at Sun and Lillie, the two humans who would surely perish the moment his shield failed. Flecks of energy broke off from the barrier around them, showing that it was very close to shattering completely.

"Oliver, you're not going to let him win, are you? Now, when we're so close to the end?" Sun asked the Dartrix as Oliver lowered his head. To Lillie's amazement, the shield continued to hold despite the words Oliver had spoken just moments before.

The flames suddenly ceased, cutting off and giving them all merciful release from the hellish heat that had drowned them for nearly a full twenty seconds. Lillie and Sun gasped for air as Oliver collapsed onto the ground and released the shield, panting from the strain of maintaining Protect against such a powerful attack.

"Well done, Sun. Very quick reaction time."

Sun and Lillie looked up at Ashton Aupuni, now cloaked in billowing purple and black flames while crystalline gauntlets encased his hands, extending outwards like claws. Purple flame-like chains extended outwards into the body of the Shadow Mega Houndoom that stood in front of him.

Shadow Damien remained as still as a statue, awaiting the next command from his master. His body radiated with black and white black flames, the massive Mega Houndoom's corrupted purple, white and red form warping the battlefield due to the sheer heat the Shadow Pokémon's body was putting off. No trace of the stern and fierce canine that had been Damien was left in the eyes of the monster that stood before them. Only a fighting machine, twisted so badly by his Trainer that nothing was left but a monster.

As for that Trainer, it was impossible to tell what Borlath's expression was at the moment, due to the remnants of the Mega Crown having melted over his face into a helm-like covering. But his tone sounded amused, even if his eyes were currently colored crimson with hatred.

"I've rarely ever seen a Pokémon so naturally gifted at using Protect. Usually it has a fifty-fifty chance of failing, but it seems to happen less often with your Dartrix. But I wonder…what will happen when the shield fails?" Borlath asked with a hidden grin as the chains tethered to Shadow Damien retracted slightly, causing the beast to snarl and jerk back.

"Dad…what is this? What happened to you?" Sun asked, at a loss for words. Borlath remained silent, glancing down at his crystal-coated hands that now gleamed in the firelight.

"It's the crown. The one that had the Mega Stone in it." Lillie said quietly, causing Sun to look at her with surprise. "I noticed the other day when I was captured by your father that his crown looked messed up. When I saw it again at Iki Town, it looked like it was even more damaged. And now it finally just…broke."

"You think something went wrong with the Mega Evolution then?" Sun said to Lillie, earning a small nod from the blonde-haired girl as Borlath stirred.

"Hmm…I believe I understand how this all took place. It's fitting really." Borlath spoke up in a business-like tone as he clenched and unclenched the clawed gauntlets.

"You see, Sun…For some time now, me and Damien have been at odds with one another. He's hated the road that I began walking down for the sake of saving my family from a careless world of selfishness." Borlath explained, his deep and melodious voice echoing across the battlefield. "Once I became the Grand Master of Cipher, his frustration and revulsion towards me grew. He became scared of what I was becoming. What I was doing to myself."

"Soon after I slaughtered Team Rocket, where I invoked Mega Evolution for the first time, me and Damien clashed time and time again. Our bond began to fray as he began to doubt me. This escalated when I killed Roran…And I realized just how much I was suffering by that point."

"All of my plans were ash thanks to the efforts of Roran, the Pokémon League, and of course my own son." Borlath continued, his gaze narrowing with barely concealed rage as he spoke. "As my mind began to unravel at the seams, I remembered an old tome that was once Roran's that came into my possession years ago. It spoke of a ritual that involved bending the four Guardian Deities to one's will and making a wish. There was a price, of course, but at that moment…I didn't care. I decided to battle with my former Gods in battles to the death. "

"With each clash against the Tapu, my bond with Damien became weaker and distorted. Our feelings of trust and love gave way to concern, resentment and most importantly fear. Eventually the Mega Crown fused to my head, and I refrained from using it against Tapu Koko. But tonight…was the final straw it seemed." Borlath's voice had become a near-whisper, nothing more than a hiss that was nevertheless carried across the battlefield.

"The feelings that are supposed to fuel Mega Evolution were no longer present when I attempted to call upon the power of mine and Damien's bond tonight. And instead of drawing upon of our bond and the trust and love we felt towards one another, the Keystone instead fueled Damien's transformation based on my own emotions. Hatred, sorrow, grief and unrelenting fury. All of those emotions, some that have been building and building within my soul for nearly my entire life have finally been…released." Borlath's breath became a horrible exhale that was a combination of relief and bloodlust.

"An entire lifetime of negative emotions made manifest…" Lillie whispered, her face going pale at the thought. Especially knowing what she did about Ashton Aupuni's life and his mental state right before the transformation took place.

"That's right." Borlath responded, a dark chuckle escaping the madman as he gestured towards Shadow Damien. "Damien couldn't physically accept the feelings I sent through to the Houndoomite on his chest, and so he literally expelled those feelings into the air, where they came back to me, resulting in what you see before you."

"Dad…was this what you've been holding back all this time? The real monster that lurked within you?" Sun asked, his voice shaking as Borlath considered the question.

"In a manner you're absolutely right, Sun." Borlath nodded in agreement. "I should also add that because Damien and I are bonded through Mega Evolution, it was only fitting that I give him a bit of insight into my state of mind. So I used this strange new form to override Damien's will, shutting the door to his heart. And in doing so I have achieved the impossible. A Shadow Mega Pokémon. Something that goes against everything Ein, Greevil and myself thought was ever possible…And a fitting way to end our story. Don't you think so?"

"You seem to still think I'm just going to let you win. It's still six-on-one." Sun said with a confidence that was understandably shaken, especially seeing the state that his father and Damien were now in.

"That doesn't bother me. At the end of the road…I can only count on myself. And Shadow Damien here is more than enough to finally end this game." Borlath sighed, clenching the chains as Damien let out a booming howl that caused the flames surrounding them to reach further into the air.

Sun could feel the unease in the air as his team shifted nervously, with the monstrous hellhound practically chomping at the bit to tear them apart. Borlath peered at Sun with crimson eyes, his gaze calculating as a silence enveloped the battlefield.

It didn't last long.

"Do you truly think you can still win against me? You of all people should know just how powerful Damien is…And when both Mega Evolved and being twisted into a Shadow Pokémon?" Borlath chuckled darkly, clearly amused in a twisted way. "Quite frankly, you don't have a chance in hell."

Sun grit his teeth as he looked from his father to the Houndoom that he had known his entire life. A stubborn and grouchy dog who nevertheless loved Sun enough to turn against his own Trainer.

Damien's final act before falling under Borlath's hatred was to protect Sun.

"I won't let it end like this, Dad." Sun whispered, causing Borlath's laughter to cut off. "Everyone you've hurt. All of the lives you and Cipher have stolen…Somehow, someway, I'm going to end this! I'm going to save you and everyone else! I won't let you take away our futures!" Sun shouted at his father, his voice cracking as tears stung in his eyes.

Lillie watched Sun as she put her hands over her heart. She could hear the pain in his voice. The terror and horror that no doubt clung to him as he fought for not just the lives of his Pokémon, but the future of everyone on this planet. The Tapu's Prayer would allow Borlath to make a wish by sacrificing his own soul. His wish would be to rewrite history to make it so that he never got involved with Cipher. His wish would end the world as they knew it, since Borlath's actions had touched countless lives and as a result they would all change in some way. Despite this, Sun stood tall against the madness of his father with determination shining in his eyes.

"He's so strong…Even against all of this, Sun refuses to give up." Lillie whispered, holding Nebby tightly in her arms. Lillie then noticed a flicker of movement in the corner of her eye in the distance and saw that Tapu Koko was pressed up against the glass of the container it was in.

The Guardian Deity of Melemele Island was still being tortured within the chamber that it and the other Tapu were locked within. Despite the container currently blasting the God of Conflict with raw bolts of darkness, the Tapu's gaze was on the two humans that would fight each other to the death for the sake of everyone.

"Every lie. Every death. Every betrayal…Before this unfair world gets burned away by my hate, I'm going to show you what a real monster is!" Borlath roared as the flames surrounding him flared violently with Damien howling ethereally alongside him, his battle cry echoing all across Hau'oli City. Sun's entire team tensed as the beast advanced towards them, merciless eyes staring them down as Borlath's chains tightened in his grasp.

"Just because you didn't get a fair life doesn't mean that you have to take it out on everyone. I had to deal with all of your crap and I don't go around making people miserable." Sun shot back, stepping forward with a note of anger in his voice now. "You're just lashing out, like a little kid! Life's unfair! Life can be terrible and cruel! But that doesn't mean you have to be! What the hell happened to the man who inspired me to be kind? To try and be the best person I could be to everyone, no matter who they were!?"

"He's gone now…All that's left is the darkness left behind. What he constantly tried to keep back. There's truly nothing left to save, Sun. Do you really want to still try to keep reaching out to me? Am I really worth it?" Borlath asked the child, his tone condescending.

But Sun wasn't fooled.

"You wouldn't be asking me that if you didn't still care." Sun responded, cracking a smile as Borlath's eyes widened fractionally. "I'm going to save you. I won't give up this chance…I'm going to be that last bit of hope, Dad. I won't let you die! Not before you face your crimes and accept the consequences for what you've done!"

The Grand Master of Cipher then thrust out his hands as Shadow Damien padded forward, snarling viciously as Sun's team prepared themselves for the fight of their lives. "Let's see if your strength matches your belief." Borlath muttered as the chains flared within his grasp. "Damien, use Fire Blast!"

"Scatter!" Sun screamed as the Houndoom reared his head back and an orb of pitch-black flames flickered in his throat before exploding forth into a massive star-shaped blast of fire that made Damien's earlier flames seem like a warm candle in comparison. Every single one of the Pokémon bolted out of the way, dodging the attack completely to the relief of Sun.

That relief was short-lived when he realized the burning star was heading right towards him.

"Sun!" Lillie screamed, running towards the surprised boy and grabbing his arm tightly. She looked down at the Cosmog in her arms and yelled, "Nebby, Teleport us off to the side!"

The next thing Sun knew, he was standing beside Oliver and Alastor while the burning star of jet-black fire rushed past the spot where Sun had been standing mere seconds before. The flames exploded against the back of the ship, creating an enormous explosion as flames erupted from the structure and metal began to melt due to the incredible heat the dark flames had produced.

"T-thanks Nebby." Sun said to the Cosmog, who nodded in response despite shivering in Lillie's arms.

"I can't believe he actually tried that. It could've killed you." Lillie muttered as she had Nebby teleport them back to the Trainer's spot on Sun's side of the battlefield.

"You're not ready." Borlath said with a sigh, shaking his head. "After everything you've dealt with in Cipher, you still aren't ready for the world. To stand against the dark and be that shining beacon. You want to be a Pokémon Trainer? You want to save me? You want to face this terrible world and stand against people like me!? Then stop fucking around and take this seriously! If you aren't expecting to kill or be killed in this fight, then you're deluding yourself! You will die!"

Borlath's words struck Sun like a thunderbolt, causing him to stare at his father for several moments before the surprise faded and was replaced with anger. Righteous indignation and an absolute refusal to stand down in the face of overwhelming odds.

"Even if I have to go up against the entire world, I'll never stop fighting! I will put an end to your plans, Dad! I will win...And I'll save you from yourself, no matter what." Sun said vehemently as he punched forward. "Brago, use Extreme Speed! Alastor use Rollout!"

"You think that I can still be saved? That I can be redeemed?" Borlath asked with a laugh, thrusting out his hands as Shadow Damien crouched low, releasing a torrent of roaring black flames towards Brago and Alastor, who split apart to dodge the attack. Borlath raised a hand and the beast at his command shifted to look at Alastor, snarling before releasing a Dark Pulse directly at the speeding Alolan Golem. Alastor cried out as the attack struck him directly, releasing a powerful explosion upon contact and knocking him out of the attack. The Alolan Golem collapsed onto the battlefield with a faint groan.

Brago then slammed hard into Shadow Damien as fast as he could, causing the monstrous dog to falter back a step as Brago snarled furiously, chomping down hard on Shadow Damien's neck with his strongest Bite.

"Fire Fang." Borlath spat venomously as Shadow Damien snapped forward with his own mouth and clamped down hard on Brago's side, pitch-black flames pouring from the Shadow Mega Houndoom's mouth. Brago let out a howl of agony, thrashing in distress as the older canine refused to release his captive.

"Brick Break! Drill Peck and Protect Charge!" Sun shouted as the Shadow Mega Houndoom's eyes snapped to the next closest target, which was a Poliwrath that was currently diving through the air with a glowing fist raised overhead.

"Release the Arcanine and use Flamethrower!" Borlath shouted out, laughing as Damien opened his mouth and expelled another blast of deadly fire, freeing Brago and allowing the fiery dog to quickly get out of range of another attack.

"Water Gun to go above it!" Sun barked out quickly as Finn shifted his chest slightly towards the ground and fired off a stream of water, causing him to flip in midair while keeping his forward momentum and dodging the attack. Finn dropped down to the ground and delivered a brutal punch to the face of Shadow Damien, causing him to stagger back a step. Finn leapt away as the corrupted Houndoom was ordered to attack with Thunder Fang, just in time for both Penny and Oliver to strike with their attacks and further distract the Houndoom.

