Pokémon Radiant Sun
Shockingly, an update has come your way!
Yeah, what a twist. I didn't end up playing Destiny 2's "The Final Shape" DLC for a month straight. Mostly because this chapter was basically done before I posted the last update.
Ain't I a stinker?
But what doesn't stink is that Pokémon Radiant Sun has reached 500,000 views! After seven and a half years of work, still seeing this story get so much support and interest feels pretty damn amazing. Thank you all so much, and I hope I can continue to entertain you for years to come through my stories.
Shoutout to the legends who reviewed since the last update, which includes SolanaLeonhart, Oragonking, General C and BraviaryScout. You all are amazing and I appreciate the heck out of you!
Enjoy!
Chapter 177: Motherbeast Knows Best
Ultra Deep Sea
"Welcome to my special hell."
Sun and Lillie stared at Charles Dawson, the former Cipher Admin who had once battled Sun within the Battle Royal Dome. The man who had nearly died with Roran Rubinara turned on Borlath and who had, in turn, helped take down insane Kahuna.
And the man who had been dragged by the Nihilego into the depths of Ultra Space, never to be seen from again. This had been long before Lusamine and Guzma had jumped into the depths of the Ultra Wormhole at Aether Paradise.
And it showed on the man who had annihilated Team Aqua and nearly scattered Team Magma to the winds, and would go on to lead Cipher in an assault on the Battle Royal Dome. Dawson looked as if he had aged about ten years, his face unshaven and his body coated in dirt and grime. His expression was haggard and his green eyes lacked any of the light they had once held, instead holding a piercing and intense gleam. But worst of all was his left arm, which was now a mere stump, a faint strip of worn cloth wrapped around the end of it.
"Dawson…is that really you?" Sun asked quietly, his voice tinged with horror as he beheld the once-cocky and self-assured man who proclaimed himself to be the Dashing Rogue of Hoenn, now reduced to the state he saw now.
"Yeah, It's me…Solomon, you can come out now." Dawson said as he glanced backwards, and after a few moments, a tired-looking Slowking stepped out from behind a small boulder. Sun remembered it from his time battling Dawson at the Battle Royal Dome.
"Well, I'm confused as shit, but I will say it's good to see you both. Friendly faces are rare within this place." Dawson said as he put a single hand on his hip, offering the two of them a wan, but genuine, smile.
"Your…y-your arm…" Lillie whispered in horror, seeing the mangled limb. Dawson grinned wickedly as he held up his ruined left arm as if seeing it for the first time.
"Yeah, it's ugly, isn't it? Had to amputate it myself!" Dawson remarked with a shrug before pulling out Justice once again, looking at the shining Legendary Pokemon with interest. Solgaleo glared at him, but made no attempts to move or confront Dawson.
"Your shiny friend is giving off a lot of light. It almost hurts to look at. Hmmm…I wonder." Dawson held out Justice, tapping a button on the side of the weapon as Solgaleo turned its head to the former Cipher Admin. Suddenly the hand-cannon glowed brightly, causing Dawson to suddenly bark out a laugh as he looked over his signature weapon. A loud beeping noise sounded off from Justice, with a faint green light flaring into existence on the side of the hand-cannon.
"Fantastic. It's so hard to get any light in this place, your friend was able to charge up Justice to full. Now I've got a few solar shots." Dawson remarked cheerfully as he holstered the weapon. "The perfect thing for killing some demon jellyfish!"
"How are you alive?" Sun pointedly asked Dawson, who grimaced as the boy spoke to him in a firm voice that reminded him very much of the boy's father when he was being serious.
"It wasn't easy…It's taken every shred of skill I have to stay one step ahead of those monsters." Dawson remarked grimly, but he shook his head. "But I'm alive. And so are the assholes who sent me here, unfortunately-"
"Have you seen my mother!?" Lillie blurted out, stepping forward. Dawson frowned and looked upwards, as if considering how to answer that question.
"It's dangerous out here in the open. I've got a little camp some ways down the road that I made a few days ago, so let's walk and talk. I suspect you kids are here to deal with my surprise guests." Dawson said as he looked at the two of them, his expression darkening. "Because to answer your question, yes, I have seen your mother. As well as the idiot she brought here."
Sun considered that option. He didn't really trust Dawson and wondered what the man was hiding. After more than three entire months wasting away in Ultra Space, he should've been dead. It was more than obvious the place had affected him just as deep as it had physically. While debating the proper course of action, Sun directed his thoughts towards an entity he knew was actively observing.
"What do you think, Dizz? I want to trust Dawson, but he's been inside Ultra Space for a while. He's…changed." Sun thought at Dizz, who hummed in a way that sounded like television static.
You can trust him. I sense no ill-will towards you or Lillie. Only hatred towards the woman who dragged him here in the first place and his slowly-fraying mind at having been in here for longer than any human should be. Be careful as always though.
"Lead the way, Dawson. But we're keeping an eye on you." Sun said with a smile and nod, catching the former Cipher Admin by surprise. Dawson then returned Sun's smile with a wan smirk, especially when the Trainer sent out Tetra and Finn.
The Poliwrath's reaction to Ultra Space was a full-body shiver, glancing around the area uneasily. Tetra's was more subdued, with her growling faintly and her normal smile replaced with a grimace.
"This place is evil." Finn remarked, crossing his arms and looking around warily. Tetra didn't respond verbally, but simply nodded in agreement. Dawson chuckled a little, coughing hard after a moment before grimacing.
"Come on. This way." Dawson muttered as he readied Justice, now back at full-power. That was when a sudden roar from everyone's favorite sun lion caught them all by surprise.
"La-a-a-liona-a-a!"
"What is it?" Lillie asked the mighty beast, who closed its eyes, as if to concentrate. The trio felt the ancient and powerful mind brush against theirs, with Solgaleo using its telepathy once more.
