"Oh, that's cute," she said with a smile, but her expression changed as Pollie walked toward her.

"If there's one thing I know about you," she said with a determined smirk, "it's that no matter how hard you try, you can't control your taste for blood. It's potentially your greatest curse."

Morai laughed again, but this time she didn't have anything to argue. She kept Pollie's gaze, but the guard moved her arm closer in front of her face.

"Look at it," she said, smiling even more as Morai began to take steps back as she approached. "It's irresistible."

Something seemed to switch in The Mask Maker's brain, causing everything in her body to urge her to go after it. It was as if she was fighting every fibre of muscle in her body to keep from lunging forward, and the result was that some of her muscles were twitching involuntarily. If she closed her eyes, she would both make herself vulnerable to attack and give herself away. If she did nothing, her eyes would eventually glow red. She was trapped, backing up until she reached the edge of the platform. Pollie caught up to her, continuing until she was right in front of her. She could, of course, attack, but that would give her away also and pit everyone in the room against her. Still, she wanted to crush the guard under her hands right about now.

"I was right," Pollie said with a self-satisfied smile. Morai took it to mean that she had lost. Sheridan looked at her prisoner and nodded, no real expression gracing her face.

I can't believe it. That was my main job, and I failed. She was within inches of my daughter with every ounce of her power. How could I have failed to protect Yvette again?

"Now that we're already in Alola, the only solution is to administer the correct version," she said matter-of-factly, with no discernible surprise or shock. She nodded at Pollie, who took handcuffs from her belt in one hand and a gun in the other.

"These were kept separate from the stuff in Colress's lab," she said with a smirk, pulling out a small dart filled with black liquid and inserting it into her gun. "It's the real stuff, and if I were you I would—"

Morai stepped backward and off the platform, hoping that the distance to the floor wasn't a technological illusion. She called Noivern from its ball, having chosen it specifically because it was fast.

"Close the doors!" Sheridan yelled. Pollie, determined not to let her chance at promotion get away, sprinted to the other side of the platform. She mustered every bit of muscle in her lower body to leap of the edge, managing to catch the end of Noivern's tail and trying not to hurt herself on its barbs. The sky had begun to darken outside, giving the Pokémon an advantage—if it could make it there.

"She's flying!" Sheridan called into her radio, running out of the league. "Ready the nets and stop her! Evacuate everyone and initiate a lockdown of the island!"

Noivern's earsplitting ultrasonic waves were enough to keep everyone from acting fast enough to close the doors before she could get through.

"Woohoo! That's what I'm talking about!" Morai called as the icy fresh Alolan air hit her before clipping her mask on. "Now, lose the chump."

Noivern began several loops and death rolls in the air, whipping its tail wildly bag and forth. Finally, it swung it upward, sending Pollie flying up in front of it. Thinking quick on her ungrounded feet, she aimed her gun in the air and fired. Morai leaned dramatically to the side at the last second, narrowly dodging the dart and watching as Pollie began to plummet to her death from the mountainside.

Surely she has a Flying-type...

Pollie screamed as she plummeted toward the ground.

"Oh, you've got to be—Marshadow!" Morai called, throwing her ball into the air. "You know what to do...and save that one. I want a fight with her one day."

This is it, Pollie thought. I'm going to die. I'm going to hit the ground and the impact is going to break my bones, damage my organs and kill me...all because I didn't want to let her get away. I hope the death is swift and the suffering short—

The guard stood unharmed at the base of the mountain, looking around in surprise and disbelief. Meanwhile, in the air, Morai was dodging nets and a couple of helicopters that had taken to the sky. She employed Hydreigon to help her in the sky while Marshadow played with those on the ground.

"I can't move! Something's got hold of my ankle!" Sheridan called. She, Maria, and Guzma had made it to the lift at the top of the mountain, but Marshadow was doing everything in its power to stop them from going any further.

"This is stupid!" Guzma yelled. "Masquerain, crush that shadow...or...whatever you do to shadows!"

If she gets away...what will I do? Maria thought. She looked at the rest of the group and then up at the sky, where the fugitive was fighting to escape.

"Well, if I'm still alive..." Pollie said, taking the first lift to get a better position. "Tinkaton! I choose you! Try and ground them!"

The tiny Pokémon was incredibly adept at sending rocks hurtling through the air at breakneck speed with its giant hammer. With it, the helicopters, nets, and enemy flying Pokémon in the air, Morai was struggling to leave the island.

