Pokémon Radiant Sun
Howdy ho, everyone! Hope you've been doing well.
Been a busy past few weeks for yours truly and the near future doesn't look any less hectic. Fun stuff happening IRL for me, but that shouldn't affect updates a whole lot. Definitely trying to get a few chapters out before taking a short break of sorts for the month of March.
Honestly, I may not even do that but instead tactically update around that particularly busy month.
I'll keep you posted.
Shoutout to the legends who reviewed the last update, which includes SolanaLeonhart, Oragonking, Anasazi Darkmoon, BraviaryScout and a new reviewer known as PokekidKantoFF. Thank you for being amazing and for showing your support!
Enjoy.
Chapter 152: Evil Yours, Now Evil Mine
"Sometimes great power brings out the worst in us, and unfortunately, it isn't until people are given it that we see the true shades of their character." - Barbara Kloss, Gaia's Secret.
Sun walked into the office and immediately coughed at the smell permeating throughout the room. It smelt like heavy cleaning supplies, such as bleach and air fresheners, to the point of being overpowering. Otherwise the room mostly resembled the one that Sun had been in just a few minutes ago with Hau.
"Wonder why Gladion didn't want me inside here…" Sun asked himself as the door shut behind him. The boy glanced around the room and hummed softly, wandering over to a nearby bookshelf and grabbing a book that was sticking out slightly, much like he had with the other lab's bookshelf. Oliver and Brago were close by, on the lookout for danger.
"Deleted Files Regarding Project RKS: By F…" Sun read the cover of the book before flipping to a random page. "BKP Development Record #2. Anti-UB Fighting life-form, B (Beast) K (Killer). The President has approved the proposed budget for this development project, so it will be implemented."
"What…what does this mean?" Sun asked quietly, looking at his Pokémon, who were likewise confused. Rotom Dex popped off of Sun's shoulder and took screenshots of the files as Sun slowly flipped through them, stopping every now and then to read aloud another entry that caught his eye.
"I wonder what else lurks within this room. I feel…a strange resonance here. As if death and bloodshed were spawned here. Is that weird?" Oliver asked Brago, who gave his teammate a bored look.
"We get it, you're part ghost now. Doesn't mean you have to get all spooky on us." Brago remarked, causing Oliver to glare at the canine as he smirked right back at him.
"BKP Development Record #5. Materials for development have been collected from Canalave Library in the Sinnoh Region. Plans are being drawn up for the specifications of the Type change program, known as the RKS System. Work is underway on designing the specifications of special memories for said system." Sun continued to read, stopping when his Pokédex beeped several times.
"RKS? Zzzzrt! That um, soundzzz a little bit like 'Arceus' doesn't it?" Rotom Dex asked Sun, who hummed thoughtfully before nodding and continuing to read.
"BKP Development Record #7. Collection of cells of all Types for genetic modeling has been completed. Blueprints for the skeletal structure have been approved, and incubation of the bio-frame is underway."
"They really did experiments down here…creepy." Sun muttered, unable to fight the urge to shiver before he continued reading.
"BKP Development Record #11. Dummy test of the RKS System program has been completed. Type has been successfully altered with all 18 special memories. The transplantation of the RKS System program to the models is underway. The BK's official name has been set as Type: Full."
"That sounds…familiar." Brago grunted, considering the last words Sun spoke.
"Type: Full? Why does that…wait." Sun paused as a thought occurred to him. Gladion's Partner was the strange Pokémon known as Type: Null. A Pokémon that looked like a bunch of different things thrown together. Chimera-like, Sun believed the term was. The boy read on, his team listening closely.
"BKP Development Record #18. Production of three models has been completed. They are identified as serial number 01, serial number 02, serial number 03. All three models rejected the RKS System upon initialization during testing. Shortly after these initialization errors, all three models of Type: Full went berserk."
Sun flipped through the book even quicker now, which showed several strange pictures of Pokémon being torn apart and sealed in strange tubes. Sun felt slightly nauseous looking at them.
"BKP Development Record #44. Models have been fitted with control masks to mitigate the effects of their rejection of the RKS System. Due to the implementation of these control masks, our RKS System initialization tests have failed. All three models of Type: Full are to be cryogenically frozen for the rest of eternity. The names of these models have been changed from Type: Full to Type: Null."
"So these thingzz were made to be weapons? But they couldn't control what they made. That's spooky…And explains a lot." Rotom Dex remarked as Sun set down the book, allowing Rotom Dex to continue taking pictures of the pages, which showed more documentation that proved their hypothesis true. Especially because one such picture showed three familiar monsters wearing a large mask being sealed in a tube.
"Whoa…So Gladion somehow got his hands on one of the Type: Full that Aether was making? Beast Killers…like Ultra Beasts?" Sun murmured, trying to wrap his head around this bombshell. "Rotom Dex, any ideas?"
"Keep looking. We wanted answerzzz, and we're getting answers. Bzzzzt! Maybe the computer can tell us what Team Skull has to do with thizzz? And maybe where Lillie is being held." Rotom Dex suggested as Sun put away the file and walked over to the computer, spotting something of interest immediately.
"A Full Restore, huh? Well, I'm stealing this." Sun said as he grabbed the Full Restore off of the ground and stashing it away, ignoring the judgmental look from Rotom Dex. He then glanced at the computer and saw that it was still on.
"Looks like someone left his computer in a hurry…" Sun whispered with a grin, sitting down in the chair and beginning to go through the various files with interest. He immediately spotted something of interest on the desk beside the mouse. It was a picture of several scientists standing outside of a lab. Sun recognized the location in the picture from an TV report he watched roughly a year ago and sighed, realizing what this place was.
"This is Faba's office…and this was his old team at the Orre Pokémon Research Lab." Sun muttered as he picked up the picture, showing a much younger Branch Chief Faba standing alongside several other scientists. Sun actually recognized Professor Krane standing right beside Faba himself, with the two grinning at the camera proudly. Every single member of the team looked happy, and the future Branch Chief of the Aether Foundation looked content amongst his fellow researchers.
"I didn't think someone as proud as Faba would keep something like this…Guess he really cared more about his old friends than people think. And Dad had Amber kill them all." Sun put the picture back on the desk, shivering slightly before turning to the computer and clicking on the file named Introduction.
"This is the blog of F, a Branch Chief working in the Alola region. Title: Introduction. Are you interested in success, dear readers? Then allow me to introduce myself. My name is F, and I am an elite, self-made man. Here on my blog, I will show you the way to succeed." Sun read aloud before abruptly exiting out of the blog. "And I don't have time to deal with this."
"Should we get going then? The others are probably waiting on us." Brago asked Sun, who was about to respond, only to notice that there was a door nearby, with blacked out windows showing the room was completely dark. The boy got out of the chair and walked over to the door, curious.
"Um…Rotom?" Sun asked, only for the device to let out a low beep.
Rotom Dex hovered low, shaking its head. "Bzzt. Hey pal, maybe we shouldn't go in there…I'm feeling weird."
"Like…weird how?" Sun asked as approached the door. Oliver stepped closer and hissed softly, holding out a wing to stop Sun from getting closer.
"I sense death behind that door. Brago, do you smell anything?" Oliver asked the Arcanine, who closed his eyes and focused his nose. Underneath the heavy smell of chemicals and cleaning supplies, the canine now smelt the unmistakable scent of blood.
"Blood. It's fresh too. Masked by other scents." Brago informed Oliver, who seemed troubled.
"Maybe that's why the cleaning supplies were used. To cover up the smell and make people think nothing was wrong." Sun remarked, frowning with concern. "Brago, Oliver…break the door down."
