Alola, everyone! After this, we've only got five more chapters to go! It's been a heck of a ride, but I think it's all been worth it, especially for all of this.
Anyways, we last left off with our heroes having captured another Ultra Beast, Xurkitree! But along with that, they were also introduced to the Ultra Recon Squad, sent to retrieve the Ultra Beasts and bring them home… or so it seems… Time to find out just what sort of chaos is bound to unfold!
Welcome back to "The Challenge of a Lifetime"!
POKÉMON SUN & MOON
THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME
"Poipole, the Poison Pin Pokémon," Rotom began from inside the Ketchum vacation home, having the image of the Ultra Beast displayed upon its screen, "An Ultra Beast that lives in a different world, it cackles wildly as it sprays its opponents with poison from the needles on its head. This Ultra Beast is well enough liked to be chosen as a first partner in its own world," it explained thoroughly.
"Poy!" Poipole squeaked as it flew about the household excitedly.
"First Meltan, now Poipole?" Leslie listed off, rubbing the back of her head, "You two have a knack for finding weird ones, huh?" she presumed of her twin siblings.
"In my case, Poipole's just being borrowed for the time being…" Erika pointed out, seeing the Ultra Beast float over to her other Pokémon, being Primarina, Sandslash, Magmortar, Starbright, and Jangmo-o, as they were all eating their breakfast. The latter took notice of Poipole eyeing his bowl of food curiously.
"Jah, jahng?" the Scaly Pokémon offered, pushing the bowl closer to the Ultra Beast. Curiously, it picked up one of the brown bits of food in its small limbs, taking a small bite of it. Its eyes widened with delight before it ate the rest of the piece, followed by gorging out on the food with Jangmo-o.
"Looks like these two are already fast friends!" Mirajane noted with a giggle, crouching beside the pair.
"Compared to everyone else on Erika's team, they're the smallest of the bunch," Leslie pointed out.
"Well, it's good that Poipole's getting along with someone…" Erika said, noticing how her other Pokémon didn't appear to be too fond of the Ultra Beast. She recalled how Primarina and Starbright were accidentally sprayed by its venom when getting introduced to the rest of the team. It didn't seem like Poipole would be too much of a problem to deal with compared to how Meltan was.
"So, no word from Anabel about any more Ultra Beasts?" Ash inquired of Calvin, getting his attention.
"Not yet," he responded with a shake of his head, "Did… she tell you about what happened to her?" he asked. His father shook his head.
"I don't know why she wouldn't tell me, but…" he started to say, "I get the feeling it was a rough ten years…" he admitted.
"Yeah, maybe…" Calvin agreed, folding his arms over his chest. Elsewhere in Alola, the International Police chief was walking along the sidewalk with Looker next to her. She exhaled a deep sigh.
"Something wrong, Chief?" he asked out of concern.
"I just…" she tried to say, only to stop herself, "Do you think I should've told them the truth from the outset?" she inquired of her colleague, making him blink in surprise.
"What makes you ask that?" he questioned back.
"Well, I'd figure there'd be less of a surprise for everyone," Anabel assumed in reply, "The only reason I was stuck in the Ultra Space for ten years was because the Ultra Recon Squad wouldn't let me leave," she told him, "It was by some miracle that I managed to make it back through a wormhole that opened," she mentioned further, "But now that Ultra Beasts are making their way to this world, they're attracted to the residual energy I retained from my time in Ultra Space," she explained.
"That's why they wanted you to stay," Looker realized, "To avoid putting other worlds in danger from the Ultra Beasts," he noted on.
"Huh…" the former Frontier Brain sighed, "If it weren't for Lusamine, I don't think Ultra Beasts would be such a problem now," she pointed out.
"By some fortune, we've cleared both Melemele and Akala Island of their Ultra Space energy readings," her colleague told her as he pulled out a tablet in his left hand, showing the entirety of the region, "However, we still need to discern the readings of the other two islands," he mentioned.
"And of course, the Ultra Recon Squad's bound to handle both of them…" Anabel grumbled, "Maybe we should put an end to the UB Task Force and not get in their way before—"
"Wait, I just picked up a huge spike on Ula'ula!" Looker exclaimed, interrupting her as her eyes widened, "The readings seemed to be centered around Malie City… and the Haina Desert!" he concluded, "Chief, what's the call here?" he inquired of the former Frontier Brain, who looked off to the side in thought for a moment. She then clenched her fists.
"This is our mission," she affirmed, "Let's see it through to the end," she decided determinedly.
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
Cuts & Cannons!
"So there're two places where the Ultra Beasts are?" Erika inquired, riding backseat with her brother aboard a Charizard, being followed by Hau, Paige, Pyrrha, and Trent, who were each riding their own airborne Pokémon. They were talking with Anabel on Rotom's screen.
"Correct," she confirmed to the group, "Like before with Buzzwole and Pheromosa, I'd like for you to split up and deal with the UBs," she advised of them, "It may be much easier now with the Ultra Recon Squad backing us up," she mentioned, "Even so, please be careful," she insisted.
"Right!" the Ketchum girl responded before the call ended.
"So how should we split up this time?" Hau inquired of the others as he flew over via his Noivern.
"I say Cal, Trent and me head over to the desert," Paige suggested while aboard her Flygon, "It'll be easier for us to go all-out there," she pointed out.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Pyrrha asked, riding backseat with the silvery-haired girl, who let out a sheepish chuckle.
"In any case, let's split up like that," Trent decided while upon his Skarmory, "We're probably gonna get some help from those Ultra Recon Squad guys anyway," he mentioned.
"Yeah, that's right!" Hau exclaimed in remembrance, "They'll probably have the whole thing under control by the time we get there!" he presumed.
"Still, we can't just sit by," Calvin pointed out seriously, "As good as their Poipole were in stopping Xurkitree yesterday, we don't know how strong they are compared to the other Ultra Beasts…" he told his friends.
"Yeah," Trent agreed, "But if they can give us openings, we can take advantage of that," he affirmed on,
"Then let's get a move on!" Erika insisted, earning nods in response from her friends. After Calvin and Pyrrha traded positions on their airborne Pokémon, heading off in opposite directions. Down at the Malie Garden, Phyco and Soliera were already on the scene. Several trees in the area were cleanly cleaved, including various things like bridges and small buildings. Both Ultra Recon Squad members noticed just how precise the cuts were.
"No doubt it's the work of Blade…" the blue-haired woman said, while her colleague nodded. Flying about the area was a quartet of small creatures. They resembled origami humans. Their heads were folded slightly inside their bodies and had a four-sided star in the center, but no discernible facial features. Their heads opened and closed similar to a paper fortune teller and seemed to function as both an eye and a mouth. On top of its head were two short antennae or horns that were wider at the top. They had long, thin arms that resembled katanas with a yellow, sheath-like structure around the upper area. The sheath connected to a red, slightly raised hexagon on their torsos. Extending up and out from the base of each sheath were three yellow projections that were nearly as long as their arms. Their legs appear creased with areas of red visible along the edges.
