At the Aether Mansion

"Oh Cass, you're home early." Lillie said in surprise.

"Yeah, I thought you had to stay over to talk about variant diets or something." Cass said, setting her bag down.

"Well, I really just wanted you to get to know Mallow and Lana a bit better." Lillie admitted.

"Thanks for the effort, but they took me to Mallow's family's restaurant and I asked Olivia a bunch of questions about the island challenge." Cass admitted. "I also heard about the bet."

"Oh yes, well it is something fun for us and we've all gotten a lot stronger as a result." Lillie said, setting some food down for Snowy and Shiron.

"Hey where's Hobbes, isn't he usually here around this time?" Cass asked.

"Oh he left to go get some groceries, but I'm sure if you needed something we could call him." Lillie offered.

"No, it's fine, just curious, we don't have anything like him back home and I'm never sure to act around him." Cass said, grabbing a water bottle. "Though I wanted to ask you about something, both of your Pokemon are ice types but in Kanto they're ground and fire, any idea why?"

Outside

"Sir, the girl is with the unexpected one, what should we do?" The woman in the white suit said, looking inside the mansion.

"Is there anyone else there?" The figure on the other end asked.

"No all staff have left the premises." A man with a purple mustache said.

"And what of the Pokemon, are there any present?" The figure asked.

"Just two, one they call a Sandslash and another they call a Vulpix." The woman said.

"Very good, and team two what is your status?" The figure asked.

"The blonde boy is looking into the ruins just as you predicted sir." A younger girl said.

"He seems to be looking for information on the Sun." A guy with an orange mohawk said.

"Good, good, do not engage until I tell you to. Team One move in and get the girl, take the other hostage if necessary." The figure said.

"For the glory of Necro!" The mustachioed man cried out.

Back inside

"I had no idea that regional variants were so different, and that Kiawe had one." Cass said.

"Yes, well Marowak is quite spirited." Lillie said, pausing as she looked outside.

"Lillie, what is it?" Cass asked, turning around.

"Get down!" Lillie shouted, shoving Cass to the ground as the front wall of the kitchen was blown open.

"There are more subtle ways of getting in!" The woman said angrily as they walked through the smoke cloud, revealing them in full matching white uniforms.

"Snowy use Blizzard!" Lillie called out, moving herself and Cass away from the debris as she pressed a contact on her phone as quickly as she could.

At the Aether Foundation

"So Rotom, how's it feel?" David asked.

"I feel like a new dex!" Rotomdex responded, before he began vibrating. "Wh-wh-whats going on?!"

"I added the phone feature since Ark didn't take one, you can now accept calls." David admitted.

"ARK! ARK! ARE YOU THERE?!" Lillie cried out as her face appeared on screen as attacks flew over her head. "WE'RE AT THE MANSION AND IT'S BEING ATTACKED, GET HERE FAST!"

"Lillie!" Ark called out. "We need to get to the mansion now!"

"Fastest way is a boat, but I don't know how to drive one." David said.

"Don't bother, find mother, have her gather the other guardians, I'm going!" Ark said, running off with Pikachu and Rotomdex following right behind him.

Back at the mansion

"Cass, you need to keep moving." Lillie said, as they ducked from another attack.

"I'm not leaving you here." Cass argued.

"But you don't have a Pokemon to defend yourself, this is too dangerous!" Lillie countered.

As Lillie said this electricity and fireballs shot over head.

"Shiron use Hail! Snowy use Blizzard!" Lillie called out, running with Cass towards Mohn's study.

"What are those things even?" Cass asked.

"Ultra Beasts, we call them Xurkitree and Blacephalon." Lillie said, ducking under another blast of electricity

"What do they want with us?" Cass asked.

"I wish I knew." Lillie admitted.

Nearing MeleMele Island

"Come on, come on!" Ark said, as he pushed the boat he had 'borrowed' from the Aether Foundation to it's limit, practically wrecking it on the shore as he rushed towards the mansion. "Everyone come on out, and don't hold back!" Ark exclaimed, sending out his team as they rushed in through the giant hole in the mansion.

"Well well well, if it isn't the dark haired boy." The man with a mustache said, twirling it's end.

"Ark get out of here!" Lillie exclaimed, as she was held by the Xurkitree.

"Lillie!" Ark exclaimed, until he saw Blacephalon strut in holding an unconscious Cass. "Cass! If you hurt them."

"Please, we aren't monsters, bring us the Moon and we will release them, they are simply a motivation." The woman said.

"Bring you the Moon, how do I do that? Where do I even find you?" Ark asked angrily.

"Go back." The man said with a chuckle. "We'll be waiting in Ultra Megalopolis."

"Sir, we have the girls, take us back." The woman said.

"Passimian stop them with Fling!" Ark called out.

Passimian tossed his Iron Ball at the mustached man, knocking off his ear piece as they disappeared in an Ultra Wormhole.

"I don't know who you are, or what kind of game you're playing, but I'm not, give me back my sisters or I'll get my entire team together to stop you." Ark threatened over the earpiece.

"Oh A.R.K., 'cough cough' you sound so young, so full of vigor as always, but you see there are bigger things at play than you or I could ever imagine." The voice on the other end said. "Bring me what I want and you will get everything that is owed to you."

"What do you even want?!" Ark asked.

"I want, Nebby." The voice cackled. "Team Two attack Gladion make them come to him!"

"Wait, who are you, how do you know about Nebby?!" Ark exclaimed as the line went dead. "We need to go back to Ula Ula, and fast."