The Contender's Ascent

by Insane Dominator

Third installment to "The Fairy Contender". Months passed since Nic and Erza finally united, but now things get really interesting. New challenges face Nic as Pokemon begin to rise, more complex foes challenge him and his powers, and something darker than darkness itself seeks Nic. With friends new and old joining forces, Nic and two worlds unite in ways unimaginable. OCxErza

54. Guardians of Alola - Part II

All eyes were fixed on the anomaly that was the pitch-black beast. His cries were like that of a feral animal as he clawed himself out of the wormhole, making fractured space cracks with his grip against the tears' sides. His jagged, rainbow face refracted numerous light rays that it was almost blinding to look at him directly.

"What...is that?" Erza quipped. She immediately requipped a sword in hand, since Aegislash was barely holding herself up beside her. 'It came out of that wormhole just now...just like those beasts from before.'

"What in tarnation is dat?!" Hapu shouted as she pointed at the monster.

Nic's lunar-shaded lenses were fixated with shock and focus. He maintained a distance as he glared down this unfamiliar foe. And yet, his insides were screaming at him that something was definitely wrong about this creature. Maybe it was because he was in his Lunala Legendary Force, but his sixth sense was on fire from this deep feeling that drove a wedge down his throat. Just looking at him was enough indication that whatever this thing was, it was anything but normal if it could make even a Ghost-type shrivel.

'What the hell is this thing?' He thought, his glare never leaving the monster. 'Is it another Pokémon I haven't seen before? Maybe he's another Ultra Beast...' It was a plausible surmise given the evidence, but that only made his body all the more ready to take action if necessary. 'Whatever he is...he doesn't seem to have come on friendly terms.'

Their scales crawling, Charizard and Greninja braced themselves as they eyed the newcomer. Whatever movements he would make, they'd be careful to measure and respond accordingly.

The monster's rainbow vision dragged to all the corners of his edged visors. He saw the bright Alolan sun beaming down on his prism face. It felt so much warmer compared to that dark castle he was stuck in. He saw the much smaller lifeforms beneath him that looked terrified at him. He saw the dragon with a flame at the end of his tail, alongside a frog...but above them was what intrigued him the most.

"(Light...you...)" He eyed Nic, his rainbow vision retuning red again with searing, painful rage. "(YOU HAVE MY LIIIIIIGHT!)"

His sudden cry of violent anger sent another earsplitting shockwave across the Alolan skies. All of Poni Island had an intense shudder, much like an earthquake. Everyone across the island felt something drop into the pits of their stomachs, like a lead weight that anchored their feet to the ground and unable to move. Many included the fellow Pokémon of the region, too.

Even far within the valleys of Vast Poni Canyon, Jangmo-o and his elder family looked at the sky, feeling extremely insecure. "(D-Dad...do you feel that?)"

Totem Kommo-o looked up towards the canyon's cliffs, his scales rustling like goosebumps. The air felt much different than it was earlier, and he of all superior Dragons would know if something were to rile him up was a very bad sign upon these lands. This was most certainly no exception.

"KROOOOOAAAAHHH!"

The monster's insufferable roars felt nothing short of a Boomburst. The pressure of his cries were so intense that the broken earth beneath him was picked up and flew across the terrain. Greninja was witty enough to jump on Charizard's back before he ascended at the last second. "(What kind of freak is this guy?)" Charizard exasperated.

"(I don't know...)" Greninja replied. "(But something is most certainly wrong with this.)"

"(That goes without say.)"

They all were left uneased. Nobody moved a muscle as they kept their eyes on the black prism before them. He eyed solemnly Nic, who gave an armed gaze back in return. His gut was still crying out that something about this creature was anything but sound. He didn't know whether to feel alarmed or apprehensive about this. One thing's for certain though. The look in his bloody eyes spelled an appetite...and Nic seemed to be on the menu.

His Lunala gaze suddenly sharpened. 'Here he comes!'

"(My...light...)" The beast twitched. "(Come to me...come to me now!)" His arms suddenly raised overhead, the thick claws spreading thinly. He manifested energy that crystalized into gemstones and threw them at Nic.

Recognizing the attack as a Power Gem, Nic suddenly vanished, via Teleport. He reappeared overhead as the gemstone beams continued outwards towards the distance into the Vast Poni Canyon. They looked like light streams that thinned to nothing. A short silence fell across the atmosphere, before everyone watched as a dazzling explosion took up the cliffs of Vast Poni Canyon, obliterating rock in a split second.

Erza's breath hitched as she looked surprised at the energy unleashed. The Kahunas were no different with shock surmounting their horrors. 'What power...'

'That strength...that's anything but sound.' Looker looked back up. 'What's going on here?!'

"Grroooooaaah!" the monster released another voluminous cry towards the sky. His body violently shuddered with his raging tone.

Nic glared down at him. That level of strength wasn't like what the Tapus had. This was something far greater. His instincts naturally told him to stay on guard, no matter what. He braced himself as Charizard and Greninja flew up to cover him.

The monster snarled again, raising his hands overhead and projecting more crystalized energy spheres at Nic. He didn't seem to mind the extras that were the other Pokémon in his way.

"Greninja, Water Shuriken!" Nic commanded.

Charizard lowered his head and neck to give Greninja a better vantage point. He bent his knees and swiped, unleashing blue stars that streamed through each beam. The razor-sharp projectiles bisected the shard-like meteors, shattering them to light glass in the atmosphere. Nic's eyes glowed as he used Confusion to manipulate the individual shrapnel pieces and suspended them in place. He flexed his wings and projected all the shrapnel back, sending scattering, hardened particles back at him. With a fiendish snarl, the creature crossed both his disproportional arms. The claws and protrusions glowed bright purple as he crossed again, making harsh slash waves that carved into the trajectory of the particle storm.

'It knows Night Slash, too?' Immediately one thought came to Nic's mind. Going in close was not a liable option to subdue this thing.

With the move still active, the prism beast's brain prism glistened underneath the sunlight, drawing in its light that brightened his frame, but only a little. The creature's stiff body jerked forward before he lunged through the air to make a vicious swipe at Nic.

"Charizard, Dragon Claw!"

Charizard let out a roar as he held up his arms and claws, which glowed bright green. Energy claws hardened and met the monster head-on, meeting his violent swipe with one of his own. The instant the claws connected, an airwave mixed with green and purple flares exploded in all directions. The ground below them immediately shattered to pieces from the impact alone. Diced earth and debris defied gravity as the two creatures were kept in a stalemate. Charizard's blue eyes met red, with each snarling menacingly.

"Night Slash!"

Suddenly from above, Greninja came down with a swift and very sharp needle, much like a blade. The foe's other claw glowed and met Greninja's Night Slash with his own, making another airwave spread out. This one was much sharper in density because the diced, defying earth below bisected at every corner, before exploding into dust clouds that immediately grounded.

The three were kept in a deadlock, with Charizard and Greninja's honed physiques keeping themselves from letting up against the monster. They showed no fear against him...but the bloodthirsty look in his eyes sent a euphoric chill up and down their spines.

With his Pokémon keeping the subject in place, Nic had a clear visual as his eyes shined brightly. 'Keep him incapacitated! Now! Hypnosis!' His eyes released a shimmering, hypnotic wave that beamed down on the black prism.

A foreign light shimmered on his black prism, instantly brightening his rainbow gleam once more. This didn't go unnoticed by anybody as the rays on his face flickered and reacted upon the hypnotic illusion. With another roar, gemstones materialized around his body, also alarming everyone. Instinct kicked in and Greninja and Charizard drew themselves away moments before a point-blank Power Gem was unleashed. It expelled monstrous shards that scattered after his foes. Charizard and Greninja used their speed and reflexes the carve and slash into the projectiles, making a field of shattered energy crystals block out the Hypnosis waves.

Nic glared down as he watched Greninja stop freefall and used his tongue to lace around Charizard's claw. The latter pulled his ally towards him and allowed his back to be a stool. Immediately, they shot straight up before the dazzling gem cloud was ripped apart by grizzly claws, showing the monster's jagged, rainbow prism gnashing like teeth.

'That look...' Nic gazed the beast's rainbow eyes, that same, uneasy chill he felt before increasing threefold. 'Is it here for something?' He quickly stopped to consider the repercussions.

"(Light...you...)" He eyed Nic, his rainbow vision retuning red again with searing, painful rage. "(YOU HAVE MY LIIIIIIGHT!)"

'His light?' His eyes narrowed in suspicion. What did he mean by that?

The prism let out a roar as he was about to attack again. However, sunlight glimmered below, drawing him towards something that came his way in the form of sharp swords.

"Blumenblatt!"

Shimmering blades bolted skywards at the prism, followed by a blitz of silver. The monster swiped his claws, raking through each blade and shattering them like glass. What's more, the light that the blades deflected and produced had dimmed to a dull shade. The brain prism glowed brighter as the beast recoiled by only a few meters as Erza interceded by Nic's side.

"Erza." Nic gasped.

"You didn't think that I'd let you have all the fun, did you?" She teased, before looking at the beastly prism with her signature glare. Such a look would intimidate the ever-loving hell out of a normal person, but here it had the opposite effect. The beast glared back, unfazed at Erza like she was nonexistent. "Just what is this thing? No, better question, where did it come from?"

"Not sure. But it came out of a similar hole...just like those other Ultra Beasts we've fought before." Nic surmised, connecting dots as the grizzly figment twitched. 'If that's the case, could it be another Ultra Beast? If it is, it's definitely an abnormal breed.' His glare hardened as he saw the beast react to something.

The prism snarled, taking in the gaze of Erza. His body twitched slightly before he fired more shimmering gemstones at her. She crossed her blades and braced herself.

"Pentagram Sword!"

Her swords slashed in a pentagram formation, carving the gemstones into fragments that exploded around her. They went off like fireworks, although the impact was strong enough to dull the edges of her sharp blades.

"(You...out of my way...)" the beast snarled, his eyes returning to a bloody red.

Erza took a quick glance at her blades, realizing how fractured they were from the sheer power of the Power Gem she had to parry. 'His strength is enough to nearly break my toughest blades. This strength isn't like the other Ultra Beast.'

"Erza, be careful. It looks like he's after me." Nic reasoned.

