Metal scrambling was all that was heard in the backroom. If anyone were to guess, either something just fell, or metal was too close to one another. The sound of the counter's bell barely got through all the clanging.

"I'm coming, alright!" A man shouted from the back. It took him a few hasty seconds to show himself in front of the counter. The blacksmith appeared with a cigarette sticking out from the corner of his mouth. "Who is it...eh? Oh, it's you."

In front of the counter, Duncan had his trademark death stare at the blacksmith. The muscular guy could have sworn that either he was crafting too long that the heat from the blades he was sharpening got to him, or his client was in a bad mood. He walked up and pulled his cigarette out of his mouth and blew off to the side.

"So what brought you back here? Needing some changes to your blueprints?" he questioned.

His answer came in the form of Duncan lifting what looked like a medium-sized brown bag and sat it in front of him. "Does this answer your question?" He let go of the bag and promptly stepped away for the blacksmith to gaze at. "200,000 Jewel, on the dot. That's what we agreed to per week, isn't it?"

The blacksmith raised a skeptic brow. He didn't believe Duncan until he opened the bag for himself. Peering inside, he looked at a bunch of coins and bills. He pulled out a jewel and inspected it in the room's lighting. "Huh...looks legit to me." He turned it over, seeing the light from the ceiling distorting through the currency. He looked back and smirked at the trainer. "Heh...well I'll be damned. You've really wrestled yourself for 200,000 Jewel in just one week? I honestly didn't think you were gonna make the payment and I would have to overcharge ya. Sure showed me."

"That's the agreed amount, isn't it? And I believe that you owe me a little progress report since I've kept up my end of our deal." Duncan backlashed.

The blacksmith caught the mood and slid the cigarette back into his mouth. "Yeah, about that..." He paused to blow a puff of smoke from the corner of his lip. "The metal just came in this morning. The gears and everything arrived with it, too. It wasn't cheap, but it came in a nice bundle. As for the specific lacrima you've asked for, I had to get in touch with some of my other blacksmiths to get any tips on anyone who sells those. It'll still take some time, but the final product will still be on schedule."

Duncan closed his eyes. "So just the lacrimas are all you have to order?"

"Yup. By next week hopefully they'll be here. If you want anymore, stop on by next week with your payment."

Duncan turned towards the door, adjusting his cap in the process. "Sure." He started walking away, but not before the blacksmith crossed his arms.

"Hey pal...tell me something. You're a Pokémon Trainer, aren't you?" At the mention, Duncan stopped in his tracks. He continued. "Tell me something, you've got these magical creatures from another world, right? Not that it's my business, but why are you doing magic?"

Duncan paused. He briefly thought back to his battles fought along their voyage in Alvarez, how he would have been killed on several occasions if it weren't for him defending against that Machina and learning magic. He had to find several replacements for his kendo stick already. He didn't even want to think about Wyscan Hill, and the memory of Sophie before she made the sacrifice that he could have prevented.

The subject itself was causing him to grip harder on the metal staff he had resting on his right shoulder. It was starting to tighten to where the metal was starting to squelch, which the blacksmith raised a brow to.

"...for one reason." He raised his head, hiding his sharp glare from the blacksmith. "What every trainer aims to be: The strongest that I can possibly be without relying on anybody else." He started for the door. "I'll be back in a week with the next payment."

As the bell rang upon his departure, the blacksmith kept a raised brow. He shook his head and chose to shrug it off. "Strange kid...but I guess money is money. It's just business." He walked back behind the corner to resume his supply placements. The sounds of shifting metal was quick to escalate to where a loud thud from a shelf was followed by a symphony of ear-gritting metal flopping to the floor.

"Damnit! These stupid nails can't hold anything upright!"


Duncan exited the blacksmith's shop, taking his leisure down the road back towards the guild hall. With his one business assessed, he could focus on the next part: Getting even more work done.

As he walked away from Magnolia's outskirts, he couldn't help but feel like something was off. Not in the sense of his apparel. He couldn't care less about that kind of material. But he was someone who knew very well the concept of self-awareness. He shot a quick glance around to see people and their Pokémon minding their own business. He looked and spotted a Pidgeotto flying high above; the thought of battling it for quick experience points was tempting, but with how experienced he's made all his Pokémon already, it would have been no less than a waste of time. Perhaps as target practice for Honchkrow if he was quick about it.

But after contemplating about the trivial gain, he chose to let the Pidgeotto pass by. He minded his own business just like anybody else. He didn't have time to belittle himself on the small matters around him. He couldn't. He mustn't get distracted from his goal. He was well aware that the strongest and most versatile trainer was away right now, so until he came back, he had to work himself diligently to catch up. No, even more so! He had to surpass him. To be the very best, no flaws in his Pokémon. That's how he was going to win.

But as he was making his way to see what his "Captain" had planned for work, the feeling that he was being watched spiked. He turned around to see if anyone was following him. But much to his relief, there wasn't anybody there. He eased his stance and shifted on his heels back in front.

"You have a sharp intuition, it seems."

Duncan's head jolted upright when he heard the voice come from his left. He lifted his iron staff in a defensive stance when he – barely – recognized Shiin's figure leaning against the alley. "What's it matter to you?" He retorted.

"The fact that you're a Pokémon Trainer is one thing altogether. But it looks like you're able to grasp the concept of sensing Magic Power if you can react that fast to magical potential around you."

He furrowed his brow, slowly turning his head away. "It's just something I read up on. You don't have to tell me what I don't already know."

"I understand. But under jurisdiction, I can't agree with such a statement." Shiin walked further out from the alley, glaring Duncan directly in the eye. "If you are seeking answers, getting perspectives of others is essential, especially since they are a primary source, wouldn't you say? Assuming that you're as strong as what others claim, you must have asked the trainers that you've fought how they trained their Pokémon, too. Right?"

Duncan closed his eyes. "I just learned from my mistakes, that's all. And unlike you, I don't pry into other people's personal lives."

Shiin glared harder than before. "But this is my personal business. Are you to say that you'd keep yourself undisclosed if somebody asked you a question that could potential have an impact on everything around them?"

"Look who's talking." The air between the two started getting tense. If anyone was around, they would have been staring, unnerving Shiin. Duncan, however, seemed unaffected by the stares and the murmurs of those around him. "You make this too easy. Let me let you in on a little advice. Either keep up with the pace or fall behind. I'm not obligated to entertain you with little notions just because you give me a look." He started walking away. "I have my own path to follow, and I'd rather not be tied down by anymore doubt."

"Even if that path might make your mission a success?" Shiin questioned. He saw Duncan stop in his tracks. "The mission comes first above all else, do you agree? If you want to be the best Pokémon Trainer, you should eliminate any obstacles that stand before you. Let's say potentially that I am such an obstacle. If you don't clear me, then how far would you really go?"

The question left Duncan hinged in his stomach. He looked over his shoulder with a glare that matched Shiin's. Eye-to-eye, they were both dark and straightforward towards their own desires. He didn't seem like a Pokémon Trainer, but his gut was telling him this guy was a strong mage in his own wright. He could tell he was deadest on him, and if he was capable, then it may be worth a little bit of his time.

"Hmph, you sure ask a lot of questions." He turned around, walking towards Shiin. "This should be something."

Shiin glanced over and gave one more look around. He saw that no other mages were around the area. He sensed just to be certain. He turned towards the alley and ushered Duncan to follow him. The trainer kept his guard up with a firm hold on the iron staff in case anything went wrong. Once they were far in enough, Shiin finally turned around and glared Duncan in the eye.

"Alright, so what do you want? And it better be important." Duncan warned.

Shiin's glare fixed on Duncan's pupils. His eyes widened as he concentrated Magic Power. "Truth's Eye!" A bright blue magic seal appeared in front of his left eye, with Duncan having the same one over his. The seals were no bigger than contact lenses, that's the first thing that registered in his mind. "My apologies, but this way I will know if there is truth in your words. I expect full compliance nonetheless."

Duncan seemed unamused. Offended and on guard, but also unamused. "Just get this over with already. I have somewhere to be."

"Very well then." He cleared his throat and started the procedure. "First question: Were you sent here following the events of 'The Crossing', along with other Pokémon Trainers?"

"Yes." His answer was blunt and matter-of-factly. The magic seal in front of his left eye hardly flickered red.

"I see...then next question. What is your magic?"

"My magic is Holding Magic. I can transfer my Magic Power into any weapon that I wield. The more I force in, the stronger it becomes."

'As I thought.' Shiin made sure not the harden at his accurate depiction of Duncan's magic. He's already seen it earlier, but this way he knew it wasn't some type of variant. "When did you learn your magic?"

"I was fighting a strong opponent on my way to stop a potential war from the Alvarez. My magic activated in the midst of the fight."

"Did you have your Pokémon beside you? If you are a Pokémon Trainer, why didn't you rely on them?"

"That's two questions." Duncan sneered. Shiin glared, unwilling to give him an edge. "Fine. Yeah, I did have them with me, but even that wasn't enough. Happy?"

"I see. So you are implying that in spite of your capabilities as a trainer, your Pokémon were still weak to the likes of magic?"

That comment made Duncan's left eye twitch slightly. He was starting to feel aggravated with Shiin's questioning. But he also knew not to lie. "Yes...but I also had help from other mages. So it wasn't just me."

"Then you admit that if it wasn't for you learning magic, you would not have survived this long in the magic world. Tell me, am I wrong?" Unknowingly, Shiin stepped forward, the lens shrinking to peer into Duncan's iris.

Duncan paused. He didn't know how to answer such a complicated question. In hindsight, learning his Holding Magic in the spur of the moment did benefit him in a lot of ways, but for a lot of the time, he hardly had to do anything else out of that. He still used his Pokémon for a majority of practically everything. They did all of the heavy lifting, and he handled the smaller matters.

But if he didn't have Pokémon, that question itself was another matter. He's seen what many of the other mages could do by themselves. He's seen Natsu's monstrous firepower, as well as Lucy's large variety of Spirits that had properties like Pokémon did. There was Gray's ice, as well as Juvia's water. Hell, even Cana's fortunetelling and Card Magic would be a threat by itself. If it wasn't for his Pokémon, would he have been dead by now?

"...no." He answered defensively.

He half-expected the magic seal to finally dissipate, but the lens suddenly changed colors from a bright blue to red. If it wasn't for Duncan's stoic composure, he would have grunted at his own lie.

Shiin scoffed, lowering his chin. "It seems that you are not being true to the answers that even you seek. You were thinking that if it wasn't for your Pokémon that you wouldn't have survive this long. I asked you if it wasn't for you learning magic that you wouldn't have been fruitful. Either you are not sure of yourself...or you are denying the truth that you need magic in order to keep up or ahead of everyone beneath you."

Duncan had to hold back a grunt. He wanted to say something, but he just leered back with a stale disposition. "So what of it?"

Before Shiin opened his mouth to ask the next question, the sound of a caw made him and Duncan look up. Circling over the alleyway looked like a Tranquill. "Over here! I found him! Here! Here!" He shouted, gesturing his right wing down at them.

Shiin closed his eyes and deactivated his magic. The lenses disappeared around his and Duncan's irises. He turned his back to face the alley instead. "Very well. What you have given me shall suffice for now. I apologize for taking up your time." He started walking away, albeit rather hastily.

"Hold on." Duncan stepped forward. "So after all that, you're just going to walk away?"

Shiin looked over his shoulder, glaring daggers at him. "I believe that the ones who should be asking the questions here must take his leave first. Who do you think is more justified here? Think about that first, then you can start asking those questions."

He walked away into the alley, getting as far away from Duncan and the cawing Tranquill as he could. Duncan glared down his back with a furrowed brow.

"There he is!" A voice got his attention. Putting on his expressionless face, he faced Joey and Dereece, the former with a pink box of donuts in hand. Dereece stepped forward. "Where were you, man? We've been looking for you everywhere."

Joey hung out his arm as Tranquill descended to perch on it. "Thanks, Tranquill. Here ya go." He held up a regular donut with a rich layer of cholate with sprinkles.

"Oh, goody! Thank you. Master Joey~!" The bird sang happily as he dipped down and picked up the donut within his beak. He started pecking and nibbling away, all while the three guys turned to each other.

"Do I want to know what the donuts are for?" Duncan asked, peering at the assorted array in Joey's arm. "Isn't that your daily breakfast?"