One of them had its sharp arms shine a bright green before cleaving a nearby boulder cleanly in half. Another had its horns glow white before ramming into the ice cream stand, shattering it into pieces. Soliera grimaced, pulling out a Beast Ball.
"Captain, if this continues, they'll go after the citizens next," she pointed out to Phyco.
"Go," he instructed in response, "I was hoping the former Faller's team would still be willing to help, but they appear to have left it all up to us…" he concluded. His colleague nodded, rearing her arm back.
"Poipole!" she called out, tossing the spherical container up into the air. It burst open, with the mass of red-and-blue light shaping into form in midair, dissipating to reveal her Poison Pin Pokémon.
"Poy!" it squeaked out.
"Let's weaken each of them first!" its trainer advised, swinging her left hand out, "Toxic!" she instructed. The Poison Pin Pokémon flew over to the origami human-like creatures, blasting purple globs of poison from its needles onto each of them. They tried to swipe at their fellow Ultra Beast, but it was quick to maneuver itself out of the way, giggling all the while. "All Blades have been hit," Soliera confirmed to Phyco, who narrowed his eyes curiously under his visor.
"Shouldn't they be poisoned, then?" he inquired of his colleague, making her blink in surprise. She looked up at the quartet of small Ultra Beasts, gasping as she realized that none of them were glowing purple in their poisoned states like she expected. In fact, they appeared to be just fine as they flew about wildly after her Poipole.
"P-Poyy?!" it squeaked in fright, narrowly avoiding one of its foes as it attempted to slash it with its blade-like arms.
"Toxic didn't work?!" Soliera exclaimed in shock, "But why?!" she inquired frantically.
"Hmm…" Phyco hummed out, twirling his moustache, "We've never had to encounter a Blade in battle before," he noted aloud, "I believe its typing might be why it's immune to poison," he confirmed, causing his colleague to grimace. Her Poipole frantically evaded the slashes of the other Ultra Beasts before one of them made its horns glow white, diving down and slamming into the Poison Pin Pokémon, crashing against the ground in a flurry of dust.
"Poipole!" Soliera screamed. The dust settled, revealing her partner rubbing its head in agony while sitting up.
"Kah tah…" one of its opponents hissed, rearing its arms back as if it were a samurai prepared to draw a sword. The blue-haired woman grimaced.
"Chief, we should make a tactical retreat!" she advised of her superior while taking out her Beast Ball. However, he narrowed his eyes.
"Wait," he advised to her surprise, "I want to see if the legend about Adhesive rings true…" he noted aloud, making her gasp.
"But chief…!" she exclaimed. Just then, the origami human-like Ultra Beast dove toward its foe, making its arms shine a bright green. Poipole was trying to float away, but was wincing with pain. It didn't look as if it would be able to move in time…
"Boomburst!" a voice yelled from above. Just then, a powerful sound wave came down and crashed into the quartet of Ultra Beasts, sending them flying back. Those of the Ultra Recon Squad gasped in surprise, looking up to see Noivern descending with Hau upon his back, while Erika and Pyrrha followed upon Charizard. They landed on the ground, hopping off of their respective Pokémon.
"Whoa, there's four of them this time!" the red-and-yellow-haired girl pointed out.
"Rotodex, you got info on 'em?" Erika asked of her Pokédex, who floated over.
"Leave it to me, zzt!" it replied, bringing up an image of the Ultra Beast upon its screen, "Kartana, the Drawn Sword Pokémon," it began, "This Ultra Beast's body, which is as thin as paper, is like a sharpened sword. Although it's alien to this world and a danger here, it's apparently a common organism in the world where it normally lives," it explained thoroughly.
"In that case, you guys should know how to beat them, right?" Hau inquired of the Ultra Recon Squad members.
"Ah… well…" Soliera started to reply.
"We unfortunately don't tend to do battle with the Ultra Beasts ourselves, so we have very little information on their prowess in combat," Phyco explained for her, twirling his moustache, "Prior to your arrival, we discovered that attempting to poison them is futile," he mentioned.
"So these guys are either Poison or Steel-types…" Pyrrha realized. Just then, a pair of the Drawn Sword Pokémon lunged towards her and her friends.
"Hey, watch out!" Erika yelped, tackling the red-and-yellow-haired girl to the ground as they narrowly evaded getting sliced by the wild Ultra Beasts. One of them slashed through a tree after passing them, causing it to topple over. The trio of former trial-goers widened their eyes in utter shock.
"We gotta stop 'em before they get into the city!" Hau insisted, shooting up to his feet and pulling out a Poké Ball from his bag, enlarging it with a press of its button, "Let's go, Raichu!" he called out, flinging the spherical container up into the air. It burst open, with its light forming in midair, dissipating to reveal the Alolan Mouse Pokémon.
"Ryyy!" he squeaked out, floating aboard his tail.
"Raichu, follow those guys!" his trainer instructed.
"Rai!" he responded, zipping off in pursuit of the quartet of Ultra Beasts.
"If they're not affected by Poison-type attacks, then maybe we should use Fire-types," Pyrrha suggested as she and Erika got back onto their feet.
"Right!" she agreed, readying a Poké Ball off of her belt, "Magmortar, let's go!" she called out, having the spherical container open as its light shot out and came into form upon the ground, dissipating to reveal the Blast Pokémon.
"Mag!" he exclaimed. At that moment, two more lights shot out from the Ketchum girl's belt, causing her to yelp in surprise. They shaped and dissipated to unveil both Jangmo-o and Poipole respectively.
"Jahng!" the Scaly Pokémon chirped.
"Poy!" the Poison Pin Pokémon squeaked excitedly.
"Hey, I didn't call either of you out!" their trainer exclaimed as she sweated frantically. The members of the Ultra Recon Squad watched on.
"Seems Zossie's Poipole has gotten accustomed to that girl…" Soliera commented while picking up her own Ultra Beast in her arms. Phyco folded his arms over his chest curiously. The borrowed Poison Pin Pokémon was playfully flying about as Jangmo-o chased after it.
'Perhaps that girl may be the key to Adhesive's legend…' he noted to himself. Elsewhere in the Haina Desert, Dulse grimaced as he and Zossie stepped back.