Erza's eyes widened with slight astonish, as with fear. "You sure?" She saw the assured look in his eyes, glaring back forward. "If that's the case..." She crossed her blades. "He'll have to get through me first before I let that happen!"

The prism let out another harsh roar. He brought his claws forward to expel another blast of gemstones. This time, Erza went on the defensive. "Aegislash, King's Shield!"

Flying in from out of the blue, Aegislash dove into her Shield Forme, facing the gemstones before an energy forcefield with a hexagonal pattern materialized and took the brunt of the shard storm.

The prism snarled angrily before he bolted after Erza again, his right claw pulled back for another Night Slash. Knowing her swords wouldn't be string enough, she requipped them away and clutched Aegislash, "Right! Just bear with me, Aegislash!"

"(Don't worry, Erza! I won't yield!)" The sword declared, even though at this point she felt nothing but fatigue. She couldn't give up. Thankfully as she shifted to her Blade Forme, Erza gripped her and swung for her.

"Sacred Sword!"

The Night Slash swiped forward, meeting the glowing blue blade. Sharp shrapnel clanged through the air as there was another deadlock interceding the two foes. Erza and Aegislash were muscling it well against the Dark-type move, but the beast refused to budge, instead giving them another crude snarl.

'This one...it's most certainly strong. I can barely move him, even with this level of strength.' Erza gnashed her teeth, trying harder to push back the monster. Her brown eyes met his bloodthirsty glare. The way he looked anything but emotional was like glaring at a wall made of a void. She didn't know why, but the longer she stared at him, the more uneased she felt. 'It feels like my body is getting colder the closer I stay around it...!'

"(Out of my way...you don't have my light!)" Ultimately, the prism still had one arm left to use. It raised it high, making it glow for his consecutive Night Slash. It came down with the force of an axe right for Erza. As she braced for it, she realized she wouldn't get away in time...

But the claw froze in place, along with the prism's entire body. The nerves froze up mere millimeters from Erza's corneas when a blue outline encompassed the prism, rendering him stunned in place.

As Nic used Confusion, his glimmering eyes could already feel the hold loosening from this creature's wrath. He had to hurry. "Charizard, Flamethrower! Greninja, Return!"

Greninja jumped off of Charizard, the latter's mouth broiling in fire. Once he was fully charged, a monstrous blaze of flames took off from his mouth that seared across the skies. Greninja's heel glowed purple with strong relation energy and dragged the heel through the flames, giving the kick a vermilion flare around it that was jettisoned by fire. The ninja frog cried out as his heel smashed into the prism's face, causing a point-blank explosion of violet flames mixed with aura that took over the sky.

Erza was blown that by the shockwaves of the attack, but she steadied herself out and stopped beside Nic. Greninja did a large backflip through the vermilion flare and landed on Charizard's back.

As they rebounded, the flares also expelled the black prism several meters away. He came to a halt with claws covering his face. They lowered just enough for them to see his bloody gleam.

"Erza, are you alright?" Nic asked, glancing at his wife.

Erza faced forward, keeping her glare fixed on the prism. "Yes, I'm fine thanks to all of you." She frowned heavily. 'But my skin...it still feels shiverish, even after breaking away from that thing. It's skin...is it that cold?'

The dark prism shuddered, twitching as his body drew in more solar light. His cold spell settled down as his brain prism glowed bright rainbow. "(Y-you all...)" He held up his left claw, actually mustering enough nerves to clutch a fist. "(You all...are in the way!)"

A pressure change swelled the atmosphere. Everyone felt it. Nic's third eye brightened as he could see something changing in the prism's dark power flow. 'Something's coming!'

"KRROOOOOAAAAH!" The prism let out a vile roar that shook the land and earth alike, before raising his left claw high and spreading out his fingers. Overhead, spatial energy distorted until it collapsed upon itself, summoning a large wormhole-like tunnel with bright blue networks that hovered over everyone's heads.

Looker's eyes widened with his growing shock. "What is that supposed to be?!"

"An Ultra Wormhole! A big one!" Nanu answered, honest shock in his tone. He felt an intense vibration in his pocket once more. He pulled out his phone and noticed an alert from the Dimensional Research Lab about a massive spatial surge. "You're giving me this alert now?!"

"What'd be de problem?!" Hapu worried.

"Can everyone read me over there?! Anyone?!" The Kahunas stopped in their tracks when they heard Looker's earpiece ring with a familiar tone to it.

"That voice...is that Professor Burnet?" Olivia wondered, looking around for any sign of the familiar scientist. Sadly, no luck. As expected.

Looker tapped his earpiece, glancing at it. "Professor Burnet, we can hear you. What's the status over there?"

"You all need to brace yourselves now! We're detecting a very large energy mass heading your way! You all better get out of there as fast as you can!"

With a click, the transmission suddenly dismissed itself. "That sure ain't a good sign if I know one." Nanu exasperated, peering up towards the huge hole above them once more. What he saw made his red eyes shrink down to the size of salt grain. "Oh crud..."

The wormhole flowed outwards, expelling numerous white parasites that purred and hissed. All of them had a familiar bell with star patterns that gave Nic and Erza déjà vu. They all fluttered slowly out of the hole, drifting to open areas around the disheveled altar.

"Those parasites again...lots of them?!" Erza exasperated, her shock evident in her eyes.

'So that's it.' Nic shot a narrowed glare at the dark prism. 'So he's what I've been sensing whenever a hole opens up. He's the one who's been making the gateways for these things to crawl out.'

The wormhole kept spewing out the parasites. They came in clusters that diverged throughout the air. Dozens upon dozens of them filled the atmosphere around them, blanketing their surroundings in nothing but white jellyfish that drifted as though they were in the ocean. Only that ocean was in the atmosphere.

"(I don't like the looks of this.)" Charizard snorted, huffing embers from his nostrils.

"(You're not alone there. Stay sharp!)" Greninja warned.

"(That was my line.)"

The prismatic beast let out a growl like a command. He pointed a claw at Erza and the Kahunas beneath him. Immediately, they all hissed and vibrated their tendrils eagerly before fluttering down after them. They all swarmed around their prey, quickly catching everyone's attention.

"Incoming!" Hala warned.

Nanu was quick to pull out another Ultra Ball. "Well, guess we don't have a choice now, do we? So much for running." His tone was so dry that if it were any dryer, it would've been like the Haina Desert.

"Everyone, look alive!" Olivia shouted, pulling out another Ultra Ball. Hala and Hapu preceded her as they all watched the horde draw closer. At the same time, they all threw them outwards.

"Come on out!"

Simultaneously, all the Ultra Balls exploded with energy, expelling Hala's Hariyama, Olivia's Probopass, and Hapu's Flygon. In Nanu's case, his choice was a Krookodile that slammed his tail into the ground.

Immediately, Krookodile's glare seared into all the Ultra Beast parasites, stopping them for a brief moment as their Attack was reduced.

"How's about a little of Krookodile's Intimidate to start things off." Nanu mused. "Now, Crunch!"

His Krookodile obeyed and opened his jaws wide. The sharp canines showed and elongated, and he took oFf to sink his large jaws into the bell of one of the nearest parasites. Immediately it cried out in pain, and Krookodile added insult to injury by slamming it into the ground.

Olivia reached her arm out at the parasites above. "Probopass, Flash Cannon!" Probopass' three Mini-Noses converged in front of herself, the three corners making a triangular shape that concentrated silverish light to a single point. She cried out as she fired a concentrated beam in a long arch, hitting multiple parasites at the same time. A chain of silver explosions engulfed the skies above the pair.

Hapu swiped her arm. "Flygon, now! Get'em with yer Dragon Rush!" Her Flygon jettisoned overhead and set his sights on the parasites in his path. His create horns glowed bright blue and exploded draconic energy that encompassed his body. He roared out as he rushed at an alarming rate into several clumped together, creating a powerful explosion in the atmosphere.

"Hariyama, Heavy Slam!" Hala shouted, thrusting a palm out.

"(You got it!)" Hariyama slammed his palms together, making a thunderclap that echoed throughout the air. His body shimmered with a yellow and silver energy as he rushed and smacked a nearby parasite straight into the ground, denting the altar grounds beneath him.

"(Minions...keep them occupied...until I have my light!)" The prism snarled, glaring back at Nic with a fixated bloody gleam.

"Kreeeaaah!" The parasites hissed as they drifted around, mainly around Erza. Many of them drifted too close to her, in which she braced herself.

'There's so many. I didn't realize that Ultra Beasts could organize singular species like this.' The redheaded knight held herself firmly in the air as she rationalized everything she knew about these creatures. 'They only attack the healthy prey, so we won't have to worry about any of the one's we've defeated. But they're also fast when not attached to something otherwise.' She shot a look down at the altar, seeing the Kahunas using their Pokémon to fend themselves. But amongst them, Looker was unarmed and exposed. 'With numbers like these, I worry no one will last long.'

As parasites hissed and rushed for Erza, she held up her Aegislash and braced herself. There was no time for any second-guessing. She needed to act, fast! "Night Slash!" She swung Aegislash as her blade enveloped in a dark purple energy. She sped with Erza passed the numerous Ultra Beasts, slashing them down with a critical hit. They hissed as they faltered towards the ground.

Aegislash's eye caught wind of something above. "(Above us!)"

Erza heard her Pokémon's cry and noticed several shadows overhead. Several parasites had gemstones lined up and fired them down like rain onto Erza. She gripped Aegislash harder at Night Slash was still active. She furiously slashed through the air, parrying the many gemstones into shrapnel around her.

Behind her, some of the parasites concentrated on her turned back. "Kreeee..."

Her sixth sense kicked in. Erza glanced behind, realizing she was pincered. 'This isn't good. If I let up, Aegislash will take too much damage!'

The parasite hissed as they released streaming, venomous liquid at Erza from behind as the Power Gem shower kept coming down. With no choice, she voiced a command.

"Aegislash, King's Shield!"

"(Right away!)" Once again, Aegislash removed from Erza's grip and shifted to her Shield Forme once more. A hexagonal forcefield materialized around her and bordered the gem showers and venomous gushes from behind.

'They're trying to pin us in place! They're adapting too quickly to how to face against powerful foes!' Erza's realization left her to realize that as long as Aegislash defended against the barrage, she couldn't attack. 'Much of my Heaven's Wheel's swords shattered when they made impact with that bast mastermind.'

