Pokémon Radiant Sun


I won't lie to you. I have had a very, very rough weekend.

There was an emergency that happened just yesterday and it was an extremely close thing for a immediate family member of mine. I'm grateful that the crisis was averted, but I'll also admit to being emotionally drained from stress.

Don't even have much to say besides that. It's nothing that'll stop me from writing long-term, but I'll admit that writing about certain things in this chapter made me genuinely break down in tears and that I'll probably take a few days to recover before diving into the next chapter. You guys deserve the best, and I want to be able to deliver on some of the most anticipated chapters of the entire story.

But, if you guys could send some prayers and good vibes my way, it'd be greatly appreciated.

Shoutout to the legends who reviewed the last update, which includes SolanaLeonhart, Oragonking, BraviaryScout and Muramasa96. You all are amazing, and I truly appreciate you.

Enjoy.

The following chapter contains intense themes and depictions of violence.


Chapter 156: Don't Forget


"It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart."- Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl.


Many Years Ago…

Ten Carat Hill


Guzma stood upright, tears streaming down his face as Goliath stood beside him. Charging right at him was Totem Toucannon, who was still coated in the blood of Guzma's Vikavolt, Charger. The boy was distantly aware of Johnny and Skylar shouting at one another, but none of that mattered now.

All that mattered was putting this thing down.

"First Impression." Guzma growled, his tone thick with rage. Goliath hesitated a moment, glancing at his Trainer with concern, before focusing on the monster bearing down on them and charging forward, crashing hard enough into Totem Toucannon to stun it. "Ice Beam."

The words were spoken in a quiet tone, but it was in a tone so low it gave Skylar and Johnny goosebumps. Goliath opened his mouth and fired off an Ice Beam that struck the Totem Pokémon directly, coating its body in ice even before it struck the ground.

Totem Toucannon slowly got up, cawing softly despite the injuries and being half-frozen. But it was obvious that it was barely able to stand upright, and wouldn't last much longer.

Of course, that didn't stop it from opening its beak and firing off Rock Blast at Guzma once again, with Goliath diving in front of his Trainer to protect him. Guzma cast a glance over at Skylar, who was watching this all happen with a grim expression. Johnny looked appropriately horrified, but was lying in the dirt beside Skylar.

The boy then turned back towards the Totem, gritting his teeth in fury. He then punched out with his fist as Goliath readied himself.

"Swords Dance, triple-time." Guzma grunted as Goliath shut his eyes and began to meditate, with glowing swords dancing around the Golisopod. Meanwhile Totem Toucannon continued to shoot Rock Blast at Goliath, who growled softly at the super-effective damage being dealt to it.

"Liquidation." At the command from his Trainer, Goliath snapped his eyes open and crouched as the third and final set of swords faded, with the Golisopod glowing a bright red color now. Goliath held out both claws and summoned watery swords in both, growling softly.

"Finish it." The words were spat out in disgust, with Guzma crouching down on the ground as Goliath charged at Totem Toucannon, who continued to shoot at Goliath. The Golisopod was battering aside the rocks with ease thanks to being empowered by Swords Dance.

Totem Toucannon let out a frenzied screech and suddenly dove at Goliath once he got close enough, but that just made things easier for the Golisopod, who delivered a spinning slash with his blades and finally brought down the Totem Pokémon. The enormous bird hit the ground with a soft caw, fainting from the damage it had taken.

However…its aura continued to burn.

Guzma stared down at the Pokémon…no, the monster that had killed his Pokémon and attempted to kill him several times. All while the Trial Captain watched on, almost as if he approved of such an action. Guzma's expression twisted into a grim smile as he glanced at Goliath.

"Goliath. Kill it. Now." Guzma ordered his Pokémon, who responded with a soft chittering sound of confusion. Guzma looked at the Golisopod sharply, narrowing his eyes. Goliath stared back at his Trainer for several long moments before turning back towards the fallen Totem, summoning a Liquidation sword and aiming it right at the Totem's throat.

"DON'T DO IT!" Skylar screamed out as he and Johnny ran towards Guzma. Johnny could only watch in horror as Guzma hesitated for a brief moment, glancing back at the Captain. He then locked eyes with his best friend…and then turned back around with a gasp as Totem Toucannon opened its eyes, glaring hatefully at Guzma and slowly attempting to get back up. The Totem Pokémon of Ten Carat Hill opened its beak, which began to glow-

And then Goliath brought his claw down, stabbing forward with Liquidation…and the Totem was no more.

Guzma didn't even flinch as crimson fluid spattered the ground and the hellish glow surrounding the out-of-control Totem Pokémon finally faded away. Guzma looked down at the corpse of the enormous bird that had tried to kill him several times during the Trial and scowled at the Toucannon.

"And stay down…" Guzma snarled softly as he spat on the corpse of the Totem, turning around and walking away from it. He heard the sounds of screaming from Skylar, but again he didn't care. Instead he walked over to Charger and returned what was left to her Poké Ball.

And then Guzma was spun around and punched in the face by Captain Skyler.

"What the fuck!? You killed her! You killed my Totem!" Skylar roared as Guzma staggered backwards with a cry of pain, only for Skylar to lunge at the boy and tackle him to the ground. The Trial Captain began raining blows on Guzma, punching him violently with screams punctuating every hit.

Skylar then yelped as he was thrown off of Guzma by Johnny, who looked down at his beaten friend for a moment before glaring at the Captain.

"Everyone just calm down! You both are acting crazy right now!" Johnny shouted at them both, causing the two young men to glare furiously at him.

"He killed my Totem! He's a murderer!" Skylar roared as he rushed at Guzma again, but this time Guzma was back to his feet and dropped him with a sucker punch before Kukui could separate them again.

"It attacked ME first! It murdered my Pokémon! That thing was rampaging and needed to be put down!" Guzma snarled at the boy, returning his burning gaze to the Captain. "He's not just supposed to safeguard that stupid bird. He's supposed to supervise the Trial! And he let that thing kill Charger! Do you not see that, Johnny!?"

"What I saw was you defending yourself from a threat." Johnny responded to Guzma, looking at his friend with concern in his eyes. "And then when it wasn't a threat anymore, you executed it."

"That aura wasn't going away. It was opening its beak, and it was glowing! How the hell was I supposed to interpret that except for yet another attempt on my life?" Guzma said in a low voice, squaring up to his friend, clenching his fists. "It killed Charger, Johnny. Tried to kill me several times. It…I had to do it."

"You could have frozen it with an Ice Beam. Called Hala and had it captured, taken away somewhere for treatment. Guzma, there had to be another way. You killed it. Maybe it was an eye for an eye, self-defense, whatever… but not everyone's gonna see it like that." Johnny said quietly as Guzma considered those words. "We need to go to the Kahuna. He may insist on punishing you for killing the Totem Pokémon, but it was in self-defense for the most part. Maybe he'll be-"

That was when Captain Skylar made his presence known by tackling Guzma to the ground, punching the boy as hard as he could as fast as he could before Kukui jumped in, trying to grab the Captain but only succeeding in getting thrown to the ground by the irate Trainer as Skylar pummeled his best friend.

"Goliath!" Guzma roared as the Golisopod suddenly rushed to his Trainer's side, swiping a claw and smacking away Skylar, sending him crashing down into the dirt with a howl of agony. Guzma rolled onto his stomach, mouth coated in blood. "Ice Beam!"

Goliath fired off an Ice Beam directly at the Captain, sealing him in an icy column and ensuring he couldn't get out. Guzma shakily got back to his feet, panting and covered in dirt, rapidly forming bruises and blood. He looked over at the fallen Totem, the monster that had attacked him. Guzma then looked down at the frozen form of Captain Skylar, who had stood by and let his prized Totem attack him and murder his Pokémon.

And then his gaze went to Kukui. Someone he considered his brother in all but blood. Who had tried to intervene, but had ultimately failed. And who right now, when Guzma needed support the most…

"Does this stupid Trial…the Island Challenge. Does it mean that much to you?" Guzma asked Johnny, who went still because of the coldness in Guzma's voice. "Turning myself over to Hala, to the police, whatever. Even after that monster attacked me, you could have called out your own Pokémon to help me. You could've done something to save me. But you didn't."

"Guzma?" Johnny asked, his tone uneasy. Guzma's eyes hardened when his best friend had spoken.

"Did I not matter? Was keeping the 'sanctity of the Island Challenge' intact mean more than Charger's life? Than MY life?!" Guzma was screaming now, with Johnny backing away from his friend with a terrified expression shaking his head.

"No! No, I wasn't thinking that! I wanted to help you! I tried! I never even considered trying to attack the Totem! I'm sorry!" Johnny shouted back, tears in his eyes now.

"And yet look what happened. We're supposed to have each other's back. But if attacking that thing while it was trying to kill me never occurred to you…Brothers protect each other. I'd have fucking died to protect you, Johnny. But it looks like I made a mistake in ever trusting you, if you never even considered doing the same for me." Guzma trailed off, the last few words shaking slightly as he grabbed the Z-Ring on his wrist, looking down on it with an expression of disgust.

"You made your choice, Kukui. Now I'm making mine!" Guzma whispered, ripping the Z-Ring off of his hand and throwing it into the dirt. Johnny flinched harshly, but did more than that when Guzma strode right up to him and punched him in the cheek, knocking him to the ground.

"I don't know why I ever thought you were different. I thought you understood. I thought…I thought that we were family. Ohana…But I never could depend on my family. So maybe you're just meeting my standard for that." Guzma said harshly, not even bothering to hold back the tears running down his face. "But I see now. You can't trust anyone but yourself. Fuck you and fuck the Island Challenge! It's only made my life hell ever since the day I was fucking born!"

"Guzma, wait!" Johnny yelled to the other boy as he returned Goliath and whirled around, sprinting in the other direction. Johnny lay there in the clearing as his friend vanished into the cave, left alone with a dead Totem Pokémon and a frozen Trial Captain.

