Alola! We're back with another chapter of "The Challenge of a Lifetime" after a bit of a break. There was a lot in the last chapter I didn't get to cover, mostly due things dragging on for a little while. But we're gonna be keeping this chapter to Aether Paradise today, so don't you worry!
Last time we left off, Erika was about to face Guzma, while Calvin had found Lillie and discovered that Lusamine was her mother! So now that the stage has been set, let's jump right into it! Welcome back to "The Challenge of a Lifetime"!
POKÉMON SUN & MOON
THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME
"First Impression!" Guzma commanded fiercely. Gaining a yellowish-green aura that surrounded his body, Golisopod dashed out in an instant, stopping in front of Lycanroc before slamming his right arm against him, causing him to wince. He stood his ground though, gritting his teeth together.
"Counter!" Erika called out. A reddish aura surrounded the Wolf Pokémon before he closed his right paw into a fist. He punched his opponent hard in the stomach, making him slide back several feet. The Hard Shell Pokémon came to a stop in front of his trainer, keeling over slightly.
"Ergh…" the Team Skull boss growled in frustration, "Swords Dance!" he yelled. Several blades appeared around Golisopod, orbiting his body before pointing toward him. A red light flowed up his form afterwards.
"Stone Edge!" Erika commanded, sticking her left hand out. Clenching his right paw into a fist again, Lycanroc slammed it against the ground fiercely. Shining, light blue rocks shot up from the surface, trailing towards the Hard Shell Pokémon.
"Liquidation!" Guzma commanded. Golisopod's claws all had water swirling off mightily from them. He slammed them into the incoming rocks, shattering them apart. Having seen the attack, the Ketchum girl grimaced.
'Now that we've already used Counter, Guzma's gonna make sure we don't land a hit before he makes Golisopod land a final blow…' she noted inwardly, 'We need to make sure we don't let up!' she decided through her thoughts.
"Use Howl!" she shouted to Lycanroc.
"RAAAAHHOOOOOOOOOOOO!" the Wolf Pokémon howled mightily into the air, causing a reddish aura to flow up his body.
"Throat Chop!" Guzma ordered. A purple aura surrounded the right arm of Golisopod as he charged forward, rearing it back.
'The same move Olivia's Lycanroc used during our grand trial!' Erika remembered.
"Let him get close and use Stone Edge!" she instructed quickly as she swung her right arm out.
"Rahk!" the Wolf Pokémon barked in response. He waited for Golisopod to come closer, ready to jab his arm against his target's throat. However, Lycanroc ducked down and slammed both of his paws against the surface, causing light blue stones to shoot and strike the Hard Shell Pokémon, sending him flying back. Guzma gasped, seeing his partner fall down in front of him on his back. His fists trembled with anger.
"Get the hell up, Golisopod!" he yelled out fiercely.
"We're not gonna lose this time, Guzma!" Erika declared, getting his attention as he blinked in surprise, "We've got too much to worry about aside from just you!" she pointed out seriously, closing her right hand into a fist and pumping it forward, "Crunch!" she commanded. Lycanroc made his teeth glow a bright white and sharpen before he lunged out at the Hard Shell Pokémon. He bit down onto his foe's chest, causing him to cry out in pain. However, the Team Skull boss sneered at the sight.
"You haven't learned a thing, huh?" he noted in question, "Liquidation!" he commanded. Water erupted from each of Golisopod's claws, slamming into his opponent and knocking him away in a yelp.
"Lycanroc!" his trainer cried out.
"HAHAHA!" Guzma cackled heartily, "You already know who the hell I am, brat!" he shouted in declaration, "I'm the guy who beats you down again and again and never lets up!" he roared out, "I'm the big bad Guzma!" he proclaimed. Hearing his laughter brought back bad memories for the Ketchum girl, who trembled a little. But she steeled herself, taking a deep breath.
"You… really are just a bully, huh?" she realized, making him blink in surprise upon overhearing.
"What was that…?" he growled out as a question.
"You pick on everyone you know is weaker than you…" Erika began, "you taunt everyone you beat…" she continued, clenching her fists, "You're nothing more than a big bully to everyone against you!" she shouted, "Calvin knocked you off your pedestal for a bit, so I'll do him a solid and finish the job!" she declared firmly. Hearing that, the Team Skull boss felt his right eye twitch.
"You really wanna piss me off, brat?" he wondered aloud, clenching his teeth together as he glared out at the Ketchum girl.
"My name's Erika!" she shouted back, "Lycanroc, Stone Edge!" she commanded.
"Raaahhh!" the Wolf Pokémon roared, slamming his paws against the ground again. Light blue rocks burst up from the surface, trailing toward Golisopod.
"Liquidation!" Guzma ordered. The Hard Shell Pokémon had water erupt from each of his claws, swinging them around to smash apart the incoming rocks before they could strike him. Both trainers gritted their teeth, determined to defeat each other.
"I swear, that's all I'm aware of!" Faba pleaded desperately to the surrounding group of Hau, Pyrrha, and Paige, waving his hands frantically, "The president plans to use that Cosmog in order to open an Ultra Wormhole!" he told them.
"An Ultra Wormhole?" the silvery-haired girl of the group inquired, "You mean the same thing we saw the night before we left Aether Paradise?" she guessed, widening her eyes as she remembered the Nihilego that had emerged from it.
"Why would Miss Lusamine wanna bring something like that out after what happened last time?" Hau asked, quite shocked by the news.
"For research, of course!" Faba emphatically responded to his surprise, "Nihilego likely isn't the only Ultra Beast to exist on the other side of the Ultra Wormhole!" he noted, standing up excitedly, "As a matter of fact, I believe there could be an infinite amount of Ultra Beasts beyond that void!" he mentioned as his eyes were sparkling, "It would be magnific—!" Paige chopping his nape with her right hand immediately silenced him as he slumped to ground, completely unconscious.
"Paige?!" Pyrrha exclaimed in surprise, "Wh-Why'd you do that?!" she questioned with a stutter.
"He was just rambling on…" the silvery-haired girl pointed out in reply, "Besides, we can't waste time here trying to get any more info," she mentioned seriously, "Cal and Eri are still fighting to save Lillie, so we should, too!" she insisted firmly. Both Hau and Pyrrha nodded in agreement, hurrying off with her down the pathway to the mansion. In front of it, Lycanroc and Golisopod slid back from each other, breathing heavily. Their respective trainers maintained firm, determined expressions. And then Guzma smirked.
"Why didn't you use your Primarina?" he wondered curiously, tilting his head to the side, "Afraid she'd lose again?" he guessed as he sneered.
"No," Erika answered while shaking her head, causing him to blink in confusion, "This isn't her fight," she stated firmly, "And I know my real fight's not with you, either," she mentioned to his surprise as his eyes widened, "I'm only here to help my brother save Lillie and Nebby," she told him, "You're just in the way," she said. The Team Skull boss clenched his teeth together after a moment, glaring at her fiercely.
"Why you little…" he growled out, "I'LL DESTROY YOU!" he bellowed in declaration. The Ketchum girl wasn't intimidated anymore. She'd see hers and Lycanroc's victory through to the bitter end if it meant being able to save her friends.
OPENING
Insert "Eden Through the Rough" by Takanori Nishikawa
Opens with both Calvin and Erika throwing on their respective caps as they run down a rainy road together. The Pokémon logo then appears, followed by 'The Challenge of a Lifetime' being written in a glowing, rainy blue underneath it.
We continue with Calvin observing his Z-Crystal collection as his Pokémon look on with him. They then take a look ahead down the road, seeing the likes of Team Skull, Gladion, Plumeria, and finally Guzma ahead of them. Calvin hurries forward alongside his Pokémon, all while leaving his twin sister behind.
She's standing out in the rain by herself, crying as she feels the shadows of her father and older sister cast over her, making her feel like she's inadequate. It isn't until Starbright hops into her arms and wipes away a tear that she starts to smile, seeing her Pokémon gather alongside her.
