Pokémon Radiant Sun


Alright, so I'll be real here. These past two weeks have been really crap.

I was hoping to have this up on my birthday, but that didn't happen for one reason or another. This was also a pretty bad time for this chapter to be delayed, because it was really hard to write.

Anywho, let's roll. Shoutout to those who reviewed since the last update, which includes Oragonking, two Guest reviewers, Anasazi Darkmoon, noobl, BraviaryScout, SomeCallItKye, SonicIKE and a new reviewer that goes by Iacrus Gray. Thanks for the feedback and support, homies!

Dark stuff coming your way! This may be one of my more grim chapters, so best be prepared.

On that note...

Enjoy.


Chapter 104: Scars


"See, I told you this place was good!"

"So you did, Ash. Guess you gotta pay up, Lusa!"

"You two are so mean to gang up on a woman like this."

Lusamine pouted while Ash and Mohn exchanged grins before the two males of the group took a bite of their Pecha Surprise ice cream, which Ashton had recommended to them. They were sitting in a local ice cream shop that had a good view of the ocean, with afternoon sun rising high in the distance.

"Come on, Miss Lusamine. Eating ice cream always makes me feel better. Well...the few times we could afford it, anyway." Ashton remarked, frowning slightly. As if remembering his own advice, he took a bite of ice cream and smiled slightly as he ate it. Lusamine smiled herself and took another bite of the frozen treat. Considering the blistering heat outside, eating ice cream felt amazing. All too soon, the treats were gone and Ashton was soon walking outside with his two new friends.

At first, Ashton was very cautious about trusting the two strangers. After all, it wasn't every day two people who definitely weren't Alolan suddenly showed up and saved your life. However, due to the fact that he was injured and low on money and supplies, Ash was forced to accept their kindness.

Upon hearing how Ashton was thrown out of his house and forced to undergo the Island Challenge, Mohn and Lusamine couldn't help but feel sympathy for the young boy. When the couple saw how under-prepared Ashton was to actually do this difficult task, Lusamine had taken it upon herself to outfit the fledgling Trainer with a new outfit (as well as several more shirts, shorts and even a few hats for good measure) that were all nicer than anything he had ever worn before. Mohn, meanwhile, had been providing general advice about how to navigate the Wilds. A wanderer in his own right, Mohn had a bit more experience roughing it than Lusamine did.

Ashton had explained his predicament to the two Kalosians, and was at first taken aback by them suddenly showering him in kindness. It had to be a ploy of some kind, or a trick.

But the boy was wrong. And he learned that there were truly good people in the world. People unlike his parents, where one was a dismissive enabler and the other was…

Well, to put it lightly...A monster.

Lusamine had arranged Ashton to have a room at Kahuna Roran's prestigious hotel while they tried to determine some sort of plan for what to do with the child. Lusamine and Mohn had asked the boy what he wanted to do, and was surprised by his response.

"Whatever I do, I know I'm not going home."

And so Ashton stayed with Lusamine and Mohn in their hotel. He would follow them around as they attended meetings and took in the local culture, and the boy even led them around the city when Kahuna Roran wasn't around. Once Ash had gotten over his initial misgivings, he warmed up quickly to the Kalos Champion and her boyfriend.

The trio exited the ice cream shop and walked outside, with Ashton holding another cone of vanilla in his hand. He grabbed the Poké Ball at his waist and called out Damien, who looked up at the boy as he crouched down to him, holding out the ice cream.

"Try it, Damien. I bet you'll like it." Ashton said to the Houndour, who seemed skeptical. The canine sniffed it experimentally a few times, narrowing his eyes slightly before giving the ice cream a tentative lick.

Damien's eyes widened in surprise before he began licking the ice cream in earnest. Ashton grinned at the Dark Pokémon as he noisily ate the ice cream while Lusamine and Mohn watched on with amusement.

"Well, that's probably the most heartwarming thing I'll see all day."

Lusamine, Mohn and Ashton looked up to see Roran Rubinara standing nearby, an Ariados chittering softly at his feet. The Kahuna wore an easygoing smile on his face, his orange eyes bright in the shining sun.

"Miss Champion, if I could have a word with you?" Roran asked Lusamine, who nodded after a moment. The Kahuna's gaze drifted to Ashton, who was staring at the man with a sort of reverence as Damien licked the ice cream held loosely in his hand.

"Didn't your father ever tell you that it's impolite to stare?" Roran jokingly asked Ashton, who flinched harshly at the words. Lusamine and Mohn exchanged a glance of concern, and even Roran adopted an expression of worry.

"Ash? You alright?" Mohn asked the boy. Roran took several steps forward and rolled back his sleeves, his Z-Ring on his left wrist glittered in the sunlight.

"My boy, if there's something bothering you...I urge you to tell me. As Kahuna of this island, I am sworn to protect everyone here. Young, old, big or small." Roran said as he knelt down to Ashton's level, placing a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. Ashton reacted by jerking away violently from the Kahuna, his eyes gleaming with sudden fury and hostility.

"Don't touch me!" Ashton growled, taking a step back as his eyes flashed bright red. Roran seemed taken aback, and would have said something if Damien hadn't suddenly snapped up the half-eaten ice cream held in Ashton's right hand.

"Ow! What was that for?" Ashton yelped, glaring at Damien. The Houndour looked a bit surprised to be yelled at. The Houndour then licked Ashton's hand with a soft whine, which made the boy's expression soften somewhat.

"Agh...Sorry, Damien. I shouldn't have yelled at you." Ashton apologized to the Houndour, who let out a soft grunt and nodded.

"There's a Poké Bean stand across the street. Let's get him some snacks while we wait for Lusamine." Mohn said to Ashton, walking towards the stand he noticed. Ashton nodded after a moment and followed, allowing the Champion and the Kahuna to converse.

"Poor kid…Keep an eye out for him, Champ. I sense something interesting in that boy." Lusamine turned to Roran, who was giving her a winning smile. Lusamine seemed surprised by the comment. "Trust me. Kahunas have an eye for talent, just like you Champions do. While he might need a bit of a nudge in the right direction, that doesn't mean that we can't bring out the potential of someone like him."

Lusamine nodded, looking back towards Ashton as the boy scratched Damien on the head and fed him a bright red bean. The surly Houndour sighed with pleasure as Mohn nodded in approval.

"You should take him to the beach." Roran suggested to Lusamine, earning him an odd look from the woman.

"Why the beach? Shouldn't he be trying to do one of those Trials the locals keep going on about?" Lusamine asked the man, which made him smile.

"There's a lot more to life than the Trials, Miss Champion. I learned that long ago. While we can adhere to the traditions of old, we should not shackle ourselves to them." Roran said, his smile becoming less pronounced. "Hence why I'm so supportive of your League. Alola needs to step into the future."

Roran then turned around, glancing towards Lusamine with his smile fading away completely. "We adults owe it to the next generation to do our best. So don't let the kid down."

"What did you want to talk about?" Lusamine asked Roran, who sighed and placed a hand against his head.

"With the attacks the Ruby Raiders have been launching against us, I've been up to my neck in political nonsense. I was hoping you could do a few PR events for us on Melemele Island. I know you're into Pokémon Conservation, so I was hoping you could help me out over there and drum up some interest in it. Hala needs a bit of help out there, considering he's dealing with some family problems, and I'd like to ease his burdens if I could." Roran explained as Lusamine nodded understandingly.

"What kind of problems is he having?" Lusamine asked.

