Chapter 27 – Typhoon

I used a large mix of battle themes while writing the next three chapters. For this one, I listened to several from Monster Hunter Rise – the Rampage theme, the Wind Serpent's theme, as well as the "small monster" variation of the Lava Caverns theme for some quiet tension in the village scene.


Ash wasn't sure how long they'd been flying – a few hours, maybe – but he noticed that the stormy sky hadn't changed since they'd set off.

The Ultra Guardians (and Zossie) flew east from the Lava Caverns, Barioth and Crimson and Lunala tearing across lands they'd traversed before in their efforts to get to the Ultra Wormhole. Only occasionally did one of them glance down to see grassy fields or arid plains; otherwise, all kept their eyes on the mountains that lay ahead of them, rising like the spine of some titanic monster. They were traveling much faster than they had by cart, crossing days' worth of distance in a matter of hours, and so the terrain changed often. The one thing that didn't was the sky.

Adjusting his grip on the saddle's handlebars, Ash took the opportunity to contemplate the ominous blank curtain that swathed the sky in all directions. Supposedly, this was being caused by the elder dragon they pursued, which, in turn, was pursuing Necrozma. It wasn't like any Legendary Pokemon Ash had seen, though – rather than forming a storm around itself specifically, it seemed to be influencing the weather wherever it roamed.

As if to punctuate the point, a terrible gust suddenly slammed into Lunala and the Monsties, briefly scattering the formation before they adapted and steadied their flight. Ash patted Barioth on the flank, assuring it that it was doing a great job keeping up with the others. Pikachu abandoned his perch on the handlebars in favor of a more comfortable and secure one on Ash's shoulder, which Ash welcomed.

"Everybody alright?!" Zossie shouted behind her from Lunala's back.

"We're good!" Mallow answered, chipper despite the turbulence. "A little wind isn't gonna stop us! Right, Crimson?"

The Qurupeco honked and doubled the pace of its wingbeats, sliding into place beside Barioth. It was close enough for Ash to see Mallow's bright grin and Sophocles' queasy-looking gape as he clung to the green-haired girl for dear life.

"Necrozma's definitely somewhere in those mountains!" Zossie reported, pointing straight ahead. "Lunala just picked up Solgaleo's energy signature, so we're close! She should be able to lead us right to him now!"

Lunala screeched as if in reply, certainly looking motivated from the way her own wingbeats propelled her farther ahead.

"D-Did she say mountains…?" Sophocles muttered. Somehow, his speech was still audible even with the gale howling in their ears. Then, suddenly, he was alert, airsickness forgotten and jabbing his finger down frantically at the forested slopes. "W-Wait! Can we make a detour? There's someplace I gotta show you!"

Behind Ash, Kiawe shifted excitedly. "He's talking about Kamura Village!" he clarified. "Soph, you want to make sure the villagers are okay?"

"Uh-huh!" Sophocles confirmed – the look in his eyes was urgent. "Plus, we can tell them what's going on! It's unlikely Venator and Laela have made it here, given what I analyzed of their cart's travel speed! There's a Hunter's Guild here – they can spread the word more efficiently!"

"Good idea!" Ash said, admiring the other boy's newfound knack for strategy. Plus, he was instantly intrigued by the sound of this Kamura place – visiting a hunter village would be cool! "Let's follow Sophocles for now! I dunno about you, but if there are people here and Necrozma's close by, I don't wanna get them caught up in what's comin'!"

At a deferent nod from Zossie, Sophocles said something to Mallow, and Crimson suddenly peeled off from the group, winging its way toward what looked like a bamboo forest nestled among a series of canyons and rivers. Ash steered Barioth after them, following the other Monstie's tail toward the lush area. Swiftly, they soared over the landscape, glimpsing decrepit ruins and bamboo groves that swayed in green waves by the lashing wind, and soon came into view of a secluded village that Ash recognized with widening eyes could have been of ancient Johtonian origin. Crimson tilted its wing and swooped down toward the foot of the largest building, clearly intending to land, so Ash and Zossie guided their respective mounts down as well…

…only for a hail of sharp, metal projectiles to greet them, the air filled with eerie whistling. Barioth roared as it rose higher frantically to keep out of reach, jostling Ash with its abrupt retreat. Down on the ground, several people were gathered and wielding two-handed crossbows that they aimed squarely at the Monsties, shouting in obvious panic as they repeatedly fired.

Oh… I forgot! Ash lamented. This is a hunter village… they don't know about Riders or Monsties!

Sophocles seemed to realize this at the exact same time, and he stuck himself out from behind Mallow, waving his hands and screaming at the top of his lungs for attention. "DON'T SHOOT! DON'T SHOOT! IT'S ME, SOPHOCLES!"

