Draco: Alright, time for the actual march scenes. Let's see how rusty I am with a proper six-on-six battle of Warriors and Pokémon.
Pokémon and protagonist © Nintendo. Character designs © Koei. Ransei © somewhere in the middle.
Ultra Kingdom - Rainbow Road: A Mother's Love
"They're not here. I suppose that was to be expected."
Evia sighed at Driftwalker's observation. "Guess it was too much to hope your search would be done that easily."
The masked Warrior turned to her. "And you've picked up a sixth member for your legion." She had left Iron Valiant behind at the Tera Crystal in Aurora to bolster the defense effort, and she and Hatterene seemed more than a little upset to discover they had little in the way of battle ahead of them.
"You can't be in six places at once anyways," Evia retorted. "After we've claimed each of these castles, you can search them freely. If the prisoners still haven't been found, you can join the march on the last one."
"And if they have?" Driftwalker asked.
"Then you'll have the choice of keeping watch over them," Evia replied, "or entrusting them to the others' care while you march."
Driftwalker nodded. "Alright."
Footsteps drew Evia's attention to find Oichi, Wigglytuff, Kaguya, and Gardevoir approaching. "No luck, then?"
"Not today," Evia admitted. "You two all good?"
Oichi set a hand on the rapier she'd reclaimed from the Warlord Chamber, now hanging at her hip along with her buckler. "All set."
Kaguya nodded. "Yeah. Let's go!"
The three of them stepped outside, where Yoshihiro, Kotarō, and Nagamasa were already waiting, along with Conkeldurr, Cobalion, Zoroark, Darkrai, Type: Full, and the Eeveelutions. "Finally ready to advance?" the Yakshan inquired.
"We are," Evia confirmed. "I see the others have already left."
Yoshihiro pointed to the distant castles, starting with one that looked like a fusion of Nixtorm and Illusio. "Nobunaga's legion went to that one. Shingen and Kenshin took theirs in that direction," he added, pointing at a combination of Ignis and Fontaine. Then, to the clash of Violight and Valora; "Yoshimoto led the way there, and that one was called by Hideyoshi." A combination of Pugilis and Greenleaf, followed by the fusion of Avia and Yaksha. "And Masamune insisted on going that way."
Nagamasa directed his jousting lance towards the remaining castle, Viperia clashed with Cragspur. "Which leaves us with that one."
Evia nodded. "Not my favourite pair of battlefields," she admitted, "but I think we can make do."
+x+x+x+
The prismatic road that connected the castles floating in Ultra Space made the journey much easier than it would have been. Distances in Ultra Space seemed deceptive; despite being clearly visible from Aurora Castle, the fused Viperia/Cragspur castle was still several hours' walk. Nonetheless, that journey on a flat road was much less demanding of the traveler than the same journey would have been on natural terrain, and the legion arrived at the courtyard ready and willing to battle after no more than a few minutes' rest for their legs.
The gate of Viperia Castle was nowhere to be seen, leaving the gate of Cragspur Castle, slightly off-center, as their only point of ingress. Once the legion could walk comfortably again, Evia made to approach the castle doors and push them open; to her surprise, the interior looked rather more like Viperia than Cragspur, with wood-lined walls rather than stone surfaces.
Five Trainers in the Rainbow Rocket uniform were sitting on benches along the hallway, and as the Warriors stepped in, they got to their feet. "Well, dammit," one woman muttered, "I was hoping he was wrong."
"Hoping who was wrong?" Kaguya asked.
"The pirate," the woman replied. "When he said the Ranseans would be attacking us soon."
"You mean Ghetsis?" Oichi wondered. "He literally asked us to attack each of these castles."
"I know," the woman sighed. "But... part of me wanted to believe you would decide there was no reason to attack this one."
"Ha..." Kotarō grinned. "Seems someone is reluctant to host guests."
Evia crossed her arms. "Ghetsis said that your organization would follow Ransean war customs," she recalled. "In Ransei, if an attack is launched on a castle and the defending army isn't interested in fighting the battle - regardless of their reason for doing so - they are allowed to withdraw their Warriors peacefully."
"Yeah," one man argued, "but that's on the order of the army's boss, right? 'Warlord', or whatever. Or at least whoever's been left in charge of that specific castle." He shook his head. "If the rest of us take off without that order, we're just deserters."
"Trust me," admitted another woman, "she'll want to fight you. It's just gonna suck to tell her there's a fight." She glanced around. "I don't suppose you could find your own way to the battlefield?"