"His brat of a son is causing a bit of a stir. He's quite the talented Trainer himself, having defeated Totem Araquanid with just his Torracat, and many have him tipped to be the next Kahuna of Melemele Island. However, he publicly told everyone that the Island Challenge is a farce and that he'd sooner set himself on fire than become a Kahuna like Hala." Roran said with a sigh, shaking his head.

"While I understand not wanting to conform to what other people want you to do, that's a bit excessive, isn't it?" Lusamine asked, frowning now.

"Yes. Which is why I'd like you to go to Melemele for a little while to help boost the mood. Young Ashton will need to go there to begin his own Island Challenge. Maybe you could take him there and help him on his way? In trying times like these, Alola needs all the skilled Trainers we can get." Roran said as he crossed his arms, tapping his foot a few times. The man shook his head and said, "I know it's not exactly what you signed up for, but we could use the help. Consider it a way of...strengthening the bonds between Kalos and Alola."

Lusamine smirked, leaning forward. "You're quite the politician, aren't you?"

"You have to be, in this day and age. I'd like to think I'm ahead of the curve, though." Roran laughed, waving a hand dismissively towards Lusamine. "Think on it."

"I'll let you know what I decide sooner rather than later. The last thing we need in a time of crisis is for the people here to lose hope." Lusamine said before bowing slightly to Roran. The Kahuna surprised her by returning the bow before turning on his heel and striding away from her, his Ariados not too far behind.

"Have fun, Champ!" Roran called out as he waved a hand in farewell without looking at Lusamine. Roran walked away from Lusamine as the woman considered the Kahunas's words.

"After all...You being distracted on Melemele means you won't be digging any deeper than I want you to here on Ula'ula." Roran murmured to himself as he walked away, taking a glance over his shoulder as he saw Ashton chasing Mohn down the sidewalk with grin on his face as Lusamine followed behind them.

Roran faced forward, his smile darkening as he stepped into the shadow of his Ariados and vanished into the darkness with Shadow Sneak. He had work to do, and couldn't afford to deal with anymore pleasantries.

A criminal organization didn't run itself, after all.


Present

Route 8


"Holy balls, dude! History can be cool as hell!"

"Did you really just say 'holy balls'?"

Kevin shrugged as they left Dream Park, which was where the Fossil Man lived. The enigmatic man had just returned from Ula'ula Island and had greeted them jovially as he smoked a blunt of weed when the thugs had come to visit him. After treating the teens to lunch, the man went into a tirade on world history, including the history of Alola. By the time that they had left, the Fossil Man was talking to a nearby tree stump about the machinations of the world and whether or not carrot juice is a good lubricant for performing sexual favors.

"The guy still weirds me out." Demi admitted with a small shake of the head.

"Well, learning that the Trial Sites were ancient battle grounds for the Tapu makes me reevaluate my opinion of them." Kayla remarked, stuffing her hands into her pockets. "Don't get me wrong, they're still stupid, but it is kind of cool, yo. Makes me wonder how he knows that stuff."

"Alien's fighting gods does sound pretty badass." Axen admitted, chuckling softly. "Ain't that right, Tim?"

"Nexa, toidi gnikcuf a er'uoy." Tim replied testily, shaking his head.

"We really should figure out a way to fix your brain so you can speak properly again, yo. I'm just going to assume you called me a goddamn sexy beast. And while I appreciate the compliment, I don't roll that way, buddy. I've got a girlfriend." Axen bragged, which made everyone roll their eyes in unison.

"Riiiiiiiight. Kayla, you said we were going to train today, right?" Demi asked the other girl, earning a nod in response. "Is it cool if we swing by Gladion's place real quick? I forgot my backpack there."

"Sure thing, yo. It's right on our way, anyway." Kayla replied with a shrug, turning slightly towards the distant motel where their edgy companion dwelled.

Demi had been worried about Gladion as of late. He had become increasingly irritated lately, on top of favoring hiding in his room as opposed to training or hanging out with Team Skull. The latter bit she understood, since Gladion and Team Skull rarely got along, but it was still concerning.

The group arrived at Gladion'smotel room with little fanfare. Demi knocked twice and said, "Hey, I need to grab something real quick. You mind if I come in?"

"Go away, Demi. I'm not in the mood for their shit." came the biting reply.

"Oh come on dude, it's just for a second." Demi replied as she inserted the key and turned the knob, opening the door with a grin.

That grin faded...and then Demi let out a gasp of horror.

"Damn it, I said don't come in!" Gladion snapped as he dropped his switchblade onto the floor, clutching his left arm as blood oozed down his wrist. Demi stood there in the doorway, transfixed in terror as she realized that there was a very good reason Gladion wore long-sleeves shirts in Alola's infamous heat.

On Gladion's left arm near the elbow was a horrifying bright red scar, with lines of white running through it. Demi had always wondered why Gladion looked pained when he grabbed that place on his arm, and now she knew exactly why. It looked as if something had savaged his arm and it was still healing, or that it had begun to heal but wasn't doing so properly. But the worst part was what Demi noticed the longer she looked at Gladion.

Scars lined Gladion's arms on both sides. Every single scar was a single straight line, which Demi thought was odd at first. And then Demi's eyes went to the fallen switchblade on the ground. Coated in blood.

Gladion's blood.

"G-gladion...Are...are you…" Demi couldn't even speak, so great was her distress. Gladion hung his head, letting out a harsh sigh before his eyes hardened into daggers.

"Don't say a word to them. Get your stuff and leave me alone to my misery." Gladion said harshly as he walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Demi entered the room, shutting the door behind her as she walked forward, snatching up her backpack as she walked past it.

"Gladion...Do you want to talk about it?" Demi asked timidly, gingerly picking up the bloodstained switchblade and dropping it into the trash can. Gladion's response made Demi nearly jump out of her skin.

"GET OUT!"

Demi quickly scrambled out of the slammed the door shut behind her, shivering at the sheer level of anger in Gladion's voice. Bone Unit 71 looked concerned as Demi leaned against the door, shuddering for several moments before she slid to the ground, burying her face in her hands as she began to cry.

"Shit. I'm gonna give that douche a beating he won't soon forget." Axen growled, stepping forward as he cracked his knuckles.

"D-don't hurt him!" Demi sobbed, managing to get to her feet after a few moments. The rest of the Team Skull Grunts exchanged looks as Demi suddenly walked past them, tears still dripping down her face. She wasn't crying because of how Gladion had acted towards her, though. Being yelled at was nothing new, especially now that she was in Team Skull.

No...She was crying because she hadn't realized how much Gladion was suffering. While he held himself apart from everyone in his pursuit of strength, he was in so much pain. And it made Demi weep.

"How much hurt do you really have inside your heart, Gladion?" Demi thought as she tried to wipe the image of Gladion's scars out of her mind. A darker thought occurred to Demi.

"I could have stayed. I could be there with him right now, but I let him force me away. Instead of supporting him, I ran away...Just like I always do." Demi thought as she fought back another wave of tears. Despite her efforts, the tears continue to fall as Bone Unit 71 walked after her.

Meanwhile, Gladion was staring at the bathroom door with a guilty look on his face. After a few moments, he quickly washed off his newest cut and sprayed disinfectant on the self-inflicted injury, wincing slightly before he wrapped it in gauze. That being done, Gladion leaned against the wall with a low groan escaping him.

"This is why I'll always be alone." Gladion said quietly, shaking his head.

"It's for the best. She'd only get hurt. Just like with Lillie...I'd only hurt anyone who got close, so I have to keep them as far away as possible." Gladion thought as he banged the back of his head against the tiled wall behind him.

"I deserve this...I deserve all of this. I'm too weak…" Gladion whispered, sinking down onto the floor and sighing deeply as he placed his head in his hands. At this rate, his family would be destroyed…

And so would Alola.