As the opening continues, we get various shots of Sina and Dexio at their lab on Route 16, the Ula'ula Meadow, the police station where Nanu and his plethora of Alolan Meowth live, and finally Po Town under its rainy sky as its littered with Team Skull members. We see Calvin enter the town, having a determined look upon his face.
The scene changes to Mimi using Shadow Claw to take down the grunts' Pokémon, fighting alongside Poliwag and Togedemaru. In the meantime, their trainer has Toucannon use Beak Blast on Plumeria's Alolan Muk before Gumshoos attacks her Salazzle with Take Down.
Back with Erika, she commands Primarina against Nanu's Honchkrow, who's easily weaving around her Sparkling Aria in order to land a Sky Attack. The island kahuna exhales with frustration, knowing that his opponent can do better.
We then see Guzma and Calvin meet again inside the Shady House, where the former's Golisopod duels against the latter's Incineroar in a clash of Poison Jabs and Darkest Lariats. The battle comes to a point where Golisopod uses Liquidation to try and counter Incineroar's Inferno Overdrive. A fierce blast results from the collision, engulfing the house in smoke.
When the second verse begins, we see a determined Lillie being led away by Team Skull. From afar, Hau lies upon his knees with his Decidueye and Alolan Raichu fainted beside him, crying as he failed to protect her. We go various cuts of Trent training with his Greninja on Mount Hokulani, Paige doing pushups alongside her Blaziken at the outskirts of Malie City, and Pyrrha overlooking the horizon from the Hau'oli City beachfront, standing alongside a Lapras and a Typhlosion.
The scene changes to Erika pumping her fist forward, commanding her Alolan Sandshrew as he uses Ice Ball to take down a Gible, followed by Palossand blasting a Krokorok away with Earth Power. They follow their trainer as she makes her way to the Ruins of Abundance, where Tapu Bulu lies in wait…
We then see Gladion command Null to attack Calvin, who counters by sending in Mimi. After they clash for a moment, Gladion and Calvin share a glance. What follows is the two of them along with Hau and Trent venturing throughout Aether Paradise, coming across several employees and having to battle them. All the while, we see Lillie clutch her duffel bag tightly as she comes face to face with Lusamine, who grins evilly.
Elsewhere in Sinnoh, we see Leslie curiously looking at the Pokédex journal before stopping at a cliff that faces towards Mt. Coronet in the distance. The page she's on in the journal has a meticulous drawing of the mountain ahead. The camera pans back to unveil a pair of ghostly figures that are standing alongside her.
The opening ends with Erika, Paige and Pyrrha arriving at Aether Paradise, joining the boys in the raid ahead…
END OPENING
The Beast Within
Calvin felt himself get slightly disoriented after he teleported to wherever Lusamine had gone via the pad she used. Lillie briefly managed to bring him up to speed on the situation, with why her mother was doing this. Opening the Ultra Wormhole purposefully sounded all kinds of bizarre to the Ketchum boy. After what happened the last time when that Nihilego had appeared, he knew there could be all kinds of problems that would come of another rift being released. The second he stepped off of the pad with Mimi beside him, Lillie appeared.
"Lillie, you okay?" he immediately asked her as he approached, remembering the disorienting effect he suffered.
"I'm fine…" she assured with a nod. However, she gasped in surprise upon spotting what was ahead, widening her eyes. Calvin turned and was also shocked. Ahead of them stood Lusamine at what appeared to be a central console. But amongst that were several glass casings that contained frozen Pokémon of different kinds. The Ketchum boy was absolutely horrified. Lusamine turned to the two children and smirked.
"What do you think of my collection?" she inquired curiously.
"Meemee…" Mimi whimpered out, cowering behind her trainer's leg as she was quite frightened. He clenched his hands into fists tightly as they trembled with anger.
"What… what did you do?!" he inquired aloud. A grin came across the Aether Foundation president's face.
"Crunch!" Erika ordered back outside the mansion. Lycanroc had his teeth glow a bright white and sharpen before he leapt toward Golisopod.
"Catch him and use Throat Chop!" Guzma instructed quickly. Using his smaller arms, the Hard Shell Pokémon grasped hold on his opponent, bringing him to a stop. He did manage to chomp down onto his foe's larger right arm, making him wince in agony. However, Golisopod steeled himself, cloaking his hindmost left arm in a purple light before jabbing it into the Wolf Pokémon's neck.
"RAH…!" he gasped out in agony, stumbling back.
"Lycanroc!" his trainer called out worriedly.
"Ry… kann…!" he managed to yip as reassurance, shooting her a grin.
"Ha!" Guzma laughed, catching their attentions, "Now you can't raise your attack with Howl anymore!" he pointed out, "But we still can!" he exclaimed, closing his hands into fists, "Swords Dance!" he yelled.
"Pah!" Golisopod responded, having several light blue swords of energy orbit around his body before they all pointed toward him, causing a reddish aura to flow up his form.
"Heh!" his trainer chuckled. However, he blinked in confusion to see that Erika seemed severely unintimidated. In fact, she set her Lycanium Z onto her Z-Power Ring.
"Power doesn't mean anything if you don't use it right!" she declared, twisting the Z-Crystal upon her trinket before crossing her arms over her face, making the jewel flash brightly. She swung her arms around, building up a bright orange light around herself as she continued the motions similar to the ones she'd use for the Rockium Z. Lycanroc did his best to mimic her closely before she finished the pose on her knee. The aura that built around her body shot out in streaks to the Wolf Pokémon, who absorbed them into his body before the Z-Move symbol flashed in front of his body.
"Rrrrr…" he growled out with a glint in his crimson eyes.
"You little…!" Guzma snarled.
"Sorry, but we don't have any more time to waste on you!" Erika apologized in advance, "Go, Lycanroc!" she called out. All of a sudden, the ground around the Wolf Pokémon broke apart, causing shards of rocks to fly upwards. He then leapt up as they came to a stop, pointing down toward Golisopod, whose eyes widened. "SPLINTERED STORMSHARDS!" the Ketchum girl bellowed fiercely.
Lycanroc and the rock shards zipped down at that very shout, heading for the Hard Shell Pokémon. Guzma grimaced in disbelief, clenching his teeth together. This reminded him of when Calvin's Incineroar defeated Golisopod the last time.
"L-Liquidation!" he commanded with a stammer. The Hard Shell Pokémon had water erupt from each of his claws. He swiped away many of the incoming shards, while only a few managed to strike him. Noticing, Lycanroc quickly took hold of a pair of the rock shards before zipping down himself. His opponent was caught off guard far too late as he dashed by and struck him. The water over his claws splashed apart before the remaining shards bombarded him.
In the meantime, Hau and the others arrived to witness the power of the Z-Move, having awed looks upon their faces. Pyrrha giggled happily, knowing just how hard her rival had worked to become that strong. As the dust slowly settled down, it revealed Golisopod lying on the broken ground with swirls in his eyes.
"Golisopod'zzz down, zzt!" Rotom buzzed out excitedly.
"Way to go, Eri!" Hau and Paige cheered. Overhearing them, the Ketchum girl chuckled sheepishly before rubbing the back of her head. In the meantime, Guzma dropped onto his knees.
"Guzma…" he uttered to himself, "what's wrong with you…?" he wondered aloud, sounding much sullener of emotion and anger than usual. In the meantime, Erika returned Lycanroc to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light.
"Thanks for all your hard work," she said gratefully, "Take a good long rest," she insisted, shrinking the spherical container and setting it back onto her belt.
"Nice job, Erika!" Pyrrha complimented as she came over with the others.
"You handled that really well, zzt!" Rotom mentioned.
"Yeah," the Ketchum girl agreed as she nodded, "Anyways, we gotta get to the others!" she insisted seriously.