The coming words were faint, and sounded far away. "The path back to your world must be maintained and defended. It cannot be left unprotected, lest the Ultra Beasts flood into your world from where I have broken through."
Dawson gasped in surprise at the might behind the voice that spoke within his mind. Meanwhile, Sun and Lillie noticed that Nebby's telepathy felt strained and out-of-focus, as if it was struggling to reach them despite how close they were to the Legendary Pokémon. They both wondered if it was because of the strange properties of the area they were now in that hindered Nebby's powers.
"Are you telling us that you have to stay here?" Lillie asked, earning another roar from Nebby before he nodded. Lillie smiled as the Legendary Pokémon and walked over to him, stroking his mane before kissing his snout. Nebby nuzzled Lillie's cheek, a warm purr reverberating through the clearing.
"I'm…I'm grateful to you for bringing me here, Nebby. Thank you!" Lillie smiled at the Pokémon, who purred in return. "I guess I have to go the rest of the way myself."
Nebby roared one final time before closing its eyes, focusing as its telepathy reached their minds once more. "I shall stand guard. If you need me, I will come when called. Stay safe."
"Looks like you got a guardian angel." Dawson remarked with a lopsided smile, leaning heavily against a nearby rock. Sun looked at the man for several moments, wondering how on earth he had survived. A glance at Lillie, who happened to look towards Sun at that moment, told Sun she was wondering the same thing. Dizz spoke once more within their minds, causing them both to jump in surprise.
Time does flow differently within Ultra Space, from what I can tell…Days outside are mere hours here. However, Dawson has been missing for months. That is no small length of time to be stuck within this place alone and with no supplies against an army of hostile monsters. Hurry onwards…
"This place is scary, but we should be more than enough to ward the Beasts away. Come." Dawson said as he began to head down a pathway, the one that Lillie had nearly charged down herself. After about five minutes of walking, and keeping an eye out for danger, Sun and Lillie noticed a familiar figure sitting on a rocky ledge hanging over the path.
It was Guzma.
"Hey asshole! We got company!" Dawson called to Guzma, who continued to stare forward blankly. The trio continued to look up at Team Skull Boss, who's outfit seemed to be in far better condition than Dawson's. However, Sun and Lillie noticed immediately that something was off about Guzma.
His expression was…haunted. His skin was a deathly pale color. However, the worst of it was Guzma's eyes. They were vacant, with a thousand-yard stare and Sun immediately realized that something was very wrong with the man.
"I'm Team Skull's Boss, and I've never been scared of nothing or nobody. Heck, I live my life making people scared of ME!" Guzma declared, swaying dangerously from his perch before slowly turning his head to Sun and Lillie. They could see that the fire, bravado and contempt within his gaze that had always been there was completely gone, replaced by a tormented pain that was indescribable.
It looked as if Guzma had been totally broken.
"So listen to what big bad Guzma has to say…" Guzma breathed, hanging his head for several long moments. His head suddenly snapped up with a flash of fire within his eyes, an expression of absolute exasperation on his face. "Y'all are stupid!"
The Remnant snickered as Sun crossed his arms, looking at Guzma with a bored expression. Lillie sighed, glancing at Dawson for an answer. Dawson just shrugged, seemingly accepting the remark with ease.
"Won't deny that. I should've shot you and Lusamine both when I had the chance." Dawson remarked with a mean smile, igniting Justice and aiming at Guzma. "I can still put you out of your misery, asshole."
"Stop it! He needs help!" Lillie said to Dawson, who scowled in annoyance but deactivated the weapon and holstered it. Lillie nodded with a pleased smile while Sun smirked in amusement.
Guzma suddenly lurched forward and toppled off of the ledge, landing in a crumpled heap on the ground. Sun and Lillie both gasped, but Guzma didn't even cry or yell out in pain despite the nasty fall. If the man wasn't moving slightly from breathing in and out, he could've been dead for what it looked.
Dawson growled quietly and strode forward, helping Guzma to his feet with his one good arm. Guzma struggled into a standing position so that he could stare down Sun and Lillie. His breathing was hard and irregular, his his eyes unfocused. Dawson looked haggard, but Guzma looked downright terrible.
"Focus Guzma! Stay centered, damn it!" Dawson barked, with Guzma sighing tiredly and rubbing his face hard.
"Right. F-f-focused. Gotta stay present…" Guzma muttered as he slapped his cheeks, exhaling hard before turning his attention properly to Sun and Lillie, a bit of awareness in his gaze now. "How in the world did you even get to this place? I've got no idea how you did it, but here you are."
"We're here because we wanted to bring you and President Lusamine back to your home world. You both have no business inside Ultra Space, especially after all the damage you caused." Sun said pointedly to Guzma, who stared at Sun for several long moments before slowly nodding.
"Yeah…I hurt a lot of people, didn't I? You. Lillie. Gladion. My boys and girls. Plumeria…Hell, I even hurt the only person in the world I ever called brother." Guzma was babbling, his mouth moving faster than his brain as he tried to keep his thoughts steady. Sun realized that the man was being completely genuine, and wondered if it was the closest Guzma had come to showing remorse.
"Guzma…what is wrong with you?" Guzma practically hissed, clutching his head and biting back a snarl as he tried to keep himself under control. Steady. Not give in to the madness that had threatened to break him.
"What happened to you, Guzma? Why don't you start there?" Lillie offered gently, with a kindness that seemed to cut through the cobwebs in the gangster's head and got him to focus on her.
"It's all dark here…I've got no clue what's going on, but there's beasts everywhere." Guzma muttered, his words almost frantic as his eyes darted around the area.
