A/N: Hey everybody! Been a while, hasn't it. Today's chapter title comes from Life is a Carnival by This Band.

Sun woke up to arms wrapped around him and steady breathing. His eyes slowly opened to reveal Lillie slumbering beside him, much to his confusion. The last thing he remembered before falling asleep was curling up with his team, and…

Sun tried to carefully disentangle himself from his girlfriend, but Lillie hugged him tighter and groaned sleepily, "Nooo… I wanna stay in bed…"

And Sun, practitioner of a brutal battling style, aspiring champion, and leader of the great Team Sun melted into a puddle of goo. Lillie's grip wasn't easing, and Sun's desire to get up was weakening. So, Sun resigned himself to his fate as a stuffed animal and hugged Lillie back. A bit more gently than she was hugging him, he didn't want to wake her after all, but still it was very cozy.

"Mmm…" Lillie hummed contentedly. "So warm…" And then she purred like a Meowth that had just gotten its cream and cuddled even closer against him.

Sun was extremely red at this point, but he didn't want to wake her up. So, he matched his breaths to hers, and eventually drifted back to sleep. They weren't in a hurry today after all.

The day of the battle royale drew closer, and many people were interested, not just our heroes. Two ruthless thugs sit in a hotel room, planning their next move. "So, Electric, you sure those strange pokéballs that stranger in the suit gave us will actually give us an edge?" a large man dressed in a wrestling costume stylized to resemble flames asked. He hefted the aforementioned pokéball in his hand. It was larger than a typical pokéball, colored a drab shade of purple, and wrapped in bands of black iron.

Electric barked a laugh. "Oh yeah," he said. "I transferred my Electivire into it." He grinned savagely which caused the lightning tattoo around his right eye to ripple. "Trust me Magma, once you've gotten your Magmortar under its effects? That stupid Masked Royal won't stand a chance."

"Hehehehe…" Magma chuckled darkly. "I'm sure Mr. Viren will be pleased." Crush the Masked Royal and do some damage to the enhanced Royal Avenue. Those had been their employer's instructions, and these strange pokéballs sounded like their ticket. It didn't matter how many times they were beaten down, the Revengers would always return to crush their opponents.

Lillie held Sun's hand as they made their way through the carnival that Royal Avenue had been turned into, their pokémon doing a good job of matching their pace. The sun was out, the decorations were gorgeous, and Sun was by her side. Things couldn't have been more perfect.

Sun's smile was a mile wide, so Lillie imagined he felt the same way. "Which of the stalls do you want to check out next?" her boyfriend asked. "The battle royale isn't until later this afternoon, so we've got most of the day to ourselves."

Lillie excitedly pointed to one decorated with pictures of Swirlix. "Ooh Sun, let's check out that one," she said with a tug on her boyfriend's hand. "I've always wanted to try cotton candy."

"Sounds good to me," Sun agreed. "It'll be my treat."

The elderly man running the stall took a few coins from Sun and handed over the aforementioned treats. Lillie had seen cotton candy on TV before, and read a few stories where it was eaten, but this was the first time she'd tried some. She took a bite of the fluffy pink treat and… it was so sweet! So light and fluffy and sweet. She couldn't stop herself from scarfing it down, leaving her cotton candy-less far too quickly, and she looked over at Sun who was still eating his. As Professor Kukui would put it, she hit him with Baby-Doll Eyes. "Can I have a bite of yours?" she asked. "Please?"

Sun grinned at her mischievously. "Hmmm… Let me think about it," he said teasingly, taking a bite out of the delicious treat. "I dunno, I don't get to have cotton candy very often." He took another bite of the treat. "Mmmmm…"

Lillie pouted. He was teasing her, and normally she'd have fun playing along, but she really wanted to eat more cotton candy. She grabbed the stick and took a big bite of the stolen snack. "Mmmmm…" she hummed. "Cotton candy tastes even better when it's stolen." She took another big bite.

