Originally it was Lily (the female Mewtwo) doing these battles. But it makes a lot more sense for Mewtwo to be the one, considering how events build from here.
According to the games. Anabel lost her memory ten years before the start of this game. I'm tweaking that a bit for the purpose of this timeline. I'll pretend that it's been about 3 years. Also, in one of the games you find Looker washed up on the beach with no memories. It seems like he recovered, at least. A lot of Pokémon characters lose their memories! And they rarely seem to get them back.
Polaris-Ponyta, Mia-Alolan Marowak, Marin-Primarina, Lunick-Midnight Lycanroc, Twine-Lurantis, Hachi-Mimikyu, Zetty-Rotom Dex
Phantom-Darkrai, Shira-Reshiram, Kuro-N's Zekrom, Mewtwo, Lily-Mom Mewtwo, Twilight-young Mewtwo, Edward-Zoroark,
Chapter 18: Island Interlopers
As I stepped into Burnet's lab, the walls muted the sound of the battles raging outside. When I'd been here before, the computers and lights had been on, and researchers were busy at their work. Now the lights were dimmed. It was eerily quiet as I moved towards the glow of the few computers that were on. There were three people in front of the screens. They were back-lit, so I couldn't place them at first. But they turned to face me as I approached. I knew Burnet. But as my eyes adjusted to the dimness, I found that I recognized the other two people as well.
"Looker!" I exclaimed.
He smiled. "Cara. Good to see you again. I was surprised when I learned you were involved. The Chief and I came when Burnet told us about the appearance of Nihilego. And it looks like we arrived just in time for, well, the main event."
"Or too late," said the third person. The woman was wearing a suit and had a long purple ponytail. I knew her, but I couldn't place where.
"Yes, that's true," Looker agreed. "If we'd been sooner, maybe we could have prevented this."
The woman sighed and folded her arms. "Now that Cara is here, we'd better get out of the lab. My presence draws the Ultra Beasts. Professor Kukui has been fighting valiantly to protect the building. We need to keep the computers working to monitor the location of the Ultra Beasts."
"They're drawn to you?" I repeated.
"Yes, I'm what's known as a "faller. I've fallen between worlds. According to Professor Burnet, the Ultra Beasts seem to sense that, and are attracted to it."
"So am I!" I almost shouted. "I'm also a faller! Nihilego has attacked me a couple times."
Looker and the woman gaped at me. Burnet nodded, massaging her temples. She knew, but had clearly been too distracted by everything else to have told them.
"In that case," she continued after taking a few moments to process, "perhaps the two of us had better stay together. It should draw the Ultra Beasts to us, so they're less likely to spread out and cause more damage."
"But how will you handle all of them concentrated together?" Burnet asked. "I know Cara's strong, but so are those Ultra Beasts. These Xurkitree have been very difficult for Kukui to hold off."
"I have some friends helping," I said. "Powerful Pokémon."
"I've seen them in action," Looker agreed.
"I will help as well. I believe I neglected to introduce myself. My name is Anabel."
"Anabel!" I exclaimed. "I knew I recognized you! It's been a long time. How have you been?" I realized that this was a stupid time to be exchanging pleasantries, and was about to blow off my own question. Then I saw the look on Anabel's face. Shock. Not what I expected.
"You… know me?"
"Oh," I said, confused. "Well, A little bit. I battled you once."
"You know me," Anabel repeated, wobbling a bit on her feet. Looker reached out to steady her. "I apologize. It's just that, you see, I'm a faller. And fallers often lose their memories. I have no memories from before I fell."
I sucked in a shocked breath. She looked embarrassed. "Please don't look at me like that."
"No, it's just - that happened to me too."
"What?" The three of them responded in unison. It would have been funny if there wasn't so much else happening.
"But you don't have amnesia," Looker said.
"I know. I got my memories back. And I think we can fix you too. But first we need to get the Ultra Beasts out of here first."
"You're right. Let's go." Anabel led the way out. I waved to Looker and Burnet.
"Good luck," Burnet called.
"We'll keep in touch," Looker added.
As we walked toward the front door, I asked, "Can you still talk to Pokémon?"
She blinked in surprise. "Y-yes. I suppose I told you in the past."
