Pokémon Radiant Sun


And I'm back.

Being back after a few weeks home is...interesting. One the one hand, I'm nice and refreshed after spending so much time not writing and simply enjoying spending time with my parents and extended family, as well as my friends. On the other, I've had the benefit of brainstorming like crazy and I think I'll be firing on all cylinders to get the next batch of chapters out as quickly as possible.

As for my thoughts on Sword and Shield, I'll have a spoiler-free review at the end of the chapter.

Shoutout to those who reviewed since the last update, which includes fatwhiteguy, noobl2, a Guest reviewer, Ways, Oragonking, SonicIKE and PigniteGamer19. Thanks for the support and feedback.

Here we go folks! We've finally arrived at the Aether Paradise!

Get ready for one hell of a ride!

Enjoy.


Chapter 99: Paradise Lost


Lumiose City

Many Years Ago...


A massive storm swirled in the skies above the glistening city that was Lumiose, the rainfall pounding onto windows and rooftops. While the famous tower that was synonymous with the largest city in Kalos would not be built for many years, the city itself was full of light and life, even in a nighttime storm.

One such figure was hoping to avoid such life.

Dressed in an unassuming black raincoat, a woman strode across the drenched streets with her heels clopping loudly, though it was masked by the heavy rainfall. The woman moved quickly, hoping that no one would spot her. With her head down and her steps swift, she made it through the street without anyone spotting her. Finally, she arrived at her destination, after getting off of West Main Street and walking down the dark back alleys of Lumiose. The woman stood in front of a small building tucked away in the back of the famed city. Above the woman was a simple neon sign that read "The Gilded Hilt", which was hung above the entrance to a nightclub.

The woman allowed herself a faint smile and walked forward, reaching out a hand to throw the door open and step down the dark staircase, illuminated by a flickering lightbulb. Now that she was out of the rain, the woman threw back her hood and shook her long blonde mane of hair, her green eyes seeming tired in the light. The woman carefully made her way down the stairs and into the club proper, which was full as she expected it to be. While it was dingy and rather unclean, the Gilded Hilt was the best place in Kalos if you wanted smooth jazz and even smoother alcohol to drink while you simply enjoyed good company. The stage where live performers would occupy was currently empty, though that wouldn't be the case for long.

After taking a glance around the club and getting a few raised hands and shouts of greeting, which the woman returned with a hand wave of her own, the blonde made her way to the counter and eyed the barkeep with a slight glare. The man stood a few inches shorter than her, with dark skin and a crooked grin, with an eye-patch over his right eye.

"Well, well...How's everyone's favorite Champion?" The man at the counter said quietly, smiling at the beautiful blonde as she collapsed into a chair.

Lusamine looked up, giving the man a baleful glare. "The usual, Lamar. Make it a double."

The barkeep laughed under his breath as he went to fix the new Champion of Kalos her drink. "Imagine the scandal. Kalos' new pride and joy, slumming around my dingy ass nightclub. You're lucky we're friends, Lusa. Otherwise I could make a killing off of this story." Lamar remarked as he swiftly made Lusamine's drink, finishing it off with a little bright pink umbrella.

He slid the sparkling green drink towards the Champion, with the woman downing it at once. Lamar's eyes widened a little before Lusamine set the empty glass on the counter and buried her head in her arms. Lamar quietly snatched the glass away and began making her a second drink. Lusamine was in one of her moods, and she would be having several more Twisted Apple Drops before the night was done.

"This stupid job is already more trouble than it's worth! Incompetents! Just...ugh. Can I give up the Championship yet?" Lusamine whined as she clutched her head. Lamar smiled sympathetically, passing the woman her new drink.

"I was wondering when you'd start to realize that being a Champion means dealing with the League's politics. You're doing well though. You and that Delphox of yours are brutal." Lamar remarked lightly, grinning as he recalled seeing the battle on live TV.

Lusamine managed a smile, shutting her eyes. "Have you heard any news? I've been so busy lately I haven't been able to check my usual outlets of information."

"Why do you assume I have news? Is it because I run a bar? That's an insulting insinuation and I am wounded by it." Lamar said as Lusamine gave him a deadpan stare.

"...Fine. I'll order a water. Happy?"

"Yep." Lamar said as he quickly poured the Champion a glass of water. Lusamine huffed as she sat up, eager to hear what interesting news Lamar had picked up for her this week. While the two had been friends for a while now, she had come to appreciate his knack for finding out where trouble and intrigue was lurking. As Champion, she had a duty to stop all trouble in its tracks.

"Well...You won't hear it from me, but there's trouble brewing in Kanto. Team Rocket has been raising a ruckus and gaining a lot of power quicker than some people would like." Lamar said to Lusamine, who frowned.

"This is old news...Still not good to hear. Hopefully the League begins to take an active role in suppressing them." Lusamine remarked, with Lamar shrugging.

"The Pokémon League really doesn't do nearly as much as they claim. Yeah, you'll get Champs who are more proactive than others but as a whole...meh." Lamar commented, with Lusamine scowling.

"Hence my frustration. The politics are driving me nuts already. There's always something stopping us from taking a more direct role in dealing with crime. I've already been scolded twice for neglecting League work to personally deal with problems."

"And that's why you're already being touted as the 'Warrior Princess of Kalos'. At least we've got someone the region as a whole can look to lead us into the future, unlike those poor bastards in Alola. They don't even got a Champion, or a even a Pokémon League." Lamar remarked as Lusamine sipped her water.

"What's going on in Alola?" Lusamine asked, raising an eyebrow. "I've got a few friends over there, and a few of the Elite Four members have talked about sending me on some kind of trip there in the future."

"Eh, probably best you don't know about it. Those Ruby Raider guys are bad news, even by my standards." Lamar said seriously, with Lusamine shrugging after a moments and downing the rest of her water. Lamar poured her another glass of water, making the woman scowl.

"Ugh, I'm gonna have to pee because of you. Bastard. So. These Ruby Raiders. Tell me about them." Lusamine said, earning a sigh from Lamar as the man shut his one good eye.

"These guys are into some pretty hardcore shit. Their main go-to is drugs. Lots of heavy stuff, too. There's also the murder, illegal production, theft and assaulting Trainers on their Island Challenge. Worst yet is word about them trafficking children from Alola, even going so far as to kidnap them from their own homes." Lamar spat as Lusamine clenched her fists in anger.

"That's horrible. Why isn't anyone doing anything about them?" Lusamine asked, making Lamar shrug.

"Because they're able to avoid getting arrested and the Alolan Police is having a hard time dealing with them. And their leader is a total mystery." Lamar said as Lusamine sighed, shaking her head.

"It's a shame...Maybe we can get into talks with the Kahunas. I don't know…" Lusamine sighed, glaring at Lamar. "Give me a double. I need more alcohol."

