Pokémon Radiant Sun

And just a few minutes before 2023 comes to a close, we've got one final update!

What a year. It's been full of ups and downs, but at the end of it I'm still kicking and still updating this monster of a story. We had the Aether Arc come and go and now we're a mere 31 chapters away from the end of the story. Hopefully by this time next year I can finally close out the fic, but we'll see how things go!

Shoutout to BraviaryScout, Oragonking and SolanaLeonheart for reviewing the previous update. You three have been my MVP's of reviewing and leaving feedback for this year and I wholeheartedly appreciate your support for the story. It's genuinely really motivating and I can't thank you enough.

So let's get to it.

Enjoy.

Chapter 169: The Past Never Dies

Exeggutor Island

Sun and Lillie huffed as they navigated their way deeper into Exeggutor Island in the dark. Thankfully Rotom Dex was more than happy to be their floating flashlight, which allowed them to navigate the path with some ease, though it was still annoying. Sun made sure to have Brago and Oliver out just in case any of the wildlife got violent.

Sun also found a Prism Scale along the way, which Rotom Dex helpfully explained was a very rare item that could be used to evolve a Feebas to Milotic.

After about half an hour of trekking up the path, Sun and Lillie arrived at the very top of the island where a shrine awaited them. The structural style of the shrine differed greatly from how the Tapu shrines were made, with an elegant arch hanging over an ancient pedestal. Resting beneath it was a beautiful golden flute. Emblazoned on the side of the flute was a sun-like sigil that Sun remembered seeing from the books he and Lillie had read with Acerola back at the Malie Library.

Sun noticed that the flute was covered in a faint field of light blue light, which struck the boy as odd. It was then that Sun remembered something important from the Ruins of Hope.

"The light is the same color as that light Tapu Fini hit us with…back when we finished the Test of Hope." Sun then reached forward, and for a moment his hand met resistance, as if he was touching solid rock. His body began to glow a faint blue color, and a few seconds later his hand phased through the barrier and grabbed the flute, pulling it back out with ease. "That's what Tapu Fini and Vivian meant when they said they'd help us out later."

"Sun! That must be how Tapu Fini's protected the flute all these years, and why it's been safe despite being out here on this island for so long!" Lillie cried out, grinning with excitement. Sun held the ancient artifact in his hands with reverence as Lillie did a fist pump of joy.

"Now we have both the Sun Flute and the Moon Flute!" Lillie called out as she pulled out her Moon Flute. "I don't know if it will really summon the Legendary Pokémon, but we can at least try! If nothing else, we'll have sounded the flutes in offering like people used to do."

The girl smiled brightly at her boyfriend and said, "So thank you for coming this far with me, Sun!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Princess." Sun responded fondly before Lillie bounded forward and kissed Sun on the cheek. The boy responded by kissing Lillie on the lips, which caught the girl by surprise for a moment before she leaned into Sun and returned her boyfriend's affection.

The new couple separated for a moment, blushing brightly but wearing smiles of sheer joy on their faces. They were finally free from the sources of their respective traumas. They were able to be whatever they wished, and had even found love in the person they had cared about the most. That feeling of acceptance from one another and the unconditional support that their friendship had created was something indescribable to Sun and Lillie, but it was something they both cherished with all of their being.

Both Sun and Lillie were free to simply live their lives now. And in doing so they were now experiencing a happiness beyond measure.

"I like this…" Lillie whispered, hugging Sun and leaning against him as she closed her eyes. A gentle breeze rolled across the island, rustling her hair for a moment. Sun rested his chin on her shoulder, focusing on the young woman who he was proud to call his girlfriend after everything that they had been through together.

"It's great. I think after everything we've been through, we both needed some time to ourselves to figure things out. Just the two of us." Sun remarked, earning a silent nod from Lillie. And for several long minutes the two of them held one another, simply enjoying the presence of someone they cared for so deeply.

"Let's go meet with the chief of the seafolk and get back to Poni Island! It's surely been long enough for him to have come back." Lillie said to Sun as she separated from him, grabbing her boyfriend's hand with an excited smile. Sun nodded and the two of them raced back to Banjo and the S.S. Magikarp, eager to continue on their journey and reach Ultra Space.

Seafolk Village

"And there we are. All moored!" Banjo said as he helped Sun and Lillie get onto the docks. "Apologies for the delay. We had some injuries from some folks coming in from the Wilds who had been traveling just before sunset. They were pretty bad."

"Hapu mentioned there were some attacks happening on travelers along the Poni Wilds earlier. That's terrible." Lillie muttered as she held her hands against her chest.

"I'd recommend staying at the Pokémon Center for the night. It's dangerous out there right now." Banjo said with a small nod. "We've got the Ula'ula Island Kahuna coming around tomorrow to help out."

"Good call on the PMC. I could go for a warm shower right about now." Sun remarked as Lillie giggled beside him. With that, Banjo escorted them to the Pokémon Center before departing to check on those who had been injured.

Thankfully for them, the Pokémon Center had a few extra rooms available. Not so thankfully, they were all one bed bedrooms, meaning Sun once again tried to insist on Lillie getting the bed while he slept on the floor.

This time, however, Lillie just gave Sun a bored look. Ten minutes later they were curled up beside Brago, cuddling with one another as they discussed their plans for the coming days.

Lillie had heard from Hapu that the trek through the Vast Poni Canyon was considered to be the ultimate test for Trainers within Alola, with only Mount Lanakila being more dangerous due to its cold weather and height. Sun said that he would train his team hard during the trek to make sure they were ready for whatever came in Ultra Space, which Lillie and his team agreed with wholeheartedly.

The next morning came slowly for the two of them, mostly because Lillie insisted on trying to get Alastor to eat, which resulted in no acknowledgement from the Alolan Golem despite her best efforts. After a full hour of trying, she was forced to give up and pack her things for the trek to Hapu's house on the Ancient Poni Path. During this time, Sun had already done the laundry and stocked up on more food and supplies for what would be the toughest stretch of his journey yet.

The duo encountered Chief Banjo on their way out of the Seafolk Village, with him speaking to Kahuna Nanu with a worried expression on his face. Nanu glanced at Sun and Lillie, raising an eyebrow at the duo for a moment before turning back to the Seafolk Chief.

