Pokémon Radiant Sun

by FlygonNick

After fleeing Kanto to the Alola region with his mother, Sun becomes the Pokémon Trainer he's always dreamed of. Join our newest hero as he gets a crash course on Alolan culture through the Island Challenge, overcoming his own past while also unraveling the mysteries of a strange girl along the way, and fighting to save his new home from threats near, far...and beyond. SunXLillie

178. Long Live the Queen

Pokémon Radiant Sun

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After 177 updates…we've finally reached the apex. The final showdown of Sun and Lillie versus the Motherbeast.

It's so weird. This is a chapter that's always been seen in my eyes as a goalpost. Something to look forward to from when I was working on the Tournament Arc or doing the Electric Trial like 80 0r 90 chapters ago. A treat to keep me going when I was struggling. And here we are.

Here we are.

Shoutout to the amazing people who reviewed since the last update, which includes SolanaLeonhart, General C, a Guest reviewer, RC-DA, BraviaryScout, Oragonking, and two Guest reviewers. It was an awesome outpouring of support for what was Lillie's biggest moment in the story so far, and I'm truly happy you all enjoyed my depiction of it.

And now, for the big battle you all have been waiting for.

Enjoy.

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Chapter 178: Long Live the Queen

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Ultra Deep Sea

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Sun and Lillie stared up at the enormous jellyfish-like monster that loomed above them, with Lusamine's twisted form leering at them with a sadistic grin. The Aether President had fused with the Nihilego she had captured, and now she would crush them with her might.

The so-called Motherbeast let out a shriek, with the dozens of Nihilego joining her chorus that filled the entirety of the sea. The reverberating cry made Tetra, Oliver and Finn wince in pain as Sun and Lillie clamped their hands down on their ears. Soon the monsters had stopped their terrible song, allowing the group to focus again.

Meanwhile a short distance away, Guzma and Dawson watched the confrontation with differing expressions. Guzma stared up at Lusamine in a fugue state, his mouth slightly agape as he beheld the monster she truly was. Dawson watched on with a furious expression, tightening his grip on the hand-cannon in his one functioning hand.

"Come on, kids…take her down!" Dawson thought desperately, shivering as the Nihilego slowly drifted closer and closer to the young couple that was standing their ground against the leader of the Ultra Beasts. The former Cipher Admin saw Lillie staring up at her mother in absolute horror, her bright green eyes shining with tears. Sun, on the other hand, seemed to be mentally preparing himself for a showdown.

"She's…she's not even entirely human anymore. What the hell is this!?" Sun thought frantically as he beheld Lusamine's power. He cast a glance at Lillie and saw her heartbroken expression. He couldn't imagine what his girlfriend was going through, seeing how far Lusamine had fallen. She had practically given herself over completely to the Ultra Beasts that had corrupted her mind. All in an attempt to destroy the children who had chased after her to try and make her see reason.

But reason had failed…only force remained.

"YOU REALLY WANT TO DO THIS THE HARD WAY? VERY WELL…LET'S HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF FUN BEFORE I END YOUR MISERABLE LIVES!" Lusamine laughed cruelly, floating gently as her tentacles writhed. The gemstones along her body twinkled like stars, thrumming with power.

However, Sun and Lillie were both surprised when Motherbeast Lusamine extended one of her clawed tentacles outwards and an Ultra Ball floated outward from within her body and slid into the outstretched tentacle. With a sinister shriek, Lusamine hurled the Ultra Ball forward, sending out a Pokémon in a burst of light.

Luna the Clefable materialized, looking very confused as she looked around the clearing. She cast her gaze over to Sun and Lillie, frowning at them before glancing backwards…and screaming in terror. Lusamine smiled back at her Pokémon before snarling like an animal.

Motherbeast Lusamine then swept a tentacle through the air, spraying a torrent of jet-black liquid outwards from the tip. Luna was immediately coated from head to toe in the tar-like substance, causing the Clefable to scream in agony. Within seconds, the Nihilego's poison had somehow seeped through the Clefable's skin and into her body.

"LUNA!" Lillie screamed out, raw terror in her voice as the Nihilego trilled in harmony overhead.

Suddenly the Clefable began to violently shake, falling onto the floor of the cavern as she writhed in pain and cried out. Lillie made a move to go to the Pokémon, but Sun grabbed her hand and pulled her back. The Clefable rolled around on the floor of the cave, screaming in a way that made Oliver and Tetra shiver with unease and Lillie shake in Sun's arms.

And then Luna went silent.

"BOW TO YOUR QUEEN…THE QUEEN OF BEASTS!" Lusamine intoned as Luna slowly rose to her feet, with all eyes on her. Lusamine's tentacles quivered, with several of the gems glowing a harsh orange color as Luna's body twitched erratically.

The Clefable whimpered softly, swaying slightly before throwing back her head and letting out a ragged and wild scream. Her body went rigid as an orange aura of power exploded outwards from the Clefable with enough force to shatter the ground beneath her, with a furious expression crossing the face of the Pokémon. It was an aura that Sun immediately recognized.

"Z-Power? But how!?" Sun wondered aloud, his own heart chilling with terror. He couldn't imagine how painful having Z-Power infused within oneself like that could have been.

"TIME TO DIE, CHILDREN!" Lusamine laughed as her Clefable glared down Sun and Lillie with a vacant smile on her face. Lillie remained speechless, a silent tear trailing down her face as she watched the cruelty of her mother reach its apex.

Lusamine had cast everyone and everything aside for her beloved Ultra Beasts…and now she would condemn her own team for the sake of slaying Sun and Lillie. It seemed as if there was truly no going back for the Aether President.

That Clefable has boosted Special Defense! Go for Physical attacks if you can!

Sun nodded at the warning from Dizz, all too aware that he didn't have Rotom Dex backing him up this time. He then exhaled hard and focused on the battle at hand, keeping a careful eye on the looming horde of Nihilego floating overhead. Oliver glanced at Sun and met the boy's eyes, stepping in front of Sun and Lillie for a rematch with Lusamine's Clefable.

"Razor Leaf!" Sun shouted to Oliver as Luna held out her hands, charging a sphere of flames and ice in each one respectively.

The Decidueye immediately flew forward, and at Sun's quick command, used Razor Leaf before throwing up a Protect. The Flamethrower and Ice Beam struck the shield hard, coating it in flames and ice and forcing Oliver to pump more strength into maintaining the shield.

But Sun was wise to this trick, and unlike last time, Sun had Oliver attack before throwing up the shield to protect them. So while Luna was able to force Oliver into playing defense, the Razor Leaf thrown before the Protect went up was able to directly strike the Clefable moments after she attacked.

"I can't risk using Radiance here. Lusamine's too dangerous to risk incapacitating myself and I might need to deal with those Nihilego sooner rather than later." Sun thought with some annoyance, considering his options.

Luna hissed as the Razor Leaf sliced her and cut off the attack as her concentration wavered, trembling at the cuts dripping blood onto the cavern floor. Oliver dispelled the shield as he swept his wings aside, launching himself into the air.

"Use Spirit Shackle! Keep her from escaping!" Sun called as Oliver notched a ghostly arrow and fired it, blasting the Clefable and tethering her to her own shadow. Motherbeast Lusamine let out a haunting giggle, and to Sun's horror the horde of Nihilego shuddered and shrieked in unison as the owl landed on the ground.

Oliver looked up and let out a small hoot of surprise as a Nihilego flickered into existence beside him. The Ultra Beast shrieked before letting loose a blob of poisonous gunk that struck from Oliver the side, causing him to stagger and nearly fall over at the Venoshock attack. With a trio of shrieks, three of the Nihilego fired out Power Gems at Oliver, forcing the owl back into the air. He retaliated with a Razor Leaf that made the Nihilego back off, but now the owl was surrounded.

"YOU DARE HARM MY CHILDREN…MY FAMILY?" Lusamine accused Sun and his Decidueye, who whirled around in midair to face the Motherbeast.

"These things are not your children…But you lost the right to call your own children your family. You deserve these monsters." Oliver said coldly to the abomination in front of him. "We will stop you. And you will pay for the hurt you've caused."

"IS THAT SO…WELL THEN, MAKE ME PAY! MAKE ME REGRET HURTING THOSE INSIGNIFICANT PESTS!" Lusamine roared as the Nihilego shrieked in unison, quickly firing off a wave of Power Gems as Oliver swooped downwards. Despite his speed, several of the lasers struck the Decidueye, causing him to grimace in pain as he soared across the battlefield.

"You dirty cheater!" Sun growled as he watched Oliver spin around in midair to violently blast away some of the Nihilego with his Spirit Shackles, even as Lusamine laughed at their efforts. It was then Sun turned his attention back to the battlefield and saw that Luna the Clefable wasn't on the ground anymore.

Luna opened her mouth as her body shined brightly, a sphere of glowing pink energy forming within moments. Sun recognized the move a few moments too late as Moonblast, which erupted outwards with a thunderous retort and struck Oliver from behind, blasting him to the ground. The Decidueye got back up, wincing in pain at the sheer power behind the move.

"She's not calling out attacks…Mother must be communicating her orders nonverbally somehow. Perhaps through the power the Nihilego have given her…" Lillie trailed off, having looked upwards at the aforementioned Ultra Beasts. Her eyes went wide in horror and Lillie let out a scream.

"Above us!" Lillie called out as Sun's eyes snapped up, seeing four of the Ultra Beasts charging up several beams of Power Gem. Sun realized Lusamine was trying to have them attack Sun and Lillie during the battle to gain the upper hand.

"Protect!" Sun shouted as the beams suddenly erupted towards the owl, who dove to the ground beside them and protected them all with a barrier. The four beams struck the shield at once, and Oliver hissed at the sudden strain of keeping the barrier up, with it cracking almost immediately. Sun grit his teeth as Lusamine's cackle of glee filled the clearing, but Sun had tricks up his sleeve as well.

"I'm done playing fair. Tetra, get them!" Sun commanded his dragon, who was currently standing just outside of the shield behind them.

The Garchomp grinned devilishly before launching herself into the air. The Mach Pokémon roared as she smashed through the horde of Nihilego with the force of a runaway train. Lusamine gasped and growled in fury as Tetra flung out her limbs, floating in the air as the Nihilego tried to regroup.

"DO NOT LET HER GET THE BETTER OF YOU! CRUSH THAT LITTLE FOOL!" Lusamine demanded as her Nihilego shrieked, flying at Tetra en masse…but that only made the dragon smile wider.

Tetra easily dove to avoid a wave of Power Gems and a Venoshock before soaring upwards with enough speed to tear through three of the Nihilego, sending them reeling backwards with pained screeches. Tetra spun around and opened her maw, charging up a Dragon Rage and firing one after another in rapid succession. The draconic fireballs blasted into the horde of otherworldly jellyfish, and Sun couldn't help the rush of pride he felt for his dragon.

"That's my girl! Tear them apart!" Sun called to Tetra as the dragon roared at her foes, draconic flames erupting along her claws as Lusamine let out a piercing shriek of fury. However, her moment of distraction allowed Sun to focus on the fight.

"Oliver, use Swords Dance!" Sun ordered his Decidueye, who quickly dispelled his Protect and summoned a series of glowing swords that boosted his attack power by a significant amount. "Now hit her with Leaf Blade!"

"YOU THINK YOU CAN STAND UP TO MY MIGHT?!" Lusamine roared as Oliver soared forward and delivered a brutal strike from Leaf Blade. Luna cried out, staggering backwards as Lusamine's growl of annoyance filled the chamber.

The Motherbeast flung out her tentacles, with the gems on one of the leftmost and larger tentacles glowing brightly. Luna the Clefable suddenly went still, coughing loudly and sending out a spray of crimson onto the cold stone floor beneath her. Lillie stifled a scream of horror at the Pokémon as it looked towards them with a murderous expression.

"Sun, we have to help her!" Lillie begged Sun, who grit his teeth at seeing the sight. It was even made worse when Dizz spoke within their minds.

The Z-Power within that Clefable is going full-tilt, pushing its body to the absolute limit. It won't be long before Luna shuts down completely…Not that Lusamine cares, mind you. But until that happens, Luna will be unbearably powerful. Be on your guard.

Sun scowled at the blatant cruelty of Lusamine, but redoubled his efforts on taking down her twisted Pokémon. Luna staggered forward, her body trembling in an effort to control the power being forced through it, before holding out her hands towards Oliver and opening her mouth wide.

"Oliver, move!" Sun shouted as the owl leapt into the sky, flapping his wings hard. Luna hissed as she let loose another white-hot torrent of flames from her mouth at the Decidueye. Sun and Lillie both gasped as the inferno was released from the Clefable, as it made her earlier attacks during their battle at the Aether Paradise seem tame in comparison. The flames slammed into Oliver, earning a screech of protest as the super-effective flames scorched him, but the owl managed to flap his wings harder and escape further punishment from the Flamethrower.

Then came the two Ice Beams shooting from Luna's hands, filling the sky with both flames and ice. The Nihilego were currently engaged in fending off Tetra, who was holding back the side of Ultra Beasts, so Oliver had the freedom to focus on dodging Luna's onslaught as opposed to dealing with the Ultra Beasts.

However, Sun could tell that taking such an overpowered Flamethrower had taken its toll on Oliver and had slowed him down by a considerable amount. Even if one did take into account the attacks from the Nihilego, Luna's attacks had done massive damage in a short time.