"Right!" everyone responded, following her into the mansion while leaving the Team Skull boss behind. He was stuck contemplating his loss, thinking back to when he and his crew had been asked to act as an extra line of defense for the Aether Foundation.
'Because I know that you are the strongest I've met,' the voice of Lusamine echoed in his head. It made him tremble with frustration that he failed. He returned his defeated Golisopod to his Ultra Ball in a beam of red light.
"I'm not done yet…" he insisted of himself, getting onto his feet, "This isn't the end of me, you brats!" he bellowed in declaration, heading into the mansion. Back in what was the Aether Foundation president's collection room, sparks of electricity flew off of Calvin's fists as he growled. Lusamine merely cracked a smirk.
"You know, Calvin…" she began, "I really did have high hopes for you," she admitted, while he kept his glare firmly onto her, "Aside from emerging victorious at the Aether Tournament, I heard about all your exploits against Team Skull on Ula'ula," she told him, "Guzma's strong, so I never imagined he'd be defeated by you twice," she pointed out, letting off a chuckle, "You really are the son of Ash Ketchum…" she noted aloud.
"My dad doesn't have anything to do with how strong me and my Pokémon are right now!" Calvin shouted back, much to Lillie's surprise, "We got better because of everything we learned on our journey so far!" he mentioned firmly. Lusamine's expression shifted into a frown.
"I see…" she grumbled out, sounding disappointed.
"Mother, you have to listen!" Lillie pleaded, "Nebby could do something even worse than what you're planning for it!" she pointed out desperately, "You can't do this!" she screamed as tears built up in her eyes.
"Lillie…" Calvin uttered worriedly.
"I can and I will, Lillie," Lusamine decided, turning away, "Like I said, if you had been more beautiful, I would've probably listened to you or him…" she mentioned.
"Him?" Calvin repeated in confusion.
"She means me…" a familiar voice answered as they looked back toward the teleporter pad, finding that both Gladion and Trent had arrived alongside each other.
"Gladion! Trent!" the Ketchum boy exclaimed in surprise. Lusamine narrowed her eyes onto the former as he approached.
"I know why you're doing this," he pointed out to the Aether Foundation president, "No matter what, you can't open the Ultra Wormhole!" he yelled, "There'll be chaos if those Ultra Beasts inside come into our world!" he noted desperately.
"Oh, Gladion…" Lusamine sighed, "Must you be so untidy?" she wondered aloud.
"Calvin, are you okay?" Trent asked of his rival as he approached, "What exactly's going on here?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"It's… complicated…" the Ketchum boy answered in frustration.
"Not entirely, Calvin," Lusamine chimed in, getting everyone's attention, "As you can see from my vast collection, I want to have those beautiful beasts of another realm all to myself…" she explained, "But I wouldn't want to preserve them in such casings…" she mentioned, motioning to the frozen Pokémon around her, "I think I'll let them roam free all over Alola!" she declared to everyone's shock.
"What?!" Trent exclaimed, remembering just how bad Nihilego was.
"Mother, you can't do this!" Lillie cried out.
"Think about this!" Gladion yelled, "Would he want you to do something so reckless?!" he questioned loudly. Hearing that, Lusamine snarled.
"The daughter that stole Cosmog and the son that stole Type: Null…" she muttered out, giving off a fierce look, "I gave you two everything you could've ever wanted, and that's how you repaid me!" she angrily exclaimed.
"M-Mother…" Lillie whimpered out.
"You two… are her kids?" Trent inquired aloud.
"They may have been my children once, Trent," the Aether Foundation president confirmed, getting his attention, "But as you can clearly see, those wretches beside you left me," she pointed out, "That doesn't matter now though," she assured, turning away.
"Mom!" Gladion yelled.
"How can you say something like that about your own kids?!" Calvin questioned on angrily.
"Huh…" Lusamine sighed, "You're only foolish children, so you wouldn't understand…" she noted aloud, "Being a mother is so tedious…" she mentioned coldly, "When I have such troublesome children, why should I even bother giving them any love in return?" she inquired, glancing over her shoulder back at her son and daughter. Both of them widened their eyes. Lillie found herself tearing up, dropping onto her knees and sobbing.
"Ah, Lillie!" Calvin yelped, crouching down to her side as Mimi waddled over as well.
"Hmph," Lusamine scoffed. Silence filled the room for a moment.
"What did you just say…?" another voice asked, causing everyone to perk up. They looked back toward the teleporter pad, discovering that Erika had arrived alongside Hau, Pyrrha, Paige, and Rotom.
"Erika!" her brother gasped out in surprise.
"Oh, so Guzma was defeated after all…" Lusamine realized, sounding somewhat disappointed, "Well, I suppose he'll bounce back for vengeance," she concluded with a shrug.
"What did you say about being a mom…?" Erika questioned again, balling her trembling into fists while gnashing her teeth together.
"Exactly what I told you when I invited you over for dinner that night, Erika," the Aether Foundation president answered, "The world would be so much better if children listened to their parents," she stated firmly. The Ketchum girl grew angrier. Though there was some truth to that statement, the sight of Lillie crying made her question everything about Lusamine's motives. She had put two and two together, realizing that both she and Gladion were the Aether Foundation president's children. And they must've been forced to have done what they did… because of their mother's cruelty.
"You… really don't get it at all…!" Erika growled out, charging forward.
"Ah, Erika!" Hau yelped, while everyone else widened their eyes in surprise.
"If all of us just listened to our parents so blindly like you say…" the Ketchum girl began, leaping out toward Lusamine, who gasped to see her eyes go from brown to violet, "then we'd never be on this journey to begin with!" she yelled, striking the Aether Foundation president with her right fist. She stumbled back into the console, wincing as she lifted her left hand to her stricken cheek.
"You little wretch…!" she growled toward Erika, who stood in front of her with clenched fists.
"I don't care what you call me," she responded, "Just don't call your own kids that ever again…" she threatened firmly, having a black, scar-like marking running down over her left eye.
X
Lillie was the most astonished out of everyone once she saw Erika punch her mother in the face. Never did she expect anyone to come to her defense so… brazenly before. It was jarring to see.
Lusamine lifted herself up from the console in a grunt, glaring out at the group of children before composing herself, taking a deep breath. She then turned around and pressed a button upon the control panel. All of a sudden, a hole opened in the floor. A pedestal arose, holding the cube-shaped container that Lillie immediately recognized.
"Nebby!" she cried out.
"The last time you were here, Erika, we had been using what he had left of Cosmog's gases in the effort to open that single Ultra Wormhole you encountered," the Aether Foundation president explained as she sauntered over to the pedestal, grabbing the container by its handle and lifting it up in her right hand, "Obviously, that was merely a test to see if it could potentially open one…" she pointed out, "So naturally with it itself in my possession…" she kept going, gaining a sinister smile, "who knows how many more I could open…" she noted ominously. Everyone gasped.
"We won't let you!" the Ketchum girl roared, charging at the Aether Foundation president from behind. She glanced over her shoulder and sighed.
"Bewear, be a dear and guard me for a moment," she requested. All of a sudden, a blue light shot out from her dress, forming upon the floor behind her in front of Erika, who screeched to a halt. The luminosity took on a large shape before dissipating to reveal what kind of Pokémon the Aether Foundation president had.
It was a black and pink Pokémon resembling a bipedal bear. Her legs and the front of her body were black, while her head, back, and tail were pink. Across the top of her head was a white band with two tufts of fur on each end. This white marking gave it the appearance of wearing a headband with decorative bear ears. She had a short, white muzzle with a triangular black nose and two small, black eyes. There were pink paw pads on her front paws consisting of the palm and three digital pads. The hind paws had three white digital pads on the front. She also had a short tail with dark pink rings.
"Beeee…" she growled out, standing on her hind legs as she towered over Erika.
"Cal, that Pokémon looks… a lot like Stufful!" Paige noted as she came over.
