Alola again, everyone! We're reaching the climax of this arc and probably one of the more action-packed chapters to date. I'm stoked to get into the remainder of this saga as we approach the milestone of 60 chapters.
And by then, you'll get to see a very exciting trailer for the upcoming content ahead! For now, it's time to get back into "The Challenge of a Lifetime"!
POKÉMON SUN & MOON
THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME
"Multi-Attack!" Gladion ordered. Silvally had a silvery-grey aura cloak his entire body again before lunging out to swipe at a pair of Nihilego, who flew back upon being struck. More of them floated down, unleashing streams of purple, poisonous liquid towards the blonde-haired boy. His partner Pokémon jumped over to shield him from the attacks, having steam envelop his body before it cleared.
"Raichu, Psychic!" Hau commanded as he pumped his right fist forward.
"Ryy!" the Alolan Mouse Pokémon responded, making his eyes glow a pinkish-purple. The same light outlined the bodies of the Ultra Beasts before they were psychically flung away, crashing into columns about the area. Gladion looked back to see the ponytailed boy and his Raichu coming over.
"Thanks…" he breathed out in gratitude.
"No problem…" Hau replied, glancing around to see Pyrrha commanding her Lapras to fire off blue, zigzagging beams of light onto a pair of Nihilego, freezing them in ice against a nearby wall. Paige's Mudsdale had an orange aura cloaking his body before galloping out and slamming into another Ultra Beast, causing it to tumble aside. In the meantime, Trent leapt back from the red, sparkling beam of light shot his way by one Nihilego. What followed was his Skarmory soaring down with both of his wings shining in a bright, silvery light before he swiped at the Ultra Beast, knocking it onto the ground.
"We're doing pretty well, all things considered…" Gladion admitted, getting Hau's attention.
"Are these Nihilegos the only Ultra Beasts in here?" he wondered curiously.
"In this part of Ultra Space apparently…" the former Team Skull enforcer replied, "Anyways, it's our job to make sure these guys don't get in Calvin and Erika's way," he advised of the trial-goer.
"Don't you wanna go and help save your mom?" he inquired back, raising an eyebrow. Sighing deeply, Gladion raised his head.
"I'm not sure how to put this, but…" he started to say, "even though I have Silvally, I don't feel like I deserve to try," he admitted, "Because I abandoned everything back then…" he mentioned, trembling a little. Hau blinked in surprise, but then gave off a reassuring grin.
"Then we've gotta do whatever it takes to help our friends!" he insisted firmly as he placed his hand onto the former enforcer's shoulder.
"Right…" he agreed with a grin. Back at the end of the pathway, a horrified Lillie watched as her mother floated forward, now fused with the Ultra Beast she loved so much. Calvin and Erika both gnashed their teeth together.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Lusamine cackled, "What do you think, Lillie?!" she inquired of her daughter, "This is beauty in its truest form!" she proclaimed, "The power and sweetness…" she mentioned, "It's so beautiful that I don't want to leave it!" she declared, laughing all the while.
"Mother, you can't!" Lillie insisted desperately, "Becoming one with an Ultra Beast…" she uttered out, trembling with fear, "You don't know what that will do to you!" she exclaimed as tears were in her eyes.
"Lillie…" Calvin uttered worriedly.
"Ahahaha!" the Aether Foundation president laughed again, "I've already done that, you ugly girl!" she announced happily, "And soon, I'll be rid of you and anyone else who'd dare threaten my beauty!" she added as a vow. Erika growled through her clenched teeth. Her fists were tightened to the point where her nails were close to puncturing her skin.
"The only one that's ugly… IS YOU!" she shouted angrily as her eyes flashed a bright purple. Lusamine blinked in surprise, while Calvin and Lillie widened their own eyes. "I think the ugliest thing in the world is a parent who doesn't love their children!" she yelled, "Even if they give you a hard time and act like brats every now and again…" she continued, thinking back to when she first started out on her journey and acted like a spoiled, uncaring child, "loving them is something any parent should unconditionally do!" she exclaimed firmly. Lusamine frowned.
"I suppose there's someone uglier than Lillie then…" she realized disdainfully.
"Coming from you, that's a compliment!" Erika retorted, "Sandslash, Iron Head!" she commanded, swinging her left hand out.
"Sann!" the Alolan Mouse Pokémon exclaimed, lunging out while cloaking himself in a whitish light, making him appear black and white. But as he was about to strike the Aether Foundation president, a blue light streaked out in front of him, coming into form to reveal Bewear. She made her right arm glow a bright white before swinging it to swat Sandslash aside, sending him crashing onto the ground.
"Sandslash!" his trainer screamed out. At that moment, she and the others noticed five more streaks of light soar down and form upon the ground. They dissipated to reveal Clefable, Lilligant, Lopunny, Mismagius, and Milotic.
"My mother's Pokémon…" Lillie uttered in realization as she blinked.
"Wait a sec…" Calvin said upon noticing something. Each of the Aether Foundation president's Pokémon had a yellow aura billowing around their bodies, including that of Bewear's as she landed down in front of the others. "They're glowing like Totem Pokémon…" the Ketchum boy noted with shaking eyes. Lusamine giggled.
"Beauty and power go hand-in-hand, my dear Calvin!" she proclaimed while motioning to her six Pokémon, "Thanks to Nihilego's latent power being passed onto my beautiful Pokémon, they're even more beautiful than ever!" she declared proudly.
"You…!" Erika growled out while helping get Sandslash back onto his feet.
"T-Togeh..." Togedemaru squeaked, taking a few nervous steps back.
M-Meee…" Mimi stammered, hiding behind her trainer's left leg out of fright, as she had been brought out earlier to help. Calvin grimaced a little, realizing that trying to save the Aether Foundation president had just gotten a little more complicated.
OPENING
Insert "Merry-Go-Round" by Man with a Mission
Opens with a black background slowly becoming brighter as Calvin, Erika, Hau, Lillie, Pyrrha, Paige and Trent walk forward. The camera pans to show that they're approaching the Ultra Wormhole. The Ketchum twins come to a stop, both taking deep breaths as they're prepared to see their new mission through.
Continues with a shot of Calvin reflecting on his past failures: losing to Team Skull in the Verdant Cavern, getting defeated by Hau, and failing to beat Olivia. However, he turns and smiles to find all of his Pokémon there behind him, letting out encouraging shouts. Mimi wraps her appendages around everyone for a big hug as Togedemaru cringes.
The scene changes to a shot of Erika also reflecting somberly on her recent losses to Guzma, Plumeria, and Nanu. She looks at her Z-Power Ring in deep thought for a moment, but is snapped away from any negative feelings as Primarina and Lycanroc wrap their arms around her. She laughs happily as the rest of her Pokémon join in.
We cut to a shot of Lillie lamenting on how to save Cosmoem before giving off a determined look. The scene shifts over to Gladion, who stands alongside Silvally in the conservation area of Aether Paradise. He seems a bit troubled about the situation himself before finally taking on a firm expression, ready to see things through.
