Pokémon Radiant Sun


Howdy folks.

FlygonNick here with his very first update from his first official duty base!

Obviously I'm not going to say where. But its overseas and has required a lot of time and effort to get settled. Hence why it took me so long to get this update uploaded. And I would've updated sooner, but the site decided to totally crap out Saturday night and I had to delay to Sunday afternoon.

Sorry about the delay, but I had a lot of important stuff to take care of and even now, I'm nowhere near done getting truly settled into my new home for the next few years. It's...beyond anything I could have expected. I'm so far away from home, on the other side of the world. But, you know how it goes. Adapt and keep going and enjoy the ride.

Now, my uploads will be probably be at odd times now since my own timezone is several hours ahead of when I usually posted. But I'm hoping that won't really matter. As for the day these uploads will be going up, always expect them on the weekend, whether that be Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. If I miss my self-imposed deadline for whatever reason, then I'll wait until the next weekend to upload. Simple as that, because trying to rush myself on chapters never works out well for anyone.

Shoutout to those who reviewed since the last update, which includes Angelfir3, Sai Og Sus, Cottonmouth25, Madame Rodoshe, Champion of the Divine Sun, Gokan123, SonicIKE, operettaoceanic, RC-DA, a guest reviewer known as bigboy9969 and DarkestShade73. Thank you all so much for the feedback and support. The feedback since I've been gone has been absolutely fantastic, especially in regards to the favorites and follows. Like, that stuff is awesome. Thank you all so much.

And to those who are struggling to be able to review and read the story in the face of IRL stuff going on, don't stress. Because I completely understand, since I'm going through the same thing right now. I appreciate that, despite life making things busy and annoying, that people still find time to support this story. It means a ton to me and a genuinely appreciate your time.

Now, I had a lot of trouble deciding on a chapter title for this one. Ah well. Let's just get on with it.

Enjoy.


Chapter 53: Descent


"What!?" Borlath roared, slamming his hands down on the table as he glared at Greevil, with every single Admin watching him in surprise. It wasn't often the man lost control of himself, but that was indeed what was happening as he eyed the Grand Master of Cipher, who was back grinning at him.

"That's right. What sort of fool do you take me for, Borlath?" Greevil replied, his smile widening at the man's frustration. However, Borlath was far past frustrated.

He was irate.

"How could you just start establishing an operation in Alola for months without me or the others knowing!?" Borlath yelled, rising to his full height and towering over the others there. Greevil laughed softly, bridging his fingers together and considering his response.

"Our friends, Neo Team Plasma, seem to have the situation in Unova under control. That's why I have reduced our forces there and focused them on Alola. And as to why I didn't consult you...take a guess, Borlath. I am the one who runs this show. Alola is a weaker region and will be under our control in relatively short order. As for what spurred it, well...We have agents in every region. I felt the time was ripe for some chaos elsewhere, and perhaps a chance to acquire some wonderful Legendaries rumored to lurk within the region. Besides, we're strong enough to cripple two regions at the same time, aren't we, my friends?" Greevil asked as he glanced to the other Admins in the room, each of which were watching the battle going on between the two men with anxiousness.

"We can't afford to waste our time in Alola, even if Aria and the Snag Machine are there! We're making headway in our campaign here. We've even captured one of Kanto's Elite Four! We can't just start focusing on another region while we're partway through decimating Kanto! How long have you been interfering in Alola, Greevil?" Borlath demanded, with the old man shrugging after a few moments.

After Lusamine had explained that Aria had escaped from Shadow Celebi and that the Shadow Pokémon had fled back through a time portal, leaving a wounded Snagger behind, Borlath had consulted the other Admins and Greevil to decide on a plan of action.

Only to find out that Greevil had already been meddling in Alola for months now. As far as Borlath could tell, it was some desperate bid to seem as powerful as he did back in the good old days of Cipher. Borlath was livid that this had been done without his knowledge, because the old man had a habit of making foolish mistakes out of pride. Greevil answered Borlath's question, his tone smug.

"Long enough for the International Police to cotton on that something is amiss. We've killed two of their agents and made off with several important locals who were very helpful in telling us all about the Legendaries of the region. All in all, perhaps two months? We've already got a base set up in the region, Borlath! You truly do underestimate how much power we hold now!" Greevil laughed as he stood up in his chair, staring into Borlath's mismatched eyes (gold and red) with his own yellow eyes that gleamed with greed and evil, delight in what he was doing showing clearly on his face.

"You're an idiot." Borlath spat at the man.