A white-clad figure appeared amongst the drably garbed villagers, yelling in scolding tones and shooing them off with flailing arms. The crossbow wielders fled in her wake, allowing the Monsties to begin their descent. Ash eyeballed the newcomer as Barioth descended, her features becoming clear as a female hunter whose armor looked like a cross between a Skarmory and a medieval knight.

"Tsurutori!" Sophocles called her name with a mix of delight and urgency as he scrambled off Crimson. "Thank goodness y-you're okay…! W-We were at the L-Lava Caverns, a-and there was this big d-dragon, and we chased it t-toward –"

"What the hell are you doing back here, Soph?!" Tsurutori yelled over him, though she didn't sound truly angry – more like incredulously concerned. "You were supposed to go back to your world, not come back during our biggest crisis in half a century! And riding a monster?! What is going on?!"

"B-Before that," Sophocles quavered, trembling before the taller figure, "wh-why's everyone armed? I-Is the village okay? You're n-not being a-a-attacked, are you?"

The hunter huffed, crossing her arms. "That dragon you mentioned passed straight over the Shrine Ruins just a short time ago. Whatever path it took to get here caused it to rile up a ton of monsters, because an entire stampede is on its way here. The villagers are gathering in our stronghold to try and drive away the wayward monsters… it's like the Rampage all over again.

"Unfortunately, with everyone focused on protecting Kamura, we don't have any resources to spare against this elder dragon," she continued. "We've already sent word to other Guild branches, warning them of this thing. We think it's what's been causing all the disturbances."

"I-It's worse than that!" Lillie broke out, and Tsurutori whirled to face the new voice in surprise. Lillie, with Sophocles' help, used the hunter's momentary silence to quickly fill her in, a summarized version of the situation flowing from their lips. When they finished the story – that the creature responsible for bringing them to this world had invaded and was threatening to destroy everything – Tsurutori gave the entire group a long, dismayed stare.

"Okay, this has officially gotten too weird for me," she said at last, once she'd regained her ability to speak. She shook her helmeted head in exasperation, throwing an imploring glance toward Sophocles. "Soph, kid, I was willing to believe you when you told me how you got here – and I'm guessing these guys are the rest of your friends – but this is hard for me to wrap my head around. A creature that moves between worlds, devouring light? Is that even possible?"

"It's totally true!" Ash blurted, sliding off Barioth to confront the hunter directly. "Please, you gotta help!"

"I can prove it! Trust me, I have all the data necessary to confirm the specifics!" Zossie added cheerfully. She reached up to adjust her visor, fingers already tapping at her helmet.

Tsurutori took a step back, hands raised placatingly. "Okay, know what, there's no time for debate. Guess I gotta give you the benefit of the doubt here," she deferred. "And… uh, the tamed monsters? How did you…"

"We're Riders," Ash told her, Mallow nodding alongside him. A pang of disappointment hit him at the sight of Tsurutori's utterly blank expression, the name meaning nothing to her.

"… Alright, not important right now," she finally sighed with another head shake. "But our hands are tied with the threat to the village – we can't assist you in fighting this Necrozma thing."

"Th-That's okay!" Sophocles assured her. "Just, please, send word to the rest of the Guild again. Venator and Laela already left to warn 'em, but who knows how much damage Necrozma's gonna do in the time it takes them to reach the nearest town? We need to inform everyone of the threat to your world as fast as possible!"

"I assure you, young man, that that's well within our power, hoho!"

Everyone turned around to see who the speaker was – someone only Sophocles and, from the looks of things, Kiawe recognized. He was a stocky, round old man dressed in all blue, and despite the jolly laugh, he looked serious.

"If the world really is at stake, as you say," the elder said, "then sending additional messenger birds is the absolute least we can do. The other Guild branches will already be on high alert due to the elder dragon sighting and the influence it's having on the weather. The windstorms it's creating have already driven countless monsters out of their habitats – that's why we've taken to calling it 'Wind Serpent Ibushi'."

It was a simple name, but it was spoken with such gravitas that Ash shivered, the elder dragon's power so palpable that he could feel it as surely as if it were amongst them.

"Mr. Hojo, the hunters that we left Kamura with have already gone to spread the word," Sophocles reiterated. "A-And I can also confirm that the Riders are also gathering in hopes of stopping it."

"Riders?" Tsurutori asked, her forehead scrunching as she again failed to recognize the term.

Hojo, though, did seem to recognize it. His eyebrows rose and his gaze flicked to Barioth and Crimson, then to Ash and Mallow, in particular the amulets strapped to their hands in plain view. "Riders… I see," he muttered. "That does explain your tamed monsters."

