Alola, everyone! We're at 60 chapters now and three-fifths of the way done with this monster of a story! I know you're probably all ready to see what happens in "Avengers: Omni Force", but that'll have to wait. Schedules exist for a reason.
Last time we left off, our heroes managed to put a stop to Lusamine's deranged madness and bring her and Guzma back from the Ultra Space! But now, in a surprise twist, the Ketchums have arrived on Poni Island to see the twins! What'll happen now?
Well, let's find out!
POKÉMON SUN & MOON
THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME
It was a breezy dusk at Aether Paradise as many of the employees were hard at work, cleaning up the messes from the recent battles that had occurred. Milo and Selene were at the docks, moving around crates with the help of their Pokémon. The latter of the two seemed relatively despondent, more so than usual.
"Huh…" the former exhaled, looking around the docks, "Those kids really did a number on the place…" he noted aloud, "We totally underestimated them…" he mentioned in admittance.
"Mm," Selene hummed with a nod of agreement. She was really mellowed out, much more than normal. Having experienced the harsh and cruel nature of Lusamine against her own daughter, the employee was left quite troubled. "She came back just a little while ago, didn't she?" she inquired of her partner, getting his attention.
"Oh, yeah," he responded, "She wasn't in the best shape from what I heard happened…" he pointed out as he scratched at his right cheek, "I think they're taking care of her right now," he mentioned. At the estate on the end of the artificial island, the Aether Foundation president was lying in a bed with an I.V. attached to her right arm as she writhed a little in her sleep. Both Gladion and Lillie stood beside her with worried expressions upon their faces.
"What's her condition?" the former asked of Wicke, who stood by with a tablet in her hands.
"Your mother's suffering from the neurotoxins of Nihilego, which likely occurred during the time they had been fused together," she explained in reply, "It's damaged her nervous system in a way that she won't recover so easily from…" she added grimly.
"No…" Lillie uttered worriedly, while her brother grimaced in frustration.
"Thankfully, we've managed to keep her stable," the assistant assured, "Had you not brought her here as soon as you did…" she started to say, exhaling a sigh, "I can't imagine what you two had to go through to get her back from that awful place…" she noted to Gladion and Lillie.
"It didn't matter what we needed to go through," the former enforcer retorted, glancing off to the side, "We had to save her," he stated, while his sister moved closer and placed her right hand atop her mother's. Remembering her last words back in the Ultra Space, she exhaled a deep breath.
"Mother… we're going to help you get better," she vowed as her brother and Wicke looked over at her in surprise, "After all, you need to hear everything else I need to tell you…" she mentioned firmly. Gladion gave her a small grin. They had succeeded in bringing their mother back from the brink of no return. But only time would tell if she could truly change.
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
A Mother's Love
"What are you doing here?" Erika asked in shock as she and Calvin looked over to their parents and their big sister with shaking eyes.
"We've heard about you've been going through these past few days," Mirajane answered, approaching the twins, "And how dangerous it is…" she mentioned firmly. Her son gulped audibly.
"M-Missus Ketchum?" Pyrrha stuttered out, chiming into the conversation as she got the Take-Over wizard's attention, "To be fair, the trial captain and the kahuna were helping us out, so it wasn't like we didn't have adults helping us…" she told her.
"I'm not really an adult yet," Mina bluntly chimed in as she raised her hand.
"And don't think that excuse gets you out of this…" another voice added, causing Pyrrha to shiver in surprise. She slowly turned to see her own mother there with her arms folded over her chest.
"M-M-M-Mom?!" she stammered in disbelief.
'Even she came along with Mom and Dad…?!' Calvin inquired inwardly out of surprise. He then noticed Hau nervously trying to sneak away. Unfortunately, he was caught by the back of his shirt's collar as Ash held onto it.
"Sorry, Hau," he apologized as his nephew looked back at him with a grimace, "But we're here for Lisanna and Sawyer, too," he pointed out, making him pale a little.
"Huh…" Mirajane exhaled, "Honestly, I couldn't believe what Kukui told us about the Ultra Beasts and what happened on Ula'ula and Aether Paradise…" she mentioned, putting her hand onto her head out of exasperation. Hearing that, Erika ashamedly lowered her head. It was very likely that the professor had told her parents about what happened in the Malie Garden that day when Guzma defeated her, too.