"Yeah...but this was a special occasion." Joey grinned. "We battled Natsu and Lucy, and guess who won? Me." He pointed a thumb to his smirking face with his chest beamed out. "All me, that's right. Me."

"I mean, Seel and I were there, too..." Dereece halfheartedly stated, earning a glare from Joey. "But the Captain did most of the work."

"Yeah, Dereece. Next time, keep up with the pace!" Joey berated, opening the box again to stuff half a double chocolate donut in his mouth. Crumbs were smooshed against the corners of his lips as he chewed. "Sho, Huncan..." he muffled. "Hyu hinished dose erran's?"

Duncan kept his glare fixed on Joey. He could have told him about what recently happened with him and Shiin, but he chose to put that to the back of his mind. He didn't need anymore distractions that questioned his role as a mage and trainer. "Yes, I'm done. I was about to take a back route to the guild to avoid traffic, then you show up."

"Hood!" He swallowed hard. "Because we're going out on a job right now, man." He snapped his fingers, signaling Dereece to casually pull up a flier with a printed picture of several Scyther. "A Scyther horde is close to a town. They need help getting them to relocate before they seriously harm somebody. 300,000 Jewels for a cash reward. You in?"

He nonchalantly shrugged. "Fine by me."

"Also..." He looked at his Captain, seeing his expression turn serious. "We're setting up some new rules. From now on, we'll be taking our training outside the city limits. I just learned that Shiin was making Vanessa uncomfortable. If Sophie catches wind of them talking again, she'll let me know."

"Yeah, we don't want any wandering eyes when we're minding our own business, even if it was just a fluke." Dereece said. He looked closer at Duncan to notice his expression slightly darkening. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"...it's nothing, that's fine." He started walking back towards the streets. "If you're going to tell me that, you should have done so sooner. C'mon."

Joey and Dereece looked at each other confusedly, but they chose not to pry because they had to get to work on the job. They followed behind, with Tranquill flying overhead with a few crumbs sprinkling down for the alleyway Rattata to nibble on later.


Charizard glided soundly through the air, giving another flap for a quick burst of speed. The sudden propulsion was like a wall to Nic's face, but he took it complacently. Compared to the occasional windburns from speeding on Garchomp's Mach speed bursts, this was nothing.

Erza looked down at the scenery that they were flying over. Directly beneath her looked like a ragged mountain pass with dense stones jutting out. A Mudsdale was trotting through it, mowing a path down for the rider to cross. To her right looked like an observatory with fencing bordering plains and stale grass. To her left she saw a view of a shoreline that was stained black. She questioned how it was even remotely possible for grains to get that dark, but she chose to save it on a more leisurable basis.

"Erza, the map said around here?" Nic exclaimed through the winds.

She almost mentally doubled over when she snapped back to reality. "Hm? Yeah, somewhere around this part of the island, the southwest. It said in the Haina Desert is where the Ruins of Abundance will be. We'll need to access it by getting through Route 13."

Nic started scanning the area below as well. Remaining vigilant as he was, he chose a suitable spot and pointed at it. "Charizard, down there should be fine!"

"(Got it!)" He tilted his trajectory downward, gradually steeping down to what looked like a large oasis with shrouds of greenery blooming vividly around its edges.

Once Charizard had slowed down to a suitable speed, he glided lower until he descended in full onto the green grass. It wasn't as soft as sand, but it sure tickled enough to make him feel at ease. Nic and Erza were prompt to dismount him to give his back some levity.

On their feet once more, they looked around what was supposed to be Route 13. "So, this is the oasis before the desert?" Nic put his hands to his hips as he paneled to and fro. He wasn't very impressed with how the route was set up. For starters, there was a motel that was barely within his eyesight beyond some rocks. Product placement aside, it spared as convenience. Looking elsewhere, there were a couple trailers scattered across the area, with some locals along with their Pokémon minding their own business. A little girl was watching her Poliwag jump into the oasis water and disappearing. Just as she was getting worried, the tadpole popped her head out of the water, spraying the girls face with a light douse of water.

"Looks like we picked a good spot to plan. There's fresh water before the desert. That's rather convenient." Erza commented, before looking at the oasis water. Granted, there were a couple of Pokémon swimming beneath its surface, but they looked so docile that it seemed inconvenient to battle. She blinked when she saw a Gyarados' tailfin frisking the oasis bottom before swimming further away, chasing off many Magikarp. 'Even in such small spaces, Pokémon find a way to survive. I'm not sure if I should be worried or impressed.'

Taking a look around, Nic checked to see if anyone was looking, which was a negative. He gave Erza the signal, which was a simple nod, and she nodded back. She requipped the thermos that Joey packed them and unscrewed the cap. Once it was off, she bent down and held it underwater to replenish it.

"We should definitely use this time wisely. No telling what we'll see in the Hiana Desert." Erza noted.

"Yeah." Nic frowned. "We didn't have anything like a desert in Kalos. If anything, the closest we've got to that would be Route 13."

Erza raised a brow. "But we're already on Route 13."

Nic's shoulder slumped. "Fine...Kalos Route 13." He walked closer to the water and kneeled to scoop out a drink. The water went clean down his throat; not too salty and didn't taste funny. It was just right. "This is good. We better get our fill just in case."

"(You don't have to tell me twice.)" Charizard commented. He walked over and arched over the oasis. He opened his mouth and sank his lower jaw beneath the surface as he took massive gulps, as to where the trainers beside him were taking turns using the thermos.

Erza dispatched from the thermos with a small gasp, water dripping from her lip. "Pardon me." She turned towards Nic, who accepted the rest of the thermos. She leaned back against the grass as she let her legs dangle over the water. "We've been moving so much that we haven't taken much time to really hunker down this honeymoon. This is nice..."

Nic swallowed his fill when he caught wind of Erza's notion. "Hm? Yeah, guess you've got a point." He looked out at the coast beyond the rocks to the south. "Still, it's not all that bad of a place...minus the territorial landlords."

"That's true. Still..." The wind started picking up, brushing through Erza's hair. "You get a decent sea breeze even from this far into the mainland. You think there's a private beach somewhere on this island?"

"Beats me. You're the one with the map again." He turned to her with a sly smirk. "Just don't go putting your little marks on it like last time." He was quick to avoid a folded map used as a fan to smack him. "Nice try."

Erza turned away, crossing her arms with a pout. "It's not my fault. People should just try harder to understand an artist like myself." She beamed with pride. "Why actually, I'm pretty sure that letter I left Olivia left her at ease."

Nic sighed. He knew there was no point in discussing about Erza's questionable scripture abilities. He just hoped that Olivia didn't take it as some ransom note or a death threat. They've had enough bad run-ins already to have another serve as the icing on the cheesecake of irony that was their honeymoon.

"Let's just get this over with. The sooner we try and talk with this island's guardian, the sooner we can figure out this frame that's been put on us." He bent over the oasis' edge to refill their thermos once last time. "This should last us long enough for the desert at least. How big is it on the map?"

Erza reached for the folded map she used to attempt to punish Nic and spread it out. She looked for the landmark that was a large, bright yellow and rocky terrain. "It's directly north of us. It looks massive."

"That case, I can my Earth Form to navigate. It'll save us the trouble of wandering around aimlessly. You've got something too, don't you?"

"I suppose some of my armors might be useful, though if I use my Armadura Aggron Armor, it might be rather heavy."

"If we come across some sand pits, just leave those to me." He grinned, getting up first. He reached down and extended his hand. "You ready?"

Erza grinned back. "I thought you'd never ask." She chimed modestly, accepting his invitation.

Closer to the coast, there was a small alcove that hid well beyond two boulders. With them focusing on packing their supplies, their backs were turned when a white bubble exposed itself, only to shrivel and retreat.

"Hm?" Nic looked over his shoulder, but he saw nothing was there. 'Was something there just now...?' His brow furrowed at his suspicions. "C'mon, we better get going while the sun is still shining."

Erza nodded. Nic turned to return Charizard to his Poke Ball, before taking his wife's hand and making way towards the Haina Desert. When they were just out of sight, the white bubble popped back out, followed by a second one. They eyed the wary pair as they were walking closer towards the desert. They wanted to follow, but the one parasite gave a spiteful hiss and retreated behind its cover.

The second parasite that followed its lead levered itself lower and tilted its head with a long hum. The other parasite raised its jelly-like tendrils and gave an exaggerated hiss, before looking back at the reason it hissed defensively to begin with. It recognized Nic and Erza as the people it saw before. Suffice to say that if the hisses were exasperated, the newbie was quick to catch on.

"Skreeeeee?" Beast 2 chimed.

Beast 1's entire body vibrated like it was growling. "Skreeeee..."

This was all that the other could say, but in a sense, this was how they could communicate. They hissed back and forth, with Beast 1 making shorter, higher-pitched shrieks to emphasize its defense mechanisms against Nic and Erza. Beast 2 chimed back, seemingly agreeing to something that Beast 1 wanted to do. They both looked at Nic and Erza one more time, then back at each other.

"Skreeee!" they hissed in unison.

Beast 1 suddenly heard something, something that sounded like vocals. It curiously turned its front towards the cliff that carved its way towards the sea a hundred feet below. It immediately noticed two tanned men with surfboards. It tilted its head before an idea came to mind.

"Skreeee!" Beast 1 moved a singular tendril, gesturing Beast 2 to follow it behind some rocks a little closer to the trail. They both floated behind the cover and waited patiently as their prey approached.

"Man, that Mantine Surfing was killer!" A blonde, tanned surfer pumped both fists back with a smirk beneath his shades. "Dude, you should have totally tried all those things that thing did! We even skidded off a Wailord! I didn't even know that was even possible! I'm telling ya, if we're island hopping again, I am not taking those plain ferries anymore."

"I know, right? That one time, where that Mantine did that awesome barrel roll spin, I swear I almost fell off." The brown-haired tan surfer beside him gave a hardy laugh. "I thought I was gonna barf! Hahaha!"

The blonde surfer's eyes widened. "Dude! At least tell me you got the snapshots, right?"

"Bro, trust me. I..." The brunette surfer's expression fell at the realization. "...did not. Shoot."

"You serious?!" The blonde facepalmed his forehead. "Aw man, dude! You blew it! Now how are we gonna prove to our boys at home that we're surfing champs of Alola?! Ugh!" He kicked a nearby stone off the cliff edge. "Darn it!"

"Sorry man..." The brunette rubbed the back of his head. "We'll get it next time, promise ya that."

"Skreee..."

The faint found got the brunette's attention. "Huh?" He looked around, seeing what made that sound. "Dude, did you just hear something just now?"

"Heh? I didn't hear squat dude."

"Skreee..."

The chime was a little louder, coming from the rocks that were up ahead. They both narrowed their eyes, swearing they were seeing white hats sticking out behind some rocks. "Dude, do you see what I see?" The blonde asked, bumping his elbow into his friend's arm.

"Yeah. Looks like hats to me." He said. They both looked at each other and back at the rocks. "What's there?"

"Let's see." The blonde took the initiative and used a single hand to vault over the rocks. When he landed, he was met with two white hats with jelly braids laying lifeless on the ground. "The heck...? Hats with wigs attached to them?"

The brunette vaulted over next. "What'd you find?" He looked down, his gaze equally as stunned as his friend's. "Huh? Was this what made that noise?"

"Buddy, I think these are wigs..." The blonde walked closer, crouching down to get a closer view. "Is this hair?" He poked a tendril, unknowingly causing the whole thing to vibrate. "Huh? Did it just move?"

"Dude, get real. Wigs don't move." The brunette went over to pick one up. To his surprise, it was very heavy. "Geez! What is this hat made of?! Geodude?!" He struggled to get the limp object over his head, but he soon placed it on the top of his head. "Like this, I think."

The blonde gave him a raised brow before snorting a laughter. "Dude, you totally look like my sister!" He slapped his knee and laughed loudly. "I swear, and here I thought that one dude's wipeout was priceless...but this...this is going in our photo album for sure! Our buds are gonna laugh at this one!"

"Hehe, sure are! And there's two of 'em here! Put yours on so we can take a photo!"

The blonde went over and picked up the spare parasite. He was also unaware of the weight that it had, almost too heavy to lift up. But he managed to mount the tendrils on his back and rest the hat on his head.

"Damn, these things are heavy." He felt the top's outside as it was pressed in and out. "It's like a Tentacool all dried up."

