Pokémon Radiant Sun


Here's another chapter, coming at you!

Not quite as soon as I would've liked, but I'm also returning from a nice little vacation with plenty of fire in the tank to power through the final five chapters of the Cipher Arc.

Shoutout to the lovelies who reviewed since the last update, which includes Oragonking, Anasazi Darkmoon, AnonymousEmboar, several Guest reviewers and a new reviewer that goes by Cannonjet 16! Thanks for the feedback and support everyone!

Also, Happy early Thanksgiving to all of my fellow Americans!

Enjoy!


Chapter 131: Do or Die


Celadon City

Many Years Ago…


Ashton Aupuni watched his son running through the yard chasing his Toucannon around, with Damien following them around with occasional barks. The father observed all of this with a gentle smile on his face, taking in comfort from the sight.

The feeling lasted for a long while, until the sound of someone teleporting in behind him caught Ashton's attention and made him turn around. Amber Fontaine walked towards him, holding her arm with a pained grin. Avis floated nearby, sporting several burns and looking noticeably exhausted.

"Mission accomplished. They're all dead." Amber said as she pulled out a flash drive from her armor and handed it to Ashton, who regarded it with distaste before nodding.

"Thank you, Amber. I appreciate your help in this. Greevil's Admins may have dropped the ball and Wes managed to disrupt things yet again, but this will allow us to regroup. Aupuni Industries already has an HQ in Unova, so perhaps that's where we'll go next in our expansion attempts." Ashton said as Amber nodded back at him, expecting this.

"I'm still surprised you're giving these guys so much free reign." Amber noted, putting her injured hand on her hip. "You aren't getting used to this, are you? Not that it matters to me, but considering your reservations with Cipher, you're giving Greevil a lot to mess around with."

"No. I want to have Damien burn them all away. Destroy it all...But it's working, Amber." Ashton muttered, leaning against the wall with a profoundly troubled expression, his eyes black as coals.

"What's working?" Amber asked.

"This. The killing, the subterfuge, going behind the backs of the government and taking justice into our own hands. Our efforts in Johto alone have made the region the most secure its been in decades, and I hate it." Ashton muttered as he ran a hand through his short spiky hair, with Amber looking at him with surprise.

"This was all your idea though. You're the one who moved Cipher's operation to Sinnoh to ally with Team Galactic, or at least what's left of them, so that we can eradicate all of them in one fell swoop. You even had me preemptively kill Wes' girlfriend, Rui, so that I could attempt to get closer to Wes while at the same time spying on the International Police." Amber said to her boss, who's expression became more and more troubled.

Ashton then sighed again, trying to wrap his head around how things had gotten to this point. Rui, a girl who could see the secret auras of Shadow Pokémon, had been just as much of a thorn in the side of Cipher as Wes and Michael.

He realized that in this case, Amber had killed an innocent girl so that an evil organization could have an easier time of things. It made Ashton's heart clench, and gave him pause.

"We can stop now. I could end Cipher and we could scrap everything." Amber offered, and Ashton closed his eyes and considered it. Cipher was reeling at the moment thanks to Wes' recent efforts against them in Sinnoh. It would be a simple matter to murder the other Admins and scatter Cipher to the wind. No one would ever know what he and Amber had done.

But at the same time...this was working.

"No. Not yet. Not when there's still changes to be made. Sinnoh's government has just passed a slew of new laws strengthening the borders of the region and establishing new defensive measures based around the Gym Leaders and local police departments." Ashton explained ruefully, a note of sorrow in his voice that made Amber tilt her head in confusion. "It's already giving us issues, which means it's working…All the while Cynthia is on vacation in Hoenn."

"Can I kill her? Please?" Amber asked, earning a shake of the head from Ashton.

"No, that wouldn't solve anything. And she'd crush you in a Pokémon Battle unless you got the jump on her. I'll start training you again to improve your team and make you a true force to be reckoned with." Ashton Aupuni replied, his troubled expression fading. "We'll double down. Get the Pokémon League to take more drastic actions...or be crushed beneath our heel."

"Considering our recent acquisitions of the Regi Trio and Celebi, I think we could probably do that already." Amber said with a dark grin, as if she was hoping Ashton would give the order for her to murder them at long last.

"No. No unnecessary killing. Every death that isn't explicitly needed for our plans is one death too many, Amber."

Amber crossed her arms, frowning at that. "You know, considering what you've gotten us involved in, it's strange that you're choosing now to get squeamish about it Ashton."

"Borlath." Ashton Aupuni responded, causing Amber to look at him in surprise.

"What's that?" the assassin asked, earning a smirk from her fellow Admin.

"My Cipher name. We all use an alias while operating within Cipher, even you, since Amber isn't actually your name. I chose my own alias some time ago. Borlath." Ashton Aupuni said, a smile coming to his lips. "Ashton Aupuni doesn't have the heart to force this miserable planet to change. But Borlath might just have it in him to keep trying no matter the cost."

"Does the name have any significance?" Amber asked, with the man himself considering the question for a brief moment.

"Not in any profound way. Truthfully it was a name that always stuck with me in one of the stories my mother read me when I was younger. Tales of children descended from a magical king who go on adventures and…" Ashton shook his head, a laugh escaping him. "I always did have a fondness for those kinds of things. It's why I enjoy reading so much to Sun, even if he's starting to outgrow it."

"Sooner or later he's going to get to that age where he can get a Pokémon of his own." Amber remarked almost pointedly, causing Ashton...or rather, Borlath's eyes to flicker white with fear, only to be replaced with a bright red.

"No. I don't care how much he wants to become a Trainer, I'm not going to let him go down the path that left me riddled with scars and…" Borlath growled as he crossed his arms, trying to stem the flow of intense emotions he was feeling. Anger and fear being the two most distressing to him.

"Sun's been more insistent lately. I've tried everything I can think of, short of agreeing to let him become a Trainer of all things, and he's not happy about it. Laura's of absolutely no help here either. She's even had Erica try and convince me to let Sun go on a journey. How can I make them understand that this just can't happen?" Borlath asked Amber, who simply shrugged in response.

"I don't know. You haven't even told me why you have such issues with Sun becoming a Trainer. I just know some bad things happened to you in the past that you don't talk about." Amber said to Borlath, who's expression darkened.

"And those bad things will remain in the past where they belong." Borlath responded, his red eyes darkening to crimson for a moment before he regained control of himself and his eyes flickered to gray.

"Still a touchy subject. Fair enough." Amber relented, nodding her head.

"But going back to your comment, I have always been wary of what we've been doing. However I also know that if we don't do anything, our world and everything we hold dear will be destroyed." Borlath responded harshly, shutting his eyes and leaning against the tree. "Speaking of destroying things, how have your recent efforts to befriend Wes gone? You were undercover for a while now. Tell me what happened."

"Well, it mostly worked…" Amber trailed off, frowning as she leaned against the tree. "I managed to seduce Wes after four months of knowing him."

Ashton blinked in surprise at that particular revelation. While he had ensured Amber was able to pretend to have positive emotions and could now act like a normal person if needed, he hadn't expected her to excel in such a manner. Amber continued with, "I also killed his Umbreon and Espeon and badly injured him in the fire I set at our hotel. I had to escape before things got out of hand, but I consider it a win."

"That's not how I expected your plan to go, but if it destabilizes Wes...so be it." Borlath said with a frown, shaking his head.

"You're worried."

"No, it's fine. I'm…" Borlath trailed off for a moment before nodding his head, his eyes flickering to a darker gray. "Yes, I'm worried. I'm worried I'm becoming used to the idea of killing people to get what I want." Borlath said with a resigned sigh as he looked towards where Sun was playing with Carlito the Whimscott and Penelope the Toucannon, with the latter cawing loudly in the distance.

"If you're asking yourself that, then don't be." Amber said as she shrugged, walking past the CEO of Aupuni Industries with a smirk as Avis teleported into the trees. "Your heart is in the right place, Ashton. The rest of us in Cipher are complete monsters. You're the only one who seems to want something better for the world."

"But is that worth giving these snakes power and hurting so many innocent people?" Borlath asked Amber, who opened her mouth to speak, only for a distant shout to get both of their attentions.

"Dad! Dad, come quick!" came a panicked shout from Sun in the distance.

"Take up a defensive position, make sure nothing gets to him!" Borlath swiftly commanded Amber as he sprinted past her to get to his child. Behind him the assassin wordlessly reached out to Avis and teleported on the spot while Borlath, or rather Ashton Aupuni, ran over to where his boy was as quick as he could. He spotted Sun kneeling on the ground near some bushes, with Damien alert and Penelope chirping softly to something he couldn't see. Carilto hovered worriedly, looking to his Trainer as he approached.