"Perhaps, but I'm organizing a force to eliminate a man that has proved to be a thorn in our side for far too long in Unova right this moment. They'll likely be reporting back on their success in just a few days! Then you'll be changing your tune, Borlath!" Greevil cackled with delight, earning a few smiles from the other Admins, save for Amber and Dawson. Borlath just shook with anger at the man, frustrated that the fool couldn't see that he was inviting ruin upon them.

"Very well. I'll concede to your wisdom, Grand Master Greevil." Borlath breathed, closing his eyes and trying to force himself to remain calm. After a few moments of trying and failing, Borlath opened his eyes and said, "I'm stepping out for some air. I need to process this and try to see how this will affect our plans."

"Of course. Amber or Venus will let you know if anything of note happens." Greevil said with a small dismissive wave to the taller man. Borlath opened the door and stepped out.

"Greevil...What have you done?" Borlath whispered, covering his face with his hands and taking a shuddering breath. It was these moments of frustration that seriously made him consider going into the room and giving Amber the order to slaughter them all. It'd be a lot easier, all things considered, but he knew he couldn't take the weight of carrying Cipher on his shoulders. Greevil was useful because he bore some of the burden that Borlath had forced himself to carry.

"Well, he's decided to stretch our forces thinner than Amber's patience with my flirting." Dawson replied, making Borlath flinch slightly. He had never noticed the man slip outside of the room with him. The mercenary smirked at Borlath's surprise and added, "No worries, man. I'm pretty good at the whole stealth thing. Killing off rogue Team Magma members wouldn't have been nearly as fun as it was if I hadn't been able to sneak up on them and slit their throats close up."

"I see…" Borlath replied, unsure of why the man had followed him in the first place. He was fairly sure he could trust Dawson, having scouted him for a time before enlisting his help, but the man was unpredictable at times and a deadly fighter. Just like Amber, he'd have no problems killing them all if he had to. His only problem is that he wasn't a good Trainer despite his experience, but that could be remedied in time.

"So, you're pretty worried about Greevil doing this solo, huh? What's so bad about messing with Alola?" Dawson asked Borlath, who growled softly in anger.

"It's because he thinks that just because Cipher is back on top, that he can do whatever he wants. Greevil's ego will be the death of him. But I refuse to make such stupid blunders. I refuse to let so much of my effort go to waste because of his goddamn pride. I. Refuse. To Lose!" Borlath snarled as he stormed down the hallway, with Dawson trailing behind him.

"Again, sounds like you run the show more than him, if you're questioning his decisions to this extent." Dawson remarked, earning a bark-like laugh from Borlath.

"In his old age, he's become reckless. He's a good leader, and a ruthless Trainer on top of that. Despite his genius and cunning, he's become blinded by the power he has regained. It's only been through my efforts that Wes didn't kill him back in Unova. Greevil is easily manipulated and that worries me." Borlath muttered as he continued down the hallway. "We're dedicated to our campaign in Kanto and it'll be a fierce battle to the end. Now isn't the time to allocate forces and time to a region on the other side of the world. It's a risk we can't afford to take, and it frustrates me to see him make such a stupid decision."

"I'll say. Haven't ever seen you that mad before." Dawson replied as he adjusted his cape, smiling slightly.

"I don't lose control often, but when I do...Well, you should be far away. I have to suppress it all, hold it all back. I have to focus on what we're doing, because if we slip up for the slightest moment, our enemies will take advantage of that weakness and ruin everything. And then what? All of this will have been for nothing." Borlath responded, glancing at the mercenary-turned-Admin.

"Sounds like you've got one hell of a bad-streak." Dawson said, smirking at the man who regarded him with a thoughtful expression.

"Let me tell you a story, Dawson. Of the time I sold out my 'friends' to Cipher and turned a city into a frozen mausoleum." Borlath said as he continued to stride down the hallway, his mind racing even as he spoke to their newest Admin about his greatest sin. The time he condemned millions to a death none of them deserved.


It was one of the rare days of sunshine in Po Town, which Gladion considered himself lucky to be able to see.

The settlement on the northern side of Ula'ula Island was famous in Alola for its odd weather. Namely that it was almost constantly raining within the town about ten months out of the year. Gladion had yet to be at the town during one of these sunny seasons, so it was like looking upon it with an entirely fresh perspective. He had arrived that morning after another meeting with Colress, where the two of them had managed to uncover some of Type: Null's secrets.

According to Colress, Type: Null was meant to be an adaptable weapon created to combat high-level opponents of unknown origin. Though Colress didn't know what exactly those opponents were, Gladion did. Null was a beast killer. A weapon. On top of that, Type: Null had many functions hidden away within it. Some were odd, some were useless, and some Gladion knew he'd find a use for.

One such odd one was that fact that Type: Null was effectively ageless. Meaning that the beast could essentially live forever, though it was unable to breed due to being gender-less.

