Pokémon Radiant Sun
Howdy folks! Here's an update coming at ya!
Finally moved back to the states this past week, which is why this chapter took so long to come out. On top of that, I'll be pretty busy adulting for a while and may not be able to update for a few weeks. Shouldn't be any longer than two or three, but as always we'll see what happens.
Anyways, shoutout to those who reviewed since the last update which includes Oragonking, BraviaryScout and tackler5. rb! Thanks for the feedback and support!
Enjoy!
Chapter 163: Poni Island
Seafolk Village
As the ferry drew closer to the island, Gladion hopped up from his seat and walked over to the railing of the boat they were on. His thoughts were churning over the mess that lay in wait for him at Aether Paradise. But for now he was making sure his little sister and her closest friend got to their next destination safe and sound.
Gladion inwardly wished he could go with them in their quest to find the Legendary Pokémon and confront Lusamine within the Ultra Space. But he also knew that this wasn't his place, and he had to make sure that the Paradise was taken care of. Besides, Sun was more than strong enough to keep Lillie safe, despite Gladion's reservations.
The boy snapped out of his thoughts as they drew closer to a series of docks, pontoons and floating houses shaped like Pokémon. The Seafolk Village was an interesting place that Gladion had only been to once or twice himself. It was a collection of homes for traveling traders, merchants and seafarers who had eschewed land-life for the open sea. This little village was the one spot of safety within the harsh island that they drew closer to. Soon enough, the boat was pulled up beside the nearby dock and Gladion was hopping down off of the vessel.
"Poni Island…" Gladion muttered quietly, glancing around the Seafolk Village as Sun helped Lillie step down from the boat and onto the dock. The teen glanced back at the other two and said, "Almost no one lives on it, but you'll find a whole lot of nature to explore here."
"No kidding. It looks really nice though." Sun remarked as he looked around, smiling at the interesting designs of the boats. "Heh. That boat looks like a Steelix! That's so cool. And that one looks like-"
"Go. Find the Kahuna." Gladion instructed Sun and Lillie as he turned around to face them, cutting Sun off. "The Kahuna of Poni Island also protects the shrine where Alola's people worship the Legendary Pokémon. Maybe they will know something that might help you."
"Gladion…thank you for this." Lillie said quietly to her older brother, who looked away from his sister. Sun could tell that the girl wanted to speak more, but was hesitating for some reason. Gladion noticed this as well, and waited expectantly.
"But…but when you took Null and left Aether Paradise two years ago…you left me alone with Mother!" Lillie practically yelled at Gladion, who flinched at the accusatory tone in her voice. "She was so bad after you left! If I hadn't had Wicke with me…"
Lillie trailed off, her brief flicker of anger completely spent. Sun reached out and grabbed the girl's hand, squeezing it as Gladion turned around and put a hand to his forehead in his usual pose.
"I'm sorry…I wasn't there for you when you needed me." Gladion murmured, exhaling a shaking breath of emotion. It was plainly obvious that the teen regretted hurting Lillie. "All I could think about back then was finding a way to save Null…That was the battle I was fighting. But now you've found your own battle to fight. I know you can handle it."
Gladion stepped forward and pulled his little sister into a tight hug that Lillie happily returned. Sun watched the two of them with a smile, glad that the two siblings could at least start work towards repairing their relationship. They separated after a few moments and Gladion sighed, offering them both a small smile.
"I forgot how huggy our family was. I kind of missed it." Gladion admitted sheepishly, causing Lillie to giggle and Sun to burst out laughing before the boy extended a hand to Lillie's older brother.
"Don't forget to call her every now and then to check in, alright?" Sun said to the teen, who looked at him in surprise before smirking to himself and clasping Sun's hand, his smile morphing into a fierce grin as he nodded.
"I'm gonna train my team like hell while you two are here. And when the time comes…We're gonna end your undefeated streak!" Gladion swore as Sun matched his grin with one of his own.
"Looking forward to kicking your butt again." Sun shot back, causing Gladion to chuckle as he let go of Sun's head and began walking towards the boat. Gladion hopped aboard the vessel and in less than a minute later, the boat was speeding away. As the two of them watched the boat depart, Lillie turned to Sun with a melancholy smile.
