The three began to sneak away from the port. When they peered around a corner, they say Aether Foundation employees, but it looked like they were patrolling instead of doing anything Alex had seen them doing before. Why were they patrolling? Were they expecting them to come, and was there to try and stop them from getting Lillie back? But why would they do that?
They managed to slip passed the patrol and made their way to the triangular elevator Alex and Hau had taken the last time they visited Aether Paradise. Gladion stood before the panel for the elevator, pressing buttons, then shook his head. "Just like I thought..."
"What are you doing there?" Hau asked.
"Looks like outsiders can't use the main elevator to reach the lower levels," Gladion explained and sighed. "I was afraid this might happen. But still... What a pain." He turned to face Alex and Hau. "We don't have any choice. We'll have to go up." He turned to the panel again and pressed a couple of buttons. The guard rails rised, then so did the elevator.
They were immediately met by a familiar voice once the elevator stopped. "I, Faba, am the Aether Branch Chief. The only one in the world, I'm irreplaceable." The three looked over to see Faba had his back to them. He then turned towards them. "And here you come back... uninvited?"
"Like you don't know why," Gladion said coldly. "You of all people should know everything that happens in the Aether Foundation. Isn't that right, high-and-mighty Branch Chief?"
'Everything that happens in the Aether Foundation'? What is Gladion implying? Alex thought to herself, carefully watching Faba.
Faba chuckled and approached the group. "Look at you... Living out in the world hasn't been kind, has it? But I'm still not telling you anything!" Alex looked over at Gladion; she realized Faba was explicitly talking to him. "And you of all people should understand why... Gladion."
"Hey, Alexandra," Gladion started, looking at her through the corner of his eye. "You know why being a trainer is so great? Because when you're battling, it doesn't matter if you're a kid or an adult. Everyone's equal in a Pokemon battle!"
Alex nodded. "Yeah, you're right!"
Faba chuckled again with a smug grin. "Oh ho, is that right? Is that what you think? So you wish to battle me, Branch Chief Faba? The man who is called Aether Paradise's last line of defense is to battle a mere child?!"
"That's exactly right!" Alex said, stepping forward with a Pokeball in hand. "If you're gonna get in our way, then we'll just have to beat you!"
"As you will!" Faba barked.
Faba's eyes widened, and he froze in place. "H-h-how can this be?! How could this child..."
"Aue, look at you, Alex! And Faba is real strong, too!" Hau said. Alex blushed at the compliment.
"So..." Gladion started. "As I said, Faba. You of all people know what I'm here for. "
"Indeed... The world truly hasn't been kind to you, has it? Look at how hard it made you." Faba sighed. "If you're looking for Cosmog, I suppose it might be downstairs."
"Downstairs?!" Hau interjected. "Oh yeah! Ms. Wicke did say there was another level farther down, didn't she..." He glared at Faba. "What do you do down there?!"
Faba shrugged in response. "Experiments to reach a world different from Alola... That's what I've been told, yes."
"We're in a bit of a hurry, Faba. A lift would be nice," Gladion said, gesturing to the elevator's panel.
"Why not? This is an act of kindness I can do for you thanks to my position as branch chief." Alex rolled her eyes. It more sounded like he was trying to pamper his wounded ego. The man approached the panel and began pressing buttons.
"Alexandra, Hau. If you're ready, let's head down," Gladion said to them.
Alex nodded. "Yeah, let's go." Hau nodded as well.
"All right. Let's go," Gladion said, after what seemed like an apprehensive pause. The guard rails rose up again, and this time, the elevator went down. Once out of their sight, a smug grin crept across Faba's face.
When the elevator came to a stop, the three of them looked around. "Everything looks the same. I guess it's only been two years, though," Gladion said.
Alex looked at him curiously. "Huh? You've been here before?"
"Wow! It's like a secret hideout!" Hau said enthusiastically.
"Don't get too excited, Hau," Gladion said sternly, then closed his eyes with a small smirk. "Though I guess it's better than freezing from fear or nerves."
Hau grinned excitedly. "So where do we go now?"
Gladion turned his attention to a door to their left. "There are two labs up ahead. I'll check the first lab, Secret Lab A. You two check out Secret Lab B. It's the second lab, down the hall."
Alex frowned. "Not very original names, huh?"