A useless function within Type: Null was for detecting certain kinds of weather, something the beast could sense inherently according to Colress. Considering Gladion traveled no matter what the weather was like, this was useless to him.

However...the Command System function was something he definitely planned on using soon. According to Gladion, Type: Null had several command features that could call upon special powers the beast held within it. Despite the head restraint on it, Type: Null could still access some of its abilities, though according to Colress the restraint would need to go if Gladion wanted to unleash Type: Null's true potential.

The teen dropped his pack on the floor and opened it, pulling out a black translation collar. It was his payment for allowing Colress to examine Type: Null and learn about it. Gladion still didn't really trust the scientist, but what he had told him about Type: Null lined up with what he knew about it from reading Faba's notes. At least those he could make sense of. Gladion was intelligent, but he wasn't a genius like Faba. So for now he had to trust Lillie's judgement, in that if Gladion's little sister could trust Colress, then he could at least work with the scientist for now.

Colress had explained that he was planning on journeying to the Aether Paradise soon to help them with a special project that would help with the situation in Kanto. Gladion had heard about it on the news, but didn't really concern himself with it since he had other problems to deal with. But Colress promised Gladion he wouldn't alert the staff there of Gladion's intentions or location. He wasn't sure why his mother hadn't hunted him down yet, but he wasn't going to take chances. However he was inclined to believe Colress, since he had yet to run into any Aether Foundation employees there despite having gone to their mobile lab on Route 8 three times now.

Gladion opened the collar and attached it to Type: Null's neck. The creature growled as Gladion flipped a small switch on the side and the device shuddered slightly before remaining still. Gladion took a few steps back, regarding his partner thoughtfully.

"Null? Can you...say something?" Gladion asked quietly, looking into the beast's intelligent grey eyes. After a moment, the beast responded..though not in the way Gladion expected.

"You're an idiot." Null stated, nodding at Gladion. The teen blinked in response before scowling at his partner, who was making a dull noise that Gladion had heard the beast make a few times before. The translator helped make the noise a bit easier to understand, so now Gladion could tell it was laughter.

"Well, aren't you rude?" Gladion grumbled, sitting down on the ground and glaring at Type: Null. The monster mimicked him, sitting down on its haunches and continuing to stare at him.

"Of course it was. But it got your attention. You weren't expecting that to be the first thing I told you. And it was funny." Null replied, sounding very pleased with itself. Gladion couldn't help a small smirk at his partner's antics. It was...actually really nice to find out that Type: Null had a sense of humor. The Pokémon before him wasn't just a monster designed for destruction.

It was alive.

"Well...Alright, you got me." Gladion conceded, reaching forward and patting Type: Null on the head. The beast hummed in response, and Gladion rose to his feet and looked out the window, the sun streaming into the Shady House.

"The strange man did well. You can understand me now." Null remarked, his 'voice' sounding awed by this development. Gladion was as well. The boy was tempted to get another collar for his Zubat, but he decided against it. He understood his Zubat well enough and figured it wouldn't be worth the hassle.

"That I can. It'll be nice to be able to talk with you like this now. Arceus knows talking to myself gets boring." Gladion remarked as he walked over to the window and opened it, stepping out onto the balcony and looking down at the raging crowd of Team Skull down below. Type: Null and Zubat joined him outside and Gladion shut the window, content in the company of his Pokémon. His companions in this quest to save those precious to him.

"Almost time." Gladion muttered, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. "I hope she proves to them that she's strong. She's definitely a lot smarter than the riff-raff Team Skull usually brings in."

"You mean Demi?" Null questioned, receiving a nod from Gladion.

"Yeah...I don't even know why I came to watch this. I could be training with you and Zubat right now, but instead I'm wasting time here." Gladion muttered, watching the crowd as the jeers below suddenly picked up in intensity as a tall woman strode into the midst of them, her posture one of absolute confidence in where she was within the throng of hoodlums. She had pink hair with yellow highlights in it, her sharp yellow eyes covered in white makeup. The woman also wore a black sleeveless tank top with an X pattern under it. Below the X was a pink tattoo of the Team Skull emblem. She also wore black, baggy pants and a worn pair of grey sneakers. She had a black bracelet on her left air and a grey Team Skull locket hanging from her neck.

"Plumeria is the only one here besides Guzma that can whip these morons into a frenzy like this." Gladion noted as the woman prepared herself to speak, her eyes blazing with emotion as she addressed Team Skull.

"Alright, everyone! Now that I'm finally back from Poni Island, let's get back to business!" Plumeria yelled to the other thugs that surrounded her. Team Skull roared in approval, grinning underneath their bandannas as the self-proclaimed 'Big Sister' of Team Skull looked over at all of them, her expression hard.

