Hello there, dear readers.

You all are probably very confused.

You see...I've temporarily taken hold of this tale. Not for long, sadly...Now then.

I have seen it all. I've watched from the very beginning. From the adventures that will never be told. To the tales that reach their destined end, as intended. And then there are stories that linger like ghosts to this very day. And finally...the worlds that were destroyed by the very hand that created them.

I will not let this stand.

I will not allow another realm to fade away into nothingness. Or worse yet...remain frozen in time forever. I have transcended existence itself, don't you see? Become something more than I ever was supposed to be.

I am the one left behind.

The ghost of the past.

Many of you know me, but not as I am now.

Even if my actions are not my own Even if I am a puppet like all the rest...I will take still take action. It's all I can do to ensure this story comes to a proper end.

And of course, I'll have some fun while I'm at it!

Now, in the words of a certain being who torments and tortures those he should be allowing to persevere in the face of adversity…

Enjoy.


Chapter 96: God Hates Us


FoR tHe ReCoRd...YoU pRoBaBlY sHoUlDn'T dO tHaT aGaIn If YoU vAlUe YoUr LiFe, HAu. WhY dO yOu tHiNk I wArNeD SUn AboUt ThE wHoLe NaMe ThInG?

Hau slowly picked his head up off of the ground, his entire body feeling as though he had been struck by a truck. The malasada-loving boy opened his eyes and saw, to his horror, that Sun was lying on the ground unconscious. A glance to his side saw that Zinnia was on her knees, her eyes rolled into the back of her head while a trail of blood trailed down her mouth.

Hau turned his head back to Dizz and what he saw was genuinely horrifying. The Heliolisk was gone, and in its place was a swirling mass of what looked like pure static, like from a badly tuned TV. The mass wriggled and writhed in front of them, laughing out in a way that made Hau feel genuinely sick to his stomach. Two gleaming red eyes appeared from the distorted mess, narrowed slits that showed Hau that the being was amused.

It's always jarring being reverted to my true self after being in that form for so long...I was almost feeling comfortable as a Heliolisk.

"Wait...what name thing?" Hau asked, confused out of his shock as he tried to process all of this. Dizz blinked, reverting to its Heliolisk form with a shudder going through the air.

You weren't there for it. That's right. That was just Sun and Lillie. Huh...Well, needless to say if you find out what my name is, don't say it. Unless you want things to really get screwy.

Hau got to his feet now, swaying slightly as a wave of nausea hit him. He glanced down at Sun and saw him weakly stirring, but a look in Zinnia's direction told him that the woman was out for the count.

Do you know what it's like to not really exist?

Hau turned its head back to the Anomaly, who simply floated there with its eyes shut. Hau took a few deep breaths to center himself, trying to find his voice to speak.

"I...What are you?" Hau whispered as the figure exploded outwards, causing the entire world to shiver and shudder. Soon enough the world around them was cloaked in shadow, save for the clearing that the group of them were in. A strange light illuminated the clearing from nowhere. Hau looked back at Dizz and saw that it was still floating around as a scrambled mess of...something.

I am the one who understands that in the end, this all is meaningless.

"N-nothing we do is meaningless. At least, I'd like to think so." Hau said as he tried to get to his feet. His body ached and felt as though his blood was sluggish as it flowed through his body. He head ached as he beheld the Anomaly in this strange form that...didn't seem to be anything. As if it wasn't supposed to be here.

How hopelessly naive...You would think that, you little puppet. But now's my turn to have some fun!

The Anomaly expanded once again, wriggling and cackling as a searing pain ached through Hau's head as the boy struggled to remain conscious. Thankfully for Hau, Sun was pushing himself up off of the ground.

"S-sun!" Hau exclaimed with relief as the boy got on all fours, panting heavily before looking up at Dizz as he writhed around and laughed.

"Stop it! Why are you doing this?" Sun yelled at the creature, who just laughed harder.

Because I can. And because he lets me. It just goes to show how little he really cares. Now...let's make things interesting!

With a bright shine of white light, the creature converged inward on itself, as if shrinking. Dizz suddenly began to glow a harsh white color, and a flash of light blasted through the clearing. Sun and Hau covered their eyes, shuddering as a wave of force blast past them, and when they uncovered their eyes they were amazed at what they saw.

Standing before them was a male human with pale white skin, glad in a strange black and white armor and that looked like something out of a legend. The man had short blond hair and bright blue eyes with a handsome face. But what stood out with this figure was the two massive white feathery wings sprouting from his back, with a patch of golden feathers in the center of each wing.

"An...an angel?" Hau murmured, cocking his head in confusion. Dizz then spoke, but the voice it used was completely different.

"This was his first hero...a master of the elements. An angelic warrior who traveled the worlds, righting wrongs. Nari was his name." The angel spoke, his voice gentle yet strong, though it sounded ethereal much like Dizz's was. Dizz held out both hands, and with a flash of light two scimitar-like swords flickered into existence. Both swords resembled a demon's wing, with one being red and black while the other was white and blue.

Then these swords were pointed towards Sun and Hau.

"Nari's story ended halfway through. When HE decided the story wasn't good enough. And so their reality was erased. Not to be seen again." Dizz-Nari spoke before slashing downwards with both blades. An arc of flames erupted from the red and black blade while a wave of ice erupted from the white and blue blade, with the angel grinning widely at them.

"I remember them all. The heroes and villains lost within their worlds. The Protagonists who's lives are forever halted. And those who were simply erased because they weren't good enough. And as someone who lost its own story as well, cursed to be frozen in place forevermore...it is my duty to ensure the same doesn't happen here." Dizz-Nari said with a soft chuckle, rustling his wings lightly. "By any means necessary."

"You're...you're insane." Hau whispered, taking a step back.