"We really got ourselves in trouble now, huh?" his colleague assumed with a nervous grin. His Poipole flew back, breathing heavily. They were faced with a large, vaguely humanoid creature with a bodily construction that resembled a cross between a space shuttle and a bamboo shoot. It had a small, white head with a tiny mouth and a skinny neck with three segments. On top of its head was a gray structure resembling a hat with long, flowing hair underneath. The hair reached midway down its body and was rimmed with bright blue. The 'hat' had two small blue dots and four white spikes arranged in an X-shape. These spikes resembled decorative hair sticks. On the very top of its hat was a long gray horn similar to a drill bit. It had large, disembodied gray arms that resembled bamboo stalks. At the end of each arm was a ring of bright blue, fin-like projections and a collection of eight smaller, black bamboo shoots. Each smaller stalk had a bright blue ring with a small line extending back up the stalk.
Its main body was conical and resembled a dress with four overlapping layers. The shortest and outermost layer was the shortest and appeared metallic, while the inner layers were each a lighter shade of green, progressively longer, and seemed to be cloth or plant material. Underneath all the layers was a white body with a light gray crisscross pattern covering it and a bright blue ring along the base. Below the dress was what appeared to be a collection of eight black bamboo stalks. On the bottom of each stalk was a bright blue ring with a small line extending back up the stalk; this caused the stalks to also resemble solid rocket boosters.
"If only we had other Ultra Beasts to battle with…" Dulse muttered out, "Lighting would be most helpful here…" he noted on.
"Hey, you know how hard it is to get Ultra Beasts other than Poipole to be obedient, right?" Zossie retorted in question, "Commander Phyco's the only who's managed to get another species to work with us, and it wasn't easy!" she emphatically pointed out. Just then, the large Ultra Beast readied its disembodied arms, aiming them at its targets. "Whuh-oh!" the orange-haired girl yelped out. The Ultra Beast fired off white-and-light-blue beams of light from its cannon-like arms, which the Ultra Recon Squad members were narrowly able to avoid as they leapt away.
"Poipole, come back!" Dulse called out, recalling the Poison Pin Pokémon to its Beast Ball in a beam of blue-and-red light. He and Zossie kept running, while the Ultra Beast continued firing rays all around the desert, startling nearby wild Pokémon as they attempted to flee the scene.
"What should we do, Dulse?" the orange-haired girl asked of her partner, who gritted his teeth.
"At this rate, I'm inclined to call upon Lunala for help…" he admitted in reply, causing her to gasp in surprise.
"No!" she shouted as she grabbed his arm, "We can't risk it when it's our only way to get back to the Megalopolis!" she pointed out seriously.
"Well, do you have a better suggestion?!" Dulse shouted in question. Just then, he and his partner felt a rumbling at their feet, causing them to yelp in surprise. They suddenly found themselves falling onto the ground upon their backs as the wild Ultra Beast was firing off green-glowing seeds from its cannon-like arms, blasting plumes of sand into the air.
"We've got to do something!" Zossie yelled as she and her partner got back onto their feet, "If Commander Phyco hadn't brushed that nice lady off, we'd be able to get this done quick!" she presumed.
"You guys need help?" a voice inquired, getting their attentions as they turned to see both Trent, Calvin and Paige descending aboard their respective Pokémon. They disembarked from them, approaching the Ultra Recon Squad members.
"Glad you could make it!" Zossie exclaimed as she hopped over.
"As you might've deduced, we are struggling to contain Blaster here," Dulse confirmed, gesturing to the rampaging Ultra Beast.
"Blaster?" Paige repeated in confusion, arching an eyebrow.
"It's a fancy codename for this one," Zossie told the trio of former trial-goers, "Its actual name is Celesteela," she said.
"Whatever it is, its big…" Trent noted with a grimace.
"I would advise caution," Dulse chimed in, "Blaster emits powerful energy from its arms," he pointed out as the Celesteela continued firing off beams of white-and-light-blue energy, "Taking a direct hit from it could prove to be fatal," he mentioned rather bluntly, causing the trio to pale it.
"Don't say it like that, Dulse!" Zossie insisted, "Anyways, we tried poisoning it earlier, but it didn't work," she told the trio of trial-goers, "Maybe there's something else we can try to slow it down," she suggested.
"Like paralyzing it," Trent concluded, taking out a Poké Ball from his belt, "Vikavolt, let's go!" he called out, opening the spherical container to make its light shoot up into the air, shaping into form and dissipating to reveal the Stag Beetle Pokémon.
"Vee!" he buzzed.
"Better send out our guys, too!" Paige decided, readying a Poké Ball in her right hand, enlarging it with a press of its button. Calvin nodded, doing the same. They both opened the spherical containers, as their respective lights formed upon the ground, dissipating to reveal Electivire and Togedemaru.
"Vyy!" the Thunderbolt Pokémon exclaimed as he raised his arms. The Roly-Poly Pokémon hopped upon his left shoulder.
"Toh geh mah!" he squeaked determinedly, sharing a grin with his friend.
"Just like old times, huh?" Paige assumed with her hands at her hips.
"Yeah," Calvin agreed as he nodded. Suddenly, another light shot out from his shorts as he yelped in surprise. It formed upon the ground, dissipating to reveal his Meltan.
"Meeeelll!" it squeaked out.
"Ah, again?!" its trainer yelped.
"What is that?" Zossie wondered curiously.
"It's not an Ultra Beast…" Dulse confirmed, "But it is rather peculiar…" he admitted, rubbing his chin. Just then, another rumbling went off, getting the group's attention.
"We need to stop wasting time and put a stop to this thing!" Trent insisted.
"Right!" the others agreed, heading off alongside him. Two battles for the fate of Ula'ula were about to begin…
X
Nanu enjoyed the peace and quiet of his home just outside of Po Town. The clowder of Alolan Meowth around the office along with his Persian were lazily lying about, yawning and stretching. Seated in his chair, the kahuna leaned back and looked up at the ceiling.
'Can't believe that whole mess started up again…' he noted to himself, recalling the Ultra Wormhole that had opened outside of Haina Desert over a few months ago. Just then, he heard a knocking at the door. Some of the Meowth scattered, causing him to groan.
"I'm coming, I'm coming…" he grumbled repeatedly, getting up from his seat as he rubbed the back of his neck, walking out to the entrance. He opened the door, blinking in surprise to find both Anabel and Looker there. "Well, this is a blast from the past, as the kids say…" he remarked, "To what do I owe the pleasure?" he inquired.
"You're aware of the Ultra Beasts being confronted upon the island?" Looker questioned back.
"Yeah, two species of 'em," Nanu responded, heading over to the kitchen as he waved for the International Police members to follow him, "Not sure how many there are, though…" he admitted, "But I doubt that's why you're here," he concluded, taking out a filled coffee pot, pouring himself a mug.
"We need to know what's going on with Poni," Anabel told him.
"Poni?" he repeated, arching an eyebrow, "Why?" he inquired, "Not exactly my territory…" he pointed out.
"Yes, but you and I were both there when we first found Anabel," Looker noted, causing the kahuna to blink in surprise. He looked over to the former Frontier Brain.