"Sun. I'm okay. You don't have to worry. I know what I have to do now." Lillie said quietly, closing her eyes for a few moments before opening them and exhaling a pent up breath. "And…I don't know. Maybe it sounds strange, but…I'm kind of excited." Lillie then smiled at Sun, who met her smile and held out his hand, which she grabbed.
The two of them began to walk down the main dock that led further into the Seafolk Village. Sun marveled at the incredible boat-houses shaped like Pokémon that were within the small village. At a glance he recognized one that looked like a Wailord, Huntail, Magikarp, Steelix and Whiscash respectively. A beep from Sun's bag alerted him to Rotom Dex emerging with its usual burst of energy.
"Poni Island, here we come! Bzzt-zzt!" Rotom Dex said excitedly, buzzing around Sun's head. He let go of Lillie's hand to properly face the device. "Wonder what kinds of new Pokémon we'll get to rub elbows with here, eh, Sun? If only I had elbows! Bzzzzzzt!"
Sun glanced down the path and saw Lillie talking with a local couple who had a Corsola and a Slowpoke beside them. The Corsola cried out a greeting to Lillie, who smiled back at the Pokémon. That was when a voice boomed out, catching everyone's attention by the loudness of the shout.
"Nice to see a new face around here!"
Sun and Lillie looked towards a nearby boathouse, where a broad-shouldered man with an unkept beard grinned at them with a Pelipper flying beside him from almost twenty feet in the air.
"Oh my goodness!" Lillie yelped, staggering back in surprise. Sun and Lillie watched as the man jumped down from the top of the boathouse and landed lightly on the docks in a movement so smooth Sun realized immediately that this wasn't the first time that the man had done something like this. Sun glanced at Lillie and began walking towards the man, with the rattled girl following him.
"I-I'm sorry. Who are you?" Lillie asked politely to the strange man. Sun was now able to see that the man looked to be in his late-30's with amber-colored eyes and dark blue hair with a mustache and goatee. He wore an official-looking coat with matching shorts, so Sun wondered who exactly the man was himself.
"Me? I'm the Chief of the Seafolk. It's my job to keep everybody together. My name's Benjamin Bulfred, but my friends call me Banjo." The man said warmly, extending a hand out to the children. Sun and Lillie both shook the Chief's hand before he glanced over his shoulder. "That there is Captain Sassy, my Partner."
"The…seafolk?" Lillie asked as Banjo nodded at them.
"Yes, ma'am!" Banjo chuckled, gesturing to the floating structures and boats all around them. "What'd you think all these boats 'round you are here for?"
"They doo look pretty cool. Um, what are they for?" Sun asked, earning a booming laugh from the Seafolk Chief.
"We seafolk have spent years navigating the seas and searching out new wonders. When we find rare things, we bring 'em here to Alola to trade." Chief Banjo explained as he rubbed Sassy's head affectionately. "The ports on the other islands are busier these days, but we still always seem to end up back here on Poni, eh?"
"I guess there's no place like home." Sun commented, with Banjo nodding at the boy's comment.
"What did you all come here for? You collecting berries, like us?" Banjo asked the children.
Lillie shook her head. "We're here to visit the Kahuna."
Chief Banjo's expression turned pensive as he put a hand to his chin. "The Kahuna? Hmm. Maybe you should go to little Hapu's place? Her house is the only one still standing on Poni, after all. Where else would you go, eh? You can recognize little Hapu's house at a glance…thanks to that huge Mudsdale of hers. She lives out west on the Ancient Poni Path, just past the Poni Wilds."
"I'm sensing a pattern with the names! Zzzzrt!" Rotom Dex said chimed in, causing Sun and Chief Banjo to chuckle as Lillie's eyes lit up.
"Oh! So Hapu lives here on Poni Island?" Lillie said excitedly, looking to Sun for a brief moment before looking back at Banjo. "Thank you very much, Chief!"
Sassy cried out as she landed on Banjo's shoulder, with Chief Banjo chuckling softly at his Pelipper. "Don't mention it. If you kids need any help, be sure to come find me. We look after one another here, and that includes guests. Ya hear?"