"Yeah…" the Ketchum boy agreed, giving off a nervous expression. Meanwhile, Rotom brought up an image of the Strong Arm Pokémon upon its screen.
"Bewear, the Strong Arm Pokémon," it began, "This immensely dangerous Pokémon possesses overwhelming physical strength. Her habitat is generally off-limits. Bewear waves her hands wildly in intimidation and warning. Life is over for anyone who doesn't run away as fast as possible," it explained thoroughly. With that ominous description, Calvin gasped.
"ERIKA, RUN!" he screamed. Blinking in realization, the Ketchum girl leapt away in the nick of time before she could get struck by the Strong Arm Pokémon's front right leg, which slammed against the floor hard. She tumbled over from the attack's force, coming to a stop upon her stomach.
"Thank you, Bewear," Lusamine said with gratitude.
"Please… Stop…" Lillie begged, getting her attention as she glanced over at her daughter, seeing her stand up, "Nebby… if you use too much of its power…" she started to say while trembling, "you don't know what could happen!" she pointed out, "When we ran from this place all that time ago…" she continued in remembrance, "it could barely move its body from using so much energy!" she exclaimed, "It could die from this!" she added desperately. But her mother didn't listen, holding up the container. Everyone widened their eyes.
"Now let's just see how many sweet beasts will come to me…" she said ominously.
"NO!" Lillie screamed.
"STOP!" Erika yelled out angrily. But it was too late. A bright blue glow emitted from the cube-shaped container as everyone watched on. Lusamine raised it up into the air, and a gaseous luminosity shot out from it, heading toward the ceiling. It exploded, opening the rift that was similar to the one the trial-goers had seen the last time they were on Aether Paradise. The president's grin grew wider as she saw a Nihilego float down from the portal above.
"It's… a real Ultra Beast…" Gladion realized as his eyes shook. Everyone had yet to realize just this event was affecting the rest of the region, as dark clouds were spreading all across Alola…
X
"Phew!" Leslie exhaled the moment she and her father left the Hau'oli Airport, "Glad the plane ride didn't feel as long as it did last time…" she admitted sheepishly, "Feels nice to be back at home number two!" she remarked with a giggle.
"Peekah!" Pikachu agreed, hopping onto her shoulder off of Ash's, nuzzling his head against hers as she smiled.
"Your mom and I were thinking about staying here a little while longer," the Pokémon master told his eldest daughter, getting her attention, "At least until Calvin and Erika are finished with the island challenge and the Pokémon League," he mentioned. Leslie blinked in surprise, coming to a stop.
"Wait…" she said, causing her father to halt himself and turn to her, "What Pokémon League?" she asked curiously. He cracked a small smile. But just as he was about to answer her, he heard the rumbling of thunder overhead, seeing the sky darken with clouds. Everyone looked up in surprise and confusion, stopping whatever they were doing. "Guess we got back in the nick of time…" Leslie commented, walking up to Ash's side.
"I didn't think it was supposed to rain though…" he pointed out. Pikachu blinked as he took notice of something nearby.
"Pee, pikah!" he squeaked, pointing toward what he saw. Both Leslie and Ash looked over and gasped. It was an Ultra Wormhole opened in the sky, right over the Ruins of Conflict. There, Hala had just finished a trek up Mahalo trail. He approached the broken bridge, putting his hands onto his hips.
"We'll make sure it's much sturdier this time," he vowed towards the ruins, where he knew the guardian deity of Melemele lied in wait. He was about to leave, but then stopped upon feeling something amiss. He was only able to hop back in the nick of time as a figure landed down hard near him. "A new visitor, hm?" he guessed. He then gasped lightly to see the creature that had arrived.
It was a creature that resembled an anthropomorphic, feminine cockroach. It was primarily white with a thin build. Its torso was composed of five thin discs that drooped slightly downward. The widest disc made up its shoulders, the second widest its hips, and the two smallest its chest and waist. There was a gold ovoid inside of the widest disc, where its long, thin neck protruded from. Its arms and legs were also long and thin with gold joints. Its hands and feet were both composed of two golden claws. It had a small, semi-flattened head with a yellow, crown-like structure on top. The two tallest points of the crown point to its long, thin antennae, which were white with small gold balls at the tips. Attached to the back of its head were two structures resembling insect wings. The wings were transparent, curved slightly inward, and reached nearly to the ground. It had narrow, purple eyes with bright blue pupils.
"Ferrroh…" it hissed out, standing up straight with a feminine-like pose of its right hand resting at its hip.
"Are you… a Pokémon?" the kahuna wondered aloud, reaching down to grab an Ultra Ball from beneath his coat. All of a sudden though, a burst of yellow lightning streaked in between the two. Once it subsided, it revealed Tapu Koko there as it glared down the mysterious creature.
"KOH!" it exclaimed, having electricity spark about its body in a threatening manner. Its new foe wasn't intimidated, taking on a ready stance.
"Tapu Koko…" Hala uttered out in awe.
'Did it come here as a guardian or just to battle?' he wondered inwardly, 'The other islands must be facing a similar threat…' he realized, enlarging the Ultra Ball he had with a press of its button, 'I'm counting on you all!' he decided through his thoughts. On Akala, Tapu Lele floated back to be alongside Olivia and her Lycanroc in front of the Ruins of Life, as they all grimaced.
Their opponent was a creature that resembled a large, anthropomorphic mosquito. Its head was small and flat with a black ridge up the center. It had two red compound eyes with two black, spherical basal joints for its red and black antennae between them. Protruding from under these joints was a long, silver proboscis. It had many bulging muscles that appear to be sacs full of a red fluid with small white bubbles inside. There were three sacs on each arm, two on each leg, two on its chest, and several on its shoulders and down its back. Around its waist were three rings of smaller sacs. The muscles on its chest and some on its arms and waist had thin, grayish lines resembling tendons running across them. It had large, five-fingered hands with red knuckles and four pointed legs. There were several black spikes on its body: a small one on each side of its head, two on each shoulder, one on each elbow, and one on each leg. The portions of its body between its muscles were dark red or black. On its back were two pairs of pale orange wings with slightly darker veins.
"ZZZZWWOLLLLL!" it buzzed loudly, flexing its muscles.
"What the hell even is this…?" Olivia questioned aloud, narrowing her eyes.
"Ah!" Acerola yelped, falling to the ground on her rear end, wincing with pain.
"Boo, booloo!" Tapu Bulu called out, getting in front of her defensively. The two of them were in front of the Ruins of Abundance, faced with a pair of opponents. One was a large, vaguely humanoid creature with a bodily construction that resembled a cross between a space shuttle and a bamboo shoot. It had a small, white head with a tiny mouth and a skinny neck with three segments. On top of its head was a gray structure resembling a hat with long, flowing hair underneath. The hair reached midway down its body and was rimmed with bright blue. The 'hat' had two small blue dots and four white spikes arranged in an X-shape. These spikes resembled decorative hair sticks. On the very top of its hat was a long gray horn similar to a drill bit. It had large, disembodied gray arms that resembled bamboo stalks. At the end of each arm was a ring of bright blue, fin-like projections and a collection of eight smaller, black bamboo shoots. Each smaller stalk had a bright blue ring with a small line extending back up the stalk.
Its main body was conical and resembled a dress with four overlapping layers. The shortest and outermost layer was the shortest and appeared metallic, while the inner layers were each a lighter shade of green, progressively longer, and seemed to be cloth or plant material. Underneath all the layers was a white body with a light gray crisscross pattern covering it and a bright blue ring along the base. Below the dress was what appeared to be a collection of eight black bamboo stalks. On the bottom of each stalk was a bright blue ring with a small line extending back up the stalk; this caused the stalks to also resemble solid rocket boosters.
