I feel compelled to explain the name of my Zoroark. I wish I could have given him a bigger role, but I'm limited in how many Pokémon I use. Otherwise I'd have a couple dozen, and it would be too crazy. Anyway, in the Zoroark movie, the voice of Zoroark's roars is the same person that voiced a character in my favorite anime series: Edward Elric, from Fullmetal Alchemist. I'd hoped to get a female Zoroark in Black and White, because I like the name of the voice actress: Romi. But female Zorua are rare. So mine got the name Edward. And later on, I ended up with a female Hisuian Zoroark (by chance), so she ended up being named Romi!

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

Phantom-Darkrai, Shira-Reshiram, Kuro-N's Zekrom, Mewtwo, Lily-Mom Mewtwo, Twilight-young Mewtwo, Edward-Zoroark

Chapter 17: Tearing the Sky

The four of us braced each other as the aura of the Ultra Beast blazed around us. The beast let out its warbling cry, tentacles rippling as it tried to get its bearings.

"Cara!" Gladion shouted. "Null is meant to fight Ultra Beasts! Null can beat that thing!" He unleashed Null from it's Pokéball. Null faced the Ultra Beast, growling and scraping its claws along the ground.

Lusamine gave a twisted smile. "Can it now? We've learned a lot about Nihilego since it first appeared in Aether Paradise. Type: Null may have been built to fight Ultra Beasts, but that was before we knew that the Beasts could be so much more."

Hachi stood between us and the beast called Nihilego. He was shaking a bit, but stayed there, ready to protect. I next to him, preparing for battle. Though neither of us got too close to Null. Lusamine moved in front of Nihilego. I hesitated, not wanting to attack a person. What was she doing? She turned away from us and raised her arms above her head. Nihilego wavered, torn between attacking, and going to Lusamine. It raised its tentacles, keening. And it descended over Lusamine.

Lillie and Gladion cried out in shock. Julio swore, and I clapped a hand over my mouth so I wouldn't do the same. Nihilego's body and tentacles swelled until they were black and bloated. The viscous black fluid died Lusamine's hair and clothes as she hung suspended inside Nihilego's bell. Only her knees and feet hung free. The rest of her was visible through the translucent body of the Ultra Beast. A manic look twisted her face.

I backed away, horrified. All I could think of was how Kyurem had swallowed up Zekrom. Lusamine had been a most willing subject, but I could sense the venoms flowing through Nihilego's body. She had no idea what this might do to her.

Null bellowed and tossed his head, preparing to charge. The blood lust in his eyes would let it match Nihilego, but not without hurting Lusamine. Gladion shouted and returned his Pokémon. Null was too unpredictable to allow for such a battle. Lusamine was his mother, after all. He didn't want her hurt.

How would I fight this monster if we had to pull our punches? Nihilego must be a poison type. Mia had a few ground type attacks. That was about the only type advantage we had. But first I needed to get a sense for what we were dealing with. I nodded to Hachi, and he dashed forward. He whipped out a shadowy arm and struck Lusamine from behind with Shadow Sneak. A tentacle struck back, catching Hachi hard and knocking him off his feet. Hachi's costume head broke and hung limp, taking the damage and leaving Hachi unscathed. Lusamine didn't expect Hachi to recover so fast, and the Mimikyu raked Shadow Claw across the side of Nihilego's bell. I watched as Hachi dodged and struck and stalled for time. I needed to learn as much as I could about how Lusamine and Nihilego were fused. And how much we could attack without hurting her.

Zetty reached an arm out of my backpack and tapped my shoulder. "The Poisonzz from the Ultra Beast have numbed the human. She'zz unlikely to notice any injury to herzzelf. Which could be dangerous for her, if she doezzn't tend to any injuriezz."

I nodded. We had to get Lusamine out of there as soon as possible. I thought I had an idea for the next stage, but I had to weaken Nihilego. I needed it slowed down.