And it was all his fault.


Malie City Library


"W-w-w-what was that?"

"I...I don't know. Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah...Just don't let go of me. I don't trust my legs."

Sun and Lillie continued to hold onto each other, both badly startled by the sudden tremor that had rocked the island. Several people inside of the library were on the floor, with several books having fallen from the shelves. The librarian had called out a Kadabra that was quickly trying to restore order to the place.

Sun took a moment to calm his frantically beating heart, knowing that Lillie was even more scared and that he had to be strong for her. After that moment he turned her slightly so that she could see him.

"You think you can stand now?" Sun asked quietly, with Lillie nodding shakily. Lillie took a moment to compose herself, taking a deep breath before exhaling slowly. Sun let go of her and she stood on her own two feet perfectly fine.

"Just what was that? Alola doesn't typically have earthquakes like that. at least not in the past few decades." Lillie asked Sun, who shook his head. He had no idea what that was.

"Let's try and find that book. Things seem to have settled down for now." Sun suggested to his crush, hoping that would help distract her from the strange quake that had rocked the island. It seemed to work as Lillie shut her eyes, taking a calming breath to steady herself.

"I'm okay...I'm okay. Woo…" Lillie then opened her eyes, still wearing a soft frown. "The book I'm looking for is a very old one. It's a book that contains old myths and legends that Professor Burnet told me about. Much like the book you got me for my birthday, Sun."

"Did that book help you at all with your studies?" Sun asked Lillie, earning a nod in response.

"Yes. The history of those ruins and the Tapu were fascinating. There's several references to Ultra Beasts in that book as well, detailing some of the incredible battles that took place across Alola. I haven't finished reading it, though, due to how difficult the language can be to translate." Lillie replied as they began to walk forward, with Lillie eyeing the stairs. She glanced back at Sun, who was peering around the area carefully. Lillie smiled, stifling a laugh.

"Why don't you look around downstairs? I'll search upstairs and text you if I find anything." Lillie offered to Sun, who looked at her for a moment before shrugging. Lillie carefully made her way above while Sun walked around the downstairs area, his curiosity getting the better of him. After a few minutes of browsing, Sun felt a strange feeling in his head. A buzzing pressure of some sort that was familiar in a way.

It hit Sun a few moments later, and he was instantly on guard.

"The Anomaly is close by…" Sun muttered, glancing around the room. He looked around to see if he could spot any sign of the strange creature or his many different forms. He didn't spot any the Heliolisk, nor any angels or armor-wearing soldiers.

He did spot a strange man lurking in the corner of the room that stood out though. He had long black hair and pale skin, and wore a black trench coat with runic symbols decorating the outside. The man was tall and his skin was deathly pale, with a rather angular face. He reminded Sun of a vampire.

Sun walked over to the man, who's red eyes fluttered over to him, a sharp smile coming to his lips. He turned towards the boy, who was rather alarmed to see two massive pistols (one silver and one jet black) holstered loosely in the man's coat.

"Is there a problem?" the man asked, his voice deep and gentle. Everything about the man screamed dangerous, but for some reason Sun didn't feel very afraid. So, with that being the case, Sun smiled at the man.

"Are you new here in Alola, sir? You don't look like a local." Sun noted, making the man laugh in reply.

"True. I'm not from around here." The taller man remarked before extending a hand to the boy, his smile widening. Sun looked at the hand for a moment before reaching forward and shaking it a few times. The boy then let go of the man's hand, his smile becoming a grin.

"The name's Sun." The Trainer introduced himself, earning a nod of approval from the stranger.

"Yena. Dr. Harvey Yena, at your service." The man said with a theatrical bow, grinning at Sun. The boy stared at the man for a few moments before smiling to himself. "I don't suppose you would-"

"Dizz." Sun stated, cutting him off.

Yena's crimson eyes widened as his form shuddered violently, as if he was made of static, before he glowed white and became a Heliolisk that Sun recognized right away. The Anomaly smirked at Sun, pleased for some reason. It was at that moment Sun became aware of the air being very still in the library. Time had stopped once again.

You're becoming wary! Good.

"I'm surprised to see you here. And that you're not trying to kill me." Sun said calmly to the Anomaly, who tilted his head as a look of amusement entered its eyes.

For someone who WAS nearly killed by me, you're awfully calm.

"That's because I know there's nothing I can do to stop you, so why bother? And if you were going to kill me...You would've done it by now." Sun said to the strange being, who let out a cackle of delight in response.

Ah, it's been a while since I've encountered a soul like you. You're quite intelligent for a 12-year old, and mature beyond your years. You'll do fine...Just so long as the course doesn't change.

"So why are you here?" Sun asked the Heliolisk, earning a shrug.

Truthfully? Boredom. All of the action is bubbling under the surface, ready to break free. Somewhat like a volcano. I'm feeling slightly undercut here.

"That's a very...interesting metaphor." Sun remarked, making Dizz laugh at him. "You know, you would probably be less bored if you had some friends. I know I'm a lot happier now that I have people like Hau and Lillie in my life."

Dizz simply stared at the boy for a few moments, its smile fading away completely. It looked as if it wasn't exactly sure how to respond to Sun's remark. And when it did speak, its tone was a mixture of sorrow, anger, and loss.

Once upon a time, I had an entire universe that loved me. They respected and adored what I could do for them and the wonders I could achieve with my broken form. Eventually I was forgotten. Abandoned. Now I flit between worlds, realities, waiting for something to break the monotony. And then I realized that this was all a meaningless charade. You can't imagine how it feels, little one...How painful this existence can be.

"What...What are you, exactly?" Sun asked the Anomaly, who smiled sadly at him before fading away with a flicker.

Sun frowned, not liking that his question wasn't answered, before remembering that Aria and Vivian might know more about the creature. He decided he's ask them about the strange being later.

Sun walked around the library, deciding to play tourist for a bit. There were modest yet pleasant displays of older texts, several of which displayed pictures of what looked like Alolan warriors with light coming from their wrists. It was a very cozy place, Malie Library, with several large comfy chairs that had likely seen many butts sit in them for hours on end. He also talked with Professor Oak again, and had a discussion about Regional Variants with him.

"Excuse me, young man. I have a quick question." A tourist asked him as he made his way to the stairs, a pleasant smile on her face. Sun stopped and turned around to face the woman.

"Um, sure. What's up?" Sun asked.

"I came all the way from Johto to visit Alola. Is it true you can't use Fly to fly around here?" the woman asked, curiosity in her eyes.

Sun nodded in response. "Yes, it is."

"Wow...So it's really a thing? This really is a whole different region. But then how do folks in Alola fly around?"

"On Charizard, usually. I know there's a few other types of Ride Pokémon that people use to help them get around, but Charizard is the most popular from what I can tell." Sun explained to the woman, who looked even more interested.

"Wow…So everyone just rides around on special Charizard that've been raised for the job?" the woman asked Sun, receiving yet another nod. "Sounds weird, if you ask me, but I've gotta admit that riding on a Charizard would be a blast!"

"It's been pretty fun. Totally safe, too." Sun said to the woman, who's face adopted a thoughtful expression.

"I wonder if this has anything to do with Leon, the Galar-region Champion. His Charizard is world-famous. Eh, probably not, but it's a thought." The tourist remarked, laughing after a moment. She then looked back at Sun with a grin. "Thanks for teaching me about how things are here in Alola."

"No problem." Sun replied cheerily, though he was surprised when the woman dug into her bag and pulled out a light-blue TM.

