Polaris-Ponyta, Mia-Alolan Marowak, Marin-Primarina, Lunick-Midnight Lycanroc, Twine-Fomantis, Zetty-Rotom Dex

Chapter 9: Midnight Vs. Midnight

"I'm really not sure what I'm looking for at the Ruins of Life," Lillie admitted. "Nebby always wanted to go to the Ruins of Conflict. Maybe she thinks the Tapus can help her. But really, I'm just grasping at straws. I mean, Tapu Koko literally was carrying both you and Nebby, and didn't do anything."

"Do you think we'll see this Tapu?" Hari asked,

Lillie shivered. "Well, I sort of hope not. They can be pretty unpredictable. People and Pokémon avoid them when they can. I just don't know of any other way to send Nebby back to her own world."

I bit my lip, debating with myself about whether or not to stay silent. Then I sucked in a breath and said, "I've been to another world."

Ben and Hari glanced at me in surprise. I never told anyone that, largely because it was too complicated to explain.

Lillie gaped. "What?"

I nodded. "I kinda fell through a… a hole in space, or something. It was a long time before I got home."

"How-how did you get back?" Lillie's mouth was still hanging open.

"A couple Pokémon helped." I rubbed the back of my head, not wanting to bring up the Mewtwo family. I still wasn't going to mention their existence to anyone. "A Pokémon friend went to Palkia. Palkia helped them search in different worlds."

"Do you think Palkia could help Nebby get home?"

"Wellllll… I can see if my Pokémon friends can get in touch with him. The problem is he could be anywhere. Worlds away."

"It would be hard to get in touch with him then."

I nodded. "I'll ask. But we should also see what Nebby thinks. It's her decision in the end."

Nebby sat on the top of Lillie's bag. She frowned, lost in thought. "I'll think about it, I don't mind staying a little longer. And I think…" She paused, looking a bit confused herself. "I think I have to do something here."

I didn't ask, because she didn't even seem to know what she meant. It was some intuition, no doubt. I relayed what she said.

Lillie smiled and hugged Nebby. "I'm glad you're not too upset being here." Nebby hugged her back.

The Ruins of Life came into view around the corner. Nebby hopped free and floated ahead of us, eager to explore. Lillie hurried after. We followed them deeper into the ruins. Nebby moved as though in a trance, slowly ascending the altar. We all froze, holding our breath as the seconds ticked by.

Nothing happened.

Despite the anti-climax, Nebby settled down in front of the altar. We all waited as the minutes ticked past, thick and heavy. Finally Lillie sighed and lifted Nebby, stepping away from the altar. Nebby didn't protest, but sighed.

"Oh well." Lillie looked disappointed and resigned. "At least we tried. Let's go get ready for your battle."

…

The two Lycanroc collided, locking their claws and snarling. Lunick lunged, snapping at his opponent – another midnight Lycanroc belonging to Kahuna Olivia. The other Lycanroc ducked under the gleaming jaws and tackled into Lunick's middle. Lunick skidded back, growling and holding a paw to his ribs.

Midnight Lycanroc are reckless at the best of times. But as these two fought, they fed off of their opponents emotions. Their eyes began to glow in a frenzy. If they lost control, they might really hurt each other. As Lunick raked his claws, he left deep gouge marks in a nearby stone. I called out, but he didn't even notice. I switched to telepathy, cutting through his battle craze.

He blinked in surprise and jumped back to give himself a moment to breathe and listen.

"Lunick, you're strong, but the two of you are fighting without thinking. If we use strategy, we can knock out Olivia's Lycanroc while it's in that battle frenzy."

Lunick grumbled. He moved on reflex, not on plans. But he gave a hesitant nod. Even if he didn't make plans of his own, he knew that mine were usually pretty good.

"Let's try some of those moves we practiced." I took a deep breath, linking myself to Lunick. It was almost like the Ferrum League battles, where you move in time with your Pokémon. The opposing Lycanroc sliced down with his claws, and I guided Lunick through one of the basic aikido moves. He stepped to the side, raised his paw, and deflected the blow. He swung around, pulling his opponent's paw until he stumbled and fell belly-down. Lunick pressed his paws down on the arm, pinning the other Lycanroc. He struggled, but couldn't get up from the pressure on his shoulder. He snarled in frustration and used his free claws to use Sand Attack. Lunick flinched as dirt flew up in his eyes, but didn't let go.