That was the day Guzma turned his back on Alola. Because when it mattered…

Johnny Kukui and Alola turned their backs on him.


Present Day

Aether Paradise Mansion Path


Sun and Guzma stood across from one another, with a battered Brago panting in front of Sun as Guzma's Ariados lay limply on the ground, charred horribly as a result of taking a Fire Fang. Meanwhile in the background a war was happening between Team Skull that neither Trainer really paid attention to, so focused on the grudge-match that was taking place.

"Tch. Not bad, brat. Pinsir, let's go!" Guzma shouted as he returned Ariados. He then sent out a Pokémon that Sun vaguely remembered seeing once or twice while growing up in Kanto. Sun glanced at Rotom Dex, who beeped and pulled up the appropriate Dex entry as Brago padded back over to Sun and glared down Guzma intently.

"Pinsir. The Stag Beetle Pokémon. It grips its prey in its pincers and splits them apart. Although it is a powerful Pokémon, it can't deal with the cold. One solid blow from its horns is enough to split apart a large tree. Its greatest rival in Alola is Vikavolt." Rotom Dex explained as Sun slowly nodded and pointed forward.

"Flame Burst!" the boy called out as Brago unleashed a tongue of fire that coalesced into a sphere of flames. It then detonated, sending streaks of fire at Pinsir which screeched as it charged forward.

Guzma smirked knowingly, happy that he was back to being able to use some of his more experienced Pokémon. Ariados was a quick-learner, but Pinsir and Masquerain were linchpins in his original team. The two of them knew how Guzma fought and didn't always need him to guide their every action.

It was the sign of a truly skilled Pokémon Trainer that a Pokémon could take it upon themselves to act and react without input from their Trainer in a way that wasn't them ignoring commands. They learned how to battle with the best of their own abilities.

It was how Guzma knew, deep in his heart of hearts, that Sun beating him twice wasn't a fluke. The kid's Pokémon trusted him without reserve and fought their hearts out. However, Guzma would not be denied. Not on the eve of his greatest triumph.

He would make everyone acknowledge him.

"X-Scissor!" Guzma barked as Pinsir burst out of the flames, using its pincer to grab Brago with ease and deliver the brutal move, adding insult to injury by chucking the large hound across the ruined courtyard. Brago hit the ground with a pained yelp, taking several moments to rise to his feet with a soft growl.

"Brago, use Flame Charge!" Sun called as Brago's body exploded with flames and the canine charged forward, colliding with Pinsir hard. To Sun's surprise, however, the Stag Beetle Pokémon refused to falter.

"Brick Break!" Guzma commanded as Pinsir drew back a fist and punched Brago in the mouth as hard as it could, dazing the canine.

"Brago, use Aerial Ace!" Sun shouted, hoping Brago still had enough consciousness left after being brutally hit in the face like that. To Sun's relief, Brago suddenly charged into Pinsir with Aerial Ace and caught the bug by surprise, lifting it off of its feet as the canine charged forward.

Sun's relief faded as Guzma gave a sick smile.

"Guillotine."

And with just a single word, Brago was knocked out cold by Pinsir, who easily tossed the unconscious hound to the ground. Sun stared at the Arcanine for a moment before allowing himself a small smile, returning Brago and whispering a thank you before looking to Guzma and his Pinsir.

"You know, if you weren't such a jerk, I'd say that you were probably one of my favorite people to battle." Sun said to the Team Skull Boss, who blinked in surprise at that.

"What makes you say that?" Guzma asked, genuinely confused.

"You're just as experienced as Professor Kukui, just in different ways. You're strong enough to fight against Amber Fontaine and you're crafty enough to make every fight against you feel like I'm going up against you for the first time. You push me and my team to my limit, and that's not even your full power because most of your team has been in rehab for months, if what you say is true." Sun then realized something and remarked, "They've been rehabbing here at Aether Paradise, I bet. That makes sense. But still, you're actually really fun to battle against because you're such a tough opponent."

Sun then frowned, his bright red eyes darkening with anger. "Which makes it such a shame you guys had to make me so angry. You tried to kill my Dad. Even if he was and maybe still is a monster, you didn't have the right to try and take him away from me before I could talk him out of more violence back in Iki Town."

"We've been over this, kid. Your Dad. Was. A wanted. Terrorist." Guzma said slowly, almost unbelieving that Sun was still upset over this.

"He's still my Dad. He's a criminal who committed unspeakable acts of horror, but he's still my father and I love him. I'm not able to rip that love out of my heart, so I just have to live with that fact." Sun responded with a sigh, shaking his head. "We won't agree on that point, Guzma. I get it."

"Is that so? I'm guessing you're just pissed I tried to kill your scumbag father?" Guzma asked, smirking at Sun with amusement. The boy's bright red eyes narrowed further as the red in his eyes darkened to crimson.

"Not even close. You also had your goons beat up my best friend and threatened a bunch of defenseless orphans." Sun said with an uncharacteristically dark snarl on his face, which took Guzma aback. "But worst of all, you kidnapped my other best friend and returned her back to her abusive mother. And from what little I understand from your background, Guzma, that's something you know about well."

"I…Shut up, kid." Guzma snapped, scowling as he stood up. Pinsir looked at his Trainer with concern, but Guzma was staring Sun down and he was no longer amused.

Sun's expression hardened as he took a step forward, past an increasingly-worried Finn. "No. I don't think I will. Because honestly? I think you're just as much of a hypocrite as you are scared of a real fight! Just like your Golisopod. You look scary, but you're nothing but a dirty coward!"

"I SAID SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!" Guzma bellowed, stomping forward and thrusting out a hand. "X-Scissor on the kid!"

Pinsir hesitated for a few moments before charging at Sun, who swiftly called out Finn. The boy took a moment to consider a move before shouting, "Throw it back with Psychic!"

Finn let out a harsh yell as an eruption of psychic force slammed into Pinsir, sending it hurtling backwards and crashing down hard into the ground. The Stag Beetle Pokémon slammed its fists into the ground and cried out as it stood tall.

"You took her away from me. I won't stop until Lillie and Nebby are safe!" Sun hissed, his eyes gleaming with a fury that made Guzma almost nostalgic. The Boss of Team Skull then grinned manically, seeing that the boy's considerable restraint had finally broken.

"Hit me with your best shot. You think you can save her? Prove it, hero! Make me regret taking her away!" Guzma cackled as Pinsir crouched, bracing itself for a fierce showdown as Sun adjusted his cap, his eyes practically blazing with righteous fury.

"Use that anger. Channel every bit of it into saving her. Nothing else matters. Beat down anyone in our way. No matter what…I will protect her!" Sun screamed out, thrusting out a hand as Finn's eyes narrowed seriously, bracing himself for a showdown about to reignite.

"Enough talk! Let's fight! X-Scissor!" Guzma roared to the Stag Beetle Pokémon, who dashed forward.

"Scald!" Sun retaliated as Finn fired off a boiling hot stream of water that Pinsir charged right into, slamming into Finn despite the attack much to Sun's surprise.

"Follow up with Double Hit!" Guzma shouted as Pinsir dodged a Brick Break from Finn and rushed forward, delivering two brutal punches to the stomach of the Poliwrath.

"Body Slam!" Sun barked as Finn laughed, bouncing forward and colliding hard enough with Pinsir to send him skidding backwards with a pained grimace. "Follow up with Brick Break!"

"Brick Break 'em right back, yo!" Guzma bellowed as Pinsir charged forward, right as Finn lashed out with his own fist and punched Pinsir in the face. Both Pokémon remained still, their fists painfully lodged in the face of one another…before Pinsir let out a soft hiss and collapsed.

"The fuck is happening…Dammit. Alright kid! Last chance to surrender!" Guzma barked as he returned Pinsir and sent Goliath back out, with the wounded Golisopod letting out a soft growl as it crouched low on the ground, as if meditating. Finn chuckled as he punched his fists together, bracing himself for a brutal fight.

"You don't scare me, Guzma. Finn, let's go! Use-"

"First Impression."

Goliath roared as he flickered and vanished, reappearing in front of Finn and delivering a brutal slash that knocked the Poliwrath to the ground. Finn rolled to his feet and fired off a Scald that only seemed to annoy the Golisopod.

"Poison Jab!" Guzma snarled as Goliath rumbled, drawing back both claws and lunging at Finn.

"Water Gun on the ground and then Body Slam!" Sun shouted as Finn swiftly blasted himself into the air to dodge the attack and then shined white, dropping down on top of Goliath and stunning the enormous bug by dropping down on his head.

"Slash!" Guzma commanded as Goliath suddenly spun around, slashing at Finn right as the Poliwrath landed on the ground and sending him flying across the courtyard. Finn hit the ground hard, his body lightly bleeding from the deadly claws of Goliath. Unfortunately for Sun, his Poliwrath had also been knocked out.

"And now it's one-on-one." Guzma breathed with delight as Goliath growled softly, slowly returning to his Trainer's side.

Sun returned Finn with a soft inhale of breath before exhaling slowly. He then sent out Oliver, who stood proudly as he emerged in a flash of light. The owl still glowed emerald from the power of Overgrow, but he was just as badly damaged as Goliath, if not more so. The two Pokémon glared at each other, their expressions focused as they thought of nothing but taking down the other. Sun and Guzma matched their Pokémon's expressions as months of anger and bad blood between the Trainers came to a boil.

And then Oliver held up a wing and said to Sun, "Hold for a moment."

"Wait, what?" Guzma said, utterly confused.

Oliver glanced at Sun with a smirk. "Do you mind if I battle this one on my own? This fight between me and him is…something I need."