Sun playfully glared at her, but despite his best attempts he couldn't keep himself from smiling. "Admin Lillie," he said, with a vain attempt at keeping his "Boss" voice up because he was fighting back laughter, "you have stolen from the boss of the great Team Sun. Punishment will be swift and merciless." Nero and Caligula playfully growled at his side to help with the joke, but their eyes were just as full of light as their trainer's.

Lillie didn't even bother to attempt her typical voice because she was giggling too much to maintain it. "And…" she said between giggles. "What's my punishment, Boss?"

"This," Sun said simply and pulled her in for a kiss. This wasn't exactly a punishment, but Lillie wasn't really complaining.

Lillie wrapped her arms around Sun and pulled him closer. If this was what Sun did when she stole from him, Lillie reflected, she'd have to steal from him more often. When they broke apart Sun smiled at her, blushing a little. It's all way too perfect. Everything about this day was perfect. No clouds in the sky, no worries, no threats… they're just together and happy. "I love you," Sun said blushing a little and Lillie's heart skipped a beat.

"I love you, too," she said and the ease with which she said it surprised her. It's true, and she's known it for a while now, but she's only said it to him when he couldn't hear. But even if it was obvious, even if they'd both known how the other felt all along… The warmth in Sun's smile and eyes made it worth it. Lillie soaked it all in.

"Zzt! You all look zo happy!" Dexter chirped flying out of Sun's pocket. "Can I take some picturez? Zzt? Pleaze?"

Lillie giggled. "Go ahead," she urged, putting an arm around Sun's shoulder. "Take as many as you want."

They spent the next few minutes taking pictures. Making goofy faces, doing the silly thinking poses… They were having fun, and their pokémon and Dexter all seemed so into it that it lasted a bit longer than they had initially planned. The Rotom-Pokédex promised to send them all to their phones later.

"What do you want to do next?" Sun asked.

Lillie would've answered, but before she could a voice boomed over the loudspeaker, "Registration for the battle royale will now begin. Please register promptly, as there only thirty available openings."

Lillie pointed to the Battle Royal Dome. "You'd better go register," she told him. "You don't want to mess up your own plan."

Truthfully she wanted to spend more time at the festival, but this was more important. They'd need money from placing well if they wanted to get Team Skull on their side, and winning the ability to battle with Professor Kukui in his Masked Royal persona would be a good bonus. As Sun got in line to register, he left most of his pokémon with her. "You guys cheer me and Nero on, okay?" he requested, crouched so as to be at eye level with most of his pokémon. "We're going to win this, but we could use your support."

Most of Sun's pokémon cheered in their fashion, but Caligula growled, clearly displeased at being left behind and left out of such an intense battle. "Rrrrock…"

"I'll use you in a major battle soon," Sun promised the pup and gave his ears a gentle scratch. "But right now it's Nero's turn."

"Ruff…" grumbled Caligula with begrudging acceptance, though he still leaned into Sun's scratches.

Sun stood back up. "I'll see you all after the tournament, okay?" Sun said, speaking mainly to Lillie now. "Wish me luck."

Lillie smiled. "You won't need it," she told him confidently. "We've all been training hard in preparation for this, I'm sure you'll all make it to the fight with the Masked Royal. But-"

"But?" Sun said, vaguely concerned.

Lillie kissed him on the cheek. "For luck," she told him cheekily and smirked as his face turned red. "Come on everybody, let's find some seats before all of the good ones are taken."

Lillie and the pokémon made their way to the stands, when they heard a familiar voice. "Lillie! Over here!" Professor Burnet called, waving.

Lillie whistled for the pokémon like Sun always did, and made her way over to the woman that had been like a mother to her the past few months. To her surprise Professor Burnet wasn't alone, Sun's parents were sitting with her. "Hello, Lillie," Mrs. Ray greeted. "It's lovely to see you dear."

"Are you here to join us in cheering for Sun?" Dr. Ray asked.