I nodded. "I can talk to Pokémon too. I don't usually tell people, but you used to know. Might as well tell you again."
We opened the front door, and were hit by the chaos of battle. Two Xurkitree were just outside. Mewtwo – in his Alakazam illusion - was fighting them. Edward stood beside Kukui, protecting him and keeping up Mewtwo's disguise.
"It appears they've already begun honing in," Anabel said. I followed her gaze and saw another Xurkitree appear around the corner. It walked in a strange bouncing sway that made me shiver. It really did look alien. And they had that strange, blazing aura that I remembered from the first time Nihilego appeared.
As I watched Mewtwo fight, I felt something hot against my collar bone. My Mega Stone pendant was reacting. I gripped it in my fist, and the stone activated, letting Mewtwo mega evolve into Mega Mewtwo X. Though no one else could see it because of Edward's illusion. Mewtwo slammed a full-force punch into one Xurkitree, flattening it to the ground. It lay sprawled like a bundle of vines. Mewtwo whirled, using his psychic powers to grab the next Xurkitree and hurl it toward the open wormhole above the city. But Xurkitree flailed, angry at the fall of its companion. It wriggled out of the way and missed the wormhole. It fell back toward the city, using it long, twisting arms to grab a rooftop and catch itself. The next Ultra Beast arrived and blasted electricity toward Mewtwo. He blocked it. But more were appearing.
I reached for the Pokéball Gladion had given me. The one holding another Type: Null. I took a deep breath and reached out with telepathy, trying to forge some sort of link with this unpredictable Pokémon. Beside me, Anabel and Kukui were directing their own Pokémon in the battle. I moved next to Edward, asking him to watch my back so I could focus on Type: Null. I took one last deep breath and threw out the Pokéball. Null appeared before me.
"Griff," I called, naming him. "We need your help to protect the city!"
Griff wasn't really listening, but his instincts set him onto the nearest Ultra Beast. He charged, leaping on it and tearing with his claws. The Xurkitree whined and let out a blast of electricity. Griff flinched, but didn't let go. He was locked onto his prey. Xurkritree fizzed and popped in distress, trying to pull free. The two tumbled along the ground and smashed through a garage door. The Beast used the impact to break free. Mewtwo caught it with his psychic powers and hurled it back into the wormhole. Then Mewtwo turned his attention to three more Xurkitree.
"Anabel, if we throw them back into the wormholes, does that send them home? It doesn't get them lost in space, does it?"
She shook her head. "No, these wormholes provide path back to where they started. The Ultra Beasts don't want to be here. Once they're on the path, they can find their own way to their homes."
I had to return my attention to Griff. In the moment I'd talked to Anabel, he'd started to claw his way up the side of a building, to get to the rooftops. One of Mewtwo's opponents was standing up there. Mewtwo was holding his own against the three Beasts, but he also wasn't making a lot of progress. How many Xurkitree were there? I wanted to check up on Shira, Kuro, and Phantom, but I didn't want to take my attention off of Griff again.
The battle raged on. It felt like hours, though it was probably less an hour. Mewtwo was pacing himself as he fought. He knew this could last for a while. Griff seemed incapable of pacing himself. He fought with a vengeance, and it was taking its toll. I wouldn't be able to use him much longer without putting him at risk.
Something bright shot through the air. It was heading toward Mewtwo.
"Look out!" I shouted. Mewtwo dodged to the side as the pink thing crashed into a Xurkitree, flattening it. Mewtwo hesitated for a moment, then used his powers to throw the unconscious Xurkitree back through the wormhole. The pink thing turned and fought side-by-side with him, beating back two of the Ultra Beasts. It was Tapu Lele. She must have finished fighting off the Ultra Beasts in her area, and had come to help.
Then Phantom appeared and used Dark Void to put a Xurkitree to sleep. The last two Ultra Beasts, feeling cornered, lashed out with a powerful display of electricity. Mewtwo managed to block most it with a shield. But part of the attack bounced back toward Edward and Anabel. Edward pushed Anabel to safety, and the lightning crashed into him. He crumpled, and his illusion for Mewtwo vanished. Mewtwo appeared as his mega evolved self. He didn't realize that his Alakazam disguise had vanished, and fought on. I gasped and ran toward Edward. He pushed himself up to hands and knees, grimacing.