"Are you sure?" Oliver asked, looking at his Partner. Sun nodded and Oliver swooped forward and delivered a mighty kick that sent the door flying into the darkened room. Oliver stepped forward into the room while Brago stayed behind, though Sun did peek his head in after Oliver…and felt his entire body go numb as he beheld the awful secret lurking behind the locked door in Faba's office.
A blood-soaked Ashton Aupuni strapped to an operating table, his chest ripped open with his beating heart on full display…and still very much alive.
Sun felt the room spin as his vision blurred, and Oliver managed to just catch Sun before he collapsed onto the ground. The boy wasn't even aware that he was now sobbing and screaming, desperately trying to reach his father while Oliver tried to push him out of the blood-soaked room. Sun didn't even notice Colress lying on the floor, conscious but bound and gagged.
Soon enough his screams drew attention and Sun was ushered away by Hau and Gladion as soon as they had entered the room and taken stock of the situation. Sun couldn't even hear his friends over the sound of his own horror, a chilling sensation that had crept into his very soul. Nothing mattered except for the fact that his father had been butchered…and had been locked away in Faba's private office. Time meant nothing to the boy at the moment as he completely shut down, shutting his eyes as his Starter wrapped him in his wings and didn't let go, whispering unheard words of comfort to the boy.
And then a familiar, impossible voice called to him.
"Sun!"
The Kanto-native was released by Oliver, causing Sun to stagger forward. The boy opened his eyes and turned around before he was wrapped in a powerful but familiar embrace. Sun broke down completely as his father, now free and whole again, hugged him tightly. Sun hugged his father back, sobbing into Ashton's shoulder.
"It's okay…I'm so sorry you had to see what they did to me." Ashton whispered, holding his son close while looking meaningfully at the others who watched the display. A disturbed Gladion emerged from the lab alongside Colress, who was in rough shape as well, but thankfully alive. Demi and Gladion looked at Sun with concern while Hau stood guard outside the lab, though he was also staring at Sun with worry.
"Good to see that the Tapu's powers work quickly." Colress remarked, tossing away the bloodied scalpel that he had used to kill Ashton so that he could be revived by the Curse. Sun and his father hugged one another tightly as the others watched on, looking profoundly horrified.
"Let them have their moment, children…D-does anyone have anything to eat or drink? Faba wasn't big on nutrition while I was his prisoner and I don't have the benefit of immortality to draw upon." Colress asked weakly as he collapsed into a nearby chair, exhaling raggedly.
"Immortality?" Demi asked, looking at Ashton Aupuni with confusion. The former Grand Master of Cipher took a few moments to console his son before launching into an explanation.
"Yes. After Sun defeated me onboard the Absolution, I was punished by the Tapu for my crimes with two curses. One of immortality, which you all just saw, and one that ensures I cannot leave Alola. Every time I die, I'm brought back to the state you see before you. Doesn't matter how, exactly, but as soon as life leaves my body, the Tapu's Curse kicks in and revives me, restoring my body to perfect health and healing all injuries." Ashton recapped as Gladion rummaged through Faba's things, finding a granola bar and a juice box in a small box and handing them to Colress. The scientist gratefully ate while Sun slowly got himself under control.
"You kinda deserved it though. You were an absolute jerk for what you did to Sun and Miss Smiles. And even worse for all of your actual crimes." Hau pointed out, receiving a nod from the former Master of Cipher.
"Yes. It seems as though the Curse of Judgement, as Faba called it, does not quite extend to the waters of Alola. Aether Paradise is still in the region, so the Tapu cannot call me back. Nor could they find me hidden here, otherwise they would have rescued me by now." Ashton remarked, wiping Sun's tears and whispering something to the boy that they couldn't hear.
Sun nodded and ran his hands over his face, not saying anything further. Ashton looked back at the others and said, "I did deserve this. At the hands of the law. Not a vindictive man who's quickly racking up quite the list of atrocities as of late. We need to stop Faba and Lusamine at all costs. They're way in over their heads."
"This is a lot to process." Demi remarked, placing a hand against her head.
Gladion smirked and put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "We have been through a lot lately, huh?"
"No kidding. Hopefully we all make it out of this with our sanity intact." Demi responded, smiling ruefully. "I could use a vacation or something."
"This too, shall pass, Demi. It might pass like a kidney stone, but it will pass." Gladion responded wryly as he exchanged a brief glance with Sun, who was still struggling to regain his composure.
"What are Faba and Miss Lusamine trying to do?" Hau asked Ashton and Colress, who exchanged a brief look before nodding.
"Hold on. Null, focus on them and look for any signs of him lying." Gladion instructed his Partner, who nodded and stared intently at Ashton Aupuni. The former criminal stood and placed a comforting hand on Sun's head before he explained.
"The Aether Foundation has been behind all of the recent incidents on Alola. The recent resurgence of Cipher is nothing more than Aether Foundation Employees playing dress up while using the Cipher equipment that they recovered from the Absolution. The blackouts and communication outages are also the doing of the Aether Foundation, since they have ins with nearly all facets of life here in Alola and have a reputation in the region that allows them to evade suspicion. With their considerable influence, they've managed to almost entirely cut Alola off from the rest of the world for a short time." Ashton explained to the children, who all seemed absolutely horrified.
"All that chaos was the Aether Foundation's doing!? How…how could they?" Hau asked, completely floored by this revelation.
"It makes sense though. It's cold and brutal, but smart." Gladion muttered under his breath, though some of the others had questions.
"Why though?" Demi asked, crossing her arms. "Why go through all that effort?"
"Because Lillie made friends who would stop at nothing to save her if she was in trouble. The Cipher nonsense was concocted to stop the would-be heroes from rescuing Lillie the moment she was taken and take the attention away from the Aether Foundation. The group is obsessed with recovering their most important asset. A creature capable of ripping open Ultra Wormholes and summoning Ultra Beasts." Colress explained weakly, shaking his head. "I saw through this and tried to stop Faba before things got worse…but he got the better of me."
"Right now most of Alola is scrambling to deal with the panic of losing all communication and power while those with authority are dealing with what seems like the resurgence of Cipher and rampant violence during a time of panic. I can assume you four caught wind of what was going on and raced here to stop them?" Ashton asked the younger Trainers, realizing now that he had no idea how they had arrived here.
Hau, Demi and Gladion explained what had happened. Team Skull kidnaping Yungoos and giving Sun an ultimatum, attacking the Aether House while he was gone, getting shot out of the sky by Nizbel's Clan and Gladion informing them that Lillie had been taken to Aether Paradise.
"Incredible…But also concerning. You kids shouldn't be dealing with this mess…I'm sorry. It was my mistakes with Cipher that made things so much worse for everyone." Ashton said as he bowed his head, with the others staring at him in surprise.
"How do you know all of this, anyway?" Hau asked Ashton, who looked at him in confusion. "I mean, how did you know that Aether Foundation was behind all the Cipher stuff?"
"Faba bragged quite a lot during our…sessions." Ashton responded, gritting his teeth in anger before breathing deeply, releasing that anger. For now.
"The entire time neither of them lied. They are telling the truth." Type: Null informed them all, glancing at Gladion. "I believe we should trust them. Time is short."
Ashton took that moment to walk over to Colress, his expression becoming something a bit more complicated. "Colress, I think despite our history, we both have a common enemy here. For the sake of stopping this madness, we need to work together." Ashton said to the scientist as he extended a hand. Colress chuckled softly and took the outstretched hand, shaking it.
"No need to explain yourself. I am well aware that you aren't our foe here, Ashton. Besides, after how many times Faba has killed you in the past few days, you've certainly repaid at least some of the debt you owe this world." Colress remarked, his expression light despite the pain he was in. "However, you're not off the hook. Once we're done here, you will still face a reckoning for your crimes."