"(Heat Wave!)"

A loud roar was accompanied by a strong gust of superheated flames. The shockwaves erupted outwards behind Erza and Aegislash, who were still safeguarded by the King's Shield. Mixed in with the searing gust, a crimson and black shockwave erupted outwards, expanding the force to make it blow away the parasites around them in a maelstrom of swirling dark flames.

When the flames diminished, Erza took a pause and realized she was no longer pinned. The atmosphere steamed with visible crimson embers flickering to nothing. She saw many seared parasites dropping like flies all around her and Aegislash. She looked behind, seeing her saviors. "Nic! Charizard!"

"You okay, Erza?" Nic asked, the violet and crimson energy around him evaporating.

Erza gave him a serious look. "It's fine. You sure have a knack for timing, don't you?"

"That's pretty obvious at this point..." Nic looked back down at the Kahunas and swarm beneath them. "Listen, don't worry about me. There're still more surroundings the Kahunas. As much as I hate to say it...we can't leave them to defend themselves against these numbers."

Erza nodded. "Right, I guess you have a point."

"Grooaaaaah!"

Another bloodcurdling roar got their attention. They all looked back at the shockwaves emitting from the prism beast and saw his bloody gaze fixated on them once again. He raised a claw to generate more gemstones and fired them. Before they got too close, Greninja fired shuriken of water that sliced them before they got too close, scattering energy specks all around them.

"It looks like he's the one telling the parasites what to do. We'll keep him busy. You just worry about those parasites." Nic insisted.

"Understood." She replied. "But if you get careless this time around, when we get home...be prepared for a month's worth of house chores, mister."

Nic's eyelids dulled some. "I'll try not to. Get going! Here he comes!" Charizard and Greninja braced themselves at Nic's behest.

"GROOAAAAHHH!" The prismatic entity crossed his arms and separated them. His brain prism shined with light drawn in from everywhere around himself. It was vague, but everyone could have sworn that the hue darkened a little around the altar. His glowing claws indicated Night Slash once again. Charizard pulled his wings back again and flapped forward, expelling another explosive Heat Wave. The searing gust struck the prism's claws as he crossed them, slicing the attack around him. The heat and embers still seared the sides of his brain prism.

"Keep him out of range!" Nic stated, before turning towards Erza. "Now, get going!"

"Right!" She grabbed Aegislash and glided down towards the altar ground.

With Erza having gone to a lower altitude and out of range, this gave Nic some level of comfort. At least he and his Pokémon could go all out while covering as much ground as possible. They eyeballed the Heat Wave's force gradually diminishing, revealing the prism with the protrusions on his claws a heated red. The glow they gave off faded into his body, shimmering along his frame with a faint glow. His brain prism gleamed rainbow once again.

Nic glared back. 'What is this guy...?'

---

Two parasites drifted towards Hapu, but Flygon intercepted them with his wings glowing. "Steel Wing!" Hapu shouted.

Flygon's vibrant wings slammed the two parasites, square in their bells. They hissed as they were blown back into the air. A few more immediately filled the gaps and fired poisonous liquid down onto Flygon. Out of instinct, he dodged them, but realized that was a critical mistake. The gushes went on, nearly hitting Hapu as she covered and shrieked.

"(Hapu!)" Flygon panicked.

Within his panic, a random parasite raised its tendrils and fired concentrated blasts of gemstones at Flygon's back. They hit their mark, sending him to the ground in a smoking comet. "(Grah!)" He yelped in pain. He slammed on his stomach in front of Hapu, immediately flooring her onto her back.

"Hapu!" Hala shouted. He wanted to go help her, but an Ultra Beast flew too close to him. "Hariyama! Heavy Slam!"

The creature hissed as it drew closer towards its prey, but Hariyama stood in its way, hid body shimmering a silver-yellow outline. With a loud cry, he smacked the parasite away.

With the cover, Hala rushed over to help the youngest Kahuna up. "Are you alright, Kahuna Hapu?"

Hapu groaned, but she was responsive at least. "I...reckon dat I am..." She shook her head and shot up to her feet. "I'm good now! Don't underestimate little ole' me!"

Ultra Beast parasites hissed as they fired more gemstone blasts down onto Krookodile and Probopass, the two blocking in their Trainers' steads. More of the brunt was being hammered down on Krookodile, enough to make him slide back a foot.

"(Annoying...little buggers!)" he sneered.

Nanu grunted behind him. 'I really wanna use Earthquake, but if I do that, everyone else would be in danger.' He furrowed his brow. 'This has grown into such a pain.'

Olivia uncovered herself as she reached out before her. "Probopass! Dazzling Gleam!"

As Probopass' sturdy body took the gemstone bombardment, her metallic frame shimmered brighter until it erupted into piercing gleams all around. Many of the parasites around her hissed and sneered as they were forced to either pull away, or take the searing light. But not many, if none at all, went down.

Others maneuvered around the light, firing liquefied poison from behind. Olivia barely saw one heading her way and looked horrified.

"Watch out!" Looker moved in at the last second, pulling Olivia by the waist and hauling her to the ground with him. The poisonous liquid exploded into an acidic mist behind them. Looker grunted as he opened an eye. "Miss Olivia, are you hurt?"

"No, I'm just fine. Thanks for that." She replied, before looking up with gnashing teeth. She looked visibly frustrated at the dirty tricks these creatures were pulling on them. She slowly got to her feet. "These things, attacking a woman with her back turned. They've got some nerve!"

"They're Ultra Beasts. What do you expect?" Nanu shrugged. "It's not like they know better, and even if they did, I doubt they'd have the sense that we would. These guys act on self-preservation. That means whatever odds they can gain from striking your guards down...they'll take it."

Hala looked all around, seeing the beasts drift in spontaneous directions. "Then what's the best way to deal with these heathens, Kahuna Nanu?"

Nanu glared ahead, a deep frown plastered on his face. "What else?" His eyes narrowed. "Send them back where they came from."

More parasites hissed as they eyed them all. They closed in with vicious intent in their eyes.

"Krookodile, give'em a Swagger!" Nanu shouted.

"(Ooooh, I love this one!)" Krookodile spread his heels and glared at the Ultra Beasts in his path. He snorted before giving an intimidating glare with a red aura flaring around his body. The parasites in front of him shriveled and gave a retorting hiss of its own. The red aura flared around it and faded. Moments later, the aura around both Pokémon faded, but the parasite seemed dazed.

Nanu smirked maliciously. 'Now the fun begins.'

One of the parasites behind the dazed target hissed before firing a blob of venomous liquid overhead. Mistaking that for a threat, the confused Ultra Beast turned it back towards Krookodile, giving a hiss at the sender. It suddenly darted for the parasite, headbutting it right in the bell. The two beasts hissed as they recoiled, though the confused one seemed to have taken the brunt of the confusion.

"(Shouldn't look away from a Dark-type, squidsy! That's a rookie mistake!)" Krookodile slammed his tail into the parasite's back, sending it careening through the swarm around them. He swayed his tail to and fro with a sneer. "(Heh, lightweighted jellyfish-gah!)" He was blasted by poisonous liquid from the side, causing him to nearly fall over.

"That ain't good!" Nanu sniped. He looked up, seeing another jet of Venoshock come down onto him. His quick thinking made him duck and roll away, but the wake of the impact made him land a little harder than what he intended. He rolled to a halt, clutching his sides. "Gngh...that's smarts..."

"Nanu!" Looker cried out. 'This isn't good. At this rate...'

With all of them focusing on the battle around them, they couldn't afford to look up. There, two more parasites hovered in place, looking down at their prey. They were none other than Beast 1 and Beast 2. They both hissed lowly, making sure to keep themselves from being out of place amongst the rest of the swarm.

"Kreeee..." Beast 1 sniped at its peer. Its head bobbed up and down, as if communicating with a plan.

"Kreeee!" Beast 2 seemingly complied, going along with what it had in mind.

Both faced the Kahunas below once again and brought their tendrils together. A ball of toxins formulated between each one and raised high overhead. They fired at the same time, shooting them skywards with poisonous, purple smoke trailing behind them. Once they reached a high enough point, they exploded in a purple smoke cloud.

"Huh? What is that?!" Hearing the explosion, Hala and the others looked up. They all saw what looked like bright purple toxins raining down around them, trailing smoke as they faded into the ground in ripples.

"What just happened?" Olivia worried, looking down at her feet.

Looker recognized the tactic all too well. "A double-layered Toxic Spikes?" He gasped. He looked around at his allies. "Everyone, listen up! Don't move from your spot! You'll get badly poisoned if you do!"

Parasites hissed as they unleashed more Power Gem and Venoshock barrages around them. Their Pokémon had no choice just to shield them and take the brunt of the blows. Flygon grunted heavily, as did Hariyama. Though Krookodile and Probopass were putting up a better type advantage, they were also pinned down.

Looker looked around, trying to find anyway out this predicament. "This isn't good. At this rate...!" He felt extremely uneasy for some reason. When he looked up, he looked genuinely horrified. "Look out!"

They all looked up as a shower of gemstones came down onto them. The Kahunas all had wide eyes and cried out when the shards and makeshift glass struck their bodies. Every last one of them cried out in pain as they stumbled and fell over. Their bodies slammed onto the altar grounds, triggering the Toxic Spikes trap set a few moments ago. Olivia's body convulsed as toxic bubbles exploded from beneath her. Her cries matched Hapu's as she instantly felt worse than usual. Hala and Nanu grunted heavily as they felt a stinging sensation run through their bodies.

When the smoke cleared, Looker coughed out dust from his lungs and looked around. He saw all his fellow Kahunas on the ground, poisoned and dazed. He didn't have the words as the situation was hopeless.

"They...this is very bad." He looked towards the nearby IP helicopters beyond the swarm. 'The air. That's it!' He reached for his walkie talkie, pressing a button to communicate. "This is Elite Looker, do you copy?" He waited a few seconds for a proper response from the helicopter fleet.

"Affirmative, you are within range. Over." One of the pilots announced.

"Request to fly us out of here, now!" He waited for another response.

"That is a negative, sir."

His heart sunk into his stomach at those words.

"Too many enemy hostiles are within range. We are unable to move close to provide aid. Over."

