Pokémon Radiant Sun
We're coming out the gate hard and fast with another update!
We're quickly approaching the four-year mark for Radiant Sun, and jeez...time flies when you're having fun, huh?
Gotta say, this has been one hell of a year for all of us. COVID has been absolutely brutal, and dealing with the collective stupid of people not taking the thing seriously has been equally exhausting.
But some relief is on the way, and hopefully people get their crap together long enough for everything to start going back to normal, and for us to prepare for the next pandemic so thoroughly that this never happens again.
Onto happier topics. This update didn't take a month! Isn't that awesome?
Yeah, I've been writing like mad to finish this Act before the end of the year. I've got some changes and news coming once everything is wrapped up and posted, but my main goal is to be done with everything sooner rather than later. Chapter 117 is nearly done as of this update, and Chapter 118 is already in works. Exciting stuff, eh?
Shoutout to those who've reviewed since the last update, which includes SolanaLeonhart, Oragonking, Madame Rodoshe, a Guest reviewer, and SonicIKE. You all rock, and I thank you for your reviews and support.
Warning: This chapter contains scenes of a graphic nature. Death, blood and more. You've been warned.
We're ending 2020 with one hell of a bang! With my favorite reveal of the entire story!
Enjoy.
Chapter 116: Unmasked
Many Years Ago…
AFPSO Endless
"Alpha team, This is Shadow team. Move up."
"Rog. We're advancing. Good luck, Shadow team."
"Same to you. Meet back at the rendezvous in an hour."
Commander Jackal exhaled before Gretel grabbed him and dove into her shadow, reappearing where Ashton was waiting. The boy was dressed in all black and wearing a bulletproof vest, and looked nervous.
"I'm getting a really bad feeling about this." Ashton muttered, shaking his head as Jackal regarded the boy with a fond smile. "But we've gotta find Tommy. Gotta remember that."
"Our best bet in finding out if something is going on is tonight, since this ship leaves for Sunyshore tomorrow morning. Now, take a deep breath and brace yourself. We're going in." Jackal warned the boy, who nodded in response. Jackal had to remind himself that for all of Ash's skill, he was still just a kid. The Commander really hoped that this lead turned out to be nothing, if anything for Ash's safety. Meanwhile, Gretel giggled as she emerged from the darkness, hugging the both of them.
Ashton shivered as he and Jackal were suddenly pulled into the darkness with Shadow Sneak as Gretel made her way to the AFPSO Endless, a massive freighter ship that had weathered many years of travel upon the seas. The ship itself didn't really stand out, aside from its large size, though Jackal knew better than to believe in outward appearances.
The twisting shadow arrived at the ship and curled up to and through the deck of the ship, where several non-descript men were patrolling the deck with flashlights with various Pokémon. Eventually, the Dusknoir eventually emerged from the darkness and shoved Jackal and Ashton into the light again, with them now standing beside a large shipping container inside of the ship. Gretel clutched her head, groaning in pain.
"Stay still a minute and recover." Jackal ordered the Dusknoir, who nodded. Ashton called out Damien, who scowled upon being inside the ship.
"Shadow Leader reporting in. We're inside the ship. Anyone find anything out of the ordinary?" Jackal muttered into his radio, earning a blast of static in the background.
"Not ye...th...lower...opy?" came the garbled reply. Ashton watched as Jackal tried to get a more coherent reply from his other team, but received nothing. On the other team, Jackal had three of his best men assisting them in a two-pronged recon mission. Jackal was good enough with Gretel that he could be his own team, with Ashton just being backup in case it was needed.
"What's the deal with this ship anyway? AFPSO Endless? What kind of name is that?" Ashton asked the International and regular police member, who shrugged.
"AFPSO stands for 'Alolan Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel. The Endless used to be used for offshore drilling in Sinnoh before being retired and converted into a freighter. Roran acquired the boat, as well as several others vessels, to help build up his little business empire." Jackal explained, stowing his radio into his pocket. "And the signal here is too weak to pick anything up. Thankfully, we've already established a rendezvous point. We'll meet back there in about fifty minutes and compare notes."
"Gotcha. Let's…" Ashton trailed off as he heard shouting in the room, and Jackal silenced him with a look before the two quickly retreated behind cover, with Damien narrowing his eyes.
"Fucking hell, man. The Boss is cranky today!" shouted a man's voice, a note of amusement in it.
"It's horrifying, that's what it is. Whatever the hell that Tapu did to him messed him up bad in the head." came another man's response, sounding disturbed. "I mean, his experiments and shit were already creepy. But this? Cannibalism is too far, in my opinion."
"No one gives a shit about your opinion. Help me move Jim into the body crate. I'll have to shower after this."
"No shit. Boss didn't leave much of him to throw away. Coulda just fed what was left to the Sharpedo and no one would have cared."
It was at that point the two figures, carrying a third, came into sight. Ashton's breath caught as he recognized the bright red uniforms they wore, as well as the swords on their belts.
The Ruby Raiders.
"Looks like that tip held water...Interest-" Jackal stopped speaking as he noticed that the two Ruby Raiders were carrying someone between them on a stretcher. However, the body was uncovered, allowing them to see that it was someone clearly dead. The Ruby Raider uniform was torn apart and blood covered them from head to toe, with several parts of their arms and legs missing as they dripped red onto the ground. Ashton gasped, his entire body tensing in horror as Jackal grabbed the boy's shoulder comfortingly.
"Quiet...It'll be alright. He's dead, and there's nothing to be done." Jackal said as the two Ruby Raiders carried their comrade further into the room, continuing to talk.
"He's lost his mind, man. Genuinely nutso. Think there's a chance we can bail? After that attack on Malie City fell through, I'm considering my options."
"I won't stop you. The Boss is still paying me top dollar, so I'm not complaining. And if he gets that kid downstairs to play ball, then we'll really start raking in the money."
"What the hell is going on here?" Ashton muttered as the Ruby Raiders dragged the mutilated body away, bringing it towards one of the shipping containers. Within a minute, the duo of criminals opened the shipping container and tossed their comrade's dead body inside. But not before Damien recoiled strongly and shook his head frantically. Ashton wondered what was going on until a terrible stench reached his nose, causing the boy to gag. Jackal covered his nose and flinched.
"Agh, close it!" one of the men groaned. The two criminals shut the shipping container and then walked away, continuing to talk about their boss, which Ashton assumed was the leader of the Ruby Raiders. Damien rubbed his nose against Ashton's leg, trying to get the awful stench out of it, which Ashton found concerning.
"Let's move. Quickly." Jackal muttered as he drew his sidearm, with Gretel swooping out of his shadow and floating overhead, silent as the dead. Ashton shivered with anticipation as Damien twisted his nose at the overwhelming smell that was coming from the shipping containers all around them, not just the one that had been opened. The canine grunted a few times, drawing Gretel's attention.
"Bodies? Really?" Gretel remarked, surprised by the Houndoom's words. Jackal began to ask the Dusknoir a question, but she flew into one of the shipping containers and phased through it. She emerged from the roof and then stealthily repeated the process for the remainder of the shipping containers in the room. Damien continued to softly growl as Gretel returned to them, shaking her head.
"Jackal, these shipping containers are filled with dead bodies. Most of them are naked and of various sizes, age groups, and gender. However, there are several of them containing the freshly mutilated bodies of Ruby Raiders." Gretel reported to her Trainer, who looked disturbed.
"How many would you say were in the containers you just looked through?" Jackal asked as Gretel wrung her hands nervously.
"...About a hundred total, just in the few I checked. And there's a few dozen of those shipping containers in this one section of the ship." Gretel responded warily, causing Jackal to swear quietly.
"We need to move. If this is really as bad as I feared, then time is of the essence." Jackal said as he began to move forward, with Ashton and Damien following close behind. Little did they know what lurked within the depths of the Endless, and that what they had seen so far was a prelude of things to come.
Present
Location: Unknown
"Damn...damn it! There's not enough time. Have to keep pushing…shut down life support...kill Roran once and for all..."
Ashton collapsed into his chair, wincing in pain for a moment before throwing himself at the console, his fingers dancing along the keyboard as several monitors flickered to life. Damien eyed his wounded Trainer with concern, eyeing the bandages on Ashton's chest and arms that had already been soaked through with blood.
They had barely managed to survive the Pokémon League's wrath, and yet here Ashton was yet again pushing himself too far too soon. The Cipher Master had taken them to the Salvation, and from there Cipher would regroup. Or rather, what remained of Cipher. Roran's betrayal in Alola and his deception with the Pokémon League had caused them to lose a significant number of their personnel. Less than a third of their number remained from what there was just a month ago.
But Ashton didn't care about any of that. He was solely focused on one thing.
Bringing down Roran Rubinara.
"You need to rest. You're hurt!" Damien protested to his Trainer, who took a moment to look at him. And what Damien saw scared him.
Ashton's eyes had an intensity to them that there had never been before. A frenzied obsession, born of tragedy and anger and pain. The Cipher Master's eyes narrowed, flickering crimson as his teeth clenched.
"No. Sun promised me that he'd stay away from that bastard. That he'd give me a chance to do the right thing. That gives me a chance...A chance to end this. I have to keep him safe." Ashton sighed, releasing his anger and allowing his eyes to fade to gray. "If I can do anything, it's protect him. I made him a promise that I'd stop Roran. And he'd go on to be the best Trainer he could be. He deserves that chance...And I'm going to give it to him!"
"Ash...You're scaring me." Damien said quietly, causing Ashton to sigh and lowered his gaze. He gently placed a hand on Damien's head, scratching him softly behind his left horn.
"I know. I'm sorry, Damien. But I have to do this. I have to protect Sun. If he knew what Roran was trying to do, he'd try and get involved. And I can't let that happen, even if he promised me he'd stay out of things." Ashton muttered, his eyes flashing white with fear. "I didn't want to tell him the truth about what the Ritual of the Lost God does. How much danger they're all in. I have to do this...I'm the only one who can stop Roran before it's too late. Now, are you going to keep whining? Or are you going to listen to me?"
