A/N: So, it wasn't mentioned, but Ash's Pokemon were consistently winning despite being around 10 levels lower than Lusamine's Pokemon by that point. It's a good thing I've been following Mysticumbreon's best team advice. Well, mostly anyway. Otherwise I don't think Ash would be winning as consistently as he was if it was an average or subpar team. Though even with the best Pokemon and the use of vitamins, Lusamine still had Ash almost beat with a solid checkmate. I have to say that this is the first of my Ash stories where the game's level scaling is far outracing my ability to keep up without the normally extensive unseen training Ash and the others do like what happened in all the others before Ash Twilight. It's crazy.

In the morning, Ash had woken up, and went to see his friend Lillie. He wasn't sure if she or anyone else was awake, but he wanted to check on her. Going to her door, he was going to knock when Riley Wicke passed by saying,

"Miss Lillie is outside. You'll find her enjoying the sunrise."

"Oh, thank you. I don't know where she is so-"

"She's out front of the mansion."

"Oh, thanks." The trainer nodded to the woman before heading outside. Exiting the front door, it didn't for Ash to spot his friend, and gasped at what he saw. No longer was she wearing the clothes he always saw her in, she now wore something more daring and outdoorsy. Gone were her fancy shoes and knee high stockings, but regular socks and sneakers. Her very elegant dress was now a pleated skirt and a white shirt with a blue collar. Admittedly it was still predominantly white but the change was still significant. Even her hair was in a ponytail now and the hat seems to have been ditched. The only thing she wore that wasn't white was a pink backpack, unlike the white side bag she had for storing Cosmog and other stuff. She smiled at him when the two gained eye contact with each other.

"This was the first outfit I bought with Misty back on Melemele Island. I wanted to buy it, but I wasn't sure if I had the courage to ever wear it. You like it?"

"Umm, it looks very nice." Ash gulped. She smiled even more.

"Thank you!"

"So, why did you change clothes?"

"There's so much I have to do now to save mother. I... I want to be like you Ash. I want to be strong enough to face any trial. That's why I'm going to try my hardest! This is my Z-Powered form!" Despite how much confidence she said that with, Ash couldn't help but snort a restrained laugh. Luckily she didn't notice as she went on. "I know it sounds gimmicky like the whole Z theme meant for tourists but that's how I feel like!" Lillie performed the Normalium Z pose, and while it wasn't very smooth and well executed, it was at least recognizable of what she was doing. Lillie giggled.

"So this is where you two were." The two turned to see Gladion approach them. Specifically Lillie as he handed her something. "I found this downstairs. It's a sun flute." The flute did seem to have a sun like theme with its white and orange coloring. "It's apparently an artifact from Alola's past. They say it's to be played under the sun's light. The flutes of the Sun and Moon. When sounded together, it's said that they can call the legendary Pokemon. That is... if you believe in old myths anyway. It's like the members of the Ultra Recon Squad said, right? If the legendary Pokemon really does exist, we might be able to reach that other world where Necrozma is. Ash, take this." Ash was handed a purple pokeball with magenta circles on it.

"What is it?"

"It's a Master Ball. It has a 100% catch rate without fail, and they're extraordinary rare. I'm counting on you to save my family now. This is the least I can do."

"But... what are you going to do Gladion?" Lillie asked.

"Deal with this mess. I've got to clean up Aether Paradise. All I wanted to do was protect everybody, together with Null. Maybe I couldn't do that, but I'll make sure this place is at least stays safe. The foundation that our mother loved..." He didn't get to finish that statement as Hau and Misty came out.

"Hey guys!" The native boy greeted them as the whole group gathered together.

"Lillie! You're wearing you're dress! I knew you'd come around to it eventually!" Misty cheered. "You look so confident!"

"Eevee!"

"Thank you, Misty and Eevee." The blonde girl giggled.

"No kidding! You look almost unrecognizable!" He laughed as he liked her new look. "Now how am I supposed to spot you in a crowd without your large sunhat?!"

"I'd like to now think I can stand out in a crowd, since I've always tried blending in it instead. And I'm ready to use my full force too!"

"Woo! That's amazing! You're amazing! That's it, I've decided!"

"What?" Gladion asked, getting annoyed at the volume he was shouting.

"I keep getting saved instead of doing the saving myself, right? If I keep being like this and don't change, then I'm going to be left behind by you all. I really wanted to save Lillie and Cosmog! My partner and I were much stronger once we were in sync. So we're going to train harder than ever and be able to keep up!"

"So our family drama ended up changing the kind of trainer you want to be..." The emo teen sighed. "Sorry for getting you dragged into this mess." Hau simply shook his head though, maintaining his smile.

"Sure, you might've been a part of it, but in the end, the only one who's going to make me change is me! And besides, Miss Lusamine is out there trying to keep Alola safe, right? I knew she was a good person!"

"Tsk, I guess."

"A good person, just a skewed view of it." Misty made clear.