Looker clutched the walkie talkie tighter in his grip. He looked up at the swarm around them, still so many that were looming over them and drifting closer. He found his own frustrations growing. He was so off guard that a precision blast of gemstones struck his walkie talkie, shattering it to pieces at the base of his feet.

Before he had time to process it, he felt an uneasy shadow loom overhead. He looked up, seeing the exposed bell of Beast 1 at the glorious opportunity before it. Looker froze up upon the realization.

"Looker!" Nanu shouted, trying to reach out helplessly for him.

Looker's eyes shrank as he couldn't move. All he saw was an oncoming gray visage that slowly overlapped his face. Time slowed down drastically as he and the Kahunas had horrified looks on their faces. Parasites were gradually drifting closer towards them, not minding their overall health. They were left speechless as they watched the creature's tendrils drape around his neck, drawing him deeper into the bell.

BAM!

At the speed of light, a glowing pincer jabbed so deep into the bell that it distorted inwards. The punch followed through, sending it in a frantic spiral across the domain. Looker hardly had the time to register what just happened. He only saw a blur before something landed in front of him.

"What just...?" he recognized the Pokémon that stood before him. "A Scizor?"

"Nice work, Scizor! Now it's my turn! Blumenblatt!"

With speed and grace of a fairy, a silver gleam passed through the air with a golden blade that was glowing bright blue. A ferocious battle cry was called out, along with the projection of melee spears and weapons that passed Ultra Beasts in numerous numbers. Each one filled the air with a cry of pain before dropping to the ground. Everyone had the same gaping expression at their savior being shown in broad daylight.

"Wait! Aren't you...?!" Looker trailed off.

"Kreeee!" Beast 2 hissed upon the realization of who attacked its ally.

Before everyone, Scizor crossed her pincers, while Erza remained floating over the ground with Aegislash in hand. "Nice timing, Scizor." The knight praised.

"Mrs. Pularis?!" Hala gasped.

"She saved us..." Olivia breathlessly said. Erza looked over her shoulder, giving Olivia a look that sent another chill down her spine. She held up Aegislash as another Night Slash activated. "Wait, don't-!"

Faster than what she could see, a dark purple slash wave sped passed her, carving into an Ultra Beast that got too close. Olivia looked over her shoulder to see the real target that Erza intended. Her shock only surmounted even more.

"You...you saved me...why?"

Erza floated above, glaring ahead at the parasites surrounding her. "Because, that's what a Fairy Tail mage does."

"But...but we tried to hurt you. How could you risk yerself for dose who tried to hurt you?" Hapu questioned, before her body cringed from the harsh poison wearing her down.

"Don't take this the wrong way. We have much differences, you and I. I never allow my duties to cloud what I know is right...that was something that someone whom I admire more than anyone else taught me...the very same man that you all persecuted all for your selfish duties."

They were all still silent, unsure of how to properly respond to her.

"But..." She saw another Power Gem fired her way. Aegislash floated in front and used King's Shield, protecting Erza and the others from the barrage. Scizor, on the other hand, zipped beneath the parasite unleashing the barrage and shot up with an Iron Head, smashing into the underside and crashing into another lookalike. "I stand to protect the weak and show what true justice. It takes a lot of courage to stand for what you believe in the face of someone who happens to disagree. These Ultra Beasts, they are whom our troubles are caused by. I'm sure this would be something Nic would do as well. Everyone deserves a chance. Now...will you stand?"

The Kahunas and International Policeman were very quiet. They couldn't make heads or tails of the situation unfolding before them. At the moment, it didn't seem like they had much of a choice, though they could just stay down and not accept being charity cases for the likes of an outsider. But with the island guardians completely tarnished, somebody had to stand and defend Alola.

A deep breath went through Nanu's nose, then out his mouth. He gave a light scoff with a sneer. "Well now, you've certainly given us a proposition, haven't you, missy?" He reached for the Pecha Berry, taking it and biting into the sweet contents. He always hated sweets. His tongue got so light because of them. This was one of those times. After swallowing, the poison on his body began to simmer away. He found his ability to stand a lot less troublesome. "Well, guess I have t'agree. Be a real shame if we stayed down and let somebody else cleanup our mess, huh."

Olivia, Hapu, and Hala hesitated at first, but they all grabbed the Pecha Berries in front of them and took small bites. The poison inflicted on their bodies faded away as sweetness filled their veins. They found themselves standing once more.

"It would appear that we owe you for this show of kindness in our darkest hour, Mrs. Pularis." Hala grunted.

"The big guy's right." Olivia tossed a bang across her face. "Guess we may have misread things."

"I still no like dis mess made. But I guess I reckon we get our high horses in gear dis time if we be given another chance, huh?"

Looker closed his eyes. "Looks like another investigation will be in order. But for now, I have to admit. She has a point." He turned towards the sky. "These Ultra Beasts must be stopped above all else! For now, our main enemy is that solemnly!"

"Right!" The Kahunas shouted in unison.

Erza took a moment to collect herself. She knew as well as them that giving someone a chance was never easy, but if her past experiences with people like Laxus and Jellal meant anything, it's that there were more to people than just their initial fronts. She dismissed her thoughts and focused on the parasites before her. "Enough talk! Let's see what you're all made of!"

Aegislash and Scizor braced themselves as they stood before Erza's floating frame; the Ultra Beasts hissed in retort and rushed for them. Erza and her Pokémon lunged ahead in kind.

---

Charizard shot up high into the atmosphere above. At he fired like a jet, Greninja did a backflip off him and reaffirmed himself as jetting gemstones shot his way. He fired more shuriken of water that shattered each one, making another field of shining fragments around him. The prismatic beast snarled angrily at the counterattack. Through the shards, another dark shockwave in the form of a Night Daze pushed away all the minerals and headed the monster's way. He floated in place, reeling back another claw for Night Slash and roared mightily as he jabbed forward. The grizzly black shockwave distorted from the splicing force he used, but neither side was winning. Until finally, after several seconds of the shockwave eroding the air, it imploded into a pitch-black and crimson hemisphere that expelled a horizontal airwave across the atmosphere. An explosion of crimson engulfed everything that caused the broken cliffs to the canyons to depress and reduce to dust.

The impact's momentum eventually receded, jetting out the pitch-black prism as his rainbow brain prism flickered brightly. He eventually hit the airbrakes and halted in air.

'Keep his attention on you!' Nic didn't waste a second as he crossed his wings and flapped them, unleashing air saws that shredded through the air, via Air Slash.

The prism beast's eyes glimmered as he saw the white, splicing disks head his way, but didn't bother flinching. He raised both arms out and fired gemstone projectiles, meeting the slicing attack in the center with a dazzling display of fireworks that lit up around them. For a split second, it dazed the beast's vision as the bright gemstones produced a flare that piqued his interests. That was all they needed.

Overhead, time slowed down as a silhouette with a flaming tail spun around, coming down with a hefty heel into the face.

"(Fly!)"

Charizard's heel stamped into the beast's huge arms, blocking the attack at the last possible moment. The sky ruptures flickering airwaves as the sound barrier exploded upon impact. Charizard gnashed his fangs as he pressed as hard as he could with all the momentum behind him, but the beast was stubborn and very angry.

Nic's eyes narrowed as he observed this. 'He's overpowering Charizard's momentum!' He shot a look at Greninja, who was on his back. When they made eye contact, they simultaneously nodded in understanding of what had to be done.

The prism's eyes glimmered intensely. "(You're in the way!)" He ultimately swiped his arms across, finally buffering Charizard skywards in a jetting turmoil.

Nic held out his forearm, which Greninja hooked around. Nic swung the frog with all his might skywards into the projected atmosphere that Charizard flung into. Greninja stuck out his feet to brace for Charizard. The dragon's expert reflexes kicked in as he used the spiraling momentum and stamped his heels against Greninja's. He bent his knees and reaffirmed his wings for a supersonic flap that sent him rushing back towards the prism.

"Greninja, Scald! Charizard, Dragon Claw!"

Charizard's blue eyes shrank as he let out a draconic roar. He crossed and unsheathed his claws, making the energy claws blossom as he closed the gap. Greninja unleashed a monstrous jet of scalding hot water that closed in on him. The jet and Charizard nearly aligned until Charizard started rotating his body like a drill. The scalding hot water followed his rotation and became a broiling, aquatic vortex around his frame. Nic glared ahead as he unleashed a Night Shade, sending a streaky black, twin blast into the momentum of the combination. It mixed with Charizard's scalding drill to add a thicker, darker swirl within its rotating force.

The beast looked up, his rainbow glare reflecting the oncoming supersonic jet that was Charizard.

"(You're going down!)"

With a violent battle cry, Charizard's claws stuck out as he met the prism's massive forearms. There was a bright green and black flickering spiral that had a piercing end that met his protrusions that acted as a guard. The shockwaves of the attack were so intense that the ground far below felt the wake and ended up flattening. The air violently trembled as the friction was like a scalding, draconic drill that burnt upon impact. The humidity in the air was at an all-time high. The monster found himself gradually losing traction within the air. All his snarling and growls only got him inches upon inches away from Nic.

When he tried to push forward, he only got a little force in...but was immediately withdrawn. He recoiled drastically with a yelp as the scalding, dark, claw drill didn't let up.

Charizard grunted heavily as he kept the pressure on, not allowing the prism to get anywhere passed him. Even though his vision was covered by Night Shade, he could still see what was happening. 'He's taking all that pressure at once and not being drawn back. He's not even using Night Slash to defend, but his durability is that high...no, something's driving him.' He saw the beast's bloodthirsty glare still fixed on Nic. 'And he won't go down unless he gets it!'

"(You...will not...keep me from my light! Do you hear me?!)" the prism snapped. As he kept his position, pressure began channeling within his body. A rainbow outline encompassed his frame as light was drawn in all around.

As she slashed down another Ultra Beast, Erza felt an incredible shift in the atmosphere. She stopped in midair and turned skywards towards light refracting off of the black prism's body. It was beginning to get so bright she could barely see straight. "What is that light? It's getting intense by the second..."

"(Grrrrrrr...! Get out...of my way...)" The prism's eyes flickered rainbow again. A humming was heard as the light refracting off his body suddenly accelerated. Light bent in every direction that he looked like a disco ball.

Greninja's eyes shrunk with shock. Nic felt something terrible in his gut that screamed for him to move.

"This is bad...!"