We see Hau with his Decidueye, Pyrrha with her Typhlosion, Paige with her Blaziken, and Trent with his Greninja. All the Pokémon perform moves of their own before we shift over to Lusamine, who grins eerily while in the Ultra Deep Sea. Meanwhile, Guzma is trembling nearby.
The scene changes to Hau commanding his Noivern to use Boomburst to take down a wild Machoke, followed by Pyrrha instructing her Lapras to defeat a wild Boldore with Surf. Trent pumps his right fist forward before his Mightyena races ahead of him and takes out a Haunter with a Crunch. Finally, Paige's Medicham defeats a Lycanroc by using a High Jump Kick.
We cut to Calvin facing a Totem Kommo-o, who roars out angrily as his aura flares up. Calvin sends out Mimi as she charges forward. In the meantime, Erika has Sandslash use Icicle Crash against an Alolan Exeggutor, who swings its long neck to shatter the incoming icicles. What follows is the two of them arriving at the Altar of the Sunne alongside Lillie. They play the Sun and Moon Flutes together, causing the glyph to unleash a beam of multicolored light down onto the altar.
The last scene of the opening is Calvin and Erika in the Ultra Deep Sea with Lillie and Gladion. They all look up in horror to see the combined form of Lusamine and Nihilego. She stares at them with crazed, widened eyes before readying her tentacles…
END OPENING
Ultra Battle!
"Now… how shall we start this little game?" Lusamine wondered curiously with a maniacal grin upon her face, "Oh, I know!" she exclaimed in realization, "Let's leave it up to chance!" she decided. Hearing that, her Clefable started to stick up her fingers, waving them back and forth. They started to glow a bright white.
"That's… Metronome!" Erika immediately yelled upon recognizing the upcoming move. At that moment, the Fairy Pokémon sunk into a thin purple portal that appeared underneath herself.
"She's using Phantom Force!" Calvin realized.
"M-Meee…" Mimi squeaked, evidently frightened. At that moment, the purple portal appeared right behind her as Clefable rose up from it. She swiped at the shiny Mimikyu, causing her to yelp as she lurched forward.
"Mimi!" her trainer exclaimed. With the sound of a pop, the head of the Disguise Pokémon's costume sagged over.
"Keeeooooohhh…" she growled out, turning and glaring at Clefable, who blinked in surprise.
"Ahahahaha!" Lusamine laughed, "Your Mimikyu's quite angry it seems!" she pointed out, "Anger like that is so ugly…" she remarked disdainfully.
"Come out, Primarina!" Erika called out, getting her attention as she glanced over to see the Ketchum girl fling up a Poké Ball. It popped open, with its light spilling onto the ground and dissipating to reveal the Soloist Pokémon. "Sparkling Aria!" her trainer commanded.
"Mah!" she responded, standing up on her tail fins as her ponytail came undone. A bubble of shining blue water formed upon the tip of her pink nose, growing in size before bursting apart into several watery streaks that zipped towards the Aether Foundation president.
"Hm," she huffed uncaringly. Before the streaks could reach her, both her Lilligant and Milotic leapt in, taking them head on as they were enveloped in a white smoke. Erika blinked in surprise, seeing the two Pokémon land down and glare at her.
"Preemah…" Primarina yipped out cautiously.
"Your Primarina is such a beautiful Pokémon, Erika!" Lusamine complimented, getting the Ketchum girl's attention, "And thanks to you, she's become so strong!" she mentioned excitedly, "Though I doubt that'll help you now…" she added with a smirk, "ATTACK!" she commanded of her Pokémon. Lilligant pirouetted before unleashing a flurry of pink petals forward, while Milotic fired off a large jet of water from her mouth. Both attacks were about to hit the Soloist Pokémon, but all of a sudden, Sandslash leapt in and took them, shielding his teammate.
"Sandslash!" his trainer exclaimed in shock. The Alolan Mouse Pokémon found himself getting pushed back by the combined force of the attacks, but he stayed strong, withstanding them long enough before they subsided.
"Oh my…" Lusamine uttered in surprise, "But of course, those two aren't the only ones you need to worry about…" she pointed out as she smirked again. Without warning, Bewear landed in front of Sandslash, readying her front right leg as it glowed a bright white. She swung it towards the Alolan Mouse Pokémon, who immediately braced himself for the inevitable impact.
"Primarina, Moonblast!" Erika quickly ordered. Opening her mouth wide, the Soloist Pokémon had a golden aura shroud her body before a pink orb of energy formed in front of herself. She fired it out, striking Bewear in a small blast as she stumbled back.
"Keeee…" she growled out. Primarina slid over to Sandslash's side, giving him a reassuring nod of her head. He nodded back with gratitude, prepared to fight with her. However, their trio of their opponents glared them down, having an imposing presence to them. Erika gritted her teeth, while Lusamine silently chuckled.
"Now… I wonder how—?" The moment she turned to check on Calvin, she saw her Clefable crash against the ground hard, grimacing with agony. She blinked in surprise to see Mimi with both of her appendages out from beneath her cloak, glaring angrily at her foes as she hissed. Her trainer stood behind her with a determined look upon his face.
"Apparently, you guys forgot that you should never mess with a Mimikyu's costume…" he pointed out, giving off a grin towards the Aether Foundation president.
"Hm," she huffed while smiling herself, "I suppose that's true in of itself," she admitted, "But then again, a Mimikyu's only as strong as her trainer is smart…" she mentioned to his surprise. At that moment, Mismagius floated in as she formed a ball of purple-and-black energy in front of her mouth. She fired it off, striking Mimi in a powerful blast.
"Ah!" Calvin gasped.
"Mee… meee…" the shiny Disguise Pokémon groaned out as the smoke cleared, revealing that she was still standing. However, Lopunny suddenly dashed in, having flames cloak her arms as she reared her right one back, about to strike her target. Reacting quickly, Calvin pulled out and pressed the button upon his Net Ball, enlarging it.
"Araquanid, go!" he yelled, opening the spherical container as its light flowed out onto the ground in front of Mimi. It shaped into form, dissipating to reveal the Water Bubble Pokémon, who took the fiery punch as a small burst of steam came out from the impact.
"Kwwaaaahhhh…" he growled as his opponent hopped back.
"Well isn't that fascinating…" Lusamine grumbled out, narrowing her eyes.
"Liquidation!" Calvin commanded, pointing forward. Skittering forward, the Water Bubble Pokémon had the bubbles at his front legs shine a bright blue. In the meantime, Lopunny made orbs of yellow electricity crackle around her hands as she charged in. Araquanid raised his front legs, having water swirl out from the bubbles. They collided with his foe's fists, resulting in a powerful blast of smoke and wind rushing out.
Lillie and Calvin braced themselves from the impact's force, watching as the smoke slowly subsided. But when it did, the Ketchum boy blinked in surprise. Araquanid was backing down. In fact, he seemed… flustered.
