Pokémon Radiant Sun
Howdy. It's been a little while, huh?
Yeah, so life decided to hit me like a brick wall this past month. Not gonna make excuses for myself here, I'll only say that after next week is finally done and over with I plan on ramping up my writing schedule like no tomorrow. I plan on being done with the Cipher Arc by October, at least writing-wise.
But enough of that for now. Onto the chapter!
Shoutout to the super amazing people who reviewed since the last update, which includes Shine375, SomeCallItKye, Oragonking, Madame Rodoshe, Joey, SolanaLeonhart and RC-DA (Welcome back! Great to see you again!) and a new reviewer that goes by MugetsuGodIchigo. You all are fantastic and I appreciate your feedback and support!
A quick side note. I've decided to change the name of Cipher's battleship from the "Salvation" to "The Absolution". I'll be retroactively changing the name in previous chapters, and even though its a small change, I figured I should point it out so that people are tracking. Special shoutout to SomeCallItKye for assisting with the name change.
Enjoy.
Chapter 124: The Illusion of Hope
Many Years Ago…
Kanto Region, Route 8
"See, you're making progress!" Ashton said with a smile, clapping as Laura took down a young man's Wartortle with her Flaaffy and a well-timed Thunderbolt. Laura fist-pumped victoriously before jogging forward to hug the sheep, who returned her hug happily.
"I may hate being a Trainer, but there are the odd moments where it's not so bad. Watching others grow and succeed is one of them." Ashton thought to himself as Laura accepted her winnings from the Trainer, who departed for Lavender Town.
Ashton and Laura were were currently heading in the other direction to Saffron, where Borlath would stay for a week to meet with the head of Silph Co. A good friend and supporter of the quickly-expanding Aupuni Industries, Ashton was looking forward to taking care of some business.
Ashton snapped out of his musings as Laura practically skipped towards him, beaming in a manner that Ashton had to admit was really cute.
"I didn't even lose a single Pokémon!" Laura cheered, surprising Ashton by hugging him tightly. Ashton winced instinctively, never having gotten used to physical affection even after leaving his awful childhood home, but returned the hug after a moment. It helped that Laura had become a close friend as of late.
"That's right. And it shows that your Pokémon are becoming stronger and more confident in following your orders." Ashton said as he tossed the Flaffy a Sitrus Berry, restoring his health and patting the sheep on the head gently. "Keep it up and you'll be ready for the Gym Circuit."
"I-I don't know about that. I've only gotten better because you've been coaching me..." Laura trailed off, flushing slightly and leaping away from Ashton. She realized that she had been hugging him for nearly a minute. Ashton didn't seem too bothered, much to her relief.
"Nonsense. I don't do the Trainer thing much these days, but you've got some real talent there. All I've been doing is giving you some tips." Ashton said with a grin, not allowing Laura to diminish her own effort. Until now, the only Pokémon Laura had that was at a decent level was her Persian. Every single one of her other Pokémon were laughably weak. Fast-forward two months later, with Ashton's help, and she was winning battles with some of them!
"There's a sex joke there, but I won't acknowledge that publicly." Laura remarked, causing Ashton's face to become confused for a second before he nodded, understanding it. That was an interesting thing about Ashton. He was definitely not great at the whole social interaction thing, and he missed a lot of nuances. Like sexual jokes.
"Once again, I feel like I have to remind you that I don't really have much of a sense of humor, Laura." Ashton shrugged, not really bothered by this.
"And yet you absolutely adore puns, of all things." Laura pointed out, causing Ashton to grin widely.
"Puns are amazing and I will die on that hill any day of the week. Plus they annoy Damien immensely." Ashton laughed as they began walking again, with Laura alongside him.
"It's a good thing that Houndoom is so patient. Otherwise he'd rip your throat out...It's a shame you can't tell a joke to save your life. Women like a guy who can make them laugh." Laura said with a small sigh before tensing, realizing what she had said out loud.
"I guess Ash isn't the only who sucks at this. I need a damn filter!" Laura lamented inwardly, though she was thankful that Ashton brushed off the comment with a laugh. Or so she thought.
"Tell you what. If I do make a joke that makes you laugh, I'll take you to dinner anywhere you want in Kanto. Hell, we could even make it romantic." Ashton said with a smirk, causing Laura to look at him in confusion, a reddish tinge coming to her face.
"You're weird." Laura scowled at Ashton, blushing slightly harder at the thought of making something like that a date. Ashton Aupuni was abrasive at times, but at others he was very charming.
"You're weird, Laura."
"Considering what passes for normal these days, I'll take the freaking compliment , you big dork." Laura replied with a chuckle, eyeing the horizon.
Ashton's gaze followed hers, and he seemed to come to the same conclusion. "We should pick up the pace a bit, though. Don't wanna be out on the route after dark."
"Which is surprising, consider how stupidly overpowered your team is. I doubt the Champ himself would want to cross your team, Ash." Laura remarked, suppressing a snicker.
"Yeah, they're strong, but camping in the wilds can still be dangerous compared to being indoors in a Pokémon Center or a hotel. Granted, I haven't been jumped in years, but I'd rather not chance anything. Especially since I wouldn't want you hurt if something did happen." Ashton remarked, his eyes watching the landscape around them.
"Wow. You're either more well-travelled than I thought, or you're more paranoid than Oliver." Laura remarked, earning a bark of laughter from Ashton.
"I'd imagine it's both, actually. Oliver is that friend of yours in the International Police, right?" Ashton asked, to which Laura replied with a nod. "Paranoia is their MO. Considering the secrets they keep, I'm not surprised the man is paranoid. That being said, I'd never work with them myself. They're not nearly as competent as they'd like to think they are."
"Hey, don't knock the IP. They're highly respected and good at what they do. Maybe you'll find yourself working with them one day." Laura remarked, slightly annoyed at Ashton's dig at the International Police.
"Not likely."
"I dunno. Maybe working with some highly reputable folk can give Aupuni Industries some more influence. At the very least, maybe that'll get your family off your back." Laura suggested, causing Ashton to give her a look.
Laura had asked about Ashton's family on multiple occasions, and got nothing but terse responses back. She knew it was a very sore subject for the man, so she assumed that there were some things that had happened that she was probably better off not knowing about. That didn't stop her curiosity, though.
"You do realize that being an International Police agent is really dangerous, right? And that those who work with them can often find themselves in harm's way?" Ashton said slowly, hoping that would help Laura realize how ridiculous her statement was. To her credit, she shrugged it off and kept walking.
"Well, yeah, but I'd like to think there are worse things than dying to protect people." Laura responded, earning a scoff from Ashton.
"Also, to get back to your other point, my family would hate me no matter what I do. There's a reason I don't like talking about them, Laura." Ashton said pointedly, causing the woman to shrug again. Ashton then smiled faintly and said, "Granted, if that ever happens, I do want them to tell my family I died from something more dignified than being a member of the International Police, just to screw with them." Ashton said with a slowly-growing smirk, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"Such as?" Laura asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Autoerotic asphyxiation." Ashton responded casually, offering the woman a shit-eating grin in response. Laura's jaw dropped and she stopped walking as Ashton walked past her, whistling a merry tune as Laura tried to process the fact that Ashton Aupuni had just made a joke, and a sexual one at that.
"Holy shit...he does have a sense of humor!" Laura thought in her head as she watched Ashton walk off down the road. And then it hit her.
"Hey, wait a minute! You owe me a romantic dinner date, you bastard! Get back here!" Laura yelled as Ashton grinned back at her before running towards Saffron City, with Laura in hot pursuit. She would eventually catch Ashton and tackle him to the ground in the middle of broad daylight.
They had the dinner date that night, after arriving at the city.
The next week, the two Trainers were officially a couple.
Present
Alola Region, Route 13
"Never thought I'd be back in the desert. Almost makes me homesick."
"They're deserts. How can you get nostalgic over deserts?"
"Don't judge me, Zinnia."
Zinnia rolled her eyes as Aria walked off, trying to search for the Zygarde Cell that Sun had reported in just a few days ago. The two Trainers had been teaming up ever since Zinnia had officially become Zygarde's Trainer, and Zinnia was surprised with how warm everyone had been to her so far, despite how antagonistic she had been to them beforehand.
"I can judge as much as I feel like doing. Maybe you're just weird." Zinnia suggested playfully, causing Aria to snort in amusement. Zinnia then noticed three teens, wearing the uniform of Team Skull, walking towards them with gleeful expressions on their faces.
"Yo, yo, yo! Team Skull's gonna-" Aria gave a harsh look to the three Team Skull goons walking their way and suddenly extended the blade within her Snag Machine outwards in a threatening manner. "G-g-g-gonna get the hell outta here! Later!"
The three teens sprinted in the opposite direction, but realized to their horror that it was a dead end that led to a cliff. So then they awkwardly ran off towards the previous route, leaving Aria and Zinnia staring after them in bemusement.
"So...going back to what I was saying before the idiot brigade showed up." Zinnia said, putting her hands on her hips, smiling faintly. "I suppose when you've got as many friends as you do, you don't really have to worry about getting lonely or people judging you for being a bit weird."
"I'm grateful for every single one of my friends. They're the only reason I'm still sane after getting flung through the Passage of Time." Aria admitted, crossing her arms and frowning "I saw flashes of the future and had horrific nightmares every night for a few months. Hugh had to hold me a lot of nights while I cried...it was awful. With their support, I recovered."
Zinnia winced in sympathy. "I wouldn't wish that fate on anyone. Mortals like us aren't meant to go through the Passage of Time. Even Pokémon don't escape it unscathed, and they're made of tougher stuff than us. As for you seeing into the future, that's a whole other can of worms entirely. Nothing good comes from it."
Aria nodded in agreement, though after a few moments her expression became troubled. "I guess that explains why Vivian is so off lately."
"From what I understand of the situation, she had MissingNo reverse time to save you and your friends, but now something will happen that has her very afraid." Zinnia recounted, frowning as she thought about it. "I can't imagine anything that makes her worry so much is anything that won't lead to a tragic end for someone she cares about."