"(Charizard! Move, now!)" Greninja warned.

"(PRISMATIC LASER!)"

In a millisecond's worth of time, the scalding drill was neutralized on the spot by an explosion of light. Charizard froze in place as his blue eyes reflected the oncoming lasers that looked like meteors blazing through space. Everything went white and expanded in force across the sky before a shockwave preceded with multicolored lasers of pure concentrated light seared in every direction. Hundreds of individual laserbeams fired at the speed of light into the atmosphere and to the altar grounds. Erza and the other Kahunas covered up as piercing light beams passed them at rates faster than the eye could track. Anyone who looked directly into the rays could feel their corneas burn from the sheer UV rays exposed. The entire altar was a destructive lightshow that showered beams too far out. Some of the Vast Poni Canyon's cliffs were caught in the wake, ending up being turned to dust.

Looker covered himself with his forearms, but managed to open one of his eyes to catch a bare wince of the lightshow showering down on him. "What's happening? It's using refracted light to attack?!"

Many of the surrounding parasites hissed as the piercing light blinded even them. Some of them ended up being struck by the light, their cries going quiet as they ended up being vaporized from its sheer intensity. Dozens were struck down, and many more were injured from tendrils and sides of their bells being seared.

Erza was quick enough to evade a laserbeam and used Aegislash's King's Shield to guard her. The barrier held up, but even more light beams flew passed her, heading for the Kahunas. "Scizor!"

"(I know!)" The red insectoid shot in front of the Kahunas, her claws glowing as she crossed them. "(X-Scissor!)" An X-shaped energy slash met one of the laserbeams head-on, creating a bright flare that stemmed thinner light streams around Scizor. She grunted heavily as her attack barely blocked the pure light. It was so hot to the touch! Her toes grinded against the ground as she slid back every few seconds. It was an overwhelming pressure pinned against her, but she was barely hanging on.

"(Such intense...force...!)" She grunted. She leaned forward and pushed with all the might her pincers could carry. "(Graaaaaah!)"

It took several seconds for the laserbeams to finally recede. The bright flare in the sky gradually faded back to a stale black prism that floated in place. The air molecules visibly sizzled into oblivion from how intense the light blasts were. Everything within what had to be a three-mile radius had numerous holes and large craters from stray impacts. Some of the long-term formations along Vast Poni Canyon ended up collapsing further down trenches and roads. The altar itself was a seared mess, yet still, somehow, the markings on the golden emblem remained unscathed.

With pressure off her heels, Scizor finally had air to breathe. She backpedaled a step and labored heavily. Erza looked at her, equally as dumbfounded as everybody else. 'Even her X-Scissor barely withstood the force.' She snapped towards the prism in the sky. 'Just what the hell is that thing?!'

Amongst the remaining parasites surrounding them, Beast 1 and Beast 2 gave audible hisses of shock of their own towards their master's power. Their tendrils shriveled.

The prism gave a low, audible snarl as the rainbow gleam in his eyes dulled to a bloody red once more. He saw that nothing was in his way now, not even Charizard. As a matter of fact, nothing was around him. He wanted to say something, but even his vocals were muted with the aftershock of unleashing all that light. He found himself incapable of moving at all. It'll be a while before he recharged.

Higher up in the atmosphere, the air was silent as a low wind howled. Out of the thick of nowhere, Nic reappeared with a Teleport, his hand on Charizard's back. Greninja latched onto Nic's back to account all of them unscathed.

'That was a close call. If I had been a split-second late, Charizard would have taken the full-brunt.' Nic frowned. 'Still...'

Taking himself into account, he wasn't up to full stamina, even after that earlier Moonlight. But even Charizard and Greninja weren't in any less danger as he was. Some of the light seemed to have left singe marks on Charizard's side, though not enough to deter him by any means.

'We're not getting anywhere like this. This keeps up, the landscape being reshaped will be the least of our worries.' He looked down at Erza still defending the Kahunas, slashing and blocking gemstone and liquid blasts by the parasites. He wanted to help his wife before they infected her as well, but leaving the problem unchecked would lead to a very bad outcome. They needed to cover as many angles possible without leaving any room for openings.

If it meant taking a chance...so be it.

He looked down at the ground, seeing where the unconscious island guardians were sprawled. Thanks to the swarm in the surroundings atmosphere, the lasers didn't make impact with any of them. He had a feeling he might regret this, but better to give it a shot.

"I have an idea. You guys..."

"(I hear you.)" Greninja nodded.

"(Just say the word!)" Charizard declared.

"Good...then no holding back. Let's go..." Nic's irises started gleaming purple. Greninja's started to shimmer the same as they shared a unison glare. "Let's give it everything we've got...Greninja!"

"Right...Nic!" Together, he and Nic grunted as the former's body suddenly exploded water from his entire body. It enveloped the area in a maelstrom of water that had a dense pressure around it.

"(Hm...?)" His senses barely coming back, the prism noticed a purple light radiating above.

Within the confines of the intense surge, Nic slowly lifted his arm, which had the Key Stone embedded within it. "Now, Charizard..." He tapped the Key Stone's center with two claws, emitting a powerful light that streamed everywhere. "Mega Evolve!"

Charizard's Charizardite X expelled a blue light that suddenly engulfed his body in a multicolored light. "(Time to take that extra mile further!)" He let out a shuddering roar as his frame glowed brighter.

Greninja's transforming frame matched Charizard, their energies mixing with Nic as his red, sparkling glare transformed to purple. The shine from even his third eye showed as the wake of the light became so intense that it shrouded them all.

The piercing glow got through the water maelstrom, giving it a luminescent shine that caught the prismatic beast by surprise. "(Hm...new light...but feels...not like my light...what light is that?!)"

The air violently trembled as the multicolored effects mixed with the water, giving it a brighter shine before exploding outwards. Shockwaves pushed everything back. The monster let out a grunt as his stiff frame couldn't make him move. He cried out as he went sailing into the altar rock with a painful thud.

Once again, everyone below was caught by surprise and looked up, watching a multicolored drizzle rain down upon them. The atmosphere got brighter because of the effects. It was like a rainbow sun speared through the sky above.

"What's dat light up dere?!" Hapu exclaimed.

"Forget about the light, anybody else getting goosebumps?" Nanu said as he rolled his shoulder, looking down at the goosebumps on his exposed skin.

Hala looked up to the sky, his brow furrowing. "This power...it's unlike anything I've seen before. What kind of pressure can such a power emit?"

Erza's eyes glazed as some of the rainbow reflected in her eyes. She recognized the power from anywhere. The light it gave was a sure sign of change. "Nic..."

When the light faded, all the water in the atmosphere shimmered to a clear blue once again. It surged into a single point and gathered around Nic-Greninja's body, becoming a dark water coat with a miniature shuriken on his back. He did a triple backflip onto Mega Charizard X's back as his red eyes opened. He raised his head high as he unleashed a renewed roar. The blue flames expelling from the side of his maw and tail heated further. Above them, Nic glared with purple eyes that matched Greninja's. The purple on his Lunala frame matched it to a tee.

Finally mobile again, the prism pinned a claw to his side and pried himself out of the altar rock. He buffered, but quickly recovered as he looked up with a sense of curiosity at the new threat. "(Where...did light go?)"

"You guys, buy me a little time, alright?" Nic asked.

With his link with Nic, Nic-Greninja could tell what Nic had in mind. And for what it was worth, it might be of some use. "(Got it.)" he nodded.

"(Leave it to us.)" Mega Charizard sneered, blue flames spewing from his maw.

"GRAAAAAAAAAH!" The prism exerted yet another violent roar. He leaned forward and shot up at the three once more with a Night Slash.

Suddenly, Nic teleported from view.

"(Gngh?! Light?!)" However, the prism had his momentum already too far out as he swiped. With unmatched speed, Nic-Greninja and Mega Charizard vanished from view, reappearing before him and spiraled their heels together, landing two powerful kicks into his face with an airwave. The beast shot back, reeling as his face felt like it shattered.

"(Eyes up front.)" Mega Charizard retorted.

"(You want your light that bad...go ahead and try.)" Nic-Greninja challenged.

The entity's bloodthirsty glare glowed with his growing rage. His body felt so cold that it shivered. Though that could have been mistaken for his growing desperation. He slowly clutched his claws as his crystal frame shimmered underneath the sunlight.

"(Any who stand between me and my belonging...shall be reduced to oblivion!)" He charged back at the pair with claws spread apart. Mega Charizard flew with Nic-Greninja at him in kind.

---

The parasites spewed poisonous liquid nonstop, but against Aegislash and Scizor's metallic bodies, they had but little effect.

"Now! The time to attack!" Erza shouted. "Scizor!"

"(Erza!)" Scizor crossed her pincers, preparing herself for what will happen.

The redheaded knight closed her eyes as she knew they had to end this now. "We have to end this now. So, let's use this, and see how they like it!" She clutched onto her Key Stone, which shimmered intensely. Multicolored light transcended the atmosphere around her as the light reacted to Scizor's Scizorite. He body gave off a metallic light that sent a pulse everywhere. "Scizor...Mega Evolve!"

"(HRAH~!)" Scizor let out a loud grunt that was preceded by an explosion of multicolored energy. Shockwaves expelled debris from around her that pushed into several parasites. Rocks started defying gravity from the force that she was unleashing from her change. The pincers on her body grew longer, with sharper, more edged incisors. The create on her head started changing shape, with her legs also becoming stiff. Another shockwave was unleashed as the light exploded outwards. The land shook as Mega Scizor appeared before everyone.

The Kahunas covered themselves for the umpteenth time until shockwaves receded. Olivia was able to recover first, gasping in shock. "That can't be...is that Mega Evolution?"

"Guess even she's getting serious." Nanu chimed in.

"What power..." Hapu murmured.

Hala didn't have the words. Instead, he turned around and was aware of the parasite heading right for him. A hard, glowing smack by his Hariyama was enough to send it flying back. "Excellent work, Hariyama! Keep it up!"

"(Understood!)" The rotund fighter balled his fists, lifting one heel from the ground and slamming it into the ground.

Erza remained in the air over Mega Scizor, still wearing her Heaven's Wheel Armor. 'I can't Requip into any of my other armors that don't involve flight, otherwise I risk the chance of getting poisoned. I need to compensate!' She reached out at the oncoming parasites before her. "Mega Scizor, Iron Head!"