"...You know that I'll always support you. It's just that...You're not well. Something is wrong with your head. I can sense it." Damien said to Ashton, who suddenly burst out laughing, shaking his head as he began tapping away at his keyboard once again. It only heightened Damien's unease that something was wrong with his Trainer.
After the attack on the Cipher HQ, which was also the Aupuni Industry HQ, something broke in Ashton. And Damien wondered whether or not his Trainer would ever be okay after that. Roran had been playing everyone like fools for years, and had shown himself to be even more dangerous than he was back in Alola.
Damien was scared. Because as strong as he was, he couldn't save his Trainer from his own demons. And that Ashton was teetering at the edge of insanity, a result of everything he had put himself through to reach his goals of peace through force in a world that seemed hell-bent on destroying itself anyway. The last attack by the Pokémon League that resulted in hundreds of innocent people dying, which was at the very least was indirectly his own fault, had brought Ashton to the brink. It was only his promise with Sun to protect him from Roran that kept him focused on the task at hand, and not the senseless tragedy from the day before.
And so the Houndoom lowered his head and hoped. Hoped that something managed to stop Roran before it was too late. Because Damien feared that all it would take is one more nasty surprise for his Trainer to finally go past the point of no return.
Meanwhile…
Dream Park
"Let's be real, I'm going to hell no matter what religion we're talking about."
Laughter erupted around the campfire as the Fossil Man cackled with delight, leaning against the strange abomination that was his Artcozolt. The strange Pokémon sniffed a few times, even as the Fossil Man wiped its nose with a fond grin as the others watched.
"Seriously though, like, how is that shit even possible?" Axen asked the Fossil Man, earning a shrug in response.
"Science is awesome. What else can I say? The tech has been around for years now. I just managed to twist a few heads and bam, got myself a nice little setup in Alola. Filling up the region with Fossils is becoming more and more of a reality every day." The Fossil Man remarked happily, though the smile faded somewhat when Gladion got to his feet.
"As much as I'd like to stick around," Gladion began to say, knowing full-well that was not true at all, "I really need to get back to my training. There's a small tournament happening in Paniola Town this weekend and I want the prize money."
"It's a shame, but I understand. Good luck." The Fossil Man said with a casual salute, wincing slightly at the movement. Gladion looked at the man for a moment before turning his gaze to Demi.
"You coming?" Gladion asked the girl, who looked surprised for a moment before she hopped to her feet, smiling underneath her bandanna while Axen and Tim smirked knowingly under theirs.
"Oh come on, Dems! Don't leave me here with the boys!" Kayla whined, but Demi just shrugged sheepishly, walking towards Gladion.
"Sorry. This wasn't going to be an all-day thing anyway. I only managed to convince Gladion here to hang out with us for an hour before he gets back to his training, and I said I'd help him." Demi said apologetically to everyone. Gladion grunted in response, striking his usual pose.
"I've got a life and things to do. I can't just sit here and debate with some drugged-up weirdo and his...whatever that thing is." Gladion remarked, eyeing the Fossil Man with obvious discomfort. Bone Unit 71 looked back and forth between the Fossil Man and Team Skull's Enforcer, but it was Kevin who ended up shrugging helplessly.
"On a less weird note, didn't you say you had some really good weed growing out here, yo?" Kevin asked the Fossil Man, earning a knowing smile.
"Now, now...I could get in trouble for providing drugs to minors." The Fossil Man laughed as Gladion gave him a sharp look.
"That hasn't stopped you before, yo." Kayla pointed out, causing the Fossil Man to slowly stand up, wincing in pain from the injuries he had sustained during the battle against Cipher in Malie City.
"Well, maybe I could let you try a bit. It's technically not illegal here in Alola, and you kids are closer to adults than I was when I first started using drugs." The Fossil Man said with a laugh, starting to limp off into the forest. "I'll be back after I prepare a bit. You kids make yourselves at home."
"Thanks! We will!" Kayla called out as the man departed the area, only for Axen to softly clap his hands together.
"Bitchin'. Now that he's gone, we're gonna break into his trailer." Axen remarked quietly as he and Tim hopped to their feet, with Gladion and Demi glaring at the other thugs.
"I thought you were joking about that. He's our friend! Why would you want to rob him?" Demi demanded in a hushed voice, causing Kayla to look back at her.
"Because the guy is hella interesting and I wanna see how he lives? Besides, yo, we're not stealing anything-"
"Speak for yourself, yo."
"Shut up, Axen, I am speaking here!"
"That guy just unsettles me." Gladion admitted, sighing as he regarded the group with some concern. "He's weird. And his mismatched Fossil just makes me feel sorry for the thing. I definitely wouldn't try to break into his place."
"He's not wrong about the Fossil Pokémon being weird." Kevin agreed, crossing his arms in thought. "That Arctozolt is the most confusing thing I've ever seen. And I look at my own dick every day."
That statement just earned the teen three deadpan looks from Gladion and both girls present. Demi and Gladion both rolled their eyes and left the area, with Demi glancing back at their friends as they began to creep towards the Fossil Man's trailer, laughing quietly as they discussed their plan.
"Idiots...I understand curiosity, but that's just dumb." Gladion remarked, shaking his head. To his surprise, Demi laughed and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
"Oh yeah, they're dumb alright. But the Fossil Man will probably understand. He seems too chill to get angry at them. Especially since he's currently high as a kite." Demi responded, ignoring the fact that Gladion was fidgeting slightly as they walked away from Dream Park.
Gladion for the most part was still unsure how to handle Demi's increasingly obvious crush on him. Partly because he didn't really mind it. She respected most of his boundaries and, after they had come to an understanding, become quite a bit closer. He enjoyed her company, if anything else, and she was a very good training partner for Type: Null.
"Oh well...Most guys my age would kill to have someone this cute all over them. It's not that bad, in all honesty." Gladion thought to himself before his eyes slowly widened in surprise.
Since when did he think of Demi as cute!?
Aether Paradise
Three Days Ago...
"Uuugghh...Where…?"
"Holy...he's actually awake!"
"Get Faba! And Miss Wicke!"
Dawson's eyes slowly inched open as he tried to figure out what was going on. His back and chest throbbed with pain, and his eyes slowly began to adjust to the light of the very bright room he was in. Dawson struggled to move under the weight of the blanket he was under, but eventually gave up and tried to devote what energy he had to looking around the room he was in.
A glance told him he was in the Medical Bay of the Aether Paradise, with an Audino standing nearby that was tending to a man with a broken leg while a medic watched. Dawson sighed and closed his eyes, trying to zone out to block out the pain. The doors to the room whooshed open, and voices filled the room.
"Excellent…I was worried that we wouldn't be able to save anyone down there." The familiar voice of Faba spoke, stepping into Dawson's field of view with a satisfied smile.
Dawson inwardly lamented the fact that the first thing he saw upon waking was the face of Elias Faba and not a beautiful woman with massive breasts. But the Cipher Admin made peace with that fact when he realized that he definitely should have died on the cold floor of that laboratory at the end of Masks' knife.
"Mr. Knight, it's good to have you back with us." Faba said, his tone sounding rather sincere to Dawson's surprise. "You've been in a coma ever since Mask attacked our facility. We weren't sure if you'd pull through."
"Nah...I'm not allowed to die...not until I've gotten Wicke's phone number." Dawson joked weakly, earning a loud indignant cough from his bedside. Dawson slowly turned his head to find that Wicke was glaring at him. He hadn't seen her before, so he assumed she walked in with Faba.
"I'd warn you again about improper conduct in the workplace, but considering that you've just woken up from a coma and are likely somewhat delusional, I'll let it slide." Faba sniffed as Wicke rolled her eyes.
"He's usually a lot more subtle with his flirting. Though, I don't think anyone's asked me for my number in years. I have no idea why." Wicke remarked thoughtfully, shrugging after a moment. Faba and Dawson looked surprised at this admission, though Faba scoffed after a moment.
"Perhaps you're too uptight for a man to even consider asking for it. Did you consider that?" Faba asked haughtily, earning a glare from Wicke. Dawson frowned at that and attempted to adjust his position in his bed, only to gasp in pain and draw concerned looks from Wicke and Faba in response.
"We'll continue this discussion later. How do you feel?" Faba asked Dawson as a nurse walked over and helped the man sit up against his pillows, allowing him to converse with the two Aether higher-ups easier.
"Like crap, admittedly. So...what did I miss?" Dawson asked, making himself comfortable as Faba looked over his vitals.
"Before we get to that, let's give you a quick rundown of your overall health." Faba said as he looked over a clipboard that was now in his hands.
"Seems like you're stable across the board. With continued observation, you should be released in the morning if you continue to recover by the leaps and bounds you have. It's a good thing you're healthy and fit, otherwise you might not have pulled through." Faba remarked, shaking his head in dismay. "Many of the others attacked that night weren't so fortunate."
"For a while there, we didn't think you would make it." Wicke said quietly, and Dawson was surprised by the genuine concern in the woman's voice.
Faba explained what happened from there, explaining how after Mask went to the first floor to confront President Lusamine, Wicke and Faba teleported into the Labs to look for survivors. While this had happened, Mask used a special Z-Move of some kind to lay waste to the battalion of Aether personnel waiting for him upstairs, resulting in more casualties. The man then taunted President Lusamine and essentially revealed that he was a criminal by the name of Roran Rubinara, who had been presumed dead for nearly 20 years.
Back in the labs, Wicke and Faba quickly found Dawson and teleported him to medical, where they managed to stabilize him and patch up his injuries. Dawson had been the only person who survived the attack from the Labs, and even then it was a very close thing. The amount of blood that Dawson had lost nearly killed him, and had put him into a coma until just a few minutes ago.