"I won't let any more of my friends get hurt." Aria said firmly, remembering vividly how Hugh and Sun were brutally murdered by Roran Rubinara before it was undone. She had died as well, but that mattered less to her.
"You can say that all you want, but sometimes you can't escape destiny. I sure as hell tried and look where that got me." Zinnia said with a wide gesture, a remark that clearly demonstrated that she hadn't been able to outrun her fate. She was a powerful and influential figure, and Zinnia had a role to play whether she liked it or not.
"We're standing right here, you know." Both women turned to see Zygarde staring at them, it's eyes narrowed slightly. Zinnia beamed happily at the Order Pokémon.
"I know!" Zinnia chirped before she spotted the Zygarde Cell near the small oasis, near a flowering plant. Aria and Zinnia walked over to it while Zygarde followed.
"...I wonder if this is what annoyance feels like." The Legendary wondered aloud, walking beside them.
"Maybe?" Aria mused, shrugging her shoulders. Her features softened somewhat as she spoke again. "Seriously though, thank you Zinnia."
"For what?" Zinnia asked, confused.
"For this. Helping us. It wasn't your fight...But you're helping us fix this. Thank you." Aria said sincerely to the Draconid, who stared at her for several moments before slowly nodding. Aria transferred the Zygarde Cell into the creature itself, who shuddered as the fragment entered the Order Pokémon's body.
"I can't stand idly by while idiots destroy the world that I love. And with the demise of the Anomaly, I don't really have any excuse to not help anymore." Zinnia admitted as Zygarde padded over to her, sitting down. Zinnia stared down into the water of the oasis, reflecting on her life.
"Even the strongest can bend, and eventually break." Zygarde intoned, its voice stronger than it had ever been. With Zinnia taking command of the Legendary and with both her and Aria working together to bring it back to full power, this was inevitable. "What matters now is striving down the path to restoring the balance. This land is wracked with chaos. The very fabric of reality is fragile...And unfortunately we cannot blame this solely on the Anomaly."
"No. Even if MissingNo was causing a bunch of trouble, most of its distortions would have faded when it died. Part of me suspects it's still out there, somewhere. Maybe too weak to carry on." Zinnia remarked, making Aria hum thoughtfully.
"I wonder if that means Wes is out there somewhere…" Aria said quietly, a note of hope in her voice. "I really do miss him."
"He sounds very dependable." Zinnia remarked, knowing full-well who Wes was and where he was located. After all, they had been in contact earlier that day.
The former Snagger was gathering as much intelligence on Cipher as possible, and Zinnia kept him informed of their actions so that he could plan around his friends while assisting at the same time. Already Wes had prevented an attack from a few stragglers of Roran's loyalists on the Malie Library and an assassination attempt on Kahuna Nanu.
"Come on, we've got what we came for." Zinnia spoke up as she pulled out a Poké Ball and returned Zygarde. "Sina and Dexio are waiting for us at the other Aether facility, right?"
Aria nodded, standing up and walking over to Zinnia as she called out her Salamence. Within moments, the two Trainers were soaring through the sky as the sun began to rise in Alola once more.
The Next Day
Alola Route 1, Professor Kukui's Lab
"Cozy little place you got here Professor."
"Thank you! My wife's a bit tied up at the moment, so we'll have to proceed without her, but by all means make yourselves at home!" Professor Kukui said brightly to the two men standing behind him, almost giddy that he was in the presence of two Trainers who were literally living legends.
Blue and Red glanced around the rather comfortable-looking lab that seemed more like a house than a place serious research was performed. Professor Kukui laughed cheerfully as he gave them the tour, explaining that his home doubled as a lab and that he chose to live out here to be closer to nature. Blue could definitely appreciate the Professor's way of life, and at the end of the tour gave his stamp of approval.
"You've got a pretty great place here, Professor Kukui. Gramps' lab is so much more...professional. This is more my style." Blue admitted as he sat down on the couch, sighing with relief as he wiped his sweaty forehead with the sleeve of his shirt. Thank Arceus for air-conditioning. Red was of the same mind, as was the Pikachu sitting on his shoulder, since he too collapsed into a chair.
"Thanks! Sorry it's a little messy, I've been busy lately with setting up stuff at Mt. Lanakila and my assistant is off doing some personal research." Professor Kukui said apologetically before grabbing them all some cans of iced coffee.
"Yeah, we know. That's why we're gonna try to take up as little of your time as possible. We'll be vacationing a bit while we're here, so we'll have time to talk later, but we…" Blue glanced at Red, who slowly raised an eyebrow at him. "...And by that I mean just myself, want to talk shop for a bit."
Kukui opened his mouth to ask what the man meant by that, but he was interrupted by an angry shout from just outside the door.
"You jerks keep leaving me behind!" Leaf growled as she stomped through the door, a pout on her face as she glared at her two best friends who both adopted guilty expressions. Kukui, however, had other things on his mind.
"Oh, you do that too?" Kukui asked Blue and Red, sounding genuinely relieved. "I have a bad habit of leaving people behind unattended and not remembering until later. It really annoys Sun and Lillie."
"I can imagine why! These jerks have tried ditching me twice in just the few days that we've been here!" Leaf complained as she looked around the lab before spotting Lycanroc sitting down nearby, panting happily. Leaf's eyes went as wide as saucers and she flung herself at the canine.
"Awww! Rock Puppy!" Leaf squealed as Lycanroc barked happily, licking the woman as Blue face-palmed in embarrassment and Red suppressed the urge to laugh at Leaf.
"Don't mind her, that's just Leaf being Leaf." Blue said with a small sigh while Leaf casually flipped Blue off, her face pressed against Lycanroc's face as she was being given many affectionate licks. "Leaf, if you would calm down for a grand total of eight seconds we'd be more than happy to bring you to more places. After that fist-fight you got with Clair back in Johto a few years back, you shouldn't be surprised that we're wary of bringing you on our road-trips."
"So what brings you gentlemen to Alola? Hopefully not any Cipher business." Kukui asked, hoping that this wasn't related to Borlath.
All the while, Kukui was trying to figure out if now was as good a time as any to bring up the fact that Red and Blue helped destroy a building filled with innocent people as well as criminals, and decided to do that later once he learned what the famous duo and Leaf wanted.
Blue turned his attention back to the Professor, nodding at him. "Long story short, the League has been having concerns for a while about not being able to keep up with their training while acting as diplomats, investigating trouble spots and fighting off challengers. Leon made a suggestion to create a facility where the sole purpose is to bring together the best and brightest Trainers from all over the world and have them battle each other to hone their skills and...well, to just have fun battling strong Trainers." Blue explained to Kukui, who seemed interested already.
"So, after discussing it for nearly a year now, the League has given the green-light for such a project to be started. However, there's a twist." Blue said with a small smirk. "We want to build it in Alola, since this place can also serve as a tourist destination for strong Trainers and draw in spectators and profit for the region."
"Ahh...Well, I personally think that's an amazing idea, but things are tenuous here at the moment. We're close to establishing the Pokémon League and things like this will have to be discussed about. I'd rather not have politicians and other League officials trying to subvert the future of Alola by creating something like this and influencing the Alola Pokémon League before it's created." Kukui remarked carefully, receiving a nod from Blue.
"The League is funding the building of this project, but they have given me and Red complete autonomy and control over the facility. We aren't planning on building for a while, and we've already gotten the approval of Councilman Palena and the three Kahunas." Blue explained to Kukui, who frowned at that. This was the first he was hearing of this. "We don't want to start inter-political disputes, sir. Honestly, I'd rather not bring politics into this at all. By the time you have your Champion, the place should be up and running, and we're even open to having the new Alola League Champ have an advisor role in the facility. How's that sound?"
"That sounds pretty interesting and very plausible. The League as a whole could use something to whip them properly into shape, and I can see why they'd want to set up shop in Alola. Tourists and battlers alike can rest up on the beaches and enjoy the local scene, and then hop on over to your facility and enjoy some awesome battles." Kukui remarked, taking a sip of coffee. "That being said, I am wary of having the Pokémon League installing anything in Alola without any oversight or say from our officials or our own Pokémon League. And as the Commissioner for the Alola League, I don't appreciate you going behind my back to drum up local support for your facility."
"We figured as such, but since you're overseeing the creation of the Pokémon League and are probably in the process of scoping out a potential Champion, me and Red figured that there wasn't anything wrong with getting the ball rolling early and figuring out the logistics." Blue explained easily, causing Kukui to nod slowly. "So, have you any idea who's gonna be your first Champion?"
"I've got a few potential candidates. I'm still a few months away from opening the League, and plan on allowing a select few Trainers into the League and see how they fare against our newly-formed Elite Four. I might even test their mettle myself, when the time comes." Kukui said with a chuckle, amused at the thought of doing just that.
"Considering that you're one of the strongest Trainers in Alola, that'd definitely be a pretty brutal challenge. Our little facility would obviously fall under the jurisdiction of the Alola League and whatever oversight you feel is necessary." Blue continued, watching as Kukui's expression became thoughtful. He felt like Blue was being honest with him, but Kukui was still wary of the younger man's intentions.
"Does this place even have a name?" Kukui asked, curiosity evident in his voice.
"We plan on calling it the Battle Tree." Blue said with a grin, leaning back in his chair. "And I'm hoping it'll be the start of something absolutely amazing. We want to try out this concept in Alola first before spreading it to other regions. And we want your support."
"Battle Tree, huh?" Kukui mused, rubbing his goatee before giving them an excited grin. "Okay, I'll bite. I'm a bit concerned about the potential pitfalls down the road, but it also sounds like the opportunity to show off some white-hot moves! Tell me more!"
The Next Day...
Aether House
"Nebby, use Teleport!"
"Brago, Ember! Rapid-fire!"
Sun grinned as he took in the sight of Nebby letting out a happy cooing sound and teleporting to avoid a blast of flames to the face, and then doing so again five more times in quick succession. Lillie stood opposite of him across a makeshift battlefield, her expression worried but determined. Meanwhile, everyone else watched with smiles on their faces as Lillie and Nebby got in their training for the day.