The other creature alongside it was a small one that resembled an origami human. It appeared to be folded out of a sheet of paper which was white on one side and orange on the other. Its head was folded slightly inside its body and had a four-sided star in the center, but no discernible facial features. Its head opened and closed similar to a paper fortune teller and seemed to function as both an eye and a mouth. On top of its head were two short antennae or horns that were wider at the top. It had long, thin arms that resembled katanas with a yellow, sheath-like structure around the upper area. The sheath connected to a red, slightly raised hexagon on its torso. Extending up and out from the base of each sheath were three yellow projections that were nearly as long as its arms. Its legs appeared creased with areas of red visible along the edges.
"These guys came from that weird whole in the sky…" Acerola remembered, trembling a little as she got onto her feet. The origami human creature lunged out in an attempt to slash her with its paper thin arms. However, Tapu Bulu floated into its path, closing its shell to take the slash with ease.
At that moment though, the other creature aimed its arms at the trial captain and fired off several green-glowing seeds from them toward her. She gasped, crossing her arms over her face to brace herself as she shut her eyes. However, the seeds never reached her as a beam of purple and black circles streaked down and struck them, causing them to explode prematurely. Acerola opened her eyes in surprise to find an Alolan Persian come down and land in front of her.
"You're… Uncle's Persian, aren't you?" she guessed, blinking in surprise.
"Sheahnn!" she responded with a nod.
"Good grief…" Nanu grumbled as he approached the scene, having his hands stuffed into his pockets, "Why'd this have to happen on today of all days?" he wondered aloud, sighing deeply.
Elsewhere near a rocky coastline, Hapu and her Mudsdale both grimaced as they were paying witness to a battle from afar, seeing blasts of water and bolts of lightning being exchanged. One of the fighters was a vaguely swordfish-like Pokémon. It had a black body that was shaped similarly to a mermaid or fish. It had light blue eyes, white eyelids, and a light blue, fin-like marking around the outer corner of each eye. It had a white T-shaped marking on its forehead and a small, white V-shape on its chest. Around its shoulders were segmented purple rings and its long thin arms had webbed hands with three fingers. Each finger was tipped with a purple claw. On the front of its lower body was a light blue, fin-like projection with three spikes. It also had light blue fins on top of its head that resembled long, flowing hair.
Its main body resided inside a violet shell that resembled a swordfish head when closed. The top half of the shell had a fin with light blue webbing on top and a thin, pointed spine on the front. On each side of the top shell were two C-shaped markings facing each other to form a rough circle. One marking was white and one is light blue, but both were outlined in black. These markings formed the 'eye' of the swordfish. Along the edges of both shell halves were a series of white triangles with black outlines.
Its opponent was a very tall creature that resembled a vaguely humanoid mass of electrical wiring. Its 'head' was a white, brightly glowing electric spark with numerous points and no visible face. Below its head was a mass of black cables for its torso and limbs; there were white bands resembling zip ties throughout its body as well. Its arms had ties where its shoulders, elbows, and wrists would be. The upper arms had two cables, while the lower had three. At the ends of its arms were copper structures that resembled hands, each with six flat 'fingers'. The legs had ties at the hips, knees, and ankles and were composed of four cables fused together for the whole length. The feet had four toes possessing 'claws' of exposed copper; each foot had two fused toes pointing forward and two separate toes pointing backward. Finally, its tail had three ties and four cables, one of them loose in two sections. The tail ended in what resembled a three-pronged plug.
It stuck its arms out, unleashing powerful bolts of yellow electricity that streaked toward its foe. The guardian deity dodged them, drawing power from the moonlight as a whitish glow shrouded its body. An orb of pink energy formed upon the tips of its hands before it fired it off, striking the tall creature in a blast of smoke.
"Nice one, Tapu Fini!" Hapu called out. However, her elation faded as the smoke cleared to reveal that the wire-like creature was seemingly unharmed from the Land Spirit Pokémon. The young farm girl grimaced. "What in the world is going on…?!" she wondered, clenching her fists together. All of Alola seemed to be faced with the same threat…
X
"Ahahahaha!" Lusamine laughed as she surveyed the various holographic screens that popped up upon her console, "There's readings of Ultra Wormholes all across Alola!" she pointed out as she held her arms out to their respective sides, "Melemele, Akala, Ula'ula, and even Poni!" she listed off. Everyone looked to her with varying expressions of anger, shock, and sadness. Erika had the fiercest look of all, gnashing her teeth together.
"P-Pewww…" Nebby weakly squeaked out from the container it was trapped in. An irritated scowl came across the Aether Foundation president's face.
"Ugh…" she groaned out, "Must you be so noisy, even inside there?" she inquired of the Nebula Pokémon, "What an annoying little creature you are…" she muttered, "The only thing I'd need from you is your power!" she proclaimed, "But I will admit, your power seems to have served me well…" she noted aloud.
"YOU MONSTER!" Erika roared angrily, getting her attention.
"…You should look who's talking, Erika," she retorted, placing her hands onto her hips, "That reminds me…" she continued as she glanced up in thought, "isn't your mother an otherworlder?" she inquired, letting off a smirk, "It seems like you've inherited some of her ugliness…" she pointed out. Growling, the Ketchum girl lunged out at her again.
"Erika, don't!" Gladion cried out. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like she was going to listen. She was still on course to attack the Aether Foundation president.
"Bewear," she called out, enticing the Strong Arm Pokémon to zip over and rear her front left leg back before thrusting it forward, attempting to strike Erika.
"ERIKA!" Calvin screamed, hearing the sound of an impact, followed by a shockwave of air. Lusamine smirked, but her expression faded into one of disbelief as she saw that the Ketchum girl was actually holding Bewear back, grasping onto her leg firmly with her hands. She clenched her teeth together, keeping the Strong Arm Pokémon in place. Seeing that, her brother was quick to take action.
"Mimi, Play Rough!" he commanded.
"Mee!" the shiny Mimikyu squeaked, hurrying forward and leaping towards Erika and Bewear. She slammed her stick tail against the latter's head, followed by attacking her over and over before she fell down onto the floor.
"Beee…" she growled out, sitting up as her expression seemed mostly unchanged.
"How dare you…" Lusamine growled out, gnashing her teeth together.
"If it's a fight a you want…" Erika began as she readied her Heavy Ball in her right hand, "then it's a fight you'll get!" she vowed fiercely.
"Brrrrr…" the Nihilego lurking above them hissed out, getting their attentions. All of a sudden, it thrust out its tentacles to try and ensnare the Ketchum girl. However, a blue streak of light suddenly zipped in and came into form on the floor in front of her, dissipating to reveal Null. It raised its front legs, cloaking its claws in a reddish light before slamming the incoming tentacles down onto the surface. Erika blinked in surprise, glancing over to see Gladion with his Premier Ball in hand.
"Let me and Null handle the Ultra Beast!" he insisted of her and the others, "The rest of you take on my mother!" he advised seriously, "If we don't stop her, all of Alola's going to be destroyed!" he pointed out while clenching his trembling fists tightly.
"R-Right!" Hau stuttered out, readying a Poké Ball in his right hand. However…
"Madam Prez!" a familiar voice exclaimed, getting their attentions as they turned to see Guzma there.
"Ah, Guzma…" Lusamine uttered out, "And I thought the children had defeated you completely…" she noted with narrowed eyes.
"Nah, I'm far from finished!" the Team Skull boss proclaimed, readying a trio of Ultra Balls in his hands, enlarging them with a press of their buttons, "The big bad Guzma's not gonna lose to a couple of kids!" he declared, flinging each of the spherical containers out. They popped open, with the lights from them forming upon the floor and dissipating to reveal Ariados, Masquerain, and Pinsir respectively.
"Oh boy…" Hau uttered nervously, knowing just how difficult trying to fight the Team Skull boss would be, especially given the current situation he and the others were in.
"We'll take Guzma!" Pyrrha declared, flinging up a Poké Ball in her right hand that she enlarged. It opened up as its light formed in midair, dissipating to reveal her Minior as it floated down in front of her.