"Brago, use Revenge!" Sun yelled to the Arcanine, who was panting from the sheer damage he had taken from Shadow Damien's Fire Fang. However, Brago powered through the pain and obeyed Sun's orders. A harsh orange glow surrounded Brago as the canine charged forward, crashing hard into Shadow Damien's side as the Houndoom prepared to attack Finn, Penny and Oliver.

The hellhound skidded backwards slightly, tensing up as the super-effective attack hit him with full force. Brago released the attack after several moments, using Extreme Speed to speed away right before Borlath had a chance to give an order for retaliation.

"Not bad." The Cipher Master remarked, clapping softly as the chains jangled around his hands. "But how do you handle something with a little more power?"

"Brace yourselves!" Sun shouted as Borlath thrust both hands out, a shiver of black energy thrumming along the length of the chains connecting the Trainer to his Pokémon.

"Use Hyper Beam!" Borlath commanded Shadow Damien, making both Lillie and Sun freeze in surprise. An attack that powerful could destroy the ship itself, let alone end Sun's team. The hellhound's mouth opened wide, summoning forth a flickering black sphere of raw energy within his maw. As the attack swiftly charged, Shadow Damien unleashed the beam-

Only for it to go skyward as a massive boulder-like Pokémon smashed into Shadow Mega Houndoom's head at the perfect angle to send the attack harmlessly upwards. Beneath Shadow Damien the ground cracked violently from the sheer force of the move, with the entire ship vibrating as Shadow Damien unleashed the attack towards the heavens.

Meanwhile Alastor, who had been the one to strike Shadow Damien, sped away using Rollout and emerged from his rolling form, glaring at the hellhound while covered in burns and scratches. The Alolan Golem panted heavily, showing that he was exhausted from attacking despite the damage he had taken.

As Borlath watched the scene with irritation, it took him several moments to piece together what exactly happened. He was sure that Dark Pulse would have been enough to knock out such a weak Pokémon like…

"Ah. Of course. Sturdy. Dark Pulse wouldn't have put him out of commission." Borlath remarked, chuckling as Shadow Damien snarled, releasing a deadly plume of flames towards Alastor as he fell forwards to the ground and rolled off to the side to dodge the attack. The Alolan Golem laughed harshly as he sped forward and struck the corrupted Houndoom a second time.

Shadow Damien and Borlath refused to let him get a third shot in, with the twisted Shadow Mega Houndoom firing off a Sludge Bomb that struck Alastor and knocked him out, coating the ground with a wave of poison as the attack detonated with enough force to cause Lillie and Sun to stagger backwards.

"Damien, use Shadow Rush on the Arcanine!" Borlath shouted as the dark aura surrounding Shadow Damien flared briefly, a sharp purple glow surrounding the hellhound as he charged towards Brago.

"Dodge with Extreme Speed and then use Helping Hand! Penny use Rock Blast, Finn use Bubble Beam and Oliver use Razor Leaf!" Sun called as Shadow Damien pounded down the battlefield, cloaked in darkness and fire as Sun's team rushed him. Oliver lashed out with a wave of Razor Leaf while Penny attacked with Rock Blast. Finn attacked with a Bubblebeam, all the while Brago used Helping Hand to bolster his teammates efforts to weaken the unstoppable Shadow Mega Houndoom.

"Flamethrower on the ground, then use Shadow Rave!" Borlath shouted as Shadow Damien roared, opening his mouth and releasing a deadly torrent of black flames at the battlefield in front of them.

"Protect!" Sun shouted as the flames rushed towards them, with Oliver summoning a barrier around himself and Finn as Penny soared into the air. Meanwhile Shadow Damien went airborne, much to the surprise of Sun and Lillie. It was made even worse when Borlath's second command was executed, with Shadow Damien using the dark aura around himself to send a harsh wave of shadowy spikes towards all of the Pokémon down below.

"No!" Brago snarled, launching himself into the air with Extreme Speed and, to the collective surprise of everyone, took the entire attack head-on. Dark spikes of raw energy repeatedly bombarded Brago in midair, causing him to howl in agony before dropping towards the ground.

"Brago!" Sun called out as the canine fell to the ground, completely unconscious. Borlath chuckled deeply at his child's concern, though that amusement soon turned to annoyance when he realized that Shadow Damien's dark aura that suddenly flared a bright red color. The hellhound was slowly turning towards Borlath with a soft growl escaping his maw.

"Bzzt! Wow, even something as powerful as Damien has to deal with the issues that Shadow Pokémon face." Rotom Dex remarked, sounding surprised. "After a certain amount of time in combat, Shadow Pokémon will become overwhelmed by the emotions within it and will enter this state."

"Reverse Mode…Tch. Damien, focus on the fight. Focus on my voice. Crush them all. No regrets." Borlath instructed the Shadow Pokémon at his command, with Damien's bright red aura slowly reverting back to the purple shadowy hellfire that he had been enveloped in during the past few minutes.

Meanwhile Sun was running towards Brago, frantically digging a Revive out of his backpack as the other members of his team rushed towards Shadow Damien.

"Focus on the boy! Cut him off with Shadow Fire!" Borlath roared as the corrupted Houndoom released a booming howl before firing off an enormous purple fireball right in the path of where Sun was running.

"Sun! Watch out!" Lillie screamed as the boy looked to where Shadow Damien was, noticing the deadly Shadow Move rushing towards him. Sun threw himself down to the ground with a cry as the flames exploded nearby, covering the nearby area with hellfire and nearly roasting Sun to a crisp.

"You didn't think I'd just let you strut over to your Pokémon and heal them like that, did you?" Borlath asked mockingly, laughing as Sun shivered with fear at just how close he had come to dying. He was surprised when Lillie suddenly teleported in beside him, grabbed his shoulder, and the two of them vanished, reappearing beside Brago.

"Revive him, quick!" Lillie said to Sun, looking out at Borlath as her body trembled at the madman's crimson gaze. Sun quickly woke the canine up with a Revive, with Lillie quickly teleporting them back to the other side of the battlefield using Nebby's powers.

"How could you do that? He's your son!" Lillie cried out, causing Borlath's burning gaze of fury to narrow with derision. Sun looked at the girl with surprise, but could see how genuinely angry the soft-spoken girl was at Borlath for attempting to kill Sun. He decided to take an extra moment to run to the downed form of Alastor, using a Revive on him as well.

"Really, Lillie? You're going to use that argument against me? Family means nothing…After all, they're always the ones who hurt you the worst. All three of us know that from experience, now don't we?" Borlath said scathingly, causing Lillie to flinch at the truth in his words.

"Parents have the capacity to sculpt their children into anything. Into wonderful people who can go on to make this world a better place." Borlath said coldly to the children, raising a single hand as he clenched it into a fist. "They can also break you…Defile and corrupt you until all you want to do is run away from it all and make everyone else hurt just as much as they hurt you. It's a vicious cycle, you know…And with my wish I'll end it. I'll finally find some peace, and the world will be better off."

"Except that you will have overwritten everyone's lives just because you just couldn't accept that bad things happened to you and the people you cared about. You couldn't lean on people when you really needed to either. You held in all of that pain and suffering, letting it fester." Sun said quietly, shaking his head somberly at the man who he had once idolized. The man who had taught him how he should face the world… with a smile and the drive to make everyone's lives just a bit better with kindness.

"It's not like I was wrong about not being able to rely on anyone. All of my Admins are dead and every single one of my friends is either gone or has betrayed me. Even Damien tried to take me down, though he failed to account for just how much hate I held within my heart." Borlath barked out a laugh then, causing Shadow Damien to snarl softly in response. "And as for my family, Laura turned her back on me and you've never appreciated the sacrifices I've made for you Sun. And my parents were where all of the pain started."

"Just because your father was an awful person doesn't justify you wanting to hurt Sun! It just makes you a bad father too!" Lillie shouted back at the man, much to Sun's surprise.

"Ooh, did I touch a nerve?" Borlath said with a mocking tone to his voice. "No, what Ano Aupuni did to me doesn't justify what I'm doing to Sun and everyone else. But I was also an extremely dedicated father who gave that boy everything his heart desired short of becoming a goddamn Pokémon Trainer!" Borlath's gaze deepened with rage, causing Lillie to shrink back with fear.
So you take that back, you little brat! I'm a good father! After everything I've done for Sun, no one can take that away from me."

"You really think that after everything you've done you're a good father?" Sun asked the man, genuinely stunned. "You were an amazing and supportive father before you decided to kill my Eevee. After that you just kept getting worse and worse. And none of what you've done since you killed Roran is supporting your words."

"Everything I have done was for your sake, Sun." Borlath snarled, swinging his arms as the chains flared violently. "Even this is for your sake as much as it is mine!"

"By all means, Borlath, keep up the excellent work. I'm sure your father would be very proud of what you're doing to Sun!" Lillie shot back, causing Borlath's eyes to widen with surprise at the scathing tone of kind-hearted the girl's voice. For the first time since he had transformed, the color of Borlath's eyes shifted from crimson to jet black, but within a moment his eyes were once again burning with fury.

"Now I see what your mother meant by calling you rebellious. You would do well to not talk back to people stronger than you, Lillie. Because right now I find myself without any of the mercy I had back when we walked to my parent's home in Malie City…" Borlath's hands twisted as Damien shifted from Sun's battered team to face her, with the hellhound advancing towards the young girl. Lillie took a step back, whimpering in terror as the murderous Shadow Pokémon snarled hatefully at the girl.

"STAY AWAY FROM HER!" Sun bellowed as he moved in front of Lillie, his eyes igniting with the same crimson fury that his father looked down on them with. "GET HIM!"

(Begin playing "Double Bowsers Extended")

"I was wondering what it would take to bring out that fury. That hatred…You're so much like me it almost hurts to look at you sometimes, Sun." Borlath said with a snort as Sun's team rushed at Shadow Damien, who simply remained still as Penny twisted in midair and slammed into the hellhound's side with Drill Peck as Oliver crashed into him with Pluck. Finn lashed out with a Bubble Beam as Alastor fired off a Rock Blast, with Brago using Helping Hand to bolster the efforts of his teammates. The wave of attacks washed over Shadow Damien, with the monstrous canine remaining still despite this.

"More! Keep attacking!" Sun shouted as his team redoubled their efforts to attack the beast that stood before them, growling with irritation as the attacks pummeled him relentlessly.

"He just keeps taking it…How powerful is Damien really?" Lillie thought with a shiver as Borlath made no efforts to have Shadow Damien dodge the attacks or retaliate in any way.

Borlath smirked beneath his helm as Sun's team continued to frantically attack the Shadow Mega Houndoom with everything that they could muster. While he was amused at their efforts, Borlath knew that it was time to actually begin their fight. "Inferno. Leave no part of the battlefield unscorched!"

And then hell came to Alola.

The entirety of the Absolution trembled as an overwhelming wave of purple and blue fire erupted from Shadow Damien, spiraling towards Sun's team like a cyclone of raw flames that would burn them the moment the fire touched them. Then Shadow Damien, to Sun's horror, began to move his head back and forth, bathing the entire battlefield in blue and purple fire.

Brago used Extreme Speed to quickly lunge towards Finn, grabbing him with his mouth and running out of danger. Alastor retreated from the deadly flames with Rollout as the Inferno drew closer, with Shadow Damien's snarl of wild fury piercing the night. Oliver dove in front of Penny as she tried to retreat, throwing up a Protect to shield them from the flames. To the horror of Sun and Lillie, the barrier failed, and the flames washed over the both of them. Sun couldn't even watch as flames bathed the sky, illuminating all of Hau'oli City in the ominous light of the flames.

"Oliver! Penny!" Sun shouted as both birds tumbled out of the sky, crashing limply on the ground as flames continued to bathe the battlefield. Borlath snapped his fingers and Shadow Damien ceased his attack, allowing the area to smolder.

The charred forms of Penny and Oliver lay on the ground, covered in burns and unmoving. Sun's breath caught in his throat, his mounting fear and despair causing his eyes to glaze over as he considered the possibility that this was it. His two birds were dead. Gone, at the hands of his father. Soon his legs gave out and he fell to his knees, simply staring at the two birds who had been with him since the beginning.

Ever since he had departed down Route 1 to Hau'oli City, Oliver and Penny had been with them. He had teased them about liking one another. Oliver had been his Partner, and despite his eccentric behavior at times and terrorizing most of his friends, the Dartrix was his rock. Penny had always been the calm within the storm of his team, the voice of reason that had held a certain inner fire. Now they were…they were…

"No! Zzzzzrt. Not like this…" Rotom Dex muttered, turning away from the battlefield as Lillie tried to keep herself from crying. She had to keep her composure. Sun needed her support-

Lillie then gasped and she noticed Penny's wing twitch ever-so-slightly. Then Oliver's leg trembled, and the girl felt the fear that had almost completely ensnared her fade away as she grabbed Sun and shook him hard.