"So… why are you here?" Calvin asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Huh…" his father sighed out as Pikachu was perched upon his shoulder, "We're taking you kids back home," he said. The four trial-goers all widened their eyes in surprise.
"B-But why…?" Hau stuttered in question.
"With the Ultra Beasts roaming around Alola, it's dangerous for anyone to go out on adventures right now," his aunt explained as a response, "especially for kids like you," she mentioned firmly.
"But our island challenge—!"
"Until things calm down, you're not continuing the island challenge," Sunset stated, interrupting her daughter, "That's final," she additionally affirmed. Pyrrha lowered her head sadly, while both Calvin and Hau glanced away. Seeing their defeated expressions so suddenly stirred something in Erika as she clenched her fists.
"That's not fair!" she yelled out to everyone's surprise, "You had to deal with dangerous stuff during your journeys too, right Dad?!" she inquired of Ash, who blinked in surprise.
"Well… yeah…" he responded while sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, "But this is a lot different…" he pointed out, "I never dealt with Ultra Beasts before," he noted.
"But you've fought with Legendary Pokémon!" Calvin retorted.
"Yeah, and Cal just caught one today!" Hau mentioned, causing his cousin to flinch, while the other Ketchums blinked in surprise.
"Wh-What?" Mirajane stuttered in question.
"You… caught a Legendary Pokémon?" Leslie asked of her brother, who pursed his lips.
"…Yeah…" he meekly answered, "But… it's not with me right now…" he added as his cheeks flushed a bright red.
"Huh…" Sunset sighed, putting a hand onto her head.
"Why… aren't Dad and Laura here, too?" Pyrrha asked, getting her attention.
"Got held up with some things," she replied, "More importantly, I get the whole spiel about how we got into trouble as kids like you did, so it shouldn't be a problem," she told the trial-goers, "Thing is, as your parents, we don't want you to get hurt," she stated firmly.
"And it isn't like you'll miss out on your island challenge forever," Mirajane added, "It'll only be until the situation with the Ultra Beasts gets resolved," she assured to the group.
"Well… when you put it like that…" Hau started to say, scratching at his right cheek sheepishly.
"It sounds pretty reasonable…" Pyrrha admitted, sadly lowering her head.
"We're really sorry that we have to do this to you, but it's for your own good…" Mirajane apologized in advance as she approached her twin children. Calvin seemed disheartened by the decision, while Erika was frustrated. She glanced up at her sister, who had yet to say a word about the whole ordeal.
"What does Leslie think about this?" she asked curiously to everyone's surprise, "I mean… you almost stopped her journey back in the day, right?" she questioned on to her parents, who blinked.
"Erika… that's… completely different!" Mirajane argued, "Leslie was—!"
"Super strong, I know!" her youngest daughter interrupted emphatically to her shock, "She's probably the most amazing Pokémon Trainer I know aside from Dad…" she mentioned as her fists trembled.
"Erika…" her older sister uttered out.
"But even if she's strong, you were still worried about her when things got rough, right?" she asked of her parents, "So what'd she do to change your minds?!" she inquired on emphatically. Her mother blinked in surprise before gasping lightly in realization.
"Erika… are you trying to convince us to let you stay on your island challenge, even with everything that's happening?!" she questioned back.
"Not just me!" her youngest daughter responded with a shake of her head, "Hau, Pyrrha, Calvin…" she listed off, "They all deserve a chance to finish what they started!" she stated firmly, "They… honestly deserve it more than me…" she added while lowering her head sadly.
"Eri…" her cousin uttered out worriedly.
"Erika, we just don't want you to end up getting hurt by those Ultra Beasts…" Ash chimed in as he came over and put a hand onto her shoulder, "And you know we heard about what went down between you and Team Skull on Ula'ula…" he mentioned, causing her to clench her fists tightly.
"Then… take me back," she insisted to everyone's surprise, "I'm the one who got her butt kicked again and again…" she pointed out, "I'm the one who got so scared from losing battles that I ended up rushing…" she mentioned on as her eyes welled with tears, "My brother and my friends don't deserve to lose their chance to finish the island challenge!" she proclaimed fiercely. The parents were left surprised, especially Sunset and Mirajane.
"Ahem," Mina suddenly coughed out, getting their attentions, "I might have an idea," she offered as she raised up her right hand nonchalantly, "None of you are convinced that the kids can handle themselves, especially with those Ultra Beast things around Alola, right?" she inferred to the parents.
