Pokémon Radiant Sun


I've gotta get down a schedule for writing. I can't keep slamming down 5,000 words Friday and Saturday night. Ah well.

Anyways, howdy folks. Welcome back. Not much to say this go around!

Shoutout to those who reviewed since the last update, which includes Champion of the Divine Sun, Madame Rodoshe, Anasazi Darkmoon, SonicIKE, Cottonmouth25, Ultimate blazer, MoonlightButterfree, GeekyGamer314, a new guest reviewer known as KorrinaTheReaper, operettaoceanic, Gokan123, Sai Og Sus, BraviaryScout, DarkestShade73, Ways, and Angelfir3. Much thanks for the feedback and support, you awesome people!

Enjoy.


Chapter 56: Umbra


Hau flopped down into the grass and groaned, even though it was almost dark by the time the boy had stopped for the day. The boy lay there for a time, just breathing in and out and focusing on trying to find some kind of balance within his emotions. He called out his Pokémon, having healed them about an hour after the battle he had forced himself through. He just couldn't get his mind to stop going haywire.

On the one hand, he was happy that Demi was okay. Ever since Brooklet Hill, he had been beating himself up over what had happened. He blamed himself for being insensitive in a very intense situation and not handling it right. Not everyone could handle stress like him, and not everyone had the positive outlook he had on life.

And now that they had run into each other again, Hau was wishing it had never happened in the first place.

"It'll be alright...I'll figure something out, and make it up to you. Somehow…" Hau muttered, closing his eyes as Kaha leapt onto his chest and curled up there, taking a nap. Hau lay there for a time, just with his Pokémon, and mulled things over. Even though his Pokémon had been outfitted with the TACV's, they remained silent and allowed their Trainer to think.

The sun was completely over the horizon when someone spoke up, snapping Hau out of his thinking.

"A penny for your thoughts?" came a quiet voice from behind Hau. The boy opened his eyes and saw a familiar girl with blue hair looking down at him, a small smile on her face. Hau sighed and closed his eyes again, patting the ground next to him. Lana shrugged and sat down beside the boy, watching the ocean with a small smile. Bubbles the Popplio let out a small bark in greeting to Hau.

"I should've known. Sun sent you, didn't he?" Hau muttered, sounding faintly amused. Lana nodded, but then realized Hau couldn't see her with his eyes shut.

"Yes...and no. He told me a few hours ago that you were really upset by something, and wanted to know if I could talk to you. I said yes, and here we are." Lana answered the boy's question, which made him open a single eye in surprise.

"So you came out of your way to find me in person, instead of just calling me?" Hau asked the girl, who's cheeks burned pink and made her look away.

"When it comes to my friends, I don't want to take chances. And besides...After what you did for me, it felt appropriate." Lana replied, hoping the darkening sky hid her blush. She wished she had Mallow's confidence with this sort of thing.

"Did he even tell you why I was upset?" Hau asked the girl, who shook her head.

"No. But if I know a friend is in trouble and needs my help, I do whatever I can to help them. Sun only told me you were upset and that he figured I could cheer you up." Lana replied to Hau, making the boy open both eyes.

"Well, I'm not going to lie and say it isn't good to see you again, Lana. How's everything been?" Hau asked Lana as the girl settled down on the ground next to Hau, lying a short distance away from the boy.

"Good. Some harassment from Team Skull, but nothing I can't handle. Everything's been calmer as of late, though I have to thank Kahuna Olivia for that. She's been protecting me from a lot of bad publicity, though Demi's father still hounds me whenever he can." Lana said with a small shake of the head. "I don't blame him though. I failed in my duty. He's right to be angry at me."

"Psh. Even when his daughter joins a bunch of crooks?" Hau remarked, earning a surprised look from Lana. "Yeah, you wanna know why I'm here and so messed up? She joined them, Lana. Demi joined those jerks and is gonna help them steal Pokémon and hurt people. All because her Starter got killed. Yeah, it's awful. Terrible beyond description, but you don't join a no-good bunch of thugs because something bad happened to you. You've got to pick yourself back up, right?"

"Hau...It's so much more complicated than that. Not everyone has that resolve. Every person has a threshold of what they can handle before they hit that point of no return. I can tell some people, like Sun, are only one catastrophe away from snapping completely, whereas people like you can take a lot more because we haven't dealt with a high amount of stress."

"Sun's...what?" Hau asked, earning a sad smile from Lana.

"I'm not a psychologist or anything, but I've met a lot of Trainers in my short time of being a Captain. I've also completed the Island Challenge myself, and I have spent some time with you both. Sun hides the pain he bears well, but that doesn't mean it's not there. He's hurting. I don't know if even he is how close he is to breaking inside." Lana said quietly before she shut her eyes.

"What do you do when you hit that breaking point, Hau? That awful point where your will snaps? How much can you bear before you shatter? Demi found out her answer when Feya was killed by Totem Araquanid. She's found a new path in Team Skull, for better or for worse. I cannot support her decision, but I will accept it because I am responsible for this and I understand that this is what happens when people are hurting too much. You need to understand this too, Hau, and be more sympathetic." Lana continued saying, earning a thoughtful hum from her friend.

"Maybe...You know, when I started this journey, I figured it'd be nothing but fun times and laughs. Man was I wrong. I just wanted to have a good time with my Pokémon and my friends."

"Yeah, it doesn't always work out that way."

"I guess so. I've got a lot of growing up to do, huh?"

"Yep. So...What all happened back there, anyway?"

Hau gave Lana the rundown of events that had occurred, up until the point she had arrived at the cliff. Lana was pensive as Hau ended his explanation, considering what was going on.

"I'll have to tell Demi's father. Maybe he can...No. I'll tell Kahuna Olivia first. And from there, we proceed." Lana muttered to herself, nodding. She looked down at Hau and said, "So what now?"