"Over here! Look!" Sun said urgently, moving away from what he was looking at so that Ashton could see for himself. The businessman nearly swore in front of his child at the sight.

It was a small blue frog-like Pokémon, with a white bubble-like substance around its neck. Ashton recognized it as a Froakie, one of the three Starter Pokémon of the Kalos region. What was so alarming was the fact that it was covered in terrible wounds, including several burns and an openly bleeding cut on its forehead. Ashton swore silently at the state of the poor Pokémon.

"What happened to it, Dad?" Sun asked, obviously distressed. The little boy hated to see any Pokémon in pain, and Ashton considered how to answer that question as he looked at the injuries. He quickly pulled out his phone and called one of the housekeepers, asking them to bring some medical supplies to where they were at, before hanging up and answering Sun's question.

"Well, Sun...It looks like this Froakie was attacked by a Trainer." Ashton admitted, with Sun gasping in horror.

"But why would someone do that?" Sun asked, not understanding how someone could attack a Pokémon.

"Well, it could be for any manner of reasons. Self-defense, an attempt to capture a Pokémon gone wrong and so on, but I feel like this was different. See here? This is a boot print." Ashton pointed out to Sun, who saw the imprint of a dirty boot on the side of the Froakie's body by it's chest. "And considering the fact that Froakie aren't common to Kanto...This is likely a Trainer's Pokémon that escaped an abusive situation."

"But why? I don't get it..." Sun trailed off, kneeling closer to the Pokémon as one of the housekeepers brought out a First Aid kit. Ashton pulled out a Super Potion and a Revive and began to treat the Froakie's injuries, even as the small Pokémon slowly came to its senses. Sun watched intently, even as his father instructed him on what to do and how to carefully care for an injured Pokémon in the wild.

"Fro…" croaked the Bubble Frog Pokémon, eyes widening slightly at finding two new humans by it.

"Hey there, Froakie. Don't you worry. My Dad's gonna fix you up!" Sun said cheerfully to the small frog, causing Ashton to nearly smile at the statement. However, he had a lesson to make out of this.

"Why would someone senselessly hurt a Pokémon like this? Simply put, Sun, because there's a lot of terrible people in this world." Ashton said as he smiled down at the small Pokémon, gently patting it on the head. "Hello there, Froakie. Are you feeling any better?"

The Froakie looked at Ashton with surprise and nodded, attempting to stand, only to fall onto the ground with a pained yelp. Damien grunted at the smaller Pokémon and began to talk to it, and Ashton took that opportunity to continue speaking.

"But even though there's a lot of evil out there in the world, Sun, there's just as much good. We have to take any opportunity we can to make this world a better place and make a difference." Ashton said to his boy, who looked at him intently, drinking in every word his father said.

"But...what about people who'd hurt a Pokémon? How do you get them to stop being bad?" Sun asked.

"That's a bit harder to explain." Ashton said with a small laugh. "But that argument still stands. Every person is capable of being a hero or a monster. Despite the awful things that terrible people do, I believe that everyone has a dark side...but also good in them that can be brought out. I'd like to find a way to bring out all of the good in our world and stamp out the evil. And I hope that you will too, when you get older."

Sun didn't speak, instead thinking hard on his father's words. Ashton himself picked up the Froakie gently in his arms as Penelope fluttered to his shoulder, chirping softly to the Froakie who passed out.

"So, despite the terrible people doing terrible deeds in this world...You just have to have hope for the future, huh Dad?" Sun asked his father, who smiled at his child.

Yes, there were awful things happening in the world. Criminals like the Ruby Raiders, Team Rocket, and even himself now operated in the shadows working to hurt people. But at the same time people like Lusamine and Mohn and Jackal and others out there, again including himself, worked just as hard to make the world a better place and help others.

Ashton Aupuni could reveal the harsh truth to Sun. That the world was a truly cruel place that seemed to only work for those who were corrupt and evil. But Ashton also swore to never let his child become like him. Someone who had seen the worst of humanity. Sunshine Aupuni still had hope.

And Ashton would protect Sun's innocence with every fiber of his being. Even if it meant telling him something that Ashton himself didn't truly believe himself.

"You're absolutely right, Sun. Try and see the best in people and be the bigger person. Sometimes all it takes is a helping hand to help pull someone who's on a dark path step back into the light." Ashton said as he reached out and ruffled Sun's hair, his eyes flickering to gold. "I hope you grow up to become that kind of person. Someone who can hold on to hope no matter what and…"

Ashton paused, trying to get his words together, acutely aware of Sun listening intently. Finally the father managed with, "Be better than me. I know you've got it in you."

The child looked at his father with an adoring smile and nodded, earning a chuckle from Ashton even as the man turned around and walked back towards the house with the injured Froakie in his arms. The Aupuni child followed close behind his father alongside Damien, the massive Houndoom smiling fondly at his Trainer as Carilto followed behind. But Sun thought all the while. These words would never leave the boy, even after learning the truth about the man he idolized so much.

Sun would never give up hope, even when Ashton Aupuni did.


Present

Hau'oli Hospital


Amber stared at Vivian with narrowed eyes of frustration, taking in her words with mounting fury building up within her.

"You...You really think I'd let a violinist kill me? After everything I've gone through? That'll be the day." Amber said mockingly, flashing a deadly smile as Vivian visibly shuddered in fear. "It's so meaningless. What's the point? Why bother fighting and sacrificing yourself when you know you're going to die?"

"I'm f-fighting for my friends! Even if I'm s-ccared, e-even if I'm shaking and crying...I won't stop fighting!" Vivian shouted as she furiously slashed her bow against her violin, much to the confusion of the others as the hallway filled with beautiful, if not somewhat frantic, music.

It was then that the floor exploded out from underneath Cipher, with a furious Eelektross screeching as it emerged from the newly made hole in the floor. The force of the blast threw back the Cipher Peons and caused Amber to hit a wall. Avis prepared to attack, but was struck by a wave of electricity from the Eelektross in the form of Discharge.

"Marziale will keep them busy. Now, let us put on a performance that leaves them stunned! Mega Evolve, Decrescendo!" Vivian cried out as she held the Mega Ring aloft, with the Alakazam bowing his head and beginning the transformation as light poured through the hallway and Vivian continued playing her song.

Decres emerged from the pink shell of light with a growl of anger and directed his fury towards the Cipher squad, who were attacking Marziale with their Pokémon since they had dropped their weapons after being electrocuted. Decree let out a scream as his eyes seared with angry blue fire and a pulse of raw force erupted across the hallway, causing the floor and walls around the Cipher Peons and Amber to crumble away, dropping them down into the floor below. Only the Eelektross was spared, floating off of the ground with a harsh laugh as she listened to the music her Trainer played and released a Flamethrower upon the stunned Cipher members below, causing several to scream out in pain.

Amber suddenly burst out of the flames, her face in a snarl as she ran towards Vivian, ripping her pistol free from its holster and firing upon the violinist, only for Decres to block the shots with ease with just his spoons before firing a Hyper Beam that Amber simply stared down before Avis flew in front of her and blocked with a Protect. The explosion destroyed another few rooms in the hospital and filled the building with pitch black smoke.

"Seems like we're doing pretty well." Arpeggio commented cheerily, the Chatot shifting slightly on Vivian's shoulder as she continued to play her song. Decres continued to fire into the smoke as Marziale continued to blast the smoke with flames and lightning, with Vivian hoping that they'd all just finally die.

To her dismay, a Cipher Peon leapt of the shadows from across the destroyed hallway and a Dusclops emerged beside him, hurling a Shadow Ball at Decres and knocking the Mega Alakazam backwards slightly, making Vivian step towards the debris behind her with a concerned frown. Several more Cipher Peons followed their partner into the hallway level with Vivian while several others struggled with the Eelektross relentlessly attacking them below.

Much to Vivian's further horror, she was soon losing the element of surprise. The Cipher Peons had regrouped and were calling out Pokémon while Amber hung back, glaring down Vivian. Despite Vivian's trap, she still only had five Pokémon compared to the small army she was currently facing. And so Marziale, having knocked out over a dozen Pokémon by this point, was eventually overwhelmed.

A Barbaracle struck her with a Stone Edge while a Shadow Machamp lashed out with Cross Chop, delivering the blow hard enough to knock out the Eelektross. Arpeggio flew forward and released a Hyper Voice that blasted away several of the Peons before Avis interfered, lashing out a Psychic that knocked away the Chatot. Amber strode forward with her SMG in hand and placed her foot atop the unconscious Eelektross...before promptly unloading an entire clip of bullets into Vivian's Pokémon and executing her.

Decres growled with anger, a feat for such a normally composed Pokémon, while Vivian fought back her tears knowing that she was in a way sending all of them to their deaths. But she had talked to all of her Pokémon about this. About how they would all be put in this position. All five of them had decided that they would go down with her.