"Kwaaahhh…" he squeaked out sheepishly as there was a redness upon his face. Lopunny giggled.
"Wh-What the heck?!" Calvin stuttered in confusion.
'Did Lopunny use Attract or something?!' he wondered inwardly, 'I didn't even see it!' he noted to himself.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Lusamine cackled again, "Your teamwork will mean nothing in the face of pure beauty and power!" she proclaimed. Watching from afar, Lillie grimaced. She glanced over to see Erika's Pokémon struggling to make a move onto the combined forces of Lilligant, Milotic, and Bewear. The Strong Arm Pokémon had a bronze energy waft around her body before charging forward. A golden force-field appeared in front of her as she slammed into Primarina, knocking her back in an instant.
"Primarina!" her trainer cried out, "Sandslash, Icicle Crash!" she commanded to the Alolan Mouse Pokémon.
"San!" he responded, exhaling a freezing blast of air up above it. Ice chunks formed into icy spears that flew out towards the Strong Arm Pokémon. Unfortunately, they were blown away by the powerful jet of water unleashed by Milotic.
"Ah!" Erika gasped. What followed was Bewear charging in again and slamming her glowing front right leg into Sandslash's stomach, sending him flying away. He crashed hard into a column, falling onto the ground while groaning in agony.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Lusamine cackled, "My, it seems Bewear doesn't even know her own strength now!" she pointed out excitedly as the Ketchum girl ran over quickly to check on her downed teammate, "Then again, an Ice-and-Steel-type like Sandslash would barely stand a chance against a Fighting-type…" she mentioned mockingly.
"Rrrrgghhh…!" Erika growled as her eyes flashed a bright violet. The Aether Foundation president cracked a smirk.
"Oh, poor little Erika…" she mumbled out, shaking her head, "Your ugliness is showing…" she remarked.
"THAT'S ENOUGH, MOTHER!" Lillie suddenly bellowed to everyone's surprise, "You can keep spouting whatever nonsense you'd like about me…" she said as her clenched fists trembled, "but don't you dare call either of my friends ugly!" she demanded angrily.
"Lillie…" both Calvin and Erika uttered out with small smiles, while Lusamine growled a little.
'Even if I can't do much, I have to help them overcome all of this…' the blonde-haired girl realized, taking on a determined expression, 'And I will!' she declared inwardly.
X
"Decidueye, Spirit Shackle!" Hau commanded from afar. The Arrow Quill Pokémon drew a projectile from his left wing, having a shadowy aura surround its tip. He set it onto the vine that he pulled back with his right wing while holding it with his left, firing it out. It looped around a Nihilego before piercing into its shadow upon the ground, followed by exploding to knock it away.
"Sidge!" Decidueye squawked proudly, withdrawing his vine from his wing.
"Nice work, Decidueye!" his trainer complimented. However, he grimaced upon seeing more of the Ultra Beasts coming. "Aw… nuts…" he grumbled out.
"Iron Head!" Gladion's voice ordered. All of a sudden, Silvally lunged in, cloaked in a whitish light that made him appear black and white. He slammed into a pair of the Nihilego, knocking them aside. One attempted to counterattack as it readied a pale pink beam outlined by a sparkling white energy, but was thwarted as Decidueye soared in, making the leaves at his tail glow a bright green and sharpen. He slashed at the Ultra Beast, sending it crashing into a column.
He landed down next to Silvally, exchanging a nod of gratitude with him. In the meantime, Gladion ran over to Hau.
"This is never-ending…" he muttered, breathing heavily with exhaustion.
"Yeah…" the ponytailed boy agreed, "Do you think we should just try to grab your mom and run?" he inquired of the former Team Skull enforcer. All of a sudden, they were bombarded with streams of purple poisonous liquid and pale pink beams of light. Fortunately, Silvally leapt out in front of them to take the attacks in a blast of white smoke. It subsided, allowing the two boys to see the dozens of Nihilego closing in on them.
"At this rate, they won't let us even get close to her…!" Gladion realized, grimacing in frustration. Back at the end of the pathway, his sister narrowed her eyes as she looked about the battlefield ahead of her. Right now, Mimi was struggling to battle against both Mismagius and Clefable, while Araquanid was still immobile from being infatuated with Lopunny. On the other side, Primarina and Sandslash seemed very weakened from battling the trio of Bewear, Lilligant, and Milotic. The former of the three had been especially challenging to try and best due to her insane strength.
Lillie knew this wasn't going to be an easy victory for either of the Ketchum twins. They needed help. And she was going to be there to provide it.
"Calvin, my mother's Lopunny has Cute Charm for her ability!" she told the capped boy, getting his attention, while Lusamine blinked in surprise, "Have one of your female Pokémon battle her to help snap Araquanid out of it!" she advised quickly.
"Right, got it!" he responded, reaching down to his belt and pulling off a Poké Ball, quickly enlarging it with a press of its button, "Tsareena, go!" he called out, throwing it forward. It popped open, with its light zipping onto the ground and dissipating to reveal the Fruit Pokémon.
"Sah…" she huffed, brushing her hair-like leaves back.
"Oh, so that's your game, hm?" the Aether Foundation president inferred, letting off a small smirk, "Well, let's see if you can really handle Lopunny's strength!" she bellowed. That enticed her Rabbit Pokémon to charge forward. An icy blue aura wafted off of both of her hands as she closed in, ready to strike her new opponent.
"Trop Kick!" Calvin commanded. In that very instant, the Fruit Pokémon made her right leg glow a bright green before she slammed it into Lopunny's torso, sending her flying back before she tumbled across the ground.
"Ah!" Lusamine gasped out.
"Reeee…" Tsareena growled. She looked back to Araquanid, who was still immobile. Though she hated being treated she was a little kid, she grew to appreciate the Water Bubble Pokémon for always being there to help her. So now it was her turn to return the favor.
"Let's keep this up, Tsareena!" her trainer called out, "Magical Leaf!" he ordered with a swing of his right arm. The Fruit Pokémon formed a greenish orb of energy upon her digit-less hands, firing off several glowing leaves from them. As she getting back onto her feet, Lopunny found herself getting bombarded by them. The Aether Foundation president growled.
"STOP HER!" she bellowed demandingly. Her Mismagius flew behind Tsareena, preparing a ring of red-orange fire in front of herself. She reared her head back, but was suddenly ambushed by Mimi, who struck her with her shadowy appendage, which was cloaked in a dark aura with a purple outline.
"Mee!" she squeaked to her teammate, who nodded gratefully in response.
"Erika, bring out your Oricorio!" Lillie called out to the Ketchum girl, who blinked in surprise, "Fire-types actually deal more damage to Bewear because of her ability, Fluffy!" she noted aloud.