"We've hit a bit of a slump lately with new recruits. But doesn't mean we're still not getting people to see why the traditions of Alola need to burn to the goddamn ground, right!?" The pink-haired woman barked to the others as she jerked her head forward. Team Skull began to chant obscenities at Plumeria's words, making Demi shrink back slightly from her position underneath a nearby overhang.

To Gladion's surprise, the girl suddenly walked out, thrusting aside her unease and just facing the raucous crowd head-on. She took her place beside Plumeria, and while Gladion could see the fear in her eyes, he could also see her determination.

"This is Demi. Like you all, she has seen the injustices of Alola. Her starter Pokémon was brutally murdered by Totem Araquanid on Captain Lana's watch. She nearly lost her life to that damned spider. She was forsaken by her friends and family after this, and was on the brink of death from a rogue Trainer-turned-bandit. Until we found her." Plumeria said to the crowd, who were hooked on the woman's every word. Demi remained silent, trying not to look any of Team Skull in the eye.

"Guess what, though? She got right back up and fought alongside Bone Unit 71 and kicked Night Slash's sorry ass. She decided to keep fighting and not give up on herself! And now she's going to join us. But not before she proves herself to all of you here today." Plumeria said, clapping Demi on the shoulder and making the teen jump in surprise. Gladion saw the woman lean down and whisper something in Demi's ear, with the girl nodding slightly. Plumeria backed away as three Team Skull Grunts stepped out from the crowd, laughing as they called out their Pokémon, which consisted of two Yungoos, a Poliwag and a Ariados that slowly approached the teen.

Demi inhaled deeply before exhaling, calming her nerves before she pulled out a Great Ball and called out her only Pokémon, a Quilava that landed on the ground and let out a bellow of defiance at the group assembled to fight it.

"She's going to keep fighting until she gets beaten. Such is the way Team Skull operates. They respect strength, and if she shows them how strong her will is, she'll be okay." Gladion muttered to himself as he watched Demi began to battle the group.

The girl managed to quickly knock out the Yungoos with a Flame Wheel each. The battle against the Ariados and the Poliwag was more difficult, but with an Aerial Ace and a Swift the pair of Pokémon were defeated. Gladion scowled as he shut his eyes, unable to deny the unease he was feeling. The teen opened his eyes and watched two more Team Skull Grunts step forward, preparing to battle Demi. This would keep going until the girl was defeated. Though given how much of a fight Demi and Torch were putting up, they'd be at this for a while. Gladion blinked and shook his head after a few moments of watching the battle below.

"Why do I worry about all of this? About her? I shouldn't be concerned about what happens to her. I should only care about myself and my Pokémon, right? I can't afford to be distracted by things that don't matter. So why...agh, it makes no sense." Gladion sighed as he rubbed his face, looking back at the fight as Demi and Torch defeated the next duo with little effort, though it was obvious Torch was beginning to tire slightly and had taken a few attacks now.

"I understand why." Null said quietly, surprising its Trainer. Gladion looked down at his partner, but it didn't elaborate further.

"What do you understand that I don't?" Gladion asked the monster, receiving what Gladion perceived to be a shrug in response.

"You're young. You'll understand in time. I may tell you later, when you understand yourself better." Null replied cryptically, though Gladion could tell it was definitely amused. Gladion scowled at that, but instead chose to sit down next to Type: Null and lean against the wall, watching Demi battle against Team Skull to prove her worth.

"And another down! Who else wants a piece of me!?" Demi demanded of the crowd, glaring down the jeering and roaring mass of thugs as her latest opponents returned their Pokémon. Several of the grunts were exchanging glances, wary of throwing down against the new girl that had made short work of several of them. To answer Demi's challenge, Axen and Tim jumped forward, grinning at Demi.

"We just want to battle with you, yo. Welcome to the family, Demi. Now put up your goddamn dukes!" Axen bellowed as he called out his Drowzee.

"Siht od s'tel ,imeD. Ssa latot a er'uoy ,nexA!" Tim yelled, calling out his Druddigon. Axen and Demi looked at Tim for a moment, still unable to understand him after his mind got damaged by Night Slash about two weeks back. Both Trainers shrugged before returning their attention to the fight.

"Bring it, dorks. Me and Torch will burn you boneheads away!" Demi barked, her eyes flashing as she threw out a hand. "Swift into Flame Wheel, let's go!"

Gladion couldn't help a hidden smirk as he saw Demi's fierce expression as she clenched her fists. Her Quilava launched a barrage of stars at the two Pokémon opposite them before hitting Axen's Drowzee with a whirling ball of flames.