"Sounds to me like you need to get laid." Lamar remarked unhelpfully. "That or finally get a boyfriend, Lusa. You need a bit of love in your life."

"Unless you can get me a sexy saxophone master with flowing blond hair and a nice butt, I don't want to hear it." Lusamine muttered, annoyed at him. She couldn't help that she was picky when it came to men.

"I mean...My buddy Mohn is single. He's getting set up now, actually." Lamar said, pointing behind Lusamine towards the stage. Lusamine didn't take the bait, instead snapping her fingers. Lamar rolled his eyes and fixed her another drink. He passed it to the Champion, but as Lusamine grabbed the glass and tilted her head back to down it, she heard the sound of a saxophone begin to play.

At first the tune was gentle and soft, though it quickly picked up and became a frantic upbeat tune that quickly had several people in the club clapping or snapping their fingers. Lusamine slowly turned her head and spotted the player of the music on the stage.

The man onstage had a handsome face and wore a good-natured smile as he played his sax, his eyes shut as he masterfully played the instrument in his hands in a manner that bespoke years of practice, not unlike Lusamine with her piano. The man had long blond hair tied into a ponytail and while he was a bit pudgy, seemed to have a bit of muscle on him. Lusamine smiled slightly, tilting her head as she enjoyed the delightful tune. Whoever this man was, he was very good.

"Whoa...Now why can't I have that kind of power in my own love life?" Lamar wondered aloud, looking down at his hands before heaving a heavy sigh.

Lusamine ignored him, instead hopping off of her stool and walking towards the stage and sitting down at one of the front tables. The woman was mesmerized by the smooth, flowing melodies coming from the man on the stage as he shut his eyes and lost himself in his own music. It was again something Lusamine would often do herself.

For a time Lusamine simply watched on with a little smile, leaning her head into her hands as she watched the blond man play. All too soon his set was up, and after earning a hearty round of applause from the audience the man packed up his saxophone and stepped down from the stage. The player made his way around, exchanging fist bumps and high-fives with the audience, though when he came to Lusamine he blinked in surprise at who he was seeing.

"Your set was wonderful." Lusamine said as she extended a hand out, which the man lightly slapped with his own, a bright smile appearing on his face. Lusamine smiled a bit wider herself.

"The name's Mohn Jardin. And thank you." The musician said with a nod of the head, grinning slightly. "I don't think you need any introductions, Miss Champion. Or can I call you Lusamine?"

Lusamine flashed the man a bright grin, rather liking his forwardness. He was rather delightfully charming, now wasn't he? And it all seemed so earnest too. Quite unlike the other dozens of men who were clamoring for her hand in marriage now that she was Champ.

"Call me Lusamine. Lusa if you're feeling bold. Now where on earth did you learn to play like that? I haven't heard jazz like that since the first time I came down here!" Lusamine asked interestedly as Mohn chuckled softly.

"I'd be willing to tell you, if you don't mind me flapping my gums. And if Lamar hooks his buddy up." Mohn said pointedly and much more loudly, earning a middle finger from Lamar. Lusamine chuckled at the display as Mohn took a seat across from her.

"To answer, I've been playing since I was a little boy. I've had gigs all over Kalos and I'm starting to get a bit famous in Lumiose, but I'm doing a favor for a friend by playing in this delightful little dump." Mohn said, making Lusamine giggle at the nickname. It was far too appropriate for her favorite bar.

"Interesting. I play a lot of piano and violin, myself. Nothing to that degree, of course, though I'd like to say I'm pretty good." Lusamine offered, leaning forward in her chair. Mohn beamed, looking rather excited.

"No kidding? I've been trying to find a piano accompaniment for an original I've been working on! Huh...Well, looks like I'll be hanging around here for a bit. I didn't think I'd find a fellow musician in Lamar's dingy club." Mohn remarked, making Lusamine giggle in response.

"I CAN HEAR YOU, ASSHOLE!"

Lusamine and Mohn broke into laughter as Lamar brought them both a drink, giving them a playful glare (though he looked amused more than anything else). As he returned to the counter, Mohn exchanged a grin with Lusamine and called out, "Lamar, I'm opening up a tab!"

"You're lucky I don't spike your drink, Mohn!"

"You too! With all my heart!" Mohn called back, making a heart gesture to the man with his hands as Lusamine snorted into her drink in a most unladylike manner, trying to hold back a laugh. Mohn turned back to Lusamine, smiling brightly at her.

"We both go way back. I think I'm the only one who can get away with that kind of talk to him, these days." Mohn explained as he sipped his drink, shuddering slightly. His eyes widened when he saw Lusamine down her drink with a flourish, setting her glass down on the table with a smirk.

"It's a bad habit. Sadly one I need to deal with the League." Lusamine explained with a wink, feeling quite good at the moment. Mohn chuckled at that, leaning back in chair with an amused smile.

And so they talked. And talked. And talked.

Later that evening, the two would part ways, but made plans to meet each other again. While most couples who find their true love sometimes meet in the oddest of circumstances, not many can claim to have met and fallen for someone in the most notorious nightclub in downtown Lumiose City.


"Land ahoy!"

"Hau for the last time, you're not funny."

"Your face is funny."

"I...What?"

"Exactly! Boom! Point for Hau!"

"Ahem...We're here, by the way." Faba said, glancing back and forth between the two boys as they bickered with growing smiles on their faces. The ferry that the two boys had been riding across the ocean had finally come to a stop. Once the boat was docked, Faba rose from his seat and dusted himself off. Soon enough they were exiting the vessel, shortly after they received their free Aether Foundation keychain from the ferry driver.

"Here we are, you two. This is Aether Paradise." Faba announced as they stepped off of the ferry, stepping onto the platform and making a grand sweeping gesture with his arms. Sun and Hau exited the vessel and Hau let out a low whistle of amazement as he glanced around the inside of the building. Sun was just awestruck.

The Aether Paradise was a meticulously clean building, with the floors and walls being a bright white color. The massive building stretched up multiple floors, though the one they were currently seemed to be a Docking Bay of sorts. Several Aether Foundation members were walking around on the floor, pointing at the massive gray boxes that were stacked neatly around them. The Docking Bay for the ferry and the boats seemed to be neatly maintained as well, with several mechanics brushing past them to ensure that everything on the boat they just left was working as intended.

Sun and Hau spotted a few workers shepherding a few Pokémon, a Sudowoodo and a Yungoos, onto a platform ahead of them. After one of the members tapped a few numbers into a keypad, a railing sprang up around them and the group was lifted into the air by an elevator that had apparently been there the entire time. Sun and Hau watched the elevator ascend with awed expressions on their faces, not having seen anything like it before.