"I wasn't expecting to see you all here," Lillie admitted somewhat Mareepishly. "I know we'd planned to meet up before we all left for the next island, but I didn't think I'd be seeing you all so soon." Admittedly she should've expected to see Professor Burnet at least, she never missed a chance to see her husband as the Masked Royal, but seeing Sun's parents here was a surprise.

"Professor Burnet told us about the tournament," Sun's mother explained. "We figured that even if you all weren't joining the tournament Sun wouldn't want to miss something like this."

Lillie nodded in understanding. The way her boy's eyes had lit up the moment he'd heard about the battle royale… Nothing short of a severe injury could've kept Sun from participating in this, and Lillie wasn't entirely certain that would've been enough to stop him. Lillie checked the time on her phone. As best as she could recall, the battle royale wouldn't be starting up for half an hour or so. And in that case… "Dr. Ray," Lillie began politely, "could you tell me a bit more about Pokémon Variance? Maybe about Delta Species? Sun told me a little bit about them after you called, but I'd be very interested in learning more."

Behind his glasses an excited spark became alight in Dr. Ray's eyes. "Most certainly," he said. "Delta Species are very dear to me as a subject of research, the Holon Expedition and its unintended consequences were part of what inspired my interest in Pokémon Variance to begin with."

"How do you mean?" Lillie asked. "I mean the concept sounds very interesting, but it sounds like Delta Species mean something to you on a personal level."

"Well," Sun's father said as he reached for one of the pokéballs in his pocket, "my starter pokémon is a Delta Species. I could intr-"

Mrs. Ray grabbed her husband's arm. "Bruce, honey, I don't think there's enough room in the stands to let Sparks out right now," she admonished gently. "Why don't you let him out after the tournament is over."

Dr. Ray had the decency to look Mareepish. "Ah, right," he said. "Maybe when we're celebrating the boys' victory. But at any rate, Delta Species Pokémon are very dear to me on a personal level, and they're what started my interest in Pokémon Variance."

"Could you tell me a bit more about their origin?" Lillie asked. "Sun told me a little bit, but it was a condensed version."

And so, Sun's father did, discussing the Holon Expedition and how their attempts to scan the area for Mew reacted strangely with stones throughout the region. The stones radiated energy that changed the local pokémon's types, without changing their appearances. This led to them learning unusual moves and having abilities they normally could not. Lillie listened to it all, utterly enraptured.

Standing in the field of battle with countless other trainers, Sun took a deep breath. He was aiming for the top, but so was everyone else here. If this worked, he and two other members of Team Sun would face off against the professor. Apparently, the man was Alola's strongest trainer, and the idea he could be facing someone so powerful made Sun's heart race. But he and his friends would have to crush everyone here to make that happen.

"Tor," growled Sun's starter, nudging his leg. "Torra rah." Nero looked up at Sun with his golden eyes, affectionate but firm. "Tor."

It was only after his starter nudged him that Sun realized he was trembling. Nero was right, Sun couldn't afford to psyche himself out like this. Not now. Not here. He needed to keep his head in the fight. Breathe in… and out… Sun eased his nerves, and the shaking eased down to a tremble. But he wasn't trembling with fear or nerves, this was excitement. This would be the most opponents he'd ever faced at once before. And he would win.

"Today is a big day!" the announcer shouted, his voice booming throughout the stadium. "Our contestants will be facing off in a battle royale! It's every man and 'mon for themselves! The last three standing will earn the right to face off against the Masked Royal and his Incineroar in a Battle Royal. Contestants, on your mark… get set… FIGHT!"

And just like that, everyone launched into the fray. Sun and Nero blazed through an Exeggcute with their signature combo of Fire Fang and Bite, only to be attacked from behind by a Cubone's Bone Club. Such battle pile-ups were happening all over the arena. It was crazy and wild and despite training with pokémon over a decade before he'd become a proper pokémon trainer, it was the first time Sun had experienced something quite like this. But let it never be said the boss of Team Sun or his starter didn't enjoy a challenge.

"Use Flame Charge on Cubone, Nero, and push it straight into Exeggcute," Sun commanded with a savage grin.

