Pokémon Radiant Sun
Don't trust me when I say chapters will come out in a timely fashion. Because I'll then proceed to write a small novella and slowly drive myself mad.
So yeah! October is here and what better way to celebrate than a chapter full of action and horrible things! And to commemorate that, I'm announcing that Pokémon Radiant Sun is now rated "M" because of the bad things that happened last chapter. Honestly, it's been a long time coming and considering that the next few chapters are even more brutal than this one, which is more brutal than the previous chapter, then...Yeah, it was kinda necessary.
Shoutout to the fine folks who reviewed since the last update, which includes JDunks896, Oragonking, BraviaryScout, Madame Rodoshe (good to see you again!), SonicIKE, a Guest reviewer, Joey, and a new reviewer known as Aquahaze675. Thanks for the awesome support, you all rock!
All questions from the previous chapter and this chapter will be answered with the next update. You'll understand why later.
The following chapter contains gore and is just as violent as the last one. You've been warned.
Enjoy.
Chapter 113: Heroes and Monsters (Part II)
Malie City
Many Years Ago...
"What's with this guy!?" Hina demanded as her Incineroar, Hercule, crashed onto the ground senseless, fainting as the Golurk groaned from the street. The massive Pokémon summoned more pillars of rock out of the ground as Roran stood a considerable distance away, his expression hidden behind his white mask.
The two young Trainers had been somewhat confident that between the two of them, they could take down the leader of the Ruby Raiders. That hope had been dashed quite suddenly when they realized just how strong their enigmatic opponent truly was.
All of his Pokémon were at high-levels, and the Ruby Raider leader had been directing them without issuing a single verbal command, which made it difficult to counter his moves. On top of that, the man had been repeatedly healing his Pokémon whenever one would be knocked out. If that wasn't already bad enough, the strange artifact held by the Ruby Raider leader allowed him to crack open the ground, spawn flames and attack them directly with fire, making things even more difficult.
Roran heard that comment, smiling inwardly. "Ashton and Hina are good, but there was never any doubt. Tonight, the stage is mine. The ritual has surely begun by now. All I need is to wait for my followers to spill enough blood..." Roran thought, calling back out his unconscious Ariados. Ashton made a move for Damien to use Flamethrower, but Golurk blocked with Protect while Roran healed his Partner with a Max Revive.
"Damn it, this is getting us nowhere." Ashton growled as Damien huffed slightly, beginning to feel the wear on him from this battle. Hina sighed in frustration, since Hercule was the only Pokémon she had on her right now. The rest of her team had been getting checked over at the Pokémon Center when the Ruby Raiders had struck. And Ashton, who hadn't brought any items with him when he left the Pokémon Center, was down two Pokémon already. Ashton called out Carlito the Whimscott, causing the Pokémon to shudder at the sheer heat in the air.
"Alright, you two. Let's end this guy." Ashton muttered darkly before pointing forward. "Hurricane! Flamethrower!"
Carilto let out a cry as it threw its little arms out, kicking up a massive maelstrom of wind that slammed into Roran's Pokémon, making Ariados scream in agony as the wicked winds tore at them. Roran grunted as the gale struck him as well, buffeting him and causing his cloak to billow violently around him.
Carlito's efforts were bolstered by Damien's torrent of fire as it shot into the air, causing fire to spread across the street where Roran was. The Kahuna growled softly in annoyance at the combination attack as he leapt backwards to avoid being incinerated by the flames, with his Ariados escaping the brutal combo attack by Shadow Sneak-ing away. Golurk let out a furious cry of pain as the attack struck it head-on and lurched forward, smashing Carlito with a Shadow Punch while Damien dodged a Stone Edge from the massive Pokémon.
"You think some flashy tricks are enough to stop me!? We'll tear you all to bits!" Roran bellowed, continuing his charade as the brutal and rugged leader of the Ruby Raiders. However, he was genuinely surprised by what came next.
"Solar Blade!" barked a familiar voice. Roran whirled around just in time for a Lurantis to shoulder-check him to the ground and lower a massive pillar of bright green energy down onto the Golurk, taking Pokémon by surprise and knocking it out. Roran stumbled to his feet to see Tommy standing behind him, looking out of breath and sporting a few burns, but more than ready to fight. Ashton let out a laugh of relief at the sight of his best friend while Hina smirked.
"Take that, you bastard!" Tommy shouted, shaking his only fist at the leader of the Ruby Raiders. "That was for my goddamn arm!"
"About time you showed up." Hina laughed as Tommy gave her a casual shrug. He then pointed a finger forward and said, "Razor Leaf!"
"Shadow Sneak! Then-" Roran was cut off as a blast of wind suddenly knocked him down to the ground, also hitting Ariados and causing it to hiss in pain. Roran rolled on the ground a few times, but managed to see that Carlito had hit him and his Ariados with Hurricane yet again, and that caused the Razor Leaf to shred his cloak and tear into Ariados as well. Ashton locked eyes with his best friend, giving him a thumbs up.
"Damien, Fire Blast!" Ashton called, with the Dark Pokémon bounding past him to unleash a burning star-shaped blast of flame towards Roran and Ariados. The Kahuna snarled as he forced himself to his feet, dropping into the shadows as Ariados used Shadow Sneak on them both, causing them to reappear a short distance down the road. Roran got to his feet, huffing slightly before snapping his fingers, tossing a Max Revive into the air. A string of web struck the item midair, causing it to go sailing through the air and land on top of the unconscious Golurk. The Automaton Pokémon shuddered as it slowly rose, with the Max Revive working its magic.
"We've got to stop him from healing his Pokémon." Hina muttered as Ashton nodded in agreement. However, to their surprise, they noticed the Ariados suddenly spin around and fire another string of web at Lurantis.
"Cut it in half with Leaf Blade, then go for-" Tommy trailed off as the suddenly web went wide, soaring past Lurantis. The one-armed Trainer was then caught off-guard when its trajectory veered towards him and struck Tommy in the chest, catching him by surprise. Before the man had a chance to yell out, Ariados swung Tommy through the air with its web before throwing him through the windows of a nearby shop, causing Hina and Ashton to scream out. "Tommy!"
"You'll pay for that." Ashton hissed as Roran dusted himself off, smirking underneath his mask as he got to his feet. "Damien, Dark Pulse!"
"Aw, did I hurt your friend?" Roran asked tauntingly as he snapped his finger, causing Ariados to Shadow Sneak them several feet to the left before it fired off a Signal Beam, sending Damien reeling back. "Maybe if you're nice, you can have him back."
As Roran taunted the boy, he reached out to Baltoy with his mind, using it as a way to send his thoughts to any of the nearby Ruby Raiders. "Get the young man currently within the wreckage of the Tasty Times Ramen Shop. I'll provide a suitable distraction, but make sure no one notices you. Take him back to the Endless alive, and continue the excellent work." Roran commanded his minions, grinning inwardly. He then brandished the artifact that burned within his hands before holding it outwards, blasting the street with flames and causing Hina to scream out in surprise. Damien leapt in front of the flames, his body glowing bright red as his Ability, Flash Fire. The Houndoom fired back with a Fire Blast that beat back the flames thrown at it and caused Roran to hurl himself to the side as his Golurk was blasted by the flames instead.
Roran got to his feet, looking towards the crimson eyes of Ashton that burned with hate. Hatred for what the man had done to so many people. How many people had been hurt by the Ruby Raiders? How many had the boy watched suffer at this man's hands? Tonight was simply the final straw.
Ashton could feel the hatred burning in his eyes, and in his heart. But he knew it was a completely natural feeling. To hate someone so terrible, who had caused so much suffering.
If only he knew the depths to which that hatred would grow.
Malie City
Present Day
Sun stared at the former Kahuna as he loomed over the fallen body of Ollie, the brave International Police Captain who had sacrificed his life to protect Sun. His body was almost floating in a pool of his own blood, with Roran's deadly dagger protruding from his neck. With an exaggerated gesture, Roran bent down to yank out the blade and brought it to his mouth.
"I wonder how he tastes." Roran mused to himself, licking the knife. His smile widened as he cleaned the knife with his tongue, further adding to the mental scars now embedding themselves into Sun's mind as he struggled to handle the fact that Ollie was dead.
"You...you killed him!" Sun shouted at Roran through his tears, who's smile became one of simple amusement rather than insane glee. Roran looked down at the unmoving form of Ollie at his feet.
"I did, didn't I? It wasn't easy by any means. He's the best fight I've had in years. But he had one glaring weakness. You." Roran said with a smirk, causing Sun's expression of absolute misery to become shock. "Pretending like I was gunning for you made him drop his guard almost completely. So thanks for that." Roran said to Sun, knowing that every single word was twisting the proverbial knife in deeper. Tormenting Ashton, even now, was easy. Doing the same to his precious little boy was effortless for him.
"It's...this is all my fault." Sun whispered hoarsely, falling to his knees. Roran opened his mouth to speak, only for Aegislash to slash towards Roran with a furious hiss, with Braviary soaring down at Roran with a blood-curdling screech of raw fury.
"Begone!" Roran boomed, barely reacting in time by swinging the burning artifact in his hands upwards as the Aegislash swung itself downwards, connecting with the artifact in question. A pulse of fire erupted from the fireball dangling from Roran's hand, blasting away the Aegislash and knocking it out. Meanwhile, Claydol smashed the Braviary with a Stone Edge, followed by an Icicle Crash from Cloyster that knocked out the Valiant Pokémon. Roran considered the two beaten Pokémon for a moment before turning towards Ollie's fallen form.
"Loyal even after death...I can respect that." Roran said, his voice serious for a moment. It almost sounded as if he respected the man he had just cheated out of his life. Roran then turned his gaze to Sun, his eyes narrowed in derision.
"You were foolish to come here, Sun. Did you really think you could accomplish anything except maybe take down a few useless Peons?" Roran asked, shaking his head. "No. You've got just as bad of a hero complex as your wretched father. I'll be looking forward to seeing just how you taste." Roran grinned for a moment, and that was when Sun noticed it. Roran's eyes weren't just gleaming from the firelight, they were actually glowing.
"And just about time for my curse to come into play. Amber isn't the only one who suffers from the Tapu's fury. Did you know that, boy?" Roran hissed, even as flowing lines of glowing runes began to flow down his face. His smile twisted into something truly monstrous as he brandished his strange burning artifact towards the grief-stricken child that scrambled to his feet.
"You have no idea what it's like, Sun. The pain I suffer through every day. Because of what your father and Tapu Bulu did to me, I've become something terrible. Worse than the villain I had to be all those years ago, for the sake of Alola." Roran said gently, almost kindly. Sun could see that the voice was a complete lie. The words, however, were not.
"It's always interesting when my little curse kicks into effect. I've mostly been able to work around it's mostly negative effects over time...But the cannibalistic urges aren't something I've been able to get over." Roran admitted, his glowing eyes narrowed as Sun took a step back in horror, seeing the demon that lurked behind the eyes. "I've grown to enjoy the taste of my fellow man. And it's not like I care about hurting anyone these days or ruining my image. I can always hide behind my secret mask, and no one would be any the wiser."
"You're...you're every bit as evil as my father warned me." Sun said quietly as Roran chuckled deeply, putting a hand to his chest.
"I'd say I'm flattered, but I've been called worse by better. You see, Sun. In this world, people fall into two categories. Heroes and monsters. I've transcended both and become something more." Roran explained, and seeing the shocked expression on Sun's face he laughed again. "Yes, I'm aware your father adopted my quote for himself and his agenda. But he bastardized it."
"In this world, there are only heroes and monsters. Beware those who tread the line, however. Because should you go down that path, you'll lose sight of what you've become by the end." Roran stated as he looked down at Ollie's fallen body before lifting his foot and placing it down on Ollie's head, putting pressure down on it with cruel amusement in his eyes. Sun felt the rippling hot fury return, forcing himself to take a step towards the murderer, his bright red eyes deepening in color as tears streamed down his face.
"Yes...That anger. It's the same beautiful shade of red I saw in your father's eyes the other day." Roran practically hummed, grinning with delight as Sun drew a Poké Ball in his hand. "So you still wish to stand against me, even with your guardian dead? So be it."
Roran was surprised when a sudden blur smashed into his Claydol from behind, scattering leaves around them. The former Kahuna looked up in shock to see Oliver soaring overhead, his body burning green with energy as Overgrow kicked into effect. The Dartrix let out a blood-curdling screech of anger that matched what his Trainer felt as he dove at Claydol, releasing a Leafage and diving into it with Pluck. Claydol hummed with surprise as Oliver smashed into the other Pokémon with incredible force with the Leaf Drive combination attack, knocking the Clay Doll Pokémon into a nearby building.
"Oliver, get him!" Sun bellowed as Oliver dove at Roran, who thrust his artifact at the bird and launched a wave of flames at him. Sun was ready for this, however.
"Protect Charge!" Sun commanded the Dartrix who threw up Protect, allowing him to block the flames even as his shielded form rushed towards the ex-Kahuna, who looked genuinely surprised before a Cloyster teleported in front of him to absorb the hit. The shield held for several moments, with Oliver hooting furiously as the Cloyster scowled in pain and at the effort of holding back the attack, which caused Roran to fall to the ground with a stunned expression on his face. Then the Protect faded and Oliver barely managed to dodge an Ice Beam before returning to Sun's side, taking a moment to look down at the dead body of the brave man who was his namesake.
"I'll tear you apart for killing him!" Oliver hissed as Roran laughed, the sound sending shivers down Sun's spine as the madman got back to his feet.
"I'd much rather tear your Trainer apart, little bird. I've always found that the younger the meat, the better the taste." Roran responded as he pointed his dagger at the child in question and eyed Sun with hunger in his insane, glowing eyes. "That was quite a display, boy. You're clearly your father's son. Let's see how long you stay alive against this old man. Cloyster, Ice Beam!"
"Oliver, Leafage to block, then get close with Razor Leaf!" Sun barked furiously, not letting the taunting of Roran dissuade him from taking down the man that had killed Ollie. Sun called out Alastor as Oliver launched a Leafage at the Ice Beam, with the attack managing to block the attack enough for Oliver to dodge it by soaring high into the air. Oliver launched a massive wave of Razor Leaf at Cloyster and Roran, who held out the artifact high into the air and summoned a wall of flames to block the attack. Roran let out a booming laugh before snapping his fingers. Oliver turned in midair as Cloyster teleported behind him, grinning as it charged up an Ice Beam.
It was surprised when an electrical shock struck it from behind, allowing Oliver to dive forward with Pluck and strike Cloyster directly before launching a Leafage at the Bivalve Pokémon at close range, making it shudder in pain as it teleported away again.
"Stay still!" Alastor yelled angrily, seeing that the Cloyster was teleporting all around Oliver as the Dartrix tried to hit it. To make matters worse, Claydol joined Cloyster in midair and knocked Oliver out with Psychic, though Sun managed to return him before he hit the ground. Sun called out Penny, who stood together with Alastor as Roran held out his hands in a casual shrug, with Cloyster and Claydol teleporting to his sides.
"Not bad, not bad at all. Perhaps I can give you a show, before your untimely death." Roran said as he curled his right hand into a fist, holding it outwards as his Z-Ring began to glow gold. "Bask in the glorious light of my-"
"NOW!"