"Her Pokémon shouldn't be packing this much of a punch. There's no way Lusamine trained her Pokémon up to be as strong as mine while she was losing herself in this place…" Sun thought to himself, with Dizz commenting on that in both Sun and Lillie's heads.

The neurotoxic goop she covered them in is what's making that Clefable so potent. It's not just the Z-Power, Sun, it's pushing the Pokémon's bodies to the point where they can roughly match or exceed your own in terms of Level and overall strength. You're facing a Totem Pokémon in all but size right now…and Lusamine doesn't care what lasting damage is done to her Pokémon, so long as you and yours perish.

"DIE! DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE! BURN AND FREEZE THEM!" Lusamine chanted as Luna continued to fire off Ice Beams and Flamethrowers at Oliver as the owl swooped and dove through the air.

"Use Leaf Blade! Dive down!" Sun shouted as Oliver summoned two shining emerald blades and plummeted downwards, just in time for Luna to hold up her hands, with her fingers twitching back and forth.

"Metronome!? Oliver, watch out!" Lillie cried out to the mighty owl, who braced himself for what was to come. Unfortunately, Luna's randomized move was a powerful beam of pulsating darkness that erupted into the path of the descending Decidueye.

"That's Dark Pulse!" Sun called as the swirling beam struck Oliver and sent him tumbling out of the sky, crashing hard onto the ground with a pained gasp. The mighty owl rose and notched an arrow, charging up a Spirit Shackle and firing it directly into the chest of Luna, blasting her backwards with a choked hiss of pain. Oliver swayed on his feet, hissing his Ability, Overgrow, took effect and an emerald aura of power enveloped the mighty owl.

"Keep up the pressure! Leaf Blade again!" Sun shouted over the cacophony of Nihilego screeching, with Oliver soaring forward and summoning two blades along his wings, which he dropped and then caught with his talons so he could use his wings to propel himself. The bird delivered a brutal (and boosted, thanks to Swords Dance) double-slash to Luna's chest, causing the Clefable to stagger back as a flash of white light erupted from the strikes. Sun grinned with triumph, seeing that the Leaf Blade had scored a critical hit.

At long last, the Clefable's body seemed to give out, and Luna let out a small groan and collapsed onto the ground. Motherbeast Lusamine let out a shriek of fury and flung the Clefable's Ultra Ball aside in disgust, only for it to suddenly stop in midair and fly back towards Sun's side of the battlefield.

Finn caught the Ultra Ball, releasing it from his Psychic grip before handing it to Lillie, who aimed the Ultra Ball at Luna and fired off a red beam of light at her mother's fallen Clefable, returning her. Lusamine hissed at that, narrowing her eyes and letting out an inhuman growling noise before another Ultra Ball slowly emerged from within the monster, who threw it out towards the battlefield.

Monique the Mismagius appeared, looking just as bewildered as Luna at the state of things. However Lusamine wasted no time in blasting her own Pokémon with the venom of the Nihilego. Even on the ghostly Pokémon, the neurotoxin seemed to take hold and override the free will of Monique. Lusamine's tentacles rose, and the gems embedded within them shined a bright orange once more.

After several long seconds of agonized screaming, the corrupted Mismagius was soon glowing with the harsh aura of Z-Power. The Magical Pokémon scowled angrily at Sun and Lillie, with its Z-Power erupting outwards with a fierce crackle.

That ghost just got a speed boost thanks to that power up. Stay alert!

"She throws her teammates aside like they mean nothing…she's truly terrible." Oliver panted hard, his eyes narrowed in fury at the monster and her children as they floated overhead. Sun considered the warning Dizz had given him and debated what his plan of attack was, gritting his teeth in frustration. Meanwhile, Oliver notched an arrow, glaring down the corrupted ghost while Lillie watched on in horror.

Motherbeast Lusamine let out a chilling cackle that filled the air. "I HAVE PLENTY OF PAWNS LEFT TO PLAY…" the monster crooned as Monique screamed in fury and anger, charging up a Shadow Ball and firing it at Oliver.

The owl soared out of the way and notched an arrow, firing another Spirit Shackle and blasting the specter back as Monique shrieked in pain. Monique suddenly lashed out with a harsh blast of Psychic, blowing back Oliver and knocking him out of the air and onto the floor of the cave. Oliver slowly rose, grimacing in pain as Monique suddenly flickered and vanished from sight. The owl's head swiveled around, notching several arrows at once with a wary expression.

"That's Phantom Force!" Lillie warned Sun, who was about to call a command when Monique suddenly appeared from behind Oliver and struck him with a shadowy blast. The owl screeched in protest, flapping his wings to catch himself. Motherbeast Lusamine let out a shrieking laugh, even as Monique fired another Shadow Ball at Oliver.

"Get over it and hit back with Leaf Blade!" Sun barked as Oliver waited for the shadowy orb to get closer before kicking off of the ground and flapped his wings hard, soaring into the air. Monique's gaze snapped upwards and the specter let out a strained rasping sound before a wave of Magical Fire rushed outwards, blasting Oliver as he flew closer to the other ghost.

"Oliver!" Sun shouted as the Decidueye burst out of the magical flames, screeching in pain. The owl spun around, fire trailing off of him as he fired one last ghostly arrow at Monique. The Mismagius deflected it with a blast of Psychic, snarling ferally at him as the Decidueye swayed on his feet…before finally collapsing, unable to continue fighting as he fainted. Sun swiftly returned his Decidueye while Lusamine laughed with delight overhead.

At least until Tetra made her presence known by grabbing one of the Nihilego by the tentacles and throwing it at the Motherbeast directly. The Ultra Beast smacked Lusamine, causing her to recoil in pain and surprise.

"Good work, Partner. Get some rest." Sun muttered to Oliver before clipping the ball to his belt. He drew another Poké Ball and sent out Brago, who fell into a crouch and struck Monique with Intimidate, lowering her attack.

Meanwhile, Tetra was flying away from the stream of Power Gems blasting after her, with Lusamine shrieking incoherently at the dragon that dared to strike her. Tetra was grinning at the rampaging monster who she remembered very clearly from the Aether Paradise for how mean she was.

Whenever an Ultra Beast tried to attack the dragon, an expertly shot blast of water knocked the hellish jellyfish away. Finn had joined the offensive, laughing as he kept the Garchomp as safe as he could.

"Brago, let's go! Aerial Ace!" Sun called to his loyal Arcanine, who sped towards the wily ghost and slammed into her hard enough to send her flying backwards. Monique retaliated with a Shadow Ball, quickly firing one of and blasting Brago directly in the face with it. The Arcanine snarled and leapt back, letting out a howl of defiance against the monsters now facing them.

"Get her, Brago! Please!" Lillie cried out to the Arcanine, who simply nodded as a fierce expression crossed his face. Lusamine snarled as her brainwashed Mismagius let loose a Psychic blast, which Brago dodged with Extreme Speed, only to pivot into Wild Charge at Sun's command.

The Magical Pokémon shrieked in pain as the Arcanine collided with her, but not before unleashing a harsh Psychic blast that knocked the Legendary Pokémon down to the ground. Brago was quick to rise, releasing a Flamethrower at Sun's command that was intercepted by two of the Nihilego, who retaliated with two Venoshocks. Brago dove to the side to avoid the attack, only for a Power Gem to strike his side and blast him backwards. The hound howled in pain, but remained standing, growling in anger at Monique and her Trainer.

"This is evil…nothing more than a brainwashed slave! How can you live with yourself!?" Brago howled at Lusamine, who simply laughed at the Arcanine's righteous anger as the Nihilego trilled in terrible harmony. Sun glanced upwards and saw Tetra still fighting off the ever-growing horde of Nihilego, with Finn firing off Water Guns and Scalds into the fray. But it wasn't enough to keep the Ultra Beasts from interfering in the main battle.

"MEANINGLESS FOOLS AND NOTHING ELSE…THEIR REWARD FOR THEIR LOYALTY IS THE PLEASURE OF BEING USED BY ME!" Lusamine responded gleefully, her body surging forward as she flung out her tentacles. The Nihilego began to fire off a wave of Power Gems and Venoshocks, forcing Brago to use Extreme Speed to dodge the wave of attacks. Tetra rushed in with Dragon Claw, slashing at the Nihilego and forcing them to flee. That was when a menacing hiss filled the Sea Throne and Sun's heart dropped.

"Behind you!" Sun shouted as Tetra suddenly whirled around, her eyes widening as Motherbeast Lusamine's tentacles rushed outwards. The largest of them smashed into the Garchomp with enough strength for a crunching sound to reverberate across the clearing as the young dragon was sent hurtling back towards her Trainer.

"Tetra!" Sun screamed as the dragon smashed through the rocky cliff, which quickly crumpled and buried the dragon within it. Sun took a step towards where his dragon had landed, only for a chilling voice to hiss at them.

"TEAR THEM APART!" Lusamine roared as the Nihilego all turned to face Brago, who to his credit didn't even flinch. Instead the stalwart Arcanine growled softly and bared his fangs at the horde.

"Go ahead. Do your worst." Brago grunted at the multitude of Ultra Beasts trilling in cacophonous unison, charging up over a dozen Power Gem attacks at once before firing.

"You think you can keep hurting them like that!?" Lusamine blinked in confusion as the beams of energy rushed towards Brago as one, only to be bent upwards and blast apart the ceiling. Rocks and debris rained down upon the Nihilego, causing them to cry out in surprise.

"WHAT!? NO, MY CHILDREN!" Lusamine screamed out, her expression turning to one of terror and then anger as she noticed a blue figure that she had forgotten about in her fervor to crush Tetra.

Meanwhile Finn calmly strode forward, stopping next to Brago. "Not sure how much more of those I have left in me." Finn remarked with a huff, crossing his arms and meeting the glare of the Motherbeast. Finn then laughed softly before glancing at the battered Arcanine beside him. "We've truly encountered many strange things in our travels, huh?"

"This may just be the strangest, yes." Brago remarked, smiling despite the seriousness of the situation. "Do you think you can keep them occupied for some time?"

"Without Tetra, this will be hard, but I won't let you down!" Finn assured the Arcanine, who nodded and fell into a crouch before bounding forward, with Sun calling for Flamethrower and Finn to attack with Scald. Finn bounded forward and spun in the air, coating the horde shielding the Mismagius in boiling water. More of the Nihilego rushed forward, blocking the flames with several blasts of Venoshock and freeing up Monique to attack with Shadow Ball.

The dark orb of ghostly energy struck Brago and sent him flying backwards, though he managed to remain standing. Finn was frantically spraying the Ultra Beasts as quickly as possible, but the swarm was relentless.

"There's just too many of them!" Sun growled with annoyance, clenching his fists as he struggled to battle Lusamine and her team, as well as focusing on the Nihilego swarm. "Finn, keep using Scald! Brago, use Bite!"

"COME NOW CHILDREN! ENTERTAIN ME JUST A LITTLE LONGER!" Lusamine demanded as

Brago rushed forward into the horde of Ultra Beasts that stood in the way of his opponent. The Arcanine snarled in pain as he tanked multiple Power Gems and a Thunderbolt from Monique before sinking his teeth into the ghost and throwing her aside. Meanwhile Finn was leaping around the battlefield, dodging Venoshocks and Power Gem attacks from the unrelenting hordes of powerful Ultra Beasts.

Lillie bit her lip as she watched Sun's efforts to hold off the Nihilego horde and combat the twisted Pokémon who had corrupted her mother so on top of dueling Lusamine's team. The girl despised the feeling of helplessness she felt. And then…

"I'm not helpless. I can do something! Anything! I'm never going back to that version of myself again!" Lillie thought with a flash of anger at her own weakness threatening to overwhelm her again. She was not weak. Not after what she had been through, and not after the support she had from everyone along her journey through Alola.

"Sun, focus on Mother and her team. I…I can help too!" Lillie said to her boyfriend, who just glanced at his girlfriend for a moment before nodding once. He trusted Lillie and her judgment without reserve.

With that, the girl took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself to join the battle directly. Lillie spotted three of the accursed jellyfish charging up beams of energy to attack Brago.

You know his team well-enough by now. They trust you. Stand alongside your beloved hero and show him and your Mother your strength!

"Finn, hit the Nihilego to the left of you with Psychic!" Lillie called to the Poliwrath as Dizz's words bolstered her resolve. The acrobatic Pokémon nodded at the girl's command and lashed out with another blast of raw mentally-charged energy, diverting the trio of Power Gems away from Brago. Sun glanced at Lillie with surprise as she stepped forward, holding onto Sun's hand tightly with a fierce gleam in her eyes. "Now jump off Brago's back to get airborne and Scald!"

The Arcanine grinned with pride as he leapt back to avoid a Thunderbolt from Monique, crouching and allowing Finn to jump atop the Arcanine's back. Brago leapt up high into the air as the Ultra Beasts swarmed forward, with the Poliwrath springing upwards and then spinning in a circle as he used Scald. This resulted in dozens of the Ultra Beasts getting sprayed with boiling-hot water, causing them all to shriek in protest.

"CURSE YOU! YOU'RE BOTH PESTS! NOTHING MORE!" Lusamine roared in frustration as Finn landed on the ground beside Brago.