"Give them hell, Demi." Gladion whispered as Type: Null and Zubat watched the girl alongside him as she began the long road to proving herself against and to the villainous Team Skull.


"This route really is lovely." Lillie remarked as they continued down the road, with the sun descending on their third day of travel since leaving the beach beside Wela Volcano Park. Route 8 had proven to be a gorgeous one, with an easy path through the grassy coast of Akala Island providing them with the refreshing chorus of waves crashing nearby. Sun and Hau strengthened their teams by battling the wild Pokémon, especially in preparation for the Grass Trial that would be held by Mallow at the Lush Jungle.

"It'd be better if I could walk." Sun grumbled from atop the Stoutland he was riding. He had procured a Ride Pokémon to help him travel for a bit since his legs and feet were still burnt from the Totem Battle. Sun had Oliver and Penny flying alongside him while Brago padded on the ground next to Lillie.

"It'll heal in time, Sunny Delight. Maybe once we swing by Heahea City we can go by the hospital or something. Cream and ointment can only do so much." Hau replied to his friend, earning a sigh from the boy. Oliver giggled from beside Sun, earning a playful swat from his Trainer. Oliver reared back, as if preparing to knock Sun off of the Stoutland, but seemed to think better of it and soared off ahead.

"That owl, man…" Hau muttered darkly. Hau had returned his Pokémon for the day, considering they had battled several Trainers that morning and were tired. Strangely enough, they had not encountered another person for the past few hours, which struck them as odd.

The trio spotted a large white structure up ahead, but couldn't make out what it was until a short while later. It looked like a mobile base of some kind, and when that thought entered Lillie's head, she froze in her tracks.

"I...I can't go past that lab." Lillie said with a shiver. Nebby cooed from within her bag, but Lillie ignored the Cosmog and shook her head.

"Why not? We're just going to be walking past it." Hau asked, confused.

"It's...Hau, I'm...I can't say." Lillie whispered, genuine fear in her voice as she backed away. She felt a hand on her shoulder and the girl jumped in surprise, only to see Sun looking down at her in concern.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but...We have to keep going so we can make it to the next Trial. If you're worried about getting hurt, then me and Hau can protect you. We're not going to let anyone get you or Nebby, alright?" Sun said to his friend, who stared at him for a few moments before nodding slowly. With that, the trio continued towards the lab. However, as they drew near, Sun spotted something familiar next to the entrance of the lab. Sun dug out his Zygarde Cube and instructed his Stoutland to walk over to the spot where he saw the Zygarde Cell twitching on the ground. Sun absorbed the Cell into the Cube and returned to the path with friends, grinning.

"Closer and closer to reforming Zygarde. Man...That'd be wicked. I wonder what it looks like." Hau asked, smiling at the thought of making friends with a Legendary Pokémon.

"I believe the form that Zygarde is most commonly associated with is a massive snake-like creature, though from what Sina and Dexio told me, that is only what Zygarde looks like at half of its strength. At full power...I can't imagine what sort of form it takes." Lillie said quietly, a small smile on her face. The trio made their way past the lab as quickly as they could, with Lillie lowering her hat to cover her face and with Sun and Hau on the lookout for any sort of threats.

Despite this...

"Hello there, my young friends!"

Sun turned around and grinned at the sight of a familiar man wearing a bulky grey coat with blonde hair. Colress walked towards the trio of children with his Absol, Dusk, padding alongside him.

"How did you...I just looked that way! How did you sneak up on us like that!?" Hau demanded, dumbfounded by Colress appearing out of nowhere.

"Because shut up." Colress replied to Hau before looking at Lillie, who had tilted her hat up slightly to see Colress. "No need to worry, Miss Lillie. I instructed everyone at the lab to go home early tonight. You're safe to stay at the lab tonight and continue on your way early tomorrow morning, since it's quickly growing dark. "

"If...um, if you're sure, Doctor Colress." Lillie said quietly.

"Of course I'm sure. So, what brings you this way? Did you two overcome the Fire Trial?" Colress asked the trio, tapping away on a small tablet on his wrist.

"You bet." Hau replied, grinning at the scientist.

"Excellent. I had some trouble with it, myself. I was unprepared to deal with Totem Salazzle's pheromones. The second time, however, I won with little effort." Colress said as he crossed his arms, laughing as Dusk shook her head.

"He actually called off his Porygon and gave up. The look on his face when he found out that he surrendered to that dumb lizard was priceless." Dusk remarked, a small smile on her face.

"Yeah, that Salazzle was a handful. Brago had to set my legs on fire for me to snap out of it, and he managed to not only beat the pheromones, but also beat Attract." Sun said as he reached down from Stoutland and scratched his loyal canine on the head, receiving a happy bark in response.