"Fluffy?" Erika repeated in confusion. At that moment, the Strong Arm Pokémon closed in on her, causing her to gasp as she saw her raise up both of her front legs and made them shine a bright white. Fortunately, Sandslash rushed out in the nick of time, coating his body in a metallic sheen to take the attack as he stood his ground, gnashing his teeth together. "Sandslash!" his trainer exclaimed. Deciding to take action, she quickly pulled out and enlarged a Poké Ball off of her belt. "Oricorio, go!" she called out, tossing the spherical container up into the air.
It opened up, with its blue light shooting into the air. After it shaped into form, it dissipated to reveal the Dancing Pokémon, who glided about. Lusamine sneered.
"So is that your plan?!" she inquired with a laugh, "How pathetic!" she yelled. At that moment, her Milotic opened her mouth and unleashed a multicolored beam in the shape of a dragon's head, as it was about to engulf Oricorio. However, it was thwarted by a pink orb of energy that struck it, resulting in an implosion. Growling, the Aether Foundation president looked over to see Primarina breathing heavily with an exhausted look upon her face.
"Thanks for that, Primarina!" her trainer called out in gratitude with a thumbs up, "We'll take it from here!" she vowed, swinging her right arm forward, "Oricorio, Revelation Dance!" she commanded. The Dancing Pokémon landed down, readying her wings as embers flickered off of her feathers. She formed a fireball upon the tips, having it sear out towards Bewear. It slammed into her face first, causing her to stumble back as she appeared to wince in agony.
"Beeeee…" she growled, now taking on a more angered expression.
"Oh, shoot…" Erika grumbled out, seeing the Strong Arm Pokémon start charging forward again as a bronze aura enveloped her body. Even so, the Ketchum girl wasn't deterred as she remained determined. "Oricorio, Air Slash! Primarina, Icy Wind!" she quickly ordered. The Soloist Pokémon was the first to act, inhaling a deep breath before exhaling a freezing blast of air with light blue sparkles. It washed over the incoming Bewear, forming frost upon her body as she started to slow down.
That gave the Dancing Pokémon enough to make her wings shine a bright blue, unfolding them to unleash several shuriken-like blades of air. They all struck her approaching opponent, making her fall over onto her stomach and slowly come to a stop. The yellow aura that had been flaring up around her body completely disappeared as her eyes were in swirls.
"Yes! One down!" Erika exclaimed as she pumped her right fist.
"Ree~!" Oricorio chirped excitedly. However, that excitement quickly vanished when she was suddenly hit by a powerful jet of water, sending her flying back.
"Oricorio!" her trainer screamed. Fortunately, Primarina leapt in to catch the Dancing Pokémon, who was entirely soaked. "Huh…" the Ketchum girl exhaled in relief.
"Ahahahaha!" Lusamine laughed, "Don't think just because you managed to defeat one of my precious Pokémon, you're suddenly in the clear!" she advised mockingly. Her Milotic had water swirl around her tail as she slithered over to slam it against Primarina and Oricorio. Sandslash ran in and took the attack though, holding his foe back as he gritted his teeth.
"Sandslash…" Erika uttered, amazed by his resilience. And she wanted to return the favor. "Primarina, use Moonblast!" she ordered.
"Mah!" the Soloist Pokémon yipped in response. She had a golden aura waft off of her body before opening her mouth, having a pink orb of energy form in front of it. She fired it off, striking Milotic upside the head as she jerked it back from the impact. That allowed for Sandslash to run forward, charging towards Lilligant.
"STOP THEM! STOP ALL OF THEM!" Lusamine demanded angrily. Her resounding voice caused both of Pokémon to suddenly blink and hesitate.
"Sandslash, Ice Ball!" Erika commanded, "Primarina, Moonblast!" she ordered on. The Alolan Mouse Pokémon leapt up, glowing a bright blue as he somersaulted and crashed into Lilligant in a flurry of dirt and dust. Meanwhile, the Soloist Pokémon formed another pink energy orb in front of her open mouth, firing it off to strike Milotic in the head again as she fell over. As the dust settled, both of the Aether Foundation president's Pokémon were defeated, having swirls in their eyes as the yellow auras had left their bodies.
"No… no!" she growled out.
"Huh…" Erika sighed with relief, "Way to go, you guys!" she complimented to her teammates, getting their attentions. They all nodded tiredly, evidently more exhausted than they were the first time they got to battle Lusamine's Pokémon. She was evidently frustrated as her right eye twitched. Whipping around to see how her other three Pokémon were faring, she gasped to see Lopunny get kicked away by Tsareena and crash hard into a column.
"Lahhhh…" she groaned before falling onto the ground in a heap, losing her yellow aura as swirls were in her eyes. With that, Araquanid regained himself as he shook his head. He looked to see the Fruit Pokémon there, who sighed with relief upon seeing that he was okay.
"Kwahh!" he squeaked gratefully, causing her to blush in embarrassment and turn away. In the meantime, Mimi was evading the purple-and-black balls of energy shot her way from Mismagius, who seemed to be cornering her.
"Mimi!" her trainer cried out, getting her attention. She suddenly found herself backed against a column, widening her eyes in fright as her opponent prepared another ball of purple-and-black energy with dark sparks crackling around it.
"M-Meee…" she squeaked, bracing herself for the inevitable impact. But it never came. That was because Araquanid had jumped out while cloaked in a yellowish-green aura, colliding with the Magical Pokémon and knocking her aside.
"Nice one, Araquanid!" Calvin complimented with a pump of his fist.
"Kwaahhh!" the Water Bubble Pokémon responded. He then noticed Mismagius float back over to him, opening her mouth as a pale pink orb of light surrounded by a sparkling white energy formed in front of her.
"Liquidation!" the Ketchum boy commanded. Making the bubbles at his front legs shine brightly, Araquanid brought them up before unleashing torrents of water from them. They slammed into the pale pink beam his foe unleashed, being at a deadlock. However, it only lasted for a few moments as the water torrents made the beam break apart, striking Mismagius and sending her crashing into a nearby column. She fell down in a heap, losing the yellow aura surrounding her form as her eyes were in swirls.
Lusamine was stunned. Five of her Pokémon were already defeated. And yet, as tired as they were, none of her foes' Pokémon were taken down. She growled angrily.
"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" she bellowed angrily, "I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE WORLD THAT TOOK MY LIFE AWAY FROM ME THAT DAY!" she proclaimed as tears were pricking her eyes, "You can't imagine the sorrow and hardships I had to bear from then on…!" she whimpered out, "I JUST WANT TO BE WITH THE THINGS I LOVE!" she yelled emphatically.
"Mother…" Lillie uttered out as her eyes slightly widened.
"Klehh… fayy?" Clefable uttered out, losing the aura surrounding her body as she blinked twice. Mimi was about to attack her with her two appendages, but rescinded from seeing the Fairy Pokémon appear to calm down. Within her fused state with Nihilego, Lusamine clenched her teeth together.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she screamed out angrily, resulting in a shockwave that blew those around her back as they tumbled along the ground. The only person that remained on their feet after the whole ordeal ended was Lillie, who kept herself standing firm.