Guzma heard those words and smirked, crossing his arms. "That's right. The first time we fought, Goliath knocked your sorry ass out in a single hit. The second time, your little birdie girlfriend took him down. So what, is this the rubber match? Well, why should I give a damn what you want?"

Guzma was surprised when Goliath stood up, lowering its claws and growling softly at Oliver, who grinned fiercely back at the Golisopod. Goliath then looked back at Guzma and grunted loudly, causing Guzma's jaw to drop.

"You wanna fight this moron on your own? What the hell do you have to prove?" Guzma demanded as Goliath summoned a Liquidation sword and leveled it at Oliver. Goliath responded with a low series of grunts that made Oliver smirk with amusement, but caused Guzma to sigh and rub his forehead with annoyance. The Team Skull Boss then smirked, laughing to himself before stepping forward to slap his Partner on the arm.

"Alright then…Get him, Goliath! Do it for Team Skull! Do it for me! And do it for your pride!" Guzma shouted with a demented grin, crouching down on the ground as Oliver swept his wings apart. Goliath rumbled softly, its body shaking in a way that took Sun several moments to realize was the Pokémon's way of laughing.

And then the battle truly began.

Oliver darted forward, sweeping his wings out and releasing a maelstrom of Razor Leaf, boosted by Overgrow that swarmed Goliath even as he slashed and stabbed at the glowing projectiles before lunging towards Oliver, who flapped his wings to launch himself into the air.

The Golisopod grunted as he hunched over and began to unleash a bombardment of Pin Missile into the air, which Oliver was forced to quickly attempt to dodge lest he be pummeled by a super-effective attack.

Eventually the Decidueye got annoyed with dodging and spun around, using Razor Leaf a second time to overwhelm the missiles rocketing towards him. The leaves made quick work of Pin Missile, but that simply allowed Goliath to try a new tactic.

Goliath opened his mouth, firing off an Ice Beam that forced Oliver to soar through the sky to avoid, swooping low on the ground before landing on the ground, charging up another Spirit Shackle before firing it at Goliath. The Golisopod ended its Ice Beam and held up its arms to defend against the ghostly arrow that exploded against its mighty armor.

The Decidueye swooped forward, lashing out with a Shadow Claw that Goliath easily blocked before retaliating with a Poison Jab, which slashed deeply into Oliver's chest and sent him crashing down onto the ground with a pained hoot.

"That's right! Show 'em, Goliath. Show them all!" Guzma cackled as the Golisopod rumbled, stomping closer to Oliver as the bird twitched in pain-

And then rolled onto his side, notching another arrow and firing it. Goliath's eyes widened as the arrow smashed into his stomach before exploding, causing the Golisopod to stagger back as his body smoked wildly.

"Come on Oliver! You got this!" Sun cheered for his Partner, grinning as Oliver staggered upright. The bird looked to his Trainer and held up a wing, flicking one of his feathers upward in a way that resembled a thumbs-up. He also chose that moment to make his eyes shine bright, anticipating a certain bug to launch a sneak attack.

"ROAAAAAAH!"

And there it was.

Oliver swiftly ducked to avoid a Sucker Punch, which he only dodged thanks to using Foresight. Oliver swept his wings apart and then flapped him hard to launch himself into the air, soaring above Goliath as the Golisopod's head shot up in surprise.

The enormous bug stared at the airborne owl before rumbling softly, shaking its head before holding out its claws as they both shined bright. Oliver landed on the ground, laughing softly as he notched an arrow and prepared to fire it within a fraction of a second.

Oliver let the Spirit Shackle fly as Goliath charged, tanking the ghostly arrow and swiping at Oliver with his claws using X-Scissor, knocking back the owl and causing him to collapse onto the ground with a cry. However, Goliath was very unsteady on his feet as well, nearly toppling over as it clutched its chest with a grimace.

"Bzzzzt. How are the both of them still going?" Rotom Dex wondered quietly as Goliath heaved with exhaustion, even as Oliver's body twitched in pain.

"Pride." Sun said quietly, smiling despite the concern he felt for his Partner. "There's pride on the line. Oliver was made an example of by Goliath when we first battled him. The second time I fought Guzma, Oliver never had a chance to redeem himself. And now? It's a showdown. And they're going to keep fighting until the other Pokémon goes down."

Oliver slowly got to his feet, panting hard but still grinning savagely before his eyes flashed bright blue, with several phantom swords moving around the owl before pointing above him. Goliath managed to refocus its attention on Oliver after a few moments, but by then he was done using Swords Dance. Goliath growled softly in annoyance before thrusting apart its arms as a flume of water surrounded itself. Oliver kicked off of the ground and soared high into the sky, seemingly amused as the Golisopod chased him in midair with the bug actually gaining on him thanks to Aqua Jet. Goliath roared as two watery swords appeared within its claws, even as Oliver summoned a shimmering green shield in midair, completely stopping his ascent.

Goliath's eyes widened in shock before he collided into Protect, which shattered upon being hit with the move. The massive bug got over its shock quickly however, slashing out at Oliver with two Liquidations that struck the bird twice and delivered bloody marks upon his wings. Oliver endured the pain and soared forward, his beak shining brightly as he rammed his beak into Goliath's unarmored chest.

Oliver flapped his wings hard to propel them both back down to earth, with his beak still lodged within Goliath's chest as he forcefully brought the two of them back down to earth, causing an explosive crash as they reached the stone pathway once again.

"Holy shit…They really are going all-out." Gladion murmured in awe as the smoke began to clear, showing that Goliath had knocked Oliver away from him with a swipe of his claws and was getting back to his feet with a pained hiss. Both Pokémon rushed at each other, lashing out with glowing claws and talons while screaming at one another.

"Y-yes…but determination can only get you so far. They are exhausted. This battle is just about over." Type: Null responded weakly, not moving from where it rested beside his Trainer.

Goliath rumbled as it held out a claw and used Liquidation, summoning a truly massive watery sword and grasping it with both hands. Oliver smirked as he swept apart his wings again, summoning two Leaf Blades on each wing. However, the glowing swords were now giving off a dark green shine compared to earlier, bolstered by the power of Overgrow.

Both exhausted and bloodied Pokémon stood apart from one another before charging at one another with screams of fury, exchanging a number of brutal slashes against one another's swords.

While Oliver was nimble and had speed on his side, Goliath had the benefit of durability, strength, and patience due to his experience. Oliver lashed out fiercely, raking several quick slashes against the armor of Goliath. Meanwhile the larger Pokémon only attacked when it was certain it could land a direct hit on Oliver, which did far more damage than the bird's attacks. With each passing moment, the two Pokémon grew weaker and more tired, exhausted from their prior battles and the grueling showdown they were presently engaged in.

Oliver flapped his wings hard, leaping into the air and delivering a two-bladed swing onto Goliath's Liquidation with a terrible grin of delight. Goliath snarled in response, drawing back a claw and charging up a Poison Jab and punching Oliver in the chest.

"No!" Sun cried out as Oliver released one of his Leaf Blades and fell back with a scream, hitting the ground hard and landing badly on his right leg and causing it to buckle as he fell.

Goliath swept aside his Liquidation and snarled, using X-Scissor and charging in to finish Oliver off. The owl winced as it noticed Goliath charging towards him and tried to stand, instead crying out as his leg gave out and dropping his other Leaf Blade on the ground.

"ROAAAAAH!" Goliath bellowed as it drew closer, bringing its claws together for one final blow. Oliver then narrowed his eyes and leaned back, reaching out with his good talon and grabbed the Leaf Blade with his foot.

"It's a trick!" Guzma shouted to his Pokémon, realizing what Oliver was about to do. But the shout came a moment to late, as Goliath was already slashing downwards with X-Scissor...and Oliver had flapped his wings, propelling himself upwards and managing to dodge Goliath's attack by mere centimeters while also delivering a brutal hip-to-shoulder slash with Leaf Blade, boosted by Overgrow and being wielded by Oliver's powerful talons as opposed to his wings.

Goliath froze as it realized what had happened, and Oliver flapped his wings again to suddenly move apart from the Golisopod in case of a counterattack. The Decidueye landed on the ground, panting heavily in exhaustion and staring down Goliath as he remained completely still. Goliath didn't even seem to register the massive slash on his chest that was oozing bright purple goo-like blood.

"Goliath?" Guzma questioned, confused by the Pokémon's reaction. And for a solid ten seconds, there was no sound but Oliver's panting and the gentle sound of dripping blood from Goliath's chest. And then…

Goliath began to laugh.

"Huh?" Guzma whispered with the tone of someone who truly had no idea what was happening. But here it was. His Partner had thrown back his head and the Golisopod was laughing his head off, with the loud rumbling grunts filling the air as Gladion and the stunned Team Skull Grunts watching the showdown stared at Goliath. However after several moments, the Golisopod's body twitched violently and it collapsed onto its knees, its laughter quieting to a chuckle. Goliath tilted forward, crashing onto the ground with a soft groan before finally fainting.

Guzma simply stared at his Pokémon, not quite understanding, before snapping out of his confusion and glaring at Sun and his Decidueye. The boy and his bird had been watching with equal amounts relief and confusion, wondering what that had been about.

"Hey, what's up with you? How come I can't smash you?!" Guzma demanded as he returned his last Pokémon, with Sun grinning widely with pride and triumph. Oliver staggered backwards, sighing with relief that the battle was finally done with.

"You are strong…But our strength is greater. Acknowledge that." Oliver panted, summoning a Leaf Blade to prop himself upright. Sun quickly began healing the bird's various wounds while nearby, Gladion stared at Sun with shock, amazed that the boy had withstood Guzma's wrath. The man himself stared down at the ground, several thoughts racing through his head. All the while, Sun took that time to heal his team and Revive those who had been knocked out.

And then-

"Guzma!" the Team Skull Boss screamed, clutching his head with a wild look in his eyes. "What is wrong with you?!"