"They're alive! Sun, they're alive!" Lillie whispered to the boy, who snapped out of his horrified daze, palpable relief on his face as he noticed the signs of life from the two birds, even though they were clearly unconscious.

Brago and Finn both sighed before turning their furious gazes towards Shadow Damien. Alastor frowned for a moment before joining his comrades, providing a unified front against the deadly beast that stood opposite of them. Sun scrambled to his feet and ran towards Penny and Oliver, but Borlath laughed at Sun's attempt to get to his birds.

"Damien, stop him! Sludge Bomb!" Borlath commanded the Shadow Mega Houndoom, who barreled forward with a ferocious snarl. However, the hellhound was soon stopped in his tracks by a speeding rock that struck him in his side, causing him to lose his balance and succeeding in knocking him over.

"You think I'd let you get away?! You're mine!" Alastor snarled as Brago used Helping Hand on Alastor, providing him a power boost as Finn pelted the Houndoom's other side with Bubble beam. The beast tried to get up, only for Alastor to knock him down yet again.

Borlath's eyes twitched with annoyance as he thrust out a single hand, stepping forward. "Little hellions! I'll show you not to-"

SNAP!

Sun turned around at the sound of metal shattering, surprised at the sudden noise, and looked on as one of the six burning chains connected to Shadow Damien's back broke away from the hellhound. The Shadow Mega Houndoom froze, shuddering violently in place. But that was nothing compared to the reaction of his Trainer.

"Aaaaaagghh!" Borlath screamed as if he was being electrocuted, with the chain retracting from Shadow Damien's back and waving back and forth through the air like a tentacle. To Sun's surprise the chain began to disintegrate before their eyes, fading away until it disappeared from Borlath's hands.

"What the heck…" Sun muttered, trying to process what was going on. "Why did the chain break?"

"Maybe it has to do with Shadow Damien? He's taken a decent bit of damage now…And he's bonded to Borlath. It only broke after Damien took damage." Lillie supplied, putting a finger to her chin as she considered it.

"It's possible. If we follow that logic, and those chains are what made Damien get corrupted…I wonder what happens if we beat Shadow Damien down enough to break the other five chains?" Sun said quietly, glancing at Rotom Dex as it hovered nearby. "Rotom, keep an eye on the fight. If you notice anything odd, let me know."

"Bzzzt! Can do buddy! I've always got your back!" Rotom Dex chirped, though it looked towards the downed forms of Penny and Oliver. "You might want to figure out how to get those two back in the game though. There's no chance of beating Shadow Damien with just the three you've got left that are standing."

"Sun, use Nebby. Teleport to your team and heal them!" Lillie urged Sun, holding out Nebby to the boy. Sun hesitated for a moment, but he saw the earnest expression on the Cosmog's face and after a moment took the Cosmog into his arms.

"Damien, use Flamethrower! Get them away from you!" Borlath shouted as he staggered forward, a hidden snarl on his face as the mighty beast roared in fury, releasing a plume of flames around himself to blast away Finn, Alastor and Brago. The Arcanine howled in pain as the flames rushed over him, even as he sped away with Extreme Speed. Finn and Alastor avoided the hellfire as Shadow Damien ceased its attack. However, as the attack stopped, Shadow Damien barked out and lunged forward, tugging at the chains that kept him tethered to his Trainer.

"Interesting. It seems all of this power comes at a price. I feel Damien's defiance…What a joke." Borlath laughed softly as Sun swiftly teleported to Oliver and Penny, using Revives on the both of them before instructing the dazed birds to take to the air. The boy swiftly teleported back to Lillie, gazing at his father with bright red eyes.

"He's strong. Overwhelmingly strong. Crap…How the hell am I supposed to beat them?" Sun murmured, clenching his fists as he watched Shadow Damien warily. Brago, Finn and Alastor all stood apart from one another, facing down the Shadow Damien. Borlath twisted the chains in his hands and spread them apart.

"Dark Pulse!" The Cipher Master commanded the Pokémon he had corrupted, with Shadow Damien gritting its teeth for a moment before its head snapped towards Alastor and fired off a pulsating beam of darkness. Alastor curled into a ball and tried to brace himself, but he was blown backwards by the sheer force of the attack and moments later collapsed onto the ground, having fainted.

"Damn it…He's just toying with us. We're getting some damage in, but Shadow Damien is a monster." Sun hissed softly, clenching his fists as his eyes burned red with anger at the man responsible for all of this. All of the pain, all of the destruction and death.

How the hell was he supposed to take down someone even the Pokémon League couldn't beat!? A living legend of fear and hatred, his father was someone that the greatest Trainers in the world didn't have an answer for. What was he supposed to do against someone this strong-

"Sun, focus!" Lillie shouted, snapping him out of his thoughts and causing him to look at the girl. He hadn't realized how overwhelmed he was getting, and saw that his team was waiting on him for commands.

"You've got to keep calm. Remember our strategy!" Lillie called to Sun, who's eyes flickered back to gray as he tried to regain his composure, taking a shuddering breath as he reined in his emotions. He looked at Alastor on the ground before focusing his attention back on his father.

"Lillie…I owe you dinner after this is done. Thanks for helping me keep my head in the game." Sun said to the girl, causing her to smile despite the serious situation.

"It's a date then." Lillie remarked with a flush in her cheeks, causing Sun to snort with amusement before giving her a thumbs up. To their surprise, Borlath's voice echoed across the battlefield at them.

"The greatest strength a person will achieve is in finding someone precious to protect. You will never be stronger than when you're standing up for someone dear to you." Borlath said with an amused chuckle as Damien stepped over the unconscious form of Alastor and continued to march towards them.

"Alright then…You want to take cheap shots? Then I'll take a page out of your book!" Sun shouted out, hot anger in his voice as his eyes flickered to red. "Penny, use Supersonic!"

"Flamethrower!" Borlath roared as Shadow Damien bound forward, snarling as he released another torrent of deadly flames towards the Toucannon. At the last moment Penny flapped her wings hard, barely avoiding the flames even as Shadow Damien's head followed her through the air, making it hard for her to use her move.

"Brago, Extreme Speed!" Sun barked out as the Arcanine forced himself upright, panting heavily before speeding forward and slamming into Shadow Damien as hard as he could. This stopped the Shadow Mega Houndoom for a brief moment, allowing Penny to take aim and release a wave of sound towards the corrupted hellhound.

Shadow Damien froze as the soundwave washed over him, causing his body to tremble for a few moments and his gaze to wander aimlessly. Borlath's chains flashed brightly with a purple light as the Grand Master of Cipher grunted with annoyance.

"You do realize that I'm perfectly capable of killing all of your Pokémon even with Damien confused, right?" Borlath asked bitingly, extending his clawed hands outwards. The irritation in his voice was evident, as was his anger. "Damien, use Overheat on the Toucannon!"

The Shadow Mega Houndoom snarled as it staggered forward, charging up a sphere of raging flames within his maw and taking aim at the airborne Toucannon before Penny could get away from the Shadow Mega Houndoom. The entire battleship was bathed in a terrible purple light as the almighty fireball launched from the hellhound's mouth towards a horrified Penny-

"No!" Penny was snapped out of her surprise when a green blur dove past her, throwing up a brilliant green barrier that collided with the Overheat. Penny's eyes widened as she saw the form of Oliver, struggling against the flames as they crashed into the shield, cracking it heavily even as Oliver's momentum fell against the attack. Thankfully for him, Overheat wasn't able to be maintained for long periods of time like Flamethrower, so the attack eventually dissipated much to the relief of the exhausted Dartrix.

"T-thanks." Penny said gratefully to Oliver as she flew towards her fellow bird. Oliver didn't reply, too exhausted to do more than stay in the air, but instead settled for looking back at her for a moment and smirking.

"Close call. The drawback of Overheat is that it gets weaker every time you use it, since it lowers the Special Attack of the user." Borlath remarked, eyeing the two birds in the eye as Shadow Damien struggled to focus under the haze of confusion he was under. "That being said, my little Shadow Pokémon is more than enough to take down the-

"Brago, use Sunny Day!" Sun shouted, completely throwing Borlath off-guard by the surprise command. Brago even exchanged a look with Sun, confused as to why he would want him to use that move. But after a moment of staring into his Trainer's determined eyes, the Arcanine charged up a sphere of shining light within his mouth and fired it skyward. Within moments the attack exploded high above all of them, bathing the battlefield in harsh sunlight.

Borlath laughed as Shadow Damien's body suddenly began to violently glow a harsh purple color, with the raw heat coming from the Shadow Mega Houndoom being harsh enough to be felt by Sun and Lillie across the battlefield. The corrupted canine snarled softly in pain, with the flames surrounding him shifting and burning even hotter. The ground beneath Damien began to warp beneath his feet, melting into molten slag.

"What is this? Are you trying to make me feel bad about killing your Pokémon, Sun? You mistake me for someone who actually cares anymore." Borlath said as he wrapped the chains connecting him to Shadow Damien around his arms and narrowed his eyes. "Snap out of it!"

Sun and Lillie shivered with fear as flames exploded along the length of the chains connecting Borlath to Shadow Damien, even more so when the haze of confusion vanished from the hellhound's eyes.

"Oh…this izz bad." Rotom Dex said quietly, diving into Sun's backpack. Oliver, Penny, Brago, Finn and Alastor all tensed as the beast that was Shadow Damien growled furiously at those who stood in its way.

"Oliver, Penny, back away and use Roost and Synthesis! Everyone else dodge!" Sun screamed out as Borlath smiled beneath his helm.

"Damien! Dark Pulse! Sweep the battlefield!" Borlath commanded as Damien opened his mouth, releasing an enormous pulsating black of darkness towards the assembled Pokémon and moving the beam across the battlefield in a wide arc, creating a colossal explosion of force. The shockwave from the attack nearly knocked down the two children, with Lillie grabbing onto Sun's arm for balance as the boy watched his team get blown away by the attack. Only Finn and Alastor were actively standing, with the others badly hurt on the ground.

"What…how can a Pokémon be that powerful?" Alastor demanded, unable to keep the hysteria of terror out of his voice. As if in answer, Shadow Damien leapt through the smoke with a furious bark and slammed into the Alolan Golem. The sheer force of the charge sent Alastor hurtling backwards, crashing hard onto the ground.

"Thunder Fang on the Poliwrath!" Borlath called out, making a fist with his crystalline fingers.

"Finn, use Water Gun to dodge!" Sun shouted as Shadow Damien lunged towards the Poliwrath, with Finn leaping into the air and firing off a Water Gun into the face of Shadow Damien. However, due to Sunny Day, it was only half as effective as it would have been before and served no purpose other than helping Finn dodge the attack and make the hellhound even angrier.

"Leave them alone!" Brago snarled as he rushed forward with Extreme Speed and rammed into Shadow Damien head-on, pressing back as hard as he could against the bone-covered skull of the Shadow Mega Houndoom. The beast responded with a growl of malice before Brago suddenly dashed away, feeling that an attack was coming.

"Sludge Bomb!" Borlath shouted as Shadow Damien chased after Damien, firing off a Sludge Bomb that exploded against the ground near the Arcanine. While the attack didn't hit him head-in, even the glancing damage Brago took from the Sludge Bomb was enough to knock him out.

Shadow Damien then flinched as a wave of rocks and razor sharp leaves pelted him from above, causing Borlath to snort with derision. He looked upwards to see Penny and Oliver unleashing everything they had at the beast that awaited them below.

"Sloppy work. You should know better than that! Solar Beam!" Borlath said with a hidden sneer as Shadow Damien eyed the two birds in the sky, opening his jaws and firing off a massive beam of light towards the surprised birds. The ground beneath Damien cracked at the sheer force of the move as it soared towards the heavens.

Both Penny and Oliver were blasted out of the air as Damien swept the beam into them, making the duo tumble down towards the ground where they landed harshly. Shadow Damien twitched as red static crackled around his body, the flames and light burning around him harshly warping the very battlefield he stood upon.

Borlath shook his head, his tone light as he said, "That's three down."

"Die you scum!" Borlath's gaze turned to the Alolan Golem speeding towards Borlath himself. The Cipher Master's eyes went wide with surprise at the Alolan Golem trying to target him directly, only for him to yank on Shadow Damien's chains. The Shadow Houndoom released a Shadow Fire at the ground around Borlath, causing Alastor to force himself to come to a halt with a Gyro Ball, spinning away from the flames and moving towards Sun before coming to a complete stop. Alastor panted as he gazed through the hellfire that stood before him, shaking with a feeling that he'd never admit was raw terror.

"Evil little monster. Did you really think that would work?" Borlath asked Alastor, who bristled at the condescending tone of the human in front of him. "Damien! Kill! Use Hyper Beam!"

"N-no you don't!" Borlath watched as a wave of spinning leaves slashed against the side of Shadow Damien, not truly dealing damage to him but distracting both him and Borlath enough for Alastor to unleash a quick Rock Blast.

As the waves of rock pelted the corrupted Houndoom through the flames, Borlath's gaze drifted to the battered form of Oliver, who somehow endured the Solar Beam from earlier, as well as the fall. The madman grit his teeth in fury and said, "I'm losing what little patience I have. Flamethrower!"