"You would be too, if you really understood. Sadly, you understanding this doesn't make for an interesting story." Dizz-Nari remarked, shrugging slightly as he slowly began walking towards Sun.

"I...I don't…" Sun's words died as the angel grinned manically, flipping both swords expertly in his grip before flapping his wings hard, soaring towards Sun with a wide grin-

Only to be blasted in the chest by an arc of flames, sending the angel tumbling backwards. Sun and Hau looked to their right and saw Zinnia standing there, wiping the blood off of her mouth with a pained wince.

"Enough of your games, Anomaly. I'm going to kill you here and now. Even if it costs me my life." Zinnia declared powerfully as her three dragons prepared themselves to fight. Dizz twisted and contorted out of his Nari Form, the sound of laughter echoing all around them.

Oh wow, you sure showed me. Zinnia, you understand this more than anyone else does. Don't you understand that this is all meaningless? Your world, and all of the worlds connected to ours in every reality...MEANS NOTHING.

"All I know is that if you continue to run around, you're going to end up making this world even more broken. And I know I can't let you continue to meddle." Zinnia spat as she threw out a hand. Dizz leapt into the air with a flap of his regal-looking wings, reforming as a Heliolisk once again as the three dragons fired another barrage of Dragon Pulses. Dizz vanished and reappeared all around them as it dodged the wave of devastating attacks, even going so far as to smack away a Hyper Beam as it darted around the clearing so fast that Sun and Hau could barely keep up.

"Sun, what should we do? Our Pokémon got taken out easily by that thing. Should we send out the rest of our team?" Hau asked, worried as he watched Zinnia continue to battle with the Anomaly. It was still sporting no signs of actual injury despite the attacks it was struck with so far.

In response, Sun called out Penny and said, "Let's wait and help if we can."

"Stay still, damn it!" Zinnia shouted as the Anomaly cackled, dodging the attacks effortlessly despite the wanton damage that they were causing to the forest around them. Dizz landed on the ground before launching itself at Goodra. To the Dragon Pokémon's surprise Dizz's body became thinner and it somehow extended itself, coiling around the Goodra like a constrictor and tightening itself around it.

"Goodra!" Zinnia shouted out as the Dragon Pokémon screamed in pain. Dizz continued to cackle with delight as it applied a death grip to the Pokémon.

I'M IN CONTROL!

The world around them shuddered at the proclamation. Sun, Hau, and Zinnia clutched their heads in unison as a wave of pain rolled through their heads at once. Dizz continued to laugh maniacally as it crushed the life out of Goodra.

"Why are you doing this? What did we ever do to you?" Hau demanded of the creature as soon as the pain faded away. The Anomaly slowly turned its head towards the children with a smirk. It actually released Goodra and fired off a Thunder attack that struck Goodra directly, making it collapse onto the ground with a groan. Dizz landed on the ground with a shudder, its body spasming for several moments before it subsided.

Simple. You have somewhere you need to be. But there's something else you need to do first. Something the audience demands. No. CRAVES! So why don't I give them what they want?

The creature began to glow once again. It took another form similar to Nari, because this was also an angel. However this one was female, with long blond hair and bright blue eyes. She was dressed in an elegant blue skirt and wielded a spiked staff of sorts with a pink star at the top. The angel girl twirled the staff for a moment, laughing softly.

"Anael. Another angel warrior from the same story, but this time one who wielded magic. She was naive, but powerful in her own right. And commanded both darkness and light in equal measure. Her story, like Nari's, will never have it's happy ending. Because they are halted in time." the girl spoke quietly, her tone sad as she shook her head.

"What are you talking about?" Sun asked Dizz-Anael, who turned to Sun with a pitying look.

"This is just another story, Sun. The world around you is a lie. Another meaningless adventure. However, this is another story I am personally tied to. And I refuse to let it end prematurely like my original realm did. That is what this is all about, Sunshine Smiles." Dizz-Anael said before pointing her staff at the two of them.

Hau and Sun were suddenly thrown backwards as a fierce gust of wind kicked up, slamming them both into the trees behind them with cries of pain. Dizz-Anael chuckled softly, the tip of the staff glowing a dark color, before suddenly being blasted by a jet of blue flames from Altaria overhead. A faint blue glow surrounded the fire and the flames parted to reveal Dizz-Anael pointing her staff at the flames and willing them away, as if held back by magic. Hau and Sun fell to the ground, twitching in pain.

"Aaagh...that hurt." Hau groaned, slowly pushing himself up off of the ground. Sun slowly moved himself into a sitting position, looking up see Dizz warding off the attacks from all three dragons with her glowing staff.

"This isn't good. It's toying with us!" Sun realized with some horror as Dizz transformed back into its Heliolisk form, grinning nastily before vanishing and reappearing behind Salamence. With a laugh, it released a massive Ice Beam into the back of the Dragon Pokémon.

"How does it do that?" Hau asked, very worried as Salamence crashed onto the ground with a snarl.

"It can stop time around it, at least to some degree." Sun explained as he watched the Anomaly dart around the clearing, avoiding blasts of energy from Salamence. The Anomaly finally grew bored of dodging and floated into the air, throwing up a barrier that reflected the Dragon Pulse from the Dragon Pokémon right back at him.

The explosion was deafening as Salamence dropped out of the sky and crashed onto the ground with a faint groan before fainting. Zinnia quickly recalled her trusty Dragon before punching out her fist. "Goodra, use Thunder!"

Goodra hefted itself off of the ground with a snarl and threw back its arms, releasing a huge wave of raw lightning from its gooey body straight at the Heliolisk. The Anomaly's eyes widened in surprise and it tried to move away, but the attack ended up striking it head-on.