The Team Skull Boss then snapped back to reality, seeing Sun and Gladion staring at him in surprise. The man scoffed and walked off to the side, growling softly as he jammed his hands into his pockets. "Tch. Looks like I got no choice. Go on…go through."

"Well done, my brave companion! You beat Guzzzma! Now let's go find Lusamine!" Rotom Dex cheered to Sun, who nodded and ran past Guzma.

"If I want to beat you down…I've gotta get at least as strong as you! I can't believe you beat me down like that!" Guzma snarled softly as Sun looked back and rolled his eyes at Guzma. Gladion looked up at the boy and shook his head.

"Please…help Lillie…and save Cosmog! I'll be right behind you…" Gladion said quietly, slowly getting to his feet and calling out his Riolu. Sun nodded and looked forward, sprinting towards the President's Mansion.

"How…how could I lose again?" Guzma whispered, staring into the sky as he thought about the events that had led him up to this point. Failure upon failure, loss after loss, and still all his struggles weren't enough.


Meanwhile…

Aether Paradise


"Very well, Pandora. If it's a fight you want, I'll oblige." Ashton whispered softly, staring down the monster of his own making as Deoxys stood protectively in front of him. Ashton wasn't sure if that would be enough, however.

Behind him Colress continued to hack the doors controls while Jackal and Wicke watched the showdown that was about to kick off between the former Grand Master of Cipher and the final surviving Umbral Pokémon.

The monstrous Umbral Medicham had been set free by Faba, who was promptly betrayed by the creature he had mistakenly called 'Hope.' Ashton Aupuni knew the Pokémon by another name, and knew that she had misled Faba down this path.

Finally, as the door shuttered behind them and began to descend, the monster struck.

"Keep out of this! I'll handle Pandora!" Ashton shouted to the others as the Umbral Pokémon's tentacle-like legs slapped the ground with enough force to send her rocketing towards Deoxys with alarming speed. Deoxys shifted into its Attack Form and rushed her.

The two Pokémon collided in midair, with Deoxys blasting Pandora backwards with a brutal Zen Headbutt. The Umbral Medicham flipped and landed roughly on the ground, rolling limply for several moments before propping herself up and holding out her hands, which both exploded into flames. Deoxys hummed ominously and released a shockwave of force that blew Pandora backwards, causing the flames on her hands to be snuffed out. The Umbral Medicham chuckled softly, bringing her hands together to clap.

"How well you fight, my Master. Alongside yet another of your brainwashed servants who is oh so grateful that you saved them." Pandora said cheerfully, seeing Ashton scowl at her words.

"Deoxys is my friend, Pandora. Much like all of the Pokémon that were once at my command." Ashton responded to the Umbral Pokémon, who laughed at the man's words.

"Oh yes, we were friends too! So were the thousands of Pokémon you subjected to Project Umbra. Including all of your own Pokémon. You are no friend…merely a manipulator that seeks total control. You couldn't protect everyone. So you sought to control them instead." Pandora accused Ashton, who sighed as he looked down.

Deoxys rushed at Pandora, but this time she managed to counter by extending her hands out, causing two explosive bursts of energy to rip through Deoxys and blow the left side of its body apart.

"Be careful, everyone! Pandora's a brutal opponent, but not just because of her physical capabilities. She is able to sense surface level thoughts and tries to get into your head. The longer she's around, the more she can glean from you and the easier it is for her to weaken your resolve." Ashton remarked acidly, a scowl on his face as Deoxys struck the ground, shining brightly as it used Recover to heal the damage that Pandora had inflicted upon it.

"That's why you had her hidden behind so much protection onboard the Absolution. So she couldn't influence you with her mind." Colress remarked, fascinated by the mere concept.

"Yes, of course you would be fascinated. You who cannot feel most emotions, condemned to merely be a smiling husk." Pandora crooned to Colress, her tone as amused as before. "You'd burn down the entire world and not shed a tear for the friends you claim to care so much for if it meant satisfying your curiosity."

Colress' smile took a hit, and he considered those words. He snapped out of his thoughts as a spiked fist lashed out towards him, only to be diverted at the last second when a Psycho Boost exploded against the limb and sent it hurtling in the opposite direction. Pandora hissed and focused its attention back on Deoxys, who was finished using Recover and had swapped back to its Attack Forme.

"Begone pawn!" Pandora shouted as she kicked off of the ground, swiping her claws at Deoxys who attacked by launching a Zap Cannon at Pandora and blasting her backgrounds, the electrical force sending a wicked discharge outwards. Pandora awkwardly stood upright before being tackled by Deoxys, who transformed its tentacles into fists that exploded with psychic energy before beginning to punch Pandora as hard and fast as possible.

Finally, Pandora managed to surprise Deoxys by extending her tentacle-like legs and wrapped them around the Legendary's waist and throwing him as hard as she could into the nearby pillar with enough force to cause it to explode. But it had the effect of stunning the alien and allowing Pandora to rise.

"You're starting to get on my nerves. Let's have some fun, shall we?" Pandora said quietly as her fists both ignited in flames and she launched herself at Deoxys, grabbing the Legendary in midair and punching it hard in the chest with a flaming hand. Deoxys tumbled through the air with an agonized hum, barely catching itself on the ground before a series of pitch-black spears of darkness suddenly rained down on it from above, impaling it again and again.

Pandora landed harshly on the ground, laughing as the spears that were currently stabbed through Deoxys poked out of her arms, slowly retreating into her body as she giggled cruelly.

"You all fight so hard. But why? What does it truly matter?" Pandora asked, grinning bloodily at Wicke and Jackal. "Those you fought so hard to protect will soon die. Whether it be by the hands of Lusamine Jardin or myself. It makes no difference. Much like your lives were ultimately futile in the end."

"Shut it, ya freak. We're not going down until the end." Jackal responded to Pandora, who burst out into telepathic laughter.

"Says the man who let his wife, daughter and Partner all die! How many more people are you going to let down, Agent Jackal…" Pandora's voice grew colder, with the monster leaning forward as Jackal took a step back, his determined expression shattering under the blind glare of the Umbral Medicham. "Before you realize that you should have died back at the Battle Royal Dome?"

Jackal inhaled sharply at the cutting words. But Pandora wasn't done. "You want to die. You crave the sweet release of death. You miss the family that was stolen from you by a careless driver. The Partner and friend who was killed in the line of duty. You lament the destruction caused by Roran so many years ago…"

Pandora's smile widened, causing fresh crimson to drip down her face. "And you despair having lost both Lusamine and Ashton to the darkness of their hearts. You know that you could have supported them more. You could have been their voice of reason, and stopped them from embracing their demons. But you didn't. And now you want to die, knowing full well it's the only way you'll be free from your sins."

"I…you…" Jackal rasped, shaking slightly at the words that rocked him to his core. The Umbral Medicham laughed softly, narrowing her eyes as the overwhelming presence of the Pokémon enveloped Jackal's mind. A tear ran down the face of the man who had lost literally everything except a life he didn't really even want anymore.

"Allow me to help you-" Pandora began to say, only for a shimmering sphere of light to shoot towards her from beside Jackal that the monster barely dodged. The Umbral Pokémon whirled around, blindly looking around the area before sensing a new presence had joined them on the battlefield, so she turned to Wicke.

"Stop talking!" Wicke shouted sharply, stepping forward with a sharp glare at the monster who stood opposite her. Beside the Assistant Branch Chief floated a Togekiss, who had attacked the Umbral Pokémon to save Jackal.

"Oh? Where was this bravado all those years ago? You could have saved Lillie and Gladion so much heartache…" Pandora shook her head mockingly in dismay. "Or even Dawson. You were his friend, weren't you? And he sacrificed himself to save you…what a waste!"

"Yes, I've failed my charges and was unable to save someone I considered a friend. But at the same time, I know that I can still do better. And that even sometimes just a little bit of help is enough." Wicke said firmly, withstanding the corrupting words of the monster.

"What if it isn't enough?" Pandora shot back, grinning even wider. "Dawson was thrown into the Ultra Space, never to be seen again. Lillie and Gladion are traumatized, practically broken from abuse and neglect. You were supposed to protect those children, Julia Wicke. How much have they suffered because of you?"

"At the end of the day, I simply did my best. And now I'll do my best to end this mess by taking you down." Wicke calmly replied, causing Pandora to burst out laughing.

"The only one who can properly face me in combat is my Master. And even that's because of Deoxys and Damien! The rest of you are merely footnotes in the story, mere distractions in my way!" Pandora hissed back, retracting her arms back with a terrible grin. "But I will concede, most humans cannot withstand the power of my words. So congratulations on not being as weak as the others on that front."

Pandora took a step forward to attack Wicke, only for an explosion to envelop the Umbral Medicham and cause her to scream in agony. Wicke and Jackal turned their gaze towards Ashton Aupuni who stood beside Deoxys with a frown of distaste on his face.

"Pandora, what good does any of this do? You know that if we can't stop you, someone or something will." Colress asked the Umbral Pokémon as she lunged at Deoxys, clashing with the DNA Pokémon once again and punching it with two brutal Ice Punches before delivering a whip-like kick that sent the Legendary tumbling to the ground. Deoxys struggled to get up, unable to dodge as Pandora barked out a laugh and sent a fireball of raw darkness directly at the injured Pokémon, only for Ashton to throw himself in front of his Pokémon and take the attack instead.

Pandora shook her head at the display as Ashton went down again, the flames trailing down his body as it convulsed, his skin melting away at Deoxys shouted in distress. The Umbral Pokémon then turned to look at Colress, who had rejoined Wicke and Jackal's sides.

"I…don't have long for this world." Pandora admitted, her voice barely audible as it shook. "N-not after what my Master did to me. A Pokémon can only handle so much before their body simply…breaks."

