Chapter 26 – Disturbance
By the time Ash and Barioth made it to the end of the tunnel – Kiawe, Turtonator, and Venator trailing behind him – Mallow and Sophocles were there to greet him. They stood in the center of the cavern amongst lava flows and boiling hot springs, beaming at him and Kiawe with the utmost joy. The reunion was brief, but heartfelt, and as the four Pokemon Trainers hugged it out they informed one another of their successful missions. The details were left unsaid, but there was a sadness in Mallow's and Sophocles' eyes peeking through the excitement that told Ash what he needed to know. Kiawe's smile as he looked upon the two was strained with sombre understanding.
Venator and Laela clapped each other on the back before leading the group to the back of the cave, where the light of a lava flow disguised a waist-high passageway that, according to them, led out of the Lava Caverns and into the volcano's crater. They reasoned that the Ultra Wormhole, if it was indeed here, was most likely waiting for them on the other side.
"We'll follow you in," Venator assured them, taking off his helmet so they could see his fond smile. "If the path to your world is in there, well… it wouldn't be polite of us to leave before seeing our friends off, would it?"
"We'll have to leave the Monsties out here, though," Teris added, apologetic. "They won't fit through the passage, so… now's the time to say goodbye."
Ash gave a start, Teris' words an unpleasant surprise. He'd known all along he'd have to say goodbye to Barioth, but now that it was the time to part, it felt like it had snuck up on him. He turned around to meet the wyvern's cerulean eyes, as icy and deep as the sea, his Kinship Stone hand suddenly throbbing with an emotion that made his vision blurry with tears. Gazing upon Barioth's sleek white form, impressive and powerful with a touch of nobility in its stoic feline muzzle, was uncannily nostalgic for him. He'd known the Monstie for just under a week, but their bond of kinship made it feel like their friendship had lasted as long as his and Pikachu's.
"Thanks for gettin' me this far, Barioth," Ash said sincerely, putting his hands on either side of Barioth's head. Fondness and pride and gratitude and a whole complicated whirlpool of emotions were swirling inside him, and no doubt Barioth was feeling them too as he willingly let them flow out the Kinship Stone. "I couldn't have asked for a better partner to travel with. But I've gotta head back to Alola now, to make the balances of our worlds right again. Your place is here, in this huge and awesome world, and you've gotta stay here to protect it for me. We'll always be connected by our kinship, remember? So it's not really goodbye. Okay?"
He jumped, startled, when Barioth suddenly pushed its head into his chest, emitting a rumbling purr he'd never heard from it before. The shock wore off quickly, replaced by a melancholy ache as he rubbed the Monstie's head with affection.
"Pikaaaaaa…" Pikachu moaned, scampering up Ash's arm to nuzzle Barioth's brow in farewell. The mouse's ears and tail were drooping, giving away his distress. In response, Barioth backed away to stare at the much smaller Pokemon, at last blowing a gentle frost into Pikachu's face to prompt a squeal of laughter.
As Ash stepped away from Barioth one last time, he noticed a weepy Mallow doing the same to Crimson, only to pause and give Ozzy a grateful hug around the neck, one the Kulu Ya-Ku returned by placing its hand-like talons on her back. The time for farewells over, the two of them turned back to the others that were waiting for them at the entrance to the crater.
"We're ready," Ash declared, and Mallow nodded in agreement. "Time to go home."
The hunters went first into the passageway, then Teris after their armored heels had vanished from view. Ash knelt onto the hard stone and crawled after him, keeping close to the Rider's leather toes as the walls and ceiling closed in around him. The space wasn't claustrophobic; in fact, it was comfortable as Ash shuffled along, though his heart still pounded relentlessly in anticipation for what they'd find on the other end. Gradually, the tunnel sloped upward, and a reddish glow began to saturate the rocks as the air grew stifling. This didn't discourage Ash, but rather excited him – they were fast approaching the crater.
It wasn't until the air felt like a hot pillow pressed onto his face and his every pore was dripping did the crater yawn wide before him. Ash stood up, stretching his limbs as he took in the incredible sight. He, Teris, and the hunters were standing on a ledge that snaked along the circumference of the crater, hundreds of feet below a gigantic lava lake that radiated heat in great, upward gusts. The crater itself was an enormous cylinder that rose far, far above their heads, its rim a tiny window into the ash-grey sky. Moltres-like birds perched on the ledges and soared on the updrafts, looking like tiny suns with their glowing gold-white plumage.
All of that would have been extraordinary, if Ash had given it more than a second of consideration. Rather, there was something else that drew his eyes away from the scenery, something that demanded his immediate and utmost attention. Hovering straight ahead at the end of the ledge, as though the ledge itself was a pathway leading right to it, was a shining white slit in the fabric of reality, hairline fractures branching off it like a cracked window.
Ash heard gasps from behind him as his friends emerged and saw the Ultra Wormhole for themselves. It didn't matter that they'd seen one only days before in the Flooded Forest – this one was so much more than a portal between dimensions. Up until now, the idea that their path back to Alola lay somewhere within this volcano had been just that: an idea. One they'd wholeheartedly believed in, but even Ash couldn't deny having had quiet, lurking doubts about it.
But now… there it was. Their Ultra Wormhole.
"At last," Kiawe breathed. "We've made it."