Sun had taken it upon himself to work with Lillie on how to act and think like a Trainer. Hau and Acerola chimed in occasionally, but for the most part Sun was her ever-kind instructor and Nebby finally got his first taste of combat.
Naturally the ever-mischievous puffball was excited and happily dodged Brago's attacks with ease. Lillie explained to Sun that she had been worried about having Nebby use any of his moves because of the massive power drain using his power (the power it used at Mahalo Trail all those months ago).
Acerola explained to them that Nebby's incredible power was likely unrelated to his normal moves, and that using Splash and Teleport (which according to Rotom Dex were Nebby's only moves) should be totally okay to use.
"Looks like Nebby has the teleporting thing down." Sun remarked proudly as Nebby dodged a Flame Charge from Brago by teleporting far above him, flailing happily. "I think that should wrap it up."
"The little one shows promise." Penny said with a small laugh while Oliver preened beside her.
Nebby responded to that comment by teleporting beside her and flailing happily. Oliver chuckled lightly, drawing Nebby's attention and earning a nuzzle from the Cosmog. Oliver stopped his preening and wrapped a wing around the small Pokémon, laughing as Nebby flailed once again with a happy cry.
"Yes yes, I'm proud of you." Oliver hooted with clear amusement as Nebby teleported out of his wings and reappeared on Brago's head. It then teleported back to Oliver, wriggling through the air beside the Dartrix with sheer joy on his face.
To Lillie and Sun's surprise, Nebby had become rather fond of Oliver over the past two days. This may have been due to the fact that Oliver had been the one to drive off another Team Skull attack that had left Nebby terrified, but the resulting beatdown that Oliver had delivered to Team Skull had endeared the Dartrix to Nebby. Oliver simply rolled with it, and took the Cosmog under his wing, pun intended. It did wonders for the moody bird's mood, at the very least, which Sun was very happy about.
"So, feeling like you're ready to tackle my Trial?" Acerola asked from the bench that Hunter and Kylee watched the battle from, enthralled like any child would watching super-powered animals fight. Sun looked at his friend and shrugged, causing Acerola to pout as he joined Lillie.
"I think tomorrow we'll be all set." Sun said with a smile, looking over his team. They had been going over some old and new strategies for the upcoming Ghost Trial over the past two days. Sun had even taken the time to teach Oliver the TM or Grass Knot. Sun also taught Alastor Gyro Ball, thinking it would help the Graveler with type-coverage. "I wouldn't mind a practice battle though."
"Ooh, you wanna battle me, Sun?" Hau asked his best friend, who looked at him with some surprise. "We haven't battled since that first day we got to Ula'ula Island and I've been wanting to throw down again!"
"That actually sounds like a pretty good idea. How about just two Pokémon each?" Sun said to Hau, who nodded cheerfully. Sun looked to Lillie, who was currently hugging Nebby as the Cosmog returned to her side. "Lillie, you want to be our referee?"
"I'd be happy to." Lillie said with a bright smile, causing Acerola to giggle. She had earned herself three looks of confusion, but Acerola simply beamed back at her friends. With that, Hau and Sun took up opposite positions across the battlefield as Lillie stood between them.
"This will be a Single Battle between Hau and Sun! Both Trainers are allowed two Pokémon apiece! Hau, since you suggested the battle, you may send your Pokémon out first!" Lillie called to her friend, who grinned excitedly as he hopped up and down on the balls of his feet.
"Haimoe! Let's do this!" Hau shouted as he unclipped a Poké Ball and tossed it forward. With a flash of light, a koala-like Pokémon holding a log appeared. Sun frowned, realizing that this was Hau's newest capture, but he wasn't very impressed by it.
Then again, Sun thought, it was probably better than Alastor and his hatred of humans. Sun also knew from experience that appearances weren't everything. Penny and Oliver had been adorable birds when they were little, and had still been pretty fierce battlers.
"Rotom, you're up!" Sun called as he looked over to his Pokémon. "Oliver, get over here!"
The owl took off and soared over to Sun while Rotom Dex booted up and landed on Sun's shoulders with a beep of excitement, flipping to the appropriate entry.
"Komala. The Drowsing Pokémon. It is born asleep, and it dies asleep. All its movements are apparently no more than the results of it tossing and turning in its dreams. The log it holds was given to it by its parents at birth. It has also been known to cling to the arm of a friendly Trainer." Rotom Dex explained merrily as Oliver eyed the sleeping Pokémon.
"Alright...Oliver, use Razor Leaf!" Sun called as Oliver took flight-
"Sucker Punch!" Hau called as Komala's entire body stiffened, with the Drowsing Pokémon immediately raising its log into the air and slamming it down hard onto the ground. This caused the Komala to launch itself forward faster than Sun could react to and smash into Oliver, who crashed down hard onto the ground.
"And this is why you never underestimate your opponent. Not bad, Hau." Sun remarked as Oliver got back up, looking at the Komala with a glare of annoyance, and a note of grudging respect.
"Well played...Sun, let's tear them apart." Oliver hooted as he flared his wings, obviously angered by the sneak attack. Sun rolled his eyes and pointed forward.
"Leafage, then go high!" Sun called out as Oliver flapped his wings hard, creating a leaf-filled whirlwind and went soaring towards the Komala.
"Defense Curl, Haimoe!" Hau called as Komala curled into a ball and tanked the Leafage, wincing in pain as the attack tore at her. "Now use Rollout!"
"Oliver, Pluck!" Sun called as the Dartrix shot down towards the Komala, who began to roll forward. It suddenly bounced high into the air and met Oliver head-on, creating a shockwave of force before Haimoe was sent flying backwards. It landed on the ground, continuing to roll while Oliver soared through the air, now taking this battle seriously.
"Oliver, Razor Leaf!" Sun commanded Oliver as the Dartrix unleashed a barrage of leaves upon the Komala, who took the attack and bounced towards Oliver again, striking the bird directly and knocking him out of the air. Oliver landed on the ground hard as Sun quickly thought about what to do about this. Rollout was a very strong move against Oliver, especially after being used with a Defense Curl.
"Yes! Alright, now use Ya...oh wait, you're locked into Rollout. Whoops." Hau laughed as he realized the pitfall of using Rollout, despite how useful the move was. "Well, just keep hitting him then."
"Oliver, use Protect!" Sun called as the Datrix got up, wincing in pain. Haimoe rolled towards the owl, picking up speed and power with every moment. Oliver suddenly flapped his wings before creating a barrier around itself that Haimoe bounced off of, stopping the Rollout and disorienting the Komala.
"Naturally. Alright, use Yawn!" Hau called as Haimoe yawned loudly, releasing a series of pink bubbles towards the Dartrix.
"Oliver, dodge at the last second and use Razor Leaf!" Sun called to his bird, which waited for a few moments before launching himself high into the air, soaring above the Yawn attack and striking Haimoe with a wave of spinning leaves.
"Double Team!" Hau yelled out, grinning widely with excitement as Sun audibly groaned. Haimoe's body flickered for a moment before suddenly replicating again and again. Soon enough there was a small army of Komala surrounding a surprised Oliver. "Now use Acrobatics!"
"I...I can't tell which one is real!" Oliver cried out as the Komala army rushed forward, with Oliver crying out in pain as he was struck from behind, knocking him down onto the ground.
"Yep, Double Team is a pain." Acerola said to the two children watching the battle with barely restrained awe. "But knowing Sun, he's got something up his sleeve for this one."
"That's a problem...You've improved, Hau." Sun said as he adjusted his hat, grinning at Hau. The other boy chuckled at Sun's expression, knowing his best friend wouldn't let a small complication like this slow him down.
"This'll be good." Hau remarked, crossing his arm before calling, "Shadow Claw!"
"Foresight! Then follow up with Pluck!" Sun called as the copies of Haimoe surrounded Oliver. The Dartix's eyes glowed a bright blue color before he quickly rotated his head, sending out a pulse of light that washed over the army of Haimoe. One of the copies in the middle glowed a bright blue color, and Oliver launched himself right at it even as the Komala rushed forward with Shadow Claw.
"Whoa, how'd he...That's right. Doesn't Foresight kinda negate evasion moves?" Hau remarked, earning a grin from Sun as Oliver dodged the Shadow Claw at the last moment and slammed hard into Haimoe with his glowing beak, knocking it down onto the ground.
"Let's wrap this up! Use Razor Leaf!" Sun called as the Dartrix lashed out with the move once again, this time knocking out Haimoe.
"Komala has been defeated! The winner is Dartrix!" Lillie called, raising a hand in Sun's direction as Nebby flailed happily behind her. Hau chuckled at Lillie and Nebby's antics, returning Haimoe and clipping the Poké Ball to his belt. Sun smiled with satisfaction as Oliver huffed slightly, smiling as he began to preen.
"I expected that. Oliver kinda always beats up my team, so I didn't expect my newest 'mon to stand a chance." Hau remarked, shrugging his shoulders. He did, however, grab another Poké Ball and gave Sun a wide grin. "But that's gonna change! I'm ending your undefeated streak right here and now! Cassy, let's take them down!"
Hau hurled the Poké Ball forward, and Sun smirked, knowing that the Brionne that would soon appear had a poor track record against Oliver and it would likely be an easy win. He was surprised when instead of Cassy the Brionne, a majestic Primarina appeared with a lovely trill of song. Oliver looked stunned, and narrowed his eyes in anger.
"Rotom, you're up." Sun said with an awed voice, stunned that Hau had managed to evolve his Starter to her final form.
"Primarina. The Soloist Pokémon and the final form of Popplio. It controls its water balloons with song. The melody is learned from others of its kind and is passed down from one generation to the next. It's singing voice is its chief weapon in battle. This Pokémon's Trainer must prioritize the daily maintenance of its throat at all costs." Rotom Dex explained as Cassy rested her body on the ground and smiled at Sun and Oliver, though her gaze almost seemed predatory.