Mega Scizor eyed the parasites that were her targets and made a speedy leap towards them. As they sprayed more poisonous liquid, her head had a solidified metal edge towards it. It sped through the liquid without any affliction, diving into the two parasites with powerful airwaves upon impact. She soared onwards, her head beaming through an oncoming gemstone blast and flawlessly struck an adjacent parasite. Three parasites hissed as they dropped like flies in front of Erza.

'Their numbers are still great, even after that sudden attack. We'll have to wear them down as fast as we can, before whatever magic I have runs out.' She crossed her arms, holding two swords up. "Now, Aegislash-!"

Before she had the time to finish, a tendril wrapped around her right wrist. "What?!" Her eyes widened as she attempted to pull it, but a second tendril snuck up on her right side, snaring her left wrist. They tugged on either side, holding her in place.

Mega Scizor looked back with wide eyes. "(Erza!)"

Aegislash looked equally as shocked. She went to move, but a blast of gemstones from the surrounding parasites intercepted her advances. She shifted backwards, giving the Ultra Beasts behind her a glare.

Erza clutched her fists tightly, struggling to get them free from the grasps they were in, but the tendrils were surprisingly strong. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance. 'These things are more vulnerable when they aren't infecting someone...but in numbers like these...' She looked around herself once more, finding parasites sneering and hissing at her specifically. 'They're more troublesome than that situation tenfold!'

A shadow loomed overhead, catching her attention. She glanced up and gasped as she saw the expanded bell of Beast 1 hovering above her. "You...!" She sneered, eyes shrinking.

Beast 1 offered anything but mercy. Judging from the way it hissed at Erza, it intended to make a meal out of her, whether she wanted to or not. It would have preferred the other human. He looked interesting enough. But it'd rather keep its head on than get in the way of its superior's cravings.

Erza strained to pull her wrists free, but to no avail. That left one option for her. She stuck out her right heel and requipped the metal away, instead holding a katana between her toes. "Hrah!" She flipped herself over and did a carve overhead, causing Beast 1 to jerk away. It hissed in shock at the maneuver Erza made.

'Still nimble as before!'

Beast 1 streamed to a higher vantage point, where it gathered energy for more gemstones before firing down upon Erza. She looked up as they rained down upon her...only for a metallic red body to jet in front and take it. The savior was bombarded with gemstones that exploded against her body.

"Mega Scizor!" Erza sniped.

The Pokémon looked back. "(I'm fine! Eyes up front!)"

"(Night Slash!)"

In a heaping slash, the two parasites holding Erza's wrists ended up slashed into by Aegislash, sending him flying backwards and releasing the knight. She went into freefall for a moment, but flapped her metal wings and adjusted herself. Aegislash floated down towards her. "(Are you alright?)"

"Aegislash..." Erza was quick to get out of her shock. "I'm fine. Thank you both for the assist." She requipped her swords again, this time with Mega Scizor and Aegislash covering the corners. "Be on guard! Cover each other's backs! That is a must!"

"(Understood!)" the two Steel-types nodded.

Beast 1 hissed angrily at them. Beast 2 obliged by firing more poisonous liquid at them, but Aegislash used her unsheathed blade to block, allowing Mega Scizor to jump over and jettison up at it.

"We've got you!" Erza sniped. "Bullet Punch!"

Mega Scizor suddenly sped so fast that she became a blur. Her massive pincer raised overhead and glowed bright blue. She stunned Beast 2 with her sudden appearance, giving her time to smash her claw into the bell top, crippling and depressing the top-half entirely before slamming into the ground so hard that diced earth spread in a small diameter. The insectoid landed on the ground a short distance away from the wake's dust cloud. As it simmered, it revealed Beast 2 deflated, groaning in pain.

Erza clutched her sword tightly. "One down...more to go."

---

The prism monster fired another barrage of a half-dozen gemstones. Nic-Greninja made quick work by creating dark purple kunai made of compressed water, via Night Slash. He shot at one gem, then ricocheted at another, each one shattering until another field of gem dust clouded the area. He found himself in freefall with the prism monster as his own claws readied Night Slash. He swiped, but instead of hitting Nic-Greninja, he was blindsided by a rush of Dragon Claw from out of nowhere, crossing and easily holding back the prism's claws. Nic-Greninja flipped overhead, transitioning from the kunai that faded into taking a deep breath.

Time slowed down for a moment as the prism looked shocked. His red eyes were wide as Nic-Greninja let loose a steaming blast of Scald that swelled around him. A massive explosion of steam and humidity went off like a mushroom cloud. A misty airwave spread horizontally across the sky for miles away. From the cloud, the prism jettisoned backwards to get some space to fire more gemstones. He projected them into the cloud, but ended up dissipating it to reveal nothing.

His bloody gaze narrowed. "(Where did they go...?)"

He was so fixated that he didn't realize a speck in the sky above. That speck revealed Nic-Greninja holding onto Mega Charizard, the latter using Fly to get downwards at massive speeds.

"(Get going!)"

"(I hear ya!)" Nic-Greninja grabbed Mega Charizard's claw and held tight. Using his superb strength, the dragon threw him straight down. His alarming speed made him beat the sound barrier by a long shot. He raised a kunai high and readied a beaming strike.

"(Night Slash!)"

At the very last second, the prism noticed the change in like specs above and reacted instantly. The shadow above him – that was them! He raised another protrusion on his claw that was coated in Night Slash to instigate a stalemate. A shockwave spread everywhere, but neither side made an attempt to move.

'(This guy...he's not going down willingly!)'

---

With Mega Charizard and Nic-Greninja holding off the enemy, the crater where the island guardians laid as disheveled messes was left alone. The beasts had no intention on feeding on the minds of the weak and injured.

Nic teleported right before all their bodies, floating in place with a solemn expression. He looked down at each one to see the serious damage he's caused them. The way Tapu Koko laid before him with his shell dented and borderline broken was a sight of true pity. He knew he was the one who did this to them. He should feel this way, but at the same time, they were the ones who asked for it. But now, he has something to ask of them.

He reached back and pulled out something. He looked at his hand and counted the Revives that glistened in his white palm. 'Only four left...guess I better make these count then.' He clutched his fist tighter and faced the Tapus once more. His eyes glowed bright blue as he used Confusion to make the Revives float towards each Tapu. They all gradually lowered onto their faces at the same time and faded into where a mouth should be.

Nic waited as he watched the Revives going to work. He took a backstep and glared as a green, wavy aura enveloped each one of them. Once the auras faded, the first response he got was a twitch from Tapu Koko.

"(Gnnngh...)" The Melemele guardian's eyes slowly widened, but his vision was still blurry. Not to mention the rest of his body felt like it was struck by a meteor. "(Where...where am I...?)" He slowly picked himself. "(What happened...?!)" He checked his surroundings, immediately recognizing the fallen deities that were his sisters and brother. "(Guys?)" He straightened himself. "(Are you guys okay?! Say something, damnit!)"

He was anxious to get a response. He was tempted to give them all a small zap in case they needed a jump start. Thankfully he caught Tapu Fini slowly getting up. She rubbed her head to soothe the splitting headache she had.

"(My goodness, I can't remember the last time I felt this disorderly...)" She blinked several times before realization came to her. "(What happened?)"

"(Ugh, did someone catch the number of that Tauros...?)" Tapu Lele dizzily groaned.

Tapu Fini gave her an honest look of shock. "(Tapu Lele? Are you alright?!)"

Shaking her head, the deity quickly came to her senses. "(Hm? Oh, bestie! You're okay! Thank good-ouch!)" She went to raise her arms for a cheer, but it quickly backfired on her when she stretched too far too soon. "(Oooooh...)"

"(Please don't overdo it.)" Tapu Fini groaned.

"(Hehe, sorry about that. Got a little too excited there.)" She sheepishly rubbed her sore arm, giggling meekly at the pain.

A loud snort caught everyone's attention. "(Egh...)" Last, and most certainly not least, Tapu Bulu stirred upright with a hazy expression. "(Whu...what day is it again? Achoo!)" He snorted loudly, buffering his body to immediately stand. He sniffled as he blinked profusely. "(Oh, phew! That's the ticket! I think I'm actually up now. Allergies, heh.)"

"(Since when do Grass-types have allergies?)" Tapu Fini gave him a raised brow.

"(Since, uh...you know, I can't remember. I guess my time clock needs a little fixin', heh.)" He snorted out a small chuckle, much to his fellow guardians' chagrin. "(So, what happened...?)"

"Looks like you're all wide awake. Guess that's a good sign."

"(What?)" Tapu Koko turned around with his other deities. All four saw a familiar figment that gave each of them goosebumps. The static along Tapu Koko's body suddenly spiked with his shock and growing realization of the reason they've felt this way. Despite being bashed around and suffering from a multitude of concussions, his head was still screwed on just enough for him to comprehend the human masquerading as a past nightmare.

"(Heh?! You! I know you!)" Tapu Lele pointed an accusing hand at Nic's unamused expression. "(You're him! What did you do to little ole' Alola while I was snoozing?!)"

"You can relax, I didn't do a thing." Nic eyerolled. "I just healed you with Revives. You're not up to speed completely, but I think it should hold you upright. As long as you don't go head-first like you did, that is."

"(I'm sorry – what?!)" Tapu Koko shifted before his brethren, glaring Nic in the face with a hand jabbed out. "(Could you say that again, because I could have sworn I heard you say you just...healed us?)"

Nic remained unfazed by the accusing tone thrown at him. "Yeah, what else would I have done? I used a Max Revive on you before, didn't I?"

Tapu Koko's eyes widened further. He hardly remembered that incident. There was no way that was true! "(The heck kind of Tauros crap are you spilling? Start talking or I'll-)"

"You'll what?" Nic cut him off, leaving Tapu Koko just as frozen as his peers. "I already said my piece from before, so unless you still think it's right to jump the gun at everyone who doesn't fit the shoe like you want them to, then you'll know what will happen if you throw yourself at me." His purple eyes narrowed. "So save it. Keep your egotistical shit to you and your peers."