"Yeah, pretty much…" the Equestrian Magic user replied, folding her arms over her chest, "And no, we're not taking any bargains…" she mentioned firmly.
"Even if they faced Ultra Beasts themselves before?" the trial captain inquired back to her surprise.
"You guys were fighting Ultra Beasts?!" Ash exclaimed in question.
"We beat some of them, too!" Hau mentioned in his response, causing Calvin to reflexively smack his hand over his mouth to silence him. He didn't want to make the situation worse than it already was.
"Ugh…" Mirajane groaned, putting her right hand onto her head, "What is it that you're suggesting, Miss…?" she started to ask of the trial captain.
"Mina," she replied, "And basically, my idea was that your kids could show you just how far they've come by battling you," she explained additionally, "Actions speak louder than words, and you have to see in order to believe," she pointed out, "But… since you're not accepting any bargains…" she continued.
"No, that's a great idea," Leslie chimed in.
"L-Leslie?!" Ash stammered out of surprise.
"What better way to show how far they've come than by battling?" his eldest daughter inquired rhetorically, "Thing is, I think it's unfair for us to just take away their chance to be on the island challenge without giving them a fair shot…" she told her parents.
"Leslie…" Erika uttered as her teary eyes shook.
"You know…" Sunset began, stepping forward, "that actually does sound like a good idea," she admitted with a grin, "What do you think, Mira?" she asked of the Take-Over wizard.
"Huh…" she sighed out, letting off a small smile, "Honestly, I feel that we're being too kind with giving our kids this opportunity…" she confessed. Both Erika and Pyrrha grinned excitedly.
"So… who's gonna battle who?" Hau inquired, arching an eyebrow.
"I guess Erika's facing mom and I'm facing dad," Calvin replied, "That means Pyrrha fights her mom… and you…" he continued as his cousin widened his eyes in realization.
"I HAVE TO BATTLE LES?!" he exclaimed in question, shuddering with fright.
"Hold on, okay?" Leslie chimed in seriously as Hau shook, "We don't all have to battle right away, you know…" she pointed out.
"But that gives me a good idea for how this'll go," Sunset realized as she stepped forward, "Why don't we make it a tag battle tonight?" she offered.
"A-A tag battle?" her daughter repeated with a stutter.
"Mm-hmm," the Equestrian Magic user responded as she gave off a nod, "You and Erika against me and Mira," she decided. Both girls blinked twice before sharing a surprised look with each other.
"WHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTT?!" they exclaimed simultaneously out of disbelief.
"Huh…" Leslie sighed, "You should've known it wouldn't be that easy…" she remarked to her little sister, who blushed a bright red. However, she took a deep breath and exhaled to calm herself down.
"Okay…" she uttered, "And what about Calvin and Hau?" she asked, turning to her brother and her cousin.
"I… think I know how I can prove I'm still ready to take on the island challenge," the ponytailed boy of the two answered.
"And what's that?" the capped boy beside him inquired, arching an eyebrow.
"I'll wait to say until after Eri and Pyrrha win their battle," he responded with a cheeky grin.
"So why don't we head outside and get this started, shall we?" Sunset offered. Erika and Pyrrha gulped, quite nervous about the endeavor of having to face their mothers in battle. But at the same time, they wanted to stay on the island challenge. So they'd fight to keep that opportunity.
X
"Hmmm…" Mina hummed as she started to draw upon her sketchpad with a pencil, "Yeah, this could be really something…" she admitted, narrowing her eyes as she glanced down at what she was drawing and what was ahead of her, being the field in the Poni Wilds where the tag teams were about to start their battle.
"You're gonna draw the battle?" Hau guessed as he and Calvin leaned over to see her current sketch.
"I love drawing," the trial captain noted with a small smile, "It gives me a different perspective on things like battles or the world in general," she told the two trial-goers, "Where you see darkness, I see light," she mentioned on, "A picture paints a thousand words, as they say," she added.
"That's a good point," Ash chimed in as he came over, "We don't know what to expect from this…" he pointed out, folding his arms over his chest.
"Peekah…" Pikachu agreed as he nodded.
"By the way, what happened to your other friends?" Leslie asked curiously, getting the attentions of her brother and her cousin.
"I think Paige and Trent are hanging out with Hapu right now…" the capped boy answered, "They're probably gonna challenge her to a grand trial match after they finish their last trials," he explained further.