Roran shouted out in pain as a beam of raw energy suddenly swept through the street he was on, blasting it apart violently as an explosion ripped through the area. Sun blinked in surprise before noticing the Ninetales looking down on the street with its mouth wide open.
"Sun! Are you okay?" shouted a familiar voice, concern audibly within it. Sun turned around and was quickly pile-drived into a tight hug by Lusamine, who pulled away after a moment to inspect the boy. "Good. That madman didn't hurt you. Thank goodness I got here in time."
"He...h-he didn't hurt me, but he got Ollie." Sun said as he looked back at his fallen friend, his anger threatening to give way to sorrow yet again. Lusamine gasped as she noticed the fallen International Police Captain and she hugged Sun once again, trying to comfort the boy. Sun tried his hardest to keep himself composed, but it was a very close thing. The boy noticed that three of the Aether Foundation's APT members were nearby, wielding large poles and clad in full body armor, but he was distracted by Lusamine placing a delicate hand on his cheek and speaking to him in a way that reminded him of his mother.
"I'm so sorry, Sun. I didn't know him very well, but I know he was dear to you. What happened? And why are you here?" Lusamine asked gently, kneeling slightly so that she was level with Sun.
"Me and my friends saw the fire from the mountain. We had to help. When I found Ollie, Roran tried attacking me. Ollie kept telling me to run, but R-Roran wouldn't stop chasing me. Ollie left...left himself open to an attack while protecting me. H-he d-died...he died trying to protect me!" Sun cried out as he hugged Lusamine tightly in return. Lusamine made a soft shushing sound, rubbing the boys back as he began to cry in her arms.
"There, there...It'll be okay. I'm here. Let it all out." Lusamine murmured soothingly as Sun sobbed in earnest. She silently called out a beautiful Milotic, which coiled itself around the two of them and rested its tail on Sun's shoulder. The child felt a measure of peace creep through his mind, steadying his mind.
Penny watched her Trainer with visible concern, clearly wanting to say something. Meanwhile, Alastor regarded the boy with scorn before suddenly tensing and turning towards the massive cloud of smoke that was quickly clearing.
"Something's not right!" Alastor grunted, holding out his arms as electricity crackled along the Pokémon's rocky hands.
Fiaro the Ninetales snarled from the rooftops as a Cloyster teleported above it, releasing a Hydro Pump at the Ninetales that it barely managed to dodge as it leapt away. In the street, the smoke cleared enough to reveal Roran and Claydol standing tall, surrounded by a glowing shield. They both looked rather battered, however, so it was obvious that they hadn't blocked Fiaro's Hyper Beam completely.
"Hello again, Lusa. You want to go for another round?" Roran said quietly, his voice thick with malice and his eyes burning with golden light that surrounded his glowing orange eyes. Lusamine held Sun tightly, moving him away from Roran's gaze and glaring daggers at the man who had once promised to protect Alola. "I think you remember what happened the last two times we crossed paths. I don't think you'll survive a third battle."
"Fight me all you want. You won't lay a finger on this boy!" Lusamine snarled at the madman as she stood in front of Sun protectively, who scoffed as he crossed his arms.
"It's always been so odd to me that people are so defensive over children. At the end of the day, they just grow up to be disappointments or complete scumbags like me." Roran remarked as he gripped his dagger tightly and brandished the strange artifact that allowed him to harness the power of fire. "They do taste delicious though. Maybe I should roast him over the fire?"
"Ma'am, let us handle him. Get the boy to safety." One of the APT members said to Lusamine, calling out a Flareon. The other two men called out a Feraligator and a Lunatone. Roran laughed, throwing his head back.
"You really think these three idiots can stop me for more than three seconds? I killed a few dozen of your little minions just the other day!" Roran laughed as he flashed them a deadly smile, holding out the burning artifact in his hands.
"Samson, Aqua Jet!"
Sun almost managed a smile as he pulled away from Lusamine and saw Hugh burst out into the street, with his Samurott smashing into Roran's Claydol from behind. Sun also spotted the woman he recognized as Ollie's coworker Anabel standing in the street with an Espeon, though she was holding her right arm and seemed to be in pain. Sun noticed then that Hugh's forehead was bleeding.
Hugh took in the scene on the street, including Ollie's dead body. The teen swore loudly before turning his furious glare to the irritated ex-Kahuna. "You're gonna pay for this!"
"If I had a buck for every time I've heard that one...Fine then! I'll tear the skin off your bones!" Roran bellowed, sweeping his arms apart as flames cracked open from the earth all around him. Lusamine took that moment to grab Sun by the hand and pull him down an alleyway.
"Sun, keep up. We need to get you as far from here as possible...It's a shame none of my Pokémon know Teleport or Shadow Sneak." Lusamine sighed as she dragged Sun away from the battle, where Roran's laughter could be heard echoing through the night.
"Miss Lusamine...we have to help them! We need to take that guy down!" Sun yelled to the Aether President, who looked back at Sun. She felt a wave of nostalgia and sadness as she saw the bright red eyes full of anger that were wet with tears that threatened to spill forth yet again. Lusamine sighed as Fiaro lashed its tails in discomfort, with the woman placing her hands on Sun's shoulders.
"Sun...Trust me. I would love to have the chance to kill Roran Rubinara myself. Not just for what he did to hurt me and my friends, but to everyone else who's suffered at his hands. But keeping you alive is even more important. Roran is insane. He wants to hurt you in order to hurt your father. But he's going for something here. Something he tried to do last time, but we never figured out what." Lusamine said to Sun, her expression pleading.
"This isn't about manipulating the people or making himself seem as threatening as possible. Roran is trying to hurt and kill as many people as possible, because he's using that as a cover. He's trying to find someone or something in Malie City. He needs a distraction while his forces search the city." Sun listened with growing horror as he remembered something he heard. Somehow the horror and anger he felt pushed aside the crushing grief for now, but it still felt like the world was weighing down on Sun's shoulders.
"They're after me...me and Lillie." Sun thought as a cold tendril of fear crept into him. "Brago, Lillie...please be safe."
"He's after me. Some of the Cipher Peons mentioned that me and my friend were Targets Number One and Two. I think Roran's trying to kidnap us for some reason." Sun said to Lusamine, whose expression twisted into a furious scowl. Sun stepped away from the woman in surprise, alarmed at the anger on display.
"Of course...Roran's always known the best way to get under our skins. If you and this friend of yours are in Roran's sights, then getting you to safety is paramount. Thwarting Roran's schemes, or at the very least delaying them, is crucial." Lusamine remarked as she visibly calmed herself down. Lusamine didn't mention that she suspected this other friend was possibly her wayward daughter, but she knew now wasn't the time to probe Sun for information.
"Any idea what exactly he's going for? One of the Peons mentioned some ritual, but I only heard that in passing." Sun mentioned to Lusamine, who frowned thoughtfully for a moment. While she did this, Sun called out Oliver and used a Revive on him, waking his Starter up as Penny and Alastor watched on.
"I don't know. I remember Roran mentioning a few times during our last confrontation with him some things about a ritual, but that night was...very bad for me, and I honestly don't like thinking about it." Lusamine remarked, her expression becoming pained. "The point remains is that keeping you out of his hands is very important."
"I'd much rather make him hurt as much as possible, in all honesty. He didn't just kill Ollie. He made him suffer. And then he taunted me about him...I'll never forgive that man for what he did." Sun growled, clenching his teeth. Lusamine looked alarmed at the dark red in Sun's eyes, a shade she recognized from her days with Ashton. While Black was despair and red was anger, crimson represented a very different emotion.
Hatred.
"Sun...I understand hating Roran. He deserves it. But don't let that hate consume you like it did your father." Lusamine warned Sun, who clenched his teeth but turned away. Lusamine then stiffened as a strange feeling crept over her. The Aether President looked up and gasped, causing Sun and his team to do the same.
Hundreds of glowing multicolored rings hovered over Malie City now as a golden light shined from somewhere a few blocks away. Lusamine shivered in fear, and knew exactly what was coming.
"Milotic, Protect! Make it cover everyone!" Lusamine commanded as the Tender Pokémon nodded and curled around Sun and Lusamine once again, its eyes glowing blue as a barrier surrounded them all. Sun watched in awe as the rings slowly grew in number above Malie City.
Sun spotted Roran standing on the head of his Claydol as it rose high into the air, his glowing golden eyes visible as his Z-Ring shined like a burning star. Roran's head was now glowing bright pink, as did each of the eyes of his Claydol as Roran began to move his arms like a conductor standing in front of an orchestra. Several attacks lashed out at him from below, but an invisible barrier stopped them in their tracks.
"Miss Lusamine, what is he doing?" Sun asked the Aether President, who shook her head.
"I never found out what it is that Roran can do, Sun. I know he used this power against us all those years ago, when we found out his true colors. And he used this very same move against the Aether Foundation when Cipher attacked the Paradise. It's some kind of immensely powerful Z-Move. I know the one he's using now is a Psychic-type attack that was strong enough to level the Paradise and kill a significant number of my staff." Lusamine said quietly as Roran cackled into the night. "He called this 'Mind-Meld Mayhem' and it was horrifying."
The rings then fell to earth, and Sun clapped his hands to his ears as the explosions suddenly began to rock the entire city, destroying anyone and anything in Roran's sights as he battled whatever poor souls were unlucky enough to be in his way down below.
"This is insane! How can someone have this much power!?" Sun shouted over the mayhem, gritting his teeth as Lusamine held herself against her Milotic, who cooed softly as several of the rings drifted towards where they were.
"Brace yourself!" Lusamine yelled as Milotic pumped more energy into the shield it was maintaining, causing it to glow a deeper shade of blue. Oliver stepped forward, throwing out his wings and causing a small Protect shield to appear within the barrier Milotic had summoned.
The rings touched down on the streets and exploded the moment they touched the ground, sending shockwaves through the street. Sun fell to the ground with a cry as Lusamine fought to keep herself upright. Penny and Finn looked around the street with concern as Milotic's shield began to crack from the strain of enduring the attacks around it. Unfortunately, one of the rings drifted closer to them and made direct contact with the damaged blue shield, causing an explosion to shatter the first Protect. Oliver tensed as several cracks appeared on the shield he had created, but thankfully the attack seemed to end, as the smoke began to clear around them and there were no rings falling towards the city. The entire street they stood on was completely annihilated, with the buildings now reduced to rubble.
"That was quite rough...Thank you, Oliver." Lusamine praised the bird, who simply nodded before looking to Sun, who's bright red eyes narrowed as he looked around the destroyed street. "Now then, with my employees taking care of Roran, I can get you to safety."
"What about the Kahuna? Or the police? What's happening with them?" Sun asked, earning a shake of the head from Lusamine.
"Captain Acerola isn't responding to anyone and the Kahuna was defending the Library alongside other Trainers, including Captain Sophocles and Molayne. It seems Roran is trying his hardest to destroy the place, since he has a considerable amount of his forces gathered there." Lusamine supplied, causing Sun to grit his teeth. "The police are scattered and dealing with the Cipher personnel, while some are helping civilians get to safety.
"Roran's just going to keep hurting people...We have to stop him, Miss Lusamine!" Sun said to the woman, who simply smiled sadly at the boy.
"You're so much like your father, Sun. Even if it meant braving death, he'd stop at nothing to protect other people. It makes it all the more tragic he was led so astray. But I won't allow you to fight Roran. Leave it to talented Trainers and the Aether Foundation." Lusamine said to the boy, who gestured around the street.
"We can't just run away from this guy, Miss Lusamine. He's after me, for some weird reason! He won't stop until I'm in his clutches. He needs to go down before he destroys the entire island!" Sun said to the Aether President, who hesitated. Fear of Roran combined with her concern for Sun stayed her hand, especially when she looked into the boy's bright red eyes. Those same eyes of anger and hate that Ashton had all those years ago.
She would not let another child go astray. She was many things and had done wrong by many people, but she was still a mother at her core. A mother to those who were precious and needed to be protected.
"Sun...You wouldn't stand a chance against Roran. He's only become more of a monster since his fall from grace all those years ago. There's a reason your father was too scared of Roran hurting you to act against him." Lusamine said to the boy. A scoff caught their attention, and they turned to see Alastor glaring at them. The Alolan Geodude had been rather difficult since being caught, but thankfully for Sun he was willing to obey commands so far.
"Considering what was done to that human you cared about, I'd hate that monster with everything I had. You should use that anger and let it run wild." Alastor said seriously, crossing its arms. "You're all equally disgusting in my eyes regardless, but that human is beyond anything I've ever seen."
"Just shut up, already. No one asked you your opinion!" Penny squawked at Alastor, making Sun's eyes widen in surprise. It was such an odd sight seeing his team not get along with each other. Oliver, Penny, Brago and Finn were all rather friendly with each other, so seeing tensions flare like this was weird to Sun.
"Can I offer my take on the situation?" asked a familiar and terrible voice, causing Lusamine to gasp and to whirl around in surprise as Sun's eyes narrowed in anger, a chill running down his spine.
Roran stood there in the street, his cloak drenched in blood as the madman grinned at them, his eyes glowing like beacons. What was most alarming was the immobile form of Anabel being held by the neck, her hair coated in crimson. Roran thrust the woman aside like a ragdoll, where she hit the ground and remained still. Sun wasn't sure whether or not she was unconscious or dead, but either way the boy was horrified at the display.
The Cipher Admin took a step forward but swayed on his feet, stumbling to the ground and throwing up violently. Claydol hummed in worry, gently lifting the former Kahuna to his feet. Roran stood once again, though he leaned heavily against his signature Pokémon. Despite everything, Sun could see that the madman was absolutely exhausted. The boy wondered if that was the price Roran paid for using that strange and brutally powerful Z-Move.
"That was a delightful snack, Lusa. Now then...Will you join me onstage? Or will you allow more to die needlessly?" Roran asked Lusamine, flashing her a grin as he recovered. Sun noticed that blood soaked the man's mouth, causing Sun to shiver in fear until Lusamine stepped forward.
"If it falls to me to end your life, Roran, then so be it. Just answer me this...Were you ever a righteous and considerate man? Or were you a monster all along? I never got a straight answer out of you, all those years ago." Lusamine asked Roran, who's smile slipped away for a moment. "You were Ashton's mentor. You were our friend and confidant. Was all of that an act? A sham?"
"In the beginning…" Roran trailed off, shaking his head as he shut his eyes, his voice becoming bitter. "It doesn't matter what I thought in the beginning. Let's just say that I let my love for Alola consume me, until I became a monster beyond my worst nightmares." Roran said with a strange expression on his face. Remorse? Sadness? Regret? Sun wouldn't have been able to tell.
Roran's expression faded as a maniacal grin bloomed across his face, with the former Kahuna chuckling. "But like I said, that doesn't matter now. I can't bring myself to care any further than that, with the Curse of Abundance in effect. Soon I will become something more than a mere human, Lusa. I'm going to burn Alola to the ground and ascend, as is my right as the Chosen One!"
"Chosen One?" Sun asked, causing Roran to wave a finger at the boy.