"If you handle Mother's team, I can try to handle the Ultra Beasts with Finn." Lillie explained to Sun, who nodded in understanding. Lillie had watched him battle enough to know his team extremely well.

"Wouldn't ask for anyone else to watch my back when the chips are down. Let's do this, Princess!" Sun said with a fierce grin, his eyes gleaming bright gold before punching a fist forward. "Finn, Brago, Lillie!"

"Ready!" the three of them shouted back as Lusamine snarled with annoyance, her tentacles quivering with anger as she floated forward. Brago howled at the horde as Finn cracked his knuckles, chuckling as the next phase of the showdown began.

"Sun, can you not use Fire moves for a few minutes?" Lillie asked Sun, who looked at his girlfriend for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah, why?" Sun asked Lillie, who smirked before facing forward.

"Finn, use Rain Dance! And then Scald!" Lillie called out as the Poliwrath leapt back to avoid a Venoshock before firing a misty ball of energy into the air. Rain began to fall, soaking the battlefield and everyone present in water. Finn landed on the ground and launched a Scald attack, which thanks to the power boost of Rain Dance, had become a scorching hot torrent of water that easily blasted away the Ultra Beasts.

"Keep up the pressure! Bubblebeam! Spray as much as you can!" Lillie called to the Poliwrath as he landed on the ground.

"Brago, let's go! Aerial Ace into Bite!" Sun shouted as Brago grinned at Lillie and Sun before facing Monique and rushing forward in a bright streak of light. The Arcanine tanked another Shadow Ball before slamming hard into the Mismagius, following up by biting down hard into the ghost.

Monique shrieked and let loose a Thunderbolt into Brago directly. Brago growled in pain and sank his teeth even deeper into the ghost, leaping into the air and throwing her down into the ground before following up with a weakened Fire Blast. Meanwhile Finn was laughing boisterously as the air was filled with bubbles, the Nihilego hissing in pain at the rain-boosted super-effective attacks.

"I WON'T LET A WEAK, PATHETIC LITTLE WRETCH LIKE YOU RUIN MY NEW LIFE!" Lusamine snarled as Monique rose from the ground, charging up a Shadow Ball and firing it at Brago. The Arcanine leapt to the side at Sun's command and rushed in with Aerial Ace, knocking back the Magical Pokémon even as she tried again and again to hit the Arcanine. This repeated several times, with Brago only taking a glancing hit from a Thunderbolt from the Mismagius.

Sun glanced upwards and saw the air full of bubbles, with the Nihilego having temporarily retreated away from the battlefield. The rain was beginning to clear up too, but it was enough for Sun to have regained control of the battle and dealt a large amount of damage to Lusamine's Mismagius in a short amount of time. Sun squeezed Lillie's hand, catching her attention.

"I love you so much." Sun said with a small sigh, grinning at Lillie's determined expression. The girl in question blushed, matching his grin with her own. Sun then looked forward, fully able to focus on fighting Lusamine while Lillie and Finn handled the Nihilego.

"Scald again, Finn! Keep them away from Brago!" Lillie called out to the Poliwrath.

"Brago, use Flamethrower!" Sun ordered his Arcanine as Brago lunged forward, snarling as a stream of flames erupted from his open mouth. Monique the Mismagius hissed as the flames forced her back, even as the Nihilego overhead shrieked in pain as boiling water soaked them.

"I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU YEARS AGO." Lusamine intoned, swaying in the air and staring directly at her daughter with disdain. "YOU ARE SUCH A DISAPPOINTMENT!"

"I'd rather be a mere disappointment than…whatever the hell you are now!" Lillie shot back before she crossed her arms. "Finn, keep using Scald! Focus on dodging their attacks!"

The Poliwrath let out a booming laugh as he flipped through the air, spraying the Ultra Beasts with Scald and causing them to squeal and flee from the powerful attacks. Brago surged forward with Wild Charge again, slamming into the empowered Monique and causing the exhausted ghost to drift backwards, barely floating upright into the air.

"BEGONE!" Lusamine roared as she suddenly rushed forward, lashing out with her tentacles. The gemstones embedded within them flashed a dark blue color, and Sun and Lillie both felt a terrible wave of foreboding for several long moments.

Then, jagged blue pillars of spiked stone shot out of the earth, knocking the Poliwrath back and forcing Brago to leap to the side to dodge them. His attention was immediately occupied by Monique hitting him with Psychic and pinning him to the ground. Finn landed lightly on his feet, clutching his chest, only for a second spiked pillar to erupt from the ground with lightning-swiftness and send him hurtling across the battlefield yet again.

"Brago! Finn!" Lillie yelled out as the Poliwrath was thrown into the same rocks that Tetra had been crushed under. The Poliwrath was slow to rise, which left Sun and Lillie defenseless as the Nihilego swarmed forth, firing off several Power Gem beams at Sun and Lillie. Sun quickly pulled Lillie out of the way as three converged on where she was standing. Sun and Lillie quickly ran as hard as they could across their side of the battlefield, not looking back at the sound of explosions and screeching behind them.

Finally Sun chanced a glance backwards and saw a Nihilego drifting towards Lillie, charging up another Power Gem with a menacing cooing noise. Sun gasped and quickly moved in front of Lillie as the beam fired off, grazing Sun's arm before flying past him and impacting the ground nearby.

"AGH!" Sun screamed, staggering backwards with a pained scream and clutching his arm as blood immediately began leaking out of the wound. Lusamine laughed as Lillie screamed out in distress, holding Sun upright as he panted from the pain. The couple continued to flee from the beasts, with Lusamine giggling in the background.

Meanwhile, Brago was shaking from the sheer damage he had withstood up to this point and slowly forced his head off of the ground enough so that he could open his mouth and attack his opponent with Flamethrower. The flames torched Monique, who lost her control over the Psychic as she screamed in pain. Brago then turned his flames to the horde drifting over Sun and Lillie, making them retreat for a brief moment. Sun and Lillie quickly realized what was happening and hurried to the side of Brago, who was now getting to his feet and panting hard.

"Sun, are you okay!?" Lillie cried out as Sun groaned softly, fighting back tears from the pain. Sun nodded and focused on the battle against Lusamine.

"Those Power Gem attacks are doing serious damage to Brago. Monique is hardly the issue here…" Sun thought angrily as he looked at his exhausted Arcanine, lamenting how unfair this fight truly was. If it was him against Lusamine, then he would have easily crushed her. But he was up against the might of her fused form and all of the Nihilego under her command.

"NOW YOU DIE, LITTLE ONES! MWAHAHAHAHA!" Lusamine cackled as she flung out her tentacles, causing the dozens of Ultra Beasts to charge up Power Gems once more. Brago let loose a torrent of flames at the horde of the Nihilego, only for the laser beam onslaught to cut down the Arcanine and cause him to collapse onto the ground.

But the beams didn't stop.

"Get down!" Sun shouted as he pulled Lillie back, with two beams blasting at the ground beside them. The Nihilego shrieked as Lusamine cackled with delight, her laughter filling the Sea Throne and causing the ground to shake. Finn lumped back into the fray and lashed out with Psychic, which blasted back the wave of lasers and held them at bay. The Poliwrath let out a scream of pain, falling to one knee at the strain of holding back over a dozen attacks at once.

"Finn!" Sun called out worriedly as the Poliwrath slowly forced himself back to a standing position.

"I ain't…lettin' you down! You won't hurt them!" Finn bellowed to the Motherbeast, who glared at the defiant Poliwrath for several long moments.

"YOU RESIST…HOW FOOLISH!" Lusamine suddenly laughed a twisted grin on her face before she raised her tentacles, which flickered with a dark purple glow. The Nihilego stopped their assault, floating away back over to Lusamine's side, much to the confusion of Sun, Lillie, and Finn. Suddenly, jagged spiked pillars of stone erupted all around them, blasting Finn high into the air. Sun screamed out in distress to his Poliwrath as he was launched into the ceiling of the gloomy cavern.

"MY LOVE IS ALL THAT MATTERS…IT IS BEAUTIFUL AND ALL-CONSUMING!" Lusamine proclaimed as she thrust her tentacles outwards, the gleaming gems within her flaring with energy.

The Nihilego, as one, charged up over two dozen Power Gem attacks as they all focused their next attack on the two children staring up at them. As the beams fired and Sun pulled Lillie behind him, a terrible voice boomed throughout the clearing.

That is enough!

The entire battlefield froze as a terrible wave of something wrong filled the air, causing the Nihilego's beams to suddenly veer around the children, blasting the rocks and walls around them. Sun and Lillie gasped as the Nihilego stopped their attacks, clearly uneasy as the horrible presence intensified. The air continued to flicker around Sun and Lillie, a shimmering haze of distortion as a result of whatever had happened.

"Dizz, was that you?" Lille whispered, her eyes wide as Lusamine frantically looked around the clearing.

…not again…

"WHAT IS THIS!?" Lusamine asked, confused as to how the children weren't dead. Even worse, the Nihilego were obviously disturbed and threatened by the presence of MissingNo., even if it was just a fragment of what the entity used to be. Meanwhile, Sun and Lillie were worried about how faint and weak the Remnant's voice was after it had saved them from the onslaught from the Ultra Beasts.

"Dizz, are you okay!?" Sun asked worriedly in his head, hearing the sound of distorted groaning within the air.

I…will live. Focus on the fight…

"Penny, come on out!" Sun called out his Toucannon, who quickly took to the skies while the Nihilego were scrambling. "Drill Peck!"

"Once the ghost is done, I'll tear you apart!" Penny chirped as the Nihilego stirred, seeing a new threat. Penny was ignoring the jellyfish, with her eyes on the Motherbeast. "You are no mother. Just another monster that we shall defeat!"

"HOW DARE YOU…THIS IS MY WORLD!" Lusamine roared as several of the Nihilego shivered and flew towards Penny, firing off Power Gems. The Toucannon took to the air, flying swiftly as she dove towards Monique and spiraled into Drill Peck. The Mismagius let loose a Thunderbolt that Penny tanked head-on, enduring the pain…and absorbing the attack to become a whirling tornado of electricity!

"That's just like Oliver's Leafage and Pluck combo!" Lillie said as she finally pulled out a roll of bandages from her backpack and quickly began applying medical aid to Sun's bleeding and damaged arm.

Penny's improvised combo attack smashed into Monique hard, knocking the Mismagius out of the air and onto the ground. As the Z-Power flickered away from Monique, Lusamine roared in anger with her tentacles flashing yellow. The Nihilego responded by floating lower to the ground, crooning in a deeper and sinister tone.

"THE PRICE FOR FAILURE IS DEATH!" Lusamine declared before the Nihilego let out a shriek as one, firing off a wave of attacks at the fallen Mismagius who was powerless to stop them. A thick cloud of smoke quickly filled the air, as did the agonized shriek of the ghost who had been betrayed by her own Trainer.

"MONIQUE!" Lillie screamed out as the Mismagius was completely consumed in Power Gems and Venoshock attacks.

"I HAVE NO USE FOR WEAKNESS! IT IS UGLY AND MUST BE PURGED FROM MY WORLD!" Lusamine declared as she tossed aside Monique's Ultra Ball, which was blasted apart into fragments by one of the Nihilego. The smoke began to finally clear on the ground, and to their horror there was no trace of the Mismagius left besides a smoking crater.

"She…s-she…k-k-killed her!" Lillie cried out, tears running down her face as she clung to Sun. The boy felt a wave of nausea roll through him, astounded and horrified that Lusamine would smite one of her own Pokémon.

"CRUSH THEM, MY CHILDREN!" Lusamine ordered the horde, who turned back towards Sun and Lillie. Penny soared into the horde and began slamming into the Ultra Beasts with Brick Break and Drill Peck, doing whatever she could to halt their assault.

That was when an explosion rippled through the air behind them, followed by a shower of small rocks. Sun and Lillie looked up to see a familiar shape racing towards the Nihilego swarm with flaming claws. A furious Garchomp zoomed back and forth through the Ultra Beasts, slashing and hacking while they fled in surprise and terror while letting out an ear-splitting roar.

"Tetra!" Sun and Lillie called, relief on their faces as the dragon's head snapped towards the humans and flew towards them, landing on the ground. Tetra slowly stood up and glanced back at them, offering them a wide smile. She was covered in dings and scraps and panting slightly, but she looked like she had plenty left in the tank.

"Just a little nap. Those things are strong!" Tetra said brightly before turning around and spotting Penny fighting for her life in the air. Tetra flung out her claws, igniting them with emerald fire. "But we're stronger. I'll keep them busy for you!"

"Do whatever you can to keep them off our backs!" Sun ordered his dragon, who nodded as her grin widened slightly and she turned around. "And be careful!"

"NO MATTER…ONE FINAL CHALLENGE BEFORE I CAST ASIDE ALL TIES TO THAT WORLD FOREVER!" Lusamine howled as she flung out another Ultra Ball and she sent out her Milotic, Alice. Penny flew to the ground to meet her while Tetra took to the skies to battle the Ultra Beast horde.

"Alice, watch out! Mother's going to try and poison you!" Lillie screamed out to the Milotic, who looked surprised before glancing back at Lusamine, who had launched a wave of poison at her Milotic. The Tender Pokémon let out a small squeal and flung herself to the side, dodging the attack and looking up at the monster her Trainer had become.