"I think we should go upstairs and continue looking for Lillie and Cosmog. If they're not here, then they're likely at the President's Home on the other side of the Paradise." Gladion said as he crossed his arms, with Type: Null growling softly in response. Ashton stared at the strange monster with a bewildered expression.
"I should probably ask this now because if I don't I may forget later. What the hell is that?" Ashton asked as he pointed at Type: Null, who simply stared at him.
"In response to your critical question, I strongly suggest that you go fuck yourself." Type: Null responded, shocking everyone present. The creature then looked over at a stunned Gladion, snorting softly. "You think I wouldn't pick up some of those curse words you're so fond of, Gladion?"
"All of this stress is really bringing out everyone's vulgar side today, huh?" Demi wondered aloud while Ashton continued to look at Type: Null before grinning at it and sitting down in Faba's chair.
"You know what, I deserved that." Ashton remarked as he began to hack into Faba's systems, scouring through the files as fast as he could while skimming through the contents. "Seriously though, it's unlike anything I've ever seen before, Gladion."
"I'd rather not go into the details now, Mister Aupuni. We're kind of on a tight schedule and this set us back a bit." Gladion said to the former mastermind of Cipher, causing Ashton to shrug.
"Fair enough. Now…as for a plan of action. Colress, me and you need to take stock of what's going on in the labs and begin a thorough search. If Faba is idiotic enough to have taken the final Umbral Pokémon that was sealed onboard the Absolution and it hasn't killed everyone yet, then it has to be hidden down here somewhere secure. Finding it should be one of our top priorities, second only to rescuing Lillie and securing Cosmog." Ashton said to the scientist, receiving a nod of acknowledgement.
"I have no desire to battle another of your Umbral Pokémon. Jojo was enough for me." Colress remarked, crossing his arms. "It's fascinating that you managed to create another Psychic Umbral Pokémon though, considering how much of a threat to everyone the first one was. Why didn't you unleash it when we were making our way towards the Absolution?"
"During that time I was mortally wounded and had no idea what was happening during most of that fight. Amber was coordinating the battle efforts in Hau'oli City, and I had no desire to release that particular Umbral Pokémon upon you all." Ashton explained, looking away from them. "Mostly because I didn't really have anyone left that I could count on to wield it, but also because using another Psychic Umbral Pokémon was…not something I was desperate enough to do, even at my darkest hour. The body count would have been too much for my mangled psyche to withstand."
"I remember that Amber Fontaine woman's Umbral Rhyperior thing. It battled Tapu Lele and would've killed it if I hadn't distracted them. If you guys can stop something like that from being used by the Paradise, then please stay here and stop that." Gladion asked the two men, scowling now. "I wouldn't be surprised if Faba and Lusamine did have it stashed away somewhere."
"And this thing is somehow worse than Perfect Kyurem?" Hau asked, sounding horrified.
"Let me put it this way. It was too dangerous for me to consider using during the big showdown in Hau'oli City, even when I was basically insane at that point. I still held enough sense to not risk using something that would slaughter everything in its path, including myself and my forces." Ashton responded bitterly, a sigh escaping him. "Besides, I could control Perfect Kyurem. This particular Umbral Pokémon cannot be controlled."
"Why?" Sun finally spoke up, his voice quiet. Ashton sighed, looking down at the floor for a moment.
"Unlike most Umbral Pokémon, Psychic-type Umbral Pokémon possess the unique quality of having a sense of self. They retain their individuality and sapience, having the capability of speaking and thinking on their own and operate on their own initiative. Umbral Pokémon in general are mindless and require distinct commands from their Trainer as a sort of build-in safety of sorts. Psychic-type Umbral Pokémon don't require that, and can defy their Trainers should they wish. They're ticking time bombs to be totally honest." The former Cipher Master explained to them.
"If it's so dangerous, why did you ever let one be made in the first place?" Demi asked as Ashton as he stopped typing and considered the question for a moment as he began to rummage through Faba's computer, bypassing security codes and passwords with ease.
"I didn't. That was Greevil's call, since it was one of his Pokémon. However after so much money and resources got sunk into the Umbral Project, it would've been a waste to destroy an Umbral Pokémon no matter how dangerous it was. An oversight I aim to correct." Ashton said with a small sigh, shaking his head. "The point is, this Umbral Medicham needs to be found and destroyed. It's too dangerous for anyone to use. Add onto the fact that it was one of the strongest test subjects we secured for the Umbral Project, and it's a recipe for total disaster. We usually kept it sealed away in stasis within a secure vault strong enough to withstand a nuclear explosion."
"Considering the power of Amber's Rhyperior was enough to take on Tapu Lele after getting turned into one of those monsters, I'm inclined to agree that finding and killing this thing is our best move." Colress said to Ashton, causing the former mastermind to nod. The man then frowned as he found something…concerning.
"Sun, this looks like your Decidueye as he was as a Dartrix. It looks like Faba was conducting some sort of experiment on him." Ashton said as he turned the monitor so it faced everyone, tapping the screen so that audio played to the room. Just as Ashton was saying, on the video Faba was gleefully explaining to a captive Oliver how he was going to use him for testing purposes to see what impact the venom would have on him. Faba also specifically called the creature that the venom came from a 'Nihilego', which caught Gladion and Demi's attention since it implied familiarity. None of them knew what any of the Ultra Beasts were called, after all.
However the others were focused on the fact that Faba, a man that they had trusted, was openly mocking a helpless Pokémon he was supposed to be helping before essentially torturing him for the mere sake of curiosity. Brago growled with anger while Oliver simply watched on, his expression unreadable. Sun, however, scowled with a rage that surprised even himself as his eyes darkened into a hateful crimson color.
"I'm going to murder that man. I'm going to pluck out his eyes and devour his soul." Oliver said brightly, suddenly grinning in such a manner that Hau realized he was going to have nightmares tonight.
"What about us?" Sun asked his father and Colress in a low voice that shocked them all. "We still need to find Lillie and Cosmog. And…I don't know what I'll do if I see Faba. I want to hurt him. I know it's wrong, but he's a terrible person who needs to be stopped."
"Sun…" Hau murmured as he looked away, seeing the normally mellow boy's face twist with anger, his eyes burning red with righteous fury. Ashton turned to his child and stood, stepping towards him and placing his hands on the boy's shoulders.
"I have no right to speak to you like a father after what I did to you and your mother. But if you find Faba, I simply ask that you not destroy the man on my account." Ashton said to Sun in a quiet voice, causing the boy to angrily turn away. Ashton smiled, touched that Sun would feel angry for what Faba had done to him. Despite Sun's complicated feelings towards Ashton, it was obvious that he still loved his father.
"He hurt you. Hurt Oliver and betrayed us. He's a lying creep who's committing crimes while acting like he's a hero…" Sun said softly, clenching his fists as he tried and failed to control his absolute fury at the scientist who had committed such horrid acts. "No, all the while acting like he's Arceus reborn! Why shouldn't I head upstairs and have Oliver tear him apart!?"
"Oh, by all means, humiliate the man and hurt him. I'm just saying don't murder him on my behalf. I'm not worth staining your soul." Ashton remarked with a small laugh, causing Sun to look back at his father. While his eyes were still bright red, the boy's expression softened. "I don't want you to go down the same path of anger I did."
"It's not the same thing!" Sun said to his father, who raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe so, but it's enough. You're a good person, Sun, and you're better than me. Remember that you spared the monster that was Borlath, even when I didn't deserve such mercy. I ask that you give Faba the same consideration." Ashton said gently to Sun, putting his hands on the boy's shoulder. Sun stared at his father for several seconds before making a decision.
"Deoxys! I've found my father!" Sun said both with his mind and his mouth. Everyone in the room looked at him with confusion before a sudden flash of light erupted in the room and suddenly Deoxys was standing amongst them, having teleported into the lab.