"Why do you get the first one? And why do you know all this?" Hau asked, finally voicing the same questions Alex had.
Gladion paused. "Just focus, Hau. Think you can do that? We can't trust Faba. U'm sure he's already told half the foundation all about us."
"I feel like that would have been obvious," Alex mumbled. "Bug-eyed weirdo."
"You didn't even answer my question..." Hau grumbled. "I know what it's gotta be. Nerves, eh? I reckon that you're more afraid to be here than either of us, huh, Gladion?" Gladion didn't respond, and Alex once again quizzically looked at him. Was Hau right? "Lillie must be scared right now... Let's buckle down and do this!" Alex nodded, and the group rushed towards the door.
There were more employees awaiting them passed the door, but these ones were dressed differently. "Intruders spotted! We'll protect our secret labs!" shouted one.
One of the researchers shook their head. "There are only researchers like us in the secret labs!"
Another one stepped forward. "Looks like I'm next! I'll show you the power of Aether Paradise!"
"We're currently working on the development of a new Pokeball. It is apparently used to catch Pokemon not found in Alola!" the researcher confessed timidly.
"'Pokemon not found in Alola'?" Alex asked. What did that mean?
The last researcher approached. "How about I guess what you're looking for. Cosmog, right? If you want to know what kind of experiments we did with it, then you'll have to beat me!"
"Fine by me!" Alex growled.
"We were doing experiments to try to find a way to open Ultra Wormholes, using a creature called Cosmog as the key," the researcher confessed, then all of them ran off.
"So that's what they're doing here?" Alex asked, more to herself. "Are they trying to... catch Ultra Beasts?" That was the only thing that made everything she was just told make sense.
There wasn't too much time to think. They had to start searching in the secret labs.
Gladion was standing in front of the door to one of the labs, and Alex approached him. "It's not here. Don't even think about getting in here!" She jumped when he suddenly shouted. He kept his back to her. "Me and Null, we're more alike than we might look. We're both what we were made to be..." Gladion said thoughtfully. "I was like an ornament to my mother. Wearing whatever she told me to wear, acting however she wanted me to act... Null was crafted just as carefully. It was made to battle the beasts." He placed his hand on the door. "In this room... right here..."
Alex couldn't think of anything to say. It was even more clear how difficult being here was for Gladion; it seemed to just be bringing up a lot of complicated feelings. So Gladion's strange Pokemon was a product of the Aether Foundation's research...
That's right, she and Hau and to search the second lab. She left Gladion to his thoughts, and entered the lab with Hau.
Alex threw open the door and they both rushed inside, surprising the employees that were inside. "Wh-what are you kids doing in here?! Don't touch anything with your grimy hands!" one of them barked.
"My hands are clean, thank you!" Alex barked back.
"This research is our life! I don't care if you're a kid or what. I'll send you flying if you threaten it!"
"I may be an expert at studying Pokemon, but I'm no expert when it comes to battling them..." the employee grumbled. "But the guys in Lab A next door... They're pretty experienced with battles. After all, they spent so long researching that uncontrollable Pokemon..."
Were they talking about Type: Null?
""Hey, focus, people," Hau said. Though it was directed to the employees, it brought her back to the present. "Where's Lillie and Cosmog?"
"We may have lost, but that doesn't mean we're going to help you. I'm not telling you anything," one employee sneered.
"She's not here, is she? Even you can see that?" the second employee added. The two employees then left the room.
"Come on, Alex! Let's split up and look around! Maybe we'll find some clue!" Hau suggested. Alex nodded, and began looking around the room.
She stopped in front of the computer that was in the room and looked over the document that was open on it. It was titled "Aether Report: Cosmog".
'Cosmog is hypothesized to be the type of Ultra Beast that hails from another dimension. A dimension that we have named Ultra Space. When placed under sufficient stress, it reveals the power to create and open Ultra Wormholes in order to escape from its suffering. We are now working on a device that will allow us to manipulate the Ultra Wormhole created when Cosmog is subjected to extreme stress...'
"Wait... so Cosmog might be an Ultra Beast?" Hau said. Alex jumped; she hadn't realized she was reading out loud. "We should tell Gladion about this!" Hau rushed out the door.