"I'll send some feelers out and see what I can find. I've got a Grand Trial to do later today so I can't be around for too long, but I'll reassign a few of my officers to the island for a week or two and see what we can do. Unfortunately the recent crisis has stretched us a bit thin, otherwise I'd send more." Nanu said in a bored voice, putting away his notepad. "A rogue Trainer shouldn't be too hard to track down."

"I hope so, Officer Nanu." Banjo said with a tired sigh before noticing Sun and Lillie standing nearby, causing the man to smile at the two brave children. "Look at you, Trial-goer! You going to the altar to play the flutes?"

Nanu cocked his head slightly before his phone began to ring, causing his expression to immediately darken.

"Kukui, I swear to god if it's you, I'm going to shove my fist right up your…Oh, it's Red." Nanu muttered as he finally answered his phone, sighing loudly before walking off. "For someone who never fucking talks, you sure do call a lot. Oh, Leaf? Why the hell are you using Red's phone? Don't tell me you have him and Blue strapped to the bedposts again…I said don't tell me that. Why am I the only sane one in this place?"

"Sometimes that man baffles me." Lillie remarked as the Kahuna made his way down the docks.

"Sometimes?" Sun questioned while Banjo coughed hard, trying to cover up his laughter and being very glad that the two kids in front of him were too innocent to understand the Kahuna's conversation.

"The altar lies all the way through the Vast Poni Canyon. It's a long road there. That path is like nature's own Trial. Good luck to you, friends." Banjo said before offering them both a thumbs up.

"Thank you, sir. We appreciate all of the help." Sun said gratefully as Banjo waved a hand, indicating that it was no problem at all. However, the chief of the seafolk did snap his fingers with a small laugh as the couple began walking out of the village.

"And why don't you stop by and tell Hapu that you're off before you go!" Banjo added as an afterthought, making Sun and Lillie both stop.

"Good idea! She'll want to know how things went." Lillie said with a fist-pump, causing Sun to smile fondly at his girlfriend before taking her hand in his and finally departing the seaside settlement.

After departing from the Seafolk Village, Lillie surprised Sun with a suggestion for them to explore the eastern portion of the Poni Wilds, which they hadn't done thus far. Sun ended up going with the idea, thinking that he could get his team a bit more experience along the way and that they weren't exactly in a rush to get back to Hapu now that they had the Sun Flute.

To Sun's surprise, they arrived at the eastern portion of the island without encountering another Trainer. Sun chalked it up to the string of attacks recently and remained on-guard, sending out his whole team so that they could enjoy themselves and train but also warning them that they should be careful.

Lillie decided that now was as good a time as any to start some lunch, so she began setting up some things with Sun's help. Meanwhile Sun's team began dragging out Pokémon from the ocean to battle in a very strange team-bonding exercise that Sun had no part in.

Oliver would fire arrows into the water to annoy or scare the Pokémon below into coming up, only for Finn to drag them to shore using Psychic so that Brago and Tetra could knock them out. Penny would supervise the process, keeping away any Pelipper that would attempt to interfere.

The amazing part was how effective the team was at working together to sow as much chaos as possible upon the wildlife. Sun noticed that Tetra, Brago and Finn were quickly gaining levels as they continued to play/train. He noticed in particular, the team was letting Tetra get as much practice and training in as she wanted, which Sun appreciated.

One Pokémon that wasn't taking part in things was Alastor, who continued to remain immobile from the shady spot Sun had originally put him in when he called out his Pokémon. It was a short distance away, but close enough to where he could be monitored. Sun would occasionally glance over at the Alolan Golem as he and Lillie made lunch for everyone, concern on his face the entire time.

Lillie noticed and remained silent for a while, but eventually she broke the silence. "Poor Alastor…I wish there was something we could do for him."

"We've got to give him time. I just hope that as much as I say that, it's true." Sun responded quietly, troubled by the prolonged silence from his Pokémon. He had to trust Alastor to overcome what he was going through, and hope that Alolan Golem knew and understood that everyone was supporting him the whole way.

"Food's ready." Lillie remarked, putting the lid back on the pot. Sun smiled faintly as Lillie surprised him with a peck on the cheek before walking ahead of him towards his team.

Lillie opened her mouth to call out to everyone, only to stop mid-sentence as she suddenly began glowing a familiar bright blue color. Sun tensed as the girl floated off of the ground, a brief look of confusion on Lillie's face as she realized what was happening.

Before either of them could further question why Lillie was being lifted into the air by Psychic, the girl was suddenly flung out over the beach and out into the water. The girl hit the water's surface twice before going under the water completely.

"LILLIE!" Sun screamed in raw horror as he sprinted towards the water. The girl wasn't resurfacing, much to everyone's terror. "Help her Finn!"

Sun barely had time to get the words out before a beam of pure energy struck the beach area around Sun, creating an explosion of force that sent him crashing onto the ground. Sun's team was scattered by the almighty blast except for Oliver, who was horrified as he watched the scene unfurl around him with confusion and alarm.

Oliver flapped his wings hard to clear the smoke and swooped over to Sun, who was groaning in pain and struggling to get to his feet. Whatever the attack was hadn't hit him directly, but it still hurt and had left him disoriented. Brago, Penny and Tetra were far more affected, down on the ground and twitching in pain due to the heavy damage they had taken.

Sun was vaguely aware of Oliver asking if he was okay as he slowly snapped back to his senses, but he soon focused on the sound of laughter coming from nearby. His head turned towards the source of the noise, spotting a man walking out from behind a nearby tree towards him .After several moments of staring at the man Sun recognized him. The boy's eyes immediately turned bright red with anger.

The man wore a black hoodie and faded cargo pants, with his hair in a distinctive pink mohawk that was rather faded. The man held his right arm strangely, as if it were hurt, but that did nothing to change the malicious grin on his face. The Infernape standing beside him wore a similar expression of cruel amusement, standing tall and proud. The somewhat tired-looking Grumpig standing beside him didn't look remotely happy about the situation.

"Hey kid…How's it hangin'?" Geoff casually asked before snapping his fingers. "Hyper Beam again, Fatass. And this time don't miss."

Geoff's Grumpig winced at being addressed by his Trainer, though unfortunately for Geoff she was recharging from using such a powerful move. Geoff turned his head and scowled at his Pokémon preparing to yell at it, but before he could get a single word out Sun cut him off.