"Here, you might as well have this!" The tourist said cheerily, handing the disc to Sun. The boy accepted it with a surprised expression on his face. "Back where I'm from, in Johto, this kind of TM is a real big deal. They're called Hidden Machines, or HM's, because they're so hard to get your hands on. But here I guess it's just another TM. Maybe you can use it in battle or something!"

"Yeah...Definitely. Thanks." Sun said to the tourist, grinning at her. After bidding the woman farewell, Sun decided he should join Lillie upstairs and help her look for the book she was searching for. Sun made his way up the stairs and saw Lillie right away, scanning the shelves as Nebby cried out impatiently from within his bag.

"Shh. Quiet, Nebby. We're in a library." Lillie rebuked the Cosmog before catching sight of Sun approaching her. "You took your sweet time." Lillie said quietly, a little smirk on her face as Sun crossed his arms.

"I ran into everyone's favorite abomination downstairs, so I was held up for a bit. I also ran into Professor Oak, the tan one, as well. Sorry it took so long." Sun apologized, with Lillie waving a hand dismissively as she continued to scan the shelves. Nebby peered out from his bag, a questioning look on his face.

"It must be a very valuable book, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to take it out of the library…" Lillie mused aloud, not noticing Acerola as the girl spied on them from a nearby pillar. Sun spotted the Captain after a few moments and gave her a questioning look. The girl simply giggled and walked over to them with a hefty tome tucked away under her arm, setting the book down with a grunt on a table nearby. Lillie jumped slightly in surprise and turned away, sighing in relief at seeing her quirky friend smiling at her.

"Is this what you're looking for, Princess?" Acerola asked cattily as she flipped the book open. shutting her eyes as she gave them a wide smile. "Give it a read!"

"O-oh. Of course." Lillie said sheepishly, walking over to Acerola. The Captain patted a nearby cushion, which Lillie took as a cue to sit down. Sun joined her across the table while Acerola stood there, facing Lillie.

"Well...It's titled The Light of Alola." Lillie noted, pulling the book towards her. "I'll just...um...read it aloud, shall I?"

"Sounds good to me. I love storytime!" Acerola said as she leaned forward, propping her head onto her hands as she leaned on the table. Sun gave her a look, which earned him a raspberry in response. Lillie rolled her eyes and began to read the passage that Acerola had flipped to, her voice soft. Nebby emerged from out from his bag, his expression curious.

The empty sky broke asunder,

A hole appearing where had been none.

A single beast appeared from in it:

It was called the beast that devours the sun.

The king of Alola bowed before it:

The beast that shone so like the sun.

The Island Guardians fought against it,

But in the end the beast had won.

Then did the beast that devours the sun

Shine it's light on the line of kings.

Then did the beast that had won

Give nature's gift to bless all things.

Beast of sun and beast of moon.

Through their union, they brought new life.

A fragile heir in Alola born

That Island Guardians would keep from strife.

The ancient kings sang their thanks

For Solgaleo with song of flute.

Two tones rang out across the alter -

A perfect pair, ever after mute.

Lillie stopped reading the passage, her eyes wide in awe at what she had read. Sun looked down at the book himself and saw an illustration of what looked like a shining lion rising into the sky, with four different creatures floating at the bottom of the page looking up at it. Two men stood across from one another, the two of them playing two flutes in their hands.

"Isn't it great?" Acerola asked, snapping the two children out of their thoughts. "My dad's books are all great!"

"What?" Lillie asked, confused. She then remembered herself and said, "I mean, yes, it is. But when you say your father...Isn't this book...very old?"

Acerola nodded happily, shutting her eyes. "Yeah, it belonged to my dad. I know I don't look it, but my family used to be pretty much royalty. There's a lot of families in Alola with ties in the ancient kings, queens and war chiefs of the past."

"Really? That's pretty cool." Sun remarked, smiling slightly as Acerola opened her eyes and looked upwards as she waved her hand above her.

"I had to have all my dad's books moved here so they didn't get ruined by the Pokémon." Acerola explained, laughing a little. "I can tell you lots of other old stories about Alola, too! You interested?"

"Well...that would be wonderful! I would be delighted, if you did." Lillie said brightly, with Acerola doing a fist-pump of victory. Lillie turned to Sun, still smiling. "I think I'll stay here in Malie City with Acerola for a while. After all, Professor Kukui will be busy for some time and with Acerola's help, I think I can make some serious progress on my research. But I know why you came to Ula'ula."

"Hehehehe! It'll be interesting to see if Soffy can handle you." Acerola laughed softly, doing a small twirl where she stood.

"You'll be undergoing another Trial, won't you, Sun? Good luck with it." Lillie said to her crush, who grinned back at her.

"Thanks, Princess. I won't be heading out until tomorrow, though, so don't think you can get rid of me that easily." Sun said teasingly, making Lillie blush slightly as Acerola snickered.

"Do I need to separate you two?" Acerola asked coyly, raising an eyebrow as both Sun and Lillie blushed at her suggestive tone.

"Erm..ahem! I read that Ula'ula Island's Electric-type Trial can only be reached by the bus on Route 10." Lillie said with an embarrassed cough.

"Um...Y-yeah, I'll be meeting Kukui at the bus stop tomorrow. I was going to check out some of the sights in the city today and tomorrow morning before heading out to meet him on Route 10." Sun explained, earning a nod from the girl.

"If that's the case, then we should probably resume our studies tomorrow, now that we've tracked down the book Lillie wanted to find. Malie City has been getting a bit unsafe lately, and it wouldn't be a smart idea to wander once the sun has set." Acerola said seriously to the two children, which made the both of them stare at her, and then out the window in surprise. The sun had indeed set, and the light of day was nearly gone. It seemed that had spent quite a while inside of the library.

"That's actually quite insightful of you." Sun said jokingly to the Captain, who actually huffed and crossed her arms.

"I might be a goofball, but I'm still a Captain. And I have to protect everyone I can from nasties like Team Skull or Cipher, or anyone else who threatens our peace." Acerola said seriously, making Sun frown in response. He felt a little bad about his joke now. However, as he opened his mouth to apologize, Acerola smiled once again and said, "So how about this? We get some of the city's tastiest ramen for dinner! My treat!"

"Oh...That sounds pretty good, actually." Lillie remarked, closing the book as Nebby cooed from his bag. Sun nodded and was, once again, about to speak when Acerola suddenly grabbed the both of them around the arms and began to drag them out of their chairs.

"B-b-but what about the book?" Lillie whined as Acerola awkwardly led them down the stairs, which Sun nearly tripped down thanks to the Captain.

"It'll be fine." Acerola said absentmindedly as she left the building with her two friends, totally aware that a Gengar was putting up the book for her while she treated her friends to dinner.


"Ahh...It feels good to just lie down in bed." Sun remarked with a sigh, burying his face in his pillow.

"You're telling me! Though I'll admit I kinda miss the beds at Aether Paradise. It was like sleeping on a cloud." Hau sighed as he rolled around on his bed like some kind of weird hedgehog.

"I'm glad we're back on track with our Island Challenge, though. I want to get to the next Trial already." Sun said as he sat up on his bed, with Hau doing the same after a moment, grinning at Sun. "It feels like we keep getting sidetracked."

"Heh. Feel free to go on ahead. I'm going to find an awesome Pokémon and wreck you the next time we battle! Just wait and see!" Hau said excitedly, punching a fist toward Sun.

"'Wreck me'? Didn't realize you started borrowing Team Skull's vocabulary." Sun said teasingly, making Hau's face pale in horror.

"By the Tapu...You're right. Their stupidity is infecting me!" Hau suddenly yelled out, clutching his head and rolling onto the floor with a grunt. The door to the bathroom opened slightly and Lillie poked her head out, looking surprised. Sun was surprised to see her blonde hair out of its usual braids, hanging loosely around her head and over her bare shoulders.