"Y-You've heard of them?" Mallow inquired, stunned. "But I thought the whole secrecy thing was so that hunters wouldn't know…"

The Guildmaster of Kamura chortled in a brief moment of amusement. "Of course I know of Riders, hoho!" he exclaimed, before settling down with an expression of something like grave acceptance. "All the Guildmasters do, whether it's out of suspicion for the powers they wield, or simply because they wish to maintain a peaceful boundary between our civilizations. I've never met one, myself… but I've heard enough to know that things are worse than I thought, if such elusive folk are coming out of hiding."

He nodded, coming to some sort of decision. "Very well. You kids seem to have taken it upon yourselves to stop this Necrozma, so I beg of you – please do whatever you can while the Guild rallies. Anything you can do to delay this creature from destroying us all."

"You can count on us!" Surprisingly, it was Sophocles, with incredible confidence, that said it, leaving Ash with his mouth open and a response dying on his tongue. Perhaps learning of these peoples' plight – the people that took him in when he fell through the Ultra Wormhole – was motivation enough for Sophocles to shake his nerves aside.

"You should go defend your village from this Rampage of yours," Kiawe recommended. "We'll take things from here – just make sure the Guild is informed."

Tsurutori saluted, cracking a grin. "Will do. And how about that – my little Soph, saving the world. Your friends are depending on you, so don't go and break down in the middle of it, okay?"

While he spluttered and protested at the hunter's teasing, Hojo stepped authoritatively toward the Ultra Guardians. "I have to let you know of one more thing we've learned. Based on our sightings of Ibushi, its route will most likely take it to the Coral Palace. It's east of here, in the deepest part of the mountains. It's so remote that the only way to access it is by flight – though it looks like you have that covered, hoho.

"Be very careful, young ones," he finished. "No monster has ever ventured near the Coral Palace until now. I don't know what you'll find, or why your quarry is drawn there, but… exercise caution."

"We will," Ash affirmed, a sentiment that was backed up without hesitation by all the others.

Kinship Ore, he thought, privately. It's gotta be, if we find Necrozma there.

"That's all, then," Hojo told them. "Good luck to all of you in ridding us of this calamity!"

"Good luck to you, too," Sophocles responded. "But if I know Tsurutori, your odds of successfully defending the village are pretty good with her on your side!"

"Damn right!" she smirked, and shared an amicable fist-bump with him.

A fierce gust blew through the village, causing those still mounted to duck reflexively and those on the ground to stumble as they fought to keep balance. It was an effective warning bell, reminding them that the time for friendly conversation was over. Ash vaulted onto Barioth, shifting his rear comfortably while Kiawe gripped his shoulders. Barioth craned its neck to look back at him, Rider and Monstie exchanging one last promise to protect one another until the end.

"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu chirped. He jumped onto Ash's lap and let out a fearsome spark, placing one paw on his leg and the other on Barioth. The meaning of the gesture was unmistakable.

"Thanks, buddy," Ash replied, then raised his voice. "Okay, Zossie! If Necrozma really is at this Coral Palace, you can find it, right?"

"Yep! Lunala will track it down!" she answered.

"Then c'mon! Ride on, Ultra Guardians!" he whooped, punching the air to accentuate the rallying cry.

The takeoff was somewhat awkward due to the blustering winds that only blew harder the further up they climbed, but the shaky start smoothed out as Lunala led them further east. Skimming the bottoms of the thunderclouds – the complete lack of lightning emboldening them – they were quick to leave Kamura behind, its sloping rooftops disappearing behind the mountain peaks as they streaked onward. Trees and cliffs and valleys blurring past in mere flickers of color, the flashes of green becoming rapidly sparser as grey and brown started to dominate the montane topography, and soon…

… there it was, a deep bowl yawning open amidst the now-barren slopes, an ancient relic cut off from the rest of the world. The Coral Palace.


Lana squeezed Lillie tighter as she leaned to her left, an action borne of curiosity so intense that it made her itch. She wanted to see what this Coral Palace was like, what lay inside that strange pit. All the talk of this mysterious place, so forbidden that even the native beasts avoided it, had stimulated her imagination until she was practically bursting at the seams with intense interest. Maybe she was too wrapped up in the fantasy of it all, but the walls of the bowl were so neat and circular, they looked as if they'd been carved. She couldn't wait to see what was within.

Lunala circled lower, and Lana's eyes opened wide, scarcely blinking. The pit was dominated by a central plateau, a table of sorts that was flat and worn, and on one side it dropped off into a small lake where overturned, long-disused boats bobbed and drifted. On the opposite end, a smooth cliff wall led to a smaller plateau upon which the Coral Palace itself stood. Like the millennia-old domains of old Kantonian emperors, it rose tall and proud above its empty courtyard, unyielding even to the tides of time that had long ago worn away its paint. Towering rock formations sculpted like stacks of mushrooms framed the Palace magnificently, making it look even more wondrous. Grandest of all, though, was the coral reef that had sprung up around it, encrusting the cliffs with fans and branches of all manner of colors. More corals emerged from the lake at the base of the plateau as though it were a giant tide pool. All the while, the howling winds swept through the bowl like ocean currents.