"Oliver, Spirit Shackle!" Sun shouted as he Decidueye flew forward, notching a ghostly arrow and firing it directly at Grumpig as Geoff and his Infernape leapt to the side to dodge the explosion of energy from the arrow as it struck Grumpig. The Manipulate Pokémon screamed in pain as it crashed onto the ground from the super-effective attack, fainting a few moments later.

"God, what a worthless sack of meat." Geoff snarled before pointing at Oliver with his good hand. "Charcoal, kill that thing."

The Infernape nodded before dashing forward, its fists exploding with flames as he rushed at Oliver. Sun called for Spirit Shackle again, and despite the arrow flying true and hitting the Infernape directly, Charcoal pushed through the attack to deliver a wicked Fire Punch that knocked Oliver to the ground.

Penny shot forward, striking Charcoal with Pluck almost immediately and sending the Infernape staggering back, freeing up Brago to attack with Aerial Ace and forcing the Infernape away from them. Charcoal the Infernape fired off a Flamethrower at Oliver, who threw up a Protect at the last second to block it.

"I have to help Lillie, but this psycho's not going to let me go without a fight! Finn, please hurry!" Sun thought as he got to his feet, gritting his teeth as he struggled not to cry out from the burns on his arms and legs. Brago, Penny and Oliver glared down Geoff and the Pokémon he had with him, fury in their eyes.

"What a piece of garbage." Geoff muttered as he snatched a Revive out of his pocket and hurled it at the Grumpig. "Stay alert next time or else I'm having some fresh bacon."

Sun's eyes flickered to a dull red color as Oliver's shield faded with a swipe of the owl's wings. Brago and Tetra had both recovered by this point and had gotten to their feet now. Tetra was staring at her former Trainer with an expression of sheer terror in her eyes, visibly trembling at seeing the one who had abused her and left her to die in the Haina Desert.

"What the hell are you doing? Why are you attacking us!?" Sun demanded from the older Trainer, who sneered back at him. Sun frowned at that before quickly muttering aloud. "Oliver, use Synthesis and get ready with another Protect. This guy's crazy."

"Because I can. And because I don't appreciate people who don't know their place in the world." Geoff hissed back at Sun, who blinked in confusion at the man's anger towards him. "Now shut up and die! Charcoal, Blast Burn!"

The Infernape actually laughed before inhaling deeply, sending out an immensely powerful fireball that actually pulsated with power as it flew towards Sun and his team with surprising speed. Sun barely had time to call out before the sphere exploded violently, dousing the beach in flames hot enough to turn parts of it to glass.

"Burn, little bitch!" Geoff laughed as the fire engulfed the radius of where Sun stood. The Infernape bowed its head and closed its eyes as Geoff took a few steps towards the inferno, chuckling darkly. Then his laughter stopped as he noticed a shimmering green barrier within the flames.

"You actually just tried to kill me." Sun said with some surprise, making sure to stuff his phone into his back pocket so that Geoff would notice that he had used it.

Oliver dropped the Protect and notched an arrow as Penny and Brago braced themselves for a fight. Sun noticed that besides the Infernape and Grumpig, there was a Floatzel standing beside Geoff and three more Pokémon watching from a short distance away. Specifically a Zebstrika, Hippowdon, and Skuntank who all seemed to be hanging back for some reason. Geoff scowled in annoyance before snapping his fingers and then pointing forward.

"Drowner, use Aqua Jet and get that little brat!" Geoff barked as the Floatzel beside him flinched at being addressed, but nodded and charged forward as a flume of water engulfed it.

"Intercept with Extreme Speed!" Sun countered as Brago rushed forward to meet the Floatzel with a blur of speed. Both Pokémon collided hard with one another within the span of a second, a shockwave of force blasting them both apart. Brago snarled in pain at the super-effective attack while the Floatzel fell to the ground, clutching its head.

"Get back up! It's pathetic!" Geoff barked at the Floatzel, who's eyes snapped open. The Floatzel quickly got back to its feet as Geoff called, "Water Pulse!"

"Aerial Ace!" Sun called as Brago sped forward again, crashing into Drowner the Floatzel and sending him tumbling to the ground, but not before getting blasted with the sphere of water and causing the Arcanine to howl in agony. "Oliver, Razor Leaf!"

"Ice Beam!" Geoff shouted as Drowner fired off the attack skyward, blocking the leaves by blasting them away and forcing Oliver to retreat back to Sun's side.

"You've got some skills, you little brat. But you're nothing compared to raw talent like me!" Geoff leered, grinning as Charcoal stepped forward to take point. Brago growled as he slowly rose to his feet, with Finn finally returning to shore with a very annoyed Lillie who was completely drenched from head-to-toe.

"What is your problem!?" Lillie shouted at the man, drawing Geoff's attention. "Who just throws people in the ocean like that!?"

"Shut the hell up, bitch. I'm not done dealing with this little shit yet!" Geoff shouted back at the furious teenager. Sun's eyes deepened to crimson as he clenched his fists.

"Don't call her that!" Sun shouted furiously before punching forward. "Oliver, Razor Leaf!"

"Flamethrower! Follow up with Shadow Claw!" Geoff bellowed with a twisted grin as Charcoal leapt back into battle, breathing out a torrent of white-hot flames that torched the barrage of leaves that had been racing towards him. Charcoal then dove into his own flames before delivering two swipes of Shadow Claw before Oliver could retreat, dealing major damage to the owl as he fluttered backwards and hissed in pain.

Charcoal swept apart his arms and released a battle cry, crimson coating its hands before it inhaled deeply to attack with its flames again. This time Sun was ready and ordered Finn to lash out with Psychic, throwing the Infernape back with a howl of pain.

"That thing is vicious. Not like the others." Oliver panted as the Infernape crashed down onto the ground, only to get to his feet within a few seconds. His fists ignited with flames as he gave them all a twisted smile.

"Ollie told me something once. That Pokémon can become twisted by their Trainers. If someone's a bad person or a criminal, those Pokémon can become bad themselves." Sun muttered to himself, staring down Charcoal the Infernape as he matched the same terrible smirk of Geoff beside him. The other Pokémon looked almost…wary of the two figures at the forefront of the group. Noticeably, while most of Geoff's team were sporting faded injuries and scars, Charcoal seemed to be in peak physical condition.

"That one's also a lot stronger than the others…I bet Geoff uses that one to keep all the others in line." Sun thought bitterly as he stepped forward, straightening up and looking at Geoff without fear. Compared to Borlath and Lusamine, this man was nothing.