"P-Pandora…" Ashton rasped, trying to force himself upright even as the last dregs of life within him trickled away. Pandora snarled hatefully at her creator, clenching her fists with the first sign of genuine rage yet.

"SO WHY SHOULDN'T I TEAR EVERYTHING APART IN THE REMAINING MOMENTS I HAVE LEFT!?" Pandora screamed, turning towards the meddling alien that was flying towards her yet again.

The Umbral Medicham summoned two lethal-looking spears of raw darkness while also opening her mouth to blast Deoxys with a pulsating black beam, blasting it across the battlefield beside its Trainer before lobbing the spears at Deoxys.

Through sheer force of will, despite being hit directly by the Umbral Pokémon's attack and on the verge of death, Ashton Aupuni forced himself to stand against the monster of his own making. That was when Deoxys was slammed into by Ashton a second time, who knocked his Pokémon out of the way just in time for the spears of shadows to slam through his body, tearing apart his insides. The former Cipher Master toppled to the floor with a bloody gurgle as Deoxys looked down at his Trainer who died before its eyes.

"Hmm…Perhaps it's time I took things a little more seriously." Pandora said with a twisted giggle as her body slowly regenerated, her hands reforming just enough to blast a distracted Deoxys with another pulse of raw darkness. The DNA Pokémon groaned as it tumbled onto the ground, using Recover as Ashton's body twitched violently back to life nearby.

"Say what you want about the man…But he's determined." Wicke muttered as Ashton slowly pushed himself up, a defiant snarl on his face as he staggered to his feet. He was panting heavily, but his storm-gray eyes were focused with determination in a way that reminded Wicke and Colress very much of the man's child.

"He's always been that way." Jackal remarked quietly, frustrated that he wasn't able to contribute much to a fight that was way out of his league. "The kid is stubborn as hell. His head hasn't always been in the right place, but his heart always has been."

Meanwhile Pandora's body had finished healing, and she regarded the Trainers with a bloody smile as she summoned a purple barrier around herself.

"How I wonder if I push things further…Go even beyond the shadows and into the true depths of darkness?" Pandora whispered gleefully as her back ripped open, tendrils of liquid darkness lashing about as Faba tumbled free and onto the ground with a thud. The man was unconscious and surprisingly unharmed.

"Now's not the time for napping, Branch Chief Faba. We have work to do." Pandora crooned as a soft blue glow enveloped Faba, who suddenly let out a shriek of pain as his eyes snapped open.

"W-w-w-what!? Who…Oh no!" Faba whispered, raw fear gripping his heart as he stared into the face of Pandora. The shining gem in the center of the battered helmet he wore suddenly began to shine.

"Fire Blast!"

Pandora screamed as a blazing star-shaped blast of pure fire crashed into her back, scorching her flesh and causing her to throw her head back as flames engulfed her completely. Wicke slowly panned her head to the left and saw that a massive Houndoom was standing beside Ashton Aupuni, a fierce growl escaping the hellhound. Faba stared up at the burning form of Pandora before scrambling around and trying to crawl away from the monster.

Damien snapped his jaws shut, ending the attack. Ashton wasn't done, however. "Deoxys, use Superpower! Cut her head off and end this!"

Deoxys let out an almighty roar as it shifted into its Attack Forme and teleported to the side of the stunned Umbral Pokémon, who only managed to shift her body towards Deoxys before it lashed out with its shining tentacles, swiping right at Pandora's neck and decapitating her in a spray of blood.

Pandora's head tumbled to the ground, followed by her body several moments later. The Umbral Pokémon's blind eyes wandered for several moments, even as her shadowy aura began to slowly fade away.

"And that's the end of that…" Ashton sighed as he walked forward, casting a glance down at the slain form of Pandora before looking to the others.

"So she's dead?" Wicke asked, looking at Pandora for a few moments before averting her eyes with a shudder. Ashton nodded, putting a hand on Damien's head.

"Those things can't survive getting their heads chopped off. It's dead." Damien grunted in confirmation, the Houndoom surprising the others with that knowledge.

Ashton nodded in agreement. "Damien's right. Cut the head off and Umbral Pokémon die like anything else. It's a failsafe we put in just in case one of them was stolen or somehow went rogue"

"I'm pleased that this didn't end up like with Jojo. Instead of being able to run amok for several hours unchecked, we cut Pandora off fairly quickly." Colress remarked with a pleased smile.

"No shit. That thing was freaky as hell." Jackal remarked, crossing his arms while Nagato shuddered on the ground. Ashton took that moment to look at the large steel doors that they had shut so that Pandora wouldn't try to escape and attack the kids. She was certainly spiteful enough for it.

"We should lower the door and help Sun. With Team Skull and Lusamine to contend with, they're going to need some backup." Ashton said with a weary sigh, rubbing his face.

"Are you sure you don't need a minute to catch your breath? You may be effectively immortal, but dying again and again can't be good for you." Wicke asked, concern in her voice. Ashton chuckled and waved her off, earning himself a punch from Jackal.

"Can't you see you're pushing yourself again? Shit like that is why you ended up so messed up in the head." Jackal growled at the younger man, who considered that fact.

"While we lower the door, just take some time to decompress. It won't take long." Colress said as he limped back over to the console.

Ashton smirked, amused that they were worried for his well-being. "Fine. I guess we could-"

"Fools."

Ashton Aupuni spun around in time for a clawed hand to suddenly slam into him, sending him hurtling backwards and slamming hard enough into the reinforced steel door to leave a bloody dent in it. The man crashed onto the ground, unconscious but not quite dead. Yet.

Damien growled with fury as Colress, Wicke and Jackal turned around to see something truly terrifying. Pandora's body was headless, torn apart and burned to a crisp. Her head, however, was still lying on the ground…and still smiling.

"Oh, my dear human friends. I'm not some beast to be slayed by the wicked." Pandora somehow spoke into their minds, despite the fact that she should have been dead. Her head was separated from her body, which should have killed her. But she still spoke. And she had somehow attacked Ashton if the twitching form of her main body had anything to do about it.

And then, slowly, the monster shambled over to her own head and picked it up, gently putting it back where it belonged. The muscle, skin and body began to rapidly knit themselves back together before the eyes of the horrified Trainers and Pokémon. Once the head was attached, the body began to regenerate and the pitch-black aura returned to the Umbral Pokémon.

"We cut her head off and she's still alive. What the fuck?" Jackal hissed, unable to help the fear in his voice.

"Deoxys, help Ashton! I'll deal with her!" Damien growled before dashing forward, letting loose a Dark Pulse that smashed directly into Pandora and caused her to cry out in pain, staggering backwards. Damien fired off another Dark Pulse but pumped as much power as he could into it, trying to keep the Umbral Pokémon down.

Pandora swept her arms apart and released another Umbral Blast from her mouth, but Damien bounded forward and aimed a Flamethrower at the ground to dodge the attack as it soared forward, punching through the walls of the Aether Paradise and into the ocean somewhere miles away.

The Dark Pokémon then fired off a Hyper Beam right at Pandora, blasting her to the ground with a shriek of agony before she threw up a shimmering purple shield. As she tried to get up, she gasped as the shield cracked down the middle and allowed the powerful beam to continue hitting her.

"We need to help him…" Colress muttered weakly, pressing himself against the wall. He sent out his Absol, Dusk, before slipping on his Mega Ring. A second armband glistened within Colress' coat, which Jackal noticed and recognized. It was a Z-Ring, made in the style of Melemele Island.

"You have a Z-Ring too?" Jackal asked, surprised. Colress nodded as he held out his hand, activating the Mega Evolution process and transforming Dusk into Mega Absol. Colress swayed on his feet, even more tired from invoking Mega Evolution while as weak as he was.

"Yes. It was a gift from Professor Kukui and Kahuna Hala, for my birthday. Unfortunately, I can't use it. My heart and mind are unable to make the connections with my Pokémon to utilize Z-Moves or Z-Power like most people can with even the slightest degree of training." Colress remarked, smiling bitterly as he spoke.

"Why though?" Wicke asked, confused. Meanwhile Damien had landed on the ground, taking a moment to recharge while Pandora desperately tried to regenerate and gather her bearings.

"Because certain emotions are beyond me. Grief, anger, true joy and many other emotions are things I have never been able to truly feel or express before. That's why I'm always smiling." Colress explained wearily, even as Jackal helped the other man lean against his shoulder. "Dusk, use Night Slash! Help Damien!"

"Yes Master!" Dusk shouted, nodding once before leaping forward and sending out an arc of darkness that slammed hard into the side of Pandora, who recoiled in pain and staggered forward into a Dark Pulse from Damien. Damien then darted forward, attempting to attack her with a Crunch, only for Pandora to sweep a leg towards Damien and smack him across the floor with the tentacle that had once been a powerful limb.

"But you just used Mega Evolution. Doesn't it require the same sort of connection that Z-Power does?" Jackal asked, wanting to know a bit more as Dusk attacked Pandora from behind, stunning the Umbral Pokémon and giving Damien a moment to recover. Despite the situation, the former Commander was curious.

"Mega Evolution doesn't require such an intense bond, though it is similar. Simply caring for your Pokémon is enough to activate it. Z-Power requires powerful emotional connections with your Pokémon, which I am unable to form. There's a reason why Amber Fontaine was never able to wield Mega Evolution or Z-Power despite the fact that it would have been trivial for Borlath to equip her with the means to use both. Her mind was broken and she was turned into a murderous psychopath, and was thus unable to form the bonds necessary to use such things. I am similar, in a way. It's why I sympathized with her plight, despite her many crimes." Colress explained as Pandora battled Damien, who was standing his ground against the monstrous Pokémon.

Aside from Deoxys, he was the only Pokémon on the entire compound strong enough to deal with an Umbral Pokémon as powerful as Pandora. Dusk the Mega Absol assisting him more or less ensured that Pandora was pinned down, at least for the moment.