Vivian loved them all.

"Marzi...I'm so sorry." Vivian whispered as she hung her head, stopping the song for a moment as she returned her dead Eelektross, clipping the ball to her belt before dislodging another two Poké Balls free from her belt with her elbow before catching them with her foot, kicking them towards the nearest Cipher Grunt. Vivian spun around lightly on her feet before launching into another complicated and beautiful piece of music, all of which were laced with commands for her Pokémon who had been trained in such a manner.

"Piano, Forte assist us!" Vivian cried out as a rather small Semisear emerged from its Poké Ball with a cry, inhaling deeply as he listened to the instructions of his Trainer's song and released a Flame Burst upon their enemies who had slain Marziale. The roaring flames exploded outwards, crashing down around the open space and forcing back several of the Pokémon that had been rushing Decres' position.

Alongside the Simsear appeared a furious Beartic, who promptly released an Ice Beam that struck Avis, making her screech in pain and crash onto the ground convulsing. It was then that the furious bear turned its attention onto the Cipher Peons who had managed to call out some of their Pokémon, but they were nothing before the music of battle and Forte landed amongst them with an Icicle Crash, throwing aside the Cipher Peons as well with a roar. Piano hurled himself forward with a screech, knocking out the Shadow Machamp with a Fire Blast that filled the area with flames. Forte dodged a Stone Edge from the Barbaracle and struck back with a Brick Break that knocked it out instantly.

It was at that moment Amber Fontaine reappeared, the smoke erupting away from her as Avis and the assassin floated back towards the floor Vivian stood guard, a cold smile on her face that made Vivian shiver with fear. She casually dodged an Ice Beam as Forte attacked her, only making the merciless assassin's amusement grow.

"Good. I was afraid I'd be disappointed!" Amber shouted as she called out her Electivire and Kingdra, even as Avis floated above them all. Kingdra fired off a Hydro Pump towards Piano, who vaulted through the air with an Acrobatics and dodged the attack and crashed into the Kingdra, knocking it back right as Decres dropped its shield and began to fire Psybeams rapidly at the squad of Cipher Peons and Amber, forcing them apart. Forte joined in, lashing out with a Frost Breath that blasted back Electivire, coating its fur in ice.

Amber, however, finally focused on bringing down the Pokémon lashing out at them. She sprinted forward as flames exploded around her, with the assassin leaping into the air to avoid the deadly flames. An Ice Beam from Forte shot towards her again, but Amber twisted in midair to dodge yet again, this time landing atop Avis as the Xatu rejoined the fight. Amber flashed a menacing grin at the duo below as they turned their attention to Amber.

"Keep going!" Vivian cried out desperately to her team as they continued to fight, with Vivian frantically continuing to instruct them with her music. Amber drew a sidearm and Avis soared forward and slammed into Piano. The Simisear was thrown into the path of Kingdra, who fired off another Hydro Pump, knocking Piano backwards much to Vivian's horror. Decres prepared himself to intervene, only for a gunshot to go off and a strangled noise to erupt from behind him. Decres looked backwards and saw Vivian stagger backwards, clutching her stomach as blood streamed down her legs. Amber lowered her smoking gun with bloodlust dancing in her eyes as Vivian crumbled to the ground, sobbing and choking from the gunshot wound. The woman's trusty violin clattered to the ground, a hole puncturing the instrument and rendering it silent forever.

"As good as your battling style is, there's a big problem with it. Your Pokémon rely on you for direction. The moment you can't direct them is the moment your strategy falls apart!" Amber said with a malevolent grin as she pulled out a grenade from her belt and hurled it at the charging Simisear, who didn't notice the explosive in time before it went off, throwing it backwards as crimson coated its already red fur.

"P-Piano!" Vivian gasped, looking at the scene play out before her with terror in her eyes as her vision swam. Decres summoned the shield again, torn between whether or not to continue protecting his Trainer or help his comrades survive against Amber's wrath. Forte watched his comrade fall before Amber's deadly wrath and turned a hateful glare towards the assassin.

"Blizzard...follow up with Superpower!" Vivian directed Forte with a thought, using Decres to direct her instructions. The Beartic nodded and let out another bellow of fury, releasing a howling Blizzard that knocked Avis out of the sky and struck Kingdra hard enough to make it faint. Electivire faired better, throwing up a Protect to shield itself against the Superpower Forte attacked with a few moments later.

Vivian forced herself into a kneeling position as Electivire surged forward, slugging Forte with an Thunder Punch. Arpeggio retaliated with a Hyper Voice, knocking their opponent in time for Avis to blast away the Chatot with a Dark Pulse, only for an Ice Beam from Forte to force Avis away. Amber charged towards Vivian, only to freeze in place as a strange blue force enveloped her.

"What are you fighting for?" Vivian weakly asked Amber as the assassin was held within the iron grip of Decres, who began to crush the woman in his mental grip. Avis broke her free by attacking Decres with a Shadow Ball, but that soon drew the Xatu into a Psychic-based battle with an opponent far stronger than herself. Vivian coughed harshly, spraying the ground with her own life fluids. "Is Borlath...really that important to you?"

"Shut up! You...You have no idea what we've been through!" Amber shouted at the violinist, losing her composure. "This has to work! I won't let his dreams die! Not after everything he's given up!"

"So that's the score." Vivian thought painfully, glancing down at her hand that was coated in her own blood. She had lost so much of it. In a way, she thought it was really ironic that she was going to die in a hospital. She watched as an Ice Beam from Forte swept across the field, striking Electivire and also serving to hit Amber's feet, freezing them to the floor.

"The real question...is why do all of this!? You had knowledge of the goddamn future! Why throw it all away when you know full well I'm going to murder you!" Amber snarled at Vivian, who noticed that several of the Cipher Peons had recovered and were rushing back into the fight with weapons drawn.

"I've never...been a fighter. N-n-not really…" Vivian wheezed, watching as Decres and Arpeggio fended off Amber's team, taking small bits of damage here and there. The assassin grabbed a small device from her belt and tossed it into the air, even as her own Pokémon shielded their eyes. Vivian shut her eyes and warned her own Pokémon, but Forte didn't react quick enough and was blinded by the flashbang that went off.

"Cut it down!" Amber ordered the Peons, who opened fire on Forte even as the Beartic roared and released a Blizzard right at them. Despite blasting the Cipher Peons away, it did little to stop the hailstorm of bullets that struck the bear again and again and again. Forte collapsed under the combined gunfire, dropping to the ground with a pained growl as Vivian felt her heart break just a little more. This was what changing the future would cost. This was the cost of saving her friends. It hurt so much.

"I always wanted a second chance...A way to make things right." Vivian whispered through the tears, watching as her third teammate fell under the power of Cipher.

"Excellent work." Amber said as she levelled her sidearm at Arpeggio, with the Chatot looking at them all with an expression of loathing.

"I hope you all go to hell." The Chatot said in a very polite and cheery voice, causing Amber to quirk an eyebrow. She had forgotten that these particular birds could speak like this.

"I'm not b-brave. Not like Aria or Wes." The dying violinust admitted, staring down Amber as her body trembled. "I'm a d-dirty c-c-c-coward. But...I'm not going down without a fight!"

The last words were a defiant scream, with Vivian's teeth bared into a snarl. Using every bit of remaining strength that she had left, Vivian managed to stand despite the gaping wound in her stomach. She wouldn't last much longer. But knowing that, she still stood tall and pointed a finger down at Amber with determination blazing in her eyes.

"NOW!" Vivian screamed as Decres suddenly floated forward, finally joining the battlefield as his eyes seared blue with power. With a scream of fury the Mega Alakazam unleashed a wave of Psychic force that slammed into the Cipher Peons with the strength of a speeding truck, sending them flying into the faraway walls. Amber Fontaine, however, was the only one not to be caught in the attack. But only because the attack had strangely gone around her, despite her being partially frozen in place.

Amber got her answer to the unspoken question when she was lifted into the air and felt an intense force bear down on her, crushing her entire body tight enough to make her scream. Electivire tried to interfere, but Decres put a stop to that with a Psybeam to the face followed by an Aerial Ace from Arpeggio that finally put it down.

"Stronger. I always wanted to be s-s-strong. Like my friends...So just this once. I'm going to be strong!" Vivian screamed as she curled her hand into a fist. Decres threw apart his arms as Amber was sent crashing into the floor, and then the ceiling, and then through the ceiling, and then the wall. Decres pumped as much power as he could into making sure the evil woman who had done all of this suffered for her crimes.

Meanwhile Arpeggio watched with glee, especially when Amber was finally freed from Decres' control thanks to a Shadow Ball striking him from behind (courtesy of Avis) and knocking him down to the ground. However, this had the added effect of having Amber land heavily and badly on her already battered legs, causing her to suddenly scream and fall to the ground, clutching her foot.