"Drowner, Fatass, Charcoal. Ice Beam and Flamethrower, use Psychic to boost the power." Geoff ordered as he snapped his fingers, signaling his Pokémon to attack right then and there.

"Use Spirit Shackle and then Protect, Oliver! Finn, divert the attacks with Psychic! Tetra, use Dig! Brago Extreme Speed and Penny use Fly!" Sun shouted the commands in rapid succession, much to the annoyance of the older Trainer. The flames and ice raced towards Sun with remarkable speed, slamming into the shield that had been conjured in front of Sun and Lillie a moment after it had appeared.

With a yell of effort, Finn diverted the attacks towards the ocean as Brago sped forward, crashing into the Grumpig and knocking him out with a Critical Hit. Geoff was distracted by this and ordered his Infernape and Floatzel to engage the Arcanine while the others hung back for some reason Sun couldn't figure out. Geoff angrily used a Revive on the Grumpig and began threatening it, which thankfully distracted him enough to where Sun could deal with another issue that was still occurring.

Sun had noticed that Tetra was still staring at Geoff with a horrified expression on her face. The sight of her former Trainer, the one who had tormented and abused when she was a hatchling, seemed to have petrified her. Sun walked forward and put a hand on her head, snapping her out of it.

"Tetra, I need you to focus. I won't let him get you, but I need your help to make him go away." Sun said quietly

"He's gonna kill me. He's gonna hurt me and hurt me and then kill you all, just like he did the others!" Tetra whispered frantically, looking up at Sun with raw fear in her eyes. Sun's heart ached at seeing his trusty dragon so distraught, but before he could attempt to reassure her, Geoff's unhelpful voice echoed out across the clearing.

"Ain't that pathetic? You've got a Pokémon that doesn't want to fight? Reminds me of a certain Pokémon I used to own way back when." Geoff remarked with a smile, as if recalling a fond memory. Sun grit his teeth in fury at the Trainer who'd so casually reminisce about how he abused his infant Pokémon and left her to die in the desert.

"Can you please just shut up!?" Lillie yelled at the man, who responded with a bored look before snapping his fingers again.

"No, I think you should shut up. Drowner, use Aqua Jet and show that little brat some manners Geoff barked as he pointed at Lillie, who blanched as the Floatzel sped towards her.

Sun stepped in front of his girlfriend with a furious glare. "Brago! Extreme Speed! Finn, use Brick Break!" Sun shouted as the Arcanine sped forward and slammed hard into the flume of water surrounding Drowner the Floatzel, disrupting the attack and knocking him to the ground in time for Finn to follow up with a powerful punch that sent the Floatzel hurtling into a nearby tree, collapsing onto the ground a moment later.

To Sun's shock, the Floatzel didn't faint from the two attacks and the damage it had taken earlier. It wheezed and was twitching slightly, but the Floatzel was still conscious.

"That Floatzel should've been knocked out from that. I'm surprised it's still standing." Sun remarked quietly, but not so quietly that Geoff didn't hear him speak.

"They know what happens if they don't get back up." Geoff said with a smirk, glancing at his Floatzel as it struggled back to its feet, panting hard from the strain. "Charcoal, Flare Blitz!"

Brago rushed forward to attack Charcoal, only to be hit with a Hydro Pump from Floatzel in mid-air, resulting in him getting sent flying backwards and crashing down hard into the sand behind Sun. Charcoal the Infernape screeched as he drew closer to Sun and Lillie, with Oliver swooping down and delivering a Leaf Blade to the Infernape right before he crashed into the Decidueye.

An incredible explosion of fire erupted outwards, with Sun and Lillie barely avoiding the flames as they rushed by. Oliver screamed as the powerful fire attack struck him directly, the shockwave of flames knocking him to the ground. Charcoal chuckled as the inferno around them raged, but the Infernape noticed that Sun didn't seem very scared.

"Alright then. Penny, use Fly!" Sun suddenly called out, punching forward. Geoff looked up and realized with some surprise that Penny was still soaring high above any of the flames and was hurtling towards Charcoal. The Toucannon slammed hard into the Infernape, sending him skidding backwards with a pained screech. Charcoal flipped in mid-air and landed on the ground, panting now.

"Drill Peck!" Sun called as Penny dove down at Charcoal the Infernape, but this time he was ready. Geoff called for Thunder Punch and the Infernape leapt skyward, tanking the Drill Peck but also scoring a direct hit on Penny that sent her careening towards the ground. As she struck the hard earth, Penny let out a faint groan before fainting.

"Good shit, Charcoal. The rest of you better pick up the slack! Especially you, Fatass!" Geoff barked to the remainder of his team, who all acknowledged the command with shaky nods. The Grumpig looked like it was about to start crying, but it nodded frantically at the command.

"You named your Pokémon something so mean! How could you do that!?" Lillie demanded of the Trainer, who shrugged.

"I can name them whatever I want. They're nothing more than dead weight until they can prove themselves to me, so why waste the effort on a good name? It's better that I get a laugh out of insulting them. Not like they can do anything about it anyways." Geoff responded, but Sun had more pressing concerns at the moment besides Geoff's naming strategies.

"You can't just attack someone like this and have no reason other than because you felt like it! Why did you attack me and Lillie!?" Sun demanded from the man, who stared at Sun for several long moments before spitting onto the ground.

"Simple. I was doing fine out here on vacation in these worthless islands until your bitch of a mother beat me in that tournament. Then after being disrespected by you, Team Skull and that bitch Aria? That was enough to get you all on my shit list." Geoff explained, gritting his teeth in anger at Sun and Lillie stared at him in bafflement.

"Because you were trying to kill your Riolu." Sun stressed to the other Trainer, who rolled his eyes. Meanwhile, Lillie had discreetly pulled out a Revive and used it on Penny while also using a Super Potion on Oliver.

"And? Not the first Pokémon I've killed and it won't be the last. I own them, so what I do with their lives is totally up to me. Besides, none of that shit matters, dumbass. What matters is sheer talent. Charcoal has talent. The rest of these losers…well, we'll see about that." Geoff then noticed something rather peculiar.

One of Sun's Pokémon, a Gabite, was staring at him with an expression of absolute horror, trembling in fear. The Trainer's expression became contemplative as he stared at the dragon for several long moments before his eyes narrowed.