"Are you okay?" I asked, helping him up. He nodded, raising a paw to bring Mewtwo's disguise back. It must have been down for about twenty seconds. Luckily only Anabel was around. She may have lost her memories of our meeting, but I trusted her. When Edward had pushed her to safety, she'd hit the building wall. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, your Zoroark got me out of the way. I just fell over." She gave a curious look at Mewtwo, though he was back in his disguise again.
"Please don't mention him to anyone," I whispered. "Some nasty people want to use him."
"Of course."
Tapu Lele dashed in with a furious volley of attacks that finally sent the last two beasts fleeing back into the wormhole. And the hole in the sky closed. I whistled. No wonder Tapu Lele had such a fearsome reputation. Despite being so cute. She flicked her hair behind her shoulder, satisfied.
"Thank you," I called to her. "Are all of the wormholes over your island closed now?"
She shot me a haughty look, as though I was barely worth her time. "They should be. But I'd appreciate it if you take your strange Pokémon off of my island. I don't like the look of them." The presence of the other legendary Pokémon was making her territorial. And indeed, Shira and Kuro had just returned from their battles. Though Tapu Lele was mostly looking at Mewtwo and Griff. She could tell they were different, even from Shira, Kuro, and Phantom. Mewtwo was too winded to notice. Griff didn't care.
"We'll be leaving," I assured Tapu Lele. I pulled my water bottle out from my backpack and handed it to Mewtwo. He drank, draining most of it.
Anabel nodded. "We must get to Melemele Island. They only have one Kahuna and one captain to fight the Ultra Beasts. We'll check in with Looker and the others, and be on our way."
I nodded and returned all of my Pokémon aside from Mewtwo and Edward. I didn't want to risk angering Tapu Lele. We had too much on our plate as it was. She shot us one last irritated glance, then flew away. I suspected that she wouldn't go too far, until she'd confirmed that we were gone.
Kukui and Julio appeared around the corner. I'd been so absorbed in the fight that I hadn't noticed that both of them were gone. Looker also emerged from the lab, seeing that the danger had passed.
"Those wire cable monsters are gone?" Julio asked. "We saw the hole in the sky closed."
"We were helping evacuate the citizens," Kukui explained. "Julio was impressive. His Rattata and Salandit were able to get in the small places and find trapped people. And his Passimian climbed up high to get a view." I could tell that Kukui hadn't expected someone from Team Skull to have done such a good job.
Julio raised his eyebrows, surprised at the compliment.
"Thank you," Anabel said to Julio. Then to Looker and Kukui, "we're heading to Melemele Island."
"I'd better stay," Kukui said. "Burnet and I should continue to monitor the computers. We'll keep in touch."
"I'll come," Julio offered.
Mewtwo got ready to teleport the big group. It took a lot of focus for him to teleport such a large group: me, Julio, Anabel, Looker, and Edward. Anabel gave us the coordinates, and we were off.
We appeared just north of Hau'oli City. It was obvious where the action was. Ilima and Hala were battling alongside Tapu Koko. There was a third man too, who I didn't recognize. He wasn't battling, but looked like he had supplies to support the combatants. There wasn't time for introductions though. There were five more Ultra Beasts, and this time they looked like some kind of humanoid bug.
"Pheromosa," Anabel explained.
When we took a step toward them, the Pheromosa all paused and turned toward us. I shivered at their stares. As the Ultra Beasts were distracted, Tapu Koko managed to knock one of them out. Mewtwo shot forward to join the fight.
"Zetty," I called. He peeked out of my backpack. "Are they bug types? Let me know what you think. He watched them battle, gathering data as I pulled out the other Pokéballs.
"Yezzz, I think bug typezz."
"Thanks." I sent out Shira, and she blasted out Fusion Flare. The Pheromosa scattered in panic, and two of them fell. They were already weakened from the battle. Mewtwo took on one of the remainders, and Tapu Koko another. Mewtwo sent me a telepathic message. He could sense that the other Ultra Beasts on the island were coming. As fallers, Anabel, Mewtwo and I were drawing them near. That was the plan, but it still made me jumpy. As Mewtwo and Tapu Koko finished the last Pheromosa, two more appeared, trilling out a war cry. Shira caught them in a blaze of fire. They split up, wincing. Tapu Koko took on one of them, though he was exhausted too. Ilima and Hala sent their Pokémon in to help. Kuro and Phantom rejoined the fight as well. Griff was too worn out from fighting the Xurkitree. I'd let him rest while I could.