"My ankle...Damn that little bitch!" Amber snarled, dazed from the beating that she had taken. She was grateful that the armor she and the Cipher members wore was extremely durable, otherwise she would have easily been killed by the Mega Alakazam. Amber returned her Electivire and Avis shot forward, smashing into Arpeggio the Chatot hard enough to knock the bird out of the air.

Avis followed up with a screech as her eyes burned with blue energy. Vivian cried out as her Partner, Arpeggio, was struck with a Psychic so powerful that he smashed through the floor and a loud snap reverberated throughout the hallway. Vivian shut her eyes, suppressing a sob as Decres redoubled its efforts to fight back, releasing a second wave of Psychic that blasted everything backwards. Vivian didn't need to see a body to know her beloved Chatot, her Partner, was dead.

"Now what? You've beaten my men, yes, but I still have the upper hand." Amber said coldly to Vivian, even as the violinist shook with pain as she struggled to stay standing.

"No. You don't. One more move, and I'll bring this entire building down on all of us!" Vivian choked out, despite the crimson dripping down her mouth and shaking body. Amber limped forward with amusement in her eyes as she reloaded her weapon, even as Avis' body glowed and her wounds began to heal.

"And what makes you think anything that you're capable of would bring this entire building down? You're down to one Pokémon who can barely stand, and you're not much better off." Amber asked, opening fire with her pistol as the shots bounced off of the Protect shield. To her annoyance, the Mega Alakazam had enough power to allow his Protect to tank the shots. Vivian had proven to be unexpectedly tricky to battle. In a way, Amber respected her for giving her a proper challenge.

"I normally don't. But I do have a question for you. What happens when you try and use a Z-Move with a Mega Evolved Pokémon?" Vivian asked as she suddenly struck a pose, showing off the Darkinium-Z embedded within her stolen Z-Ring. Amber's eyes widened in surprise, because she didn't actually have an answer to that question. Z-Power and Mega Evolution wasn't something widely understood, and as far as she knew no one had ever tried it.

"No...But I also know that there's probably a reason for no one knowing the answer." Amber shot back, grinning maniacally. Vivian then grinned back at Amber, as if she knew something the assassin didn't.

Amber then shuddered as her head exploded with pain, pink light shining out of her eyes as Avis gasped in horror. Amber staggered backwards, dropping her weapons to the ground. Vivian quickly directed a thought to Decres as he pushed himself upright, with the Alakazam pulling the guns towards Vivian and turning them towards the Cipher Peons. Vivian snapped as the guns suddenly pulled their triggers, spraying them with what little ammo they had left by this point as Amber screamed in agony.

"No! No, not no! Damn it!" Amber snarled as the Curse of Life took effect once again, forcing her immobile as she clutched her head.

"Admin Amber?" one of the Peons questioned, clutching his arm in pain. Vivian had Decres drop his Protect and float upright, even as Vivian suddenly threw out her hand, Dexio's Z-Ring glowing brightly as she invoked the power within.

"Channel Foul Play…" Vivian practically hissed as Amber staggered to her feet, eyes wide in surprise as Vivian began to strike a series of movements alongside her Mega Alakazam. Amber dropped to her knees, her eyes both shining pink...before one of them suddenly turned back to light blue!

"Don't do it!" Amber practically begged Vivian with raw fear in her voice, even as her body suddenly thrashed and she then harshly shouted, "Kill her you idiots! Avis, Shadow Ball on the girl!"

The Xatu charged up a sphere of ghostly energy and fired it at her Trainer's command, with the attack striking Decres instead, with the Mega Alakazam moving in front of Vivian to protect her. Vivian watched with surprise as Amber seemed to struggle with herself, the curse that Tapu Lele had laid upon her taking a strange new turn. Vivian then continued making the movements to complete the Z-Move, more blood leaking down her legs as she moved despite the excruciating pain.

"Avis, stop it! She'll kill us all!" Amber shouted out, fear and concern evident in her voice before she twitched violently, her voice returning to fury.

"You idiot! You can't use a Z-Move with a Mega Evolved Pokémon!" Amber shouted as Vivian's body heaved with the effort. Decres' face contorted in agony as the Z-Power around the two of them both exploded outwards with a dark red glow that cracked the floor beneath them. Vivian nearly screamed at the strain, and couldn't help the tears flowing down her face at the pain. But she knew what she had to do.

Avis shot forward using Aerial Ace, only for a shockwave of raw force to billow out from Decres, hurling back the Xatu much to the combined awe of Cipher. Amber finally staggered painfully back to her feet, her pink eyes wide in fear of the violinist and her final desperation move that would almost definitely kill them all.

"And use...MEGA BLACK HOLE ECLIPSE!" Vivian screamed as Decres focused every bit of willpower into unleashing one final attack upon the scourge that had tormented them for so long. The Trainer that had sown so much misery and pain upon them all.

Amber didn't stick around to see what Vivian was doing, instead sprinting down the hallway on her broken ankle and gritting her teeth despite the agony it caused her. Avis flew alongside her Trainer, quickly swooping along and scooping up Amber in her wings and leaving behind the bewildered Cipher Peons who tried to follow Amber's lead and flee, though they would be far too late to escape the violinist's final act.

Decres' entire body exploded outwards with darkness as he shot down the hallway with an ethereal scream, his form now converted into raw darkness that sucked in everything within his reach, tearing apart the hospital as he chased after the assassin. The Cipher Peons in his wake were consumed by the attack, dying instantly to the Mega Z-Move that Vivian had unleashed as the hospital began to rip apart at the seams due to the catastrophic damage Decres was doing moving through the place.

Walls were practically atomized as Decres chased Amber through the building, ceilings fell apart and were inhaled by the deadly void even as the Mega Alakazam himself slowly ceased to be. Decres would be consumed in this almighty attack, and to those who had the pleasure of being far enough away from the Mega Z-Move to see it happen could only bear witness to a feat of unimaginable destruction.


Meanwhile…

Hau'oli City


"What the hell was that!?" a Cipher Peon shouted out as a massive earthquake shook the entire city. Both Cipher and those who had arrived to stop them halted in their efforts to kill one another as they watched the distant Hau'oli Hospital...slowly collapsed from the inside out as a ear-splitting roar erupted from the building.

Wes and Aria took advantage of the lull and rushed forward, taking down the Cipher Peons while they were distracted and knocking them all out before Wes had Jet the Floatzel freeze them all solid. With that, the duo joined the rest of the Trainers in watching the sight of a rippling black vortex slowly emerge from the distant building.

"T-that...That's a Z-Move. A really, really, powerful Z-Move." Mallow whispered hoarsely, terror thick in her voice as Kiawe and Lana gaped at the black hole that had now grown in size to nearly consume the entire hospital.

"It's not just that." Molayne remarked, sounding even more terrified. But that was because of a lifetime of being friends with Professor Kukui, someone who was considered the ultimate authority on Z-Moves. Molayne knew exactly what was going on, and he knew exactly what would happen next.

"What is it?" Aria asked, sounding awed as she watched the black hole slowly grow in size.

"Some idiot tried to use a Z-Move with a Mega Evolved Pokémon." Molayne said in a tone far harsher than any of them were used to hearing from the rather dorky scientist.

"Why does that make them an idiot?" Wes asked, looking over to the former Captain as he scowled with distaste, eyeing the collapsing hospital in the distance with anger in his gaze.

"Because anyone who's reckless enough to try and channel that much power through their bodies is digging their own grave." Molayne said as he looked towards them, his expression darkening. "The sheer destruction that a move like that can achieve through Mega Evolution alone is enough to kill the Trainer who uses such a move. But…"

"But?" Hau asked.

"But the power drain from using a 'Mega Z-Move' will kill you." Molyane said matter-of-factly, causing Sun and Hau to both shiver from how firmly the man had spoken that. They weren't the only ones who noticed.

"The way you say that makes me wonder if you've seen one of these moves firsthand." Sina asked, tilting her head. Molayne nodded, sighing softly as he took off his glasses and cleaned them off on his shirt.

"Yes. I have. Twice, actually. And both times they killed both the user and anyone in the area. There's a reason Mega Evolution isn't used here in Alola. Trust me, we're lucky to be so far away from that building. But it also makes me wonder if our friends managed to get out of the plsce alright before whoever set that move off started to bring it down." Molayne remarked, causing Sun and several of the others to gasp.

"Lillie!" Sun shouted out as Hau cried, "Tutu!"

"We'll have to hope that…" Dexio trailed off, seeing a yellow bird suddenly dip out of the storm clouds that had covered Hau'oli City and dive towards the hospital.

"That's Shadow Zapdos!" Aria said as she squinted towards the faraway Legendary, though her attention was soon diverted by the other Legendary that had Cipher had deployed against them.