Meanwhile, Deoxys had freed Ashton and the man was currently standing upright, seemingly fine despite being struck so hard by Pandora. He had called out a Greninja, who was eyeing the showdown taking place with open horror in his eyes.

"ENOUGH!"

The sudden shout caught them all off-guard, and the ruined form of Pandora suddenly flashed purple before a fireball of raw psychic energy enveloped the monstrous Pokémon. Damien and Dusk fired off attacks at the fireball of darkness, but the attacks were simply swallowed whole by the shadows.

"Umbral…Wrath!" Pandora shouted as the fireball exploded outwards, slamming hard into Damien and Dusk and sending the two Pokémon hurtling backwards and crashing hard onto the ground. The others were blasted backwards, away from the Umbral Pokémon who was standing tall, despite being burned, battered and cut apart.

Pandora's smile had somehow widened. But she was no longer amused.

The Umbral Pokémon turned towards the retreating form of Faba, who had been trying to crawl away to safety. She plucked him into the air with Psychic and dragged him back over to her, despite his sobs for mercy. Pandora's body slowly began to repair itself while she narrowed her useless eyes at Faba.

"You and I are not done yet, Branch Chief Faba…Now, it's time to dig into that brain of yours and see just how far I can push this." Pandora said with a cold laugh as Faba suddenly began to shriek in agony, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as the Umbral Pokémon's mental probe dug mercilessly into his mind. All the while, the corrupted Medicham reached a mutilated hand into the man's coat pocket and pulled out a gleaming marble-like gem that shined in the lighting of the building. Pandora's smile widened, even as Colress and Ashton felt cold horror enter their hearts.

Meanwhile, the Keystone on the Mega Helmet was shining brightly. The Umbral Medicham laughed as a Mega Stone, the Medichamite that Faba had stolen so long ago from the Ula'ula Cipher Base, drifted into her hand. Light from the Keystone lashed out and connected to the Mega Stone, which began to react within Pandora's grasp.

Pandora raised Faba into the air alongside the Mega Stone, pressing the gem into her forehead just below her horn. Pandora gestured apart with her hands before bowing to them, even as the light began to erupt from both of them. Faba's screams of agony could be heard as the power of Mega Evolution began to pour outwards.

Jackal, Wicke and Colress were surprised when a stream of attacks struck Pandora, and saw that Ashton had directed Damien and Deoxys to try and stop the process, but unfortunately it wasn't enough.

The energy suddenly manifested into a multi-sided dome of bright purple energy, visible rainbow-colored cracks running through the dome as it finished forming. Faba's screams finally went silent as Pandora's laughter quieted to a demented little giggle…before the dome of energy exploded outwards, the shockwave of raw force knocking everyone to the ground. Smoke billowed around the floor around where Pandora had been standing, with Faba lying at the edge of the blast unconscious.

Pandora had been transformed, her mutilated body further distorted by the powers of Mega Evolution. Four more arms erupted from the Umbral Pokémon, two on each side with black spikes poking out along the sides of them. The tentacles that had been Pandora's legs had been transformed into lethal-looking spikes with a knee-like joint in them, allowing the monster to crouch and kneel. Her body as a whole was now covered in a white cloth-like covering, a chestplate-like armor on the front and back of her chest. Her face was mostly unchanged, except for the fact that now had three eyes that were a milky white color, a black turban-like wrapping around her head with three horns tearing through it.

Most notably, the black aura that had surrounded the Umbral Pokémon before was now gone. However, an ominous black glowing outline had now enveloped the Mega Umbral Medicham, the mere sight of which caused the humans and Pokémon nearby to recoil in fear.

And then…Pandora spoke.

"I…the power. It HURTS. But the pain reminds me that I LIVE." The Mega Umbral Medicham said in no more than a whisper within their minds, her feet touching the floor as she slowly drifted down from the sky. However the strength of the voice was enough to cause everyone but Damien, Zorro and Dusk to flinch in pain. The spiked appendages that were now Pandora's legs then tapped the ground, a wicked shockwave of raw force erupted into the floor, sending massive cracks throughout it. Pandora's body violently trembled, twitching and writhing as a terrible chuckle reverberated throughout the room.

"And so long as I live you will all suffer." The corrupted Pokémon remarked as a spray of blood erupted from her mouth. She then turned and saw Ashton standing beside Damien, Zorro and Deoxys.

"Umbral Upending!" Pandora sang as she floated backwards before stabbing her legs into the floor. The entire floor suddenly began to grow darker in color as the Trainers looked down at it in horror. However, behind them an explosion of force erupted from the ground as whirlwinds of raw darkness suddenly burst out of the floor and enveloped Ashton Aupuni, who was torn apart limb from limb while Zorro and Damien were blasted away. Deoxys managed to Teleport out of range of the attack, zooming directly at Pandora who was struck with a Psycho Boost, blasting her backwards and forcing her to stop the attack.

However, the damage was done. Damien was lying on the ground, looking dazedly at Pandora as she laughed menacingly. Zorro was unconscious on the ground nearby, covered in what was left of his Trainer. Pandora laughed, even as her legs suddenly splintered upon being removed from the ground, with fragments of bone and skin breaking free and dropping to the ground in a shower of blood. Pandora grimaced at the sensation of her legs being torn off, but her newfound legs were already reforming beneath her.

"Night Slash!"

Pandora whirled around but was unable to stop an arc of darkness from slicing off two of her arms, making Pandora howl in pain as more crimson erupted from the newly-created stumps. Meanwhile Dusk landed lightly on the ground, the Mega Absol crouched low and prepared to attack again.

"Aerial Ace! Follow up with Dark Pulse!" Colress barked as Dusk rushed at Pandora, who was violently shaking as the floor was coated in her blood from the spewing limbs.

Jackal adjusted his hat, scowling now. "Sorry Ash, but I've had enough standing around. Nagato, Shadow Sneak! Keep it distracted!"

"Raphael, use Air Slash!" Wicke urged her Togekiss, who took to the skies and unleashed several arcs of super-compressed air. Pandora reeled as the Kelceon slammed into her back with Shadow Sneak, surprising her enough to leave her wide open for the Dark Pulse and Air Slashes to pummel her from the front. Pandora fell to the ground, catching herself with her four remaining arms even as the two stumps slowly began to regenerate in a wreath black flames.

"I was TEMPTED to leave you fools alive…at least long enough to spread the tale of how I cleansed the world of my Master's influence. But I'm annoyed now. So you will die." Pandora hissed as she got back to her feet, casually blasting aside another wave of attacks with a pulse of Psychic before holding out her hands and thrusting them outwards.

An invisible roiling force exploded outwards from Pandora and blew apart the area around the trio, sending them flying apart except for Colress, who was saved by Dusk leaping in front of the attack and neutralizing it with her Dark-typing. The Mega Absol stood her ground against the monstrous Pandora, who laughed before stabbing a single spiked foot into the ground.

Dusk gasped as the ground beneath her flashed a jet-black color before exploding, sending Colress hurtling backwards into a crumpled heap on the ground and Dusk crashing down a short distance away, shaking in pain. Pandora chuckled softly, removing her leg in a spray of bone and blood before the limb regenerated.

Within moments she was casually walking towards the downed scientist, still laughing as he struggled to move. Jackal and Wicke were unconscious, and Ashton was still slowly regenerating due to how utterly he had been obliterated by the Umbral Attack earlier.

"Oh, you poor deluded fool. You aren't even a threat…a threat of BEING a threat." Pandora laughed, raising three of her hands to charge up three spears of darkness. Colress gasped in pain as he tried to rise, but upon realizing it would be too late, the scientist closed his eyes and waited for his death to come

"PERISH!" Pandora ordained as she hurled the Umbral Spears at Colress, who remained still and accepted that this was the end-

"NO!"

Colress' eyes snapped open as a white blur dove in front of the spears, each of which lodged itself into the creature as it hung in air for a brief moment before crashing down roughly onto the ground. Colress gasped in shock as he realized who had just saved him from the Umbral Spears…and as blood began to pool around him, he realized just who had been sacrificed for his sake.

Dusk lay in a crumpled heap on the ground, the spears of darkness sticking out of her body. The Mega Absol took shuddering, agonized breaths as she reverted back to her normal form in a flash of light. Colress remained completely still for several moments before crawling over to his Pokémon.

"Dusk! Dusk, are you…W-why did you…?" Colress stopped upon hearing his own voice crack, his affable smile wavering as the Absol twitched slightly. But Colress knew that no matter what he did, logically, he could not save his Pokémon. She had mere seconds left after such catastrophic injuries. And yet despite how much pain she had to be in, Dusk offered her Trainer a small grin.

"You s-s-saved me…all those years ago…Pokémon n-never forget t-those who show them kindness." Dusk whispered, closing her eyes. "I was so scared. Always s-s-scared. B-but you were patient. Good to me. That's why…I had to save you. You're m-m-my Trainer."

Colress remembered vividly all the times that Dusk displayed signs of emotional damage due to having an abusive Trainer in the past. Colress had acquired her from that Trainer, and had worked with her to study the intricacies of Mega Evolution. However, that bond required trust, and so Colress worked hard on getting the Absol to trust him. He never quite understood just how much his kindness had meant to the meek Absol who had known nothing but suffering before Colress stepped into her life.

"You…thank you. I'm grateful for everything you have done for me, Dusk." Colress whispered, his ever-present smile twitching downwards as a well of new emotions began to bubble within him. The Absol closed her eyes, her breathing growing more and more labored. Despite that, she smiled, knowing that she had served her beloved Trainer well.

"You're good. D-don't…forget t-that, Master. Please…don't forget."

The scientist shuddered at those words, so heartfelt from a Pokémon that he had saved and who had in turn saved him. Colress placed a hand on Dusk's forehead, petting her gently as she sighed with contentment…and then died.