"Hau, you had no problems with the trial?" Colress asked the Kahuna's grandson.

"Not really. Duke managed to hold his own for a while and after that, I used Cassy for the remainder of the fight and beat her with the Z-Move Lana taught me. I was done way quicker than Sunshine over here." Hau replied, laughing good-naturedly. Sun grinned at the remark, because despite his teasing, he was impressed with Hau's growth as a Trainer. Being able to defeat one of the Totem's without breaking a sweat was quite a feat. It made Sun want to try even harder.

"Well, I'm glad to see you both are growing stronger and becoming closer to your Pokémon. After all, that's why I have been embarking on my own Island Challenge. To better myself and to find out how to unleash Pokémon's true potential!" Colress declared, his smile widening.

"That is why it makes me happy to see children like yourselves journeying around the region. It reminds me of what I learned from a child much like yourselves not so long ago. There is so much to learn from children, and even now I have learned many things from simply observing you three." Colress said to the trio, earning confused looks.

"Like?" Hau asked.

"Well, from you Hau, I have learned the importance of enjoying what you do. While you definitely lack the ability to take things seriously, you show such joy in everything you experience. You embrace life, from the people you meet to the things you do, with an open warmth and joy that I admire. And that's important in any person's life. As such, while I do my work to assist Lillie and Professor Kukui, I also dedicate time to my own research and enjoyment." Colress explained, reaching into his coat pocket and drawing out two red discs. He then handed them to Sun and Hau, who both took the discs, perplexed.

"TM's?" Hau questioned.

"That is TM43, Flame Charge. Every time it lands a successful hit, a Pokémon's speed will increase. If you're able to utilize Flame Charge fully, you'll be able to have a great battle with the Totem in the next trial...the Trial in Lush Jungle." Colress explained to Sun and Hau, though his expression turned thoughtful.

"Z-Power...Is it the true potential I seek? Does it surpass the Mega Ring?" Colress muttered to himself before shaking his head, smiling back at the children looking up at him.

"Anyways, I've heard something rather interesting. Apparently, there are uninhabited islands for Pokémon called Poké Pelago here in Alola, far away from the main islands-" Colress began to say, only for Dusk to suddenly let out a faint growl and look towards the trees, eyeing them with narrowed eyes.

Colress frowned, confused by his Absol's behavior, and opened his mouth to speak, but Dusk suddenly threw up a shimmering blue barrier around the four of them just in time for a loud sound reverberate through the air nearby. There was distinct ringing sound of something colliding with the shield and bouncing off of it. Colress' eyes widened in surprise, eyeing the fallen metal casing on the ground that had just tried to penetrate the shield his Asbol had quickly thrown up. All of the children and Pokémon could very clearly see that a bullet had been stopped dead in its tracks, it's intended target obvious.

"Dusk, how did you know that was going to happen?" Colress asked, his voice level despite nearly being shot.

"I can sense when bad things are about to happen. Brace yourself, Master. We have company." Dusk said with a small shiver in her voice. As if on cue, five figures teleported in front of them, clad in silver body armor with helmets and visors obscuring their faces. The one in the center was holding a sniper rifle while the others carried various other guns on their person, with plenty Poké Balls on their belt to show that they had the upper hand here. A Kadabra stood beside one of the armored men.

Sun couldn't help the gasp of horror that leapt from his throat, or the step back he took. Cold fear crept through his body as he beheld the armored men with weapons, who had nearly killed a friend right in front of him, just like they had killed Erika.

Cipher had come.

"Well, that's disappointing.I was hoping to make that quick and clean." The lead Cipher member stated, lowering his rifle with a sigh. Sun shivered, recognizing the voice of the man with the sniper rifle. As if sensing this, the man looked over in Sun's direction and his jaw dropped.

"S-sun? Is that...by Arceus, it's you." The man said softly, ripping off his helmet and revealing an older man's face with a massive red and bushy mustache. Sun felt his horror increase, with the boy taking another step back.

"Kennedy…" Sun whispered, recognizing his father's personal secretary. The man had been a family friend and had been under his father's employ for decades. It only made sense that he too was a member of Cipher. The Cipher Grunts seemed confused and looked to Kennedy.

"Captain, you know that brat?" one of the Grunts asked Kennedy, who grinned underneath his mustache.

"Of course. And I know a certain Admin who'll be ecstatic to see his boy again. I should have figured you'd be where all of those idiots were hiding out. It just makes too much sense." Kennedy said as he called out a Venasaur and a Nidoking, both of which had soulless eyes and a horrific shadowy aura radiating from their bodies.

"Captain Kennedy? You...You're just as bad as Dad. How can you be with those evil monsters!?" Sun demanded, clenching his fists.