Guzma's breath hitched and his eyes widened, as if remembering some terrible trauma. He finally exhaled hard and said in a harsh whisper. "We…we got here and she immediately left me behind. Said she was gonna be with her new family."
"Go on…" Sun quietly urged the man, silently grabbing Lillie's hand and squeezing it.
"Lusa said I could handle myself and to catch up when I was done taking in the sights." Guzma muttered, looking down at the ground. "So I started looking around. Found a place to set up camp. I was just about to start looking for Madam Prez again when…w-w-when I found some of those Ultra Beasts. Nihilego, Lusa keeps calling them."
"Keep going Guzma." Dawson urged the man, who seemed to respond with a deep fortifying breath before continuing his tale.
"So…I tried to catch one of those things…" Guzma hissed, his body trembling involuntarily as he put his hands on his hips, expelling a hard breath. "I cornered one from the main group. Weakened it with Goliath and had the ball ready for the catch. But it…it…it…"
Guzma's voice broke then, and Lillie tried to prompt him in a kindly voice. "Take it slow…what happened next?"
"It phased out of the air…and then reappeared behind me. That was when…t-t-that was when it struck. It could've killed me…" Guzma began to hyperventilate, but he clutched his head. Sun and Lillie both made a move to help him, but Dawson stopped them with an intense glare, mouthing 'no' to them.
Guzma shook his head, shivering violently as a shattered smile of mania spread across his face. "...but it possessed me! And that's when it happened! My body, my mind…they started running wild, and I couldn't do anything about it!"
"Whoa…didn't know the Ultra Beasts could do something like that." Sun remarked quietly, shivering at how completely lost Guzma looked. For a man so proud and defiant, he looked like a shell of his former shell after what the Nihilego had done to him.
"It was like I became somebody else, and I finally felt what fear feels like! It was terrifying!" Guzma howled, clutching his head and nearly tearing out his own hair. Through sheer force of will managed to bring himself back to a calmer state. He looked at Lillie, seeing the open concern on her face. Guzma couldn't bear to look at the girl and the kindness in her eyes that he knew he didn't deserve, so he turned away.
"I may be the Team Skull Boss, and I've never been scared of nothing or nobody, but…that lady…" Guzma practically hissed, looking in a seemingly random direction before averting his gaze and looking elsewhere. "...she's on another level! She's way far gone! She lost her mind over these Ultra Beasts."
Guzma closed his eyes, breathing shakily as he admitted something that would've once caused his heart to break. But he knew better now. "There's no talking to her, no reasoning with her…She's just gone…"
Sun stared at Guzma, and was amazed at the emotion of genuine pity he felt for the man. Knowing his story from Kukui and Plumeria, he knew that Guzma had only done what he did out of a desperate need to be acknowledged. To be recognized for his hard work and determination in a world that had kicked him down again and again. It reminded Sun so much of his own father, Ashton Aupuni. Except this seemed so much worse.
Guzma wore the expression of a man who had been offered a truth of the world that had fundamentally destroyed the man he once was. Even if they all escaped from this place, Guzma would never be who he once was before joining in Lusamine's twisted scheme. The scars from his trip through Ultra Space would last forever.
Lillie shook her head, stepping forward and shouting out. "That doesn't change anything. I still have to go!"
The teenage girl started to run past Guzma down the main path, but Sun and Dawson both screamed out. "Wait!"
Lillie whirled around, surprised. Dawson scowled and strolled up to the girl, gesturing furiously to Guzma. "Are you nuts!? That simp just admitted to you that your insane mother has gone off the deep end, and you just charge down the main goddamn path!? Those monsters are guarding the way to her, you idiot!"
"Hey, don't talk to her like that!" Sun barked at Dawson, who glared at the him for a few moments before looking away from the boy. Sun then turned to his girlfriend and offered a sheepish smile. "Sorry, but he's kinda right about the danger thing. We can't just charge in like that. We could just get grabbed by the Nihilego and that's that. We need a plan. And Dawson needs to apologize for being a douche."
Sun then turned to Dawson and added, "And if you ever insult Lillie again, I'll feed you to the Ultra Beasts."
Dawson paled at that, especially since Sun was smiling at him with his eyes shifting into a bright red color. It reminded the man very much of Ashton Aupuni. The former Cipher Admin turned to Lillie, sighing as he rubbed his face. "Sorry for calling you an idiot. My mood is all over the place right now. I'm not as bad off as Guzma, but sometimes I...lose myself. The point is that going after Lusamine is a really, really bad idea."
Lillie wanted to protest, but then she glanced at Guzma again and saw how broken the man looked. She remembered how much the Team Skull Boss adored her mother. And she knew that Guzma had given up his entire world to see the place that Lusamine had envisioned for him and her.
Now this man was telling her that her mother was a lost cause. And it made her pause. She looked down at the ground, her eyes stinging with tears, but Lillie shook her head.
"I have to try. I'm sorry. But I can't give up on her." Lillie whispered, looking to Guzma.
"Pfft, you don't even know where she is! That crazy bitch will sic her monsters on you in no time flat!" Guzma declared before grimacing and clutching his head.
"Lillie, we're not giving up on Lusamine. We're figuring out a plan. We're not leaving without anyone, okay?" Sun said to Lillie, who finally nodded at Sun's words. She knew that her boyfriend would do everything in his power to help her.
"We'll regroup at our shelter and strategize. With you two here, maybe the tides can be turned." Dawson said before turning to the other man staring vacantly into space. "Come on, Guzma."
"Yeah, yeah…" Guzma muttered distractedly before following Dawson, who led them down a small side path, through several uneven rocky outcroppings that were well away from the main path. After what felt like a half hour, the group reached a small rocky crevice that opened into a wider cave just big enough for their group.