"Alright!" Mallow jumped up with a ringing cheer. "We're finally here! It took us such a long time, but there it is! Home's waiting for us just through the Wormhole!"
She slapped hands with an equally giddy Sophocles, their laughter blending together. The Pokemon also erupted into cheers, Turtonator scooping Togedemaru and Steenee up in his arms and swinging them around in an uncontrollable expression of glee. Pikachu hopped off Ash to join in their celebration, and Ash found his mouth splitting in a goofy grin in response to their antics. It was hard not to feel elated, after everything they'd been through to reach this point. The struggle, danger, the pain, the terror: this moment made it all worth it.
"What're we waiting for, guys?" he asked, turning his grin on his friends and pumping his fists excitedly. He couldn't stay still a moment longer, or else he might just burst! "Let's jump in already, everyone back home is waitin' for us! Man, won't they be surprised to see we made it all the way back by oursel–"
"Slow down, Ash," Sophocles smirked. "Or have you already forgotten that we're being seen off?"
Oh, right. He sent an apologetic glance to Venator, Laela, and Teris, who were still standing off to the side, observing them as they celebrated. Him, Kiawe, Sophocles, Mallow, and their Pokemon arranged themselves in a line and faced the natives of this world that had guided them across a continent to get them here in safety, pausing long enough to just… take them in. This would be the last time they saw the kind Teris in his leather armor, the stalwart and friendly Venator, or even the fur-clad, sarcastic Laela. Ash would certainly never forget them.
At last, it was Teris that broke the silence, taking a single pace toward Mallow although his eyes were averted. "Um… I just wanted to say –"
"Wait."
The interruption came from Laela, her tone dark with suspicion as she swiveled her head away from the group to squint at the Ultra Wormhole. "You might want to save the mushy stuff. Wasn't the one in the Flooded Forest a bit more… I don't know, open than this one?"
It took only a second glance at the Wormhole to see what the swordswoman was getting at. Oops, Ash thought, feeling like an idiot. If he hadn't been so enamored with the sight of the gateway to Alola, he might've noticed sooner that, indeed, it wasn't fully open. It was there, but in a benign form, just present enough to let them know it existed.
"H-How do we get in if it's closed?" Sophocles quavered, his voice climbing high with building panic. "D-Don't tell me we're g-gonna be t-trapped here f-forever!"
"Let's think this through," Kiawe frowned, placing a steadying hand on the shorter boy's head. "It must have closed on the other side when we all entered it with that monster. Otherwise, someone would have certainly followed us into this world."
"Can we open it from this side? Since it's still here and all?" Ash wondered aloud. He lifted his hand and caught his Z-Ring glinting in the light of the volcano. "Professor Burnet uses Z-Power to open them and stuff, right? So if we can get it to react to ours…"
"Z-Moves don't work in this world, Ash," Kiawe replied, audibly frustrated.
Grave silence descended on the group as they each retreated into discouraging thoughts. Ash fidgeted, not liking the uncomfortable mood one bit. It filled their surroundings with an odd energy that made his skin tingle, causing him to squirm that much more vigorously. The more he thought about it, the more it bothered him, the tingling getting worse until the air was practically crackling with tension, almost as if…
No… it wasn't just him. That feeling was real, the stifling atmosphere almost alive with the horrible electrical feeling. The earth shook and the lava birds fled their perches, multiple voices crying in shock at what felt like the onset of a natural disaster.
"The volcano?!" Venator yelled.
"Ash!" Kiawe wasn't just startled – he'd had an epiphany. "This feeling, it's…!"
He didn't get the chance to finish his thought. The crater exploded with light, a deafening CRRRR-RAAACK crashing in their ears as the sky above them literally split and yawned wide. The glowing throat, pulsating with unnatural waves of luminescence, was unmistakable, a second Ultra Wormhole spontaneously coming into existence. Ash's jaw dropped, his entire body instinctively going rigid as paralyzing shock swept through him. WHAT?! his mind exclaimed what his unmoving mouth couldn't. What's happening now?! Why is another Wormhole here?! Is something comin' out?!
LA-LEEEEOOOOO!
Before they could even process the vaguely familiar roar that pealed from the rip in spacetime, a great white shape glowing with incredible power shot skyward, limbs pumping as though racing on a track to carry it higher and higher. By the time Ash unscrambled his thoughts, it was already soaring far out of reach, racing for the heavens.
"S-Solgaleo?!" he stammered out.
The others seemed to have reached that same conclusion. "I-It looked different!" someone – Ash was too shaken to recognize who – exclaimed. "D-Did it have b-black on it, or was it just me?!"
But that wasn't all – the creature that may or may not have been Solgaleo had only just disappeared over the lip of the crater when the Ultra Wormhole burst with light and spat something else out. A skeletal bat as blue as the midnight sky spread its wings dramatically, shooting out as if from a cannon as the Wormhole closed behind its tail. Ash gaped – incredibly, he recognized that Pokemon too! Lunala?! What's it doin' in this world?! Is it chasin' after Solgaleo? But why would they come here in the first…
His flabbergasted musings were cut short by the sound of a keening voice coming from… Lunala? "Oh, oh, level out, please! Someone's down – omigosh, Lana! It's them! Land, land!"
There was something instantly familiar about the voice, which was even stranger. Ash's shock simmered down to mere befuddlement, wondering why he'd recognize Lunala's voice when he never even knew it could talk, when the Legendary Pokemon swooped toward them and allowed him a first glimpse at the three figures mounted on its back.