"Wait a sec…That Gabite. Where did you get it?" Geoff asked Sun, who crossed his arms and walked over to Tetra, putting a hand on her head to comfort her.

"Haina Desert. She's the same Gible you left to die after abusing her as an infant. Her name is Tetra." Sun practically growled at the other Trainer, who stared at Sun in surprise for several seconds…before he gave them a wide grin of delight.

"Holy shit, that's amazing! A loser like you picked up Useless the Gible! That's hilarious!" Geoff began giggling, and Sun and Lillie were horrified at the hints of mania as the man broke down into uncontrollable laughter.

"Just look at her! She looks like she's about to piss herself! It's so pathetic!" Geoff wheezed as he struggled to get himself under control. "Heh. Your scared face hasn't changed a bit, Useless. Good to see it can still make me smile. How the hell did you even survive out there? You were too chickenshit to battle properly and too messed up in the head to listen to orders. I mean, what use were you?"

Geoff exhaled hard and put a hand on his hip, smirking at the terrified Gabite. " What a wonderful little reunion, huh? Didn't you miss your old Trainer?"

Tetra was too scared to even speak, shaking uncontrollably in pure fear at the cruel Trainer who had cast her aside. Finn put a comforting hand on the young dragon's shoulder while glaring down the other Trainer, with Brago growling angrily at Geoff. Penny and Oliver stepped protectively in front of the Gabite.

Meanwhile, Sun's mind was racing at what Geoff had said as some other connections clicked in his head.

"He said he gives them insulting nicknames until they prove themselves to him, and Tetra was called Useless before she met me. All the times she called herself useless, she was referring to the name Geoff gave her…her first Trainer." Sun thought as his eyes deepened to a hateful crimson color, clenched his fists so hard that his fingernails threatened to draw blood.

Around him Oliver, Finn, Penny and Brago were all bristling with barely-restrained rage at the cruel words spouting from the other Trainer. The one who had casually murdered his own Pokémon with no remorse. The one who had no qualms about hurting his own Pokémon if they didn't impress their Trainer enough. And the one who was more than happy to inflict as much pain and suffering as possible on others for the sake of his own amusement and ego.

"Awww, Useless doesn't want to fight! How typical." Geoff sneered at the terrified dragon. "I should've killed you back then. I was too soft. I imagined how fantastic it'd be to have something like Cynthia's ace Pokémon at my disposal. But I was kidding myself…Just because a Pokémon is rare or strong doesn't mean it's actually worth something."

"Are you done running your mouth?" Sun asked the older Trainer coldly, earning another snicker of amusement from the rogue Trainer as he continued to rant.

"It's so fitting. Of course you pick up that pathetic damaged dragon." Geoff said as he locked eyes with Tetra, giving her a cruel grin that made the Gabite whimper. "And then you waltz around these godforsaken islands with total freedom. God, it makes me sick."

"What exactly is your problem? You act like the world is against you or something." Lillie asked Geoff, who scowled at the girl.

"My issue is that weaklings like you two dipshits get to walk around so carefree and happy while someone like me has to hide in the shadows. What kind of bullshit is that?" Geoff demanded, throwing up his hands in frustration. "I'm stuck out here living off scraps, law enforcement hunting me down like a dog with a broken wrist and a mostly useless team. Having to resort to robbing whatever losers I come across to get by. It's a travesty."

"Maybe you shouldn't attack people and be a giant asshole!" Sun shot back at Geoff, who to their surprise just shrugged his shoulders.

Geoff winced, realizing he jostled his broken wrist. "Details, details. They had every chance to fight back and they lost. Besides, I needed that stuff more than they did, so that's why I have it now. Too bad, so sad."

"This man isn't right in the head…he doesn't have any sense of right and wrong and just does whatever he feels like." Lillie whispered, her eyes wide at the words coming from the man in front of them. Sun agreed, but his mind was racing on how exactly to deal with him.

"He's completely delusional. He was a giant jerk before, but all this time in the wilderness and on the run from law enforcement has just turned him into something rotten. We're not safe until this guy goes down." Sun muttered under his breath just loud enough for Lillie to hear.

"I know you're talking shit, brat! Care to speak up for the rest of the class!?" Geoff called to Sun before snapping his fingers. "Get ready for another attack. This time go for the kid directly."

Charcoal chuckled as he punched his fists together, generating a small burst of heat. Sun, however, heard the order and called out, "So what, you're just going to try and kill us? No real reason or motive. Just you being a petty jerk who wants to hurt other people for the sake of it?"

"Pretty much!" Geoff shot back, grinning nastily at the young Trainer. "Why shouldn't I smack down lesser Trainers like you? It's a dog-eat-dog world, and only the best survive."

"Which is why you're stuck living in the wilderness with a bunch of Pokémon that are badly injured." Lillie pointed out, causing Geoff's expression to sour. "I'm willing to bet that you and your Infernape were the ones to hurt them, too."

"So what if Pokémon get hurt? That's the whole damn point of battling! Get stronger through the pain! And if you can't handle the pain, then you're not worth keeping around. And not worth keeping alive." Geoff spat as his Infernape let out a screech of agreement behind him, his body flaring up intensely. The other Pokémon winced at the heat waves rolling off of the Infernape as it braced itself to battle.

"You're…" Sun blinked twice, trying to comprehend his logic.

"Come on, say it. 'You're evil! You're terrible, Geoff. A big meanie who's mean to Pokémon!'" Geoff said mockingly to Sun, who shook his head.

"No, you're an idiot." Sun answered, causing Geoff to look confused for a moment before gritting his teeth in anger as he registered the insult.

"My mother beat you in a fair battle at a tournament being watched by millions. You tried to use a Pokémon that you knew was hurt, because you were the one who abused it, in a professional battle. You're not just stupid, you're genuinely crazy. Delusional. You make Roran Rubinara almost make sense!" Sun said to Geoff, which only made him even more mad. "You just tried to have your Grumpig attack us immediately after using Hyper Beam too, which is impossible. It usually takes at least half a minute for a Pokémon to recharge after using that kind of move. You're almost as bad of a person as you are a Pokémon Trainer."

"Shut your damn mouth! I'm leagues ahead of you and the rest of the morons on these wretched islands!" Geoff shouted at Sun, who looked even more disappointed at the Trainer.