"Is...is everything okay?" Lillie asked worriedly, making sure to keep her body safely behind the door.

"Yup...The only thing damaged was my pride." Hau moaned, clutching his face.

"So nothing was damaged then." Lillie remarked with a little grin, making Sun burst out into giggles while Hau flopped down on the floor.

"See what I'm talking about? Abuse! I should've just stayed on Akala if you all were going to bully me like this." Hau whined from the floor, earning a giggle from the blonde-haired girl. Hau rolled onto his stomach and glared at her, raising an eyebrow. "And it's not a good idea to talk crap while you're standing around in your underwear, Lillie."

"Meep!" Lillie squealed before she ducked back into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

"You couldn't even see her, Hau." Sun remarked as Hau chuckled to himself.

"I know. But messing with her is fun sometimes." Hau remarked before the door to the bathroom opened. Lillie walked out, dressed in demure white nightgown with golden lace along the edges, her face burning red with embarrassment as Hau grinned at her.

"You suck, Hau." Lillie grumbled as Hau hopped to his feet, giving her a wide grin.

"You started it, Princess." Hau shot back before Hau ducked to avoid the pillow that Sun had thrown at the boy. "So, back to my point. Sun's heading to meet up with the Professor tomorrow afternoon. You all want to do something in the morning before he heads out?"

"Uh...What did you have in mind?" Sun asked Hau, who pulled out his phone and showed him a flyer of some kind that was saved as a picture.

"Malie City's Weekend Market. They hold it on Sapling Street every weekend. Food, toys, games and all sorts of cool trinkets. It starts at sunrise and goes until sunset. I figured it'd be a cool way to look at some of the local stuff you can't get in a gift shop." Hau explained, making Sun smile at the suggestion.

"I can get Mom another souvenir. Count me in, but keep in mind I need to leave early enough to meet with the Professor. I don't know how long it'll take me to get to that bus stop." Sun said to his friend, who simply shrugged.

"I'm sure it won't matter if you're a bit late anyway. The Professor is usually late himself to stuff like that since he's too busy with his research. I mean, how many times has he misplaced Lillie?" Hau remarked, glancing at Lillie.

"In Professor Kukui's defense, the last three times were because Nebby decided to fly off." Lillie interjected, making both Hau and Sun roll their eyes in sync. Before Hau could make a comment on that, his phone buzzed in his hand.

"That's Mom. I gotta take this." Hau said as he walked out of the room, grabbing a Poké Ball from his bed as he walked out of the room.

"Good. He's gone." Lillie sighed with relief, which made Sun confused. Lillie turned around and beamed at Sun before suddenly leaping onto the bed beside him, throwing her arms around the boy.

"Alright, this is the best surprise I've had in awhile." Sun remarked with a smile and a blush as he returned Lillie's hug, with his crush pressing her head into the crook of his neck.

"I don't get many chances to do stuff like this, so I want to make every second count!" Lillie declared before seemingly realizing what she had just done. She pulled away from Sun, a fierce blush on her face. Sun leaned up and pressed his forehead against hers, his cheeks bright pink.

"I don't mind one bit." Sun said warmly, smiling at his best friend. Lillie laughed softly in reply, and so the two friends decided to lean against the wall while pressed close to each other, with Lillie laying her head on Sun's shoulder.

"So...How are you feeling?" Lillie asked.

"I've...accepted what happened last night. It was horrifying to watch, but Team Rocket is infamous for a reason. I know my Dad hated them because they tried to extort him once, but I didn't think he'd manage to catch someone like Giovanni off-guard like that and destroy all of them." Sun answered with a small sigh. He explained to Lillie how Team Rocket attempted to hold his Mom hostage on the day he was born, attacking the hospital before being driven off by an associate of his father's…

"I bet that was Amber. I was told that my mother might know something about Amanda...something or other. I wonder if that's Amber Fontaine's real name. Maybe that's how My Dad met Amber." Sun wondered aloud, with Lillie shrugging.

"Who knows? You should ask her, though, Sun. Understanding the past is never a bad thing. You know?"

"Yep. I've got so much on my plate right now...Maybe I should just stick to what I can actually deal with. Like Oliver acting out."

"You mentioned that it happened at Aether Paradise, yes?" Lillie asked, shutting her eyes.

Sun nodded once in reply, though he was surprised by the uncertainty in her voice. "Yeah, when I fought that Ultra Beast. Why, what's up Lillie?"

Lillie frowned, trying to decide what she wanted to say. There was a part of her that wanted to explain everything to Sun. Out of everyone, she knew she could trust him with this information. After all, she had trusted Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet (along with Colress), with her past. Why couldn't she tell Sun?

"Because he's gone through so much...And I can't bear to add anymore to his burden." Lillie thought to herself, sighing inwardly.

"No reason. The Aether Paradise is a very interesting organization, and I feel like they keep a lot of secrets." Lillie replied quietly, which in turn earned her a one-armed hug from Sun, which surprised her.

"Are you okay?" Sun asked, confused by what she was talking about. If he didn't know any better, he would say that Lillie was warning him about Aether.

They were such a good force in Alola though. Alola as a region adored the Paradise and the Foundation, and they had been helping save Pokémon since long before he was born. What was there to distrust?

"I'm...I'm fine. Maybe I'm just being paranoid." Lillie mumbled, sighing with defeat. "What...what did you think of the President?"

"Miss Lusamine? She was nice and very friendly. Motherly, in a way. I appreciated that she talked to me about my dad's past, considering they were very close friends way back, and that's helped me put together a lot of the pieces to this puzzle. But I'll admit she's a bit weird." Sun admitted to Lillie, which made her eyes open.

"Weird how?" Lillie asked, eager to hear what Sun thought.

"There were a few moments where she just acted slightly off. Especially when the topic centered around the Ultra Beasts. It's hard to describe. I'm choosing to give her the benefit of the doubt, but I don't think I'll trust her until I learn more about her friendship with Dad." Sun answered Lillie, which made the girl smile despite herself.

"You're so clever, Sun. Of course you would have sensed that something was amiss with Mother." Lillie thought with a soft smile on her face, seperating from Sun to see the boy looking at her with surprise.

"Well, I think that's probably the right attitude to have. With her connection to your father, you should probably be careful around her and Aether Paradise." Lillie said to Sun, which made the shrug.

"That's my plan. At least until I know more. With everything going on, you can't afford to be careless." Sun remarked before grinning at Lillie. "Though I probably won't ever be as cautious as you, Princess."

"Most likely not, no. You're actually skilled enough to protect those close to you. And you're handsome. And intelligent." Lillie's smile faded as she looked down at the bed, her green eyes becoming sad. "And I'm just-" Lillie began to say, only for a finger to be pressed against her lips.

"No." Sun said simply, leaning forward to kiss Lillie on the cheek. The girl's cheeks flared bright pink in response, but Sun wasn't done, because he moved forward and enveloped Lillie in a tight hug.

"You're one of the bravest people I know. And I don't care how many times I have to repeat myself, I'll keep doing so until you can look me in the eyes and agree with me when I say that you're awesome." Sun said as he held Lillie close, his words soft as Lillie shut her eyes once again. "I'm not going to let you trash talk yourself anymore, got it?"

"I...okay. I suppose I do need to work on my confidence a bit more." Lillie agreed quietly as Sun pulled away from Lillie, smiling kindly at her. A playful smile flitted across Lillie's face for a moment as she grabbed Sun by the shoulders, confusing the boy for a moment. And then Lillie pushed Sun over onto the bed and hopped onto the boy, grinning triumphantly.