"Tor cat!" Nero rumbled in agreement with a savage grin to match his trainer's. The fiery aura of the move licked at the fire feline's fur as he lunged into his opponents.

Not too far away, Hau shouted commands to his pokémon, but Sun didn't recognize it. The closest thing Sun could compare it to was a Tauros, but it was the wrong color and far bulkier. Still, his friend and his new pokémon seemed to be doing well for themselves, so Nero and Sun threw themselves back into the fray.

"Torrara!" growled Nero as he struck at their latest opponent, a grass and bug type if Sun had to guess, with Fire Fang.

"Fo!" the little pokémon squeaked as it was knocked out. Sun hadn't expected it to do quite that much damage. Still that was three opponents of the twenty-seven he and his friends had to take out. Twenty-Four left to defeat.

"Alright," Sun said, "who's next?"

"Torra," growled Nero, the fire bell around his neck ringing out in challenge.

Up in the stands the Rays and Lillie cheered loudly for their boy. Sun's pokémon gave excited cries as their trainer and teammate battled it out against the hoard of pokémon and trainers below. Andrea was aware that her little Sun had been training hard, but seeing him battle like this only further proved to her that his worries of being like her brother were needless. Sun and that Torracat were tearing through their opponents, but they weren't being needlessly cruel. Aggressive, certainly. She could see shades of her brother's techniques in the way they fought, even ones that she was relatively certain he'd never had time to pass on to Sun before… everything.

But that's just how Sun fights. It's how he was taught, but it's also clearly where his instincts are. The Ray matriarch nodded, pleased. Sun wasn't hesitating or trying to hold back.

"Sun is doing really well," Bruce said proudly, and Andrea looked over at her husband. "I was worried he'd get overwhelmed by the amount of his opponents, but he's keeping a cool head and not letting it get to him."

Both of them were surprised to hear Lillie giggle. "He's not letting it overwhelm him," their son's girlfriend said with a smile, "but he's not keeping a cool head, either. Look at that grin on his face. I don't think I've ever seen him this excited."

Just as she said, Sun's lips were stretched out in a massive grin. His expression held an exultation they'd never seen on their son's face before, manic and wild. But it was familiar to Andrea. Long before she'd been a DJ for Kanto's Radio Tower. Long before she'd settled down in Lavender Town to raise a family. That grin had been on her face as she and her team of Meowth slashed their way through Kanto's highest levels of competition. So many opponents had fallen at their feet as she wore that selfsame look.

"Meow mrar…" purred Meowy at her side. Her partner likely recognized the smile as well. A smile that had been theirs in another time and place when Andrea was still called the Scratch Cat Girl, and she'd had six Meowth by her side instead of just one. And while they wouldn't trade Sun or the life they had now for the world, sometimes, only sometimes, they wished they could go back. Go back to the crowds who chanted their names. Go back to when there had been six Meowth instead of one.

But only sometimes. And none of their old glory could compare to the pride they felt as they watched their little Sun grow into the champion that they'd always known he could become. It could never compare to the joy they felt as he grew into himself surrounded by friends and pokémon that loved him and that he loved right back. And so, Andrea cheered even louder than before, love and pride in every word.

Sun grinned as his starter tore through more of their opponents. Between Nero and himself, Hau and Bowtie, and Gladion and Silvally they'd trimmed down the majority of their opponents. Speaking of Lillie's big brother and his partner…

"Alright Silvally, finish this up! Multi-Attack!" roared Gladion.

"Silva…" rumbled Silvally, it's claws aglow with ominous light. With a series of slashes, its claws and energy raked through several of their opponents, a powerful blow that dealt massive damage.

Sun glanced up at the board. Of the thirty initial contestants, less than ten were left and three of them were from Team Sun.

"Torra," growled Nero which drew Sun's attention back to the field. A duo including Haunter and Dusclops were standing before him and his starter with a vicious glare in their eyes.