"Come on, everyone! We've got company!" Wes shouted out suddenly as everyone turned their attention to Regigigas, who had finally reached them and groaned as it loomed above. That was when the massive beast emitted a series of eerie beeping sounds and it's body shuddered before it drew back a gigantic fist and sent it straight towards them all.


Meanwhile…

Hau'oli City Hospital


"What the hell is going on!?" Chief Sanchez yelled over the sound of roaring in the distance, along with various bangs, tears and crashes above them that shouldn't have been audible considering how far down that they were.

"That...sounds like a Black Hole Eclipse." Kukui grunted, wincing as he listened close. "Y-yeah...Definitely that. Let's move…"

"That moron…" Noah hissed suddenly, grief and anger thick in his voice. "She told me she took it to protect us."

"What are you talking about, Noah?" Burnet asked weakly, but the sickly Trainer remained silent, tears still running down his face as he began to help those that they had brought with them into the teleporter. Meanwhile Lillie looked upwards, thinking of the friend that she had left behind. Who had sacrificed themselves for her and everyone else.

"Just like Jack and Gretel...Why? Why do they have to keep giving up their lives to protect us? Protect me? Why? Why am I so weak? I wish...I wish I could do more." Lillie lamented as tears stung at her eyes yet again, grief gripping her heart as she realized the true depth of her uselessness.

"Momma?"

Lillie looked down at her bag and saw Nebby peering up at her with concern. Lillie reached down the patted the Cosmog on the head, receiving a nuzzle in response before Nebby did what he always does in most situations, which was get out of his bag.

"Is the scary lady gone?" Nebby asked, an understandable note of fear in his 'voice' as the others stared at the creature in surprise.

"Not yet, Nebby. Please get back in the bag. It's not safe. We're going to go into the teleporter to escape." Lillie explained to the Cosmog, who looked confused.

"Why not teleport Momma?" Nebby asked, causing Lillie to almost smile with pride. Since Doctor Colress had given Nebby a TACV specifically designed for the Cosmog, she had noticed that Nebby's speech had slowly been improving over the past few days.

"Because the mean lady is using something that keeps everyone from teleporting Nebby. That's why we're using this machine to teleport instead." Lillie tried to explain to the Cosmog, who stared at her for a moment before closing his eyes in concentration.

And then promptly vanished.

Lillie gaped in surprise as Nebby reappeared a few feet away, looking slightly dazed. His eyes refocused a moment later as he cried out happily.

"I thought that nothing could teleport in Hau'oli City thanks to whatever Cipher did. That not even Cipher could get around this?" Chief Sanchez asked, looking back in surprise as he sent off another batch of patients in the teleporter.

"Nebby, h-How did you do that?" Lillie asked in surprise as those who remained stared at the puffball.

"Perhaps something in it's biology allows it to ignore whatever Cipher is using to block other Pokémon's ability to teleport in Hau'oli City." Professor Burnet suggested, smiling slightly.

Kukui nodded as he watched Nebby float around his caretaker, thinking about how the strange creature that his assistant protected from those who wished them both harm. "There's a lot about Cosmog we don't know. We've already determined that it's hard for anyone to put a Mind-Lock on Lillie because of the fact that Cosmog is next to her."

"Wait, why is that?" Olivia asked, looking at the Professor.

"We're not sure, but it definitely has to do with the strange properties of Cosmog itself." Kukui responded with a wince as he moved towards Lillie. "The creature gives off a strange kind of non-harmful radiation that we don't know much about."

"Nebby, do you know how you did that?" Lillie asked her Cosmog, who wriggled his appendages in response.

"I just did Mama. It's hard for some reason, but I'm strong! Just like you and Daddy!" Nebby sang out happily, wriggling in Lillie's arms before seemingly realizing something. "Where is Daddy, Mama?"

"Um...Daddy is out fighting the bad guys. He's trying to keep us safe." Lillie said while blushing profusely at calling Sun 'Daddy', mostly because Professor Burnet was watching the exchange and grinning at her.

"Aww...But I wanna see Daddy!" Nebby pouted, closing his eyes and concentrating. "Let's go see him, Mama!" Lillie realized immediately what Nebby was trying to do and tried to make him stop before it happened.

"Wait, Nebby-!" Lillie began to say before both Nebby and Lillie flickered out of existence before their eyes, much to the horror of Professor Kukui and Burnet.

"Lillie!" Kukui shouted out, taking a painful step forward. Burnet placed a hand on Kukui's shoulder, rising out of the wheelchair with great difficulty.

"She's gone now. We have to let the others know...But we have to leave now, honey. This place is coming down around us." Burnet said with a note of urgency in her voice. Kukui looked torn for a moment before nodding and heading into the teleporter. Noah lingered behind, looking up to where his girlfriend had made her final stand.

"Thank you, darling...I'll always love you." Noah whispered, moving forward even as tears poured down his face. His gaze was determined, however, with a resolute gleam shining in his eyes.


Meanwhile...

Several Floors Above


Vivian simply stood there, unmoving as the energy suddenly left her body. The woman's small frame shook for a few moments before her arms went limp to her sides, with the violinist falling to her knees with a rattling gasp.

It hurt to move. It hurt to breathe. Every inch of her body hurt. It hurt so much.

"Is this what dying is like...I was right to be so afraid of it." Vivian thought wryly as an almighty explosion rocked the entire building. Vivian felt the life of Decres fade instantly through the mental link they shared that had now been snuffed out. Her final Pokémon had fallen, and she had lost the battle. But that was okay.

"They'll get to live...totally worth it." Vivian whispered as the hospital began to collapse around her. The Vivian shut her eyes as the last vestiges of life drained from her body. She was so tired, but in a way she was happy. She knew from what MissingNo had showed her what would come next. That justice would be served and that her sacrifice wouldn't be in vain. It wouldn't come easy, and her death wouldn't be the only one coming, but she had hope in what her friend had shown her. She had faith in those she called her companions and friends. Those who fought alongside her despite how much of a weirdo and coward she was.

Vivian's skin began to harden and crack as breathing became even harder for her to do, with each breath a short intake of pure effort. The cowardly violinist smiled and lowered her head, even as the building she had trapped herself within dropped down around her. Vivian exhaled one final time...and went still. Her body remained in a kneeling position as her skin broke apart and began to flake away, the hospital roof above her giving away as Vivian's heart slowed to a halt and the entire building truly collapsed around her.

Vivian's final thoughts were of her friends...and how much she would miss them.


Meanwhile...

Hau'oli City


"Psychic!" Amber thought as she clutched Avis tightly, praying that the battered Xatu could focus on keeping them airborne.

It was bad enough that Vivian had forced her to retreat. It was even worse that the moment she had managed to get away from the Mega Z-Move that would have most certainly killed her, she was attacked by two of the strongest Trainers on the planet.

Avis had just barely managed to blast her way out of the hospital with a Dark Pulse, escaping the fierce pull of the Mega Black Hole Eclipse by mere moments. That didn't apply to the various Cipher Peons that she had left to die inside of the hospital that was currently being ripped apart by Vivian's final act to bring her down.

Unfortunately, while she had escaped the hospital, she encountered two very troublesome opponents in the form of Red and Blue, both of whom had apparently gone to the hospital to help those she had been planning on killing. Amber shivered as Avis spun in midair to dodge a Flamethrower, opening her beak and releasing a Shadow Ball at the Charizard that Blue intercepted with his Pidgeot, nullifying the attack completely.

Thankfully the collapsing building and the appearance of Shadow Zapdos kept them busy. Currently the Legendary was releasing a whirlwind of lightning that Charizard and Pidgeot barely managed to dodge while Avis dived towards the ground, using Aerial Ace to speed away as Amber tried to gain control of herself. While currently dealing with the usual emotions brought on upon by the Curse of Life, she hadn't expected to have to flee for her life.

"Shadow Bolt!" Amber thought as aimed her pistol backwards, inwardly hating the fact that she was about to fire the weapon at another human being with the intent to hurt. To kill. But right now it was kill or be killed, and the darker and more normal side of her was not in control at the moment. Amber was filled with revulsion at the very thought of killing another person, but right now...right now…

Red screamed as the bolt smashed into him directly, sending him flying off of Charizard as the Flame Pokémon roared in agony. The Trainer tumbled through the cold air, unable to move, only for a feathered mass to catch him after a few moments.

"I've got you!" Blue yelled over the wind as Red shook his head to regain his wits as Pidgeot redoubled its efforts to catch Amber and Avis, weaving in and out of the lightning bolts being hurled their way. Charizard flared his wings and shot towards the assassin, releasing a Hyper Beam that the Xatu she was riding barely dodged. Amber took aim with her only remaining pistol and fired at the Trainers, who dodged the bullets and released another wave of attacks while dodging more bolts of lightning.