The serpent quickly turned away from Lusamine and attempted to flee from her Trainer, but the Motherbeast would not be denied. With a menacing hiss, Lusamine's tentacles flickered red, and the Ultra Beasts quickly acted.

The Nihilego that weren't battling Tetra swooped down, intercepting Alice and ensnaring her within their tentacles. The Milotic frantically tried to fight free, lashing out with Hydro Pumps and blasting aside some of the alien jellyfish. As Lillie screamed out in distress and Sun sent Penny to help the Milotic, Motherbeast Lusamine snarled and sent out a spray of poison out from one of her tentacles, coating the immobilized serpent completely with the neurotoxin. The gemstones in the Motherbeast's tentacles glowed orange, and then it was over.

Alice went completely still as her eyes dilated…and then the Z-Power erupted outwards from her, a terrible frown of anger on her face as she slowly swung to face Sun, Lillie and an approaching Penny. The brainwashed Milotic opened her mouth and fired off an Ice Beam that struck Penny head-on, causing her to shriek in pain and fall to the ground with ice coating her wing, beak and chest.

---

Meanwhile, Dawson and Guzma watched as the brutal showdown unfolded. Sun and Lillie had been holding their own so far, but it was obvious that the Motherbeast held the advantage.

"They're still fighting…how? I don't get it. They're completely outmatched!" Guzma murmured, rubbing his aching head as Dawson sighed beside him. "Why did they have to come here? Why try to save us? Why…w-why try and reason with that monster?"

"Because they're better than us." Dawson admitted quietly, patting the man on the shoulder. Guzma looked at Dawson in surprise, a flicker of indignation in his eyes before he saw the somber expression on the former Cipher Admin's face.

"Could you forgive Kukui or the adults from your childhood for allowing the injustices that happened to you? No. You've held onto those pains your entire life and made countless people hurt because of them." Dawson said to the Team Skull Boss, offering him a bitter smile. "Just like I killed so many people in the name of my so-called justice. In the end, I was just a stupid and angry man who wanted revenge for my baby brother. Nothing more…"

"But Sun and Lillie are different. They chose to forgive…and break the cycle that they were in. Sun chose to spare Borlath and save him from himself, despite the evil he committed. Lillie chose to break her chains and become who she always wanted to be, but journey to Ultra Space and confront her Mother anyways. If either of us had been in their positions…we would've killed our parents." Dawson said to Guzma, who simply nodded in agreement. He absolutely would have, there was no debate there. "That's what makes them better than us, Guzma. And why are they fighting against the odds to save someone so terrible from themselves."

"I just can't imagine caring so much that I'd come to this hell. Knowing it would be bad. To save someone who hurt me like Lusa did to her kid." Guzma muttered tiredly, looking at Lillie with an awed expression. "She's a tough girl, ain't she?"

"She is. Lillie's the bravest one here. To come to this place as an ordinary girl and stand alongside her boyfriend against a sea of monsters? She's grown a lot." Dawson agreed, watching as Lusamine cackled with delight in the background. "Lillie could have abandoned you both to your fates. But she didn't. Hell, they've been good to me too, even though I don't deserve a second chance. Not after what I've done."

"They…they're both good kids." Guzma said quietly, almost so softly that Dawson barely caught the words. "They don't deserve to get hurt like this. Not like I was."

---

..Attack stat…b-b-boosted due to…Z-Power. Be careful…

"Tetra! Keep the Nihilego away from Penny! Use Flamethrower!" Lillie called out to Sun's Garchomp, who obeyed the girl's command and let loose a torrent of fire to drive off the approaching Nihilego once more. Sun meanwhile was focused on his immobilized Toucannon.

"Penny! Use a Beak Blast to melt the ice off!" Sun immediately called out to the Toucannon, who's beak began to heat up within moments from within the ice. As it began to glow, the ice slowly melted off of the bird. The brainwashed Milotic slithered forward, only for several cracks in the ice to form right away. The Milotic tilted its head in confusion before the ice exploded outwards, followed by a roaring sound-wave that blasted back the serpent as Penny was freed from the ice.

Penny shot into the air as Alice hissed, firing off an Ice Beam that Penny swerved to dodge before speeding downwards and smashing into the Milotic with a Drill Peck, with a flicker of white light erupting from the blow to signal that a Critical Hit had been dealt. Lusamine let out a shout of fury as Alice suddenly lunged forward, striking Penny with her glowing tail and delivering a Flail attack that sent the bird crashing into the ground. Penny rose with an annoyed screech, firing off a Bullet Seed at Sun's command and delivering three rounds of attacks on the Milotic.

Alice slithered forward and lashed out with an Aqua Tail, but Sun had a counter ready to go. "Use Beak Blast! Charge up!"

Penny's beak glowed bright red as she charged up heat within it. Alice struck the Toucannon with her glowing tail, doing damage to Penny at the cost of sustaining a nasty burn to her tail. Penny then opened her mouth and unleashed her attack, firing off an explosion in the form of Beak Blast to the face of the Milotic and making her fly backwards with an agonized squeal.

Alice coiled into a small ball, whimpering as her Z-Power flickered around her. Sun and Lillie however both noticed that in the spot where Alice had been burned, there was now a faint glowing green light that rippled outward across the serpent's body. A warning from Dizz soon cleared up their confusion.

W-watch out! That's Milotic's Ability, Marvel Scale! Since it n-now has a…Status Ailment, it's defense j-j-just got boosted by a substantial amount!

"We'll deal with it! Penny, finish it off! Drill Peck!" Sun shouted as Penny flew low to the ground, speeding towards Alice as the Milotic slowly shook its head, as if to clear it, only for Penny to collide into the serpent with hellacious force and send it toppling to the ground. The Milotic rose with a quiver before closing her eyes, a white glow enveloping the Tender Pokémon.

"It's using Recover! Sun, you should do the same!" Lillie advised Sun before she looked back at the Garchomp spewing flames into the sky. "Tetra, use Bulldoze! Slam into the Nihilego as quickly as you can!"

Tetra flashed the girl a bright smile before her body glowed a brown color. The Garchomp was in the air within moments, slamming her head into one of the Nihilego and releasing a small shockwave of force. It didn't shake the ground like it would normally, since they were all in the air, but the attack was four-times super-effective against the Nihilego and had the effect of knocking the Ultra Beast unconscious.

The Garchomp spun around and flew into another Nihilego with Bulldoze, causing massive amounts of damage. She quickly repeated the process as much as she could, slamming into the Ultra Beasts with Bulldoze while Sun handled the battle on the ground.

"Roost!" Sun called as Penny returned to their side of the battlefield, landing on the ground and folding her wings inward. Penny closed her eyes and sighed deeply, her body glowing much like Alice's. The various injuries the Toucannon had received slowly began to fade away. "Now follow up with Swords Dance!"

Penny opened her eyes and they flashed red, with several phantasmal swords spinning around her while clanging together. Penny's body was suffused in a bright red light for a few moments, signifying that she had received a massive boost to her Attack power. Alice suddenly let out a piercing cry, uncoiling and slithering towards Penny as she let out a Hydro Pump. Penny took to the skies, but was blasted out of the air by the enormous torrent of water and hit the ground hard.

"Penny, use Fly!" Sun ordered the Toucannon as she got back up, completely drenched in water but even more annoyed than ever. She flapped her wings hard and soared above an Ice Beam that Alice fired off, only to swoop low and collide harshly with the Milotic. Alice cried out in pain as she was knocked backwards, but not before firing off another Ice Beam that struck Penny right in her chest. To Sun and Lillie's horror, ice quickly began to encase the Toucannon who was now no-longer able to fly as she had been frozen for a second time.

"Not again! What awful luck!" Lillie cried out as Penny slammed into the ground, wincing in pain as her ice-covered body remained totally immobilized. Lusamine giggled horribly, the sound shaking the caverns.

"FINISH THE JOB…END THEM!" Lusamine ordered a battered Alice, who slithered forward and fired off a Hydro Pump directly into the face of Penny. Or rather, she would have if Penny had retaliated with a Hyper Voice that managed to disorient the serpent enough to make the attack miss, instead hitting several of the Nihilego and causing them to shriek in pain.

"Bullet Seed!' Sun ordered Penny, with a sharp gleam entering the eyes of the Toucannon before she opened her mouth and released a barrage of seedy bullets directly into the face of Alice, causing the serpent to recoil in pain. Five waves of the super-effective attack were enough to momentarily drive off the Milotic, allowing Penny to focus back on her efforts to free herself using the heat from her beak.

Alice turned back to face Penny, charging up an Ice Beam and unleashing it directly into the face of the Toucannon. Penny screeched in pain as Lusamine seethed with frustration in the background.

"JUST DIE ALREADY!" Lusamine ordered the Toucannon, fury pounding through the Motherbeast's voice as Alice pumped more and more energy into the Ice Beam. Penny's eyes narrowed down to slits with the effort of keeping her beak burning white-hot, staving off the cold so long as she could hold on.

"That's my Penny…she's a fighter." Sun breathed as the ice began to melt even quicker than before. As Alice reared her head back to fire off another Ice Beam, only for a tremor to wrack her body and cause the Milotic to seize up. Alice turned her head and began to cough violently, much like Luna had, with crimson dripping out of the serpent's mouth.

"Now! Use Hyper Voice!" Sun shouted as Penny's head was free from the ice, which allowed her to open her beak and unleash a powerful blast of sound directly into a stunned Alice's face.

The Milotic went flying backwards, crashing down in a crumpled heap on the ground. Alice tried to rise once more, but the Z-Power finally faded away from the Milotic and she collapsed onto the ground.

"WORTHLESS…" Lusamine hissed as she raised her tentacles, which gleamed red. In response, the Nihilego retreated from Tetra's rampage and converged on Alice.

"Tetra! Help her!" Lillie shouted as the Garchomp whirled around, growling softly before flying towards the horde. She upon them in seconds, claws tearing through the Ultra Beasts, only for several of them to unleash Power Gem at the same time and blast Tetra into a stalactite hanging from the ceiling.

The swarm of Ultra Beasts turned towards Alice and unleashed Lusamine's fury, bombarding her fallen form much in the same way that they had to Monique. Within moments a thick cloud of smoke filled the space where the Milotic once was, and Lillie was clinging to Sun's side and sobbing into his shoulder.

"What do we do!? If we don't fight back, Lusamine will kill us! But every time we knock out her Pokémon, she kills them!" Sun hissed with frustration, wishing there was more that he could do. Lillie's heartbroken sobs tore at his heart, and he knew exactly how she felt. He had been similarly heartbroken when his mother's Persian, Padma, and his infant Eevee, Nova, had died. Lusamine was slaughtering her own team if they couldn't bring down Sun and Lillie. Not even Roran, Amber Fontaine or Borlath had been so twisted.

She's a monster…do what you must.

"Mother, please stop this! You've done enough!" Lillie pleaded with her mother, who didn't even seem to register the words.

"NOW THAT SHE'S GONE…YOU'RE NEXT!" Lusamine crooned as she turned her attention to the mostly frozen and barely-conscious Penny, who narrowed her gaze at the Motherbeast. There was no fear in her eyes, only contempt. Lusamine's larger tentacles pointed towards the immobilized bird, with the Motherbeast grinning maniacally as a strange static-like energy crackled along the length of the limb.

Sun grit his teeth and read Alastor's Ultra Ball, prepared to send him out. Truthfully, he was wary of having any more Pokémon on the battlefield than he did already. He also wanted to hold a completely fresh Pokémon just in case things truly went downhill.

Suddenly a booming laugh echoed across the cavern, and Sun and Lillie looked up to see a familiar blue Pokémon falling from the cavern's ceiling. Lusamine looked up in surprise, only to let out a shriek as a jet of boiling hot water blasted her in the face. The Poliwrath shot backwards, flipping through the air and landing lightly beside Penny on the ground.

"How'd you like that!?" Finn called to Lusamine, who was shrieking incoherently as the Nihilego retreated towards the Motherbeast. It was at that moment that everyone's favorite Garchomp emerged from the stalactite she had been blown into, smiling at them all as she flew out into the fight once again.

"Yay! Finn's not dead! I knew you could do it!" Tetra cheered, stopping in midair to wave at Finn before dodging a Venoshock. She retaliated with a Dragon Rage that made the Nihilego flee in terror.

"Finn! Tetra!" Sun shouted with relief as the Poliwrath finished punching the ice and freeing his teammate. Penny emerged from the ice, violently shivering.

"I worry about Mother being hit like that…but she totally deserves it." Lillie muttered, wiping her eyes. Sun squeezed her hand, wishing there was something more he could do than attempt to bring down the insane matriarch of the Jardin family.

I wonder if she's weak to water now, since she fused with a Poison/Rock-type…

"I hope it hurts her really bad, because my arm hurts like hell right now." Sun thought sourly, wincing in pain as he watched Penny and Finn quietly conversing.

"T-t-t-thank you…" Penny squawked to Finn, focusing heat into her beak to warm herself again. Finn patted the bird on the head before turning towards his Trainer, giving Sun a big thumbs up.

"I've got this, buddy! I wasn't going to let a little bump like that get the better of me!" Finn called as Lusamine let out a roar of fury, swinging out her tentacles and sending another spire of rock at both Penny and Finn. The Poliwrath and Toucannon dove to the side, only for a wave of Power Gems to beam down and strike them both.