At the exact same time, Mallow let out a high-pitched shriek and flailed her arm at the newcomers, eyes bugging wide with disbelieving wonder. "You guys! I-Is that Lillie and Lana?! It's gotta be! I can't believe it!"
Indeed, when Ash took a closer look, he felt an incredible thrill send lightning bolts through his bones at the sight of unmistakable green and blue eyes within those odd robotic-looking suits. "Mallow's right, it's our friends! They musta come all the way from Alola lookin' for us when we didn't come back from the mission! Man, how cool is that?!"
Kiawe and Sophocles were silent, though they both wore expressions of emerging joy like their birthdays had come early. When Lunala came to a stop at the end of the ledge and let Lillie and Lana slide down its wing, Mallow was instantly there to fling her arms around their necks and pull them into a crushing hug. The three girls dissolved into gales of teary laughter, a reunion so exuberant that Ash couldn't keep away from it – he dashed to their side while grinning so hard his teeth hurt, so eager was he to greet his friends again for the first time in practically forever.
It wasn't just them, either. Rushing with ecstatic squeaks to Pikachu and the other Pokemon were Snowy, Poipole, and Pop– no, that was a Brionne! No way, Popplio evolved?! Ash thought, goggling starry-eyed at the larger Water-type. The idea that Lana's partner had gotten stronger was almost enough to distract him from Lillie and Lana, who'd finally released Mallow and turned to embrace him next.
"We were so w-worried about you!" Lillie cried in a trembling tone. She was first to step away, taking a moment to dab her face with a handkerchief, and then went to hug Kiawe and Sophocles in turn. "Oh, it's so wonderful to see the four of you again! You wouldn't believe all we went through to get here! M-Mother sent us off to investigate ways to reopen the Wormhole, and Lana was very impressive, winning a Grand Trial and everything! While she was doing that, I found out about Solgaleo and the Z-Moves and got Mother to bring us to the Altar of the Sunne, where we used its Z-Crystal to open a Wormhole to its world, which was when we met Zossie here and –"
"For tapu's sake, breathe!" Kiawe chuckled, returning her hug gladly. "We're happy to see you too… and more than a little surprised. It sounds like you've had your own adventure while we were away."
"What weird timing, too," Sophocles commented. "The odds of us reaching the Ultra Wormhole in the same time and place you guys come here looking for us are… um, well… I, uh, can't calculate them right now, but never mind! What are those you're wearing? They look so retro, like an old sci-fi movie!"
"Is this a volcano?" Lana spoke up at last. The blue-haired girl was far more sedate than Lillie was, shuffling in her space suit-looking thing and peering at something just behind Ash's head. "And who are they? They look… menacing and cool."
Oh, that was right – Ash had totally forgotten about Venator and Laela and Teris. He spun excitedly to look at them where they stood on the sidelines, blank-faced and unresponsive. Come to think of it, they probably had no idea what was going on, Ash observed with an awkward chuckle. He was about to apologize for keeping them in the dark, but Mallow gasped and clapped her hands.
"Right, we need to introduce them to our friends!" she said, delighted. "Teris, everyone, these are Lillie and Lana, our best friends from home! And, ah… um…"
When she trailed off, Ash suddenly spotted a third girl standing near the other two, identically dressed aside from an orange braid and a visor that hid most of her features. She had a small, content smile as she waited with arms folded behind her back for someone to acknowledge her.
"R-Right!" Lillie backpedaled hastily and gestured to the stranger. "Th-This is Zossie, a person from Solgaleo and Lunala's world. She helped us get here, and… oh, Ash! You might be interested to know that this is Poipole's original Trainer!"
"Whoa, really?" Ash's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Hearing its name, the Ultra Beast itself came over to twirl giddily around him with its unintelligible chattering.
"So you're the guy I have to thank for taking care of Poipole. Alola!" Zossie addressed him and the others, and her grin widened. "Ooh, that's fun to say! Me and the rest of the Ultra Recon Squad haven't officially made contact with your world yet, so I've never gotten to use that greeting until now! How'd I do?"
"Ultra Recon Squad… are you like the Ultra Guardians?" Kiawe murmured, only for Lana to give him a "long story, we'll explain later" shake of her head.
"A-Anyway, um," Mallow briefly floundered to get back to her intended introduction. "Lillie, Lana, and Zossie, these are our new friends, Teris the Rider and Venator and Laela the hunters!"
"I have no goddamn idea of what's going on anymore," Laela stated, interrupting Teris' attempt at a civil greeting. "We came here to get these kids back to their own world. In, out, back to the Guild, back to our normal lives. Now there's more of them."
Venator was, as usual, more polite than his counterpart, but when he removed his helmet, it was to reveal an expression furrowed with concern. "I'm sorry about her. It's a pleasure to meet you all, really. But… if the lot of you are here to rescue these four, then there's one thing that doesn't add up. What was that other creature, the one you appeared to be chasing when you exited the wormhole?"
Ash saw the lingering cheer from their unexpected reunion leave Lana's, Lillie's, and Zossie's faces, replaced by a graveness that caused a sense of foreboding to clasp his heart.
"Right, Solgaleo," Sophocles added. "Th-That… was Solgaleo, right?"