"Hurry up and get the camera! If somebody left them here, they're probably gonna come back for them. And I don't even wanna remember what happened the last time I got caught."

"Alright, alright. Let me get my camera set." He pulled out a smartphone and pressed on the camera app. The screen showed a widescreen portrait of him and his buddy posing with two large, bulbous hats on them with white tendril hair. The brunette pursed his lips and held up two fingers for peace. The blonde gave a mischievous smirk of his own.

"On three." The blonde counted. "One...two...three!"

The moment he pressed the button, the shutter got the picture. The tentacle hairs instantly latched onto their backs and necks as the hats expanded over their heads. The brunette lost his balance immediately as neurotoxins began infiltrating his head.

"THE HECK-?!" The blonde breathed, before his head was swallowed by the "hat" completely.

The two wriggled and muffled cries as their bodies convulsed and twitched behind the rocks. The phone the guy had on him fell out of his hand, making a few side rolls before making a dive off the cliff. It descended quickly into the soft sand beneath and landed on its back.

The screen cracked, showing a frozen picture of the two guys posing. The cracks, coincidentally, went right through their faces.


Along Route 17, rain was continuously falling. The entire western half of the island was nothing but a looming cloud of darkness that fell rain over the lush wildlife.

Yet even here, there was a police station. Nanu was sitting lazily on a chair, casually leaning back as the sounds of rain hitting concrete outside was the only tune he found more musing than the old-fashioned radio on the counter. Around the entire station there were at least a dozen Alolan Meowth minding themselves and purring. One of which pounced up onto his lap, much to his belittlement.

"Hey, that's not a cushion." He ushered the periwinkle feline off, but even the cat was too lazy to listen. Like trainer, like Pokémon. He sighed and rolled his head back. "Geez, you all can be such a pain sometime."

As the rain kept pouring outside, the makeshift house was as it always was. Not much in terms of commodities, nor was it the most reasonable places for a person to make a home from. But anything to save a couple bucks in Nanu's case. Being a Kahuna, he could have shot higher for a home in Malie City, that's what he remembered Acerola suggesting one time at least. The idea was enough to make his sigh more deflated than it should have. He wasn't exactly the most social person out there, and being around the western sector of Ula'ula was a place where not many would want to even set up camp. Not unless they wanted to get scared by what Po Town had to offer.

The idea of going to Po Town to buy some groceries was tempting to him. Not many were publicly aware of Team Skull's disbandment. Those who did immediately felt relieved enough to sleep soundly through the night. He's been hearing rumors that some of the community's higher financial institutions were commissioning infamous gardeners and construction workers to remodel all of Po Town to make it more welcoming. Then again, that was just a rumor. Besides it would have taken more than a few years to get fully done. Longer depending on how many are actually able to pitch in on the project.

Feeling a sudden hunger out of the blue, Nanu looked over to his right and saw an open bag of potato chips. His mind told him to get up, but his body blocked out any of the signals given from upstairs. Where command central reigned, the body was following Laissez-faire. The best he could muster right now was slouching his body towards the side, reaching his arm to the table. He was just a few hairs away when he couldn't reach any farther. Eventually, he chose to give up and loll back to his staunched position in the comfy chair.

"You've really mellowed out, haven't you? I don't suppose that you still blame yourself for what happened, didn't you?"

The memory of what Looker said before bubbled from the depths of his mind. Unpleasant images with a woman reaching out to him turned to a boil. He could almost see it clearly, the same way he reached for his chips a minute ago reflected the same arm that he used to grab her.

"It'll be okay...take care, Nanu."

The soft, feminine voice felt like Toxic straight to his stomach. Suddenly, he lost his appetite. He didn't feel like chewing on anything bitter to remind him of his transgressions. 'What's done is one. The mission came first...' He remembered what he said earlier. How he wished he had said something so different back then to Looker. Maybe then he wouldn't have to stomach such guilt.

"Hello~! Ring, ring, ring! Guess who's here!"

Before Nanu could even think to remember who the voice belonged to, the door opened, alarming several of his pet Meowth to scamper away as a girl entered the area. She had on a midnight blue dress that went down past her thighs. Her purple hair was a mess, but it matched her eyes. "Hello, Uncle! Came to check in on you to make sure you're not evolving into a caveman again!"

"Acerola..." He dryly groaned. "Don't you know when to knock first before entering someone's home?"

"C'mon, silly! Didn't you forget?" She waltzed forward, swaying her body with arms out like she was balancing across the flooring. "You gave me a spare key. And besides, it wasn't locked anyway. You know, that's really dangerous." She eyed the bag of potato chips on Nanu's table. "Oh~, and you remember to leave snacks this time!"

Nanu eyerolled. "Help yourself. My appetite went south for a while."

With a hum, Acerola merrily walked towards the counter and snatched the chips. She reached into the bag and picked out a rather large chip for herself. Once she took a bite of it, that go-lucky expression turned sour. "Bleh! So bitter!" She smacked her lips, rolling the salts and the vinegar that littered the chip.

The corner of Nanu's mouth made a quick smirk, but faded just as quickly. "Eh, it's not for everybody."

Acerola scurried over towards the sink to wash the salts off her tongue. As the cold faucet water carried the grains into the sink, she was able to gather her bearings. "Bleh...I still don't understand how you like food that's so bitter, Uncle."

"Meh, it's an acquired taste." He lazily shrugged. "So what dragged you over here? Figured you'd be handling your Elite Four duties or something."

"Well, I would, but we haven't had anyone pass all four of their Grand Trials in a while." She pouted, putting her hands to her sides. "It was all fun at first, but things have been so slow now these days. At least being part of the trials, there's a little more fun to see, especially the looks on all their faces when they run out screaming from the Haunter that live there." She giggled. "But anyways, didn't you hear? There's been a lot of freaky incidents with people being attacked over on Melemele and here!"

"Yeah, I got the memo earlier." He reached over to the stand beside him and waved the articles Looker gave him. "It's on paper."

Acerola gave him a look. Not just any look. The look. Her eyes were rolled into his direction with a slight "Hmmm?", just enough to know that she was onto him. She pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow, and finally, to finish the ensemble, folded her arms. The Kahuna cringed at the sight enough give even him the spooks.

"Yeesh...I can see why you specialize in Ghost-types. You sure know how to make an old man feel like he's watched by some ghost over his shoulder."

"That's what Ghost-types do." She smirked, flashing a wink.

Nanu gave in and sighed. "Are we done here? Because this old man's got a lot to do today."

"Yeah, because I can tell you're really busy." She went over towards the television remote and picked it up. "You might wanna see this then."

"Huh? See what?"

To answer his question, she flipped on the television sitting in the corner. The news immediately turned on and showed a bird's eye view of Route 13. Moreover, it showed a closed-off section where police were surrounding belongings covered in black gunk. This made Nanu's brow raise in suspicion.

"The heck...?" He read the headline beneath, which was "Two Surfers Missing". He turned towards Acerola. "When did this happen?"

"Just recently. Look for yourself." She turned towards the broadcast, where Nanu and many of his Alolan Meowth turned their heads in curiosity.

"Just before noon, there was an incident leading from Ula'ula's beach up to Route 13." The reporter said. "When locals heard loud screams, they rushed to the scene almost immediately. However, when the first wave arrived, they were found unconscious with poison in their systems. It's not verified what has caused this. Many speculated that it was Tentacruel. More on the story as it develops..."

"Even I'm not that dumb." Acerola huffed. "It's gotta be those Ultra Beasts that you Kahunas and the island guardians always have to deal with, don't you? Shouldn't you do something about this for once?"

Nanu grumbled low. He really didn't like being talked to about his responsibilities, especially to someone so young. He gave the Meowth on his lap a look, to which it lazily looked back. He looked back at the broadcast to see many people looking worried for their friends' lives.

"It's just part of life. Sometimes we're given choices, and sometimes some of us just aren't lucky enough to get those choices. I wasn't asked to be Kahuna, yet the guardian decided to pass the torch to me."

He rubbed the back of his head, letting out a large, angry groan. "Alright...you win." He gradually arose, alarming the Meowth that scurried off his lap. Once he got on his sandals, he started kicking his heel into the flooring. "Guess if Tapu Bulu's being lazy, might as well clean up around here."

"That's the spirit! I knew you cared!" Acerola perked up, punching the air. "Go get'em!"

"Yeah, yeah." He turned and walked towards the counter, stepping over the few Meowth littered about. He picked up the phone and started dialing a number. He waited until the ringing on the other side stopped. "Hey, Looker you there?" He heard a voice on the opposite end. "Yeah...yeah, figures you'd be the one to find out first...Acerola filled me in..."

Acerola tilted her head at Nanu facepalming himself for some reason. "Geez, I get it! Look, just meet me at the entrance to the Haina Desert. I have a feeling that our little target is taking a little detour somewhere...yeah, sure thing...I'm hanging up now."

No sooner than that, he hung up the phone. "Acerola, mind watching the Meowth for a little while? I'm going out."

Acerola gave him a mock salute. "Whatever you say, Island Kahuna! Got get'em!"

Nanu grumbled as he slouched his neck forward, pressing his shoulders against his cheeks. He exited the police station as he heard the sounds of stuff shifting and falling over inside. Meowing was heard as many Meowth were probably causing trouble, as Nanu taught them.

"Yaaa! Hey, don't claw me there~!" Loud whines of Acerola was like music to Nanu's ears. As he started walking, he pulled out his Page Rider and had a serious expression.

'If I ain't got a choice, then so be it...but as Island Kahuna, I don't hold back when I'm forced to. Whatever this culprit is, it's gotta still be on this island...' He started dialing for a Pager Charizard. 'Let's see how long this lasts until the darkness consumes it.'


Sand, sand, and even more sand. That's all that Nic and Erza saw as they drifted through the blinding sandstorm.

As they expected, the desert sandstorm was kicking up yellow grains in all directions. It was so thick that it felt like clumps that smacked other parts of the sandy sea. Nic was in his Earth Form holding onto Garchomp's backfin as his entire body was sunk under the sands. Like a shark, he swam beneath the surface, kicking up waves of sand that were swept in the sandstorm. Erza was in her Armadura Aggron Armor, helping her see clearly without any backlashes.

"Nic, how much further?" Erza shouted. She was more worried about her armor being too heavy since it was made from shedded metal from the aforementioned Pokémon species. But considering how Nic's Garchomp wasn't slowing down, that answered her insecurities.

Nic glided his heel as they passed over sand, allowing him to see the area that the desert covered through a radar scope in his head. He could see the land formations, rocks; everything that was touching the ground. "Hard to say, there's a lot of large formations out here. But assuming he's in the depths of the desert..." He trailed off as he felt the sands again, this time zeroing on the northern end of the map in his head. "...got it. Garchomp, turn at 45 degrees right!"

Underneath, Garchomp suddenly shifted in the sands. The small jerk rocked Nic and Erza, but they held firm as their course was set by Nic's Ground-type characteristics.

"Couldn't you have changed the weather to make it more convenient on us?" Erza pondered aloud.

"That's probably a good thing. If the International Police or the Kahuna are on our tail, at least the sandstorm will slow them down. I'd rather not be looking over my shoulder the entire way." He countered. "Besides, I'm pretty sure there were locals just outside Route 13. I'm sure they'd notice if the sandstorm that's been spread thin suddenly turned to blaring sunlight."

Erza looked down at the passing waves of sand. "That's true. We've been having misfortunes with all these circumstances. Let's just hurry this along then, shall we?"

Nic leered ahead. "You don't have to tell us twice...Garchomp!"

A snarl vibrated beneath the desert sands, before Nic and Erza accelerated through the sandstorm so fast that they looked like ghosts gliding deeper into the sand shroud.

As they went on, Nic's sensory picked up on something. His gaze shifted towards his left. "Erza, on the left!"

Suddenly, bursting out of the sand, a Krokorok jumped right for them with its maw wide open. "(Hiya! Chow time!)"

"HRAH!" Erza swung her heavy blade across, successfully sweeping the wild Krokorok across the air and back into the sand with its upper half plunged beneath. As Garchomp paved the path, even more sand fell and buried the crocodile.

"Foul cretin. Thinking we're not capable in such an environment." Erza scoffed.

