A/N: Hello, my lovely readers! If things look a little weird, I chose to combine the last two chapters since this one is really long! Let me know what you think of the Villain leader!
You fall through the muck in the New Orleans swamp and find yourself back in the dark tunnel. It's still pitch black, and Woobat, Sableye, Wobbuffet, and Arbok are all waiting to sporadically attack you. Lunatone and Boldore will leave you alone so long as you don't Rock Smash away their hiding spot. Speaking of which, if you didn't come back here after visiting China, there's some TMs and items here that are now accessible. I hope you healed and stocked up, because there's nowhere to heal in the Shadowlands.
When you reach the end of the tunnel, the murky sunlight reveals the black sand beach and a giant grey humanoid running into the shallows, chasing after something strange flying through the air. It looked like a spaceship.
"You can't leave me here!" Gantu shouts as it zooms out of sight. "Grand Councilwoman! Urgh..." He turns and sees you. "You again? How is it you keep finding me?"
First, he sends out his Lunatone. Its two new moves are Psychic and Stone Edge. You knock it down, and he sends out his evolved whale, Wailord. The Oblivious pure Water type knows Hydro Pump, Rest, Body Slam, and Dive. Once you faint his tank, Gantu summons a new addition to his team – Machamp. You see the uncanny resemblance between the alien and the Fighting Pokémon, and knock it out. Next out is Minior, who knows the moves Power Gem, Cosmic Power, Take Down, and Stealth Rock. You take down its Shield, and crush the Pokémon. It is replaced with another new member, the Dragon/Ground Garchomp. Its move set plays on its base 170 Attack with Dig, Dragon Claw, Slash, and Brutal Swing. You bury it, and Gantu is left with his evolved Psychic alien, Beheeyem. His new moves are Recover and Energy Ball, keeping Psychic and Zen Headbutt. You ultimately take it down and claim victory.
Gantu angrily stomps away, and you continue along the rocky black sand beach. As you walk, you run into a beautiful young woman you've never seen before. She sees you and smiles, waving a delicate hand. "Remember me?" she asks, batting her violet eyes.
No, you're quite sure you've never seen this brunette girl in your life. You examine her closely and spy a familiar golden spiral shell necklace. That looks like the same one Ursula had... No way! But it's true - the sea witch traded in her tentacles for feet and got a total make-over!
She begins battle with Malamar. Her team is mostly the same as your last battle on the flooded Victory Road. You turn that squid into calamari, cut her two eels into ribbons, and crush her Dragalge into a garnish. You expect to see her mythical, Manaphy, but are instead met with Tentacruel. This Water/Poison jellyfish has the Liquid Ooze Ability, which hurts your Pokémon if they use a draining move. You take it down, and she's left with her disobedient mythical Manaphy. When you defeat it, her necklace falls off and breaks.
"No!" she shrieks.
You hear a beautiful melody coming from the shell as the glowing dims. Ursula returns to her normal octopus-like appearance. She roars in anger, crawling back into the sea.
You keep going, and see the shriveled jungle ahead. Before you can reach the end of the wide expanse of sand and pebbles, red smoke appears. It blocks your way to the dried up foliage, then clears, revealing Jafar.
"Just where do you think you're going?" he says, sending out Krookodile to stop you. Like Ursula, his team hasn't changed much. You take down his gator, his cobra, and his goblin, Sableye. He then calls out Iago, his Speedy Attacker. You swat it down, and he summons the Fighting/Psychic, Medicham, his single new addition. Its Pure Power Ability raises his Attack. Despite his edge, you take it down and come face to face with Hoopa.
So long as you've continued since your last encounter, he should still be Psychic/Dark. If it's been more than three days, he'll be in his Confined Form, which is Psychic/Ghost and slightly less powerful. You take it down, and Jafar disappears in red smoke yet again.
You finally reach the withered jungle area, where Toxicroak, Arbok, Liepard, Gumshoos, Krookodile, Honchkrow, and Mightyena can attack you. Looking around, you can find a Duck Ball and a Revive.
You come across a thin, heavily-wrinkled woman wandering through the woods. Yzma looks at you with wide eyes, letting out a screech and throwing a Pokéball instinctively. You take down the Liepard that appears, and she replaces it with the Bug/Poison spider, Ariados. It knows Psychic, Leech Life, Poison Jab, and X-Scissor. You squash that bug, and Yzma calls for Purrugly. The Normal cat looks anything but, though it's incredibly fast. When the cat goes down, it's replaced with Haunter. The Ghost/Poison trickster spirit knows Shadow Ball, Dark Pulse, Sucker Punch, and Confuse Ray. You make it disappear, and she summons Delcatty. This Normal cat is less hideous that the last; it's actually kind of cute. It knows the moves Play Rough, Covet, Wake Up Slap, and Captivate. You take it down, and she's left with Drapion. The Poison/Dark scorpion knows X-Scissor, Crunch, Cross Poison, and Toxic Spikes. If you switch in on those spikes, your Pokémon will be Poisoned, so be careful! In the end, you take down Drapion and Yzma.