"Uh… yes and no?" Lillie offered. She flinched, knowing immediately that didn't explain anything. "We… um, we went to Solgaleo's world in hopes it could lead us to you. B-But we ended up learning what's causing the Ultra Wormholes to appear, a-and… l-look, it's all kinds of bad. We really, really need to save Solgaleo – its l-life, and this entire w-world, is in terrible danger!"
Alarm went up all around, especially in Kiawe and the listening Pokemon. Venator and Teris exchanged subdued, but significant looks, and Laela buried her face in her hands with an exasperated groan. Ash, though, scarcely noticed the others' reactions – no, he was preoccupied by the sudden, profound sense of purpose that sent a rush of flames to flood his veins. He was never one to leave a Pokemon to suffer if he could help it, and Solgaleo wasn't just any Pokemon… it was a friend. If it was in such urgent need of help…
"We've gotta stay in this world," Ash decided, his tone absolute, looking over the others with a serious frown. "We can't go home if Solgaleo's in trouble, we just can't! It's one of us! No matter what kinda trouble it's in, we gotta do what we can to save it!"
Pikachu rejoined him, scampering onto his head and giving a rallying cry to the other Pokemon. "Pika pi-KA, Pikachu!"
Ash's statement left no room for argument, but nobody even tried to. Rather, he saw only equally determined glares looking back at him, even from Sophocles. "H-He's right! Solgaleo's one of us!" the normally timid boy agreed. "A-And if this world really is in d-danger, w-well… we c-can't let that happen either!"
"Not to mention, Ash and I are Riders now!" Mallow added, perplexing Lana and Lillie. She marched over to stand beside Teris, clasping his hand in hers and raising it as a call to action. "So we've got a responsibility to this world, too! We have to restore the balance!"
Ash nodded furiously. The first lesson he'd learned in Snowcap Village was that he was a part of this world, even if he didn't originate from it. This was their world, too, and so it wasn't fair if they left it behind for others to clean up.
The only one who didn't add to the rousing speech was Kiawe, who had his eyes narrowed at Lana and Lillie, something very different on his mind. "What, exactly, is the danger Solgaleo's in?" he asked, warningly. "And what did you mean by 'you know what's causing the Ultra Wormholes to appear'? Is something threatening Alola?"
Zossie was the one who approached, clearly nervous despite her concealed face. "You don't know the half of it. See, we of the Ultra Recon Squad have been studying –"
A sharp voice cut her off. "Listen," Laela snapped, "could we continue this fascinating discussion elsewhere? Preferably someplace where we aren't at a risk of being cooked alive?"
"I agree," Teris raised his hand gingerly. "The Monsties are waiting for us, these newcomers don't have proper protection, and their Pokemon aren't looking too good at the moment."
"O-Oh dear, Snowy!" Lillie squeaked, and rushed to scoop the Ice-type into her arms.
"Lunala and I will take you up! You too, Lana!" Zossie volunteered, pacing back towards the Legendary. "I take it the rest of you guys will go with the natives. We can catch up once we've found a spot to chat properly. What kind of place do you have in mind, lady?"
Venator answered before Laela could say something biting. "There's a permanent campsite on the southern side of the volcano. You'll spot it from the sky, no problem. We can discuss our… ah, predicament in safety there."
"Sounds good!" Mallow approved, before shooting a tiny grin at the other girls. "Wait 'til you hear what we've been up to. Steenee and I have a new partner!"
Ordinarily, Ash would have been in the middle of the discussion, just as enthusiastic as Mallow to tell them of all the awesome stuff this world had to offer. But there were a lot of questions floating around in his brain, muddling such lighthearted thoughts with dread. The secret of the Ultra Wormholes… Solgaleo's plight… whatever was endangering this world… suddenly, Ash felt like this entire adventure had simply been the prelude to something… bigger.
Alola could wait. Now, what he wanted most were answers.
By the time Lana, Lillie, and Zossie had finished explaining themselves, Ash had answers aplenty – and none of them were good.
They were back at the hunters' camp concealed on the rocky coastline that bordered the volcano, crowded in a tight circle with the three newcomers sitting at the head, Lunala resting behind them. The Pokemon mingled with the Monsties – and to say that Lana and Lillie were shocked to see the creatures was an understatement. Lillie, in particular, had looked ready to relapse back into her Pokemon phobia before Teris had stepped in to place her hand on Ozzy's beak, the Kulu Ya-Ku's placid response calming her. It helped significantly that Barioth had used its breath to cool Snowy off, the Vulpix going from scared stiff to awed at the larger Ice-type, and spent the rest of the discussion in the shadow of its wing.
It was only once the girls had been acquainted with the monstrous additions to their party that they were able to begin, and as they spoke, all Ash could think was… wow. What a tale they spun: Lana taking on Hala himself to wield a proper Z-Move and attempt to reopen the Wormhole; the discovery of another civilization on a sunless planet; learning the existence of Necrozma, a legend made real, and the significance it had had in shaping the Alola region as they knew it. By the end, Ash and the others were stunned speechless, trembling at the staggering implications of what Necrozma's arrival meant for this world.
When it came time to tell their tale – headed by Venator, Teris, and Sophocles, as Ash and Kiawe were still gathering themselves – the summary of their travels wasn't nearly as monumental. Though Lana and Lillie oohed and aahed at the description of the hatching ceremonies, the philosophies of the hunters and the Riders, and the great battles they'd fought, everything they'd been through felt mundane in comparison. In contrast to the two Alolan girls, Zossie remained quiet, maintaining an expression of intense fascination such that, while he listened, Ash could almost feel her gaze penetrating through her visor.