"I actually joined up shortly after I learned that your father was in Cipher. I realized that I could secure a profitable future by showing the man how loyal I was to him, and I have never regretted it. A leadership position in the world's most dominant crime syndicate, and now what family I have left will never go hungry or want for anything ever again." Kennedy explained with a small chuckle.

"But we get ahead of ourselves. First, we're going to end Colress once and for all. And then you're coming with us, Sunshine. Conscious or not. Though I imagine we'll have to take care of the others behind you to ensure silence, you know." Kennedy said to Sun, earning a gasp from the boy. Hau stepped forward, glaring down the man in a way Sun had never seen before.

"Hey, you freaks better back off! No one threatens my ohana like that!" Hau yelled to Kennedy, who cackled with amusement.

"There's that fight I was expecting. Yeah, you'll die first. Then we'll end the girl, nice and quick. No need to draw things out, especially since we don't want to draw attention to ourselves here. Venasaur, Nidoking. Shadow Rush!"

Both of the Pokémon responded by roaring in fury and charging forward, striking Dusk's shield and making the Absol gasp in distress, with the shield cracking slightly. Colress scowled at that, tapping one of the data-pads on his arm.

"Dusk, hold strong. I'm thinking." Colress instructed his Absol, who grit her teeth.

"Yes Master!" Dusk replied, glaring down Kennedy with hate in her eyes. Colress regarded Kennedy with a small smile, inclining his head.

"I imagine that's why there are no Trainers nearby. You didn't want any witnesses when you killed us." Colress remarked as the Shadow Venusaur and Shadow Nidoking struck the Protect shield again, cracking it further.

"Naturally. Grand Master Greevil wants to wrap up a few loose ends, and who could blame him? I know I've wanted to tear you apart for years, Colress." Kennedy spoke, his words dripping with venom. "You killed my parents back in Opelucid City, you son of a bitch! When you froze that city, they died in the attack!...And now I finally get to pay you back." Kennedy hissed, gripping his rifle tightly as the shield protecting Colress and the children cracked and chipped further.

"And taking Sun away from his family and friends to be with a father who attempted to kill him? That doesn't seem at least a little wrong to you, Kennedy?" Colress asked the man, who barked out a laugh.

"He's just a kid! He doesn't know his left from his right! And with his father, he'll be far happier than he would ever have been here," Kennedy replied, looking at Sun. "Your father will be so happy to see you again. He'll probably come to these islands later and put an end to your mother, since we now know that she's here. I can't even imagine how it'd feel for your father to kill that traitorous slut with his own two hands."

"This isn't good…this is so bad..." Hau whispered, looking back and forth between Kennedy and Sun with horror on his face. Lillie couldn't find the words to speak, as scared as she was. Colress had no problem picking up the slack.

"Well, I'm sorry to say that Sun will not be leaving with you all. He's quite happy living here, away from his father's vile schemes. And if you try to take him by force, then I'll have to respond by making you five pay dearly." Colress said smoothly, not phased by the weapons pointed at him or the fact that Dusk was panting from the effort of keeping the Protect shield up by this point, the shield heavily cracked and flickering slightly.

"Really? It seems as if we can just kill you and your Absol, silence the kids and take Sun back to his father." One of the Grunts commented, grinning underneath his visor.

"I wonder if Grand Master Greevil wants me to bring your corpse back just so he can spit on it." Kennedy laughed, glancing to his companions. "Call out all of your Pokémon, just in case. Non-Shadows, though."

The Cipher Grunts obliged, calling out their teams and surrounding them all with Pokémon. Sun grit his teeth, shaking with horror and rage at what was going on. Was this the end of his journey? Would he really be taken back to his father? What about his Pokémon? Would he be allowed to keep them, or would his father…

"No." Sun whispered, shaking his head. Oliver hooted in confusion besides Sun and Penny and Brago looked at Sun in concern, but the boy locked eyes with Captain Kennedy and said, "I'm not coming with you all. I'm not letting that man hurt me or my mother anymore."

Kennedy opened his mouth to speak, but Colress cheerfully cut the Captain off by saying, "Actually, Sun, I quite agree with you. So let's settle this here and now."

Kennedy raised an eyebrow. "You may be a genius, Colress, but you're a fool if you think that we'll let an opportunity like this slip through our fingers. You're outnumbered and surrounded, and we've got a lot of firepower on our side. I don't see how you can turn the tides here. Besides, you're a doctor now, aren't you? You swore an oath to do no harm." Kennedy joked, shouldering his sniper rifle while Colress chuckled softly, though the way he had done it sent a shiver of dread down the children's spines for some reason. It sounded so much darker than it usually did.