Yoshihiro glared. "Not after what you've done to the castles."
"Then we'll show you the way," she replied. "Come on."
In spite of what Team Rainbow Rocket had done to Ransei, Evia found herself pitying these Trainers. Whoever had been delegated command of the fused Viperia/Cragspur castle, it was abundantly clear that she was not a pleasant person to work under; the Auroran could only hope that she did not possess enough authority in the organization to punish these underlings for being defeated in battle.
The hallways seemed to be a constant string of crossroads, but the Trainers knew their way through well enough. Soon they arrived at what looked like the doors to the Viperia battlefield; one of the men turned to the Warriors. "One Pokémon per combatant per side; the boss was very clear on that. If you follow the rules, we'll follow the rules. Have the rest stay in this hall, there should be room for them. Don't go too much further than the entrance; let us talk to her first."
A silent understanding passed between the Warriors; there was no expectation for the Pokémon to accompany them into the battlefield immediately, allowing them the opportunity to assess the enemy unit first, nor did they seem to have any perception of which Pokémon was linked to which Warrior. "Understood."
With that confirmed, the doors were pushed open; the Trainers started to follow the walls, and the Warriors stepped in after them.
And Evia nearly screamed.
The battlefield looked like a giant cave... but the walls looked like coral, uneven and sharp and illuminated with an eerie glow. There were pits scattered across the floor, large enough that any of the present combatants could leap over them but lined with the same jagged edges as the rest. A section of the wall opposite the entrance was covered in a reflective crystalline surface, and a short distance before it was what seemed to be a throne of rock, broad enough to host three would they sit side-by-side.
"Crescent Calm," Kotarō cursed. "This is..."
Oichi grabbed her wife's shoulder. "Evia- Evia. Deep breaths. This isn't that."
Evia turned. "Wh-What...?"
"Look." Oichi directed her gaze towards the ceiling; Evia followed suit to find a crystal chandelier hanging above. The walls didn't have their own luminescence, but were simply reflecting the light of the fixture. Closer inspection revealed the surfaces were far more uneven than she remembered, and looked like they had been shaped into this state, rather than naturally growing that way.
"It's not the beast's domain," Kotarō observed, "but simply an imitation created in its likeness."
"Why would anyone want this?" Evia murmured. "Who would choose to-?"
Nagamase drew his jousting lance. "I think we might have our answer."
The Rainbow Rocket members were approaching the empty throne, every one of them hesitant; after a moment, one of the men stepped forward. "...Miss President, the Warriors have arrived."
Someone appeared in the seat, seemingly flickering into existence; one leg was crossed over the other, and one hand rested upon her chin.
"So they have."
The woman now seated there was slender and pale, garbed in a short, sleeveless white dress that seemed to have some sort of translucent golden surface layer; a pair of long stockings, segmented in black and white, covered her legs, and her feet rested in a pair of black stilettos with golden heels. A gemstone of some sort, green so dark as to be nearly black, was mounted on her chest, with some sort of golden claws holding it in place from below; a golden band rested around her neck, not circling all the way but coming to points above her shoulders. For a moment, Evia mistook her for was wearing a mantle of some description, but then she realized it was the woman's hair; she left her long blonde locks hanging free to encircle her like a cloak, her bangs sloping off to one side to half-obscure one eye.
Her green eyes moved between the six Warriors standing there before settling on Kaguya, and her mouth curled into a sinister grin.
"That man said that Warriors would be attacking us," the woman observed, "but I'd never thought that children would be among them." Her face fell, and she leaned her head back. "How frustrating... And here I thought I could at least enjoy myself in this semblance of paradise until he made his move..."
"Who are you?" Oichi demanded.
"I am Lusamine," the woman replied. "I was president of the Aether Foundation in Alola. At least, the Aether Foundation of my own world. We took in Pokémon who had been hurt by selfish Trainers, or lost in the world, and took care of them." She opened her eyes, gazing towards the chandelier. "You know of the Ultra Wormholes? They are incredibly rare in other regions, but in my dear Alola, they appear with some frequency. Those Pokémon we call Ultra Beasts wander out of them, lost and confused. One day, such a beast appeared before me, and I was captivated by its beauty." She spread her arms out at her sides. "Just as I have surrounded myself with other beautiful Pokémon, I made it my mission to seek out that beast as well."