At last, story time was done, and when the last speaker was finished, an incredulous silence fell.
"Y-You've been through so much," Lillie spoke up, her words tremulous with sympathy. "I-I'm sorry… If Lana and I were stronger, we could have pushed that monster into the Wormhole without any of this happening."
"I… I can hardly believe it," Kiawe's mind was elsewhere as he shook his head, staring down at his Z-Ring like he'd never seen it before. "I don't know what I thought Z-Crystals were before. They just… were, you know? Incredible gifts bestowed upon us by the tapu and the islands. The idea that they're… pieces of this light-eating, disastrous Ultra Beast is… hard to fathom."
"I know, right? Even I'm shocked," Mallow offered. "I never had a Z-Crystal of my own, so I don't have strong feelings about them like you do. It must be mind-blowing."
"It is," he concurred. "Even learning the true nature of the Riders' Kinship Stones and seeing how similar they are to Z-Rings wasn't as shocking."
"About that."
Ash wasn't sure why he shivered at Zossie's voice just then. It was flat and short, the blue-skinned girl standing up as she said it as though coming to a decision. She stuck out her hand in Ash's direction and asked him, "May I see? Your Kinship Stone. Just for a minute, I mean."
"Oh, uh, sure," he said, fumbling with the straps that bound the artifact to his hand before gently tossing it into her waiting hand. Zossie thanked him shortly and sat back down, appearing to tune out everything around her as she examined the stone with unnerving intensity, her intentions a complete mystery.
From there, it was Laela who changed the subject. "I don't like the sound of this Necrozma thing," she growled, playing with her axe blades like she itched to chop something. "It sounds worse than any monster I've ever heard of… and I've heard some wild tales. You think it's seriously able to eat the fricking sun?"
"Th-There's no Ultra Beast that s-strong, r-right?" Sophocles whimpered.
The recent Nihilego encounter popping into his head, Ash asked, "If it's been causin' them to show up in our world all along, was it behind the one we saw in this world, too?"
"I-I'm afraid so. Dulse and Zossie were v-very serious," Lillie answered both of them unhappily. "And we saw it defeat Solgaleo with our own eyes. I-If it's left unchecked, then it'll drain all the power Solgaleo has… and that isn't likely to satisfy it. This world… and A-Alola, too… are still in grave danger."
"The Hunter's Guild isn't going to let that fly," Venator muttered. "The minute they figure out what it's capable of, hunters across the continent are going to come for the bounty on its head."
"Nor the Riders," Teris added. "If this beast is such a calamity, then my people might have to show themselves to the world for the first time in centuries."
Lana opened her mouth to speak, but the only thing that came out was a yelp when Zossie suddenly grabbed her Z-Ring arm and tugged her closer to peer at the embedded Z-Crystal. The sudden noise and activity ensured that all eyes were on the Ultra Recon Squad member as she seemed to compare the two artifacts, scrutinizing both Z-Ring and Kinship Stone whilst fiddling with her visor. With the press of a final button, her frown went from contemplative to resolute, and she jumped to her feet once more, to everyone's confusion.
"Teris," she suddenly addressed the Rider. "Where do you get these things?"
Not expecting to be spoken to directly, Teris floundered for a second before stammering, "Um… th-the Rider Chiefs take fragments of a sacred mineral called Kinship Ore to fashion them. The locations of the Ore are kept a complete secret."
"As I suspected," she announced. Blunt and devoid of her previous cheer, the girl raised Ash's Kinship Stone as well as Lana's arm, displaying both jewels for all to see. "The Kinship Stone contains traces of the same energy as the Z-Crystal: Necrozma's energy."
One could have heard a feather drop.
"WHAT?!" Kiawe and Teris shouted.
"They're the same," Zossie reiterated.
While the Trainer and Rider exchanged utterly flabbergasted looks, Sophocles spoke up with a less dramatic but still stunned note, "B-But… isn't that impossible? L-Lana's Z-Crystal should correspond to Water-type energy, a-and the eighteen elemental types as we know them don't exist in this world!"
"Well… I mean, they're not identical, of course," Zossie admitted. She released Lana's arm, to her relief, and tossed the Kinship Stone back to Ash. "These worlds are different enough to have affected the development of these crystals. But they have the same baseline frequency. I'm very familiar with Necrozma's signature, believe me. It's present in both."
Ash caught the amulet with trembling fingers, and overturned it to gaze at the teardrop in the center; light reflected off its surface in an almost teasing wink. He wasn't as blown away by Zossie's assessment as Kiawe was, but it was still incredible. He'd seen the similarities between the Z-Crystals and Kinship Stones on his very first night, but never thought of it as anything more than an uncanny coincidence. Never did he expect to hear that they had literally the same origin.
"That… makes a lot of sense," Lillie said, slow and cautious. "When Dulse and Zossie told us the history of Necrozma, they mentioned that it fled to another world when they first attempted to capture it, where it was injured. It only came to Alola after that, searching for light to rejuvenate itself. So… it must have been this world it appeared in… where it was attacked and injured enough to leave pieces of itself behind."
