Alola! We're finally back after what's felt like quite a long time, huh? Well, it's felt that way for me at least. I've been a bit worn from not being able to work on chapters as quickly as I'd like to. It's why that as of the time I'm writing this, I've taken a hiatus from writing chapters for "Through the Rough", which is very far ahead in terms of chapter drafts.
But that's enough about that for now! Last time we left off, Calvin and Erika were enlisted to be a part of a task force set on capturing each of the Ultra Beasts still roaming about Alola! We've also got Hau, Paige, Pyrrha, and Trent involved, too!
Before they can start their mission though, they're going to need some new supplies. So, let's get started!
POKÉMON SUN & MOON
THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME
"Hey, everyone, zzt!" Rotom buzzed in greeting as it flew out.
"Rotodex!" Erika exclaimed happily. She and the others had just arrived at Aether Paradise as part of their assignment to collect the Beast Balls necessary to capture the Ultra Beasts around the islands. To their surprise, the Pokédex was there, floating over to them.
"What are you doing here?" Calvin asked with an arched eyebrow, "I thought you were gonna be analyzing all the moves used during the Lanakila Conference…" he pointed out.
"Thizzz izzz more important, zzt!" Rotom buzzed as a retort, "The only Ultra Beast we know about izzz Nihilego, but there are otherzzz around Alola!" it noted to the group.
"And the Aether Foundation wants you to help conduct research on them?" Paige guessed, earning a nod in response.
"That reminds me, what do you have on Nihilego?" Pyrrha asked curiously. The Pokédex made the particular Ultra Beast's image appear upon its screen.
"Nihilego, the Parasite Pokémon," it began to the group, "One of the Ultra Beasts. It's unclear whether or not this Pokémon is sentient, but sometimes it can be observed behaving like a young girl," it explained thoroughly.
"Like a young girl…?" Erika repeated, only to blink in realization as she remembered how Lillie was dressed when they first met. She tensed up a little.
"Eri?" Hau uttered in concern upon noticing.
"Oh, you're already here!" a familiar voice chimed in, getting the group's attention as they turned to see Wicke approaching, "It's been a while!" she remarked with a smile. Moments later, they were traveling down the elevator.
"How's Miss Lusamine doing?" Calvin wondered curiously, getting the assistant's attention.
"She's… managing for now," she replied, "I'm sure Lillie told you that her condition's a bit more troublesome than we anticipated…" she mentioned, "Most of her symptoms involve numbness and difficulty when it comes to walking," she told the group.
"Oh man…" Hau uttered.
"How awful…" Trent commented, while Erika was finding it hard to even act sympathetic, lowering her gaze.
"What about Gladion?" Paige asked, "Is… he doing okay?" she inquired in concern.
"He's doing fine," Wicke assured, "He's been actually working in the president's stead, even starting to figure out how to help the other Type: Null," she mentioned on.
"Oh…" Calvin uttered, remembering the other Synthetic Pokémon he and Gladion had accidentally uncovered while looking for the Moon Flute, "That's good to know," he affirmed with a grin. The elevator then docked, with its railings coming down.
"Please wait here," the assistant advised, "I'll be back in a moment with the Beast Balls," she promised, walking off through the automatic door, which closed behind her.
"So Lillie's left Alola… and Gladion's taken charge of Aether Paradise…" Paige noted aloud.
"Yeah…" Erika responded, looking down in thought. She remembered her goodbye to Lillie earlier today. She crouched down and whimpered. "Lillie…" she sobbed out. Pyrrha looked over in concern.
"Guess you didn't take her leaving all that well…" she realized.
"So the Ultra Beasts are technically Pokémon?" Trent questioned of Rotom, who was floating between him and Calvin.
"That'zzz correct, zzt," it buzzed in response, "Based on our research, there are other Pokémon we know of that dwell within the worlds through the Ultra Space," it explained.
"Pokémon we know?" Calvin repeated in surprise.
"It must be scary for them to be in the same place as the Ultra Beasts…" Trent pointed out, folding his arms over his chest.
"Well, it seemzzz azzz if the Ultra Beastzzz themselvezzz have their own habitatzzz," Rotom noted to his surprise, "However, the Ultra Wormholezzz around Alola allowed them to escape into our world," he mentioned further.
"And we've gotta send them back like Miss Anabel said," Pyrrha added seriously.
"Speaking of whom, did you notice how weird she was acting when your dad got brought up?" Paige inquired curiously.
"Huh?" Erika uttered in confusion.
"Yeah, I kinda noticed that…" Calvin confirmed, "I guess they must've been friends or something back when she was one of the Frontier Brains…" he assumed, rubbing the back of his head.
"No, no, no…" Paige said repeatedly with a shake of her head, "Those kinds of looks aren't something she'd give for a friend…" she affirmed, much to the confusion of the capped boy, "I think… she must've had a thing for your dad!" she inferred, pointing towards the twins.
"…Huh?" they both uttered out.
"What's the big deal about that?" Trent inquired as he approached.
"The big deal is that Ash Ketchum apparently won over the heart of a former Frontier Brain!" Paige emphatically responded, "In fact, it was probably years ago when they first battled!" she mentioned on, "It's so obvious!" she proclaimed rather excitedly.
"Paige, calm down a little…" Pyrrha insisted, "Mister Ketchum's married, you know…" she pointed out.
"So's your mom," the silvery-haired girl retorted to her surprise, "That hasn't stopped her from getting around with other people," she added, folding her arms behind her head.
"AH!" Pyrrha yelped with a bright blush on her cheeks, "P-Paige!" she stammered angrily, while the others watched on with flabbergasted expressions, not sure what to make of the situation.
"Sorry for the wait!" Wicke apologized as the door opened, allowing for her to enter as the group of former trial-goers turned to face her, "They had just finished the manufacturing for a few more of the balls," she confirmed to the group, holding a tray with the specialized Poké Balls upon them, "Please, take three each," she requested of them. They walked over to take them off of the tray, looking at them in their hands curiously.
"You only had this many?" Trent inquired of the assistant, who nodded ashamedly.
"Sadly, we only have so many resources to utilize," she admitted to him and the others, "We're trying to reengineer the Beast Ball ourselves, but it's proving to be very difficult, especially without energy from the Ultra Wormhole," she explained further.
"So we have to be careful with how we use these," Paige realized.
"I hope there aren't more Ultra Beasts than Beast Balls…" Pyrrha said in concern. Just then, Rotom felt a shiver go up its body. Erika noticed.
"You okay, Rotodex?" she asked. All of a sudden, its screen flashed on, projecting a video message of Anabel.
"Are you all there?" she inquired immediately.
"Miss Anabel!" Calvin yelped in surprise.