"They're lucky they don't have to get called out by their folks…" Hau muttered under his breath.
"Hey," Leslie said, making him flinch in surprise.
"I wonder how Erika's gonna battle…" Ash remarked with a grin, inwardly excited to see his youngest daughter battle in person for the first time in a while. She was evidently nervous, trembling a little as she watched her mother and Sunset ready themselves, with the latter of the two throwing off her leather jacket.
"Erika…" Pyrrha uttered, getting her partner's attention, "I'm not gonna lie, I'm really scared about this…" she admitted, shaking a little.
"Don't worry," the Ketchum girl assured, placing a hand onto her friend's shoulder, "I'll be right beside you," she promised, "And we're gonna win," she vowed additionally. The red-and-yellow-haired girl smiled.
"Okay!" she responded, taking on a determined expression. They watched as their respective mothers readied their Poké Balls, pressing their buttons to enlarge them. Sunset was the first to fling hers forward, having it pop open. The light that spilled out from it formed upon the ground, dissipating to reveal a Lopunny that wore a leather jacket similar to hers.
"Lah!" she squeaked in greeting, kicking at the air.
"Mom's Lopunny…" Pyrrha said, gulping audibly. In the meantime, Mirajane tossed her Poké Ball forward. It popped open, and the light that shot out formed in midair, dissipating to reveal her Gengar as sparkles emitted from its form.
"Gehng garr!" he exclaimed, floating down and landing beside the Rabbit Pokémon.
"So Lopunny and Gengar…" Erika uttered in realization.
"Erika hazzz optionzzz here, zzt…" Rotom buzzed as it floated beside Ash, "But she'll have to choose who she wantzzz carefully…" it mentioned.
"Either way, it won't be easy for her," Leslie confirmed, folding her arms underneath her chest.
"Yeah…" Calvin agreed with a simple nod. After a moment to take a deep breath, Erika smacked her cheeks hard with her hands.
"Okay, let's do this!" she exclaimed, grabbing a Poké Ball off of her belt and enlarging it with a press of its button, "Lycanroc, I choose you!" she called out as she fired the Poké Ball forward. It burst open as its light spilled onto the ground. After it came into form, it dissipated to reveal the Wolf Pokémon.
"Rahk!" he barked out.
"She's using her Lycanroc instead of Primarina?" Hau noted out of surprise, blinking twice.
"I wonder what she's thinking…" Leslie said, putting her right hand onto her chin. Meanwhile, Pyrrha took a deep breath as she prepared her own Poké Ball.
"Huh…" she exhaled, "Let's go, Cinder!" she yelled, flinging the ball up into the air. It popped open, with its light spilling onto the ground, dissipating moments after forming to reveal her Typhlosion.
"Ty fraaaahhh!" he roared out, igniting his back with flames.
"So it's gonna be Typhlosion and Lycanroc against Lopunny and Gengar…" Calvin pointed out, "None of them really have any type advantages against each other…" he mentioned curiously.
"That'zzz correct, zzt!" Rotom buzzed out.
"It's all gonna come down to strategy and strength at this rate…" Ash added seriously.
"Pi, peeka…" Pikachu squeaked in agreement. Meanwhile, Mina was furiously drawing in her sketchpad upon seeing which Pokémon were to do battle. Their trainers were silent, not issuing a single command. And then, both Mirajane and Erika held out their hands.
"Shadow Ball!" the former commanded.
"Stone Edge!" the latter ordered. Opening his mouth, Gengar prepared a ball of purple and black energy with black sparks. He fired it out just as Lycanroc slammed his clenched right paw against the ground. Pointed light blue rock pillars shot up from the earth, trailing out and striking the incoming energy ball in a powerful blast of white smoke.
"Lopunny, Focus Blast!" Sunset yelled out. The Rabbit Pokémon held out her hands, readying an orb of yellow energy upon them. She spun around to gather momentum before flinging it into the smoke. It tore through, slamming into Lycanroc in a fierce explosion.
"Lycanroc!" Erika screamed. The Wolf Pokémon landed on the ground upon his back, grimacing with agony. "Oh man…" his trainer uttered out, clenching her teeth together. Seeing that expression, Pyrrha took on a determined expression, smacking her own cheeks.
"Erika, leave Lopunny to me and Cinder!" she insisted of her tag battle partner, getting her attention.
"Okay, got it!" she responded with a nod, looking back to see Lycanroc hop back up onto his feet.