Inside was a small lantern and the backpack Guzma had brought with him to Ultra Space, along with two sleeping bags. It was incredibly bare-bones for a camp, but it was a place for them to be safe for a while in hostile territory. Sun and Lillie sat beside one another across from Dawson as the former Cipher Admin turned on the electrical lamp, which flickered weakly on. It wasn't much light, but in the gloom of Ultra Space, it was plenty.
Tetra and Finn kept watch while the humans relaxed, lowering their guards and attempting to recover from the intense pressure being within the Ultra Space inflicted upon them and their long journeys.
"So spill it. How are you alive?" Sun said to Dawson, who sighed and looked skyward as he considered how best to answer. Meanwhile Guzma trudged into the clearing and slumped against the wall, sliding down it and dropping to the ground. Lillie looked at the man with concern, but her attention was diverted when Dawson spoke.
"When I was dragged into Ultra Space, I was left alone and confused within this place. My left arm had been touched by the Nihilego, and I had been poisoned." Dawson explained, gesturing to the ruined stump that had been his left arm. "Dozens of the monsters appeared and tried to attack me, and I thought that was the end of my story."
"But…they didn't actually attack me. They made a big show of it, but they didn't actually attack, even when I fired a shot from Justice here and killed one of them." Dawson said quietly, grinning at them. "Turns out these jellyfish are pretty cowardly. And a big flaming bullet turning one into ash was enough to get them to scatter. After that, I fled into the rocks and away from the Sea Throne as quickly as possible."
"Sea Throne?" Sun asked.
"It's a massive clearing with a single rock formation that resembles a warped throne of sorts. It's where I appeared when I came here. It's a place where those Nihilego gather." Dawson explained, running a hand over the rough beard he had grown in his time isolated from everything else.
"When I ran away, I was in serious pain. My arm was changing colors, and I was experiencing hallucinations and losing control of myself. I knew that if I didn't do something soon, the poison from those things would cause all kinds of issues. I remembered what Sun had said about the Nihilego that had attacked Aether before and what they had done to his Dartrix." Dawson said as he allowed himself a crooked grin, unclipping Justice and turning on the weapon so that the tip of the hand-cannon ignited. He then aimed it at his ruined limb and chuckled. "So I decided to blast my arm off and stop any further corruption."
"Oh my god…that's hardcore." Sun muttered with a touch of respect and disgust. Dawson just shrugged his shoulders without further comment.
It's likely there's still some corruption from the poison of the Nihilego within him, but he seems to have weathered it well enough. Unlike poor Guzma over there, Dawson was not possessed by the Nihilego. However…it's obvious he didn't escape without some damage. His personality and temper are fickle, it seems.
Sun considered the words of the Remnant while Dawson began speaking again. "After that, me and my team did our best to try and survive out here as long as possible. I had some limited supplies in capsule form on my belt, which helped a bit, but I managed to stay alive mostly by figuring out what plants were safe to eat out here and hunting what few non-Nihilego creatures are in this part of the Ultra Deep Sea. It took some trial and error, but I've managed to get by."
"Ultra Deep Sea?" Lillie asked.
"There's other Pokémon here besides the Nihilego?" Sun asked, causing Lillie to turn to her boyfriend. Sun smiled sheepishly while Lillie grinned at him, leaning against his side.
"There's a few, but not many. This is just one specific part of the world we are currently in." Dawson explained, rubbing the side of his head. "I'm not an expert by any means, but from what I've seen there's plenty of other Pokémon here in the Ultra Deep Sea. They just hide really well because the Nihilego are their natural predator. As you can see, those things rule this particular roost."
Dawson then turned to Lillie, who seemed to have become an entirely different person since the last time he had seen her. Whereas before she was timid and unsure, she was now confident and held herself straighter. The fact that she and Sun seemed to be much closer than they had been months ago was not lost on him. The former Cipher Admin decided to answer the girl's question.
"And this place, the Ultra Deep Sea, is what Guzma said Lusamine had named this place. There's countless worlds out here amongst Ultra Space, according to what's currently understood about this hellhole, and this is just the one Lusamine was obsessed over." Dawson explained as his Slowking picked up a canteen and filled it with water, handing it to Dawson. The Trainer smiled and thanked his Pokémon before taking a sip of water.
"It's been rough. I'd like to think I'm great as a survivalist, and this place has…taken its toll on me. Mentally and physically. Worst of all, I lost most of my team to the few scrapes I've had with the Nihilego in the early days of our time here…" Dawson continued, bitterness in his voice. He glanced at the Slowking standing beside him. "Solomon is the only Pokémon I've got left. It's thanks to him I've managed to evade them for so long, and keep that idiot over there alive."
Guzma didn't respond to the jab. Instead he shivered violently and looked away, causing Sun to look at the Team Skull Boss worriedly.
"I managed to stay hidden and mostly avoid the Nihilego until Lusamine and Guzma bumbled through a portal. I watched as she practically sprinted off to play with the Ultra Beasts and Guzma was attacked by a Nihilego after trying to catch it." Dawson explained, with Guzma grunting something they couldn't quite make out.
"After Guzma collapsed, I managed to drag him back to this little hidey-hole. And luckily for us, Guzma and Lusamine came with a week's worth of provisions inside the backpack Guzma brought in. We've tried to make it last, but we're nearly out of food unless I try hunting again." Dawson said with a grin, pulling out a protein bar and taking a big bite. "Don't suppose you wanna trade any of your stuff for any of theirs?"
"That's my stuff, you cuck…" Guzma grumbled weakly, causing Sun to smirk despite himself. Sun did open his backpack and with some help from Brago, started a proper fire. Sun and Lillie had already gone through quite a lot of their food and supplies, but they had over-prepared for just such an occasion.
"So you managed to survive the Nihilego by scaring them away and then blasting your arm off…That's insane. You've been gone for months!" Sun said in amazement, this time causing Dawson to blink in surprise as the man had been about to take a bite of spicy chicken from an MRE Sun had given him.