Hachi used Double Team, fragmenting into several illusions that dashed around and struck with tendrils of shadow. Nihilego swung its tentacles, enraged, and knocked out some of the Double Teams. The it shot out Acid Spray, drenching Hachi and all of his doubles. Nihilego struck again with Venom Drench, not giving Hachi a chance to recover. A final Power Gem knocked my Mimikyu out.

Mia was next. Thick black tentacles reached for her, but she parried them with her bone. She twirled her weapon, singeing the tentacles and making them pull back. Her Bonemarang hit one of the tentacles and it fell limp. Lusamine and Nihilego cried out in pain and rage.

Zetty whispered to my from my backpack again. "Judging by its attackzz and itzz reactionzz to attackzz, I believe that the Ultra Beast is a poizzon-rock type."

"Thanks Zetty. Can you take a message to Lillie for me?" One tentacle was down. But I couldn't expect this to be like some Legend of Zelda battle, where taking out all the tentacles would defeat the monster. Would fighting Nihilego even free Lusamine? I shook my head. We just had to take it one step at a time.

Nihilego's Power Gem sent Mia tumbling across the floor. Nihilego closed in on her.

Frost filled the air, making Nihilego and Lusamine flinch. Lillie had sent out her Vulpix. Zetty had asked her to use Vulpix's Icy Wind to slow our foe.

"Mia, prepare your new move!" I shouted. She nodded, ducking to dodge a flurry of tentacles. She whipped up Flame Wheel. But Nihilego threw up Mirror Coat. Mia's fire ricocheted back at her. Nihilego charged in, wrapping Mia in tentacles and using Constrict. Mia hammered away with Bone Club. Nihilego wove in more tentacles, wrapping up Mia's arms so she couldn't fight back. She gasped, her struggles weakening and poison sinking in.

Then she used Endeavor.

Niheligo wailed and hurled Mia against the wall. Niheligo hung low in the air, trembling. Inside, Lusamine's furious face glared out at us, her fists clenched until they shook.

I nodded to Gladion. He gripped a Pokéball, whispering to it. "We have to defeat Niheligo. But we can't hurt Mother. I trust you, Null!" He released the Pokémon.

Null reared up. The strange wooden helmet he wore cracked, then exploded. His true face was revealed beneath, like a great eagle. I had been preparing to link to Null through telepathy, in an attempt to keep him from going berserk. But as the mask broke, I sensed a change in the Pokémon. When some Pokémon evolve, their natures shift as well. Had Null just evolved?

Null leapt into the air, extending his long claws. Niheligo tried to block with its tentacles, but its movements were sluggish from its injuries. Null sank claws and jaws into the top of Nihilego bell-shaped body. The Ultra Beast contracted, keening in pain. It loosened its grip on Lusamine. Null twisted, flipping Niheligo around. Lusamine screamed as the venomous tentacles were ripped away, and she was hurled through the air. I threw out a Pokéball, and Lunick appeared, catching her before she hit the wall.

Nihilego wailed and wriggled, trying to break free from Null's tearing grip. Finally it struck its tentacles against Null's face, making him flinch. Nihilego slipped free. It fled back into the open wormhole. The hole in the air pulsed, contracted, and vanished.

Lusamine struggled against Lunick's grip. She reached out toward the spot where Nihilego had vanished. "No," she croaked, her voice hoarse and creaky. "Come back! We have to fight… the darkness." Her arm drooped to her side, and she fell limp in Lunick's arms. Lunick glanced at me, alarmed and unsure what to do with the unconscious human he was supporting.

"Mother!" Lillie exclaimed. She ran to Lusamine's side and carefully lowered her to the floor. Gladion came to help.

Lillie took her mother's hand. Lusamine opened her eyes, dazed and confused. But when she saw Lillie's face, she smiled. She saw Gladion and held out a hand to him too. He hesitated, then took it. Lusamine opened her mouth, but before any sound could come out, her eyes drifted shut.

"We have to get her to a hospital, man," Julio whispered. "I have a Salandit. I know what poisoning looks like, and she looks in bad shape."

Lillie looked up, desperate.