"Medical science has come a long, long way, thankfully. And Colress' Heal Pulse Treatment was able to repair the damage done to your back and chest, and thanks to my own connections I was able to get enough donated blood into you to ensure your survival. You're welcome." Faba said with a smirk.
"Well...needless to say, thanks for saving me. Dying alone in a creepy lab isn't the way I'd like to go out." Dawson remarked idly, causing Faba to sneer.
"Well, at least your injured state has done nothing to curb your sense of humor. Now then, Miss Wicke will debrief you. Quite a lot has happened in the past few days and I'm sure you wouldn't mind a recap on what's happened while you were out of commission. I'll be in my office dealing with all sorts of various matters." Faba said before turning on his heel and walking out of the room. Wicke glared at the man's back for several seconds before turning to Dawson, who was wearing a familiar smirk.
Wicke stared at the injured man for a few moments before saying firmly, "I'm giving you this one chance to make whatever joke you want about what he just said before we start giving you some sedatives and examining your wound more thoroughly."
"So, you're debriefing me, huh? Somehow I don't think I'll mind that." Dawson said suggestively, his smirk becoming a grin. Wicke's face flushed bright pink as she looked away from the man, who simply laughed until he dissolved into a fit of dry and painful coughs.
Wicke quickly fetched him some water, and Colress himself entered a few minutes later to give him a dose of Heal Pulse and painkillers to help him deal with everything. But through it all...One single thought was on Dawson's mind.
"I'll make him pay...Not just for what he did to me. What he did to everyone here at the Aether Paradise. That's a promise." Dawson thought to himself, hoping that if there really was any justice in the world, someone would make sure Mask suffered before getting put down like the dog that he was.
Present
Malie Garden
"So, my question is...why were you at Aether?"
Sun, Lillie and Dawson were sitting on one of the stone benches, with Dawson himself sipping some of Marlie Garden's famous herbal tea. Sun himself was waiting for his tea to cool, but Dawson didn't seem to mind the heat as much. Sun's team circled the three humans, with Brago in particular scowling at the man as a result of his actions during their last encounter. Miss Wicke was taking a walk around the garden, to give the two of them a chance to talk. Lillie merely observed, a concerned frown on her face as she tried to think about what the criminal wanted.
"Oh, don't look at me like that, big guy." Dawson said to the softly-growling Brago, who snorted in response. "What happened before was strictly business. Nothing personal."
"Somehow I don't think I'll be able to let go of that particular grudge." Brago replied dryly, causing Lillie to smile fondly at the canine. Dawson shrugged, not particularly bothered by this.
"If anything, Sun, I'm glad you and your team here threw my own words back in my face. I needed the wake-up call." Dawson remarked lightly, his smile faltering for a moment. "Right now, I'm playing catch-up. As soon as I woke up, I heard that Malie City had been set on fire and that our main Cipher HQ was destroyed by the Pokémon League. And that our masked friend was actually one of the worst villains Alola's ever known. Talk about a mess…"
"I've honestly been trying not to think about what happened. All those people, dead...And no one knows where Dad is." Sun replied, his eyes darkening to black as he thought back to all of the times he had spent time in Ashton Aupuni's gleaming tower. The people there had always been kind to him, and it was hard to think that any of them had died.
According to the official report from the Pokémon League, they had coordinated a strike on the building after receiving word that it was the secret location of Cipher's main base. That everyone inside of the building was a member of Cipher and that their decision to completely annihilate a building full of people in the middle of Celadon City was totally justified, especially considering Borlath and the Cipher Admins were there.
Chairman Rose, Steven Stone and Cynthia all delivered plenty of evidence on the matter, despite the cries of outrage from the families of those who had worked for Aupuni Industries who had lost their lives that day. The families were adamant that their loved ones had nothing to do with Cipher, but the Pokémon League was firm.
Sun didn't believe any of that for one moment.
"Yeah. Leave it to the League to lie through their fucking teeth." Dawson remarked, gritting his own teeth in anger. "No sign of the Admins either. From what it seems, only your father had a chance of escaping. Hard to believe that in just two weeks, we could go from on top of the world to struggling in the wind."
"It does make me breathe a little easier, though for Sun's sake, I hope his father gets apprehended rather than be found dead." Lillie remarked, earning an annoyed look from Dawson and a grateful one from Sun. The boy then turned to Dawson, a questioning look on his face.
"I think I remember one of the Cipher guys mentioning something about you in passing. How did you survive? You look pretty good for someone who was literally stabbed in the back and left to die in a lab." Sun asked the Cipher Admin, who cracked a grin.
"Wicke and Faba saved me by teleporting down to the secret labs at the bottom of Aether and teleporting me to safety before I lost too much blood. Colress' Heal Pulse treatment was enough to get me stable, and I was in a coma until three days ago. I'm a bit stiff and my back is sore, but I'm more than ready to get some payback." Dawson said as he reached into the neck of his shirt and pulled out Justice, the hand-cannon that was capable of reducing objects to mere ash with a single shot. Dawson twirled the pistol in his hand for a moment before casually slipping it back into his shirt and it's concealed holster, grinning at the boy.
"So I ask again...What were you doing at Aether? From the looks of things, Miss Wicke and Branch Chief Faba don't know that you're a Cipher Admin. Otherwise they would have probably had you thrown in jail." Sun pointed out, with Dawson nodding in agreement.
"Very true. Your father asked me to go undercover to spy on the Aether Paradise, after I flat-out told him I wasn't doing any more missions that involved killing innocents. Borlath wasn't thrilled about what I did after you defeated me at Royal Avenue, but he decided to let me live." Dawson shrugged then, not noticing the intense look of interest on Lillie's face at the mention of spying on the Aether Paradise.
"And why did my Dad have you spying on Aether?" Sun asked slowly, feeling that several red flags were going up now.
"Truthfully, I have no idea. Your father is incredibly paranoid these days, Sun. Not quite all here in the head, as much of a genius as he is. Though the fact that Aether has a secret lab below the main facility, that honestly looks sketchy as hell, definitely means that there's something going on there that's not right." Dawson remarked, causing Sun to raise an eyebrow. "I haven't been able to determine what though. And quite frankly, right now I don't care what they're up to."
Lillie bit her tongue, fighting the urge to speak up and ask. Ask the man what was happening. What her mother's plans were. What Cipher had uncovered. But she remained silent as Dawson ran a hand down his face.
"Alright, so skipping that...Why come to me for help? And what's your plan here?" Sun asked the Cipher Admin, who looked at the boy directly.
"Because honestly? This Mask fiasco has ruined a lot of plans and I'm flying blind, Sun. That's why I've come to you." Dawson said as he stood up and moved in front of the boy, crossing his arms. "You're one of the few people I know here in Alola that wouldn't stab me in the back, which was proven when you didn't immediately rat me out to Miss Wicke. You know the truth of who I am and what Roran is capable of. And you have the ear of some of the most powerful people in Alola and some of the best Trainers in the world. You're special, Sun. And my key to revenge."
"I'm surprised you're so angry about Roran's betrayal. You seemed to suspect him from the start." Sun mentioned to the Admin, who's expression of anger deepened.
"He didn't just betray me. He murdered countless innocents in a way that was completely avoidable. Some of my new friends at Aether Paradise died because of that bastard, and I won't forgive him for that. And after learning of his little stunt here and what I really suspect happened in Celadon? Yeah. That freak is gonna pay." Dawson practically growled, causing Sun to consider his words. And then he latched on to a specific part of what Dawson had said.
"What makes you think that he's responsible for what happened in Celadon City?" Sun asked the man, who shook his head in response.
"Cipher's HQ was hidden in plain sight. You could search that building from top to bottom and not find anything, since everything Cipher-related was hidden beneath the building or in hidden rooms that only Cipher members could get into or even see for that matter." Dawson explained, crossing his arms. "How did they find us? And why would the Pokémon League suddenly act for once in their miserable lives and actually stage a coordinated attack on what looks like a normal building that they have no proof is really a criminal's stronghold?"
"It...doesn't make sense at all. That sort of thing doesn't seem like something the Pokémon League would do." Lillie agreed quietly, causing Sun to frown thoughtfully.
"Roran keeps getting described to me as a master manipulator. Someone who can easily twist people through his fingers. And he showed up at the League meeting too. It's probably not a stretch to say that he probably leaked the location to the League and had them do his dirty work, killing Borlath and dealing a blow to his operation in Kanto at the same time. That leaves Roran free to do whatever the hell he's doing in Alola. Which leaves me high and dry, and coming to you for help." Dawson finished, sighing as he lifted up his cap and ran his hand through his hair.
"And that means no one in Cipher knows I'm alive. For now. Which wouldn't be a problem, but my only support in Alola has turned traitor and plans to burn everything on this island to the ground. Our main HQ is ruined by the Champions and I have no idea if any of the other Cipher leadership is alive. I can't get in contact with any of them." Dawson explained, shutting his eyes and sighing softly, his frustration evident.
"So...you want me to help you?" Sun asked the Admin, making him open his eyes again. "I'm not sure if that's the smartest idea. Cipher has made my life hell for nearly a year now, and hurt so many other people. How do I know this isn't a trap? Or that you're not going to stab me in the back? How can I even help you, right now?"
"I know I don't have the right to ask anything of you. But listen to this. President Lusamine is organizing a team to infiltrate the Cipher HQ we have on the island right now. I want in on that team, but I need you to vouch for me." Dawson explained, rubbing his forehead for a moment. "I don't want to break my cover. The people at Aether have been nothing but good to me. Even Faba isn't that bad when he occasionally removes the stick out of his ass." Dawson remarked, a faint smile coming to his lips. "Even if I have the Admin Keycard, that doesn't mean I'll be allowed to go on the mission. I'll likely be ordered to hand it to Faba and then head back to the Paradise for more therapy."
"So you want Sun to vouch for you and convince the others to let you in on the team." Lillie surmised, to which Dawson clapped twice.