As you continue along, you come across the elephant graveyard. Scar pounces on you from a ledge, sending out Liepard. You've taken down that Dark cat dozens of times, same with the Mightyena that follows. Next up is Marowak, equipped with Fling, Earthquake, Smack Down, Double Edge and the Rock Head Ability to remove the recoil damage of that last move. You take him down, and he's replaced with Pyroar. This Fire/Normal lion knows Hyper Voice, Crunch, Flamethrower, and Fire Fang. Scar roars when you take it down, and you think it's over – but he's got one more trick up his sleeve.
He sends out the Intimidating Electric cat, Luxray. Its yellow eyes gleam in the darkness. It knows Discharge, Crunch, Thunder Fang, and Roar, the latter of which will really annoy you, as if forces your Pokémon to randomly switch out when you think you have the advantage. You defeat it – and Scar – once and for all.
Just as you reach the mountain cliffs, you see a cloaked woman doing the same. She spots you and leaps into battle with Liepard, which you take down with ease. Her Lampent has evolved into Chandelure, who knows Overheat, Shadow Ball, Will-O-Wisp, and Dark Pulse. You snuff it out, and she summons the Rock/Psychic sun Solrock. It knows Solar Beam, Stone Edge, Psychic, and Flare Blitz. You reduce it to rubble, and Gothel replaces it with Kangaskhan. This overprotective parent knows Crunch, Outrage, Dizzy Punch, and when it's low on HP, Reversal, so watch out! You take it down, and Gothel sends out another new addition – the Grass/Dragon coconut tree, Alolan Exeggutor. This unique type combination gives it a variety of weaknesses, the worst of which being Bug. You topple that tree, and Gothel is left with her Vileplume, who knows Petal Dance, Toxic, Moonblast, and Sunny Day to activate its Chlorophyll Ability. You defeat it, and she whisks away towards the cliff.
You climb up the ledges, and find Ratcliffe standing in your way. "You cannot stop the forces of darkness!" He sends out a Durant, which you fry to a crisp, them Gumshoos, who is also a pushover. Next, he sends out Aromatisse, who you've also had plenty of experience beating. Next up is Sableye, who goes down with a well-placed Fairy move. Then, Ratcliffe calls for the Dark/Steel swordsman, Bisharp. He's Defiant, which means any time you try to lower any of his stats, his already high Attack is boosted. You manage to take him down, and Ratcliffe is left with Granbull. The Intimidating Fairy bulldog is only weak to Poison and Steel. Of course, you take it down and claim victory.
As you near the castle, you notice a shadow following you. You can choose to face it or not. If you ignore it, it'll still jump you just outside the giant doors.
"Where do you think you're going?" says Dr. Facilier as he appears in a puff of green smoke. He starts the battle with Kadabra, who knows Psycho Cut, Future Sight, Recover, and Theif. You take it down, and he sends out the Fire/Ghost Alolan Marowak. It knows Flare Blitz, Thrash, Bonemerang, and Shadow Ball. When you faint it, he sends out Toxicroak, who knows Belch, Sucker Punch, Revenge, and Swagger. You take it down, and Facilier sends out Mimikyu. The strange creature knows Play Rough, Phantom Force, Slash, and Thunderbolt. You bust it up beyond repair, and he sends out another new addition – the Ghost doll, Banette. It hits hard with Sucker Punch, Shadow Ball, Will-O-Wisp, and Psychic. You take it down, and he's left with his mythical, Marshadow. The Fighting/Ghost knows Drain Punch, Shadow Punch, Assurance, and Blaze Kick. You take it down, ultimately defeating Dr. Facilier, who disappears in more green smoke.
You enter the castle, and in the foyer, you come face to face with the Queen of Hearts. "You dare disturb me? Off with your head!"
She begins the battle with Aromatisse, who you quickly take down, along with Lopunny, Swoobat, and her first new addition, Luvdisc. Her second newcomer is summoned – the Normal poodle, Furfrou, who had its fur dyed and cut into pink hearts all over it. It knows Snarl, Charm, Retaliate, and Headbutt. You take down Furfrou, and the Queen of Hearts is left with Roserade. It knows Petal Dance, Giga Drain, Poison Jab, and Venoshock. You cut it down to size and defeat the Queen of Hearts. Her whole face goes red, and she yells for her guards.
You don't waste any time and begin to explore the castle. There's a Hyper Potion in the dusty dining room and a Chesto Berry in the kitchen. You ascend the stairs, and to your left is a balcony. Out on the terrace is Judge Frollo, looking down at his new dominion. He hears you approach and turns.