"Months? It only felt like maybe two weeks so far." Dawson replied, sounding genuinely disturbed by this news. Sun and Lillie exchanged a brief look before they began to explain everything that had happened after Dawson was taken into Ultra Space at the command of Lusamine.
Dawson listened in rapt amazement at Sun's retelling of Borlath's spiral into insanity and his attack on Iki Town using Perfect Kyurem after capturing the four Tapu of Alola. The Battle of Hau'oli City and Vivian's sacrifice to let those injured at the hospital escape, as well as her injuring Amber Fontaine in a fierce battle.
They told the former Cipher Admin of Noah's death and of how Wes and Aria (with some help from Zinnia, Faba, Laura and Ollie) finally put down Amber Fontaine, taking control of Perfect Kyurem. The children told him about storming the Absolution and seeing Borlath's sins laid bare, and of the cruel challenge he gave his son.
Sun explained how he had finally taken down his father, with help from Lillie and Nebby of course, even after he had become corrupted by his own hatred and sorrow through the damaged Mega Crown and consumed by it. And then, Sun recounted Tapu's punishment after he chose to spare his father's life.
Lillie recapped things from there, explaining the events of the Aether House, Po Town and the war that occurred at the Aether Paradise. The admin visibly shivered at the description of Pandora, the Umbral Medicham who had nearly torn apart the Aether Paradise all on her own, and was relieved to hear that she had been taken down.
Dawson also smiled upon hearing the events that happened at Poni Island, including Sun and Lillie's triumph over the Test of Hope and the two of them becoming an official couple. On top of that was Alastor's return to the team and Sun defeating Hapu in a Grand Trial, as well as their trek through Vast Poni Canyon and awakening Nebby as Solgaleo.
"So it's all done…Cipher is over." Dawson heaved a sigh of relief, causing Sun and Lillie to exchange looks. "You two have been through a lot, but you look a lot stronger for it. I don't think there's anyone else who could have managed the things you kids have. Thank you for stopping Ashton and Cipher."
"So what now?" Sun asked Dawson, who considered it for several long moments.
"You two confront Lusamine and deal with her. One way another she needs to be stopped. Hopefully the Princess here can get through to her." Dawson responded with a tired smile, leaning forward and tapped Justice against his knee. "She's too powerful for me to try and fight and Guzma's in no state to try and confront her. We'd be dead before we got anywhere near here, but you two? She'd be curious enough to listen before trying to kill you, I imagine."
"And once we've dealt with her?" Lillie asked the former Cipher Admin, who remained quiet. He looked at the two children, who despite their youth had been able to withstand more than a lifetime of tragedy and still be capable of such hope and kindness. Dawson looked up towards the ceiling, considering how he felt and his words.
"I promised myself that I'd spend the rest of my life atoning for my sins if I ever escaped this place. This p-place…" Dawson's voice broke, and the man cleared his throat and attempted to regain his composure. He succeeded, but Sun and Lillie had seen the desperate look in his eyes. "If you get me out of here alongside Guzma and Lusamine, you'll have a lifelong ally. I'll give myself up to whatever you think should happen to me. Even after this hell, I deserve to face justice for those I hurt. What do you say?" Dawson asked the children, who exchanged a glance.
"No one deserves this." Lillie said quietly but firmly, causing Dawson to blink in surprise. He had expected more deliberation over his fate.
"Yeah, screw this place. No man left behind." Sun said immediately, causing Dawson to grin at them. "You're a prick who deserves to get thrown in jail, but if my father gets a chance to redeem himself, then someone far less terrible should too. We'll see what happens once we're outside though. You're probably getting jail time for sure. I bet if Hoenn or Sinnoh have any say, they'll want you to be taken overseas to get executed. You know, for the whole killing Team Aqua and torturing Cynthia things."
Dawson grimaced at having his crimes thrown back in his face, but he nodded regardless. ""Jail sounds like paradise right about now and I'd rather not be killed. But first thing's first, dealing with Lusamine."
"Right! Where is my mother, Dawson?" Lillie asked the man, her expression determined.
"Right now, she's likely lurking around the Sea Throne. That's where she frequents the most when wandering the area, and it's where I was dragged in initially." Dawson explained, pulling out a weathered-looking map from Guzma's backpack. It was a pretty clear depiction of the area that they were in and where they needed to go.
"I keep forgetting that you were a bounty hunter before joining Cipher and did stuff like this for a living. This is impressive." Sun remarked, taking a picture of the map with his Rotom Phone. He had noticed that the device had gone completely dormant within Ultra Space, and he worried about it.
It'll be fine. This place interferes with certain electrical signals. I can run support for you until your little friend wakes up from its nap.
"Well, at least I have the power of god and anime on my side." Sun joked, earning a snort of laughter from Dizz. It took a few seconds for the Remnant of MissingNo. to gather its composure enough to continue speaking.
Oh yeah, and for the record, I'm staying quiet and speaking in your head because Guzma's on the verge of another mental breakdown and I don't feel like explaining myself to Dawson.
The former Cipher Admin, who couldn't hear the Remnant, responded to Sun's remark. "I do what I can. I'm thankful I had the supplies that Aether usually has standard-issue for all of their employees that act as field-operatives. Wicke's little mandate was a godsend." Dawson remarked, earning a confused look from Sun and Lillie. "Wicke pushed out a mandate for everyone to carry emergency survival gear contained in item capsules on them in case they get stranded in the Wilds about two weeks before I got dragged in here. Faba fought it, but couldn't actually suggest a single reason why it shouldn't be a thing besides budget concerns."