Within half an hour, all of the Pheromosa were back through the wormhole. Much of the work had been done before we arrived. And fortunately this battle had not been inside a city, so there wasn't need for evacuation. But we all breathed a sigh as the wormhole over Melemele sealed itself.
My Pokémon came back to me, starting to droop from fatigue. "You guys are awesome." I hugged each in turn, but hesitated with Mewtwo. I wasn't sure how to hug him when he was under an illusion. So I patted him on the shoulder. He noticed my dilemma ant huffed out a small, tired laugh.
Anabel and Looker joined me. Ilima and Hala returned their Pokémon and came over. Julio and the man who I still didn't know had finished dividing up the supplies. Tapu Koko waited nearby.
"I've received more information," Anabel said. "Nanu has been leading the Captains to defend Ula'ula. Team Skull is helping, as is Tapu Bulu. And some of your friends too, Cara. They have everything covered for now. But Hapu and Tapu Fini are trying to fight off one Ultra Beast on Poni Island."
"One?" I repeated. That sounded okay after the hordes we'd faced so far.
"This one is not to be trifled with," Looker said, a frown creased deep into his features. "It's extremely dangerous. Ten years ago, an Ultra wormhole opened up and this Ultra Beast, Guzzlord, appeared. One of our team didn't make it." Looker clenched his fists. "Guzzlord is something like a black hole. It eats everything, and is very powerful."
The look on his face made me shudder.
"And yet we must go, despite the danger." Anabel said. "The fate of Poni Island depends on us. With our combined strength, we should be able to fight it off."
"Yes," Looker agreed. "I just want to make sure we don't lose anyone else."
"We'll be careful," I assured him.
Make sure you heal your Pokémon before you leave," Hala said. "It sounds like everyone will need their full strength."
Anabel, Julio and I let out all of our Pokémon. Most of my team was drained to dregs. None of them had gotten a proper rest since before our fight with Guzma. Julio and the blonde man started distributing the healing items. They even had status-recovering items, which was great for the paralysis that the Xurkitree had inflicted on some of our teams.
Tapu Koko approached me. He gave a sort of salute, thanking me for helping defend the island. I returned the salute, handing him the berry I was holding. He took it, nodding in gratitude, and flew away.
Anabel slumped against a nearby tree, exhausted. My adrenaline was still boiling high, but I could feel exhaustion creeping in too. We were almost done. It was just this last Ultra Beast. Looker and I guided Anabel to sit on a fallen log. I dropped down next to her. Looker hesitated, then took a seat too. It would be a few minutes while Julio and the other guy tended our Pokémon.
"Did you know," Looker said, "I had amnesia too? I washed up on the shores of Hoenn, and I couldn't remember who I was. Fortunately my memories returned as I recovered."
"Thank Arceus," I murmured. "Mine were far harder to get back. But I think we can figure it out for Anabel too."
"Really?" She sounded wistful. "It's hard to imagine what my previous live would have been like. It feels like a different person."
"Not really," I said. "You're still you. It's just that you can't remember how you became you. Remembering is… it's like finding a fountain in the middle of a desert. Everyone you care about, everything you've been through. Let's beat Guzzlord, and bring that all back for you."
Anabel smiled. "Thank you."
"In that case," Looker said, standing up. "Once you have driven Guzzlord back, we will celebrate with a feast. I know some good restaurants on Alola."
Anabel smiled. "Do you? Even though we only just arrived?"
Looker looked flustered. "Well…"
I gave a tired grin. "That sounds good. It'll be something to look forward to."
"Done!" Julio shouted. "The Pokémon are all healed." We all stood. Our break felt too short. But soon this would all be over. Anabel, Julio and I returned our Pokémon. Looker Mewtwo, and Edward joined us. We bid farewell to Hala and Ilima, thanked the man for healing our Pokémon, and Mewtwo teleported us away.