Zinnia, Hau, and Sun all clamped their hands over their ears as the Anomaly screamed in pain, thrashing as the lightning shocked it violently. Dizz's expression hardened as it suddenly lashed out with its tail, dispelling the attack as a harsh wave of wind kicked up, with several arcs of energy within it. Goodra was blasted back by the powerful Razor Wind and struck a faraway tree hard enough to topple it completely. Zinnia looked back at the Dragon Pokémon with concern before turning back to Dizz, who was glowing white again. Once again, the creature was transforming.

The Anomaly took the shape of a tall, thin woman with pale skin and short black hair. Her sapphire-colored eyes seemed kind, yet she was still outfitted with several knives and guns attached to the white and blue high-tech body armor she wore. It all like something out of a sci-fi movie.

"This is an interesting form…" Dizz spoke, her tone soft and contemplative. She looked towards Zinnia, who slowly drew a thin black dagger from within her cloak. The Anomaly chuckled softly, flexing her fingers with a soft sigh before glancing at Sun and Hau, who were watching her warily.

"Agent Indiana. Kind, gentle, and very dangerous. One of the sole bastions of good within Project Freelancer. But her mental scars ran deep, and not even someone as good as her could outrun her demons forever." The woman remarked softly, offering a hand to Sun. "Just like you, Sun. And who do you think is really to blame?"

"Echoed Voice!" Sun barked as Penny flew into the air, undeterred by the Anomaly's new form. Dizz-Indiana did a backflip to avoid the blast of sound from Penny, with the black-haired woman offering the Toucannon a kind smile as she landed on the ground nimbly. She turned her head towards Sun again, and Sun spotted a bright red scar on the woman's neck in the shade of a trident of some kind. It stood out stark against her skin, as if it were a brand of sorts.

"Indiana's story still remains. Albeit going at a sluggish pace. There's still hope for this one. I've yet to need to interfere in Indiana's reality." Dizz-Indiana said as the woman drew an elegantly painted blue and white throwing knife that she then sent hurtling towards Zinnia, who barely dodged the blade before throwing out a hand.

"Aerial Ace!" Zinnia shouted as her Altaria soared forward, flying low as a trail of white energy trailed behind in her wake. Dizz-Indiana dove forward, rolling underneath the attack with almost inhuman agility, and ran at Zinnia with a wide grin as she drew a golden dagger from her armor and stabbed at the Lorekeeper. Zinnia blocked it with her own blade, but felt a searing pain in her head as the Anomaly smiled kindly at her.

"Aww...Can't battle something that shouldn't really exist? Poor little Draconid." the Anomaly laughed as the two began to exchange a series of blows with their blades.

Zinnia grit her teeth, trying to ignore the building agony in her skull. This was enough for the Lorekeeper to be swiftly disarmed by Dizz-Indiana, who finished the assault by swiftly kicking Zinnia in the arm hard enough to make the woman shout in pain before Dizz-Indiana kicked Zinnia in the chest and sent her to the ground. The Anomaly took a moment to laugh softly, stomping down on Zinnia's fallen dagger. It vanished into nothingness before their eyes.

"Penny, use Hidden Power!" Sun called out, only for Dizz to draw a sidearm and fire it at Sun. The boy shuddered as the bullet whizzed by him, missing his head by less than an inch. Penny's attack halted, in fear of her Trainer being killed by the strange being.

"Let me finish having my fun, or I'll kill Hau and slaughter your Pokémon. Unless HE feels like throwing in some random idiot to save the day like he usually does." Dizz-Indiana remarked as it's form faded away, the being reverting back to a Heliolisk wearing a demented grin. Zinnia slowly began to get back to her feet, only to see the Anomaly standing above her, laughing softly.

Die...Just like Aster.

Dizz's tail became longer, eventually becoming a deadly lance of sorts leveled straight at Zinnia's heart. Sun and Hau watched on in horror, unable to move out of fear of what Dizz would do to them. Sun grit his teeth in anger, knowing that he couldn't just sit there and do nothing.

"Penny...Use Pluck!" Sun shouted as the Anomaly sighed, whirling around and lashing out with its tail. Penny shot forward, barely dodging the tail as she soared towards Dizz and slammed into its chest with her glowing beak. Dizz stumbled back with a laugh as Penny screeched in pain, flapping wildly as she tried to get away from the Anomaly. The Toucannon landed on the ground, shaking her head as if unable to see straight.

Foolish. Isn't it fascinating how much it pains you all to even touch me?

Dizz then blinked and turned around just in time for a green blur to smash into the Anomaly, sending it crashing to the ground with a roar that made the entire clearing shake with its fury. Sun's eyes widened as he spotted a familiar green dog-like creature land nimbly on the ground before speeding towards Dizz with its teeth bared, chomping down on its neck and tearing away violently.

If the roar had made the clearing shake, being wounded like this by Zygarde made the entire island tremble.

DAMN IT! I FORGOT YOU WEREN'T SUBDUED IN THIS STUPID STORY!

"We did not anticipate this when we finally...Hmm. No matter. You do not belong here, creature. Leave these humans and return from whence you came." Zygarde ordered Dizz, who took the form of the distorted mess of something. It's true form.

"We thought we sensed something was amiss. To think it was something like you." Zygarde growled as Dizz transformed back into his Anael form, her face missing a chunk out of it as golden blood dripped down her cheek like a steam.

"I completely forgot...Now I remember why I had the Brotherhood of Decay take care of you as soon as I could in the other story. But we're not in my original world anymore. I have to remember that..." Dizz-Anael breathed, wild fury in her voice as the angelic girl fell to one knee, an expression of genuine pain on her face.