"I'm going to enjoy this." Cassy remarked smugly, causing Oliver's eyes to narrow in barely controlled fury. He could feel something within him call out, braying for primal rage and violence upon the Primarina. It felt unnatural and Oliver knew that it was wrong, but it was hard to resist.
"Evolution or not, the result won't change." Oliver hooted as he casually preened, trying not to show how frustrated he was with the fact that Cassy had evolved before him. It also helped him ignore the urge to soar forward and tear apart the prissy seal.
"Looks like all of that training with Lana paid off." Sun said with a smile, crossing his arms. "You owe her a date, Hau."
"Dude, I owe her way more than that. But we're getting distracted." Hau laughed, rubbing the back of his head with a faint blush on his face. The two friends laughed together for a moment, ignoring the fact that Cassy and Oliver were glaring hard at one another with fury in their eyes.
"Alright! Oliver, use Razor Leaf!" Sun instructed the bird as he took flight and released a wave of spinning leaves at Cassy.
"Aqua Jet to dodge!" Hau called out, thrusting out a hand as Cassy's body was consumed in a flume of water and she easily dodged the wave of leaves and shot into the air, slamming hard into Oliver.
"Use Double Slap!" Hau called, grinning as Cassy spun around in mid-air and began brutally slapping Oliver with her tail again and again. Sun grit his teeth as Cassy went through four waves of the attack before Oliver managed to fly away.
"Leafage, then use Pluck!" Sun called out as the Dartrix launched the attack and the dove into it, with the combination attack surging towards the Primarina as she landed on the ground. Hau considered his options, and then realized that there was a perfect move for this situation.
"Toxic!" Hau shouted as Oliver smashed into Cassy, causing the Primarina to scream in pain as a result of the Leaf Drive attack. She reared back her head as Oliver tried to fly away and spat a deluge of purple liquid at the owl, drenching him completely.
Oliver screeched and soared away from Cassy as the Primarina recovered, with Oliver landing on the ground and shuddering in pain as the poison began to slowly damage him.
"Ice Beam!" Hau ordered Cassy as the Primarina slapped her tail against the ground hard, firing off a powerful Ice Beam as Oliver looked upwards with surprise.
"Protect!" Sun called, with Oliver summoning the barrier once more. To their horror, however, the shield failed and Oliver was struck directly with Ice Beam. Oliver screeched in agony for a few moments as he went flying backwards. Cassy balanced on her tail and had a patronizing bow, grinning at Oliver as the bird tried to gather his wits after being hit by a four-times super-effective attack.
"What does she have that I don't…What's wrong with me!?" Oliver thought as he rose from the ground, panting heavily from the pain he was in.
"Grass Knot!" Sun barked as Oliver struggled to get up. The bird's eyes flashed green as he dug his talons into the ground and then glared at Cassy, who suddenly yelped as thick vines ensnared her tail and dragged her into the air, slamming her hard back down on the ground. Oliver winced as the poison continued to sap his strength, and Cassy was released from the Grass Knot in time to fire off a Scald at the Dartrix, who dodged thanks to a quick command from Sun.
"Cassy, Aqua Jet! He's on his last legs!" Hau called as Sun thought quickly on what to do. Cassy shot towards Oliver, smashing hard into the bird and sending him tumbling into the air. The bird's body began to glow with a harsh green aura, showing that Overgrow was in effect.
"Razor Leaf!" Sun yelled to Oliver, causing the bird's eyes to snap open as he flapped his wings hard, releasing a massive wave of Razor Leaf that shredded the Soloist Pokémon and caused her to scream in pain and crash onto the ground. Oliver landed on the ground, panting hard as he struggled to keep standing.
"Oliver, get ready. I'm going to try Radiance again." Sun warned his Starter, who looked back at him in surprise. Sun was smiling as he thrust out his Z-Ring and called up his Z-Power. "Oliver, think hard on beating Cassy. You're so much better than you think you are. Show her your strength! Show her that we're the better team!"
"Is that really true?" Oliver thought as he tried to follow Sun's lead. Focusing on the desire to prove himself in the eyes of everyone, especially himself. To make it so that Sun's faith in him wasn't misplaced. Sun struck a series of movements as his Z-Ring began to glow a myriad of different colors while the artifact itself changed to black, with a great warmth suffusing the boy's body. Oliver's eyes began to glow-
Before both glows faded, and Sun's Z-Ring returned to normal. Once again, the power slipped away from them both.
"Radiance failed again. What's going on here?" Sun asked himself, looking over at Oliver as the owl looked down at the ground in shame. "Oh...he's still stuck in his head, huh?"
"Cassy, finish them off with another Ice Beam!" Hau shouted, forcing Sun's attention back into the fight. He pointed forward as Cassy, snapping his fingers and causing Oliver to jerk back to reality .
"Oliver, use Synthesis! Follow up with Leaf Drive!" Sun called, but Hau was having none of it.
"Aqua Jet!" Hau shouted as Cassy stopped her Ice beam mid-attack and instead shot forward once again and slammed into Oliver while riding a flume of water. Oliver landed on the ground, stunned and too weak to get back to his feet thanks to the poison sapping his strength. Sun grit his teeth in frustration as Cassy bounced into the air, grinning maliciously now.
"Finish him off with an Ice Beam!" Hau called out with a laugh, punching forward as Cassy twirled in the air, opening her mouth wide and singing out a beautiful cry before firing off another powerful beam of ice at the downed bird. Sun winced as the beam struck Oliver directly, causing him to scream in agony before he finally fainted.
Hau grinned excitedly as Cassy landed on the ground, with the boy running forward to hug his Primarina. "You did it! You finally beat him! I'm so proud of you, Cassy!"
"It feels great to show that evil idiot his place." Cassy said smugly, grinning at Oliver as the defeated owl weakly stirred while Sun tried to rouse him. Oliver blearily looked at Sun, and then over to the celebrating Hau and Cassy, and then shut his eyes.
"This was the last thing that poor bird needed." Penny remarked sadly, watching Oliver with concern in her eyes. Finn and Brago nodded in agreement beside her.
"His mind has been addled since our battle with that monster from beyond. This fight will likely make things worse for him." Brago said with a sigh, worried in his own way about his friend.
"Hey, he'll recover eventually! No need to be so worried!" Finn said bracingly to his two teammates.
"I...I really am a failure." Oliver murmured, hanging his head. Sun frowned with concern at those words, knowing that Oliver was once again slipping back into a negative mindset about himself and his worth as a member of Sun's team. Sun was about to reassure the Dartrix when he was interrupted.
"Pathetic...You truly are a waste of space." A cold voice came from behind them, drawing the boy's attention.
Sun turned around to see Alastor walking towards them, an expression of disgust on his face. Sun took a step away from the Alolan Graveler as he looked down at Oliver, who weakly stared up at him. The Rock Pokémon promptly lashed out with a Thunder Shock, knocking Oliver back out before stepping forward and taking up a position in front of Sun.
"What was that for!?" Sun yelled at Alastor, who looked back at Sun with a dark smile.
"The riffraff must be shown their place. Now, I'm going to show you all how a real Pokémon stands on the battlefield." Alastor said as he stomped forward and took up a fighting position in front of Sun.
"Well...I guess this works?" Lillie spoke slowly, not entirely sure if Alastor joining the battle without Sun's consent counted or not.
"Works for me." Hau said with a grin, inwardly hoping that he could finally get a win on Sun as a result of Cassy finally beating Oliver and Alastor being difficult to control. "Just try and listen to your Trainer, okay?"
"Silence! I'll deal with you myself!" Alastor snarled as Cassy reared back on her tail, holding out her hands. Alastor let loose a Thunder Shock, which hit Cassy directly and caused her to shriek in pain. After the attack subsided, the panting Primarina was glaring hatefully at the Alolan Graveler and Hau looked rather annoyed.
"You really need to get a handle on this guy, Sun." Hau sighed before he pointed a finger forward. "Just end this dork, Cassy. Bubble Beam!"
Cassy released a stream of bubbles at Alastor as the Alolan Graveler used Defense Curl before speeding away with Rollout, dodging the attack and colliding with Cassy hard enough to knock the Primarina to the ground.
"Scald! Rapid-fire!" Hau called as Cassy opened her mouth, spraying boiling-hot jets of water at Alastor as he sped across the battlefield, dodging each shot before speeding towards Cassy a second time and slamming hard into her. Alastor knocked Cassy down to the ground, but when he came around for a third strike Hau was ready.
"Cassy, use Ice Beam to create a wall! Stop him in his tracks!" Hau called as Cassy struggled to get up, firing off a beam of icy energy at the ground in front of her. It quickly created a wall of ice that Alastor smashed through, but it slowed him down enough for Cassy to blast him directly with a Scald that he couldn't have avoided. What made it worse was that Cassy's Ability, Torrent, was in effect so the damage dealt to Alastor was dramatically increased.
"Alastor!" Sun called as the Alolan Graveler toppled onto the ground, shaking in pain as he pushed himself upright, despite the harsh damage he had taken from the super-effective attack. Alastor growled and used Rock Throw several times in quick succession, but Cassy easily dodged those and retaliated with a Toxic that Alastor blocked by rolling forward to dodge.
"Cassy, let's wrap this up before he can counterattack. Use Aqua Jet!" Hau called, punching his fist forward as Cassy's body became submerged in water. The Primarina shot forward with a trill of song, but to Alastor's surprise Sun was ready with a response.
"Alastor, use Gyro Ball!" Sun called to Alastor, earning a sharp look from the Alolan Graveler before he quickly began to spin, with four streaks of blue light forming within the sphere.
Hau's eyes widened and he shouted, "Cassy, stop the attack! Dodge!"
The Primarina managed to cancel her Aqua Jet, but Alastor made that point moot by moving forward and crashing hard into Cassy, causing her to go flying backwards with a squeal of pain. Alastor stopped spinning, grinning maliciously as Cassy landed hard on the ground.