"Secret's out to everyone, huh?" he guessed. She merely nodded. "Well, shit…" he mumbled, taking a sip of his coffee.
"The only Ultra Beast spotted on Poni was the one with the codename, Lighting," Anabel noted, "However, we've received reports of Ultra Wormhole energy being detected still on that island," she explained, "So we're wondering if you know anything," she said.
"All I know is that the Tapu are doing jack-all to help stop these guys," Nanu muttered in response, causing the former Frontier Brain to sigh, "But I've been in contact with Hapu, the new kahuna," he pointed out to the International Police members, causing them to blink in surprise, "She's said any commotion's gone on beyond the coast on the eastern part of the island, from the grove to the cave," he explained further.
"We'll need to inform the team of this," Looker concluded, earning a nod of agreement from Anabel.
"One more thing," Nanu said, "You been doin' alright through this?" he inquired of the former Frontier Brain, making her blink in surprise for a moment, "I know it wasn't likely another wormhole would've opened up around you again, but I'm still a little shocked that you're handling things alright," he told her, "Least from the look of it," he mentioned in correction.
"…Coming back, I knew the risks…" Anabel said, lowering her head slightly, "And as my memories came back, I understood that I needed to be prepared to face those consequences for that," she noted on.
"So that means you're gonna go and help fight 'em off?" Nanu presumed. The former Frontier Brain nodded.
"It wouldn't be fair to the others if I didn't," she stated with a grin. Back at the Malie Garden, Raichu zipped after the quartet of Kartana, closing in on them. They took notice, with a pair of the Ultra Beasts veering back around and making their bladed arms shine yellowish-green.
"That's X-Scissor!" Pyrrha warned.
"Dodge it!" Hau cried out. The Alolan Mouse Pokémon weaved around its foes narrowly, soaring up into the sky. "Nice one!" his trainer complimented, "Now use Focus Blast!" he commanded. Preparing an orb of yellow energy upon his stubby hands, Raichu threw it out at the Kartana that he evaded. One of them was struck in a powerful explosion, falling onto the ground in a flurry of dust.
"Kahhh…" it hissed out, trying to bring itself back up. Taking notice, Erika quickly reached into her bag for a Beast Ball.
"Here goes nothing!" she exclaimed, flinging it out at the unaware Ultra Beast, hitting it in the back of its head. It transformed into a reddish-blue light, zipping into the specialized Poké Ball as it popped open, hitting the ground as its button blinked red. It shook for a few moments before stopping, the button flashing green with the sound of a click.
"Alright, we got one!" Pyrrha noted excitedly.
"Now there's three to go…" the Ketchum girl pointed out, watching as Raichu was still zipping about, trying to evade each of its foes' attacks. Unfortunately, it wound up caught off guard as one of the Kartana got behind him, making its horns shine a bright white. The Alolan Mouse Pokémon attempted to get away from it, but it appeared to be honed in on him, striking him squarely in his gut.
"Raichu!" Hau screamed.
"What move was that…?" Erika wondered aloud.
"Smart Strike, zzt," Rotom answered, getting her attention, "It'zzz a Steel-type attack that never missezzz…" it pointed out to her and the others.
"Steel-type…" Pyrrha repeated, "Then that's probably why trying to poison them didn't work!" she realized.
"Yeah," Erika agreed, "In which case, we've got the advantage right here!" she affirmed, looking over to Magmortar.
"Magg!" he bellowed as he stepped forward.
"Use Flamethrower!" his trainer commanded, "Be careful not to hit Raichu!" she advised on. Aiming his right arm up as his claws retracted, the Blast Pokémon unleashed a plume of fire that seared up into the sky. Taking notice from above, the Kartana moved away to avoid the incoming flames, with one being separated from the other two. It seemingly didn't notice Raichu coming up behind it.
"Focus Blast!" Hau ordered from below. The Alolan Mouse Pokémon smirked, readying yet another orb of yellow energy upon his stubby arms. He fired it out at the Ultra Beast, but it did notice. It whipped around, slicing the orb cleanly in half with its arms. Both halves exploded behind it.
"R-Ryyy…?!" Raichu gasped out with a stutter.
"No way…!" Hau exclaimed. In the meantime, Pyrrha pulled out a Poké Ball of her own, enlarging it with a press of its button.
"Cinder, go!" she called out, opening the spherical container as its light shot out onto the ground, shaping into form. It dissipated to reveal her Typhlosion.
"Ty fraaaahhhh!" he roared out.
"Hau! Erika!" the red-and-yellow-haired girl called out to her fellow former trial-goers, getting their attentions, "I think we can handle each of these guys on our own!" she proclaimed, "Let's make sure we split them up, but keep them in the garden!" she advised further.
"Got it!" the Ketchum girl agreed as she nodded, "Magmortar, Focus Blast!" she commanded. The Blast Pokémon held his arms close to each other, channeling a yellow energy together to form a sphere. He fired it up at the other two Kartana, forcing them to fly away from each other to avoid getting hit.
"Cinder, Eruption!" Pyrrha ordered. Running underneath one of the Ultra Beasts, her Typhlosion unleashed a geyser of red-orange flames like lava from his back. The Drawn Sword Pokémon barely managed to fly back from the powerful fire, looking down at its smirking foe. Soliera and Phyco watched on curiously.
"We should've assumed the children had adapted to facing the Ultra Beasts, but still…" the former commented, while the latter twirled his moustache.
"Impressed as I should be, they still need to subdue the three Blades before we can continue on to other matters at hand," he pointed out seriously.
"Right," his colleague agreed. The Kartana up against Raichu made its arms shine bright green as it zipped over, attempting to slash him.
"Dodge!" his trainer cried out. The Alolan Mouse Pokémon managed to evade his opponent's attacks, but grimaced as he was getting driven back. The ponytailed boy below clenched his fists in frustration.
'What do I do?' he wondered inwardly, 'We got lucky the first time, but now these guys are on guard!' he pointed out through his thoughts, 'We gotta get a solid hit in, or we're never gonna catch 'em!' he added to himself.
"Ry, ryy!" Raichu squeaked out, getting his attention, "Ry, chu!" he yelled insistently. His trainer blinked in confusion for a moment before giving off a look of realization. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a yellow Z-Crystal that had a black symbol in a shape similar to the Alolan Mouse Pokémon.
FLASHBACK
"An Aloraichium Z?" Hau repeated, holding the new Z-Crystal in his right hand.
"That's right," Hala responded in confirmation, "That Z-Crystal's one of the few that's just perfect for your partner there," he affirmed as he looked over at the Alolan Mouse Pokémon.
"Ryyy…" he uttered in amazement with sparkles in his eyes.
"Can we really pull off a Z-Move like that?" his trainer wondered aloud, sounding doubtful of himself. His grandfather then put a hand onto his right shoulder, causing him to perk up.