Alex turned her attention back to the screen and frowned. "That's so terrible..." Cosmog would only suffer here, and may open the world to dangerous things. No wonder Lillie was trying so hard to hid Nebby all the time...
Gladion met them outside the door. "Did you find anything?"
Alex nodded. "Not Lillie or Nebby, but some information."
"We learned a bit about Cosmog!" Hau said. "Like, it might be an Ultra Beast or whatever... and if you stress it a lot, it can create Ultra Wormholes! Maybe to run away or something?"
Gladion nodded. "If you stress it... If you hurt it- is that what you mean? Was that why she ran away with Cosmog? She always was too nice..."
"But we didn't find any sign of it down here," Hau concluded.
Gladion folded his arms. "Yeah... Faba probably knew this would be a dead end." He sighed. "Darn... Did he outsmart us?" He then ran down the hall, leaving Alex and Hau behind.
"Gladion never really explains anything, eh? Probably thinks it makes him look cool..." Hau sighed, then turned his attention to Alex. "Should we go after him? We all got into this together. Might as well see it to the end together!"
Alex nodded, and the two followed after Gladion. If she was going to be honest, she was a little worried about Gladion. It was painfully clear this place did not hold good memories for him, but he was bearing that so they could rescue Lillie and Nebby. Hau was right: they should see it through the end together. Gladion may just need the support.
The three returned to the elevator and traveled up to the only place they could go: up to the entrance of Aether Paradise. The elevator arrived without anyone waiting for them... and that was suspicious. They couldn't go any further up, either. "Alex..." Hau mumbled.
Gladion snorted. "Even beaten down, old Faba doesn't change, does he?"
"What do we do?" Hau asked.
"Beat whoever stands in our way. What other choice do we have?" Gladion said bluntly.
"I feel that's what we've been doing already..." Alex mumbled.
"Fine, fine, we can do that," Hau said, putting his hands behind his head. "But do you have to say 'hmph' all the time?"
Three employees suddenly rushed towards them. "Hello, children," one said. "I'm afraid Branch Chief Faba has given us orders regarding you three... Now that you've learned of the darkness at the heart of Aether Paradise, we'll need you all to conveniently disappear!"
"Whoa! Alex! Battle with me!" Hau shouted. She nodded and helped take the two that were standing on Hau's side.
The group managed to defeat the three. One of the employees shook their head. "Ridiculous..."
"That's what you get when you go through the trials of the island challenge," Gladion said coldly. "Now that you understand... how about you get out of our way?"
Hau let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Alex! If I really got my partner better, maybe I'd even be able to enjoy the kind of battle you can't afford to lose..."
"Let's go." Hau and Alex turned their attention to Gladion. "You know..." he started. "I know we aren't friends. But I'm glad you two are here... I remember what you said at Battle Royal Dome that day, Hau. About how people can achieve more if they do something together. Looks like you might be right."
Hau grinned and nodded, and Alex did so as well. It seemed Gladion was feeling more relieved having them there with him.
"Young master." A familiar voice made them all turn to see Ms. Wicke standing there. She politely bowed.
Alex stared at Ms. Wicke, then reeled around to stare wide eyed at Gladion. Hau did the same. "What d'you mean 'young master'?!" Hau barked.
"It's been a long time..." Ms. Wicke approached the group with her usual, friendly smile. "And hello to you two, Alexandra and Hau. Please allow me to heal your Pokemon."
"U-um, yes, thanks," Alex managed to squeak out.
"What's happened to Lillie? Do you know anything?" Gladion asked, getting straight to the point.
"I... imagine that she is with the president," Ms Wicke replied, her smile fading into a face of someone giving bad news, and hated having to do so.
"Then that's where I'm going. That's all I need to know."
"The president? That's Miss Lusamine, right?" Hau asked. "She's a really nice person, so I'm sure she'll listen to us if we explain everything."
Gladion shook his head. "Yeah, she's real nice... as long as you mean nothing to her."
Alex frowned. So this place really did have some bad memories for Gladion.
"But I'm afraid the doors have been locked..." Ms. Wicke informed them.
"Again?!" Hau groaned.
"That's not stopping me," Gladion said, then ran off.
"Wait, we're coming, too!" Alex called after him, and ran with Hau beside her.