"Ashton! You're safe!" the DNA Pokémon cried out, rushing forward and embracing its friend. Ashton's eyes widened in shock and surprise before he returned the embrace, grinning with joy.
"Deoxys! Hello, my friend! I'm glad to see you're safe. How…how did you call it, Sun?" Ashton asked his child, who shrugged.
"I am pleased to see you are alright. I was concerned for your safety. We have much to discuss." Deoxys said as it separated from its Trainer and floated away, reverting to its normal form.
"We made a deal. Deoxys helped me out, and I helped it find you." Sun said before adding, "Don't betray that trust, please. I'm really counting on you guys to do the right thing. You don't deserve this trust, yet, but…I don't have much of a choice. We have to save Lillie and Nebby and we don't know all the details. Please help us."
"I won't make the mistake of turning my back on my family a second time. We will save Lillie and Cosmog. I promise." Ashton said to Sun and the allies standing beside him.
"Deoxys will make a formidable ally against the Aether Foundation should they continue to prove a nuisance. And between myself and Ashton, their secrets will be ours." Colress remarked, smiling widely as he leaned back on his chair with a soft sigh.
"We'll be on our way. Dad, watch our backs. Colress, keep an eye on my Dad and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Deoxys, protect them both." Sun said to the two men and Legendary Pokémon, who all exchanged amused looks with one another but nodded.
"Just so long as you remember my words, Sunshine. Be angry if you wish, but don't let your anger guide your actions and make you do something you'll regret. Take it from someone with more regret than he will ever willingly admit." Ashton said softly to his child, who sighed and shut his eyes for several moments.
Hau, Gladion and Demi looked at the boy who had seen and been subjected to a child's worst nightmare and was still standing, ready to keep fighting to save his friend. While heartening to see that Sun wouldn't be stopped by the horrors that Aether had been hiding from them all, it scared them a little to see that even someone as kind-hearted as Sun had a limit before he could be pushed over the edge.
"Fine." Sun muttered, his eyes turning a slightly lighter shade of red, but not quite the hateful crimson they were before. "If he gets in my way, I won't be gentle in reminding him not to mess with me or those I care about."
"You kids go on. Find Lusamine and Lillie. I'd normally be against asking kids to do the work that adults should be doing, but…" Ashton grinned sheepishly at them. "As I learned firsthand with Sun, you can't underestimate the power of a child's determination. Save them. We'll be close behind to back you up as soon as we've located the Umbral Pokémon and secured it at the very least."
"On the plus side, we've got some backup now. Colress, please keep an eye on him. I'll be really mad if he runs away before I've had a chance to talk with him some more." Sun said as he gave his father a pointed look…before stepping forward and hugging him. Ashton smiled and hugged his child tightly.
"I love you, Dad." Sun muttered, closing his eyes and allowing some of the tension, anger and horror within him fade as his father held him in a comforting embrace.
"I love you too, Sun. Be safe, okay?" Ashton said quietly, releasing his child and grinning at him. "Save Lillie and slap some sense into these fools. I'll be supporting you the whole way."
Sun nodded and left the room, with the others lingering for a moment before filing out alongside the boy. The Kanto-native remained silent, even returning his Pokémon and walking onto the elevator despite the concerned looks his allies were giving him.
"Sun, are you alright?" Hau asked his best friend, with Sun sighing and rubbing his face.
"I'm still processing everything, Hau. I don't know what I'm feeling, but it doesn't matter. Let's just go…I want to punch Faba's teeth down his throat." Sun said in a low voice as Gladion activated the lift to send them back up to deal with whatever defenses Faba had managed to pull together.
Now faced with the seriousness of the situation they found themselves in, the quartet was more determined than ever to recover Cosmog and save Lillie.
Meanwhile…
Ashton sighed as he sat back down at Faba's computer, taking a moment to consider the photograph of the Branch Chief with his Orre Pokémon Research Lab colleagues before grabbing the photo and placing it face-down on the desk, his eyes flickering crimson with hate as he exhaled slowly.
"You sound angry." Colress supplied unhelpfully from behind Ashton, who looked at him with annoyance.
"I am…extraordinarily pissed, Colress." Ashton said to someone he once considered his friend back in Unova, before Ashton revealed that he was playing both sides in order to get what he wanted and was ultimately an Admin of Cipher. "I was murdered over 87 times. And my own son got to see me torn apart like a piece of meat. I am in no mood for games. I want to stop this madness and return to my life of atonement."
"89 times, actually. They killed you and managed to revive you twice yesterday before killing you a third time." Colress corrected Ashton, who thought about that fact for a moment. Ashton grit his teeth in abject fury at the very cheerful reminder of his demise before exhaling deeply. He was a patient man, and he had more important things to do. Sun and the other children were counting on him to help.
"Why not simply go to Lusamine directly and end her life?" Deoxys asked quietly from beside Ashton.
"Because Lillie is most likely with her. Lusamine is not above using a hostage to get what she wants, and we're still not clear on what that is exactly. If I approached the President's Mansion, Lusamine would deploy whatever forces she could to stop me, sacrificing lives in the process. For four kids? She'll underestimate what they can do. I certainly have made that mistake before." Ashton admitted, smiling despite himself. "Colress, can I count on your assistance?"
"Do not worry, Ashton. I may wish to inflict my revenge upon you for the sins you've committed, but Faba is a more pressing matter. Besides, you've clearly set yourself upon the path to redemption for the sake of Sun, and the Tapu won't let you escape Alola. So what's the point in aimless anger? Elias Faba is our enemy, so you are my ally." Colress explained while limping over to the bookshelf, skimming through the various reports. "Faba never allowed me into his private lab. We must learn as much as we can. Transfer any and all relevant files to my datapad."
Ashton nodded and continued to power through every security measure he could find, doing just that. It wasn't the first time that he and Colress had worked together, though it was the first time that they were on the same page. And so the two men worked quickly to gather as much intelligence as possible. Deoxys meanwhile searched for anything of use, and managed to find a belt containing six Poké Balls that Ashton grabbed gratefully.
"I was curious as to what happened to your Pokémon when you were incarcerated." Colress commented as he drank from a water bottle, continuing to try and replenish his strength. At this point he had called out Dusk the Absol, who was staying close to her Trainer's side with a worried expression on her face.
"They were taken into the custody of the police department. Aside from being fed three times a day, they were kept secure in PC storage. I'm stunned Faba recovered them and brought them here, but I'm not complaining." Ashton remarked as he attached the belt to the stolen fresh pants he now wore. For now he went shirtless and shoeless. "Now all I need is a cape and we're in business. I enjoy dressing up dramatically."
"So long as it's not a coat. That's my schtick." Colress quipped, causing Ashton to bark a laugh despite the seriousness of the situation. However, as Ashton sat down and began to rifle through more files, he stumbled onto something…concerning.
"What the hell? Colress, are you familiar with the Enigma Protocols for the Aether Paradise?" Ashton asked, glancing at the scientist as he stumbled upon a set of particularly protected files and broke through their protection.
"No. This is the first I'm hearing about them. What are the Enigma Protocols?" Colress asked. Ashton remained silent as he began reading, motioning for Colress to walk over to him and look for himself. Colress joined Ashton, and the former criminal's expression turned to one of horror while Colress crossed his arms, his smile becoming somewhat strained.
"Ashton…" Colress said quietly, staring at the screen as it explained what the Enigma Protocols were in excruciating detail. Some also contained some hidden notes from Lusamine that were apparently hidden behind a password that Ashton easily cracked, revealing even more disturbing information.