"I'm sure that's how Vanessa met her Sandile on Route 9." Nic pointed out. "Those jagged rocks that you have to ride Rhyhorn over are always crawling with Ground-types. Speaking of which..." He glared ahead, seeing a very familiar landscape with jagged rocks that had to be trotted over. If that wasn't ironic, he didn't know what was. "Up ahead!"

"Are we going to cross over that?" Erza pondered.

Nic focused ahead and closed his eyes. Holding onto Garchomp's fin, he had his heel sweeping in the sand as he felt another radar pulse, similar to echolocation. When it came back to him, he glared ahead. The rock field ahead was far too deep, and he'd rather not change the weather to make it easy to fly.

As Garchomp closed in, Nic suddenly jumped off his Pokémon into the air and flipped down into the front of the jagged rocks. A golden aura enveloped his right fist as he went crashing down.

"Earth Power!"

The golden fist smashed into the rocks, causing the area to erupt with golden cracks tearing apart the rocks beneath. Stone shards blew apart in every direction, causing nearby Krokorok and Trapinch to retreat. The fissures exploded ahead, blowing apart more of the passage until it reached the other side a fair mile away.

When the explosions and fissures settled, there was a singular, long pathway where rock was cracked completely open. Since rock was all that was underneath, there was nothing but a hollow crack in the earth that sand grains started filling up.

Nic pressed his hand further into the sand, using his powers to shift and mold the sand himself. He forced the sand to rush through from either side, like two rivers meeting halfway. A subtle collision connected both ways to enable them safe passage through. Nic hopped back onto Garchomp's backfin as he finally caught up. They continued their way like nothing happened to begin with.

"Let's go." Nic ordered.

Erza nodded. "Right."

Garchomp continued gliding beneath the sands, while Nic continued guiding towards the ruins afoot.


The desert kept brewing up a mess, enough that it was almost impossible for anyone to see clearly. But even so, the inhabitance was very much aware of their surroundings. That went for the Krokorok that Erza held back with little effort. It didn't seem responsive, until a toe twitched, then it twitched again, until the sand dune completely slumped over, spreading sand all around the Krokorok. He laid in the sand on his stomach, his head spinning in circles after that blow.

"(Geez...what just happened...?)" He slumped up, blinking as he looked at the sandstorm surrounding him. "(Huh? That's weird, I thought I could have sworn there was a huge catch around here...did it get away?)" He scratched his head with his claw. "(Well, guess I can settle for a Trapinch. Those little buggers are always around here somewhere...)"

As he started to submerge, he felt an odd chill run up his spine. Which was ironic, because the desert was incredibly hot, even in a sandstorm. So why was he feeling like an Ice-type was snaking up his back?

Curiosity finally getting to him, he turned around, only for his eyes to widen at two large, black objects with dozens of arms with colors that challenged his thermal vision. They floated off the ground with dangling feet that looked unappetizing.

"(Wha-What the hell are you?!)" he backpedaled away, baring his teeth and claws as his only defense.

The two jellyfish humanoids looked at each other, before turning back towards the Krokorok. They had sinister smirks that confirmed Krokorok's uneasiness. If he wasn't frozen before, he most certainly was now.

"WhaT uP, BRO?!" The one parasite leaned in, his eyes flashing bright yellow. "YOu knOW, tHe dEseRt is a LOT dIffeREnt froM tHe bEAch. Like, toTAlly!"

"Yeah, lIKe rEALly." The other surfer asked, his voice equally as distorted with a double layer. It sounded like a normal man with a higher pitch to a little girl screeching through a megaphone. It was enough to make Krokorok flinch. "Aw, lOOk. LoOkS lIke We're sCArinG hIm."

"ThEn leT's juSt makE tHiS bRieF." The first surfer floated closer, leaning in to show off his wily smirk. "Yo. MiNd HeLPing uS oUT?"

The Krokorok shakily stepped away. First a sword, now two funny-looking human-aliens? He wasn't having this. "(I'm out of here!)" He hurried to dig into the sand, but an orb of dark purple erupted overhead and diffused into the sand around him. Ripples of purple echoed, leaving him stiff. "(Wah?! Poison in the sand?!)"

"Sorry, but we REALLY need help. Like, a LOT of it right now." Beast 1 chimed. "WE're NoT goINg hoMe uNlEss We Do sOmeThiNg VERY iMpRESsive To plEAse Our OTher FrIEnds back hOmE."

"YeAH. WOUldn't You mInD giVinG uS A haNd TheRe, pAL?" Beast 2 chimed.

"(What do you want already?! Just spit it out already!)" Krokorok snapped.

Beast 2 floated closer, looming over Krokorok's shadow. With how they were in a sandstorm, the sweeping dust gave them the impression of ghost that came to haunt his soul. Was this because he targeted the wrong people? If it was, perhaps there could be some redemption before the gavel comes down.

"(H-hey now, let's be reasonable...)" He slid a heel back, unintentionally setting off one of the traps. Poisonous ripples went up his body with toxic bubbles erupting off of his surface. "(Gah! Damnit! That stings!)"

"WhAt dID yoO eXPecT? ArE yOU impResSed?" Beast 1 chimed. "WelL...YOu sHOulD BE!"

Before Krokorok could do anything, two volumes of harsh purple liquid shot out of two hands. He screamed loudly as the venom stung his entire body. The grains of sand grinding against his back felt like salt to the wound that was enough make him black out.

The two abnormal parasites looked at the drenched Krokorok as he laid unresponsive with swirls in his eyes. Beast 2 turned towards his ally. "ThAt waS a LiTtle ColD, dOn't YOu thiNk?"

Beast 1 shrugged. "MeH, maYbe JUst A littlE." His smirk widened. "BUt Hey, I goT aN iDea? LeT's sEE wHo eLSe is ArOund? I wAnNa sEe wHo ELse wE caN imPRess oN thIs ISland bEfORe gOIng tO tHE neXt oNe."

Beast 2 slyly grinned. "SoUNds AWESome! Hahahaha!"

The two parasites drifted over the Krokorok as they decided to head further into the desert. The sandstorm thickened even further as they went in, quickly shifting the grimy sands and the Krokorok left in the dirt. Literally.


Looker looked at his watch, his face scrunching as his patience was turning thin. "What's taking him so long?"

A low roar from the skies grabbed his attention. He saw a Pager Charizard land on the ground in front of him, carrying none other than the Island Kahuna. Nanu leaned over from the side with a knowing smirk. "Yo. Long time no see, stranger."

Looker walked closer towards him with a look that immediately spelled seriousness. "You took your time getting here. I've been waiting or almost ten minutes. I was beginning to think that something happened and I had to come find you."

"C'mon, I'm not helpless. You know that. Besides, the rain isn't an easy place for a Pager Charizard to fly through, am I right tough guy?" He patted the Pager Charizard's neck, causing him to jerk. "Yeesh, okay. My bad. Someone's in a mood."

"Looks like you're in a better mood than you were this morning...that's good to see." Looker grinned.

Nanu blinked in surprise. He raised a brow and tried to look away. "Yeah, well...something just clicked after I had a good nap." He glanced back at him. "Anyways, I'm here, so no need to get a search party for my sake."

"So you know why we're here then?"

Nanu hopped off the Pager Charizard, keeping a hand on the handle so he didn't fly away. "Yeah, figured as much. If you're here, that means you're following that trail you spoke about earlier, right?"

"That's right." Looker held up his phone to Nanu, showing a dark green radar with a bright green blotched trail that trotted north.

"Heh? Since when did it become an app?"

"It was something that the Aether Foundation had recently created. It's supposed to link up with Professor Burnet's Dimensional Research Lab so we can stay up to date with the spatial waves that she picks up. This should help us track the culprit without having to take any frequent stops along the way."

Nanu raised a brow as he smirked. "Always up to date with the latest technology, aren't ya? And you said that things weren't the same after I left. I think you should rethink what you say before you say them aloud. Whatever happened to those Pokétch you used in your time in the Sinnoh region?"

"It was handy while it lasted, but the International Police couldn't use it other than to tell time. It wasn't like the Xtransceiver where you could send video." He looked towards the Haina Desert. "In any case, the data showed that the culprit's energy trail was leading towards the desert. They must have fled there after getting too much attention from the locals...or maybe they're trying to find something."

"Well if I were a gambling man, I bet if they went into the Haina Desert of all places, they must be heading towards the Ruins of Abundance. That's where our island guardian lives out his days."

"Do you know where precisely the ruins are inside the Haina Desert? We might be able to reach the signal's pinpoint if you know any shortcuts."

Nanu rubbed the back of his head. "Geez, not even a day in and it feels like my last days on duty." He muttered, before sighing heavily. "There's a specific path you've gotta take to get to the ruins. You can't get there fully by foot. You need a Pager Mudsdale to get through some of the rougher parts of the desert. A lot of people tend to forget them and end up waiting for hours in the hot sun or buried in a sandstorm."

"But if we call a Pager Mudsdale now, that could take well over thirty minutes." Nanu frowned. "Is there any faster way that you know of?"

"Well..." Nanu raised an eyebrow, eyerolling towards the Pager Charizard. Looker was quick to catch on.

"Wait, can it even do that?"

"Hey, hasn't stopped me before." He looked at the Pager Charizard and smirked. "Alright big guy, one more trip is all I ask of you. You mind?"

Pager Charizard huffed, smoke snorting from his nostrils. "(I don't get paid enough for this crap.)"

But ill words aside, the Uber Pokémon complied and found himself being mounted by Nanu and Looker alike. The extra weight was a lot for him, but with his strong wings, he was able to ascend into the air, setting a course into the Haina Desert. Nanu and Looker braced themselves as their expressions were equally as serious. They were not going to allow this to slide. They were going to get to the bottom of this if it was the last thing they did. That's what an International Police and an Island Kahuna had in common at least.


Garchomp continued sailing through the thick sands, his course set in stone that Nic obliged to plough through whenever convenient. The deeper they got, the more Nic sensed a large formation afoot.

"The sandstorm is lifting...we must be close." Erza noted, actually able to see two passing tiki stones.

"Looks like we were right all along." Nic frowned as his brow was furrowed. He was half-expecting to be wrong, that maybe the temple was actually in another location. But even from such a distance, his echolocation of the land was picking up a sanctum on the far end that went through a tunnel. He wondered if he should have used the Meadow Form to be sure of any life essence just in case. He'd rather not show up if Tapu Bulu wasn't there.

But before that thought fully processed to a conclusion, he realized the sandstorm had finally lifted. He and Erza found themselves in the open with a clear blue sky overhead. It was like the sandstorm wasn't even there to begin with. They either must have entered a different area where such weather is implausible, or it could have been the Tapu's power. They'd rather save the questions for the island guardian than the little things for now.

They dismounted Garchomp, moments before the land shark arose out of the sand. Nic subconsciously reverted back to his standard form and turned towards the apex creature. "Nic work, Garchomp." He praised.

"(Ha, that was just a ticklish massage against my scales. That was nothing.)" The Mach Pokémon scoffed aggressively.

Erza looked forward, requipping into her Heart Kreuz Armor. She saw the temple entrance that was within a massive rock formation a hundred yards away. "There it is. The Ruins of Abundance."

Looking straight ahead, all three peered at that arched opening into the rock. It felt more like an entrance to a dungeon if anything. They saw a bright yellow triangle at the top, like it was some indication as to go inside. It wasn't anything they weren't used to. They've been through caves with peculiar entrances before, so this was something along the milder aspect.

Still, they had to take the matter seriously. Nic pressed on without a hitch. "Let's go."

"Right." Erza followed. Right beside her, Garchomp treaded on light heels to keep up with Nic.

They all entered the ruins' mouth, immediately befalling into a dark tunnel that carried a faint light at the end, literally. No water dripped from the ceiling, which was surprisingly made up of diced bricked stones that lined up the whole way. It felt oddly familiar to a subway station if that was any sense of comfort.

The natural lighting gradually brightened as they closed in on the other end to the tunnel. They stepped into a larger room, which added to the appeals of a dungeon with a larger gray veiling with sandy brown paint lining the rims. Along the stone bridge that was a meter above soft sandy pits, there were large blocks that that dark gray accents that blocked their paths.

"A puzzle?" Erza questioned.

"I think these were put here to stall intruders." Nic guesstimated, walking closer towards the one on the right. He looked up at how towering this was. 'It'd probably be a bad idea if we end up messing these. It might set off some kind of other tap. Gotta get this just right.'