Evia's hands began to shake. "You can't mean...!"
Kaguya turned to her. "Mama Evia, are you okay?"
Lusamine's eyes narrowed. "Mama...?" Her gaze fell on Evia. "I see... That child is yours?" She gave a dismissive huff. "A word of advice, then, from one mother to another. You'd best prepare yourself to be disappointed when that child grows."
"Excuse me?" Evia demanded.
"I had two children of my own," Lusamine admitted. "When they were small, they were adorable. They listened to everything I said without question. They did what I told them to do, they wore what I told them to wear, they acted how I wanted them to act. But when they grew, they became horrible, disobedient things. One took a failed experiment of a Pokémon, and tried to train it to become powerful - powerful enough to strike down the beasts I would welcome into Alola! And the other ran off with a weak, pathetic little Pokémon whose very essence was the key to opening the Ultra Wormholes, and had the gall to yell at me when I took it back and forced it to use its power!"
Her words rang familiar in Oichi's ears. A failed experiment that would strike down beasts, and a weak Pokémon who can open the Wormholes... Null and Cosmog?!
"Children would all be much happier if they'd only listen to the adults around them," Lusamine proclaimed. "But so many grow just a little bit, and decide they don't have to! They act like they have the right to make their own choices, to defy the decisions of their betters!"
"You are no mother," Evia growled, and the trembling of her hands had ceased. "A mother does not treat her children as possessions." She stepped forward. "And if you would force a Pokémon to do your bidding, you don't even deserve to call yourself a Trainer! No Trainer deserving of the name treats their Pokémon as belongings!"
Lusamine huffed. "That girl may call you her mother, but you are no better than she is," she scorned. "An ignorant child in a woman's body, knowing nothing of the world. A Trainer composes his party for his own benefits, and casts out any Pokémon he does not please."
Evia shook her head. "You clearly know less than I do," she proclaimed. "I have travelled Trainer lands; I have seen how Trainers conduct themselves. They and their Pokémon bond with one another, they come to understand one another, they work for one another's benefit. And when they cannot continue together, because their desires differ or they cannot coexist healthily, then they part ways peacefully, with understanding!"
She glanced at Kaguya. "Being a parent is no different. My daughter is not my property - she is her own person, with her own desires and wants! I have no right to make her decisions for her! My only role is to protect her until such time as she can protect herself! Once she can, she deserves to decide her own course of action! If she should choose to part ways with me, it is my duty as a parent to let her! If she chooses to live her life differently than I do, I have no right to do anything but wish her success! And if she finds that I am bringing harm to the people and Pokémon around me, and chooses to oppose me, she has every right to do so!"
Her hand came up and seized the grip of her sword, which she drew with a scream of steel.
"You who fail to understand this are no Trainer nor mother! You are a beast, heartless and wretched, and you deserve to be struck down!"
Lusamine took a deep breath through her nose, and then loosed it in an exasperated sigh; she uncrossed her legs and got to her feet, her eyes closed.
"All that empty speech, just to speak a single word of truth."
She drew something out in one hand - a Poké Ball like Evia had never seen before, lined with a grid design and with golden arcs encircling it in an X that converged on the button. With a hellish grin, she hurled it straight up, and with a burst of light too reminiscent of an Ultra Wormhole, the Pokémon within emerged.
A translucent, star-studded white bell shape with numerous tentacles hanging from its ridge, visibly hollow from below.
Evia's breath hitched in terror; Oichi's hands came up to her mouth in fright, and even Kotarō gave a furious growl as he recognized the Nihilego floating there. It crossed its foremost tentacles with a screech, swaying from side to side as its cry echoed around the chamber; then it started to descend, and Lusamine turned her gaze on the Warriors.
"I am a beast."
Nihilego's bell enveloped her, and its tentacles wrapped around her before the Ultra Beast began to undergo a change. The stars upon its bell vanished, revealing Lusamine's face as her hair turned black, pooling around the inside of the beast's body. Darkness spread across Nihilego as its tentacles began to merge, ending with eight bulky tendrils scattered with colourful shards; four of them sprouted quartets of triangular black spikes as a single eye shape appeared upon each, while four sprouted singular stingers as triplet eyes manifested upon them.
Lusamine opened her eyes, which had attained a sinister golden hue.