It was then that an almighty roar washed over them both and caught their attention. Blue and Red both looked towards the horizon where Perfect Kyurem was racing towards them from above, flames and lightning whirling around its body.

"Shit!" Blue swore as a cascade of lightning suddenly erupted from the sky above them and Perfect Kyurem descended, its tails lashing out as Red's Charizard retaliated with a Fire Blast.

The Arbiter of Tomorrow flapped its wings and dodged the move, charging up two white fireballs in each hand that it hurled towards Red and his Charizard, forcing them away. Red made eye contact with Blue at the moment, and a flicker of understanding crossed between them. Blue looked towards where Amber was soaring towards the Absolution with Shadow Zapdos in tow.

Perfect Kyurem snarled with fury as its wings flared outwards, creating a ripple of shimmering blue lightning that expanded outwards towards the two Trainers, who swiftly dodged the massive wave and launched an Aerial Ace and a Dragon Claw at Perfect Kyurem. The dragon, to their surprise, was knocked back by the combined force of their attacks. This was reinforced when Red's Pikachu leapt forward and spun through the air, lashing out with a powerful Iron Tal that struck the mighty beast right between the eyes, making it howl in pain. The Pikachu wasn't done, however, taking a moment to summon a point-blank Thunder that made the dragon drop several feet in the air. Charizard soared forward and Red caught his Pokémon easily as Blue's Pidgeot slammed into Perfect Kyruem with a barrage of Steel Wings, releasing a fierce cry with every strike.

The Arbiter of Tomorrow released a furious bellow of rage as its eyes flared bright blue and it drew back both of its armored fists, causing white and black flames to erupt around both before slamming them into Charizard and Pidgeot and nearly sending them toppling out of the sky. Red and Blue clung to their mounts desperately as both Pokémon recovered enough to save themselves from falling into the black waters below.

"Agh...That's some crap. Even between the two of us, this thing just won't go down." Blue muttered darkly as his Pidgeot re-oriented itself in midair, shaking slightly from the attack that it had just tanked. Looking at the massive dragon, they could tell that the damage hadn't been entirely shrugged off by the beast. Golden liquid dripped from the cracks of the armor that encased the dragon's body, and it regarded them with the anger of a creature whose pride had been insulted.

The two living legends stared down the almighty dragon who had turned an entire city into an icy tomb and massacred Neo Team Plasma with ease. And they both knew that right now, the only thing keeping Perfect Kyurem from killing their allies was the two of them.

Red adjusted his hat, a determined grin coming to his lips as a soft chuckle escaped him. Atop his shoulder, Pikachu looked to his Trainer and nodded with a fierce grin. "Pika pika!"

"Damn it. Alright then! Let's do this!" Blue shouted as his Pidgeot rocketed towards Legendary alongside his best friend and his Charizard as their opponent released another roar.

Blue couldn't help but glance downwards at the docks and see that the other Legendary Pokémon at Cipher's disposal was doing a pretty good job of halting their progress. He then focused his efforts on bringing down Perfect Kyurem, hoping against everything that they'd all make it out of this alive.


Meanwhile…


Regigigas beeped ominously as it flashed white yet again, even as it meant a wave of attacks crashed against the Titan Master. The bombardment of moves gave Aria and Kiawe enough time to rush forward and get a dazed Lana and Mallow out of harm's way, returning their unconscious Pokémon in the meantime.

"It keeps using Rock Polish! That's bad!" Rotom Dex warned everyone as the efforts to bring down the enormous Pokémon continued, with Leaf stepping forward and thrusting out a hand.

"Frenzy Plant!" Leaf shouted as her, now Mega Evolved, Venasaur braced itself and unleashed its strongest attack, causing a powerful wave of enormous roots to erupt out of the earth and collide with the Colossal Pokémon. The massive creature staggered backwards, even as Leaf's Clefable followed up with a Hyper Beam that erupted from the tip of her fingers. The two attacks held back the might of Regigigas. But it still remained standing tall, blocking their path to the Absolution.

"It just won't go down." Leaf growled with annoyance as she looked around her, seeing that Sun and Hau were hanging back nearby, keeping their Pokémon on support roles. As it was, Oliver and Alastor were out and flinging attacks at the massive Pokémon to chip away at it. The children wanted to do more, but Leaf and Wes were adamant that they stay out of the danger and keep an eye out for any more Cipher personnel who wanted to get a jump on them.

It was then that Regigigas suddenly lunged forward, its arms both glowing as it smashed them down onto the ground where Mega Venusaur, Clefable and Leaf were standing. The veteran Trainer screamed as she was knocked to the ground by the powerful blow, with her Clefable getting knocked out instantly.

"ZUT ZUTT!" the Titan Master boomed, holding out a palm towards Leaf as it charged up a flickering black orb of power.

"Jet, intercept! Everyone get back!" Wes shouted as Jet shot forward with Aqua Jet, swerving in front of Leaf's stunned form and tanking the Hyper Beam meant for her. The Floatzel was sent hurtling backwards through the street before crashing through a lamppost, heavily denting it and making Jet fall to the ground senseless. Wes snapped his fingers and swiftly returned his Pokémon as Leon lunged forward, unleashing a mighty Thunderbolt at the Regigigas.

To his annoyance, the Titan Master tanked the attack and blocked it with its hand before opening the hand and firing off another Hyper Beam with its other hand, sweeping it across the street and blowing back Leaf and her Venasaur. Both hit the ground hard, with Leaf passing out as her Venasaur fainted and reverted back to normal. Wes growled in annoyance as Aria stepped forward, even as Sina and Dexio urged their Pokémon to attack.

"We really should've hidden that key at the bottom of the ocean. But no, Cynthia had to make it a bloody accessory and carry it around." Wes grumbled as Sun and Hau ran forward, helping move the unconscious Leaf to the side where she was safe.

"If we can't get past this thing, then we're screwed. It's only a matter of time before the rest of Cipher manages to trap us on the streets." Aria said to Wes, who sighed and considered the issue.

"If we can sneak past Regigigas, then we'll be able to get to the Absolution." Wes said as he looked towards the boat in the distance. "But Regigigas is old and smarter than we've given it credit for. It's fast enough thanks to Rock Polish to catch and kill anyone who even tries to sneak past it." Wes said as he placed a hand on his sword.

As if in response to this, a shriek suddenly filled the air followed by the sound of something hitting the ground nearby. Sun turned around, as did Hau, who also recognized the familiar shout of surprise. A blonde-haired girl wearing a white hat stood up from the nearby hedge she now found herself in with a certain Cosmog joyfully flying around the area.

"Lillie!?" Sun yelped in surprise upon seeing the girl's head poke out of the bushes, surprise on her face. Lillie walked out of the bushes and smiled with relief at seeing Sun as she stumbled forward, releasing Nebby as the Cosmog floated up into the air.

"It's really hard to Teleport, Mama." Nebby remarked as the girl embraced Sun, hugging him tightly as her entire body shook. Sun took a moment to hold the girl tightly, almost able to feel the distress she was under.

"It's okay. You're going to be okay. I won't let them hurt you." Sun whispered to Lillie, who pulled away and looked at Sun with watery eyes before hugging him tighter.

"No Mama! No sad!" Nebby cried out, floating forward to nuzzle Lillie's cheek as the girl looked towards her Cosmog and hugged him gently.

"It's okay to be sad sometimes, Nebby." Oliver chided the Cosmog as he gently pulled himself away from Lillie to asked Oliver more questions, allowing the others to focus on finding out what happened to Lillie. However, Alastor had an issue with this.

"You humans really do focus on the oddest things. In case you haven't noticed, there's a god smashing up the place!" Alastor yelled at them, gesturing towards where Regigigas was getting blasted by a Thunderbolt from Sophie and Leon.

"You little troublemaker..." Lillie mumbled, wiping her eyes and trying to regain her composure as Sun continued to hold her close.

"Lillie!" Sun and Lillie separated in time to see Lana, Mallow, Hau and Kiawe rushing towards them. Mallow pile-drived them into a hug, followed by Hau with just as much enthusiasm. Kiawe and Lana joined after a moment later, clear relief visible on their faces.

"How did you get here?" Kiawe asked. Lillie quickly explained what had happened at the hospital, including Colress' battle against Amber and Vivian's sacrifice. By the end of it, Sun was fighting back tears of his own while Mallow hugged her friend. Hau was gritting his teeth, glaring in anger at the boat that awaited them past Regigigas.

"So Cosmog can use Teleport despite the blocker that Cipher threw up?" Lana questioned, surprised by the strange Pokémon's powers. "Maybe it's because it's not from around here? Maybe it's powers just work differently."

