Author's Notes 1:
Oh hi, it's been over two years since I updated this fic. I pretty much was in Fire Emblem brainrot and I've been posting FE fics on AO3 lol. I missed Nanu and Grimsley though and playing Pokemon Scarlet/Violet and the DLC stories got me back in the Pokemon mood. It's been so long that I have to reread the last chapter and some notes to remember what stuff I wanted to do haha.
Speaking of which, for those wondering yes I will have Kingambit referenced and maybe a certain Pokemon of Grimsley's will evolve? ; ) Because of that, Chapter 33 will be showcasing that. Also a certain character from Indigo Disk DLC will guest star at the end of the story. Besides those two additions, my original plans for the final act are still the same. I'm debating whether to have the epilogue added with Chapter 35 or have its own separate update and bump the AO3 chapter count to Chapter 36. It'll depend how long Chapter 35 ends up, so still a bit until I get there.
Next update might not be for a few weeks as I want to at least get Chapters 32 and Chapter 33 written first and start a backlog again. Popping in this chapter now so that you guys get this update on my plans for the final act and this chapter to tide you over. Okay enough rambling, it's Necrozma time.
Chapter Thirty-One
Max Darkness (Part Three)
The instant Glutton was successfully caught in the Beast Ball, Grimsley had his palm pressed to his chest where his heart was and let out a relieved sigh. He approached the Beast Ball and picked it up. It was very warm against his palm.
So this was the Ultra Beast tied to Nanu's history. He was still taken aback that the kahuna let him do this, but nonetheless at least it was taken care of. Grimsley glanced at Nanu and Gladion, the former crossing his arms and offering him an approved smile while the latter wore an astonished expression on his face.
"Is Glutton going to be taken to Interpol like the other Ultra Beasts?" Gladion asked, and Nanu grunted in response.
"The big wigs have been hunting down this big guy for a while, so I'm sure they'll be popping champagne bottles once it's been taken to headquar-"
Nanu was interrupted when a shrilling screech was heard. Everyone gazed up to see Necrozma, still attached to Lunala, flapping its wings and staring down at everyone. The rain from Raikou's Rain Dance continued to pour down.
"Looks like we still have to face Necrozma there," Grimsley said as he put the Beast Ball away. He glanced around to see Raz and Roulette, still in her Mega Form, panting and their legs shaking. Silvally, Raikou, and Tapu Bulu also looked just as exhausted. He furrowed his brow, already not liking the odds there. "All of our Pokémon are getting tired, not sure how much further we can push them."
Necrozma didn't let their Pokémon have a chance to recoup as it let out another cry and rushed towards them. Tapu Bulu was the first to act by positioning their horns and ramming into Necrozma's armored chest. That caused Necrozma to flinch for a second and the opportunity for Raikou to fire a Shadow Ball straight at its back. Necrozma screeched in pain and let loose its Psychic attack, hitting Raikou's back and making them fall on one leg.
When Gladion commanded Silvally to use X-Scissor, their horns glowed green and they leaped up to reach Necrozma. It immediately countered with Shadow Ball at Silvally's head, pushing them back into the ground. With a confident scream, it launched its signature moonbeams at the group.
"Roulette, Magic Coat!" Grimsley urgently called out.
Despite being exhausted, she roared and a colorful barrier surrounded both trainers and Pokemon. Necrozma's attack bounced off from the barrier and slammed into one of its wings.
Necrozma was thrown back but then its body was engulfed in a blue light and some of its scars and bruises recovered. Grimsley realized that Necrozma used Moonlight, but due to Raikou's Rainy Day still going on, it only healed some of its injuries. That was still enough for Necrozma to shake off Roulette's Magic Coat easily and launch its moonbeams straight at Roulette.
Grimsley's Absol wasn't able to dodge immediately, and so she screamed when consumed by Necrozma's attack and collapsed on the ground. That caused her Mega Form to disappear.
"Roulette!" Grimsley yelled as he and Raz rushed to her side. His Liepard licked Roulette's face, who responded with a low growl. Grimsley gave a sad smile and returned her to her pokéball. "You did very well Roulette, you deserve a rest."
"I suspect your Absol's Mega Form won't be enough to deal with Necrozma," Nanu said. From the slight rising in his voice, Grimsley could tell the kahuna was genuinely concerned.
After several flaps of its wings, Necrozma made a furious cry and a shockwave of dark-type energy was released, heading straight for the group.
Grimsley's gut instinct told him to move, but he froze and stared at Necrozma's incoming Night Daze. Half-shutting his eyes, he was already embracing whatever impact was forthcoming.