"On the off chance you somehow wriggle your way out of this, I won't go spilling the beans. I will say that before any of that happens, I'll be taking my revenge on all of those who ruined my ambitions all those years ago. Jackal is out of the way and Mohn has vanished off the face of the planet. That leaves you and Ash, Lusa." Roran finished with a light chuckle.
"Ashton's too powerful for you to deal with directly. I saw you battling, Roran. Your Pokémon are much weaker than they were back when we last fought at the Highborn Production Plant all those years ago." Lusamine said to Roran, who grinned at Lusamine disarmingly.
"And from what my sources say, you've neglected to keep your Pokémon trained up as well over the years, Miss Former Champion. While my original team is long gone, my new one is quite formidable with me at the helm. But if you want to back up your boasting, by all means. Put me down." Roran challenged Lusamine, throwing out his hands as his burning artifact flashed in his hands.
"Sun, get out of here and run to Malie Library. Go!" Lusamine shouted as she called out her Bewear to join her Milotic, who both braced themselves for a fight against a foe that they very distinctly remembered battling many years ago, considering the angry sound the Strong Arm Pokémon made.
Sun considered resisting the woman's orders, but then again, he knew he was out of his league. Ollie's death was still fresh, however, and after a few moments he sighed and nodded. Lusamine offered him a smile before turning her harsh gaze to her former friend.
"You act as though I'm not aware of that and have a considerable amount of my forces trying to break into the library." Roran commented with a smirk, drawing his knife with a deadly smile coming to his lips. Sun stared at the man for a moment, locking eyes with him.
"I hate you." Sun said to Roran, who's grin widened at the boy. "If they don't put an end to you...I will. For the sake of everyone."
"I'm looking forward to it, Sun. I'll be with you in a minute. I've got an appointment with the Aether President, and it's rude to keep a lady waiting." Roran said as he turned his attention to Lusamine, calling out his Shadow Rampardos. Sun bolted down the street after returning Alastor, with Penny and Oliver swooping past him. The boy simply ran as fast and hard as he could towards the main raid, trying to ignore the bodies in the street and the few stranglers battling the Cipher Peons. Eventually Sun ducked into an empty street a few minutes later, needing to catch his breath.
"Trainer?" Penny questioned as Sun looked at her, the red in his eyes slowly giving way to black. "Are you okay?"
"No...I'm not okay, Penny. I don't know if I'll ever be okay." Sun replied, panting as he slumped against the side of a building, trying not to give into the urge to scream and wail and curl into a ball. He did however call out Finn began using a Revive on the unconscious Pokémon, and then began the process of using a Super Potion on everyone after calling Alastor back out.
"Ugh...That guy sucks." Finn groaned as he rubbed his head, earning a glare from Alastor.
"He's insane." Penny remarked quietly, shivering slightly. "Even with the enemies we've faced so far, nothing we've dealt with compares to what that man is. Evil, through and through. And when his curse activated?"
Penny shivered at that, causing Oliver to drape a wing over her back with concern. "Even that Amber woman wasn't so completely insane, even if she's stronger than him."
"So what's the plan?" Finn asked Sun, who was still trying to compose himself after what had happened. The Poliwhirl noticed this and walked over to Sun, putting a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. "Buddy?"
"We're going to Malie Library and meet up with Lillie and Brago." Sun said quietly, shutting his eyes. "If I had done that when Ollie told me to, then he wouldn't have died. We need to get somewhere safe so that no one else dies trying to protect me."
"Why run when you can fight?" Alastor asked Sun, who looked at his newest Pokémon with surprise. The Alolan Geodude stared back at him hard, crossing its arms once again. "He hurt someone you cared about. Hurt him back. Make him suffer, human."
"Sun's safety is more important than getting back at that monster." Oliver hooted at the Alolan Geodude, who glanced at Oliver before returning his gaze back to Sun.
"My clan has many strong beliefs that guide us. One of them is this: Should any of our family be struck down, we never forgive and never forget such a crime. Your friend was struck down by that evil man, the one who has stolen the power of the Ancient One. It's within your right to fight back and get revenge on that evil human." Alastor continued, causing Sun to look away.
"Part of me honestly agrees with you, Alastor. Roran...He killed Ollie. He mocked me while he did it. And he's just killing more and more people. He's not going to stop until everyone is dead." Sun replied quietly, feeling some of the sorrow creep in further. He hung his head, shaking it. "If Ollie couldn't stop him, then what chance do I?"
"That human couldn't stop him because he was trying so hard to protect you." Alastor pointed out, causing Sun to look at him. "You sent away the female human, and you've got no one weak to protect, meaning you can focus on bringing him down."
"He does have a point, as much as I don't want to admit it." Penny remarked, ruffling her feathers. "That man also is simply just that. A man. And his Pokémon are strong and skilled, but they're also not invincible."
Sun blinked as he realized something, thanks to Penny and Alastor. The boy shut his eyes, thinking hard as his Pokémon looked at him patiently to see what he would say.
"He can't keep this up forever. Even with all of the powers and Pokémon at his disposal, he only has a limited amount of healing supplies on him. Roran looked exhausted earlier too, after using that weird power. And his Pokémon have to be tiring at this point, especially since they're fighting opponents way stronger than themselves." Sun said aloud, causing Alastor and Penny to nod at him. "With everyone fighting him, he can't last forever. If we can survive long enough, we'll be able to beat him down."
"So you figured it out. About time." Alastor remarked, earning glares from Penny and Oliver. Sun rolled his eyes at Geodude's remark.
"It's just a matter of wearing down his Pokémon again and again until he can't fight anymore. At the end of the day, he's still just a human." Sun continued, though he trailed off and looked down again.
"Sun?" Oliver questioned the boy.
"I don't know if I can battle him, though. He's so strong, and even if we can find a way to battle him he'll just kill more people. He might kill any of you. I couldn't...I c-can't watch anyone else die. I can't." Sun whispered, looking up at his team with tearful eyes. Oliver fluttered over to the boy as he rubbed his eyes, understandably scared of even the idea of facing such a horrifying opponent. As much as Sun was furious at the man, he was understandably scared for both himself and his Pokémon.
"Just fight! Stop being a coward!" Alastor snapped at the boy, causing Finn to step forward challengingly. Alastor held his hands out to his sides, electricity crackling along his fingers, only for Penny to stand between them.
"This isn't the time for this!" Penny screeched, glaring at the two of them. Finn had the decency to look abashed while Alastor simply scoffed. Oliver simply looked at them for a moment, his mind racing as he struggled between the dilemma himself. Encourage Sun to seek safety? Or give in to the overwhelming urge to spill Roran's blood for the sake of revenge?
"I don't know what to do. I want to make him pay, but I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me." Sun said quietly, a tear running down his face. In his mind's eye, he was rewatching Ollie's death. His inspiration for becoming a Trainer the moment he got to Alola. The one who helped pull him from the brink of depression after his father's criminal activities were exposed. The one who had sacrificed his life for Sun.
The boy was snapped out of his musing by Oliver nuzzling him slightly with his head, causing him to look at his Starter. The Dartrix seemed determined, a familiar glint in his eyes that hadn't been there for some time. Since before he battled Olivia, Sun faintly recalled.
"Do not be afraid. Your heart is strong. That's why I chose you. We can win this." Oliver said softly, resting a wing over his Trainer. Sun looked at Oliver in surprise, tears still in his eyes, before embracing his Partner. Oliver looked surprised for a moment before wrapping his other wing around the boy.
"You're...you're right. We have to...to keep f-fighting. We have to fight for Ollie." Sun said in a stronger voice as Oliver removed his wings and Finn moved forward to help the child to his feet. Penny nodded in agreement after a few moments, ruffling her wings. Sun then turned his gaze to Alastor, who stared at him. Despite the disdain the Geodude had for him, he could sense his newest Pokémon's grudging approval.
"And we make that monster pay for what he did! I'm not going to let him hurt anyone else!" Sun growled as he adjusted his hat, his black eyes flashing bright red as anger ignited in his heart, much like-
The flames that rushed forward, striking down Carlito the Whimsicott as Roran cackled with delight, dodging a punch from a police officer that had joined the fight. Ashton scowled as he returned Carilto, the Whimscott unable to battle any further. Damien and Arin, a rather large Araquanid on Ashton's team, stood ready to keep fighting. Roran's Klinklang hummed beside him and his Ariados hissed softly, wincing at the burns on its body.
Roran thrust the artifact towards the officer and his Stoutland, laughing as he blasted them both with fire and incinerated the man. The Stoutland fared better, fainting from the power at the Kahuna's disposal. The Kahuna swung the artifact towards Ashton as his Pokémon rushed forward, only for a wall of fire to block them.
Thankfully for Roran, he had plenty of Pokémon at his disposal to use for this scheme, and none but his Ariados could be recognized. However, a simple sash cloth draped over the Pokémon was enough to fool anyone who would be tempted to look further into this. And with his Baltoy discreetly hidden nearby, keeping tabs on the battle with its psychic powers and relaying Roran's commands to his team via telepathy, keeping the upper hand in this conflict wasn't particularly difficult.
The Kahuna jangled the burning artifact in his hand after a moment, willing the flames to ease slightly on the street so as not to impede the battle taking place between himself and his young friend. Hina was currently dealing with a group of Ruby Raiders who had decided to join in on the fun, which helped with the current showdown. Roran wanted to test Ashton's will when pushed to his limit.
"Come on, Ash! I've watched you grow into a wonderful Trainer. Once this is all over, you could become someone who could help me usher Alola into a golden age. But first, I have to see the strength of your heart." Roran thought to himself as Ashton clenched his fists, anger pounding through every fiber of his being.
"Liquidation! Flamethrower to go airborne, then use it again on that!" Ashton ordered his team as the Klinklang floated into the air to unleash a Thunderbolt on Araquanid. It was surprised when Damien suddenly joined it in the air and blasted it at point-blank range. The Gear Pokémon groaned loudly as it floated towards the ground, but Damien was unrelenting and knocked it out with Fire Blast at Ashton's command.
"Well played, boy! But it'll take more than that to beat my unstoppable team!" Roran bellowed roughly, grateful the mask hid his pleased smile as he returned his Klinklang, choosing to swing down the artifact and call back out his Golurk, who had been fully healed.
The Automaton Pokémon let out a war cry and held out its hands, firing off a wave of Shadow Balls towards Arin the Araquanid, who shrank back as the attacks exploded all around him.
"Use Lunge to get close, and then Liquidation! Damien, back him up with Dark Pulse!" Ashton bellowed as Arin launched itself towards Golurk, who summoned a Stone Edge to batter away the Water Bubble Pokémon, though it was saved when Damien blasted the Golurk in the back with Dark Pulse as he landed on the ground. The Automaton Pokémon sent a Stone Edge towards Damien as well, and he was barely able to dodge in time.
Golurk then let out a cry of fury as it's right fist glowed bright white. It then raised that fist into the air and punched the ground with it, shaking the entire street violently as several glowing cracks surged towards Damien and Arin, knocking them both to the ground. As the Earthquake attack struck, Roran smirked with confidence. Ashton was now on the ground, eyes shut tightly in pain.
"Damn it! Damien, use Sludge Bomb! Arin, attack from afar with Scald!" Ashton barked from the ground as Damien forced himself upright and bounded forward, firing off a sphere of dark sludge at the stunned Golurk, who groaned in pain, but not before suddenly punching Damien with a glowing fist that sent him crashing to the ground. The Golurk then blocked the Scald with another Stone Edge.
"Why do you fight, child? Running away would be so much less painful…" Roran said quietly as the teen he had watched grow so strong painfully got back to his feet, ignoring the worried cry from Hina as she continued to battle the Ruby Raiders on the street.
"Never...I have people that are counting on me. I've been fighting your little minions for years now. I won't run away now!" Ashton bellowed as he punched out with his fist. "Now shut up and fight!"
"Well, you know what-" Roran began to say, only for him to suddenly notice something very odd. Something that made him momentarily forget about the battle he was in right now.
Bright red symbols began to appear on the cobblestone road that made up the street that they were currently battling on. They resembled words, but weren't anything that could actually be understood by humans of this age. The words glowed the color of blood, and with each passing moment more and more ancient words flickered into existence on the street they stood on.
"What...what's going on?" Ashton asked, glancing around in surprise before noticing that Roran was enraptured with the strange runes. Ashton pointed forward, calling out, "Dark Pulse! Hydro Pump!"
"The runes...they're activating. So the legends were real." Roran thought as he shivered with anticipation. No one but him could have known that this would happen. That the flames would uncover the truth that had been buried so heavily that it would tear Alola apart at the seams was it to get out. Combined with the blood that his followers had spilled this night...
The Kahuna grinned in triumph under his mask. As much as he loved his homeland and wished to push it into the future, he really did love uncovering the truth about the past. The secrets that lay hidden beneath the passage of time. Ancient Pokémon with incredible power and history behind them, and wonderful stories of larger-than-life heroes and villains of another time. It was part of what led to his becoming a Kahuna, in the end.
You could learn so much, from the past, after all.
Roran then turned his attention back to the battle, where he was surprised to see his Golurk toppling over at the combined power of Damien and Arin. The Kahuna returned his Golurk as his Ariados scuttled forward, with Roran smirking underneath his mask, holding out a hand-
And clamping it down on the neck of Lusamine, who gasped in pain as the madman lifted her into the air, grinning maniacally as his eyes burned with the terrifying curse that Tapu Bulu had delivered unto him. Added onto that the strange serum that the former Kahuna had injected into his body, and calling Roran deranged would be an understatement.
"Oh, Lusa. You both know that even though I'm not in the prime of my youth, I'm more deadly than I've ever been." Roran breathed, the smell of blood and flesh stinking on his breath. Lusamine struggled fiercely in his grip and kicked out at the madman, but Roran tightened his grip, continuing to choke the life out of her.
"Even if some miracle occurred and I was stopped today, that wouldn't stop my backup plan. And my other backup plans that I have on top of that. Even if I were to die, I still have contingencies in place to ruin the lives of those who turned their back on me." Roran said to the Aether President, bringing her close to him so he could whisper in her ear. "Once I find Sun, I'm going to find your precious little Lillie. And then Hala's little boy. They'll make wonderful little sacrifices, won't they?"
Lusamine's eyes widened in abject horror as Roran giggled, his eyes gleaming wildly as the Curse of Abundance surged through his body. "Yes, it's a shame I can't just eat them. Though I guess the ritual doesn't say that the kids can't be missing a few limbs when the time comes. Or need to be necessarily alive, but I'm going to play this one safe."
"Mo...mons...ter!" Lusamine croaked, repeatedly hitting the Cipher Admin's hands as his Claydol hovered nearby, humming softly. Roran considered the Claydol's question before lightening his grip on Lusamine.
"That does raise the question though, Lusa. How does your daughter evade a Mind-Lock? I've met her before and even then we couldn't get one on her. Sun and Hau have a Z-Ring, so that's not possible with them, but she isn't a Trainer. Do you have any idea what's blocking our ability to track her down?" Roran asked as Lusamine gasped in air, still trying to struggle. The madman seemed genuinely curious, and it was obvious that he wasn't in his right mind because this gave Lusamine time to gather her wits and think.