The doors in question were, of course, guarded by multiple Aether Foundation employees, and standing among them was Faba. Faba shrugged when they stopped before them. "My, my... what naughty children," Faba sighed. "You should just lay your heavy heads down. But I knew that you would struggle onward- I could see through every action you would take. So I knew you would try to reach the president."
Alex rolled her eyes. "Oh my, how smart of you."
"And that is why!" Faba continued. "I knew I would be able to ambush you here, just in front of the mansion where the president remains, and remedy my previous failure. The only reason I let you in the lower floor was to buy time to gather more staff to stop you."
"Wow, Mr. Faba! You're so nice!" Hau said cheerfully. Alex stared at him.
Faba chuckled. "W-well, of course... I am a wonderful branch chief, after all!"
Hau laughed. "We didn't even have to ask you where the president was, and you just confirmed it for us! So the president is up ahead, huh?" Hau laughed. "Thanks! Now we know where to find Cosmog and Lillie!"
Faba went slack jawed. "What?!" Alex couldn't help but laugh as well. He threw out a hand. "E-enough! You lot! Teach these children a lesson!"
"We don't have time for this," Gladion grumbled. "Help me out here, Alexandra."
She nodded. "Of course."
"H-h-h-how can this be? To be cornered by mere children?!" Faba sputtered.
"Maybe helping one another out isn't so bad..." Gladion glanced over. "Alexandra, Hau, I leave Faba to you!" Hau and Alex nodded.
"E-enough! I will show you the power of Branch Chief Faba! The man who is called Aether Paradise's last line of defense! We will settle this at last with a Multi Battle!"
Hau laughed. "Come on, Alex! I know Primarina and the rest of our Pokemon feel the same way we do. We can save Lillie and Cosmog for sure!"
Alex nodded again. "Of course!
The last employee ran off, leaving Faba behind. The group slowly closed in around Faba, backing him into the wall behind him. "I wanna help Lillie, so I'm going ahead! You don't mind, right?!" Hau said with a mildly threatening smile.
Faba looked between all three of their faces and sighed, knowing he couldn't fight them, and held out the card key. Hau snatched it from his hand. "Thanks for even giving us the key, Mr. Faba! You've been a big help!"
Faba groaned. "This is why... This is why I can't bring myself to like children..."
The walls of the hall opened into a huge area where a mansion stood at the other end. The paved path leading to it had Team Skull members strewn across it. Gladion didn't stop at all and barrelled down towards the mansion, and only stopped because Guzma was blocking the way.
"What is even going on here?" Alex asked in awe, looking around. "Why is Team Skull here?"
"Whoa! There's, like, an uku billion Team Skull thugs in this place!" Hau gasped. "So the foundation really was working together with Team Skull?"
"It's starting to look like it..."
"This is, like, way too mind-blowing to think about right now. Alex! Let's knock some skulls together for now!"
Alex nodded. "Yeah, there's no way they're gonna let us through without a fight."
Alex was stopped by another Skull member; he was the last one standing between her and Gladion and Guzma. "Yo yo yo!" he said, standing in her path. "Pretty strong, ain't you? Then go right ahead. I'm no numskull. I don't fight battles I can't win!" He moved to the side.
Alex blinked. "Uh... cool, thanks." She kept her eye on him while she walked passed, but he really did stay out of her way.
Gladion was staring down at his balled up hands. "Ngh! So I'm still not strong enough. All the days that I struggled alone and lonely... it was for nothing? Is that it?"
Alex furrowed her brows. "Of course not!" She stepped forward, facing Guzma.
Guzma smirked. "The hated boss who beats you down and beats you down and never lets up... Yeah. Big bad Guzma is here!"
"Except I've beaten you at least twice, right?" Alex grumbled.
"I did that spoiled little brat a favor and crushed him. Yeah, that was me." He looked over at Gladion. "Y'know, I kinda liked you, kid. Leaving home like that and wanting to get stronger and had some real guts. Going so far as coming over to Team Skull. And rejecting your own mother?! That was impressive." Gladion grimaced, and Guzma shifted his attention to Alex. "And now it's your turn! You little misfits keep getting up in my grill, like a cloud of smoke that I can't brush away. It's time I put out your fire at the source!"
"Fine, then I'll just have to beat you again!" Alex shouted back.