"Protect! Scald! Rock Blast!" Sun barked out as Damien spewed out more black flames at Oliver, who hastily threw up a barrier. Thankfully this time it held, but Oliver was visibly shaking with exhaustion as the attack washed over the shield.

Shadow Damien flinched as boiling hot water sprayed against his side, causing steam to hiss violently from his body. The hellhound's gaze turned to the Poliwrath standing nearby in a fighting position.

"Stay focused! Dark Pulse on the Dartrix! End him!" Borlath ordered the Shadow Mega Houndoom, who's gaze snapped back to Oliver as his shield vanished. Shadow Damien fired off a pulsating beam of darkness towards the bird as he took off into the skies, only for the resulting explosion to knock him completely out cold.

"I will end you!" Borlath's gaze turned to the Alolan Golem speeding towards Shadow Damien, striking him in the side of the chest as a furious scream escaped Alastor.

"Flamethrower." Borlath sneered, waving his hand through the air as Shadow Damien turned his head towards the Megaton Pokémon slowly pushing him sideways and opened his mouth, drowning Alastor in black fire. Several moments later the attack stopped, and Alastor's charred form slumped to the ground. More red static crackled around Shadow Damien's body, making the hellhound whine softly in pain.

Sun's breath caught as his father laughed, a mirthless sound that sent chills down his spine. "And then there were two…Well, one really."

"Finn, brace yourself! Get ready!" Sun shouted, knowing there was no time to focus on healing the others. Finn needed his undivided attention or they would lose everything.

"Thunder Fang!" Borlath roared as Shadow Damien looked up from the unmoving form of Alastor, acknowledging the command as its black and white flames flared up. The Shadow Pokémon then snapped its head towards Finn, with the Poliwrath's body shaking slightly from the damage he had taken just from glancing blows with the almighty Shadow Mega Houndoom.

Shadow Damien bounded forward, leaping towards Finn with a howl as its fangs exploded with lightning. Sun was quick to call out, "Water Gun on the ground! Slide!"

With every shred of boldness and bravery the Poliwrath possessed, he charged right at the Shadow Mega Houndoom, firing off a Water Gun to soak the battlefield. The beast lunged at him with a gaping maw of lightning, only for the Poliwrath to shift his footing, sliding along the water-covered ground and leaning back just enough so that the Dark Pokémon missed him.

"Turn around and hit him! Kill him!" Borlath roared as Shadow Damien stopped in its tracks as Finn spun around to face the Houndoom.

"HYPNOSIS!" Sun screamed desperately as Damien whirled around to face Finn. The Shadow Mega Houndoom's mouth opened as electricity surged within his maw, even as he stared directly at the glowing stomach of Finn…

And collapsed onto the ground, with the Shadow Mega Houndoom falling fast-asleep.

Finn let out a sigh of relief, shaking his head as Borlath's eye twitched with annoyance. Meanwhile Sun exhaled a pent up breath as Lillie shivered at just how close Sun was to losing the battle. Nebby whined softly in Sun's arms, alarmed and distressed at the violence. The boy released the Cosmog from his arms and wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

"It's finally over. Woo…" Lillie said quietly, relief in her voice as Shadow Damien snored gently on the battlefield. Sun nodded as he walked over to Alastor, using a Revive on the Alolan Golem before using a Hyper Potion to restore him to full health. Sun then proceeded to revive and heal his entire team, all the while Shadow Damien slept on.

"What is this?" Borlath asked Sun, sounding genuinely taken aback. Sun sighed and sagged his shoulders, releasing a pent up breath as he tried to control the fury that pounded through him at the moment. It was then that a gentle hand grabbed his, causing Sun to glance at Lillie as his friend gave him a soft smile.

"This…was my ultimate plan. I was kind of hoping to never need to use this, but you couldn't help yourself and now we're here." Sun said as he watched Shadow Damien snarl softly in pain, even as his body continued to glow brightly with energy. Sun and Lillie could feel the stifling heat from where they were currently at. All of Sun's Pokémon watched the slumbering hellhound with caution, knowing full-well that it could awaken at any time and slaughter them all.

"I don't understand." Borlath muttered, shaking the chains that connected him to Shadow Damien. He tried forcing more emotion and energy through the chains, only to find that Shadow Damien remained fast asleep. Despite having overwritten the canine's will and manually shutting the door to his heart closed, Borlath's control over the canine couldn't force him to wake up from sleep.

"You don't have to understand. You just have to know a few things. Like that in a matter of minutes, Damien's going to faint. And that'll be the end of everything." Sun said to his father, smiling at the man who was behind all of the hurt currently happening. A man who had succumbed to the sorrow and hatred in his heart and become something even he couldn't control.

"You really think your Pokémon can stop Damien? Can stop me?" Borlath asked Sun, a bark of harsh laughter escaping the mastermind as Sun offered his father a casual shrug.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I think. I believe in my team." Sun said as his smile became a grin, even as he knelt down and placed a hand on Oliver's head. The Dartrix smiled and looked away from his Trainer.

"Wait a minute…" Borlath said as he looked up at the Sunny Day currently shining down on them all, and then at the slumbering form of Shadow Damien as the canine continued to shine brightly thanks to Solar Power. As the Shadow Mega Houndoom twitched in pain yet again, with yet another crackle of red static surging across around his body, the pieces fell in place for Borlath.

"You clever little sneak…" Borlath muttered as he now grasped the full depth of Sun's plan.

"For a few weeks now, I've been brainstorming ways to take down Damien. With how things are, I had a feeling I'd be facing him in one way or another if you came for me or if I tried to stop you. So me and Lillie did some research into Mega Evolution. Specifically Mega Houndoom. And together we came up with a plan to take down Damien if you ever came for me." Sun said to his father, who could only stare at his child in shock. "It'd never be in a battle. It'd be in a fight, like when I fought Dawson's Shadow Articuno or Roran. I'd be using everything at my disposal to survive. And it'd only work if you Mega Evolved Damien, which I figured was likely to happen in a fight between us."

"A fight much like the one I created for the two of us tonight." Borlath conceded, still too stunned to properly process the multitude of emotions struggling against the wall of hatred that fueled the flames around him.

"First we stun Damien with a Supersonic." Sun said, lifting a single finger. "You nearly ruined that, but Brago let me give Penny an opening to confuse Damien."

"After that, Sun would set up a Sunny Day with Brago." Lillie said as she held up two fingers, smiling at the canine in question before looking at Borlath. "Naturally this would make Damien far more powerful. Not only would it double the strength of his already lethal fire-type attacks, but his Ability would make him even stronger."

"However, that Ability has a very interesting drawback." Sun said as he looked at Rotom Dex, who beeped as it loaded the appropriate entry.

"Mega Houndoom. Houndoom's entire body generates heat when it Mega Evolves. Its fearsome fiery breath turns its opponents to ash. Its red claws and the tips of its tail are melting from high internal temperatures that are painful to Houndoom itself." Rotom Dex explained before the picture of the Mega Houndoom on its screen began to glow.

"It's Ability is Solar Power. During harsh sunlight, it's Special Attack is creased by roughly fifty-percent!" Rotom Dex told everyone, though the device grinned after a moment. "However, this also causes damage to Mega Houndoom at a very swift rate."

"Considering the difference in strength between Damien and my team, I knew that beating him in a fair fight would be next to impossible. That's why I tried to find out another way to overcome Damien. And I did." Sun explained to his father, crossing his arms as his gaze shifted to the slumbering monster that had been twisted from the stern Houndoom Damien had been before.

"Damien's more than capable of knocking himself out with his own power now that his Ability has been activated. He's so strong that making him even stronger wouldn't make any difference in the grand scheme of things." Lillie continued, holding up three fingers as Sun did the same.

"With Solar Power activated, all that I needed to do was put Damien to sleep with Finn. With Sunny Day in effect, Damien's going to keep hurting himself in his sleep and he can't fight back. It's over." Sun said to Borlath with a triumphant grin, much to the bafflement of the mastermind of Cipher.

"You…What have you done?" Borlath murmured, stunned that his own child could have come up with such a strategy, and furious that his own confidence had backed him into a corner like this. Mega Evolving Damien should have easily ended this battle.

However, he allowed Sun to heal his team despite the state that they were all in after battling his own team. Borlath let Sun have his entire team out at the same time to face Damien assuming that, despite the numbers, they would fall to the Houndoom.

"You might have finally given in to that darkness inside you, Dad, but you're still Ashton Aupuni. And that means you have his flaws and weaknesses on top of all of that power and strength. And now that I've got Damien trapped, you're done!" Sun said with a smirk as he pointed forward. "Everyone! Pluck, Drill Peck, Helping Hand, Brick Break, Rock Blast! All-out attack!"

Borlath grit his teeth as an onslaught of attacks rushed towards Shadow Damien, striking him from every angle. Penny and Oliver dove down from the sky, with Oliver repeatedly ramming his beak into the side of Shadow Damien while Penny spun in midair, whirling around like a drill before colliding into his other side. Alastor gleefully opened fire with Rock Blast, pelting everywhere he could with the attack again and again without hurting the two birds dive-bombing the hellhound. Finn went for the extremely direct approach of repeatedly punching Shadow Damien in the face with Brick Break again and again. Brago repeatedly used Helping Hand whenever he could, bolstering his teammate's speed and attack power.

All the while, Sunny Day continued to bathe the battlefield in harsh sunlight. Shadow Damien's Solar Power continued to damage the hellhound even further. With each minute that went by, Shadow Damien's strength waned and the damage he received continued to accumulate as both the sunlight and Sun's team worked their magic.

"I fell right into the same trap that all the others have. Giovanni, Team Aqua, Lysandre…I was so overconfident that my little boy couldn't hope to stand against me." Borlath realized with a pang of horror that his child had pulled out nowhere a strategy worthy of a Champion. A way to destroy an overwhelmingly powerful opponent using their own strength as a weapon.

Some part of Ashton Aupuni, buried beneath all of the flames and hatred, was so proud of his son. It was snuffed out like a candle flame as Borlath gathered up every bit of willpower he possessed and forced it through the five chains connecting him to his corrupted Houndoom.

"WAKE UP!" Borlath bellowed as Shadow Damien continued to endure attack after attack, but it was clear that all of the damage he was taking was taking its toll with each passing minute. Parts of Damien's body were covered in scratches and his chest was lightly bleeding. One of his fangs broke off completely. All the while Sun and Lillie watched on with tired smiles.

"This can't be happening. All of my struggles. All of the pain and murder and blood. And this is how it ends!?" Borlath hissed as the third straight minute rolled on. A second chain then snapped off of the hellhound, causing Borlath to cry out in pain as it retracted from Shadow Damien's back and disintegrated before their eyes.

"How does it feel?" Sun asked, his eyes blazing with determination as he team worked frantically to batter the hellhound that continued to slumber away.

"How does what feel?" Borlath spat, shaking with anger at the audacity this boy had. But he knew this was all his fault. He knew that this was a reckoning. That this was what he deserved.

It only made him more angry.

"How does it feel knowing that in just a few minutes, all of this will be over?" Sun asked fiercely, his voice burning with righteous fury. Borlath opened his mouth to respond, only for a third chain to snap off from Shadow Damien's burning and slumbering form. "All of the bloodshed and pain will be done. I'm looking forward to some peace and quiet. I think first I'll try that Ghost Trial again. Or do some more training. Maybe go visit a hot spring and relax."

"I haven't been to one of those in a long time! We should absolutely visit a hot spring or onsen." Lillie said with an excited smile, causing Sun to grin at her. "Maybe we can make a day out of it. Invite our friends and just hang out."

Borlath's hands clenched tightly as the two children began to chat, with the three remaining chains attached to him rattling. "You really think that just because you momentarily got the upper hand, you're going to beat me?"

"I don't think. I know. I believe in my team. I believe in everything I've said and done tonight. And I believe that-" Sun said, determination pounding through this voice…only to stop when he heard a faint growling sound.

Sun's eyes shot to Shadow Damien.

The hellhound's eyes were now wide open, peering at him with an expression of absolute murderous fury. Sun felt his blood run cold, and even though he couldn't see it, he was sure his father was grinning at him.

"Oh no…" Lillie whispered as Shadow Damien slowly rose, shaking his head as if trying to clear it. Borlath grabbed the chains attached to his hands and made them flare with black flames, a grim chuckle escaping the madman.

(Begin playing "The Tempest Extended")

Shadow Damien released a bellow of fury as Sun's team quickly backed off, putting distance between themselves and the hellhound, especially considering Sunny Day was still in effect. Soon the Shadow Mega Houndoom was standing tall yet again, panting heavily as Solar Power continued to burn away at him.

"Rotom Dex, have you been keeping track of what Damien can do? Dad's taught him some new tricks in the past few months." Sun asked the device, keeping his eyes on the battle in front of him.

"Bzzzrrt! From what I can tell, Damien knows at least three TM moves. Fire Blast, Dark Pulse and Sludge Bomb." Rotom Dex supplied, causing Sun's eyes to sharpen as he looked back at his father, eyeing the corrupted Houndoom as he shook violently.