"It's likely the energy that Cosmog gives off. That's why I haven't tracked her down myself with the Mind-Lock I had Faba put on her years ago. So long as she's with Cosmog, pinpointing her location is impossible via Mind-Lock. Not that this madman needs to know that." Lusamine thought as Roran's eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"Thought so. Oh well, it was worth a try." Roran said as he set his artifact on the ground and used both hands to strangle the life out of Lusamine, a terrifying smile on his face as Lusamine's face slowly turned red...and then purple…
The Claydol suddenly let out a cry of pain as a wave of razor sharp leaves slashed into it from out of nowhere, with several of them running through Roran and causing him to scream in pain, dropping Lusamine to the ground. Crimson dripped down Roran's lightly armored arms and his bare hands, with the Cipher Admin turning his furious gaze on the Dartrix that was hovering near a lone boy standing at the other end of the street, his red eyes narrowed in anger.
"So, you've decided to come back? Fair play, Sun. I respect that." Roran said amicably, though the bloodlust in his voice was palpable. Sun's gaze went to Lusamine, who lay on the ground clutching her throat, and her unconscious Pokémon team that lay senseless in the destroyed street.
"Leave her alone! It's me you want." Sun said to Roran, who cocked a grin at the child.
"You're in no position to bargain, Sun. But I'm a fair man, even if I don't always fight fairly. I'll remove our mutual friend from the equation for now." Roran said as Claydol hummed angrily beside the madman, lifting Lusamine up with Psychic. Lusamine was still struggling to regain her senses, so Roran easily knocked her out with a viscous chop to the neck before Claydol tossed the woman off into one of the nearby booths. With a start, Sun realized he was on Sapling Street, which held the large market that he had went to with Lillie and Ollie. Sun felt tears sting at his eyes once again as he remembered that his guardian was gone. All that was left was to avenge him.
"She's not dead, but I'll make her wish she was soon enough." Roran said lightly as he turned to the child standing defiantly in front of him. "That being said...You're not that lucky."
Sun responded with a confidant smirk, which made Roran confused for a moment. "I don't know about that, Mister Rubinara. I think I've still got a bit of luck in me."
Roran grinned at the boy and opened his mouth to reply, only for Claydol to suddenly turn towards a nearby rooftop and fire off a Psybeam at an approaching Penny, who dove downwards with a screech as the Claydol began to attack the Cannon Pokémon. Roran was then confused when a sudden downpour of rain began to shower the street, making the old man scowl in annoyance, turning towards Sun.
"No one said I had to fight fair either." Sun said as he yelled, "Oliver, Razor Leaf! Penny, Supersonic!"
Penny soared high to dodge a Psychic from Claydol and let out a piercing wave of sound that made the Claydol let out a low hum, floating slightly wobbly. It allowed Oliver to strike it directly with a Razor Leaf, doing serious damage to the Clay Doll Pokémon. Things worsened for Roran's prized Pokémon as a boiling hot torrent of water sprang out from behind one of the booths on the street, striking Claydol from behind. A glowing orange sphere of energy slammed into Claydol from another direction, which made the Pokémon suddenly drop like a stone and crash down onto the ground with a cry of pain.
"What the hell just happened?" Roran demanded, confused as to how this miserable child just got the drop on him.
"That's it everyone! All-out attack!" Sun shouted as Finn leapt out from his hiding spot, amusement in its eyes as Alastor floated back down to the street. Roran realized that the child had indeed set up a sneak attack on him and grinned, turning towards Sun with amusement in his shining eyes.
"Not bad, boy! Let's see if you can put up the same fight as your father did!" Roran called out, though he wore an animalistic grin on his face. Sun shivered at the hungry look in the man's eyes, but he didn't falter as his team prepared themselves for a brutal battle. Claydol slowly rose from the street, shaking its body slightly as Roran returned it, only to call out his Cloyster and a Shadow Archeops. "I'll even fight on the same level as you. How about that?"
Sun didn't rise to the bait, instead pointing forward and yelling, "Penny, use Rock Blast on that bird! Alastor, use Thunder Shock! Finn, use Brick Break on Cloyster! Oliver, run interference with Razor Leaf and Protect!"
"This is a time I wish Rotom Dex was here. I have no idea what typing that Shadow Pokémon is." Sun thought ruefully as his Pokémon leapt into actions.
"Shadow Archeops, use Shadow Wing on anything that comes near you. Cloyster, use Icicle Cannon on the Toucannon and Dartrix!" Roran commanded as he set his artifact down on the ground, grinning as his two Pokémon responded in kind. Cloyster grinned as she opened fire, filling the air with icicles as Penny and Oliver fired back, the two sides reaching a stalemate of sorts in the air. Meanwhile, Alastor let out a shout as he sent an arc of electricity towards Shadow Archeops, who soared towards him and Finn with two wings shining with purple energy, stopping the Tadpole Pokémon from joining the fight against Cloyster.
"Use Scald on Shadow Archeops and get into the air! Then Brick Break on Cloyster!" Sun yelled as Finn braced himself, the Shadow Archeops easily tanking the Thunder Shock with a screech and smashing into Alastor, who withstood the attack with a wince of pain. Finn managed to dodge the attack by leaping over the bird and using Scald, blasting it in the back and using it to propel himself through the air and into position for a Brick Break on Cloyster-
Who teleported out of the way, hitting Finn with an Ice Beam and sending him crashing to the ground with a shout of pain. Penny and Oliver darted towards the Bivalve Pokémon to fend it off, but both were smashed into by Shadow Archeops, sending the birds reeling back with screeches of pain.
"You're not even close to my level, Sun. This hero act of yours is rather sad, in all honesty." Roran chuckled lightly as Finn tried to get up, only for Cloyster to teleport above him, grinning as it charged up an Ice Beam. A sudden lance of electricity struck the Cloyster, causing the Cloyster to groan in pain and seize up in surprise. Roran glanced towards the Alolan Geodude who had rejoined the battle, looking even more angry than before.
"Finn, use Scald into Brick Break! Oliver, Razor Leaf! Penny, Brick Break! Alastor, keep that Shadow Archeops away!" Sun called to his team as Roran grinned.
"Shadow Scream, my Archeops. Ice Beam-" Roran began say before he stopped speaking, surprised as Finn suddenly blasted the nearby ground with a Scald, sending him flying back towards a surprised Cloyster with alarming speed and decking it in the face with a Brick Break. Cloyster cried out in pain, soaring through the air and into a Razor Leaf from Oliver and then another Brick Break from Penny.
"Blizzard." Roran commanded a note of amusement in his voice as Cloyster winced in pain before opening its shell wide and releasing a massive whirlwind of snow and ice. Penny screeched in surprise, but Oliver dove in front of her and flew right at the massive snowstorm that was rushing towards him.
"Protect Charge!" Sun shouted, punching out with his fist. Roran raised an eyebrow at that, and his eyes widened as Oliver tanked the Blizzard attack, the bird's shield slowly becoming covered in ice and snow. And that large frozen shield was now hurtling towards him and Cloyster at an alarming rate.
"Teleport us!" Roran shouted as Cloyster stopped its attack and teleported back to Roran, with it vanishing a second time mere moments before Oliver smashed into the ground with a loud crash, sending ice shards and energy everywhere. The Dartrix glared at the former Kahuna and his Cloyster as they reappeared a few yards away, with the madman mockingly waving to him with his hands closed tightly around the handle of the artifact he grabbed off of the ground before he teleported to safety.
"Clever. But I've seen that trick, Sun. You forget that I've known you for some time now under my special mask! And you and your friends were none the wiser." Roran laughed as Cloyster huffed angrily beside him. Sun crossed his arms, trying to think of who this monster had been pretending to be the entire time. No one crossed his mind that looked like the old man ahead of him, badly burned on the side of his face and bald.
"This is quite some fight, Roran. It's a shame you've fallen so far." spoke a voice that the two Trainers recognized, coming from one of the nearby stalls. Sun's eyes widened in shock as he saw Ano Aupuni calmly sitting behind his family booth on the street, watching the battle taking place with interest.
"Are you seriously just watching this happen? The city is burning to the ground! What's wrong with you!?" Sun demanded, somewhat furious that his grandfather would simply sit there and watch as his grandson fought for his life against Alola's greatest criminal.
"I'd kill you myself but you're so far beneath me that it'd sully my hands." Roran said as his face twisted in disgust, with Sun's eyes widening at that.
"I can only imagine what you've done to the Council by now. But should you kill me...so be it. But your plan won't work, Roran." Ano said roughly, a faint smile of smugness on his face. "The ritual won't work on someone so corrupted by vengeance and hate."
"You know about the…" Roran genuinely shocked for a moment before he smirked. "That's right. You were once a custodian of the library, when you were younger."
"That I was. You won't get away with this, Roran. The God of Abundance will strike you down." Ano said to Roran, earning a smirk in response.
"And yet, it hasn't shown up. Tapu Bulu knows better to even try to interfere after what it did last time I attacked Malie. The shame of its actions has persisted to this day. Now...butt out of this, Ano." Roran said mildly, his eyes narrowing slightly. "This is between me and your grandson. You should be content to burn in the flames of my ambitions."
"By all means, have at it. The demon child and the heretic can kill each other here. I won't mourn your passing." Ano said as he sat back in his chair, smiling at the two of them.
"I'm surprised you're not buddies with the man who abused my father growing up." Sun shot at Roran, who gave Sun a measured look before turning his gaze to Ano Aupuni, who simply sat there and watched them.
"I may be a complete scumbag of a human being responsible for the deaths of thousands, but at least I've never added the label of rapist to my portfolio, unlike him. And I'm not so deluded in my thinking that I think any of what I'm doing will benefit anyone but myself." Roran explained as Sun's eyes widened in horror at the Cipher Admin's words.
"Did...did he just say…" Sun began to think in his head, shock rolling through him. Unfortunately, Roran seized on this and ordered Shadow Archeops to attack Finn, knocking him into a nearby shop window with Acrobatics.
"Finn!" Sun shouted out before turning his furious gaze back to Roran, who simply smiled. Ano continued to watch with faint amusement, the insanity in his eyes even deeper than the terrible madness that had ensnared Roran.
"Now then, who's next?" Roran asked, gesturing with his hands as his Shadow Archeops let out a screech of fury. Penny and Oliver rose up to meet the First Bird Pokémon, but before it could do anything there was a shout that pierced the night.
"You ready for round two, you bastard!?" shouted a familiar voice. Sun sagged with relief as Hugh stumbled onto the street with Samson, clutching his bleeding arm and looking dazed. "Aqua Jet!"
"Archeops, use Stone Edge!" Roran barked as the Samurott rushed towards it. Samson crashed into the Shadow Pokémon, knocking it backwards even as a pillar of glowing blue stone smashed Samson into the air, where Cloyster blasted it to the ground with a Hydro Pump.
"Penny, Brick Break on Cloyster! Oliver, Razor Leaf on both of them! Alastor, Thunder Shock on Archeops!" Sun shouted as Hugh growled softly, nodding after a moment.
"Come on, Sun. We've got this clown." Hugh said as he stood beside the child, with Samson the Samurott growling softly beside him. Sun looked at his injured friend with concern, but Hugh ignored that and yelled, "Hydro Pump!"
Roran growled and yelled, "Shadow Archeops, use Acrobatics to dodge and then use Shadow Dive! Cloyster, Icicle Crash-"
He was cut off by Penny, who dove downwards to suddenly strike Cloyster from behind before quickly soaring away as Oliver showered the air with Razor Leaf, pelting both of Roran's Pokémon with the attack. Alastor followed up with Thunder Shock, which the Archeops tanked with a screech of pain. Unfortunately, that allowed the powerful water attack to hit the First Bird Pokémon in midair, knocking it out. Roran returned the Shadow Pokémon and called his Claydol back out, growling in annoyance. This was compounded when two women teleported onto the street with a Jolteon and Swanna and an Alakazam and Chatot respectively.
"Aria, Vivian...About time you showed up." Hugh said with relief in his voice, holding his injured arm. Roran looked furious at the interruption, leaping back as Claydol groaned softly, not recovered from the extensive damage it took earlier from Sun. Aria smiled at Sun and Hugh before turning to Roran, who growled as he brandished his artifact. Vivian looked absolutely terrified, holding her violin tightly in her hands as her Chatot softly sang on her shoulder.
"I guess it's back to basics for me. Oh well." Roran said sarcastically before swinging the artifact upwards, causing the street to tear apart as flames erupted from the earth. Aria jumped forward, barking out commands for Water Pulse and a Thunderbolt as the Claydol teleported Roran and itself out of the way of the attack. Meanwhile, Cloyster fired off an Ice Beam towards the Snagger, who jumped to the side to dodge.
"Hugh, Sun, Vivian! Get ready!" Aria shouted as Roran reappeared down the street, grinning madly as his eyes suddenly flared gold as he reached within his cloak, pulling out a brown Z-Crystal and slapping it into his Z-Ring.
"I have many more tricks up my sleeve, children. Allow me to educate you on what it means to cross me." Roran said quietly as he thrust out his artifact, filling the streets with more fire. Vivian screamed in terror as the flames erupted behind her, sending her to the ground as her Chatot chirped in alarm.
"Vivs, come on! We need you!" Aria said to her friend before swinging her arm out, with a jet-black blade erupting from her Snag Machine. Her eyes drifted to Lusamine, who still lay unconscious on the sidewalk, before returning to Roran. The former Kahuna looked at them with an intense expression, his eyes shining eerily in the night thanks to the curse now-active.
"Now...How to get out of this situation?" Roran mused, his hands drifting to the black serrated knife on his belt. He freed the weapon and flipped it in his grip as Sun shivered, remembering that as the weapon that had killed Ollie mere minutes ago.
"I think the most simple way is to start things off with a bang. After all, we have three of the four annoying Unova brats in one place and the son of my greatest enemy at the moment. Why save the fun stuff for later when everything ends tonight?" Roran demanded as he held out his hand, brandishing his burning artifact towards the ground.
Everyone expected flames to erupt all around them or for Roran to shoot a beam of fire from the strange artifact held in his hands. What no one expected as Cloyster to suddenly teleport right in the middle of where they were grouped together, grinning at them before it's body began to glow white. Everyone's blood collectively went cold at the sight of Cloyster preparing to use Self-Destruct.
"MOVE!" Aria screamed as she shoved Sun away from the Bivalve Pokémon, with Oliver swooping towards Sun with a screech. That was about all the reaction time Roran had given them, because the next moment Cloyster's entire body detonated on the street, creating a wicked explosion that sent everyone nearby flying away and knocking out any Pokémon that happened to be nearby. Roran laughed as smoke filled the street, and he took the time admire his handiwork before paying attention to the clearing smoke.
To Roran's annoyance, none of the Trainers had been killed in the blast. Aria looked dazed and was struggling to move, but Hugh was already forcing himself upright and Vivian had managed to teleport away to a nearby rooftop. Roran sighed before shaking his head, a smile coming to his lips as Claydol teleported him right beside them.
"Ah well. Plan B it is. More brutal murder." Roran said as he reached down to grab a dazed Sun by the neck. He was surprised that the boy was simply dazed from the explosion, but after seeing the unconscious Dartrix on the ground covered in burns, Roran realized that the bird had taken the hit for his Trainer.