"After how well you've fought to get this far, I've got no doubt in my mind that you can handle this," he stated proudly. For a moment, Hau trembled. But then, he smiled brightly.
"Thanks, Tutu," he said gratefully in response, looking over to his partner, "We're gonna do our best out there!" he vowed.
"Ryy!" the Alolan Mouse Pokémon squeaked in agreement, nodding his head.
END FLASHBACK
Steeling himself as he clutched the Aloraichium Z in his hand, Hau looked back up to Raichu, who zipped about as it evaded the opposing Kartana's attempted swipes. His trainer set the Z-Crystal onto his Z-Power Ring, crossing his arms over his face. The Z-Crystal flashed brightly.
"Raichu, get ready!" he called out to his partner, getting his attention. His trainer waved his arms around, taking a firm stance. He shaped his arms like a lightning bolt as a yellow aura built up around his body. It shot out in streaks to the Alolan Mouse Pokémon above, merging with his body before the Z-Move symbol flashed in front of him.
"Ryy!" he exclaimed as a signal to his trainer, who nodded.
"Here goes!" he yelled, throwing up his right hand, "Stoked Sparksurfer!" he roared out. Electricity crackled around Raichu as he smirked, zipping around Kartana as if he was surfing on the very air itself. The Ultra Beast tried swiping at him, but he was too fast. Eventually, the Alolan Mouse Pokémon rode down towards it on the wind, colliding with it in a fierce clap of lightning.
"Kah… kah…" it breathed out, starting to fall to the ground below. Hau cracked a grin, grabbing a Beast Ball and enlarging it with a press of its button.
"Gotcha'!" he exclaimed as he chucked it up, striking the Drawn Sword Pokémon. Its body transformed into a reddish-blue light, shooting into the spherical container as it opened up, closing once the mass of luminosity was fully within it. The ponytailed boy caught it before it could hit the grass, letting it shake in his left hand as its button shined red. It finally flashed green with the sound of a click, confirming a capture. Hau beamed. "We did it!" he yelled excitedly.
"Ry, ryy!" Raichu squeaked with delight while soaring down, tackling his trainer into a hug as they fell onto the grass, laughing heartily. Watching from afar, Phyco was intrigued.
"That power…" he uttered out.
"Kah… TAH!" one of the remaining Kartana exclaimed as it slashed past Cinder with its green-glowing arms, making him wince.
"Hang in there, Cinder!" Pyrrha cried out, "Use Flame Charge!" she ordered with a swing of her right arm.
"Ty frah!" her Typhlosion roared, charging forward as he enveloped his body in reddish-orange flames, speeding toward his target. However, it evaded him, making its horns shine a bright white before diving down and striking the Volcano Pokémon upside his head with them. "Frrraaahhhh…" he groaned.
"Kartah!" the Ultra Beast hissed out, making several blue energy swords appear around it, orbiting it as a reddish aura began flowing up its form.
"Now Swords Dance…" Pyrrha realized with a grimace.
'This isn't good…' she concluded through her thoughts, 'If Cinder goes down, I'm not sure if I've got anyone who can handle Kartana like this…' she noted to herself, clenching her fists, 'After what happened with both Pheromosa and Xurkitree, should I really be fighting an Ultra Beast by myself?' she wondered inwardly.
"Froh!" her Typhlosion yipped, causing her to blink in surprise, seeing the Volcano Pokémon make the flames at his back ignite brightly.
"Cinder…" she uttered. A smile came back upon her face.
'That's right, we're not done yet!' she affirmed through her thoughts.
"Flame Charge!" she ordered again. Reddish-orange flames engulfed her Typhlosion again as it charged after the Kartana. It moved back to evade him at first, but suddenly was caught up to. The Volcano Pokémon rammed into it hard, sending it flying back. "Great job, Cinder!" his trainer complimented.
"Ty frah!" he responded gratefully. From afar, Soliera was left astonished.
"How is that one able to keep up with the Blade now?" she wondered aloud.
"It appears that move he's been using is raising his speed each time he attacks," Phyco noted, crossing his arms over his chest, "These humans are quite clever indeed," he remarked, "It's no wonder that the Faller decided to rely on them," he mentioned on.
"FRAAAAHHHH!" Cinder roared, slamming into the Drawn Sword Pokémon yet again while embroiled in reddish-orange fire, blowing it back.
"Now to get you!" Pyrrha decided, backhanding a Beast Ball toward the Kartana. However, it managed to slash it in two with its right arm, which glowed a bright green.
"Kahtah," it huffed out, much to the chagrin of its opponent. The red-and-yellow-haired girl wasn't deterred, though.
"Cinder, get ready!" she advised of her partner.
"Frah!" he responded, crouching down on all fours as his flames dissipated. Those of the Ultra Recon Squad watched on curiously, wondering what their ally's plan was. Kartana didn't seem to care, crossing its bladed arms and making them glow yellowish-green as it sped toward its foe. It didn't notice the holes on Cinder's neck starting to glow orange as heat radiated off of them.
"Now, Eruption!" his trainer commanded. Aiming the holes on his back at the Ultra Beast, the Volcano Pokémon unleashed a massive column of reddish-orange fire like lava, striking it fiercely. It couldn't even push through the powerful flames, succumbing to them as an explosion engulfed its body. A moment later, it fell out from the smoke covered in ashes. Pyrrha readied a Beast Ball in her left hand again, flinging it out. It struck the Drawn Sword Pokémon, making its body turn into reddish-blue light and zip into the specialized Poké Ball, which fell onto the ground. It shook for a few moments as its button blinked a bright red. Then, with the sound of a click, it blinked green. "Yes!" the red-and-yellow-haired girl exclaimed, pumping her right fist.
"Ty frahh!" her Typhlosion bellowed happily.
"How most impressive…" Phyco commented with his hand upon his chin.
'These children…' Soliera uttered inwardly.
"Lookzzz like Pyrrha'zzz captured the third one, zzt!" Rotom pointed out to Erika, getting her attention.
"Nice!" she exclaimed, "Now we just gotta deal with ours!" she concluded, looking back at the remaining Ultra Beast flying about, "Magmortar, Flamethrower!" she commanded, sticking her right hand out. The Blast Pokémon aimed his right cannon-like arm up to the air, retracting his claws beforehand. The flames he uncorked seared up into the air, heading for Kartana. However, it evaded them, diving down and making its bladed arms glow a bright blue. It then swung them down, releasing a flurry of shuriken-like energy discs onto its target, who crossed his arms to defend himself.
"Magg…" he grunted out, wincing a little. His trainer grimaced.