He stepped back as his body glowed once more, shaping into his Mind Form once more. "Telekinesis!" His eyes brightened to a glowing green shade as a familiar aura enveloped himself and Erza. Rather than deal with the traps or obstacles, the easiest way was dealt with promptly. Garchomp glided over the stone blockades and met with them on the other side.

Once their feet touched the ground, Nic reverted to normal yet again. He looked left and right to check for any holes in the walls, or any kind of plating that was misplaced that meant a trap. But from what he saw, none of that was there.

"Stay on your toes, guys. I sense something back there." He said, facing the doorway ahead of them.

"We know." Erza said.

"(Hngh!)" Garchomp grunted.

Nic glared forward. There was no going back now. This was possibly their only chance to fix things regarding their standing with the island guardians targeting their backs. They had a very serious disposition around them as they walked further into the second entrance.

They came out on the other end, immediately noting that the domain was a lot smaller than the room they just passed through. Nic and Erza saw that there was a series of zigzag patterns that were on the wall lining the edged rims. The gray bricks were still there, though bright brown stones filled the road towards a wooden stairwell on either side of a shrine supported by leaves and wood. They saw a gray tiki with a massive leaf-like throne, sitting on a asphalt gray pedestal with rectangular pillars on all the corners.

"(Is that the shrine?)" Garchomp said, little impression in his gravely tone.

"Looks like it." Nic responded, heading up the steps. Erza followed behind as they went up the steps and looked at not Tapu Bulu, but something that seemed similar to it. "So what do you think this is?"

"That's hard to say. It looks like a proxy of some sorts." Erza pondered. "I wonder what we do with...this?" She raised a brow at the tiki. "I think we're supposed to touch it?"

"Only one way to find out." Being the brave one, Nic braced himself. He furrowed his brow further and readied as he finally reached out and touched the tiki.

TAP

By the time that his fingers grazed the statue's head, a green glow enveloped the tiki, illuminating the entire tribute room. Nic instinctively jerked back with Erza and Garchomp towards the edge of the wooden podium with battle stances. But the light was so blaring that they couldn't see much of anything. The only compensation they had to cover was their forearms shielding their eyes.

When the light finally receded, they could feel a shift in the atmosphere. For some reason, it felt...refreshing? The air had a more vibrant smell, reminiscent of a flower field. As their retina were finally adjusting, they were able to make heads of the island deity's true form blossoming from a green light.

Erza was the first to react. "Is that...the island guardian?"

Nic and Garchomp watched as the light gradually floated towards the ground, giving off a sprinkled green trail upon its descent. The light faded in and out, expanding and contracting until it minimized to make a shape that was lying on its side and faded completely to expose the silhouette. Said silhouette had his eyes shut and a large yellow nose ring slinging up and down with every deep breath it took.

It looked...it looked to be sound asleep.

"That's...the island guardian...?" Erza trailed off, unsure what to really say about the matter. Just to be sure, she pulled out her PokeDex and held it up. The screen showed the same exact image as what was laying soundly in front of them.

"Tapu Bulu, the Land Spirit Pokémon. The guardian deity of Ula'ula is a lazy Pokémon. It commands plants to immobilize its foes and then deals them a savage blow with its horns."

"A lazy Pokémon..." Erza repeated. 'And a Grass and Fairy-type. That's something I wasn't expecting.'

Nic blinked nervously. "...well, that's rather...underwhelming." He mumbled, watching Tapu Bulu snore away. "Well...guess being alone in a desert, you've gotta do something, I suppose."

But the two couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't scot free. If he was the deity, they knew that when he gets serious, it could spell a disaster for them. Their eyes widened when they heard a loud snort coming from Tapu Bulu. They braced themselves as they saw him stir.

"(Hmm...?)" Tapu Bulu opened a drowsy eye. "(What time is it...?)" he yawned. "(Hm? Oh, did someone touch my statue...? I didn't think anyone...would get this far in the desert...)" He gradually lifted himself off the platform and stretched out his arms. "(Mmmm! That was a good nap.)"

"Tapu Bulu, was it?"

"(Heh?)" Hearing a masculine voice, Tapu Bulu looked down, seeing a man with blue eyes that glared at him. Beside him was a scarlet-haired woman with burning brown eyes.

It was delayed, but the second he picked up on the realization, his entre body shook so hard that the cowbell tail rung. "(Heh?! You?!)" He hovered over Nic with an attitude of a complete 180. "(I know you! You dare to lay waste to my brethren and Alola! And now you have the nerve to come here?!)"

Nic narrowed his eyes before he and everyone else instinctively jumped off the podium before Tapu Bulu's glowing, green horns smashed into it, via Megahorn. The splintered fragments scattered everywhere as the stand beneath was completely tarnished. Nic and the others landed on a knee and stood back up to face the destroyed podium.

A short silence fell throughout the area as the three stood there and glared at the debris. Nic and Erza had calm stances as the bamboo and wood spread apart as Tapu Bulu went head-first across the stone flooring, kicking up dust as his head had a distorted glow around it.

"(Zen Headbutt!)"

As he beelined straight for Nic, he reached his arm out to create a Protect. The barrier rippled when Tapu Bulu made impact, sending airwaves everywhere. However, with his massive strength, he wasn't pushed back though Nic retained the barrier.

"We didn't come here to quarrel with you." He calmly, but sternly told.

He shoved against his own barrier, dispelling it and making Tapu Bulu retreat back into the air. He regained his stance and gave the island deity a serious look. "I understand your defensive needs, but there's been a serious lack of communication between us."

Tapu Bulu raised his helmet angrily. "('Lack of communication'?)" He lowered his head, a red aura charging up his Defense. "(I do not speak with intruders who threaten these lands!)"

Garchomp stepped forward with claws bared. "(Can I tear this deaf fool apart, please?)" Before he got any further, Nic reached his arm out to his side.

"Not yet."

"(Skull Bash!)"

He lowered his head and went diving straight down for Nic and Erza alike. Nic stood completely still with an expectant glare before Erza suddenly appeared before them, adorning her Adamantine Armor. Tapu Bulu's horns made full impact, creating several airwaves that faded throughout the area before an explosion of smoke and stone from below spread everywhere behind Erza's massive shield. The knight held firm as her armor was barely hanging in there. It was gradually wearing down from the shock of the attack, but once again, Tapu Bulu backed off and looked down to see the smoke and the destroyed flooring to find Erza's Adamantine Armor slightly cracked along the shield, but otherwise her armor and the ones she shielded were unharmed.

Tapu Bulu snorted aggressively. "(How dare you-!)"

"He's even more aggressive than Tapu Koko was." Erza noted. "We need to calm him down, before the whole ruins comes down." She turned towards Nic. "Any move you can think of?"

Nic didn't respond. He just stepped forward and frowned at Tapu Bulu. "Listen, if you keep this up, it won't end well for either of us. We're trying to avoid that possibility."

"(If that was the case, then why did you interrupt my sagely nap, huh? I was having such a good dream, too...)" They watched as Tapu Bulu shook his head to stay on topic. "(But I fail anyways to see how any of your actions are anything but hostile! Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele were hurt because of you!)"

"We know that, but that was out of self-defense." Nic's counter only made Bulu's cowbell tail rattle with aggression.

"What he means is that we had no intention of starting an altercation from the very start. It was a misunderstanding that wasn't our part." Erza intervened.

Tapu Bulu gave Erza a fierce, skeptic glare. "(A misunderstanding, you say? Speak! I am very unpleased with how my nap was interrupted! Hurry and clarify before I change my mind of you lot!)"

Nic remained relaxed enough so he wouldn't stiffen to show weakness. Though the way Tapu Bulu had a very accusing mannerism similar to the last few deities, he tried his best not to show his annoyance. "When we first encountered Tapu Koko, he came to us first. It was just after we stopped a parasite that had come from Earthland to this one. We think you guys call them 'Ultra Beasts', don't you?"

"(Yes. I am familiar with seeing a few of these so-called beasts...but I haven't sensed any in a while, so I've been napping my time away. Haven't sensed anything until you guys showed up. You're saying Ultra Beasts are infesting Ula'ula?)"

'I can see why he's considered lazy. Guess being undisclosed in a desert does have its problems.' Nic shoved the thought to the side and answered his question as prompt as possible. "We've ran into an Ultra Beast when Tapu Koko first arrived, just after it fled a short distance from us. And when we gave chase shortly after, he landed right on it, sending it into the water below. We believe that's how it might have gotten to this island overnight."

Tapu Bulu furrowed his brow and slowly swayed his tail to and fro. A hollow cowbell rung throughout the hall. He wasn't sure to believe them. If anything, he wasn't sure if he should even be making conversation with enemies that hurt his fellow guardians. Suffice to say that his thoughts were along the tempted side of the scale.

"He speaks the truth." Erza let on. "I was there with him the whole time. A week ago, an ally of ours was attacked by one of these Ultra Beasts. We believe that it may have found a way back to this world, and concealed itself by leeching off of the locals. We don't know why all of you island guardians are targeting us for just arriving here...but we assure you, we had nothing to do with why you're against better judgement."

"If you really want..." Nic glowed, transforming into his Mind Form. "I can show you through our perspective if that will clear everything up."

Tapu Bulu gave Nic a glare. "(How will I know that you are trustworthy?)"

Nic glanced back at Garchomp, giving him an expectant look. Garchomp immediately took a few steps back and dropped his claws. Nic looked forward and frowned seriously. "If we wanted to seriously hurt you, we would have gone on the offense now, wouldn't we?" He stepped forward. "At the very least, give us a chance. If you're the island guardian as what everyone claims you are, then isn't it part of that responsibility to hear out the problems before you cast the die?"

Tapu Bulu frowned exaggerated. "(Hearing problems isn't my specialty. That's why I live in a desert.)" He saw the dead serious look in Nic's eyes. He didn't see any ill intent, yet he could see the battle-like intensity in them. If Tapu Bulu nor them were careful, even more of Alola could be in danger if what the damaged to Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele meant anything.

"(...if this is a trick, you better watch it.)"

Nic let out an easy sigh out his nose. He stepped forward to show the memories to Tapu Bulu. Suddenly, his eyes widened when he sensed something behind them heading their way.

"Get down!" Erza and Garchomp ducked upon reacting to his warning, moments before two jets of purplish, toxic liquid rushed through the air over all three into a surprised Tapu Bulu and exploded into a purple hazy cloud. He went flying back into the rubble that was his shrine, splattering pieces into the sand corners of the room while more of the structure came down, burying him underneath.

Nic's eyes were wide with shock before he and everyone turned around, seeing two familiar frames with multiple tendrils waving as giant heads jiggled with glee. They took stances as the intruders made themselves known.

"NicE shOt! I cOulDn't hAVe dOne tHaT oNe bEtteR mYseLf!" Beast 2 sneered. "We'Re DEfiNitely tellINg ouR frieNds AboUt thAt wiCKed shOT! HaHahaha!"

"Heh! PlEAse! TheY'rE noTHinG buT sKEptiCs anYwAy." Beast 2 chimed. "I sAy, wE sHow thEm oUrselVes afTer wE're Done hERe!"

"It's those parasites." Nic squinted. Beside him, Garchomp took an offensive stance.

Erza immediately noticed something off about this one. "Wait...there's two this time? Don't tell me that Ultra Beasts can multiply."

"We'll figure out theories later. Right now, we've gotta...!" He was cut short when the temple start to shudder low, which evolved into a low roar. Nic felt the palpitations and glanced over his shoulder. 'Don't tell me...'

The room was violently shaking as the debris that was covering Tapu Bulu was gradually splintering away. The magnitude turned into a bright pink rippling glow that crackled rainbow static around the debris. After a second, the mound exploded, sending the debris flying past everyone as Nic used Psychic and Erza used her Adamantine Armor's shield to block off the shrapnel. It all went around them, keeping them from harm as smoke diffused around the back of the chamber.

As Nic let up on the psychokinetic energy, Erza separated her shields again and requipped into her Heart Kreuz Armor. Their stances adjusted as they saw a silhouette float upwards from the crater created from the explosion.

"(Okay...I'm wide awake now.)" A gravely tone bellowed, a green flash coming from some eyes. "(The people usually know I'm cranky when I'm disturbed from my sleep. But you...you've gone and messed with the bull now!)" The dust faded, revealing a very angry Tapu Bulu with a heavy snort. "(Now you'll really get the horns now!)"