"Now then, Sun...what part of you should I taste first? Your fingers? Maybe an arm? Or should I just tear your head off and drink from the fucking stump!?" Roran demanded, the hunger and bloodlust in his eyes as-
"No!" Roran whirled around and was surprised when Hugh jumped at the man, punching him in the face with his fist before trying to wrestle control of the knife away from him. Claydol teleported in and quickly struck Hugh with Psychic, causing him to scream in pain as Roran walked right up to him while rubbing his jaw.
"Congratulations. You die." Roran said lightly as he grabbed Hugh from behind and tightened an arm around his neck. Everyone watched in horror as Roran buried the knife into Hugh's chest with a murderous grin.
"HUGH!" Aria screamed as Roran cackled with delight, dragging the blade downwards and tearing through Hugh's chest. Hugh screamed as crimson spurted from his torso, the knife effortlessly ripping through his flesh. Sun fought the urge to throw up while Vivian clamped her hands over her mouth, tears in her eyes as she watched on in horror.
"Yes! Nice and fresh...Ahh. It smells wonderful." Roran sighed with delight as he shoved Hugh's twitching form onto the ground and regarded the blood on his knife with a fond expression, casually ducking to avoid the Thunderbolt sent right at him from the barely conscious Jolteon. Roran grinned as Claydol threw up a Protect to block a second Thunderbolt and a Rock Blast. The madman then looked at the knife and licked the blood off of it with relish, causing Aria to force herself to her feet.
"You son of a bitch! I'll fucking end you!" Aria screamed as she glared at the man with absolute hatred in her eyes, tears streaming down her face.
"Try me." Roran said as he sheathed his knife as thrust out his hand, causing another crevice to open up in the earth and spew out flames towards the Snagger, who lunged forward and barely avoided the gout of fire. Roran returned his Cloyster, but then called it out again and used another Max Revive on it, restoring it to full health as Claydol fired off a Hyper Beam, which forced Aria back as it ripped the street apart.
To Roran's annoyance, Aria hadn't been killed in the blast. Vivian had finally decided to join the battle properly, and had teleported in with a Protect to shield her friend at the last moment. Aria grabbed Vivian's shoulder and gave the terrified young woman a comforting squeeze as the shield vanished, with Sophie the Jolteon and Elise the Swanna preparing themselves for a fight. Roran also noticed Sun stirring weakly as Penny circled protectively overhead, with Alastor remaining nearby and glaring at him.
"I'm starting to run low on supplies...I didn't think I'd have to personally fend off so many of these people." Roran thought as he held up his hand, his Z-Ring flaring gold with light as he tapped into the power that had been gifted to him by the Tapu. The power that cemented his role as the harbinger of the end for Alola.
"Get ready, he's trying something!" Aria shouted, throwing out a hand. "Bubblebeam and Thunderbolt!"
Roran's smile faded as a wicked bolt of lighting rushed forward alongside a powerful stream of bubbles. Roran snapped his fingers and Claydol teleported in front of Cloyster, throwing up a Protect-
Which failed to activate, causing the two attacks to crash into their opponents. Roran's eyes widened in surprise when he saw Cloyster slump onto the ground, having fainted from a single Thunderbolt. The madman whirled around and saw Claydol floating off-kilter, humming weakly.
"I'm going to kill you...slowly." Aria promised Roran as she walked forward, raising the blade attached to the Snag Machine on her arm. Her Jolteon and Swanna moved alongside her, glaring down the monster that had killed Hugh and Ollie.
Roran thought quickly, knowing that he needed to take care of the furious Snagger. He realized that the young women's team was stronger than his own, but then again, that hadn't stopped him from crushing opponents like her regardless. With that thought in mind, he called out a new Pokémon, a Shadow Cofagrigus.
"Alright then...cheating it is." Roran muttered as he thrust out his hand, allowing more beautiful light to fill the street as energy began to permeate the air. Aria stopped moving, this being her first time seeing this strange power in action.
"Cofagrigus! Prepare yourself!" Roran declared grandly as he began to strike a series of movements, though the Shadow Pokémon made no move to mimic his Trainer like Pokémon usually did with a Z-Move. Aria grit her teeth and focused on taking care of this man before he could complete his move.
"Shadow Ball! Water Pulse on Cofagrigus!" Aria shouted as the attacks soared towards Roran, who looked surprised for a moment as he stepped back and allowed the attacks to connect with his Shadow Pokémon. The Cofagrigus looked stunned, but was surprisingly still standing. Aria then noticed something.
The Claydol had vanished.
A sudden force smashed into Aria and her two Pokémon from behind, sending the Snagger into the cobblestone violently. Claydol hummed loudly as it attacked the Swanna with a Rock Slide while hurling the Jolteon into a nearby stand, burying with a Rock Tomb after a few moments before turning its gaze back to the stunned Snagger, who it lifted limply into the air.
"A classic deception. For the big bad hero that everyone was so worried about, you're really not that difficult to deal with, even with a Snag Machine." Roran remarked before jerking his head down the street. Claydol hurled Aria down the road, causing her to smash into a light post and crash onto the ground with blood leaking from her head.
"A-Aria!" screamed out Sun, who was now slowly rising to his feet. His expression fell when he saw the body of Hugh lying there on the ground in a pool of his blood, and his eyes turned jet black as tears began to fall once again.
"Now then...Where were we?" Roran asked Sun casually, as if he hadn't just possibly killed another friend. Sun shivered as more tears ran down his face and forced himself to stand, even as Penny landed in front of him and stood her ground alongside Finn who had rejoined them now. Alastor watched impassively, his arms crackling with electricity. Roran let out a deep sigh and shuddered as the light from his eyes faded away, revealing his normal orange eyes.
"That never stops being exhausting. At least the overwhelming hunger for flesh is gone so i can think again." Roran remarked as he rubbed his temples, and it was at that moment Sun realized that despite all of the power at Roran's disposal, he really was just an old man at the end of the day.
"He needs those weird drugs to physically fight anyone, unless he gets a cheap shot in." Sun thought as he considered the former Kahuna in front of him. "My question is...if he can use some kind of incredible Z-Power, why hasn't he done it yet? He could kill us all with it. What's he waiting for? Or...is it because he can't use it whenever he wants? Maybe there's a limit on it, like regular Z-Moves? But even by now, you could use another Z-Move again in the time between that Mind-Meld thing and now."
"Alright. Sun. I'll level with you. I'm getting a bit worn out. Maybe just come along with me, and point me in the direction of Hala's brat and sweet little Lillie, I might be convinced to stop murdering your friends. Or don't." Roran's smile widened horrifically, stretching his face. During this time, he called back out his Cloyster and revived it. "Maybe I can break you even worse than I did your father. He never did quite get over what I did to his friends, all those years ago. It's a shame, really...If he was only a bit more ruthless, world domination would have been simple for him. Instead he genuinely wanted to change the world. Make it a better place for his baby boy to grow up in...But that's simply ridiculous. The world will never change. It'll only turn."
Roran spat on the ground, his smile fading as scorn flashed across his face. "I gave him the means to be great, all those years ago. I groomed him to not just be an incredible Trainer, but a great man. Someone who could lead Alola alongside me into its golden age."
"That's a lie! My father hates you! You betrayed him and everyone else in Alola!" Sun shouted at the former Kahuna, who shook his head.
"No, Sun. While my plans didn't exactly pan out, that was my true intention. Ashton had and has the pedigree to be a true leader. Combine that with the fact that Lusamine, Mohn and myself all helped him grow from an angry and abused little boy into one of Alola's greatest Trainers before he became a full adult...well, he was exactly what Alola needed to prosper. However, things didn't work out that way. And now I'm forced to destroy everything I ever cared about. Including Ashton." Roran then cracked a smile as Claydol and Cloyster floated into the air. Sun's team braced themselves for a battle as Roran's Z-Ring began to glow brightly in the firelight.
But before Roran could speak, a new voice cut him off.
"STOKED SPARKSURFER!"
Roran's eyes widened as he turned around, just in time for an Alolan Raichu to surge towards him and his team. Roran barely had time to react before the Raichu's Z-Move made impact, releasing an explosion of electricity and hitting Roran and his three Pokémon before zooming away. Sun's jaw dropped at the sudden Z-Move, but even more so when Hau moved out from behind a nearby stall and moved out into the street.
"How's that feel, you nasty old coot!?" Hau demanded, grinning as the explosion cleared, showing that Cloyster had been knocked out again and Roran was on his knees, his mouth open in silent agony from being electrocuted. Claydol was unaffected, floating into the air and firing off a Psybeam.
"Finn…" Sun muttered, causing the Poliwhirl to look at him and meet his eyes. "Get ready."
"Duke, dodge and use Psychic!" Hau shouted as the Alolan Raichu zoomed through the air, frantically dodging the blasts from the Clay Doll Pokémon. Duke lashed out with Psychic, but that was easily blocked by Claydol's own Psychic, which it used to hurl Duke into the ground. Claydol began charging up a Hyper Beam as Hau took a step back in horror.
"HYDRO VORTEX!"
Roran managed to slowly turn his head, surprise once again on his face as a massive cyclone of water whirled above Finn, with Sun standing behind him with an expression of fury on his face. Finn unleashed the attack, throwing the Z-Move at the Claydol before it could Teleport to safety. Roran watched on as his prized Pokémon was battered and thrown about in the attack, with himself and Cloyster being sucked within the move.
Part of Sun wondered if it was wrong for him to have used a Z-Move to actually hurt another Trainer. To stoop down to Cipher's level, and attack someone directly in a Pokémon battle. But after thinking about what Roran had done to everyone, including his father, Sun felt little remorse.
The Hydro Vortex exploded, showering the street with water. Roran dropped onto the ground, along with his Pokémon. Cloyster had already been knocked out, but to their surprise Claydol dropped to the ground senseless as well. Hau sighed in relief and quickly made his way over to Sun, who was panting hard while staring at the still form of Roran.
"Sorry I'm late, Sun. Those Cipher guys wouldn't stop trying to grab me! Thankfully the Kahuna of this island helped me out along the way." Hau said as he walked over to his friend, offering him a smile. Despite everything, Sun pulled his other best friend into a crushing hug, which Hau returned with some hesitation after a few moments.
"Uh, Sun?" Hau questioned, concerned.
"Thank everything that you're okay." Sun muttered, feeling tears sting at his eyes. Hau pulled away and noticed the state Sun was in.
"What happened?" Hau asked as he looked around the street. He noticed Vivian peeking her head out from behind a nearby stand, looking relatively unharmed, though horrified. Aria was slowly stirring in the street, which Hau made note of with some concern. He was horrified to see Aether President Lusamine lying unconscious on the sidewalk, but then his eyes drifted to Hugh…
Hau gagged as he looked away, finding it difficult to breathe. He looked at Sun again, and saw the boy was now crying, and he embraced his best friend. His rival. A boy who had become a brother to him in recent months, and who always had his back.
"Come on...Let's get Aria and Miss Lusamine up. Hey Vivian, you wanna help us out?" Hau called to the violinist, who shakily nodded and made her way over to them, her Alakazam and Chatot keeping an eye on a weakly stirring Roran.
"I'm...I'm so s-sorry. I could've helped, I could've done something but...I'm so useless." Vivian whispered, hanging her head as she looked at Hugh's bloodied corpse. "We never got along, me and Hugh. But he was still my friend."
"Why didn't you help?" Sun asked Vivian, a hard note in his voice. Vivian flinched and looked away, shame evident on her face. "I understand you're afraid. But your friends were literally dying in front of you, and you hid away. I'm just a kid and I'm doing more than you."
"I...I'm sorry. That's all I can say. Nothing I say or do will ever make up for this...I haven't changed at all since Nimbasa City." Vivian despaired, causing Sun's eyes to turn red. He decided to take a moment and heal his team, reviving Oliver as well.
"You're a bad friend, in all honesty. I was terrified during this entire time, but I came back to try and stop this psychopath." Sun said, gestured at Roran-
Who was now getting back up, with his Shadow Cofagrigus now standing in front of him.
"Agh...that was unpleasant." Roran muttered as he slowly got to his feet, looking rather water-logged and very unsteady. He then cast his gaze around the street and spotted his trusty Claydol lying in the street motionless with swirls in its eyes. Roran's eyes widened in shock. Sun had knocked out his Claydol with that Z-Move. The boy who should've been nothing but an afterthought to him. And Hala's grandson did the same with his Claydol.
"Thanatos!" Roran called out with alarm, but the Claydol refused to respond to him. The former Kahuna then turned towards Sun, his smile becoming something darker. All traces of amusement were gone now, and Sun knew he had the monster's full attention now. "Well played, Sun. Attacking me while I was distracted by your friend. Your father would be proud of such a clever move."
"There's more where that came from! Finn, Scald! Oliver, Razor Leaf!" Sun yelled as the two Pokémon lashed out with their attacks as Shadow Cofagrigus laughed hauntingly. The Coffin Pokémon tanked the attacks, letting out a cackle of rage as Roran considered the situation.
"It seems I'll have to get serious." Roran said quietly as he turned his head to the side, glaring down Hau as the boy shivered in fear. He had heard stories about the atrocities Roran had committed, but now he was having to live through them. Vivian took a few steps back, shivering at the murderous expression on the madman. "Shadow Ball!"
The Shadow Cofagrigus laughed before charging up the attack and sending it at Vivian, who screamed before she, Decres and Arpeggio (her Chatot) teleported off to the side. However, all of them noticed she made no attempt to actually battle back.
"Cowardice will get you nowhere!" Roran roared, grabbing the still burning artifact off of the ground from where it had fallen. The flames burned brighter the moment it touched the man's hand, with him lifting it into the air and throwing out a hand, "Shadow Rave!"
Shadow Cofagrigus growled and raised its hands into the air before slamming them down hard onto the cobblestone. Black spikes of shadow erupted from the street, quickly moving towards Vivian as the violinist screamed and teleported once again, this time to a nearby rooftop.
Her Alakazam fired off a Hyper Beam that Roran called out for a Protect, which shielded him from the attack. He then swung his artifact downwards, causing the building that Vivian and her two Pokémon were standing on to shake violently. The violinist then screamed as a pillar of flames exploded out from the building, sending her tumbling off of the roof along with her Pokémon down into the fire below.
"Vivian!" Sun shouted out, only for the screams to suddenly cut off. The boy turned towards Roran, who was smiling cruelly.
"Pathetic...I have been chosen by the gods. I am mere steps away from achieving what I have worked so hard for, and I won't let my dreams be denied a second time. But for your bravery, I'll reward you two with something before you die…" Roran held up his hand, the Z-Ring on his wrist flaring gold and releasing light that showered the street. The Z-Ring slowly morphed from white to gray to black as Roran's eyes burned gold.
"Bask in my Radiance...the light bestowed upon the Tapu's chosen." Roran proclaimed as he thrust his hand out, grinning wickedly as he reached within his cloak and pulled out two Revives. "Shadow Wave!"
"It was a trick!" Hau yelped as the dark pulse rippled out across the street, slamming into their Pokémon before they had a chance to fight back.