"Yes sir!" the two children responded, smiling at the Chief before Lillie turned to Sun and said, "Let's go, Sun! It will be good to see Hapu and Mudsdale again!"
"Umm, hold on Princess." Sun said to the girl, who looked at him with confusion before Sun looked back at Chief Banjo. "How far away would you say Hapu's house is?"
Banjo blinked at the question and thought about it. "Depends. On a Ride Pokémon, maybe an hour or two. But the only Ride Pokémon we have in these parts are Machamp, and you'll only find more deeper in the Vast Poni Canyon. So you'll likely be on foot or using your own Pokémon, which'll take longer. I'd say maybe six hours or so at most. Considering that it's late afternoon now, perhaps it'd be better to stay here for the night and resume your journey in the morning?"
Lillie and Sun glanced at one another before nodding. "Sounds like a plan. We could probably ask a few questions about the island too while we're at it. Make things easier for when we talk to Hapu later."
"There's a Pokémon Center on the far side of the village. It doesn't get a whole lot of business, besides the few Trainers who are here for more intense training, so you should be able to get a room easily." Banjo remarked, with the two children nodding grateful before bidding the Chief farewell and heading off into the village.
"It's very peaceful here." Sun said quietly, smiling as he noticed a small flock of Wingull and a Pelipper nesting in the large tree that stood in the middle of the village. One of the baby Wingull chirped at Sun in greeting, causing him to smile wider. Lillie giggled at the sight, remembering Sun's fondness for Flying-types.
The two of them wandered throughout the Seafolk Village, marveling at the boathouses that surrounded them and the strange way of life the traveling merchants and seafarers had. It was so unique and yet intriguing to Sun and Lillie that they talked about the possibilities of living such a life all the way to the Pokémon Center.
Sun sighed with relief as they entered the Pokémon Center, the refreshing blast of air-conditioning providing some welcome relief to the boy and his companion.
"Thank goodness." Lillie panted as she wiped her sweaty brow, glancing at Sun. "Should I get the room Sun?"
"Yeah, please do. I'm gonna get us some drinks and we can figure out where to go from here." Sun said to the girl, who did a small fist pump before walking over to the counter.
With a small smile. Sun walked over to the Pokémon Center Café and after exchanging some words with the barista, got two cold glasses of Lemonade and two equally cold water bottles. Sun sat down and took that moment to cool down, with Lillie returning a few moments later with a jangling key in her hand and looking rather pleased with herself.
"I got us a room. The last one available, actually!" Lillie said with a smile, handing Sun the key. "Only one bed though."
"That's fine. I can sleep on the floor, no worries." Sun said dismissively, earning a pointed look from Lillie. The boy flushed, averting his eyes as Lillie sighed and sat down. The two children enjoyed their drinks and the air-conditioning for several awkward minutes before Sun spoke up.
"Once we're ready, I'm gonna see what supplies we can stock up on at the Poké Mart. If the Wilds here are as bad as everyone keeps saying, we need to be prepared." Sun said to Lillie as she sipped her Lemonade, pondering what Sun had said.
"I stocked up on Max Revives back at Aether Paradise, so I shouldn't need to buy more healing supplies…but it never hurts to be over-prepared." Lillie said with a nod before hopping to her feet. "Let's get going!"
"Um, right. Gotcha." Sun said as he downed the rest of his Lemonade and followed Lillie over to the Poké Mart on the other side of the building. What caught Sun's eyes immediately was the collection of powerful TM's on display in a large case behind the two cashiers. Fire Blast, Blizzard, Solar Beam, Hyper Beam and more.
Sun bought the TM's for Stone Edge, Fire Blast and Thunder, wincing at the high price for such powerful moves while Lillie giggled at how predictable her friend was. Sun double-checked to make sure he still had plenty of healing supplies and ended up buying some more Hyper Potions and Super Potions, as well as some extra food for the Wilds.
"That'll be a big boost to your team's movesets." Lillie remarked as Sun pocketed the TM's and other supplies, grinning at the haul of powerful new moves he could teach his Pokémon. He was already itching to try them out.