"Yes...quite a sight, isn't it boys?" Faba remarked proudly, crossing his arms. "Though I wish I could take all of the credit, the genius of this island is thanks to the hard work of those who came before me. President Lusamine and her late-husband were geniuses in their own right, who saw a world where humans help Pokémon, especially those who struggle against the odds. It's quite a noble pursuit."

"I'll say…" Sun breathed, gazing around the facility in awe.

"Yes. Aether Paradise is a facility created for the conservation of Pokémon. It's been outfitted with all of the latest technology for this purpose. This island is located in the Alola region, where many exotic Pokémon can be found. I believe the history behind the location itself relates to a group of criminals who trafficked rare Pokémon to the point of near-extinction." Faba explained as they began to walk through the Docking Bay.

"Whoa...Looks like you guys are pretty good, then! Saving Pokémon from extinction and stuff!" Hau said excitedly, making Faba laugh in response. With that, Faba led them around the Docking Bay, where there were several workers moving crates and cargo around with the help of several powerful Pokémon like Machamp. It made Sun wonder what was in those crates. All the while Faba kept up a running commentary, with Rotom snapping pictures all the while.

"Downstairs, our teams work on developing new Poké Balls and more. We're constantly developing new technologies, for both the purpose of study and implementation. But in the end, it all goes to serve one grand purpose. Yes, all for the sake of Pokémon conversation." Faba finished with a smirk. For some reason, Sun thought that the statement sounded oddly insincere, but brushed it off.

"Wait, you mentioned you help make Poké Balls? What kind do you work on?" Hau asked curiously. Faba shrugged in response, smirking slightly.

"Now now, my young friend. I can't tell you all of my secrets. Our labs develop all sorts of things we'd rather keep...in house. We can't very well chance people like Team Skull or Cipher getting their hands on our valuable technology. It'd be ruinous." Faba remarked, scowling slightly at thought of Cipher. "Though I'd definitely like to see Cipher try to come here. I'd destroy them in an instant and make them suffer." The last word was said with a incredible amount of venom.

"Whoa...I'm guessing they've hurt you in the past too, huh?" Hau asked Faba, who sighed and adjusted his glasses.

"I was friends with the researchers at the Orre Pokémon HQ Lab. I helped them design the Purification Chamber in the later stages of the project. They were brilliant and wonderful people...Amber Fontaine slaughtered them all and burned their lab to the ground." Faba said softly, his tone full of surpressed fury and bitterness. Sun and Hau exchanged a look before looking towards Faba with pity. It had to have been hard to be the final member of the project standing, knowing your friends were gone and that you were the only one left to carry on their work.

"But...life moves on. I must work hard to ensure their memory and work does not go to waste. Even now, with the Purification Chamber completed, I will work to fix Cipher's crimes and prove to the world that myself and my late colleagues are more than a match for those rogues!" Faba declared powerfully, a grin on his face.

"That's the spirit! You and Colress are definitely going to help save a lot of Pokémon. I know it." Sun said brightly, making Faba nod after a moment. His usual swagger and attitude seemed to return to Faba after the compliment. The group began to move throughout the building once more.

"Indeed. But back to your query before, regarding Poké Balls. I can tell you some of the minor details we generally try to work on with our research regarding them. You see, we are hoping to find a way to make Poké Balls more comfortable for Pokémon who are younger and more at risk. Underdeveloped Pokémon or infants and so on. There are many rare Pokémon who require a bit of a helping hand, and developing more advanced Poké Balls will assist us in aiding them...Though you will not be able to use any of your Poké Balls within Aether Paradise. A jamming signal is broadcast throughout the facility to prevent them from functioning." Faba explained as they neared the elevator.

As they approached it, the elevator descended from the floor above, and riding it was a single woman. She wore an elegant white and yellow outfit combined with a pink sweater and pink glasses, with intelligent yellow eyes peering behind her spectacles. She also had voluminous purple hair. The woman glanced towards the trio, stepping off of the lift before giving a slight bow to Faba.

"Excuse me, Mr. Faba…" the woman began to say, only for Faba to put his hands on his hips and cut her off.

"Yes, excuse you! What is the meaning of that form of address? I have a title for a reason!"Faba practically screeched, making Sun and Hau flinch. "How else will anyone know how important I am?"

"Zzzt! Maybe you should mention it another twenty times an hour. I think that'll help get the message across!" Rotom suggested helpfully, making Sun and Hau stifle laughs.

"Yes...Branch Manager Faba…" the woman said with a sigh, earning a grin from Faba as gestured casually.

"Now, I must go speak with the President about our conversation efforts on Akala...There are some things that worry me." Faba remarked, frowning after a moment. With a dismissive wave, he gestured towards Sun and Hau. "Show these children around, and then take them to meet the President as well."

"Of course, Branch Manager Faba." Miss Wicke said as Faba hopped onto the lift and went up to the next floor. Wicke heaved a sigh, rubbing her forehead.

"How do I deal with that man...I need more coffee." Wicke muttered to herself before turning to the two boys in front of her, both staring at her in confusion.

"Welcome to Aether Paradise, Sun and Hau. My name is Julia Wicke, Assistant Branch Chief of the Aether Paradise." the woman said kindly, bowing to them with a warm smile. Both Sun and Hau grinned at her, seeing that this woman was a lot more pleasurable to deal with than Faba.

"Alola!" Sun and Hau both greeted the woman, gesturing with their arms. Hau then jerked back in surprise.

"Wait? You know who we are? How'd you know that?" Hau asked, sounding confused.

Wicke nodded with a smile, looking amused. "One of our employees told me about your meeting on Akala Island. Of course I heard how you helped protect the Pokémon there too, young Mr. Hau. Thank you very much!" Wicke said gratefully, though her smile widened a moment later. "That said, I also should thank you for your efforts at Royal Avenue. The two of you made quite the pair, battling back-to-back against that Cipher Admin."

"Heh...We did look pretty cool, didn't we Sun?" Hau asked Sun, making the other boy smile sheepishly.

"Let me show you around. The main entrance is up above us." Wicke said, gesturing towards the elevator. Sun and Hau both stepped onto the platform, joined soon by Miss Wicke.

"Shall we zip right up there?"Wicke asked playfully before taping the console. The rails shot up around them and the elevator smoothly ascended, taking them to the next floor. The moment the rails went down, Hau sprinted off the elevator with a wide grin of excitement, and soon enough the boy was dashing about the place, pointing to stuff and exclaiming how cool everything was, even taking a moment to fist-bump one of the employees at the counter.

"This is the main entrance." Wicke explained to Sun, who was listening intently as Rotom took pictures from beside him. Sun casually took a selfie with Miss Wicke, who held up a 'peace' sign with a cheery grin, before continuing her narration. "You can have your Pokémon taken care of at the reception desk there, if they need it."

Hau jogged back over to the elevator, practically shaking with excitement. "This place is so neat! Though there's not a whole lot of Pokémon around here, huh?"