"I guess just keep going, you know? That said...um, I'm glad you're here. Today's been a mess, Lana. It's nice to talk with someone about this. I kinda don't want to pile more on Sun and Lillie, since they've got their own stuff going on. They're counting on me to be there for them, so I can't bug them with my own problems." Hau sighed, putting his hands over his face and groaning loudly. "My one chance to make things right with Demi, and it backfired way worse than I could have imagined."

"Life isn't easy, Hau. Things don't always work out the way you want them to. But you just have to bounce back, like you always do. That's what you taught me to do back at Brooklet Hill." Lana said softly, grinning at Hau as the boy uncovered his face, thinking about it. Hau laid his head back down on the grass and seriously thought about the events that had happened since Brooklet Hill, and came down to a realization.

"I can do better." Hau stated, earning a nod of agreement from Lana. "I can be a better person. I can be a better Trainer. And most importantly, I can be a better friend."

"Yes, you can. No one's perfect, Hau. But I don't think I'd enjoy being around you so much if you were perfect anyway." Lana remarked before quickly clamping her hands over her mouth, her face slowly turning crimson and her eyes widened in horror. Hau just stared at the girl with his eyes wide, and considered saying something, but thought better of it.

"Does she…like me?" Hau thought about it for a moment before he sighed inwardly. Not tonight. Besides, Hau wasn't about to pressure her about whatever that unintentional comment and reaction was about. He respected the Captain's privacy, and didn't want to risk hurting their friendship like he did with Demi. Instead, Hau let Lana recover, with the girl's face slowly returning to normal and a worried expression now on her face.

"I'm gonna crash here for the night. Too drained to actually move." Hau sighed, sitting up and stretching. Lana rolled her eyes and sat up as well, giving Hau a look that showed she wasn't worried about what he had to say in response to her remark now.

"You do realize who you're with, right?" Lana asked Hau, who blinked.

"Yeah. You're a Captain." Hau stated, and Lana nodded.

"Yes. And while we could stay outside in the wilds, it'd be way better to stay the night at the Pokémon Center next to the Lush Jungle because not doing so when we can is just stupid. There's no point in being out here if you don't have to. And I have to be at Lush Jungle early tomorrow to drop off some stuff anyway to Mallow. We might even have a picnic with her and Kiawe at some point." Lana said as she rose to her feet, brushing her pants off as Bubbles hugged her leg. Lana giggled and picked up the baby Popplio, nuzzling him for a moment with a fond smile before setting him on her head. The Popplio barked happily before Lana looked down at Hau.

"So you're coming with me then. We'll stay at the Pokémon Center for the night and we'll swing by Lush Jungle tomorrow. I think we'll beat Sun there easily, if he continued along the path that you two were going down. Correct?" Lana asked Hau, who nodded.

"Then let's be off." Lana said, reaching down to Hau. The boy reached up, grabbing the Trial Captain's hand. The girl pulled Hau to his feet and returned his Pokémon before glancing at the black sky, the crescent moon gleaming overhead.

"Hey Lana?" Hau said, looking over at the girl who was petting Bubbles' head.

"Yes?"

"Thanks...I really needed this talk. You didn't have to come out here, but I'm glad you did." Hau said quietly. Lana smiled at that, grateful for the darkness covering her blush as it crept upon her face again.

"Anything for a friend. Shall we go?" Lana asked, drawing a Net Ball. Hau took notice of the five other Poké Balls and Net Balls attached to her waist, something that he missed earlier.

"You've got your full team on you? How come?" Hau asked as Lana called out a Shellder. Lana's faced darkened as she knelt and put a hand down on her Pokémon. Hau mimicked the girl, kneeling down.

"Kahuna Olivia told me about Cipher. How they're here and want to hurt people. And how they almost hurt you, Sun, and Lillie the other day." Lana said softly, a glint of fire coming to her eyes. "I'm not going to stand by and watch another suffer. Next time danger comes, I will fight. I don't care what it is, but I refuse to be weak any longer, Hau!"

Hau couldn't help but stare at the Captain as she ended her speech, and smiled for the first time since his encounter with Team Skull earlier today. Lana seemed to realize how into her own speech she got, because she turned away.

"Um...Sorry. I just want to be careful. These are dangerous times, Hau. Whether I'm ready for it or not, I am a leader on this island. People look to me for guidance at times, and I have to be ready to protect them with all of my strength." Lana said to Hau, looking back at the smiling boy.

"Makes sense to me. I certainly feel pretty good knowing you're watching over everyone, Lana!" Hau said with a laugh, making the girl beam at the praise. The boy then surprised his friend by leaning over and hugging her tightly, which the blue-haired Captain returned with hidden glee. Without further ado, the duo teleported off of the cliff, leaving it empty save for the ocean and the stars above.


"Holy crap, how do you deal with them?"

"Don't even get me started on Axen. The guy thinks he's the second coming of Arceus. I'll admit, some of his jokes are funny. But it's about one in every twenty, for the hundred that he throws out a day."

Sun found travelling with Gladion to be a very interesting experience. Where with Lillie and Hau travelling with him there was conversation and smiles, the intense and fierce teen in black usually walked in silence. Type: Null was more talkative than his Trainer, but not by much.

However, Sun couldn't help but learn about the edgy teen as they traveled that first evening and the morning following Hau's departure. For one, Gladion was a very deep sleeper and usually used Type: Null as a pillow when he slept. For another, he mentioned offhand that he didn't eat meat unless he was forced too. Usually this happened if supplies were running scarce on a route.

Another thing was that Gladion had an appreciation for music. Sun had pulled out his flute to play around the campfire, and Gladion listened intently the entire time. Occasionally he would clap politely as Sun tried a few songs that Lillie had instructed him to learn while they were travelling together. Sun was surprised when Gladion offered him a few pointers that helped him complete one of the pieces with relative ease, concerning some rather difficult staccato notes at the end of a song.