"Cinder, Flamethrower!" Pyrrha commanded, swinging her right hand forward. The flames upon the Volcano Pokémon's back brightened before he unleashed a powerful spray of orange fire forward.
"Ice Punch!" Sunset ordered, pumping her right fist out. An icy blue aura encased Lopunny's right hand as she closed it into a fist. She punched the incoming flames, causing a burst of steam to rush out.
"Whoa!" Calvin yelped.
"Yeah… Sunset's really strong when it comes to battling…" his father pointed out, "Same with your mom," he mentioned to his son, who blinked in surprise.
"Shadow Punch!" Mirajane commanded. A shadowy aura enveloped both of Gengar's arms as he lunged forward, heading through the steam toward Lycanroc.
"Use Crunch!" Erika ordered quickly. The Wolf Pokémon made his teeth shine a bright white and sharpen. Once his opponent got close, he opened his mouth and bit down just as he attempted a right straight punch. They both blew each other back, with the Shadow Pokémon appearing to grimace as he shook his head.
"Garrr…" he growled out.
"Psychic!" Mirajane yelled. Gengar's grin returned as he made his eyes shine a bright pink. That same light outlined Lycanroc, who found himself unable to move as he grimaced.
"Lycanroc, Howl!" his trainer called out. The Wolf Pokémon struggled to try and raise his head to the dusk sky, grimacing all the while. All of a sudden, he was psychically flung away, crashing into Cinder in a flurry of dust.
"Now High Jump Kick!" Sunset commanded. Lopunny leapt up, having both of her legs shine a bright white. She came down and struck both of her targets hard, sending them tumbling back across the ground.
"Tyyy…" Cinder groaned as he pushed himself up, while Lycanroc growled as he got onto his feet.
"Thizzz isn't looking good, zzt…" Rotom noted worriedly.
"Mom and Miss Sunset don't want Erika and Pyrrha to get off easy," Leslie pointed out, getting its attention, "If they're gonna wanna stay on this island challenge, they have to prove they can handle tough things like this," she explained firmly.
"Exactly," her father agreed, "So we'll see how they do…" he mentioned firmly. Both trial-goers were sweating nervously, evidently unsure of how to go about the rest of the battle.
"Pyrrha, can you buy me some time?" Erika requested of her tag battle partner, who blinked in surprise, "I think I've got an idea to take on Lopunny better, but I need an opening…" she pointed out in explanation.
"Got it," the red-and-yellow-haired girl responded with a nod, "Cinder, use Shadow Claw!" she ordered quickly.
"Frah!" the Volcano Pokémon responded, having a shadowy aura with a purple outline shroud his arms in the form of claws. He lunged forward, heading towards Gengar.
"Sludge Bomb!" Mirajane commanded. Puffing out his cheeks, the Shadow Pokémon unleashed several globs of brown sludge from his mouth. Swiftly, the Typhlosion evaded them as he closed in on his target.
"Ty… FRAH!" he roared, landing a powerful slash to send his opponent sliding back.
"Gehnnggg…" he groaned out, keeling over slightly.
"Switch to Shadow Punch to counter!" his trainer advised as she swung her left arm out.
"Gar!" Gengar responded, cloaking his arms in a shadowy aura before lunging out at the Volcano Pokémon. The two of them clashed, countering their hits with each other as they tried to land decisive blows. Both Mirajane and Pyrrha were laser focused, ready to issue another command at any time.
"High Jump Kick again!" Sunset called out to Lopunny, who had her right leg glow a bright white before leaping up and lunging towards Lycanroc. He crossed his arms over his face to take the kick, resulting in a burst of wind. He gritted his teeth together, enduring the force of the blow as best as he could.
"Counter!" Erika yelled. A reddish aura then built up around his body before he struck the Rabbit Pokémon with his clenched right paw, sending her flying back. She recovered though, flipping and bringing herself to a halt as she landed down.
"Hm," Sunset chuckled, "Not bad, Erika…" she remarked in a complimentary tone, "But you know that we're just getting started…" she pointed out, "Focus Blast!" she ordered. Lopunny prepared another orb of yellow energy upon her hands.
"Stone Edge!" the Ketchum girl commanded.
"RRRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHKKKKKKKK!" Lycanroc bellowed, slamming both of his clenched paws against the earth. Light blue rock pillars burst up, trailing towards Lopunny. She spun around, gathering momentum before firing her energy orb out. It zipped past the rock pillars, striking the Wolf Pokémon in a fierce explosion. However, she was simultaneously hit by the rock pillars, resulting in a powerful blast.
In the meantime, the battle between Cinder and Gengar was continuing as they each landed blows onto each other as they slid back along the ground.
"Shadow Ball!" Mirajane ordered.
"Cinder, Flamethrower!" Pyrrha commanded. Opening his mouth, the Shadow Pokémon readied another purple-and-black ball of energy with black sparks, firing it forward. The Typhlosion made his back ignite with flames before unleashing a massive spray of orange fire. It struck the incoming energy ball, resulting in a powerful explosion.
"Lycanroc, use Howl!" Erika called out.
"RAHOOOOOO!" the Wolf Pokémon howled into the night sky, followed by a reddish aura flowing up his body.
"Focus Blast again!" Sunset commanded. Hopping onto her feet, Lopunny readied another yellow energy orb upon her hands, firing it out. Pyrrha took notice and gasped.
"Cinder, stop it with Thunder Punch!" she instructed quickly. Her Typhlosion rushed out into the way of the incoming energy ball, cloaking his right hand in an orb of yellow electricity after closing it into a fist. He punched hard at the orb, holding it back while gritting his teeth together. An explosion engulfed him seconds later, blowing him back.
"Rrrrrr…" he growled out, shaking his head.
"Thanks for that, Pyrrha…" Erika said in gratitude to her tag battle partner, "Now we're ready to really get things going!" she declared, "Lycanroc, Crunch on Gengar!" she commanded.
"Rahk!" the Wolf Pokémon barked, making his teeth shine a bright white and sharpen as he lunged through the smoke toward his foe. However, Mirajane cracked a small smirk.
"Sludge Bomb!" she ordered. Before Lycanroc could chomp down onto the Shadow Pokémon, he puffed out his cheeks and unleashed several brown globs of sludge, striking his target head on to send him flying back.
"Lopunny, Ice Punch!" Sunset yelled out. An icy blue aura encased both of the Rabbit Pokémon's hands as she leapt forward and slammed her left fist into Lycanroc's stomach, sending him crashing down onto the ground in a flurry of dust. When it subsided, it revealed that a purple glow with sparks and bubbles was coming off of his body.
"Lycanroc just got poisoned!" Hau realized as his eyes were widened.
"This isn't good…" Calvin noted with a grimace. Ash, Leslie, Pikachu and Rotom watched intently, wondering what the next move would be for either of the trial-goer's Pokémon.
"Rryy…" Lycanroc groaned as he barely managed to stand back up, wincing with agony from the poison's effects.
"Lycanroc…" his trainer uttered, giving off a frustrated look.
"It's okay, Erika," Pyrrha assured, putting a hand onto her shoulder to her surprise, "We're not done yet," she declared firmly, looking out towards her mother and her Lopunny. And then she glanced over to Mirajane and Gengar.
'We have to separate them long enough us to at least defeat one…' she realized inwardly, 'And I think I know a good way to do that!' she decided through her thoughts.
"Cinder, Blast Burn!" she commanded to everyone's surprise.
"TY FRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the Typhlosion bellowed as the flames at his back erupted mightily into the air. An orange, flaming aura billowed around his body before he slammed both of his fists against the earth. It started breaking apart with orange lights bursting out, trailing up to Gengar and Lopunny.
"Dodge it!" both Mirajane and Sunset called out. Their respective Pokémon, lunged to opposite sides to avoid the incoming attack, which resulted in a massive explosion.
"WAH!" Rotom yelped as it was blown back by the force of the blast, thankfully being caught by Pikachu before he could wind up lost in the wind.
"Did it land?" Hau wondered aloud.
"I dunno…" Calvin responded with a shake of his head. The smoke was slow to settle as Cinder's flames had gone out, with only grey smoke emitting from his back. Both he and his trainer watched on nervously.
"Gengar, Shadow Punch!" Mirajane suddenly commanded to their surprise. Without warning, the Shadow Pokémon lunged out from the smoke, cloaking his entire right arm in a shadowy aura. He reared it back while closing his hand into a fist, punching the Typhlosion as he recoiled from the blow.