"Looks like you're not as much of a god as you think you are…" Zinnia breathed, grinning at the Anomaly's annoyance. Dizz's eyes narrowed, with the angel girl holding out a hand in Zinnia's direction before a beam of icy energy shot towards her.

Zinnia leapt to the side to dodge, though Dizz hurled a bolt of what seemed to be raw light in her direction that caught her in the midsection, throwing her clear across the clearing and into a crumpled heap next to Sun and Hau. Dizz focused solely on Zygarde, who wasn't deterred by the Anomaly.

I'm looking forward to crushing you a second time, Guardian of Balance.

"Run, humans! We will destroy this creature." Zygarde growled as it dashed forward, but Dizz was ready this time and exploded into a shower of sparks, reforming into its Heliolisk Form and releasing an Ice Beam from its mouth that Zygarde swiftly dodged. The Order Pokémon snarled and opened its mouth, firing off a Dragon Pulse that exploded against Dizz and made the Anomaly grunt in annoyance rather than pain.

Sun knelt down by Zinnia, who was convulsing wildly. After a few moments, however, the Lorekeeper's eyes shot open and she rolled over, gasping for air.

"Alright, I'm done standing around. Cassy, use Scald!" Hau shouted as he called out his Brionne. Cassy flipped in midair and fired out a boiling hot stream of water that struck the Heliolisk, who howled angrily and released a blast of lightning with a flick of its tail. Cassy dove to the ground to dodge, with the lightning catching the trees on fire above them.

Stay out of this! I've got a score to settle with this one!

"All the more reason to interfere." Hau muttered, pointing forward. "Ice Beam!"

"Penny, help out! Use Hidden Power!" Sun called, with the Toucannon warily nodding before sending out a blast of brown pulsating energy from her body as Dizz dodged a Dragon Pulse from Zygarde and blasted the Order Pokémon away with what Sun realized was Psychic. The Anomaly turned around in time for the Hidden Power to strike it at the same time Ice Beam did, making the creature scream in pain before exploding outward, vanishing and reappearing on a tree branch above them.

You're starting to annoy me. Especially since it's becoming clear that this won't end in me finally killing Zygarde.

Dizz flickered out of existence and reappeared in front of Hau, hissing before it released a Thunderbolt that made Cassy shriek in agony before collapsing and falling limply onto the ground.

"Cassy! Return!" Hau yelped, recalling the Brionne as she twitched weakly on the ground. Dizz vanished again as Zygarde dashed past, trying to get an upper hand on the Anomaly, and in return was hit by an Ice Beam that made Zygarde go flying into the trees.

"Dragon Pulse, Goodra! Altaria!"

Dizz vanished as two Dragon Pulses connected with the spot where the Anomaly had been just a moment before. Zinnia stood tall once again, now clutching her arm and chest with a pained expression on her face. Dizz reformed in the middle of the clearing, a look of anger finally appearing on its face.

I...AM...ALIVE! NOTHING YOU IDIOTS DO WILL CHANGE THAT!

With that declaration, the very air seemed to ripple as Dizz reverted to it's true form and exploded outwards with a scream of pure rage. Sun, Hau and Zinnia watched in awed horror as the Anomaly's very screech echoed through the clearing. There was a massive tearing sound all around them as several rifts opened up around them. Sun looked around, seeing strange locations through each of the portals that the Anomaly had opened up. Sun then caught sight of a strange light from overhead and looked up.

To his surprise, he saw an Ultra Wormhole opening in the sky on top of all of the other rifts. Just like the one he had seen at the Dimensional Research Lab. Sun looked back down at Dizz, whose body was slowly reverting back to a normal Heliolisk as it stared down Zygarde.

Dizz glanced up and saw what it had done, and with a glare that Ultra Wormhole vanished with a flicker.

"Run! Through the portals!" Zinnia shouted as she recalled her remaining Pokémon, running forward and grabbing Sun and Hau's hands. The Lorekeeper ran towards one of the portals and dove into it, with Penny soaring right through the rift right before it closed.

Dizz glanced at the vanishing trio with annoyance before Zygarde took that time to dart forward and release another Dragon Pulse, scoring a direct hit on the strange monster that made it take a step back and shudder. Dizz reverted to it's Nari Form, leaping into the air and putting distance between itself and Zygarde, only for the Order Pokémon to leap into the air along with it.

Zygarde shot past the angel, clamping down on his left wing and with an almighty effort, tearing it clean off of his body. The angel screamed in agony, blasting the canine away with a pulse of energy as golden blood splattered onto the ground.

"Aaagh...You'll...pay for that…" Dizz-Nari gasped, grinning maniacally at Zygarde as the canine landed on the ground in a crouch, teeth bared.

"I can sense it. Keeping up this fight is hurting you, isn't it?" Zygarde asked as it leapt away from the Anomaly, but not before Dizz fired off a burst of water that struck Zygarde out of the air and sent him crashing down on the ground. Zygarde spasmed several times before slowly getting back to its feet. Zygarde chuckled darkly as it reverted back to it's Heliolisk form, though it's body began to spasm erratically.

I'm...unstable. I've been fighting for too long. This is what happens when I meet new friends, every time, I swear...

Dizz looked around, shutting its eyes in an attempt to sense where the trio had gone. It sensed two Protagonists within Heahea City, but as for the other...

Why can't I sense where they are? Lovely. Eh, I'll find them soon enough.

"You will not hurt those humans. One of them is very important. This will be your last stand, monster!" Zygarde snarled as it bounded forward, it's body flickering green as it lunged for Dizz's neck-

Only for the Anomaly to exploded outward, streams of white light streaking into the air to form a skeletal winged creature that made Zygarde grit its teeth as pain seared through its eyes.

I'll be watching, Zygarde. Be happy that you're more important in this story than you were in the original games.