In turn, Sun shared a bit about himself to the edgy teen. He didn't explain anything about Hau or Lillie, deciding that the boy could learn about them himself, but he did explain some of his upbringing as a wealthy child of a businessman who became a villain in a misguided attempt to help the world. Now he was in hiding in Alola, exploring the world and learning about himself as a person and growing stronger as he went on the journey he had always wanted to be on.

"We're more alike than you know, Sun." Gladion had said to Sun when the boy explained that, his expression almost pitying.

That next morning, Gladion went over some of his adventures with Team Skull, specifically Bone Unit 71. The group was one of the more proactive groups in Team Skull, not that it meant much. Gladion had been roped into the group thanks to Team Skull's leader, and had helped them ever since. When asked how and why he joined Team Skull, Gladion remained silent. He did explain that he usually teleported places with Team Skull, and their sudden departure caused him to have to walk several days back to his hotel room. When asked why he didn't just get a Ride Pokémon, Gladion just blinked before face-palming and admitting he didn't have a Ride Pager and forgot those existed.

Sun would have flown himself with Charizard Glide, but apparently the Ride Pager only registered areas that Sun had traveled to, so he couldn't fly ahead to the Pokémon Center. That didn't bother him, since he enjoyed just chatting with his Pokémon and with the moody teen whenever he felt like conversing, which started after the first awkward night they camped out together. That first morning, Sun asked Gladion questions, mainly about himself, but others about Type: Null and the Zubat that rested on Gladion's shoulder. While Gladion kept the details about Type: Null and his past under wraps, he seemed almost eager to talk about other things.

Sun wondered if the teen was lonely. Considering how Team Skull treated him and the fact that the teen avoided answering questions about his family in Alola, Sun decided that his assumption probably was a correct one.

"So, what about your family? Since you want to talk about it so much." Gladion asked Sun, who just shrugged in response.

"His mother is very nice! She makes some of the best Pokémon food I've ever had!" Penny spoke up, soaring past Gladion and looking back at the two boys.

"That Pidgeot she has is kind of a showoff, though. Strong, but really full of himself." Oliver mentioned, earning a dull look from Sun. Oliver giggled and swooped past Sun, but not before wing-checking the boy and making him stumble forward while Gladion looked on in shocked horror.

"You little...Penny, use Peck on Oliver." Sun commanded the bird, who chirped happily and shot towards the owl. Oliver lazily threw up Protect, making Penny bounce off of the shield with a squawk of protest.

"No fair! You can't just use that shield whenever you want!" Penny cried out as Brago and Type: Null laughed at the display.

"You better bet I'll exploit this, Beaky. It's not my fault that I'm so clever. And skilled. And handsome, with the cleanest and most pristine feathers ever seen on anything in this world." Oliver said cockily as he dropped the shield and flapped higher into the air. Penny shot after the bird with a screech, leaving the group for a time.

"I swear, those two will either end up killing one another or produce enough Eggs to put every Breeder in Alola out of business." Brago muttered, earning a dumbfounded look from Sun.

"Oliver? And Penny? You mean...Do they like each other!?" Sun asked Brago, earning a smug look from the Growlithe.

"I won't assume. But they're very close friends, despite how much they argue. I wouldn't be surprised if the two of them became mates. I know I'll be having a very interesting conversation with Winter the next time we run into your Professor." Brago explained to a surprised Sun.

"Winter? That's his Alolan Vulpix, right?" Sun asked Brago, receiving a nod. "You like her?"

"I'll admit I am very taken with her. She has a very shiny coat and I enjoy talking with her. As I said, we'll have to discuss things further when we see each other again." Brago remarked, though he was smiling widely despite this. Sun smiled at the dog's happiness, glad he had found a girlfriend of sorts. He wondered what would happen when/if he told Lillie about his crush on her. Would they just talk it out or...Sun had no idea.

"Professor Kukui? You're friends with him, aren't you?" Gladion asked Sun, who nodded.

"He's a family friend, I think. My Mom knows him, anyway. He helped us get settled here in Alola after we moved here from Kanto." Sun said to Gladion, who seemed thoughtful.

"That must've been rough. Moving all the way over to the other side of the world." Gladion remarked, receiving a nod from Sun.

"Not just because of that. Me and my mother were going through a lot of stuff at the time too. But I've met a lot of really good people who've helped me through everything. Without them...I don't know where I'd be." Sun said quietly, and Gladion looked away at that. Sun looked over at Gladion, his frown deepening. "Gladion, I have a question."

"Yeah?"

"Not to sound mean, but do you have any friends here in Alola?"

"...No. Besides my Pokémon, I've walked this path alone. Zubat only came along just a little while ago. For a while it's just been me and Null. And it took a very long time for it to trust me." Gladion said to Sun, his right hand subconsciously moving to the crook of his left elbow. Type: Null let out a small sigh and looked away.

"I am so, so sorry for that. I shouldn't have lost control. You were just trying to help me, and I hurt you." Type: Null said, earning an alarmed look from Sun. Gladion noticed this and put a hand on Type: Null's head, his expression softening.

"After what that bastard did to you, I'm not surprised you acted the way you did. We figured things out in the end. That's all that matters, Null." Gladion replied quietly, catching Sun's worried look. "Me and Null weren't always on the same page. There was a lot of confusion in the beginning and I'll admit, I had times where I doubted I could ever make it listen to me. But we're getting stronger every day, and now that we can communicate with each other I have no doubts that we'll achieve our goals."

"Which are?" Sun asked, crossing his arms. "Surely your goal isn't just to get stronger. You've mentioned wanting to protect people, but you've never elaborated."

"That's because it's none of your business." Gladion replied with a scowl.

"If it's that important and people you care about in danger, you should let people know! You could get help!" Sun shot back, earning a harsh look from Gladion.