"Oooh, Miss Wicke will be very pleased!" Lillie clapped her hands excitedly, smiling as she looked at Dawson. "She was very sad when you vanished. Especially since it was because you were attacked when saving her from the Nihilego."
Dawson frowned at that, shaking his head. "Sorry I had to make her sad by vanishing. But I made a choice then and I don't regret it. Maybe if we do escape here, I can apologize to her in-person. I'm just glad it was me taken here instead of her. I wouldn't wish this hell upon anyone else."
Sun and Lillie repacked their bags and prepared themselves to deal with Lusamine now that they had taken a short break and gotten their bearings. Dawson volunteered to take them to the Sea Throne and let Guzma rest, but the gangster pulled himself upright with a pained gasp and glared at them.
"I'm going…I wanna…I can't sit this out. The final showdown." Guzma hissed as he shook his head, as if attempting to clear it. "The Motherbeast needs to get knocked down a peg."
"Motherbeast?" Lillie asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's what he's been calling Lusamine. It does kinda fit, since she's a total monster, but I guess I can't throw stones while standing in this lovely glass house." Dawson remarked as he stood up, priming Justice before glancing at them all. "Come on."
Sun, Lillie, Guzma and Dawson slowly made their way deeper into the Ultra Deep Sea. The craggy passages were treacherous, much like in the harsh slopes of Vast Poni Canyon. There were even places where one of the Trainers had to call out their Pokémon.
Eerie was the best word that described the strange world of the Nihilego. The Ultra Deep Sea reminded Sun greatly of what the bottom of the ocean was like if one could walk along it. The darkness and otherworldly pressure was all-consuming, making it harder for all of them to breathe and forcing them to stop and catch their breath multiple times.
"It's better to avoid the main path if at all possible…I'd rather not let Lusamine know you're coming, and I don't know how deep her bond with those things goes." Dawson advised Sun and Lillie as they rested for a few minutes on a small flat rock. Guzma was visibly panting with exhaustion, dripping with sweat, but when asked if he wanted to remain there and rest the man shook his head.
Some time later, the rocky crags grew smaller and smoothed out, and leveled out into an actual path. Sun glanced at the path they could have taken instead, and indeed saw Nihilego drifting above it in the distance. If Sun had been forced to fight through them all, his team would have exhausted themselves long before reaching this point.
"This is where we stop. Guzma needs a breather and I'll only hurt your chances in making that woman see sense. If shit goes sideways and you need help, call for me. Me and Guzma will be waiting back here." Dawson said to Sun and Lillie, offering them a tired smile. "And for what it's worth…good luck."
The Team Skull sat down on a nearby rock, exhaling hard and wiping his face. He looked at Sun and Lillie for several long moments before shaking his head. "She's gone. She doesn't care about anyone but herself…You shoulda run when you had the chance." Guzma whispered, his voice broken with sorrow. "You stupid kids playin' hero…what does this prove? You're just gonna die!"
"Maybe. But I wouldn't have accomplished so much if I didn't take risks. And Lillie's happiness is worth that." Sun said to Guzma before turning away and following Lillie, who had already started down the path. Sun made sure to have Oliver and Tetra out once again, with both Pokémon flanking him as the Trainer went deeper into the Ultra Deep Sea.
Lillie stopped in the middle of the Sea Throne, looking around the place with a growing sense of foreboding. Suddenly several of the Nihilego flickered into existence with eerie shrieks. Lillie gasped and took a step back as the Nihilego drifted over top of one another in a line, with each Nihilego flickering away.
Finally, right above the ground, the final Nihilego drifted backwards…and Lusamine and another Nihilego were sitting atop the lone rock within the clearing, like a queen on her throne.
Sun stepped forward, feeling extremely uneasy. Whereas Guzma looked traumatized and had clearly been through a lot in the short time he had been within Ultra Space, the strange world had the opposite effect on Lillie's mother.
Lusamine Jardin looked even more beautiful than she had before entering the Ultra Wormhole. Her hair was more lustrous and shiny, her skin almost glowing. The President of the Aether Foundation wore a serene smile of overwhelming joy on her face. She then looked towards Sun and Lillie as they approached, and her expression became one of contemplation.
"Look at it…" Lusamine whispered, gesturing with her hands to the jellyfish-like creatures floating around her. "The world of my Ultra Beasts…A world where the only thing that exists is the love between Nihilego and myself."
Lusamine smiled at them both, sending shivers down their spine. It was a cruel and insane grin that bespoke how far gone the Aether President was. There was no remorse in her eyes for what she had done to Alola. Not an ounce of regret within those emerald-colored eyes.
Lusamine's words just made it worse. "So beautiful…So delicious…This is the real paradise!"
"Yeah, if you're a psychopath." Sun remarked idly, crossing his arms and looking at Lillie with concern. The girl just stared at her mother in horror, unable to speak as she saw in real-time that all of Guzma and Dawson's warnings about her mother's mental state were now true.
"And yet you!" Lusamine snarled, her face contorted into a terrible scowl. "Why must you continue to pester me?! I am sick of you. Sick through and through! Who told you that you could come here, to the perfect, beautiful world of my beasts and me?"
"Think about what you are saying! What about Mr. Guzma?" Lillie asked, shaking her head in amazement at her own mother's words. "Don't you care what happens to him?"
Sun glanced back down the path, where he saw Guzma sitting on a rock with a lost expression. The gangster had given up everything for Lusamine. And as Sun turned back around to face the Aether President, he saw that the answer to Lillie's question was written in the unapologetic smirk on Lusamine's face.
"Just leave." Lusamine said in a bored tone, closing her eyes. "I don't need you here…I don't need you any longer!"
Lusamine's mad smile returned, looking right at Lillie and relishing in the hurt on her daughter's face. Sun audibly growled with anger as Lusamine continued to speak.