"Dammit!" she cursed, narrowly dodging a bola that was launched from the ground. "We should be faster than these things!"

Hydreigon used Draco Meteor to damage one helicopter's blades, sending it crashing into the cold ocean below and forcing its occupants to jump before they went down with it.

If Noivern's ultrasonic waves can break boulders...

"Noivern! We have to get out of here no matter what! I need you to cause an avalanche!"

The pair headed back toward the mountain, dodging Interpol's nets, bolas and other fancy trapping devices while Hydreigon kept her pursuers in the air busy. Morai finally saw where the stones had been coming from on the lower levels of the mountain. They flew higher and higher into the icy air, Noivern voicing its discomfort in the weather, but it didn't have much chance to complain before it was hit with a sharp piece of rock.

"I'd get off the mountain if I were you!" Morai called, helping Noivern stabilize itself. She saw Pollie's face twist in confusion before patting her Pokémon on the back, signaling it to unleash its sound waves.

"She wouldn't..." Pollie whispered. "...Oh yes she would. Chief Sheridan! Sheridan! Where are you?" she called into her radio.

"We're stuck at the peak," Sheridan answered. "Guzma's battling her Pokémon, but it's hard to battle something you can't—"

"Get out of there, now!" Pollie interrupted, breathless from running after making sure everyone else had cleared the area. "Whatever it takes, or you're all going to die!"

"What was that?" Guzma asked. "Did she just say we were—"

He was stopped by the sound of an ongoing ear-piercing screech. The group covered their ears and looked up to see Morai ahead of them. She was covering her own ears as Noivern flew around, disrupting the contents of the mountain and breaking through layers of rock.

"Holy sh—"

"Looker! Get us off the mountain!" Sheridan yelled into her radio. "The idiot's causing an avalanche!"

"What?" the voice said on the other line. "We're the only helicopter left. If we leave our area she might—"

"Looker! We're going to die!"

"Alright, I'm on the way. Hold tight!"

"You've got a Decidueye, Maria," Sheridan said solemnly. "Get yourself out of here."

"No!" Maria insisted. "It can't hold all of us, and I'm not leaving without you!"

Once Noivern's screeching had ceased, the remaining trainers could hear the unsettling noise of impending disaster. The cracking of the earth and sound of snow shifting turned their stomachs as they watched the start of an avalanche appear before their eyes. Marshadow left the group knowing that its work was done. It made its way to Morai, putting itself back into her ball.

"She's gone mad...I think she's beyond repair," Sheridan said as they ran to the first lift off the mountain, causing Maria's frown to deepen. "Looker! What's your status? Looker? Hello?"

Nothing but static was on the other line.

"Maria, get out of here," Sheridan commanded. "That's an order."

"I'm not a nurse," Maria said. "I don't take your orders...with all due respect, of course."

Pollie had made it to the base of the mountain again, waving a flying Interpol officer down.

"Give me your Dragonite!" she ordered.

"You're not even a—"

"She's not causing a whole damn avalanche and getting away on my watch!" Pollie growled. "I've been preparing for this!"

"Not enough to have a flying Pokémon apparently," the officer groaned as he dismounted. Pollie quickly took his place and took off, swooping down to pick up some bolas on the way.

I have two of the special darts left. I have two chances.

"You're going to get killed in these conditions!" the officers yelled after her. She didn't stop. Her and her new steed flew directly upward in a race to get to the top, dodging falling pieces of earth and ice.

"Looker! What's your status!" Sheridan desperately called again.

"We're having—to you! Team Ro—some rea—n!"

"I can't understand you!"

Maria looked up to Morai, who had finished her attack on the mountain. When the trainer watched the disaster unfold below her, she didn't expect to see Maria still standing in its direct path.

"Maria!" she screamed. It was a deep and guttural call of horror. She immediately began a race to the group, nearly becoming claimed by the avalanche, but she was knocked away by something else.

"You idiot!" Pollie screamed, aiming the gun at her as Noivern corrected itself. "Stop this right now! Dragonite, don't look at her face at all!"

"They're still on the mountain!" Morai yelled, her hands up. "I've got to save them!"

"Yeah, yeah, sure—holy crap, you're right," Pollie said to herself, seeing the colorful blurs amidst a sea of white.