That wasn't necessary, however, as in that instant an Ultra Wormhole popped up and a mighty roar echoed across the land. Selene, Lillie, Mina, Dulse, and even unexpectedly Colress appeared. They were riding on a large lion-like majestic beast with their head glowing bright stars. The other Pokémon's body was engulfed in orange energy and collided with Necrozma, causing it to back away.
"That must be Nebby!" Gladion pointed out. When he mentioned that name, Grimsley immediately recognized Sogaleo from Alola's Light, the beast that devoured the sun. He was now seeing the lion made of steel and sun with his very eyes.
Nebby took the chance to dive down and landed on the ground. When everyone jumped off their back, the Sunne Pokémon flew back up and slammed onto Necrozma with Zen Headbutt. Necrozma reacted back with Night Daze, dark-type energy shocking Solgaleo's body and causing them to roar in pain.
"Looks like we meet again, Grimsley Thomas and Kahuna Nanu," Dulse said to him, pulling Grimsley away from Nebby and Necrozma's fight. He and his group approached Grimsley, Nanu, and Gladion.
"It has been a while, yes," Grimsley said. "Dulse from the Ultra Recon Squad, correct?"
"I'm pleased that you still remembered me," Dulse said with a small, satisfied smile. He then faced Gladion. "And who you might be, young man?"
"I'm Gladion," Gladion introduced himself as he crossed his arms. "I've heard a bit of you guys."
"He's also my older brother!" Lillie said, beaming.
"Ah, you must be the Gladion that Lillie mentioned to me earlier. It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."
"It's also great to see you Grimsley and Kahuna Nanu!" Selene said, her cheerful expression matching Lillie's. Grimsley greeted her with a small smile while Nanu made a grunt. The young trainer turned in the direction of Grimsley, Nanu, and Gladion's Pokémon and gasped, pointing at Tapu Bulu and Raikou. "Hey, are those Tapu Bulu and Raikou?"
"Yup, that's the big guy," Nanu said. His lips slightly parted. "Unfortunately those two and all our other Pokémon are pretty tired right now."
After glancing at the exhausted Pokémon, Lillie gave a concerned look. "I'll use some potions and have Comfey and Clefairy heal them real quick."
"I'll help too," Gladion said, and his sister nodded.
Lillie pulled out two pokéballs from her bag and tossed them up in the air. The pokéballs cracked open and bright light poured out, revealing Lillie's Clefairy and Comfey. Once Lillie instructed them that some Pokémon would need to be healed, Clefairy and Comfey made understanding chirps. She, Gladion, and her Pokémon headed to where the exhausted and injured Pokémon were.
When facing Colress, a deep frown settled on Grimsley's lips. He recalled the evening they had their goodbye kiss under the Alolan sunset and went their separate ways. Colress seemed to be taken aback too, wearing a similar facial expression.
"I didn't expect to see you again," Grimsley said.
"Neither do I," Colress said. "But we must catch up later. I'm brought here under the request of Dulse."
"Colress is telling the truth," Dulse confirmed. "He has the necessary technology to separate Necrozma and Lunala."
There were a thousand questions Grimsley wanted to ask Colress, but after gazing up to see Necrozma and Nebby exchanging blows, dealing with that other beast was more important. He hummed and gave a agreed nod.
"So you have another Colress Machine with you?" Selene asked with a curious expression.
"Indeed I have!" Colress pulled out a small and thick silver device with a blue antenna. Its screen lit up, revealing a blue moon like the symbol Grimsley saw back in Lake of the Moone. "The one I used back in Ultra Megalopolis was the N-Solarizer while the device I'm holding now is the N-Lunarizer."
When both Grimsley and Nau gave confused looks, Mina explained, "Back at the Altar of the Sunne, Nebby evolved into Solagelo and created a wormhole that later Lusamine, Guzma, and Necrozma came out from. Necrozma then fused with Nebby and they became Dusk Mane Necrozma. Colress eventually separated them when we came to Ultra Megalopolis."
"A lot has occurred at Ultra Megalopolis that we can explain in full later," Dulse said. "At this time Necrozma and Lunala need to be separated."
"Right, just give me a moment to set it up," Colress said. He began inputting several commands on the screen.
While Colress was doing that, Grimsley gazed up to see Necrozma and Nebby continuing to clash. Nebby's body burst out in bright light and rushed toward Necrozma just as it unleashed moonbeams at the Sunne Pokémon. Their attacks collided, creating an explosion between them. Once the smoke faded, both Pokémon took deep breaths and stared at each other.