"I think I understand…" she realized, stepping forward.
"Ah, Lillie!" Calvin yelped as he was tending to Mimi.
"Wait, it's too dangerous!" Erika cried out in warning while helping Oricorio back onto her feet.
"It's okay," the blonde-haired girl assured to her friends, "There's one more thing I need to say," she said, approaching the floating form of her mother. She took a deep breath. "I hate you!" she screamed out to everyone's surprise, "I don't know how long it's been since we lost our father, but I've always hated you for everything you did ever since!" she confessed emphatically as tears pricked her eyes, "You used to actually care for me and Gladion… You used to be kind!" she pointed out, letting her tears drip down onto the ground, "I know losing our father was hard on you especially…" she mentioned, "but we shouldn't be victims of your grief!" she proclaimed, "You shouldn't be either!" she added seriously to her mother's surprise, "You've let these Ultra Beasts twist you into something so sickening and awful…" she whimpered out, balling her fists tightly.
"Lillie…" Calvin uttered out.
"I know you're still in there somewhere, Mother!" the ponytailed girl proclaimed, reaching her right hand out, "Whether it's a small part of you or not, you still want to be someone who can be there for others!" she pointed out, "So please!" she pleaded desperately, "Be there for me… and our family!" she screamed. In that very instant, the light returned to the Aether Foundation president's eyes. Slowly, she pulled her right hand out and had it extend toward her daughter, who gasped happily.
"No way…" Erika uttered in disbelief. Calvin started to smile, but then blinked in surprise to see the purple, slime-like mass enveloping Lusamine's body inside Nihilego's bell.
"MOTHER!" Lillie screamed, seeing her become completely overtaken by the Ultra Beast. It then raised its tentacles, unleashing pale pink beams of light from them, all aimed to strike the blonde-haired girl.
"Lillie, no!" Erika cried out. Her friend flinched, shutting her eyes and bracing herself for the inevitable impact. But fortunately, it never came. She opened her eyes to find Solgaleo there, glaring angrily at the possessive Nihilego.
"N-Nebby…" Lillie stuttered out.
"Solll…" it huffed assuredly to her surprise, taking on a ready stance. Its body had reverted back to its normal colors, but it appeared ready to fight. And the girl behind it realized that.
"Please, Solgaleo!" she pleaded. Leaping up, the Sunne Pokémon had the starscape at its forehead shine with streaks as the third eye marking appeared. The Nihilego approached it, but was suddenly blown back by an orange energy unleashed by its foe. A flash of light erupted as everyone from afar could spot it. The other Ultra Beasts floated away, appearing to scurry off out of fright. Seeing that, Gladion immediately boarded Silvally.
"Let's go!" he called out to his colleagues, getting their attentions as they saw him hurry off.
"Hey, wait up!" Hau yelled, hurrying after with him as Pyrrha, Paige, and Trent followed along with their Pokémon. The light subsided afterwards, revealing that the Nihilego entrapping Lusamine was downed, but far from defeated. It rose up from the ground, prepared to attack again. Both Calvin and Erika readied Poké Balls in their hands. But all of a sudden…
"Razor Shell!" a familiar voice commanded. Without warning, a Golisopod rushed in and slashed at the Ultra Beast with the blue blade of energy coming off from his large right forearm. It flew back a few feet, seemingly regaining itself.
"Wait… you're…!" Erika started to realize upon seeing the Hard Shell Pokémon there.
"Heads up!" her brother called out, seeing the Nihilego rise up from the ground. All of a sudden though, a purple shine came off of its body, followed by an implosion of light. Gladion and the others arrived just in time to find that Lusamine had gotten herself fully separated from Nihilego. She fell gently onto the ground as the Beast Ball she had used to contain the Ultra Beast plopped down with her. It rolled over to Erika, who immediately stomped on it with her right foot, crushing it into pieces. The Nihilego frightfully floated away, leaving its host behind as she lied upon the ground.
"Mother!" Lillie cried out, quickly going over to her. In the meantime, Calvin glanced over to see Guzma approach, returning his Golisopod to his Ultra Ball in a beam of red light. He shared a glance with the Ketchum boy, who was surprised to see him actually help at all, especially after what he had gone through.
"Mom!" Gladion exclaimed, hopping off of Silvally and hurrying over to join his sister as they crouched down next to the downed Aether Foundation president. Her eyes fluttered open as she looked up to see her two children.
"Gladion… Lillie…" she uttered out.
"Mother, we're here!" her daughter assured, grabbing her by her right arm, "Just hang in there, please!" she pleaded, "There's still so much I need to tell you after all this time!" she proclaimed as tears were pricking her eyes.
"Lillie…" Lusamine said, giving off a soft smile. She moved her right hand up to caress her daughter's cheek as she cried. She held onto it with her left hand, nodding to confirm to the others that she was fine, but was also emotionally spent from trying to keep it all together. "Heh…" her mother laughed, starting to tear up herself. She pulled her hand back… and poked Lillie's nose with her pointer finger. "When did you… become so beautiful…?" she wondered aloud before passing out completely.
Everyone around watched on with astonished expressions. After everything… it was all over. Lillie found herself smiling a little.
"I guess that's that…" Trent realized, returning his Skarmory to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light.
"Yeah," Paige agreed as she recalled her Mudsdale back to his Poké Ball. Pyrrha and Hau did the same for their Pokémon, as did Gladion for Silvally. While Erika and Calvin returned their own Pokémon to their respective Poké Balls, they looked to see Lillie stand back up and exhale a breath of relief.
"Lillie… you're okay… right?" the Ketchum girl asked her ponytailed friend, getting her attention as she stood up from the ground.
"I'll be fine…" she vowed, "We have my mother back, along with Mister Guzma," she pointed out, giving off a grin. Seeing that expression prompted Erika to smile back. All of a sudden though, there was a rumbling about the area.
"Wh-Whoa!" Calvin yelped out as he stumbled a few feet back.
"What's happening?!" Pyrrha exclaimed in question.
"Over there!" Paige pointed out, causing everyone to look and see a huge swarm of Nihilego closing in on them.
"There's… so many of them!" Trent noted as he grimaced.
"We were barely able to handle a lot of 'em earlier…" Hau mentioned in remembrance, "Now what?!" he questioned frantically.
"SOLLLLLL!" Solgaleo roared as he charged over, gathering with the group. Acting quickly, both Gladion and Lillie picked up their unconscious mother, holding her arms over their shoulders. Unfortunately, it seemed as if the Ultra Beasts were still going to catch them. However, the Sunne Pokémon made the third eye marking upon its starscape reappear, with its body turning a pale, shining yellow. A bright light similar to the sun expanded from it, engulfing each of the people around as they yelped in surprise. The luminosity swallowed up the Ketchum twins last before disappearing completely, leaving the Nihilego without any targets.