"Lycanroc, Crunch!" Erika suddenly ordered, causing the Take-Over wizard to blink in surprise. All of a sudden, the Wolf Pokémon rushed in and chomped down onto Gengar with his shining and sharpened teeth, resulting in a small blast that blew him back as he tumbled along the ground while grimacing.
"Gengar!" his trainer exclaimed in shock.
'That Crunch looked a lot more powerful than I thought it would've…' she admitted to herself, 'Wait… don't tell me…' she started to realize, slowly widening her eyes. Her youngest daughter smirked. In the midst of Cinder's Blast Burn, she had Lycanroc use Howl again, which had been veiled by the sound of the explosion, increasing his attack power one last time.
'He's on his last legs right now…' she noted through her thoughts, clenching her fists tightly, 'So at the very least, we can at least show Mom how strong we are!' she declared inwardly, readying the Lycanium Z upon her Z-Power Ring. Mirajane blinked out of surprise.
"Let's do this, Lycanroc!" Erika called out, crossing her arms over her face.
"Rahk!" the Wolf Pokémon barked in response, mimicking his trainer's motions. Gengar was slow to get back onto his feet as his opponent posed with the Ketchum girl, finishing together in a powerful stance. The orange-brownish energy building around Erika shot out in streaks to Lycanroc, merging with his body before the Z-Move symbol flashed in front of him.
"This is how we've already come, Mom!" she yelled out, causing the Take-Over wizard to perk up, "And we're not gonna stop!" she added firmly. The ground beneath Lycanroc broke, causing shards of rock to fly up into the air. He then leapt up from the makeshift ramp he was upon, joining the rock shards. They stopped in midair with him, pointing down toward his opponent.
"G-Gehnng…" Gengar stuttered out nervously, taking a cautious step back.
"It's okay, Gengar!" his trainer reassured, "Use Shadow Ball!" she commanded, sticking her right hand out. The Shadow Pokémon opened his mouth, prepping another purple-and-black ball of energy in front of himself. Erika clasped her hands together hard.
"SPLINTERED… STORMSHARDS!" she exclaimed fiercely. Lycanroc dove down with the rock shards, heading towards his lone foe. Gengar fired off the energy ball, which was aimed for the Wolf Pokémon. However, he quickly grabbed a pair of the shards with his front paws, using them to pierce through the attack before it could strike.
The Shadow Pokémon's eyes widened before his opponent whisked by him, followed by being bombarded by the rock shards in a fierce blast. Everyone braced themselves from its force, waiting for the smoke and dust to subside. When it did, it revealed that Gengar lied upon the ground in a daze, as his eyes were in swirls.
"Ryy…" Lycanroc huffed out, letting off a smirk at his victory. However, he grimaced as his body glowed a bright purple with sparks and bubbles from the poison. He fell forward onto his stomach, no longer having the strength to continue battling.
"They're both down, zzt!" Rotom exclaimed in surprise.
"Peekah…" Pikachu squeaked out, quite amazed himself.
"So now it's down to Pyrrha and her mom…" Hau realized. The smoke settled completely, revealing Cinder and Lopunny glaring out at each other.
"Ice Punch!" Sunset commanded.
"Thunder Punch!" her daughter ordered. An icy blue aura shrouded the Rabbit Pokémon's fists as she rushed out at her foe. He closed his hands into fists, encasing them both in orbs of sparking, yellow electricity. The two of them clashed fiercely, with sparks flying about from each blow.
Every punch Lopunny landed immediately put a patch of ice onto the Typhlosion's body. But it immediately melted away as his body burned with heat. Both Pyrrha and her mother had determined expressions upon their faces. And then, the Equestrian Magic user looked over to her daughter.
"Things are only gonna get tougher from here on out for you, Pyrrha," she pointed out seriously, causing her to perk up, "You sure you're ready to take that on?" she inquired, folding her arms over her chest. The red-and-yellow-haired girl took a moment to think about the question, while Cinder and Lopunny kept exchanging blows.
"Thinking back on it all… my answer would've been no after the Aether Tournament…" she admitted in reply, "But thanks to my friends…" she kept going, looking over to Erika with a grateful smile, "I know I can keep going!" she declared firmly.
"Pyrrha…" her tag battle partner uttered out, giving off a grateful smile. Seeing that, Sunset cracked her own grin.
"Lopunny, Giga Impact!" she commanded. The Rabbit Pokémon leapt into the air, encasing herself in a shining pink energy orb with yellow streaks swirling around it. Cinder looked back to his trainer, who gave him a nod.