"Yeah, we're definitely going to need to deal with Faba. If anything else before he kills everyone here with his own idiocy." Ashton muttered as he cracked his fingers and began furiously digging further into the systems, hell-bent on figuring out just what the hell Faba was scheming. Or rather…
What Lusamine was manipulating him into.
Meanwhile…
"So is our plan really to just deal with Faba? Where else could we be looking for Lillie and Cosmog?" Demi asked Gladion, leaning against the teen's shoulder. Gladion permitted this, considering the question.
"We'll have to force the answer out of him. There's only two places that Lillie could be at. Like I said before, unfortunately our other option besides the Basement Labs is the President's Mansion, which is likely heavily guarded at the moment." Gladion responded quietly, unease evident in his voice. None of the four of the teens felt remotely good about whatever confrontation awaited them. Especially regarding what that meant for President Lusamine.
"Gladion…is Lusamine behind all of this?" Sun asked the blond-haired boy, not looking at him directly as they approached their destination. Gladion hesitated to answer, only starting to speak as the lift came to a stop.
"Sun…Hmph." Gladion shrugged helplessly, interrupting himself as they reached the floor that they had been at a half hour ago. "Even beaten down, old Faba doesn't change, does he?"
Hau shook his head, looking troubled. "What do we do?"
"Beat whoever stands in our way. What other choice do we have?" Gladion asked, placing a hand against his head as he shut his eyes. Surrounding the elevator were several armed APT members, flanked by several Aether Foundation members who all were grinning triumphantly at them all.
"Fine, fine. We can do that. But do you have to say 'hmph' all the time?" Hau asked Gladion, who gave him an annoyed look while Demi smirked at the exchange.
"Hello, children. I'm afraid Branch Chief Faba has given us orders regarding you three." The lead APT member remarked, grinning nastily at them.
"Now that you've learned of the darkness at the heart of the Aether Paradise, we'll need you all to conveniently disappear." One of the AF members said as he cracked his knuckles, drawing a Poké Ball.
"It's a good thing I don't give a crap what Faba says!" Sun said harshly, his eyes gleaming crimson as the Aether Employees readied themselves to battle, their expressions twisting into cruel grins that looked borderline insane.
"Whoa! Sun! Battle with me!" Hau called to his friend, who quickly stepped up to help him face off against the Aether Employees.
"Demi, let's deal with the APT!" Gladion called as Type: Null growled, lunging forward as the men called out their Pokémon. Demi joined Gladion as she called out Torch and Aou, with the battle beginning in earnest.
Sun called out Oliver while Hau called out Duke, with Alolan Raichu exchanging a brief nod with Oliver, the two Pokémon found themselves standing opposite a Mudsdale and a Pelipper. Now it was Sun and Hau's turn to exchange a brief nod, though both boys were grinning at one another before issuing their commands.
"Oliver, hit Leaf Blade on the Mudsdale!" Sun called to Oliver as the Decidueye swung out a wing, with one of the feathers at the tip glowing bright green and growing in length until it was a shimmering green blade of energy.
"Thunderbolt on the Pelipper, Duke!" Hau called with a grin, punching forward as Duke let out a cry, his cheeks sparking wildly before he unleashed a wicked Thunderbolt that struck the Pelipper head-on. The Flying/Water-type screeched in pain for about three seconds before fainting, flopping onto the ground with a thud.
The Mudsdale didn't fare much better against Oliver. The owl hooted gleefully as he soared forward, slashing apart the rocks that the Mudsdale desperately kicked his way. The Ground-type's Trainer swore loudly when Oliver delivered a single strike against his Pokémon and knocked it out instantly. Needless to say, the Aether Employees were taken aback by the strength of the opposition they faced.
"You guys are dazzling…horribly sparkling…" one of the men said, returning his Mudsdale with a wince.
"The children of Alola who aim to be Champion through the Island Challenge - they are not to be underestimated!" the other remarked, eyes wide in shock that they had lost so easily.
"Ridiculous…Have the children of Alola always been this strong?" One of the APT members hissed amidst a wall of flames, with Demi beaming at her Pokémon while Gladion placed a hand on her shoulder, looking at the girl with pride. Meanwhile Aou laughed softly, glaring at the enemies that were now put in their place. It seemed that the APT were unprepared to face Pokémon of such power and were being held back for now.
"That's what you get when you go through the Trials of the Island Challenge." Gladion responded with a smirk. "Now that you understand…how about you get out of our way?"
"Phew! Thanks Sun! And you too, Oliver!" Hau said with a relieved sigh, smiling at them both. Meanwhile the group of Employees fled, teleporting away with horrified looks. "When you're fighting a battle you can't afford to lose, you really can't afford to waver at all, huh…"
"You know…" Gladion paused, looking at Demi for a moment before glancing back at Hau and Sun. "I know we aren't friends. But I'm glad you two are here…"
"You don't have to get melodramatic about it. If you cooled off a bit and stopped being so serious, I'd be more than happy being your friend." Sun said to the teen, who remained quiet at that for a few moments before looking to Hau, looking rather embarrassed.
"I remember what you said at the Battle Royal Dome that day, Hau. About how people can achieve more if they do something together." Gladion muttered, offering the two boys a genuine smile. "Looks like maybe you were right."
Hau responded with a bright smile while Sun gave Gladion a thumbs up. Meanwhile Demi looked at Gladion with a big grin of triumph. However, the moment was interrupted by a small cough followed by a female voice.
"Young master." Everyone turned to see Miss Wicke standing beside them, smiling softly at the group as if expecting them. She then bowed to Gladion, who smiled back at the woman. Meanwhile, Hau looked back and forth between them frantically before staggering back almost comically.
"What d'you mean 'young master'?" Hau yelped, unable to hold back his shock. Sun was more quiet in his surprise, but more and more things began to line up and his earlier suspicion now seemed far more likely.
"It has been a long time…" Wicke said to Gladion before turning to the other two boys. "And hello to you two, Sun and Hau. And Demi too, of course. Please allow me to heal your Pokémon."
Wicke began to heal everyone's teams to full health. Demi took that moment to ask, "What's going on here? Why are the Aether Employees acting like total lunatics?"
"That I don't fully understand myself. Though I know myself, Branch Chief Faba and a MERE handful of other Aether Employees are unaffected by whatever is making them act so aggressive. I suspect…" Wicke trailed off, thinking about it before sighing. "I suspect the President has done something to invoke the same psychosis she herself is suffering from."
"Which means?" Demi asked pointedly.
"That they are acting not entirely of their own volition at the moment. I always wondered what that strange goop was…" Wicke muttered to herself, her eyes going wide as she suddenly realized something. "The Promotion Ceremony…was that when she did it? Did she poison them?"
Hau blinked in confusion. "Who poisoned who?"
Wicke shook her head, dismissing the question. "I apologize. I'm trying to wrap my head around a recent revelation. For now, I urge you to continue fighting your hardest. I will assist in any way I can.
After taking a few moments to consider the horrifying implications of what Miss Wicke didn't say, Gladion asked the all-important question. "What's happened to Lillie? Do you know anything?"
Wicke closed her eyes, her expression troubled. "I…imagine that she is with the President."
"Then that's where I'm going. That's all I need to know." Gladion muttered darkly, clenching his fists with a determined gleam coming to his eyes.
"The President? That's Miss Lusamine, right? She's a really nice person, so I'm sure she'll listen to us if we explain everything." Hau said almost hopefully, with Demi and Gladion giving Hau a pitying look.
"Yeah, she's real nice…" Gladion was unable to help the sarcasm and bitterness in his voice. "As long as you mean nothing to her."
"But I'm afraid the doors have been locked…I've been unable to check on or see Miss Lillie since they brought her here." Wicke explained to the group worriedly.
"Again!?" Hau cried out, looking disappointed.
Gladion turned around, scowling now. "That's not stopping me."