I nodded, snapping back to my senses. I was still breathing hard from the battle. I took a deep breath, trying to reroute my focus. Lusamine was as pale as ice. I touched her wrist and found it cold and clammy. Her breath was shallow and rasping. I dug in my bag for an Antidote.

Zetty hovered by my shoulder. "The Antidote will help, but only a little. She got a very powerful dose."

"What was she thinking," I murmured as I administered the medicine.

Null touched his beak to Gladion's back. He stood and stroked Null's head. It was the first time I'd seen Gladion smile. "Look at you now. I think you deserve a new name." Null knelt beside Lusamine. Julio and I carefully eased her onto the Pokémon's back.

"Silvally," Gladion said. "That will be your name now."

Silvally stood, murmuring in contentment. He nuzzle Gladion again.

When Lusamine was draped across Silvally's back, Lillie returned to the box that Nebby was locked in. She unlatched it and the box fell open. I joined her and the two of us looked inside. The box was empty. Lillie and I gasped, afraid that something terrible had happened to Nebby. That she'd evaporated like a fog. But then something shining caught Lillie's eye. She hesitated, then reached down and lifted it out. It looked like a gemstone. But I could sense a little flicker of life deep inside. It was Nebby, no longer vaporous, but condensed into something tiny and stiff. Lillie hugged Nebby, trembling.

Zetty hesitated. "I believe that Cosmog hazz gone dormant due to the strain she wazz under."

I reached out a tentative hand and touched Nebby. She was cold, like stone. I shuddered too. "Let's get out of here. We'll get help for both of them."

Lillie nodded, biting her lip and trying not to cry. We stood and hurried to join the others. But when we left the room, I froze. Guzma was waiting in the hall. But all he did was to fall into step with our group as we made our way out of the mansion. "What happened to the prez?"

Julio started to explain. But after a moment, he glanced at me. "Your phone's been ringing."

"Huh?" I pulled off my backpack and realized he was right. I'd been too distracted to hear that I'd missed a couple calls. It felt so random to have a phone call after everything that had just happened. I pushed the green button.

"Cara!" It was professor Kukui's voice. "Ultra Wormholes have opened all over Alola. More of those beasts are coming through. New ones."

I sank to one knee. My throat was too numb to form words.

"Cara?" Kukui repeated. "Are you there?"

"Y-yes. Are you okay? Is everyone else okay?"

"So far the Kahunas have been fighting them back. And the Tapus have joined in too. Hala and Taku Koko are fighting one now."

Everyone else had stopped and was listening in.

"Where do you need me?" I asked.

Kukui hesitated. I got the feeling that he wanted to say, "everywhere." "Start at Akala Island. There are some strange electric beasts attacking Heahea City. Kiawe and Mallow are on their way, but Olivia and Lana are trying to protect other parts of the island. Burnet's trying to find some way to seal the holes. And… there's someone here that wants to talk to you."

"I'll be right there."

I hung up. Silence hung thick in the hallway. It was several seconds before I gathered my senses enough to break it. "Lillie, can you get Lusamine to the hospital? We'll have to help Nebby after." She nodded, looking frightened but determined. "Gladion, you have Type Null. I mean Silvally. You can help fight."

"Right. I'll go to Ula-ula island. They'll probably need help too."

I looked at Julio and Guzma, not sure if I should ask them to help or not.

"I'll go to Ula-ula too," Guzma said, shrugging. "That's where our base is, after all."

Julio shrugged and glanced at me. "Then I'll go with you,"

"Okay. Let's go." I used telepathy to contact Mewtwo. I explained everything, which luckily happens quicker through telepathy than it does through spoken word. And I warned him about fallers. I was a faller. I'd fallen into another world. That meant the Ultra Beasts would be drawn to me, aggressively. Mewtwo was also a faller. He had been the one to follow me to the other world, and bring me home. Two fallers in one place. That would create a war zone of concentrated, aggressive Ultra Beasts. But it also meant that the Beasts wouldn't be attacking anyone else. Mewtwo agreed to come with backup. Lily (the Mewtwo Lily, not the human Lillie) and Twilight remained on standby, just in case.