"Blast Burn!" she ordered, thrusting her right fist down. Fire erupted from the Typhlosion's back again as he slammed his right fist against the ground, having a flaming orange aura around him all the while. The ground shattered again as orange lights emitted from it. Just as Lopunny closed in, a massive explosion of red-orange fire erupted, engulfing her completely.
Grey smoke came out of Cinder's back afterwards as he breathed heavily. He and the others watched patiently for the black smoke to clear, finally blowing away to reveal that the Rabbit Pokémon lied upon the ground, groaning in agony. Sunset let out a chuckle.
"Congrats, girls," she remarked, "It's your win," she said. Both Erika and Pyrrha smiled widely with sparkling eyes.
"ALRIGHT!" they exclaimed simultaneously, sharing a high five. The Ketchum girl followed by hugging her tag battle partner, much to her surprise. However, she graciously hugged her back, giggling all the while with her.
"Wow…" Leslie uttered out, "I had a feeling Erika got really strong…" she noted to her father, getting his attention, "but I didn't think she'd be stronger than Mom of all people…" she admitted.
"Well, I'm glad we were both wrong," Ash confessed back, letting off a laugh. In the meantime, Mina pulled her pencil away from her sketchpad, grinning happily.
"Done," she said, enticing Calvin and Hau to come over and take a look at her sketch of the battle. It displayed Cinder spraying flames out from his mouth, Gengar readying a Shadow Ball, Lopunny lunging out for a kick, and Lycanroc howling up into the night sky.
"Whoa…" both boys uttered in amazement.
"But… wait a sec…" Calvin started to realize, looking over as his twin sister helped the Wolf Pokémon back up onto his feet.
"Ryyy…" he groaned out.
"Great job, Lycanroc," she complimented, holding up his Poké Ball, "You deserve a good long rest," she noted, returning him to the spherical container in a beam of red light. Pyrrha did the same for Cinder.
"Well done, girls," Mirajane noted as she approached her daughter and her fellow trial-goer, "I guess I was wrong about you not being ready for whatever's ahead…" she admitted while sheepishly scratching at her right cheek.
"Well… it still kinda feels like we didn't really prove ourselves against you…" Erika admitted as she shared a worried glance with Pyrrha, "You didn't even Mega Evolve your Pokémon…" she pointed out. Sunset let out a laugh, getting their attentions.
"Girls, we've been at this for longer than you have," she noted, "Mega Evolving would've ended this fight in thirty seconds," she claimed with a smirk.
"Even so, you both won against us," the Take-Over wizard said, "So… it's only fair to let you continue your island challenge," she decided, "Besides, you only have one trial left, right?" she asked of her youngest daughter, who nodded.
"After Mina's trial, it'll be all done from my end!" she noted excitedly, "Calvin's still gotta get through Mina's trial and a grand trial match…" she mentioned teasingly, causing her brother to frown in annoyance.
"Hey…" he grumbled out. Their mother giggled.
"Then how about if Calvin wins both the trial and the grand trial, you can both keep going on your journeys for now?" she offered to them.
"…Huh?" they both uttered in confusion.
"But… there's nothing after finishing the island challenge… is there?" the Ketchum boy inquired, arching an eyebrow. His father put his left hand atop his head.
"Not yet…" he answered, "But there'll be something cool pretty soon," he assured to him with a chuckle. As everyone conversed excitedly over what was ahead, Leslie sighed happily. She was in a similar situation once. And from it, she learned a great deal of things.
'I wonder how he's doing after all this time…' she said to herself, curiously looking out at the starry night overhead.
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 ends 60 chapters and this leg of the journey for the Ketchum twins! I'll be honest, I didn't have much else planned for the chapter other than Erika and Pyrrha beating their mothers in battle and setting up for Mina's future trial. Plus, I've got a lot to get ready for as this is officially the last March chapter. April is going to have a lot of good stuff, including the next arc, which I'll gladly post a new summary for!
SUMMARY
We reminisce to the good old days when Leslie was first starting her journey in the Unova Region! How did the daughter of Ash Ketchum fare in her first adventure to become a strong Pokémon Trainer?
END SUMMARY
That's right! The next five chapters will be a side-story focusing on Leslie's rise to glory as a trainer! So I hope you're excited for all of that! New opening and ending will be coming, along with a brand new trailer soon! Catch you all later!