"No, you really aren't." Sun said quietly, shaking his head. "It's scary how everything makes sense now after that Test of Hope. You're not just a cruel bully who abuses his Pokémon for not being perfect. You're also an incompetent Trainer who doesn't care to understand how things work, and then blames everyone else when things don't go your way."

"You don't know shit about me!" Geoff barked, taking a step forward.

"My friend told me enough, and I've seen plenty from how you act to say this." Sun replied as he crossed his arms. "You're not just a terrible person. You're a terrible Pokémon Trainer. Look at your Pokémon! Look how hurt they are! How can you do all of this and still call yourself a Pokémon Trainer? You're a Pokémon Bully."

"Are you seriously calling me a bully?! I'm trying to make a strong team! It's not my fault they're worthless!" Geoff roared furiously back at the younger Trainer, who shook his head in disgust. Sun then put a comforting hand on Tetra's head, still staring down the man without fear.

"The useless Gible you left to die in the desert for being a weak weirdo saved the entire region from getting slaughtered by aliens. She did that by beating the ace Pokémon of a former Champion." Sun responded to Geoff, taking the other Trainer completely by surprise. "And that Riolu you abused until someone had the sense to take it away from you took down an alien Pokémon stronger than some Legendaries. So again, tell me how it's the Pokémon's fault you keep sucking at everything you do and how your life is falling apart."

"I don't have to take this. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want!" Geoff hissed with barley-restrained fury before pointing a finger at Sun. "I was going to just beat the shit out of you two and rob you blind. Maybe sell your Pokémon to some of those Team Skull dorks I saw the other day for some quick cash. I've changed my mind, though. It'll be more fun to kill your ass and dance on your ashes! Both you and that bitch standing by you!"

"Don't you call her that!" Sun roared at the man, who scoffed at the boy's fury before pointing a finger directly at Tetra, giving his former Gible a cruel grin.

"But I'm definitely going to finish what I started with Useless over there." Geoff said as his eyes gleamed with excited malice. "You should've just died in that desert. For having the audacity to crawl out and show your face to me again, I'm going to make an example out of you. Should be fun."

"You're not going to do anything to her!" Penny screeched back at the other Trainer, ruffling her feathers as Oliver nodded sharply behind her.

Geoff was barely phased by the fierce declaration from Penny, instead offering the increasingly angry Pokémon surrounding his old Gible a condescending smirk. "Nah, you weaklings don't matter. We're gonna have a nice reunion before I put Useless out of her misery!"

"She's part of our family now. You want to harm that child!? You go through us!" Brago barked at the one who had once owned Tetra and then left her to die. Finn nodded in agreement, his fists clenched and ready for battle. Tetra simply looked around at the Pokémon and humans who were still standing by her, tears trickling down her face.

"Bring it on! I'll kill you and then finish that piece of shit off!" Geoff shouted before pointing forward, glancing at the Zebstrika, Skuntank and Hippowdon behind him. "You all better carry your weight! Shock Wave, Sludge Bomb, Earth Power!"

"Block with Psychic! Flame Burst!" Sun called as Finn and Brago rushed forward to engage the group of Pokémon, only for Sun to notice something off.

"Where'd the Infernape go?" Sun asked quietly, glancing around the clearing.

He was answered when the ground beneath Brago exploded outwards, revealing Charcoal as he struck the Arcanine with Dig. Sun yelled out in surprise as the Infernape landed on the ground in front of him, inhaling deeply to attack Sun and Lillie directly, only for Oliver and Penny to swarm the Infernape and double-team him with Pluck and Drill Peck, forcing the Infernape back.

Charcoal let out a dark chuckle, rubbing its stomach as Sun marveled at the strength of the Pokémon in question. It was clearly far stronger than the rest of Geoff's team and certainly stronger than any single Pokémon on Sun's team. However, strength wasn't everything.

"Spirit Shackle!" Sun shouted as Oliver let out a shriek of fury, firing off a ghostly arrow into the chest of Charcoal, blasting him backwards several yards. Charcoal doubled over, falling to one knee with a furious expression on its face. A crimson aura began to slowly envelop the Infernape's Blaze Ability took effect.

"That's his strongest Pokémon, huh?" Geoff muttered as Charcoal nodded, gritting its teeth through the pain and reigniting its fists. "Go for the boy again, Charcoal. Overheat, but aim it at the ground around them."

The Infernape inhaled deeply as Sun called out for Oliver to use Protect once again. However, the shield appeared and then flickered away, much to the horror of Sun and Lillie.

Seeing that Protect had failed Oliver, the Decidueye quickly swept at the ground with a Leafage as the attack rushed towards him. This succeeded in blowing Sun and Lillie backwards just in time for the attack to explode against the ground and completely immolate the spot Oliver had been in and blasting away Penny, Finn, Brago and Tetra.

Sun and Lillie hit the ground, hearing the sound of Geoff laughing over the flames as Oliver screamed in agony. Finn quickly threw up a Rain Dance and a Water Gun, dousing most of the flames and revealing the Decidueye.

Oliver was somehow still standing over tanking a Blaze-boosted Overheat, but that was just about all he was doing. His leaves were darkened and he was swaying slightly on his feet, glaring down the Infernape with an intense expression. Oliver's legs buckled and the owl fell into a kneeling position, breathing hard but still glaring hatefully at the rogue Trainer.

"Still not going down. I can almost respect that. Charcoal, end him. Flare Blitz!" Geoff shouted as he punched forward, a manic grin on his face as Sun and Lillie forced themselves to their feet, with the other Pokémon slowly moving into position and firing off a string of attacks at Sun's command. All except one of them, that was.

"Tetra, use Sand Tomb to slow him down!" Sun called to the dragon, who was still too scared to respond. Meanwhile the Infernape drew closer, with Charcoal tanking a Flame Burst and dodging a Water Gun, laughing with terrible delight. Sun glanced at Tetra, inwardly cursing Geoff and his terrible cruelty for the effect it was having on his normally cheerful dragon.

None of how Tetra was feeling was her fault, and he didn't blame her one bit for being too scared to battle her old Trainer.

Being with Sun and his team for two months, as much as it helped the young dragon overcome her issues, wasn't going to undo her traumatic upbringing under Geoff. Especially when the object of her trauma had returned and was more than happy to finish what he started by killing her as painfully as he could.

"You can't run from the past, Useless! It'll always come back to haunt you! You're all gonna fucking die!" Geoff cackled with delight as Oliver tried to get back to his feet, his legs shaking violently before he collapsed and fainted in a crumpled heap on the ground. The Infernape snarled as it drew closer, murderous intent in its eyes.