"Bzzzrt! Excellent move, Sun! Steel izzz super-effective against Fairy, which izzz the type Cassy got when she evolved into Primarina." Rotom cheered as Alastor stepped forward, chuckling darkly as he let loose a Thunder Shock at Cassy, which ended up knocking out the Primarina.
"Whoa…" Hau whispered as Cassy's body twitched slightly, and he returned his Primarina with an expression of shock. Meanwhile Sun walked towards Alastor, who turned around with a scowl on his face.
"See? I don't...need you. I don't need any of you." Alastor huffed, grinning at his achievement while his team just glared at him.
"Well done. You defeated an already-damaged opponent and are acting like you killed Arceus itself." Penny said dryly, causing Alastor's smile to fade and get replaced with a dark scowl of anger. He gestured towards Oliver's downed form, looking at all of them.
"Don't make me beat some respect into you and this weakling like I did the Poliwrath the other day." Alastor snarled at Penny, stepping forward. Brago did the same, stepping in between the two of them while Finn watched silently.
"You will know your place. Teammates do not treat each other like that. Neither does family." Brago growled at Alastor, who's anger deepened as his hands clenched and crackled with electricity.
"You...You idiots are not my family! I had to abandon my family because of that wretched human you all love so much!" Alastor roared furiously at Brago as both Penny and Brago's barely-restrained anger grew.
"Enough!" Sun shouted, his eyes flaring red and causing Brago to flinch. Sun glared at Alastor, and then looked to everyone on his team, before inhaling slowly and exhaling deeply.
"We all have strengths and weaknesses. Oliver lost against a fully-evolved opponent who's Trainer is one of my main rivals. That doesn't make him worthless." Sun said the last part to Alastor, who scoffed and opened his mouth to speak. Penny, however cut him off, as she fluttered over to Oliver's prone form.
"And just because you beat an already weakened opponent that you had an advantage against to begin with...Well, you're not impressing anyone." Penny remarked with a shrug of her wings. Alastor made a move to throw a Thunder Shock at Penny, but Sun returned him before things could get more violent.
"I'm sorry, everyone. I'm really trying to work with Alastor, but he's got a lot of problems." Sun sighed, bending down to begin healing Oliver before returning him.
"Your team in general has problems. But what team doesn't these days, hmm?" Acerola remarked with a chuckle as Sun sighed deeply. Lillie placed a comforting hand on Sun's shoulder, squeezing it slightly. He looked at her with a tired smile, but his attention was soon taken by Acerola poking him on the head.
Sun looked at the Ghost Trial Captain with confusion. "Um, what's up?" Sun asked, making Acerola hesitate.
"I need a big favor, and since you're all done here I figured I could ask now. Sun, can you watch the kids for a few hours? I need to take a look through the Forbidden Archive back at Malie City and try to finish doing some research." Acerola asked Sun as the boy stood up and returned his team.
"Anything in particular you're trying to find?" Sun asked, with Acerola nodding.
"I have a bad feeling about what your father is trying to do, and I can't help but feel like I've read something that might explain more." Acerola explained, sounding worried. "All I need is a few hours."
"Sure, no problem. Me and Hau can keep an eye on things and watch over Hunter and Kylee." Sun said with a smile, causing Acerola to beam at her friend and clap her hands together.
Lillie offered to help Acerola with her research, an offer that the Ghost Trial Captain happily took since she needed all the assistance she could get. The two girls took off on a Ride Charizard while Sun and Hau both decided to combine their efforts and make the kids some dinner.
Later That Night...
Poni Island
Ruins of Hope
"That's not a good sign."
"No, I knew in advance that this would likely be the most difficult one to deal with. Tapu Fini is reclusive, and only appears to those that brave its challenge."
"I feel a sense of foreboding...And this is the God of Hope's ruin?"
Borlath nodded as he stepped forward, eyeing the ominous entryway that led further into the Ruins of Hope. A cold mist wafted out from the depths of the darkness that awaited them, and Borlath knew full well that meant that the Tapu was indeed lurking within. He also knew what to expect in regards to what the mist was capable of. Damien growled softly beside him, anxious about what was to come.
"You mentioned that this fog has the power to force those who walk through it to experience hallucinations." Amber remarked, with Borlath nodding as he ignored the familiar sounds of people faintly calling to him from the fog.
"The thick fog, or mist depending on your interpretation, can bring downfall and confusion to its enemies. A self-destructive trance that can destroy those with ill-intentions. We'll both be likely affected, though to my knowledge it doesn't affect Pokémon." Borlath explained as he tapped his hands against Harbinger, the staff that he had fashioned for this final chapter of his tale.
"There's a terrible irony in the fact that I spent my entire adult life running away from my past and culture, only for it to eventually become the only way forward." Borlath remarked as he looked over at Damien, who scoffed.
"Someone out there has an awful sense of humor." Damien muttered darkly, causing Borlath to chuckle and pat the canine on the head.
"Yeah, just...AGH!" Amber screamed as her eyes flashed pink and flame-like energy poured from her eyes, with the assassin falling to her knees and screaming in agony as the Curse of Life activated. Borlath knelt beside her and grabbed Amber's shoulder comfortingly while she endured the pain of the curse Tapu Lele bestowed upon her. Unfortunately, such curses were irreversible, otherwise Borlath would've forced Tapu Lele to lift it by now. Amber slowly rose to her feet, shaking violently as a tear rolled down her cheek.
"It...never gets any easier." Amber whispered, hugging herself. Borlath wrapped an arm around her shoulders, his eyes flickering to black.
"We'll make this right, Amanda...We just have to hold on a little longer." Borlath said quietly, causing the pink-eyed assassin to give him a harsh glare.
"Only because you're going to die and sacrifice everything you have left for the sake of a world that doesn't deserve your kindness...But I guess after what we've done, death is its own kindness, huh?" Amber said softly, shaking her head and brushing the tears out of her eyes. Her gaze became determined and she looked to Deoxys. "Are we ready?"
"I believe Deoxys can create a barrier that will shield us from the fog, but it's possible we'll still be affected somehow." Borlath then looked down at the Z-Ring now fastened to his wrist. "But yes, I'm ready. Let's wrap this up as quickly as possible."
Amber had recovered the Z-Ring from some bandit named Night Slash she had encountered a few months back and had given it to Borlath just before they set out to capture Tapu Fini. Borlath doubted he needed the artifact, especially considering he had destroyed his own years ago. But again, the irony of wearing the artifact while bringing down each of the Guardian Deities was simply too amusing to deny.
"Yes. Time is of the essence. Thankfully Poni Island is slow to receive any kind of communication, and that hasn't changed in the years I've been gone. But I imagine they'll be here soon enough. Let's move." Borlath said as Deoxys shifted into its Defense Forme and the group made their way into the mist.
Borlath winced as he felt a pall creep over him as Deoxys used Psychic to lift them into the air and through the mist. Eventually they drifted through the main room and into the altar. It resembled the one of Tapu Lele heavily, though Borlath noted the pools of water outside of the room that looked as though they were fed straight from the ocean.
"Alright then...Where are you, Tapu Fini?" Borlath demanded as the fog somehow grew thicker in response to his question.
"Ash, when are you going to give this up? Haven't you been hurt enough?" spoke a very familiar female voice that sent a shiver down Borlath's spine. He whirled around to see Laura Smiles standing behind him, wearing a sad smile.
"Laura...No. You're not real. This is one of Tapu Fini's illusions." Borlath hissed, taking a step back and pointing Harbinger at the woman. Laura's face became a pout, and she crossed her arms.
"Would an illusion be able to tell how much pain you're in?" Laura asked, her tone almost playful. "Ash, this has gone on for far too long. Please, just end this. You don't have to hurt anyone else. You can choose to end this terrible cycle of pain. Just give up...Let go."
"I...I-I can't. Not after what I've done. Not after how many lives I've ruined. Giving up my own life for the sake of the world is the only way...Damn the consequences. I just want the pain to stop!" Borlath shouted at his wife, who shook her head sadly.
"You're an idiot." Laura chided the man gently, sighing softly. " What would Sun say if he-"
A gunshot rang out and Laura jerked backwards, her throat exploding as a bullet passed through it and she stumbled backwards. Borlath's eyes burned bright red, with black and white rings flickering around them.
"You're not my wife." Borlath growled, lowering his magnum as Laura Smiles collapsed onto the ground, choking on her own blood. Borlath looked down at the body of the only woman he had ever loved, tears beginning to drip down his face as his eyes turned to black.
A few moments later, she vanished into a puff of fog that made Borlath's head ache terribly. As the fog intensified, a shadowy figure suddenly appeared on the dias ahead of them. Borlath could sense that it was the Tapu.
"You are a fool...Now come. Come and find peace within my fog, and allow me to bring you the peace you deserve, my child." A soft, yet familiar voice came from within the fog. Borlath shivered as the phantoms of Tommy and Hina flickered into existence before him, causing Borlath to take a step back as they moved towards him.
"You can stop this now, man...Haven't you already proven your point?" Tommy asked sadly, putting his hands in his pockets as he regarded the Trainer who had been a brother to him in all but blood.
"Ash, you're just causing yourself more pain. We can help you. Please...just stop." Hina pleaded with her protector and mentor, who had saved her life on multiple occasions.
"No...No you're dead. I watched you both die!" Borlath shouted as the pain in his head intensified. Damien barked out a warning, but Borlath couldn't even hear him over his own distress. Ashton Aupuni had expected hallucinations, but he hadn't even expected his best friends to return from the grave. More tears fell.
"You did...but we're here now. Look at what you've done, Ash. Good and bad. You think you're some unredeemable monster, but everyone sees something special in you." Tommy said with a fond smile, shaking his head. "You were always bad at seeing the good in yourself. I blame your shitty parents."
"Yeah, they were pretty terrible." Hina said with a shudder, though she perked back up and adjusted her glasses. "I'd like to think we made up for that, though."