"Yeah, and it opens up a lot more possibilities in combat. I'm looking forward to getting some training in tomorrow as we're heading to Hapu's place." Sun said as he zipped up his bag and slung it back over his shoulders. "Anything else you think we should get?"
"Nope. But I know what I'm going to get!" Lillie said brightly as she marched up to the cashiers and promptly asked for a hundred cans of Max Repel and even more healing items, much to the shock of Sun and the two cashiers. The cashiers had to store the hundreds of items in item capsules as they frantically began ringing up the girl's purchases. Lillie smirked with amusement while Sun watched on with mild concern at the number of zeros on the screen in front of them.
"Lillie, how are you paying for all of this?" Sun asked the girl, who gave the boy a mischievous smirk before reaching into her backpack and revealing a credit card. Specifically, one with an Aether Foundation sigil on the front.
"I may or may not have borrowed Mother's credit card after she left it behind in her office. So consider this little trip paid for by her!" Lillie giggled as Sun stared at her for several long moments…before bursting into laughter.
After cashiers handed Lillie her items, plus a receipt, Sun and Lillie went upstairs to drop off their things and get the room set up for the night. Sun took that moment to call out his team and began teaching them some of the TM's that he had recently acquired. He taught each one of his Pokémon the move Return, and then taught Tetra Stone Edge and Brago Fire Blast.
"So, what's the plan for dinner? It's starting to get a little late." Lillie and Sun, who considered that as he returned his team and picked up his backpack.
"I think one of those boat houses was a restaurant. Let's head back into the village and look around some." Sun suggested to Lillie, who nodded and picked up Nebby, who was currently floating on the bed. The girl looked down at the inert Pokémon and gently kissed his forehead before placing him back into her backpack and secured it, a sad smile on her face. Sun walked over to the girl and pulled her into a tight hug.
"We'll save him. I won't stop until Nebby's okay again." Sun promised Lillie as she returned the hug, sighing deeply and allowing silence to reign. Lillie then pulled away from Sun, smiling a little brighter at her friend before the two of them departed the Pokémon Center to search the Seafolk Village for somewhere to eat.
After getting some directions from a few of the locals, they were directed to the Wailord boathouse that Sun had seen earlier. As Sun and Lillie entered the boat, they saw that it was a rather large restaurant, though it seemed that the two of them had shown up before the dinner rush.
"Welcome, welcome! Table for two, yeah?" the cashier said to the two children as they walked into the restaurant, taking in the strangeness of being inside a boat building.
"Yes, please!" Lillie and Sun said at the same time, with the cashier chuckling at the two children before snagging a nearby menu and handing it over to the two of them with a flourish.
"All right! Here's a menu for you. We've got a special deal on now for our younger customers. Anyone under 20 eats for 500 Pokédollars." The cashier explained as Sun and Lillie looked over the menu, realizing that the restaurant in question specialized in special kinds of ramen. There were also various sides you could get, ranging from small seaweed-based salads to different kinds of exotic breads and rices and some assorted desserts as well. It was all very reasonably-priced as well.
Sun decided to order first. "Large Z-Noodles sounds good to me. Firm noodles, spicy broth with extra garlic and extra pork with a Pecha Cola to drink."
"I am a bit hungry…I'll take a Large Z-Noodles, please! No pork, with garlic and…" Lillie considered it for a moment before adding, "I'll try a spicy broth, please. I'll also take a Pecha Cola."
"Sounds like a plan." The cashier said with a grin before looking over his shoulder and shouting, "Order in! Two bird's nests, and make them big boys! One of them has no Tepigs allowed, with extra yahoos and make it sizzle! The other one has Tepigs running rampant with extra yahoos and Tepigs."
"Did you understand any of that?" Sun asked Lillie, who simply shook her head. "Okay, good. Wanted to make sure I wasn't the only one."
"We've got life in the dining room! VIPs, coming through!" the cashier said before walking around the counter and adding, "Follow me to your table. We've got a great view of the ocean upstairs!"