"And I know for a fact that Damien knows Solar Beam, Hyper Beam and Overheat." Sun remarked, looking at the device for a moment before looking at his father, who's three remaining chains rattled ominously. "Think Sun…Dad's not gonna fall for the same trick twice."

"I've heard from Professor Kukui that only really strong Pokémon can learn more than four TM moves. And Damien knows six…?" Lillie whispered, eyeing the monster as it padded towards them with his searing claws warping the ground beneath him due to their immense heat. Lillie felt so bad for Damien. She couldn't imagine the agony he must be enduring.

"You were mine to create, Sun. Just like you are mine to destroy!" Borlath hissed as the flames spread apart, with Shadow Damien howling as the glow around his body continued to burn brightly. Even if he was up, Solar Power was continuing to drain his health.

"Shadow Rush!" Borlath shouted as the hellhound dashed forward, snarling with fury as he was engulfed in darkness and rushed forward to meet Brago, colliding with him and causing the Arcanine to howl in pain as he crashed hard into the ground.

"Finn, use Brick Break! Penny and Alastor, Rock Blast! Oliver, run interference!" Sun yelled out desperately as Shadow Damien turned towards the rest of Sun's team.

The Pokémon rushed into action, with Alastor and Penny firing off Rock Blasts in unison while Finn charged right towards the Shadow Mega Houndoom. Shadow Damien lunged forward with Thunder Fang, only for Finn to hurl himself to the side to dodge the attack and retaliate with a Brick Break to the hellhound's face.

Borlath grinned beneath his helm as he watched Sun's team fiercely try to fend off the furious beast that was Shadow Damien, bright flames burning around his body as Solar Power boosted his strength even further.

"Shadow Rush!" Borlath commanded the monster, causing Shadow Damien to howl as the darkness coalesced around him. Finn leapt backwards, firing a Scald at the Shadow Mega Houndoom as he charged towards him, powering through the attack and slamming hard into the Poliwrath. The Tadpole Pokémon tumbled through the air and landed on the ground with a harsh thud, fainting upon impact. Shadow Damien flinched as red static crackled around his body, with the monstrous dog whining softly in pain as it slowly lumbered forward.

"Finn!" Brago called out, speeding over to Shadow Damien and ramming into the side of the hellhound with Extreme Speed before the other canine could react. Sun tried to call out a warning, but Shadow Damien retaliated with a Dark Pulse that was strong enough to make the ship vibrate from the sheer amount of power the attack contained.

"If I can just keep everyone alive long enough for Damien to knock himself out, then I've got this." Sun muttered as Brago roared in pain, falling to the ground and fainting as well. Sun grit his teeth as he glanced up at the relentless sunlight as it continued to beat down overhead. "It's been a few minutes now and Shadow Damien's slowing down a little bit. That has to mean something!"

"That's true, human. But can we survive that long? That thing is way too strong…" Alastor hissed, taking a step back as he watched Brago hit the ground senseless alongside Finn.

Lillie and Sun both rushed forward, using a Revive each to bring them back to consciousness even as Shadow Damien tried to hit Penny and Oliver as they danced through the air with their wings. Shadow Damien fired off a Flamethrower at the ground and launched himself into the air, slamming his head directly into Oliver and sending him hurtling backwards through the air as Penny gave an alarmed shriek of concern.

"Penny, use Supersonic!" Sun shouted as the Toucannon snapped back to her senses, flying down towards and falling form of Shadow Damien and releasing a second burst of sound that struck the Shadow Mega Houndoom, causing him to crash down onto the battlefield with a strangled growl.

"Everyone, regroup!" Sun called, causing Penny and Oliver to swiftly return to the side of their Trainer and land on the ground beside him as the other three Pokémon rushed towards him. Sun's mind raced, looking at the remaining chains attached from Shadow Damien to Borlath.

"Big bro! Are you okay?" Nebby asked Oliver as the Cosmog as he floated above Sun. The poor Cosmog looked absolutely terrified at what he had seen so far.

"I'm just fine! Are you okay? You're not scared?" Oliver asked, concern evident in his voice. Nebby seemed reassured by the bird's words, because the Cosmog's usual smile returned.

"I'm scared…But I know you can win!" Nebby cheered happily, causing most of the group to smile at the childlike joy of Nebby.

"Nonsense…" Everyone turned towards the one who spoke. Alastor regarded them all with scorn as he said, "We should cut our losses and flee…We don't stand a chance against that monster. After everything we've thrown at it, it's still fighting back. This is impossible."

"Giving up already, Alastor? What about your pride?" Oliver hooted at the Alolan Golem, who turned to him with a furious glare. Oliver simply laughed, flapping his wings to get airborne once again. Alastor returned his gaze to Shadow Damien as he eyed the dazed hellhound some distance away, even Borlath tried to force power through their connection to erase the confusion.

Oliver shrugged as best as he could and remarked, "Flee if you wish. Everyone else will fight with Sun to the bitter end!"

Alastor sighed bitterly. "If this one is planning on causing as much destruction as it seems, then there would be no escaping this one's wrath. I am here. And here I will stay."

"We won't let him get away with this." Brago growled, nodding sharply as Penny fluttered to the canine's back.

"No. We have to keep fighting, no matter how many times we get knocked down. That beast stands as the most powerful being these islands have ever known…But somehow I know we'll win." Penny said quietly, though her fiery determination was palpable. Oliver smiled at the other bird while the others seemed to rally at her words.

"Ha! I don't know the meaning of the word quit!" Finn shouted with a booming laugh, getting into a fighting stance.

Alastor scoffed, holding out his hands as a wave of electricity passed through them. Sun grinned as the Alolan Golem turned to face Shadow Damien, preparing himself for more combat. "To be fair, you don't know the meaning of a lot of words."

"We can snark at each other later, Alastor." Oliver said to the Alolan Golem, who gave him a look of contempt. Oliver responded by grinning back at him, causing Alastor to blink in surprise.

"Get your head in the fight! Here he comes again!" Penny shouted as Brago suddenly shot forward with Extreme Speed, intercepting Damien as the Houndoom shot forward with Fire Fang. Brago managed to dodge the attack at the last moment, causing Shadow Damien to miss completely.

"Double Rock Blast! Helping Hand, Razor Leaf and Scald!" Sun barked out quickly as his Pokémon leapt into action, unleashing a wave of attacks at the rampaging beast that lashed out furiously. Borlath still hadn't overcome the confusion, but it was only a matter of time before that was resolved.

"Flamethrower!" The Cipher Master boomed as Shadow Damien opened his maw, releasing a deadly plume of flames that nearly incinerated Oliver and Finn had they not dodged at the last moment. Lillie shuddered as the hellhound released a piercing howl of pain, though this was also when she noticed that the harsh warm light from above was no longer shining down on them.

"Sunny Day ran out." Sun muttered, thinking quickly as to what he should do. "On the one hand, I can keep using Solar Power to weaken Shadow Damien further…but on the other hand, that comes at the cost of making him way stronger. There's no way I can keep using that strategy now that Dad knows it."

"I find myself wondering how on earth you can keep fighting, Sun. I'm amazed you haven't given up...But then again you are my child. We Aupuni are a notoriously stubborn bunch." Borlath remarked dryly, shaking his head.

"You can't give me crap about not giving up when you've destroyed entire cities, teamed up with criminals and made gods do your bidding because you couldn't make the world safe enough for me." Sun responded, causing Borlath's right eye to twitch with anger. "After all of the setbacks that kept happening to you, giving up should've been something you did months ago. The fact that you're still here, trying to change the world, is almost as inspiring as it is…heartbreaking, Dad."

"Heartbreaking?" Borlath asked, genuinely surprised by the boy's phrasing.

"Yeah. You just kept hurting yourself trying to control everything and make this world a safer, better place. You gave up on the world, yeah, but you never stopped wanting to make it better." Sun said quietly, his smile one of gentle sorrow as he regarded his father with an expression of pity. He couldn't help it at this point. Despite the atrocities Borlath had committed in the name of peace, Sun knew what had brought his father to this point.

An entire lifetime of suffering, betrayal and hardship.

"Because I wanted a world that was better than what I had grown up in, Sun. Everything was for you to have the childhood I never did." Borlath said fiercely, stepping forward and gesturing wildly with his arms. "And look what good it did! Trying to change the world with peace was a failure. Trying to force the world to submit didn't work either! So now I have to wipe the slate clean…I have to do this. After all of the deaths and destruction I've caused, I can't do anything else to make things right! You naive little boy, do you not understand this?"

"I understand, but that doesn't mean I agree with you. Sometimes you just have to let go." Sun remarked to his father, causing the man's eyes to narrow dangerously as the flames along the chains Borlath grasped flared violently.

"How could you ever think that I could ever just stop? You think I can just let go of all of this!? Give up on my dreams of a world free of suffering? If I can't change the world, what makes you think anyone can?" Borlath demanded angrily, gripping the chains tightly in his crystalline hands. "I'm the only one who had enough drive to turn the dark into something that could be used for good. I'm the only one who was determined enough to make gods submit to my will for the sake of changing this world. How could I ever let go? After all of the lives I stole, destruction I've caused and hurt I've spread throughout this world how could I possibly think about giving up!?"

"Letting go doesn't mean giving up...it simply means accepting that some things cannot be." Brago growled at Borlath, who froze for a moment before his eyes narrowed at the words of the Arcanine.

"I don't know if he's even capable of understanding your words, Brago. He's clearly out of his mind, even by human standards." Alastor remarked, causing Borlath's eyes to darken a shade further red with anger.

"Kill that damn Golem! Dark Pulse!" Borlath screamed with rage, with the hellhound's confused gaze sharpening into focus once more. Sun wasn't going to let that happen.

"Finn, use Rain Dance! Then use Hypnosis!" Sun called out, with Finn dashing towards Shadow Damien as fast as he could. Borlath ordered Shadow Damien to fire off a Flamethrower, but Finn managed to dodge the deadly plume of hellfire with a flip in midair, throwing a misty sphere of energy into the air that caused the battlefield to be filled with a torrent of wind and rain.

"Come on, everyone…Don't give up!" Lillie thought as the rain began to drench all of them, but none of the humans or Pokémon cared at this point.

"Shadow End!" Borlath roared as Finn drew closer, determination glinting in the eyes of the boisterous Poliwrath. Shadow Damien's body exploded with raw darkness, the ground cracking underneath him as power came off of the hellhound in waves before the Dark Pokémon lunged forward. Finn let loose Hypnosis as Shadow Damien drew near, but to Sun's dismay the move had seemingly no effect on the Shadow Pokémon.

However, Shadow Damien's move certainly had an effect on Finn, with the hellhound slamming hard enough into Finn to send him hurtling across the battlefield and crashing down onto the ground by Sun in a groaning heap. Shadow Damien growled as red static crackled across his body, the recoil of using such an attack being evident.

"Finn, are you okay?" Sun asked, bending down to use a Revive on his Poliwrath. As Finn came to, he cried out in pain and clutched his chest.

"I've been better, buddy…I won't let this stop me." Finn grunted as he pushed himself upright, staggering as he clutched his chest. Sun grimaced at that, knowing that despite the healing supplies he could use on Finn, it was likely that he needed medical attention after taking such a powerful Shadow Move like that.

Thankfully, Sun had a few more tricks up his sleeve, and his Toucannon was in position.

"Penny, use Supersonic!" Sun shouted, causing Borlath to look up with an audible growl of frustration. Penny was flying overhead on Borlath's side of the field, and was ready to release another surprise attack.

The Cipher Master responded by yanking violently on the chains and jerking Shadow Damien backwards far enough for him to avoid the wave of sound. The hellhound barked furiously at the motion, but Borlath was beyond caring.

"Smog! Choke that bird!" Borlath bellowed as Shadow Damien opened his maw and released a toxic plume of smoke into the air, filling the sky with a terrible cloud of fumes within seconds. Penny screeched in dismay as the attack struck her, nearly knocking her out of the air.

Borlath then drew his hand across his throat, malice dancing in his crimson eyes. "Use Flamethrower on the Smog."

Shadow Damien fired off a stream of pitch-black flames into the thick cloud of smoke. Meanwhile Penny was flying her way upwards, emerging out of the Smog and coughing harshly as she looked down below. Her eyes widened in horror as she heard the command, and tried desperately to soar away from-

Booooom!

"PENNY!" Sun screamed as the flames ignited the toxic fumes of Smog, resulting in an enormous explosion that ripped through the air. The generated shockwave of force knocked Sun and Lillie backwards onto the ground and threw the rest of Sun's team to the ground. Oliver let out a screech of horror as the explosion filled the air and reached out into the sky, with Brago and Alastor watching in mute shock as Finn struggled to get to his feet, fury burning in his eyes.

Sun simply stared at the cloud of thick black smoke, his body shaking with horror as the sound of laughter filled the air. Sun's gaze drifted to his father, who was breathlessly laughing as Penny's charred form dropped out of the cloud and landed limply on the ground.

"No! Nononono!" Oliver shouted as he soared over to Penny, landing by her body and looking over the blackened mess of feathers that wasn't moving at all. No sounds of movement from the Toucannon that was his closest friend. The Dartrix trembled for a moment, his eyes filling up with tears…but his gaze turned to pure rage and his head rotated to face the monster responsible for hurting Penny.