X
"Huh…?" Lillie uttered out, opening her eyes to find that she and the others were back upon the Altar of the Sunne. She turned her head to see Solgaleo there, now back to its normal colors.
"We… made it back…" her brother realized, getting her attention, "The legendary Pokémon really are amazing, huh?" he assumed, letting off a chuckle. His sister laughed a little herself, happy that things had worked out.
"Huh…" Guzma exhaled, sounding relieved.
"You doing okay, Guzma?" Hau asked out of concern, getting his attention as he blinked in surprise.
"What's it to you, ya brat?" he inquired back, "I ain't someone you care about, I bet…" he grumbled.
"Well, yeah…" the ponytailed boy noted in reply, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "But I heard that the guys on Team Skull were really worried about you, especially since you left out of the blue," he mentioned in explanation, much to the gang leader's surprise. He glanced back at Hau incredulously before scoffing.
"That's just dumb word-of-mouth garbage…" he grumbled, starting to walk away.
"Oh, you're all back!" a familiar voice called out. Erika looked over and smiled to see Hapu there with her Mudsdale.
"Hapu!" she exclaimed, waving to the kahuna. She blinked in surprise upon spotting Solgaleo there, widening her eyes.
"I figured y'all might've needed an extra hand or two during this whole plan you were pullin' off," Hapu admitted as she sheepishly rubbed the back of her head, "But lo and behold, ya actually pulled it off!" she pointed out with a chuckle.
"Yeah, we did!" Erika exclaimed as she smiled brightly. At that moment, she felt a sudden vibration from her bag. Rising up out of it was none other than Rotom, who seemed rather dazed.
"Bzzzztttt…" it buzzed tiredly, "How long wazzz I out, zzt?" it asked.
"Rotodex!" Erika squeaked, happily embracing the Pokédex as it yelped in surprise.
"H-Hi, Erika!" it stuttered out, surprised from being shown such an affectionate gesture upon waking up. Everyone around laughed heartily, glad to see that things had finally settled back to normal. However, Hapu took notice of Lusamine in Lillie and Gladion's arms.
"That's your mother, right?" she guessed as she approached.
"Yes…" the blonde-haired girl confirmed in reply with a nod.
"We're going to need help getting her back to town…" the former Team Skull enforcer pointed out.
"Not to worry," the kahuna assured, "Mudsdale'll be happy to lend a hoof," she noted with a small grin. She then looked over to Guzma. "Think you can give us a hand with getting her onboard?" she requested of him as he blinked in surprise.
"Uh… sure…" he replied unsurely, scratching at his cheek sheepishly. Moments later, he was holding the unconscious Aether Foundation president up as they were aboard the Draft Horse Pokémon. Hapu started to head down the steps, guiding her partner along.
"I'm gonna head over with them," Gladion decided, turning to his sister, "Lillie—"
"I'll catch up," she promised with a nod, giving him a soft smile. He grinned back, jogging off after the others.
"This… feels a little bittersweet…" Paige admitted after a moment, folding her arms behind her head.
"Is it weird for me to be worried about Miss Lusamine now?" Pyrrha inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"I wouldn't worry," Lillie said reassuringly, getting their attentions, "My mother's really stubborn…" she muttered with a giggle, "She won't let something like this bring her down," she stated firmly, turning to face her friends, who all smiled.
"Solll!" Solgaleo proudly huffed, causing everyone to yelp in surprise.
"Solgaleo'zzz still here, zzt!" Rotom buzzed out. Lillie approached the Sunne Pokémon, giving off a thankful smile.
"Solgaleo…" she began, clutching the straps of her backpack tightly, "all I ever wanted to do was to help you get back to your home…" she confessed, "But instead you helped me, over and over…" she recalled, lowering her head ashamedly.
"Lillie…" Erika uttered worriedly, while the others gave off saddened expressions. However, they saw the blonde-haired girl start smiling again as she lifted her head back up.
"Thank you…" she said with gratitude, "Thank you so much!" she added happily.
"La-a-a!" Solgaleo exclaimed in response, digging its front right paw against the dais it was upon. Everyone blinked in surprise.
"What'zzz wrong?" Rotom wondered aloud.
"Solll!" the Sunne Pokémon roared, staring intently at Lillie. She blinked in surprise before widening her eyes out of realization, grinning again.
"Shall I guess what it is that you're trying to tell us?" she assumed rhetorically, "You… want to keep traveling together with everyone and me, right?" she inquired.
"Sol," Solgaleo answered with a simple nod. Lillie giggled into her right hand.
"Looks like I was right!" she realized as everyone around chuckled, "Of course I was…" she mumbled out, "After all, we've been together for so long…" she noted, "We're family now, aren't we?" she guessed, "I can tell how you feel," she added, "Because I feel the same!" she announced happily.
"We do, too!" Erika chimed in as she jogged over to her friend's right with a bright smile.
"Yeah," Calvin agreed, trotting up to his sister and the blonde-haired girl.
"We've been through so much together, traveling through each of Alola's islands and meeting a lot of great people along the way," she pointed out, "Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet… Kahuna Hala and his grandson Hau…" she listed off as the ponytail boy nearby perked up in surprise, "and of course, the heroes who helped appear to save you when those Spearow attacked," she kept going, looking to the Ketchum twins and smiling, "Calvin and Erika," she said, "And we met so many others…" she mentioned, "I'm not sure what the world you came from was like, but Alola is pretty great, too!" she noted happily, "So of course you want to see it all!" she concluded.
"Sol gah!" the Sunne Pokémon exclaimed, evidently excited about such a prospect.
"But… it can't be with me…" Lillie admitted to everyone's surprise, "I'm not a trainer, Nebby," she pointed out, "I can't really take you on the adventures you want," she mentioned, "I couldn't give you the fierce battles you want," she added on.
"Lillie…" Calvin uttered. It seemed like she was being unfair to the Pokémon she helped take care of after all this time. However, she then turned to him.
"Calvin… I want you to face Nebby as only a Pokémon Trainer can," she requested, "And give it a ball to call home," she mentioned, "I know this is what Nebby wants…" she said, lowering her head a little, "It doesn't want its journey with you to end," she pointed out, "And I want you to grant it this wish!" she proclaimed. Hearing that, the Ketchum boy took on a determined smile.
"I'll do my best…" he assured while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "but Nebby's a lot stronger than before…" he pointed out, sounding nervous.
"Don't sweat it, Calvin!" Erika exclaimed as she raised her right fist into the air, "You've got this!" she declared.
"Yeah!" Hau yelled in agreement, "Go get 'em, cuz!" he cheered. The Ketchum boy smiled, turning to face the Sunne Pokémon. A few moments later, everyone else stood off to the side as Solgaleo and Calvin faced each other, separated by a few dozen yards. The latter prepared a Poké Ball off of his belt, enlarging it with a press of its button.