The furious blond-haired teen sprinted off down towards the large door at the other end of the floor, with Hau and Demi chasing after him. Sun lingered behind, looking back at Wicke who now wore a soft smile.
"Please look after young Master Gladion." Wicke asked Sun, bowing slightly to him. "When he is worked up about something, he doesn't consider the consequences. Even going so far as stealing Pokémon…Those two truly are very much alike…"
"I'll protect them both." Sun said to Wicke before turning around and running after the others, his mind racing with questions and concerns. However, spotting a certain Branch Chief and a small squad of Aether Employees standing in front of the door made Sun stop caring about answers and start caring more about getting some payback for what the scientist had done to those he cared about.
Faba stared at them all for several long moments before shrugging his shoulders almost helplessly. "My, my…what naughty children. You should just lay your heavy heads down."
"You tortured my father! My Pokémon! I trusted you! What do you have to say for yourself!?" Sun screamed at the scientist, who smiled nastily at the boy.
"All in the name of science, my little friend. But I knew that you would struggle onward - I could see through every action you would take. So I knew you would try to reach the President. And that is why! I knew that I would be able to ambush you here and remedy my previous failure. The only reason I let you in the lower floor was to buy time to gather more staff to stop you." Faba explained with a gleeful grin of smugness on his face.
Sun growled audibly with anger and stepped forward, only for Hau to put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. Sun looked at his friend in surprise, and Hau shook his head and stepped forward in front of Sun.
"So, uh, Mr. Faba, do you have the key to the President's rooms?" Hau asked politely, smiling pleasantly at the man who had tortured countless Pokémon and brutally tortured a man in his lab downstairs.
Faba nodded and reached into his pocket with a triumphant smile, pulling out a key card with the Aether sigil on it. "Indeed! I have it right here."
Hau burst into laughter while Gladion chuckled softly, with Demi and Sun face-palming in unison. Faba scowled at the children's reactions, not noticing the exasperated looks the Aether Employees were giving him at the moment.
"So…if you'd just stayed hidden, we would've been stuck here anyway, right?" Hau finally pointed out to Faba, who's face suddenly went blank for several long seconds before shifting to abject horror. A profound silence filled the air as the implications of what Hau said struck everyone.
"Bzzzrt! Wow...what a dimwit." Rotom Dex finally said, breaking the silence.
"What!?" Faba screeched as Gladion and Hau's laughter begun anew and increased in volume. Faba was quick to recover his composure, pointing a shaking finger at the group of children. "E-enough, you lot! Teach these children a lesson!"
Gladion finally got himself under control, his expression returning to one of grim determination. "We don't have time for this...Help me out here, Sun."
"With pleasure." Sun said as he called out Oliver, who glared hatefully at the now-terrified scientist.
"Get them! Protect me, damn it!" Faba howled as the Aether Employees stepped in front of their boss, sending out a Magmar and Electabuzz while Sun and Gladion took point with Oliver and Golbat.
"Calling all APT Employees! Intruders have broken onto the first floor! They're attempting to kill me and breach the President's Mansion! Get up here!" Faba snarled, placing a hand against the comm-link in his coat.
"Hau, let's watch their backs!" Demi called to the boy as she called out Torch, with the Typhlosion roaring defiantly as several APT members teleported onto the floor, armed with electrified pugil sticks and calling out several Pokémon each.
"Take care of those dorks, guys!" Hau said as he sent out Cassy, who threw apart her arms with a cheery cry.
"Oliver, Spirit Shackle on Magmar!" Sun shouted as Oliver swooped forward, notching a ghostly arrow and firing it at the fiery Pokémon. Magmar cried out as the explosion from the attack sent him skidding backwards, but the Electabuzz was quick to back up its ally.
"Electro Ball on the Golbat!" the AF Employee bellowed, grinning as the Electric Pokémon held both hands together to charge up a crackling sphere of energy and hurled it at Gladion's Golbat, who screeched in agony as the super-effective attack struck it and knocked it out of the air. However, it somehow managed to land on its feet, wincing in pain.
"Get it back with a Poison Fang!" Gladion commanded his Golbat, which soared forward with a menacing hiss and sank its glowing purple fangs into Electabuzz. Meanwhile the Magmar lashed out with a powerful Flame Burst that not only blasted Oliver out of the sky but also had the effect of scorching Golbat enough to where it let go of its prey.
Oliver landed hard on the ground and at Sun's command kicked off of the ground and rammed hard into Magmar with Pluck, knocking it out cold. However Electabuzz's Trainer called for Discharge, which forced Gladion and Sun to throw themselves to the ground while Oliver and Golbat were blasted. Golbat dropped like a rock, fainting almost right away while Oliver endured the attack.
"Null, help us out!" Gladion called as he returned his Golbat and sent out his Partner. Sun stared at Type: Null with a new sense of respect, now knowing that it was an experimental monster that Gladion had rescued from the clutches of Faba and the other scientists of Aether.
Sun pointed a finger at Electabuzz and shouted, "End this with Leaf Blade!"
Oliver thrust out a wing and summoned a green sword of energy before soaring forward, dodging a Thunderbolt before bringing the blade down upon Electabuzz and knocking it out. As the Thunderbolt Pokémon crashed down onto the ground, the two Aether Foundation members sighed in unison.
"Ehh…Guess it's back to honest Pokémon conservation activities for me." One of them muttered, returning their Electabuzz.
"Losing to you…generated dark feelings in me!" the other growled, clearly frustrated. Both of the Aether Employees exchanged a brief glance before suddenly bolting from the area, leaving Faba and a single Aether Employee behind to deal with the four of them. Worse still was the fact that Demi and Hau were keeping several APT members from joining the fray, especially since Demi had also called out Aou and the over-levelled Chandelure was more than enough to deal with them on its own.
Meanwhile, the Branch Chief looked rattled. Especially because he saw the furious red eyes of Sunshine Smiles and knew full-well that the boy knew what he had done. "H-h-h-how can this be? To be cornered by mere children?!"
"Are you scared?" Oliver asked, grinning at Faba with delight. "Good. Because we're going to crush you…"
"Like a bug. A pathetic little bug." Sun spat, holding out a hand and thrusting his Z-Ring forward as Oliver readied an arrow and aimed it at Faba's head.
"Maybe helping one another out isn't so bad…" Gladion admitted with a smirk, admiring the sheer fury on Sun's face before turning around and addressing them all. "Sun! Hau! I leave Faba to you! Demi, let's keep this area safe and secure the floor! That way we have more room to work with!"
"Gotcha!" Demi replied with a grin as Gladion took Hau's place against the battalion of APT members battling the hellfire Demi's Pokémon had filled the area with. Meanwhile Sun and Hau stood off against Faba and the only Aether Employee left standing by him.
"E-enough! I will show you the true power of Branch Chief Faba! The man who is called Aether Paradise's last line of defense! We will settle this at least with a Multi Battle!" Faba proclaimed with shaky pride despite looking terrified.
Sun scoffed at the man's bravado and cowardice, but stopped short when Hau put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a meaningful look. Remembering what his father asked of him and looking at Hau's concerned expression, Sun took a deep breath to center himself…and then turned back to Faba, determination in his red eyes.
Hau laughed as he put his hands on his hips, unbothered by Faba's bluster and now reassured that Sun wouldn't follow in his father's footsteps and kill someone. "Come on, Sun! Let's show 'em just what our Pokémon are capable of! For Lillie and Cosmog, too!"
"Slowbro! Deal with these fools!" Faba cried out, sending out a Pokémon Sun recognized as the evolved form of Slowpoke. Oliver nodded at Duke as the Alolan Raichu floated by, and so the fight was on.