"That's because they're in the Conservation Area or in our Medical Bay. The former is where we have Pokémon under our care rest and simply...be for a while. The latter is of course where we use our state-of-the-art technology to help treat injuries, cure ailments, and save the lives of Pokémon we were lucky enough to get to in time. We have several world-class Pokémon doctors helping us devise new ways of assisting Pokémon as well." Wicke explained to the two young Trainers.

"That's really cool...This place is something else." Sun murmured, continuing to glance around. Sun spotted an entrance-way ahead of him that seemed to lead to a mansion at the other end of the island.

"What's that over there, Miss Wicke?" Sun asked.

"That's where the President lives, along with her family. Though for a while now it's been just her." Wicke remarked, sounding rather sad at that. She shook her head after a moment and continued, her tone a bit more neutral. "We also keep a few projects within the mansion for safekeeping. I'd be more than happy to give you boys an extended tour once we've finished our meeting with the President. There's a lot more to the Foundation than what is inside of the main building. We also have a few restaurants, some shops and even a hotel for visitors who stay at Aether Paradise."

"Wow, no fooling? I wouldn't mind taking a few days to explore this place. It's so cool!" Hau gushed, looking even more excited. "I bet they even have a malasada place here!"

"We do actually. They're quite tasty in moderation." Wicke agreed cheerfully. Sun was about to remark on that when he suddenly spotted something odd.

The boy noticed several Aether Foundation members walking past them, but they stood out from the usual personnel that they had been seeing since they arrived. What seemed odd about them was the fact that they had what seemed to be batons of some sort at their waist and even over their backs. They also wore what looked like body armor of sorts, including a bulletproof vest. Sun also made note of the fact that each of the armored Aether Foundation members looked a lot bigger than everyone else and a whole lot tougher.

"Who are they, Miss Wicke?" Sun asked as he pointed them out, earning a nod from the woman.

"Those are members of the Aether Protection Team, or APT. They work as the security of the Aether Paradise, and to ensure no one steals or harms the Pokémon in our care. They also serve as a deterrent for those like Team Skull, who have tried to break into Aether Paradise before. Every one of them is trained in some manner of martial arts and has considerable experience as a Pokémon Trainer." Wicke explained as the APT members walked past them, with one of the women glancing towards Sun. She nodded to the boy, smiling at him, before turning back to her coworkers.

"They definitely look like tough customers." Hau remarked, chuckling softly. "I wonder if Tutu could beat them in a battle? Or a brawl. Either or."

"Hala's pretty tough. Even if he is kinda fat." Sun admitted, earning a laugh from Hau who put his hands behind his head. Even though the Kahuna's grandson knew that was the truth, he wouldn't admit it out loud.


"Achooo!"

"Are you okay, Kahuna Hala?"

"Just fine. Though I have the strangest feeling someone was making fun of my weight again."

"Maybe that wouldn't happen if you didn't consume roughly half your weight in pudding every week, sir."

"W-wha...Don't speak such heresy! I forbid it!"

"...Of course, sir."


"Sun? You and Hau are both Trial-goers, aren't you? Are you hoping to become Champions?" Wicke asked the two boys, who both nodded. "I suppose...you must be around 11, then?"

"I was 11 when I started my Island Trials. I turned 12 not too long ago. Same with Hau." Sun explained to the woman as he glanced back at his Island Challenge Amulet that was connected to his backpack,

Hau nodded in agreement, putting his hands behind his head. "Yeah, I took the first chance I had to join in the Island Challenge once I turned 11! 'Cause, someday, I really want to be able to beat my gramps...but he's way too strong!"

"You'll take him down someday, Hau. I bet by the time you get back to him, you won't even break a sweat battling him." Sun said to his friend, who beamed at his closest friend.

Wicke nodded in understanding. "How...how lovely for you. I suppose all children must yearn to take a journey of their own choosing when they get to be about your age." Wicke said, almost sadly. She wore a smile though, despite how she sounded, and a few moments later her tone was cheerful again. "Though you're hardly just children anymore. Trainers are like parents to their Pokémon!"

"Yeah...it kinda feels like it sometimes. Especially when dealing with Finn and Oliver. Penny and Brago are thankfully really well-behaved." Sun admitted, laughing slightly as Hau winced.

"That owl of yours is like, the spawn of Giratina dude." Hau muttered, earning a look from Sun.

"Didn't we establish that Professor Kukui and Kahuna Hala both treated Oliver differently than all the other Starters because he acted out sometimes, and he developed into such a difficult Pokémon as a result?" Sun asked Hau, who flinched slightly.

"Yeah...I kinda forgot about that. I guess no one's perfect." Hau admitted, sighing after a moment before grinning again. "Oh well."

"Sun. Hau. Would you two like to see the Conversation Area upstairs?" Miss Wicke asked the two boys, who both nodded. "Heh. In that case, we'll zip right up!" Wicke said cheerily as he tapped a button on the console. Two seconds later, the elevator's railings shot up around them.


"Golbat, use Acrobatics!"

"Flamethrower to intercept, Torch!"

Demi and Gladion watched as their two Pokémon rushed towards each other, with Torch opening his mouth and releasing a torrent of flames from his mouth that slammed into Gladion's Golbat mid-attack, sending it reeling back. To Demi's relief the massive bat finally fell to the ground with a weak chitter, passing out from the damage it had taken. Torch landed on the ground, breathing hard but looking pleased.

Gladion returned his Golbat, looking down at the ball and the Pokémon within. "Thank you." With that, he clipped the ball and glanced over to where the rest of his team were watching. Type: Null was currently being used as a pillow by Gladion's quickly growing Zorua and a heavily-bandaged Riolu, who Gladion had been slowly working with as of late. While he was still far too injured to battle for a while, Gladion could sense that this Pokémon was quite strong and would be a great asset to his team.

"Zorua, it's your turn. Let's end this." Gladion said as he faced forward, clutching his arm as the little fox smiled widely and scampered towards his Trainer, nuzzling his leg for a moment before facing Torch.

"Ready?" Gladion asked Demi, who nodded.

"Torch, use Flame Wheel!" Demi shouted as she threw her hand out, with Torch leaping forward with a cry as flames surrounded his body. Gladion clutched his arm, scowling as his Zorua braced himself for attack.

"Dodge and use Shadow Ball!" Gladion shouted as the Flame Wheel barreled towards Zorua. The fox leapt backwards to dodge, but Torch bounced off of the ground and shot towards him, knocking him backwards hard.

"Good work, Torchy! Flamethrower!" Demi shouted, though she was surprised when Torch's flames suddenly exploded outward, with the Quilava letting out a sharp cry and opening his mouth wide to release a series of stars that shot towards Zorua.