Guzma froze. "Guzma! What is wrong with you?!" he suddenly shouted, grabbing at his hair. He sighed and stepped to the side, clicking his tongue. "Looks like I got no choice. Go on... go through."
"Thanks," Alex growled and approached the mansion doors.
Inside, standing across from the front doors before another pair of doors were none other than Soliera and Phyco. When they saw her, they walked up to her. "It has been some time since we last met, trial-going trainer," Phyco said. "I do not know if you have learned anything more about the Blinding One, but it seems we might now have the means to do what we came to do. If a Pokemon in a Pokeball can be made to obey the orders of the one who catches it, then we should be able to control Necrozma! Pokemon caught in Pokeballs are loyal to the trainers who hold them. It should be the same for Necrozma... So we will need you to leave us in peace so that we may do our job."
"Captain Phyco, they only seem worried for Cosmog's safety..." Soliera said. "And they are able to use Z-Moves. The power of the Blinding One."
Phyco shook his head. "Are you suggesting we rely on children? To stand against the wild fury of Necrozma? Is it not kinder to them to stop them here, rather than send them against that thing?!"
Soliera nodded reluctantly, and she faced Alex. "I will battle you... I will battle you with our Pokemon. The Ultra Beast Poipole."
"How infuriating," Phyco said. "It is most unsatisfying to find something that our technology cannot overcome! It seems that we might yet be able to resolve this somehow if we use Z-Power. And yet... Our expertise when it comes to battling with Pokemon is so terribly insufficient..."
Soliera nodded. "We will find a way to deal with Necrozma. You children should pursue your own dreams. Don't end up with the same kinds of regrets that we have..."
Alex frowned. She wished there was something she could do for them, but there just wasn't any time to think about that right now. She moved passed them and went through the double doors the Ultra Recon Squad had been standing in front of.
The first thing Alex saw passed the doors was Lillie's back, and Lusamine, who was standing across from her. "Lillie!"
"Ah, Alexandra," Lusamine said, looking surprised to see her. "It's been a while since we last saw you..."
"Wha-?!" Lillie gasped and whirled around. "You... you came? You actually came to help me, Alexandra?"
"Of course!"
"Thank you... Thank you!"
"Hmm. So you know one another?" Lusamine asked. "A gifted young trainer like Alexandra... And she bothers with someone like you?" She sighed and shook her head. "How disappointing."
"Excuse me?!" Alex snapped.
Lillie turned back to Lusamine. "I don't need your approval, Mother! Or your permission! I will save Cosmog!"
"My... You do say such incomprehensible things," Lusamine responded calmly. "Calling me mother? I don't have any children! Certainly not any wretched children who would run off and reject my love!" Alex glared at Lusamine. How could she say such a thing?
"So tell me how you'll save that Pokemon. What can you do, Lillie?" Lusamine scoffed. "You failed to convince me to listen to you. You don't even have the strength of a trainer. The only thing that you've ever done on your own was steal someone else's research material!" Lillie bowed her head, casting her eyes to the floor, and Lusamine turned her back to her. "It's so terribly unattractive. But know that my fathomless love will save even someone like you... when I protected this entire world from darkness!"
Lillie looked back up quickly. "Protect this world...? Mother! What is it you're trying to do?! Is that why you want Nebby? Is that what you would sacrifice Cosmog for?"
"That's right... I will force Cosmog to use its power, and it may very well die," she said, and approached the mirror straight ahead of her. "But if it will save the world of all my beloved Pokemon, then that is what I will do." She pressed something on the frame of the mirror. It vanished, revealing a small alcove with a teleporter in it. "Lillie," she said, stepping onto the teleporter. "I will be using the Cosmog you stole for a great purpose. You have kept it safe until now, and for that... I thank you." In a flash, she vanished.
"Mother!" Lillie cried.
"Lillie..." Alex said gently.
Lillie turned around. "Alexandra... I really am happy that you came after me... But... but I..." She shook her head. "I want to save Nebby, but I don't know what I should really do!"
Alex put her hand on Lillie's shoulder and smiled gently. "Don't worry, you got me! We'll get Nebby back." Alex moved into the alcove and used the teleporter.
Alex appeared in a large, mostly empty room. The walls were covered in squares, with some revealing that they were covers for giant glass tubes. Lusamine was standing in the middle of the room, standing in front of a console with three monitors.