Grimsley turned his attention away from the fight and noticed that Lillie, her Pokémon, and Gladion were still tending to the other Pokémon's injuries. At that moment, the stormy clouds from Raikou's Rain Dance cleared up and the sky opened up again.
"Hey, Colress, are you almost done with that machine of yours?" Nanu asked with a furrowed brow.
"Almost, just give me a few more seconds!" Colress input the last few commands and the antenna on the device glowed. A proud grin stretched across his face. "There! Now, to target it at Necrozma..."
Up in the skies, Necrozma and Nebby resumed their battle. After Nebby sunk their teeth into Necrozma's wings, it screeched and shook the Sunne Pokémon off. Necrozma flapped its wings and another Night Daze engulfed Nebby, causing them to roar in pain.
As the Pokémon continued to get distracted with their fight, Colress pushed one final input and aimed the N-Lunarizer at Necromza. A bright blue beam of light shot straight at Necrozma's armored forehead. That caused it to freeze and scream in agony. After what seemed like a minute or so, Necrozma was consumed in white light and the black armor burst out. When the light faded, the real Lunala was revealed just as Grimsley remembered.
"Lunala is back!" Gladion shouted while pointing to the sky. He, Lillie, and her Pokémon had finished healing the Pokémon, just in time to witness what had occurred.
Lunala didn't last long as they let out a drawn-out cry, closed their eyes, and began falling. Nebby acted fast by diving down and catching the Moone Pokémon with their back. The majestic lion landed on the ground with shaking legs and gently rolled Lunala off their back. Everyone rushed to the legendary Pokémon duo.
"Is Lunala okay?" Selene asked.
On the ground, Lunala took deep breaths. Dulse stared down and shook his head.
"Being under Necrozma's control drained almost all of their energy," he said in a solemn tone, and both Selene and Lillie gasped. Dulse glanced at Nebby's bruises all over their body and added, "Solagelo is also badly injured."
"Comfey and Clefairy should still be able to heal the both of them, right you two?" Lillie asked her Pokémon as she turned around to face them. Comfey and Clefairy chirped in agreement.
"I also brought in a few special potions as I already anticipated this would be the case." From his bag, Dulse pulled out a few mint-green potion bottles similar to the design of a Max Potion and handed it to Selene. Both girls and Lillie's Pokémon began healing Lunala and Nebby.
"Hey guys, I think Necrozma is returning," Mina warned in a worried tone.
Grimsley gazed up and his stomach dropped when all of the black armor was magically put back together and formed Necrozma's prism form. Its body was constructed from black crystalline material and a menacing face that possessed multi-colored shapes as its eyes. Three sharp claws were attached to its large hands.
"Well, I'll be damned," Nanu said in both awe and at being disturbed at the real Necrozma.
"I'll have Naganadel keep Necrozma away from us for a while."
Dulse pulled out a Beast Ball from his belt and tossed it in the air. White light burst out and a purple creature with insect and dragon features appeared. At the bottom of its abdomen, a slender stinger stuck out. Grimsley mused that Ultra Beast looked familiar...
"So looks like your Adhesive has evolved into Stinger," Nanu said, his expression unreadable to Grimsley. Even so, it was obvious the kahuna was familiar with that Pokémon too.
"That is correct. We call it Naganadel in our world." Dulse faced Naganadel. "I need you to keep Necrozma busy until Lunala and Solgaleo are recovering."
Naganadel immediately made a screeching sound and flew up to where Necrozma was.
"I'll help distract Necrozma too," Colress said as he pulled out his pokéball and released his Metagross, Mercury. He commanded his Pokémon to help out Naganadel, which they obliged and headed to the skies with Naganadel.
Grimsley watched as Naganadel and Mercury clashed with Necrozma. Nagandel shot out large gushes of purple poison from its stinger that stuck on Necrozma's right face. While Necrozma tried to take the goo off, Mercury lifted its arm that glowed a golden hue and slammed Necrozma's back. That startled Necrozma and it retaliated by showering crystalized jewels at its opponents.
Wondering how Lunala and Nebby were doing, Grimsley turned his attention to Selene and Lillie with them. Both girls were finishing up using the special potions Dulse had given them. Lillie's Comfey and Clefairy were also using their healing powers on the legendary Pokémon, Clefairy sitting down out of exhaustion. Lillie praised her Pokémon for doing a job well done and returned them.
"You think that's enough?" Grimsley asked. Both Lunala and Nebby's wounds have been mostly healed, so he believed that was a good sign at least.
"I don't know," Lillie said with a small frown. "My Pokémon did all they could, and the potions Dulse gave us should help too."
"I'm sure that Lunala and Nebby appreciate all the effort," Grimsley said in his most empathic voice.