"Possibly. What's more worrying is what happened to Vivian. She was in that hospital and we saw that attack. How could she do this…?" Sun questioned, his voice filled with sorrow at the fate of his friend. Unfortunately, Lillie had to confirm his fears.

"Vivian gave up everything to buy us time. She knew." Lillie said to her friends, who looked at her. "MissingNo showed her the future when it reversed time back in Malie City. It showed her a future where we'd be able to really have a chance to end Cipher once and for all. But it would require her to make a sacrifice..."

"Suddenly a lot of her cryptic comments make creepy amounts of sense. Zrrrt!" Rotom Dex remarked, sounding genuinely distraught as it landed on Sun's shoulder. "We've got to keep fighting! That way her sacrifice isn't in vain."

"Are the others okay? The people you guys managed to get down to that basement?" Hau asked Lillie, who nodded.

"I imagine so. Most of them were teleported away before Nebby pulled this stunt. I'd like to hope everyone got to safety before Vivian brought the building down-" Lillie began to say before an almighty roar suddenly shook the entire street and caused the group to look back towards where their friends had been fighting Regigigas. To their dismay, it wasn't going well. Sina and Dexio's Glaceon and Espeon had been defeated by the massive Pokémon and it was currently smashing down at the street with its fists. Both masked heroes returned their Pokémon and retreated, leaving Wes and Aria to stand against the Titan Master.

It was then that Regigigas rushed forward with Giga Impact, smashing into the street hard enough to knock everyone down to the ground, lashing out with a punch that knocked out Kiawe's Charizard.

"Aria, together! We need to stop it now!" Wes barked as Leon bounded forward, joining Sophie as the Jolteon braced itself for another rush at the Titan Master.

"Come on!" Aria barked as she punched forward, with Sophie and Leon rushing at Regigigas as their bodies sparked with electricity. Sun was struck with an idea and returned Oliver and Alastor, and called out Brago instead.

"Brago, use Helping Hand! Finn, Rain Dance!" Sun shouted as he also called out Finn, who leapt into the air with a joyful laugh before firing out a mist-filled ball that exploded by the Titan Master, creating a rainstorm on the street. Brago raced alongside Leon and Sophie, his body radiating a bright blue lightning-like energy that flowed into the two Electric-types.

"Get ready, Sophie! Everything you've got!" Leon barked as his gave his mate a feral grin, which she returned with just as much intensity. Brago hung back as the couple lunged forward and released a double Thunder attack, dealing massive damage to the unstoppable behemoth before them.

"Brago, Extreme Speed! Finn, Water Gun into Brick Break!" Sun called as Hau called commands to his own Pokémon, with Lana and Kiawe joining him. Mallow, however spotted several Cipher Peons joining the battle and began to fight them with her team to keep the pressure off of her friends. Meanwhile each of the swift attacks rapidly hitting the Titan Master were slowly driving it backwards, its hands held upwards to try and protect its body from the onslaught.

Regigigas finally fell to one knee, and at that point it was truly enraged. The Titan Master's three gems shined brightly and it threw up its hand, causing a wave of glowing stone pillars to erupt out of the ground and knocking out several of their Pokémon in one move.

"It's on its last legs…" Molayne panted, clutching his bleeding leg as Sophocles worriedly looked down at it. To his dismay, his team had been knocked out by the Stone Edge wave that had been sent their way, and he hadn't thought ahead enough to bring any Revives. The youngest Captain looked towards his friends, who had moved up to confront the mighty beast that now stood between them and saving the world from Borlath's madness.

"We just need a little more!" Aria shouted as she staggered to her feet alongside Sophie, with Wes doing the same as he tossed a Sitrus Berry to Leon. It was then that two figures charged past Aria, with Mallow and Lana glaring down the massive Pokémon with determined expressions. The two best friends exchanged a glance for a moment, smiled, and then held out their Z-Rings.

"Get ready! Let's spice this dish up!" Mallow called out, her Tsareena glowing with orange light as Mallow invoked Z-Power and added her strength to her Pokémon's. Lana did the same with her Araquanid, with both girls more than ready to give everything they had left to take down the mighty Pokémon that stood before them. A scoff from behind them, followed by Kiawe joining walking by, surprised the two of female Captains.

"You can't have a proper dish at that temperature." Kiawe chided the two girls as his Alolan Marowak struck a series of poses alongside him, Z-Power flowing between the two of them. "You've got to heat things up!"

Mallow and Lana grinned at their friend's words, Sun watched as all three of the Captains shined with Z-Power and their Pokémon were engulfed in three glowing auras that showcased the bond between them all. Lana, Mallow and Kiawe, alongside Tsareena, Araquanid and Marowak would give it all to bring down the Titan Master that stood before them.

"Channel Trop Kick...and use Bloom Doom!" Mallow shouted as she spread her arms apart, mimicking her Tsareena as flowers suddenly bloomed all around them. The largest of the flowers sprouted before their eyes and opened, releasing a massive ball of bright green energy that shot into the air and soared through the sky, landing directly in the face of Regigigas. The resulting explosion sent a shockwave of force rippling across the street and the deafening roar of pain from Regigigas made Mallow smirk with triumph.

"Channel Liquidation...and use Hydro Vortex!" Lana followed up, moving her arms to the side as her Araquanid leapt into the air, spinning as water flowed swiftly around it until it became a mighty vortex of surging water. Even as Regigigas recoiled from the power of Mallow's Z-Move, Lana's Pokémon shot towards Regigigas and consumed the Titan Master, battering it harshly against the raging rapids.

Channel Fire Blast...and use Inferno Overdrive!" Kiawe bellowed as he thrust out a hand, narrowing his eyes in concentration as he finished the trio of Z-Moves alongside his best friends. Araquanid's Z-Move faded and Lana swiftly returned her Pokémon, giving Kiawe plenty of room for what came next.

The Captains of Akala Island stood tall as the third and final Z-Move fired out from the tip of Alolan Marowak's bone and soared towards Regigigas, who barely had time to even register and massive fireball hurtling its way before it made contact. Everyone flinched as the explosion of flames erupted around them, causing the enormous Pokémon to let out a roar of agony as it stumbled forward onto its knees, its body shaking from the sheer damage it had taken.

"Nice work you two." Kiawe said with a slight pant, grinning at Mallow and Lana as they exchanged high-fives.

"That's how we do it in Alola!" Mallow cheered as she ran forward and hugged Kiawe, who laughed despite himself.

"I didn't think we'd actually be able to take it down. Looks like all that extra training paid off." Lana said with a bright smile, looking towards the stunned Titan Master ahead of them as Aria and Wes moved forward. Sun and Lillie watched the entire display with awe, though they soon noticed that Hau had been staring at Lana with a stunned expression.

"You should give her a kiss to show her how cool you think she is, Hau." Lillie teased the boy, who glanced at Lillie with a deadpan expression for a moment before turning back towards Regigigas, who had finally fallen forward down to all fours with a croaking bellow of pain as smoke poured from its body after being hit with three consecutive Z-Moves.

"Awesome work everyone! Now, let's wrap this up!" Aria shouted as she pulled out a Timer Ball from her pocket and activated the capsule, staring down Regigigas with an intense expression as Wes watched on with a proud smirk.

Aria held out her hand as a Time Ball flashed purple within the Snag Machine, showing that it was now primed and had become converted into a Snag Ball. She hurled the ball at the forehead of Regigigas and a shockwave erupted across the street as the gargantuan Pokémon was sucked within the sphere. Everyone watched with baited breath as the Timer Ball once again began to shake, twitching once...twice...three times…

Bam!

The Timer Ball exploded in a shower of fragments and a wave of light erupted outwards, revealing a stunned Regigigas much to the surprise of all of them. It was then that some of the Trainers present realized that a gun had gone off. Aria's eyes snapped towards an approaching opponent whose weapon was trained on her and moved...but she wasn't quite quick enough.

Bam!

Aria's left hand jerked back in a shower of blood as she tumbled to the ground. Lillie and Lana screamed out as Aria howled in agony, hit the asphalt, clutching her hand as some of the others pointed out her assailant.

"You little brats...You just couldn't stay well enough alone." Sun's eyes shot skyward where a familiar Cipher Captain looked down at them. Naps sighed as he hovered above them, shaking his head with dismay as his Honchkrow let out a deep caw. The Cipher Captain then lowered his rifle, a small smirk crossing his face as he regarded them.

"You bastard!" Wes barked as he fired his crossbow at the Captain, who's Honchkrow flapped above the projectile and fired off a Dark Pulse towards them as Naps took aim again, firing at Wes, who blocked it with his cloak as the others threw up shields. Aria, somehow someway, forced herself upright with tears of pain in her eyes as Sophie glared up at the Captain with a furious gaze.