"And so the Princess has conquered the hero!" Lillie proclaimed with a laugh, sitting on top of Sun's stomach as the boy made no effort to get up. Seeing Lillie smile like she was right then was simply too cute to him.

"Wow, it's like you've become the awesome person I've been telling you that you are for over 7 months now." Sun said jokingly, making Lillie's smile deepen.

"You're too good to me." Lillie whispered, beaming at Sun. Sun simply stuck his tongue out at her. "Don't make me hold you down and kiss you until you beg for mercy." Lillie threatened Sun, who's smile widened.

"Do your worst, Princess!" Sun challenged Lillie, making the girl giggle for a moment before she leaned in towards Sun, closing her eyes as Sun moved his head towards her own and-

"Holy crap, and I thought I rambled on the phone!" Hau boomed as he threw the door open, making Lillie let out a squeal of surprise and suddenly cling to Sun in fear while Sun simply glared at Hau for barging in. The tan-skinned boy took a few moments to evaluate just what he had interrupted before a supremely unimpressed look appeared on his face.

"Do I need to get my own room?" Hau deadpanned as the two children quickly sprang apart from one another, with Lillie scrambling into her bed to hide her blushing face under her blanket.

Meanwhile, Nebby simply laughed from his bag, having been peering out of it the entire time.


The next morning held a small surprise from the trio of Trainers. While they were discussing plans for the morning, which included going to the Malie City's Weekend Market, they saw Ollie walk through the front doors to drop off his team to Nurse Joy for a checkup. Sun waved over the International Police Captain, who greeted them with a grin.

"I was wondering when I'd run into you kids again. Small world. So, how're you liking Malie City?" Ollie asked the trio of children.

"It's really nice. We checked out the Library yesterday and some of the city. We were going to check out the market thing happening this morning down on Sapling Street." Sun answered the man, making him smirk.

"I heard it's pretty nice. Haven't been myself, though. You kids mind if I tag along?" Ollie asked, trying to keep his voice sounding casual. Sun knew him better than that, though. Agent Quill was a terrible liar.

"Who asked you to keep an eye on me? Mom?" Sun asked Ollie, who's smile vanished as the man sighed.

"Technically I'm supposed to be waiting for Nanu and Anabel to meet with me about an operation we're pulling, but they might have to delay it. So for now I'm hanging out in Malie City." Ollie remarked, dodging Sun's question even though the answer was obvious.

"Mom already has you whipped. I thought you were cooler than that." Sun remarked as he crossed his arms, making Ollie's eyes widen in surprise.

"H-hey, I'm cool!" Ollie protested as Hau and Lillie snickered behind Sun, who sighed and shook his head as a smile crossed his lips.

"You didn't say anything about not being whipped, though!" Rotom Dex very helpfully pointed out, a slight blush appearing on Ollie's face.

"If I buy you kids breakfast, can you forget about any of this happening?" Ollie asked them, trying to resist the urge to grab Rotom and smash it against the ground.

"Yep!" The three of them replied in unison, which made Ollie roll his eyes and turn around, walking out of the building. Sun, Hau and Lillie exchanged amused looks before they followed Ollie outside.

The quartet soon arrived on Sapling Street, which was packed with shoppers already. Despite Alola's reputation for wonderful weather the sky itself was quite cloudy, with the sun hidden behind a wall of clouds.

Sun was stunned by the sheer amount of stalls that were arranged on what he could have sworn was an empty street the day before. Ollie bought them breakfast at a cozy shop at the corner of the street before they entered the market proper. Almost immediately the group was assailed on all sides by merchants selling their wares, with some of them being eager locals hoping to get some money out of wide-eyed tourists.

"Fine-brewed Roserade Tea! You'll never try anything like it!"

"A lovely necklace for the lovely lady! I have a special deal on rings too!"

"Expertly harvested Charcoal, made just like in Azalea Town! Perfect for any Fire-types!"

"Fresh Slowpoke Tails! Only Twenty grand a pop! You won't get prices like this in Johto!"

"Isn't that illegal?" Hau asked, glancing at a visibly disturbed Lillie. Ollie's expression hardened as he glanced at the vendor, who seemed Johtohan himself. They walked past him, and Ollie answered in an undertone.

"Technically yes, but in Johto, Kanto and Kalos. From what I understand, modern conservation laws haven't quite reached Alola just yet. It's one of the many practices Aether Paradise is trying to get practices like that banned not just in Alola, but around the world." Ollie responded, glancing around casually. Sun was wondering if he was trying to keep an eye out for any danger. The child also wondered if Ollie's Aegislash was lurking within his shadow.

After some time walking down the street, Ollie pulled out his phone and flipped it open, pressing it against his ear. "Ollie here...Wait, what? Slow down."

The man turned to the children, seeing the concern on their faces. The Captain gave them a reassuring grin and said, "Hold on, I've gotta take this. I'll catch up in a few."

With that being said, Ollie walked off, muttering quietly into his phone as the children watched he depart for the time being.

"It's gotta be hard being a member of the...well, you know." Hau said, exercising a surprising amount of subtlety about Ollie's job.

"Let's keep looking around. I've got to meet Professor Kukui in a few hours and I want to see what else this market has to offer." Sun urged his friends, walking ahead of them. Hau and Lillie followed the boy, eyeing the stalls with interest. There seemed to be no limit to the items on display.

Freshly-made jam from the Berry Farm on Melemele Island, fresh cheese made from the Paniola Ranch on Akala, and special Blazmore Rock Candy made only in Malie City. When Sun asked about the candy (while laughing as Hau tried to stem the spiciness of the candy by buying a jar of jelly and shoveling Tomato Jelly into his mouth with even more hilarious results), he learned that it was made using the heat from Blush Mountain itself. Something that made Sun introspective about his journey across three of Alola's islands.

"The islands are so different from one another. Melemele is mostly wilderness and has the biggest city in the region. Akala has several cities all and looks like the most diverse when it comes to climate types. Then you have Ula'ula, which has two massive mountains. And then there's the last island that nobody talks about that much." Sun said as they continued to walk down the path.

"That would be Poni Island. And that is weird, yeah. I know that the Kahuna on that Island was an old friend of Tutu's, but we haven't heard from him in a long time. And the Trial on the island there is the oldest out of them all. I hear it's brutal though." Hau explained to an interested Sun and Lillie.

"What is the island itself like, though?" Sun asked.

"It's almost entirely wilderness. The wild Pokémon there are some of the strongest in the region. Vast Poni Canyon is said to be the greatest test of the entire Island Challenge, or so I hear. Sometimes it takes months for people to battle their way through the place." Hau remarked as he put his hands behind his head.

"Ooh...That sounds brutal. But I imagine the history of the place is incredible." Lillie remarked as she glanced down at Nebby in her bag, where the Cosmog was poking his head out to look around the market. Lillie stroked the Cosmog's head, receiving a coo of delight from the Pokémon before her attention was caught by the sight of several wood carvings on a nearby stall. Sun noticed that the banner above the stall had a bright crown symbol emblazoned on it.

"Oh my, these are lovely!" Lillie gushed as she walked over to the booth, where a kindly old woman with gray eyes greeted the blonde with a smile as she adjusted her glasses. Behind her was a man hunched over a table, scraping away at a piece of wood with a small knife. Sun couldn't see him that well, so he focused on the old woman.

She had faded blond hair tied into a neat bun and rather worn features. She wore a purple and gray sundress over her thin frame and held a exquisitely crafted wooden cane in her left hand. An Island Challenge Amulet was embedded in the side of the cane, which caught Sun by surprise.