"And force her hand? I've seen what I'm up against, Sun. The only thing that can take down my enemies if Type: Null. It's a weapon as much as it is a Pokémon, as much as I hate to say it. This is a job for my team and me alone."

"You know...I'd help you if you asked me too. I may not know you that well, but I can tell you're not a bad guy. You just aren't." Sun said quietly as he lowered his arms and walked ahead, spotting Penny and Oliver sparing in the sky. Gladion's eyes were wide in surprise, watching Sun in amazement at what he had said.

"Gladion...I like that boy. He seems like he could be a friend, like Demi." Type: Null said quietly, nudging Gladion's hand. The boy shook his head slowly, though his frown softened slightly.

"Maybe not a friend. But it's nice to have someone who understands and cares, even if he doesn't know the details." Gladion murmured, walking forward with his Pokémon to catch up with the young boy who bore the same burden as him, in a world full of people who cared so little.


"Alright, run that by me one more time." Gladion said, crossing his arms.

"There's this dude near here who says that he wants to make a whole theme park full of nothing but Pokémon restored from Fossils!" the man replied, gesturing towards the small path. Sun and Gladion had been stopped by the stranger as he walked by, several hours into their trek for the day, pointing this area out to them as a place of interest. The man was smirking the entire time he talked, however, so Gladion was suspicious.

"That sounds incredibly awesome, but incredibly stupid at the same time." Sun remarked, though he was interested. Gladion was less so, but followed Sun anyway as the boy ventured down the path and came upon a broken RV sitting in the middle of a clearing, with what looked like the contents of a run down construction site thrown about the place.

"This doesn't seem like a research facility for restoring Pokémon from fossils." Gladion noted, crossing his arms as they continued walking.

"You'd be surprised. Maybe there's something special here." Sun replied, giving the teen a grin. Gladion shook his head in mock distress as the two boys approached a man wearing dirty overalls and staring into space. The two boys stood in front of the man, who didn't register them appearing.

"Umm...Sir?" Sun asked, leaning forward. The man's eyes were dilated to an extreme degree, and Gladion noticed a small bit of white powder underneath the man's nose and his own eyes widened in horror. He had seen this before during a party held in Po Town, and knew that they needed to get out of here.

"S-sun, I think we should leave this man alone." Gladion said, backing up and grabbing the boy by the shoulder, pulling him back. Sun looked at him with confusion.

"What? Why?" Sun asked. Both boys were ripped out of their conversation when the man's head suddenly snapped towards them and his vacant expression suddenly turned into an incredibly happy one as he stood up and beamed at them.

"Welcome to the Dream Park!" the man cried out jovially to the two boys. "Where dreams become reality and fossils become Pokémon!"

"Zzzt! New human indentified!" Rotom cried out, hopping out of Sun's backpack. Gladion yelped in surprise as Rotom hovered in front of them, waving happily.

"Heya there, Gladion! Good to see ya again! Man, you're edgier than a pair of black scissors with spikes, aren't ya?" Rotom greeted the teen, who calmed down as he remembered the strange device that accompanied Sun. Rotom Dex hovered in front of the man and beeped, showing a picture of the man.

"Fossil Man. The Insane Human. This man spends his time trying to recover Fossils that he can restore back to life to achieve his dream. However, this will likely not happen due to the incredible amount of drugs he consumes on a daily basis." Rotom explained to the two teens, with Gladion slowly turning to the beaming man beside them.

"Is that what you're trying to achieve out here? Snorting cocaine and playing with construction equipment?" Gladion asked the man, who laughed hysterically while clapping both boys on the shoulder. Gladion jerked away from the man that was twitching slightly, giggling to himself.

"Hah! You sound just like my parole officer!" the man replied as Sun easily threw the man's hand off of his shoulder and stared at him as he suddenly walked around them, waving his arms around.

"Someday this whole place is going to be filled to bursting with Pokémon from the ancient past! It's the bestest dream in the whole wide world! And that's why it's going to succeed! And then...well, we'll see who's crazy then, now won't we!?" the man boomed to the clouds above as Gladion slowly shook his head.

"Yeah...It's you."

"Gladion, what's wrong with this guy?" Sun asked, absolutely baffled by what's going on. Rotom chimed in, having been resting on Sun's shoulder for a time.

"Zzzt! Uh, Sun? Not sure how to tell you, but thizz guy isn't on our level of thought right now. Probably best to just get outta here!" Rotom warned Sun, who's eyes widened before Gladion addressed Sun.

"On a scale of one to ten, how sheltered were you as a child? With ten being you were literally not allowed to leave the house until you left for your journey."

"Maybe a six or seven?"

"Right. Well, that man is on drugs and I'd imagine a lot of other things. We should probably bail." Gladion said to an increasingly worried Sun, who looked back at the man with renewed interest.

"So that's what drugs does to people? Weird. I haven't done any reading on that kind of stuff and my parents just warned me to never associate with people who do those things. Let's get out of here." Sun said to Gladion, earning him a nod from the teen. Unfortunately the Fossil Man whirled around, his expression wild as he stepped towards them.

"Don't leave just yet! I'm not done! You see...That's my dream for this: the Dream Park! To bring the ancient world back to life!" the man finished, ignoring the fact that both boys were backing away from him.

"Do yourself a favor and go watch Jurassic Park. Literally any of them!" Gladion shot back at the man, whose eyes twitched.

"Silence, fool! I can hear the Fossils calling to me! They're going to help me rule the world!" the Fossil man declared, earning a startled look from Sun and Gladion.

"I thought you wanted to make a Fossil theme park?" Sun asked the man.

"I do!" the man declared.

"Then why do you want to rule the world!?" Gladion demanded.

"What world?"

"Fossil Man, we're leaving. You have a great day. Please do me a favor and kindly go to hell." Gladion said to the man, whose face contorted in fury.