'Guess it's easier said than done…' she noted inwardly, 'Compared to Raichu or Typhlosion, Magmortar's not nearly fast enough to keep up with Kartana…' she mentioned to herself, 'And I doubt even a Z-Move could hit it like Hau's did…' she added through her thoughts.
"Jahng…" Jangmo-o uttered worriedly.
"Poy…?" Poipole squeaked out.
"Kahtah!" Kartana exclaimed as it flew down, making its bladed arms glowed a bright blue. Magmortar had no time to react as the Ultra Beast slashed by him, causing him to gasp out in pain.
"Magmortar!" his trainer cried out.
"Morrr…" he groaned, glancing back at the Ultra Beast as it zipped about, making blue energy swords orbit it before a reddish aura flowed up its form.
"Now it'zzz boosting itzzz attack with Swordzzz Dance!" Rotom pointed out frantically.
"That's not good…" Erika realized, while Magmortar was slow to turn around. His opponent made its bladed arms glow blue again as it sped down toward him, ready to strike. But all of a sudden, he was knocked aside by the tail of Jangmo-o, which was shrouded in a green, scale-patterned aura. Everyone gasped in surprise.
"Jangmo-o?!" Rotom yelped.
"What are you doing?!" the Ketchum girl yelled in question as she grimaced. The Ultra Beast turned to the Scaly Pokémon, who took on a firm stance.
"Moh!" he chirped out determinedly.
"Kah," Kartana huffed, zipping up to him instantaneously before he could react. With just a simple swipe, it blew Jangmo-o back instantly.
"Jaaaahhhh!" he screeched out.
"Jangmo-o, no!" Erika screamed, lunging over to catch her partner in her arms as they wound up sliding across the grass.
"Poy!" Poipole squeaked worriedly as it floated over.
"Erika, are you okay?!" Rotom asked upon approaching as well.
"Yeah…" the Ketchum girl groaned out in response, sitting up with Jangmo-o in her lap, as he shook his head, "Jangmo-o, you can't do that!" his trainer advised seriously, causing him to perk up, "I know you wanna help, but you're not ready yet!" she affirmed on, making the Scaly Pokémon lower his head sadly, "If you go out there again, you could get really hurt!" she mentioned out of concern.
"Poy…" Poipole uttered out.
"Erika…" Rotom said. Jangmo-o looked out to Magmortar, who was still struggling to put a stop to Kartana as it sliced around the Blast Pokémon again and again. Seeing him endure each of the Ultra Beast's attacks made the Scaly Pokémon all the more frustrated with himself. Rather than be of help to him and their trainer, he was considered a hindrance because he was too weak. But he wasn't going to endure that frustration any longer. He wriggled himself free from Erika's arms as she yelped, watching him jump forward.
"Jangmo-o!" she exclaimed.
"Jah, jahng!" he chirped in challenge to Kartana, getting its attention just before it could land another slash onto Magmortar. It turned to the Scaly Pokémon, seeing him puff wisps of steam from his nostrils in preparation for a fight. Honoring his challenge, the Ultra Beast sped toward him, making its arms glow a bright blue.
"That'zzz Sacred Sword!" Rotom buzzed in warning.
"Jangmo-o, get out of there!" Erika screamed. However, the Scaly Pokémon wasn't planning on backing down. His foe reared its arms back, ready to slash him away like before. But just before it struck, Jangmo-o made a white light flow over his body, making it shine like metal. He was hit, yet somehow remained in place as he dug in his heels.
"Jahhh…!" he groaned out, steeling himself as he pushed back against the Drawn Sword Pokémon.
"He used Iron Defense to take the hit, zzt…" Rotom realized out of shock.
"Jangmo-o…" Erika uttered in disbelief.
"Poy…" Poipole squeaked with awe. As if that wasn't already surprising enough, the Scaly Pokémon's body suddenly started glowing a bright bluish-white. Everyone gasped, while Kartana flew back. Jangmo-o was growing, becoming bipedal as more scales were forming along his arms, chest, and head. When the light burst apart around him, it revealed that he had evolved into a Hakamo-o.
"Mohhhh!" he roared out.
"He… evolved!" Erika exclaimed excitedly.
"Poy poll…" Poipole uttered, quite shocked. In the meantime, Rotom brought forth an image of the newly evolved Scaly Pokémon upon its screen.
"Hakamo-o, the Scaly Pokémon, and the evolved form of Jangmo-o," it began, "He leaps at his prey with a courageous shout. Hakamo-o's scaly punches tear his opponents to shreds. Hakamo-o sheds and regrows his scales on a continuous basis. The scales become harder and sharper each time they're regrown," it explained thoroughly. The Scaly Pokémon clanged his scales together, dancing about as he created a smooth rhythm.
"Huh?" Erika uttered in confusion, wondering what her newly evolved partner was attempting to do. Kartana seemed to be twitching with irritation at how its foe was acting. It made its horns shine a bright white before diving down at him.
"Mag!" Magmortar cried out to the evolved Scaly Pokémon.
"Hakamo-o, move!" Erika screamed. As the Ultra Beast closed in, the rhythm its foe was building had reached its peak. His eyes jolted open as he closed his right hand into a fist, rearing it back.
"Haaaaa…" he began, encasing his clenched extremity in an orange aura, swinging it up, "KAHHH!" he exclaimed as he struck Kartana, sending it flying back.
"Whoa!" his trainer yelped in surprise, smiling excitedly.
"That wazzz Sky Uppercut, zzt!" Rotom buzzed out, "Erika, I think now'zzz our best chance!" it noted to its user, causing her to perk up.
"Right!" she responded, "Magmortar, Focus Blast!" she commanded with a pump of her fist. Getting to his feet, the Blast Pokémon retracted the claws of both of his cannon-like arms bringing them together to form an orb of yellow energy between them. As Kartana fell, he fired the orb out at it, striking it in a fierce blast, engulfing it in a cloud of grey smoke. As it subsided, it revealed the Ultra Beast floating toward the ground like a piece of paper in the wind. "Okay, here goes!" Erika yelled, prepping a Beast Ball in her right hand as she enlarged it with a press of its button.
She threw it out at the Drawn Sword Pokémon, striking it as its body morphed into a reddish-blue mass of light. It zipped into the specialized Poké Ball, which closed up and fell upon the grass. Both Magmortar and Hakamo-o stood by in ready stances, just in case the Ultra Beast was to break free. Fortunately though, the Beast Ball stopped moving after a few moments, with its button blinking green upon the sound of a click. Everyone beamed.
"Alright! We did it!" Erika exclaimed with delight as she pumped her left fist up.
"Hakah!" Hakamo-o chirped excitedly.
"Magg!" Magmortar bellowed out.
"Poy!" Poipole squeaked as it floated over, spinning around happily. The evolved Scaly Pokémon danced with it, clanging its scales again.
"I still can't believe Hakamo-o wazzz able to help…" Rotom admitted, looming beside its user. She let off a grin.