"Very good, young lady." Dawson said with an approving smile. "Sun is a friend of many of those in the fight against Cipher, and even I can tell that President Lusamine adores the boy. Considering the fact that she apparently was close to Borlath when he was growing up, that's not surprising. But the point is Sun can get me on that rescue team without it looking suspect. You do that, and I'll deal with Mask myself. No one else has to get hurt."
"Dawson, no offense, but you're not a very good Trainer. I've got a few months under my belt and I beat you. And your Shadow Articuno for good measure." Sun pointed out, causing Dawson to wince.
"Jeez...Not pulling your punches, huh?" Dawson muttered, causing Brago to smirk and Penny to stifle a laugh. Sun didn't respond to that, and instead continued.
"Plus you're hurt. I don't even know if you can take down Roran right now. He's got a lot of crazy powers at his disposal and a really good team. Plus all of those Cipher members at his disposal. Even a team of really skilled Trainers are going to have a hard time against those numbers." Sun countered, causing Dawson to sigh and tip his hat in acknowledgement of Sun's point.
"Well, maybe not, Sun." Lillie interjected, causing the two Trainers to look at the girl in surprise. Lillie flushed at their expressions of bemusement, realizing that maybe she overstepped her boundaries. But she wanted to contribute to this discussion somehow, and she had realized something that neither of them had mentioned yet.
"You told me how MissingNo fought Roran and a large amount of Cipher personnel last night. You also mentioned that MissingNo killed just about everyone Roran called for backup within the city." Lillie pointed out, causing Dawson to look confused for a moment.
"MissingNo?" Dawson asked.
"It's basically an Anomaly within reality itself that's sort of a Pokémon but isn't. Basically it took on the forms of various heroes and villains from different realities and used them to totally destroy dozens upon dozens of Cipher members, if not hundreds of them." Sun explained to Dawson, who suddenly grinned.
"That's very interesting, considering the fact that there's only just under a thousand Cipher members stationed here in Alola, after that mess at Royal Avenue. And you said that hundreds were killed?" Dawson asked Sun and Lille, earning two nods. "Interesting. The Cipher HQ here is pretty large, and if I can get numbers on who was killed, I can provide better logistics."
"Meaning we'll have a better chance of taking down Roran." Sun remarked, with Dawson nodding in agreement.
"So...what do you say? Can I get some help to deal with this guy?" Dawson asked Sun, with what seemed like a hopeful expression. The boy stared at the Cipher Admin, knowing full well that he couldn't trust Dawson as far as he could throw him.
But on the other hand, if Dawson could bypass the security and get into the Cipher HQ without any problems, then saving Hau would become a much easier feat. Sun internally debated the pros and cons of helping Dawson infiltrate the ranks of his friends simply to be on the mission to deal with Roran. Dawson's access to the base was essential to even entering the place without being cut down by the security systems in place.
In the end, Sun's concern for Hau's safety won out.
"Fine. I'll convince Miss Lusamine to let you come along. Maybe if we convince her that the card only works for you, she'll agree." Sun said to the man, who looked surprised at Sun's idea.
"I never even considered that line of logic. Huh. Some keycards do operate that way, but not ours." Dawson shrugged, however, smiling at the boy.
"Sun, are you sure about this?" Lillie asked the boy, concerned about the ramifications of allowing a Cipher Admin to be within their group. Sun looked at her and smiled, which was oddly relieving to Lillie. It was Sun's smile of knowing exactly how to take advantage of a situation, one she'd seen before many times while he was battling.
"However, I have a few conditions." Sun said to the Admin, who simply nodded. Dawson had expected as much, from Borlath's son. "First off, I'm going to tell one person of my choosing the truth and explain everything going on. I won't mention who it is, but you're going to be watched."
"That hurts, but I understand. Continue."
"Second, you're going to be with people the entire time. You're still really dangerous, and honestly, I really don't trust you on your own. But I want to believe in you, Dawson."
"Heh. Glad someone still has faith in me. Next."
"Three if you find out any information about what Roran's doing or what my dad is up to, you tell me. I should turn you in to the police for what you've done. But you can help us. The more we know about Cipher's plans, the better."
"That'll be tough, but if I discover anything, I can throw some info your way. I owe you that much."
"And last but not least...I want in." Sun said to Dawson, who's eyes widened in surprise. Lillie looked at Sun in shock, but the boy stood up and turned around to face the both of them, his eyes darkening into red because he knew that the two of them would have objections right away. Sun's Pokémon also seemed surprised, and even worried at the anger in the boy's eyes.
"And before either of you say anything, I can more than handle myself. That monster has done awful things to everyone I know, and he's responsible for killing me before MissingNo reset everything. And he took my best friend…" Sun's expression darkened into one that Dawson and Lillie both shivered at.
For Lillie, it simply scared her to see her crush so furious at someone. For Dawson, he simply felt a sense of familiarity from Sun's rage, since it was not unlike Borlath when he was angry, which was a very foreboding sign.
"And for the record, if I even get remotely suspicious of you, whether it's you trying to go off on your own or make someone else question your actions, I'll rat you out to everyone." Sun said to Dawson, who actually scowled in anger at the boy.
"You're going to tattle on me? Real mature." Dawson said with an annoyed sigh as Sun smirked, his eyes flickering back to gray.
"I do believe you when you say that you're flying blind with no support. That means that you're relying on Aether for support instead of Cipher, and I don't think Miss Lusamine will take too kindly to a traitor in her ranks." Sun pointed out, causing Dawson to frown at the implications.
Dawson then recognized that perhaps coming to Sun was a bad move. The boy was clearly intelligent enough to ensure that Dawson, in his limited circumstances, couldn't harm him or his friends. Couple that with the threat of retribution from the might of the Aether Paradise, and Dawson realized that Sun had put him into a position where even entertaining the idea of betraying him and his friends was borderline ruinous.
Dawson looked conflicted for a moment, internally debating his options. He couldn't take down Roran on his own, and needed the support of Aether and Aria's little ragtag group. But despite himself, he did care for Sun's safety and didn't want him anywhere near this operation. His options were very limited, especially with Sun's blackmailing threat.
However...in the end the Cipher Admin buried his guilt and extended a hand to the boy.
"Deal." Dawson said with a smirk, and Sun shook his hand.
"Alright...Let's go for a walk and discuss things. Figure out how we're going to spin this." Sun said as he walked over to Lillie and helped her up, with the girl looked very concerned. Sun noticed her concern and smiled confidently at her.
"Sun...This is a bad idea." Lillie whispered as Dawson walked off, calling for Miss Wicke. Sun nodded and quickly pulled the girl into a tight hug, causing her to stiffen in surprise before relaxing into it with a sigh. Sun held her for several seconds...and then began to speak quietly into her ear.
"I know, Lillie. But we've got to get Hau back. Besides, Dawson's not gonna get the drop on us. He knows if he screws us over, his disguise is done and everyone back at the Library is a stronger Trainer than him. In his state, I'm pretty sure he's more useful as a guide than as a fighter." Sun explained to the girl before offering her a smile as he pulled away from her. "Besides, I only said that I would only reveal his identity to one person. Which I will...You, on the other hand, are free to tell whoever you feel like."
"Ooh...That's clever! Very good!" Penny chirped with a laugh while Brago and Finn chuckled in amusement. Oliver stopped from his preening to smirk at Sun's deviousness while Alastor simply looked surprised that Sun had managed to outplay a more mature and intelligent opponent like that.
Lillie just stared at the boy in surprise for a few moments before she beamed at him, causing Sun to blush at the look of pride and adoration on her face. With that, Sun returned everyone except Oliver and Penny and walked after Dawson…
Unaware that their entire conversation had been listened to.
As Lillie and Sun rounded the corner, a lanky man with long, bushy white and black hair clad in pink shorts and a black T-shirt peered out from behind a tree, his expression one of faint amusement before hiding it behind his usual frown. The man stepped out from behind the tree he had been hiding behind, his mind racing at the implications of what he had heard.
While the man in question had no loyalties to Alola or its people, he did briefly wonder whether or not he should alert the authorities as to what was going on. A certain Galar League Chairman would have really wanted him to.
"Interesting…" Piers, the Gym Leader of Spikemuth, remarked quietly as he shifted slightly from where he stood. So the child of Borlath was just as much of an intellectual as his father was. Who would've thought? And making a bargain with a Cipher Admin to be let on a team made just to kill another one of the Cipher Admins?
"I'll have to keep an eye out." Piers muttered as he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked down the garden path, stopping on the bridge where he spotted two girls sitting down by the water. Well, one sitting and the other lying on the ground desperate to catch a nap.
"Oooh, my head…"
"That's what you get for drinkin'. You're underage! How'd you even manage that, Gloria?"
"Because, my dear Marnie, I have a particular set of skills. I drive Hop up the wall with them, and it's bloody amazing."
"Who was Hop again? Was that the one who's brother was the Champion or the sporty one?"
"Champion bro."
"Gotcha. Now, are you gonna get up and train me? Or do I have to bring Opal into this?"
"Nuuuu...Don't bring the Scary Godmother into this!" Gloria whined as Marnie crossed her arms in bemusement as her friend rolled over in the grass, covering her face with another groan. Piers walked over to them, a faint smile on his face. Despite the recent comings and goings, and the absolutely fantastical shitshow that was the attack on the Cipher HQ the previous night, Piers wasn't going to let something as trivial as Cipher interrupt some vacation time with Marnie.
Nearby, an Obstagoon was keeping watch over the group as several other Pokémon frolicked in the garden, including a Morpeko and an Eevee playing tag near where Marnie and Gloria were at.
"You two gonna do any actual training? Or did I waste a chance to finally work on my tan today?" Piers asked dryly, causing Marnie to pout adorably. Piers couldn't help a smirk on his face. Despite her stoic nature and having grown up a lot over the years, Marnie would always be his baby sister.