Lillie looked around. "Wh-what is this place...?" she asked, looking apprehensive.
Lusamine turned and smirked at them. "If you want to see, you'd better hurry. This way."
Alex suddenly felt anxious as well. What was Lusamine planning? It was clear she had a trick up her sleeve... Alex and Lillie walked further into the room.
"What do you think? It's my private collection. My precious babies..." Lusamine said, gesturing to the rectangular glass displays in that stood in the room. "They will all be preserved for eternity here."
"'Babies'?" Alex mumbled, looking closer at the displays. She gasped in horror when she realized they had a Pokemon in each one. It was like they were sealed in ice, forever frozen and unmoving.
"But if the light is stolen from this world, then I won't be able to love my babies any longer," Lusamine continued. She spread open her arms. "So I will open the Ultra Wormhole and take on the Pokemon that would steal our light...I will capture even poor Necrozma!"
"Whoa, Alex!" Hau and Gladion rushed towards them. "Whoa-ho! And Lillie!" He smiled brightly. "Man, I'm so glad to see you're okay!"
"Ah, sweet Hau. So you came too?" Lusamine asked. "I know better than to expect much from the members of the Ultra Recon Squad, but really..." She sighed. "Couldn't Guzma even stop a few children?"
Gladion stepped forward. "Listen to us, please! Don't open the Ultra Wormhole! We can't lose anyone else... Not like we lost Father!"
"Do you think I've forgotten?! As if I could forget what happened that day..." Lusamine growled. "I hate the Ultra Wormholes from the depths of my being. But that is why I will be the one to go! I will not let anyone stop me! Not even my own daughter and son!"
Hau tilted his head to the side. "What? Daughter? Son?" He looked to Gladion, then Lusamine, and finally Lillie, who looked down to the floor. "Wait! You all are a family?!"
Lillie looked nervously to her mother, as if waiting for confirmation. "Perhaps once we were, sweet Hau... but those wretches beside you left me." Lusamine turned her back to them. "But I will save them. With all the endless love of the president of the Aether Foundation, as someone tasked with the protection of all Pokemon..." She glanced ouver at a diamond shaped, black and cyan container. "I was able to open the Ultra Wormhole using just the gases we'd extracted from Cosmog when it was in Aether Paradise, wasn't I?" From inside the container, a familiar cry sounded. "And now I have Cosmog itself inside this crate here. If I use its entire body, I should be able to control the Ultra Wormhole. "
"But... wouldn't that kill it?" Alex asked, not really expecting a reply.
Lillie shook her head. "Please... stop... If Nebby isn't... If you make it use up too much power... you don't understand what will happen!" She closed her eyes. "Like when we ran away from the Paradise... it couldn't even move for ages after that..." She shook her head again, looking desperately at Lusamine. "If you use too much of its power, it will die!"
Lusamine paused. "I... I am Lusamine." She approached the console again and pressed a button. The container holding Nebby started to shake, and it cried out again. While it shook, an Ultra Wormhole began to open in the room. Lusamine smirked. Before she could even move an inch, the wormhole suddenly closed and vanished.
Lusamine's smirk disappeared. "Oh?" She sighed. "You are trying to resist, aren't you, Cosmog? But why? For Lillie's sake, perhaps?" As if in response, Cosmog whined weakly. Lusamine looked down at the crate. "How gallant you are... You love Lillie, don't you?" Lusamine chuckled. "Perhaps Gladion and Lillie have both grown up a bit since leaving Aether." She looked at the group with cold eyes. "But I won't allow them to interfere with this. If I am going to protect the Pokemon of Alola, I must go through the Ultra Wormhole and meet this Necrozma! I will have Cosmog open the Ultra Wormhole. No matter what. I will use the power of its cage to ensure that it cannot resist any further!"
Behind the group, Guzma appeared on the teleporter. "There you are," she said, addressing him.
Lillie started to tremble. She started shaking her head, clearly overwhelmed. "Mother, if you disappear too-!" Gladion started.
Lusamine narrowed her eyes. "Now you worry for me? Fine, Gladion. I will do what I must to put your worries to rest... by demonstrating my strength in battle." She turned her eyes towards Alex. "Let's see... Yes, you, Alexandra. You will battle me. If I can defeat even you, then that should silence Lillie's last objections as well."