"Rotom! Dex entry, now!" Sun barked as the Aether Employee sent out a Pokémon Sun was less familiar with, a flying ladybug-like Pokémon with four arms. Rotom was quick to oblige.
"Ledian. The Five Star Pokémon and the evolved form of Ledyba. While it's believed that starlight provides it with energy, this Pokémon also loves to eat berries. In the daytime, it curls up in the grass to sleep. In battle, it throws punches with all four arms. The power of each individual blow is piddly, so it aims to win by quantity rather than quality." Rotom Dex explained as Sun nodded at the information, but Hau was already on the case.
"Thunderbolt! Hit that Ledian!" Hau called as Duke charged up and fired off a wicked bolt of lightning that slammed hard into Ledian, knocking it to the ground. As the Five Star Pokémon tried to stagger to its feet, a crackle of electricity flared up around it, causing it to seize up and remain totally immobilized.
"Bzzzzrt! What luck! Duke not only paralyzed that Ledian, but it wasn't able to make a move either!" Rotom Dex cheered as Sun punched forward.
"Razor Leaf!" Sun commanded Oliver, who swept apart his wings to release a wave of razor-sharp leaves at their enemies.
"Psychic! Then use Yawn!" Faba shouted as Slowbro's eyes shined bright blue, halting the deluge of Razor Leaf in its tracks and flinging them into the ground. Slowbro then let out a huge yawn, releasing a pink bubble at Oliver who was hit directly by it.
"Duke, Quick Attack! Finish off the Ledian!" Hau called as Duke sped forward, riding through the air on his tail and smacking hard into Ledian, KO-ing the Aether Foundation member's only Pokémon with ease. Faba swore under his breath as his partner returned his Pokémon and shrugged sheepishly.
"All alone now, Faba. How's it feel? Do you feel your sins crawling on your back?" Gladion called over his shoulder, grinning at Faba's frustration.
"Or are you afraid that now that we know that you're an awful person, your reputation is going to suffer? That we'll ruin you for what you did?" Sun coldly asked the scientist before pointing at Slowbro. "Oliver, use Pluck!"
Oliver staggered forward, yawning tiredly before darting forward with his shining beak and striking Slowbro, who barely reacted. Oliver tried to get away from Slowbro, flapping his wings once before collapsing onto the ground and falling asleep.
Faba cackled with glee, snapping his fingers. "Psychic!"
Oliver was lifted into the air as he was enveloped in a harsh blue glow before being thrown backwards…into his own Trainer!
Sun cried out in pain as Oliver crashed into him hard, knocking them both to the ground and pinning Sun to the floor under the weight of his own Pokémon. Faba laughed with delight at Sun's pain, even as the others looked shocked that Faba would actually attempt to directly harm them.
"Sun!" Hau called out, turning to his friend with concern before looking at Faba with a stern expression. "You won't get away with this!"
"Hehehe! Who's going to stop me? Psychic on the boy! Crush him and that damned bird!" Faba laughed as Slowbro's eyes shined bright blue again, with the pulse of force lashing out towards Sun and Oliver.
"No way! Duke, intercept with Psychic!" Hau shouted as Duke dove in front of Oliver and Sun, letting out a yell as it released a blast of Psychic to hold Slowbro's attack at bay.
"You really think I'd let you stand there and hurt my friend? I can't believe I used to respect you." Hau said with Faba with a disappointed expression, crossing his arms. Faba had the audacity to flinch at the rebuke, but scowled after a moment.
"You know nothing! I am Branch Chief Faba, and I will not be denied my destiny! And if I have to kill you little hellions to achieve my goals then so be it!" Faba barked as Slowbro narrowed its eyes, pouring more power into Psychic. Hau frowned with concern, looking at Sun as the boy struggled to move his sleeping owl off of him. He then looked back at Faba and considered the situation before grinning to himself.
"Duke, let's kick things up a notch! Let the attack hit you, and then use Thunderbolt!" Hau shouted as Duke released its attack and allowed Slowbro's Psychic to strike him, causing the Alolan Raichu to get flung backwards with a pained cry. However, this left Slowbro completely open to get hit by the Thunderbolt the Alolan Raichu sent its way. Faba gasped as his Slowbro groaned in pain, fainting with a harsh thud on the ground.
"Nice work Hau…" Sun groaned as he struggled to move Oliver off of him, with Duke assisting with a gentle Psychic to shift the bird. Sun fed Oliver a Chesto Berry from his backpack while Faba sent out a strange colorful fish that Sun had never seen before. As Oliver staggered tiredly to his feet while rubbing his face, Rotom Dex provided the appropriate entry.
"Bruxish. The Gnash Fish Pokémon. It stuns its prey with psychokinesis and then grinds them to mush with its strong teeth. Even Shellder's shell is no match for it. When it unleashes its psychic power from the protuberance on its head, the grating sound of grinding teeth echoes through the area." Rotom Dex explained as Oliver and Duke readied themselves to fight, even as Faba grit his own teeth in frustration.
"A fish…so…abuse the type-disadvantage it has to both of our Pokémon?" Hau asked.
Sun nodded, matching his best friend's smile with a mean grin of his own. "Oh yeah. Big time."
"Leaf Blade!"
"Thunderbolt!"
Faba could only watch in terror as a Thunderbolt rippled forward, blasting his Bruxish and causing it to squeal in pain, only for a brutal airbourne Leaf Blade from Oliver to knock it unconscious without any real effort.
"Hypno! Deal with them!" Faba screamed, sending out his Partner with pure desperation in his voice. The Hypno saw that once again it was facing Oliver, as well as another Pokémon, and sighed as it rubbed its temples.
"Use Hypnosis on Raichu!" Faba shouted as Hypno sighed again, turning its gaze to Duke as its eyes glowed red, with the Hypnosis Pokémon swinging its pendulum back and forth as a strange wave drifted towards Duke, washing past him.
"Duke! Power through it!" Hau shouted as the Alolan Raichu frantically shook his head, forcing Hypno to focus more on making the move take effect on Duke. Unfortunately for Hypno, he was dealing with two opponents, and Oliver was more than happy to take advantage of a distracted opponent.
"Spirit Shackle!" Sun shouted as Oliver took aim, flapping his wings hard to soar above the battlefield. Hypno noticed this and stopped its attack, teleporting back several yards at Faba's command before sending a Shadow Ball Oliver's way.
The Decidueye spun in midair, dodging the attack gracefully before notching a ghostly arrow and firing. Hypno had a brief moment of surprise and teleported away from the attack, only for it to suddenly veer towards it the moment it reappeared and strike Hypno in the back, exploding violently. Faba's jaw dropped as his Partner Pokémon was knocked out for the second time by the same Pokémon in a single hit.
"Wow…what a pushover." Rotom Dex remarked, beeping softly while Hau chuckled at the remark. Sun and Oliver continued to glare at Faba, who knew that the Kanto-native had been holding back on him and yet still managed to easily crush his team. Hau stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking torn between being amused and being worried.
"Aiyee!" Faba suddenly squealed, an expression of total fear on his face as Oliver notched another arrow and aimed it directly at him.
"Here's an impression for you." The Aether Employee said before mimicking Faba's expression of horror and screaming out, "Aiyee!"
On that note, the Aether Employee bolted past Faba, leaving the man alone against the quartet of Trainers. Demi and Gladion joined Sun and Hau, with over a dozen APT members fleeing in the other direction with over half of the floor burned and damaged by the fierce battle happening on the floor.
"I wanna help save Lillie, so I'm going to go ahead. You don't mind, do you Mr. Faba?" Hau said brightly as Faba looked at the faces of Sun, Hau, Gladion and Demi and realized he was screwed. The haughty man seemed to crumple inward, so stunned by the enormity of his defeat.