"Is that Swift? Shit! Zorua, brace yourself! Don't even try to dodge!" Gladion shouted as his little fox's eyes widened in surprise. The attack smashed into the Zorua and sent him skidding backwards, wincing in pain.

"Whoa, Torch learned Swift." Demi whispered, grinning with pride at her Pokémon as he let his flames burn brighter. "Keep up the pressure, Torch! We've got them on the ropes."

"That's what you think." Gladion scowled as Demi called for Flamethrower. "Jump into the air and use Calm Mind!"

Zorua nodded and pushed himself hard off of the ground, barely dodging the blast of fire that was sent towards him. The young fox shut his eyes, focusing on remaining calm as Demi watched on in surprise.

"Get airborne and use Flame Wheel!" Demi called out. Torch leapt high into the air, tucking his body into a ball and becoming a raging ball of flames that shot down towards the little Zorua as he landed lightly on the ground.

"Dark Pulse!" Gladion barked as Zorua looked up and opened his eyes, grinning at Torch as the Demi's eyes widened in surprise. The Tricky Fox Pokémon opened his mouth wide and released a criss-crossing beam of darkness that blasted the Volcano Pokémon skyward, knocking him out of his attack. Demi let out a cry of worry as her beloved Quilava tumbled through the air and landed onto the ground with a painful crash. After a shudder, Torch went limp and passed out.

"Well...that's that." Demi sighed, returning Torch. Gladion nodded, crossing his arms as his Zorua scampered over to him and let out an excited yip. Gladion knelt down and patted the little fox on his head, stroking him.

"You did great. Thank you." Gladion said as his Zorua hopped up on his hind legs and licked his face, making Gladion smile for a brief moment. The smile faded and the teen stood up as Demi made her way towards him, smiling slightly at the display.

"If you make a comment about how I treat my Pokémon being cute, I'm smacking you." Gladion warned Demi, who stuck her tongue out at him.

"Fiiiiine. Still though, I appreciate you taking the time to help me." Demi said to Gladion as he frowned, crossing his arms.

"It's not that big of a deal. We're allies in this, aren't we? You are improving, though. You beat my Golbat and you're learning to adapt, which is good. We'll continue tomorrow." Gladion said to the Team Skull Grunt, who nodded. Demi then grinned, which was the only warning Gladion got before the girl caught him in a hug. Gladion fought the urge to push her away. It wasn't that he didn't like being hugged, he just wasn't used to them was all. It still felt odd.

"Seriously, thank you. You don't have to do this. I really appreciate you helping me make Torch stronger."

"Let me go."

"Nah. Don't wanna."

"See, I told you this is what they do when we're not around!" shouted a new voice, much to their surprise. Gladion and Demi's eyes widened when the remainder of Bone Unit 71 entered the clearing, looking amused as they watched the two teens hug. Gladion shoved Demi away, much to her dismay, though Demi could have sworn the teen was blushing as he crossed his arms and turned away.

"You idiots saw nothing. That was Demi getting excited. Nothing more." Gladion growled as Axen threw his hands apart, laughing.

"Ooh, she's getting excited, huh? And what have you two been doing that excites her so much?" Kayla asked teasingly, making Demi's cheeks burn scarlet as Gladion turned to glare at her. Thankfully for him, he was no longer blushing.

"Come on, dawg. No use fighting it. It's like...Shit. I forgot what I was gonna say." Axen trailed off, scratching his head.

"You guys are such dorks." Demi sighed, smiling ruefully at her friends.

"Wait a second...How the hell did you find me? This is my secret training spot." Gladion growled, crossing his arms in annoyance. Axen simply held up his phone in response.

"All I did was type in 'Weak Ass Bitch' in my GPS. It led me straight to you. Weird, huh?" Axen remarked, earning a scowl from Gladion and a snicker from Kevin.

"Did you guys need something?" Demi asked her friends, with Kayla nodding.

"We actually wanted to see if we could get in on this training session of yours. I'm tired of getting my butt kicked by noobs, yo. Gladion's a complete tool, but he can battle." Kayla said in reply, throwing her arms aside as she posed.

"Why on earth would I agree to help train with you guys? Besides, doesn't Demi do that?" Gladion asked Bone Unit 71, his distaste for the situation showing.

"Yeah, and she's learning from you!" Kayla said, pointing to Demi who frowned a little.

"She kinda has a point, Gladion. You're helping me get stronger, and I'm helping them whenever they've got a minute to train. It'd be a lot easier if we all just trained together." Demi pointed out to Gladion, who scowled in annoyance.

"Demi, I thought you were on my side here. You know I don't want to do this." Gladion muttered darkly, earning a sheepish smile from the other teen.

"You'd rather do Demi instead, right?" Axen quipped, earning a middle finger from both of them.

"Axen, stop being a asshole to him. You know it's not like that!" Demi yelled at the other Grunt, who scratched his chin for a moment before shrugging.

"Ehh...Let's be real. If you and Demi do get married, you and her should be added to a list of people who are legally banned from reproducing." Axen remarked, making both Demi and Gladion blushed furiously in both embarrassment and anger. Thankfully for them, Gladion pointed forward and sicced his Zoura on the Team Skull Grunt, making him run around the clearing while screaming in horror.

"STOP CHASING ME!" Axen bellowed as the others began to ignore him.

"Seriously though, why me? You idiots have never cared about training before." Gladion asked, with Kevin nodding a few times in agreement as they ignored Axen's screams of fear.

"Yeah, but I'm tired of getting thrashed. Plus, as rough as things are, I'd rather be able to battle well and suck at life then be weak and suck and life. You feel me?" Kevin asked, earning a blank look from Gladion. Kayla picked up the slack.

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE, STOP CHASING ME!" Axen screamed as he continued to run around the clearing, with Zorua hot in pursuit. Type: Null was chuckling softly in its helmet while Riolu watched in confusion.

"Look, Glads. We wanna get stronger. Even if you're a homeless dork, you're a strong homeless dork. We're sick of being trashed for being weak, so we just wanna battle against someone who knows this battling shit like the back of their hand. And since you're already helping our homie Demi, we figured it'd be a good idea to ask you." Kayla said to Gladion, earning a scowl from the teen. Gladion glanced at Demi, who smiled at him.

"I HATE ALL OF YOU!"

"You don't have to battle them. Just...coach them a bit. Maybe offer some pointers? You're a great Trainer, dude. Help them out a bit. For me?" Demi put on her most winning smile, which made Gladion sigh.

"Fine...But I won't like it."

"Hells yeah!" came the shouts from Bone Unit 71, especially from Demi as she hugged Gladion once again. Gladion shoved her off of him, glaring at the girl as she laughed sheepishly at him.

"WHAT ARE WE CHEERING FOR!?"


"Technology sure is nifty, huh?"

"Hau, it's an elevator. Not really nifty. I'll agree that this one is kinda cool though."