He rears back from you, sending out Mudsdale. Its Stamina Ability will drive you up the wall. You take down his Defensive horse, and he sends out Golurk. The giant Ground/Ghost golem goes down, and is replaced with Bronzong. This big Steel/Psychic bell knows Heavy Slam, Future Sight, Iron Defense, and Flash Canon. You take it down, and Frollo sends out the Fire/Rock snail Magcargo. It knows Lava Plume, Body Slam, Earth Power, and Rock Slide. You manage to take it down, and it's replaced with Banette. The doll Frisks you upon entering the battlefield to see what item your Pokémon has. You destroy the possessed Pokémon, and Frollo is left with Houndoom. Its Early Bird Ability wakes him quickly if you try to put him to sleep. Eventually, you take it down, defeating Judge Frollo.
He flees inside, and you lose him. You continue wandering the second floor of the castle, and find an ornate and heavily-draped bedroom. In the shadowy corner, Lady Tremaine is lurking.
She starts the battle with Lucifer, her Purrugly. Her team isn't much different from the last time you battled. You take out Purrugly, Klefki, and Victreebell with ease. Garbodor poses a bit or a problem with his formidable move set of Belch, Gunk Shot, Seed Bomb, and Body Slam. You take down the pile of rubbish, and she replaces it with Gothitelle. She also hits hard with Pay Back, Energy Ball, Future Sight, and Psychic. You defeat it, and she's left with Victini, her unwilling mythical.
The saying goes that Victini brings victory to the Trainer that befriends it. Considering you've beaten her twice now, their bond must not be very strong. Lady Tremaine banishes you from the room to wallow in her despair.
You resume your search of the castle, and come upon a circular rom with a large mirror. A young Queen in purple and black stands in front of the mirror, as if in conversation. She sees you enter in the reflection, and turns to face you. When you enter battle, you realize that this is Grimhilde – but she looks half a century younger!
Her first Pokémon is Bronzor, still clutching tightly to that Eviolite. Its Levitate Ability eliminates its weakness to Ground. You manage to take it down, and it's replaced with Liepard, followed by Gothitelle and Vileplume. You take them down easy enough, having just done so recently. She's down to her last two Pokémon. Decidueye traded in the moves Pluck and Shadow Ball for Brave Bird and Psycho Cut. Before you can faint it, she switches into her mythical, Shaymin. She flips between the two Pokémon, healing them up every time and driving you crazy! Ultimately, you defeat her once more, and she storms out, waving her arms, causing her cloak to billow about her.
You can walk up to and inspect the strange mirror. There doesn't seem to be anything visibly magical about the mirror, though your reflection looks just a little bit off. You can't put your finger on what, though.
You finally reach the circular throne room, where Maleficent sits, stroking Diaval's head with her long pale green, purple-tipped fingers. She sees you and leans back in her chair.
"You've come all this way," she says slowly. "It will be for naught!" Without her staff, she has her initial team of Hypno, Haunter, Spiritomb, Honchkrow, Hydriegon and Darkrai. They're all in their upper 60's, and Hydriegon just learned Outrage.
When you defeat Maleficent for the third time, she staggers, clutching at her heart. She groans in agony. "Fine. You want to know where I get my power, from whence we all draw our strength? Fine. Head up the North tower and climb further up the mountain. At the top...you'll get to meet him." She smiles wickedly, as if it will be unpleasant for you.
You follow her instructions, climbing rampart that has become even with the nearest cliff ledge. You hop across and follow the rocky path up into the clouds.
As you approach the top, your bag vibrates. You realize your Cosmoem is evolving! Depending on if it's day or night, it could turn into Solgaleo or Lunala. It's responding to the oppressive darkness! You'll need him to stand against what lies ahead. You see the mountain tip in front of you, and you wait for a moment, expecting something to happen.
Suddenly, the whole mountain shakes and the tip cracks. Along the cracks in the rock, it seems to glow neon green from inside. The rock separates, but not like a rock slide. They unfurl like huge bat wings, revealing a humongous black demon with glowing yellow eyes rising from green flames.
The Demon Chernabog sends out Spiritomb, who is immune to Normal, Fighting and Psychic Attacks. A Fairy Pokémon should take it out fairly easily. Next up is Drapion, who immediately puts up Toxic Spikes. If you're careful, you can take it down. Chernabog then summons Houndoom, followed by Hydriegon, which you've dealt with before. Finally, he's left with the Legendary Prism Pokémon, Necrozma. It's pure Psychic, and looks like a jagged piece of obsidian. Its Prism Armor lessens the damage done by your super effective moves. It knows Night Slash, Power Gem, Flash Canon, and Photon Geyser, the latter being its signature move. It gives you the most trouble you've had all journey, being a whopping 72! With Solgaleo or Lunala at your aid, it will most certainly go down.
Chernabog roars in defeat, curling his wings around him as he settles in for another long hibernation. The darkness is lifted, and you can see from up here, all the mythical Pokemon escaping the Shadowlands and fleeing out into the rest of the region.
You can search for them later. At the moment, you're still not considered Champion! Go back to Villenueve, heal and stock up, and get ready for Victory Road!