Chapter 60: A Whole New World
When the five of them came out the other side, they found themselves in what appeared to be a long, narrow cavern, seemingly endless in its length. A strange light glowed overhead. Not a sun, but...something else.
"Where are we?"
"I don't know, but mother must be here. The sooner we find her, the better."
"Agreed. Everyone, stick together. The last thing we need is to get lost."
Slowly, the five made their way deeper into the mysterious cavern, making sure to stay close together so as not to lose anybody (Gladion shooting daggers at Ash as Lillie clung to her boyfriend's arm). Suddenly, Gladion stopped, holding his arm out to urge the others to do the same.
"What's wrong."
"Someone else is here. I can sense it."
"Is it mother?"
"No, its...something else. Over there!"
Everyone shot their attention upwards to find...
Guzma glaring down at them from a ledge. Leaping down, the leader of Team Skull met them face to face. Everyone got ready for battle, but Guzma raised his hands in surrender.
"Relax, I ain't looking to fight ya. I'm just looking for a way out."
"But how did you get here?"
"I was just chilling out at Po House, thinking up new ways to beat twerp over there..."
"I beat you twice!"
"You say potato, I say shut up. Anyway, all of a sudden this freak wormhole pops out of nowhere right in the courtyard! And this weird blob thing pops out, and I think "hey cool, new Pokemon!" so I send out Golissopod out to take it on. And you know what Golissopod does? He hightails it out of there while the thing grabs me and takes me in with it! Some friend."
Guzma sniffed in annoyance before continuing.
"Then when we get here, the thing goes right through me! No joke, it went right through my body like it was some kind of ghost. I've never felt more violated in my life. So cold and slimy and..."
Guzma shuddered as he concluded his story.
"...And that brings me here. Well, see ya."
"Wait! Have you seen my mother, Lusamine?"
"She have long, blonde hair?"
Gladion and Lillie nodded.
"I saw her off in some corner somewhere. She was kind of out of it, muttering to herself and staring off into space. Didn't seem to even realize I was there."
Worried, Gladion and Lillie turned in the direction he pointed.
"Thanks, Guzma. Come on guys, lets go save her!"
"Right!"
Guzma watched them run off, shaking his head.
"Ya'll are stupid."
The group soon found Lusamine, her back turned to them as she stared at a wall. Her mind seemed to be elsewhere, as she conversed with an unseen force.
"No...please, let me go..."
"Mother, are you alright? Its me, Lillie."
Lusamine tensed up, finally shaking out of her stupor."
"Lillie..."
"Yes, and Gladion's here too."
"What's wrong, mother?"
"You two shouldn't have come here...get out..."
"We're not leaving without you!"
"Get out...while you still can!"
Before anyone could move, Lusamine's body began to spasim and contort, as if her body was being torn in two. Then, she began to fade in and out, as if she was about to disappear entirely.
"Mother! What's wrong?"
"You were warned..."
Suddenly, everything stopped, and Lusamine began to transform, growing in size as various appendages. When her transformation was complete, she looked more like one of the Ultra Beasts that resided there than she did herself.
"Mother...?"
"Your mother isn't here anymore! I'm in control of this body, and if you want to see her again, you'll have to go through me!"
Furious, everyone drew out their Pokemon.
"You asked for it! Ready, guys!"
"Ready!"
"Then let's do this!"
Guzma leaned against a stone pillar, trying to figure a way home, when a blue streak ran up to him. Once he recovered from shock, he found a Greninja staring at him.
"Let me guess. You're looking for the twerp squad?"
Greninja nodded.
"They went that way after some blonde chick."
Without another word, Greninja darted off. Guzma snorted.
"When did my life get so weird?"