Wicke giggled as the two boys bantered with each other, enjoying their company. The two boys continued their back and forth until they reached the top floor of the Aether Paradise, which was a beautiful sanctuary of sorts full of crystal clear water flowing through it and a collection of exotic plants so large Sun thought he was in the Lush Jungle for a moment.

"The Aether Paradise is a safe haven for all Pokémon. For this reason, the use of Poké Balls is strictly forbidden within the Conservation Area." An automated voice spoke to them as they reached the top floor of the Paradise, with the railings around them lowering with a gentle click. Hau began jumping up and down in sheer excitement, surprising the two of them.

"Wow!" Hau shouted loud enough to earn a glare from Sun, making the other boy wince after a moment and smile nervously at his best friend. "Sorry."

"Still, this is really cool. Who would have thought this massive island held a beautiful place like this?" Sun asked, grinning with his own excitement.

"We keep Pokémon that have been targeted by Team Skull here. And we also try to support Pokémon that need a little extra protection. Like Corsola, for example. They are quite terribly over-hunted by a Pokémon called Toxapex." Wicke explained with a sad smile, glancing towards where a few Corsola were playing in the water. "I hope you don't mind if I read a passage from my Pokédex."

"By all means." Sun said with a nod as Rotom landed on his head, making the boy glance up with a grin. "They're super helpful and it's always fun to learn new stuff."

"Nerd." Hau remarked, drawing Sun's attention.

"And yet you still haven't beaten this nerd, have you Hau?"

"Well...to that I say...um...Can we come back to this later?" Hau asked with a chuckle, pointing to Miss Wicke who looked somewhat amused. "By all means, read your thingy!"

Wicke nodded and pulled out a rather battered Pokédex, an older model for sure. After booting it up she went to the appropriate entry. "Ahem! 'Toxapex...Toxapex crawls along the ocean floor on its 12 legs. It leaves a trail of Corsola bits scattered in its wake."

"Sounds like a brutal Pokémon. I know climate change is doing bad things to Pokémon's environments, but it's always so easy to forget that Pokémon have natural predators." Sun said thoughtfully, glancing as Rotom Dex nodded.

"Bzzt! Yep! With how the world izz nowadayzzz, it'zz so easy to forget that Pokémon eat Pokémon all the time!" Rotom explained, beeping as it floated around Sun.

Hau frowned, putting his hands behind his head. "Yeah. Gramps is always saying nature's got its cruel side, sure as it gives us blessings."

"Which is why we have to help out our environment as much as possible. You know, donate to places that make a difference and lend a hand as much as possible when we can." Sun said with a determined grin, making Hau and Wicke look at him in surprise.

"Didn't know you were such an environmentalist, Sun." Hau remarked, tilting his head in confusion. Sun blinked before his smile faded, replaced with a troubled look.

"I...My Dad was really into helping the environment. He started a whole project centered around that. He poured a ton of money into developing eco-friendly machinery and factories and ways to reduce humanity's negative impact on the world while helping us move forward into the future. He talked about it all the time. I...Never realized how much his thoughts on that imprinted on me." Sun said quietly, with Hau putting a hand on his shoulder.

"You alright?" Hau asked, concerned. Sun nodded and shook off his friend's hand. "Just because your dad is a snake doesn't mean he can't have ideas or beliefs that aren't bad. It's good that he cared a lot about the environment."

"I guess it's like what Mr. Cabela said. My father may be a bad guy...But he's not all bad. Wanting to help the environment is never a bad thing." Sun agreed, nodding after a moment and smiling at Hau. "Thanks for talking me through that, man."

"No problem, brother. It's what I do." Hau said as he put his hands behind his head before turning to Miss Wicke, who had watched the exchange with interest.

"But can the Aether Foundation really protect all the Pokémon that're out there?" Hau asked, removing his hands from his head.

Wicke nodded, shutting her eyes with a smile. "Nature does have its own balance, of course. It can be difficult to judge just how much we humans should try to affect that, can't it?"

Hau let out a laugh, putting his hands on his hips. "That's pretty amazing! The Aether Foundation seems awesome! But why'd you bother setting up a branch in a place like Alola!?"

Wicke shook her head, her smile fading somewhat. "I couldn't say...It's hard to know for sure what our President is thinking sometimes. Though...If you'd like to meet President Lusamine, she should be here in the Conservation Area now." Wicke said to the two boys as Hau jogged off to explore the Conservation Area. Sun looked back at Miss Wicke, confused.

"You think she'd be interested in meeting us? We're not interrupting her or anything? Sun asked Wicke, who chuckled softly.

"Not at all, Sun." Wicke assured the boy before pulling out a phone. Sun shrugged and began to walk along a path, marveling at the sights around him.

"Zzzt? You interested in meeting the Prezzzident? She's somewhere in here if you are!" Rotom proclaimed as it floated around Sun, who smirked at the device.

"Definitely. A place like this has to have an interesting leader, right? Besides...The name Lusamine sounds familiar to me for some reason. I know I've definitely heard it before coming to Alola. And I want to know why." Sun said in a low voice as he continued his way through the Conservation Area. Occasionally Rotom Dex would make a remark about the Pokémon they passed, but aside from that Sun was left to his own thoughts as he made his way along the path, marveling at the sight of the sanctuary. As he turned a corner, he caught sight of a few figures ahead.

One of them was a man garbed in the standard Aether Foundation gear, along with a Starmie and an Alolan Grimer and Meowth. The one that stood out to him was a rather beautiful blonde-haired woman wearing a rather eccentric-looking white and yellow dress and heels with a gleaming green jewel on her chest. She was kneeling down to stroke the Meowth, who purred happily at her touch.

"My sweet Pokémon...I promise I'll keep you safe. I'll protect you with my love..." The woman said gently, her tone one of kindness. Sun smiled a bit as he approached the woman, though he couldn't shake the feeling that she seemed somewhat familiar. The woman turned around, spotting Sun and jerking back in surprise as her smile faded. She seemed confused for a brief moment before she smiled. Sun glanced behind him and saw Hau and Wicke approaching.

"Ah…" the woman breathed, smiling a bit wider.

"President Lusamine, we have guests." Wicke said with a bow of respect.

"Of course. I recall Faba mentioning them. Please, if you would lead these darlings back to the Medical Bay?" the President asked the Aether Foundation member, who nodded.

"Of course, ma'am." With that, the man began to shepard away the Pokémon. Wicke walked over to the other woman and muttered something into her ear, causing the President to nod once before turning around to face the two boys.

"You must be Sun and Hau. Welcome to Aether Paradise. The Aether Foundation's own private island. I am the president of the foundation. But please, call me Lusamine." The President said with an amused smile. "I'm so glad that we got to meet."