"You should listen to your own advice, Geoff." Sun said quietly before pointing at Geoff and his team. "Get 'em, Penny!

A horrifying screech erupted from the Toucannon as she shot right at Charcoal and struck him in the chest hard enough with Drill Peck to send him hurtling backwards into a tree behind Geoff. The man blinked in surprise, but was stunned to see the bird still coming at him.

"Thunder!" Geoff suddenly shouted out, with the Zebstrika behind him nickering softly before charging up the attack. Thanks to the Rain Dance Finn performed earlier, the bolt of lightning that erupted from the Zebstrika and struck Penny in midair. The Toucannon screeched in pain from one of the strongest Electric-type attacks, stopping her in her tracks.

"There we go. Now, Fatass, you need to use-" Geoff began to say before a flash of blue light enveloped Zebstrika and sent it soaring into a faraway tree, with a blast of flames landing between Charcoal, Grumpig and Floatzel and scorching them all.

Penny was released from the attack, and fell for several terrifying moments through the air before flaring her wings and stopping her descent. The exhausted Toucannon glared down at Geoff and his team, terrifying all of the Pokémon present and only annoying the Trainer.

"You think I'm just gonna sit here?" Sun demanded angrily, standing beside Tetra as his Pokémon rushed Geoff's team. "Everyone, get ready!"

"Not a chance!" Geoff hissed before turning to his Infernape, who was panting hard from how hard he had been pushing himself. Geoff swore loudly before pulling out a Max Potion and spraying his Partner over with it.

"Fatass, Psychic on the Toucannon! Drowner, Aqua Jet again and again! Earth Power, Sludge Bomb, Shock Wave!" Geoff bellowed out the orders as more attacks were unleashed from the older Trainer's battered team.

Sun scowled at the ferocity of the battle and hated the fact that right now, it was a three-on-six battle, but he had faced worse odds and come out on top. This would be no different. "Block the attacks with Psychic and go into Brick Break, Finn! Penny, Drill Peck! Brago, Flame Burst!"

Finn's stomach shone brightly as he focused with everything he had at keeping the wave of attacks from hurting his teammates. Drowner the Floatzel attempted to continually attack Sun, Lillie, and Brago but the Poliwrath held strong until a Shock Wave struck him, allowing the Floatzel to surge past his guard and head towards Brago.

"Brago! Use Revenge!" Sun shouted as Brago grit his teeth, bracing himself for the super-effective attack that nearly sent him sprawling onto the ground. However, the Arcanine held his ground as his body glowed bright red, giving the Floatzel a few moments to realize its mistake before Brago lunged forward and struck it with the powerful Revenge. As the Floatzel was sent careening back towards Geoff and his team, the Arcanine sent a Flame Burst its way at Sun's command to ensure it was actually knocked out this time.

Meanwhile, Penny dove at Grumpig, only to be suddenly stopped mid-flight as Psychic struck her. The Toucannon struggled to break free, but it seemed that Grumpig had caught her. This was short-lived when Brago's Flame Burst exploded and knocked back Skuntank and Zebstrika, while also spreading some flames over to where Grumpig was standing and startling the Manipulate Pokémon.

"It's just fire! Deal with it!" Geoff screamed at Grumpig as it frantically got away from the flames that had struck it. This allowed Penny to break free from the Grumpig's Psychic hold and swoop low, hitting it with a Drill Peck that knocked it to the ground alongside Floatzel. Both Pokémon fainted from the damage that they had taken while Geoff swore softly, ordering his other three Pokémon to attack while he finished healing Charcoal and used two Revives on the two unconscious Pokémon.

"I don't have many of these left, so stop being stupid and kill them!" Geoff snapped at his Floatzel and Grumpig. Charcoal growled softly, cracking its knuckles as the two Pokémon quickly got back to their feet. Meanwhile, Sun's team were drawing closer and scoring several direct hits upon Hippowdon, Zebstrika and Skuntank.

"Spam Shock Wave! Focus on that damn bird, first!" Geoff shouted as all of his Pokémon turned their attention to Penny, who quickly shot through the air to dodge the wave of attacks that suddenly rushed towards Penny. Unfortunately, Zebstrika's Shock Wave was unable to be dodged, so despite Penny's skill in avoiding the bulk of the moves she was continually zapped in midair.

"Psychic! Fire Blast!" Sun shouted as Finn and Brago rushed forward, but Geoff was ready for that.

"Charcoal!" Geoff barked as the Infernape leapt forward, spewing flames into the Pokémon's path. Overhead Penny was starting to slow down, the damage she had taken finally taking its toll. After the fourth Shock Wave had struck her, Penny's vision darkened and the Toucannon plummeted out of the sky.

"Penny!" Sun shouted as the Toucannon struck the sand, twitching for a moment before going still.

"That's another one down!" Geoff laughed as his Zebstrika snorted softly, panting from the effort of bringing the Toucannon down. "Keep it up! I don't want you to slow down for an instant!"

Charcoal let out a harsh cry in response while the others flinched, nodding at their Trainer before moving up to support the Infernape.

Sun returned Penny and then called her back out so that she was lying beside Oliver. Lillie immediately dropped her bag and got to work healing them, with Finn and Brago stepping up to protect all of them from Geoff's team while Tetra looked at them with surprise and guilt on her face. Sun looked at each one of them in turn before looking at Geoff.

"How long can your team keep it up? They're hurt! They're tired! And you treat them like crap nonstop! They don't respect you, they fear you! Are you really that crazy?" Sun asked the older Trainer, who clenched his good fist before spitting on the ground in Sun's general direction. Before the older Trainer could respond, Lillie spoke up.

"It's clear that he's not good enough of a Trainer for his Pokémon to respect him like yours do, Sun." Lillie commented with audible disgust in her voice as she glared at Geoff. Sun felt a fierce rush of pride in his girlfriend, seeing her stand up to someone like the rogue Trainer. "He's a deluded jerk who doesn't hold himself accountable for what he does to others. Sooner or later, your actions will catch up with you. Considering the fact that you've been forced to hide in the wilderness and rob other people to survive, I'd say that they already have."

"I'm getting real tired of you two running your mouth. Drowner, Fatass, deal with them! The rest of you, get ready to jump in!" Geoff bellowed at his team before pointing forward. "Dazzling Gleam! Surf!"