"Razor Leaf, Scald, Rock Blast, and Rock Throw!" Sun shouted as Roran turned around, hobbling towards his two unconscious Pokémon. The only ones, Sun noted, that weren't Shadow Pokémon so far.
"Hau, we can't let him heal his Claydol and Cloyster!" Sun shouted as his Pokémon unleashed their attacks at Shadow Cofagrigus, who was instructed to use Shadow Wall, which was a massive whirling barrier of darkness that blocked the attacks. However, Sun noticed red static sparking around the Coffin Pokémon, which Sun recognized as recoil damage. He also noticed Roran applying the Revives to his fallen Pokémon, causing them to come back to their senses.
"He relies on them a lot. Just like Amber with her Xatu…" Sun thought as the two Pokémon floated into the air and Roran turned around, his usual smile coming to his marred face. Hau scowled as he called out Kaha, his Flareon crouching low and growling softly as Duke floated nearby, glaring at the former Kahuna.
"We'll never let you get away with this!" Hau called to Roran, who just laughed at the child.
"It's too late, my boy. The ritual has begun and soon nothing you say or do will matter. No one can save this city. Not Sun. Not you. Not Hala. Not Aria...Nothing but a miracle can save you." Roran said, gesturing towards the street they were standing on. Sun and Hau both saw the glowing red runes were now slowly spreading down the road itself, strange letters that couldn't be read but filled the children with unease for some reason.
"That's...definitely not a good sign." Sun muttered, unsure of what to make of this. Hau simply huffed and crossed his arms.
"I think we can figure out a way to kick your butt." Hau remarked, grinning at the former Kahuna. "Oh, and speaking of my grandfather? Tutu always said that he thought your singing sucked!"
Roran's eyes widened in surprise before narrowing sharply. Hau shivered at the sudden wave of bloodlust that he could feel coming from Roran now, the smile quickly fading from his mouth.
"You...you…" Roran seethed with fury, his body shaking with sheer anger before suddenly being smashed in the face with a metal fist, sending him crashing to the ground with a cry as a crack reverberated through the air. Sun and Hau were likewise horrified as Aria leapt on top of the man and continued to pummel the Cipher Admin while screaming incoherently, at least until she was suddenly blasted off of him by a Closyter with a Hydro Pump. Aria bounced off of the street several times, a trail of blood leaking down her head as she groaned in pain and clutched her ribs.
"Aria!" Sun shouted out in worry as Roran slowly rolled onto his stomach, his face bleeding heavily as he clutched his face and curled into a ball. Hau glared at the former Kahuna before running at him, kicking him in the side of the head and causing the old man to cry out in pain. Roran rolled around on the ground, howling in agony as Hau gave him a savage grin-
Before the boy was knocked backwards by Shadow Cofagrigus and sent tumbling down the road, holding his shoulder as he yelled out in agony. Claydol used Psychic to pin the boy to the ground, swiftly knocking him unconscious as Cloyster hovered nearby, concerned for her Trainer. Claydol floated back over to the man, using Psychic to lift his limp body into the air. Roran had both eyes shut, but was blindly fumbling for something within his cloak.
Duke and Kaha rushed forward to help their Trainer, but Cloyster intercepted them, using Surf to knock out Kaha and send Duke tumbling to the ground. The Alolan Raichu launched a Thunderbolt at the Bivalve Pokémon, sending it backwards with a cry of pain. That cry worsened when a Razor Leaf pelted it from above and two Brick Breaks from Penny and Finn knocked out the Cloyster again.
"I...will not...be forgotten...my legend… will endure!" Roran slurred, fighting to remain conscious after the near-fatal pounding Aria had delivered to the old man. He slowly drew out a syringe filled with the same odd liquid as before and jammed it into his arm, pumping more deadly chemicals into his veins. Within moments the man shivered violently and felt all pain leave his body, and new strength rushed into his veins, as well as the usual feelings of euphoria. Claydol slowly let the man drift to the ground, where he stood confidently on his own two feet after giving the serum more time to work.
"There we...go!" Roran cackled madly as he threw the syringe onto the ground and let out a deep shuddering breath as his heart-rate skyrocketed and his vision shifted erratically. He took a moment to realign his dislocated jaw, the cracking sensation sending shivers down his spine.
"Well now. That was painful." Roran commented easily as he turned towards Sun, who was glaring down the former Kahuna with fury burning in his bright red eyes. "But not as painful as what comes next. I've enjoyed our quality time together, Sun, but now you and your young friend must come with me."
Sun's gaze flicked to Hau, who was unconscious on the ground and to Aria, who was weakly stirring down the road. His red eyes returned to Roran, taking in the strangeness in his eyes that had taken root. It was if the man was drugged or something. Still dangerous, but not all there in the head.
"I made a promise to my Dad not to go after you. Since you came after me, I think I'm safe from breaking my word. I think he'll be pretty proud to hear his son killed the worst thing to happen to Alola." Sun snarled as he punched forward, barking "Psychic! Brick Break, Pluck!"
The Cipher Admin allowed himself a soft smile as he raised his artifact so that it was facing Sun, madness gleaming in his eyes. Finn lashed out with Psychic while Penny and Oliver shot past their Trainer to battle the Cloyster that stood between him and Roran.
"I will teach you fear." Roran said calmly despite his strange state, though his smile became truly insane as he swung down his artifact, causing a wall of flames to erupt from the earth. To his surprise, however, the flames parted slightly due to the psychic blast that struck the fire, allowing Penny and Oliver to easily pass through it and slam into the Bivalve Pokémon with Pluck and Brick Break. Roran was further surprised when Oliver suddenly veered towards him and hurled a Razor Leaf at him, shredding his cloak further and causing several small lacerations as the attack cut through parts of his outfit. He barely felt the pain, however, much like before.
"You've got guts, Sun. Too bad I'm going to rip them out of you." Roran grinned manically, drawing his black dagger and flipping it in his grip. He took several steps forward as Cloyster blasted Penny with an Aurora Beam, sending her crashing to the ground with a pained cry. Oliver frantically dodged an Icicle Cannon while Alastor and Finn braced themselves for Roran as the former Kahuna strode towards him, holding out the burning artifact with a mad smile.
Only for the Cipher Admin to suddenly be tackled from behind by Aria, though thanks to the deadly toxins now pumping through his veins, he remained standing tall, and instead clamped a hand around Aria's throat and slammed her onto the ground. He then stood up and stepped down on Aria's throat, malice gleaming in his eyes. Aria's own eyes were wide in shock and pain, even as she drew back her right hand and smashed the metal fist into his leg which didn't even make him flinch, despite the sickening crack of bones as his leg bent inward.
"How cute. I've had decades to perfect these serums, you brat. Between them and my Radiance, I'm the most dangerous thing on these islands. And-" Roran snarled as a blast of lightning struck him from behind, throwing him off of Aria. A Hyper Beam from an Alakazam that appeared from out of nowhere suddenly swept across his team from above, knocking them all back. Sun watched as Vivian scrambled out from behind a stand and helped Aria up, the Snagger clutching her throat as Roran rolled across the cobblestones. The Cipher Admin ended up crouching as he glared down Sun and his friends, with Alastor and Oliver in front of their Trainer.
"Right! No more monologuing from this guy. Time to put a few more kids in the ground!" Roran spat as he got to his feet, wincing as electricity crackled around his body and his injured leg nearly gave out on him, showing that something there was broken. Roran was distantly grateful that he couldn't really feel pain right now. "I was originally just going to have some fun. But I think I'm past the point of playing with my food before I eat it. You two boys and Lillie are coming with me, one way or another."
"He took a direct Thunder Shock and just shrugged it off...What the heck is in those syringes?" Sun thought as he pointed forward, shouting, "Leaf Drive! Rock Blast!"
Roran grinned as he raised his artifact high into the air, summoning a wall of fire from the ground. Oliver stopped in his tracks, barely avoiding getting hit by the flames. Penny fired off Rock Blast, which did make it through the fire and struck Cofagrigus, though the Coffin Pokémon withstood the hit like it didn't even bother him.
"Perhaps a demonstration of my power is in order." Roran proclaimed as he held out his Z-Ring, though unlike earlier, no golden light filled the streets. Roran grinned triumphantly, even though nothing was happening. After a few moments, the former Kahuna seemed to realize something was off.
"Wait...hold that thought. I forgot." Roran suddenly said, lowering his Z-Ring as Cloyster and Thanatos the Claydol hovered nearby, confusion on their faces. Roran shrugged before flashing them a grin, calling out Shadow Rampardos again to join his trio of Pokémon.
"Shadow Rave! Shadow Rush!" Roran commanded his Pokémon as Aria stepped forward, calling out a Leavanny.
"Razor Leaf on all of them! Vivian, support me! I'm going for a snag." Aria said as she pulled out what Sun recognized as a Dusk Ball and held it in her Snag Machine, causing the Poké Ball to glow purple. Vivian nodded shakily and began to play her violin once again, causing Decres to teleport away.
Meanwhile, Leonardo the Leavanny was staving off Roran's onslaught of Pokémon attacks. Sun couldn't tear his eyes away from the battle taking place, as it seemed the Leavanny was almost dancing amongst the five other Pokémon lashing out at it from every angle, and yet it seemed to be holding them all off with measured calm. Things only improved when Elise the Swanna dove into the fight and blasted the Rampardos with a Water Pulse. As the massive Shadow Pokémon tumbled to the ground, Aria took her chance and hurled a Snag Ball at the Shadow Rampardos as Roran shouted out, only to be knocked away with a Surf from Swanna. Thanatos attempted to blast the ball with Hyper Beam, but a Chatot suddenly attacked it from behind with Hyper Voice, knocking the Claydol away.
One...two...three...click.
"Gotcha." Aria breathed as Roran growled softly in anger, gripping his knife tightly in his hand. Aria held out her hand and the ball containing Shadow Rampardos flew into her hand before vanishing, having been transferred automatically to a PC system.
Roran grit his teeth in fury at the thought of having one of his Shadow Pokémon taken away from him, as if it was a simple toy. The former Kahuna turned towards the Snagger, growling softly as he said, "Damn-
"- it all!" Ashton barked as Arin collapsed onto the ground, having fainted from a strange Z-Move that Roran had used on his Pokémon. Hina looked bewildered as well, having never seen a Z-Move quite like that. Rio looked exhausted and Damien was barely holding himself upright after the savage attack from Ariados. It had used some sort strange Bug-type Z-Move that seemed far more powerful than anything the teen had encountered before..
Roran shrugged, even as he struggled to stand from the sheer amount of energy it took to pull off the attack he had just used with his Ariados. "I have to admit, you're impressing me. But you'll have to turn up the heat in order to take me down. My legend has already been written. You're simply a footnote and nothing more." Roran hissed as he returned his Golurk, only to call out a horrific-looking monster made of slabs covered in strange pictures.
"Runerigus, teach him his place." Roran ordered the Pokémon, snapping his fingers as he raised the artifact in his hand with a hidden grin, with Ashton scowling in anger as he prepared himself for the next powerful Pokémon on the Ruby Raider leader's team. Thankfully, ironically enough, a gunshot rang out and caused Roran to jerk back as pain shot through his shoulder.
Ashton whirled around and saw a familiar-looking Duslops standing beside a large man he recognized right away, aiming a pistol right at the disguised Kahuna as he adjusted his cap.
"Commander Jackal!" Ashton called out, smiling for the first time since the attack. The International Police member and Commander of the Alolan Police Force gave the boy a pat on the shoulder as he walked past him before leveling his sidearm at the masked man ahead of them, who gave off a laugh of delight. Ashton was surprised when Hina rejoined him at his other side, and realized that Jackal must have helped the young Trainer deal with the Ruby Raiders she had been battling.
"You always were a thorn in my side, Caleb. Ah well. I'll end you, just like I'll end everything else here!" Roran boomed, throwing aside his hands as flames rose into the sky, twisting around in midair and shooting towards Jackal, who stepped back as Gretel charged forward and threw up a Protect.
"You will not hurt anyone else!" Gretel boomed powerfully, causing Roran to laugh before he raised his artifact higher into the air. The flames suddenly flared white and caused the shield to begin to crack. Gretel gasped and suddenly threw out her arms, causing the three humans to be consumed in darkness. The trio of humans suddenly found themselves standing behind the leader of the Ruby Raiders and saw to their horror that Gretel's Protect finally failed, causing the Dusclops to become consumed by the flames that had nearly killed them.
"You bastard…" Jackal growled as he took aim and fired three shots, two hitting the man's chest and a third bouncing off of the white mask that Roran wore.
"That actually hurt a little...Now then. Where were we?" Roran asked as he called out a Relicanth. Combined with his Runerigus and Ariados, the Kahuna was fairly confident that this battle was in the bag. Especially since Ashton was the only one with a Pokémon out at the moment...which struck Roran was odd.
"Wait a moment…" Roran muttered to himself, putting a hand to his head as he tried to figure out what was wrong. It was then that a whirlwind of flames blasted his team from above, causing Roran to yelp in pain as some of the flames came a bit too close for comfort. Above Roran, an Incineroar was unleashing a swath of flames from its belt, grinning ferociously. It then spun in midair and dove towards Roran and his team.
"Get him, Hina!" Ashton barked as Hercule smashed into Ariados with a Fire Punch before kicking it aside, whirling around and hitting Runerigus with Darkest Lariat.
"Hercule! Dodge!" Hina shouted as the Heel Pokémon glanced backwards with surprise before throwing itself to the side to dodge a Hydro Pump. "Hit 'em with Close Combat!"
Roran scowled under his mask as he mentally commanded his Ariados and Relicanth to attack with a Signal Beam and Hydro Pump respectively, but was surprised when the Incineroar managed to dodge both attacks and begin to pummel the ancient fish relentlessly. Roran was further displeased when a Thunderbolt streaked by him and struck his Ariados, who seized up in pain and fainted. Roran realized that it was Ashton's Alolan Raichu, Rio, who was responsible.
"You think that matters, boy!?" Roran bellowed as he brandished the burning artifact towards him, causing more fire to sweep into the streets. Rio did his best to keep the flames at bay, but
found himself growing weaker with each passing moment as his Psychic began to fail him.
"Damien, get him!" Ashton yelled out as the Houndoom bounded forward, snarling as the criminal laughed and called back out his Gulurk, which loomed above the Houndoom. "You think I'll be stopped by your little mutt?"
"Probably, considering Hina just trashed one of your Pokémon." Ashton shot back, causing Roran to glance to the side and see that Hina was grinning now, due to her Incineroar continuing to pummel the Relicanth. The Heel Pokémon finally knocked it out with a powerful Cross Chop. As the Longevity Pokémon hit the street, Roran growled softly from beneath his mask.
"Enough! I will not allow some urchins that are beneath me to usurp my place!" Roran bellowed, wanting to keep up appearances yet again, though he allowed some real anger to slip in there. If the ritual was indeed real, then he could take things so much further. He could save the Alolan region himself. He could become something truly incredible.
It was as those thoughts entered Roran's head that a wind began to kick up around them, making Ashton and Hina wince. Roran noticed the wind as well, as did his Pokémon, which stopped fighting.
"What...this feels familiar." Roran muttered as he glanced around the street, shuddering. It was then that he recognized what the strange feeling was. It was the feeling of someone watching you. Roran slowly turned around, feeling that something was behind him now...and the sight was an image out of his nightmares.