'He's gotten too angry to be reasoned with now. This is bad...' Erza grimaced heavily. The plan had backfired in a span of a few seconds. She was quick though to be ready for battle.

"Erza..." Nic had his back to her, his chin up as he glared at the two parasites before him. "...looks like we've gotten into another snare."

"It would seem so." She responded, glaring down Tapu Bulu as his bell kept tolling.

"Guess we don't have any other choice. Can you hold off Tapu Bulu for us?"

"Sure. But be careful. Remember, those parasites still have hosts they're controlling."

"Don't worry, I remember. These things like to manipulate people to make themselves stronger. Garchomp." The dragon stepped up beside him. "You ready?"

"(I've been born ready, Nic!)" He eyed them with the intent to hurt.

Nic's glare matched his. "Figures as much. Then get set."

Tapu Bulu floated higher into the air as he glared down Erza. "(I'll take you all down! Come on!)" As he snorted out steam, his tail swayed left and right again, sending green energy waves across the area engulfing the entire room. The energy faded into the background, brightening the hue to make it seem greener.

Erza looked down at her feet, seeing a few blades of grass growing between the cracks of the floor. "Grassy Terrain...no, it must be its Ability. Just like the other two." She thought back to the terrains Taou Koko and Tapu Lele manifested. "If that's the case, Grass-type moves must be stronger here. In that case..." She pulled up a Net Ball and tossed it into the air. "Scizor, to my side at once!"

The Net Ball went flying skywards until the energy shot down in front of her. Standing upright, Scizor stood on her metallic feet, spreading her razor-sharp pincers at Tapu Bulu. "(I am ready, Erza.)"

Tapu Bulu snorted aggressively at the metallic insect and the knight.

Beast1 looked at Nic and Garchomp glaring them down with serious expressions. "HEy brO."

"What iS It?" Beast 2 quipped.

"ThesE tWo aRE lOOkiNg at Us PrEtty fUNny. WhaT dO yOU sAy tHat We tRy tO SHow theM jUst hOw aWESome we ArE thAn juSt sUrfiNg, yOu CatcH mY dRifT?"

"YeAh..." Beast 2 eyed them evilly with raised tendrils. "I Was JUst tHinKing tHe saMe thiNg..."

Nic saw the ill will in their eyes. No way was this going to go as they had wanted. Not by a long shot apparently. 'I gotta remember to be careful. These things must be part Poison-type if they were able to use Toxic Spikes and Venoshock like last time. But first thing's first. Gotta get those people free from their control first.' He spread his legs as he prepared for their attack. No more time for talk. Time to take action.

The two parasites smiled widely as they gathered energy to create Power Gem shards. They projected their arms out at Nic and Garchomp and sent them shooting like beams across the air at them.

"Garchomp, Dual Chop!" Nic commanded.

Garchomp's draconic glare gleamed in the natural lighting as his arm fins glowed bright green. The gem beams closed in and he stepped hi front, slashing in two waves that iced the gemstones into dust before they even made complete contact. He swatted his arms to either side and sent an airwave that sent the particles flying backwards past the parasites.

"Woah bRO! YoO nEed tO chIlL ouT!" Beast 1 scowled, muscling through the airwave and shooting one of his tendril arms. Beast 2 was quick to follow the momentum and fired a secondary tendril that slung at Garchomp.

Nic planted a heel on Garchomp's back and flipped into the air over the two broad arms, his eyes glowed. "Confusion!" Weak but effective psychokinetic energy enveloped the arms, freezing them in place. Nic flipped onto the tendrils to use as platforms and ran across towards them.

The parasites hissed aggressively before more of their tendrils raised into the air around their bodies. They all closed in around Nic, but he suddenly jumped off and vanished in midair, leaving the tendrils to slam down on the two arms.

"YEEOOOW!" the two guys yelped.

In their writhe, Nic reappeared overhead, via Teleport with the edging and accents of his clothing being the Meadow Form's. With both of them stammering from their own fallouts, Nic swiped his arm, scattering a green cloud overhead onto them, via Sleep Powder.

"Huh?" Beast 1 looked up, seeing the green cloud of dust just before it engulfed him and his partner in the thick substance.

Nic backpedaled a safe distance and stood in front of them. He saw the cloud of green powder diffuse gradually. 'That should force them out-!' To his shock, he saw another tendril fly out of the cloud, but he was fast enough to dodge and slide backwards beside Garchomp.

The two fixed their glares forward as they saw the Sleep Powder fade away. The tendril retreated back behind the cloud as an outline of turquoise covered the two parasites floating in place. They had menacing smirks was the powder neutralized on their gelatinous coating.

'Safeguard?' Nic pondered. 'Looks like these things really do adapt well. It probably recognized that from the last time I fought it. In that case...' His eyes narrowed as he glowed again.

This time, when the light faded, he was in a cross of his Iron and Sky Forms, a Steel/Flying combo. The thick coating of his Metal Form had the Sky Form's outlining, but the wings were metallic and sharp, similar to a Skarmory.

'We need to switch things up.' His glare sharpened. "Garchomp!"

Garchomp stepped up as the parasites gleamed aggressively.


Tapu Bulu lowered his head as kinetic, distorted energy surfaced. It surrounded his forehead as he beelined for Erza and Scizor.

"Intercept! Bullet Punch!" Erza commanded.

Scizor bent her knees and jettisoned across the ground towards Tapu Bulu, her right claw glowing with bright blue, metallic energy. She jutted it out as Tapu Bulu's forehead made impact in the center, resulting in several airwaves that pushed dust beneath them away.

Scizor grunted heavily as she was asserting her strength the best she could, but Tapu Bulu was not an easy contender, even if she had the type advantage. Eventually though, both Pokémon lost the momentum in their attacks and the combined force caused them to veer away in the air.

With the distraction, Erza requipped into her Armadura Pidgeot Armor, ascending above her partner. Tapu Bulu looked up while still reeling. She rotated her body with the blades reached out on either side to make her look like a brown and cream-colored cyclone with a red center drilling down into Tapu Bulu.

"Aero Blade!"

The sharp acceleration thrusted her into Tapu Bulu as his horns glowed brightly and extended, via Megahorn. He aimed for Erza, but was caught completely off guard when the cyclone not only outsped him, but overpowered his attack. The island guardian's momentum was lost as he spiraled towards the ground screaming. He caught himself just before he could hit the ground and shook his head. "(What was that?!)"

Erza floated over Scizor a safe distance away, looking over Tapu Bulu as he gathered his bearings and glared them down, a green energy flash healing a fragment of his health. "(You won't tamper with the laws of this land anymore! Prepare yourself!)" He lowered his head again, tucking it in as another red aura glowed around his body.

"That's Skull Bash." Erza realized. "In that case, Scizor! Use Swords Dance!"

"(Right away!)" Scizor crossed her pincers and closed her eyes. A second later, they flashed open as illusionary swords circled around her and crossed overhead, sharply increasing her Attack.

"Requip: Armadura Aggron!" Erza glowed and requipped upon her descent, dropping to the stone floor with a heavy thud when she stood in front of her Scizor with her Armadura Aggron Armor covering her figure. "If thou wants a head-on confrontation, so be it! Let's see how you handle the might of one of the most defensive Steel-types out there!"

Tapu Bulu's eyes shrank at Erza's bluff. He tucked in his head and jettisoned across the ground at high speed into Erza. The knight braced herself with her armored gauntlets up as the Skull Bash blitzed directly into her.

BOOM!

At the moment of impact, a metallic clang rang through the corridor, followed by an intense eruption of air that sent dust in every direction. Once again, Tapu Bulu's strength was paramount as he was driving his helmet into Erza's abdomen. He grunted heavily as he was pushing with all his might, but even as everything else was blown away, Erza only slid back a foot, leaving only two small trenches in the stone flooring.

"(Wha-?!)" Another green energy wave recovered more of his energy.

"You've underestimate us." Erza scoffed. "Now, Scizor! X-Scissor!"

Scizor lunged over Erza's head, her claws shining bright blue again. However, only this time, they crossed and made an energy X that came down onto Tapu Bulu. He barely recoiled fast enough and slammed his cowbell tail into the ground, hastily growing a tree that got between himself and Scizor.

However, even that wasn't enough as the bark was cut clean through, continuing its path into Tapu Bulu's shocked face before hammering him with the slicing force of the move. Tapu Bulu's face scrunched as he definitely felt that one as he smashed several yards away into the ground, creating an explosion of debris and dust that billowed around him.

Scizor landed beside Erza, the two glaring down their opponent to see if that did him in.

"Did that do it...?" Erza pondered. Her eyes widened when she felt something beneath her heels anchoring her to the ground. She looked down to find her ankles were tangled in thick brown roots that grew out of the ground. "Roots?"

Scizor looked down at her feet. She also realized that she was captured in the accursed vineyard material as well. "(What is this?)"

Erza was taken back, before looking at the dust cloud again. "That's right. It uses plants to immobilize its foes so it can finish them off." She bent her knees and clutched her heavy blade tightly. "Brace yourself!"

They noticed a shift in the dust cloud, before a hoof stamped into the earth with a powerful magnitude. Said magnitude turned into bright pink shockwaves that rippled across the ground towards Erza and Scizor with colorful bolts rising, via Nature's Madness.

Thinking fast, Erza requipped her heavy sword for the Holy Hammer. She gripped it tight before raising it high and coming down onto the shockwaves just before they touched her. This caused the attack to explode and sent dazzling waves around that made the stone ground uneven. The wake was enough to uproot Erza and Scizor as they jumped back.

As the dust dissipated, they saw a very angry Tapu Bulu glaring at them. His eyes flashed green again as the Grassy Terrain engulfing the domain diminished, leaving the air to revert back to normal.

"He's not going down without a fight." Erza commented.

"(I wouldn't expect any less from a strong foe like him.)" Scizor noted.

Erza adjusted her stance, still wielding the hammer. "I was hoping that we could have settled this matter more appropriately, but if you insist that much..." She held up her hammer to swing. "Then you leave us no choice! Come at me! Island guardian!"

"(BUUUULUUUUUUUU!)" Tapu Bulu bellowed outwards in complete rage.


Outside, Nanu waved the Pager Charizard off as it sailed through the clear skies, finally able to get away from the two men. Once Nanu dismissed him, he turned back towards Looker. "Like it?"

Looker looked up at the temple ruins, seeing the accents along the entrance. "I see, so your island guardians is here then?"

"Not much anywhere else. Not exactly easy to get around the island when you're in a desert." Nanu shrugged. "So what's that device say?"

Looker reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He looked at the app and saw a greenish-yellow path that continued forward, filling up a small space ahead. "According to this, we're still on the trail."

"BUUUULUUUUUUUU!"

Looker and Nanu immediately froze when an angry roar echoed out the entrance. The rock walls around the ruins were shuddering lightly when the sounds of explosions were going off. If they weren't sure before, the odds of what they wanted just escalated drastically.

"Nanu...did you feel that just now?!" Looker gasped.

Nanu's brow furrowed, his serious expression darkening. "Sounds to me that we were just a bit late."

"Come on!" Looker led the way as he darted into the temple. He ran in, and after passing the dark tunnel, he found large blocks that impeded their path. "What are these?! Traps?!"

"Oh yeah, the island guardians have these here as a warning for anyone who wants to disturb them." Nanu noted, looking at the block in his way. "But, we're in a bit of an emergency, so..."

He reached back and pulled out an Ultra Ball. He tossed it skywards, sending out energy that manifested into a large feline Pokémon with periwinkle fur and a bright blue jewel on top of its surprisingly large, round head.

"Persian, use Dark Pulse!" Nanu commanded.

Alolan Persian sneered as dark energy rings jumbled and mixed in front of her jewel. She fired the energy in a condensed beam, destroying the accented block that stood before Nanu. The pieces fell apart around Looker and Nanu as the latter gave a blank stare ahead.


When the two parasites fired another round of Venoshock streams at Nic, they found that they did no more than slick off his forearm. Tried harder they did, but the more streams that gushed from their mouths, the more they only exhausted themselves. Nic stood in place taking it all, until he decided to bring his glowing metallic wings forward for a Gust that blew all of the oncoming venom away. The shockwaves and sprays went back into the parasite, causing them to block and veer away from the strong winds.