The two of them were led upstairs where they were happy to see that they were the only ones in the actual dining room. Sun and Lillie would later find out it was because most of the locals would order their food to go or simply ate at the bar, and so only visitors or tourists would eat on the top floor. It was a tourism tactic that the locals employed to leave the best possible impression on visitors.
The duo were given their drinks rather quickly and in less than ten minutes, they both had massive steaming hot bowls of ramen sitting down in front of them. The two of them exchanged hungry grins before digging into their dinner.
"Oooh, this is good." Lillie murmured as she deftly used the chopsticks, carefully eating the hot noodles as Sun sipped some of the broth and diced vegetables within, swallowing the slightly reddish liquid hungrily for several long seconds. The boy nodded in response as he set down his bowl, exhaling as he wiped his face with the napkin.
"A little too spicy for you?" Lillie asked, a teasing smile coming to her lips as Sun grinned at her, taking a sip of his Pecha Soda.
"You take a sip of that stuff if you're so hardcore, Princess." Sun challenged the girl, who considered it for a moment before picking up the bowl like Sun had and tilting it back, drinking in the piping hot broth of the ramen.
To Lillie's credit, she managed to last several seconds before hastily putting down the bowl and coughing hard, panting from the spice of the bowl of ramen with watering eyes. Sun rolled his eyes, refilling her cup of water from the pitcher at the table that Lillie immediately snatched up and downed. The girl recovered after a little bit of time and pouted as Sun continued to snicker at her, snatching up some noodles with his chopsticks and hungrily slurping them down. Lillie looked at Sun for a moment before humming in thought.
"I always heard it was rude to slurp noodles like that." Lillie remarked, frowning for a moment. "At least, Mother used to be very insistent that it was considered impolite. Gladion did it once at dinner and she called him a barbarian."
"Bzzzt! In some cultures, slurping your noodles is considered a sign of respect! It showzzz that you're enjoying the food and it lets the cooks know that the meal they made is making you happy!" Rotom Dex supplied from Sun's backpack, with Sun nodding in agreement.
"I think it's more a Johto thing than a Kanto thing. I remember a couple of people in Malie City who were doing that one of the time we ate there. I'd have to ask Acerola or Sophocles more about it sometime." Sun remarked thoughtfully as lifted more noodles to his mouth and slurped them down. Lillie smiled at the sight and decided to do the same, picking up some noodles with her chopsticks and slurping them down noisily.
By the time the two of them had finished and left the restaurant, nightfall was almost upon them. Sun and Lillie made their way back to the Pokémon Center and settled down for the night.
Once again, Sun tried to be the gentleman and let Lillie sleep on the one bed that they had while he slept on the floor, but the girl was being surprisingly stubborn about the issue. In the end, Sun simply gave up and said that Lillie could sleep wherever she wanted.
"Great! I'll be sleeping beside you tonight." Lillie declared happily, earning a laugh from Finn and Penny while Sun flushed bright pink. He was still getting used to how…forward Lillie was becoming, especially in regards to how she expressed her feelings for him.
Sun sighed as Lillie smiled coyly at him before skipping triumphantly off to the bathroom. Sun smiled after a moment, and spent a few minutes looking over the supplies. He looked around the room to see his Pokémon dozing for the most part, though Oliver was staring at Alastor with a troubled expression. Sun caught the Decidueye's gaze before slowly walking over to the inert Alolan Golem, who remained curled in a ball at the side of the room. After about a minute of standing there silently, Sun spoke.
"Hey…Alastor?"
"..."
"I know you're going through a lot right now. And that I'm bugging you. But I just want you to know that I believe in you. You'll get through this, okay? And everyone's supporting you."
"..."
"I just hope you find some peace. And if you want to talk at all…Don't hesitate to let me know. Okay?"
"..."
"I'm gonna leave you in your Poké Ball as much as possible to give you space. But…we all care. Please remember that."
Lillie emerged from the bathroom and noticed Sun standing beside Alastor, quietly talking to him as the others moved over to where Sun was. To the surprise of both Lillie and Sun, each of the Pokémon began to talk to Alastor as well. Each of them offering their own supporting words to the Golem.