Colress bowed his head, thinking about the fact that his Pokémon had sacrificed herself for him. A Pokémon that he had saved on a whim and had become his Partner in the name of science. The man's breathing became heavy, almost labored as he felt a stinging sensation in his eyes that he had never experienced before.

"What's this?" Pandora whispered, looking at Colress and realizing he was kneeling in a pool of blood, trembling next to the Pokémon that had given her life for his. A futile gesture to the Umbral Pokémon, but one that amused her nevertheless.

Colress let out a soft laugh, even as a clear liquid dripped down his face. The laughter grew in volume, until the man was outright cackling with a mad smile on his then the laughing slowly deepened into something else…

And as Colress cried for the first time in his entire life, his laughter turned into sobs as he mourned Dusk, feeling the fresh agony of grief after a lifetime of apathy. Pandora slowly drew closer, fascinated by the change in the scientist who had always smiled through the atrocities that he had committed.

"Judgment is a terrible thing…but it's alright. You won't live long enough to truly mourn her passing." Pandora whispered into their minds as Colress wiped his eyes, despite the tears streaming down his face like a flood and his smile becoming more and more forced by the second.

Pandora then went still and whirled around, charging up two spears of darkness as she saw Ashton and Damien standing yet again, battered but certainly not ready to stop fighting.

"Damien, Flamethrower!" Ashton suddenly shouted as the Houndoom opened his mouth and released a torrent of hellfire upon the Mega Umbral Medicham, causing her to scream in agony as the flames scorched her and made the spears flicker away. However, to their horror, the monster floated out of the flames and charged up a roiling sphere of raw darkness within her six hands before firing it towards Ashton and Damien with almighty booming sound.

With a horrified scream, Ashton flung himself in front of Damien as the Houndoom braced himself for the attack. The attack connected, causing a terrible wave of raw force to erupt outwards, blowing apart Ashton and killing him instantly while flinging Damien into a nearby support pillar with enough force to lodge him into it. Wicke and Jackal's unmoving forms were blown to the ground from the shockwave of the attack.

Pandora shrieked as all six of her hands exploded at the wrists and joints, bone splintering from the overwhelming force of the attack that she had just unleashed. The Umbral Pokémon that had somehow undergone Mega Evolution hunched over, hyperventilating for several long moments. And then her terrible smile returned, more twisted than ever.

"I suppose I really am too powerful for my own good…" Pandora mused as her bones began to reset, a demented chuckle escaping her as they agonizingly snapped back into place and repaired themselves. She then looked down at the two unconscious humans with smugness, but her gaze then shifted to the scientist who was currently staring down at dead Pokémon with a stricken expression, tears streaming down his face.

"Do not worry, Colress. You will be joining Dusk soon enough." Pandora said mockingly, gesturing with all six of her hands and laughing at the broken smile of Colress even as he sobbed helplessly. "You deserve this suffering. You deserve to know what it's like to hurt like this. Congratulations, Colress. You're alive!"

"No." Colress responded as he looked up at the Mega Umbral Medicham, tears streaming down his cheeks as his permanent smile twisted into something terrible. A scowl broke through the façade of calmness and politeness that was almost synonymous with Colress as the scientist's face contorted with brokenhearted fury, staggering upright as the sound of gentle laughter filled the room.

"How sweet. You finally learned to care about something else. It's a shame your loyal Pokémon had to die for it to happen…poor little Dusk, so eager to make her beloved Master happy." The Mega Umbral Medicham said in no more than a whisper within his mind, crouching slightly with a monstrous smile.

Colress glared down at the abomination of science without fear, calling out his Metagross and Klinklang. Meanwhile Jackal and Wicke slowly began to stir behind him, groaning in pain after being blown away by the powerful attacks earlier.

"I don't have the power to take that thing down. But I can make it hurt as much as possible. Together we can find some way to end its life before more die!" Colress thought to himself, barely able to think with the overwhelming torrent of emotions pouring through him right then and there. And then to his surprise, Pandora chuckled within his mind.

"You truly think you can do such a thing? Make me hurt? How foolish. You DESERVE to feel this pain. After how much you've made others suffer, Colress, you finally feel what you made so many others go through back in Unova!" Pandora snarled as she gestured with her mutilated arms. "Nothing you can do is more painful than me drawing a breath. SIMPLY LIVING! You will not hurt me with your paltry power.

"I don't want to hurt you." Colress said coldly, even as tears streamed down his face. The overwhelming torrent of emotions was almost too much for the scientist to bear, but here and now he had a job to do.

Colress looked down at his Z-Ring, and for the first time since Kukui had given it to him, he felt a connection to it. The Steelium-Z embedded within it shimmered, and Colress wondered what it could mean. He then looked to the abomination looming above, grinning at his pain.

"I want to kill you." Colress declared as he stepped forward, noticing that both of his Pokémon were looking at him with concern. Metagross hummed, nodding slightly as if understanding what Colress wanted.

Little did Colress know, he had finally achieved what he had been searching for his entire life. With Dusk's death, he had felt an emotion strong enough to power through the mental walls that had stopped the scientist from truly feeling all of these years. His grief, anger, sorrow and the love he felt for his Pokémon had finally broken through.

"You say that you will crush our hopes and dreams. That we cannot redeem ourselves from the darkness within our souls. However…" Colress reached into his coat and slipped on the Z-Ring, which for the first time actually began to glow. Resonating with the intense emotions that Colress and his Pokémon felt, the Z-Ring shined brightly, causing Pandora to tilt her head slightly in surprise.

As Colress stepped past the corpse of Dusk he cast a glance down at his loyal Pokémon, and then looked up at the monstrous creature with a determined expression, a twisted smile returning to his face to match the one plastered upon the Mega Umbral Medicham.

"I disagree! Now then, let us truly see if your righteous bloodlust is stronger than my newfound grief!" Colress said with a murderous grin, tears still shining in his eyes as Pandora's laughter began to fill the room. "Let your judgment come, Pandora. Because I will withstand it and protect everyone. I shall atone for my sins…by ending your miserable life!"


Meanwhile…

Aether Paradise: President's Mansion


Sun burst into the mansion and immediately shivered. The place was aggressively air-conditioned, and admittedly felt great after being in the heat battling Team Skull. But Sun sensed something strange about the immaculately clean foyer that he found himself in.

The foyer itself was alabaster white, splashes of color here and there standing out like the colorful flowers in vases or the golden diamond that was emblazoned on the door directly in front of him. And, oddly enough, the only door that wasn't currently blocked off with iron bars. Sunlight streamed in from the overhead windows, almost causing the room itself to sparkle.

This did nothing but amplify the unease Sun himself felt. So instead he pressed on, looking around the room and silently calling out Brago and Oliver. Both were looking rather tired after the showdown with Guzma and battling Aether personnel before that, but they were at least healed of their injuries. Brago sniffed the air and looked around the room before nodding at the door in front of him.

"She's through there. I'm certain of it. Be careful, Alpha." Brago warned his Trainer, who nodded and walked over to the door before throwing it open.

And there she was.

Standing with her back to him, standing across from President Lusamine. The Aether President's expression of smugness was something that looked ugly on her normally pristine and beautiful face. The woman's expression turned to surprise as she looked past the girl in front of her to peer at Sun and his two Pokémon, their faces set in determined frowns.

"Ah, Sun. It's been a while since we last saw you…" Lusamine said lightly, her voice almost a purr as she regarded the boy with an interested smirk. Sun opened his mouth to speak, but the words died in his throat when the girl in front of him spun around, surprised by the name Lusamine had just uttered and even more so by the fact that her best friend was now standing in front of them both.

"Wha-?!" Lillie gasped, her eyes wide in absolute shock with her mouth agape, unable to form any other words. Sun and Lillie stared at each other for several long, agonizing seconds before the boy rushed forward to embrace her. Lillie practically melted into the boy's comforting hug, her eyes filling up with tears as she realized that Sun had come to save her.

For the first time since being taken by Team Skull, Lillie felt a smile split across her face as Sun held her tightly against his chest, with Lillie almost unable to keep herself standing upright considering that her knees were about to give out with sheer relief. She wasn't alone anymore. Her knight in shining armor had come to her rescue once again.

"Y…you came?" Lillie whispered hoarsely, unable to believe it. "You actually came to help me, Sun?"

"I was so worried…I'm sorry I took so long, Lillie. You were so brave." Sun whispered, pulling back enough to press his forehead against Lillie's, a relieved smile on his face. "I'm here to help you and Nebby. You can't get rid of me that easily."

Lillie's smile widened as the tears in her eyes spilled down her face, with the girl returning Sun's hug with equal fervor. "Thank you…Thank you!"

"Hmmm. So you know one another?"

Lillie gasped and flinched at the sound of Lusamine's bored voice, pulling away from Sun and allowing him to actually inspect the girl further. The girl's hair was frazzled, unusually messy despite still being in their braids. Her dress was disheveled and there were dark stains that resembled blood coating it, as well as something else that was red. The girl's mouth was stained red as well, and she was sporting a busted lip and a black eye. That was also when Sun realized that Lillie was having trouble standing upright, leaving heavily against him for support.

"They hurt her…She hurt Lillie." Sun thought, his eyes flashing crimson yet again as he felt pure rage flow through his body. However, Lusamine's next words surprised him.

"A gifted young Trainer like Sun…And he bothers with someone like you?" Lusamine mused in a tone that genuinely took Sun by surprise. He was used to a warmth and kindness to her words.

What came out of Lusamine's mouth now was nothing but a trickle of poison, an icy disgust present in every syllable. The words also had an effect on Lillie, who looked away from Sun and the President with a pained expression. Brago growled softly in anger at the woman while Oliver stepped forward, ready to protect the children should the need arise.

"How disappointing." Lusamine sighed, closing her eyes. Sun scowled, gritting his teeth as his anger spiked. What was going on here? Why was Lusamine acting this way? It didn't make any sense.