"Defog!"

Another flap of his wings sent out more winds, but they had a brighter blue shade in them as they expanded outwards. The dust in the surroundings completely vaporized while the parasites stammered from the recurring whirlwinds. The Safeguard outline around their bodies glistened upon impact before shattering into fragments that were swept off by the winds.

'Gotta move fast, so they don't use Safeguard again.' Nic reached out again. "Garchomp, Dig!"

Garchomp growled before he careened his entire body back before plunging into the stone. A dust cloud appeared before Nic, concealing him as Garchomp tunneled down far below.

Beast 1 shook his head and saw the dust cloud. "Tch! HiDiNg isN't cOol!" He raised his arms and fired more energy gemstones into the dust cloud. They pierced clean holes into them, exploding on the other side.

"NiCe sHoT! HeH! THAt'll teACh'eM!" Beast 2 sneered, before he felt a passing wind from out of nowhere. "HM? YOu feEl tHaT?"

Beast 1 blinked, but got the feeling too. He turned towards the side, seeing Nic standing between them. They both flinched in shock. "WoaH! How'D yOU gEt-?!"

"ForGet tHaT! JUst gEt hIm!" Beast 2 sneered, raising a thick arm. Beast 1 was quick to recover and followed his lead.

Nic took a sharp glance at the two hands. Two ethereal gears appeared around him and churned in his background. Using his Shift Gear, a red aura activated instantly, allowing him to vanish in a flash as the two jabs went into the beasts themselves. Their faces were punched into so hard that their human hosts had black bloody noses inside their bubbles.

Nic reappeared above, his wings spread to maintain his position. "Now, Garchomp! Pin them!"

As they doubled over, stone exploded behind them, followed by a wave of sand and dust in the wake of a draconic blur that roared. The gelatinous heads had dense feet and claws smashed against them, immediately flooring them into the stone ground.

Nic glowed again as he descended, transforming his Sky Form half into his Meadow Form once more and inhaled heavily. His breath expelled a dense green powder, via Spore. Garchomp shielded himself with his broad arm fins before the dense powder clouded around the fallen parasites. Nic dropped and rolled off a safe distance. He kept watch with a heavy glare as the powder gradually dissipated in the area, slowly revealing if it was fast enough.

He was relieved for a split-second when he saw that that the two infected humans were knocked out, sleeping soundly. Garchomp finally exhaled once the powder diffused and kept firm footholds for precaution.

"Finally put them to sleep." Nic evaluated.

Garchomp's heels churned as the sounds of hissing came from the parasites as the heads gurgled and moved on their own in a frantic spree. They were getting annoyed that they were thwarted. With their hosts useless at this point, they had to fend for themselves.

Slowly, the tops began to expand and contract, a gag reflex that Nic recognized all too well. "They're coming apart! Get ready!"

The tops to the parasites finally ballooned and removed themselves from over the upper bodies, regurgitating the limp bodies with a wave of black sludge that stained the stone laying underneath. The parasites gradually reduced in size and changed back to white as they drifted up and away from the pinning positions.

Nic watched as the frightened parasites were making a break for the exit. He spread his legs and created a metallic energy chain with a massive anchor on the end. "Anchor Shot!" He flung the energy anchor ahead of the parasites' path, surprising them with the speed in which it was thrown thanks to the Shift Gear's Speed increase. Nic pulled the anchor back by the chain and it went in reverse, giving both of them a lariat by the curbed ends that pressed into their hat-like tops.

"Garchomp, Dual Chop!"

As the anchor pulled them back, Nic gave the chain a little wave, jerking the parasites just enough to make their lower-halves being dragged before he gave a powerful yank that caused them to double upwards. They somersaulted in the air, where Garchomp appeared overhead with his fins glowing bright green.

"(I'm gonna crush you, you swine! GRAH!)" Garchomp raised both fins high, before bringing them down in a double chop straight into their gelatinous heads. A green airwave rippled everywhere as they shot into the ground at Mach speed, smashing deeply into the ground that rock depressed into two dense craters that spouted up sand and dust from within the upturned tiling.

"K...kreeee..."

Nic looked over and saw they were completely crushed. Garchomp glowered over them with a victorious snarl. With one enemy neutralized, he rushed over to the unconscious surfers coated in neurotoxin sludge. He expelled green powder again, this time a much silkier one that was Aromatherapy.

'This should get them out of any immediate danger.' He saw the powder spreading thin energy waves across their bodies, looking further down to see their convulsing legs gradually slowing to a sleepy halt. The mist fizzled outwards as he went to roll them over to their backs. He couldn't help but feel an unnerving force coming from the doorway that drew closer.

'Wait...no...'

He was brought out of his realization when a massive sound of arbor sounded like it was breaking. He glanced over, seeing Tapu Bulu raising an uprooted, full-grown tree that he created and slamming it down on Erza. A blade swept clean through its middle, bisecting the two split halves wide enough to reveal Erza in her Ataraxia Armor. She held only one of the blades while the remaining seven were floating behind her back.

"(Now I'm mad! Prepare to perish for defiling my lands!)" Tapu Bulu slammed his hoof on the ground, sending green waves that instantly sprouted vineyards and roots around Erza and Scizor.

Like slicing through warm butter, a multitude of blade slashes went clean through, reducing the vines and roots to garbage that feel around their feet. "Nice try." Erza jutted her left arm out, sending the eight blades projecting in piercing fashion for Tapu Bulu.

He looked mildly surprised, but he was quick enough to evade the blades, slowly jerking himself higher and leaning with each sword that passed underneath. "(Try aiming...)" He felt a vague shadow overhead, alarming him a little too late when he realized there was no head count beforehand. He only saw a glint of head with piercing red eyes.

"Now, Iron Head!" Erza commanded.

Scizor's glowing metallic forehead beamed down directly into Tapu Bulu's own head, hitting with the force of a tank. An airwave erupted and blasted Tapu Bulu from the air with a violent cry of pain before the super effective move kept going, pushing him into the ground with explosive power. Another dense crater erupted as shrapnel and debris scattered close by.

Erza stood patiently as Scizor jumped away from the dust cloud and stood beside Erza. She had a battle-ready position just in case as she waited for the dust to settle.

Once the dust finally cleared, Erza looked mildly shocked and relieved as she saw a crater with Tapu Bulu in its center. He was lying on his back with a bruised forehead and swirling eyes. He groaned weakly as that Iron Head did more than probably leave a concussion.

Scizor lowered her pincers. "(It looks like...we've subdued him.)"

Erza sighed outwards as she requipped back to her Heart Kreuz Armor yet again. "Looks like that did it. I must say though, that ended much sooner than what I had hoped for." She thought back to when Tapu Bulu was surprise attacked. "Now that I think about it, Grass and Fairy-types don't fair well with Poison. Guess that was the reason. How unfortunate."

"Erza!" From the other end of the room, Erza turned around to see Nic with the two bodies belonging to the surfers at his feet. "You doing alright?"

Erza walked closer to him, retaining a very calm disposition around her. "Don't worry. Scizor and I handled ourselves just fine. More importantly..." She looked over to the deflated parasites that were in worse shape than Tapu Bulu. She almost felt sorry for them. "...it looks like you handled the immediate problem as well as I expected. We were able to detain not one, but two this time...I'm not sure if we should feel proud, or worried for what this might mean."

"We can worry about that later. Right now, we have to get these people out and detain those so-called Ultra Beasts." Nic turned to the fallen beasts and reached an arm out. He manifested roots and vines from beneath them that gradually wrapped around their tendrils and heads like straps. "That should detain them for a little while we get these people to safety."

"And about Tapu Bulu?"

Nic looked past Erza to see what she meant. Tapu Bulu was still freshly knocked out, and odds are he might not wake up anytime soon. They had Revives and Revival Herbs on hand. However, given the past run-ins, he felt this time wouldn't do any good for them. "...we'll have to leave him for now. This is his temple after all. Hopefully when he sees the Ultra Beasts we've left, he'll come to a realization."

"Let's hope you're right about that." Erza turned to Scizor and pulled out her Net Ball. "Thank you for the assistance, Scizor. Please, rest for now."

"(As you wish.)" Scizor dutifully said, before a red laser struck her, turning her into energy that was sucked back through the Net Ball.

Nic turned towards the unconscious men soaked in the discomforting bodily fluids. They looked like they were thrown up if anything. But he walked over and overlooked the two men. "I was able to use my Aromatherapy like I did before. Their lives shouldn't be in any immediate danger, but we need to get them to the nearest hospital. And the sooner, the better." He turned to Erza. "You have the map, don't you?"

Erza held her hand up, requipping the map that Nic requested. "Let's find out. The closest hospital looks to be..."

"Krrrrrr..."

Their ears twitched at a very grotesque hiss. They glanced over their shoulders to find Parasite 1 weakly stirring in the wines. It was far too hurt to do anything as far as they were concerned, but being such an unpredictable beast, they couldn't give it levity.

Garchomp pointed a claw directly at its face. "(Don't even try.)"

The Ultra Beast hissed defensively, earning an even scarier snarl from Garchomp.

"You heard him. Make another move...and it'll just make things worse." Nic countered. His head suddenly rung when he thought a faint, bloody cry echoed. It wasn't enough to make his bones shudder, but it made his eyes widen. 'Wait...what's that?'

Another faint roar was heard that reverberated through the room. It felt distorted, like it was through the walls. The atmosphere around them began thickening with a sense of dread that made Garchomp's scales get goosebumps on their ends.

"Erza...do you feel that?" Nic whispered. His Meadow Form was picking up on a transcending life energy, A very, very foul one. It was casing his own skin to crawl. 'The hell? Why is my own blood running cold?'

Erza was looking around for any signs of the enemy, but only a hollow feeling rung inside her as well as her grip around her sword tightened. "I don't see anything out of the ordinary..."

Nic furrowed his brow until he picked up on a spatial disturbance. A rainbow glow appeared beneath the two tied Ultra Beasts that went straight through the floor into a network-like tunnel. They saw the vines getting warped by the spatial distortion until it thinned and snapped, allowing the two beasts to hiss as they fell through.

"What?!" Erza gasped.

Nic reached out with a Vine Whip to snare the parasites before they fell too deep. However, the portal clamped shut as the vines reached something, tearing it off from Nic. He felt a begrudging pain as the severed vine retreated back into his arm. The wormhole in the ground faded away, leaving the ground as it was. Although there did seem to be a slightly deeper pit where sand was seeping through.

"Nic, what the hell was that just now?"

Nic was completely speechless. He was at a loss for words, but he kept a cool face as the feeling never faded away. "...I have no idea. But, that tear in the dimensions I felt just now...something about it wasn't right at all." He subconsciously glared intensely at the sand. His blood cells were speeding from this odd yet very nostalgic feeling in his gut. It felt familiar, but at the same time, so different. He couldn't make heads or tails of it all. The parasites just vanished right before his eyes through what looked like spatial wormholes. That was something he wasn't familiar with, aside from his own powers making instant portals to Earthland.

"Nic..."

"Freeze, right there!"

Nic's glare hardened at a familiar voice. 'Shit, I knew it!' They all turned around, seeing Looker partnered with Nanu and his Alolan Persian at the exit. Looker held up a badge to show his identification as the real deal. Yet another red flag to signal the downward spiraling that was the Pularis luck. As if the targets vanishing through space wasn't bad enough.

"Well now...what do we have here." Nanu kept his shoulders loose as he raised a brow at Nic. "What did I say before? Something about keeping your head low until you'll have to look someone in the eye?"

"The Island Kahuna. And Looker." Erza's eyes widened at the situation they were put in. She looked back at the defeated island guardian, then towards the unconscious surfers smothered in backwater ink. Her defensive instincts were kicking into overdrive at the pool of evidence in not-so-convenient circumstances.

Looker shot them all a look. "I was suspicious of what one of the world's strongest trainers was doing here in Alola. Then I remembered that you have the ability to shift through space." He held up his phone's dimensional app for everyone to see. There was a red marking that was directly on top of two blinking dots. "There was a sudden spatial spike that was relayed just now. Care to explain, Nic Pularis? What were you doing here at the Ruins of Abundance with the people that went missing? And about what you have done to the island guardian?"

"..." No words could escape Nic's mouth. From the sound of Looker's tone, he wasn't going to have it with them. There was too much evidence with horrible placement. And he wasn't very good at explaining matters to people. He balled his fists and glared at Looker.