"Kinship Ore," Teris breathed. He was already sitting down, but still looked close to falling over from what must have been an overwhelming revelation. His face went pale, and his eyes wide… he looked almost scared, Ash saw with a curious frown. That couldn't be right…
"Teris? What's wrong?" Mallow noticed too, and scooted to his side, laying her hand over his in concern.
He swallowed before answering: "Riders have a lot of history… you know, folklore and legends about incredible events and monumental disasters that we had a hand in resolving. One of our legends is about… a-about a golden light that swallowed the earth. I-It came down from the heavens and almost wiped out our culture. It's remembered as the n-near end of Riders."
"Necrozma," Ash said. He pressed his mouth in a hard line, feeling sick and mad and impatient. With so much at stake, how could they continue sitting here talking? This world really was in danger!
Fortunately, he wasn't the only one thinking this – Venator stood up with a loud clank, eyes hard. "That sounds dire enough to convince me. What can we do to stop this thing?"
Lana also stood, her mood instantly recognizable by the steely glint in her eyes. "We defeat it!" she exclaimed, pumping her fists. "We separate it from Solgaleo and bring it back to Ultra Megalopolis! Zossie, do you know how we can find it, or tell where it's headed?"
"Depends," she hummed. "My guess is that it'll go after the strongest aura – that is, its own power – it can find and then attempt to reclaim it."
"So we look for some Kinship Ore, then?" Lillie asked, turning to Teris for confirmation.
The Rider said something to her, but the words were stolen from his mouth by a sudden, violent wind that howled around the camp's protective boulders and whipped through the gaps to lash at them. Several ducked their heads on reflex, but Ash was one of the few that lifted his face skyward – the overcast sky had turned black with roiling clouds, as though the ash from the volcano had been blown from horizon to horizon. There was a storm coming, but though the wind raged vigorously, there was no rain or thunder.
"Oh, what now?!" Laela snarled.
"It's not coming from the sea?" Venator observed. "No, it's blowing from the west. That's odd…"
"Pikapi!" Ash opened his arms to accommodate Pikachu, who leapt onto him with paws clutching at his uniform. Pikachu's ears were folded back and worry swam through his polished eyes, all while tiny sparks shot from his cheeks. "Pikapi, pika Pikachu pi pika…"
"Buddy? What's wrong?" Ash picked up on his partner's agitation immediately, holding him tight to his chest in a flash of protective instinct. He risked a glance at the other Pokemon – they, too, were fearful, huddling together with wary eyes scanning the sky for fear of the imminent storm. Barioth, Ozzy, and Crimson were more aggressive, taking up defensive stances and baring their fangs and claws. Lunala was the same, flaring her wings and screeching – it was as though they expected an attack, an ambush from some unknown foe…
Blood running cold, Ash couldn't help but study the clouds himself, eyes darting along them in search of anything out of the ordinary. The Pokemon wouldn't be reacting this way to regular bad weather. There had to be something else at work here…
…and, just as he was scanning the clouds closest to the volcano, it appeared.
Partially obscured by swirling black as it broke out from cover, a serpentine monster emerged. It was blue, its body and especially head lined with blunt spikes like shards of coral. It had no wings; rather, it appeared to swim through the air as surely as a fish through the sea, its arms rowing back and forth like a pair of oars. Strangest of all, however, were the luminous, flowing filaments fluttering along its back, arms, and tail, giving the serpent an ethereal appearance. Ash was transfixed – awestruck, even – on the strange monster, and some part of his mind noticed that everybody else was as well, all falling silent at the mystical sight. They watched it twirl in a lazy, airborne dance that carried it back up, its glow choked out by the storm clouds, and coinciding with its departure was the sudden absence of the wind, as though it was taking the lashing gusts with it.
"Beautiful…" Lana was the first to breathe, her wonder shared by a captivated Lillie. "Like watching the Legendary Kyogre emerge from the sea."
This time, though, no-one was in a joking mood. When Ash slid his eyes toward his fellow castaways, he saw the same dread on their faces as he felt in his core, the implications of a monster that could apparently influence the weather not lost on any of them. Indeed, a glance at the Teris and the hunters only confirmed his suspicions – they were grim-faced, still, and quiet.
"That's it, then," Laela hissed, sheathing her blades and letting her arms fall limp at her sides, as if the urge to fight had been sucked out of her. "I guess it was only a matter of time, but… this is the worst-case scenario for us."
"What? Wh-What is?" Lillie squeaked, snapping out of her reverie with considerable alarm.
"Monsters across the continent have been getting more unpredictable with continuous disturbances. You guys saw," Venator said, with a nod aimed at Ash and his friends. "We tried to keep it to ourselves, but… Laela and I feared that, well… that eventually the effect on the environment would get bad enough that it'd draw out…"
"An elder dragon," Teris finished for the warrior.
The term caused the four to stiffen. "Th-That's what you were talking about before," Kiawe stammered in a rare loss of composure.
"A living natural disaster… and that was one of them?" Mallow asked, her voice very small.
Zossie hummed, more contemplative than anything despite the fact her blue skin had paled, too. "It must have been Necrozma," she hypothesized. "Its sheer power was probably enough to bring that thing out of hiding."
"And now that it's here…" Ash murmured, frustration and profound fear seizing his heart. "It's probably gonna make the disturbances a whole lot worse."