"Y-you come back for Round 2? Kill that fucker, Sophie!" Aria snarled to Naps, who responded by taking aim with his rifle and firing at the Snagger again. Aria swiftly blocked the bullet with the Snag Machine before Sophie fired off a Shock Wave, striking both Naps and his bird in midair. The Honchkrow and Cipher Captain both screamed out in pain, with Naps getting flung off of his Honchkrow and tumbling towards the ground, landing violently on the concrete after a thirty foot drop.

"That's going to hurt." Lillie muttered as she clutched Nebby tightly, with Sun moving protectively in front of her as Brago readied himself to attack. Sun discreetly called out Oliver, just in case he needed to get a shield up quickly.

Sophie lunged forward, preparing to release a deadly wave of electricity upon Captain Naps, when suddenly everyone froze. A strange feeling was suddenly washing over every single one of them.

A feeling of absolute dread.

That was when a fearsome roar shook the entire city and everyone's eyes shot up towards Perfect Kyurem, who had now come closer to them all and was currenting charging up a sphere of roaring white flames within its mouth as two figures darted around it. Sun recognized the Charizard and then the Pidgeot a few moments later.

"I thought they were going to the hospital?" Aria questioned as Wes and Mallow quickly began to treat her mangled hand, wondering why Red and Blue were fighting Perfect Kyurem in the first place.

The city itself trembled with the power building behind the attack from the Legendary Dragon as it suddenly spun around, creating a blue and orange whirlwind of flames and lightning that smashed into Pidgeot and Charizard and sent them both careening backwards.

"Red! Blue!" Leaf screamed as the duo tumbled out of the air, clutching their visibly unconscious mounts as they drew closer and closer to the black ocean below. To the collective horror of them all, the two Trainers slammed into the dark waters as Perfect Kyurem let out a roar of victory.

And then turned its viscous attention to them. The Arbiter of Tomorrow held out its claws and charged up a flickering white ball that illuminated the night sky, with wisps of light blue and white within its grasp. Naps took that moment to flee the scene, knowing full well that he wasn't safe from what was about to come next.

"Take cover!" Wes bellowed as Pyrrha quickly used Psychic to pull some of them together, casting Protect a moment later. Sun had Oliver do the same, as did Aria with Sophie and several others. The sky glowed as the almighty dragon turned its wrath upon those down below. Lillie screamed as the great white flames scorched the street, causing the windows of the nearby buildings to shatter and made Sun and Lillie sweat beneath the barrier Oliver had thrown up.

"What strength...It's truly a mighty foe." Brago growled, eyeing the Arbiter of Tomorrow as it roared in the sky overhead. Sun looked back and saw that while most of the Trainers had been able to get behind shields, some of the Pokémon hadn't been so lucky. Several of the Captain's Pokémon had been taken out, and Sina and Dexio had been right by one of the windows when Perfect Kyurem had attacked, meaning that they had been showered with fragments of glass and were now covered in various scraps and cuts.

Worst of all was the voice that spoke to them as the flames rushed past them all, a voice that promised violent retribution against everyone on the streets that dared fight back against Cipher's might.

"You...idiots really think I'd let myself be killed...by some stupid violinist!?" came the furious voice of Amber Fontaine, booming across the city from the Absolution. Lillie grasped Sun's hand as she gasped, realizing what this had meant.

"Stupid violinist...Vivian!" Aria realized, her voice paling with horror.

Wes cursed silently as Amber chuckled with twisted amusement, a note of audible pain in her voice. "Let's settle this. Once and for all. Perfect Kyurem!...Destroy them all!" Amber bellowed from the ship as Perfect Kyurem's entire body flickered white, thrumming with energy as it obeyed the orders of its new master. The Trainers down below braced themselves for another wave of attacks from the draconic hero, all the while wondering what Amber had in store for them all.


Meanwhile…

Onboard the Absolution


Amber replaced the receiver on the intercom piece and collapsed hard onto the top floor of the Absolution with a pained hiss alongside Avis, who shook with the strain of them escaping the collapsing hospital with their lives, flying back to the Absolution while fleeing from Red and Blue. The dozen or so Cipher personnel who had gone along with her were almost certainly dead, and the assassin was baffled that Vivian had gotten the drop on her.

"Well, she's dead now. No use in dwelling on it…" Amber muttered as she got to her feet, only to yelp as she tried to put pressure on her right leg, with her foot stinging horribly with pain the moment she put pressure on it. "Maybe she got in a few good licks. But I won't let them win. I can't...not with what's at stake."

"Amber, you should get looked over by the doctors before going back out there. And heal myself and the others." Avis advised her Trainer, who considered it for a few moments before nodding. Luckily for Amber, the Curse of Life kicked in once again and after an agonizing few moments of screaming, she was back to her usual self. After regaining her wits she addressed her longtime Partner.

"I'll agree to a patch-up job. We don't have time for anything in-depth, not when Wes and his band of idiots are heading here right this second. I need to get out there to actually direct Perfect Kyurem. As we've seen with Regigigas having issues out there, Pokémon tend to lose their effectiveness if they're not being directed. And that big dragon's going to need to hold the line." Amber said as she hobbled down the hallway, putting out a call for the medics to meet her part way there.

Within minutes she was out of her armor and being evaluated, and Amber was not happy at their diagnosis that she had several fractures in her right foot and was advised to keep pressure off of it. Amber promptly threatened the medics into attempting to use a Heal Pulse and splinting her foot, which corrected some of the damage Vivian had done to her, but they still advised her not to walk on her foot or attempt to fight on it. Amber threatened them again before storming out of the medical bay, this time with significantly less pain.

The assassin placed a hand over her heart, where the Eternity Locket rested, and commanded Perfect Kyurem to take a more active role in trying to kill their would-be intruders, including creating as many barriers in between them and the Absolution as possible. In the meantime, Amber made her way towards the Armory with a slight limp in her step.

She was tired of playing around.


NEXT TIME: Sun and Lillie learn some horrifying truths, Amber prepares to end this fight once and for all and some familiar faces join the final battle against Cipher!


Q & A

From: Cannonjet16

Another great chapter! I hope you're doing better now. It's crazy to think that this situation isn't even the endgame despite all the legendaries and legendary characters running around but you've made it work.

Vivian's last words at the end there are an Alphys Neo reference aren't they? They're very fitting for the situation and for who Vivian is as a character,

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it! There's a lot of moving pieces and big characters around, so I had to plan out everything extensively for this last section so it was not only a good read but also coherent.

Vivian's words to Amber were indeed a reference to the Alphys Neo fight, yes. I'm a huge Undertale/Deltarune fan and I really enjoyed that sequence, and I thought it suited a cowardly character like Vivian who had to make the ultimate sacrifice for her friends. Good eye!

From: Anasazi Darkmoon

Holy crap, Vivian's finally gonna fight Amber? I hope she manages to take that crazy bitch down.

When is Oliver finally gonna get to evolve? If not during the battle with Cipher, can you give us a rough ETA? It'd be super-useful if it was soon, though, since Sun has to redo the Ghost Trial.

Also, since you've shown what abusive pieces of garbage the traditionalists of Alola can be, are you going to show us that with Guzma's parents at some point?

And finally, what's your opinion on the Hisuian pokemon? Particularly Zorua and Zoroark?

Sadly things didn't quite work like that, but she did give Amber one hell of a fight.

I'm choosing not to answer this question for the sake of spoilers, but this will be addressed by the end of the Cipher Arc, which only has a few chapter left. Take from that what you will.

I absolutely plan on exploring Guzma's past and his history with Kukui during the Po Town section of the story. Or at least offering a few flashbacks/snippets of dialogue explaining what happened between them.

I think they're both fantastic. I'm really enjoying the Hisuian Forms so far and I think Zorua and Zoroark are the best ones yet.

From: AnonymousEmboar

Glad to hear you're holding up! Seeing a new chapter often makes my day when they release.

One question: About how many more chapters until Sun gets his final member? (I hope it's a dragon type lol)

Thank you! I'm definitely doing a lot better now than I was a month ago, and I'm hoping to speed up the updates for you all as we head towards the end of the year.

And to answer your question, Sun will have his sixth and final teammate within the next ten chapters. It's crazy that it's coming so soon.

From: Guest

On an unrelated note, are you planning on playing Legends Arceus? The fact that Pokémon can straight up attack you now seems like it would fit your more serious genre of Pokémon.

I've already got the game pre-ordered. ;D

In the meantime, please show your support in the review section below and let me know what you think! (I answer questions too, don't forget!)

And as always, you can also Favorite and/or Follow the story to stay updated with all the happenings here. There's also Discord for the story to discuss things both story-related and not, plus a TV Tropes page to check out. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to sit down and continue powering through Pokémon: Shining Pearl. And maybe get some sleep.

Take care and stay awesome!

Until next time, FlygonNick out!