"Yeah, no problem!" Paige decided, backhanding a Poké Ball in her left hand as it popped open, with its light forming upon the ground to reveal an Electabuzz.
"Bah!" he buzzed, letting electricity spark off of his body as he glared down his foes. Taking a deep breath, Hau calmed himself down and prepared his own Poké Ball.
"Let's go, Noibat!" he called out, firing the spherical container upward before it opened up. Its light poured out and formed in midair, dissipating to reveal the Sound Wave Pokémon.
"Nuuoooiiii!" he screeched, flapping his wings to remain airborne.
"Heh!" Guzma chuckled out, "Bring it…" he challenged with a crazed smile upon his face. Meanwhile, Nihilego fired off several streams of purple poisonous liquid towards Null. It managed to evade the first two before being bombarded by the others, grunting as it slid back.
"Null!" Gladion exclaimed in fright. The Ultra Beast raised its tentacles again before unleashing more sprays of purple poisonous liquid from them. However, a figure suddenly zipped in front of Null, taking the attack harmlessly. It was Skarmory.
"Skkaaaahhh!" he screeched afterwards.
"Wh-Why?" Gladion stuttered in question, seeing Trent saunter over.
"Because you're gonna need a Pokémon that can handle Poison-type attacks," he answered, "Sorry about earlier…" he apologized to the former enforcer, who blinked in surprise, "I got a little carried away…" he admitted as he glanced off to the side.
"…It's fine," Gladion assured, "Right now, we need to focus on taking this Ultra Beast out and closing the wormhole!" he insisted of his new partner.
"That's exactly what we'll do!" Trent declared in response, "Let's go, Skarmory!" he called out to the Armor Bird Pokémon.
"Skaaahh!" he squawked in response with a nod. Meanwhile, Erika and Calvin were face to face with Lusamine.
"Hmph," she scoffed disdainfully, "Honestly, I don't like having to dirty my hands like this…" she admitted, readying five Ultra Balls in her hands, "but if you want something done right…" she continued, throwing the five spherical containers out. They all popped open, with the blue lights from them forming and dissipating to reveal a Clefable, a Lilligant, a Lopunny, a Milotic, and a Mismagius. They all gathered with Bewear, who stood back up on her hind legs. Their trainer grinned. "…you do it yourself…" she remarked ominously. Erika growled angrily, inwardly vowing to stop the Aether Foundation president no matter what.
X
"Acrobatics!" both Hau and Pyrrha ordered at the same time. Noibat and Starlight glowed in a bright, sky blue light as they zipped about the room. Ariados and Pinsir weren't even prepared as their foes slammed into them from various directions, attacking relentlessly. Guzma growled.
"Poison Jab! And Rock Slide!" he commanded. The Long Leg Pokémon had his front two limbs glow a bright purple as he lunged up at Noibat, attempting to jab him with his right one. However, the Sound Wave Pokémon maneuvered around the attack with ease, slamming into his foe's back as they crashed onto the floor.
In the meantime, the Stag Beetle Pokémon had several small boulders appear and orbit around himself, firing them out at the speeding Starlight. It evaded them though, weaving around the rocks as they crashed against the surface. What followed was the Meteor Pokémon slamming into its foe and making him fall over onto his back. The Team Skull boss stumbled back out of shock.
"You've… gotta be kidding me…" he muttered slowly, trembling a little.
"Electabuzz, Thunder Punch!" Paige commanded, causing him to perk up in surprise. The Electric Pokémon cloaked his right hand in an orb of crackling yellow electricity, closing it into a fist as he charged toward Masquerain.
"P-Protect!" Guzma stammered in instruction. The Eyeball Pokémon formed a turquoise-colored energy barrier in front of himself, taking the punch from Electabuzz as sparks flew from the impact. Meanwhile, Null hurried about the room, evading the sparkling red beams of light shot its way by Nihilego. Suddenly though, Skarmory flew over it.
"Steel Wing!" his trainer commanded. Both of the Armor Bird Pokémon's wings shined in a silvery-white light as he swung them at the Ultra Beast. It was quick to evade them though, floating away. "It's a slippery one…" Trent commented with a frustrated grimace.
"Yeah…" Gladion agreed, glancing over to see his sister watching on worriedly with Rotom as the Ketchum twins were about to battle all six of Lusamine's Pokémon. Well, it seemed like Calvin was. Erika looked to be more focused on going after the Aether Foundation president herself.
"Incineroar! Togedemaru!" her brother called out, tossing a pair of Poké Balls he had enlarged beforehand forward. They popped open, with their lights forming upon the ground and dissipating to reveal both the Heel Pokémon and the Roly-Poly Pokémon.
"Sehh rawr!" the former roared out.
"Toh geh!" the latter squeaked, taking on a serious expression.
"Erika, get your Pokémon ready, too!" Calvin insisted of his twin sister.
"Yeah…" she responded, tossing the Heavy Ball forward before grabbing two other Poké Balls off of her belt. The first container popped open, with its light forming upon the floor and dissipating to reveal Sandslash. Afterwards, two other lights shot out and formed beside him, dissipating to reveal both Lurantis and Primarina.
"Facing the children of the famous Ash Ketchum…" Lusamine noted aloud as she grinned, "I'm quite honored…" she admitted, putting her right hand onto her cheek.
"We're not…" Erika growled out as she clenched her fists tightly, "JUST OUR DAD'S KIDS!" she roared out to everyone's surprise, "Primarina, Sparkling Aria!" she commanded.
"Mah!" the Soloist Pokémon yipped, standing up on her tail fins. Her hair came undone as she sang, creating a sparkling sphere of water over the tip of her pink nose. It then splashed apart into several watery streaks that zipped towards the Aether Foundation president's Pokémon. Both Lilligant and Milotic went ahead to take the streaks themselves as they collided with them in a burst of white smoke.
"Hm," Lusamine scoffed, "How repulsive…" she remarked disdainfully as her grin stayed upon her face.
"Flamethrower!" Calvin ordered to her surprise as she blinked. Making her flame belt burn brightly, Incineroar unleashed a powerful stream of fire from it. Searing through the smoke, the flames struck Lilligant as she yelped in agony.
"Lilligant!" Lusamine exclaimed. The Flowering Pokémon fell backwards in a heap, having swirls in her eyes. Seeing that, the Aether Foundation president clenched her teeth together angrily. "Very well then…" she grumbled out, "Bewear, Hammer Arm!" she commanded. The Strong Arm Pokémon dashed over to Primarina and the others, making her front legs glow a bright white, about to swing the right one down onto Sandslash.
"Moonblast! And Icicle Crash!" Erika quickly ordered. A whitish light shrouded Primarina as she drew in energy, forming a pink orb of luminosity in front of her open mouth. She fired it forward, striking Bewear before she could attack as she tumbled back.
Sandslash then hopped up, taking a deep breath. He exhaled a wind with light blue sparkles. They formed into clumps of ice that sharpened into icicles, which rained down onto the Strong Arm Pokémon, shattering as they struck her down. Lusamine gasped upon seeing the swirls in Bewear's eyes, indicated that she too had been bested. Already, she was down two Pokémon.
'What are these children…?!' she questioned inwardly, clenching her trembling fists.
"Mismagius, Shadow Ball! Lopunny, High Jump Kick! Clefable, Metronome! Milotic, Hydro Pump!" she commanded to her remaining Pokémon. The Magical Pokémon acted first, preparing a purple-and-black ball of energy with sparks in front of her mouth. She fired it off towards Togedemaru and Mimi. Neither of them looked to be able to dodge the attack, so the shiny Mimikyu leapt out in front of her teammate, taking the ball in a powerful blast.
"Ah, Mimi!" Calvin gasped. The smoke that resulted settled, followed by the sound of a pop.