"I see you've gotten yourselves Beast Balls, good," the task force chief noted aloud, "We've gotten reports of a UB roaming about Akala Island within Diglett's Tunnel," she told the group, causing them to widen their eyes, "It's a Nihilego, like the ones you've fought before," she mentioned.
"Whoa, already?" Hau uttered in shock.
"Well, what are we waiting for?!" Trent questioned, "Let's get a move on!" he insisted of his colleagues, hurrying off to the elevator.
"Right!" his fellow former trial-goers responded, following him.
"Rotodex, you should come, too!" Erika advised of the Pokédex, getting its attention.
"O-Okay!" it stuttered, zipping after the group.
"Looker and I'll take care of protecting the civilians from the Nihilego," Anabel mentioned to the group, "We wish you all the best of luck," she added as the six former trial-goers went up the elevator.
OPENING
Insert "Acacia" by BUMP OF CHICKEN
Opens with sparkles over a black screen before we catch a glimpse of Calvin and Erika. The two of them are walking down a set of old railroad tracks together. As they continue, they're followed by Litten, Popplio, Yungoos, Rockruff, Pikipek, Oricorio, Fomantis, Dewpider, Drifloon, Cubone, Magby, Bounsweet, Sandygast, Poliwag, Starbright as a Cleffa, Togedemaru, Sandshrew, Mimi, and Jangmo-o. Those of their Pokémon that can evolve do in flashes of light, hurrying after their trainers.
We get shots of the Ketchum twins during their various adventures, meeting their first Pokémon, going to the local school, taking part in the island challenge, and meeting all sorts of people. We pass by Ilima, Lana, Kiawe, Mallow, Sophocles, Acerola, and Mina, finishing with Ryuki shredding his guitar as his Kommo-o chimes his scales behind him. We also see Hala, Olivia, Nanu, and Hapu, each at their respective islands of Alola.
The opening continues with Calvin and Erika helping each other out, climbing mountains, traversing rivers, and crossing bridges as they keep on their path. All of a sudden, an Ultra Wormhole opens in front of them, much to their shock. A Nihilego pops out, attempting to ensnare them with its tentacles. However, it's knocked away by a Mudsdale, belonging to Paige as she shoots the twins a wink. They're joined by Hau, Pyrrha, and Trent, sending out their Pokémon to do battle as more Ultra Beasts pour out.
Nihilego fires off a Venoshock, which Trent's Skarmory blocks before Erika's Starbright strikes it back with a Meteor Mash. A Buzzwole blows Calvin's Incineroar and Paige's Electivire, only to suddenly get bombarded by Acrobatics from Pyrrha's Starlight. A Pheromosa kicks Hau's Raichu back, but he counters by having the Alolan Mouse Pokémon pull off the Stoked Sparksurfer Z-Move, which zaps the Ultra Beast fiercely.
We cut to a shot of Looker and Anabel together, who wave to the group of young trainers. We also get to see the members of the Ultra Recon Squad: Phyco, Soliera, Dulse, and Zossie, each with a Poipole as a partner. One of them flies about around Erika, playing with her Jangmo-o as she giggles.
Afterward, we see Calvin investigating a mysterious box he found, narrowing his eyes curiously. His Incineroar taps him on the shoulder, enticing him to turn around and gasp at the multitude of Meltan roaming about. His Tsareena picks one of them up, nuzzling her head against it lovingly.
We then watch Erika command her Primarina against Leslie's Serperior, as the two Pokémon whisk about each other before unleashing their respective attacks. Witnessing the battle from afar with sparkles in her eyes is Nemona, who clenches her fists determinedly. Meanwhile, Calvin approaches a large tree at Poni Island, only to meet Leon and Sonia. The former's black Charizard huffs as he steps forward, making the Ketchum boy smirk nervously.
The song winds down, with the twins heading on the path back to their vacation home. There, Pikachu calls out to them as Ash and Mirajane smile, waving happily. Calvin and Erika head back inside for the night, ready to head off for the next journey. As he's about to follow them, Pikachu takes notice of a red, crocodile-like Pokémon waddling by, sneezing a puff of fire.
END OPENING
Strength & Beauty
"Darn it, let him go!" one man yelled desperately.
"What even is that?!" another inquired in shock. Inside Diglett's Tunnel, one of the miners was struggling to control himself as he had suddenly been ensnared by the Nihilego that was lurking about, taking control of his body to puppet him around.
"Get… away from me!" he pleaded to those around, as some nearby Pokémon were scurrying off, "PLEASE!" he screamed with tears in his eyes.
"Neeheeeheee…" the Ultra Beast possessing him giggled.
"Mudsdale, High Horsepower!" a voice commanded, causing it to perk up suddenly. It turned too late as a Draft Horse Pokémon rammed into it from the side while his body had an orange aura shrouding his body. Nihilego's hold on the miner was relinquished as it flew back, regaining its balance in midair.
"Huh… huh…" the worker breathed out, falling to his hands and knees.
"You okay?!" one of his coworkers asked immediately as he went over to his side to check on him. In the meantime, Paige approached alongside Erika, causing the men to look over in surprise.
"Get out of here as quick as you can!" the former advised, enticing them to hurry off, "Cal and the others are at both exits, right?" she inquired of her friend, who nodded.
"And thanks to Rotodex, we know how to deal with this Ultra Beast!" she pointed out, readying a Poké Ball in her right hand as she enlarged it with the press of its button, "Let's go, Palossand!" she yelled, throwing the spherical container forward. It popped open, with its light spilling out onto the ground, shaping into form and dissipating to reveal the Sand Castle Pokémon.
"Pah loh!" he exclaimed.
"Neehee…" Nihilego as she floated over to her foes, who readied themselves for battle.
"Come on, hurry!" Trent insisted, standing by the entrance leading to Heahea with Calvin as people were hurrying out.
"So Nihilego a Rock-and-Poison-type…" the Ketchum boy noted aloud, getting his rival's attention, "That means Ground-types are the best bet against it," he realized.
"Or Steel-types, especially if it tries to poison our Pokémon," Trent mentioned, "But I've got faith in your sister," he affirmed with a grin.
"And Paige, too," Calvin added. At the other exit, Hau and Pyrrha looked around worriedly.
"Where's Miss Anabel?" the former of the pair asked.
"Wasn't she supposed to be helping us with fighting the Ultra Beast?" the latter inquired on. Back inside, Nihilego flew about, evading the purple-and-black balls of energy shot its way from Palossand.
"Neeheehee!" it giggled. Erika growled in frustration.
"It's a slippery one…" she muttered out. The Parasite Pokémon then readied a pale pink mass of energy in front of itself, shrouded by a white, sparkling light. It then became a ray, which shot towards its intended targets. Mudsdale leapt out in front Palossand, taking the blow in a burst of white smoke. As it subsided, a reddish aura flowed up his body, while he puffed steam out from his nostrils.