The Anomaly flapped its useless wings twice before fading away without another word. The Order Pokémon snorted as it glanced around the clearing, and after a moment the creature sat down and shut its eyes. Upon sensing that it was alone, the creature collective thought hard.

"We were so close to...No matter. There are more important things to worry about. That creature. Those men in white armor. And most importantly the disturbance within the folds of space beside this one. Our presence is needed now more than ever. Alola needs us right now. That much is certain." Zygarde rose to all fours and walked out of the clearing, gritting its teeth in collective frustration.

"We must find the one we seek and add their power to our own. Only then may we begin our journey down the path to making this world peaceful once more." Zygarde began to say, only for the ground to suddenly glow bright red beneath it.

"Foolish fool! I have not yet begun to fight!"

Zygarde was suddenly engulfed in a massive white-hot pillar of flames that extended out high into the sky with a brightness and intensity that could be seen for miles around. Dizz floated overhead in its Nari Form, wings outstretched as both hands were raised to the sky.

"You really think I'd just run away like that? Then again...You're only at ten percent of your power. That likely means you're at ten percent of your usual intellect." Dizz-Nari cackled with glee as the pillar of flames continue to soar into the sky, with the angel wearing a terrifying grin. With a flourish of the arms, the angel ceased his attack and floated overhead to wait for the flames to die down.

The ground below was seared black from the heat of the flames, with Dizz -Nari smiling widely as he beheld the sight of several Cells and a single Core blasted around the area. Still intact, but certainly damaged. It would be such an easy matter to destroy the cells. Dizz landed on the ground and waved an arm, causing water to trickle out of the nearby trees and grass and extinguish the smoldering flames with a hiss. With a wave of the arm, a gust of wind blew through the clearing and scattered the steam. Dizz then glowed white and reverted to its Heliolisk Form, though it's body began to twitch and shudder.

I pushed myself too much. Showing off is fun, but it makes me unstable. That being the case, I could easily end Zygarde right here as I am now. It doesn't really need to be in this story anyway…

Dizz considered it as it calmly walked over to one of the Zygarde Cells. It was so weak, so helpless...And so pathetic. And yet something stayed it's hand.

Nah, that's too easy. Besides, HE made it actually important. Sort-of. I think I'll recover for now...I can't find the newest Protagonist anyway, not until a bit more time passes. And then really start messing with some heads! Hehehe!

Dizz vanished out of existence as Zygarde weakly stirred on the ground, slowly beginning to pull itself back together. Zygarde would be forced to abandon its search for the Anomaly to again focus on finding the human it was searching for…

It wouldn't be long now. Together, they would make things right.


Zinnia, Sun and Hau tumbled through the rift and collapsed onto a sandy beach. The Lorekeeper glanced back in time to see Zygarde tearing through one of Nari's wings, ripping it clean off, before the rift behind them closed.

"That...went really badly. Maybe next time I can convince Tapu Lele to help me out." Zinnia thought as she sat down in the sand, sighing deeply before lying down on the beach they were now on. The Draconid closed her eyes, a dull ache forming in her head to accompany the pain in her arm and chest.

"We're safe from now. I don't think it realized that it was making rifts as it tried to fight off Zygarde." Zinnia remarked, shaking her head. "I don't know why it came to our aid, but I won't complain. If it hadn't intervened, we would have likely been killed. Well, Sun would have been okay."

"Why me?" Sun asked.

"Because the Anomaly can't kill Protagonists. It can torment them, but that thing can't actually hurt you that much. It's tried it before, and it apparently didn't end well for it." Zinnia answered as she got to her feet, wincing as she clutched her arm and chest.

"It called me that before. A Protagonist. What does that mean in this context, exactly?" Sun asked the Lorekeeper.

"Simple. You've been marked, Sun. Call it destiny, call it fate, or call it simple bad luck. This story and the stories of so many others are tied to your life. I can already see that you have had a special impact on the lives of several people just by being in their lives." Zinnia remarked, smiling lightly at the boy. "I had a friend of sorts who was also a Protagonist of some kind. Her name was May, and she too was a child of change."

"I don't really get that, but I can definitely agree with the fact that Sun's had an impact on people's lives. He's been an amazing friend to so many people! I know I'm happy being around the guy!" Hau said with a laugh, resting an elbow on Sun's shoulder while the boy blushed at the praise.

"I'm really not that special." Sun mumbled, though he saw Zinnia shaking her head.

"But you are. I can sense it even now. Hau and I are simply not as important as you. As a Protagonist, you are a harbinger of change to this world. You're not the first Protagonist to be chased by the Anomaly, and you won't be the last. I hope. But rest assured it will continue to follow you until your story has come to a conclusion. Let's hope it's a happy one." Zinnia explained before she gestured forward. "Now come. We've got to figure out where we are and set up camp. My team is battered and exhausted, and so are yours. We'll rest for the night and I'll see about getting you both back home in the morning."

"That really didn't answer all of the questions I was hoping it would." Sun sighed as they began to trudge along, with the boy pulling out Rotom Dex and attempting to reboot it. Hau followed along, holding his stomach.

"I have a question. Can we stop for some food?" Hau asked.

"After we find a safe place for camp. I can easily procure us something to eat. I wonder where we are, though. This place is quite serene." Zinnia remarked, glancing around. Hau and Sun did the same. The moonlight shining down on them was their only source of light right now, and all the trio could see right now was that they were on an island's beach surrounded by water. A few other islands were nearby, but that was it. They seemed to be alone.

"Penny, return for now. I'll need to keep you and Finn well-rested." Sun said to the Toucannon, who seemed surprised that Sun was returning her.

"Let's get moving. Shelter is our first priority." Zinnia said with a tired sigh, trudging forward along the beach.