"You shall not leave this place! I shall sacrifice you both to the great Fossil gods who watch over my grand mission!" the Fossil Man declared, pointing a finger into the sky.

"Gladion, I'm actually starting to get freaked out." Sun said with a shiver, grabbing one of his Poké Balls and preparing to call out Penny. Gladion decided to step forward, eyes narrowed as the man continued to rant and rave incoherently.

"Sir, I'm about to do something known as 'dropping your ass', as they say in Team Skull. Any last words?" Gladion asked the man, who beamed at him and raised his head and let out a bellow.

"Praise Helix!"

"That'll do." Gladion said before kicking the man in between his legs, making him drop to his knees. Gladion swung around and roundhouse-kicked the man in the side of the head, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Sun, let's go!" Gladion barked at the younger boy, striding out of the Dream Park. Sun looked down at the man for a moment before he jogged after the other teen, leaving Fossil Man writhing in pain.


"That was horrifying." Gladion stated, calling out Type: Null from its ball, something he had regretted not doing before entering the clutches of the insane Fossil Man. They had returned their Pokémon due to wanting to give them some rest, having sparred early in the afternoon. After that, however, they weren't about to take any risks.

"Yeah. Definitely didn't need the reinforcement to never do drugs, but hey, I just got it." Sun remarked with a shudder as he called out each of his Pokémon. That event set the tone for the remainder of the day, which is how long it took for them to reach the Pokémon Center. Gladion left to go to his room at the nearby hotel, so Sun just crashed at the Pokémon Center for the night.

Sun was very happy to receive treatment for his burned legs at the Pokémon Center from Nurse Joy, who happened to be one of the people qualified for the Modified Heal Pulse treatment. According to Nurse Joy, he would be able to walk normally after a good night's rest, though Brago got a very stern scolding by Nurse Joy and promised not to set his Trainer on fire unless he had a very good reason.

The following morning, Sun battled Trainers outside and trained up Brago and Penny up a little. Sun also taught Brago Flame Charge, knowing the move would be helpful during Mallow's Trial. Once Gladion arrived, looking tired but ready to go, the two set off towards the Grass Trial.

"It's about a day's walk to and from Lush Jungle. So I'll go first, and then wait for you to finish your Trial." Gladion said to Sun, who nodded. The boy thought it was interesting that Gladion was willing to wait for him to clear the Trial, but decided not to comment on it. He was, however, curious as to why the teen wanted to do the Grass Trial in the first place. After all, he was working with Team Skull, who despised the Island Challenge. Sun asked him about this, to which he received this reply.

"The Island Challenge is about proving yourself and becoming stronger, which is exactly what I need to do. I don't give a damn what Team Skull thinks. I'm in this for me, not them. If they want to wallow in their misery and pettiness, then I'm going to let them." Gladion replied with a scowl, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"You really hate them, don't you?" Sun asked Gladion, receiving a sigh in response.

"Despite what your buddy Hau says, I am not a criminal. I associate with Team Skull because working and battling with them helps me train and become stronger. That said...I can't stand them. They're criminals who steal Pokémon and who won't leave innocent people alone. I hate that. And that's on top of the almost non-stop harassment I get from them. Demi's just about the only Team Skull Grunt that actually treats me with nothing but respect." Gladion remarked, his expression turning into one of confusion.

"She's a good person like that. You know, she'd be a really good friend to you if you let her be. After all, she did defend you from both Hau and Team Skull." Sun pointed out, with Gladion looking very unsure of this.

"No...I can't. I can't lose focus, Sun. Not when so much is at stake. It'd be a disservice to those I care about to get distracted by such frivolous things…" Gladion muttered, though Sun rolled his eyes at this.

"Yeah, I can understand that. But you also can't do everything alone, and not having any friends has to be really boring. I know I'm a lot happier with friends like Hau around." Sun remarked, opening his phone upon mentioning his friend. He was surprised to see a text from Hau and a picture message from Lillie.

Sun checked the one with Lillie, and saw an adorable picture of Lillie and Nebby eating ice cream with Hugh and Aria, all of them grinning at them. Nebby was riding atop Lillie's head while the girl in question had an ice cream mustache. Sun smiled at the picture of his friend, feeling a rush of warmth.

He then checked Hau's text, to which he raised an eyebrow.

"Hau said he already cleared the Grass Trial and is hanging out with Lana now, which is weird because he was heading away from the Trial." Sun remarked, confused as to why this was.

"Lana? The Water Captain?" Gladion asked, surprised.

"Yeah, and don't you dare tell Team Skull that the two of them are friends. They get enough crap from them as it is." Sun warned Gladion with a glare, earning a scowl from the teen.

"As much as Hau makes me want to break things, the idea of Team Skull harassing people who don't deserve it bothers me more. I'll keep it quiet, since it's not my business anyway." Gladion said after a few moments.

The sun was high in the sky when the two Trainers arrived at the Trial gates. Gladion entered the area without a word, and Sun sat down outside and just talked with his Pokémon for a while and tried to come up with a strategy. Considering this was the Grass Trial and all of his Pokémon had the advantage, he wasn't too worried about this one. Especially since he had a Fire-Type Z-Move at his disposal.

Two hours later, Gladion emerged from the Trial gates holding a green crystal in his hands and walked alongside a very battered Type: Null and a very excited Zubat. Gladion sat down next to Sun and stowed his newly acquired Z-Crystal away, looking over at him.

"Not too bad. They're ready for you to come in. All of the Captains for this island are there, waiting for you, so you shouldn't keep them waiting." Gladion remarked, though he suddenly looked up as he saw a Spearow land on the ground ahead of them, cawing loudly.

"Hey, buzz off." Sun said to the Spearow, who cawed even louder.