"Nice one, Mudsdale!" his trainer complimented, "At this rate, we'll have this Nihilego captured in no time!" she proclaimed, "Use Heavy Slam!" she ordered. A silver aura shrouded the Draft Horse Pokémon's body as he charged toward his target, who flew about, seemingly in search of something. Taking notice, Erika blinked in confusion.
"Rotodex, doesn't it look like it's looking for something?" she inquired of her Pokédex, getting its attention.
"Probably another host to take over, zzt," it presumed in response. They watched as it evaded Mudsdale's attempt to stomp down on it, followed by it blasting him back with another pale pink beam of light.
"Muhh…" he neighed with frustration.
"We're just getting started!" his trainer proclaimed, "High Horsepower!" she commanded, swinging her right arm out. An orange aura shrouded the Draft Horse Pokémon as he galloped forward. However, Nihilego went ahead and fired off a poisonous, purple glob out at its incoming foe, making him screech to a halt as he wound up struck. "Mudsdale!" Paige cried out.
"Oh no!" Erika exclaimed, "That was Toxic, wasn't it?!" she assumed, looking over at Rotom.
"Yeah, zzt…" it buzzed in response. Mudsdale's body glowed purple with sparks and bubbles as he winced.
"Neeheeheehee!" Nihilego giggled, throwing out its arm-like tentacles to unleash sprays of purple liquid, striking the Draft Horse Pokémon as he neighed with agony.
"And now it'zzz using Venoshock!" Rotom yelped.
"Ergh…" Erika growled out of frustration, remembering how she had earlier emphasized that her Pokémon and Paige's would be the best to handle taking on the Ultra Beast. However, it seemed to be growing wary of its foes' tricks, preparing for the next move. "Palossand, use Earth Power!" the Ketchum girl ordered.
"Pah!" the Sand Castle Pokémon responded, making his eyes flash a bright orange. The ground started to swell underneath where Nihilego was floating, bursting apart with orange energy like lava. It struck the Ultra Beast, forcing it to fly back.
"Yeah, nice one!" Erika complimented as she pumped her right fist. However, she then noticed a multicolored glow shroud the Parasite Pokémon. A beam of the same luminosity shot out from its body, striking Palossand as he wailed with agony. "Palossand, no!" his trainer cried out.
"Now it just used Mirror Coat!" Rotom noted aloud. Its user grimaced, clenching her trembling fists.
'How are we losing like this…?!' she wondered inwardly, 'We're top trainers in Alola!' she affirmed to herself, 'We've battled Ultra Beasts before…' she added through her thoughts, 'So what's wrong now?' she questioned. She thought back to what her older sister had told her when they got to battle in the morning. By focusing too much on the type advantages, she failed to recognize her own Pokémon's inherit abilities, along with the added effects of some moves. There had to be something she wasn't thinking of… And then, she blinked.
"Palossand, are you okay?" she questioned of the Sand Castle Pokémon, getting his attention.
"Loh!" he responded with a nod of his head.
"What do you wanna do, Erika?" Paige questioned of her friend, who took a deep breath.
"We're not gonna win this fight alone," she pointed out in admittance, "We can win, but we have to get help," she insisted, grabbing the Level Ball off of her belt and enlarging it. She tossed it out, letting it pop open as its light formed upon the ground, dissipating to reveal Jangmo-o.
"Jah!" he chirped out.
"Huh?!" Paige exclaimed in surprise.
"You brought Jangmo-o?!" Rotom questioned out of shock.
"Jangmo-o, I need you to go get Calvin and Trent," Erika advised of the Scaly Pokémon, getting his attention.
"Moh!" he responded with a nod, hurrying off. Watching him go, Nihilego curiously floated after him.
"Palossand, Shadow Ball!" the Ketchum girl yelled. Opening his mouth wide, the Sand Castle Pokémon fired a purple-and-black ball of energy, striking the wall just before the Ultra Beast, causing it to stop and turn toward him.
"Muhh…" Mudsdale groaned as it staggered over, standing firm as he puffed steam out from his nostrils. Meanwhile, Jangmo-o ran towards the tunnel exit, spotting both Calvin and Trent there. They blinked in surprise upon noticing the Scaly Pokémon, followed by the Ketchum boy gasping lightly in realization.
"Sandstorm!" his twin sister yelled from afar, throwing her right hand forward. Palossand took a deep breath before expelling a powerful torrent of wind and sand from his mouth, letting it swirl about the cavern. It hardly seemed to faze the Nihilego, who readied another pale pink mass of energy shrouded in sparkling white light, firing a ray that struck the Sand Castle Pokémon as he recoiled.
"Palohhh…" he groaned out.
"Just hang in there a little longer, Palossand!" his trainer advised, using her arms to shield herself from the sandstorm, as was Paige.
"What the point of doing that?!" she asked with a grimace, "Neither Palossand nor Mudsdale get affected, sure…" she pointed out, "but the same goes for Nihilego!" she mentioned.
"Sandstorm's not meant to hurt it…" Erika confirmed to her friend's surprise. At that moment, she took notice of something flying through the sandstorm, which the Ultra Beast wasn't aware of. It was the pair of Skarmory and Togedemaru, with the latter riding aboard the Armor Bird Pokémon's back.
"Steel Wing!" Trent's voice yelled.
"Iron Tail!" Calvin's voice shouted. Skarmory had his wings shine a silvery-white as he closed in on his target, while Togedemaru hopped off, making his tail-like needle glow the same way. Nihilego turned too late as it was struck by both of them, falling down onto the ground in a dusty heap.
"You two okay?!" Trent inquired as the girls looked over and smiled to see both him and Calvin there, as Jangmo-o was alongside them.
"Nee…heee…" Nihilego groaned as it floated up slowly. Seeing that, the Ketchum boy was quick to grab a Beast Ball from his bag, enlarging it with a press of its button.
"Here goes…!" he exclaimed, throwing it as hard as he could. It struck the head of the Parasite Pokémon, opening up. The Ultra Beast turned into a blue-and-red mass of light, zipping into the specialized Poké Ball, which closed soon after. It fell to the ground, shaking for a few moments as the button blinked red. Everyone watched on, hoping it would stop. And it did with the sound of a click, while the button flashed a bright green.
"Alright, we got it!" Trent exclaimed in delight, while Calvin sighed in relief.
"Nice job, Jangmo-o," Erika complimented as the Scaly Pokémon made his way back over to her, hopping into her arms.
"Jah moh!" he chirped happily.
"That sandstorm came in pretty handy," Trent noted as he approached, getting the Ketchum girl's attention, "If it weren't for that, Nihilego might've noticed us and gotten away again…" he pointed out.
"You can thank Palossand for that," Erika commented.
"Pah loh!" the Sand Castle Pokémon exclaimed with a smile. In the meantime, Calvin picked up the Beast Ball off of the ground.