Lana gasped, the breath stolen from her lungs. This was better than she could have ever anticipated – a reef that touched the sky like an abandoned home for gods, a borderline magical place straight out of a fairy tale, like the myths of the sea she'd grown up with.

"Incredible…" she breathed. "This world is so amazing."

They landed on the plateau below the Palace, paws and talons scraping against the eroded rock face. But they had only barely begun the process of sliding off their mounts when a roar rattled the mountainside, freezing them in their seats. An explosion of rock dust on the cliffs sent Lana's heart into a hammering beat as an orange-yellow streak of light speared upwards to reveal the Ultra Beast of the hour – Necrozma. She'd only gotten a glimpse of it at Ultra Megalopolis, but now it hovered high above them in all its shining glory, and her skin crawled at the sight of Necrozma's pitch-black attachments contrasting with the unhealthy radiance pulsing unnaturally from Solgaleo's stolen body. It was a perversion of nature on the same level as the Ultra Wormholes that she never had gotten used to seeing.

Gasps went up from the others as Necrozma swerved on its upward trajectory – at first, it looked as though it had spotted them, and that its appearance was a clever ambush. However, it changed course again to direct its aggression toward the Coral Palace itself, ramming its reinforced skull straight into the side of the archaic structure. The Palace held, perhaps made even sturdier with age due to the outgrowths of coral to stabilize it; Necrozma's attack provoked only a shower of dust and coral fragments from its roof.

"Th-That's Necrozma?" Kiawe asked, shaken. "When you said that it had possessed Solgaleo, I-I hadn't expected…"

Of course he hadn't, Lana thought grimly – the sight before them was beyond their wildest nightmares. Aloud, all she said was, "It's draining energy continuously from Solgaleo. Our only chance of saving it is by forcing it to let it go."

"It's in pain," Ash observed, clenching a fist… notably, the one that bore his Kinship Stone, which burned more fiercely with his increasing anger. "I can't stand seein' Solgaleo suffer like this! We gotta do somethin'!"

Another meteoric tackle from the Ultra Beast shook not only the Coral Palace, but sent weak tremors down into the stone underfoot. Zossie shot an imploring look at the group and told them, "We're going to need a strategy to beat it. Lunala and I can pull our weight, but we don't stand a chance alone. Any ideas?"

"So far, it hasn't even noticed us," Lillie commented, her childlike curiosity eclipsing her fear. "It's concentrating all its efforts on attacking the Palace. How odd…"

"If Zossie's right, then it's searching for objects that contain its energy," Sophocles replied. "In this world, that would be the Kinship Ore that Teris mentioned. It could be there's a significant source of that inside the temple?"

"N-No wonder monsters are said to avoid this place!" Lillie exclaimed, and she and her fellow scholar shared an ear-to-ear grin of excitement. "The Riders would obviously have some way of guarding a place so sacred to them!"

Mallow trembled. "It'll notice us soon, though!" she argued. "We need to come up with a strategy, right? What's the best way to battle Necrozma?"

Instinctively, Lana found her gaze drawn to Ash, hoping that such a skilled, dedicated Trainer would have an idea. She wasn't disappointed – the fiery gleam in his eyes was the same one she always saw when he battled a powerful opponent, conveying confidence and certainty.

"The Kinship Stones," the Kantonian stated. "Zossie said she and her buddies wanted to ask strong Trainers with Z-Moves to beat Necrozma in the first place. Well, Mallow and me still have somethin' like that! We'll channel our kinship into a big attack and hit it with everything we got!"

His idea inspired a dawning realization to grace Mallow's face. "Yes, we'll use the Kinship Skills!" she concurred.

That… didn't sound quite right to Lana, who made her grievances known with a frown. "But won't the attacks just be… I don't know, absorbed? They're fueled by Necrozma's own power, right?"

Zossie shook her head. "That's not exactly how it works… Necrozma's power is used, yes, but it's channeled through the Pokemon – or Monstie, I guess – as a conduit. It's converted into elemental energy, which Necrozma can resist to an extent, but isn't totally immune to. Though it'll definitely still take some beating, which is why the rest of us are here!"

"Got it," Kiawe accepted. "So we'll be the ones to weaken Necrozma enough for Ash and Mallow to finish it."