"Look around you! Look at this beautiful world that I've finally come to!" Lusamine demanded, her smile fading and shifting into a frustrated frown. "You want me to go back to that world? That's what you've come to bother me for? Even you cannot be that stupid!"
Lillie shook her head in sadness at the cruel worlds of her mother, even as the Nihilego shrieked out once again. "You always do that…It's just like it was back at Aether Paradise…Only thinking of yourself and what you want…"
"What...? And why shouldn't I!" Lusamine responded with another mad grin. To Sun and Lillie's surprise, about half a dozen Nihilego flickered into existence above Lusamine, hovering around the Aether President almost protectively. Tetra growled softly at the monsters as Oliver notched an arrow, prepared to leap into action at a moment's notice. "I can live here in a world filled with only the things that I love! And I will live here!"
Lusamine finally stood from her throne, towering over the two children who had dared to come and confront her within her true Paradise. Sun glared at her defiantly, ready to battle the second things went south. Lillie stared at her mother in silence for several long moments…before putting her hands on her hips, an expression of disappointment on her face.
"I don't care if you are my child or not! I don't care if you were loyal to me or not! I don't care if you're the rarest Pokémon there is in the world or not!" Lusamine proclaimed with all of the authority she could muster, an insane and gleeful smile on her face at the verbal venom she was unleashing upon her daughter. "If you're not beautiful enough to be worthy of my love, then I don't NEED you!"
As the Nihilego cried out once again, Lusamine's smile darkened as she held out her hands, as if in benediction. Her next words were quiet, but all the more terrible for it. "That's right! All I need to exist in my world are the things that I want to have with me! Everything else is just a bother to me!"
Sun and Lillie stared at the woman, flanked by over a dozen of the deadly Nihilego. Tetra and Oliver both braced themselves for a showdown with the insane woman, the President of the Aether Paradise who had caused untold suffering within Alola. Sun readied another Poké Ball, preparing to send out another member of his team before the fighting began.
Lillie, however…marched straight up to her mother, her face set into a furious pout. Sun blinked in complete shock, and even Lusamine seemed stunned at the daring of the once-cowardly girl. Lillie Jardin looked into Lusamine's eyes, uncaring of the Nihilego and the fact that she was defenseless.
Right now she was made of steel, and Lillie was going to give Lusamine a piece of her mind!
"I am the one who is sick of you, Mother!" Lillie shouted back at Lusamine, causing the woman to jerk back in surprise. "Children…Children are not just THINGS that belong to their parents! Pokémon are not just THINGS that a Trainer can do whatever they want to!"
Lusamine blinked several times, leaning forward and putting a hand under her chin, as if truly looking at Lillie. Sun smiled at Lillie's words, knowing that they came from the heart.
But Lusamine Jardin's daughter was far from done.
"I am alive! Cosmog is alive! We are not things for you to collect!" Lillie practically snarled at her own mother, shaking her head in disgust. "We're not made for you to just discard when you get bored with us!"
"Get her Lillie…show her everything you've got!" Sun thought with a grin as Lillie took a deep breath.
"This is terrible, Mother! You are terrible!" Lillie shouted at the woman who had inflicted so much hurt upon her. The woman who had raised her within a gilded cage and maimed her soul. Sun just stared at Lillie in awe, amazed at what she had done. Because Lusamine had been rendered completely speechless by her own daughter standing her ground and standing up to her in the seat of her power. Lillie had walked up to a queen in the heart of her kingdom, surrounded by ferocious Beasts, and had essentially told her mother to go to hell.
Lusamine stared at Lillie for what seemed like an eternity, as if wondering how to respond to the girl's words. A righteous anger that had been quashed down, beaten and repressed for so long now finally able to let loose. All against the woman who had mentally and physically abused her own daughter and crushed her spirit for the sake of controlling Lillie's life.
Now Lillie Jardin was free to be her own person, and that person was pissed off at the terrible witch her mother had become.
"Terrible? Me?" Lusamine finally responded with a coy smile, shrugging her shoulders. "How am I any different from any Pokémon Trainer, like your little friend there? What do you do with a Pokémon you can't use? You remove it from your party, as you please."
"There's a difference between PC Storage and freezing Pokémon solid forever just so you can admire how pretty they are!" Lillie shot back fiercely, her eyes flashing. "Besides, Sun hasn't done that. His team is his family! His partners! They've saved the world and stopped your insanity once before, mother!"
Lillie then smiled at her mother confidently, her eyes shining brighter than Lusamine could recall ever seeing them. Her daughter's next words explained why.
"You're an awful person who broke my spirit. But despite everything…I am still me. This life is mine, Lusamine Jardin, and I will be everything you said I couldn't be. And that includes being the person to save you from your own destruction." Lillie said quietly to her mother, who looked as if she was about to start screaming back at Lillie.
"Enough with this useless talk, Lillie!" Lusamine hissed back at her daughter, who weathered her mother's anger without flinching. Lusamine audibly growled with frustration at being unable to undermine the girl's confidence anymore. "I will never forgive you for stealing Cosmog from me. Never!"
"That's funny, because I never asked to be forgiven. I was quite happy to steal Nebby out of your nasty clutches." Lillie responded flippantly, causing Lusamine's left eye to twitch in fury.
"Back when you were small, you would listen to everything I said, without question. For a time, even you were adorable to me!" Lusamine said quietly, drawing back her anger and staring at the defiant girl who had come to challenge her. To drag her back to the world she had forsaken. "But you changed. You've become ugly. Ever since you met this boy Sun…and learned to defy your own mother!"
"I learned how to live." Lillie responded with gentle fire in her voice, her resolve unshakable. "Sun empowered me and showed me how much I can do. I've learned so much throughout my journey alongside him. I'm my own person because of him, and I'll always love him for that. He, and all of the wonderful friends I've made, showed me that I can be loved despite…no…because of my imperfections! And that's more beautiful than any of your disgusting beasts!"