"Even though Nihilego was an Ultra Beast we knew about, it was still pretty tough…" Paige pointed as she went over to his side.
"Yeah…" he agreed, "We have to really be careful going forward," he advised, getting the others' attentions, "Even if our Pokémon are strong against the Ultra Beasts type-wise, we can't take any chances against them," he insisted of the group.
"For now, we oughta' regroup with Miss Anabel and Mister Looker," Trent decided, earning nods from his friends. Just then, Rotom shivered, causing the others to look over at it in surprise.
"You okay, Rotodex?" Erika asked of the Pokédex. All of a sudden, the image of Looker appeared upon its screen.
"Everyone!" he exclaimed to the group's surprise.
"Mister Looker!" they yelped simultaneously.
"Have you subdued Symbiont yet?" the detective inquired of the group.
"Yeah, we just captured it," Trent confirmed in response, "We were just about to go check in with Miss Anabel and—"
"You can forget about that, Trent," Looker interjected to his confusion, along with the others, "She's already back on Melemele to help lure out more of the Ultra Beasts," he mentioned to everyone's surprise, "I've already gotten in touch with both Hau and Pyrrha on the matter at hand," he added, "There are two unknown species of Ultra Beasts sighted here that we need captured at the soonest opportunity!" he pointed out, causing the former trial-goers to gasp in shock, "Please hurry!" he insisted of the quartet before the call ended. The group of friends all looked to each other in surprise.
"Not just one, but two Ultra Beasts this time?" Paige noted in question as she grimaced.
"Let's split ourselves up then," Trent advised, "Cal and I can go back up Hau with whatever Ultra Beast he's dealing with," he pointed out, "and you girls can help Pyrrha," he mentioned further.
"Right," Erika responded with a nod, returning both her Palossand and Jangmo-o to their respective Poké Balls in beams of red light, "Let's get moving, guys!" she insisted of the others as they recalled their own Pokémon, hurrying off with her out of the cave.
X
"Ryyy…" Hau's Alolan Raichu groaned, lying in the yellow flowerbed of Melemele Meadow with scrapes all over his body. His trainer gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Man, how are we supposed to deal with this…?" he wondered aloud. The Ultra Beast he had gone off to face alone was a creature that resembled a large, anthropomorphic mosquito. Its head was small and flat with a black ridge up the center. It had two red compound eyes with two black, spherical basal joints for its red and black antennae between them. Protruding from under these joints was a long, silver proboscis. It had many bulging muscles that appear to be sacs full of a red fluid with small white bubbles inside. There were three sacs on each arm, two on each leg, two on its chest, and several on its shoulders and down its back. Around its waist were three rings of smaller sacs. The muscles on its chest and some on its arms and waist had thin, grayish lines resembling tendons running across them. It had large, five-fingered hands with red knuckles and four pointed legs. There were several black spikes on its body: a small one on each side of its head, two on each shoulder, one on each elbow, and one on each leg. The portions of its body between its muscles were dark red or black. On its back were two pairs of pale orange wings with slightly darker veins.
"ZZWWWWWOLLLLLL!" it buzzed proudly, flexing its muscles.
"Ryyy…" Raichu growled as he floated up, clenching his teeth together.
"Take it easy, Raichu!" Hau advised, "We gotta hold down the fort for Cal and the others to get here!" he pointed out. Just then, the Ultra Beast closed its right hand into a tightened fist, making it glow reddish-orange as it pulsated with energy like an explosion. It dashed forward instantaneously toward its foe.
"Ry?!" he yelped in shock.
"RAICHU, NO!" Hau screamed. The Ultra Beast struck the Alolan Mouse Pokémon in a huge burst of dust, making flowers fly about wildly through the meadow. Elsewhere in Verdant Cavern, both Pyrrha's Gigas and Sona had fallen, lying upon the ground with bruises all along their bodies. Their trainer grimaced, having Kimiko and Starlight in front of her.
They were facing a pair of creatures that resembled anthropomorphic, feminine cockroaches. They were primarily white with a thin build. Their torsos were composed of five thin discs that drooped slightly downward. The widest disc made up their shoulders, the second widest their hips, and the two smallest their chests and waists. There were gold ovoids inside of the widest disc, where their long, thin necks protruded from. Their arms and legs were also long and thin with gold joints. Their hands and feet were both composed of two golden claws. They had small, semi-flattened heads with yellow, crown-like structures on top. The two tallest points of the crowns pointed to their long, thin antennae, which were white with small gold balls at the tips. Attached to the back of their heads were two structures resembling insect wings. The wings were transparent, curved slightly inward, and reached nearly to the ground. They had narrow, purple eyes with bright blue pupils.
"Ferrrohhhh…" they hissed out, hopping about the cavern speedily. Pyrrha and her Pokémon were struggling to keep track of them. All of a sudden, one lunged out at Kimiko from behind.
"Kimiko, look out!" her trainer screamed. The Deceiver Pokémon turned around to spot her incoming foe, only to be ambushed by the other Ultra Beast of the same species, who struck with its right foot as it was cloaked in a yellowish-green light. She was sent flying back, crashing into the wall in a flurry of dirt and dust. "KIMIKO!" Pyrrha shrieked. Her Mawile fell to the ground in a heap, trying to push herself back up, only to groan as she slumped over.
"Ferorrororororo!" one of the Ultra Beasts cackled haughtily, getting the red-and-yellow-haired girl's attention. She growled, clenching her fists tightly. Meanwhile, Calvin, Erika, Paige and Trent were fast approaching Melemele, with the two boys riding aboard a Charizard, while the girls rode upon a Pelipper. The Water Bird Pokémon flapped his wings rapidly to stay airborne from the weight of two passengers.
"So two other Ultra Beasts?" the Ketchum girl noted in inquiry to Rotom, who was flying in front of the group.
"Yep!" it buzzed in response as it turned to face them, "Mizzz Anabel sent me some imagezzz of them, zzt!" it mentioned, displaying pictures of the two Ultra Beasts on screen.
"Ehh…" Erika uttered with a shiver.
"Both of them look like Bug-types…" Paige pointed out curiously.
"Guess that's a good place to start when looking for weaknesses…" Trent inferred.
"But let's not get too comfortable…" Calvin advised, readying a Poké Ball in his right hand, "Remember, we have to focus on catching the Ultra Beasts," he noted to his friends.
"Right!" the others agreed.
"Look, we're coming up on the island!" Paige exclaimed, pointing towards Verdant Cavern.
"We'll head over to the meadow!" Calvin decided, having Charizard fly off towards the east side of the island.
"Got it!" his twin sister responded as Pelipper descended to the west, with Rotom following them. Back at the flowerbed, both Hau's Decidueye and Noivern were blown back by the Ultra Beast they were facing, as their trainer was sweating with fright. He had no idea how to handle such a powerful-looking foe by himself, let alone with help. A yellowish-green aura cloaked its body as it zipped out toward the Sound Wave Pokémon.