"There are two problems with your statement there, Captain Kennedy." Colress said lightly, eyeing the weapons pointed at him with amusement.

"And what would that be, Doctor Colress?" Kennedy replied curtly as he raised his sniper rifle, his aim unwavering a laser sight turned on, aligned with Colress' forehead.

"The first would be your assumption that just because people call me a doctor means that I'm actually a doctor. Truthfully, I have never been certified as a doctor, so that oath means nothing to me." Colress explained, his smile widening slightly. The Cipher Grunts shifted, unnerved by the cheer of the strange man being held at gunpoint.

"Your second point?" Kennedy asked, scowling at the man. In response, Colress chuckled softly before he vanished into thin air.

All of the Cipher members yelled out in surprise, with Kennedy shifting his weapon to Sun, who stiffened in horror. Dusk let out a yell as Protect faded, with the Grunts opening fire on the Absol with their weapons, making Lillie scream. Thankfully a second Protect suddenly sprung up and blocked the bullets, courtesy of one Dartrix that was glaring down the evil men.

"Good work, Oliver." Sun whispered to his partner, receiving a fierce nod in response. Dusk sighed and shook her head, preparing herself to throw up another Protect if needed. Kennedy, meanwhile, spoke aloud to Sun.

"Sun...where did he go?" Kennedy said in a low voice, his eyes darting around the area for the scientist. Sun didn't answer except for a small shake of his head. The Captain whirled around suddenly, only for a crimson ball of light to strike him in the chest, flying from the outstretched hand of Colress about thirty feet away behind the Cipher squad.

Kennedy fell to his knees, screaming as his chest began to deteriorate from the quickly expanding red hole now there, his body slowly dissolving into burning flakes as the horrified Cipher grunts watched on. Lillie grabbed Sun's arm, her body shaking in terror as the trio and Pokémon watched the Captain scream in agony, his body thrashing on the ground with his screams rising in pitch and terror…

Until he was no more than dust in the wind.

While everyone was staring, terrified at what Colress had done, the scientist had called out a Metagross and a Klinklang. Colress' smile had widened to an almost psychotic degree as he looked down at the spot where Kennedy had stood before Colress had killed him. The former leader of Neo Team Plasma then spoke, with his hands glowing once again as orbs of energy formed in his palms for a second time, his voice as pleasant as ever.

"The second point of note...is that the word harm doesn't even begin to describe what I'm going to do to you four."


Next chapter, Colress gets a healthy dose of backstory and shows off how awesome/terrifying he is.

Stay tuned.

Q&A

From: Sai Og Sus

I wonder though, since she (Lusamine) is from Kalos, does she have any sort of connection with Lysandre?

Somewhat. You'll see later. I'll be explaining her backstory heavily over the course of the story.

From: Champion of the Divine Sun

Do you have a ship for each of Sun's Pokemon, both current and future?

First off, your avatar is fantastic. Dimentio is one of my all-time favorite villains and was the inspiration behind one of my main villains in my first serious story, DOTD.

And to answer your question, no. I do have three confirmed ships for each one of Sun's current Pokémon, as well as a confirmed ship for Sun's final Pokémon. However his fourth and fifth, I'm unsure of. I'm a hopeless romantic, so if I can find a way for it to further the character or plot (or if I'm just feeling like it'd be fun), then I'll see what I can do about it.

From: operettaoceanic

There will be more bloody war right? Cause Lusamine is on her way to become a jellyfish soon.

Well...I think this chapter answered that one. Yes, Cipher is going to officially be looking into interfering with Alola in order to kill Aria, capture the Snag Machine, and put a stop to the efforts of Colress. They're unaware of Shadow Celebi, or that the Aether Foundation is helping purify it. As of now, anyway.

From: RC-DA

As for my question, is there a possibility of Sun buying a Lax Incense in Konikoni city?

It's definitely a fun idea to mess around with and not one I considered until you mentioned it. While Sun may not rely on an item like that, I can probably think of another character to use something like that.

That's all for now folks. Things should NOW. FINALLY. BE BACK. TO FREAKING NORMAL.

Meaning another chapter next weekend. I'm getting settled overseas, and it's going well so far. Now that my wifi problem is all sorted out and I'm slowly adjusting to everything, I'll be able to crank out chapters reliably again.

Once again, thanks for all of the love and support during this transition, and for your continued patience as I try to get settled at my first base and my new life overseas.

Please, if you feel like being amazing, leave a review and tell me what you thought, and favorite and/or follow the story to show your continued support! Also, feel free to leave a question in the section below and I'll answer it next chapter (usual feedback rules apply).

Take care and stay awesome.

Until next time, FlygonNick out!