"But her intentions are good nonetheless Misty! Sure, she might not being doing so in the best method, but she's trying her best to do what's good for Alola! How can that not be seen as good?!"

"She's always convinced that what she's doing is right, and she's really kind of selfish, but... I think she really just wanted to find our father, who disappeared into an Ultra Wormhole."

"Hau, thank you for your kind words." Lillie told her friend. "I'm really happy you want to help our mother and do your best for everyone." The boy simply laughed while putting his arms behind him.

"We should train, for now we don't know how much harder the next challenge is when we go to Poni Island." Gladion recommended. "I can take you there once we become strong enough."

"Come on Ash! Let's show the world what we can really do!" Lillie encouraged her friend.

"Yeah!" Ash complied with sheer enthusiasm. For the next two weeks, the entire group trained their Pokemon, now with the aid of Professor Wicke whom was just about as good as a Pokemon Nurse for whenever she'd heal a Pokemon it was as good as new. Throughout the two weeks, their Pokemon became stronger, faster and more durable. Ash's Grimer even evolved into an Alolan Muk and Hau's Noibat evolved into Noivern. The last of their training was Ash's Shelgon vs. Gladion's Type: Null.

"One more time Shelgon, Dragon Dance!"

"Make yourself more powerful with Swords Dance!" Both Pokemon moved while being powered up by their respective moves, roaring from the extra power. "Use Dragon Claw!"

"Counter with Brick Break!" With the Synthetic Pokemon's claws glowing with green aura while Shelgon glowed white with power, the two charged at each other and clashed with enough power to cause an explosion. Misty and Hau stopped in their own respective training to see that the two Pokemon landed on the ground, waiting to see who would fall first. That wouldn't be the case though when both Pokemon collapsed.

"Seems like our Pokemon are equally powerful." Gladion sighed. "Let's have Wicke heal them up and..." He stopped when he and Ash saw that the Endurance Pokemon started to get up again, growling with effort as it refused to even settle for a tie, and upon standing as high as it could, the Pokemon started to glow brightly, shocking everyone. Shelgon became longer as it grew a neck and tail, and it body became more streamlined along with red wings. When the glowing stopped, where stood Shelgon was now its final form.

"Wow! Shelgon'zzz final evolution!" Rotom cheered as it scanned the new imposing Pokemon. "Salamence, the Dragon Pokemon: Thanks to its fervent wishes, the cells in its body finally mutated, and at last it has its heart's desire—wings. Overjoyed at finally being able to fly, it flies all over the place and usually doesn't land until it's completely exhausted and needs to sleep." As if to prove the point, Salamence tried to fly, but he could only flap a few times before crashing back down, exhausted.

"Salamence, wait." Taking out a Full Restore, Ash applied it to his Pokemon where he was most injured, and the dragon/flying type could feel his strength returning. Once he was soon at 100%, Salamence roared as it took off and flew across the sky.

"Wow, so Shelgon finally evolved!" Lillie cheered for the Pokemon's accomplishment. "I'm so happy he can fly now!"

"That's awesome!" Hau agreed.

"It's certainly not everyday you see a Salamence's first flight." Misty chuckled.

"Eevee!" The Evolution Pokemon nodded, watching in wonder at the flying creature.

"Now we're finally strong enough." Gladion determined. "Once all of our Pokemon are healed up, we'll set out for Poni Island." He then left, followed by Lillie.

"Oh my zzzart, that's quite a change!" Rotom exclaimed.

"You mean Lillie?" Ash asked.

"That'zzz right! Zzzhe lookzzz so full of energy, and it'zzz not just becauzzze of the change of clothezzz! And Hau'zzz getting a bit of that vibe Kahuna Hala hazzz!"

"Aw, thanks!" Said boy appreciated the compliment.

"How about we get going?" Misty recommended. " We don't want to be left behind."

"Right. Let's go." Ash agreed as they went to follow the Hartley teens. Once all their Pokemon were healed up, Down at the docks, Gladion asked,

"Are you all ready?"

"Hold on." Ash requested as he went to the outer reach of the dock and yelled, "Hey Salamence, come here please!" Heeding his master, Salamence flew down towards where the teens were and touched down on the metal floor. "I'm glad you had your first chance at flying, but we have to go now." Salamence refused as he shook his head. "But Salamence, we have to get to Poni Island." Rather than remain stubborn though, the Dragon Pokemon lowered his right wing, gesturing him to get on. "You want me to fly with you?"

"So be it." Gladion said. "Just so long as we can get out of here."

"Alright. Let's take to the skies Salamence!" The trainer laughed as he ran up the wing and climbed onto his back. He didn't take off though yet as the large dragon/flying type looked towards Lillie, and gestured her to get on as well.

"Me?!" The blonde gasped.

"Why would it want to give you a ride as well?" Her brother questioned.

"Oh, I helped Ash catch him when he was just a Bagon. He and I are quite familiar." She explained. He hummed in contemplation as he gazed towards Ash. "You better keep her safe up there Ash. Or Null will have you as a new chew toy." The trainer gulped, but nodded.