"In my world, I had forced open the Ultra Wormholes, and brought this beautiful Ultra Beast to my side." Her voice had acquired a terrifying reverb, echoing around the battlefield. "It was my desire to follow it home, into a paradise where I could be surrounded by only the things I love. But a terrible light seared down on me, and I found myself and Nihilego adrift, where Team RR found us. Their leader promised me that if I helped him attain his goals, he would send me to a world of my choosing - to the paradise I deserve!"
The uniformed Trainers of Team Rainbow Rocket each tossed forward a Poké Ball, sending out their own Pokémon - Dugtrio, Muk, Raticate, Sandslash and Golem. Kotarō recognized them as the variant forms of the species that were to be found in Nagamasa's kingdom; without prompting, he knelt down and began to whisper in Kaguya's ear.
"I don't care if you call yourself Warlord or not!"
Lusamine swept her hands out.
"I don't care if you've seen different regions or not!"
Nihilego spread its tentacles threateningly.
"I don't care if you're the rarest Pokémon there is in the world or not!"
The uniformed Trainers drew their weapons; Dugtrio's man had a scimitar, Muk's woman a war hammer, Raticate's man had a quarterstaff, Sandslash's woman had a pair of brass knuckles, and Golem's man had a mace.
"If you're not beautiful enough to be worthy of my love, then you're nothing but a bother to me!"
Oichi glared, drawing her rapier and buckler. "You know nothing of love."
Darkrai and Cobalion charged into the battlefield, followed swiftly by Gardevoir, Wigglytuff, and Flareon. As Type: Full brought up the rear, Nagamasa drew something out of the case he was wearing; the slot on the side of the Beast Killer's head opened, and the displaced Warrior threw the disc into the slot one-handed, causing a dirty brown hue to spread across his spikes and fin. Kaguya closed her hand on the Key Stone that Ranmaru had given her, and Gardevoir's Mega Stone reacted; prismatic light consumed the Embrace Pokémon, and then parted to reveal she had been changed, her dress expanding and the horn on her chest opening into two.
Crystalline rocks manifested around Nihilego, and Lusamine screeched as they soared towards Gardevoir; Full intercepted the projectiles with his own body, and then led the charge as the Trainers and their Pokémon did the same. Evia drew her shield and charged forward - and to her shock, Lusamine and Nihilego charged at her, thrusting the stinger-tipped tentacles towards her and forcing her to meet them on the battle plate.
She's using Nihilego as her weapon?!
The mace-wielder quickly found Kotarō charging at him, and an attempt to defend with his weapon found the head sliced clean off the shaft by a swing of the Yakshan's claws; the shaft itself was carved in two with another swing, and Kotarō followed through with a boot to the chest to knock the wind out of him. Darkrai's opening void reached out across the Trainers' Pokémon, though only Dugtrio actually succumbed to the fitful slumber, but a blast of Thunder from Golem came down on the Nightmare's head before he could try to close the distance, and Muk followed through with a vicious Sludge Bomb.
Raticate started bouncing towards Gardevoir, but the Embrace Pokémon retaliated with a powerful Moonblast that left him tumbling backwards and into one of the pits. The staff-wielder halted at the edge of the pit and reached his weapon down to give Raticate something to grab onto; as the Mouse Pokémon was pulled out, his other hand drew out a Hyper Potion, and he sprayed Raticate with the restorative to patch up the wound. Throwing the Dark-type forward again, he found himself moving his staff to meet a swing of Kaguya's bamboo pole, and she quickly ground her weapon against his in order to thrust the head into his chest.
Sandslash saw Full sprinting towards Muk and brought down a vicious Icicle Crash to intercept him, leaving the Beast Killer stumbling in pain. The pugilist charged at Nagamasa, only to find her hands full dodging the thrusts of his jousting lance; the displaced Warrior was surprisingly adept with a weapon meant to be brandished from atop a Pokémon, leaving her unable to take her attention off of him long enough to stop Oichi from coming up on his side and swiping the brass knuckles off her hands with her rapier. Sandslash's next Icicle Crash found itself cut short when Flareon closed a Fire Fang on her claws, searing the Ice-type and then slamming her into the ground to knock her out.
Wigglytuff closed in on Muk and unleashed a Hyper Voice; the Sludge Pokémon glared, turning around and loosing a Sludge Bomb that left Wigglytuff stumbling. The hammer-wielder tried to charge at Oichi, only to find Yoshihiro intercepting her; his hammer collided with hers and left her spinning, defenseless until the Pugilan drove the shaft into her chest. She tried to hoist the hammer over her head, but Yoshihiro only brought his hammer up to meet her swing, throwing it out of her hands and sending it flying into the crysalline chandelier with a crash; Muk promptly found Full coming up behind her, bringing down a Multi-Attack to finish her off.