"She's not happy with us being in her spot. This is her favorite tree." Penny translated, rolling her eyes. "You do know there's hundreds of trees out there, right? How is this one any different than any of the others?"

The Spearow cawed even louder and flapped her wings hard, soaring into the air. Sun made a move to call out an attack, but Gladion beat him to it.

"Zubat, use Wing Attack!" Gladion barked out. The Bat Pokémon soared forward and smashed into the Spearow with ease, knocking it out in a single hit.

Oliver shook his head, taking a moment to stop preening his feathers. "All that talk and nothing to back it up. Pathetic."

However, everyone was shocked to see Gladion's Zubat let out a high-pitched screech and suddenly begin to glow blue and white, suddenly growing larger in midair as light swirled around it. Gladion stood up and watched with awe, his mouth agape. Then, the light stopped and a larger Pokémon emerged from the light, flapping its more powerful wings with a loud screech as it swooped through the air.

"He evolved...My Zubat evolved." Gladion stated dumbly, amazed by this. Rotom beeped from Sun's shoulder, floating into the air.

"And that'zz my cue!" Rotom yelled out happily, halting in front of Gladion and Sun as the Golbat swooped down to the ground and landed, chittering happily.

"Golbat. The Bat Pokémon and the evolved form of Zubat. Its thick fangs are hollow like straws, making them unexpectedly fragile. These fangs are specialized for sucking blood. Sometimes they drink so much blood, they can't fly anymore. Then they fall to the ground and become food for other Pokémon." Rotom explained as Gladion stepped forward, closing his mouth and kneeling down to Golbat.

"Just a little push was all you needed, huh?" Gladion murmured, patting the Pokémon on the head. "You helped finish off the Totem, and then it was some little bird that allowed you to finally do this. I'm proud of you."

Golbat made a screeching sound and flapped its wings happily as Type: Null lumbered forward, sitting down next to his Trainer.

"He says that he's lucky to have grown into a Golbat at all. He says it's thanks to you he's become so strong." Type: Null translated as Gladion looked at Golbat with an awed expression. Sun couldn't help the smile on his face, and couldn't help but think that if Hau could see Gladion at moments like these, they'd actually get along.

"Hey, I'm gonna head inside. You're good out here, right?" Sun asked Gladion. The boy nodded without addressing Sun, and the boy chuckled softly in response as he turned around. Sun recalled his Pokémon and entered the Lush Jungle, ready to earn his next Z-Crystal and combat whatever obstacles stood in his way.


Celadon City Cipher HQ:


"So, as you can see, the League is pushing back hard. I believe we'll need increased personnel to hit the next few spots." Amber recounted to the other Admins, crossing her arms. "I'm good, but I'm not invincible and can't do this all solo. We also need more time for the other Gyms. I know Sabrina and Blue in particular are going to be absolute hell to deal with."

"True...A ex-Champion would definitely put a damper on our plans. And that's not even factoring into account Red." Greevil muttered, putting a hand to his chin.

"Red's an anomaly, whereas Blue is difficult to pin down. Plus, their movements are impossible to be traced when they're on the move. Any attempts to trail them have ended in our agents being scattered to the winds." Borlath remarked, a small smile on his face. "We'll just have to hope they'll make a mistake we can exploit."

"Yes, I suppose we will. Now, we have two more matters to discuss before we adjourn for the evening. Borlath, you said you wanted to discuss something important, so the floor is yours." Greevil said to the man, who stood and went to an at-ease stance, looking at each of the Admins present in the Kanto region as Amber sat down in her seat. Greevil, Dakim, Amber, Dawson, and a cloaked man standing in the corner, his head looking down.

Just as Borlath had recruited Dawson to Cipher, Greevil had seen fit to recruit someone new under his own banner for the Alola operation. Borlath didn't even know the man's name, and neither did the others save for Greevil. But Borlath turned his attention to the others, a small smile flickering to his face as he ignored the matter for now.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush. I'm ready to begin serious work on the Umbral Project once again." Borlath said to the others, receiving a horrified look from Venus.

"You can't be serious." Venus remarked, looking around.

"He is. And it interests me, I'll admit." Dakim spoke, the massive man smirking slightly from his chair. The Admin in question was garbed in white armored jumpsuit, with red warpaint on his face and his hair a burning red color. The man was quick to anger, but a powerful Trainer and ruthless one as well. Borlath recalled that the man had been beaten by Wes several times in Oore, and had owned a Shadow Entei before it was captured by the Snagger.

"I believe this is foolish, but I'm allowing him to plead his case. We may be gathering strength, but so are our enemies. Our efforts to capture the Tapu in Alola and track down whatever the hell Team Rocket keep going on about here in Kanto cannot be our only efforts to acquire more powerful assets. Borlath, explain, if you would." Greevil said to the tall man, who nodded.

"As you'll recall, back in Unova we had a large team dedicated to furthering the Shadow Pokémon project. We wanted to create a Shadow Pokémon with incredible strength that could not be purified. Expanding on the work done on XD001, Shadow Lugia, to create the ultimate Shadow Pokémon. I monitored the experiments from afar, and even gave the subjects their new name. Umbral Pokémon." Borlath explained to the Admins, receiving a few nods.

"Alright, I'll bite. What the hell is an Umbral Pokémon?" Dawson asked, earning a look from everyone there.

"A Shadow Pokémon is a fighting machine with the door to its heart closed. It can only be opened with the purifying power of Celebi, or with friendship and love easing open a Pokémon's heart to the point where it will become whole once more." Greevil explained to Dawson, bridging his fingers together. "An Umbral Pokémon, however, is nothing short of a killing machine. A monster with incredible strength capable of absolutely horrible things."

"Indeed. Continuing on from the work done with Shadow Lugia, the team we had in Unova more than a year ago worked on creating a creature that could not be purified, but also contained incredible power. And that team succeeded, creating a single Umbral Pokémon known as Jojo." Borlath said to Dawson as he placed a hand on the table, his eyes flashing blue and green. Everyone at the table save for Dawson and Amber shuddered slightly at the mention of the name.