"Penny! Finn!" Sun shouted as the explosions rippled through the clearing, with Lusamine's terrible cackles filling the air. Tetra roared in fury and dove into the fray, her burning claws plunging into the nearest Nihilego and causing it to squeal in agony before getting thrown aside.

The Ultra Beast limply fell onto the ground, ooze spilling from it. Tetra began repeating the process again and again to the battered horde, ignoring the damage she was taking all the while and drawing Lusamine's fury yet again.

"I hate that it's come to this…sorry Tetra." Sun thought, horrified at what it was taking for them to simply stay alive in this terrible battle. For his sweet and kindhearted dragon to be forced to kill like that was terrible, even if they were all fighting for their lives.

Sun looked over at the smoke cloud as it cleared, and was dismayed to see Finn kneeling on the ground with a pained expression while Penny was out cold. Sun quickly returned both Pokémon, considering his options.

"Tetra and Finn are both pretty beat up and I've still got Alastor fresh…but Oliver, Brago and Penny are down for the count." Sun thought quickly, considering how the battle had played out so far. "That horde is starting to thin out a bit, but there's still plenty left."

"SUNNY! WATCH OUT!" Tetra suddenly screamed out, looking towards the humans right before a Nihilego slammed into her from the side.

Sun snapped out of his thoughts as one of the Nihilego materialized from behind him and Lillie both, letting out a shrill cry. Tetra tried to fly towards her Trainer, only for a rocky spire to explode out of the ground and slam into Tetra, sending her flying in the opposite direction. Lusamine cackled as the Nihilego surged forward, tentacles extended to ensnare them both-

"NOT ON YOUR LIFE, BITCH!"

Sun and Lillie both felt a roar of heat behind them, followed by a light bright enough to fill the Sea Throne. What resembled a flaming bullet suddenly shot past Sun and Lillie and tore apart the approaching Nihilego, causing it to recoil with a scream of agony before slowly combusting and fading away into a cloud of smoldering ash.

Sun and Lillie turned around and saw Dawson limping towards them, Justice ignited in his hand as Solomon the Slowking walked beside him. The Dashing Rogue of Hoenn stared up at Motherbeast Lusamine, who let out an inhumane screech.

"See, this is why you never go after people for looks alone." Dawson remarked with a weak smile, aiming Justice at another of the Nihilego and blasting it to death. Three more of the Ultra Beasts rushed forward with furious screams, only for Dawson to quickly blast them with three swift shots from the hand-cannon. Dawson let out a wild laugh as his Slowking smiled beside him.

"Like slipping into an old, comfortable sweater." Dawson said as he twirled the gun in his hand. Solomon the Slowking's eyes glowed bright blue, causing one of the Nihilego to shriek before hurtling into the ground with tremendous force.

"Go Dawson! You've got this!" Lillie cheered at the man, who flashed Lillie and Sun a smile that reminded them very much of the man as he was before Ultra Space.

"Deal with her Pokémon! I'll help with the horde!" Dawson shouted as he took aim, flashing the couple a familiar cocky grin. "If we die today, we die on our own terms! Side by side to the bitter end!"

Sun grinned at Dawson before turning back to the battle. Motherbeast Lusamine was shaking with anger, seeing how her Nihilego were getting blasted into nothingness in front of her. However, she had to focus on Sun and Lillie. And so she sent out her fourth Pokémon, Camille the Lilligant.

"Camille, run! Run for your life!" Lillie screamed to the confused Lilligant, who tilted her head at the heartbroken and desperate expression on the girl's face. Camille then heard a shrill laughing sound from behind her, and the Pokémon turned around in time to catch a deluge of toxic fluid to the face.

Lillie buried her face in her hands, despair filling her as Camille shrieked in agony as the neurotoxins flooded her body, with the free-will of the Grass-type being overridden by Motherbeast Lusamine. The monstrous woman raised her tentacles, the gems within them glowing orange, and Camille was now her mindless puppet.

The Lilligant's head slowly rose, her mouth set in a terrible scowl as Z-Power erupted outwards. Sun grit his teeth at Lusamine's cruelty, but he was distracted when Tetra let out a furious roar and flew over to him, landing in front of Sun and Lillie.

"We got help…Now it's my turn!" Tetra panted, grinning fiercely as the Lilligant let out a scream of fury and charged forward.

"Tetra…" Sun murmured, seeing how worn-out the Garchomp was. She had been battling the horde nonstop since the battle had begun, and now she was wanting to fight off a superpowered Lilligant? "Alright. You got this. Let's go!"

"THIS IS MY KINGDOM! MY WORLD! YOUR UGLINESS IS NOT WELCOME WITHIN IT!" Lusamine screamed as Camille the Lilligant let loose a whirlwind of glowing green petals.

"Flamethrower!" Sun barked as Tetra opened her mouth and let loose a massive torrent of flames, stopping the attack in its tracks while Lusamine hissed with displeasure.

Be careful, Sun. Her Special Attack is more potent than it was before, thanks to Lusamine's meddling.

"I'm surprised you haven't sent out Alastor yet." Lillie remarked quietly, with Sun nodding at the comment as he considered Dizz's warning. "Thankfully, Dawson's help gives Finn a breather too. He's been fighting really hard."

"Unfortunately, Alastor has a really bad matchup against most of Lusamine's remaining team. I'm keeping him fresh for as long as possible." Sun explained to his girlfriend before pointing at Camille. "I don't know how long I can avoid that, though…Tetra, let's go! Flamethrower again and get closer!"

Tetra shot forward, letting loose a torrent of white-hot flames at the Lilligant who retaliated with an Energy Ball that exploded against the flames. Through the fire, Sun saw Camille spin around while letting out a soft cry, her body glowing as she quickly twirled around and used Quiver Dance.

"Dragon Claw! Go for the KO!" Sun shouted as Tetra's claws ignited with draconic fire, with the dragon kicking off of the ground with a savage grin and delivering a brutal double-armed slash to Camille. The Lilligant screamed in pain and flew backwards through the air, only to flip and let loose a Giga Drain that made Tetra scream and fall to one knee.

Lusamine shrieked as Camille thrust out her hands and sent a small wave of glowing seeds at Tetra. The Leech Seed attack struck, sprouting all along Tetra's body and causing Sun to gasp in surprise. Tetra grimaced as a small chunk of her life force flowed into Camille, who held her hands out to her sides and charged up a pulsating Energy Ball within both.

The Flowering Pokémon shrieked as she thrust out her hands and fired off the two Energy Balls, with Tetra standing back up and letting out a small exhale of flames from her mouth.

"Stone Edge to block!" Sun ordered the dragon, who stomped down hard on the ground and summoned several glowing blue pillars to block the attacks. The two balls of light exploded violently against the pillars, blowing chunks of them apart and making them collapse after several moments.

"That…is that the best you got!?" Tetra snarled defiantly before staggering forward, panting hard as Camille hissed ferally in return.

"Tetra, Stone Edge again!" Sun shouted as the Garchomp slammed her claws down into the ground, knocking back Camille with a stone pillar. The Lilligant retaliated with an Energy Ball that struck Tetra square in the chest, knocking her back a step. The corrupted Lilligant landed on her feet and began to sway and dance, only for a pink mist to seep outwards from the Flowering Pokémon and envelop Tetra. The Garchomp jerked backwards, only for a vacant expression to slip over the dragon's face.

"Oh no! Tetra's confused!" Lillie cried out, realizing exactly what move Lusamine's Lilligant had used against the mighty Garchomp.

"Teeter Dance too!? This gets worse and worse!" Sun hissed as Tetra staggered backwards, snarling softly as she tried to get her bearings. The Garchomp was then struck by another Giga Drain from the battered Lilligant, who slowly restored more and more of her strength by draining Tetra's. The Leech Seed simply made things worse in an already bad situation.

You just had to open your mouth…

"More Nihilego!" Lillie exclaimed, taking a step back as she noticed the swarm moving forward yet again. Sun growled with frustration as two of the Ultra Beasts fired off Venoshocks, blasting Tetra back as Camille fired off a Petal Dance, knocking Tetra to the ground with a pained growl. The dragon was slow to rise, panting hard at the sheer damage she had withstood. But she couldn't afford to quit now, not when the stakes were so high.

"Dawson, a little help!?" Sun shouted to the Dashing Rogue of Hoenn, glancing over at him. The man was leaping back to avoid a Power Gem from one of the furious Ultra Beasts, his face set into a snarl.

"I'm trying, kid! Nearly out of juice!" Dawson shouted as he took aim and fired a shot that tore off one of a floating Nihilego's tentacles, but not quite killing it. Meanwhile Solomon looked visibly exhausted, holding the side of his head as he tried to continue pushing back the offensive from the Ultra Beasts.

"Tetra, come back!" Sun called to the dragon, who swiftly flew back to Sun's side. Sun looked over the dragon worriedly, seeing just how hard she was pushing herself. Camille glared murderously at Sun while three of the Nihilego trilled in unison just above her. Sun returned Tetra to dispel the Leech Seed, sending her back out immediately.

"Finn and Tetra are completely spent, even if they're conscious, and the others are badly hurt from fighting so hard against Lusamine's powered-up team." Sun thought with a sigh, calling out Finn as well before he unclipped Alastor's Ultra Ball.

"Alastor! Help us out!" Sun shouted, sending out the Alolan Golem. Alastor emerged in a flash of light, glaring at the horde of the Nihilego and seeing firsthand the horrors that his team had talked of for so long. He glanced back at Sun and Lillie and noticed how much damage Tetra and Finn had taken.

"Hmph…Saved the best for last, huh? Very well." Alastor said as he turned his head, a twisted grin spreading across his face as he stared down Motherbeast Lusamine. The monster let out a furious scream that reverberated across the cavern, shaking it violently. The Nihilego shrieked as well, creating a terrible and haunting song that rushed through the Ultra Deep Sea.

"Was that supposed to scare me?" Alastor asked with a deep chuckle, his cannon crackling with electricity. "How very idiotic of you. Allow me to demonstrate just how out of depth you are, monster!"

"Alastor, let's go!" Sun shouted as the Alolan Golem aimed his cannon directly at Lusamine. A terrible shriek made him stop for a moment, and the Golem glanced up. He spotted two of the Nihilego descending towards him, but before he could do anything, a voice pierced the cavern.

"INTERCEPT THEM, GOLIATH!"

The two Ultra Beasts suddenly shrieked before an enormous armored bug smashed through them, two watery swords clenched within his claws. The Nihilego shrieked as blood and poison dripped from their bodies, floating backwards and letting out fearful hisses.

Goliath the Golisopod dropped down onto the ground heavily. The Hard Scale Pokémon turned towards Alastor, and then to Sun and Lillie. The massive bug slowly nodded to them, grunting softly as it stood up straight.

"Just in time…" Sun and Lillie looked to their left and saw Guzma shuffling towards them, his expression twisted in a combination of exhaustion and pain. He stepped in between the two of them, resting a hand on Sun and Lillie's shoulders respectively.

"Guzma?" Sun called out, with the Team Skull Boss nodding slowly to the boy.

"All I ever wanted was to be acknowledged. To be loved…for someone to see me for who I am." Guzma admitted quietly, standing alongside Sun and Lillie as he stared up at the woman who he had thought would do those things for him. "I don't deserve that. I know. Not after everything I've done. But damn it, I still want it. And that can't happen if you kids go down…you're good kids. It's not right for you to die like this. It's just…not r-right!"

Guzma huffed as tears rolled down his face, staring at the woman who had offered him everything he wanted. Just to stab him in the back like everyone else had in his life. His family. His teacher. His best friend. And now…

"I loved you." Guzma admitted to Lusamine, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. Meanwhile, Lillie made a disgusted face while Sun blinked in surprise at the confession. "But I was stupid…so goddamn stupid. To see that you never cared about anyone but yourself, Lusa!"

"AND YOUR POINT IS…?" Lusamine inquired mockingly, smirking cruelly at the man she had manipulated and cast aside like he was nothing. Guzma had given up his world for her, and in return she had given him nothing but pain.

"My point is…go fuck yourself." Guzma said with a sigh, raising both hands and delivering two middle-finger salutes to the Motherbeast herself. "If we're gonna die, then your boy Guzma is gonna go out like a badass! I'm the one who beats you down and beats you down and never lets up! And that means backing the homies up to kick your stupid tentacle hentai mommy ass to the curb!"

That's the most cursed string of words I've ever heard...

"Guzma, you wonderful bastard!" Dawson laughed, sidestepping a Power Gem and casually blasting aside another Nihilego. He then realized that Justice was no-longer glowing, meaning it was no longer able to fire its fearsome flaming bullets.

"Shut it, you stupid prick!" Guzma said to Dawson, who barked with laughter. Guzma then turned to Sun and Lillie, his expression intense. "I'm putting my faith in someone one last time. Don't…d-don't let me down."

"We'll stop her. I promise." Lillie swore to the Team Skull Boss, who nodded back at the girl before turning to look at Lusamine.

Guzma then let out a roar of fury, flinging out his hands as a spark of life returned to his bloodshot eyes. "Focus on Lusamine, kids! I might be nothing, but I'm not down and out. Not yet!"