"I dunno. Can Gloria stop being a twatwaffle for eight seconds?" Marnie remarked as her friend flailed on the grass with another groan. Piers rolled his eyes at her sister's friend, knowing full well that he'd have to battle her soon enough and deal with her antics then as well.
"Miss Opal only brought me along because apparently, as the last person to challenge her, I'm now in the running to be her successor as Gym Leader. So she paid for me to come out here and be her butt-monkey for a few weeks." Gloria said as he suddenly sat up, wincing at the sunlight, and then dropped back down onto the ground. "Meanwhile, you can do whatever you bloody please, Marnie."
"Language." Marnie chided her friend, though she offered Gloria a shrug. "Honestly, I don't know what you're talking about. Aside from the Cipher stuff, Alola has been nice. The stores are interesting and the food is good."
"That's because your brother got assigned to do this and you don't have to do anything!" Gloria now pouted as Marnie snorted in amusement, turning away as Morpeko chased around her friend's Eevee. Piers chuckled softly, putting a hand on Marnie's head.
"Come on you two...It's getting dark." Piers said fondly, walking over to Gloria and gently tapping her head with his boot. Gloria whined as she flopped back onto the grass and rolled over, only for Marnie to instruct Morpeko to sit on the other girl's head.
"You lot suck." Gloria said, her voice muffled in the ground as the rodent-like did as its Trainer instructed her to do.
"Morpeko, Thundershock." Marnie deadpanned, causing Gloria to sit up and glare at the girl before sighing, hugging Morpeko to her chest.
"Fine. I've got a bed at the hotel calling for me." Gloria said as she got to her feet, albeit shakily, and handed the Pokémon back to her friend and began returning her own team.
As a Gym Challenger more than halfway through the Gym Challenge, Gloria had amassed a diverse and strong team already. It wouldn't be much longer before Marnie reached the Galar training age of 14 and joined her friend as a Pokémon dreaded that day, but was also hopeful. It was a strange mix of emotions, there.
"I'm almost glad to be here instead of back home. If the dear Chairman keeps cocking things up, I might retire from being a Gym Leader earlier than planned." Piers thought to himself as he walked alongside the girls back towards the Pokémon Center. After that, he'd be heading to Malie Library with Opal. Apparently, a plan was coming together. And even if Piers wasn't confident in his abilities…
He was still a Gym Leader. And he'd do his duty. And given how things were currently going, he'd have to be on his toes if everyone were to survive the events to come.
In the span of half an hour, he dropped off the two younger Trainers at the hotel and found himself walking into Malie Library and up the stairs, right into a meeting filled with many unfamiliar faces. The Dark-type Gym Leader decided to take up a slouching position beside Opal, who watched proceedings with some amusement as Lusamine tried to work out the logistics of what they would do. Piers wasn't surprised to find that Sun was standing amongst the crowd of veteren Trainers and Aether personnel.
"So where do we stand?" Hugh asked tersely, with Lusamine sighing as she bridged her hands together.
"The team is formed. A group of nearly twenty Trainers consisting of key Aether Personnel, Aria, Hugh, Zinnia, Captain Lana and Mallow. The Kahunas will be joining us as well. I will be leading the team into the facility, where our mission is to retrieve Hau Pakelaai and any other hostages, as well as to take down Roran Rubinara. The madman has alluded to a ritual he is intent on performing that requires Hau to be a human sacrifice, and needless to say time is of the essence." President Lusamine summarized as she stood up from the desk she had been at, looking to everyone in the room.
"You two are coming along?" Sun asked the two Captains mentioned, with Lana giving the boy a firm nod. Her eyes were red, as if she had been crying, and Sun remembered the girl's crush on Hau.
"I would never be able to forgive myself if something happened to my friend." Mallow said seriously, smiling despite the situation. Lana nodded silently as Mallow wrapped an arm around Lana's shoulder. "Don't you worry about us. We're tough!"
"On top of that, we have Agents Maiden and Quill of the International Police joining us. However, we-" Lusamine tried to continue saying, only for a Gengar to suddenly erupt from the floor carrying a purple-haired young woman in a black sundress.
"Wait! I...I have to talk to you all!" Acerola said as the Gengar set her down on the floor, where the girl wobbled on her feet. Hugh quickly pulled out a chair for the girl to sit in, reminding Sun that she had been badly injured during the attack on Malie City and was supposed to be recovering in the hospital. She had nearly died as a result of that night, and had only gotten out of the ICU a few hours ago.
"Acerola? What're you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at the hospital?" Sun asked the Ghost-type Captain, who didn't see the harsh look Nanu was giving the girl from behind him.
"I had to…" The Ghost-type Captain swallowed, shaking her head. She looked incredibly nervous, and looked at the group who stared at her with confusion and expectation. "I have to tell you guys. Before it's too late."
"Tell us what?" Aria asked, stepping forward. Acerola winced and looked down, looking even more nervous.
"Everything. Even if my oaths bind me, I can't stand this anymore. What that crazy jerk is trying to do isn't worth keeping secrets any longer. Even if I'm scared...I want to come clean. And explain what I can." Acerola said quietly, hugging herself. Her Gengar hugged the girl as well, even as a sense of unease began to fill the room.
"So...what's the deal?" Zinnia asked, her tone expectant.
"Alright...Based on everything I've seen, especially with the recent attack and Hau's kidnapping, Roran is attempting to enact the Ritual of the Lost God." Acerola began to explain, only for Kahuna Hala to cut her off.
"I've never heard of such a ritual." Hala rumbled, his gaze focused sharply on Acerola. The girl trembled for a moment before regaining her nerve, but what made everyone on edge was how nervous the girl was to explain any of this. It was completely out of character for her, and only seemed to increase the unease they all felt now.
"You wouldn't have...The knowledge has been suppressed for centuries." Acerola admitted, hanging her head. "So much knowledge about our past and our culture, hidden behind smoke and lies and deception at the hands of the ancient kings of Alola."
"I'm guessing this ritual Roran kept going on about was something that was kept hidden from everyone too, huh?" Olivia asked, earning a nod in response.
"As well as many other things. Things like the truth behind what the Tapu really are, the scope of their powers, as well as the powers they can bestow upon people. Hidden legends about the Ultra Beasts and how the warriors of old battled them...All suppressed because my ancestors were terrified of this knowledge getting into the wrong hands." Acerola explained, looking up at last. "And Roran Rubinara was gifted with such knowledge."
"How did he find out about...whatever information was hidden away?" Sun asked the Ghost-type specialist, who shrugged.
"No idea. But he certainly knew that I knew all about the ritual and everything else that's been hidden away." Acerola said uneasily, adding, "Not that I could have told you all about this. Aside from the fact that I swore an oath to secrecy backed by powers even I don't understand, I was forced to keep quiet about it even though I've suspected Roran of trying to do this ritual ever since we found out he was still alive."
"But, what is the ritual?" Hugh pressed, causing Acerola to look at him sheepishly
"It's not as easy as that. However, this exact scenario is grounds for me to share some of the secrets I swore an oath to keep to myself. Yes, I know exactly what Roran's trying to do. And now that he's got Hau, he's got everything he needs to complete his plan. Completing the Ritual of the Lost God." Acerola explained, shrinking back slightly as Hala turned around and walked towards her.
"Why is this the first I'm hearing this?" Nanu asked, his tone holding a note of anger. Acerola looked towards the Kahuna with a tired expression.
"Truthfully...Because if I told anyone anything about any of this, a mysterious man would slit your throat while you slept." Acerola said quietly, causing Nanu's expression to turn to one of shock. She then turned her gaze back to the others, now having the full attention of everyone present.
"You were being blackmailed into not telling anyone?" Ollie asked, earning a sigh from Acerola before she nodded.
"I was scared...I didn't know who to trust. And it's not like I have any family left...I couldn't risk it." Acerola whispered, shutting her eyes and missing the guilty expression on Nanu's face.
"And what exactly is Roran's plan?" Hala asked quietly as Acerola turned her gaze to Kahuna Hala, who's gaze became harsh. She weathered it and continued.
"He's…" Acerola swallowed deeply, shaking slightly. "After he finishes burning Alola to the ground with Heatran's power and kills everyone...he's going to sacrifice Hau by killing him. And do so much damage in the process that Alola itself will be nothing but a memory. We have to stop him, now."
"I feel like you're leaving some information out there, Acerola. We just about knew that much." Lana remarked pointedly, earning a defeated look from the girl, who said nothing. Lana crossed her arms, her expression becoming hard. "Hau will die unless we get the information we need."
"It's not that easy, guys...Some of these oaths are binding. The best I can do is explain some things, but I can't tell you the entire truth. I can show you, though." Acerola said apologetically, earning a few hot looks. Sun stepped forward, glaring at them right back.
"If you're gonna get mad at anyone, get mad at Roran. She just explained that someone was blackmailing her to keep stuff quiet." Sun remarked fiercely, his eyes darkening slightly.
"Sun's right. Besides, the Captains and Kahunas each have their own special secrets that only they know. I have a few of my own. But...if someone's threatened Acerola, I'm thinking that what she's hiding is something that'd be a threat to everyone if it became common knowledge." Aria remarked, causing Acerola to look her direction and nod in agreement. Zinnia coughed then, drawing everyone's attention to her.
"I've asked Tapu Lele for advice, or even for help, but apparently the old accords that the Tapu have forbid them from interfering with the business of other Tapu. As much as it would love to paint the city with Roran's blood, Tapu Lele's metaphorical hands are tied. And apparently Tapu Bulu is too ashamed to help, whatever that means." Zinnia remarked, leaning against the wall with a scowl. "After explaining what had happened, though, it did warn me that if we failed to stop Roran at this point and let him finish this Ritual of the Lost God, not even the Tapu could stop him. He'd become more powerful than them all put together, thanks to all of the blood he spilled the other day."
"I can't actually say what the Ritual of the Lost God does, but I can show you and let you find the information. But that'll waste time we don't have." Acerola sighed, looking towards the table.