"You know, you were a complete pain in the feathers at the beginning. But…after our last big fight, I actually came to respect you a lot. It's not easy to admit your shortcomings. Or your fears." Oliver remarked, placing a wing against Alastor's side. "I know what it's like to lose faith. To hate what you've become. To be scared…Let us help shoulder that burden."
Penny spoke up next, leaning against Oliver's side. "You were willing to stand up to those you cared about the most to do what was right. Thank you…I wish there was something I could do for you, except tell you that we're here for you. Just like you've been there for us, even when you didn't want to be."
"I'll be blunt. Your attitude is atrocious." Brago growled, sighing as he regarded the Golem. "But you've shown that you're willing to try and change your outlook on life. And I appreciate that. Keep fighting, Alastor. You're better than what you're going through."
Finn punched his fists together before placing a hand against Alastor's side. "You got this, buddy! You're way stronger than you know! And never forget that we've got your back! No matter what!"
Sun felt his eyes water at the display of support for Alastor. A Pokémon who had despised them all at the beginning, but how grown to be a reliable and powerful member of the team. Despite his own prejudices and reluctance at following a Pokémon Trainer, Alastor had stood by them. And now they would stand by him in his darkest hour. Sun snapped out of his musings when Tetra nervously walked over, looking at Alastor with a worried expression.
"Thank you…For helping me remember how to be a Pokémon again." Tetra whispered, stepping forward and hugging Alastor for several long moments before stepping away. "I found my fighting spirit again because you were kind to me. I hope you feel better, Alastor."
Sun smiled as he rubbed Tetra's head before looking back over to Lillie, who was watching the display with teary eyes of her own. She walked over to Alastor herself, kneeling down on the floor for a moment alongside Sun's team.
"Alastor, I know I'm not part of the group. Not really. But I want you to know that your team…Your family cares about you so much. And that you should take all the time you need to heal." Lillie spoke quietly, placing a hand against the side of Alastor. "I hope you can find some peace. I-I know what it's like to have family hurt you. To make you feel like you don't matter. To leave wounds so deep and jagged, that you feel like you'll never be okay again. But I'm starting to heal from those wounds, thanks to Sun and Gladion and Hau and everyone else who's supported me. And I hope that our support helps get you through this."
Alastor remained completely inert, and that was okay to all of them. For a while, they simply sat around the Alolan Golem and talked to him. And after a half hour of this, Sun moved away from Alastor. However his team remained close by, with Brago lying down on the floor beside the Golem with a loud yawn. Sun sat down on the floor right beside his Arcanine, yawning a little himself.
"I'll be fine sleeping against Brago. Are you really sure you don't want the bed?" Sun asked Lillie, who once again gave Sun an unimpressed look, raising an eyebrow as the boy flushed. "Fine, do what you want."
"Okay." Lillie said in reply after a few moments, grabbing Nebby before sitting down next to Sun on the floor and leaning against Brago's side. Sun just stared at her in surprise for several moments before shrugging his shoulders, standing up and grabbing the blanket from the bed before sitting back down beside Lillie and tossing it over them both. Lillie beamed with happiness as she felt the blanket cover her, and opened her eyes and saw poor Sun blushing as she snuggled into his side. Sun smiled warmly and rested his head against hers, sighing tiredly as he closed his eyes.
"Goodnight everyone! We're back on track tomorrow, so let's get some shuteye and hit the ground running." Sun said to his team as everyone moved over to them. Tetra laid down next to Sun, sighing happily as she shut her eyes. Beside her, Penny and Oliver were leaning against Lillie's other side, but were sleeping against Brago. Finn decided to roll Alastor over to all of them before plopping down beside Oliver. Now all of them were laying against the side of the large Arcanine, who's expression soured somewhat.
"Good to know I've officially become the team pillow. Way to make me feel valued, everyone." Brago grumbled with annoyance as Lillie and Sun snickered at the sight.
"That's because you're the bestest boy, Brago!" Lillie said happily, causing the canine to huff. But he made no effort to move or dislodge any of them. And so the team slowly fell asleep one by one.
Sun silently grabbed Lillie's hand, squeezing it gently. He could feel the girl's smile as she nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck, a gentle laugh escaping her.