"We should be thanking you all that we got the chance to come here. You all do a lot of good in Alola, and this place is really interesting. Not everyone gets a tour like this, you know?" Sun remarked, making Lusamine chuckle softly.

"I'm glad there are people like you, who travel the islands to learn more about Pokémon…" Lusamine said quietly, her smile slowly turning into a frown. "But there are also those unfortunate people who harm Pokémon for their own selfish reasons or even for profit."

Lusamine sighed deeply before she made a sweeping gesture, her eyes becoming full of bright determination. "And that is why I am here. I will be a mother to all of those poor Pokémon and shower them with love. Even Pokémon from distant worlds, far from the Alola region, are worthy of my love."

Hau put his hands behind his head, smiling at the woman. "Wow, Miss Lusamine! I don't know how you do all of this! You're like, not even that much older than us!"

Sun noted that as well. Lusamine, despite being in charge of this massive organization, didn't seem much older than some of their friends like Aria and Vivian. Sun was surprised when Lusamine began to giggle, covering her mouth in a vain attempt to suppress them.

"Oh, you sweet boy! I'm already over 40!" Lusamine said cheerily as Miss Wicke chuckled behind her, looking immensely amused. Sun's jaw dropped at this news while Hau shut his eyes, looking unsurprised by this.

"You are?" Hau asked, totally nonplussed in any way.

"Bzzt! How are you not shocked by that?" Rotom asked Hau, who didn't respond. The boy then opened his eyes and saw Lusamine smirking at him, and then it suddenly hit him.

"Wait, WHAT!?" Hau shouted, startling some of the nearby Pokémon and making Wicke burst out into laughter at the boy's stunned reaction. Lusamine began to giggle again, covering her mouth once more.

"Oh, you!" Lusamine gushed, grinning joyfully at him. "The right style does wonders, you know. And Hau, your style is a bit wanting, hm?"

"What's wrong with what I wear?" Hau asked, looking down at his outfit of choice. It was his usual go-to for adventuring in the wilds.

"It's not exactly something that the ladies would admire, is all I'm saying. I'm sure for a battling Trainer like yourself, it does the job. But why look ragged and bland when you can present yourself in a much more stunning way? Don't you want to look your best?" Lusamine asked Hau, who frowned. "Think about it."

"Maybe. I dunno." Hau admitted, shrugging after a few moments. "I've never really put a lot of thought into it."

"Me either, really. Though I do try to change it up sometimes, and there's a lot of times I have to wear something a bit nicer than what I'd go out into the wilds wearing." Sun said to Hau, with the other boy crossing his arms and frowning. The Aether Foundation President simply grinned at them both.

"I'll have to take you out sometime and help you pick a smashing outfit." Lusamine offered, gesturing towards herself.

"L-like what you wear?" Hau asked, seemingly startled. "I don't think anyone else could pull off that kind of look! Except maybe Lillie…"

For a moment, Sun saw it.

Lusamine's bright green eyes were wide in surprise. She seemed genuinely stunned, thrown off by what Hau said. After a few moments she composed herself, shutting her eyes and allowing a little smile to come to her face. A small victorious smirk that left Sun confused, though Hau didn't notice anything at all being off.

Behind Lusamine, Miss Wicke also looked surprised. Inside of her head, however, she was freaking out.

"These two...Oh no. Oh no, this is not good! These are the friends Lillie told me about! And if Lusamine knows that these boys are friends with Lillie, she might have them tailed! They'll lead her straight to Lillie and Cosmog!" Wicke internally panicked, wondering just what was going through Lusamine's mind now.

The President then put her hands on her hips, her smile fading as she regarded Hau with a more businesslike tone that reminded Sun of his father for some reason. "Oh, don't you worry. You just leave everything to me."

"Um...You sure?" Hau asked, a little confused by the change of tone.

"Trust me - children would all be much happier if they'd only listen to the adults around them." Lusamine assured Hau in tone that made Sun frown. He disagreed with that statement quite a bit. If Sun had done what he had been told his whole life, he'd be in his father's clutches right now. The Kanto-native opened his mouth to respond to Lusamine, but then the entire building shook. Lusamine nearly stumbled to the floor while Hau fell over, with Sun and Wicke barely catching themselves as the building shook violently.

"That tremor...Did something happen on the lower floors?" Wicke asked softly as Lusamine frantically looked around the Conservation Area, looking concerned. Lusamine quickly turned to Wicke, an expression of alarm on her face.

"Faba. He was running tests today. We've got to get down to-" Lusamine began to say, but she was cut off by a strange humming sound that filled the air. Lusamine, Wicke, Sun and Hau all found their gaze being drawn to the strange rift that was suddenly opening about forty yards ahead of them. Sun recognized the rift as the same kind he spotted in Heahea City.

The rift slowly opened further, expanding rapidly until becoming a glowing blue hole of some sort. A brilliant bright light shone from the hole, blinding them momentarily, but when their eyes adjusted to the light the group saw that something was emerging from what Sun realized was an Ultra Wormhole. Just like the kind that Professor Burnet studied, and that led to other worlds. And in front of them was one such creature. This was an Ultra Beast.

It was a massive white jellyfish-like being, with a strange array of tentacles arranged around it that reminded Sun of a cape or dress of some kind. The top of the Pokémon was semi-translucent with several star-like designs adorning its head. The very air seemed to shudder around the strange creature, and Sun made note of the black liquid dripping from the longest tentacles of the Pokémon.

The Ultra Beast floated high into the air above them, letting out a powerful cry that made all of the humans in the room shudder in response, before it slowly floated towards the ground and hovered a short distance away from them.

"Did you come…from another world?" Lusamine breathed, stepping forward as a smile slowly came to her lips.

"Brr-rr-rr!" the creature responded, floating closer to them. Lusamine shut her eyes as she felt a strange euphoria fill her mind. Wicke, Sun, and Hau noticed the strange change over Lusamine and hopped into action.

"Miss Lusamine, stand back! That thing's...not right!" Hau shouted as the creature let out another cry, though Lusamine seemed to snap back to reality and shook her head.

"That hole...that Pokémon...What in the world are they?" Wicke whispered, horror laced in her voice. Sun simply stared at the creature, amazed at what he was seeing. A Pokémon from another world. Another dimension. Was this truly an Ultra Beast? Was this an alien? Or was it something else entirely, like Dizz?

"Sun." Hau said, his tone oddly serious. It snapped Sun out of his thoughts and made the boy look towards his friend, who was looking at him intensely. "Can you distract this thing? I've gotta get Miss Lusamine and Miss Wicke outta here…"

The Kanto-native was surprised that Hau was taking the initiative here, or was taking this so seriously, but he nodded in agreement. With that, the boy unclipped a Poké Ball and said, "Oliver, help us out!"