"Noivern, watch out!" his trainer yelled in panic. The Sound Wave Pokémon took notice, widening his eyes. However, Decidueye flew in, tackling him aside before he wound up struck by the Ultra Beast, crashing into the flowerbed. "Decidueye!" Hau exclaimed.
"Dehh… sidge…" he chirped weakly, lying flat on his stomach.
"BUZZZZZZZZ!" the Ultra Beast bellowed, flexing its muscles proudly. The ponytailed boy grimaced.
"Decidueye, return!" he called out, recalling the Arrow Quill Pokémon to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light. He gritted his teeth as he glared toward the Ultra Beast, who still seemed to be ready to put up a fight. Just then, shuriken-like discs of air rained down from above, forcing it to jump back before it could end up getting struck. "Ah!" Hau gasped, looking up to see Trent's Skarmory soaring down alongside Calvin's Toucannon, who fired off a flurry of golden seeds shrouded in green light from his beak. The Ultra Beast hopped away from them as well, taking notice of the two boys coming down via the Charizard they were riding.
"Hau, you okay?!" the Ketchum boy immediately asked of his cousin, who smiled.
"I'm better with you guys here!" he remarked in reply. The Flame Pokémon landed, allowing for its riders to disembark and join Hau.
"So that's the Ultra Beast?" Trent assumed.
"Yeah…" the ponytailed boy responded, "Miss Anabel said it was called UB-Strength or… Buzzwole, I think…" he told his fellow former trial-goers, "It already beat my Raichu and Decidueye…" he mentioned in frustration, lowering his head.
"Hey, you're doing just fine, Hau," Calvin assured, bumping his cousin's shoulder with his left fist.
"Besides, we should've known this wouldn't be easy," Trent added. Their Pokémon flew down, landing in front of them. Their foe flexed its arms, ready to battle them. In the meantime, the Yungoos and Gumshoos living in the dens of Verdant Cavern were shaking in fright, not sure what to do as the pair of Ultra Beasts zipping about were still causing Pyrrha problems. With half of her team already bested, she had no idea what to do.
"Ferroh!" one of the Ultra Beasts exclaimed as it dashed over, attempting to kick her. She gasped, thinking that she'd wind up struck. However, her Minior zipped in to take the attack, enduring it with all its might as its shell cracked.
"Starlight!" its trainer screamed. She watched as the Ultra Beast kicked it aside, making it crash against the wall, while its rocky shell completely shattered to pieces.
"Meee…" it whined, floating up weakly. The other Ultra Beast dashed in behind it, ready to land a fearsome kick. But all of a sudden, it was thwarted as Paige's Blaziken dashed in, countering the kick with her right leg. They blew each other back, with Starlight joining the Blaze Pokémon. The other Ultra Beast barely had time to jump away before it could end up hit by a searing fireball shot toward it. Looking over, Pyrrha smiled with delight to see Erika and Paige standing at the entrance, with an exhausted Pelipper behind them.
"Sorry we're late!" the Ketchum girl apologized, having her Oricorio in her Baile Style standing in front of her.
"There's two of them?!" the silvery-haired girl beside her exclaimed out of shock.
"Yeah!" Pyrrha responded as she ran over, "Miss Anabel said they're both called UB-Beauty, or Pheromosa," she explained to her friends, "They're way too fast for me and my team…" she pointed out.
"Then we gotta slow 'em down!" Erika decided, readying another Poké Ball in her right hand, "Primarina, you're up!" she called out, throwing the spherical container up into the air after enlarging it with a press of its button. It burst open, with its blue light forming upon the ground, dissipating soon afterward to reveal the Soloist Pokémon.
"Mah!" she yipped out.
"By the way, where's Miss Anabel?" Paige inquired of Pyrrha, who blinked in surprise.
"I… thought she'd be with you two…" she responded unsurely, arching an eyebrow. Elsewhere on the island, the International Police chief breathed heavily as she sat on the ground, wiping the sweat off of her brow. She reached over to her communicator in her ear, activating it.
"Have they engaged the UBs?" she questioned.
"Yes, they have…" Looker's voice responded from her device, "Chief, are you alright?" he inquired of her.
"I'm fine…" she answered, bringing herself back up onto her feet, "I hate to have to leave things in the hands of the children, but I'm already tuckered out from getting so close…" she mentioned.
"Chief…" the detective uttered worriedly.
"Like I said, I'm okay," his superior assured, "I've got no doubt they'll stop them," she affirmed confidently.
X
"Skarmory, Air Slash!" Trent commanded from back in the Melemele Meadow. The Armor Bird Pokémon made his wings shine a bright white before swinging them out, unleashing a flurry of disc-shaped air blades towards Buzzwole. It leapt back to evade them, followed by dashing forward as a yellowish-green light cloaked its body.
"It's going for Lunge!" Calvin cried out.
"Move!" the dark green-haired boy yelled, enticing his friends and their Pokémon to jump away before the Ultra Beast could collide with them. Many wild Pokémon were fleeing the scene out of fright as dust billowed up into the sky.
"Whoa…" Hau uttered in sheer shock, seeing the large crater that Buzzwole's impact had left behind.
"What do you mean, 'whoa'?" Trent inquired, getting his attention, "You already knew how strong it was, didn't you?!" he questioned on emphatically.
"No, not this strong!" Hau responded as he shook his head, much to his friends' surprise, "I mean… it was really strong before, but now…" he continued, seeing the Ultra Beast stand up and face its foes.
"It got stronger?" Calvin presumed as he grimaced.
"And we were already having enough problems back in Diglett's Tunnel with the Nihilego…" Trent grumbled out. Buzzwole jumped up into the sky, making its arms shine a bright white as it threw them up.
"Now it's using Hammer Arm!" the Ketchum boy realized.
"Don't think we'll have a better chance than this!" his dark green-haired rival exclaimed, "Skarmory, Air Slash!" he ordered.
"Skaaahhh!" the Armor Bird Pokémon screeched, making his wings shine again before spinning around, unleashing several disc-shaped blades of air.
"Toucannon, use Bullet Seed!" Calvin commanded, enticing the Cannon Pokémon to open his beak and fire off a volley of green-glowing, golden seeds. The Ultra Beast didn't seem deterred, bashing through both bombardments of attacks. Skarmory squawked in shock before he wound up struck by Buzzwole's right arm as they crashed onto the ground. The impact of the collision blew everyone back in an instant. As the dust settled, the boys sat up and looked out in disbelief to find the Ultra Beast looming over the Armor Bird Pokémon, who was struggling to get up. It reared its left fist back, making it glow reddish-orange as an explosive energy pulsated off of it.