"I won't let that happen!" Alex said confidently.
Lusamine chuckled. "Oh, Alexandra, you are strong. You should carry on with your island challenge."
"I plan to once we get Nebby back."
Lusamine ignored her. "Perhaps I've made you feel uneasy about my ability to handle this task?" she mused. "I will be fine. I won't be alone. Guzma. With me."
Alex wrinkled her nose. It was like she was calling a pet to her side. And, like said pet, Guzma . "Yes, ma'am..."
"I am off to capture Necrozma."
"Wait, let me go!" Gladion suddenly shouted. "My partner Null was born to be a beast killer! I've train it all this time to be able to battle on the other side of that Ultra Wormhole!"
Lusamine, with Nebby's crate in hand, stopped for a moment. "You are a sweet boy... but do not worry. You can leave it all in my hands! Children really would be all much happier... if they'd only listen to the adults around them."
Lusamine held up Nebby's crate before her, and it began to glow. She held it up higher, and a blast of energy shot out from it, the blast creating an Ultra Wormhole. She dropped the crate and turned to face them, letting herself be sucked into the vortex. When she disappeared into the light of the wormhole, Guzma ran passed the group and jumped into the wormhole after her. Before anyone could even move an inch, the wormhole closed and disappeared.
The group were all stunned, their eyes locked onto the spot where the wormhole had been. "Mother!" Lillie shouted, breaking the shocked silence. "Why?!" She trembled and, when her eyes fell on the crate, she moved to it. "Nebby... are you... all right?" she asked anxiously. She opened the crate, but the creature inside was no longer Cosmog. "N-Nebby..."
"What is it?" Gladion asked, looking at the strange Pokemon.
"It changed forms... and its not moving..."
Gladion sighed and turned towards the teleporter. "Come oon, let's get out of here. Nothing good can happen here."
Alex nodded slowly. "Y-yeah.." Lillie slipped the changed Nebby into her bag, and they all went through the teleporter.
In the room, Ms. Wicke was there to greet them. "You are all unharmed... Oh, thank goodness..." She sighed in relief.
"Yeah, maybe, but there's still a ton we have to do..." Gladion mumbled. "There's the president and Guzma, who both disappeared into the Ultra Wormhole... Not to mention Cosmog and why it stopped moving like that... Even if she is... like that, Lusamine is still our mother. We can't just leave her in some unknown world on her own, even if it is to capture Necrozma. And if she doesn't come back..."
"The words we just heard... Is that the truth?" Phyco asked while he and Soliera entered the room. "Lusamine... What kind of human is she?! She acted so kind and caring, and yet beneath the surface, she thought of none but herself?!"
"Was this all for her own satisfaction? Or does she simply feel too much responsibility to take everything upon herself to fix?" Soliera shook her head. "What is she thinking? What an incomprehensible individual... Though that is much as we heard."
"In truth, we are not strong. We have not needed to be. We use technology to resolve any problem that arises in our lives. That is why we had discussed finding some human we could send through to our world to battle with Pokemon on our behalf."
"What was that you just said?!" Gladion said. "You said you were going to send someone back to your world? Do you know some other way to open an Ultra Wormhole?!"
"The altar on Poni... The Pokemon that appears there is known as the beast that calls the moon," Phyco began to explain.
"We borrowed such a brute's power ourselves to come here to Alola," Soliera continued.
"But to think that those two hope to capture Necrozma on their own... Do the people of this world truly have so much confidence in their strength in Pokemon battles?"
"If Necrozma awakens... it will hunger for light. And it will descend upon Alola to take it. Our world... Ultra Megapolis is a world without any light left in it, after all."
So that's why they're so pale...
"We know that the darkness that once fell upon Alola was driven back with light," Phyco resumed. "That is what the old legends and myths tell us. But in all our investigations, we still have not learned what that light was exactly. " With that, they did their square wave, and left the room.
"Miss Lillie..." Ms. Wicke said gently. "If you and your friends would like to get some rest first, I have prepared a few beds in the staff's residential quarters..."
"We'll take you up on that," Gladion said.
"Yeah, I'm beat!" Hau added.
Alex sighed. "Me, too..."
"I think... I'll stay here," Lillie said, turning to the bed that was in the room. "I want to spend some time trying to understand what it is my mother might have been thinking..."