"Acerola, are you able to shed some light on the Tapu curses?" Sun asked the Captain, who looked at the boy for a few moments before nodding.
"It would be good to know about the Curse of Abundance, considering the role it played in how Roran acted during the attack." Ollie said with a small smile, looking to Sun.
"That's actually something I can divulge without breaking an oath. The Tapu have many powers that aren't widely known, and even I don't understand the full range of abilities they have. I do know that they're essentially immortal, can bestow blessings of incredible strength onto people via the Sparkling Stones, and-" Acerola began to explain, only to be cut off by Ollie.
"Wait, stop there. Are you referring to that strange Z-Move Roran preformed?" Ollie asked Acerola, receiving a tentative nod in response.
"Yeah. It's a long-forgotten ability that only those chosen by the Tapu can perform. This includes the Island Kahunas, who are given a Sparkling Stone imbued with the power of the Tapu. Others who are 'chosen' by the Tapu have access to the same power. Which is why even though they're not Kahunas, Guzma and Ashton Aupuni used this power before." Acerola explained, surprising many of them. "I believe Roran called this power Radiance, which is an apt name for it."
"My...My Dad can use Radiance?" Sun asked quietly, receiving a nod from Acerola.
"Yes. I don't know the details, but during the previous attack on Malie City, he used Radiance and performed a Fire-type Z-Move with an incredible amount of power. But just being chosen by the Tapu doesn't allow you to use Radiance. You have to be a pretty tough person, capable of withstanding the physical backlash of using such a move." Acerola explained, taking note of how Professor Kukui was staring at her intently. "And the Pokémon you're using the move with has to be one that you share a very strong bond with. It's not like a regular Z-Move where you can use it with any Pokémon you have a positive relationship with. The bond to use Radiance must be incredibly strong. And you both have to be in perfect sync, using the same emotions in order to bring out the greatest power between you."
"That's why Guzma was able to use it during that fight with Amber...Him and Goliath have been together for decades. Guzma would die for him." Kukui said in a low voice, his tone holding a note of sadness.
"And Dad and Damien are practically inseparable. Damien does whatever my Dad says, even if he doesn't want to do it." Sun remarked, shuddering slightly as he remembered the canine killing Nova, his Eevee. Aria put a hand on Sun's shoulder comfortingly.
"And it's why Roran could only use Radiance with his Claydol and Cloyster. The rest of his Pokémon were Shadow Pokémon. It's basically impossible to form a bond with a Shadow Pokémon, since the door to its heart is closed." Aria remarked with a small smile, causing Acerola to nod in agreement. "I can imagine they've been together a while, and that Roran ensured that their bonds are strong so he can use Radiance."
"Roran's team...Based on what I've been able to put together, it consists of a Shadow Heatran, Shadow Archeops, Shadow Rampardos, Shadow Cofagrigus, an Umbral Torkoal, and his Claydol and Cloyster." Anabel spoke up, causing Looker and Ollie to exchange a glance.
"That's a very unique team. Most of those Pokémon are steeped in ancient history and have incredibly long life-spans." Faba remarked, interested in this.
"Roran was always big into delving into the forgotten lore of Alola. As much as he loved preforming and singing, he was also a scholar at heart. I wouldn't be surprised if he knew more about the region than anyone else in the past three hundred years. It's not a stretch to say that this transferred over to the team he battles with." Lusamine remarked, though for some reason this made Sun feel a deep sense of foreboding. As if his mind was piecing something together slowly, and that it wasn't something good.
"Z-Moves, much like Mega Evolution, are powered by the bond you share with your Pokémon. If the bond is disrupted due to either the Trainer or the Pokémon disliking the other or due to mental instability, the Z-Move won't work. Or, shouldn't. Someone as mentally unstable as Amber Fontaine couldn't use a Z-Move of Mega Evolution, despite her strength." Acerola explained to everyone. "Roran's apparently crafty enough to find a workaround for that too. Or maybe he's just powerful enough to overcome his own insanity to use it."
"So what about the moves themselves?" Noah asked the Ghost-type Captain.
"When using Radiance, the Z-Move you're going to perform must belong to the Type that the Pokémon performing it is. So for my Gengar, it'd have to be a Poison or Ghost-type move, even though my Gengar can use other Type Z-Moves. But Z-Moves that are used in Radiance are immensely powerful, and can easily take down opponents who aren't prepared to use them. Most of the time they're strong enough to easily kill whatever they're being directed at." Acerola continued to explain to everyone, shifting in her seat for a moment.
"You said that the physical backlash was strong. It's stronger than it is for Z-Moves?" Kukui asked Acerola, who nodded.
"Much more so. I've heard that Roran used Radiance several times during the attack, which should have been impossible for a man of his age and health. Using just one move should be enough to render him completely immobile" Acerola responded, frowning thoughtfully. Aria suddenly snapped, a smile coming to her face before she looked at Sun.
"Sun, remember the fight between Roran and MissingNo?" Aria asked the boy, who's eyes widened in surprise. He knew exactly where Aria was going with this.
"The syringes with the weird liquid in them." Sun remembered, smiling now. "Roran gets a strength boost every time he injected himself with those syringes. He could ignore all kinds of pain and do things that he really shouldn't have been able to."
"Makes sense. He did seem out of it whenever he injected himself. I have no idea what he's using, but I can only think that they're some kind of powerful drugs of some kind. And whenever he ate those gold things, he'd somehow revert back to normal." Ollie added, looking thoughtful.
Sun frowned, shuddering slightly as the sense of unease from earlier increased even more. Acerola then spoke up from where she sitting. "I should also note that in order to use Radiance, you have to be focusing pretty hard on what you're trying to do. If Roran is using drugs or whatever to boost his strength and recover from using Radiance, he wouldn't be able to use it again while drugged up."
"And I imagine the man only carries so many of those drugs and gold things on him at any given time." Hugh remarked, grinning now. "Honestly, thinking about it, it seems like there's workarounds to this. If he's drugged up, he can't use Radiance, even though he's physically dangerous. And if he uses Radiance, he's vulnerable and weak, at the cost of having done a lot of damage to his opponents."
Acerola nodded in agreement. "There's a bit more regarding the history of Radiance, but I can't go into that without violating my oaths. And to change the subject, you all were curious about the Tapu Curses, right?"
"Yeah, what's the deal with that? Roran acted like even more of a loon when that glowing crap happened." Aria asked Acerola, who thought how best to explain things.
"Alright, so we have four Tapu. Each of them embody a different concept. Conflict. Life. Abundance. Hope." Acerola began to explain, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
"Many, many years ago, the Tapu were created in ways that I can't speak of. Which ties back into…" Acerola tried to say, but the words caught in her throat and she began coughing violently, much to the concern of Nanu. After shaking her head, she breathlessly continued by saying, "Nearly said something I shouldn't have. Like I said, literally can't talk about some things. But back to the curses."
"The Tapu Curses are designed as punishments for those who have angered the Tapu. Back in the ancient days of Alola, the Tapu were more active and present within our communities than they are now, and occasionally acted as a judge of sorts to criminals whose crimes affected the islands. The curses were designed to cause as much pain and suffering as possible to those being judged, and according to the records I have access to, usually cause those who were cursed to kill themselves one way or another shortly after the event took place." Acerola explained to the surprised group. "The fact that Roran's been cursed for over nearly 20 years and is still functional as a human being is frankly amazing."
"So, do the curses do something different for each Tapu?" Olivia asked curiously, earning a nod from the young woman.
"Yes, but in ways that aren't obvious. The Curse of Conflict instills extreme hostility and forces the one cursed to lose the ability to control their emotions. Soon enough they're reduced to nothing but anger, their other emotions all but vanishing. They usually don't last much longer after that."
"As for the Curse of Life, it heals the user of all physical injuries and maladies...before promptly ripping into their mind and forcing them to relive the worst moments of their life. Then, it forces their entire personality to temporarily shift into something that would cause the most mental instability in an incredibly painful process, most of the time resulting in those affected killing themselves out of a desire to escape the pain."
"Skipping Tapu Bulu for a moment, since that's relevant to our discussion here, the Curse of Hope from Tapu Fini causes those affected to become hopeful. That is to say, it overwrites their personality and forces them to become a kinder person. It also causes them to hallucinate frequently, and slowly drives those affected insane over time. It's honestly the most disturbing of the four curses."
"And as for Tapu Bulu's Curse of Abundance, it forces the victim to face their demons within. As in, it actively brings out the worst in someone while temporarily stripping them of their humanity. They show no remorse, no sympathy, and care only about growing in strength and power, consumed by their own inner evil in a way that makes them increasingly unstable. The fact that Roran develops a hunger for human flesh honestly isn't that weird considering some of the stories I've read." Acerola finished, looking upon the disturbed group in the room with a faint sense of amusement.
"That's...definitely something." Olivia muttered, sounding unnerved that the Tapu that they all worshipped and loved were capable of powers so strange and twisted.
"And considering all of the awful stuff Roran did before he was cursed, it's not surprising that he's such a monster now after having dealt with the curse all these years. It's kinda surprising he's managed to stay under the radar for so long, since this curse eventually causes the one affected to succumb to their own insanity and kill themselves." Acerola added, shrugging her shoulders.
"That...puts a lot of the puzzle together. It certainly explains Amber Fontaine's behavior at Royal Avenue." Sun muttered, crossing his arms. "She got cursed by Tapu Lele, after all."
"Yeah, Tapu Lele had a field day with that." Zinnia chimed in, smirking after a moment. "Remind me to explain Amber's twisted backstory sometime. It's a trip."
Lusamine then spoke up, a thoughtful expression on her face. "This does explain Roran's complete breakdown after being cursed by Tapu Bulu during the fight in Malie City all those years ago. In the days after the battle, I remember him acting strangely and going out of his way to avoid seeing people." Lusamine said with a frown, closing her eyes for a moment as she thought. She opened them, a smile coming to her lips. "That explains a lot. Thank you, Captain Acerola. Now, you said you had more you wanted to show us?"