Dawson noticed this and asked, "So, what's so bad about Jojo?"

"Upon waking, Jojo went absolutely mad and slaughtered everyone at the Driftveil base. All attempts to control the Umbral Pokémon failed, and he somehow retained his consciousness and ability to think, making him a true monster. He then went on a killing spree, destroying everything in his path until Wes managed to put him down. After that the project was scrapped, and until now no one's been stupid enough to think about restarting it." Venus explained, glaring at Borlath.

"Are they really that strong?" Dawson asked, amazed that one non-Legendary Pokémon could cause so much trouble.

Amber nodded and said, "Jojo was strong enough to give me trouble. As it was, I barely managed to escape it with my life. Borlath has taken measures, however, to prevent this from happening again."

"I know the hazards presented better than anyone. We're especially not making sure to create an Umbral Pokémon from a Psychic-type again, that's for damn sure." Borlath remarked, smiling somewhat. "However, I will need volunteers for the Project. Powerful Pokémon with experience that could withstand the experiments and come out as unstoppable killing machines."

"Withstand the experiments? That sounds...bad." Dawson commented, with Borlath sighing deeply.

"The experiments are harsh. The main problem holding me back from having done the experiments already is that the Pokémon selected to become Umbral Pokémon usually do not survive the process. We've subjected hundreds of Pokémon to experimentation for the Umbral Project, and only one survived. Jojo. However, I believe that if we managed to get down the process and find a way to reliably create Umbral Pokémon, we can control Kanto with no further problems. It's as simple as that." Borlath explained to the others, earning several unsure looks.

"And so he wants to ask you all for volunteers for the Project, from your personal teams. I've already given him my Shadow Rhyperior." Amber said to the others as she crossed her arms. The Admins considered this for a while, thinking this over. It was a risky gamble, with a hefty price to pay for an unsure reward.

"And I will offer two of my own Pokémon. It'll be interesting to see where this goes, Borlath." Dakim said, unclipping two Poké Balls from his belt and placing them on the table.

The cloaked figure in the room stirred, reaching into his cloak and pulling out a single Ultra Ball. After a moment of thought, he tossed the ball to Borlath, who considered the figure before nodding to them.

"I...Very well. I trust your judgement on this, Borlath." Venus said, placing two Poké Balls on the table.

Dawson frowned and closed his eyes, considering this. Finally he unclipped a single Great Ball and placed it on the table. Dawson looked up at Borlath and said, "If you think this is best, man. Just…"

Dawson trailed off, shaking his head. Greevil chuckled softly, shaking his head and reaching up to the table, placing three Poké Balls on the table before saying, "Interesting. You managed to make them agree to condemn their Pokémon to a fate worse than death. But again...We accepted that in order to succeed, we have to do unspeakable things. Now, Borlath, what are you willing to give up for this venture?"

Borlath closed his eyes for a moment, considering the question, before his eyes both opened and revealed themselves to be crimson. The man slowly unclipped not one, not two, but five Poké Balls from his belt to the horror of the Admins and gently placed them on the table. He reached down to his only remaining Poké Ball and removed it, but then lowered his hand, thinking better of it.

"Never question my resolve, Grand Master Greevil." Borlath whispered as he clipped his only Poké Ball back to his waist, eyeing each of the awed Admins with a harsh glare. Even Greevil seemed surprised that the man had volunteered nearly his entire team to be part of the experiment, especially knowing that it either worked and made them monsters or it killed them.

"Thank you for this trust, my fellow Admins. I'll make sure your sacrifices do not go to waste. I'll be searching for other candidates, but hopefully with this many powerful Pokémon on hand we won't...Well, have to waste their lives. Now, onto the next order of business, Greevil?" Borlath said as he pulled out a briefcase and gathered the Poké Balls into it before securing it.

"Ah, yes. Our attack on the Vermilion City Gym. As you all may recall, we received word that our Shadow Moltres is being held captive there. Our goal is to free the beast and acquire control over the Gym Leader of Vermilion, Lt. Surge." Greevil said to the other Admins. The kidnapping and raid on the Vermilion City Gym would require Amber and Dawson to work together in order to recapture Shadow Moltres from wherever it was being held, as well as gain leverage over Lt. Surge, who commanded great respect throughout the region.

"By the end of the week, we attack." Greevil concluded his explanation, earning a chorus of assent from the others. "With Lt. Surge under our thumb, we can control Vermilion City with little effort. The port will be especially helpful...yes, this will be very fun."

"That said, we're going to assume they're expecting us and Lt. Surge is equipped to handle a fight. This isn't going to be like killing Erika. That man is waiting for a fight, and we have reason to believe that the International Police have spies within Cipher." Borlath said to the other Admins, earning a scowl from Venus.

"Disgusting...We'll find the rats soon enough." The former media icon remarked before her smile returned, and she gestured to Dawson. "I'm interested to see your skills at work, Dawson. Do try to put on a show, could you?"

"I'll do more than that, Venus. Of course, if you're interested in more, I'm always willing to-"

"Dawson! Focus."

"Sorry Borlath. Couldn't resist."

"That said, I do have to inquire as to what you've got our own spy doing within the Elite Four?" Venus asked Greevil, who grinned at her.

"Ah, yes. Our friend has provided new information regarding the International Police assisting the League in hindering our efforts. I'm amazed at just how much they're proving to be a nuisance, especially that blasted Quill man." Greevil growled, though he cast a look at Borlath, who sighed.

"I'll accept the blame on that one. I should've strangled him when I had the chance." Borlath admitted, looking up at the ceiling. "Next time, I'm putting a bullet in his heart."