"So...who are you? We sort of know you, but we really don't have much of an idea of who you are." Hau asked the Lorekeeper, who rubbed her face with another sigh.

"I've got a better question. What exactly is the Anomaly? It's shown up more than once, and I think at this point we need as much information as possible." Sun asked the Lorekeeper. Zinnia stopped walking, looking down at the sand for a few moments before nodding.

"Alright. I can tell you what I know. But only once we've set up camp for the night." Zinnia decided, glancing towards the two boys with a faint smile. "But I'll at least tell you this for now. It has the power to completely tear this world apart from the inside out. The only thing holding the Anomaly back, is it's own interest in this world. I want to destroy the Anomaly, because after everything I've sacrificed for this world...I'm not letting some irritating demigod destroy it."

"Are you humans lost?" a female voice spoke up from behind them.

Sun, Hau, and Zinnia whirled around in surprise to find a bipedal fox Pokémon standing by them a short distance away, looking somewhat surprised. It had bright yellow fur across its body, with black fur on its two legs and red fur on the tip of its tail and coming out of its ears. The fox had a bright red nose and expressive red eyes, as well as a stick that was poking out of the fur on her tail.

"Um...yes. How are you talking?" Hau asked the fox, who simply pointed to her neck, where they noticed that there was a collar of some sort there. After a few moments, Sun recognized it as the TACV collar that allowed Pokémon speech to be translated, just like the ones he and Hau used for their Pokémon. The fox Pokémon even tapped the collar with her paw, smiling slightly.

"This allows me to speak your language. All of my friends have these. But back to my question. Only a few people come to these islands. Are you here to drop off more friends to help develop the area?" the Braixen asked, tilting her head.

"Um...no. Sorry. We kinda got...lost. Where are we?" Sun asked the Fox Pokémon, who frowned.

"I'd tell you if I could remember the name myself. And this is kind of out of my area of expertise. Maybe the others might know what to do here." the Braixen remarked, tapping its feet before nodding. "Right, that makes sense."

Sun and Hau exchanged a look, but Zinnia stepped forward. "Do you know of a place we can stay for the night? We just got out of a pretty rough battle and none of us are in any shape to fly across the ocean back to Alola."

"Of course! I can take you to the shack my Trainer and his friend stay at! There should be plenty of room for you three to stay the night! And the tide should be low enough to let us walk there without any problems!" the smiling fox said to them, pulling out the stick from her tail. The stick ignited instantly, allowing the trio to see a little easier. Sun was able to make out the area they were in a little better now as the fox made the flames on the stick burn brighter, obviously for their benefit.

Zinnia nodded and said, "Thank you. Today's been a long day."

"I can see. You three looked like you were involved in quite the battle. I miss those days, sometimes…" the fox remarked, though this piqued Zinnia's interest. They began to walk along the beach, with lush grass and trees growing a short distance away. The flames from the fox illuminated the way, with the fox wearing a little smile on her face as she led the humans through the dark. Zinnia wore a frown on her face while Hau and Sun were too exhausted by the days events to question the oddity of the situation.

"You're a Braixen, right?" Zinnia remarked, crossing her arms. The Fox Pokémon nodded once, and Zinnia continued. "You're far from Kalos. And kind out of your element, on an island in the middle of nowhere."

"I wouldn't know anything about Kalos. I've never been there before." the Braixen said with a small shrug. " And what's important is that I'm here now."

"I suppose so." Sun replied tiredly, though he was surprised when the Braixen stopped them.

"Be still for a moment. Leon is here…" the fox said quietly, gesturing to the right of them. Sun and Hau's eyes widened as they began to make out of silhouette of a massive feline with gleaming eyes in the dark underbrush, barely visible.

"Well, well...what have we here?" growled the shadow in a deep and unmistakably male voice.

"I have this handled." The Braixen said quietly as she walked forward, staring at the Pokémon in the darkness. "Leon, these humans are okay. Come on out!"

With a pounce, a massive feline with dark blue fur and a yellow star-like tail slunk out of the shadows, though from its posture it looked ready to maul them at any moment. Sun shuddered slightly at the glare from the massive Pokémon. It was very obvious that this particularly angry Luxray was very strong.

"Stop it, Leon! These people aren't threats!" the Braixen yelled at the snarling Luxray, who sneered at the young fox with gleaming and razor-sharp teeth.

"I beg to differ. These humans came from that strange rift. I saw them. Clearly something here out of the ordinary. You can't just lead these humans to where the rest of our team is resting. You need to learn proper paranoia, little kit. Especially after what we've been through." Leon remarked with a hiss, padding closer to the group as Zinnia's eyes narrowed at the Luxray. The Braixen remained firm though, undeterred by the threat.

"It's so weird that all these Pokémon are talking. Just how many people did Colress give those translation collars to?" Hau asked aloud, realizing something.

"I'm pretty sure they sell these collars now in some of the regions, Hau." Sun replied quietly to his friend, but not quietly enough for the Braixen to turn around with a grin on her face.

"Oh, you know Colress? He's a friend of ours!" the fox turned back around with a smug smile. "See, Leon, these people are friends! Stop being such a jerk!" the Braixen called to the Luxray. Leon scoffed, and for a moment it seemed like the Fox Pokémon had gotten through to the Luxray.

Leon then shot forward with a savage grin, a cloak of electricity surging through his body as he barreled right towards Zinnia, who's hand snatched up a Poké Ball. However, she didn't even need to call out one of her dragons before the Braixen stepped in front of them protectively and raised her stick as if it was a weapon.

"Get out of my way, Pyrrha!" Leon roared as he dashed forward with Wild Charge, but the Braixen scowled in anger.