"You'll pay for that." Oliver hissed hatefully at Borlath, who responded by snapping his fingers. Oliver hooted with surprise as flames suddenly swirled around him and Penny, blasting him away from his teammate's prone form. The flames formed a cage-like barrier around her, much to the surprise of them all.

"I'm getting sick of you constantly reviving your Pokémon. So I'm going to make things a little harder for you." Borlath said smugly as he flexed his hands, chuckling darkly. Sun glared resolutely at his father, wordlessly adjusting his cap as his determined gaze burned with tranquil fury and the rainfall continued around them.

"Shadow Rush!" Borlath shouted as Shadow Damien lunged forward, even as the rest of Sun's team braced themselves for what was to come.

"Helping Hand, Razor Leaf, Scald and Rock Blast!" Sun yelled out as the hellhound raced closer, with the wave of attacks crashing hard into Shadow Damien. The beast snarled with annoyance even as he charged forward, but to Borlath's surprise Oliver threw himself into the path of the beast and threw up a Protect.

Shadow Damien bounced off of the shield, his attack failing, allowing Brago to sped forward with Extreme Speed and Finn with Scald to attack the hellhound from two different angles. As Shadow Damien tried to retaliate, a speeding rock in the form of Alastor collided with him using Rollout to further complicate matters.

"Enough playing around. Flamethrower! Make them back away, then Shadow Rush on the Arcanine!" Borlath commanded Shadow Damien, with the hellhound blasting flames around the battlefield and making Alastor and Finn falter as Brago leapt away from the flames. The Arcanine wasn't able to dodge the speeding Shadow Mega Houndoom as he charged through his own black fire and slammed hard into him with Shadow Rush.

"Brago!" Oliver called out as the Arcanine collapsed onto the ground, unconscious. The furious Dartrix turned back towards Shadow Damien and sped towards him with Pluck, slamming hard into the side of the hellhound. While it didn't do much damage, it was the tipping point for something else to happen.

"Aaaaaagh!" Borlath screamed as a fourth chain snapped off of Shadow Damien, retracting from the hellhound and disintegrating before everyone's eyes.

"We're nearly there! He's down to two chains! Finn, use Brick Break!" Sun shouted as Finn charged forward, punching Shadow Damien in the face as hard as he could. Borlath shuddered violently as he tried to regain his composure, a wave of anger rolling through him as he pointed forward. Borlath snapped his fingers again, causing Shadow Damien to release another blast of black flames that ensnared Brago just like they had Penny. Getting to him was now impossible for Sun.

"Use Sludge Bomb on the bird!" Borlath shouted as Shadow Damien's gaze snapped to Oliver, who screeched in alarm as the Shadow Mega Houndoom fired off a deadly sphere of toxic sludge.

"Stop it with Psychic and throw it back at him!" Sun shouted as Finn charged forward, his stomach glowing a harsh blue color. The Poliwrath let out a scream of effort as he poured every bit of power he had into stopping the attack. Even though that only ended up slowing down the Sludge Bomb, it was enough to allow Oliver to dodge the move.

"Rock Blast, Razor Leaf! Finn, hit him with a Body Slam!" Sun shouted out, and within moments Shadow Damien was blasted with a deluge of sharp leaves and rocks, causing him to lash out at the nearby Alastor who retreated by rolling away with Rollout. Finn charged right at Shadow Damien, his eyes laser-focused on getting close to the Houndoom without meeting a similar fate as his Toucannon or Arcanine teammates.

"Flamethrower!" Borlath shouted as Shadow Damien released a deadly plume of black fire at Finn.

"Dodge it with a Water Gun and then follow through with Body Slam!" Sun barked, and at his command Finn leapt high into the air and spun around, using a Water Gun to gain some extra height as Borlath tried to have Shadow Damien attack him in midair. The Poliwrath then glowed white and plummeted down to earth, colliding hard with Shadow Damien and causing the canine to snarl as he was knocked backwards. To Borlath's irritation, he saw a familiar yellow static-like crackle appear around the hellhound as Finn quickly moved away.

"Damn it. He's paralyzed…But that at least means Damien can't be put asleep again." Borlath mused before barking out, "Dark Pulse! Wipe them all out!"

Shadow Damien responded by releasing a pulsating beam of darkness and swiping it across the battlefield, blowing away Alastor and Finn and kicking up a harsh black cloud of smoke. Finn was blasted backwards out of the smoke cloud, collapsing into a heap on the battlefield.

"Your move, Sun! What are you doing to do!?" Borlath demanded of his child as smoke filled the battlefield. Sun grit his teeth before pointing at Shadow Damien with a determined glare.

"Rollout!" Sun barked as Borlath's eyes widened slightly, mostly because a battered Alolan Golem sped out of the smoke and barreled right towards Shadow Damien, colliding with him hard enough to make the corrupted canine skid backwards with a pained howl. But what made matters even worse was when Alastor sped forward for a second time. The Alolan Golem emerged from his ball form and threw himself at high speed at the Shadow Mega Houndoom, latching onto the hellhound's body in a way that surprised everyone present.

"And just what is this?!" Borlath yelled out. "Get him off, Damien! Kill him!"

"Not a chance! I'm taking this fight into my own hands!" Alastor cackled with malicious delight as his body shined brightly, even as he resisted Shadow Damien's attempts to throw him off.

"No, Alastor! What are you doing!?" Sun shouted as the Alolan Golem's body continued to glow brighter with each passing second. Alastor glanced back at the boy for a moment, his smile wild but genuine.

"Taking one for the team, as they say. If this doesn't end things, then finish this Oliver!" Alastor roared at the battered Dartrix, who stared at the Alolan Golem with surprise before nodding.

"Damien, snap out of it!" Borlath boomed as he tried to pour more power into the chains, only to sway on his feet. Borlath hissed as he stumbled to one knee, overcome by a sudden feeling of weakness.

"Alastor…thank you." Sun said with a sad smile on his face. "Hit him with everything you've got! Just don't die! That's an order!"

"You're not the boss of me!" Alastor shouted back, though Alastor's smile didn't go away as his body finally let out a loud screeching sound…and then boom!

"No!" Borlath yelled out as the shockwave of raw force erupted from the massive explosion that had engulfed Alastor and the Shadow Mega Houndoom. Sun held on tightly to Lillie as the ripples of force threatened to blow them both backwards, with Nebby crying out in distress. Oliver simply watched the explosion with an awed expression, repeating Alastor's parting comment in his head.

"You…H-how dare you…"

Oliver, Sun and Lillie looked forward and saw Borlath staggering back to his feet, wisps of purple fire drifting away from him. Sun's eyes widened in surprise at the state his father was in. It was the first time since he had transformed that he showed any sign of weakness. It was then that Sun noticed the remnants of the chains that had been breaking off of Shadow Damien throughout the battle. Four links of the burning chains that had come out of Borlath's hands and into Shadow Damien had been broken off, and only two remained, extending into the cloud of smoke that now engulfed Shadow Damien and Alastor.

"I indulged you all this time because at the end of the day, I knew that I would win. That my little boy, no matter how talented he was, wouldn't be able to stop me or the unrelenting hatred that's kept me alive over twenty years now…Your hope means nothing compared to a world that simply doesn't care." Borlath intoned, his voice now thick with a disdain that made Sun shrink back slightly.

"But time and time again, you surprise me. All of this? Inconceivable. An anomaly that shouldn't have ever been a factor." Borlath's tone became harder as he stepped forward and focused on the chains that ensnared his hands.

"You said it yourself. You're strongest when you're trying to protect something. I'm going to make you see, Dad. I'm going to make you understand why you're wrong." Sun said to his father, causing the man to throw his arms apart.

"How am I wrong, Sun!? After everything we've both been through, how the fuck is any of what I'm trying to do tonight a bad thing!?" Borlath demanded, practically screaming the question as he slung down the chains, hysteria in his voice. "How can you say that this is a fair and just world!? I sheltered you from the darkness of this world your entire life! You don't know just how twisted it really is, damn it!"

"That's not fair! You can't get mad at him for things that have happened to you and that you did to him!" Lillie screamed out, causing Borlath to bark out a mad laugh as the chains shifted in his hands. The madman then went still, the crackle of flames the only sound on the battlefield for several moments.

"If life's not fair, then don't be fair on life." The Cipher Master said coldly, shaking his head at Lillie's outburst. Sun's expression of anger smoothed over as a thought occurred to him, causing him to feel a hint of sympathy for his father.

"What a terrible outlook." Oliver remarked, finally speaking up. His voice drew everyone's attention as the Dartrix looked at Borlath with an expression of disgust. "You just blame everyone and everything else for what you've done. Your life may have been hard, but that doesn't excuse your actions."

"How dare you…" Borlath hissed, only for Oliver to roll his eyes in response.

"I dare because you are completely undeserving of any respect. You have failed as a father to this boy." Oliver said as Borlath's fists clenched in anger.

"You know what?" Sun asked his father, causing the man to look towards his son. "I really do wonder if all of those people you lost would approve of what you're doing. Tommy, Hina, Jackal, Miss Lusamine and Mohn and all of them…Do you really think that they'd agree with you? That your life has been nothing but absolute suffering? You were happy with them, weren't you?"

"I was…my friends meant everything to me." Borlath said quietly, his tone strangely gentle as he looked down at his hands, coated in crystal and metaphorical oceans of blood. It was the most lucid the man had sounded all night. "When I met Lusa and Mohn all those years ago, it was the first taste of friendship I ever had. And when I got more friends, I finally learned what it felt like to be truly loved. That I wasn't just a burden or a freak for hating my lot in life as a Pokémon Trainer. They were the first people to ever accept me for who I was."

"You were special to them too, Dad." Sun said just as softly, gesturing to Lillie. "I found that out for myself when I came to Alola. I made friends who changed my life forever. I met Lillie and Hau and Professor Kukui and so many other wonderful people who've helped me grow. I also dealt with a lot of really bad experiences, but I had so many good ones mixed in with those."

"The difference, Sun, is the scale of those experiences." Borlath snapped, cutting off his child. "You didn't get repeatedly beaten and abused by your father on a regular basis. Branded, defiled and cast out to die when you were barely able to fend for yourself and with no guidance!"

"And then you have to deal with constant fighting, drama and corruption rife within the government of your godforsaken islands while bowing and scraping to a bunch of gods that don't give a shit! Only to find out that your mentor, a man you looked up to as a teacher and friend, is the cause behind all of the problems that keep you up at night!"

"After that you finally see the true depths of darkness. The unrelenting, cavernous void of evil that no one can gaze into and emerge unphased." Borlath was panting now, sheer fury roiling off of the man as his flames burned even hotter. To Sun's horror, the smoke in front of them finally cleared to reveal an unconscious Alastor…and Shadow Damien lying on the ground, eyes shut tightly in pain as he twitched involuntarily.

"Dad, don't you understand that-" Sun tried to say, but his father cut him off.

"Shut your damn mouth…You know nothing. My entire life has been misery, Sun. I tried to shield you and Laura from it, but there's no escaping the pain. I tried to become strong and protect you all from this, but not only was it not possible…my efforts weren't wanted in the first place. All of it was pointless. So what's the point of living? What's the point in living in a world of such terror and misery and pain? What's the goddamn point of it all, Sun!?" Borlath asked as he held out his hands, lowering his head for a few moments as he gasped for air, his words having taken the wind out of him. Sun didn't have an answer to his father's outburst.

"That's just life though." Lillie spoke softly, causing the madman's gaze to slowly look towards her. "Life hurts. Life is a painful thing where you fall down a lot. A lot of times you wonder how you'll keep going…But there's so much good in it too."

"Oh, well that makes the unrelenting horror, bloodshed and murder that I've gone through so much better Lillie, thank you. The stains on my soul and guilt I feel are all gone now!" Borlath said sarcastically, earning a glare from Sun but a somber smile from Lillie.

"You focus so much on the pain but you forget all of your friends. Your Pokémon. Sun and Laura adored you before you decided to go down the path of evil. Doesn't any of that good matter to you?" Lillie asked Borlath, who considered the girl's response. Especially since it was a topic that was brought up earlier. And after considering it, he simply shook his head much to their disappointment.

"No. Because I'm tired of it all. No more pain. This battle…and all of the hurt ends with this. You're down to one Pokémon that can actually fight. I'm going to win. And I'm going to crush the hope out of you two before I rewrite this world." Borlath wheezed as the fire around his body flared up once again. The chains that connected him to Shadow Damien still burned…and then Shadow Damien twitched!

Sun's blood ran cold as the monster's eyes snapped open. Oliver stilled with horror at the fact that Alastor's final gambit hadn't worked and finished off the hellhound. Borlath's hands clenched tightly, gripping the two remaining chains like they were lifelines. And then the man began to laugh.

"You know what!? I don't care about destroying Alola anymore. After I defeat you and gain total control over our fates and invoke my wish…it'll all be over!" Borlath shouted, much to Sun's frustration.