One of my missed calls was from Ben. I called him back. "Ben, are you okay? Are any of them near you?"

"One appeared near Tapu Village. It looked like… like a stack of bricks. But Tapu Bulu came to fight it. They're battling each other not far from town."

"Okay. Send word if you need anything. I'm going to take Shira and Kuro to Akala Island. They need help there. Watch over Hari. Stay safe."

"You too."

Mewtwo was waiting for us when we stepped out of the mansion. Lily had dropped him off, along with three Pokéballs. I had been expecting Mewtwo, or I never would have recognized him. There wasn't a Mewtwo standing there, but an Alakazam accompanied by Edward, my Zoroark. Edward was using his illusion ability to make Mewtwo look like an Alakazam. As an Alakazam-another Pokémon with impressive psychic powers-Mewtwo could go all-out without drawing suspicion. Mewtwo had every right to be cautious around humans. The rest of my companions looked started at the abrupt presence of a Zoroark and "Alakazam," but quickly realized that they were with me.

Mewtwo wasn't as great at teleporting long distances – that was why Lily had dropped him off. But moving around Alola wouldn't be a problem for him. "Julio, we're going to teleport."

"Wait." Gladion hesitated, then pulled something out of his pocket. Another Pokéball. "There were three Type: Nulls. I managed to steal two of them. I've been focusing on one, because they're unstable. Long ago they actually went berserk and were cryogenically frozen. This one's pretty much untrained. But it's meant to fight Ultra Beasts. You might need it."

I took the Pokéball. "Thank you. I'll take care of him." A Pokémon created during an experiment. I glanced at Mewtwo, who didn't have all the details, but knew enough. He clenched his fist, but didn't say anything. There would be time for that later.

I looked over to where Lillie was standing beside her unconscious mother. "I'll be back. We'll find a way to help Nebby."

Lillie nodded and managed a little smile. "I know. Good luck."

I went to join Mewtwo and Edward. I placed my hand on Mewtwo's arm, and hooked my elbow around Julio's. We teleported us to Heahea City.

Julio had never teleported before, and as we reappeared, he wobbled on his feet. But so did I. All around us was mayhem. Cars were piled up in the main roads as they tried to leave the city, and electrical fires had erupted in some of the buildings. Mewtwo spotted them and turned to a fire hydrant. Using his psychic powers, he twisted it open. A channel of water gushed out, and he caught it, sending it to dowse the fires.

A nearby telephone pole shifted and I jumped, afraid it was about to fall. It wasn't a telephone pole. It was a bundle of wires and sparks, over twice my height. It didn't look alive. Its arms were clamped on the power wires, and it seemed to be draining energy from them. A car barreled around a corner. Julio grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the road. The Ultra Beast, startled, raised an arm and shot a bolt of lightning. Mewtwo raised his hand, creating a shield to protect the people in the car. They spun around and drove away.

The beast turned its eyeless head toward us. Mewtwo placed a hand on my shoulder, nodding to me. Then he was off, tacking his opponent.

I pulled out the three Pokéballs containing Phantom, Shira and Kuro. The three of them shot off in different directions, ready to fight the other beasts scattered around the city. And hopefully force them back through the wormholes.

Julio watched in amazement. "You have three legendary Pokémon?"

"They're my friends. They help when there's trouble. Though I'm just watching Zekrom while his original trainer is busy. Come on. I need to check in with someone really quick." Julio and I sprinted across the street.

Kukui stood guard at the front door to the lab. He raised a hand as he saw us coming. "I'm protecting the building. Burnet needs to keep the equipment running to monitor the Ultra Beasts." His Lycanroc stood nearby, ready to spring into battle. Kukui's eyes lingered on Julio, who was still in his Team Skull uniform, minus the mask. "I'll hold down the fort while you talk to Burnet. There's a couple people in there too who are waiting for you."

"Okay. My Pokémon are already out there fighting. I'll be back to help in a minute." I had no idea how my Type: Null would behave, so I'd have to wait until I could supervise him. For now he was on standby.

"I'll help out here," Julio said.

"Thanks. I'll be back."