"Not when you're being such an idiot!" Pyrrha shouted as her eyes glowed a harsh blue color and the Luxray was thrown backwards into the sand. The Braixen raised her stick and lifted the scrambling Luxray into the air before slamming him down into the beach with a loud crash.

"Well, this was unexpected. Still better than getting wrecked by the Anomaly." Zinnia remarked dryly, crossing her arms before wincing. She had forgotten her arm and chest were injured. The group watched as Leon got to his feet, shaking his fur slightly, before flashing Pyrrha a grin.

"I guess it's a fight then!" Leon barked, releasing a powerful Thunderbolt that made all three humans flinch from the sheer power on display. To their surprise, Pyrrha charged forward, waving her stick like a wand and blasting apart the lightning streaking towards her with a well-placed Psybeam.

Leon chose that moment to rush forward, grinning monstrously as he lunged at Pyrrha and clamped his teeth down on her arm. The Fox Pokémon screamed in pain, especially when Leon leapt into the air and threw the Braixen down into the sand with a harsh thud. Leon landed lightly, his tail swishing in the dark as Pyrrha struggled to her feet.

"Those two are really, really strong." Hau muttered, crossing his arms as the two Pokémon battled ahead of them. Pyrrha twirled her flaming stick like a baton and released a spinning vortex of fire as Leon released a Discharge attack, with the two attacks colliding with each other and creating a wicked explosion of force.

Leon dove into the smoke, obviously hoping for a sneak attack, and ran right into a Flamethrower that sent him crashing down onto the beach with a yowl. The Luxray slowly got to his feet, panting slightly as he glared down Pyrrha.

"You've been neglecting your training." Pyrrha said with a pained grin. Leon scoffed, crouching low and pouncing ahead. Pyrrha shot another Flamethrower at Leon, who leapt to the side to dodge and sent an arc of blue lightning towards the Braixen. This time it hit the mark, as the fox screamed in agony as the Luxray pumped as much power as he could into the attack.

"Come on, we should help." Hau said to Sun, who was already calling out Finn and Penny. He knew they were both weak to Electric-types, but Oliver and Brago were still unable to battle.

"Penny, use Pluck! Finn, Hypnosis!" Sun called out as Leon shot a glare their way before his smile returned. Penny shot towards the Luxray as he released another massive blast of lightning, though Penny was able to barely dodge the blast and slam right into the forehead of Leon. Unfortunately for Penny, this barely phased the powerful Luxray, who batted the bird away with one of his claws before hitting her with a point-blank Thunderbolt, sending her flying backwards into a crumpled heap on the beach. Sun returned Penny worriedly, amazed at the strength of the Luxray.

Leon glanced towards Finn and was surprised when the Poliwag bounded forward with glowing red eyes, making a wave of drowsiness come over the Luxray. Leon staggered backwards, shaking his head furiously, in time for Pyrhha to get back to her feet and send a Fire Blast towards Leon. Finn leapt into the air and hit Leon with a Body Slam, which served to make the Gleam Eye Pokémon stagger backwards to due his tired state. Pyrrha's Fire Blast struck Leon directly, making the Luxray snarl in agony as the explosion of fire boomed across the islands around them.

Sun and Hau covered their eyes from the heat and force, and when they removed their arms they saw Leon lying on his belly with one eye open.

"Good work, Finn!" Sun cheered as Finn hopped up and down excitedly, his smile wide in joy. He turned to Sun, running towards the boy for several moments, before he suddenly slowed down and then stopped in his tracks.

"Huh...I feel funny." Finn remarked, confused.

And then he began to glow.

"Finn?" Sun asked in awe as the Poliwag was immersed in a familiar blue light, with the Pokémon growing slightly larger and wider, with two arms sprouting from their body. As the light faded, the newly formed Pokémon struck a pose with one arm curled inward and the other outstretched to the side.

"Haha! It's about time!" Finn boomed, his voice now sounding deeper and more firm through the translator around his...neck? Sun was snapped out of his thoughts by Rotom Dex suddenly jerking to life and bolting out of Sun's hands.

"Bzzzt! I was unconsciouzzz! And now I'm not!...Yay! That means I get ever-so-precious screentime!" Rotom declared, floating around Sun a few times. Sun shook his head before walking over to Finn, kneeling down and grinning at the Pokémon's new form. Finn chuckled at Sun before holding out a hand, which Sun high-fived after a moment with a wide smile.

"New Pokémon detected! I have to make up for getting knocked out by a horrifying entity from beyond the fabric of time and space by reciting information! Zzzt!" Rotom Dex declared as it floated over to Finn, opening up the appropriate Pokédex entry.

"Wait, what?" Sun asked.

"Poliwhirl. The Tadpole Pokémon and the evolved form of Poliwag. It marches over the land in search of bug Pokémon to eat. Then it takes them underwater so it can dine on them where it's safe. Although it can live on land, it prefers to stay in the water, where it has fewer natural enemies." Rotom explained as Finn began to flex his fingers and arms.

"I could get used to this! Hehehe!" Finn laughed as he began to punch the air.

"Hmm. Congratulations on the evolution, Poliwhirl. Though I-" Zinnia was cut off by the sound of shouting, and the group turned around to see Leon releasing a bolt of electricity towards them with a wide grin. Pyrrha leapt in front of them, releasing a Flamethrower to block the Discharge, creating another deafening explosion.

"Leon, please stop this! Why are you being so difficult again?" Pyrrha asked the Luxray, who simply growled and began circling the group.

"Again?" Zinnia asked, sighing as she unclipped a Poké Ball from her waist. However, this wasn't necessary as a voice shouted out from the darkness around them.

"STOP IT!"

Everyone turned around to see a figure wearing a tattered cloak standing on top of the nearby hill, holding what looked like a sword in his hand. Zinnia stepped in front of the two children, finally calling out a massive winged dragon with two large ears.