"You just don't get it do you? You haven't learned anything from this mess…" Sun breathed, half amazed and half horrified at how his father was speaking.

"I just want to reset everything, Sun. Your journey. Your friends. Everything! I'll bring them all back to zero! Then...We can start fresh with a reality that isn't absolute suffering!" Borlath bellowed as Damien snarled, shakily rising to his feet despite the enormous amount of damage he had withstood. "Cut the Golem and Poliwrath off like the others. Flamethrower."

Shadow Damien limped forward, expelling a harsh blast of fire around the fallen form of Alastor and Finn. Thankfully the flames went around the fallen Pokémon rather than incinerating them completely, but it brought Sun little comfort since this had the effect of trapping them within a wraith of black fire.

"What the heck…Shadow Damien took an explosion that brutal and he's still able to fight. And I can't get to the others. We're so close!" Sun muttered as he regarded what Pokémon he had left. Only Nebby and Oliver, and neither were in any shape to take on the dreaded Houndoom at this point. Meanwhile, Sun's only remaining Pokémon was losing his nerve as Shadow Damien turned towards Oliver, growling mercilessly.

"It's just me left…The others are down for the count. Just me…against that thing. We've lost." Oliver whispered, terror in his voice as he trembled with fear. "I'm j-just a liability. I can't stand against something that powerful. Not when it took everyone else out so easily, and absorbed so much damage. What could I possibly do to him?"

Sun could see the Dartrix panicking now and stepped forward onto the battlefield. The Dartrix looked down at the ground, tears in his eyes as he struggled not to completely lose his composure. However, his head jerked up in surprise as Borlath began to walk onto the battlefield as well, chuckling as Shadow Damien began to move towards Sun, his steps shaky but unyielding.

"I believe we've reached the closing act in our performance, Sun." Borlath said as he raised his hands into the air, claw-like fingers extended upwards as he suddenly let out a scream. Shadow Damien howled to the heavens, sending a pall of fear over everyone present that wasn't the madman who wanted to burn the world to the ground.

"I've had enough of all of this." Borlath said with a note of finality in his voice, advancing forward as the burning chains clinked in his hands. "No more games. I'm going to kill all of you. And then wipe the slate clean. Your deaths won't matter anyway, since I can just bring you back with a wish that can rewrite all of this madness. And the only thing that stands in my way is an irritating little owl that's trembling before me."

Oliver winced at the words being directed on him, knowing full-well that they were true. He was Sun, Lillie and Nebby's final line of defense and the last remaining member of the team that could actually battle. Penny had nearly been killed by Shadow Damien causing that explosion while Brago and Finn had been taken down brutally by the hellhound's sheer power. And Alastor had sacrificed himself to do as much damage as possible, leaving the rest of the fight to him.

But it was all in vain-

"Oliver. Don't you give up. Not yet." Sun muttered to the owl as he rested a hand on his head, glaring down his father with a determined gleam in his eyes. Oliver closed his eyes as Sun gently patted his head, his tone warm despite the obvious tension in it. "We're not done. Believe in me, okay? Believe in my faith in you. We're going to take them down together."

"Are you going to let that boy down?"

Oliver's eyes snapped open as a wild, but strangely familiar, voice spoke to him. It radiated strength and a will that was immeasurable, but it also held a depth of warmth to it. The Dartrix's gaze drifted to what lay behind Borlath, and saw that Tapu Koko was staring at him from within its container.

It was then that Oliver noticed that the remaining three Tapu who had been unconscious up until now were now watching the battle with exhausted interest. It was then that three new voices joined the chorus that was now touching his mind.

"Such an abundance of power. A shame he allowed the pain in his heart to eclipse everything else I saw in him."

"Life isn't pretty, nor is it fair. You'd think he'd accept that by now and stop lashing out at everything."

"After what he's been through, I am not surprised he doesn't have a shred of hope left. The boy however, is an interesting case."

"Enough…The conflict happening now is spiraling out of control. I don't have much strength left to maintain our connection, so make this count." Tapu Koko chided his fellow Guardian Deities, glancing at them for a moment before returning his attention to Oliver.

"My child…Why do you allow such doubts to plague your mind? Conflict is not simply a physical concept, dear bird. The war that is being waged within your mind is comparable to the one taking place before us now." Tapu Koko said to the Dartrix as he watched Shadow Damien and Borlath approach.

"You only have Cosmog and your little bird left. It's time to say goodnight, Sun. Damien…kill." Borlath instructed the hellhound, with the monstrous canine releasing a booming howl to the skies before looking at Sun and opening his mouth, releasing a deadly plume of flames at Sun, Lillie, Nebby and Oliver.

"Use Protect!" Sun screamed out as the terrible black fire raced towards them, with Lillie shrieking in fear behind them. The battlefield trembled at the force of the flames erupting from Shadow Damien as Oliver flapped his wings hard, going for a Protect Charge instead of a regular Protect.

"Get down!" Oliver yelled as the shield bloomed to light around him, with the flames smashing hard against the flames. The Dartrix shrieked at the sheer effort of holding back the hellfire that was rushing into his shield, but he refused to give any ground. Not when Sun needed him, and failure would mean the end of their lives.

"Stop!" Borlath ordered, causing the Shadow Mega Houndoom to cease the attack. Oliver's shield shattered around him the moment the monster had stopped using Flamethrower. "Now, use Fire Blast!"

"Oliver, dodge it!" Sun screamed as Shadow Damien roared and opened his maw once again, firing off a burning star-shaped blast of pitch-black flames. Oliver tried to dive downwards, but after the strain of using Protect like that, the exhaustion had caught up with him and slowed him just just enough to the attack to clip his back.

Sun and Lillie screamed as black fire exploded throughout the battlefield, causing the Absolution to tremble at the force of the attack. Lillie couldn't stop tears from dripping down her face as smoke filled the battlefield and Oliver's body crashed down mere feet from where they were currently standing.

"Oliver!" Sun called out to the bird, his charred body twitching violently on the ground. Borlath stood there impassively, swaying on his feet and putting a hand to his head. Sun knelt down to Oliver and scooped him into his arms, wincing at the heat the bird was giving off right now, but he ignored that. Oliver's body twitched in his embrace, and to Sun's amazement, the Dartrix opened a single eye.

"I can't…let you down again." Oliver rasped, turning towards Shadow Damien and Borlath. Sun nodded and gently placed the wobbling bird on his feet, standing beside the Dartrix.

"I know some Pokémon can endure attacks that would normally knock them out, but this is just ridiculous." Borlath spat, thrusting a hand towards Oliver and Sun. "You think that half-dead bird is going to save you!? This is the real world, Sun! Miracles don't exist! You have to make your own dreams happen with what's tangible! So give up and die!"

"We're not done…Just because you gave up on Damien doesn't mean I'm giving up on Oliver!" Sun screamed at his father, thrusting out the hand that had his Z-Ring on it and curling that hand into a fist. Brilliant orange light streamed from the Z-Ring as Sun thrust it towards Oliver, but also towards Shadow Damien and Borlath.

"Can you feel his hope?" Tapu Fini sang softly, its voice soft in Oliver's mind as the Z-Power engulfed him. "That hope has carried him far, but so have you and your teammates."

Borlath scoffed as he twisted his outstretched hand into a fist as well. "Enough of this. Kill that bird!"

"Because even now, at his darkest hour…He still hasn't given up on his Partner. That boy still holds an absolute faith in you despite how hopeless the situation seems. Feel the strength coming through your bond and listen to its song. What is your Trainer saying to you?" Tapu Lele asked gently, its tone holding a note of amusement.

So Oliver shut his eyes, despite hearing Borlath bark out orders for another Flamethrower, and he dwelled on the feelings being conveyed through the Z-Ring. The energy that was flowing outwards from Sun, hoping to manifest in some way, shape or form. And Oliver was stunned by what he felt in the power that wafted through the air around him. Because those feelings, the intense emotions coming from his Trainer, boiled down to four words.

I believe in you.

That single thought, four simple but powerful words, thrummed through Oliver's mind like a mantra. It embodied everything Sun had stood for ever since he set out down Route 1 with an unruly Rowlet in tow and began the adventure of a lifetime.


"Maybe if there's hope for him, then there's some for me too. Sun...I don't know what you see in me and everyone else. But I believe in you. So I'll believe in myself." Oliver said quietly to himself as he looked out over the ocean, even as Lillie smiled beside him. The two of them stood by Kukui's Lab as the others planned out the attack on the Absolution. The Dartrix didn't quite understand why Lillie had chosen to comfort him, but he appreciated her words of wisdom and support.

"Good! I'm glad you're finally getting that message!" called out a familiar voice.

Oliver's head rotated 180 degrees in surprise as Sun walked down from the front steps of the lab, smiling down at the three of them. Oliver looked away and ruffled his feathers in embarrassment while Lillie smiled brightly at her friend. The boy walked forward and sat down beside Oliver, putting a hand on his head as Nebby cried out happily, "Papa! You're here! Make Big Bro less sad!"

"What's on your mind, Oliver?" Sun asked the owl, who looked away from his Trainer.

"That...I've been really stupid. I shouldn't have doubted how much you care about me. How much you care about all of us. Even Alastor, for some reason. You're too good of a human, you know." Oliver remarked, causing Sun to laugh after a moment.

"I don't know about that. I just do what makes sense. You'll get through this. I believe in you, Oliver. I always have." Sun said quietly, stroking the bird's head and causing him to shut his eyes. Oliver laughed in response, and began to preen his feathers.


I believe in you.


"What are you feeling?" Sun asked his Dartrix as he combed the birds feathers, breaking the silence as they sat on the sandy beach of the Secluded Shore, right before entering Route 13. The gentle lap of the ocean behind them provided a calming atmosphere to what Sun knew was a conversation that had been coming for a long while.

The owl didn't respond to Sun's question verbally, though Oliver did look out towards the ocean. Sun continued to groom the bird, even feeding him a Poké Bean while he thought about it. After a few minutes, he finally decided to ask a question.

"Why...Why do you bother with me? The others are becoming stronger than I am. I keep letting you down. You deserve so much more than me...So why?" Oliver asked, turning his head towards Sun. The boy could see the insecurity in the eyes of the Dartrix. His fear, frustration and guilt were plain as day.

Sun moved forward and hugged the owl, causing him to still for a moment before relaxing in Sun's arms. "Because you're my Partner. You're my Pokémon. I will never give up on you, Oliver, or any of my Pokémon. I love you, and we'll get through this together...I promise."

Sun had actually taken the advice of his mother when thinking of what to say to Oliver. Laura had mentioned to Sun once, long before they had come to Alola, that life is a very short and fragile thing, and that you should always make sure people know how much you mean to them. And that included saying a particular three-word phrase that held all the meaning in the world.

Especially at a time like this.

Sun wasn't surprised when the owl suddenly began to cry in his arms, unable to understand why. Why he was such a broken disgrace of a Pokémon. Why he continued to let everyone down. Why he was so weak these days, when before he had been so confident and in control. Why he was so unhappy with who he was. Why being in control of himself was so difficult…

And he was unable to understand why he deserved such a wonderful boy as his Trainer. He didn't understand why he was given chance after chance after mistake after mistake. Oliver didn't understand why this child, who had gone through so much pain and suffering, continued to believe in a worthless bird who was best left forgotten.

Oliver didn't understand these things...But he knew that Sun was telling the truth. And he knew that Sun was speaking what he felt. And that's what brought the owl to tears. Because he knew that despite all of his failings, all of his insecurities, and all of his mistakes…

Sun loved him.


I believe in you.


It was the first morning of Sun's arrival in Alola, and it was certainly an eventful one.

Sun yelped in surprise and pain as the small Rowlet frantically pecked at him, making this the second time that day that a bird made the young boy bleed. Lillie gasped in horror while Hala and Kukui tried to return/pacify the Pokémon respectively.

All attempts to calm the crazed bird failed. After about a minute of freaking out, the bird suddenly flew higher into the air and tackled Sun in the chest, sending him toppling to the ground. Just as Hala pulled out a Poké Ball to return the bird, the Rowlet fluttered down to Sun and nestled itself calmly on his chest with a satisfied hoot.

"…Can someone explain why an adorable owl just beat the crap out of me?" Sun asked weakly from the ground. To his horror, the Rowlet's head slowly rotated 180 degrees and it stared at the boy with unblinking eyes before cooing softly. Its head then slowly spun back to its regular place.

"Well, I…honestly think it's because he wanted you to pick it, Sun." Kukui said with a thoughtful frown. "It saw you were going for Popplio. Maybe it wanted to show you that it was the proper choice for you. You know, show you its strength. That it was worth being your Pokémon by demonstrating that it was strong."

"Well…Considering he just pummeled me into the dirt, I can absolutely agree with that last bit," Sun muttered darkly.

"Rowlet, is this true? Did you attack this poor boy because you wanted him to pick you?" Hala asked the bird gruffly, his tone disapproving. The Rowlet simply closed its eyes and gave a hoot in response.

"Seems that's the case, Kukui. Though he also said it's because he thought that spooking the boy would be funny as well. That one's got an…interesting personality to say the least," Hala said with a small sigh.