"Brago, use Extreme Speed on Floatzel!" Sun shouted as the tidal wave of water was summoned from behind the Floatzel. "Finn, get airborne with a Water Gun and use Body Slam on Grumpig!"

Finn laughed as he sprinted forward, blasting the ground with a Water Gun to send himself skyward, flipping in midair to dodge the shimmering blast of light that had erupted from Grumpig. Meanwhile Drowner the Floatzel summoned a massive wave that Brago dove through with a sheer burst of speed, tanking the attack and slamming hard into the Floatzel. Everyone present heard a loud cracking sound come when Brago connected with his attack.

Brago staggered back with a groan of pain, shaking his head to clear it and trying hard to remain standing. The Floatzel flew backwards from the hit the dirt, rolling a few times before coming to a stop and fainting, but not before clutching its chest tightly.

"What the hell!?" Geoff shouted as Finn dropped quickly towards the ground, slamming hard into a surprised Grumpig and bouncing off of it with a Body Slam so that the Poliwrath could land beside an exhausted Brago.

"Their fear runs deep…But even that won't keep them up forever." Brago panted as Geoff began screaming at his two battered, injured and completely exhausted Pokémon to keep fighting.

"Get up! Don't make me have to teach you worthless morons a lesson!" Geoff roared at the two downed Pokémon. Geoff stopped shouting, realizing that his Pokémon couldn't even hear him now that they were unconscious, and tried to get his anger under control and take stock of the situation.

Meanwhile Lillie was healing Penny and Oliver, which was a luxury Geoff didn't have. He was running very low on items, whereas Sun and Lillie were very well-stocked with supplies. And unfortunately, Geoff's patience and rising panic were getting the better of him. The older Trainer whirled around, taking a shaking breath before scowling and bracing himself for the next few moves.

"Kill him, Charcoal. Use a Flare Blitz, the hottest one you can make. You take out the Trainer…and the rest are easy pickings!" Geoff hissed with a mad gleam in his eyes, pointing a finger directly at Sun. Charcoal the Infernape nodded at the command, his body flaring up brightly as flames coated his body.

"You're gonna learn what it means to cross me! So just shut the hell up and die and little-!" Geoff suddenly tensed and stopped shouting, feeling a strange and sudden sensation. The hairs on the back of his neck were sticking up and he had goosebumps. It was as if his body sensed something his brain couldn't.

The man turned his head slightly, just in time to see a surging current of electricity rushing towards him that struck him less than a second later, much to the surprise of everyone present.

Geoff threw back his head and howled in agony as his body thrashed, dropping to his hands and knees as his body seized up. A thud beside the Trainer informed him that Charcoal wasn't spared from the surprise attack. The electricity stopped several painful seconds later, with both Geoff and his Infernape twitching in the dirt.

"W-w-what…did you do!?" Geoff sputtered from the ground, struggling to turn his head so that he could glare hatefully at Sun. To the Trainer's surprise, Sun looked just as confused by the sudden attack as Geoff did. Oliver, Penny, Brago, Finn and Tetra all were likewise confused, because none of them had been the ones to attack Geoff.

"Oh, he didn't do that. That was me."

Sun's eyes widened at the familiar voice and turned towards the nearby grass, where a familiar figure was walking out from the shadows with an expression of distaste on his face as he glared at Geoff.

It was an Alolan Golem, one that was riddled with faded cracks along most of its body. Damage that, to a Rock-type Pokémon, would have been scars leftover from the result of a devastating injury. The Pokémon regarded the hateful Trainer with exhausted and red-tinged eyes.

None of the other Pokémon present made any attempts to move, frozen in place by the sudden arrival of the Golem who had struck Geoff and Charcoal down. As for the rogue Trainer himself, Geoff's blood ran cold at the expression of loathing upon the face of the Megaton Pokémon and struggled to move, but found that the electricity had sapped his limbs of the strength to do that.

And so for the first time in years, Geoff was afraid.

Alastor's calculating gaze drifted to Oliver and Penny, who were prepared to soar forward and attack at any moment. The barely-conscious Brago who was fighting through the pain and Finn who was ready to keep brawling. And then to Tetra lying on the ground, her terrified gaze alternating between her former Trainer and her teammate that chose now to become active once more. The Alolan Golem then turned his attention to Sun and Lillie, who were looking at him with open relief. Alastor registered that for several long moments before exhaling softly and then turning his attention to Geoff, who was twitching on the ground and staring at the new arrival with open fear. Alastor slowly began walking towards the fallen Trainer, who now started trying to force himself upright, a panicked gasp escaping his lips.

"G-get the hell away from me! Charcoal, kill him!" Geoff shouted out to the stunned Infernape, who was still several feet away and unable to assist. The Trainer's gaze snapped back to the Golem that was regarding him with contempt.

"You don't know the first thing about cruelty, do you? Idiotic human…" Alastor muttered, flexing his claws as they crackled with a lethal flow of electricity. Geoff's eyes widened in terror as the Alolan Golem finally smiled down at him with barely-restrained malice in his eyes. "Allow me to educate you thoroughly on the matter."

NEXT TIME: Alastor vents out his frustrations. The real question is will Geoff survive the Alolan Golem's unrelenting fury?

HE'S BACK!

I've been waiting so long for this one. Now let's see just what kind of effect the past few weeks have had on everyone's favorite grumpy rock monster.

Q & A

From: SolanaLeonhart

So, unrelated to the story but I'm curious, have you watched pokemon horizons? What do you think of it?

No, I've seen some snippets of it though. It looks interesting, but I don't really have the time these days to sit down and watch something like that. Hell, I stopped watching the anime back when it was Ash years ago, though I dabbled a lot in Sun/Moon's series.

That's all for now, my lovelies. Thanks for supporting me with your eyeballs for another glorious year, and here's to many more awesome times ahead as we head towards the finish-line.

As always, make sure to review, favorite/follow the story if you haven't already and show your support! It really helps motivate me and keep me going, especially during the tougher times of the year.

I also have a Pokémon Scarlet fic known as "Pokémon Nuzlocke Novels: Ancient Scarlet" available to read on this site and AO3. Any and all support from this story to that story (which is in the same universe as RS) is greatly appreciated.

That's all for now! I'll see you all in 2024.

Take care and stay awesome!

Until next time, FlygonNick out!