"I can get there faster, but I can't do anything if you shoot!" Morai called again. Pollie looked between her and the group below, still holding her gun aloft.

"I'm not letting you go!" she answered.

"It's me or them, Pollie!"

Pollie stared at Morai's forehead for a moment before twisting her face into regretful defeat and lowering her weapon. Noivern began to dive through the leftover cloud of snow that had formed, but when she got closer she saw the spinning blades of a helicopter moving from the mountain. She breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived. A bola had wrapped itself around Noivern's wing and torso. The pair began to spin and plummet to the ground, Morai trying desperately to break the cord with her clawed hands.

"I'm not leaving you, girl!" Morai called, her mouth full of rope as she chewed and pulled at it as a last resort, her mask sitting on top of her head. "Hang tight!"

Dragonite swooped down and grabbed the fugitive before Noivern hit the ground, tossing her up onto its back. Pollie immediately went to fire her second shot, but Morai knocked her arm out of the way and tackled her, sending them both falling to ground.

They landed at the base of the mountain where the first lift was located. Seeing that Noivern had survived the fall, Morai began to run, leaving it behind. She realized that her Pokéballs had been knocked off of her belt as she hit the ground, but it was too late. Pollie silently pursued her, her teeth gritted tight in determination as her visible breath in the cold environment slipped through her teeth like vapor. Dragonite was nowhere to be found.

"Hey, there she is!" Guzma said, pointing to the small speck of red and black running toward the shore. There was a small fishing boat there that seemingly hadn't gotten the memo of disaster, and Morai was hoping to make her escape on it.

"Where is everyone else?" Sheridan asked. She knew the area had been cleared because of the avalanche, but no one had emerged in its wake except for Morai and Pollie. The chief reached for her radio, signaling for nearby agents to make themselves known, but no one answered. In an instant, her stomach dropped.

Yvette...my daughter...where is she?

"It's going to be difficult to land from here because of the new terrain," Looker said. "If I can get low enough, you can use the rope."

Maria watched once again as Morai ran, on her way to disappearing forever.

If I can help...if I can do something...

She took her bow off of her shoulder and requested an arrow from her Decidueye.

"Mrs. Sheridan, you have one of those darts too, right?"

"We need to get to the ground to help Pollie," Sheridan told Looker, not realizing that Maria had asked a question. She quickly reached for her cellphone. "I don't think one person with minimal training is enough to—"

Something hit the helicopter, causing it to wildly spin and almost send its habitants flying out of the open door.

"Uh oh, it's the fuzz!" a cheeky voice called from another aircraft that had appeared in front of them, a big red R painted on its side. "It's a good thing we have weapons on this thing!"

"Hey, hey," Guzma said, pulling at Sheridan's arm. "Do we have weapons on our helicopter?"

Everyone looked to Looker, and he shook his head with a frown.

"Get us to the ground as quickly as possible, then," Sheridan said, still trying to phone her daughter. Looker smiled.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, miss," he said in a wildly different voice. Reaching for his neck, Looker pulled off a mask to reveal Petrel's smiling face. The executive laughed as everyone gasped.

"Ha!" he exclaimed, standing up and slamming the blob of silicone to the floor. "All of the times that little disguise artist infiltrated our team won't compare to the mistake you just made. Your favorite prisoner is about to be ours."

Sheridan immediately went into fight mode, grabbing Petrel's neck and hand and pushing him into the empty space next to the control panel.

"No she's not," Sheridan said. "I heard what she did to your boss. She would never rejoin you."

"Not even for this?" he asked, grabbing a small red vial from his belt with his free hand. He kicked Sheridan away and stood back up, loading it into a gun.

"I'm afraid this has more influence over her than anything else. And with this version, she won't stand a chance against her own—"

Sheridan continued their fight and Guzma joined in. Maria looked worriedly between them and the specks below. Morai was nearly out of Tapu Village, which was now covered in snow.

"Mrs. Sheridan!" Maria called. "I need one of those darts!"

"I'm a little busy!" Sheridan growled.

"I think I can stop her!"

The chief ducked under a punch and let Guzma have at the executive. She took her dart gun out and gave Maria the black dart.

"Pollie was the better shot, inexperienced as she is," Sheridan breathlessly explained. "This is all I have. Please make it count."