"Mah?" Mismagius hissed in confusion as she blinked. It turned out that the head of the shiny Mimikyu's costume had drooped down, likely as a result of the attack she had just taken. Her eyes focused onto the Magical Pokémon.
"Keeeoooo…" she growled ominously, enticing Togedemaru to back away meekly in fright. Seeing that, Calvin gave off a nervous grin.
"Bad move…" he remarked, "Mimi, Shadow Claw!" he ordered. In an instant, the shiny Mimikyu lunged forward as Mismagius gasped in shock. The Disguise Pokémon drew an appendage from beneath her cloak, coating it in a dark aura outlined by a purple light. She slammed it into the Magical Pokémon, sending her flying back in an instant.
"Mismagius!" Lusamine exclaimed with widened eyes. Meanwhile, her Lopunny had her legs glow a bright white as she hopped up and dove down toward Incineroar feet first.
"Cross Chop!" Calvin commanded.
"Rawwrr!" the Heel Pokémon responded, crossing her arms over her face. She then leapt up, colliding with Lopunny fiercely as sparks flew from the impact. Both trainers clenched their teeth together, wanting their teammates to succeed. Ultimately, their deadlock ended in a draw as they blew each other back, about to land back down. However, the Ketchum boy was quick to take advantage of the airborne Rabbit Pokémon.
"Togedemaru, Zing Zap!" he commanded quickly.
"Mah roo!" the Roly-Poly Pokémon responded, having his spikes suddenly stick up before his body was sparking entirely with yellow electricity. He spun forward, hopping up and colliding with Lopunny fiercely as she shrieked in agony. Lusamine looked on with widened eyes. Surely, she couldn't have already lost two-thirds of her team to the twins, could she? She saw the determined looks on their faces. This wasn't another fun battle to them. This was to save their friend, to protect the world, and to stop her.
"You all… should just stay quiet!" she bellowed angrily. Meanwhile, her Clefable had been waving her pointer fingers as they glowed a bright white. She then released a powerful jet of water from her mouth, much like Milotic as they streaked towards Primarina, Lurantis, and Sandslash.
"Block it with Petal Blizzard!" Erika instructed. With a swing of her arms, the Bloom Sickle Pokémon had multiple pink petals swirl around her body. She had them shoot forwards, striking the incoming jets of water, holding them back. Lusamine could hardly believe what she was witnessing. The water jets splashed apart afterwards as all three of the Ketchum girl's Pokémon glared ahead.
"Milotic, Dragon Tail!" the Aether Foundation president ordered immediately. A green, scale-like aura appeared over the Tender Pokémon's tail before she moved forward, swinging it towards Lurantis and Sandslash.
"Aqua Jet!" Erika yelled in command. Water erupted around Primarina, enveloping her before she rocketed out and intercepted Milotic's tail.
"What?!" Lusamine exclaimed in disbelief.
"Lurantis, Leaf Blade!" the Ketchum girl ordered. Leaping up and making her right sickle arm glow a bright green and sharpen, the Bloom Sickle Pokémon slashed mightily past her opponent as she widened her eyes. She then fell over in a heap, having swirls in her eyes.
"Ergh…!" the Aether Foundation president growled out, "Clefable, Dazzling Gleam!" she commanded, sticking her right hand out.
"Faye!" the Fairy Pokémon responded, shrouding herself in a multicolored glow before unleashing several streaks of light that were rainbow-colored. They all flew out and struck her three targets. Lusamine breathed heavily, having never been so worn from a battle. She may have not been as experienced as the trial-goers, but she certainly had her better qualities.
"Sandslash, Iron Head!" Erika suddenly commanded, causing her to gasp in surprise. Without even a hint of a warning, the Alolan Mouse Pokémon lunged out from the smoke, cloaked in a whitish light that made him appear black and white. Clefable didn't even have time to react as he slammed into her, crashing into the floor. The Aether Foundation president was left in disbelief. All six of her Pokémon had just been defeated.
"No… No…!" she repeated, grabbing at her head in frustration.
"It's over, Miss Lusamine!" Calvin shouted, glancing back to see that Paige's Electabuzz had just taken down Guzma's Masquerain, leaving him with no other Pokémon available to fight. In the meantime, Nihilego was on the receiving end of a swipe from the right wing of Trent's Skarmory. It looked as if victory would belong to the children.
"Ergh…" Lusamine growled out, "All I want is my precious beast! I don't care about any of the rest of you!" she proclaimed angrily.
"Monster…" Erika snarled. Just then, she and the others noticed the Ultra Wormhole start to shrink above them.
"No!" Lusamine gasped, "It's disappearing…" she realized, grimacing. However, she calmed herself, quickly returning each of her six Pokémon to their Ultra Balls in beams of red light. "Guzma, with me," she instructed, catching the attention of the Team Skull boss as he stood up from the floor, having returned his Pokémon as well, "I'll capture Nihilego now," she stated, readying a Beast Ball in her right hand.
"A Poké Ball?" Calvin uttered in confusion. He then saw her toss it up, striking the floating Ultra Beast. It turned into a red-and-blue light, zipping into the container before Skarmory or Null could attack it. The Beast Ball fell into Lusamine's right hand, shaking a couple of times as its button glowed a bright red. It then sounded off with a click, flashing a bright green.
"Capture complete," the Aether Foundation president remarked as her grin returned. Her daughter paled with fright. She… had just caught an Ultra Beast! Nonchalantly even!
"Mom, don't!" Gladion yelled to her. All of a sudden, the portal expanded, lowering itself to be behind Lusamine.
"I think I'll enjoy my time away for now…" she noted, turning around and heading into the Ultra Wormhole.
"MOTHER!" Lillie screamed.
"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" Erika shouted, charging toward Lusamine herself, "A monster like you shouldn't get away with all that you've done!" she pointed out angrily. However, her charge was halted once Guzma knocked her aside, causing her to fall over onto the floor. She looked up and gasped to see both him and Lusamine disappear into the portal, with the Aether Foundation president giving off one last wave to the group who had fought against her.
"Erika!" Trent called out, quickly going over to her alongside Skarmory. Gladion stared on at the Ketchum girl, looking somewhat awed as she rose to her knees.
"Everybody okay?!" Hau asked as he ran over with Paige and Pyrrha.
"Yeah, I think so…" Calvin replied while checking on Mimi and Togedemaru, "Wait, what about Nebby?!" he questioned upon remembering, widening his eyes.
"It's here…" Lillie responded, getting their attentions. She was standing next to the now empty container used to entrap the Nebula Pokémon. The only thing was, it was no longer the same.
It was in the shape of a translucent, dark-blue orb with a star-scape pattern set in a golden shell-like structure. The main portion of the shell was a flat oval around the center of the orb. Eight more flat, half-oval projections surrounded the orb in an asterisk-shape. At the center of the main body was a much smaller black core. The upper half of the core had a thin blue line on the front, back, and each side, while the lower had pink lines. On the front were two orange semicircles, which appeared to be closed eyes. The overall shape of it also resembled an eye.
"That's… Cosmog?" Paige wondered aloud, seeing it float above the floor in front of everyone.
"Why does it look so different?" Pyrrha questioned on.
"I have no data on it…" Rotom pointed out, "Maybe it's changed into an alternate form no one's ever seen, zzt…" it inferred.
"It's not moving either…" Lillie mentioned sadly as she sniffled, "This is all my fault…" she whimpered out, "I—!"
"DAMN IT!" Erika roared, interrupting the blonde-haired girl as she heard her fist slam against the floor. Trent backed away from her cautiously, as did her Pokémon. "Damn it, damn it… damn it!" she cursed over and over, bashing her right fist against the floor with each shout, "DAMN IT!" he screamed finally, landing one last final punch that actually dented the surface. Everyone stared at her in shock… and then blinked in confusion as they heard her whimper. "I'm sorry…" she apologized through tears, "I didn't mean to… hurt… you…" she weakly claimed before falling over and fainting onto her stomach.