"Goodnight Lillie."
"Goodnight Sun. Sweet dreams."
Meanwhile…
"It's everything I wanted it to be…Just me and beauty."
Lusamine Jardin hummed softly as she walked through the strange chasm. It resembled what she thought the bottom of the ocean would look like, except so much stranger. Of course, that made the visage of what Lusamine had dubbed the Ultra Deep Sea all the more alluring to the Aether President.
As the Jardin matriarch had suspected, time and space were distorted here within the Ultra Space. She and Guzma had taken some time to determine the immediate effects the Ultra Space had on them, besides the intense feeling of pressure and the odd taste the air had on them. One of the immediate realizations was that time moved far more slowly where they were at than it did back in their original world, as a watch Guzma had brought along was spinning fairly quickly around and around in a matter of seconds passing. While this could have meant nothing, it was suspect if nothing else.
Ultimately, none of that mattered. She would spend the rest of her days within the depths of the Ultra Space and the life she had left behind would be only a memory. Even now, she could barely remember the names of the wretched children that had almost ruined this incredible moment for her. Who dared to try and shatter her dreams…But she thought no more of it. She was in a true paradise now.
Guzma had suggested setting up a camp and exploring, but Lusamine had other plans and decided to plunge right down the main path of the ravine they were in to go further into the darkness of the Ultra Space. Guzma followed dutifully, at first, but Lusamine realized after a short time that the Team Skull Boss had stopped following her. She continued to walk despite this fact, smiling faintly with amusement.
"It's even better than I dreamed…Such a tragic serenity in this forgotten place." Lusamine whispered to herself amongst the darkness, barely illuminated by a faint trickle of light from above.
And then she heard an agonized howl of pure pain and terror, which forced Lusamine to stop for a moment. She recognized the scream as belonging to Guzma. And for a brief moment, she genuinely did consider turning around to assist the man who had given everything to her cause.
But Lusamine Jardin smiled cruelly and continued forward. Much like her husband, her children and her own foundation, she realized that the man no longer mattered to her. "Oh, poor, deluded Guzma. You can't fight it."
"You have to simply embrace the love of the Ultra Beasts…and if you can't accept that then your pathetic life never had any meaning in the first place!" Lusamine sang softly to herself, grinning sadistically and not even looking back. Guzma continued to howl in pain, begging for a mercy that would not come. Soon the screams of the Team Skull Boss cut off, and Lusamine ceased to care about Guzma's fate any longer.
Indeed, so determined was the Aether President to continue further into the Ultra Space that she didn't notice other alarming things that were strewn along the path she walked. Scorch marks, splashes of red liquid against the stones and what looked like the decaying corpses of three Pokémon that (if she had looked closer) would have been recognized as belonging to her own homeworld.
But still, Lusamine didn't care. Because the objects of her obsession were soon before her, in all of their beauty. Dozens of jellyfish-like Pokémon drifted around a clearing where a thin sliver of light drifted downwards. Lusamine gasped in shock, her body shivering as she beheld the incredible sight of dozens of Ultra Beasts floating around her. She slowly walked into the grotto, beaming joyously at the sight as the Ultra Beasts slowly descended, chittering softly.
Lusamine wiped away a tear before she sat down on a small rock that was positioned in the center of the clearing. She let out a shaky breath, looking upwards and allowing herself to grin from ear-to-ear as the Beasts sank towards the Aether President. To Lusamine, she was a queen sitting upon a throne as her beloved children surrounded her. Lusamine closed her eyes, her heart so full of love.
"Hello, darlings…Mother's home at last."
NEXT TIME: Trekking through the Poni Wilds! Meanwhile, the fledgling Alola League has an important meeting!
We're finally here! Last island time!
That's all for now, everyone. As I said before, there may be a delay with the next chapter as well due to my busy schedule these next few weeks, but I'll keep working to get these chapters out sooner rather than later.
In the meantime, feel free to leave a review in the section below to let me know what you thought, and to Favorite and/or Follow the story to stay updated. I also have a Discord you can access by reaching out to me via PM.
Take care and stay awesome!
Until next time, FlygonNick out!