"Yes. I can't tell you more about what's going on, especially about the Ritual of the Lost God, but I can show you. But time is of the essence, and I don't know if we have time to start looking through the Forbidden Archive of the Malie Library." Acerola sighed then, shaking her head.
"Forbidden Archive?" Hugh asked.
"I knew it." Nanu snorted, shaking his head with a scowl. "Your ancestors really are paranoid beyond belief, huh?"
Acerola nodded, grinning sheepishly. "Yep. I say that whoever doesn't go on this mission should stay behind with me and look through the books."
"Then that's what we'll do." Lusamine remarked, smiling wider now. "We'll have a backup team on standby here in Malie Library, looking through this so-called Forbidden Archive and reporting back any useful information. Not everyone here can come along, after all. Though, as much as I'd like to storm into Cipher's HQ and kill Roran, our options aren't the best right now. The Aether Foundation knows where the base is located, but we're unable to actually get inside of the facility due to the defenses that are present at the entrance. Only those with an active Cipher member key card are allowed into the facility, and we have no way of obtaining one."
"What about taking a key card off of the hundreds of Cipher corpses that were in the street the other day?" Hugh asked the Aether President, who sighed.
"Sadly, Roran is one step ahead of us. The cards are linked to the wearer's biometric signature on the armor they wear. Meaning they have to be used by those registered on the card while they're alive. Using a deceased Cipher member's key card doesn't work. And using the card of an alive member without them being physically present isn't possible." Lusamine said, though she thought, "Especially since Guzma's been torturing the man for the past few weeks. Apparently Roran's deactivated his key card after he didn't report back in. Clever bastard."
To everyone's surprise, however, Dawson spoke up at last. While the conversation had been incredibly interesting, he was hoping to get this show on the road.
"That's where I come in." Dawson said, speaking up at last. He dug into his pocket and flashed a bright green keycard, grinning at them. "I stole this off of that bastard when he held me hostage. He was so busy doing his thing that he didn't notice. It's an Admin's Keycard, so we'll be able to easily gain access to whatever we want inside that building. No biometric signature needed, since it's locked onto me somehow."
Faba barked out a laugh, grinning at Dawson. "Excellent work, Knight! How'd you manage that?"
Dawson gave the man a wink and said, "What can I say? I'm good with my hands. I just wish he hadn't stabbed me, otherwise we could've gotten some payback sooner."
Several of the others looked at each other with hopeful smiles. Noah spoke up, a smirk on his face. "Alright then...So now that we've fixed the problem of actually being able to enter the facility, then this may actually work. I don't know what kind of forces were stationed here in Alola, but between the Tournament backfiring and MissingNo's battle with Roran, they have to be hurting for manpower."
"MissingNo told me before…" Vivian trailed off, her expression crumpling for a second before Noah grabbed her hand, squeezing it. Vivian continued a few moments later. "Basically, Roran's putting all of his eggs in this one basket. His forces after the attack are spread thin and he's really badly hurt after he battled MissingNo. If we can make a good enough team to break into their HQ, even someone like Roran couldn't stand up against us with what he has left."
"And his lantern thing got smashed by MissingNo, too. Don't forget that." Ollie remarked, nodding after a moment. "Meaning he can no longer harness the power of Heatran through the Magma Stone. He'll likely still be able to use it in a fight, but nowhere near to the degree as he could before."
"Excellent. Now, Knight, could you hand over the key card?" Faba asked the man, walking over to him and extending a hand out expectantly. Dawson gave the man an apologetic smile.
"Well, here's the thing...This thing can only be used by me. The key card is linked to my biometric signature, and I kinda have a condition to coming along with everyone." Dawson said sheepishly, earning a glare from Faba and Lusamine.
"And that would be?" Lusamine asked dryly, not entertained by Dawson's words. She would be even less enthused by the words that came next.
"Sun here gets to come along for the ride." Dawson said easily, causing several yells of protest to erupt through the library. Dawson winced and looked at Sun, who's eyes darkened to red as he moved over to the side of the Cipher Admin in disguise.
"Absolutely not!" Lusamine shouted, slamming her hands on the desk she sat behind with a furious glare in her eyes that made everyone present shiver for some reason. Sun recovered quickly, drawing upon his anger at Roran and his determination to bring him to justice.
"After everything Roran has done, I want to get in on this. I've battled him just as much as you guys. And, he obviously wants me for some reason. I say we make use of this, and if he's distracted with me, maybe it'll make an opening for someone else to take him down. Either way, he's killed me already. I'm not scared of what he'll do to me...And I refuse to stand by and let Hau suffer because I wasn't allowed to help." Sun said fiercely, looking at each of them in turn.
"I say it's a no-brainer. Sun beat that Dawson guy at Royal Avenue and he's a strong contender for Island Challenge Champion. And he deserves a chance to settle this mess. If not for him, than for the man who hurt his father so much and caused all of you so much suffering." Dawson said firmly to them, placing a hand on Sun's shoulder. The group considered their options, unsure of what exactly they wanted to do. Ollie and Lusamine looked especially reluctant to go along with this.
"Sun, it's really dangerous. Plus, we still haven't figured out who Roran is pretending to be. Considering his acting talents, he could be anyone in this room, theoretically." Lusamine said as she calmed herself down, looking at the boy with a mixture of disapproval and concern.
"Yeah, but we won't ever figure out who Roran is pretending to be if we don't do anything. And I'm not going to stand by and let him ruin everyone's life. Especially since he's probably behind what happened to my father back in Celadon City." Sun said hotly, his eyes shifting to black. "After how much he's hurt everyone...I have to do something. And Hau's alone with that man."
"Sun, I'm sorry, but it's really too dangerous. Without knowing who Roran is disguised as, we can't risk it. It's better to have you stay back here where it's safe." Hugh said with a troubled frown, which got him a glare from Sun.
"Plus, the man is eerily fascinated with you for some reason. Probably because of your father, but he seems to know a lot about you from firsthand experience. Can you think of anyone who might not be who they seem?" Aria asked Sun, who shook his head.
As far as he could tell, there was no one he knew that didn't seem like they were someone else in disguise. Some people acted weird and odd at times, but nothing to indicate that they were a seriously deranged serial killer. And Sun was about to comment on this, when Dawson spoke up again.
"You're all being unnecessarily stubborn. It's not like Sun knows a creepy, drugged up psychopath who rambles about the past and has a team mostly consisting of really old Pokémon!" Dawson snapped at Aria, who glared at the disguised Cipher Admin and was about to say something rude until she caught sight of Sun's horrified expression. As if he had suddenly realized something truly terrible.
But that was exactly what happened.
Because at that moment, Dawson's words had suddenly put all of the clues together at once. And the truth was both shocking and beyond horrifying. The earlier feelings of apprehension were simply his mind beginning to put all of the pieces to the puzzle that was Roran's secret persona together. And now…
Now he understood.
"Uh, Sun? You good?" Aria asked the boy, concerned as the blood drained from the boy's face, leaving him as pale as a ghost. The boy frantically pulled out his phone and began typing in numbers, putting the phone to his ear.
"Sun? What's the matter?" Lusamine asked the boy, who completely ignored the Aether President as he turned away.
"Come on, come on...answer…" Sun muttered desperately as he began to pace the room, to the growing concern of everyone present. The boy's eyes were pure white, showing that the boy was well and truly afraid.
After a few rings, and with someone answering Sun's call, the boy frantically said, "Demi! Where are your friends? It's important! A matter of life and death!...No, don't go get them. Uh...Get whatever backup you can and get somewhere safe! If your friends went to see that lunatic, then they're all in danger!"
"Sun, what's going on?" Ollie asked as he strode over to the boy as Demi began to talk to Sun again. The boy put a hand over the device and looked at Ollie with an expression of absolute terror, and then told all of them the name of the person that Roran had been pretending to be.
Someone that every single of one of them had met.
And someone who had effortlessly wormed his way into their lives without ever drawing suspicion to himself.
Meanwhile…
Bone Unit 71 stood still in the trailer, listening to the campfire that crackled outside in the clearing of Dream Park. They didn't move, simply because they were stunned at what they were seeing. They had expected strange plants and maybe a few bones scattered throughout the mobile home. Instead what they got instead was much weirder.
The trailer was completely immaculate. Everything wiped down and meticulously clean, though there were several bags of white powder and various other drugs labelled and set aside. Several unopened letters addressed to someone named Cara Liss, as well as President Stone from the Devon Corporation and from Lysandre Labs. A ruined cloak lay draped across a bed, smelling faintly of smoke and copper.
However, what stood out the most was the bound and gagged boy lying on the couch, looking at them all with an expression of surprise and relief. The group recognized the boy, and were incredibly confused as to why Kahuna Hala's grandson was in this trailer.
"Shit...shit, shit, shit…" Kayla hissed in surprise, taking a step back as she snapped back to her senses. Tim strode forward and kneeled down, undoing the gag around the boy's mouth.
Hau coughed weakly before looking up at the teens with a scared expression. "R-run...He's a bad guy! Save yourselves!"
The Team Skull Grunts slowly backed away in horror, each one of them trying to figure out what to do. It was obvious that the boy had been kidnapped, but why was he in this trailer? Could it be that…?
After a few moments, the teens bolted towards the door and stepped out into the night, intending to run and get help. And the first thing they saw waiting for them outside made them stop cold in their tracks. Tim clenched his fists as Kevin swore under his breath, even as Axen and Kayla stepped forward with hurt betrayal in their eyes.
"What's wrong?" the Fossil Man asked the group, a secret smile on his face as he sat on the stump by the campfire nearby, fiddling with a blunt of weed in his right hand. His orange eyes shined in the firelight with amusement, as if curious as to what the group would do next. "You kids look like you've seen a ghost."