"Incineroar, I choose you!" he called out, tossing it up into the air. It popped open, with its blue light zipping down and forming upon the ground, dissipating to reveal the Heel Pokémon.
"Sehh rawwwrrr!" she roared proudly. She then caught sight of her opponent, blinking in surprise to find that it was Solgaleo. It narrowed its eyes onto her, ready to pounce at any given moment.
"Let's start this off strong!" Calvin insisted, "Flamethrower!" he commanded with a swing of his right arm. Igniting her flame belt, Incineroar unleashed a powerful stream of fire towards the Sunne Pokémon. It had a starry aura shroud its body before a reddish light flowed up it. The flames struck, but it seemed unaffected by them.
"That was Cosmic Power!" Lillie noted from afar as she braced herself from the heat of the fire.
"Rotodex, what's Solgaleo's type?" Erika asked of her Pokédex, getting its attention.
"A Steel-and-Psychic-type, zzt," it buzzed in response, "But still it'zzz a Legendary Pokémon…" it noted.
"Yeah…" its user agreed, "This isn't gonna be easy for anyone…" she pointed out, balling her hands into fists.
"Incineroar, Darkest Lariat!" Calvin ordered. The Heel Pokémon had dark red flames erupt upon her hands before spinning forward. As the flames subsided around it, Solgaleo lunged out and opened its mouth, making its teeth shine a bright white and sharpen. Just as Incineroar approached, it snatched her right arm with its teeth, causing her to stop. "Ah!" her trainer gasped in surprise, while everyone widened their eyes.
The Sunne Pokémon then swung her opponent around mightily before flinging her away. She landed upon the ground hard upon her stomach, groaning with agony as she pushed herself back up onto her feet.
"We're not done yet!" Calvin proclaimed, "Cross Chop!" he commanded, pumping his right fist out. Turning around and rushing forward, Incineroar leapt out at her opponent, crossing her arms over her face as they glowed a bright orange. She swiped hard upon reaching Solgaleo, sending it sliding back upon impact as it appeared to wince.
However, it started to have flames billow around its body, becoming surrounded by them. The Ketchum boy gasped as he saw it lunge forward in an instant, slamming hard into Incineroar before she could even attempt to do anything. She hit the ground hard upon her back, gritting her teeth in pain as she struggled to get back up.
"Now that was Flare Blitz!" Paige pointed out, blinking rapidly.
"Those moves might not be very effective, but…" Trent started to say.
"Incineroar looks like she's already taken a beating…" Pyrrha finished for him.
"Don't give up, Cal!" Hau cried out, raising his fist into the air.
'This definitely isn't good…' the Ketchum boy noted inwardly as his partner slowly got onto her feet, 'We have to find a way to overcome all of Solgaleo's new strength…' he told himself, putting his hand onto his chin in thought.
"Incineroar, use Darkest Lariat!" he ordered, pointing forward.
"Rawr!" the Heel Pokémon responded, igniting dark red flames upon her hands before spinning forward again. Fire billowed and surrounded Solgaleo as he launched out at his foe once more. The two collided, resulting in a fierce blast upon impact. Everyone braced themselves from the force of the fiery shockwave, shutting their eyes.
"One more time!" Calvin yelled out. It was as if Incineroar found her second wind, steeling herself and charging in to strike the Sunne Pokémon as she spun into. It slid back, groaning a little in pain. However, it made its starscape start glowing, with its skin turning a shining pale yellow as the rest of its body except for its nose illuminate with a bright gold light.
Everyone watched in awe as it leapt up into the air, enveloping itself in a sun-like, orange-yellow orb before diving down through a beam shot from it. Incineroar had no time to dodge, having to take the sudden attack as Solgaleo slammed into her fiercely. Dust and dirt billowed about as Calvin grimaced.
"Incineroar, are you okay?!" he called out in question. The clouds of dirt cleared aside, allowing him to sigh with relief upon spotting that the Heel Pokémon was still standing, though she breathed heavily with exhaustion. Her opponent was still standing as well, seeming less tired.
"This is crazy…" Trent muttered out, quite stunned by the current state of affairs.
"Is Calvin gonna lose?" Pyrrha wondered aloud.
"No he won't," Paige stated firmly, "He's strong… and so are his Pokémon," she mentioned with a confident grin.
"Yeah!" Hau agreed.
"Come on, Calvin!" Erika cried out as she pumped up her right fist.
"You can do this!" Lillie cheered. Hearing everyone have faith in him made the Ketchum boy smile. He knew that he couldn't let any of them down. Not now. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Incinium Z he received from Nanu, setting it onto his Z-Power Ring.
'We can do this!' he inwardly declared. He looked to Incineroar, who glanced back and grinned, exchanging a nod with her trainer.
"Let's go!" he exclaimed, crossing his arms over his face to make the Z-Crystal flash brightly. The Heel Pokémon copied his motions as he swung his arms around and extended them out, rising up from the ground like an undead zombie. The reddish light that had been building around his body shot out in streaks to Incineroar. They merged with her body, followed by the Z-Move symbol flashing in front of her.
Solgaleo took on a prepared stance, ready to take the incoming attack. Her opponent grinned widely. She looked back to her trainer one last time.
"It's time for us to take the victory!" he announced, closing his right hand into a clenched fist, "Take 'em down, Incineroar!" he called out, enticing her to build up an orange-red fire around her body, "MALICIOUS… MOONSAULT!" he exclaimed. At that moment, the Heel Pokémon launched herself up into the air like a rocket thanks to the fire billowing around her. She dove down chest first towards Solgaleo, who kept itself firmly in place. She collided with it in a fierce explosion, resulting in everyone almost getting knocked down by the shockwave, including her own trainer.
When the dust settled moments later, it revealed that both Incineroar and Solgaleo were still standing. However, after a moment, they started to keel over slightly. Recognizing this as the best opportunity, Calvin quickly readied a Poké Ball in his right hand, pressing its center button.
He threw it forward, and it bounced off of the Sunne Pokémon's starscape. In that moment, it closed its eyes in acceptance, letting itself become a reddish light that zipped into the spherical container once it popped open. It closed up, falling onto the dais. Its button blinked a bright red as it shook, while everyone watched intently. After a few moments, it came to a stop with the sound of a click as its button turned green for a second.
"Yes!" Calvin exclaimed excitedly, jogging over. Everyone looked on in amazement, stunned as to how the Ketchum boy had managed to catch such a legendary being. He picked up the Poké Ball, staring at it as his face reflected off of the red top half. He turned to Incineroar, who forced a grin as she winced. Fortunately, Erika and Lillie came over to help her stand up. The latter of the two girls then looked over to the capped boy.
"You did it…" she pointed out in a complimentary tone.
"Couldn't have done it without your help," Calvin remarked back to her surprise, making her giggle, "And besides…" he continued, handing her the Poké Ball, "Nebby belongs with you," he noted. She blinked in astonishment before letting out a gasp.
"Oh… no, I could—!"