"(Wha-?!)" Tapu Koko flinched. He was so in shock that he couldn't even make sense of what to say, let alone do. Every crackling nerve told him to pay him back for that insult, but his brain throbbed at the very little sound logic screaming him not to. It was coming back to him, that vicious Moongeist Beam that he failed to stand up to – twice now, in fact. The fight in his veins gradually sank as he saw the defiant and dead serious glare in his purple glare.

The Tapus were left in an uneased silence. They knew they were beaten. They wanted to fight back, but knew Nic would just smash them deeper into the ground. Possibly even kill them. Then what would become of Alola?

"Listen. I didn't just take the time to heal you just to tell you how much I pity you. I need your help."

Every Tapu did a double take. Did Nic just say what they thought they heard? Either they were hit too hard and ended up with a hearing disorder, or the victor just asked something of them.

"(Um, is it me, or are we all having the same dream right now?)" Tapu Lele chimed. "(Because I could have sworn I just heard that this guy just said he needed us for something.)" She waited for somebody to say something, but the gravity of the situation weighed on her shoulders. "(Oh...he's serious, isn't he?)"

Tapu Fini cleared her throat. "(Pardon me, if you will. Not that I'm ill-grateful to your kindness for fixing us up, but what situation are you speaking of precisely?)"

"(What-Tapu Fini? Why bother asking this guy?! He's an enemy! Just look at what he did to us!)" Tapu Koko snapped, gesturing to his wing shields. He snapped back towards Nic, static crackling. "(What does a monster like you even want with us?)"

"(Yeah, I don't see why we should listen to someone who invaded our sacred ruins and played coy to get the upper hand. This is clearly a trick.)" Tapu Bulu snorted, crossing his hooves over his chest.

"Is that right? Then take a good look around you."

The confused Tapus turned their heads and could have sworn they were in a warzone. They all fell short of speech as they saw dozens of parasites flutter and drift through the air, attacking the Kahunas and Erza and being countered promptly. They saw poisonous liquid and gemstones fired and go off like fireworks in the air.

"(Are you serious?)" Tapu Koko gasped. "(Those are all...)"

"(Ultra Beasts. Lots of them.)" Tapu Fini finished, glaring at the sight. It genuinely surprised her at how many were drifting around in the air around them. There had to be at least enough to infest all of Poni Island at the very least.

Tapu Koko's senses were on fire. This energy he felt, he could have sworn it felt just like when he first caught whim of Nic's energy. Though at the time he mistook it for an Ultra Beast signature. As it turned out, he was right all along. Too bad he didn't have the mental capacity or the quick wit to say it aloud.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAH~!"

Another bloodcurdling roar shrilled the air. All their blood ran cold as they felt a shiver run up their spines. They looked up, seeing a prismatic monster firing gemstone projectiles that missed a speedy black dragon and a ninja frog high underneath the Alolan sun's rays.

"That's the problem." Nic clarified, glancing back down at them.

The black prism gave another howl as he swiped at Nic-Greninja and Mega Charizard, but they separated at the last second. Nic-Greninja sped up the arm, dealing a kick that sent him into Mega Charizard's tail, smashing harshly against his face. He shot backwards, recoiling as the frog was caught midair and shot with the dragon after him.

The Tapus never felt anything like this. They've never seen anything like this. Otherworldly beasts were attacking while they were out of the job. And yet, it was so ironic. An otherworldly freak had saved them and gave them a chance.

"You're Alola's island guardians, aren't you? So how's about you do us all a favor, and live up to that name." Nic spatted.

"(Wait, what do you mean by-?!" Tapu Koko was cut mid-sentence when Nic suddenly held his hand out, conjuring a Shadow Ball.

"(Wait, no! Don't hurt us anymore!)" Tapu Lele pleaded, her hands put in a prayer. "(We were just-!)"

BOOM!

They were left in shock when Nic fired his Shadow Ball right passed Tau Koko's head, beaming right behind Tapu Bulu into a poisonous stream that would have gotten his back if not for the attack's intervention. The Shadow Ball continued its course, exploding upon impact with a parasite. They all slowly turned around to see the Ultra Beast fall to the ground limply. The shock left them a lot to take in with so little time.

"I hate titles and names for a reason, y'know that? That's a big responsibility, and a lot of people expect quite a bit from you. You ask me, you're nothing but a bunch of disappointments." The Tapus dejectedly look at Nic. "But...even disappointments don't deserve to be left wasted. You want to save Alola, don't you? It's your home. Your people are putting up a better fight than you right now."

They all looked over at the Kahunas and their Pokémon taking out several Ultra Beasts.

Nic turned away. "That's all I have time to say. Stand and fight for your land if you want, but not for yourselves this time. For the people who actually deserve a better example to follow...and I'd rather it'd not be me." Without another moment to waste, Nic teleported away.

The island guardians were left in utter disbelief and ruin. They couldn't even begin to fathom what they woke up to. What Nic said echoed through their minds like voices in a cave. The words traveled around, but they bounced all over the place. Tapu Koko lazily turned his head and looked at the deflated Ultra Beast lying several yards in the ground. They were mistaking the enemy for someone else, and it costed them more than just their pride.

Finally, the first to speak was Tapu Bulu, his hooved tapping each other. "(Well...that was awkward. Being told by someone who wanted to beat us up a minute ago telling us how to do our jobs. But...why do I feel like this. Like, not angry at all...like...humiliated? Sad? Uh, Tapu Lele, you frequent with human slang, don't you? What's the right word I'm working for here?)"

"(I believe, Tapu Bulu, what you are feeling right now is called 'humble'.)" Tapu Fini conceded, lowering her head. "(And, as much as I would hate to say aloud...he makes a fair point.)" She looked towards the battle happening around them. "(Everyone, look above us. There's a battle going on and we're not part of it. And part of that reason was because we've underestimated our surroundings...again.)"

"(Hmmmph! This is, like, so not cool!)" Tapu Lele pouted, waving her fists up and down. "(It's one thing to talk smack about me and my skills, but talking smack about my bestie?! Fini, can't you have something better to say for yourself? Or for me at least?)" She waited for a reply, but when she saw the humble look on Tapu Fini's face made her hopes for a witty snark deflated. "(B-bestie...?)"

Tapu Bulu turned towards Tapu Koko. "(Well, what do you say?)"

Tapu Koko was silent as he gazed up at the parasites being handled by the Kahunas. They were fighting so hard out there. An all while he was sitting around and throwing a tamper tantrum in front of Nic's face. He frowned heavily as his attention lifted towards the black prism's quarrel and his grotesque snarls pilfering the skies above. Where exactly was his mind supposed to be right now? Clearly his body was down on the ground, but his brain felt like jelly. He wanted to blame all those hits he took, he truly did. But something else ate at him that bared him from throwing the blame at anyone but him. Was this what it meant to feel humble? He didn't like it. He didn't like any of this.

"But...even disappointments don't deserve to be left wasted. You want to save Alola, don't you? It's your home. Your people are putting up a better fight than you right now."

A disappointment. That's what he was. Someone who held high expectations for himself and everyone around him. He wanted nothing short of absolute security for the sake of Alola...no, for himself. That's what plagued him. Memories of the battle against Lunala resurfaced, and that humiliation weighed so heavily that it forever haunted him. His pride was destroyed, twice as a matter of fact. What could he possibly have to defend now?

"For the people who actually deserve a better example to follow...and I'd rather it'd not be me."

'(For the people?)' He craned his head towards the Kahunas, the people that swore their loyalty towards them for the rest of their days. They were fighting so hard alongside their Pokémon to stop this chaos from spreading. Was it really worth it? Something inside his stomach told him there was only one way to find out.

Hearing an audible howl from above, Tapu Koko clenched his hands and looked up at the sky. He saw the monster in a spritz through the air. '(Guess there's really only one way to find out for sure.)'

"(By that look in your eyes, you have some sort of plan in mind?)" Tapu Fini chimed in, crossing her arms over her small chest area.

"(Pfft, nothing gets passed you, does it?)" he scoffed, looking over his shoulder. "(I still don't know what the hell is going on around here, and I don't like any of this...so I guess we better clean up this mess the right way.)"

"(Oh, goodie!)" Tapu Lele happily clapped.

"(The right way?)" Tapu Bulu tilted his head, confused. "(But I thought we were doing it the right way.)" He noticed Tapu Koko didn't respond to his tuition. "(Wait, you're not seriously thinking that he's right about us, aren't you?)"

"(Oh, Bulu, you're such a card. This is Tapu Koko you're talking about. Once he sets his mind to something, that's all there is to it. Right?)" Tapu Lele turned to Tapu Koko for a response to back up her claims. "(You're, uh...talking about that human...right?)" She turned towards Tapu Fini. "(Girl? Bestie? Say something!)"

Tapu Fini lowered her head, seemingly agreeing to the tone Tapu Koko set. "(Well, Tapu Lele, I supposed that you are right. Once he sets his mind to something, it becomes a hassle to sway him otherwise.)"

"(Wha-?! You mean...I...heh~?!)" Tapu Lele slumped her shoulders in shock over this new development. "(So...you're serious, aren't you?)"

"(We have nothing else to lose, I'm afraid. I don't see how this wouldn't be an appropriate time for some introspection.)"

"(B-But it's not nice to say all that stuff when he doesn't know us! He doesn't have any rights to judge us! Girl, your cap must have been flipped too far off your head!)"

"(And we prosecuted them, and this is what we got. Notice any patterns here?)" Tapu Fini glared at her fellow gal-pal. "(I'm not saying we were in the wrong, but we also weren't fair either. That's what I believe the human was trying to preach. Say what you want, but if you'd rather cause more trouble and end up at their mercy a third time and not learn your lesson, then so be it. Meanwhile, I...)" She shifted towards the battle afoot. "(Have my island under attack. And I intend to do what I was born to do: Protect this island with my life.)"

"(Bestie...)" Tapu Fini was left in complete shock. But she was quick to get over it and realize the situation they were in. She raised her head and groan. "(Ugh~, man. You really are a Bug Buzz kill, y'know that?)"

"(I'm fully aware of that.)" If Tapu Fini had a mouth, she would be smirking right now. "(Glad to see you're on board for this one. Tapu Bulu?)" She and Tapu Lele turned towards the last deity in question.

"(Ehh...I suppose so. For now.)" Tapu Bulu snorted, clicking his hooves sagely. He snorted loudly. "(Let's just get this over with already. This is so confusing that I need to take another nap right after to clear my head!)"