"Thank you, sweetie. These are all hand-crafted by my husband. Some of them are painted by myself, and we've blessed every single one with heartfelt prayers to the Tapu." The woman said, gesturing to the many works of art on display. Every single one of which was a Pokémon figurine, intricately crafted with a precision that Sun found astonishing. Every facet was ingrained with enough to detail to make them seem like they were about to come to life. Some were made of wood, naturally, but others were made of stone, obsidian, precious gemstones and what looked like an frozen rock of some sort for a statue of a Glaceon.

"These don't look like the regular stuff you sell to a tourist. These are special." Hau noted, crossing his arms. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say these are more charms than just neat art."

"You'd be correct, young mister Pakelaai." The woman remarked with a soft laugh, surprising Hau.

"You know who I am?" Hau asked, confused. The woman nodded, laughing softly in response.

"Oh yes. I may be old, but I see much of old Hala in you. And I have heard stories about his cheerful grandson that has become the pride and joy of Iki Town. You do your region proud by continuing your grandfather's legacy." The woman said with a note of respect in her voice, bowing slightly to the boy.

"Uhh...T-thanks. I'm not really that special, though! I'm just a guy trying to do his best. You know?" Hau said awkwardly, not really enjoying being in the spotlight. The woman laughed in response, clearly amused.

"I understand, dear. It's not easy having the eyes of a nation watching you. Just know we're all rooting for your success!" the woman remarked, smiling widely at Hau. She then addressed the two other children, though her gaze faltered when she properly noticed Sun. Her eyes widened in response, with the woman taking a step back in sheer surprise.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" Sun asked, with Hau and Lillie likewise surprised by the woman's sudden reaction.

"I...um, yes. My apologies. I was so distracted by young Hau here that I ignored you. What is your name, my children?" the woman asked Sun and Lillie.

"Lillie, ma'am." The girl answered respectfully, bowing slightly to the elder woman. Sun hesitated for some reason, but eventually answered her.

"Sun. My name is Sun." The Kanto-native replied. The woman's expression once again was one of surprise, but she recovered quicker this time.

"I see. Well, I must offer my apologies, young man. You just reminded me of someone I used to know. Please forgive a foolish old woman's mistake." The old woman said with a sad smile before gesturing to the figurines on display. "Please, take a look. If you have any questions about the pieces here, feel free to ask."

"That's some crazy talent." Hau noted, grinning as he admired an Eevee with 8 different jewels decorating its tail, each of them symbolizing each of its known evolutions.

"As I said before, my husband Ano makes them himself. His memory may be going these days, but he's still just as brilliant as ever." The woman remarked warmly, glancing behind her at the old man whittling away at a piece of wood.

Just then a ray of sunlight peeked out from behind the clouds overhead and illuminated the market in earnest. It was because of this newfound light that Sun was able to take in the man's appearance for the first time.

He was quite old, approaching his sixties or early seventies. He had long gray hair that was tied into a ponytail and unfocused brown eyes as he lost himself in his art. His skin was scarred and there was a terrible burn on his hand that stuck out to Sun for some reason. He wore a red and white kimono with the kanji for 'respect' emblazoned on the sleeves, as well as several words written in Alolan along the arms of the outfit.

"Ano...Why does that name sound familiar?" Sun asked himself quietly.

Suddenly the old man's head shot up, his eyes flitting over to Sun. The focus in his eyes seemed to return, and his gaze narrowed on Sun as he rose from his chair.

"Dear? Is everything alright?" the woman asked her husband, who gently set his newest work on the table along with his whittling knife and walked to the front counter until he stood directly in front of the Kanto-native. Ano stared down at Sun, his expression something unreadable to the boy.

"Your eyes…" Ano said quietly, his voice low and rough, as though he had screamed himself hoarse. Sun returned the man's stare with one of his own, a sense of defiance coming from the boy. He had no idea why.

And then the man spoke again.

"They remind me of that awful child I failed to kill, all those years ago. I thought I told you to get out of my life...You little demon!"

That was all the warning Sun had before Ano's hand shot out, clamping down around Sun's neck in a grip of iron. The man lifted Sun off of his feet and into the air in a feat of surprising strength, a demented snarl on Ano's face as his gaze narrowed. Sun gasped and choked for air as Hau and Lillie cried out in surprise and tried to pull Sun away from the old man as several people shouted down the road.

"I thought pain was a good enough teacher. I was wrong...Oh, so wrong. Well, now that you're back, Ashton...You'll pay for disgracing the Aupuni name! You'll fucking pay, you little wretch!" the man shouted as he continued to try and strangle Sun as Hau and Lillie pulled and pulled on the boy's legs, trying in vain to free him from the old man strangling him.

Meanwhile, Sun simply stared into the man's eyes, completely stunned by the glare that was being given. The air being cut off from his lung's was almost an afterthought as he stared into the brown eyes of the old man.

The amount of hate in the man's eyes was beyond anything Sun had ever seen before. It was almost entirely indescribable how completely horrifying it was to him. Sun had faced down mercenaries, gangsters, Totem Pokémon, assassins, and evil Legendary Pokémon. But they paled in comparison to the terrible look of abject hatred coming from the eyes of the man Sun began to recognize as the boy tried to pry the fingers away from his neck.

Suddenly, the old man was thrown away from Sun by Ollie, who had jumped out of the old man's shadow and shoved him away from Sun. The man shouted furiously as he regained his footing, charging at Sun once again with a scream only for Ollie to tackle him to the ground and pin him there.

"I'll tear you apart, Ash! I'll end you and your little team! You'll never amount to anything! Not after what I do to you!" the man screamed, his eyes blazing with fury and madness as Sun tried to catch his breath on the ground as Lillie and Hau hovered nearby worriedly.

As Sun began to recover, the reality of the situation fully dawned on him. That somehow, fate had conspired against him once again.

"Ollie…" Sun rasped as the IP Captain looked at with him obvious concern. Sun looked at the old woman, seeing the new familiar eyes she had before turning towards the insane man that had attacked them. Everything had clicked into place.

"These...these two are my grandparents." Sun finished, wheezing as he shakily stood back up again. The older woman, Lahela Aupuni, looked at Sun with a shocked expression while Ano suddenly let out a cackle of delight.

"Hah! Even after everything I did to that wretch...His precious little boy is walking down the road he hated so much." Ano whispered with horrible glee, his eyes full of malice as Ollie handcuffed him.


"Come on, Ash. Don't you want to swim?" Lusamine asked as she dug her toes into the hot sand, smiling at how wonderful it felt. Mohn was already floating in the refreshingly cool water, a content smile on his face with his eyes closed. Lusamine would join him later, but for now she was content to laze on the beach with her Delphox. Though she was surprised when Ash refused to go in the water.

"I'm good. I'm not really much of a swimmer, and I don't want to ruin my shirt." Ashton replied as he watched Damien scamper away from the incoming tide with a yelp. Ashton smirked for a moment in amusement before it faded, returning his mouth to a faint frown. His gaze wandered over to Mohn as he played with his Stoutland and Gogoat in the water, splashing each other with wide smiles on their faces. He wondered if someday he'd be like that with his own Pokémon. The boy frowned deeper, remembering the path he was on now.

"Then just take off the shirt?" Lusamine remarked, sounding amused. To her surprise, Ashton shook his head.

"I'm good. I don't want people to see me, anyway." Ashton replied, waving a dismissive hand.

"You're far too young to be conscious about your body." Lusamine joked, though upon seeing Ash's expression darken, she became a bit more serious. "Besides, we're the only ones here. Go enjoy yourself." Lusamine said to the boy, who looked at het after a moment.