Laela turned around to needle Zossie with a glare. "You think it isn't a coincidence that an elder dragon would appear right after that light-eater of yours?" she demanded, and then backed off with a growl upon getting a firm nod. "Then that must mean… it'll go after it. If this thing is as powerful as you say it is, this elder dragon probably took its appearance as a threat, and it'll be gunning for it. Like some kind of apocalyptic territorial dispute."
Hesitantly, Lillie nodded. "I-It's the same as with Pokemon. The more powerful they are, the less they tolerate others of similar strength," she suggested. "S-So… surely if we follow that… um, elder dragon, it w-will lead us to N-Necrozma…!"
"And we can defeat it," Kiawe finished. "We have our Pokemon, Monsties, and now Lunala itself on our side. We're gonna hit it with everything we've got!"
"Nator, turta tonator!" Turtonator rumbled, lumbering over to stand beside his Trainer. He was clearly in agreement.
"Pika!" Pikachu chirped, looking up at Ash. An all-too-familiar determination was present in the gleam in his eyes and the curve of his smile, and Ash found himself mirroring it, the worry melting away. He was afraid for what might happen, of course… but it wasn't going to happen if he didn't let it.
That's all I've gotta do. Stop one disaster from hurtin' anybody, he thought, nodding fiercely to himself. That's nothin' new. Right, Pikachu?
"Now that's the spirit!" Zossie chirped, peppiness returning. "Needless to say, I'm totally in – I've been training all my life for this! Lunala and I have a duty to the Ultra Recon Squad to perform, and a big score to settle with Necrozma for beating us!"
PEEEEAAAAAAAA! Lunala shrieked with equal fervor.
"So, yeah, who's with me?" she called, jutting her fist out in front of her. "Together, we'll defeat Necrozma!"
Lillie and Lana leapt up, nodding enthusiastically. "And rescue Solgaleo!"
"And restore balance to this world!" Ash and Mallow were next, their Kinship Stones bumping together as they shared a high-five.
"And then finally go home," Kiawe and Sophocles finished as one, teeth flashing in satisfied grins.
Clanking footsteps pulled their collective attention to Venator, who was walking away to bring his and Laela's cart over to them, leading the Aptonoth by the reins. Once he'd brought the bovine reptile to a stop, he turned to the seven with a satisfied-sounding sigh. Something about his gloomy smile struck a chord in Ash – he knew what was coming next.
"Sounds like you guys have a clear path forward. That's good," the hunter stated. "But… it would be best if Laela and I didn't join you. This is where we part ways."
There it was. Ash winced, stung, and Kiawe, Sophocles, and Mallow all grew melancholy at the announcement. Surprisingly, Sophocles was the most distraught, and vocalized it with a high whine of protest. "Wh-What? B-But why?! You've b-been with us through almost e-everything! You g-gotta keep helping us!"
"Believe me, what we're doing will help," Laela snorted. "The Guild has to be informed of this. The more they know, the better we'll be equipped to take these things down."
Venator bent down to ruffle Sophocles' hair, every bit the gentle, protective Golurk he resembled in his heavy armor. "This is something us hunters have to do," he reassured him. "Besides… you kids aren't the same lost, disoriented castaways we had to protect when we first met. You've learned and adapted, and accomplished some incredible things in the short time we've known one another. You're more than capable of helping yourselves. Even you, Soph. You have the mind and heart of a hunter."
"That's stretching it a – ow!" Laela's sneering remark was cut off by a thickly-plated elbow to her side, and she started over reluctantly. "Fine, you're not half-bad… and you've got numbers. So go out there and try not to die, otherwise this entire damn trip would've been for nothing."
Despite the clear reluctance of her compliment, Kiawe strode toward the hunters with unabashed warmness, eyes glistening with a rare touch of moisture. "Venator, Laela… thank you," he said with utmost sincerity and respect. "You've done so much for me and my friends since the day I arrived in this world… and saving Turtonator was the least of it. I'll never be able to repay you, but… I just… wanted you to know I'm grateful."
"Same!" Sophocles added. "Thanks so much, you guys! You're both the most awesome hunters I'll ever meet!"
"Thanks for taking care of our friends!" Ash and Mallow chorused, and Lana and Lillie nodded enthusiastically. The Pokemon, minus Snowy, Brionne, and Poipole, let out their own vocal goodbye, Turtonator's and Togedemaru's voices ringing out above the rest.
Venator was moved, looking at a loss for words, while Laela simply turned away with cheeks dusted pink. "Yeah, yeah…"
The pair of them got in their cart, Venator taking the driver's seat, and paused just long enough for a final wave to the Alolans. With a snap of the reins, they were trundling off at a brisk pace at the behest of their draft-beast, leaving the camp behind in a billowing of dust. Gradually, the sound of the Aptonoth's plodding footsteps and squeaking wooden wheels faded into the coastal ambience.
"Guess that's my cue, then."
Teris' comment took Ash by surprise, and he was dismayed to see that he, too, was gearing up to leave. He checked Ozzy's saddle to see if the saddlebags were secure before hoisting himself aboard the Monstie with practiced effortlessness. The Rider's eyes were bittersweet as he regarded them for one last time, and moistened when they lingered on Mallow. Ozzy's head plumes drooped a little as it clucked glumly, answered by Barioth and Crimson but meant for all.