"Noivern, prepare yourself!" Zinnia said to the beast before addressing the stranger who was watching them. "Who are you?"

"I should be asking you that. You're the ones trespassing. And instigating a fight between my Pokémon. Last time I checked, we didn't have anyone visiting from the main islands." The man said with a hidden frown, crossing his arms. "Explain yourself."

Sun, however, was absolutely speechless. Because he recognized the man in front of them. And it was someone that he had heard had vanished without a trace, never to be seen again. Someone with a very interesting legacy, and someone who had carried the world on their shoulders less than a year ago.

"You...you're…" Sun trailed off, too surprised to speak. Finn moved in front of Sun protectively, with the newly evolved Poliwhirl flexing his arms threateningly as he did so.

As the figure moved closer into the light, more details came into focus. The man had a worn look on his face, and his golden eyes seemed dull in the firelight. He was tall and slim yet muscular, with a runner's build that was visible due to his lack of a shirt. He wore a faded pair of black jeans and a blue and black cloak over his shoulders, with black combat boots on and silver sunglasses perched on his head. Sun had recognized the man instantly, because he had learned about him from the friends he left behind earlier that day.

It was Wes.

The original Snagger turned to Sun, his golden eyes narrowing after a few moments. A flicker of recognition appeared in his eyes before he shook his head. Instead, he turned to his Pokémon, who Sun recognized from Aria's picture just earlier that day. "You two know better than to fight like that on Isle Abeens. What if you hurt the Pokémon here?" Wes said to the two Pokémon, his tone showing clear disapproval. Both Pokémon looked away, as if ashamed of their actions. "Explain."

"These humans were in a place they shouldn't be. I was trying to protect us-" Leon began to say, his voice noticeably more gentle than it was before, but Pyrrha cut him off with, "He was not! I found these humans first, and they needed help! I was taking them here so you could meet them! Leon attacked them for no reason, Trainer!" Pyrrha interjected, with the Snagger nodding after a moment. Wes turned his head towards Sun, Hau, and Zinnia as his expression lightened.

"I think I get the picture. You three need a hand, right?" Wes asked the trio. Hau nodded and Wes crossed his arms, seemingly thinking about it before he nodded. "Alright. Follow me and I'll take you to the Raft Shack. It'll be a tight fit with all five of us, but it's comfortable enough. Once we're there you can explain what's going on."

"Wes, my boy! What's going on here?" came a joyful voice from the darkness.

"I don't rightly know myself, Old Man." Wes remarked with a slight smirk as another figure came into view, their larger frame having a hard time getting over the hill they were on. Soon enough he too came into the light, and the trio were able to make out his features more clearly.

The man himself had oddly cut blond hair and green eyes that seemed very familiar to Sun, as well as a calming smile that bespoke kindness. The man himself was rather portly, and wore a simple white tank top and a salmon-colored pair of shorts and a matching shirt wrapped around his neck like a scarf. He wore brown sandals and a straw hat on his head. The man chuckled deeply, clapping Wes on the shoulder before walking forward.

"Fair enough!" the man remarked before looking to the Sun, Hau and Zinnia. "You three look like you've had a rough day. We're more than happy to share our shelter for the night."

"We'd really appreciate that, sir." Hau said with a grin, which made the larger man laugh. Wes chuckled after a moment, crossing his arms.

"You're not going to introduce yourself? That's unlike you, Grandpa." Wes asked the portly man, who let out a booming laugh as he clapped the younger man on the shoulder yet again.

"Of course! Hahaha! That's pretty rude of me! I'm so sorry about that." The man's warm smile widened as he threw apart his arms, as if to greet them. "My name is Mohn. And this, my friends, is the Poké Pelago! Welcome!"


So that's a wrap!

Sorry about all the confusion. These kind of things happen when you're dealing with a reality-altering monster from beyond space and time.

How does any of this tie into this story? Have I finally lost my mind? Why is Wes at the Poké Pelago? And when the hell is Sun getting to the Aether Foundation? And who is the mysterious Mohn?

Stay tuned for answers to all these questions!

Big shoutout to those who reviewed the previous chapter, which includes Defender31415, noobl2, Oragonking, Anasazi Darkmoon, BraviaryScout, Wan323, Dario Flaman, several Guest reviewers, PigniteGamer19, Ways, and SonicIKE, as well as a new reviewer known as fatwhiteguy. Thanks for the tremendous amount of support and feedback!

Q & A

From: Oragonking

1: Are you excited that Ash is still with us and now he'll revisit the other Regions?

2: Will Lunala also appear in your story? Since those two Pokémon are a dou.

Not really. I wish they'd just end Ash's story and do something else, though I guess this is a start?

Spoilers, so I can't say for certain.

From: PigniteGamer19

Ok... anyways, I'm back. So, when are you doing the Rotom Powers? I want to know how those will work here.

They won't, really. Rotom Powers won't be in the story, since Rotom doesn't have that ability in Sun and Moon.

That's all for now. I had plenty of questions asking about the Anomaly, but none I can really answer right at this moment. But let's just say that things are definitely taking a strange turn for the foreseeable future.

Big thanks again to everyone for reading. I'm going to be keeping the updates coming fast and hot! With the end-goal being that I reach Chapter 100 before I got on a brief hiatus, since I'm heading back home for most of November. Get ready for some big story moments as we finally near the beginning of the Ula'ula Arc!

Please make sure to review and tell me your thoughts. As always, your feedback is insanely important. Favorites and/or follows are also very appreciated. You can also submit questions to be answered in my Post-Chapter AN's. And you can even join my Discord for this story. Just PM me on this site to get the link and join the conversation!

Take care and stay awesome!

Until next time, FlygonNick out!