"Skarmory, get out of there!" Trent screamed.
"Skahhh…" the Armor Bird Pokémon groaned, struggling to even push himself back up. Seeing that, Calvin gasped in realization.
'If it's focusing so much on physical attacks, then…' he started to infer to himself.
"Toucannon, Beak Blast!" he advised of his partner, getting his attention, "Quick, before Skarmory gets hit!" he insisted on.
"Kah!" the Cannon Pokémon responded, flying out quickly as his beak began heating up. Buzzwole thrusted its fist down at Skarmory, ready to strike. However, Toucannon soared in, with his beak glowing brightly from the heat it was producing. A shockwave erupted upon his foe's impact with him, as the others braced themselves. They looked out to find the Cannon Pokémon bumbling about dizzily, falling down with a groan beside Skarmory.
"Toucannon!" his trainer cried out. Buzzwole then stomped forward, getting their attentions. It flexed its arms again proudly, ready to continue the battle as it turned its attention onto Noivern. All of a sudden though, a plume of fire engulfed its body, making it buzz with agony as it faltered slightly. The boys gasped.
"What just happened?" Hau asked, while Trent blinked in realization.
"So that's why you had Toucannon go for Beak Blast…" he noted to Calvin, who nodded.
"Between moves like Dynamic Punch, Lunge, and Hammer Arm," he listed off to his friends, "Buzzwole's only been going for physical attacks," he pointed out, "And I get the feeling that with each Pokémon it beats, it gets stronger," he mentioned.
"So by making sure it gets burned…" Hau continued.
"You halved its attack power," Trent concluded with a grin.
"We should try to weaken it a bit more, though," Calvin advised seriously, "I doubt it's finished yet…" he pointed out.
"Then let's get a move on!" Hau insisted as he pumped his right fist, "Noivern, Boomburst!" he commanded. The inside of the Sound Wave Pokémon's ears glowed a bright white as a ball of energy formed in front of them. He then unleashed powerful sound waves from it, washing over Buzzwole as it braced itself, crossing its arms over its head. As it did, both Skarmory and Toucannon got back up, shaking their heads to regain themselves.
"Skarmory, Autotomize!" Trent instructed quickly. The Armor Bird Pokémon shined in a silvery-white light as it squawked, leaping about nimbly.
"Toucannon, Feather Dance!" Calvin called out, having the Cannon Pokémon fly up and flap his wings to release blue energy feathers that rained down onto the Ultra Beast. A bluish light flowed down its body as it clenched its fists angrily.
"Nice one, Cal!" Hau complimented, "Now let's catch this guy!" he yelled, pulling out a Beast Ball and flinging it toward the Buzzwole. However, it took notice of the incoming Poké Ball, catching it in its right hand… and crushing it instantly. The ponytailed boy blinked. "Uh… that didn't work…" he noted nervously.
"We got whittle him down just a little more!" Trent insisted, "Skarmory, use Steel Wing!" he commanded of the Armor Bird Pokémon, who made his wings shine a silvery-white as he dove down at his opponent. It took notice, catching its foe with its hands. Before it could do anything else though, flames billowed around its body, causing it to falter as it let of Skarmory, who swatted it with his wings before hopping back.
"Toucannon, Hyper Voice!" Calvin ordered. The Cannon Pokémon made the tip of his beak glow white as he opened his mouth, releasing a powerful sonic screech with blue waves of energy. They crashed into Buzzwole, who stumbled back as it tried to endure them. "Okay, let's see if we got it now!" the Ketchum boy yelled, flinging a Beast Ball of his own toward the Ultra Beast. It managed to smack it away though, causing it to shatter against the rocky wall surrounding the flowerbed.
"Okay, we'll go for a big one this time!" Hau decided, "Noivern, Hurricane!" he commanded with a swing of his arm. The Sound Wave Pokémon had his wings shine a bright white, flapping them rapidly to create a torrent of wind that engulfed Buzzwole, who was trying its best to endure it. In the meantime, the wind also caused some of the rock around the area to break apart, with something falling down from it.
"Buhh…" the Ultra Beast buzzed out, struggling to stay upright from the force of the wind. Eventually, it was pulled into its force, getting flung up against the rocky wall surrounding the flowerbed.
"Yes!" Hau exclaimed.
"Now it's my turn!" Trent decided, throwing his own Beast Ball at the Buzzwole. This time, it struck, causing its body to become a red-and-blue light that instantly zipped into the specialized Poké Ball, which closed up and fell onto the ground. It shook for a few moments as the group gathered around it, nervously awaiting if the Ultra Beast would come out or not. Thankfully, the Beast Ball stopped shaking with the sound of a click, as its button flashed green.
"Woohoo! We did it!" Hau yelled excitedly as he hopped up with a pump of his fist.
"Wouldn't have been able to if Calvin hadn't thought ahead…" Trent commented, looking over to the Ketchum boy while picking up the Beast Ball, "Nice job back there," he complimented of his rival.
"Eh-heh…" he chuckled, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, "I'm just glad it all worked out for us…" he admitted.
"So now what?" Hau asked curiously, "Do we go help Eri and the others at the trial site?" he inferred.
"Yeah, let's get a move on," Trent decided in response, hurrying off with the ponytailed boy as they returned their respective Pokémon to their Poké Balls in beams of red light. Calvin was prepared to follow them, but then stopped as he noticed that Toucannon was curiously inspecting what looked to be a black box. Its lid had a Poké Ball-shaped symbol, while having a red and a blue part of either side.
"What is that…?" the Ketchum boy wondered as he approached. He took hold of the box, picking it up in a grunt, "Well, it's not that heavy…" he noted aloud with a curious expression.
"Too kah…" Toucannon chirped, narrowing his eyes onto the object in his trainer's hands.
"We can take it back to Miss Anabel to see if she might know anything…" he decided, tucking the box under his left arm before hurrying off after his friends.
X
"Ferrroohhh!" one of the Pheromosa exclaimed as it kicked Primarina back.
"Moh sa!" the other one yelled while slamming Oricorio up against a wall with its left leg.
"Hang in there, guys!" their trainer yelled. The battle in Verdant Cavern hadn't much changed. Both Ultra Beasts were still far too quick for their foes, even though there were four of them.
"Acrobatics!" Paige and Pyrrha both ordered. Starbright and Blaziken had their bodies glow in a bright blue light, zipping about in pursuit of both Pheromosa. However, they nodded to each other, hopping away speedily without so much as a care.
"Darn it!" the silvery-haired girl grumbled out.
"Even with Starlight's speed up now that its shell is gone, it still can't catch up to them!" Pyrrha pointed out emphatically. One of the Ultra Beasts came to a stop, looking over to see Erika tending to Oricorio, who was grimacing with pain. It smirked, leaping down at them as a yellowish-green aura cloaked its body. However, it found itself thwarted as Primarina rocketed in while engulfed in a torrent of water, knocking the Ultra Beast aside.