"You're leaving too?" Ash asked before he could stop himself. A great sadness was swelling in his chest – he wasn't one to let farewells get to him like this, but on the eve of what was sure to be a terrible battle, every goodbye left an unspoken note lingering heavily in the air. If they never saw each other again… it might not be by choice.
"It would be best if I did, yes," Teris replied. "Just as the hunters are going to notify the Guild, I have to make sure word spreads among the Riders. If there was ever a time my people had to come out of hiding, it's now. We'll use the power of our kinship with monsters and the world to correct the imbalance, as we've done many times in the past."
Somehow, hearing that lifted some of the burden on Ash's soul, and he dismissed the worry he felt for their safety and that of their allies. That's right… it's not just our responsibility to stop Necrozma. The hunters and Riders have duties to this world, too, so of course they're gonna fight as hard as they can. How can I think we're never gonna see each other again? We can't lose!
"Got it," he said out loud. "As an Ultra Guardian and a Rider, I promise you that me and my friends are gonna stop Necrozma. We'll all protect the balance of this world together!"
"You can count on us," Kiawe promised also.
"But some extra help from the Riders will be really nice, too!" Sophocles chuckled.
"Teris, I…" Mallow began, but her voice caught before she could finish.
He turned to her, his smile morose but encouraging. "The whole reason I left Crown Village was to see you reach your home safely," he told her. "You're on the last leg of your journey and I won't be there to help you through it, so… make it there, okay?"
"I-I will," she said instantly. "And thank you so much for everything. For saving Steenee and I, for guiding us here, for teaching me to be a Rider…"
"Stee!" Steenee herself approached, her sepals wafting a Sweet Scent as she touched Ozzy's beak in farewell.
Teris laughed and bent down to clasp Mallow's hand in both of his own. "You know, I really like you, Mallow," he confessed freely. "Seeing you become a Rider and your love for this world grow was a blessing for me to witness."
Mallow stumbled back, suddenly blushing furiously and clutching her hand while, in the background, Lillie audibly gasped and Lana gawked.
To Ash and the others, Teris addressed them with a small smile that glowed with pride. "It was a pleasure to meet you. You're all honorary Riders in my book, truly.
"So, um… bye," he finished rather lamely, and with a call to Ozzy, the Kulu Ya-Ku was off with a triumphant crow, powerful legs propelling them at a brisk, jogging pace that carried them rapidly away across the barren landscape.
At last, only the six Alolans and Zossie remained. Nostalgia swept over Ash at the sight of his five classmates, three in full Ultra Guardian uniform and two in more alien garb, standing together again for the first time in a week… though it felt more like an eternity.
"Sooooo…" Lana started, glancing about curiously. "We're going too, right?"
"Y-Yes, we're going too!" Mallow blurted, almost too enthusiastically as she bolted for Crimson without looking at anyone else. "Necrozma's not going to find itself! Follow that elder dragon, everybody!"
"It was heading east, last we saw it," Kiawe mused. "We can start by heading in that direction, and hopefully Necrozma's at the end of the trail."
"Don't worry about that! Lunala and I will lead!" Zossie volunteered, springing onto one leg with arms spread wide. "We'll be able to detect Solgaleo's uncontrolled energy output once we're close enough! Lana, Lillie, you and your Pokemon are riding with me!"
"O-Okay!" Lillie affirmed, and together, her and Lana and their Pokemon joined Zossie and Poipole atop the celestial bat.
Ash mounted Barioth, who was ready to go without needing a prompt, and gestured for Kiawe to get on. As Mallow did the same with Sophocles, and the rest of their Pokemon were returned in preparation for the flight ahead, Ash couldn't help it – he felt thrilled, exuberant beyond belief to be setting out on another mission with the five of them. The gang was back together again, the Ultra Guardians complete. The Riders may have shown him that he was a part of this world… but this was where he belonged.
Three pairs of wings spread, and the Ultra Guardians were off, the ground shrinking below them as they rose into the blackened sky. They put the Lava Caverns to their backs and flew east, no clue as to their destination other than that Necrozma would be at the end of it. Lunala was in the lead, flanked by the two Monsties in a triangle formation, each one accompanied by a small yet brilliant star of blue light.
Ash glanced down to acknowledge his Kinship Stone's steady, pulsing glow. Its rhythm matched Barioth's wingbeats, Ash's anxiety and determination no doubt spurring the wyvern onwards. He grimaced to himself and glared out at the clouds in front of him, knowing that, a great distance ahead, Solgaleo was suffering. His friend was out there, hunted and drained of power.
Don't worry, Solgaleo, he swore. We're comin'. Just wait a little longer.
AN:
After the last few chapters, another more interlude-y chapter feels just right to calm things down a bit before the final act. A lot of setup here, but also some much-needed payoff – namely, the four wayward Alolans meeting up with the rest of the squad (plus bonus Zossie) for the first time since the prologue!
The reveal of Kinship Stones also coming from Necrozma is something I've been building to since their introduction, what with all the direct comparisons to Z-Crystals and all. The origins of Kinship Stones are never discussed in the Stories games, so the idea of Necrozma potentially tying both universes together with its scattered fragments was originally what compelled me to turn this into a proper story in the first place. Magical friendship rocks are a parallel between the two universes that made for a reasonable jumping off point, if that makes sense.
Also hey look a dargon.
We're in the finale now, so I hope you'll continue to enjoy reading!
Next time: Typhoon