"ERIKA!" Pyrrha screamed as she and the others immediately went over to check on her. And just like that, the long day for each and every person in the room had ended…
ENDING
Insert "Hold Me Now" by Red
We open with a younger Gladion and a younger Lillie sitting on the floor at the end of a bed in a dark, white room. The latter is crying into the former's chest as he holds her close out of sympathy. Cut to present day, Gladion stands alongside Null and his other Pokémon as they look out onto the horizon. He balls his trembling left hand into a fist.
Meanwhile, we see Lillie clutching the strap of her duffel bag tightly as she's led down a hallway by Team Skull grunts and Aether Foundation employees. Upon reaching the end, she meets Lusamine, who glowers at her with contempt. Nevertheless, Lillie has a determined visage.
The scene changes to Calvin and Hau battling against Elio and Selene inside Aether Paradise, while Gladion and Trent face Faba and another Aether Foundation employee. As their fights continue, Plumeria and the grunts of Team Skull are confronted by Paige and Pyrrha. In the meantime, Erika goes to fight Guzma.
As the chorus kicks in, Gladion commands Null to use X-Scissor on Faba's Hypno, while Trent's Skarmory takes out a Ledian with an Aerial Ace. Elio's Pupitar comes up against Calvin's Steenee, who uses Magical Leaf to knock him back. Selene has Corsola use Surf, but it winds up rendered useless by Raichu's Discharge.
The music picks up into the third verse, with Pyrrha's Typhlosion landing a Thunder Punch on Plumeria's Salazzle, while Paige's Blaziken and Electabuzz work together to take down the Pokémon of the Team Skull grunts. Guzma cackles as his Golisopod appears to be winning against Erika's Lycanroc, but he steels himself, slamming his right fist against the ground to strike back with a powerful Stone Edge.
The final scene has Gladion, Lillie, Calvin and Erika entering Lusamine's collection room. We see the Aether Foundation president raise up the containment case Nebby is trapped inside before the group the group pays witness to her unleashing its power to create an Ultra Wormhole…
END ENDING
This actually went by faster than I could've hoped! And it helps to have all the time in the world to think about how I wanted to lay this out. There's going to be a lot to come from the fallout of this chapter. But of course, that won't be for a while. Why?
Well, aside from the final chapter of "RWBY: Omni Force" coming out next week, we've also got "Avengers: Omni Force" to look forward to in December! I've posted trailers, opening previews, and even the likes of some spoiler-filled sneak peeks! So what's one more before it comes? Enjoy!
TRAILER
Opens on Sunset Shimmer sleeping upon a bed in Omni Force Tower. Slowly, we see her snoozing form start to writhe with discomfort as she sweats. She finally awakens in a start, sitting up instantly. She pants for a moment before calming down, putting her left hand over her face.
Ben Tennyson: Nightmares?
Sunset Shimmer: Yeah…
We cut to her sitting in Ben's office as she's seated in front of him.
Sunset Shimmer: It started around the end of high school…
There's a scene of the Milano being pulled into the Sanctuary II thanks to its tractor beam. We see Ebony Maw enter alongside Proxima Midnight, Corvus Glaive, Cull Obsidian, Supergiant, and Black Swan. Following them inside are Gamora and Nebula.
Sunset Shimmer: I dream about the exact same thing sometimes… and now it's gotten really frequent…
Another figure enters the Milano as the Guardians of Galaxy all widen their eyes.
Sunset Shimmer: From once a year to once a month to once a week… to once every night…
Ben Tennyson: Who was the guy you saw us fighting?
Stepping out to face the Guardians while standing before his children is Thanos, who dons the Infinity Gauntlet upon his left hand.
IN TWO WEEKS
The scene changes to an object hurdling through space into the Earth's atmosphere. It burns upon entry before crashing into the Hudson Bay. Erza Scarlet, Tony Stark and James Rhodes go to retrieve it. They discover that it's an escape pod containing Rocket Raccoon, Groot, and Quasar.
Rocket Raccoon: *shaking with fear* H-He's coming…
We then witness one of Thanos' ring-shaped ships floating down over New York City, releasing a half dozen dropships. Once they land, they open to reveal hordes of Outriders, which all charge out.
Quasar: If we don't stop Thanos from gathering all six of the Infinity Stones, half of all life on this timeline will be lost…
The scene cuts over to England in the evening, where Genos and Alita encounter The Vision and Wanda Maximoff. The synthezoid has the Mind Stone embedded into his head.
Thor Odinson: We've faced countless forms of enemies in the past. This Thanos will hold no weight against us in comparison.
He's quickly proven wrong when the Mad Titan invades his home of Asgard. He defeats Thor and claims the Tesseract, all before using the Power Stone to destroy the realm entirely.
Sunset Shimmer: This guy's different. He's… driven.
We cut to her gathered amongst a group of Omni Force members, the Avengers, the Guardians, and Doctor Strange upon the planet of Titan.
Stephen Strange: Power…
The scene changes to Thanos using the Power Stone to overpower and blast away Groot.
Stephen Strange: Space…
The scene shifts to Thanos crushing the Tesseract to free the Space Stone from it.
Stephen Strange: Soul…
We see Thanos start to pry the Soul Stone out of Adam Warlock's head, as he screams in pain.
Stephen Strange: Reality…
We watch as the Reality Stone becomes connected to its place in the Infinity Gauntlet, causing him to endure its power for a moment before he relaxes.
Stephen Strange: Mind…
We see Thanos approach Vision, aiming to take the Mind Stone from him as Genos, Alita and Erza take defensive stances along with Wanda.
Stephen Strange: …and Time.
We see Stephen use the Time Stone against Maw, freezing him in place long enough for Tony to fly in and blast the alien sorcerer back.
Ben Tennyson: So the job's simple. We don't let him get all six.
Sunset Shimmer: And try not to die trying.
Erza Scarlet: That's always the plan, it seems.
We cut to Erza flying about the grasslands of Wakanda in her Iron Scarlet Armor, firing mini-missiles down at incoming Outriders as more battles rage about. There are various shots of Gamora stabbing Peter Quill through the chest with her sword, T'Challa cutting down a few Outriders with his claws, Trafalgar Law cleaving a building entirely in half in an attempt to cut down Thanos, only to have wound up missing as the Mad Titan closes in on him threateningly, Carol Danvers and Atomic-X soaring into Space after the Sanctuary II, several Outriders being frozen in place thanks to Stephen's use of the Time Stone, and Sunset and Supergiant engaged in a psychic battle.
During her struggle against the member of the Black Order, Sunset looks over to Star Butterfly, who is firing off magic beams at their enemies on Titan.
Sunset Shimmer: What if this nightmare… becomes real?
We cut back to her in Ben's office. He takes a deep breath before giving her a reassuring look.
Ben Tennyson: Then we'll do everything we can to put an end to it. Whatever it takes… together.
The scene changes to him as Ultimate Humungousaur, who roars loudly before charging toward Thanos.
AVENGERS: OMNI FORCE
Cut to Ben, Sunset and Erza gathered with the Avengers and Doctor Strange at Avengers Mansion.
Clint Barton: So let me get this straight. You've actually seen these Infinity Stones before?
Ben and Sunset share a glance.
Ben Tennyson: *shrugs* …More or less.
Sunset Shimmer: Not something I wanna remember…
END TRAILER
And that starts the hype for the next big Omni Force story! I'm really excited to get things going in December, so I hope you're all ready for quite a ride! But for now, let's leave you all with a summary to hold you over until next time!
SUMMARY
As the group recovers from their battle in Aether Paradise, Erika reminisces over a time where she herself obtained unconditional love from her own mother. What exactly happened in her past?
In the meantime, Gladion starts looking into what could help the group find or create another Ultra Wormhole. What he discovers, however, could change the fate of the world…
END SUMMARY
See you guys later! It's time for me to finally finish "RWBY: Omni Force"!