"You...Who the hell are you?" Kevin hissed, drawing a knife out from his pocket. The rest of Team Skull surrounded the Fossil Man wordlessly, preparing themselves for whatever happened next.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you...So let's just forget about all of this and have a smoke? It's a kinder way to deal with this." The Fossil Man remarked, his smile becoming something close to somber as he began to roll up the blunt. He lit it with the campfire that blazed beside him and inhaled deeply, sighing with relief. "That's the stuff…"
"What was that in there!?" Axen demanded angrily, yanking down his bandana so that the Fossil Man could see the look of betrayal on his face. The old man thought about it for a moment before sighing, shaking his head.
"The worst part about all of this is pretending that I don't feel any remorse at all. I knew exactly how this was gonna go down. I'm sorry that you kids had it so rough...I'll make sure your last moments are painless." The Fossil Man said quietly, his expression becoming genuinely sad for a few moments.
"Psh. What's some old fart like you gonna do? It's four-on-one!" Axen boomed as Tim called out his Druddigon and Kayla called out her Fearow. The Fossil Man simply stood up, grinning at them now.
"Come on, guys...There's no need for things to get ugly. You really have no idea what you're dealing with." The Fossil Man said to the teens placatingly, though even as he held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. He then snapped his fingers with a smirk.
Suddenly, Bone Unit 71 was immersed in a bright blue glow of light and hurled backwards through the air, slamming into the side of the Fossil Man's trailer. The teens screamed out in pain, and Fearow and Druddigon prepared themselves to attack the man standing by the bonfire.
"I wouldn't move a muscle. I don't want to hurt your Trainers, but I'll do it if you make any moves." The Fossil Man said amiably, smiling at the two Pokémon as they glared him down.
"You bastard! Why are you doing this?" Kayla screamed out, struggling against the force keeping her pinned down.
"We trusted you, damn it! Was all of this some kind of game to you? Who are you!?" Kevin barked at the Fossil Man, who seemed to struggle with himself for a moment.
"You kids...Alola really did fail you, huh?" The Fossil Man muttered, shaking his head with that same unsettling grin. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop all of this from happening. In a matter of hours, none of this will matter anymore."
"Etarenicni esu, nogiddurd!" Tim called out, causing the Fossil Man to look at him strangely.
"Tim, I still don't really get what you're saying, even after all this time." The Fossil Man remarked, frowning at the teen. Thankfully, Tim's Druddigon was able to understand his Trainer perfectly fine.
The Cave Pokémon shot a blast of flames right at the Fossil Man, who threw himself to the ground, barely having enough time to dodge the Incinerate fired his way. Druddigon and Fearow were suddenly struck by the same force that was pinning their Trainers to the trailer, knocking them both out instantly as they dropped to the ground senseless.
The Fossil Man slowly got to his feet, clutching his shoulder with a grimace of pain. The teens then noticed that a red splotch on his shoulder was rapidly growing. The Fossil Man exhaled deeply, shaking his head slightly as he regarded the teens with a pained expression.
"No one shall ever know of my secret mask...The mask I wear to protect myself from what they did to me. But you deserve to know the truth, my friends, before the secret dies with you." the Fossil Man whispered strangely as he walked towards the children as they struggled to move under the power of the strange force.
The Fossil Man calmly reached to his face and ran his fingers underneath his chin, as if thinking. He then began picking at his chin with his fingers, and the Team Skull Grunts watched as bits of makeup began to rub away and a small discolored lip of what looked like some kind of plastic was uncovered. The Fossil Man offered the children a crooked smile before grabbing underneath his chin…
And pulling it away and upwards, slowly removing his entire face!
Kayla screamed in absolute horror while Axen and Kevin swore softly in response as the Fossil Man, the enigmatic stranger who had fed them and given them advice and had been so kind to them in a world filled with cruel adults, tore his face off in the firelight. The Fossil Man groaned in pain as skin tore from the man's flesh with a terrible ripping sound with blood dripping onto the ground. With a yank, the Fossil Man removed his face from his head, and it was then that the teens saw what it really was…
A mask.
An older man was staring at them, his kindly orange eyes now narrowed in sheer malice, his smile twisting into something terrifying as the burn mark now visible contorted the old man's face into something monstrous. The facade that was the Fossil Man was gone, replaced by something so much worse that had been hiding behind the enigmatic and nonsensical man the entire time. The man who had been their friend. The persona of someone teetering at the edge of insanity that no one took seriously.
The perfect disguise.
Even as this happened, each of the children were suddenly yanked out of the air and then thrown into the trailer again, slamming hard enough into it to render Kayla and Axen unconscious upon impact. Kevin had time to scream out, "We trusted you, damn it!" before he slammed into the trailer a third time, which knocked him out.
Tim glared through the pain at the man grinning at them from the ground. The man they had all known as the Fossil Man smiled wickedly at the teen before making a small gesture with his head. Tim was suddenly hurled through the air and thrown into the crackling bonfire face-first, his screams echoing out across the clearing as he hit the ground. His body remained completely rigid, unable to escape the flames that were now killing Tim due to the force keeping him immobile.
"Now then...let's have a feast, shall we?" the Fossil Man remarked calmly as he lowered his true mask and snapped his fingers, causing a Claydol to Teleport into the clearing.
With a gentle hum, the Clay Doll Pokémon lifted the prone forms of Bone Unit 71 into the air as the Fossil Man walked into his trailer. He exited a few moments later, holding Hau Pakelaai's weakly struggling form. The man gave Hala's grandson a cruel grin, patting him on the cheek as the boy watched Tim's screams finally die down, his body going limp as the flames began to consume his entire body. Hau shook in terror at the scene, and even more so at the glowing eyes of the man now holding him with ease over his shoulder that wasn't currently bleeding profusely.
"Now, now, my boy, don't look so down. I'll be killing you too, soon enough. And then I'll ascend to my true place in this world. As a god. Isn't life grand?" Roran Rubinara whispered in a wondrous tone, causing Hau's eyes to widen in surprise. "That's right, Hau. I'm going to sacrifice you and complete my ritual. Soon enough...I will rise as a Tapu. The strongest of them all. And there's nothing anyone can do to stop me, as we approach our grand finale."
Hau's eyes widened in abject horror before Roran's hand clamped down on his neck, causing Hau to go limp as he passed out. Within moments, the former Kahuna replaced his mask once again, flawlessly assuming the identity of the strange Fossil Man who had walked undetected in Alola for nearly twenty years. As he took one final glance around Dream Park, he chanced a glance up at the setting sun, knowing that it would be just a few more hours until the ritual would end in his victory.
And with that...for the last time, the Fossil Man began to sing.
No more light.
Drown in depths of night.
In time, you all shall learn.
Death shall rise.
Ash fills the skies.
As all you know will burn.
The madman teleported out of the clearing alongside his captives, the last words of his song echoing across Dream Park as Roran left his hiding place for the last time. Leaving behind nothing but lies and Tim's still-burning corpse in his wake.
NEXT TIME: The rescue team descends into the depths of the Ula'ula Cipher HQ, and Sun breaks a promise.
And there you have it. The Fossil Man was secretly Roran Rubinara the entire time.
So, I've left a lot of clues dangling throughout the past fifty or so chapters that the Fossil Man was connected to Roran. Him having to see a psychologist for his mental problems, being a raging drug addict, the fact that Roran's entire team (except for his Ariados, which was killed earlier in the story) all consists of ancient Pokémon, and many other little things. Some pointed out that the golden berries that the Fossil Man was eating might be what the Fossil Man was using, which was also another big clue.
There's more, of course, but those were the big ones. I hope I didn't make things too obvious, but I had a lot of fun with the Fossil Man character. Definitely one of my favorites. Congrats on everyone who called it, and special kudos to those who called it like thirty chapters ago.
Giving credit to Man on the Internet, where that little song bit at the end came from. It comes from "Lavos: Reprised" from their "Chrono Trigger the Musical" package they do. I can't recommend their work enough, it's absolutely fantastic.
But now, we approach the endgame. Two more chapters before the end of the Act. Stay tuned!
Q & A
From: SolanaLeonhart
As always, nice work. I did wonder who attacked Cipher but I didn't expect Roran to manipulate the league like that. Talk about things going to hell. This story gets more and more intense. I was surprised to see Iris, just where was she anyway?
She was in seclusion with Alder in Unova, training like crazy and hiding from Cipher. I always had plans to have her show up, and this seemed like a good time to have her, Alder and Cynthia return.
From: Madame Rodoshe
Anyways I have few questions though.
1. Did Roran kidnapped Hau just to lure Ashton indirectly? If Sun comes to save Hau, there's huge possibility that Ashton will come.
2. How is Sun going to get Alolan Golem? Alolan Graveler evolves through trading.
3. Does Roran ever encounter any Ultra Beasts? I can imagine they'll be more dangerous to handle.
4. Speaking of Ultra Beasts, are Stakataka and Blacephalon going debut in the future?
Roran kidnapped Hau specifically to preform the Ritual of the Lost God. He was trying to kidnap Lillie and Sun for different reasons, which will be explained next chapter, but for now I'll say that Lillie was a hostage and Sun was his backup in case he couldn't get Hau.
By trading it to someone else. I have two 3DS's, so I can get an Alolan Golem in my playthrough of this story on my Pokemon Sun version.
He has, actually. The Beasts will start playing more of a role starting next chapter, which is another big lore dump about the Tapu and the ancient legends of Alola.
Maybe. We'll have to see on that one.
Please be sure to review the chapters and tell me your thoughts. I've been writing like a madman to get these chapters out, and your support means the world to me. Please be sure to favorite and/or follow the story to stay updated, and to drop any questions you have in the section below. I also have a Discord for those interested in joining.
Have a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year to everyone. Thanks so much for another year of support during an unprecedented time of fear and uncertainty. I hope I've managed to make your year slightly better in some way. I know you all have done that for me, by allowing me to entertain you all. Let's all kick ass in 2021.
Take care and stay awesome.
Until next time, FlygonNick out!