Him and Sophocles jumped off their respective Monsties, leaving Ash and Mallow to fly alone. With a start, Lana realized that Zossie would need to fly alone, too, so she tapped Lillie and slid off Lunala's tail, her boots crunching on the stone ground. As soon as they touched down, the Legendary Pokemon rose into the air in preparation for combat, its wings taking on an ethereal blue shine. Barioth and Crimson, likewise, flexed their wings and sprang, their flight paths arcing toward Necrozma in opposite directions. They were going to surround it… surprise it into descending, perhaps, so Lana and her friends could more easily face it.

She gripped Brionne's Poke Ball with a white-knuckled hand. Our training with the Kahuna won't go to waste, she swore. We'll make a difference this time.

Suddenly, Necrozma's form blazed anew with a surge of power, the destructive light driving Barioth and Crimson away before they could react. It wasn't as distracted as any of them had thought, reacting to their presence immediately and with incredible hostility. Stretching out its great black claws, it unleashed a smattering of yellow lasers that forced the Monsties on the defensive, and announced its strength with a roar ringing with corruption.

LA-LEEEOOOOOO!

"We can't let it focus on the Riders!" Kiawe shouted. "Let's attack and bring it down closer to Zossie and Lunala! Go, Turtonator!"

Lana flinched, everyone around her snapping into motion all at once. This is it. It's happening, she realized, and hurled her Poke Ball a beat after the others, Brionne popping out to stand alongside Turtonator, Togedemaru, and Snowy. The Water-type glanced back at her, sensing her nervousness, but she shook it off with a blossoming of fire in her core.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine," she assured her Pokemon with a determined glare, and swept her arm toward Necrozma. "Use Bubble Beam!"

While Brionne's stream of launched bubbles joined Turtonator's Flamethrower and Snowy's Powder Snow in lancing toward the Ultra Beast, Lunala shot upwards with a single, powerful flap, sending out crescent-shaped blades of light from her scythe-like wingtips. Necrozma saw the head-on assault coming from its vantage point, and dodged with a leap, but Lana knew they were successful anyway – the attacks hadn't hit, but they'd gotten its attention. Not much of a victory, given how her knees were shaking, but she held firm.

Several of Necrozma's segments detached and spun around it, and as they glowed a searing azure, Lana knew what to do. "Make a shield with Bubble Beam!"

"Briooooooo!" Brionne cried, swinging her head in circles to knit together a rotating wall. Blue lasers struck it from several angles, delayed for only a second before they blasted through, and Lana's hands flew to her mouth in horror, fearing that the end had already come.

"Togedemaru, Spiky Shield!" Sophocles ordered.

"MARU!" the hedgehog shrilled, diving in front of Brionne with her back turned toward Necrozma, a green energy field expanding from her erected spines to deflect the deadly beams.

A wave of relief threatened to knock Lana over, but she only wobbled in place, directing a shaky thumbs-up at Sophocles. He gave her one back, his grin glinting with more composure in the face of danger she'd ever seen from him.

"P-Please leave the defense to us!" Lillie insisted. "Snowy, A-Aurora Veil!"

A rainbow of colors rippled outward from the tiny fox, just in time to catch another blast from Necrozma – this one yellow in color, it punched through the Aurora Veil with ease, although its power was significantly decreased. A command from Kiawe heralded a roaring Flamethrower that met the weakened laser with equal force, and the streams of light and fire pushed for dominance before finally exploding, neutralized.

PEEEEAAAAAA! Lunala swooped in with a vengeance, more luminous crescents scything from her wings to batter the distracted Necrozma. It staggered back, its enormous claws held over its head to guard from the aerial onslaught, and responded with an enraged bellow that it punctuated by smashing its claws against the ground.

Orange shockwaves wracked the battlefield, and Lana scarcely had time to brace herself before Brionne came flying at her, flung aside like so much dead weight. Pain rushed through her when the pinniped struck her in the chest, sending them both tumbling over unforgiving rock before untangling their aching limbs with agonized groans. She clutched her head as she stood, noticing through a splitting headache the struggling forms of Snowy and the other Pokemon. A screech split the air – Lunala was unharmed, pelting Necrozma with blasts – but the damage was done, four ordinary Pokemon brought to their knees by a single move.

Lana wrapped her arms around the Pokemon in her lap, wincing at the dark bruises that marred her fur. "Brionne, are you okay? Can you still fight?" she asked her, quietly. Faintly, she was aware of her friends doing the same with their partners.

"Bree… brio," Brionne answered, shaking herself and hopping onto her flippers again. Lana felt reassured by the sight of her companion's perked ears and fierce expression, wordlessly declaring her willingness to continue fighting.