However, Sun was caught off-guard when Lillie suddenly spun around. To the surprise of Sun and Lusamine, her expression was one of anger.

"I don't need your approval, Mother! Or your permission! I will save Cosmog!" Lillie practically shouted at the woman, who simply shrugged in a bored way after her surprise wore off.

Sun held back a gasp, almost unable to stop himself. There it was. The boy had suspected something strange about Lillie's mysterious mother for months now, and ever since Gladion had informed them that Team Skull had taken her to Aether Paradise, the truth had become more and more clear. But there it was, stated plainly for them all.

Aether President Lusamine Jardin was the mother of Lillie.

The one responsible for the girl fleeing from her home. The one responsible for the girl's shattered confidence and self-loathing. Lusamine had been the one who had terrified Lillie so badly, to the point where the girl barely trusted her own judgment and hated herself. Because this woman, who Sun had regarded so highly just days ago, had broken Lillie's spirit time and time again.

And she had hurt Lillie here, too. Not just mentally, but physically. Made her bleed. Lusamine had done that to her own daughter with no qualms.

The Aether President laughed softly, putting a hand on her hip as she said, "My…You do say such incomprehensible things."

Lusamine's expression suddenly morphed, her eyes taking on an intense gleam as her expression turned into one of absolute disgust as she regarded the girl before her. "Calling me mother? I don't have any children!"

Sun and Lillie recoiled as Lusamine's expression of anger twisted into one of pure rage, her mouth contorting into a fierce snarl. "Certainly not any wretched children who would run off and reject my love!"

The Aether President's anger melted away as quickly as it had appeared, the mask of beauty slipping back into place like a velvet-lined glove. She laughed, raising a hand to her face at Lillie's words as she considered them once again. "So tell me how you'll save that Pokémon. What can you do, Lillie? You failed to convince me to listen to you. You don't even have the strength of a Trainer. The only thing you've ever done on your own is steal someone else's research material!"

"I…I-I can-" Lillie tried to say, only for Lusamine's smile to shift into something truly wicked.

"You can't do anything. You are nothing without me, little girl. And here you are, dragging everyone into your messes yet again. What a worthless, pathetic waste you are. You can't save anyone." Lusamine laughed softly to herself, seeing the tears in Lillie's eyes well up. She saw just how badly she was hurting her daughter and relished in every moment of it.

She then drove the knife further into the wound, her smile widening. "You don't deserve my love. Nor Sun's love. You aren't worth anything, Lillith Chloé Jardin. Did you really think you could save the day?"

Lillie looked down, unable to respond to Lusamine's questions. Hot tears dripped down her face at the chilling words of her mother, all of which precisely cut through her soul and sapped away what defiance she had left.

However, she was surprised when Sun stepped in front of her, his expression furious as he glared down the Aether President.

"How can you call yourself a mother when you treat your child like that? I wonder if my Dad learned how to be a selfish asshole from you!" Sun shot back at Lusamine, who's expression darkened for a brief moment. "Lillie is a selfless, kind-hearted person who just so happens to be one of the bravest people I know! And I won't let you keep talking about her like that!"

Lillie's eyes widened in shock at how vehemently Sun was defending her, her hands going to her chest as her heart fluttered. Lusamine scoffed, regarding the girl with total disdain before turning her back on her daughter.

"You're not beautiful enough for my world…but fine." Lusamine whispered as Lillie flinched beside Sun. The Aether President's words grew in volume, some of the coldness fading away. "Since you're here anyway, you can watch me summon my sweet beast. And then…you can leave."

"I'm not being foolish or selfish…" Lillie murmured, looking up at her mother. She then felt a warm hand grasp her own, and looked to her side to see Sun glaring at Lusamine angrily. He was mad on her behalf, but he seemed to be holding himself back aside from his outburst earlier. Lillie wondered why this was…and then Sun looked at her and gave her a small nod of encouragement.

Lillie then realized what Sun was doing. He was letting her handle this. Sun trusted her to say what she needed to say to her Mother, but was there to back her up if she needed it. Standing beside her, always supporting her. Ready to protect her, but also more than willing to let Lillie stand up for herself against the woman who had turned against her family.

Sun believed in Lillie's strength.

Just like he always did. And even when she didn't believe in herself.

And that knowledge gave Lillie the bravery she needed to say what came next. Lillie looked away from Sun and back towards the woman who had raised her, taught her and abused her. The President of the Aether Paradise and someone who had once been her hero. Now she was the harbinger of Alola's ruin and the one who had ruined her life.

"I am asking you to listen, Mother!" Lillie called out to Lusamine, who went still as if surprised by the sound of Lillie's shout. The woman hadn't thought the girl had any defiance left in her to speak in such a tone. "Do not sacrifice Cosmog for that beast's sake! If you open the Ultra Wormhole, Cosmog will…Cosmog will die!"

"I see now that Sun has been a bad influence on you. Before, you never would have spoken out of turn." Lusamine remarked quietly, her tone frosty. "Perhaps Ashton should have punished you more harshly while raising you, Sun."

"I think that's a matter of debate. I think me and Lillie both had a lacking parent. But at least mine still treats me like I matter." Sun responded with a smirk. "Either way, this is the end of the line, ma'am. So stop this scheme and end the insanity. There's still time, Miss Lusamine. You can stop all of this. I don't want to fight you, and Lillie clearly doesn't want to either."

Lusamine didn't respond verbally, instead stepping towards the mirror in the back of the room. Her gaze was on the reflection of her daughter, Lillie. Her defiant and weak daughter…holding the hand of a child far better than her in every way. A beautiful boy, but merely misguided. The President's eyes then focused on herself, and she shut them before opening them again, her expression determined.

"You're right…it probably will die." Lusamine words were slow, as if she were considering the true impact of what those words meant to both her daughter and the boy who had reminded her so much of a precious friend from so long ago.

Lusamine inhaled softly…and made her choice.

"Because I'm going to force it to use its power whether it wants to or not!"Lusamine declared as she brushed her hand against the mirror, and to the surprise of Sun and Lillie the mirror melted before their eyes as if it was never there. In its place was a small recess in the wall where a glowing panel was waiting. Lusamine stepped onto the panel, turning around and regarding the two children with disdain.

"Maybe if you really had been a daughter to me, I would have listened to you…" Lusamine then offered Lillie a sickening smirk as Sun rushed forward to stop Lusamine alongside Brago and Oliver. "Too bad."

And the Lusamine vanished into thin air.

"What…where did she go?" Brago asked, walking forward and sniffing the air. Sun and Oliver stepped beside the canine, who lifted his head and shook it. "She's gone. No trace of her."

"That thing was a teleporter. Some buildings in hi-tech places have them to help their people navigate around. And to show off, I bet." Sun responded, adjusting his hat before looking at Lillie, who had taken a few shaky steps towards him.

"Sun…I really am happy that you came after me…but…but…I have to be selfish again…" Lillie trailed off, looking away from Sun. "I have to ask you one more time…Please…Help me! Help Nebby! We have to save Nebby!"

"Come on, then. Let's get Lusamine to see reason." Sun said with a nod, returning Brago and Oliver before stepping towards the teleporter. "I don't see how this works, or how she got it to activate."

"Maybe it'zzzz pressure-sensitive?" Rotom Dex suggested from Sun's backpack. Sun then looked back at Lillie, who was standing there with a forlorn expression.

"Hey, what are you standing around for?" Sun asked, flashing the girl a smile. Lillie started, surprised, before bashfully looking away.

"Oh, um…I don't know how that thing works either. A-and I won't be able to help stop my mother should a confrontation arise. She's a former Champion and I'm…just Lillie." The girl whispered, shutting her eyes with a small sigh before looking up at Sun. The boy stepped towards her, his eyes flickering a shining golden color. Her heart soared with joy, because he was looking at her while they did that. She knew from experience that Sun's eyes turning gold meant that he was happy.

Meaning she was making him happy, just by being there.

But simply being Lillie.

"I can't do this without you, Princess." Sun responded quietly, offering Lillie his hand. The girl's eyes lit up at the boy's words, a soft smile on her face as she walked forward. Lillie grabbed Sun's hand, intertwining his fingers with her own. The two children stepped into the teleporter, and just as they began to wonder how it worked…Sun and Lillie vanished, just as Lusamine had.


Next Time: Pandora continues her deadly assault, but can Colress make a difference in the showdown? Plus Sun and Lillie chase after Lusamine to stop her from unleashing the Ultra Beast and dooming Alola!


I'm so ready for what comes next. Genuinely just so hyped.

Q & A

From: SolanaLeonhart

Just to clarify, does anyone else on the mainland at least have an idea about what's going on in Aether? Or are they still busy with the attacks and the communication issue?

Most people have no idea due to the communication issues and are currently too distracted by the attacks to truly realize Aether is behind it. Some are certainly suspicious of what's happening, like Nanu, but he can't devote the resources to properly investigate the group. At best, Jackal was sent to look into things because he's one of the best covert operatives in Alola.

From: Oragonking

By the way, you didn't responded what Deoxys will do to Sun if he did let Borlath die.

Deoxys would probably be pissed, but not actually harm Sun.

We're still barreling through the climax of the Aether Arc, so stay tuned for more drama and action!

And on a personal noteI would truly appreciate some positive energy and prayers getting sent my way. Or just some feedback or reviews about the chapter or anything really. Or even just an update that you yourself are doing well via PM if I haven't heard from you in a while.

I also want to send a big thank you to those in my RS Discord and my friends in the Freelancer Collaboration, who've been absolute legends in the past 24 hours and helped me handle some of the stress. I have faith that things will get better eventually. Just like our heroes in the story…I'll keep fighting on.

That's all for now everyone. Stay safe and stay awesome.

Until next time, FlygonNick out!