Lillie and Selene's efforts seemed to indeed pay off as Nebby released a strong roar and Lunala floated up several feet in the air. Both legendaries shined brighter than the sun and moon and Grimsely felt his body bathed in warmth. His eyes grew wide, confused at what was happening. He glanced around to see everyone else and their Pokémon having a faint glow around them and looking just as startled as he was.
"Hey, what's going on?" Selene asked. After she said that, the Z-Ring around her wrist glowed. "And my Z-Ring is glowing!"
At that moment, Grimsley and everyone else also noticed their Z-Ring sparkling. The light was so warm and comforting that he was unable to turn his gaze away from it.
"Lunala and Solagelo are sharing their light with you and your Pokémon," Dulse said. "Perhaps as a way to help all of us regain our strength."
"Sharing their light to us...like the Alola's Light story," Lillie said. After she said that, everyone's Z-Rings stopped glowing.
Mina nodded and raised her chin. "Indeed, though I wonder what Nebby and Lunala want us to do next."
"Based on how our Z-Rings glowed just now," Colress said, "I conclude they want us to use our Z-Moves to help restore Necrozma's true form."
Once they finished sharing their light with everyone, Lunala approached Gladion while Nebby went to Selene. Their foreheads glowed, and two Z-Crystals Grimsley had never seen before suddenly appeared. The Z-Crystals were dropped onto Selene and Gladion's palms. Both young trainers made stunned gasped.
"Are these Nebby and Lunala's Z-Crystals?" Selene asked.
"I believed so," Dulse said. "They must deem you two worthy as their partners."
Gladion raised a confused brow. "Partners for what? Performing their Z-Moves with them?"
"That must be the case, yes." After Colress said that, he pulled out his tablet and read through the screen. "According to the data I have, both legendaries are primarily psychic-types. They also have secondary types with Lunala's being ghost and Nebby steel."
A confident grin stretched across Selene's face. "Gladion and I know those Z-Poses, so it shouldn't be a problem."
"I want to do Nebby's Z-Pose with you, Selene!" Lillie said, smiling. She held Selene's hand, her friend beaming back at her.
"That's a great idea! We can do it together!"
"Excellent!" Colress clapped his hands. "We shall call these Z-Crystals Solganium-Z and Lunalium-Z!"
"If we're going to be using our Z-Moves, then you'll sit this one out, Raikou," Nanu said to the legendary beast. When Raikou responded with an understanding growl, the kahuna made a low grunt and crossed his arms. He glanced up at the skies, and his brow furrowed. "Probably a good thing we've gotten that light as it looks like Stinger and Colress's Pokémon there aren't able to hold out much longer."
The second Nanu pointed that out, Grimsley gazed back up to witness Mercury and Naganadel's fight with Necrozma winding down. Naganadel released a beam of draconic energy straight at Necrozma, who dodged. Mercury followed up with Metal Claw, though Necrozma also evaded just in time and slashed the Metagross's face with dark-type energy. Backing up several feet, Necrozma's prism glowed red and it launched pillars of light that engulfed both Pokémon.
"Nagandel!" Dulse cried out as he raised his arm. "That is enough, I need you for an attempt to restore Necrozma's light!"
"The same goes for you, Mercury!" Colress called out in the same urgent voice.
Upon hearing their trainers' command, both Naganadel and Mercury retreated to Dulse and Colress's sides.
"Since we'll be doing our Z-Poses, I'll bring out my Ribombee to join in." Mina pulled out her pokéball and released Ribombee, who made a happy cry and flew around her. "Should we go ahead and get our Z on now?"
"Yes," Dulse said. "Selene, Gladion, start performing your Z-Move with Solagelo and Lunala. Everyone else gather your Pokémon and do the same."
Everyone did as Dulse told them and joined with their respected Pokémon. When Grimsley approached Raz, his fingers stroked at her fur and she made a pleased purring sound.
"Hey Raz, you're ready to do that Z-Move again?" he asked, and Raz responded with a positive meow. A pleased smile formed on his lips. "Good. Let us put on a good performance for Necrozma!"
Before Grimsley did his Z-Pose with Raz, he checked to see Selene, Lillie, and Gladion already beginning their Z-Poses with Nebby and Lunala. Selene and Lillie struck a series of poses similar to Corkscrew Clash while Gladion's poses were like Never-Ending Nightmare. Once they finished, a brilliant glow engulfed all three trainers. Both Nebby and Lunala also shined brightly, the former being consumed with orange-yellow energy like wildfire and the latter shrouded in light blue energy like the full moon.