Oichi drove her rapier into the ground to loose a soft light, healing the wounds of her allies' Pokémon. Darkrai quickly took advantage of the rejuvenation to lunge at Golem, unleashing a Dark Pulse that left him stumbling; the Megaton Pokémon tried to line up for another Thunder, only to find Cobalion charging at his flank to carve him up with a Sacred Sword and finish him off. The staff-wielder was taking far too many hits from Kaguya for his liking, and when Gardevoir knocked out Raticate with another Moonblast, he quickly dropped the staff, raising his hands to acknowledge his defeat.
Dugtio managed to awaken from the fitful sleep in time to find Flareon and Cobalion converging on him; the Mole Pokémon was swiftly knocked out from the combination of Sacred Sword and Fire Fang. Seeing five of six Pokémon on the field knocked out, the uniformed Trainers quickly withdrew their combatants and made for the doors, having clearly decided that the risk of punishment for fleeing without the castle's leader was preferable to dealing with her after their defeat.
Lusamine barely seemed to notice; she was fixated on her clash with Evia, who was faring surprisingly well on defense against an eight-tentacled Nihilego. The problem was that defense was all she could do - Evia had no opportunity to try and strike back, never mind the question of whether she could even hit Lusamine while she was in this state. With Team Rainbow Rocket's other Pokémon out of the way, Flareon tried to leap at Nihilego, closing a Fire Fang on one stinger, but that only got him flung into the reflective wall, and Lusamine rounded on him, casting Power Gems his way.
Cobalion moved to intercept this one, tanking the stones and then charging forward with a Sacred Sword; Darkrai swiftly moved in to follow through with a Dark Pulse. Lusamine gave a pained yell, seeming to feel the blows, but one of her hands drew out a Hyper Potion, and it seemed to have as welcome an effect from inside Nihilego as it would sprayed on any Pokémon from the outside, rejuvenating it.
She turned Nihilego's tentacles on Evia again; one of the spike-ringed tentacles closed on her shield and seized it, and Evia trying to struggle against its grip only found her dragged into the air as one of the stingers knocked her sword out of her hands. Kaguya's terrified yell had Gardevoir leaping forward with a vicious Psychic; the energy rippling around Nihilego earned a much more emphatic reaction, causing it to loose its grip on Evia. Full promptly leapt forward with claws trailing dirt, and a solid Multi-Attack to the bell knocked the Ultra Beast out of the air, tentacles limp.
Lusamine's legs managed to brace against the ground, supporting her and the Ultra Beast both; she looked dazed, but conscious, and rounded a glare on Kaguya. "You... insolent child!" She drew a starry shape out in one hand and slammed it against the ridge of Nihilego's bell; a crack ripped down one point, and a luminescent light poured out of it, restoring Nihilego and causing it to rise into the air again. "You and your Pokémon have no business interfering with me!"
"She and the beast are drawing strength from each other!" Nagamasa realized. "If we don't separate them...!"
Kaguya braced her bamboo pole in front of her, defiant; Gardevoir loosed another Psychic, but this time Nihilego was ready, drifting out of the waves before they could strike. Power Gems manifested around it and soared at the Embrace Pokémon, throwing it back, and when Kaguya turned in shock Lusamine lunged forward, Nihilego's stingers zeroing in on the child.
"No!"
Evia lunged into Nihilego's path, beating the tentacles away with her shield - and then, before Lusamine could react to the interruption; she raised her empty sword hand towards the Ultra Beast.
And a light appeared in the air between them.
Oichi started. "Evia...!"
Kaguya stepped back, terrified. "Wh-What is she...?"
"She's... trying to Link with it," Yoshihiro realized. "The beast."
Lusamine's aggression had faltered, the rage on her face having subsided into wonder, and the Nihilego's tentacles lowered; Evia closed her eyes, and her hand was shaking as she took a single step forward.
"No!" Kotarō sounded fearful, making to approach her. "Don't fall into that trap! Trying to Link with a beast will only leave you vulnerable to its assault! It won't accept-!"
"I don't need it to accept me."
Evia's eyes snapped open, having turned golden and novalike.
Her fingers spread, and the rings and strike of the Alpha, burned into her palm, began to shine.