"Don't worry. I promise she'll be safe."

"Gladion! I'll be fine! There's no need to threaten him!" The blonde girl huffed at his over-protectiveness. Walking up Salamence's wing, she sat behind Ash and hugged him tight. "Let's go!"

"Salamence, let's fly!" Ash gave his command, and the dragon/flying type roared as he lifted into the air, and took to the sky. The two were awestruck with both how fast they were rising, and how high they were getting. Aether Paradise was becoming smaller and smaller as the ocean began to overtake everything in sight. Even the islands were becoming more like green splattered chunks of rock with exception for the highest mountains which still by far eclipsed them in sheer height from sea level. Still, the feeling of flying through the air on Salamence was the most breathtaking thing the two have ever experienced. This was so new, so exhilarating, that Lillie screamed out of pure ecstacy as experiencing her first flight. The two especially gave one prolonged shout when Salamence, wanting to try out its new maneuverability, took a nose dive as the ocean started to come towards them at a rapid speed until the Dragon Pokemon flexed his wings, and they took not the sharpest turn leveling out, but certainly enough the G-forces pulled their legs straight down, along with the blood inside. Watching the water shoot by so fast particularly gave them the feeling they were just about going highway speeds. Flapping his wings, Salamence went upwards towards the clouds, and eventually passed through them so that Ash and Lillie could see patches of white pass them by. Lillie even raised her hand to brush it against a cloud coming by above them.

"This is so awesome." Lillie chuckled, loving the entirely novel sense of wonder that was flying in the clouds.

"No wonder I've been hearing of an upcoming company of letting birds transport you to places." Ash responded in kind. "I think the Pokemon involved was called a Korvinight or something. I forget which region it is though. Flying's amazing." Upon eventually reaching Poni Island, the two and Salamence touched down on the Seafolk Village, a place over the ocean with wooden docks and floating establishments. Lillie and Ash got off and the two were still on their high of adrenaline.

"Wow! That was so cool! Thank you Salamence!" The blonde girl thanked the Pokemon before she turned to Ash and hugged him. "I loved it! Thanks for taking me!" With a grin he never lost since the flight started, he hugged Lillie back with enough gusto to lift her up and spin around, causing the girl to laugh.

"Haha, it was my pleasure! That was very cool." As the adrenaline started to die down and the two started to appreciate being in each other's arms more than the experience of flying, it would seem like the two would stand there hugging forever when a cough interrupted their moment. Looking towards the noise, they spotted Hau, Misty and Gladion whom had the respective emotions; pleased, shocked and restrained mortification.

"Lillie..." Gladion uttered, not sure what to say. Sighing, her smile dropping but not disappearing, she let go of Ash to properly turn to her brother.

"Gladion, I'll be honest with you. I like Ash. Really like him. I even gave him a destiny knot. We haven't known each other that long but he makes me feel positive emotions I haven't felt for a long time. He makes me feel alive again. Gladion, I wish to be by his side, helping him just as much as he's always helped me. Please accept what we have, and if we go... all the way..." The blonde girl blushed and looked away but only for a moment. "...then accept Ash completely. I'm not the same sister you've left so long ago, so I don't need your protection anymore. Please." Standing there, Gladion stared at his sister for a moment before closing his eyes and doing his dramatic pose again, thinking about it while everyone waited with tense anticipation. He then opened his eye to Ash.

"Ash, promise me that you won't just keep her safe, but happy as well. I expect you to treat Lillie with the upmost care." While Ash was on the spotlight, the boy gulped before nodding.

"I-I promise. She's one of my close friends, so I'd never do anything to hurt her. You can count on me." Hearing that, the emo teen nodded as he relaxed his pose.

"Good. Now, Poni Island. Almost no one lives on it, but you'll find a whole lot of nature to explore here. Find the kahuna. The kahuna of Poni Island also protects the alter where Alola's people worship the legendary Pokemon. Maybe they will know something that might help you."

"Gladion, thank you. For everything." Lillie told her brother. "I'm glad I finally know why you left. And that you were trying to help Mother and Father. But if you'd just told me back then..."

"I'm sorry. All I could think about in those days was how Null and I had to be stronger. But we'll use that strength that we found to protect the Foundation in Mother's place. This will be your battle now. I know you can handle it." With that said, Gladion went back to the boat to head to Aether Paradise.

"Don't worry Gladion. You won't have to worry." Lillie whispered.

A/N: Hey, there's something I need to ask you guys. So it's no secret I'm writing the game as it plays out, with maybe just a little bit of seeing what's up ahead to determine the title of each chapter, but there's something I'd like your input about. Is there a segment coming up where Lillie needs to split from the group because it's important to the plot, or can Lillie stick with them so that I can perhaps write some more aureliashipping moments? It'll take me a few days to write the next chapter since I'm going back to juggling Pokemon and Teen Titans chapters again so let me know if Lillie needs to go or not. I'd check myself but this is my first experience with going through the Alola games so I don't want to spoil myself by going farther than necessary. I can't wait.