Maria nodded, securing the dart to her arrow as Sheridan gave her a confused look before rejoining the fight. She promptly jumped out of the helicopter, trusting that Decidueye would catch her in its talons. Her archer outfit was designed specifically so that the bird could grab onto her clothing and not her arms, allowing them to move freely.

"Get me as close as you can!" she instructed. As Decidueye descended through the frigid air, she readied the arrow.

This arrow won't travel as well with the extra weight at the front. I'll have to account for that. Her legs are quickly moving targets, so I'll aim for her neck. On top of that, I have to predict where she'll be by the time the arrow lands...It'll have to be a perfect shot.

As she got closer, Maria inhaled deeply, focusing on her target and where she would have to shoot. It was taking a long time for her to decide exactly where that was. Decidueye gave a warning screech and the trainer looked up to see a Fearow fast approaching.

"Keep going down!" Maria yelled "Don't veer from the path no matter what!"

Morai, this is going to really hurt, and I'm so sorry...but I can't just let you leave forever. I...I...

A quick glance behind her revealed that there were mere seconds before she was intercepted, speeding up her entire process. She inhaled again, a bit quicker this time, pulling the arrow back...but she couldn't decide how to aim in such conditions. Her Pokémon gave an urgent cry and the decision was made for her. She let go, determined to see her shot through, but found herself falling through the air as Fearow crashed into her Pokémon. The enemy's Pokémon swooped down to catch her in its talons as Decidueye raced after it. Maria could do nothing but watch as Decidueye was intercepted again by Golbat, who used Confuse Ray.

"No!" she screamed.

Her mask back down, Morai's head snapped to the sky as she heard a familiar scream. She stopped, and something embedded itself in the snow right behind her, a mere inch away.

You have to leave her, she told herself. Whatever's happening will work itself out.

The Mask Maker grabbed the strange item sticking up from the ground, taking a glance at it as she ran. She almost dropped it when she realized what lied on the end of the arrow. It only took another moment for her to piece the rest together.

She...tried to shoot me...tried to poison me...

As her foot touched the black sand of the beach, the shift in terrain nearly caused Morai to trip. The beach had gone largely unmarred by the monstrous ice and snow that blanketed the rest of the area before it. She ran through the shallow water and swung herself onto the white boat, crashing into the main area and grabbing the old captain by the shoulders with her claws.

"Get me out of here," she eerily and calmly commanded, a red glow in her eyes behind her mask. The man hadn't a chance to voice his objection before silently turning to do as she ordered.

"No!" Pollie screamed, joining them on the boat. Morai was ready this time. She turned and lunged at the prospect guard, slamming her into the ground with a roar. She landed a nasty punch but Pollie pulled her gun out, causing her to back off.

"Put your hands in the air!" she commanded, her eyes nearly as wild-looking as Morai's.

"You don't want to lose your last shot," Morai replied calmly. "You're afraid to miss, and that every chance at victory will go down the—"

Pollie fired the shot and Morai's Foresight saved her from it. She slipped to the side and landed another hit, sending Pollie backward into the helm. There she saw the arrow lying on the ground, the precious black substance on the end somehow still contained within the unbroken glass of the dart. Morai realized her mistake and sicked the captain on her.

"I'm sorry, sir!" she yelled, putting a regular tranquilizer into her gun and shooting him in the leg. "You're going to wake up so confused."

The Mask Maker let out a roar of anger and went after Pollie herself, clawing her across the face and throwing her out of the helm.

"Dammit!" she cursed. "Alright Morai, it's just like a car, right? You can figure it out."

Her Foresight once again saved her from a regular tranquilizer dart, followed by Pollie, who wa now wielding an electric baton.

"I guess I'll have to take you out before continuing," Morai said. "I could use a drink for the trip."

The trainer had grown to adopt animalistic movements over time, and they blended into her regular martial arts knowledge. What were once fingernails had turned into long, sharp razor-like claws that were uncuttable. She kicked Pollie back and lunged, landing on top of her and pinning her to the ground. She took the baton from her hand and sent it flying overboard into the ocean. The boat had come to a stop, gently rocking back and forth with the waves.

"I'm afraid we've got an unfair fight," she said, trying to force Pollie to look her in the eyes. All Pollie could see was the confusing art on her mask. Morai put her hand around her throat, pushing her claws deep into the skin. "Do you think simply feeling anger is enough to make things even and fair? It won't make a couple of month's worth of training equal everything I've done...but you think a thirst for revenge is enough to bridge that gap, hm? Well then, prove it!"