Then the Lycanroc used Stone Edge. A spike of rock tore up from the ground under Lunick. It struck him in the middle and launched him into the air. He gasped, but managed to spin around and land on the peak of the stone. The pin might have seemed useless, but it did what I wanted. It gave Lunick a moment to get himself under control, while the other Lycanroc got angrier. The other Lycnaroc jumped to his feet, howling and slavering. Lunick tore off the top of the stone and hurled. The other Lycanroc dodged, but Lunick threw another rock. And another. Finally one hit. Our opponent snarled again and leapt at Lunick. He jumped back to the ground and ducked behind one of the stones.

My Z-Ring flared to life as I began the motions. Lunick mimicked me, both of us doing a choreographed flurry of punches. The Z move burst to life, and Lunick shattered the boulder in front of him. The startled Lycanroc only had time to take a step back before the All-Out-Pummeling fell on him. When the attack subsided, the opposing Lycanroc didn't get back up.

"You got us," Olivia said as she returned her Pokémon. "And you've cleared the Akala portion of your island challenge! Congratulations. Here's your new Z-Crystal."

With Olivia's mark of completion in hand, I went to meet my friends. I high-fived Ben and Hari.

"That was amazing," Lillie exclaimed. "I've heard that Lycanroc can be dangerous in battle, but yours seemed to focused."

"He's a little less aggressive than other Lycanroc, but it takes a lot of work from both of us to keep him from losing control. They were starting to get to a place where they might seriously hurt each other. I had to get through to him before that happened."

Lillie was quiet as she thought. "That way of battling… where you battle to protect. Maybe I should learn that. I never wanted to battle before, but if I could battle, I could protect Nebby."

"You need another Pokémon first," I said. "Nebby doesn't seem like she's ready for battles. If you think of a Pokémon you want to catch, let us know."

"Cara likes hooking people up with the right Pokémon," Ben said.

"But you'll get in trouble with her if you catch a Pokémon that doesn't want to be caught," Hari added.

Lillie laughed. "Yeah, that's what her lectures are about, right? Don't you have another one coming up?"

I nodded. "When we go back to Professor Burnet's lab, I'm going to do a small lecture in their courtyard. You're welcome to come."

"Can I help?" Lillie asked.

"Sure. We could always use help setting up."

…

The lecture went well, and after everyone dispersed, Lillie, Kukui and Burnet helped us clear away all of the chairs and equipment. A strange man in green goggles approached. "Good afternoon. I am Branch Manager Faba of the Aether Foundation. We've heard of your work with Pokémon, and wanted to invite you to a tour of our Pokémon Rescue."

"A Pokémon rescue?" I asked. As interesting as that sounded, this guy oozed self-importance. I was tempted to step away from him.

"Yes. Team Skull has been causing problems around Alola. When they injure Pokémon, we provide a safe home on Aether Paradise." He pulled out a business card and handed it to me. "Feel free to call if you'd like to schedule an tour. We have a ferry that can take you to our man-made island. We enjoy giving trainers the opportunity to see our work."

He turned smartly and strode off. I blinked, a little bewildered by the encounter. I didn't really get a chance to talk. Ben and Hari gave me a look that showed they were as lost as I was. But it would be interesting to visit a Pokémon rescue. Maybe Professor Kukui knew about it.

I realized that Lillie wasn't with us anymore. Professor Kukui had just gone back inside, so maybe she was with him. We stacked the last of the chairs and headed inside. Lillie peeked out of a back room and glanced around.

"What's wrong?" Hari asked.

"What? Oh, nothing. I just ran inside to get some water. Thanks for inviting me to your lecture."

"You helped a lot," Ben pointed out.

I nodded. "Hey, you're from Alola. Have you heard of the Aether Foundation?"

"Oh, yeah. They have stations all around the islands. They take in hurt and abandoned Pokémon."

"Do you know if they're legit?"

She gave a nonchalant shrug. "I don't know that much about them."

Professor Burnet came into the room with a bundle of ti leaves. "Hey, in celebration of your lecture, I thought I'd teach you guys how to weave leis!"

Kukui came behind her with a bowl of flowers. We gathered around the table and Burnett began her demonstration. She wrapped the leaves around a big toe and then twisted them into a cord-like necklace with a sharp grassy sort of smell. We could also tuck the flowers in to add color. As we worked, I told Professor Kukui about our invitation.

"Yeah, I've heard of them. They're supposed to be doing some really high-tech work over there."

"Really?" Ben asked, intrigued.

"Yeah. If you go, let me know what you learn. I've never been there, but I'll go if you think it's worth it."

"Lillie, do you want to come?" I asked.

Lillie smiled. "Oh, no that's okay. Thanks. I've got to help Professor Burnet with a project."