The rush of wind over wings graced Lana's ears, and she cast her gaze toward the sky, wondering if Ash and Mallow were finally rejoining the battle. The silhouettes of Barioth with its spines and long tail, and Crimson with its garish colors, confirmed to her that they were, arcing up to greater heights before diving in an attack stoop toward Necrozma. The Riders' Kinship Stones shone from their Monsties' falling forms like shooting stars in miniature.

"Barioth, Icy Wind! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash's command rang loud and clear.

"Steenee and Crimson, Magical Leaf and Spark!" Mallow's followed in short order.

Necrozma was spreading its arms, which had begun to roil with gathered energy, when the Monsties struck. Ice, lightning, razor-sharp leaves, and an electrical blast fell upon it like an avalanche, concealing its body with elemental debris. Through it all, Lana squinted; she could see its accumulating energy fade, its concentration broken. Their foe had paused, and she leapt to her feet upon seeing this opportunity, fire flooding her veins. It was wide open – they could attack!

"Now, Brionne! Aqua Jet!" she yelled.

The others were quick to follow suit, calling for their Pokemon to move as one. Togedemaru rushed to Brionne's side with her Zing Zap, Turtonator's Flamethrower and Snowy's Powder Snow spiralling around them. They rammed into Necrozma's chest with a powerful outburst of water, electricity, and flame, and strained to push against it as though it were a wall they needed to smash through. Shouts from Ash and Mallow were heard under the cacophony of clashing moves, and ice and lightning hammered Necrozma from behind, totally surrounding it.

But when the Ultra Beast did move, it was of its own volition. Acting as though it wasn't even bothered by the elemental assault that enclosed it, it raised its arms again and once more charged them with burning light. Fearing for Brionne, Lana wanted to tell her to get out of range, but the words didn't come, knowing that the Pokemon were too committed to the offensive to escape in time. Unable to do anything else, she waited with bated breath for the blast that would end it all, when…

"MOONGEIST BEAM!"

Lunala at last joined the fray, her wings spread in a circular disc that shimmered an intense blue-white before firing a blinding laser as wide as she was. It slammed into Necrozma, large enough to swallow it whole and powerful enough to fling the Pokemon and Monsties aside. This time, Brionne landed smartly on her flippers in front of Lana, unscathed and bathed in the radiance of the Legendary Pokemon's power. Lana could only gape on the sidelines with the others as Lunala's wrath poured down onto Necrozma until it was spent, revealing their enemy to be dazed and incoherent, unmoving and glowing only dimly. After an attack of that scale, it needed a moment to recuperate.

The perfect time to land the final blow.

"Ash! Mallow!" Zossie decreed from her exalted perch atop the Legendary Pokemon. "Your turn!"

Lana had to avert her eyes when two starbursts flared to life above them all, making the Riders and their mounts almost unbearable to look upon. From within their radiant halos, Ash and Mallow cried out in a call to action that sent an excited shiver down Lana's spine – she was reminded very much of the spectacle of Z-Moves.

"Let's go, Barioth! Show them the power that will save this world!"

"Crimson, we'll use the strength of our kinship to save Solgaleo!"

"GO, KINSHIP –"

Suddenly, there was wind. An incredible, furious, writhing wall of wind that tore across the plateau to sweep the stone clear of all that stood upon it. Lana screamed – though the gust snatched her voice before she could hear it – as she was lifted clear off the ground, her flight lasting a few harrowing meters before she was brought crashing back down onto her rear. The glow of the Kinship Stones had faded as the Monsties twirled in the storm, all their energy devoted to just staying aloft, while Lunala maintained her position with Zossie and Poipole desperately clinging to her neck. Groans and shouts all around told Lana that her friends had fared the same as she had, Snowy and Togedemaru clutched desperately in their frazzled-looking Trainers' arms and Kiawe crushed under Turtonator.

"What was that?" Mallow hollered over the storm's howl.

Her answer came from the blackened sky: a keening, whining wail that blended with the storm, barely loud enough to be heard but piercing enough to drive daggers into Lana's ears. Again, she cast her gaze expectantly skyward, and wasn't disappointed.

Twirling and coiling in carefree fashion, the blue elder dragon appeared from the clouds to descend upon the Coral Palace. Lana was spellbound – everything about Ibushi, the Wind Serpent, looked as though it belonged in the ocean, rather than the air. It didn't fly, but swam in meandering loops, as confidently as a Huntail through the sea. The luminous tendrils on its arms, back, and tail were like a Lumineon's tasseled fins; its stumpy back legs, a Spheal's flippers; the crown of straightened spikes on its head, a Corsola's horns. Almost playfully, it rolled onto its back and tipped its serpentine head, opening an expandable lower jaw to sing another droning song as if to announce its arrival. As its mouth stretched open, Lana spied a second set of jaws gnashing at the back of its throat.