"Goes to show that everyone wants to help, no matter what," she realized.
"Erika!" Pyrrha's voice called out, getting her attention as she looked over to see her friend and Hau jogging over.
"You get yours?" the ponytailed boy asked of his cousin, who picked up her Beast Ball from the ground.
"Yep!" she confirmed as she held it up, "And Jangmo-o evolved, too!" she mentioned, looking over to the dancing Scaly Pokémon.
"Wow, congrats!" Pyrrha complimented.
"Now that we've caught all these Kartana, we can go help Calvin and the otherzzz, zzt!" Rotom pointed out. Its user nodded.
"Let's get going, guys!" she advised of her friends.
"Yeah!" they responded, heading off with her and their respective Pokémon. Phyco and Soliera looked on, seeing them recall their partners to their Poké Balls before boarding Charizard and Noivern.
"Commander…" the latter of the two Ultra Recon Squad members uttered, getting the former's attention, "do you think that the girl could bring out Poipole's potential better than myself or Dulse?" she inquired. Phyco narrowed his eyes under his visor.
"If she can, then perhaps it's because we're missing something she possesses…" he presumed in response.
X
Back in the Haina Desert, plumes of sand burst up into the sky. Celesteela had its cannon-like arms aimed towards the rocky areas, striking them with the beams of white-and-light-blue luminosity it shot. Little did it realize that the likes of Vikavolt, Togedemaru and Electivire were closing in, with the Roly-Poly Pokémon riding aboard the former's back. Their respective trainers followed them, along with the Ultra Recon Squad members.
"Keep in mind, Blaster has a wide range of attacks," Dulse noted to his colleagues, "Be wary of its arms as well as its body," he advised on.
"Its body?" Paige repeated in confusion.
"Celesteela weighs over two thousand pounds!" Zossie pointed out to her shock, "You wouldn't wanna be on the wrong end of it for sure!" she mentioned with a giggle.
"So we'll focus on attacks from a distance," Trent decided, "Cal, that means you're gonna have to call Togedemaru back," he advised of the Ketchum boy, who blinked in surprise, "We can't have his Lightning Rod screwing up our Electric-type moves," he pointed out seriously.
"But then how's Calvin supposed to help fight?" Paige inquired.
"It's okay," the Ketchum boy assured, "I'll let Togedemaru land the first hit, then call him back," he decided with a grin.
"Sounds good to me," Trent responded as he let off a small smile of his own.
"By the way…" Zossie chimed in, getting the attentions of the former trial-goers, "are those two gonna be helping at all?" she inquired, gesturing towards Tsareena and Meltan, as the former was tending to the latter, feeding it some metal nuts.
"Huh…" Calvin sighed. Just then, another rumble caused the group to come to a halt. They looked to see the Ultra Beast floating over, with energy expelling from the end of its body like a rocket taking flight. "Guess it's time to make the first move," the Ketchum boy concluded, "Togedemaru, Zing Zap!" he commanded of the Roly-Poly Pokémon.
"Mah roo!" he responded, hopping off of Vikavolt and making yellow electricity spark around his body. His spikes stuck up before he spun around, colliding with the Celesteela.
"Nice one!" his trainer yelled with a pump of his fist. However, that joy soon turned to shock as the Launch Pokémon had barely budged. It turned to find its enemies, aiming its right arm towards them.
"Selllll…" it started to bellow, charging up another mass of white light over the opening.
"Uh oh, run!" Paige screamed, enticing everyone to move before the Ultra Beast fired off a powerful beam, striking the ground in a fierce blast. Togedemaru tumbled over along the sand in the process, thankfully being stopped by his trainer as he caught him from behind. He and Trent stood side by side, grimacing.
"Didn't think that wouldn't do anything…!" the former admitted as he clenched his teeth together.
"It's alright!" his rival assured, "We'll handle the rest from here!" he decided as he ran forward, "Put Togedemaru back in his ball!" he advised on.
"Toh?" the Roly-Poly Pokémon squeaked in confusion, looking to his trainer.
"Sorry, bud," he apologized, taking out his Poké Ball and aiming it at him, "They're not gonna be able to use their moves because of your Lightning Rod," he told him, "Don't worry, you did good," he assured, recalling Togedemaru to the spherical container in a beam of red light.
"Vikavolt, Thunderbolt!" Trent ordered. The Stag Beetle Pokémon flew around Celesteela, drawing its attention. Yellow electricity crackled around his body before he unleashed a bolt of lightning that struck the Launch Pokémon. However, nothing appeared to happen as a result. "What?!" the dark green-haired boy exclaimed in shock.
"Guess this one's tougher than it looks!" Paige presumed as she hurried over alongside Electivire and the Ultra Recon Squad members, "Use Thunder Punch!" she commanded, pumping her right fist forward. Orbs of yellow electricity surrounded the Thunderbolt Pokémon's arms as he smacked them together before lunging out at the Ultra Beast. However, it turned toward him, enveloping its body in a silver aura. It suddenly slammed into Electivire, sending him flying back due to the force of his weight.
"Seriously?!" Trent yelped out.
"Ergh…" Paige growled.
"I told you that Blaster would be formidable," Dulse pointed out to his colleagues, "We should wait for the commander and Soliera before proceeding," he advised of them.
"But what if they're not done dealing with the UBs there?" Zossie inferred in concern, "It's not like Celesteela's invincible, Dulse!" she argued.
"Might as well be given how it's taken our moves…" Trent grumbled.
"But we can't give up!" Calvin insisted, getting the group's attention as they saw him approach, readying a pair of Poké Balls in his hands, "The longer we wait for help, there'll be more damage Celesteela causes," he noted seriously, "We've gotta hold it here!" he declared determinedly. Everyone looked to each other in surprise. But then, Paige grinned.
"Cal's right," she agreed, "Electivire, let's try to slow it down!" she advised of the Thunderbolt Pokémon.
"Vyyrre!" he responded, charging out towards the Ultra Beast again. It turned to see him approaching.
"Low Kick!" Paige ordered. Electivire swung his right leg out as he closed in, kicking the Launch Pokémon as it tilted slightly. However, it aimed its cannon-like arms at its foe, causing it to gasp in surprise before getting bombarded with several green-glowing seeds it shot out, striking him in fierce explosions. "Electivire!" his trainer screamed.
"Seed Bomb, huh?" Trent noted with a grimace. At that moment, Calvin tossed his two Poké Balls out. They burst open, with their respective lights forming upon the ground, dissipating to reveal both Incineroar and Marowak.
"Sehh rawrrr!" the former exclaimed, while the latter ignited both ends of his bone in pale green flames after rubbing them against the marking atop his head.
"Fire-types, hm?" Dulse assumed.