"Tommy...Hina…" Borlath hissed as his eyes returned to the strange crimson color from mere moments ago, ringed with white and black, an intensity coming to his voice. "I'm so sorry. I was too weak to save you. I never...I never deserved your friendship."
"We're sorry too. We left you alone in this terrible world." Tommy said with a sad smile, though Hina shook her head violently. "Tragedy after tragedy warped you into this.."
"Even after everything you went through, you love so much and so brightly. Even after they've abandoned you. You still care so much for your family. Both Sun and Laura, but also Mohn and Lusamine and everyone else." Hina said quietly, her smile sad. "Ash...You care so much that you'd sacrifice anything for those you love. Isn't that right?"
Borlath's knees gave out then as it registered to him that his friends had finally returned to him. One who was torn apart before his eyes, while the other had died in his arms after saving his life.
"Can you...can you forgive me? Is there any way to make things right?" Borlath asked his two friends with a pleading note in his voice. The two of them exchanged a brief look.
"I dunno, man. Aside from just turning yourself over to the authorities? Your current game plan is looking pretty awful." Tommy admitted, rubbing the back of his head.
"I have to do something...The guilt is unbearable." Borlath sighed, shaking slightly as a sob escaped him. "I want to stop all of it. Fix everything. And end this...I'm too weak to bear the sin of my actions." Borlath admitted to his two best friends, who drew closer with understanding smiles.
"Look what you've become...So powerful, so influential, but you let yourself devolve into someone so broken." Tommy remarked, sighing softly. "You never did let go, huh? You held onto the pain of losing us, even after all of these years. And all of your other pain, too."
"I don't regret dying for one moment. Your life has so much meaning, Ash! You've helped just as many people as you've hurt!" Hina said brightly, beaming at her friend with adoration just like she had all those years ago. It hurt Borlath's heart, seeing that smile. "I know you've got it in you to find a better way to fix things than giving up everything. There's still hope."
"A better way…hope." Borlath was hyperventilating now, trying to process everything happening to him. He then seized onto that final word spoken by Hina, and his crushing grief and sorrow gave way to pure, unadulterated fury that burned through his veins like lava.
"Damien! Now!" Borlath roared as he clutched his head, running his hand through his long black hair as the Houndoom leapt through the fog to finally find his Trainer. Borlath staggered to his feet as his face contorted into a mad scowl of insanity.
"How dare you defile their memories!? Come out and fight me! I'll tear you apart" Borlath boomed as Damien released a wave of flames that made the figures of Tommy and Hina vanish with two screams of pain as the fog was dismissed.
Borlath's eyes widened as he noticed a new figure floating above them on the altar. It was a strange Pokémon, colored blue, purple and black and with fin-like hands, partially hidden inside of what resembled a clam-shell. However Borlath knew it to be the God of Hope.
Tapu Fini.
The Guardian Deity of Poni Island stared at Borlath for a few moments, the fog thick enough to cut into with a knife. After a few moments, the Tapu's eyes glowed a faint blue color. The Cipher Master simply raised Harbinger and jammed the spike of the staff into the wood, showing that he was challenging the Tapu to a fight to the death. Borlath noticed his Z-Ring begin to glow, and after a few moments a harsh voice spoke to him.
"I AM SORRY, MY CHILD. YOUR ONLY HOPE...IS SIMPLY TO FALL BEFORE ME. I WILL SAVE YOU FROM YOUR MADNESS BY ENDING YOUR LIFE!" Tapu Fini intoned as it held out its hands, summoning forth two massive tendrils of water that flowed forth from the pools along the room, with the fog pouring into the room even more quickly. Borlath looked behind himself and saw that Amber and Deoxys were nowhere to be seen within the fog.
Borlath scowled as he drew two Ultra Balls from his waist and tossed them upwards. "Bruce, Creed, back Damien up!" Borlath called out as a Toxicity and a Hitmonchan appeared in two flashes of light, getting into fighting stances as the God of Hope let out an earth-shaking shriek of fury. The Tapu thrust out its hands, sending out two massive flumes of water towards Borlath's team.
"Bruce, use Agility! Creed, Toxic! Damien, Mega Evolve!" Borlath shouted as he held out a hand, the Mega Crown on his brow shining with a dark purple light that crackled. Damien braced himself for the pain that Mega Evolution brought, and this time was no exception. With a howl of agony, he became Mega Houndoom, and shook slightly for a moment as he tried to compose himself enough to fight.
Meanwhile, Creed leapt forward and fired out a steam of purple fluid from its mouth, which Tapu Fini blocked with a tendril of water before launching a Nature's Madness at the Punk Pokémon.
"Protect, Creed! Damien, use Sludge Bomb! Bruce, keep using Agility again and again!" Borlath shouted as he grit his teeth, ignoring more familiar voices calling out to him. Damien fired off the attack while Bruce continued to bolster his own speed and Creed blocked the attack. Tapu Fini summoned a wall of water to block the Sludge Bomb, barely suppressing the attack.
"Shock Wave!" Borlath shouted as Creed dropped the shield and swung out his arms to unleash a swift bolt of electricity that struck Tapu Fini, causing it to hiss in pain, though it did manage to dodge the Flamethrower that Damien sent its way a few moments later.
"Bruce, let's go! Bullet Punch, with Agility to dodge!" Borlath shouted as Tapu Fini floated downwards, thrusting out its hands to summon a tidal wave from both sides and the room to crash down on all those on the ground.
Bruce was already airborne, with the Hitmonchan speeding through the air fast enough to surprise the Guardian Deity and allowing it to slug the God of Hope in the face with a Super-Effective punch. Meanwhile, Creed was knocked out by the wave of water and Damien took damage from the attack, causing Borlath to snarl in annoyance as he pulled out a Max Revive and hurled it at Creed, reviving him instantly.
"Creed, use Toxic when you get a clear shot. Damien, Sludge Bomb! Bruce, keep up the assault!" Borlath commanded as his three Pokémon rushed the God of Hope, who frantically used its command of the water to block and fend out the three attackers, though Borlath was pleased to see that they were getting hits here and there. Using the increased priority moves were helping tremendously here, and anytime Damien got a hit it did a significant amount of damage.
Finally, Creed the Toxicity managed to get close enough to Tapu Fini while it was distracted by a punch to the chest from Bruce to send a Toxic attack its way, badly poisoning the Tapu. Tapu Fini screamed as it whirled around and blasted Creed with a Brine attack that sent Creed crashing to the ground senseless. Tapu Fini coughed as its face turned a slight purple color, causing the Tapu to wince in pain.
"Gotcha." Borlath muttered, smiling with satisfaction. That smile slipped from his face a few moments later.
The God of Hope held out its arms and a maelstrom of water suddenly surrounded it, protecting it from the Flamethrower that Damien sent at it. The Tapu then began to glow a gentle light blue color, a soft hum filling the room. Then, all of a sudden, the water exploded outwards into the pools once more, revealing that Tapu Fini was no longer suffering any of the effects of the poison that had just been inflicted on it. Borlath watched the Guardian Deity with amazement for a few moments before he realized what had happened.
"It can use its powers to heal any kind of impurity...including poison. That book said as much. Of course. So much for that plan." Borlath remarked as Creed weakly stirred in front of him. Borlath cursed himself silently, realizing what a fool he had been as he revived the Toxicity again.
While the team he had acquired recently had been performing well, none of them held a candle to the team he had before. The team that Borlath had subjected to the Umbral Program, at the cost of their health and sanity. Now all of them were worse than gone, and he was left to recreate a new team from scratch.
Even with his skill, the gap in power was immense. Even Zorro wasn't nearly as strong as Borlath's old Araquanid. At this point, even Dawson would have been able to knock out some of his Pokémon in a fair fight if he was still alive.
"You're right. I definitely would have been able to take on your team, Borlath." Dawson spoke from behind him, his tone scathing. Borlath tried to ignore the vision of his Admin, but he couldn't hide from his words. "I begged and pleaded for you to stop. And yet here you are again, being a selfish asshole. I wonder how Sun feels about all of this."
"Don't talk to me about him! This is the only way to make things right! He doesn't get a say in this anymore!" Borlath snapped at the phantom, his head turning towards the former Cipher Admin who had been dragged into the Ultra Space by Lusamine. Was Dawson still alive, wherever he was now? Or did he simply succumb to the forces within the vortex? He'd never know.
Damien released a Flamethrower to block the Whirlpool that Tapu Fini had dropped on top of him, with the Houndoom's sheer power disrupting the attack. Bruce and Creed managed to dodge the tendrils of water as they attacked the Pokémon, who were struggling as Borlath fought to remain focused.
"Have to keep my head on straight. Losing sight of my goals now could be fatal...I won't be stopped now." Borlath whispered to himself, shaking slightly now. He wondered if that was the fog's doing, or his mind trying to handle seeing his ghosts from the past coming back to haunt him. Speaking of which...
"Ash...Surely you know what a bad idea all of this is." A gentle voice rebuked him from behind him. Borlath whirled around to see Mohn smiling at him, a fatherly kindness twinkling in his eyes.
"You're not real, so shut up!" Borlath shouted, causing a hurt expression to flicker across Mohn's face.
"I'm real enough to ask you to stop this...I don't want to lose you like I lost Lusa. She's already gone crazy, and our poor kids are out there struggling alone." Mohn remarked, his tone becoming more firm as Borlath attempted to focus on the battle ahead. Bruce and Creed were barely dodging Tapu Fini's attacks, but it was obvious that if the Tapu attention wasn't focused on Damien, the other two Pokémon would be dead by now.
"Don't let them be hurt like you were hurt. Isn't that why you started all of this to begin with? To protect others? To safeguard the future of this world? To make sure no child ever had to endure the hell you went through?" Mohn asked Borlath, who's body trembled as one of the people he had always looked up to and cherished rebuked him for his behavior. He had missed his friend so much, and now at the end of everything, he knew that if Mohn was alive he'd be so disappointed...