Beautiful… was the only thought on Lana's mind as she admired the great, Kingdra-like beast. It was the most magnificent thing she'd ever seen, a dragon of the sea floating effortlessly through a coral reef that touched the heavens. To think a world of such wonders existed on the other side of Ultra Space… it barely felt real anymore.

LA-LEEEOOOO!

She awoke with a start – Necrozma was on the move, and clearly didn't share Lana's opinion of the Wind Serpent from how it streaked toward it with murderous intent. With another infuriated bellow, the Ultra Beast shrouded itself in orange light and plowed into Ibushi's chest. But Ibushi didn't react in fear or fury – it almost seemed shocked, a startled trill forced from its maw as it twisted frantically away from the source of its pain. Lana blinked, confounded at how the majestic dragon had suddenly become as timid as a fish. Had it not noticed any of us? But it's only here because of Necrozma… was it expecting something else…?

Ibushi recovered, and Lana got her first good look at its eyes – poisonous yellow and bright with a dark, alien intelligence – before it screamed at Necrozma in counterattack. Its maw bulging like a Pelipper's bill, it released a devastating stream of hazy blue… fire? No, not fire, but wind, a concentrated gust charged with some form of strange energy. The stream blasted against Necrozma's head and back, breaking up into roiling wisps of faded, luminous smoke. But the Ultra Beast wasn't daunted, surging up through the stream with claws aglow with fiery vermillion. Cutting off its attack, Ibushi reared up, its own claws brandished and twinkling with red glitter carried on swirling air currents. The combatants let out their roars as they lunged with fists plunging down to meet, and the collision was explosive.

Hurricane-force winds flared out in an expanding dome around the impact site, and Lana didn't even have the time to gasp before she was snatched by the storm. It slammed her aside like a physical object, and her grasp on awareness slipped, the impact rendering her nearly unconscious. Vaguely, she was aware of her feet leaving the ground, her dimming vision a chaotic blur as she was tossed like a cork over ocean waves – brief snatches of color told her that her friends and their Pokemon shared her fate, and, faintly, she could hear their cries as if through a distant tunnel, faded and tinny.

She landed on her stomach, and everything flared back into focus with a burst of pain that spread from her stomach to set her every nerve on fire. It dulled to a mere ache just as quickly, but her body had done its job: she was awake now, her limbs moving to prop her up before her mind had finished catching up. Immediately before her was Brionne, much worse for wear after their dizzying ride and struggling to rise. Groaning lowly, Lana pulled herself together and crawled toward her beloved companion, meeting eyes that were heavy-lidded and dull with despair. Silently, she brought Brionne into a protective hug and stood upright.

The others were all getting up as well, in various states of wear but moving and alive. Ash and Mallow were still on their Monsties, remarkably, in pain but encouraging the beasts to get back on their feet nonetheless. Lana noticed her helmet was askew – it had probably saved her life, she realized – and shifted Brionne so that she could adjust it one-handed, turning toward the sounds of battle still raging as she did so. Necrozma and Ibushi were still at it, the Trainers totally forgotten in favor of the larger threat: each other.

"Retreat for now!" a shout came from nearby. It was Zossie, pointing from atop Lunala toward a midsized outcropping at the edge of the plateau. "We'll regroup over there while those two are busy!"

Lana didn't think twice. One more devastating clash like that, and someone might be dashed against the rocks, or thrown off the mountain entirely. Stumbling in her boots, she hoisted Brionne more securely as she dashed for the indicated cover, not slowing until she was crouched behind it and safe from the raging winds. Ash, Sophocles, Mallow, Kiawe, and Lillie joined her, followed a second later by Zossie. The rock formation was large enough for them and their Pokemon to huddle close, but Lunala and the Monsties remained exposed. Lana felt safe for the moment, but would it last? They'd have to figure something out quickly…

"Is everyone doin' alright?" Ash asked, instantly. "Lillie, Soph? The Pokemon?"

"Dazed, but fine," Kiawe muttered.

"M-Me too," Lillie said, and then lifted an unhappy Snowy, her tail askew. "But S-Snowy can't take another attack like that. Th-They're too powerful!"

"The way Teris and the hunters talked about elder dragons, they sounded like Legendary Pokemon," Mallow murmured, balling her trembling hands in her lap. "Now one's holding its own against an actual Legendary…"

"Can we let them fight it out?" Lana wondered, the question springing spontaneously to mind. "It'd be best to stay out of this if we can't handle even one of them… right?"

Kiawe hummed. "Maybe that's smartest… have them weaken each other, then go in and finish Necrozma at minimum risk to ourselves…"

"No complaints here!" Sophocles seconded, his hand shooting up.