Sun, meanwhile, considered the bird on his chest. He had been just about ready to pick Popplio, the Water-type starter, but…He had also seriously considered Rowlet. It apparently really wanted Sun to pick him. Pokémon were usually considered to be pretty smart in general, with some being vastly more intelligent than humans. If this Pokémon wanted to be his so badly…who was he to refuse it?

"Hey…So what if I decided to go with Rowlet instead?" Sun said to the older men, who looked down at him in surprise.

"Sun, my boy, you're taking a bit of a risk. Are you sure that you want to have a Pokémon that just attacked you?" Hala asked Sun, sounding bewildered.

"Yeah. Why not? He's apparently really set on being who I pick, and I was considering him anyway." Sun said with a bracing smile, which faltered when the bird tried pecking at him again.

"Hey, stop it!" Sun snapped at the Pokémon, his smile slipping away. The Rowlet's expression somehow became a bit smug, but the Pokémon did fly off of Sun's chest and back onto the stage, where the Litten and Popplio were staring at it in horror. The bird's head rotated 90 degrees so that it was staring directly at them, which made both of the Pokémon scoot away from the strange bird.

Kukui helped Sun to his feet and had Lillie help treat the new cuts that were on his face. After a few minutes, Hala returned the other two starters, leaving Rowlet alone on the stage.

"Sun, if you are truly sure…then go upon the stage with Rowlet. Only when you have chosen each other, can you truly call yourself Partners." Hala said almost gravely, obviously not approving of Sun's choice. Sun realized that his call probably wasn't a very good one, but he also considered that the bird wanted to go with him for a reason. It wanted him to be his trainer. So…maybe he would choose it as well.

Sun made his way onto the stage, limping slightly as the others watched on silently. All of the walking beforehand and then being assaulted had worn him out. He was looking forward to falling into his bed and passing out once again when he returned home. But for now he got onto the stage with the excitable owl Pokémon that was staring him down now.

"Sun, you have decided to choose Rowlet. Now we shall see if Rowlet truly chooses you." Hala said from his position between the two of them, one hand resting on a Poké Ball on his belt so that he could intervene if needed. Sun smiled and bent down, putting his hands on his knees as Rowlet stared at him.

"Koo…" Rowlet chirped, cocking its head for a few moments before nodding to itself. The owl Pokémon suddenly flew forward and hooted happily at Sun's feet, causing the boy to grin widely as he lifted the bird up into his arms.

Where it promptly pecked him on the nose.

"Will you stop that!?" Sun demanded as he held the bird out of harm's way (his own). Rowlet hooted in amusement a few times before calming down, flying out of Sun's hands and landing gently on his head.

"So. It looks like little Rowlet had accepted you as well, Sun. Though I suppose that it was obvious." Hala said with a small sigh, though he smiled a bit despite himself. He handed Sun the bird's Poké Ball as Kukui chuckled quietly nearby.

"Having accepted one another, despite the assault, I'm sure you'll both be friends for life." Kukui said cheerfully as Rowlet's head tilted towards the Professor, who took a step back out of response. Mainly fear.

"So, Sun, do you know what you're going to name your new Pokémon?" Lillie asked timidly. Sun crossed his arms, looking up at the bird on his head, who stared down at him with a pleased expression.

"Hmm…I really should have thought of that earlier. I…Really don't know. Any ideas?" Sun asked the trio around him.

"Some trainers usually have some sort of naming system to what they name their Pokémon as. That said, a lot of trainers just choose whatever comes to mind. Some pick things that are important to them, like colors, people they idolize or things they like. Things like that." Kukui said helpfully, making Sun think. The Rowlet stared down at the boy who had chosen him, eager to hear what his name would be.

"How does the name Oliver sound?" Sun asked the Rowlet. The bird flapped its wings and hooted again in approval, making Lillie and Kukui grin happily.

And so a partnership was formed. A bond forged that would prove to be unbreakable in the hardships that would eventually come.


I believe in you.

Oliver breathed in deeply, exhaling a smooth breath as the tidal wave of emotions threatened to overwhelm him. But it was at that moment he finally understood his Trainer's emotions. And his resolve became that of iron.

"Sun…I may not believe in myself. But I believe in you. And if you say I can overcome this…Then I'll give it everything I've got!" Oliver whispered to himself, opening his eyes…which matched the same golden glow as his Trainer's.

Because now, at the end of this long journey, Oliver understood his Trainer. Sun believed in others, and the goodness of people, at a fundamental level. So of course he believed in Oliver. It was just a simple part of who Sun was. A wonderful boy that he was proud to call his Partner. The problem was that Oliver doubted himself. And had doubted himself for a while now.

But that didn't matter anymore. Because his faith in Sun now eclipsed those feelings of doubt and fear. Sun believed in Oliver to find a way for them to win. They had no other recourse, and Sun had never given up on him before.

And Oliver believed in Sun to lead them to victory. The boy had shown time and time again that he could get them out of bad situations. After all this time, Oliver realized how stupid he was being not simply trusting in his Trainer.

Sun's Z-Ring began to shift and twist, shimmering brightly as the white artifact slowly began to shimmer and transform into a solid black color. The light that shined out from the Z-Ring on Sun's wrist began to burst out even more brightly, with the energy flowing into Oliver more intensely than before. A rainbow of colors shined outwards as power thrummed through the air, creating a vibrant hum that filled their ears.

Oliver's eyes shined brightly alongside Sun's, even as the Z-Ring around Sun's wrist finished its transformation. The warmth that the two of them, Trainer and Pokémon, felt was beyond description. It was as if a wildfire had erupted within their very souls, allowing them to feel everything the other could.

They were one.

"Protect." Sun said calmly as the hellfire drew ever closer, the words spoken almost casually. The boy closed his eyes and focused his power on Oliver, who thrust apart his wings and summoned another Protect. However, this time it was bolstered by the energy Sun was feeding the Dartrix through the strength of their bond, and instead of a green or blue barrier it now appeared as a brilliant gold dome of energy around them all

Borlath snarled with fury as the flames struck the shield, but they did little else than that. To his irritation the flames didn't even crack or damage the barrier like before, and soon he had Shadow Damien cease his attack. The flames slowly died down, revealing that the barrier was unharmed from the harsh black fire and that Oliver and Sun were standing tall.

"My, my…" Tapu Koko laughed within the mind of both Sun and Oliver as the Trainer and Pokémon felt an incredible warmth bloom through their bodies, the power at their metaphorical fingertips bristled with possibilities. Sun looked down at the Z-Ring, amazed at how he could feed his own power into Oliver and do something like that.

Meanwhile, Lillie watched all of this with an awed expression on her face, not quite understanding what was going on, just knowing that it was incredible. That Sun was incredible and so were his Pokémon.

"Your Radiance is so bright, my child." Tapu Koko said through Sun's Z-Ring with approval in its voice, even as Sun looked at the blackened bird on the ground. Borlath simply stared at the display with pale white eyes of fear, his shock evident as the bright light of Radiance manifested itself at long last within Sun and Oliver. The boy was almost overwhelmed by the power thrumming through his shining Z-Ring, even as the Z-Power burned around him and Oliver like shining rainbow flames.

"Synthesis." Sun said as he held out his hand, closing his eyes and focusing on the connection he felt with Oliver through their bond, now completely in sync and focused on one simple thought. One single emotion.

Oliver's faith in Sun, and Sun's faith in Oliver. Their belief in one another was the one thing that the duo were focused on, and so intensely that it blocked out their fear and anger and everything else.

After all of the hardship and struggles they had been through, now at long last…they were now one, and the light that they created was brighter than all of the flames surrounding them.

As Oliver's body glowed with healing light and the bird stood upright once again, Sun glared down at his father with renewed determination. Shadow Damien snarled softly at the shining light that poured from Sun and Oliver, their Radiance casting a spectacular glow over the Absolution.

Borlath continued to stare at his child, who had harnessed the power that he had cast aside so many years ago, with a disbelief that overshadowed his hatred. His little boy had become a Trainer worthy of the Tapu's sacred power, much like Roran and himself.

As the father and son stared each other down, Tapu Koko closed its eyes and hummed softly with satisfaction. Even with its eyes shut, the warm light could still be felt. The other Tapu weakly stirred in their containment pods, watching the battle intently.

"I knew that I chose my Champion well." Tapu Koko remarked, unable to help the smugness in its voice as it opened its eyes once more, eager to see the showdown between Ashton Aupuni and Sunshine Smiles reach its conclusion.


NEXT TIME: Judgment will be cast…


How's this gonna turn out? Can Sun and Oliver pull off a miracle? Let's wait and see!

Q & A

From: SolanaLeonhart

Another excellent chapter, it's always great to see this story updated. I have a whole bunch of questions and I'm but even sure where to start though.

Just when I thought Ashton couldn't go even further off the deep end he does, it's dad that he still doesn't see how worthless his wish is. Seriously, though what the hell was that in the end? Damien turning into a shadow pokemon was one thing but Ash's transformation? Does this have to do with whatever is wrong with his keystone or something?

That was the result of Damien's Mega Evolution going horribly wrong. Due to the weakening and unhealthy bond between Damien and Ashton, every time Ashton Mega Evolved Damien it would cause the both of them pain and damage the Mega Crown slightly. Forcing Damien, who had finally had enough of Ashton's actions, to Mega Evolve against his will was what finally forced the Mega Crown to break…or rather, melt.

All of those awful emotions (sorrow, rage, betrayal, despair and hatred) were given actual power through the damaged keystone and were brought out due to the nature of Mega Evolution (which brings out the bond between Trainer and Pokémon).

The Mega Crown, now truly broken, would melt upon Ashton's head and the latent energy within the Keystone that had been unleashed as a result of the botched Mega Evolution manifested into flames that Damien expelled from his body. Those flames would strike Ashton and bring out a side of him that is him at his very worst. The embodiment of everything that caused him to commit countless crimes for his goals.

The side of Ashton Aupuni, or rather Borlath, that he constantly holds back and suppresses. The side of him that is willing to kill and destroy for the sake of his goals. The side of him that was being held back from destroying the Pokémon League all at once or simply taking the practical and intelligent (but terrible) decisions that would have ensured the growth and strength of Cipher.

Hopefully that makes some kind of sense.

From: EL Hunter

*sees title* is this a Destiny 2 reference?

Yes, yes it was! For those who don't know, last chapter was a reference to the "Crown of Sorrow" Raid in Destiny 2. I like making references in my chapter titles.

For example, this chapter was a reference to Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, and "Lord of the Castle" is a reference to the final boss theme of the main story.

From: fatwhiteguy

Geez poor Damian. I kinda figured something like this would happen but the shadow mega evolution I didnt see coming...will he be alright when he's defeated?

Very good question. He's certainly in a lot better shape than Ashton. We'll find out the answer to that next chapter!

From: PigniteGamer29

Damien better not die! I've grown too attached to him now XD.

Anyways, great chapter overall! It leaves me with a question, though: is Ashton going through some split personality stuff? Cause that sudden mood shift to Borlath makes me think so.

Not quite. It's more like him unleashing the very worst parts of himself that he actively holds back or doesn't act on out of the sake of what morals he has left. This form, so to speak, is every bit of negativity that had been present in his bond with Damien thrown back at Ashton and made manifest.

He isn't Ashton Aupuni, who was too weak to protect his family. He wasn't a father to Sun, so he couldn't be called "Dad". At this point he's simply Borlath, the man who would crush anything in his way…even if it's his own Partner or his child.

From: ConnivingG

I have just read through this entire story in the past week and while there have been some parts in the story where there is definitely too much going on at once but it makes sense in context either way I love this story.

Also holy shit did Ash just become a Shadow Human!? I also quite frankly love Damien and hope he survived this.

Oh and in the beginning Kukui never gave Sun that EXP share.

Wow, that's crazy fast. Kudos to you for powering through 1.5 million words of my convoluted nonsense! Thank you for the support!

More or less. It's a good analogy as to what he's been brought down to at this point.

And yeah, I'm not a fan of EXP Share being in the games in the manner it is, which is why I didn't make it a part of the story. I'm debating having Kukui remember he didn't give it to Sun down the road and get mad at himself.

And that's gonna be it for now! Next chapter we conclude the Cipher Arc!

I'm debating whether or not I want to take a small hiatus after posting the next chapter for the sake of planning and taking a mental break after these past few chapters and recent events. Nothing major, maybe a month or so since this February has been so incredibly stressful. I'll keep everyone posted.

In the meantime please Favorite and/or Follow the story to stay updated with future chapters! And if you want to offer some feedback or support to the story, please drop a review in the section below. I also answer questions and have a Discord for the story! PM me for an invite if you want to join.

I do also want to pose a question for my readers.

What are your thoughts on "Pokémon Legends: Arceus"? What are some of your favorite experiences in the game? What's your favorite new Pokémon from the game? And what region would you like to see get the "Legends" treatment next?

I'd love to hear your thoughts! Please keep things as spoiler-free as possible. Thanks in advance! I'll be offering a spoiler-free review of the game in the next update (since I expect I'll have finished the post-game by then.)

Stay safe and stay awesome!

Until next time, FlygonNick out!