"So you're finally learning how to use a weapon after all this time?" Venus asked, amused by this.

"Amber taught me just how useful being able to defend yourself is. I don't doubt I could provide some manner of resistance, but knowing how to apply lethal force when necessary seems pretty damn important in our line of work. That said, learning how to use a gun is a lot more work than you'd think it is." Borlath replied, earning a shrug from the woman.

"I can imagine. It's a shame the League doesn't believe in such things as self-defense. Otherwise capturing one of their members wouldn't have been such a joke." Dawson remarked with a smirk, leaning back in his chair. "I still say you should let me have a crack at her. No need for the torture and all. I'm pretty good at getting people to just spill the beans with some casual conversation."

"It's more fun this way." Greevil replied to the mercenary-turned-Admin, who just scoffed. "We've yet to crack our lovely guest, but I imagine time will change her tune. Until then, we just have to proceed with our plans until we have the information we want regarding our missing man."

"Missing...he went on the run. I fail to see how he can help with our efforts in Kanto." Amber remarked, crossing her arms. Borlath chuckled softly, shutting his eyes for a moment.

"Amber, you shouldn't underestimate a businessman. A few of us here at this table can attest to being more than what we seem." Borlath said, his eyes landing on Greevil, Venus, and the cloaked figure leaning against the wall.

"Truer words have never been spoken. So, I suppose we'll break for now and meet again the evening before our raid on the Vermilion City Gym. Borlath, I'll trust you know what you're doing in regards to the Umbral Project. Just try not to mess up, would you? The last thing we need is more Admins getting their heads ripped off." Greevil said to the man, receiving a rogue grin in response.


Lots of things happening now! Hau experiences character development, Lana nearly spills the beans, and Gladion and Sun continue their adventures together with Sun's Grass Trial happening next chapter.

Plus, some bad guys stuff. Umbral Pokémon, spies within the Pokémon League, and a captured member of the Elite Four, all on top of a raid happening? How will this end? Probably not well, but we'll find out soon!

Q&A

From: Champion of the Divine Sun

I apologize if this enters spoiler territory for future chapter, but will Sun meet the other tapus before the endgame?

Funny that you mention that. The alternate ending to Chapter 54 was Tapu Lele spying on Gladion and Sun from the skies before vanishing in a flash of light. I took that out when I decided that ending the chapter on a funny note would probably be more entertaining and I can include Tapu Lele later any time I felt like it.

Sorry, got distracted. Anyways, the question. The other Tapu will be featured much more in the story than they were in the games, and Sun will be encountering them all at least once before the end-game. Tapu Lele and Tapu Koko will definitely be getting the most screen-time though.

From: GeekyGamer314

I do have one question though, Why did Colress tell the kids about how he killed the Cipher Grunts after going through all the trouble to erase their memory? I get that seeing something happen and hearing about it are two completely different things, but why didn't he just tell them that none of them recognized Sun and that they all just ran off. He killed the only one who recognised Sun anyway.

Because its like you said, seeing and hearing about something are much different, and Sun deserves to know the dangers of Cipher being around. If Sun is recognized by the wrong person, he'll be in serious trouble. Colress told Sun the truth so that he would be aware of what's going on and the threat he's dealing with, but on the other hand he didn't want the children to have to live with the memory of Colress slaughtering five men in front of them, especially since Sun knew one of them. He just felt it was better that way and made it easier on them.

From: KorrinaTheReaper

I hope Demi becomes stronger than Sun and achieve her dream. I feel so sorry for her. Btw is Demi Moon by chance?

I'm gonna admit, it took me a while to figure out a way to respond to this one.

Uh...No. Demi isn't Moon. Her name is Demi Palena. If she was Moon, I would've just called her Moon. Demi is a totally different character, and her character arc has nothing to do with beating Sun or becoming stronger than him. I hope this cleared up any confusion.

From: operettaoceanic

This question involves with the future. Will Sun beat Chipher by himself? And fights his own father? I think it will be nice to see Sun fights with his strongest team!

Absolutely not, because even at his strongest, Sun wouldn't be able to bring down Cipher alone. They're just too powerful to be brought down by an 11-year old boy.

Also, I'd like to believe that none of the heroes in these stories did what they did all on their own. Red, Brendan, Nate, etc. Some of the games have sort of worked on this, including the Gym Leaders, Champions, and Rivals as people who help battle the bad guys with you. Sun will not be alone in his fight against Cipher, when it does come.

As for the second question, I'm choosing not to answer that question at this present time. Partly because of the one question per review deal, and because of any possible spoilers.

From: Sai Og Sus

Just curious, does Hala's love for pudding was inspired by someone? Specifically, a magical being that live in a book?

You know what? I didn't even realize I made that SVTFOE reference until you pointed it out. That said, it was a thing in this story before I discovered the show.

Actually, Hala's love for pudding is part of a running joke for me with this story. Hau's family all love a certain kind of desert each. Hau loves Malasadas, Hala loves pudding, Hau's mother and father both love different deserts as well (to be included later). Again, it's me putting way too much detail into some of the most trivial things.

Also, for those of you who submit Guest Reviews, I have the setting for them to be able to be screened by me before they get posted. So if you don't see your review pop up on this story, it's just because I haven't had the chance to approve it from my account. Keep in mind I'm in the military and dealing with getting settled in another country right now, so I won't be able to respond to PM's and reviews right away. Apologies for that.

That's all for now folks. I'm surprised how well the Q&A thing is going since I started it, and I hope that they've been helping clearing up stuff in this convoluted mess of a story.

If you feel like showing your support, please review, favorite and/or follow the story. We're nearing 200 favorites, which is absolutely insane and amazing. Thanks again for reading and all of the love.

That said, next chapter will be the Grass Trial! What sort of stuff do I have in store? Let's find out next week!

Stay safe and stay awesome!

Until next time, FlygonNick out!