But Zossie looked displeased. "I… don't think we should wait," she insisted, speaking tentatively. "I don't know how much energy Solgaleo has left… Necrozma will only draw from him faster the more it exerts itself in battle. At this rate… he could be lost forever if we take too long."

Several faces paled at her assessment, and eyes hardened, accepting that something had to be done. Lana found her gaze drifting past their hiding place toward where the battle between titans stalled; Necrozma pacing warily on the ground, the Wind Serpent circling above.

"Zossie's right," Ash said, his trademark determination blazing forth in the way he set his shoulders and leaned forward. "It's still up to us to save Solgaleo and protect this world!"

"Let's make Necrozma our priority, then," Sophocles decided, smartly. "We don't have to defeat Ibushi – just keep it off Necrozma long enough to take it down. The Hunter's Guild will get here eventually to take care of it!"

"Ash and I need to use our Kinship Skills on Necrozma," Mallow interjected. "I'm not sure if that'll be enough to defeat it, or even get it to let Solgaleo go… but whatever happens, it's still our best shot!"

Lillie nodded slowly, still a bit shaken. "O-Okay, then Kiawe, S-Sophocles, and I w-will…" she hesitated, swallowing thickly, before finishing, "We will do our best to distract Ibushi s-so it doesn't interfere! Though I-I can't promise Snowy and I will b-be of much use…"

"Rokoooon," the Vulpix yipped. She was as frazzled and shaky as her Trainer, but the undercurrent of iron in her cry didn't go unnoticed. It was a sentiment taken up by all the Pokemon, including Brionne, which Lana noticed with a bubble of pride. They would follow their Trainers into battle against even this indominable foe, as dedicated as everyone else to doing what was right.

"Great!" Ash exclaimed, whirling toward Zossie. "You think you can get Ibushi's attention off Necrozma for us?"

"Oh, I'll do more than that!" Zossie replied with a wide, cocky smirk. "Lunala and I will break the two of them up for you and Mallow to do your thing, then help the rest of the Ultra Guardians fend off the dragon!"

Feeling better, though still tense, with a new plan of action, Lana sprang up and faced Brionne, resolve sizzling through her once again. "We're with you! Can you keep battling with us, Brionne?"

"Brio!" she answered, her battered condition doing nothing to dampen her fiery spirit.

They moved out, Lunala taking to the sky with a screech while Barioth followed with a howl and Crimson with a honk. Surrounded by her friends, Lana charged ahead, narrowed eyes locked on the cruising Ibushi. It remained unsuspecting of their advance, totally enraptured by the enemy that had displayed a strength near-equal to its own, and swam forward with a flick of its tail to intercept as Necrozma rushed it.

"Go, Lunala! Moongeist Beam!" the command from Zossie came without delay, punctuated by the moonlit laser from their Legendary ally lancing down from on high.

The beam struck the ground directly between Necrozma and Ibushi, erupting in a blossoming explosion of energy sufficient to throw their leonine and serpentine forms in opposite directions, snarling and squealing in panic. Senses overwhelmed and crippled temporarily by discord, Ultra Beast and elder dragon were rendered helpless to the advance of their foes.

Under the dazzling afterglow of the fading explosion, the Ultra Guardians charged – the counterattack had begun!


AN:

I got the idea for this story after (or while) playing through Monster Hunter Rise, and Kamura Village and Wind Serpent Ibushi were intended from the beginning to play a major part. I've literally been looking forward to this final battle since the moment I started the script, so I hope it's a worthy climax!

A review on a previous chapter asked me, noting Tsurutori's mention of the Rampage, whether or not this story took place after the events of Monster Hunter Rise. It does not – as evidenced by this chapter, it takes place during the plot. The Rampage takes a backseat in this story as something that's happening in the background for the Hunter's Guild to deal with, while the Ultra Guardians go after the root cause. In this canon, it's a combination of the Ultra Wormholes and Wind Serpent Ibushi that are responsible, with the Wormholes being what draws Ibushi out into the open.

My general model for Pokemon vs monster powerscaling is something people have raised complaints about in earlier battles (sometimes unfairly – I legitimately cannot see any way Pikachu can solo something a hundred times his size with an Electric immunity). In this case of storm-generating mythical beast against literally-sun-devouring god figure, I want to emphasize that Necrozma is weakened by battle and in its inferior Dusk Mane form, and Ibushi is much bigger than it with devastating elemental attacks. It's best for the narrative – and your entertainment – to portray them as equals for a truly climactic clash.

Will Ash and Mallow's plan be successful? Can Solgaleo be rescued? Will the Guild and Riders show up in time? To be answered soon! Thanks for reading and reviewing, dear readers!

Next time: Thunderstorm