"Bullet Punch! Screech and then Thunder! Thunder Fang!" Borlath shouted as he stepped forward, swiping his hand through Mohn and dispelling the foggy phantom. Creed charged forward, letting out a horrible Screech that made Tapu Fini wince in response, right before it was struck with a Bullet Punch to the stomach and face before being blasted away by a wave of force from the Tapu.
A bolt of lightning slammed into Tapu Fini then, who hid within its shell to protect itself from the attack. However, it soon found itself within the jaws of a Houndoom using Thunder Fang, which grabbed the God of Hope and threw it into the side of the room with a snarl of anger.
Tapu Fini let out a harsh scream as it emerged from its shell, with Z-Power surrounding the Guardian Deity and causing torrents of water to surge upwards from the pools and swirl around it, lashing out and knocking back Bruce, Creed and Damien. Bruce crashed onto the ground unconscious from just the one hit, and Creed barely managed to stay upright. Damien looked pained, but remained standing.
"Alright then...Damien! Sunny Day!" Borlath shouted as the Houndoom grit his teeth, knowing the next few minutes would be complete agony. But if this was what it took, so be it.
Damien's eyes flashed white and he fired off a shining sphere of energy towards the roof of the sanctum, causing a harsh light to fill the room. Damien's entire body suddenly began to glow brightly and the Houndoom snarled in pain as his Ability, Solar Power, took effect.
"Solar Beam!" Borlath shouted as Damien opened his mouth again and instantly fired off a Solar Beam, right as Tapu Fini shut itself within its shell and summoned the water around it to protect itself further. The blast erupted from Damien's mouth with enough force to disperse the mist around them, striking Tapu Fini and sending it against the far wall with a sickening crunch. The God of Hope emerged from its shell with a groan, its eyes flashing blue before a tidal wave of water slammed into Damien from behind, knocking Borlath to the ground as well. Tapu Fini swayed slightly in the air before being struck with a Flamethrower from Damien as he got back to his feet, his body still glowing brightly.
Borlath shakily got to his feet, trembling and coughing as he struggled to his feet. "C-Creed, use Thunderbolt! Damien, Flamethrower into Thunder Fang!"
The Toxicity nodded and released a wicked Thunderbolt that struck the God of Hope, causing it to scream in pain before it launched a Brine at the Punk Pokémon, who upon Borlath's orders blocked it with another Protect. Meanwhile Damien dashed forward, launching himself off of the ground and dodging a blast of water from Tapu Fini by releasing two short blasts of Flamethrower that moved him into the perfect position for sinking his electrified teeth into Tapu Fini.
The Guardian Deity wailed as Damien shook his head violently in midair, falling towards the ground and slamming Tapu Fini down hard. It then leapt backwards and aimed a Fire Blast at the God of Hope, surrounding its body in flames as the Tapu screamed. Creed added another Shock Wave to the mix, hoping that his contribution would help Damien put down a very formidable opponent.
"You're really doing quite a number on it…" spoke an amused voice from behind Borlath, causing the man to shiver involuntarily. He glanced to his side and saw Roran Rubinara standing beside him, looking like he did all those years ago. He sounded the way he did before Tapu Bulu struck him down with the Curse of Abundance. Sane, confidant, and smug.
"Get out of here. I have more important things to focus on than a specter from the past. Especially you, of all people. I'm quite happy that I murdered you." Borlath hissed at the man who had taken away his friends from him and ruined most of his plans, as well as nearly killing Sun.
"No, I don't think I will. After all, I never did leave you, eh Ash?" Roran chuckled lightly, flashing him a brilliant smile. "It all really came full circle. I ravaged Alola in secret to help it become the paradise the people deserved it to become. I became a monster...out of love. Just like Lusa did. And just like you did."
"Shut. Up. I am nothing like you! You never once felt remorse for betraying all of us and senselessly tormenting people for your own personal gain." Borlath shouted at Roran as the man sauntered closer, grinning maliciously. It still sent chills down Borlath's spine, even though he had put a bullet in the man's head himself.
"You're so much like me it's almost funny, Ash. You're the greatest creation." Roran let out a dark giggle of mirth as Borlath's eyes reddened with hate. "My legacy lives on through your repeated mistakes."
"SHUT UP! Damien, use Fire Blast!" Borlath roared as the canine let out a short growl and unleashed the flaming star at Tapu Fini as it floated into the air. A whirling sphere of water swirled around the Tapu and absorbed the hit, even as Damien's body trembled slightly. Borlath took this time to use a Max Revive on Bruce.
"We need to end this...The more that time goes by, the more Solar Flare will continue to weaken Damien." Borlath muttered, ignoring Roran as the madman laughed at him. "Creed, Thunderbolt! Zorro, get Bruce into position!"
The Toxicity let out a shout as he let loose a Thunderbolt at the God of Hope, who smacked aside the blast of lightning with a wave of water before launching a Brine at Creed, knocking out the Toxicity yet again.
"Now! Throw him!" Borlath shouted, grinning maliciously now as Tapu Fini's eyes widened in surprise. It then looked up in time to see a Greninja holding a Hitmonchan by the legs. Zorro swung Bruce around and hurled him downwards, sending the Punching Pokémon towards the Tapu with tremendous speed. Bruce flipped several times in midair before delivering a wicked right hook of a Thunder Punch to Tapu Fini's face, knocking it down a few feet. Bruce managed to hang there in the air, and landed three more Thunder Punch's before Tapu Fini blasted the Hitmonchan with Nature's Madness, knocking him out again. Zorro landed on the ground and narrowly avoided the Fairy-type attack by using Shadow Sneak, and then grabbed Borlath off of the ground and dragged him into the shadows as well.
Tapu Fini took a moment to gather its senses, turning to Damien as the Houndoom charged up a Solar Beam and fired it at Tapu Fini. The attack seemingly went wide, however, and Tapu Fini retaliated with a Brine attack that knocked down the Houndoom. Zorro and Borlath burst out of the shadows, shaking slightly as the fog continued to assault their minds.
"Damien! Get up! Don't let this disgrace of a god keep you down!" Borlath shouted at his Houndoom, even as he rose to his feet once again. Borlath then heard the voice he had prayed not to hear from within the fog, and he nearly lost his composure completely.
"Dad...please stop."
Borlath shut his eyes tightly and clamped his hands over his ears at the sound of his voice. The boy who had been the sole motivation for his descent into darkness. The boy who was worth Borlath ruining his own life for, if only so that child could live the life Borlath never had. This had been all for him…
And yet he threw it back in Borlath's face, time and time again. Borlath opened his eyes and looked at his child, who looked at him with black eyes of despair and sadness. Sadness at seeing his father reduced to such a state, and hurting more people for his own selfishness.
Borlath's heart broke then, and he tried to hold onto his anger at Sun. The pain and betrayal that he felt when Sun had disobeyed him. His hurt and his...his...Borlath clutched his head, trying to understand why his head hurt so badly. He couldn't barely think.
"Sun...No! You turned your back on me, just like everyone else!" Borlath shouted as Sun's expression turned to hurt. Borlath felt his head ache with pain as he tried to focus on the fight while the fog continued to wear away at what mental fortitude he had left.
"You really do only think about yourself, huh?" Sun said in a shocked tone of amazement, sounding nothing like the child of Ashton Aupuni. After a moment the phantom vanished in time for Borlath to see Damien get struck by a Hydro Pump that sent him crashing into the floor with a pained howl.
"Damien!" Borlath shouted as he moved forward, only for a hand to grab him. Borlath looked behind him to see Zorro the Greninja, who shook his head at his Trainer.
Damien slowly rose to his feet, firing off a Flamethrower that Tapu Fini had to retreat within its shell to block. It emerged from its shell to launch two water tendrils at Damien, only for an Ice Beam to strike it from behind. Tapu Fini let out a shriek of fury as it rounded on Zorro, who barely dodged the blast of wild energy unleashed from the furious Tapu.
The Greninja flipped in midair, throwing Water Shuriken at the Tapu who tanked the attacks with ease. It then gestured with its hands and thickened the mist before returning its attention to Damien, who had just launched a Flamethrower at the Guardian Deity. Tapu Fini screamed as the flames struck home, burning it and nearly causing the Tapu to fall to the ground as the sunlight overhead faded.
Tapu Fini held out its hands as its Z-Power flared a darker shade of orange, narrowing its eyes as seven massive flumes of water rushed into the air, whirling around as Damien watched on with horror in his eyes.
"YOU SHOULD HAVE STOPPED HIM! ARE HIS AMBITIONS WORTH INVOKING THE DARKEST OF OUR POWERS!?" Tapu Fini bellowed as Damien crouched low, charging up a flickering sphere of flames. "ARE THEY WORTH TEARING APART REALITY ITSELF!?"
"I made a promise to obey him. And I promised to keep his child safe! This world is still broken, and if he has decided the best way to save it is to sacrifice himself, then I'll support his decision." Damien snarled, guilt and anger thick in his voice. "Even if I hate everything he's doing, I will still stand beside him!"
"FOOLISH…" Tapu Fini intoned, though it became aware of something rushing through the air behind it.
Tapu Fini turned around in time for a metallic hand to suddenly press against its face. As the Tapu stared into the crimson eyes of Borlath, a wild grin of madness etched upon his face, it knew that it failed.
The Cipher Master's metallic hand pulsed once before discharging the stored up Solar Beam it had absorbed earlier, blasting the Tapu back towards Damien right as the Houndoom unleashed an Overheat. The two attacks struck the God of Hope at the same time, resulting in a massive shockwave of force that created cracks in the walls of the chamber as a thick black smoke filled the air.
Borlath fell towards the ground, but Zorro caught him and set him on his feet. Borlath swayed slightly and fell to one knee, smiling weakly as he considered how he had pulled that particular move off. His gauntlets could each absorb and unleash one attack each, storing it for up to an hour at most. Absorbing Damien's missed Solar Beam and having Zorro put in him the perfect position to release it right back at Tapu Fini was simple in execution.
As the smoke cleared Tapu Fini finally dropped onto the ground, purple liquid dripping onto the ground as the Guardian Deity weakly stirred. Damien slowly rose from the ground, shaking in pain but otherwise able to battle. Borlath let out a laugh even as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his second Master Ball, even as his head let out a throb harshly.