"Sun! You hateful little Trainer!" Lusamine screeched at the boy, rounding on him. "You've done this. You've tainted and transformed my little flower into this pathetic wretch here! You're just like your father! Constantly ruining everything you touch!"
"Shut up, mother! You will not insult my boyfriend in my presence!" Lillie commanded Lusamine, who recoiled as if she had been slapped. Lillie then turned her back to Lusamine and walked away from the woman, flipping her ponytail outwards as she did so.
"B-boyfriend? You…and Sun?" Lusamine looked horrified, glancing at her daughter, and then finally looking at the boy who looked so much like Ashton Aupuni had almost 20 years ago that it was like looking at a ghost.
At finally being directly addressed by the Aether President, Sun finally stepped forward to join Lillie. Sun made a show of kissing Lillie's cheek in front of Lusamine and grabbing Lillie's hand, earning him a fond smile from the girl who in turn gave him a light peck on the lips. Lusamine was grinding her teeth in fury, steam practically coming from her ears.
"Considering I've kicked both yours and my father's ass once, I'm not really scared of your threats." Sun said amiably to Lusamine with a pleasant smile, causing Lusamine's scowl to twist into apoplectic rage. "So now that Lillie's effectively proven that you're an insane monster that makes Roran Rubinara almost seem reasonable, can you just accept defeat and leave with us?"
"Not a chance! How dare you intrude upon this world that was meant for Nihilego and me? It is not to be borne! And with Nihilego's power, I will show you how wrong you were to come here!" Lusamine responded as her anger slowly faded away, replaced with a smug smile as she gestured with her hands. It was at that point Sun and Lillie noticed the six Poké Balls clipped to Lusamine's dress. Five Ultra Balls…and one Poké Ball that was a strange blue color.
"She mentioned something like that before she left the first time…a Beast Ball!" Sun remembered from their previous battle at the Paradise. Had Lusamine actually caught one of the Nihilego!?
Speaking of the Nihilego, all of the Ultra Beasts shrieked and then vanished from sight, leaving the three humans standing within the Sea Throne. Lusamine's eyes were focused and sharp, glaring down Sun and Lillie with a ferocious intensity. She smoothly unclipped the Beast Ball from her dress and held it out for a moment…and then tossed it skyward, sending out a Nihilego of her own.
And not just any Nihilego. Sun recognized it as the same one that had attacked the Paradise before, and as the one that had been summoned at the Paradise when Nebby had been tortured into unleashing his power. Sun and Lillie marveled at the size of the Ultra Beast, realizing now how much larger and formidable it seemed compared to the other Nihilego.
Lusamine looked upwards with a gleeful smile and held out her hands, and to the horror of Sun and Lillie, the woman's Nihilego drifted downwards to her. Lillie cried out and tried to stop the woman, only for a blinding flash to erupt outwards as a wave of force blasted towards them, only for Oliver to throw up a Protect to shield them from the blast.
The light soon faded, and Sun and Lillie were soon able to see again. And what they saw looming in front of them was enough for Lillie to let out a horrified scream.
The creature floating twenty feet off of the ground was nothing short of an abomination. A massive white and black jellyfish-like monster with four thick tentacles coated in what resembled gemstones and ending in sharp points. Four of the tentacles resembled grotesque hands, ending in smaller points and with a strange eye glaring outwards from them. Lusamine herself was completely engulfed within the creature, her legs sticking out and dangling underneath it, her black tights now drenched purple from the poison of the Nihilego. Her long blonde hair was now black with gold highlights, and when the woman's eyes snapped open within the strange abomination, they too were now an otherworldly golden hue.
Lusamine had somehow fused and become one with the Nihilego.
The monster that was now Motherbeast Lusamine let out an otherworldly shriek, imbued by her own voice as another shockwave of raw power erupted outwards from the monster. Oliver and Tetra braced themselves for a fight, with Lillie trembling in horror at the sight of what had once been her mother now turned into a hideous monster.
"I think we're done talking Lillie…" Sun muttered to his girlfriend, grabbing her hand as the pressure of the Ultra Space intensified around them, making it harder to breathe.
"BOW TO ME, SUN…" The woman who had given up her humanity shrieked, her tentacles writhing furiously as the air shivered with power. Dozens of the Nihilego flickered into existence above them, crying out in terrible harmony and prepared to slaughter the humans at their mother's command. "DIE FOR ME, LILLIE!"
NEXT TIME: Sun and Lillie vs. Motherbeast Lusamine
We're finally here! The massive showdown between Sun and an eldritch abomination! Who comes out alive!?
Q & A
From: SolanaLeonhart
Hey, actually, can you remind me what happened to Necrozma? Is it back in ultra space? As always, looking forward to seeing what's next.
So, that's interesting, because there's two answers to that question. The Necrozma Sun and co. fought like a hundred chapters ago was thrown back into Ultra Space through the Ultra Wormhole.
HOWEVER, the one that Sun is supposed to actually fight in the post-game is currently buried underground at Ten Caret Hill, funnily enough. He'll fight that one later.
That's all for now, homies. As always, make sure to review, favorite/follow the story if you haven't already and show your support! I've been seeing a lot of new favorites and follows recently, and that's honestly pretty awesome for a fic as long as this.
If you're enjoying this fic and want more of stuff like it, then check out my Pokémon Scarlet fic known as "Pokémon Nuzlocke Novels: Ancient Scarlet" available to read on this site and AO3. It's set in the same universe a few years after AS, and I can confirm that there will be some fun tie-ins with RS for fans of this story. Any and all support from this story to that story is greatly appreciated.
Take care and stay awesome!
Until next time, FlygonNick out!