"Nice one, Primarina!" her trainer complimented upon taking notice.
"Mah!" the Soloist Pokémon yipped with a nod, staying on guard as the pair of Pheromosa continued to leap about the cavern.
"We're getting nowhere with this…" Paige pointed out in frustration.
"Should we try throwing our Beast Balls now?" Pyrrha inquired, "It might be our only shot…" she presumed.
"No way!" the silvery-haired girl responded, "We waste what we've got, we're never gonna stop all the Ultra Beasts around Alola!" she pointed out seriously. All of a sudden, one of the Pheromosa landed down hard in front of them, blowing them back in yelps.
"Mee!" Starlight cried out.
"Blayyy!" Blaziken yelled in panic, while Erika and the others widened their eyes. The Ketchum girl then turned to Rotom.
"Rotodex, did Miss Anabel give you any data on the Ultra Beasts?" she asked of it.
"Yeah!" it responded, pulling up an image of the Ultra Beast species the group was facing, "Pheromosa, the Lissome Pokémon," it began, "A life-form that lives in another world, its body is thin and supple, but it also possesses great power. One of the dangerous Ultra Beasts, it has been spotted running across the land at terrific speeds," it explained thoroughly.
"Ferrrohhh!" one of them exclaimed as it kicked at Blaziken, who slid back along the ground, putting her hands onto her knees afterward while breathing heavily.
"They're both way too fast…" Erika noted aloud, clenching her fists tightly.
'I was thinking Primarina's Icy Wind would've been enough to slow them down, but their too fast to get hit…' she mentioned to herself, 'If we could catch them both off guard somehow…' she began inwardly, only to widen her eyes in realization, 'That's it!' she exclaimed through her thoughts. She readied another Poké Ball in her right hand.
"Oricorio, get ready for a Teeter Dance on my mark!" she advised of the Dancing Pokémon.
"Koree!" she chirped in response as she nodded.
"Primarina, try to keep up with them using Aqua Jet!" Erika instructed on to the Soloist Pokémon, who perked up, "I wanna give 'em a new target!" she affirmed.
"Mah!" Primarina yipped as a reply, enveloping herself in a torrent of water before rocketing off around the cavern, attempting to strike the pair of Ultra Beasts. They noticed their foe coming, smirking as they whipped around with their legs at the ready to kick her. She quickly veered away, enticing them to chase after her.
"Erika, what are you doing?" Pyrrha asked as she and Paige stood back up.
"Just get ready to jump in!" the Ketchum girl responded, rearing her arm back, "Drifblim, you're up!" she called out, flinging the Poké Ball into the air. It burst open, with its light shooting out forming in midair, dissipating to reveal the Blimp Pokémon.
"Blimm!" he exclaimed, floating over to his trainer.
"Drifblim, can you act as bait for the Ultra Beasts?" she inquired of him, "We need an opening to make them vulnerable," she pointed out.
"Blim!" the Blimp Pokémon responded with a determined nod.
"Okay, then use Phantom Force!" Erika ordered. Drifblim created a thin purple portal underneath himself, sinking into it. The pair of Pheromosa were closing in on Primarina, who grimaced. However, another purple portal appeared just in front of her, enticing her to veer away. Both Ultra Beasts widened their eyes to see the Blimp Pokémon appear, swiping at them. They were quick to dodge his attacks, landing upon the ground.
"Ferrrr…" they both hissed through clenched teeth.
"Blimhmhmhmhm!" Drifblim giggled.
"Nice going, Drifblim!" his trainer complimented, "Now Shadow Ball!" she commanded. The Blimp Pokémon readied a purple-and-black ball of energy upon the tips of his front arms, firing it down at his targets. They easily sped away from it, letting it strike the ground in a blast of dust.
"They're still way too fast!" Paige exclaimed.
"They won't be for long!" Erika affirmed confidently, getting her attention, "It's not just about type advantages…" she pointed out, "You have to know what your opponent's strengths are and how to best counter them!" she mentioned, clenching her fists. Both Pheromosa were closing in on Drifblim, each having their bodies become cloaked in a yellowish-green light. "Now Phantom Force!" his trainer instructed.
"Blim!" the Blimp Pokémon responded, making a thin purple portal appear underneath himself. He sunk into it, leaving the Ultra Beasts to only be closing in each other as their eyes widened. They collided head on, letting out groans as they landed upon the ground and started staggering.
"Whoa, nice!" Pyrrha exclaimed as she clapped her hands together.
"Now Oricorio!" Erika yelled to the Dancing Pokémon, enticing her to dash forward.
"Koree~!" she sang as she started prancing about, waving her feathers as a pinkish mist wafted off of her body. It washed over the pair of Pheromosa, causing them to suddenly start bumbling about in confusion.
"You got them!" Paige shouted out excitedly.
"Now's our chance!" Erika proclaimed, "Primarina, use Moonblast!" she ordered.
"Starlight, Power Gem!" Pyrrha commanded. A golden aura shrouded the Soloist Pokémon as she opened her mouth, forming a pink orb of energy in front of it. In the meantime, the Minior formed a pale pink mass of energy cloaked in a sparkling white light in front of itself. Both Pokémon fired their attacks at one of the Pheromosa, striking it in a powerful blast.
"Alright!" Erika exclaimed excitedly.
"And by confusing them, you made sure they wouldn't be running all over the place, zzt!" Rotom pointed out. The dust settled around the stricken Pheromosa, who staggered back and leaned up against the wall. The Ketchum girl quickly readied a Beast Ball in her right hand, enlarging it with a press of its button.
'Thanks for the advice, Leslie!' she said gratefully through her thoughts as she reared her arm back, 'I'm already putting it to good use!' she affirmed inwardly, flinging the specialized Poké Ball out. It struck the Ultra Beast upside its head, causing it to turn into a mass of red-and-blue light. It zipped into the Beast Ball, which closed up and fell onto the ground. Shaking for a few moments as its button blinked red, it made the group tense, waiting to see if the Pheromosa would stay in it. Fortunately, the specialized Poké Ball stopped with the sound of a click, as its button flashed green. Erika beamed.
"Yes!" she yelled with a pump of her fist, "One down!" she remarked proudly. However, that pride soon vanished as she noticed a shadow come over her. It was the other Ultra Beast, who was hissing angrily as it glared down at the Ketchum girl. "Huh… HUH?!" she gasped out.
'It already snapped out of the confusion?!' she inquired to herself, falling back onto her bottom. The Pheromosa reared its head back, ready to unleash another attack. However, it was suddenly thwarted by the enflamed left leg of Blaziken, who kicked its foe away.
"Ferrohhh…" it hissed. Erika blinked twice before sighing with relief.