"Lillie," the Ketchum boy interjected firmly, "You've been taking care of Nebby since day one, and it's obvious that it really wants to keep traveling with you," he pointed out, "Even if you've gotta take a break for now, there's still a lot you can do for it," he mentioned, "Besides, I think Nebby needs a break itself," he added as he laughed. The blonde-haired girl blinked in shock, looking at the Poké Ball placed into her hand. She held onto it firmly, pulling it close to her chest and cradling it as if it were her own child.
"Thank you so much… Calvin," she said in gratitude, followed by walking up and granting him a warm hug. He was evidently caught by surprise, blushing a bright red. His sister giggled at how embarrassed he was, while the others around gave him soft smiles. He gave way finally and hugged Lillie back. They stayed embraced for a few more moments before finally letting go.
"So… you're gonna go check on your mom now, right?" he guessed.
"Yeah," the blonde-haired girl answered with a nod, "And I promise when all's well… I'll journey with Nebby like you've journeyed with your Pokémon!" she vowed additionally.
"And someday, we'll battle!" Erika declared to her surprise, "Nebby seemed to like fighting Calvin!" she pointed out.
"That's true!" Lillie agreed, sharing a laugh with the Ketchum twins, "Calvin… Erika…" she uttered out, "Thank you both so much for all you've done for me," she told them gratefully, "I promise that I'll return the favor to you someday," she assured to them, "But for now… Gladion and I need to make sure our mother's well," she noted, turning around and walking off.
"See you later, Lillie!" Hau called out in farewell.
"We'll see you real soon!" Pyrrha added in a shout, "That's a promise!" she mentioned firmly.
"Take care," Trent remarked with a small wave.
"Be well, okay?" Paige requested. Hearing their farewells made Lillie inwardly sad. But at the same time, she was happy. She had made such good friends, especially the ones who helped her most. She turned around to see Calvin and Erika one last time.
"Alola!" she exclaimed, waving her right hand. The Ketchum twins both smiled, watching her head off down the steps from the altar while waving goodbye themselves. It was a bittersweet moment. But they knew that their friend had other priorities.
"So uh… now what?" Trent asked, arching an eyebrow.
"You two still gotta take that last trial from Mina, right?" Pyrrha inquired of the Ketchum twins as she blinked twice, getting their attentions.
"Yeah, me too!" Hau chimed in, "But… I think I'm gonna take a bit of a break after all these crazy adventures we've had…" he admitted.
"Yeah, we need a break ourselves…" Erika agreed sheepishly.
"Well, you might get more than that for a while," a familiar voice pointed out, getting their attentions. They looked over and gasped in surprise to see Mina herself there. "That was quite the show you put on…" she noted, "Too bad I didn't get a chance to paint us…" she mumbled out.
"M-Mina!" the Ketchum girl stuttered, "Wait, what are you even doing here?" she asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.
"Here to pick you all up and get you back to the village per request," the trial captain responded.
"Oh, to do our trial?" Erika guessed, "Well… we're kinda worn out and—"
"No, it's not about your trial," Mina interrupted to her surprise, "I think you'll probably wish it was though…" she admitted, glancing off to the side.
"What do you mean?" Calvin asked, blinking in confusion. A while passed before the entire group was returned to the Seafolk Village, heading into the Pokémon Center after Mina. The Ketchum twins were concerned about how vague she was being about what was going on and who requested that they come. But those questions were immediately thrown out the window when they saw their parents and their sister there.
"Dad?! Mom?!" they both exclaimed in shock upon seeing them.
"Hey you two…" Leslie greeted, getting their attentions, "From what we heard, you've been busy…" she noted, gesturing over to their parents, who stared at the twins intently.
"Uh…" Erika uttered out, sweating madly. Meanwhile, her brother gulped.
'We're in trouble…' he realized inwardly.
ENDING
Insert "Selfish" by Madison Beer
Opens with Lillie lying on a sleeping bag, staring up at the stars while everyone's camped out around her. She closes her eyes, thinking back to a time when she and her family were happy.
We cut to her as a little girl, sleeping in bed with her mother. She appears content as Lusamine brushes her hair back and giggles happily.
Later, we see Lillie playing with a Clefairy and a Buneary alongside Gladion as they roam about the conservation area of Aether Paradise. Wicke and Faba watch on with smiles, as do Lusamine and Mohn. A while passes before Mohn holds his daughter by her little hand, walking along with her down a pathway. She smiles and momentarily closes her eyes. But when she opens them, she finds that her father is no longer there.
She's wearing her normal white dress and sunhat as she finds herself lost amongst the sea of Aether Foundation employees. She finds herself feeling all the more trapped in a place she once called home, hearing her mother's maniacal laughter. She covers her ears, whimpering with fright. However, she spots a faint light in the near distance. She approaches it and blinks in surprise to find that it's Cosmog.
Later on, we see her running through the conservation area with Nebby in her bag, trying to flee from the Aether Foundation employees after her. She finds herself surrounded, but all of a sudden, the Cosmog emits a starry glow that envelops both of them, causing them to disappear instantaneously. When Lillie wakes up, she finds herself on a beach as she cradles a weakened Nebby in her arms. She's then approached by Kukui and Burnet, who are both quite surprised.
A while passes before Lillie starts to live with the couple, as Burnet helps her out with Nebby and acts like a mother to her. Time goes on, and Lillie heads up to the Ruins of Conflict at Nebby's behest, followed by the incident in which Calvin and Erika helped to save it from falling into in the ravine below. After meeting the twins, Lillie found herself becoming much more active.
In spite of her fears, she helped support Calvin and Erika throughout their island challenges, while they helped her with Nebby. It's come to the point that she can really think of them as true friends. The scene changes to after her mother's disappeared through the Ultra Wormhole. She drops her duffel bag and tears up in horror and anguish.
She opens her eyes and sits up on her sleeping bag, folding her arms over herself and curling her knees in. Somber for a moment, she then looks at the snoozing forms of Calvin and Erika. She smiles, looking back up at the stars. Inwardly, she vows to do whatever she can to support them and save Nebby and her mother…
END ENDING
And that's 59 chapters in the books! We're getting so close to the end of this arc of the story, and I'm stoked for us to get closer to things getting really fun! But of course, we still need to get through the remainder of "Avengers: Omni Force" and prep for the upcoming Infinity Stone stories.
At the time I'm writing this, it's near the end of October of last year. I'm so proud of my progress and should have a lot of content prepared in advance in the coming months. You're gonna love the rest of "Avengers: Omni Force", "The Challenge of a Lifetime", and the new stories like "Mind" coming next month. But until then, here's a summary to hold you over!
SUMMARY
In the wake of rescuing Lusamine, the Ketchum twins are faced with a brand new challenge: their parents! Can they convince them not to postpone their island challenge, even with the threat of Ultra Beasts lurking around the corner?!
END SUMMARY
That's all for now, you guys! See you all later!