Guzma unclipped his three other Poké Balls, sending out his Pinsir, Ariados, and Masquerain. The Pokémon flanked Guzma as Goliath stood tall at the front, leveling two watery swords at the horde of the Nihilego and letting loose a battle cry.

"Get them, Guzma!" Lillie cheered the Team Skull Boss, who scowled before punching a fist forward.

"Let's take a page of the kid's book…tear them apart with an all-out attack!" Guzma bellowed as his team dove into the fray, turning the battlefield into a warzone. For the first time since the battle had begun, the Nihilego were forced on the defensive as Guzma's fresh team pushed them back, allowing Sun free reign of the battlefield again.

"Alastor, now's your chance! Stone Edge!" Sun shouted as Alastor let out a twisted cackle, aiming his cannon directly at the stunned Lilligant. What came next was something akin to machine-gun fire as Stone Edge manifested as a barrage of glowing stone bullets. Camille lashed out with a Petal Dance to try and hold back the onslaught, but the Stone Edge won out, overcoming the resistance and shredding the Lilligant with the Rock-type attack.

Camille tried to fight back with a Giga Drain, but Alastor withstood the attack and lashed with another Stone Edge, laughing as the Lilligant staggered underneath the gunfire-like attack. The Lilligant swayed on her feet, barely able to stand as she slowly charged up an Energy Ball and fired it at Alastor.

Alastor growled as his hands crackled with electricity, and the Alolan Golem swung his right hand at the last moment and redirected the attack at the ceiling, where it exploded against the stones.

"Child's play…You twisted monster. I don't see a Pokémon in front of me. I see a mindless puppet!" Alastor growled, staring down Camille the Lilligant as the Flowering Pokémon struggled to remain standing.

"WHAT DOES IT MATTER?" Lusamine asked the Alolan Golem, a cruel grin spreading across her face. "WITHIN MERE MOMENTS YOU FOOLS WILL DIE! AND I SHALL LIVE BLISSFULLY WITH MY NIHILEGO FOR ALL ETERNITY!"

"You remind me of my father." Alastor said coldly, his expression twisting into disgust. "Selfish, cruel, and deluded. I'll end their suffering. And then you're next."

"Alastor…" Lillie breathed, remembering what the Alolan Golem had gone through. He had been practically brainwashed by his father into despising humanity, and much like Lusamine's Pokémon, he had been cast aside when his love had been rendered insufficient. Nizbel the Bold had nearly murdered his child and Alastor had nearly lost himself to his own despair.

The Alolan Golem stood tall now, standing at the forefront of the battle against Motherbeast Lusamine. He had found a new family that accepted him, and he would defend it at all costs.

"Full-power, Alastor! Thunder!" Sun roared as Alastor smirked darkly, aiming his cannon directly at the Lilligant and firing off a massive burst of electricity from his back with a sound of fury. The almighty bolt struck Camille and sent her flying backwards across the battlefield, but she eventually came rolling to a stop as an unconscious and slightly singed heap on the ground.

"And now you fall!" Alastor proclaimed, leaning back as his cannon crackled with electricity and shifted to aim at Lusamine. After all, Lusamine was controlling the horde, and so neutralizing her was the smartest thing to do. Before Sun and Lillie could even try to stop the Golem, the Motherbeast made her move.

The monstrous creature screamed before surging towards the ground, raising a tentacle and slamming it down where Camille had fallen. Lillie cried out as Guzma and Dawson both gasped, and Alastor was so surprised by the sudden slaying of Camille that his attack fizzled out.

"WORTHLESS! I WILL NOT ALLOW MY WORLD TO RIPPED AWAY FROM ME. NOT AGAIN!" Lusamine intoned as she cast aside Camille's Ultra Ball and summoned the last one she had. With a contemptuous flick of a tentacle, the Ultra Ball sent out Valérie the Bewear.

Lillie opened her mouth to warn the Bewear, only for Lusamine to suddenly lunge forward and wrapped a tentacle around the throat of her Bewear, who let out a loud cry of surprise and pain. The gems embedded within the Motherbeast's tentacles gleamed bright yellow and then orange. Valérie screamed as she writhed in the Motherbeast's terrible embrace.

She managed to break free from Lusamine's tentacles and tried to run away, only for her to get blasted by a torrent of neurotoxic sludge to the face. Lusamine's terrible laughter filled the air as Valérie collapsed onto the ground and began to twitch violently.

"Finn, Tetra, Alastor…this is her last one. I don't know what she has planned after this. But let's give it everything we've got!" Sun called out to Finn, Alastor and Tetra. Lillie slowly shook her head, tears trickling down her face as she watched her mother's beloved Bewear slowly rise from the ground with a murderous gleam in its eyes.

"V-Valérie…Sun, stop her! We have to end this horror!" Lillie pleaded with Sun as the Trainer adjusted his cap with his good arm, his eyes gleaming silver.

"One at a time, and wear her down. Alastor, fall back. Finn, let's go! Psychic!" Sun shouted as his Poliwrath pounded his fists together before charging into action.

Valérie snarled as she lunged forward, her fists exploding into a crackling wraith of electricity. The blast knocked the Bewear back a step, but it did little more than that before the Bewear charged forward, decking Finn in the face and sending him flying backwards.

The Poliwrath flipped in midair and tensed as three more of the Nihilego slipped through the defenses of Dawson and Guzma and rushed towards the Poliwrath.

"Alastor, Discharge! Tetra, Dragon Rage!" Lillie shouted as the two Pokémon looked back at their Trainer's mate and nodded, unleashing their attacks in unison and driving away the Nihilego. Finn sighed with relief, only to then tense up when he noticed the brainwashed Bewear approaching with another Thunder Punch. Sun was about to issue a command when Dizz gave another warning to the Trainer.

Her Defense has increased! Watch out, you two!

"Now you tell me! Finn, Hypnosis!" Sun called as the Poliwrath was thrown backwards by the electrical punch, hitting the ground and skidding across the stone before rolling to his feet. The Poliwrath's stomach glowed bright blue as the Bewear charged forward, slowing down as she stared into the strange glowing chest of Finn…

Lusamine hissed as one of her tentacles flickered red, and Valérie's body seized up. A pained groan escaped the lips of the Bewear, who suddenly rushed forward and slammed hard into Finn and sent him flying across the battlefield.

"TO HAVE WITHSTOOD MY POWER FOR THIS LONG…YOU COULD HAVE SIMPLY LEFT ME TO MY WORLD! BUT INSTEAD YOU THREW AWAY YOUR POTENTIAL!" Lusamine bellowed hysterically at them, her arms wriggling furiously. Valérie roared and charged at Finn, glowing a white color that Sun recognized as belonging to the move Take Down.

"Finn, dodge and use Psychic!" Sun shouted to his Poliwrath as he swiftly sprayed a Water Gun into the face of the Bewear and flung himself backwards, just in time to dodge the Take Down. Psychic lashed outwards from the Poliwrath, striking the Bewear and causing her to stagger back a step. However, Lusamine's newest puppet lunged forward and smashed down with Hammer Arm, causing the ground to explode outward beneath it.

Sun thought quickly and called out, "Use Body Slam!"

Finn leapt forward, his chest glowing brightly as he struck the Bewear. Valérie was knocked a step back, but no more than that. Finn tried to leap away, only for the Bewear's arm to snatch the Poliwrath's arm in her deadly grip before delivering a brutal Hammer Arm that sent Finn smashing through the ground with the deafening crack of bone.

Sun shuddered and screamed out for Finn, completely unsurprised to see him lying unconscious in a crater. The Trainer quickly returned his Poliwrath as Valérie the Bewear swayed on her feet, clutching her head with an agonized squeal.

"Tetra, go! Hit her with Flamethrower!" Sun barked as the Garchomp crouched low on the ground and kicked off of it hard, launching herself at top-speed Valérie and flying around the Bewear, spraying her with flames. The Bewear screamed in pain, and Lillie gasped as she looked at Sun.

"Valérie has the Ability Fluffy! It weakens physical attacks done to her, but makes her weak against Fire-type moves!" Lillie reminded Sun, who nodded at the reminder and took it into account. He also realized something else about the fight that he couldn't make use of now.

"I'd love to use Sandstorm like last time, but the Nihilego aren't bothered by it and it'll only hurt Guzma and Dawson's Pokémon." Sun remarked with a wince, clutching his arm as a stab of pain seared through it. "Tetra, use Dragon Rage!"

Tetra roared at the brainwashed Bewear standing in her way and fired off a draconic fireball, only for it to be effortlessly swatted away by Valérie. The Bewear suddenly crouched and shot forward like a bullet, slamming into Tetra with the force of a speeding truck and sending the Garchomp hurtling backwards, only for Tetra to fling out her limbs and catch herself before she slammed into the cave walls.

"Aerial Ace!" Sun barked as Tetra shot forward with an insane burst of speed, ramming into Valérie with tremendous force and sending the two of them tumbling onto the ground. The Bewear let out a cry as her fists glowed bright blue, surging with icy energy that was directly punched into Tetra's chest. The Garchomp was flung into the air and came crashing down into a crumpled heap from the strength of the Ice Punch and the power boost the Nihilego venom and Z-Power had given the Bewear.

"What is this thing made off…" Sun breathed, fighting to keep his composure as he watched the Bewear slowly walk towards Tetra, a splash of red coating her paws now. Sun's heart caught as he watched Tetra get back up, shaking in pain as blood flowed freely down her mouth.

"YOU REMIND ME OF HAPPIER DAYS, SUN…WHEN I LIVED IN ALOLA WITH ASHTON, RORAN, JACKAL AND…THE OTHER MAN." Lusamine hissed, her eyes narrowing with anger. Lillie shivered at the words, realizing that Lusamine had omitted her father Mohn's name. "BUT THOSE DAYS PALE IN COMPARISON TO WHAT AWAITS ME AFTER YOUR DEATH!"

"Dragon Claw!" Sun shouted as Tetra grinned through the pain and lunged forward as Valérie charged up two Ice Punches. "Duck and go for the head! Punch her!"

The Bewear stepped towards Tetra, swinging at the dragon's head and missing as the Garchomp ducked. Tetra drew back her hand and curled her claws inward, punching the Bewear hard enough in the head to send her flying backwards in the other direction and crashing down in a crumpled heap. Sun let out a sigh of relief as the Z-Power surrounding Valérie began to flicker away. Tetra collapsed onto her knees in exhaustion, sighing with relief.

"OH, HOW ADORABLE. YOU THINK I'D JUST LET YOU KEEP TRAMPLING OVER THESE WORTHLESS THINGS…NO." Lusamine crooned as she extended her tentacles towards Valérie.

"Tetra, Flamethrower!" Sun shouted as Lusamine suddenly ensnared her once-beloved Bewear within her tentacles. Lusamine cackled and moved away from the flames of the Garchomp, her smile widening sickeningly.

"YOU DON'T GET TO GIVE UP YET…NOW KILL THOSE INGRATES!" Lusamine commanded the Bewear, spikes emerging from the ends of the tentacles that were holding Valérie. The Bewear didn't have the strength or even the mental acuity to realize she was doomed until the spikes stabbed through her body. Poison flowed freely down the spikes, mixing with the blood as Valérie the Bewear's eyes glazed over completely.

Tetra got back to her feet, growling and launching herself forward right as Lusamine released Valérie and threw her back onto the floor of the cave. Tetra roared as she lashed out with Dragon Claw and slashed Lusamine, causing Lusamine to shriek in pain as poison and purple fluid gushed from her tentacle. With a savage shriek Lusamine smacked away Tetra and sent her crashing down into the stone floor a short distance away.

Tetra whined in pain, taking several long moments to get back to a standing position. Meanwhile Valérie was immobile on the ground, her Z-power flickering weakly. The Bewear placed a hand on the ground and pushed itself slightly upwards off of the ground, only to collapse a moment later.

"She can't even stand…Mother, how could you?" Lillie said quietly, biting her lips as Valérie tried to get up again. Lusamine let out a haunting shriek, flailing her tentacles and making a violent upwards gesture-

Valérie let out a muffled scream as her Z-Power suddenly exploded outwards, slowly darkening in color. Sun and Lillie watched as the aura surrounding the Bewear changed into a bright red color, mimicking the power that Sun had seen the Nihilego use themselves.

The Bewear smoothly pushed herself up to her feet, but the movements were off. Robotic, almost, and the Bewear seemed to have no issues standing up now as opposed to earlier. It simply stared at the ground…as if waiting.

"Stone Edge!" Sun commanded Tetra as the Garchomp let out a soft growl. Valérie jerked her head upright, a soft crackling sound erupting from the body of the Bewear as it gave Sun and Lillie a haunted, soulless stare. Whatever had been left of the Bewear after initially getting hit with the Nihilego's poison…it was long-gone now.

The bright-red Z-Power pouring from the ace of the Aether President was so powerful it actually hurt to look at it directly. The blue pillar of stone that Tetra launched at the Bewear struck her and exploded upon contact, seemingly doing nothing to her. Valérie let out a rasping groan, her body shaking with violent tremors.

"What the hell is this!?" Dawson hissed, chancing a glance at the battle and looking at the horror show it had become. The shambling form of Valérie caught Guzma's eye too, and he shivered at the sight before refocusing on the fight.