"Thanks, Blaziken…" she said gratefully, making the Blaze Pokémon nod to her.
"Nice going there, Erika," Paige complimented, tossing her friend the Beast Ball for her to catch, "Now that there's only one, we can finish this easy," she affirmed confidently, pulling out a familiar fingerless glove from her pocket and setting it onto her left hand. Her partner took a ready stance, while her Blazikenite gleamed brightly. "Let's do this, Blaziken!" her trainer yelled, palming the Key Stone upon her glove, "Mega Evolve!" she bellowed out.
Streaks of golden light shot out from her trinket, which extended towards the Blaze Pokémon. Her Blazikenite unleashed red streaks of luminosity, connecting with those of her trainer's. They turned bright white as a multicolored aura shrouded Blaziken, whose body started to transform.
She gained a horn upon her head, and her hair-like feathers pointed upward, while the flames at her wrists grew longer. When the aura dissipated, it revealed that she had lost her yellow markings and gained black ones on her upper legs and chest. Her hair-like feathers took on a wing-like shape, and the portion around her chest was rough around her shoulders. The crest on her head had changed into a flat horn that curved backward.
"BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" she bellowed out proudly.
"Mega Blaziken!" Pyrrha exclaimed. Pheromosa huffed, leaping about speedily around the cavern. Even with its foe's transformation, it was convinced that she couldn't keep up. However, it was proven instantly wrong as the Mega Evolved Blaze Pokémon was dashing toward it.
"MOH?!" it chirped out of shock
"Whoa, what?!" Erika yelped in surprise, "How's she catching up to it?!" she wondered aloud, looking over to Rotom.
"It'zzz because her ability'zzz now Speed Boost, zzt!" it buzzed in response, "When Mega Evolved, Blaziken getzzz the ability to increase her speed with each move she makezzz!" it explained further. Pheromosa grimaced as the Mega Evolved Blaze Pokémon was drawing closer. It turned around, unleashed a loud buzz with yellowish-green sound waves.
"Dodge and use Acrobatics!" Paige instructed of her partner, who nodded before cloaking her body in a sky blue light. She zipped away from the sound waves, much to her foe's shock as it tried to keep track of her. The Ultra Beast found itself getting struck over and over, struggling to defend as it fell onto its hands and knees, breathing tiredly.
"Ferrohhh…!" it hissed in frustration.
"Sorry to disappoint you…" Paige began, swiping her left thumb across her nose, "But you're not gonna cause trouble on our turf!" she declared firmly, "Blaziken, Blaze Kick!" she ordered. The Mega Evolved Blaze Pokémon made both of her legs become enveloped in orange-red fire, closing in on her target as it widened its eyes. It was struck directly in the chest by its opponent's right leg, gasping before collapsing onto the ground with swirls in its eyes.
"Blayy!" Blaziken bellowed before becoming enveloped in a flash of light, transforming back to normal. In the meantime, her trainer tossed a Beast Ball over, striking the Ultra Beast as its body turned into a red-and-blue light, zipping into the specialized Poké Ball. It closed up, falling onto the ground. The button blinked a bright red as it shook, with everyone watching on with bated breath. The Beast Ball finally stopped with the sound of a click, with its button flashing a bright green.
"We did it!" Pyrrha realized excitedly.
"Mee!" her Minior squeaked as it spun about with joy.
"Huh…" Erika exhaled with relief, standing up. Her Pokémon gathered around her as she smiled. Paige went over to pick up the Beast Ball, giving off a grin.
"That wraps that up," she confirmed.
"We better get those two to Miss Anabel and Mister Looker," Pyrrha advised of her friends, who both nodded. They all returned their respective Pokémon to their Poké Balls, heading out of the cavern. They saw that it was already dusk out, feeling the wind breeze by. Smiling at each other, the trio of girls headed off, proud of their success for today.
ENDING
Insert "Only Wanna Be With You" by Post Malone
Opens with Calvin and Erika traveling together along the dirt roads alongside their Pokémon. They arrive at a beach, setting up a space with their friends and family to have fun. Primarina, Araquanid and Poliwrath jump into the water, swimming about.
Erika wanders around the sand before coming across a Pyukumuku, curiously picking it up as Pyrrha and Trent approach. She squeezes the Sea Cucumber Pokémon, only for his organs to be spat out at her in the form of a fist, striking her in the face to everyone's shock. She winces, but decides to laugh it off.
Marowak trains with his enflamed bone, with Mimi mimicking him from behind. Incineroar, Tsareena and Gumshoos are playing with a beach ball. At one point, they accidentally knock it away, causing it to land onto the spikes of Sandslash, popping to their dismay. He blinks in confusion, unaware of what happened.
Calvin runs along the beach, being joined by a soaring Toucannon and a spinning Togedemaru. They come across an Alolan Exeggutor, who wags his head back and forth. Togedemaru accidently pricks his tail with his needle, angering him as he stomps after the trio, forcing them to run. Paige and Hau watch on, laughing heartily.
Lycanroc and Magmortar bask in the sunlight together. Lurantis tries to do the same, but is constantly getting a shade cast over her thanks to Drifblim. Even as she tries to get away, he still follows her, giggling all the while. Meanwhile, Starbright and Jangmo-o gather seashells along the shoreline, with the Scaly Pokémon hopping up and down like an excited puppy upon finding more.
Erika later builds a sandcastle with Palossand's likeness. He takes a look, getting so surprised that he accidentally knocks it over. His trainer sighs with a smile, patting him on his head. Calvin grabs himself a bottle of soda from a water cooler, only to find that the caps from each one of them are gone. He glances over and cracks a small smile at the Meltan attempting to get away, having ingested the bottle caps into its body. Tsareena picks it up in her hands, nuzzling against it affectionately.
Primarina and Erika splash water onto each other, giggling all the while. All of a sudden, blobs of blue paint splatter onto their faces as they blink in surprise. Erika sighs and smiles to see the Poipole floating about, spinning happily at its handiwork.
The song winds down, with the Ketchum twins watching the sun setting in the distance alongside their Pokémon. They look to each other and smile, happy that they went on the journey together.
END ENDING
And thus ends another chapter, bringing us ever closer to the finale one day! I still can't believe that as of the time I've written this, we'll be starting a new Pokémon series. I'm hoping to get to write a lot more about it going forward.
Anyways, we'll be back to this story soon enough after a few weeks off. Thanks for reading, everyone! Here's a summary for next time!
SUMMARY
The mysterious box Calvin's found becomes an object of interest, especially as it winds up attracting hundreds of small Pokémon to Alola! Just what are they?!
Meanwhile, Ash and Anabel reunite as we uncover more about the former Salon Maiden's past… and what the Ultra Beasts have to do with it…
END SUMMARY
I appreciate all the support as always, everyone!