"Haunter!" the poison and ghost type said, eyes glowing with ghostly energy.

"You're one of the strongest trainers here," a young man who stood behind the Haunter said. "If we take you out, we stand a much better chance at making it to the fight with the Masked Royal. Haunter, Night Shade."

"Clops…" intoned the second ghost type as it stared Sun and Nero down.

"Dusclops, use Will-O-Wisp," the young woman who stood behind the second ghost type commanded.

"Nero," Sun said, "ignore Dusclops and focus on Haunter. Fire Bite!"

Nero obeyed Sun's command, the energy of darkness and fire licking at the Torracat's fangs as he lunged towards the poison and ghost type. Sun hadn't worried about Will-O-Wisp, because the move's purpose was to burn a pokémon. And as Nero was a fire type, he couldn't be burned. Disregarding it was Sun's first mistake. And this time, rushing in was his second.

Haunter's Night Shade blasted directly into Nero's eyes and so did Dusclops' Will-O-Wisp. Nero staggered and looked about in confusion. "Tor?" the Fire Cat mewed confusedly. "Torra?"

"Nero," Sun said concernedly. "Are you okay?" His starter looked vaguely in his direction, but didn't make eye contact like he normally did.

"Heh, we got 'em," the Dusclops trainer said. "Let's wrap this up while he still can't see our attacks. Dusclops, use Shadow Ball."

Can't see… Sun blinked. Of course, Nero must've been blinded by how bright the attacks were. Even if they hadn't done much damage, they still could've hampered him. In that case… "Nero, focus on my voice!" he shouted. "Until you can see again, follow my directions exactly!"

"Tor!" Nero growled, voice full of defiance, but not defiance towards Sun, but towards those that would dare to threaten their victory. Towards the idea that this could seriously impede them.

The Shadow Ball got closer and closer to Sun's fire type. "Nero, lunge just a little bit forward and use Bite to break Shadow Ball!" Sun commanded. His starter, trusting him implicitly did as Sun ordered. The ball of spectral energy broke into a burst of smoke.

"Haunter, use Shadow Punch," their other opponent commanded. The ghost replied readily, rushing at Nero with a phantasmal fist. If that was how they wanted to play it…

"Nero, counterattack with Flame Charge," Sun directed. "Once you feel the impact, bite down hard with a Fire Bite!"

"Torra…" Nero growled. The fiery aura cloaked its body before matching the rapidly approaching specter blow for blow. And then, Nero performed their signature move. But it was so much stronger this time. So much more darkness radiated from the strike than there had been before. The fiery aura of Flame Charge enhanced the effects of the fire part of Fire Bite.

"Haun…" groaned their opponent as it collapsed in Nero's maw. "Ter…"

As the Haunter was returned to its owner's pokéball, Nero turned to focus directly on Dusclops. Darkness and fire still emanated from his fangs. The specter shrank back, terrified by the threat of a superior foe. "Torrrr…" Nero growled as he stalked forward, the flames and radiating darkness growing ever greater.

"Nero is looking directly at you now, Dusclops," Sun said, voice low. "Do you know what that means?"

"It… It can see again," Dusclops' trainer said, very nervous. "But that means…"

"Nero and I made it this far because he's always trusted me," Sun said. "And he's followed my directions, which let us take your partner out. But he's focused on you now, Dusclops. So Nero, let 'em have it!"

"TORRA!" Nero roared as his fangs dug deep into their opponent. Dusclops didn't even try to dodge. It wouldn't have mattered if it had, but in that moment, it gave up the ghost.

As Dusclops' eye was reduced to swirls, a voice boomed over the loudspeaker, "And with that we are down to the final three contestants! They will be moving on to challenge the Masked Royal and his Incineroar!"

Throughout the stadium, the crowd roared their approval. Sun looked at the screen; his smile, if possible, grew wider. The scoreboard showed three trainers, all of them members of Team Sun. He and his friends had all made it. These cheers were for Team Sun.

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed! Please feel free to leave comments or questions.