"If it can use Flash Cannon and Heavy Slam, then fighting back with someone like a Fire-type's our best bet!" the Ketchum boy affirmed, clenching his fists, "Marowak, Flare Blitz!" he commanded of the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon.
"Roh!" he responded, running forward and spinning his bone around. The flames from them expanded, engulfing his body as he lunged toward the Ultra Beast, colliding head-on with it. This time, it was shoved back a few yards.
"Selllll…" it echoed, aiming its cannon-like arms forward as masses of white-and-light-blue luminosity started forming in front of their openings.
"Vikavolt, Thunder Wave!" Trent called out. The Stag Beetle Pokémon spread its mandibles, opening its mouth before releasing yellow rings of light onto the Ultra Beast. Electricity began sparking around its body as the masses of luminosity started dissipating.
"Hey, nice one!" Paige complimented with a thumbs-up.
"Wish I did that earlier…" the dark green-haired boy grumbled in admittance, "Calvin, do your thing!" he called out to the Ketchum boy.
"Right!" he responded, "Incineroar, Blast Burn!" he ordered, sticking his left hand out. A red, flaming aura flared to life around the Heel Pokémon as she roared, followed by slamming her hands against the ground. Orange lights spewed out from the cracking ground, trailing towards Celesteela. An energy then erupted underneath it, propelling it upward just before it could get caught up in a fiery explosion.
"Shoot!" Paige yelped.
"It's not over yet!" Trent proclaimed, swinging his right arm forward, "Use Thunderbolt!" he ordered of the Stag Beetle Pokémon. Yellow electricity crackled around his body again before he unleashed a bolt of lightning onto the Ultra Beast from below, striking it as it came to a stop. Its body had electricity sparking around it wildly, causing it to seize up suddenly.
"There, it's stopped!" Calvin pointed out, "Marowak, Flare Blitz!" he commanded, pumping his fists forward.
"Electivire, Thunder Punch!" Paige ordered. The Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon again engulfed himself in the pale green flames that spread from his bone, while the Thunderbolt Pokémon encased his arms in orbs of yellow electricity, smacking them together. Together, the pair lunged up at their paralyzed foe, ready to strike with all their available might.
"Sellll… lehhhh…" it groaned amidst the electricity crackling around its body. It had no way to escape from its foes, who were ready to strike. All of a sudden, its body began glowing a bright white, causing both of its opponents to perk up in surprise. Widening his eyes, Marowak quickly veered over and slammed into Electivire, knocking him away.
"The heck?!" Paige yelped out upon noticing.
"Marowak, what are you—?!" A powerful explosion suddenly went off from the Ultra Beast's body, seemingly engulfing the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon as well. Calvin's eyes widened. "MAROWAK!" he screamed.
"That… was Explosion…" Trent realized.
"Marowak knocked Electivire away so he wouldn't take the hit…" Paige noted on with shaking eyes, only to blink in realization, "Oh my gosh, is he okay?!" she inquired out of panic.
"I… don't know…" Calvin said, only to see something falling out from the resulting smoke, landing upon the sand in a flurry. He squinted for a moment, only to gasp with relief. "Marowak!" he exclaimed, seeing the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon step out from the sand, not even having a scratch on his body.
"Mah roh," he huffed proudly, holding his bone like a staff as both of its ends were no longer aflame.
"Thank goodness you're okay…" his trainer said with relief.
"I see," Dulse uttered upon approaching, getting their attentions, "Your partner here must've understood that Blaster's attack wouldn't affect him, thus why he made certain that he was the only one caught up in that explosion," he explained.
"Yeah, Marowak's a Ghost-type…" Paige realized as she came over with the others. Meltan seemed to be in awe of the battle it had paid witness to, still sitting in Tsareena's hands. At that moment, the Fruit Pokémon looked up and lightly gasped.
"Sah, sahree!" she pointed out, enticing for everyone to look up at the cloud of smoke in the sky. Descending from it was Celesteela, who sounded as if it was groaning.
"It's not down?!" Trent exclaimed in surprise.
"But it must've used up a lot of energy back there…" Paige noted, readying a Beast Ball in her right hand, "Now for the finishing touch!" she decided, rearing her arm back and flinging the specialized Poké Ball up at the Launch Pokémon. It struck, opening up as the Ultra Beast turned into a reddish-blue mass of light, zipping into the spherical container. After a moment, it closed up and fell onto the ground, its button blinking as it shook. The group approached it just before it came to a stop, with its button blinking green. Zossie went ahead and picked it up.
"Phew!" she exhaled, "And that's another UB taken care of!" she confirmed with a grin.
"Good," Dulse said rather robotically, turning to the former trial-goers and their Pokémon, "We appreciate the help," he told them, "Now we'll be on our way," he confirmed.
"Hey, Dulse!" Zossie shouted, "Don't just brush them off!" she insisted of her colleague, puffing her cheeks.
"It's okay, really…" Calvin assured with his hands raised in a placating manner.
"So does this mean we've taken care of all the Ultra Beasts on Ula'ula?" Paige presumed.
"Yes, there aren't any excess Ultra Wormhole readings coming from here," Dulse confirmed in reply.
"That means the only island left is Poni…" Trent concluded, crossing his arms over his chest. Just then, the magenta-haired Ultra Recon Squad member put his right hand onto the side of his helmet.
"Commander," he addressed, causing the others to look over, "We've just secured a Blaster here," he confirmed over the communication line, "I see," he said after a moment, "Four Blades, huh?" he noted aloud.
"Blades?" Paige repeated in confusion.
"It's a codename for another Ultra Beast, Kartana," Zossie told her.
"So Erika and the others had to deal with four of them…" Trent realized with a grimace, "Sounds like they managed things, though," he pointed out.
"Yeah," Calvin agreed.
"Wait, what?" Dulse said, causing them to perk up, "Readings are spiking on that last island?" he inquired on, "…Right, we'll be on our way," he affirmed, ending the communication before turning to his colleagues, "We're going," he stated.
"Huh?" Zossie uttered with a tilt of her head, "Hold on, the UBs on Poni are acting up?" she guessed.
"Worse than that," Dulse responded, walking past her, "Another wormhole's opened," he confirmed to the group's collective shock.
"Oh no…" Calvin uttered worriedly, wondering just what kind of Ultra Beasts he and his friends would have to face… and how many would break through…
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
Things are starting to heat up as we get into the final five chapters! Everyone, it's been such a fun ride thus far, and I promise that I'll make the rest of this story worth it! For now though, here's a sneak peek to the next chapter!
SUMMARY
Another Ultra Wormhole's opened up in Resolution Cave on Poni Island! The Ultra Recon Squad and the others head to contain the Ultra Beasts that have emerged, but they're far stronger than what they've faced before…
Can they win?!
END SUMMARY
That's all for now, folks! See you later!