"That's not what this is about!" Pollie choked, trying to wrench Morai's hand free. "You're a danger to everyone and need to be apprehended. It's my job!"

"Oh, come on now, don't lie," Morai grinned under her mask. "You can't undo what you've said before. There's no shame in admitting it. It's what I did."

"I'm nothing like you!"

"I guess we'll find out."

Morai backed off and stood up, waiting for an actual fight, but Pollie took the opportunity to run back to the helm of the boat. When her opponent ran after her, she threw a bola at her legs. The rope wrapped itself around Morai's legs and ankles several times, causing her to fall. While she struggled to free herself, Pollie turned the boat around and headed towards the shore.

"No!" Morai growled, clawing and tugging at the long ropes. "I'm getting out of here one way or another! I'm getting my freedom!"

"You don't deserve freedom!" Pollie answered, looking ahead at the shore.

"Who's to say?"

"The International Police, of whom I'll be an officer after catching you."

"And you don't deserve that," Morai snarled.

"If I can keep you from escaping, I'll prove that I can be your guard, then I'll move up the ranks. I just think you'd hate to have me telling you what to do," Pollie smiled, pulling out her gun. "And when you don't, I get to do this."

Morai managed to dodge the shot and free herself as the boat made it to the shore. She jumped off, luring Pollie to do the same.

"Going to call for backup?" she asked.

"Everyone knows where you are," Pollie answered, trying to hide the fact that she was looking around for the supposed backup. "The whole of the International Police will get here to find me waiting with you in handcuffs."

Morai was bigger and stronger than Pollie, but Pollie had weapons. Her baton had been tossed overboard, but she had pocketed the dart, still attached to the arrow, that Morai had neglectfully left on the floor of the boat. Still, it was her last shot, and she had to find the perfect opportunity to use it. Morai was making that difficult, intentionally making moves and positioning herself at ranges where it would be difficult to make an accurate shot.

"Or," she said with a grin, raising her mask and licking blood off of her claws as she circled Pollie, "they'll find you lying here in the sand, having failed your mission while I'm running free, which is what you're most afraid of. I can tell."

Pollie stood there, knowing she couldn't apprehend her opponent with her bare hands. As Morai closed in to make another move, she grabbed a handful of sand and threw it at her exposed face.

"Nice move," The Mask Maker said, complimenting her in earnest.

"You're pathetic," Pollie replied, aiming her gun to put Morai on the defense again.

"That's the first time I've heard that since I've been like this," Morai replied. "Go on."

"Even when you first put a mask over your face you were fighting for something, and look at you now!" Pollie scorned. "Stronger, faster, claws on your fingers and sharp teeth, but you paid a price for it all. It cost you your purpose, and you now have none. What's the point of fighting for your freedom if you've got nothing to live for when you are free? People fear you, you're strong enough as a trainer to be a Champion and strong enough alone with your powers to make a joke out of just about anyone you come across...but is it even worth it if you reach the end of your path completely alone, hated by everyone? You had friends before. You were an honorable hero, but now you've devolved into living for nothing but your own pleasure! I'll say it again, Morai. You're pathetic!"

Morai push-kicked Pollie backwards, but she had no verbal reply to counter with. Deep down, she knew that Pollie was probably right, just as Past Morai was right when she spoke the same message. Still, something drove her to continue her violence and continue trodding down her so-called meaningless path. Even if everyone else turned away from her, she could be her own company. After all, no one was like her, anyway. No one had the same psychic powers, no one had taken a serum that turned them into something hardly human...so why deny her differences?

Morai continued to lay into Pollie, adding future scars to her face and limbs. She swung behind her and hooked an arm around her neck, grabbing her gun arm.

"You know, ever since I tasted your blood that first day, I've been wanting another drink," she said eerily softly, drawing close to her neck. She could sense her fear rising. "Would you prefer a matching set of scars on the other side or the same side as before?"

She stepped backward a little, making it difficult for Pollie to stand up straight and keep a strong structure. Pollie had made a plan in her head, but she had to grit her teeth and wait for the right time. She could feel Morai's breath on her neck, making every hair stand on end. As Morai sunk her teeth into her skin, she held her breath, still waiting for the right moment. Finally, she reached her free hand across her and rammed the dart arrow into Morai's neck, holding it there and pushing it as hard as she could until she knew the dart was empty.