Necrozma didn't waste time heading straight at the legendaries, but its opponents were quicker. Nebby let out its mightiest and loudest roar, spun around, and slammed onto Necrozma like a heavy truck. Meanwhile, Lunala screeched and fired six blue beams of energy from around their body at Necrozma.
The other trainers also performed their Z-Poses with their respected Pokémon: Nanu and Tapu Bulu's Guardian of Alola, Mina and Ribombee's Twinkle Tackle, Dulse and Nagandel's Devastating Drake, and Colress and Mercury's Corkscrew Clash. Tapu Bulu was a giant once more and golden light engulfed Necrozma. Everyone else's Z-Moves also struck Necrozma with full force.
While everyone was doing their Z-Moves, Grimsley began his pose for Never-Ending Nightmare. After several movements with his body, Grimsley raised his arms in a sinister manner and felt his energy flowing with Raz's. Like what happened with Glutton, his Liepard cried and the ground burst into purple flames with liquid and tendrils oozing out. Their Z-Move also shot straight at Necrozma.
Overwhelmed at absorbing all of the light, Necrozma turned gold, and its body kept growing bigger and bigger, possibly towering over all of Alola. Soon the light burst out into sparkles, revealing Necrozma's true form. It resembled a large dragon with a pair of wings on its shoulder and another on its hips. Its face was covered with its crystalized armor and its red and blue eyes shimmered. Necrozma's chest and legs were also covered in its former armor, and it swished its spiky tail. As if finally calmed, Necrozma stared down at the group and Pokémon with great curiosity.
"So this must be the Blinding One..." Grimsley said in awe, captivated by its beauty and strength. Everyone else also seemed to be just as mesmerized by Necrozma's new form.
With a small smile, Nanu hummed and nodded. "I didn't think I would witness this during my lifetime."
"Oh, this is fascinating!" Colress praised as he read through his tablet. He handed it to Dulse for him to look at. "The readings here are off the charts!"
Dulse gave a satisfied nod and gave the tablet back to Colress. "These findings will be of great use at Ultra Megalopolis. Thank you, Colress."
Just as Dulse finished saying that, Necrozma released a piercing cry and pulsed in bright light. Once more Grimsley was enchanted by Necrozma's light, but then he felt something poking at his feet and sandals. He gazed down and his eyes grew wide at seeing grass growing around him.
"Look everyone, there are flowers everywhere and a lake also!" Lillie pointed out.
Indeed there were many flowers in a variety of colors blooming and rolling grass stretching across the land. A large lake had also formed, clear as the Alolan waters. Seeing the Haina Desert brimming with life motivated Tapu Bulu as they floated up, swung their tail several times, and their bell chimed in a sweet melody. Pink dust was sprinkled all over the land and more beautiful flowers and even trees popped up. The scent of the lush vegetation filled Grimsley's nose.
Several moments passed until Necrozma finished giving its light to all of Alola. When its body stopped glowing, Necrozma shrunk back into a much smaller size but still fairly tall. Both Selene and Nebby cautiously approached it.
"Hey Necrozma," Selene said in her most gentle voice and waved at it. "You must be happy getting some light back, huh?"
Necrozma regarded Selene for a moment before nodding and making a low growl. It then turned to Nebby, who responded with a roar.
"Looks like Necrozma is thanking both Selene and Nebby," Mina said.
"It's not just them, but all of us did our part," Gladion said as he crossed his arms and smiled.
After Necrozma and Nebby exchanged several growls and roars, Lunala joined with the two. The Moone Pokémon and Necrozma spoke to each other for a short while also. When they were done talking, the dragon-like creature let out a large cry, and a wormhole from another dimension tore into the skies. It flew into the wormhole, closing soon after. Everyone stared at the skies in stunned silence until Lillie spoke.
"Where do you think Necrozma went off too?"
"I suspect back to its original home, Ultra Megalopolis," Dulse said. "I'm certain everyone there will be pleased to see Necrozma back to its original form."
"I'm just glad both Glutton and Necrozma are dealt with," Nanu said with a "hmph" sound.
"As do I," Grimsley said as a chuckle escaped from him and he petted Raz's head. Despite what had occurred, he hoped that Necrozma was better now. He gazed up at the Alolan skies, the brightest he had ever seen since arriving here.
Author's Notes 2:
So remember when I mentioned this chapter's inspiration will be from the Necrozma arc in the anime with Ash? Yup, it's finally here! Also geez we're already several episodes in the Horizons anime.
Thanks to bobandbill for the excellent betaing as always! Next chapter the group takes a breather and reflect what has occured with the Ultra Beasts and Necrozma.