The light of the budding Link scattered in the air, and Lusamine threw her head back and screamed in pain as the Nihilego screeched, the both of them being consumed with a different, harsher light.
The woman fell to the ground, her hair rapidly lightning back to blonde; as the light faded, the Ultra Beast was back to normal, reeling away in pain. Evia's hand fell, and her eyes faded back to voltaic blue as she fell to one knee, slamming her branded hand into the ground to support herself. Gardevoir promptly took the initiative to strike Nihilego with another Psychic before it could adjust to its new situation; the Ultra Beast writhed in the air, tentacles balling up upon itself from the supereffective blow. Darkrai quickly closed the distance with a Dark Pulse to leave it reeling back, and Cobalion quickly followed through with a Sacred Sword to fling Nihilego into the reflective surface opposite the battlefield entrance.
As it fell to the ground, Nagamasa thrust his lance forward in command; Full charged forward, claws surging with energy as he brought them down on the Ultra Beast's bell.
Kaguya quickly circled around to her mother's front, trying to hold her up. "Mama Evia!" She set a hand on her shoulder. "Mama Evia, are you okay?"
Evia looked up to her daughter. "I'm... fine, Kaguya," she insisted. "Just... tired."
"You..."
Lusamine's utterance drew the Warriors' attention; she'd managed to prop herself up on her arms, and was looking at Evia - not with hatred, but with wonder. "What... was that... beautiful... scene...?"
Her eyes rolled back, and she slumped to the ground.
Kotarō turned towards the entrance; after a moment, Zoroark and the other Eeveelutions charged in, and Evia found herself surrounded by her worried Link partners. With a sigh, the Yakshan stepped towards the fallen Lusamine, and Oichi was shocked to see him take his claws off as he approached. "What shall we do with her?" he inquired.
Oichi looked down at Lusamine's sleeping form. "We'll wait for the others to call in," she insisted. "Then maybe Gracia can have Solgaleo and Lunala send her back to her own world."
Nagamasa stepped forward. "You would send her back to the world she came from?" he asked. "Where she did what she said she did to so many people and Pokémon?"
"She said she was interrupted on the way to Nihilego's world," Oichi recalled. "If what's happened while she worked with Team Rainbow Rocket isn't enough to convince her to change her course... then all she's going to do is open another Ultra Wormhole, and try to go there again." She shook her head. "And that's assuming no one at this Aether Foundation of hers objected to her course of action, and notified the authorities."
Kotarō turned to Evia. "You're in no condition to be watching over her, after having to face one of those beasts again," he observed. "Leave her to me. See if this fused castle still has any sort of bedchambers."
"Are you sure you can handle her?" Oichi asked. "She might have more Pokémon; if she wakes up before-"
Darkrai gave her a look.
"...Okay, fair enough." Oichi knelt at Evia's side. "Come on, lean on me..."
As the Aurorans left, Yoshihiro stepped up at the Yakshan's side. "What happened to the man who turned the entire populace of Yaksha into Umbra Hearts, and then abandoned his station as Warlord when he came back to find them freed of that darkness?"
"He learned that such a man falls under suspicion," Kotarō replied. "That he'll be forced to make a sacred vow just to convince a potential ally that they share a common goal - and is not trusted not to break even that."
Picking up Lusamine, he made his way over to the stone throne, lying her down at its foot before taking the seat; Zoroark sat down at his side, and Darkrai moved aside the throne before taking stance.
Draco: September of 2019, I wrote a conversational oneshot in Ultra Alola that left two little hints at future Ultra Alola stories I was planning on writing after Sword and Shield came out (because I'm usually reluctant to write Pokémon fanfics that are set in the current Generation). One of those hints was for a very minor element in an otherwise largely-unrelated story involving the Ultra Recon Squad; I got three chapters in and then ran into a brick wall.
The other, story-ending hint was for a major plot point in a story involving Gladion's time in Kanto... that wasn't fully thought through, and when I DID try and think it through, I quickly realized it was a tangled mess that wouldn't be very enjoyable to WRITE, let alone read. The plot point in question was "Team Rainbow Rocket has villainous leaders from worlds where they succeeded; what if there was a Lusamine from a world where SHE succeeded, and the Ultra Recon Squad wasn't around to point her at Necrozma?"
I'm so happy I never ended up trying to write that story, because it makes this story fit together so much better. #RefittedForSequel.