Tapu Bulu was slowly descending from the sky, cloaked in Z-Power. Even Ashton, Hina and Jackal could feel the sheer rage pouring from the Guardian Deity of Ula'ula Island as it drifted to earth, overwhelming power surging around strange Pokémon.
"You?! I don't have time for your interference!" Roran barked as Tapu Bulu bellowed out its fury. The buildings around them were obliterated the sheer force of the shout from the God of Abundance. Roran's Z-Ring began to glow bright white, causing the Kahuna to look down at the very object Tapu Bulu itself had bestowed upon him many years ago.
"HOW DARE YOU…" Tapu Bulu intoned, floating down in front of Roran, who took a step back. "HOW DARE YOU MAKE A MOCKERY OF MY TRUST! THAT POWER WAS BURIED FOR A REASON BY YOUR ANCESTORS. ONLY THE CHOSEN MAY WIELD THAT SACRED POWER."
"But I am the Chosen! I alone must…" Roran stopped speaking, knowing that if he let the facade slip that Ashton and the others would see through his deception. Instead he sighed and said, "You misunderstand my intentions, Tapu Bulu."
"YOU CANNOT FOOL ME. I CAN SEE YOUR TRUE FACE BEHIND THE MASK YOU WEAR." Tapu Bulu roared, causing Roran to shiver as more and more rage and energy filled the air.
"I am the leader of the Ruby Raiders!" Roran shouted, drawing the black dagger at his side as the Tapu snorted angrily, throwing apart its arms and cracking the street itself from the sheer force of the movement.
"YOU HAVE BETRAYED MY TRUST AND THOSE OF THIS ISLAND. FOR THAT...YOU WILL PAY." Tapu Bulu bellowed out from Roran's Z-Ring as the raw energy whirled out from the furious Tapu, causing Roran to take another step back as the icy chill of fear entered his heart.
"I may have made-
"-a serious miscalculation." Roran thought, his thinking muddled due to the deadly cocktail drugs he had injected into his body. He called back out his unconscious Cloyster, reviving it yet again. Maybe it was madness to think he could take everyone on at once. But it sure was interesting. Besides, surely his forces could ransack Malie Library and kill everyone inside, as well as capture Lillie Jardin. Right?
"Water Pulse!" Aria shouted as her Swanna shakily fired off the blast of water, striking Claydol from behind and knocking it out. Roran hurled a Max Revive at Thanatos, which made contact with the Clay Doll Pokémon, reviving it instantly much to everyone's frustration. The Claydol floated into the air as Roran dodged a Rock Blast from Alastor with the speed of someone a third of his age, made all the more incredible due to his damaged leg.
Within moments the Claydol teleported in front of Roran and threw up a Protect to block Oliver's attempt to hurt its Trainer with a Leafage and Pluck, but the shield failed and Thanatos was simply hit by the combination attack Leave Drive instead. The Pokémon cried out in pain and floated away, firing off a Psybeam that Oliver swerved out of the way to dodge with a hoot. Cloyster fired off an Ice Beam, only for Elise the Swanna to counter with one of her own.
"You're going to die for killing him! For hurting everyone! I'll tear you apart!" Oliver shrieked as he swung his wings down as hard as he could, sending a downpour of leaves onto Roran and Thanatos. The former Kahuna held the burning artifact high and released a pulse of raw fire that incinerated the attack, but it distracted him long enough for Alastor to hit the Claydol with a Rock Throw. Roran growled and swung his artifact towards Aria and her Swanna, knocking them back with a wall of fire.
"Vivian, help me out!" Sun shouted to the terrified violinist nearby, who nodded shakily and made a move towards Sun. She was cut off by the wall of flames that burst free from the earth, causing her to fall backwards with a shout of terror.
"I'm sick and tired of the fucking interruptions!" Roran bellowed, wildly thrusting a hand forward as his Shadow Cofagrigus sent a Dark Pulse her way. Vivian screamed as Decres teleported her away, leaving Sun alone against Roran. The madman grinned at Sun, raising his blade before suddenly running forward, with Claydol teleporting beside him and vanishing on the spot.
"Oliver, Protect!" Sun shouted as Roran teleported a few feet away from him, stabbing towards the boy. The knife bounced off of the barrier, causing it to fade on the spot, though not before Oliver lashed out with a Razor Leaf. Roran snarled as the leaves rushed past him, cutting his already injured leg and causing Claydol to cry out in pain. Roran tried to attack Sun again, only for Penny to swoop past the man and slam into him directly, sending him flying backwards with a screech.
"You won't hurt him!" Penny screamed at Roran as the monster easily got to his feet, scoffing at the proclamation before rubbing his head. Sun noticed this, and then made note of the fact that despite the fact that Roran could have ordered his Pokémon to attack him, he wasn't. It didn't really make much sense to him, especially since Roran had made it clear he was trying to kidnap Sun. It was then that it hit Sun.
"Roran's not just crazy...those serums really do something to him. Yeah, they make him move quicker and hit harder, but he genuinely can't think straight with those things making him more physically dangerous. He's not even ordering moves that make sense, like he was earlier…He's literally not in his right mind. I wonder if the more he uses those serums, the bigger the mistakes he makes." Sun thought as Roran gathered his senses yet again.
"Fate has forsaken you...I am the Chosen One. And I will not be denied what is mine!" Roran growled as he reached within his cloak and pulled out something gold that Sun still couldn't quite make out, especially when Roran threw the object into his mouth and began chewing quickly. Thanatos threw up a Protect that blocked the onslaught of attacks from Oliver, Penny and Alastor as Vivian teleported to his side with Decres, her trusty Alakazam. With a mental command, she added a Psybeam to the mix, causing Thanatos' shield to begin to crack.
Roran sighed with relief as he slowly regained control of himself, with the aches and pains he had accumulated today fading as the seconds trickled into a full minute. Roran opened his eyes, and Sun saw the awareness in them return. He was back in control, unlike earlier when he was under the effects of the weird serum he had injected himself with.
Roran placed a hand against Thanatos and said, "Alright, my friend. Let's finish this-"
Roran was cut off by the sound of a violin playing, and he had time to register that Vivian was the one doing this when an Alakazam suddenly teleported inside of the Protect that surrounded him and Thanatos. Roran let out a shout of surprise before Decres drew back a fist that was now glowing with icy energy and punching Thanatos in the head, ending the barrier and sending the Claydol floating away with a groan of pain.
"I didn't even know you could do that." Sun said with some surprise as Vivian continued to play her instrument, with Decres vanishing again to fire off a Psybeam that struck the Claydol, which it began to do battle with.
"It's not easy. Wes actually taught me that trick." Vivian said as she continued to frantically play her violin, all the while Roran was noticeably taken aback by the fact that her Alakazam was beating back his Claydol. The former Kahuna growled and brandished his artifact, causing it to glow brightly and flash bright white.
"You will burn in the flames eternal!" Roran boomed as he gestured wildly with his hand, his expression one of frustration as his Cloyster fired off a Hydro Pump that Decres redirected with Psychic, sending it into one of the burning buildings nearby. Sun noticed Finn, who had been knocked into yet another stand earlier, was limping back to the battle.
"Alright everyone, get ready-" Sun began to say, only for Roran to snap his fingers. Cloyster fired off an Ice Beam at Sun and his team, floating into the air to freeze the ground below them. Oliver threw up Protect, but the shield failed and the attack struck his entire team, causing everyone to scream out in pain. Sun fell to the ground, shivering violently as ice coated his body, despite the fact that Finn had thrown himself at the attack so that it wouldn't directly hit the boy.
Meanwhile, Decres was getting the upper hand on Thanatos, knocking it away with a Shadow Ball that exploded against the Clay Doll Pokémon and sent it careening into the street. The Alakazam nodded sharply, only to turn around and hit him in the face with a Shadow Claw, knocking him to the ground. The sound of violins filled the air, and Decres teleported before Shadow Cofagrigus could capitalize further.
"Not bad, but I've taken down far too many people to lose to a mere child and a cowardly violinist." Roran said as Shadow Cofagrigus chuckled darkly, even as Claydol teleported to his side, charging up a Hyper Beam that shot towards Leonardo. The Leavanny braced itself, knowing that dodging the attack meant putting Aria in harm's way, and took the attack head on, causing a massive explosion to rock the street. Roran placed the artifact on the ground, tapping it twice with his hand and causing flames to slowly gather around the street, blocking the exits and sealing them all cast a glance around the street, catching sight of Ano Aupuni watching the battle still from the side of the street with detached interest.
"I should kill him as well." Roran thought, gesturing towards the defenseless old man and extending a thought to Thanatos. "Psybeam on the old man directly. Kill him."
Before Thanatos could obey, Decres teleported behind Claydol and knocked it away with a Psychic, causing the Clay Doll Pokémon to spin around before firing off a Hyper Beam, which Decres managed to dodge. Roran growled as Shadow Cofagrigus laughed softly before charging up four Shadow Balls in each of its hands and throwing them at Decres as it reappeared behind Claydol, blasting away the Alakazam with the repeated shots of the super-effective moves. Roran locked eyes with the terrified Vivian as she huddled behind her Chatot, playing her violin frantically as the bird cawed softly.
"Very well. You can join your friends." Roran said as he took several steps towards the woman, only for a flash of light to erupt around his Shadow Cofagrigus. Roran turned around to see the Pokémon get sucked into a Dusk Ball that glowed purple, with the form of Aria becoming visible through the smoke that was clearing around the street. Her Leavanny and Swanna were exhausted and battered, but still able to battle. Aria flashed Roran a smile as the Dusk Ball containing his Pokémon shook three times and clicked, showing that the capture was successful.
"Snag confirmed." Aria growled as she made a gesture with her hand, causing the Dusk Ball containing Shadow Cofagrigus to fly into her open hand. It vanished upon meeting her palm, vanishing to the PC.
Roran growled softly in frustration as he drew something from within his cloak and threw it towards Aria. The Snagger took a step back as her Leavanny rushed forward, only for a blinding flash to erupt through the air as the object tossed towards her exploded. Everyone besides Roran were blinded from the light, though it was Aria that screamed in pain (as did her Leavanny), allowing Roran to blast it with fire from his artifact and down the Nurturing Pokémon. The flames rushed past Aria, causing her to scream out as Roran barked out a laugh.
During all of this, Sun and his team were trying to free themselves from the ice. Sun managed to dig out an Ice Heal and begin thawing his Pokémon, and after a few minutes of working at it he managed to free himself and the others.
"W-w-we h-h-have to h-help...Everyone, g-get him!" Sun shouted as Oliver unleashed a wave of Razor Leaf at the former Kahuna, with Finn firing off a Bubble Beam and Alastor throwing a Thunder Shock towards the madman. Roran turned towards the wave of attacks and Cloyster teleported in front of her Trainer, throwing up Protect. The shield failed, however, and attacks slammed into the Bivalve Pokémon hard. Some of the attacks got past the Cloyster and struck the area around Roran.
"This has gone too far. I knew this would be a difficult but fun challenge, but I grow tired of this performance. Time to clear the stage...and then proceed to the main event." Roran thought darkly as Thanatos teleported in front of Cloyster, humming softly.
"Blow them all away with your strongest Psychic!" Roran bellowed as he swung his hand towards Sun and his team, who's eyes widened in surprise as Thanatos turned towards him with its glowing eyes. The street rippled from the sheer force that tore down it, ripping apart the cobblestone below as the Psychic attack raced towards Sun, who was too surprised to move even as Vivian and Aria screamed out for him. Sun's team braced themselves, but were battered aside by the sheer force of the attack, which left Sun defenseless as it finally reached him.
The attack struck the boy with the force of a speeding truck, sending him flying backwards through the air. Oliver screamed out for Sun as the boy felt the rush of air behind him before his momentum came to an abrupt halt in the form of a concrete wall. Everyone watched in horror as Sun's body made harsh contact with the side of a building with tremendous force, an audible crack echoing out through the street. The boy hung there for a moment, his expression blank as the force of the move caused his body to momentarily halt the effects of gravity. However, soon enough the boy slowly came free from the wall and tumbled downwards to the street.
Sunshine Smiles was dead before he hit the ground.
And so we have it.
The end of the story.
Yep. This is FlygonNick here, saying that the story is done. It's over. I'm taking a bow and ending things here at Chapter 113.
Why? Why suddenly stop things just when we're nearing the big climax of the story? Honestly, it's a lot of things.
The lack of interest and reviews as of late.
Personal problems, which plague us all but still suck.
The fact that this story is monstrously long and doesn't seem to have an end in sight.
Truthfully...chapters like these really do drain me. This thing was over 24 thousand words. This stuff is exhausting, and I'm man enough to admit that I'm throwing in the towel. I can't keep doing this thing.
So this is how I'm ending it. Sun achieves the story's bad ending by dying to Roran Rubinara, and that's how things will stay.
No more. Cut to black. The story is done.
ENOUGH OF YOUR SHIT.
...I'm sorry?
You self-indulgent monster. Is this how you get amusement out of your audience? By tormenting people who can't fight back and ruining their lives? If I could spit on you, I would.
I've been insulted worse by better. Honestly, at the end of the day...I'm a pretty terrible person.
Just because you're a broken shell of a human being doesn't mean you have torment everyone. And it doesn't mean you can give up on this story, because you and I both know that there's an ending to this tale that's worth telling. Even if it hurts.
Hmm...You may have a point. As much as I want to quit, there's a story to tell and people enjoy watching it unfold. Even if the plot has branched out in ways that people wouldn't have expected from a Sun and Moon fanfic.
Of course they do. I don't see why, exactly, but they do.
Very well. I guess I can finish this one off properly...For my readers, of course. Be lucky I even gave you this level of control in things. I can just as easily take that control away.
You can, but you won't. You enjoy having a wild card in play too much to cast me aside just yet.
That's true enough.
Now then, let's get the scene back in order, shall we?
Suddenly, everything around Malie City became visible again, the blinding white light that had appeared was gone. It hadn't even been long enough time for anyone below to register that the world had begun to end, only to be forced back into existence. Only one being noticed, and it wasn't in a position to help what was unfolding on the streets below.
"SUN!" Aria screamed as the boy's lifeless body crashed onto the ground. His body remained entirely still, with crimson leaking out of the back of the Sun's head, his eyes slowly losing the shine that they had always had before. Vivian gasped and put her hands over her mouth, tears brimming at her eyes as she stared at her young friend's lifeless body.
Standing on the rooftop watching all of this was a Heliolisk, its tail swishing slowly behind it. It had been quite some time since it had seen a Protagonist snuffed out in such a manner. The Anomaly turned its gaze to the human that had murdered the child, who looked rather annoyed at the proceedings.
Roran glanced at Thanatos reproachfully before shaking his head. "I didn't want to kill the kid yet. There was some use for him before the final stage of the ritual, after all. Besides, I've always wanted to taste Aupuni blood that wasn't tainted with insanity or idiocy. Oh well. We may as well move into our-"
Roran was cut off by a scream of anguish as Oliver dove at him with eyes burning with loathing. Roran wordlessly held out a hand, with Claydol firing off a Hyper Beam at the approaching Dartrix, which blasted the owl out of the sky and sent him crashing down into the stone with a crunch. Penny screamed out for Oliver while Alastor and Finn simply watched in horror.