Faba wordlessly handed the key card to them as Hau, Gladion and Demi bolted past the scientist, with Hau stopping to wave happily at him. Sun remained behind, staring at the man as Oliver continued to hold him at arrow-point.
"Thanks for the key, Mr. Faba!" Hau called to the man, who flinched at the name. Indeed Faba seemed so stunned by his defeat he barely seemed afraid of the Pokémon and Trainer who were barely managing to hold back their fury at him.
As the three teens focused on opening the door, Sun heard Faba mutter under his breath, "This is why…This is why I can't force myself to like children."
Sun and Oliver continued to glower at Faba as the man stood there, dumbfounded at having been completely outwitted and overpowered by a group of children and who didn't seem to notice the danger he was still in.
"Sun…As much as I wish to peck his eyeballs out of their sockets, perhaps we should move on. Lillie is waiting for you." Oliver said quietly, causing Sun to look at the bird in surprise. Even after finding out that Faba had abused their trust and tortured the owl for the sake of science, Oliver was more concerned with the mission than with vengeance. Sun exhaled hard, allowing the tense feeling of rage to slip away from him somewhat. His Partner was right. Faba would pay for his crimes later. They had a friend to save.
However…An idea came to Sun just then, who decided to rub some salt in his wounds and stepped closer to the scientist, motioning for Rotom Dex to begin recording video.
"By the way…We found Colress and my Dad." Sun said to a surprised Faba before taking things one step forward and kicking Faba as hard as he possibly could between his legs. Faba howled as he was dropped to the floor, cradling his family jewels as Sun knelt down to glare at him.
"Agh! Your father deserved what he got! I happily murdered the bastard! Aggghhh…I tore him apart…Gladly! And Colress deserved what he got too! Owwww…" Faba whined, writhing on the ground as Sun stared down at him with cold anger. He then looked to his departing friends before making a decision.
"You're lucky that I care more about Lillie than I hate you right this second. You hurt so many people in the pursuit of science and vengeance. You stay away from me, my friends, and my family." Sun said calmly as his eyes slowly lightened from crimson to dark gray, shaking his head in disgust as he stood up once again. Oliver took that moment to hoot with laughter, kicking the scientist in his chest as hard as he could while he was down on the ground while Sun turned away and walked after the others with Rotom Dex ending the video recording and asking the boy if he was alright.
"Be grateful my Trainer has shown you mercy. For scarring my Trainer with the image of his father torn apart, and for hurting countless others, you deserve nothing but pain…Yes, you are a monster. Just like the ones you despise so much." Oliver spoke softly to Faba before flapping his wings and flying after his Trainer. Faba remained still on the ground as he was left alone by himself, forced to deal with his failure.
"They found Borlath! And they likely released him…" Faba groaned as he rolled onto his back, trying to regain the ability to move. It took several minutes before the scientist managed to pull out a Revive to heal his Hypno, taking the time to feel miffed that no members of the Aether Foundation stepped in to help him. Faba teleported back to his official office and let out a wail of despair.
"So…how did it go? Is everything okay?" Hope asked quietly, the Poké Ball twitching slightly in its reinforced containment chamber as Faba collapsed into his chair, putting his hands on his head.
"No. It's the absolute worst case scenario. That damned brat released his father and now…now Borlath is free! Free to wreak havoc on the world…and more importantly me!" Faba practically sobbed, raw fear clutching his heart while the Poké Ball remained silent.
"There's always the Enigma Protocols." Hope reminded Faba, who froze in surprise. "You seem surprised I even know about those. Well, they would certainly be of use to you right now. Especially the seventh one."
"I know what you're doing…Leave me alone!" Faba protested weakly, turning away from the containment chamber.
Hope laughed with amusement, and Faba shivered as he felt…something brush against his mind. He strode over to the nearby shelf and removed a metallic helmet that he had been working on for months, embedded with several Psychic and Dark Gems acquired from the Unova region. Within the center of that helmet was the Key Stone that he had acquired from the Ula'ula Island Cipher Base, which he considered a stroke of fate. The Medichamite he had also acquired from the base was sitting in a drawer on his desk, and he pocketed it just in case.
Placing the Mega Helmet on, Faba sighed with relief as the meddling influence of Hope was diminished enough for him to think properly. The scientist let out a shaky sigh. "I developed the Mega Helmet to mitigate the effects of your Psychic abilities. Thankfully I had this device ready in time…I would have been at your mercy without it."
"You are correct to be wary of my powers. Sometimes I cannot control them. Thankfully that helmet is beyond my capabilities. You are safe." Hope assured Faba, who didn't seem convinced. However, Faba drew closer to the containment chamber with a wary expression.
"The Enigma Protocols are for when the entire Paradise, or more importantly my own life, is threatened. They definitely apply to a situation where Borlath is free to wreak havoc on the place." Faba murmured, placing a hand against the glass with a pained expression.
"You are Branch Chief Faba. The last line of defense for the Aether Paradise. Lusamine is deep within her madness and is of no help to you now. She has manipulated you into being an instrument of her will…You know what you have to do. Avenge your friends, save your colleagues, and be the hero you've always dreamed of being." Hope whispered in Faba's mind, her tone gentle. Faba shut his eyes and remained still for several long minutes, and Hope went silent as Faba thought about it. Truly considered the ramifications of what he was being asked to do by a Pokémon he knew for certain he knew was…was…
After opening his eyes, Faba reached over to the small datapad attached to the containment chamber and spent a full twenty seconds typing in an extremely long password. Then, the chamber opened and the temperature of the room dropped noticeably as the Poké Ball containing the final living Umbral Pokémon twitched.
"I'll teach those meddling brats not to mess with me. And as for Borlath, his suffering has only just begun. Together we shall crush them all, Hope." Faba hissed as he grabbed Hope's Poké Ball, grinning sinisterly as a wave of bloodlust roiled through his body.
"Today we cement your legacy, Branch Chief Faba." Hope responded with soft satisfaction as Faba turned to his horrified Hypno, placing a hand on its head and teleporting out of his office to deal with the Aether Paradise's intruders.
NEXT TIME: Jackal investigates Aether Paradise, Faba makes his final stand and Sun and co. battle their way through the Lusamine's defenses!
I am so hyped. Just…I can't help myself. I'm excited for the next few chapters. They're gonna be great.
Q & A
From: SolanaLeonhart
Thinking back, the Aether paradise is really big so they have a long way to go, right? I haven't actually played the games (sadly) and I've only seen a few videos.
I've got a lot happening at once during this chunk of the story, so like in Hau'oli City it's going to take a while to get through it. Won't drag on as much though. I'd say our heroes at this point are exactly 1/3 of the way through their ordeal at Aether Paradise.
From: Oragonking
If that's so, the Deoxys should be punished as well, no matter if he's a Legendary Pokémon. Can you show us flashbacks from when he did it?
I mean, there's no point in doing that. Narratively what purpose does it serve? Especially in the middle of the Aether Arc where Deoxys is a side character? Sorry, but I'm focusing on something else right now and don't plan on showing flashbacks about Deoxys.
From: PokekidKantoFF
It took me a while, but I finally caught up with this. I honestly love the story, it's got the perfect mix of humor and tragedy! That being said, what is Hau's favorite malasada filling?
I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I'm thankful you left a review! Welcome!
I believe he enjoys chocolate and pineapple-filled malasada the most and can't choose his favorite between them. I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned that in the story or not, but those two are tied for his favorite. I'm kinda sad I've never tried one before, myself.
I'm going to not answer some of the remaining questions due to spoilers for the next few chapters, but rest assured that Faba is not done here. Unlike the games, he's a bit more determined to succeed.
That's all for now though. Please Favorite and/or Follow the story and review to show your support! They also make me very happy.
Take care and stay awesome!
Until next time, FlygonNick