"Valérie, what has Mother done to you?" Lillie whispered, unable to stop herself from shaking in terror at the Bewear that was moving towards them. She then noticed that Lusamine's tentacles were slowly moving in time with the movements of Valérie, and a terrible realization crept over Lillie. "Sh-she's…she's turned Valérie into a puppet!"

Sun stared at the Bewear and Lusamine's moving tentacles and realized that Lillie was right. Whereas before Lusamine was giving silent orders to her team, she was now actively piloting the movements of Valérie.

Worst still, that thing may have a few minutes left to live at most. Even if you manage to steal it away from Lusamine like you did that Clefable before Lusamine caught on, that Bewear will be dead long before you get her medical attention even if you can escape Ultra Space immediately.

"What!? Why, what's going on Dizz?" Lillie asked the Remnant of MissingNo. The answer came in the form of a sigh, as if the entity was reluctant to explain why the Bewear Lillie had known her entire life was doomed to die

Because the sheer amount of venom coursing through the Bewear's veins right now rivals what's likely inside of your mother. And she's not the one about to fight in a very intense battle, which is going to make her weaker and weaker while taking injuries. Valérie the Bewear's life is measured in minutes…and so will yours if she isn't stopped. Lusamine is holding her strings and your team is running on fumes.

"Sand Tomb, and then follow up with Flamethrower!" Sun suddenly shouted, his eyes gleaming bright red with righteous anger at the cruel woman who would slaughter her own team in such an awful manner. All for the sake of ending the lives of the children she harmed so much.

Tetra's eyes shined bright orange and a fierce whirlwind of sand enveloped the Bewear, who stopped for a moment, completely trapped. Tetra inhaled deeply and poured all of her strength into the flames that soon shot out of her mouth and into the vortex. Flamethrower connected with the Sand Tomb, turning the two attacks into a whirlwind of stinging flames.

"Hopefully that'll hold her for at least a few moments. Poor Tetra is completely spent-" Sun began to say, only to see a dark silhouette within the flames. With a swing of her arm, Valérie brushed through the flames and sand and marched right through it, uncaring of her burned fur and the heavy damage she had taken doing so.

"She just walked through it!" Sun whispered hoarsely as the Bewear continued to slowly advance towards them. Sun shivered as he watched her suddenly begin to cough, with blood seeping from her mouth. Valérie shambled forward like a zombie, uncaring about the damage she had taken while Motherbeast Lusamine raised her tentacles, the gems within gleaming red like twisted stars.

"Dragon Claw! Hit her as hard as you can!" Sun instructed the young dragon, who was no longer smiling. Not at the horrible sight in front of her, and the cruelty she had seen this monster unleash upon her own team. With a scream of effort Tetra's claws erupted into emerald flames, and the dragon lunged forward as the ground crunched beneath her feet.

Valérie the Bewear just stared at Tetra as the Garchomp delivered a swipe of Dragon Claw to her chest. The Bewear then reached out to grab Tetra's claw with one hand while the other charged up Ice Punch. Tetra quickly opened her mouth and let loose a torrent of Flamethrower into the face of Valérie, but that wasn't enough to stop the punch that sent Tetra crashing senseless to the ground.

"Valérie…I'm so sorry." Lillie whispered, shaking where she stood as she watched the Bewear slowly turn its vacant face towards them. There was no trace of Valérie there, not even enough to register the pain that she was in like the others.

"Rest easy, little one. I will handle it from here." Alastor assured Tetra as Sun returned her, stepping past them as his cannon crackled. Lusamine chuckled darkly, with Valérie the Bewear twitching erratically as she suddenly coughed up a spray of crimson fluid. "Human, give the command. She will not best me, I assure you."

"Alastor, let's go! Thunder!" Sun roared as Alastor let out a cry of his own, charging up his back-cannon and firing a tremendous bolt of raw lightning right into the chest of the Bewear, with the entire chamber lighting up as a result. Valérie staggered backwards, only for Lusamine's tentacles to flare with light, and the Bewear shot forward with an uncontrollable burst of speed.

Alastor gasped and suddenly lashed out with Stone Edge without waiting for a command from Sun, throwing up several glowing stone pillars that were effortlessly smashed away by the Bewear before she was upon the Golem, picking him up and smacking him away with Hammer Arm.

Alastor screamed in pain from the super-effective attack, but heard Sun's cry for him to use Defense Curl. The Alolan Golem curled into a ball, boosting his defense and lessening the damage the harsh fall to the ground would have done to him.

"Rollout!" Sun called as Alastor spun forward, hitting the side of the Bewear with the force of a cannonball. Valérie stumbled slightly, lashing out with an Ice Punch that caused Alastor to cry out, but it didn't stop the second Rollout strike from hitting the Bewear on her opposite side. A second Ice Punch struck Alastor's side, but still he rolled on.

It wasn't until the third strike that the manipulated Bewear lashed out with a Hammer Arm that forced Alastor to swerve to avoid the move, dodging the super-effective attack but missing his own Rollout attack. The Alolan Golem emerged from his ball and turned to face the Strong Arm Pokémon.

"Rock Blast!" Sun shouted as Alastor scowled with annoyance, lowering his cannon once more and firing upon the Bewear. Four waves of rocky pellets struck the shambling Bewear that no longer held a will of its own. The Bewear swung a glowing fist at Alastor, only for the Golem to roll out of the way with a startled shout as the ground exploded from the fist that struck the floor.

"Thunder!" Sun gave the order, with Alastor quickly charging up the attack and unleashing it at Valérie, only for the Bewear to stumble forward and have the attack fly over her head by a hair's breadth. Valérie took another step forward and struck Alastor directly in the chest with Hammer Arm, causing him to fly backwards with an agonized shout before landing on the stone floor and rolling several times before coming to a painful stop. The Alolan Golem gasped as he got to his feet, black liquid dripping down the cracks in his rocky skin.

"Such monstrous power!" Alastor breathed, flexing his claws as Valérie slowly turned and lumbered towards her target. Lusamine tentacles rose and fell with every movement, with the twisted puppet master giggling the entire time she manipulated her dying Pokémon.

"Unfortunately I lack Finn and Tetra's mobility to better dodge those attacks…what an uneven battle." Alastor grumbled before a mean grin flashed across his face. "It'll only make taking you down all the more fun!"

"Alastor, use Discharge!" Sun shouted as Alastor released a massive wave of electricity, which served to also shock several of the lurking Nihilego that Guzma and Dawson hadn't managed to drive off yet. Valérie took the attack head-on without flinching, but Alastor and Sun both noticed that the Bewear was moving slower, practically dragging her body forward as Lusamine continued to manipulate the husk of her once-beloved partner.

"Stone Edge!" Alastor heard the command and once again unleashed an onslaught of rocky gunfire upon the Bewear, who shambled forward as her arms glowed with energy for another Hammer Arm. The Stone Edge shots tore through the Bewear, spattering the ground with blood and causing her to stumble, but still the bear moved on.

Valérie suddenly rushed forward, catching Sun and Alastor off-guard by picking up the Alolan Golem with relative ease. Alastor released another Discharge into the Bewear, but that didn't stop her from tossing Alastor into the air and spiking him into the ground like a volleyball. The entire chamber shook from the force of the Alolan Golem's impact into the earth, and Sun and Lillie both screamed out Alastor's name as smoke billowed out of the cloud.

"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND NOW?"

Sun and Lillie looked up at Motherbeast Lusamine, who was grinning evilly at them both. She gestured with her tentacles, with Valérie mimicking her movements even as her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

"YOU STUPID CHILDREN NEVER STOOD A CHANCE. I AM THE QUEEN OF THIS KINGDOM. THESE ULTRA BEASTS ARE MY CHILDREN, MY LOVING SUBJECTS…YOU ARE NOT AND NEVER WILL BE WELCOME HERE!" Lusamine taunted them, laughing with delight at their fearful expressions.

"Fat chance! Come on Sun, you got this!" Dawson shouted as he leapt back to avoid a Power Gem. Solomon the Slowking was panting hard, firing off Water Guns every few moments.

"You kids better not let me down! Guzma's got your back!" The Team Skull Boss shouted as the Nihilego screamed at the gangster, only for a Snom to pop out of Guzma's hair and blast the nearest one with Powder Snow. The rest of Guzma's team were continuing to hold their own against the horde of Nihilego, with Goliath killing over a dozen of the Ultra Beasts himself.

"A-a-agh…you hit like a c-child…"

Lusamine froze in surprise when a rock suddenly smashed against the side of Valérie's head, causing her head to tilt lightly. Sun's heart caught as he saw Alastor stagger out of the crater he had been sent into. The Golem looked almost as badly hurt as he had when his father and clan had nearly killed him, with fresh cracks flowing across his body. His chest and head were coated in black blood.

But the main difference between now and then was the wild grin etched across the face of the Alolan Golem.

"HOW…HOW CAN YOU STILL FIGHT!?" Lusamine screamed at Sun, Lillie, Guzma, Dawson and Alastor. "IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE! YOU ALL SHOULD BE DEAD BY NOW!"

"I wished for death." Alastor admitted with a shaky chuckle, looking at the Motherbeast with a crooked grin, even as his legs gave out and the Golem fell to one knee. "B-but these idiots…just wouldn't let me die. I won't let my story end in this place, you rotten human. Now when so many good humans are counting on me."

"WHAT DELUSIONS! YOU WILL NOT LEAVE THIS PLACE ALIVE!" Lusamine roared as Valérie shuffled forward, her arms glowing brightly once again. Hammer Arm was readied and the Bewear was prepared to deliver the death blow to her opponent.

"Alastor, move! Get away!" Sun screamed to the Alolan Golem, who's eyes snapped to Sun's. Sun stared into his eyes for several moments…and then realized something. Sun then nodded, just in time for Valérie to reach Alastor. Lillie screamed out Alastor's name, but the Alolan Golem ignored her and stared into the eyes of the soulless Bewear.

"YOUR ADVENTURE ENDS NOW, YOU UGLY LITTLE VERMIN…" Lusamine boomed as she raised her tentacles, with Valérie slowly mimicking the movement as she prepared to put Alastor out of his misery. Alastor lowered his head…as well as his cannon, which suddenly lit up brightly enough to illuminate the cavern and was now aimed directly at Valérie's face.

"Begone!" Alastor snarled as a roar of Thunder erupted outwards, striking Valérie directly and sending her flying backwards, landing in an awkward heap a short distance away. Alastor got back into a standing position, glancing at his Trainer. He was surprised to see Sun smiling, and Alastor quickly curled into a ball and rolled over to Sun, uncurling once he reached him.

"We're not backing down! We will stop you, Mother! We'll save you from yourself!" Lillie called out, with Lusamine letting out a wail of fury.

"NO MORE GAMES! NO MORE LIVING IN DENIAL!" Lusamine seethed, her teeth set in a snarl as she swung her tentacles through the air. "I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU BOTH! PREPARE TO DIE, LILLIE! PREPARE TO BOW BEFORE MY MIGHT, SUN!"

"Stop talking already, Mother! We won't let you win!" Lillie shouted back to Lusamine as Sun looked over to battered Golem.

"Human…We need a plan! Another hit like that will be the end of me!" Alastor hissed to the Trainer, who nodded and held up his Z-Ring and a bright yellow Z-Crystal that he then tossed to Alastor, who caught it in his claws and stared at it.

"Alastor, I still haven't used this during our battle so far. You've trusted me a lot these past few weeks…are you willing to test our bond here and now?" Sun asked as he patted the Z-Ring on his wrist. Alastor stared at his Trainer for several long moments, unsure of how to respond to such a question.

Before Poni Island, his Trainer would have known to never even suggest such a thing. Channeling the power of the Tapu required at least some small modicum of trust, and Alastor trusted no one back then.

Now however…he had seen how much the human truly cared for him. Even when Alastor had given him every reason not to. And not just him, but the girl that was his mate. As well as all of the Pokémon that had shown him support during his darkest times.

"Unfortunately, you idiots have grown on me…it'd be a shame to let my new clan down." Alastor answered, meeting the eyes of his Trainer and nodding. Alastor turned to face the twisted Bewear who had risen to her feet once again. Valérie shambled towards Alastor, practically dragging her body across the ground to slaughter her opponents even as it began shutting down. Lusamine's cheshire grin was sickening to see, but Sun wasn't focused on that.

Sun's Z-Ring began to shine brightly, as did the Electrinium-Z held within Alastor's claws. The Alolan Golem felt the power within the gemstone as it illuminated his face.

"Let's put everything we've got into this!" Suns screamed as he began to strike a series of poses, with Alastor slowly mimicking his Trainer in the movements. For the very first time, light erupted outwards from Sun and into Alastor, who was now empowered with the same strength that had been forced upon Lusamine's team through the toxins of the Nihilego.

"So this is it…the purest power of a Trainer. I can feel how much the human cares for me. This feels warm." Alastor thought with some shock as the Z-Power flowed from Sun into him. He felt an almost overwhelming rush of power surging through his body, as well as the feelings Sun was channeling through him. His fear. His hopes. His determination. But most importantly, his trust that Alastor would end this hellacious battle and bring the cycle of pain to a merciful end.