"We did it...That was so much worse than I thought it'd be. Seeing them again…" Borlath's expression became one of sorrow before it became one of anger. He tossed the Master Ball at the fallen Tapu, and with three shakes and a click, the Guardian Deity of Poni Island was his to command.
"Sir!"
Borlath turned around and saw Amber running out of the previous chamber, the mist now fading away completely. Her eyes were back to normal, showing that the Curse of Life was no longer affecting her.
"The mist somehow dragged me and Deoxys back into the previous room. I...Hazel kept chasing me." Amber scowled angrily, crossing her arms. "I was defenseless against that in my other state. It wasn't until the curse faded that I was able to confront that illusion and dispel it."
"You're fine. I'm just glad you're okay…" Borlath said with an exhausted smile as Damien padded over to them, looking as if he was ready to drop.
"That...was terrible." Damien huffed, glaring at Borlath as the Cipher Master attached the Master Ball containing Tapu Fini to Harbinger, shaking slightly as he recalled the phantoms he had been forced to confront. Damien reverted back to his normal state and collapsed onto the ground, even as a sharp pain crept into Borlath's temples. Deoxys floated over to Borlath, concerned about his Trainer.
"I knew Tapu Fini would be difficult, but this was a bit more of a hassle than I imagined it would be…" Borlath panted, clutching his head. "Deoxys, take us somewhere quiet. I need to gather my bearings."
The DNA Pokémon nodded as it drifted forward, with Amber stepping closer as well. Borlath placed a hand on Damien as Amber pressed a finger against Deoxys' head. With a flicker of movement, the group suddenly appeared somewhere else.
The night sky was now suddenly above them and the soft sea breeze wafted on the air, with lush plants all around them. Borlath held both hands against his head as he looked around the park, and in a few moments it came to him.
"Malie Garden...It looks a bit different than the last time I was here." Borlath sighed, centering himself. He ran a hand over his head and was surprised to feel that there was a large crack in the Mega Crown, but not so much that it should have impeded the instrument's ability to Mega Evolve Damien.
"It's nice enough. So what's the game plan now?" Amber asked Borlath, who shut his eyes and considered it.
"Take a few moments to recover. But, since I'm already in Malie...May as well pay my parents a long-deserved visit." Borlath said as a dark smile flickered to his lips, though he became quiet once again as he tried to recuperate after a showdown with the Tapu. Amber wasn't surprised at the state he was in now, considering the illusions the Guardian Deity threw at him.
"Sir, are you really in the state to be confronting your family? Mentally or physically?" Amber asked Borlath, who let out a deep chuckle that did nothing to assuage Amber's concerns.
"Are you worried about me, Amber? Or is that your sense of loyalty to me? Maybe you really are getting better." Borlath remarked, his laughter tipping deeper into an unhinged giggle. Amber's eyes narrowed in frustration, knowing that whatever phantoms Borlath had encountered must have shaken his remaining sanity even more than she had initially thought. Amber called out Avis to get her thoughts on the situation.
"He's not well. He needs to rest." Avis said worriedly, floating forward even as Deoxys nodded in agreement.
"No. We'll follow his orders, but be cautious going forward. Let's take a few moments to recover, heal up, and then we'll deal with whatever he wants us to." Amber said firmly, causing the others to look at her for several long moments.
"Get away from me!" shouted a voice loud enough to make Borlath's eyes snap open in surprise.
Amber turned towards the garden proper and spotted a familiar girl in a white dress running across one of the nearby bridges, a bulky gym bag over her shoulder. Two Aether Foundation members were chasing her, dark expressions on their faces. Amber considered why this was, and thought about what she and Borlath knew about President Lusamine's plans.
"Sir, I think that's Aether President Lusamine's missing daughter. I think Lillie was her name." Amber remarked as she turned back towards her leader, watching as Damien stirred weakly beside him. Amber looked back towards the girl as she ran away from the two Aether Foundation members, but it was obvious that they would catch her soon. Amber felt a hand suddenly grab hers, and she looked down to see Borlath with his eyes shut. Wordlessly, he pulled himself upright by bracing himself up against Amber until he was once again standing.
"Amber...deal with them." Borlath muttered as he began slowly walking towards the commotion, seeing that the two Aether Foundation members had finally caught up to Lillie, with one of them grabbing the Lillie by the arm and yanking her backwards, quickly putting the girl into a chokehold and lifting her off of the ground.
"You caused a lot of trouble for the President, Miss Lillie. Now, don't struggle." The female Aether Foundation member said as her male counterpart grabbed the bag the girl had been carrying.
"P-please...don't do this!" Lillie pleaded as she tried to speak through the pain, struggling to breathe. She couldn't believe that this had happened yet again. To her surprise, the man holding Nebby suddenly whirled around and let out a scream of horror.
Only for an armored fist to suddenly crash into his face and send him to the ground. Lillie was dropped to the ground in surprise as the female member stared into the face of Amber Fontaine, too surprised to move further. The Aether Foundation woman pulled out a Poké Ball and called out a Tauros, glaring down Fontaine as Lillie simply looked back and forth between them, too shocked to speak.
"Giga Im-" the woman tried to say before Deoxys teleported above them all and lashed out with a Psychic, knocking out the bull and blasting the Aether Foundation workers across the Garden as Lillie scrambled to grab Nebby's bag. The poor creature within was trembling, but thankfully safe. Lillie shivered as Amber Fontaine walked past them, pulling the shotgun off of her back with a casual air.
"This garden is nice." Amber remarked, glancing around the peaceful cornerstone of Malie City. "It'd be a shame for your blood to sully a place like this."
Lillie made a small squeak of terror, though she still when she heard another figure emerge from the bushes nearby. Lillie turned her head and froze as she locked eyes with Borlath himself, casually adjusting his tie with bright red eyes, anger blossoming behind them as he carried an odd-looking staff in his right hand and shambled over to them. Lillie shivered at the expression of tranquil madness gleaming in those eyes.
"Hello there. Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this girl is coming with me." Borlath said tiredly yet politely as Lillie looked back and forth between Amber, Borlath, Deoxys and the two Aether Foundation members. "I don't want to have to kill you. Walk away."
"...Tch! We'll get her soon!" the female member said as she backed off. Her male comrade nodded, a fierce scowl on his face as he clutched his bleeding nose and what would soon become a black eye.
"You can't hide forever, Miss Lillie." The man said coldly to the girl before both Aether Foundation members ran away towards the exit of the Gardens. With that, Borlath allowed himself a small sigh.
"Finally...We should leave soon. The authorities will be coming soon." Borlath turned to Lillie, his eyes flickering back to gray. Oddly enough, he seemed to become more...himself? More sane? Lillie had no idea how to describe it, but he seemed more aware now. "Now then, you know who I am. You're Lillie, right? Sun's friend. And Lusamine's daughter."
"Y-yes...I'm Lillie Jardin." The girl said in a very small voice, unable to hide her fear. It was obvious that the poor girl was absolutely terrified of both Borlath and Amber Fontaine. The Cipher Master's expression became sympathetic, and he crossed his arms.
"Well, Lillie, you were either very brave or very foolish to come out here alone. Thankfully, I've just captured Tapu Fini and I'm feeling charitable tonight, so you and whatever happens to be shaking in that bag can live to fight another day. I have no interest in harming you." Borlath said to the girl, who looked down at her bag and held it close.
"S-so...I can go?" Lillie asked, her tone approaching almost hopeful. Borlath considered it for a few moments. Aether would be out in force, and Lusamine achieving her goals would make fulfilling his own much harder. Lillie wouldn't even make it to the Pokémon Center outside of the garden on her own.
So that only left one option.
"I don't think so, Lillie. You see, I have plans for the night. Plans that are now more difficult to see through since Amber and I had to step in to save you. Aether will be out tonight searching for you, and you being in danger threatens the safety of everyone in Alola."
"I...I…" Lillie stammered, unsure of how exactly Borlath knew this much of what was going on, but Borlath didn't let her finish her statement.
"So this is what we'll do. You will join us for a short time while I take care of something, and then Amber will take you to anywhere on this island that you know for certain is safe." Borlath explained in a tone that brooked no arguments. It wasn't like Lillie could fight back or escape. She could only hope that Borlath would continue feeling merciful and allow her and Nebby to go free. Lillie looked down at the ground, wishing that there was another way.
"What...what are your plans?" Lillie asked, her fear returning to her voice.
"A family reunion of sorts. I haven't seen my mother and father in a very long time. I think it's time I paid them a visit before I finish capturing the other Tapu." Borlath said as he held out a hand towards Deoxys, who drifted closer with a soft hum. Lillie averted her eyes, thinking quickly as to what the Cipher Master could want with his parents.
She came to one simple and very terrifying conclusion.
"You're going to kill them...aren't you?" Lillie asked Borlath in a small voice, simply receiving an amused chuckle from Sun's father. Deoxys then teleported them all out of Malie Garden, with the moon rising in the night sky overhead.
And it was all going so well…
NEXT TIME: The Aupuni family reunion.
Q & A
From: SolanaLeonhart
One question, but it's not related to the story. Have you ever played ultra sun or ultra moon? If yes, is fighting Necrozma as hard as people say it is? Because I heard quite the comments about it before and I got curious.
I've played through US/UM a few times, yes. And Ultra Necrozma is pretty hard by Pokemon-standards. Unless you come into the fight with a team specifically prepared to counter it (for example, having a Zoroark take the form of a fighting type to trick Necrozma like I did in my UM Nuzlocke Run) then you'll have a pretty tough fight ahead of you. It's pretty awesome though.
That's all for now. Please review and leave feedback on the chapter if you've enjoyed reading it. As always, favorite and/or follow the story if you want to get updates, and if you want to ask a question you can do so in the review section below. If you're interested in joining the story's Discord channel, just PM me.
Take care and stay awesome!
Until next time, FlygonNick out!