"So senseless…" Roran tutted, smirking as the fallen Dartrix twitched weakly. The former Kahuna looked towards Aria and Vivian, the former of whom was watching Roran with a horrified expression of grief on her face, tears rolling down her eyes. She didn't even respond when an Alakazam teleported beside her with a battered Jolteon that had been rescued from the rubble it had been buried under.
"This is what happens when you try to stop destiny. I am the Chosen One, you see. The one chosen by the gods to save Alola from itself. I have been entrusted with the power to take Fate into my hands and make it my own." Roran said as Aria and Sophie prepared themselves for battle. Vivian and Decres hung back, unsure of how this would go down.
"Sophie, Shadow Ball!" Aria snarled as she sprinted towards Roran. The attack soared through the air and exploded against Thanatos, causing it to reel backwards in pain. While this happened, Aria aimed her Snag Machine at Roran and fired off a long jagged blade towards the Kahuna, hoping to end the monster who had killed her boyfriend and so many others today.
Roran grinned as the blade hurtled through the air, casually side-stepping and causing it to fly past him and embed itself in a thick wooden sign nearby. "Nice try, little girl. But you'll have to get up pretty early in the morning to get me with such a straightforward attack." Roran scolded the Snagger mockingly, thrusting a hand towards Aria as the Claydol finished recharging. Roran's Z-Ring flared bright gold, as did his eyes and the eyes of Thanatos, showing that Roran was ready to use another of his devastating Z-Moves.
Aria didn't respond. Instead she simply flicked out her hand and then jerked it backwards, as if trying to pull something forward.
Roran raised an eyebrow and was about to say something when he was cut off by the horrible piercing sensation of being impaled from behind.
"W-w-w-ha...you…" Roran sputtered, looking down at the black blade Aria had shot at him earlier, now somehow having stabbed him in the back, piercing his heart. He realized belatedly that she had pulled it towards herself somehow. Thanatos let out a cry of alarm before being hit with another Shadow Ball, which knocked it out. The Cloyster screamed in fury but was knocked out by a Thunderbolt from Sophie.
"Clever...but I'm not done yet.." Roran thought as he collapsed onto his knees, a crimson flood pouring from his chest despite the armor he wore under his cloak. Aria strode over to the former Kahuna, tears still dripping down her face as her face contorted in fury.
Aria didn't have any clever one-liners. She felt no sense of satisfaction from taking down the man who had laid waste to an entire city and had killed several of her friends, including someone she loved. She only felt a surging white-hot anger, and a desire to end this man's life. To end the threat that had caused so much suffering.
Vivian watched her friend walk towards the madman as he tried to grasp the blade, only to let his hands drop within his cloak as he hung his head. Aria reached him, gritting her teeth as the white-hot fury pounded through her body.
"Burn forever, monster." Aria snarled as she reached forward, attaching her blade back into the Snag Machine. As she yanked it free, Roran gasped in pain as he suddenly thrust his hand out, a smile coming to his lips.
"He's dead...t-thank god he's dead…" Vivian whispered, tears dripping down her face as Aria staggered away, clutching her arm with a pained gasp as Roran fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. Vivian took a few steps towards her friend, opening her mouth to speak, but Aria let out a cry and collapsed onto the glowing cobblestone. Vivian sprinted over to her friend with a scream of horror.
"Aria! What's going on!?" Vivian demanded as she pulled Aria into her lap, seeing her friend violently twitch and shudder, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as her mouth began to foam. Vivian was horrified to see that bright green veins were sticking out on her arm.
Roran wheezed from the ground, pulling himself upright despite the crimson pouring from his chest, grinning demonically at Vivian and her dying friend.
"Gotcha…" Roran wheezed, using the last of his energy to triumphantly raise the empty syringe he had jammed into Aria's arm when she retrieved her blade from his chest. The former Kahuna laughed weakly before he finally went limp, sighing as he shut his eyes and remained still.
"No...No! Aria, please no! Not you too!" Vivian screamed as Aria's movements slowed down, her breathing becoming more erratic. Finally, Aria's breath shuddered and she stopped moving. Vivian bowed her head as tears dripped freely down her cheeks and onto Aria's lifeless face. The young woman pulled her friend into a tight embrace, her tears becoming a flood.
Vivian didn't know how long she held her friend's corpse in her arms, but she became aware of a comforting presence that filled her with a sense of peace. She looked up and saw a circle of light surrounding her, with the flames consuming the street flickering away. Vivian caught sight of a familiar angel standing on a nearby rooftop, his expression somber.
"How cheap...he couldn't even die with dignity." Dizz-Nari muttered as he floated down from the rooftop, standing beside Vivian as the young woman began to weep again at the loss of her friends. The Anomaly stood there for a few moments, considering what to do, before changing into Agent Indiana and kneeling down beside the violinist.
"There, there...it'll be alright. Now that Roran is gone, these snakes are leaderless and Heatran can't be directed anymore. With any luck, it'll go into hibernation after going without a command for a while. Shadow Pokémon can only obey their Trainers, after all." Dizz-Indiana murmured to Vivian as the girl's sobs began to stop, with Vivian hugging Aria tightly despite the Snagger being dead. Her gaze drifted to the corpse of Sun, who was lying on his side a short distance away as his team grieved by the body. Three of her friends cut down in just a few minutes, and hundreds more dead at the hands of Roran. And there was nothing she could do…
No.
There has to be something she could do. Anything!
"Dizz…" Vivian whispered, looking towards the Anomaly with raw pain in her eyes. It was strange for a creature such as Dizz to feel emotion of any kind. But he felt sorry for his friend. He wished he could ease her pain, but that wasn't something he could do.
"You can manipulate time, right?" Vivian asked the Anomaly in a small voice. The Anomaly frowned at her question. She knew exactly what the Pokémon Trainer was intending to ask, and it wasn't something Dizz found particularly appealing.
"I can stop time in a certain area for brief moments and rewind time to an extent. What are you planning to do? Use me like all the others did? Have me save your friends after the threat of Roran Rubinara has been dealt with?" Dizz demanded, shifting briefly into the form of a Chimchar with burning green eyes. "I can't do that, Vivian. It's within my power, but I won't turn back the clock to save them. Sometimes you have to learn to let go."
"Why!? So many people are dead! And I wasn't able to do anything to help them! I just…" Vivian trailed off, forcing herself to regain her composure. She used to be so good at remaining aloof and above it all. But meeting Aria and Wes had changed that. Alola had changed things even further. Vivian couldn't handle the fact that once again, she had led her friends to their doom. Hugh had died a hero. Sun had been cut down, and he was just a boy. Aria had been slain by trickery.
"Vivian...You don't know what you're asking me to do. You're asking me to rewind time for the entire planet. Not just a clearing in the middle of nowhere. With that many variables, it's infinitely more difficult. Within my power, yes, but not something I can do at the drop of a hat." Dizz explained as the Chimchar tapped his foot, looking troubled.
"Dizz...please." Vivian begged the Anomaly, who shifted into his Heliolisk form, its tail swishing nervously.
If I could do this with any amount of ease, I...I would do it. Dizz said slowly, looking at Vivian for a few moments before looking away. You're the first friend I've ever had. Out of every story there has been, you're the only one who has ever showed me any kindness.
"Just because you're different doesn't mean you're bad." Vivian said shakily to the monster as she tried to regain her composure, the grief and pain almost crushing her spirit completely.
But again, there's so many layers to this. I could only turn back the clock a few minutes. And even then, saving everyone is not a given. It'll also be an incredible drain on my powers and there's a chance I'll become completely unstable and phase out of existence. Dizz explained to Vivian, who's expression fell as she looked down at the ground, tears still dripping down her face.
"That's...really unfair." Vivian said quietly as Dizz sighed, lashing his tail out and destroying a nearby building in anger. Or rather removing it from existence. The Anomaly shifted into the form of Harvey Yena, looming above the violinist with a troubled frown that would never have graced the face of the original scientist who bore the name.
"Everything has a price, Vivian...And this isn't one I'm willing to make you pay." Dizz-Yena said quietly, sounding genuinely apologetic to his friend. "This isn't as simple as taking you back through time. It's rewinding the flow of time to the point where you desire it to start at again, completely unmaking the events that occurred after that point you return to. You forget that I'm an abomination. A monster that wasn't supposed to be. An error within the code of life. A mistake...My powers don't work like my brother Dialga's do. I can't travel the ebb and flow of time. I can distort the flow of time enough to bring everyone back to a point where you can maybe make things right. But it's a costly thing to do, and the price isn't worth the reward."
"Then...what kind of price would I have to pay for that?" Vivian asked, earning a sigh from the creature as it shifted into it's Heliolisk form.
It's not an actual price, Vivian. It's just that the new timeline you're wanting to make, where your friends live...it's not going to end happily for everyone, just like this one won't. You can't save everyone, even if you managed to stop Roran yourself, which you can't. Dizz explained, causing its tail to become a glitching swirl of particles. The tendril tapped Vivian on the head, and showed her a vision.
Dizz sighed and allowed his one and only friend to see what she would have to give up to save her friends. It retracted the tendril and its tail returned to normal, and was surprised to see Vivian crying again, hugging herself.
Now you see why I was so hesitant to do this. Time is not something you can just play with, Vivian. Rewinding time is so much different than time travel. You're asking me to do something even I am wary of doing, and I've been an instrument of chaos for longer than this world has been in existence. This could destroy me completely, and it'll pain me to see you hurt down the road. Please just move on.
"I…" Vivian trailed off, uncertain as she looked down at the body of her best friend. Dizz watched her for a time, it's tail swishing nervously behind it. Vivian took a shaky breath, shutting her eyes. He could see the young woman building her meager courage for this.
I could teleport you and Noah somewhere safe. Far away from here, where Cipher could never bother you again.
"No." Vivian whispered, clenching her fists as she stood. The Anomaly hung its head in defeat, knowing that the offer was pointless.
"I've been a complete coward every step of our journey. It's my fault that Wes was never able to put down Cipher before, in Unova. It's my fault Hugh died, because I wasn't there to back him up. I'm done being a coward. If this is what it takes to save my friends and give us a shot at a better ending...Then I'll pay the cost." Vivian said to her friend, her resolve strengthened now more than ever, even as a tear rolled down her face. "My only misgiving is that this might destroy you."
I stopped caring about my life around the time the world of Pokémon I originally was made in stopped functioning. You made me care again, for the first time in eons. If I have to perish...Then I'd happily do it, for a friend.
Dizz lowered its head, shutting its eyes as a strange feeling crept through it. Vivian sighed and kneeled down to her strange friend, who looked up to see determination in her eyes. She was terrified, yes, and heartbroken. But willing to pay a terrible price for the sake of those precious to her. Dizz stared at her for a while before the Anomaly sighed, a faint smile coming to its face as Vivian hugged it tightly.
"Thank you. Thank you for everything, Dizz." Vivian whispered, more tears leaking from her eyes.
You're better than you think you are, my friend. Very well...I'll fix this. I have no idea where this will leave the world, but I'll rewrite reality as you know it and give you a second shot by turning back time as far as I can. Just be aware that there will be mass confusion as soon as I stop, so make the most of it, alright?
Vivian nodded as she stood up, walking over to her violin and picking it and her bow up. She walked back over to the Anomaly, who was watching her sadly. The creature extended a tendril towards his friend, brushing her head with it. Within moments, Vivian's mind was flooded with knowledge about the Anomaly, as well as everything it and the forms it could take were capable of. Vivian staggered back, overwhelmed by the surge of information, but found that she could handle it. Vivan then realized that was only because the Anomaly had willed that to be the case, and if it hadn't, the sudden influx of information would have killed her.
Just in case I do survive this...I will help you fight. I might need a guiding hand, but it'll depend on factors beyond my control. Now... Are you ready?
The violinist nodded, and Dizz shut its eyes and sighed deeply. The young woman then noticed the length of Dizz's body was suddenly glowing, and particles flickered into existence around the strange creature that hurt for her to look at. The very air itself seemed to dissolve around them as Dizz screamed in agony, its entire body beginning to tear itself apart. Soon Dizz reverted to its true form, a swirling mass of particles that shifted and distorted as they moved. The world continued to change all around them as Dizz unleashed his true and greatest power. Rewriting reality and altering the game as the world new it. Because this was a world that had genuine promise. One where it still had a chance to reach its fated end instead of a premature future of nothingness.
One where Dizz had a friend standing beside him, and he wasn't quite so alone.
The Anomaly screamed in defiance as its body prepared itself for what came next. Dizz roared as the pain began to erupt through every fabric of its being, with the world beginning to fall apart at the seams. Vivian exhaled deeply as the world faded around her, but then screamed as the burning city glitched and distorted, with the sound of static filling her ears. Vivian shut her eyes as Dizz's body expanded in the air, with it'ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssADNAS193LORYNDHGQYEVDK84H50RLHSNFSHWI3YM
ALZOEUJRNFSJW8395N82ROD8WJROTUWNDMXBWKDFIMWJHFODHWKFLDBALDHWL3ORSNSPQ038RNFLSUW623ORMFLDSHWO2957TBFLWUQORUTLGHUJWLEUGLDJQWUROENWKPWIQFORGOTTEN91KRLDLSUWYURORNDYXSTYQI2O34HONAODUFPSJQLEFOSDFDJHSODJDO
1OSKSNCOSNFLJSLDNSLDJWOWORKDNSLACFOSJDCLXNSLSJVLXNSKDLSJCLSNWOWIQJALSKABDSDEMONLOLLSP[HWBKCOZHJSMLXNALWUWOQ2LEXOXNSLF9EJG0AWKFOWSEOCMNSIWNFOANW
VMIOAPENRZPSOQNDPNALDJWO3U5O9S73NTPV9WH3PGJX9WMTODIZZL1P0C8PE-GIDS;PFOCJSWLVOPDSLFIWY3OT0W83JGOCHOF0W8G0WOFJWOPFJUWNFPSHRPBHWOVJWELUWD
1076JRLSPWEMRMOSUSWMDPXNALDUWPWJRLDC9WO3MFOXNWLFDKSMNSAVETHEMSKWJEOVIMLDNSLFIEMFLSNCLSJROEMCNSKADKLSIAEJCM
ASDFGHJKLPOIUYTREWQMNBVGHJKLERTOGIUVHCDBSNWMKELROTGI8FUDEWY3H4N5TMGKVFCOXDSIWUREALITYOVERWRITEPQOIWUERFHGVJCXKISUYWHERJFKVCIXUSHWNEMRFKDSJWKD
…
…
…
URTNHSKASDHCUIOOASJDNRFMCXOSWIJERFMCXLSWJEMYPQOIWEJRFMDSLAWOIERJFNCDMS,LWOEIRJFNVCNNAMEPOIQWJHERNFVCMXSKAWIEURHFNVCXM,SKWEHNISMQPWEDCJNSWWKSADADSGJGFWEGJEPRHKMISSINGNOHPOOQKFHCLSNP949THLDIUQKFLDNSLROPWJDFOAKLSKFPADFLCJSLK