The Dartrix appeared in a flash of light and began to preen, though he stopped when he saw the strange creature floating ahead of him and the glowing hole suspended in the air. "What...what is that, exactly?" Oliver asked as he slowly moved in front of Sun, as if wanting to shield him from the strange monster.

"No idea. I think it might be an Ultra Beast but…For now, we need to subdue it. I'll feel bad about this later, but we need to get that thing out of here. It could hurt the Pokémon in the Conservation Area. Or us." Sun said to Oliver, who nodded. Behind him, he was aware of Hau leading Wicke and Lusamine away from where they were at.

"ZzzZzzt! I've got no idea what that thing izzz! I have no record of anything like thizz!" Rotom cried out, landing on Sun's shoulder. "I'll let you know if I can figure anything out though!"

"Brr-rrr-rrr!" the monster suddenly cooed, lashing out with its tentacles and spattering the ground with its strange liquid. Oliver hooted in surprise before flaring his wings, glaring down the creature.

"I didn't understand any of that...But I won't let you hurt anyone!" Oliver shouted as the monster let out a defiant trill and suddenly swooped forward, lunging right at Sun. The boy took a step back and let out a shout of surprise, but Oliver flew right at the monster and threw up a Protect just in time from the creature to slam into it. Oliver grunted as several cracks appeared on the barrier, but the creature floated away and let out a coo in response.

"That was close...thanks." Sun sighed in relief as Oliver released the shield, flapping his wings to hover beside his Trainer.

"Don't thank me. Here it comes again!" Oliver called as the monster let out a piercing screech that seemed to cut through the two of them and make them both shiver violently. The Ultra Beast thrashed in midair, a strange glow surrounding it for a moment before all of a sudden a powerful red aura of fiery energy flared around the creature, kicking up a fierce wind around it. Sun and Oliver braced themselves as the Ultra Beast floated lower to the ground and then shot towards them both to attack...


But will they survive? Who knows…

Q & A

From: Guest

Who did Lusamine visited? A friend? Anyway, Kelly is exaggerating. Using one Z-move is something even strong old adults, Human or Pokemon, can do. Unless they're strong enough to pull two Z-moves.

By the way, if your an avid Pokemon fan, you should know that Zinnia may not be the last Draconic. As for the Flyinium-Z, are you really planning for him to travel back to Mele Mele right after he finishes his TRial from Acerola? You do realise how difficult it is to make it happen, right?

You also merged characters from the Ultrasun/Ultramoon in the Sun/Moon stories, right?

That'll be explained sooner rather than later. And um...Not really. The game itself explains using two Z-Moves in the same fight is dangerous, and doesn't actually let you do it in the games themselves. I just expanded a bit on that concept.

Sun will go back to Melemele to get the Skyinium Z once he can actually get it. And...no. Not really? If I can come up with a way for him to get to the Poke Pelago, I'm pretty sure I can come up with a reason for him to go back home and explore Ten Carat Hill some more.

And I've mentioned them. I'll also mention a lot of other characters. This is still a Pokemon Sun story.

From: Oragonking

I just discovered something. Amanda/Amber has parents. Her Mom was once a Gym Trainer in Mahogany Gym, and her Father works at Professor Elm's lab, right? What happened to them?

They're living out their lives in Johto, still searching for their long-lost daughter. Amber never went back to her parents because she knew they would be hurt seeing what she had become after dealing with Hazel. It was a mercy to them, at least in her opinion.

That's all for now folks. I'll hopefully be back next week with the Ultra Beast battle, with some fun twists along for the ride! Please review the story and give me your thoughts, and favorite and/or follow the story if you aren't already. Questions will be answered if they're submitted, and I also have a Discord for the story as well. PM me on this site for the link.

Oh yeah, my thoughts on Pokemon Shield! (Which is the version I played.) Non-spoiler review ahead!

In general, I really quite liked this game. It's definitely one of the best Pokemon Games I've played in my opinion, or at least one of the games I've had the most fun with. I can absolutely see myself writing a story about this region, if I'm not totally burnt out on Pokémon by the time I'm done with RS. We'll see.

Here are my quick-fire thoughts.

Pros:

- The music. Good lord, the music was fantastic. I'd probably say it has one of the best soundtracks out of any of the Generations so far. All of the character themes were absolutely wonderful, with special mentions going to Marnie and Bede's themes.

- The characters. I don't think there was a single character introduced that I didn't like in the story. Even some like Bede and Hop, who grated a bit at the beginning, - became endearing by the end of the story.

- Team Yell. While not as fantastic as Team Skull, I liked the take on the trope of evil teams in Pokémon and found them likable after a while. Just focusing on the Gym Challenge with my group was nice.

- The Gym Battles. Man...Probably the best part of the game. They were simply an absolute blast, with each of the Gym Leaders having fun personalities that stuck out and posing enough of a challenge that I had to think fast a few times. The music for those battles made it even better.

- The story in general. While not something super in-depth, I quite liked the tale the game told. Though it wobbled a bit in some places, I enjoyed the arcs everyone took and where the game ended up going. The post-game in particular ended on a nice note that made me satisfied with the game as a whole.

- The Pokemon. I went into this mostly blind, and I played with an entirely new team. That said, I really liked the different Pokémon the game had to offer and the new ones were really interesting, if not occasionally bizarre.

- Dynamax. While some called it just another gimmick, I liked how it tied into the story and there was a clear benefit to getting the Max Raid Pokémon. It was a neat enough concept and battling with Dynamax was really fun and made battles even more intense.

Cons:

- Post-game. It was too short, even if it did wrap up the story in a nice way and left me satisfied in a way that Sun and Moon/USUM did not.

- The conflict. While most people could guess who the bad guy of the story was, there's a massive plot whole centered around that which annoyed the shit out of me. Depending on where this game falls in the timeline, especially considering you can get a Type: Null in it at the end, I might do something with this. But we'll see.

- Hop. And by that, I mean the fact that you battle the dude 10 times by the time you wrap up the post-game. I like the character, I do, but that was excessive. Especially when characters I was more fond of, like Bede and Marnie, got half that...actually I just checked. It's less than that. In fact combined, you fight Bede and Marnie less than you do Hop. DAFAQ?

- EXP Share being always on. While the game didn't feel as broken as does when you use it in previous games, I still didn't like it. Mainly because it discourages using different Pokémon instead of just using your best one. Just not a fan of it, even if I wasn't overleveled as hell like I thought I'd be.

As a whole, I adored this game. I might have liked it even more than Sun and Moon, because the ending didn't leave me sad and wanting to write something that fixed and expanded on the story it told. It was just fun as hell, even if it wasn't particularly challenging. I still say Pokémon needs a Hard Mode for veteran players, but until that wonderful time I'll stick to my Nuzlockes.

That's all from me. Gonna hammer out the next chapter as quick as I can, because there's a lot to get to!

Take care and stay awesome!

Until next time, FlygonNick out!