"Very well, human. Let us destroy this evil together!" Alastor roared as Sun grinned at his Alolan Golem. He then focused his efforts on executing the Z-Move that he hoped would end this battle once and for all. Meanwhile Lusamine was trying to get Valérie to move and attack them, but was having trouble moving the Bewear as one of her knees gave out, the bone snapping without so much as a sound of pain from the mindless bear.

"Alastor! Channel Thunder…and use Gigavolt Havoc!" Sun bellowed as Alastor's scream matched his own. The Alolan Golem's body quickly began to pulse with electricity that was quickly growing more intense by the second. Slowly but surely, a jagged bolt of pure lightning began to crackle into life inside of the cannon of Alastor, who was now wearing a fierce smile.

"CRUSH THEM!" Lusamine bellowed to her Bewear, who was simply too badly hurt and incapable of doing anything but be a target for Alastor as the chamber was one more filled with the light from his electricity. The full-force of Gigavolt Havoc fired off with a tremendous crackle, shooting towards an unmoving Valérie, with the Bewear just staring at the attack despite Lusamine's desperate attempts to get the Bewear to move.

Gigavolt Havoc connected with Valérie and a massive explosion of raw electricity erupted outwards from the cavern, with Sun and Lillie both wincing at the sheer power behind the move and Lusamine hissing with displeasure as smoke filled the clearing. The Nihilego crooned softly, with those that remained slowly floating away from the battlefield.

As the smoke began to clear, a lone figure was quickly becoming more and more visible to all of them. Valérie's twisted Z-Power stood out within the dark cloud of smoke, and for several moments all that was visible was her outline. But then, as the smoke finally cleared, it revealed a charred Valérie that wasn't responding to any of Lusamine's frantic gestures to move.

Then, at long last, the Z-Power surrounding Valérie faded, and the Bewear let out a ragged groan before slowly tilting forward and hitting the ground.

"AAAUUUGGGHHHHHHHHH!" Lusamine screamed incoherently, drifting backwards and snarling as her connection to the Bewear was lost, resulting in a fierce crackle of energy erupting from her tentacle.

Lillie choked out a sob as Sun pulled her into a tight hug, comforting her and wishing he could've done more to save the Bewear. He wished he could have done more to save the rest of Lusamine's misguided team from their evil Trainer. Especially Valérie the Bewear, who had an especially cruel death.

There was nothing you could do…the toxins inside Valérie killed her. Not anything you did, Sun. Don't think for even a moment that you did anything wrong.

"Thank you, Dizz." Sun thought to the Remnant, grateful for its reassurance. He would still feel guilty about having some role in the death of Valérie the Bewear, even if it was due to Lusamine's toxins killing her rather than Sun battling her. But it was something he needed to hear.

"It's over…it's finally over." Sun breathed tiredly, squeezing Lillie as she struggled to regain her composure. There would be time for tears later, after all. As she did so, Sun turned towards Alastor. The Alolan Golem seemed awed at the power he had brought to bear, and flexed his claws with a long smooth breath escaping his mouth.

"And with plenty of strength left to spare." Alastor remarked with a shaky breath, glancing back at Sun with a battered smirk. "Who would've thought it, human? We make a decent team."

"Thanks for the hard work, Alastor." Sun said gratefully to the Alolan Golem, who simply nodded before turning back towards a quivering Motherbeast Lusamine.

"You beat her entire team, and even the Nihilego swarm has backed off…we did it, Sun!" Lillie muttered, a hopeful smile on her face despite the tears in her eyes.

"Good job you two."

Sun and Lillie turned towards Dawson and Guzma, who both seemed relieved that the couple had managed to stop Lusamine's team. Scores of dead Nihilego were scattered along the ground, with what remained of the horde floating away. Dawson grinned at them both, holstering Justice. "That was the most brutal fight I've ever seen."

"It was something alright. You kids are something else." Guzma muttered, shaking his head. "So now what-"

"HOW SWEET…SHOULD I LET YOU HAVE YOUR MOMENT?"

Everyone turned towards the Motherbeast, who had slowly drawn closer to the ground with her tentacles outstretched. Lusamine's expression had morphed into an insane grin of pure evil, with her tentacles each forming a small sphere of energy. The monstrous woman was staring right into the eyes of her daughter before speaking.

"LILLIE, MY MISGUIDED FLOWER. THIS IS MY KINGDOM…AND EVEN IF I HAVE LOST THIS BATTLE, THIS WAR IS STILL MINE TO WIN!" Lusamine roared as she lashed out with her tentacles, with four enormous beams of pure purple light erupting outwards towards them all. Guzma and Dawson screamed out as Lillie simply stared forward, amazed that even now her Mother would sink even lower than she had already. Sun suddenly grabbed Lillie and pulled her into a tight hug, turning her away from the beams coming towards them.

"Stone Edge! As many of them between her and us as possible!" Sun screamed as the attack erupted towards them with a terrible hum as what remained of the Nihilego drifted closer and closer to the monster. Alastor nodded and closed his eyes, focusing everything he had left into his next attack before slamming down a foot.

Massive pillars of glowing blue stone erupted from the ground, appearing again and again as they raced towards Lusamine, only to be torn apart by the attack from the Motherbeast. As the stone pillars gave way to the beam of light, Alastor let out a scream of fury and redoubled his efforts, slowly wearing down the beam of light…but finally it punched through, and a horrific explosion ripped through the area where the group had been standing. Screams of pain ripped through the air, with Sun flying backwards with Lillie still clutched in his arms and pain coursing through his body. When he hit the ground, his world turned to darkness.

---

Lusamine chuckled with amusement, her tendrils shaking from the effort of unleashing so much power in such a manner. She would have to be more mindful in the future. As the smoke cleared, her chuckles soon became a cackle of glee as she spotted four unconscious humans and a score of downed Pokémon.

"HOW DELICIOUS! I AM ONE WITH MY BEAUTIFUL BEAST AND FREE OF MY BURDENS! THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO BOTHER ME IN MY PARADISE!" Lusamine decreed, grinning with mad delight at the carnage she had unleashed. She then noticed some movement amongst the bodies and tilted her head in surprise. "...OH?"

"O-o-ow…my head."

Lillie groaned as she slowly opened her eyes, feeling a warm weight on her as she blinked several times. The sound of demented giggling filled the air, and it reminded the girl of where she was, what had just happened…and who was currently holding her.

"Sun!" Lillie screamed out, scrambling out from under the Trainer and ignoring the stinging on her arms and legs and the aching of her head. To her horror, Sun was completely still with his eyes closed, his body covered in cuts and burns from the attack that the Motherbeast had hit them with. Lillie quickly checked his pulse and sighed with relief.

"Just unconscious…thank goodness." Lillie whispered, shivering at the state her boyfriend was in after once again taking an attack meant for her. She'd give him a good punch after all of this was over for being so reckless!

Lillie glanced around the chamber and saw that everyone else had been completely wiped out by the attack as well. Guzma and Dawson lay on the ground, twitching in pain. The remainder of the Pokémon that had been outside of their Poké Balls were unconscious as well, with Alastor looking particularly rough since he had been the first of them to be struck by the beam directly.

"SUCH FOOLISHNESS…YOU ONLY HURT THOSE WHO CARE FOR YOU LILLIE."

Lillie looked up at Motherbeast Lusamine, who's smile was twisted into a hateful grin. Few of the Nihilego remained, but after what Lusamine had done, it was more than enough to finish the injured and unconscious Trainers off.

"DON'T YOU SEE WHAT YOU'VE DONE? YOU COULD HAVE LIVED YOUR LIFE WITHOUT FEAR. I WAS GONE…FREE AND HAPPY WITH MY BEASTS. AND YOU HAD TO JUST COME HERE AND RUIN THAT!" Lusamine hissed at Lillie, energy surging along her tentacles still. "I AM A MERCIFUL QUEEN…INSTEAD OF KILLING YOU FIRST, I SHALL KILL YOU LAST!"

Lusamine's smile widened as her eyes gleamed with ethereal light. "JUST SO I CAN WATCH YOUR TERROR AS I KILL YOUR BELOVED SUN AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO HAS DARED TO DEFY MY WILL! YOU WILL SEE FIRSTHAND HOW YOUR IDIOCY HAS DOOMED EVERYONE WHO EVER BELIEVED IN YOU!"

Lusamine's terrible laughter echoed through the Ultra Deep Sea as Lillie looked down at the boy who had protected her throughout her entire journey. The Trainer who had taught her so much and became her hero. She had brought him to this terrible place, and once more he had to pay the price for her weakness.

"Maybe…maybe I am just a stupid little girl."

Lillie sighed as she brushed Sun's cheek, standing up with a pained grimace and turning to face the woman that had raised her. The woman who had tormented her and tried to kill her on numerous occasions. The woman who had somehow one-upped such monsters as Borlath and Amber Fontaine by slaughtering her own team for failing to stop Sun's.

"But you don't get to just walk away after the terrible things you've done. Someone has to care…someone has to drag you back into the light." Lillie said quietly to her Mother, who chuckled and shook her head. "Someone has to make you pay for what you've done. It has to be me…because I love you, Mother, and you deserve nothing less than having your twisted dreams ripped away from you by the daughter you treated like trash!"

"ALL I HEAR IS WORDS, LILLIE. YOUR LITTLE HERO FAILED TO STOP ME…AND NOW HE WILL DIE!" Lusamine boomed, a maniacal grin on her face as Lillie stared up at her.

"Sun…he's done so much for me. His final act was to protect me, just like he always has. Yes, he's a hero, through and through." Lillie said with a glance towards the unconscious Trainer, who was completely still. Lillie smiled fondly at the boy she loved with all of her heart before turning to face the Motherbeast who had taken down all of the opposition in her way…

Except for Lillie.

"And I refuse to let you hurt him." Lillie finished as she looked her mother right in the eyes, her eyes gleaming with determination. Lusamine growled with annoyance, with some part of her wondering how the girl wasn't a terrified mess.

"IS THAT SO? WELL THEN, LET'S PIT YOUR STRENGTH AGAINST MY OWN, DEAREST DAUGHTER." Lusamine said with a mocking grin as the Nihilego cooed softly, drifting back towards their mother as Lillie clenched her fists tightly, standing tall as the Motherbeast readied herself to finally smite her daughter where she stood.

"YOU HAVE NOWHERE TO RUN…AND NOWHERE TO HIDE. YOU ARE ALONE, AND I HAVE WON." Lusamine crooned as her tentacles writhed menacingly, spikes erupting from them as the gemstones within shined brightly. The tentacles inched towards Lillie, prepared to end her once and for all.

Lillie surprised the Motherbeast by shaking her head at the abomination. "That's where you're wrong, Mother. I'm never alone." The teen took a deep breath and let out a shout that filled the Ultra Deep Sea. "H-help us! Please, Solgaleo!"

A burst of raw sunlight erupted behind the girl and Nebby suddenly landed beside Lillie, gleaming in all of his radiant glory. The Motherbeast screeched in fury at the shining lion who's warm light filled the entire chamber. The Nihilego shuddered in the air, crying out fearfully at the arrival of the light-filled creature.

"Hello there…remember me?" Nebby asked the monstrous woman with a fierce snarl, heat pouring from his body as his tail snaked through the air. Lillie rested a hand against the side of the Legendary Pokémon.

"I didn't want to have to drag you back into this, but…I need your help, one last time." Lillie said to her beloved Pokémon, who simply purred in response and nuzzled the girl's head before turning to face the Motherbeast.

"Your strength and mine are one, Mama. Let us end this once and for all!" Solgaleo boomed as Lusamine let out a shriek that reverberated with power. The Nihilego joined in, creating a terrible echoing chorus that made Lillie's ears ache from the strength behind it. But she wasn't scared. Only determined to finally end her mother's reign of terror and end the madness once and for all.

"This time, Sun, me and Nebby will protect you! This is our strength!" Lillie shouted as Lusamine let out a haunting screech, throwing aside her tentacles as they crackled with raw energy. Lillie stared down her mother, even as the Ultra Beasts loomed above her and the motionless form of Sun in the gloomy caverns of the Ultra Deep Sea. Solgaleo growled softly, his radiant light pouring through the clearing and suffusing Lillie with warmth.

And with that…the true final battle had begun.

---

NEXT TIME: Lillie and Nebby vs. Motherbeast Lusamine

---

Wooo…that was a doozy. That's the last insanely big chapter for this story. Hopefully the wait and buildup to the Motherbeast showdown was worth it. I certainly had a blast writing it. Next chapter we end the Aether Arc for good with Lillie and Solgaleo's push to finish off Lusamine once and for all.

Shockingly enough, no questions!

That's all for now folks. I appreciate the patience for this chapter and the month-long wait between updates. But I had to make sure this chapter was just right, and I'm really happy with how it came together.

As always, make sure to review, favorite/follow the story if you haven't already and show your support! If you've made it this far, then you're an absolute legend and I can't express my thanks enough. Seriously, this story is long as hell. And you're still reading! You rock.

If you're enjoying this fic and want more stuff like it, then check out my Pokémon Scarlet fic known as "Pokémon Nuzlocke Novels: Ancient Scarlet." It's available to read on this site and AO3, and is set a few years after the events of Radiant Sun.

This past update actually revealed the final fate of one of the characters featured in this very chapter! Who is that? Well, the only way to find out is to read my other story! Don't worry, it's not nearly as long as this one is…yet.

Take care and stay awesome!

Until next time, FlygonNick out!