"Please, Detective Looker. This is all a misunderstanding. Allow us a chance to explain." Erza insisted.

"I wouldn't say that." Nanu noted, his Alolan Persian sauntering up to his side. "You know, there's a lot of people out there for something on their mind, and I've been trying to stay out of it, but even I can't turn a blind eye when it's our island guardian on the ground. Doesn't look good for you, wouldn't you say?"

Erza took one more glance back at Tapu Bulu's condition. In hindsight, she was the one accountable for putting him down like that. That part was no lie, and given how revered they were, this was a serious offense out of self-defense.

"This can go one of two ways. Give up to make it nice and easy..." Nanu paused to allow his Persian to creep up in front of him. "Or we can do it the hard way."

There was no way out of this. Even if they did end up turning themselves in, there wouldn't be any evidence that could cover them up. Nic and Erza looked at each other, recognizing the dead serious looks of the other that they directed towards the detectives.

"Judging by your looks, I guess we know your answer." Nanu smirked. "This should be fun."

Looker turned off the app and started dialing for a number. Once a ringing noise was made, he put it on intercom for the International Police hotlines. "This is International Police Detective Looker, code name: 100kr! Establishing arrest warrant for Nic Pularis in the Alola Region! Suspect on accounts of trespass and assault-!" Before he could finish, he noticed that his phone was replaced by a small rock. "What?!"

Nic was in his Dread Form, having used Switcheroo to replace a piece of debris with Looker's phone. He slammed the phone to the ground and stomped on it, making the frame shatter beneath his force. He looked back at Looker with a calm but equally dark look that made him seem more villainous.

"Bad move, kid." Nanu sneered. "Smart, but bad for you."

Erza pulled out a Poke Ball, not wasting time calling out some more help for their side. "Slurpuff!" The Poke Ball was flung into the air, before energy exploded outwards and formulated her Slurpuff at her feet.

"(Hey-o~!)" She waved a stubby paw in the air.

"Slurpuff, Flamethrower!" Erza commanded. Slurpuff opened her maw wide as flames began generating inside.

Nanu's left eyebrow furrowed. "Fake Out!"

Persian suddenly vanished from sight, reappearing in front of Slurpuff in midair. Before Nic or Erza could make a move, Persian clapped her claws in front of Slurpuff, causing her to flinch and peter away by a few paces. She shook her head, reeling from that flash.

"Now use Power Gem!" Nanu commanded. Persian generated energy gemstones around her head before firing them at Slurpuff.

"Stone Edge!"

A monstrous roar echoed throughout the chamber, quaking it just as much before the sound of a claw pierced the ground. Sharp, jagged stones erupted from the side, overpowering the oncoming gemstones and continued towards Persian. She was barely fast enough to pounce off to the side, but rock churned from the rising precipice hit her side, making her stumble.

"Eh?" Nanu looked over, seeing Garchomp snarling maliciously. "Well, he certainly doesn't look friendly..."

Looker stepped up. "Stand down this instant! I wouldn't want to-!"

WHAM!

Before he had the chance to finish, a force knocked him in the back of the head. As he fell forward, Nic withdrew his elbow that he used for Feint Attack and looked down at Looker's unconscious frame.

"The heck?!" Nanu looked back at his fallen partner. His gaze gradually went up towards Nic as he saw the battle-serious gleam in his glare.

'Now that they're distracted!' Erza realized. She went straight for the kill. "Slurpuff, Play Rough!"

With Persian looking away for a second, Slurpuff jumped for the large feline and began pummeling away. A pinkish cloud appeared as comedic hearts and stars twinkled. Kicks, punches, and slaps by Slurpuff pummeled Persian's fat face, even going for a yank on the whiskers. Persian felt it all, an unfortunately, she was finished with a kick that sent him sailing backwards onto her side.

"Tch! Guess I have no choice then." Nanu reached for his Z-Ring, in which he crossed his arms and the black crystal inside began resonating.

Erza's glare intensified. 'A Dark-type Z-Move now?!'

Persian gradually lifted herself back up as Nanu lowered his upper body. The hue around them darkened as natural lighting dimmed for the illuminating glow around the Kahuna to be emphasized. A strong swell of dark energy began manifesting from his body that linked to Persian.

"Now, fall into darkness, and be consumed by it!" He raised his arms overhead, hunching over with the Dark-type Z-pose. He looked like he was trying to scare little children. Once again, Nic was extremely unimpressed at the pose, but he paid more attention to the flash of light around his Persian. Nanu turned away and raised his head high. "Black Hole Eclipse!" Persian's entire body prickled with dark matter that she concentrated into the center gemstone on her head. Black and red energy swirled into a sphere that gradually grew until it was her size. She lowered her head and fired the sphere directly at Slurpuff, in which it erupted into a massive black hole halfway through.

Erza felt the vacuum, even from her point of view. 'A black hole?!' She requipped a sword and plunged it into the ground as an anchor. Slurpuff, on the other hand, was beginning to feel her sticky feet getting dragged into the darkness.

The vacuum ultimately sucked her in, causing her to look shocked as the Z-Move spiraled her into a smaller size and faded into the black hole. Once she was in, the black hole shrank to a red and indigo ball, before exploding dark matter that raced across the room. Everything shook violently as shockwaves tore up everything. The disemboweled flooring leveled around Nic and Erza as the gravity pushed against everything.

When it settled, Slurpuff was seen falling to her back, thumping harshly with bruises on her frame. But rather than show swirls, she looked to be dazed and groaning.

"Slurpuff! Are you alright?" Erza shouted. 'Thank goodness that she's a Fairy-type. I forgot for a moment that Dark-type attacks aren't very effective.'

Slurpuff's eyes gradually opened, but she was still partially dazed. She grunted as she swayed about left and right, but she gathered her bearings and glared at Persian. "(Okay...that was definitely not sweet. That move...)" She smacked her lips, eventually gagging with her tongue sticking out. "(Was bitter! Horribly bitter!)"

Persian got into a crouching stance as she eyed down Slurpuff. "(You handled that? How Peeeer-fect!)" Her tail curled inwards and outwards as she eyed Slurpuff. "(I've always wondered what victory wasted like. Looks like I'll be getting a chewy snack after this.)"

"(A snack...?)" Slurpuff looked down at her frame, quickly realizing the predicament. "(Oh! Well if you want something sweet, come try and take a bite!)"

"Persian, Dark Pulse!" Nanu commanded. The Alolan Persian gathered dark energy in front of her gemstone and fired a concentrated beam of jumbled dark rings at Slurpuff.

"Slurpuff, Energy Ball!" Erza countered.

Slurpuff opened her curved maw, her tongue sticking out as a hemisphere of natural green energy filled up to a singular point. Once enough was gathered, she fired the hemisphere into the oncoming dark blast, resulting in an explosion of energy that smoked up between them. The smoke was quick to fan out around Persian and Slurpuff, cloaking the two.

With their vision obscured for a moment, this was Slurpuff's chance. She closed her eyes and began sniffing the air. She could make out a bitter scent that flared her nostrils that was directly in front of her. Though her opponent was another story, as she couldn't smell nearly as well as her.

"Play Rough!"

Erza pointed straight ahead, prompting Slurpuff to jump through the smoke to a surprised Persian. The feline was caught with a shocked expression before another round of severe pummels and kicks clouded up her vision. Slurpuff kicked and punched, until she finished with a stamp straight into her nose, sending her flying backwards

"(KYAAAAA~!)" The Fairy-type move sent Persian spiraling into the stone ground, slamming onto her back yet again. Only this time, she thumped so hard from the critical hit, leaving her eyes as swirls that signaled her defeat.

"Persian?!" Nanu looked surprised, but that surprise turned into slight fear when he felt sharp claws from behind hooking around his neck. A hitch came from his breath when he glanced up at Garchomp behind him.

"Call off your Pokémon...there's been enough of a mess made here." Nic threatened, walking around the scene. "We didn't want to resort to this...but if this is how you feel about outsiders invading your lands and playing by the island guardians' rules, then I guess that's a mess of its own."

Nanu furrowed his brow. "Hmph, underhanded much? And here people give Dark-types a bad rap." He reached for his Persian's Ultra Ball and aimed at Persian. The energy was released and withdrew the injured feline.

Nic turned to Garchomp and nodded. He glided around Nanu and landed beside his trainer as the latter morphed into his Stone Form. He stomped on the ground, causing a brief magnitude before a huge stone wall shot up between them and Nanu's side.

"You didn't erase their memories?" Erza quipped.

"It wouldn't matter. Looker made the call before I used Switcheroo. We need to get as far away from here as we can. Hopefully the Kahuna can take those two surfers on the other side to the hospital...along with Looker." He turned towards Tapu Bulu's unconscious frame. "As for him..." He pulled out a Max Revive from his coat pocket. He gave the item a deeply discerning look before tossing it at Tapu Bulu.

The Max Revive landed on his face, in which it glowed a bright golden aura before sinking into the body. Green energy waves went up Tapu Bulu's frame until his entire body radiated with an energizing light for a few seconds.

Nic gave the guardian a sympathetic frown. He didn't deserve this, but they didn't have any other choice. "...sorry."

Erza turned to Slurpuff, pulling up her Poke Ball again. "Slurpuff, return!" The red laser hit Slurpuff, immediately dragging her back into her Poke Ball. "Nic, we need to go!"

Nic nodded and gestured towards the sand pit off to the side. "Garchomp, Dig!"

Garchomp arched his body as Nic hurried to latch on, transforming into his Earth Form while Erza adorned her Armadura Aggron Armor, and latched on with Nic as Garchomp dove into the sand beneath, burrowing a hole that was making their quick escape leaving no trace except for sand rushing into the hole.

It didn't take long after for Tapu Bulu to stir about, groaning as he blinked several times. "(Oooooof...I think I had a bad dream...)" He groaned, rubbing a hoof on the spot that Scizor had knocked him out. "(Ow! My head hurts! How did I get this...!)" He tailed off as he was recalling the recent memories.

In his haste, he looked left and right for any trace of Nic or Erza, but all that was left was a blank stone wall that separated him from the corridor. His cowbell tail stiffened as he looked on in disbelief at what happened.

"(This cannot be...GRAAAAAAAAH!)"

On the other side of the wall, Nanu heard the cry loud and clear. "Guess the island guardian is awake." He looked back at an unconscious Looker, as well as the two surfers. He rubbed the back of his head with gritting teeth. "Well, this just turned into a whole new problem." He sighed heavily. "Why did Acerola make me leave the house today?"


Just behind the ruins, an eruption of sand expectorated Garchomp as he flew steeply skywards. He left the ground behind and jetted up towards the atmosphere to get as far away from the mess created. As he focused on sailing, Nic and Erza reverted to their standard forms and held onto his backfin as wind burned their faces.

"Where do we go from here?" Erza shouted through the roaring air.

"I don't know, but we need to leave now." Nic replied, his tone serious and grim. "We need to go somewhere where we can settle down that isn't within range. The farther away from the people and island guardians we are, the better for us to regroup."

Erza didn't have to say it aloud. She could tell from way Nic worded it that he wasn't very happy. Neither was she. Their one chance to try and mend things with the island guardians and stop the parasites was completely turned on them. They were victims of false rectification that everyone pointed at, and now that they've gone and exposed themselves, Arceus knows what's going to happen to them.

Their grips tightened with steadfast looks as Nic said only one command. "Garchomp...just keep flying."

The Mach Pokémon lived up to his name, speeding through Alola's skies with airstreams shimmering like water in his wake.


Been a little while since I got close to 20K, huh? I admit, I had a tough time with choreographing the fight with Erza and Nic against Tapu Bulu and the Ultra Beasts. I didn't want to think too hard, but I didn't want to make it seem too easy either. And if the battle with Nanu felt dry, guess it's safe to say that I kinda tapped out at that point. But I needed something to get Slurpuff some screen time, as well as Black Hole Eclipse.

I also tried to give Nanu a little more character depth. Personally, out of all the Kahunas out there, he's my favorite in character. I decided to exploit him just a little more for the sake of trying to dig into personal character development.

Anyways, I hurried to get one more chapter before February ended, and that I did. I'll see just how much more I can get done in March. Let's find out! Hope you guys review and tell me what you thought about this chapter!