"I really don't want to, Miss Lusamine. I...I don't think you'll appreciate it much." Ashton remarked, his gray eyes darkening into a black color. Lusamine had come to understand some of the colors his eyes changed to, depending on his moods. Red was anger. Blue was sadness. Gold was joy. White was fear. And black was despair.

"Ash, are you okay?" Lusamine asked, concerned now. She hopped off of her chair and walked over to the boy, who looked away from her. They had spent about two weeks together at this point. She had never seen the boy looked so...ashamed.

"I really shouldn't talk about it…" Ash muttered, turning away from Lusamine even as she tried to look at him in the face. The woman walked around to the boy, worry etched on her face. She reached out to place a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder when he violently jerked away, his eyes flashing red.

"D-don't...Please don't touch me." Ashton said quietly, taking a step back from the Kalos Champion. Lusamine's expression softened, seeing how the boy was staring at her. His eyes were a dark blue color, shifting to black and white and then blue every few moments. Fear and despair, mixed with sadness. It was eerie.

"I'm sorry Ash. I was just trying to help. You don't have to do anything you don't want to." Lusamine said quietly, walking over to the boy with a kind smile on her face.

Ash smiled as he turned back towards where Mohn was playing with his Pokémon. "Thanks Miss Lusamine. I really appreciate-AH!"

The boy let out a scream as Lusamine suddenly grabbed his shirt and wrenched it upwards, ripping it off of Ashton with a yell. Ashton stumbled backwards, glancing down at his bare chest for a moment before glaring at Lusamine for tricking him. Lusamine grinned triumphantly…

And then she let out a scream.

Ashton flinched as he followed her gaze. Scattered along the boy's chest as a massive collection of dark bruises of various degrees of severity. Some looked as though they were mostly healed, a sickly yellow color, while some looked very fresh and swollen. Not only that, but there were a multitude of scars and burns scattered along the boy's chest and back, with the worst of them being a crown-like sigil branded onto his shoulder. It looked as if the boy had been beaten again and again with a ruthlessness that was absolutely sickening to Lusamine.

Lusamine managed to stifle her scream with her hands, her eyes filling up with tears as she beheld what Ashton had been hiding from them. It was obvious why the boy didn't like being touched by people. Mohn turned in their direction, surprised by Luamine's scream, and let out a stunned gasp as he saw what had alarmed her so. Mohn began to quickly make his way to shore. Ashton simply glared at Lusamine, his eyes burning bright red before he sighed, his eyes becoming black as the night once again.

"Like I said...I don't want to ever go back home." Ash said quietly, his voice breaking slightly as he saw the horrified expressions on Lusamine and Mohn's face. Damien was likewise shocked, even though he didn't grasp the severity of the situation. He could feel his Trainer's pain, though.

"Ash...What happened to you?" Mohn asked, barely able to speak through the horror.

"Who did this?" Lusamine asked, her voice very small as the bare-chested boy looked away, a tear rolling down his face.

"This is what I get for being difficult. Because I didn't want to…b-because I didn't want to be like everyone else." Ash began to say, feeling a sense of shame wash over him. He shouldn't have said anything. It was proof of his failure as an Alolan. He should have just endured the pain and forged onward.

"At least...that's what my father always tells me." Ashton finished in a whisper, a second tear rolling down his face from his other eyes. Lusamine and Mohn exchanged a look at that, and then turned their gaze towards the child ahead of them. A troubled boy forced on a path he didn't want to walk. It was no wonder he didn't like to be touched.

"After seeing...this, I understand if you don't want to spend time with me anymore. I know that being around a disgrace like me will only hurt you." Ashton said, shutting his eyes and letting out a harsh laugh. "I'll see you both later. I'm sorry."

Ashton was surprised when two sets of arms suddenly wrapped around him, making him open his eyes wide. Lusamine hugged him tightly from the front while Mohn hugged him from behind, both adults embracing the boy despite his own self-destructive thoughts.

"You are no failure for not living up to your parents desires. Just because adults know best doesn't mean they're always right." Mohn said gently as Ash stood there, stunned by his words. Mohn let go of Ash and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders. He felt the boy shake slightly as more tears began to fall from the young boy's eyes. It was clear he was surprised by the kindness of Mohn and Lusamine, even though he had pushed them away initially.

"It doesn't matter if you don't want to go with the flow, Ash. You are the one who will write your own destiny. Not your parents. What you want matters too. And you...You matter." Lusamine whispered, tears of her own beginning to form in her eyes. Ashton's eyes widened, and for a moment they flashed gold...and then darkened to a gray color as the boy began to cry. Lusamine consoled the boy while Damien whined softly, nuzzling Ashton's leg with his nose.

"It's okay...They can't hurt you anymore." Lusamine whispered as the boy sobbed in her arms. Mohn walked over to the two of them and bent down to embrace the two of them, scooping up Damien to include him in the hug. And for a while, and the four of them sat there holding each other, wondering how some people in the world could be so cruel.


And that's that.

Q & A

From: Oragonking

1)Team Rocket did not deserve that fate. Even Sun should know that in his heart despite what he said.

2)He must believe in this especialy since he saw Damien kill Giovani's Persian, which must have made him remember Padma.

3) Now Sun definetely need Mega Evolution, and the power I talked with you about in PM, as well as that power you created in this story.

4) No more same gender relationship! I lot of people said it's against the law of God! Why ells would they sensored it in a few shows like DC Legends of Tomorrow?

5) I believe the core series is connected to Pokemon Masters, so what will you do about the deceased characters?

I'll answer the last two in order.

1. That's up for debate. I think they deserved it.

2. Yeah, that was the reference I was making. Damien didn't want to kill Padma, but he did anyway.

3. Like I said, I have my own plans. I'll consider your thoughts though.

4. There are a lot of ways I can respond to this sort of comment. So I'll simply say that it's my story, and I hope you can respect the creative decisions I made for certain characters. If you don't like it, I hope you can accept it as an element of the story you dislike and continue reading.

5. Um...nothing? If I had to work around everything that's coming out after this story started, I would've stopped long ago. This is in it's own universe, much like many stories are. And honestly, I don't care about Pokemon Masters.

From: Anasazi Darkmoon

I do have a question, though: is Fossil Man actually Mask's secret identity, or does Alola just have the misfortune of housing two coked-up psychos at the same time?

Oh god, that'd be genuinely horrifying. And hilarious, in a way.

From: noobl

Now I wonder if Cipher's gonna undergo another offensive in Kanto and in the other regions. I noticed the subtle hints to events going on in other regions like Unova with Aria and Hugh being over there. It would be interesting to hear a bit about those places in more detail again. Do you have any plans to have Red and all the other trainers make another cameo as well?

Possibly! There's a lot coming up as we near the end of Act 3, so I could probably do a Unova scene. As for Red...heh.

From: Icarus Gray

Why is the protagonist named Sun? This is based on the games, shouldn't it be Elio. Great start, just thought that it was weird since Sun from the manga is very different compared to Elio in the games.

Because Buldapedia referred to him as Sun until US/UM came out and then changed it, like they do with a lot of things once newer games come out. Before then, the male and female protagonists were called Sun and Moon respectively.

That's all for now folks. Hopefully I can smash out this next chapter quickly as Sun heads to Mount Hokulani for the Electric Trial! What sort of shenanigans awaits him? Find out next time!

Please make sure to review the chapter and show your support, because feedback helps make this story grow. Also, if you haven't already, favorite and/or follow the story. If you have questions, you can submit them to the review section and I'll answer them in the next update.

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Take care and stay awesome!

Until next time, FlygonNick out!