"(Alright, you slouches. Let's get going.)" Lightning crackled around Tapu Koko's body. "(Show them we don't take crap lying down!)"

"(Presuming we're all on the same page with whom we are referring to, yes?)"

His glared fastened. "(...yeah, we better be. 'Cuz if I end up getting slammed into the earth again...well, guess it's for a good reason then.)"

---

The prism fired more gemstones towards Mega Charizard and Nic-Greninja, but as anticipated, the latter held on as the dragon jettisoned across the air in an arch, maneuvering so nimbly. When a gemstone fired his way, he tucked in his wings and barreled rolled, thus using the momentum to grab Nic-Greninja again and hurl him with a fist coated in purple aura.

"(Return!)"

The prismatic beast folded his arms in front and blocked the attack, sending multiple airwaves across the atmosphere. Any nearby clouds would have fallen apart from the force of the punch. Nic-Greninja held himself in the stalemate very well, grunting heavily with the prism beast.

Suddenly, a slicing sound was heard from above that caught the beast's attention. His bloody vision caught wind of a reflection of an Air Slash wake that he barely pulled away from. The saws continued towards the ground, tearing up the plateau's greenery and whatever rooted earth was left. He was winded by the re-entry of the makeshift Lunala figment that grabbed Nic-Greninja and pulled away.

"(You! My light...give it here!)" he demanded.

"Thanks for buying me time, guys." Nic said, meeting with Mega Charizard while still glaring at the beast.

"(Don't mention it.)" Nic-Greninja stated. He would have asked how it went, but through his linked vision, he saw everything otherwise. There was no need to ask such an obvious question.

"Graaaaaah!" The prismatic beast's ire skyrocketed to a fevered pitch. He needed his light, whether they wanted to keep it for themselves or not. He raised both rms and crossed them, sending sweeps of Psycho Cut at them.

Nic pulled his wings back, a crimson aura enveloping him. "Night Daze!" He flapped his wings forward, unleashing a shockwave of darkness and crimson that met the oncoming Psycho Cut. The slash waves dissipated as the attack went onwards, meeting the beast's armor and sending him through a dizzy haze.

Nic's eyes narrowed. 'We have to end this...now!'

The prism caught himself and staggered to a halt. His eyes fixed on Nic as he saw his wings take a familiar shape. They folded on the sides into the shape of a moon. The atmosphere around the altar started dimming yet again as the lunar light began manifesting energy. Out of defense and cravings, the monster crossed his arms as a rainbow and red glow refracted all matters of light off his body. The two entities charged until one had a bright blue, lunar spiral fixed to a single point, and the other with a rainbow shimmer over the entire frame.

With one more glimmer in their eyes, everything flashed before their eyes.

"Maxus Legendary Arts – Moongeist Beam!"

"(Prismatic Laser!)"

All the energy concentrated erupted into several flickers in the atmosphere before an expulsion of lunar energy fired across the sky, roaring with the wake of a jet. At the same time, a searing eruption of laserbeams fired in all directions, vaporizing everything in their path. The two attacks met centerfield, creating a hemisphere of concentrated light that expanded outwards. The entire altar's outward rock layer immediately vaporized upon impact, leaving only fine layers of earth that covered the primary altar. The stairwell was unable to withstand to intensity of the shockwave and lasers, gradually crumbling away into the gorges far below. The many parasites that still remained ended being blown away by the sheer force of the shockwaves alone. The radiant explosion of energy leveled everything that came in contact with it. Erza and the others below covered themselves and immediately floored as lunar flares expelled everywhere around them. They rained down like meteors across the valley, whistling with comets streams behind them. Everything was struck down. Parasites, any debris that somehow defied gravity; some International Police helicopters lost control of their vehicles and ended up caught in the shockwaves, blown away completely. The farther ones were only pushed back through the air and pulled up higher to get out of range of the sizeable explosion of energy.

Laserbeams mixed with moonlight refused to stop showering down across the atmosphere. The Alolan sun was blinded by a searing flare from the north of Poni Island. All eyes from the townships on the neighboring islands, to the tall grass inhabitance along the routes; everyone's eyes were locked onto the sight of a blinding meteor shower that crashed into various places. The canyons exploded into smithereens around the altar, with just greenery along the north swallowed in an eruption of light. A large sum of the lasers and moonlight fell into the ocean, igniting the seabed in a neon flare beneath its surface.

"My god..." Watching from the safety of her office, Lusamine was watching the entire broadcast go static as the visual of the helicopter showed it spiraling towards the canyons. If anything, this was a grave omen.

"Miss Lusamine, look outside!" Wicke shouted.

Lusamine flinched at her assistant's words. She rushed for the doors to her office and immediately noticed the sky was blaring. She shaded her eyes with a hand as she scoped out the light beams sailing into the ocean with the force of an earthquake. The entire island that the establishment stood on felt a dense magnitude, despite there being no land nearby.

'What kind of monsters are we dealing with now?!' Her panic led her to be caught off guard when a laserbeam shot near the Aether Paradise water, creating a giant column of water that reached as high as the roof that she stood on. The giant wave slowly sank in front of her, leaving her frozen with utter fear.

It took several minutes for the light to fully dissipate from view. When it did, ripples ran across the seas of Alola into the open currents. The atmosphere had a deep hole around a dimming light core within Poni Island's highest points. It gradually reduced to nothing more than the sound barrier roaring to a halt.

As miraculous as it was, Erza was alongside her Aegislash and Scizor, all three having been floored by the force of the lights imploding so closely. Her left ear rung from the explosion. Her impartial hearing impairment aside, her eyes flickered open to see Aegislash in her Shield Forme, but she looked absolutely winded. 'Aegislash?' She remembered her being in her Blade Forme before the explosion headed their way. She put two and two together. 'She used King's Shield at the last minute to minimize direct impact. I see...'

Looking around, all the Ultra Beasts in the atmosphere were almost entirely wiped out. The Kahunas and their Pokémon were sprawled across the ground behind Erza. They were safe thanks to that King's Shield, but that didn't stop the aftershocks from putting them on the ground for the umpteenth time. And this time it looked like it hurt. But at the very least, they were all conscious, if their pained groans were of any indication.

'It looks like they're all still alive. That's good. I wasn't sure if that could have been any closer.' She frowned to herself. With so much of Aegislash using King's Shield, she was starting worry how many times she could still use it. Between the battle at Poni Coastal Break and now, Aegislash ran through much of her attacks. She doubted she could do another King's Shield now.

"(Erza, look!)" Mega Scizor pointed a claw towards the sky.

Hearing her outcries, she turned her head towards the air once more. The atmosphere was neigh visible as she saw Nic and the prism monster as clear as day. The sun beamed down on both of them as they floated an equal distance apart from one another. It was stupendous how Mega Charizard and Nic-Greninja were able to withstand the shockwaves from so close.

Nic let out a long exhale, his breath visible in the heated air. He labored in and out as he glared down the prism's stale frame. He looked completely frozen, an effect that Nic recognized as a recharge course.

'Even after matching Moongeist Beam, he's still standing.' His ribs felt a tug on them, a feeling Nic-Greninja cringed at as well. 'I hadn't recovered fully from earlier. But...' His eyes narrowed. 'He's immobile. Have to make this fast!'

Reading his thoughts, Nic-Greninja leaned over Mega Charizard, who braced for the call.

"Mega Charizard, Heat Wave! Greninja, Water Shuriken!"

Both Pokémon pulled back either an arm or wings. As soon as the momentum was right, Nic-Greninja pivoted on Mega Charizard's back, firing the medium-sized shuriken sheering through the air. Mega Charizard let out a vile roar as he flapped his wings, unleashing a maelstrom of searing blue winds that acted as a booster for the shuriken. The heat and the tailwind behind the shuriken added to it trajectory and speed, making the edges of it boil and steam as it drew closer.

Unable to fight back, the monster only had one option left. His dull, red eyes twitched before a wormhole suddenly appeared before it. The shuriken and heat wave combo jetted into the makeshift shield and faded into its mysterious tunnels. A misty, hot, blue explosion engulfed the tunnel, fuming out back in their direction, with searing, heated winds buffering them.

As he uncovered, Nic blinked and looked ahead in honest shock. "What...?"

"(Another wormhole as a shield?)" Nic-Greninja quipped.

Mega Charizard snorted blue embers from his nostrils, his own show of shock and ire growing from this level of persistence.

The prism's eyes brightened by only a little. "(Get out here...and deal with these interlopers! Now!)"

The contents in Nic's stomach churned once more. His third eye opened again to see something shift and move through the wormhole. It was large. Awfully large in fact. He an everyone got on guard as the wormhole expanded further, fitting the gradual size of a familiar monster. A gaping, jagged mouth opened wide to reveal shrapnel incisors and a spiked tongue that exhaled to let out heat that burnt it.

His eyes narrowed. 'So, he still had one more trick up his sleeve after all.'

Looker's eyes shrunk as he glared up at the phenomenon. "Wait, that form! It can't be...!"

Nanu eyed with a groan. "Look alive, everyone...we've got a newcomer dropping in on us."

The hole spat out a large, bulky beast that towered at immeasurable heights. It fell straight down, its massive feet crushing the earth beneath with a tremor and dust clown everywhere. The Kahunas and Erza braced themselves as the spiked wrecking ball on the tail arose, along with the pincers on the sides of the mouth. The gaping mouth, while suffering some shredded innards and walls from taking the Heat Wave and Water Shuriken for the superior one, was still functional.

"GROOOOAAAAAH!" It expelled a venomous roar upon its entry, shaking the land and earth with its loud voice.

"Another Ultra Beast?! Now?!" Hala exasperated.

"How are there so many Ultra Beasts coming to us at once?" Olivia questioned. "This one wasn't the ones before. It's very different."

Erza eyed the gargantuan monster, her shock as subtle as anybody else's. 'This Ultra Beast...' Her mind flashed with memories of the Vast Poni Canyon. 'There's no doubt about it. That's the same species as before.' She braced herself. 'Which means, it'll be equally as troublesome as well.'

"UB-05." Looker recited, his tone filled with a dreary chime.

"Guzzlord." Nanu said. He gave the dubbed Ultra Best a blatant look that made him seem more downtrodden than ever. "Well now, isn't this a coincidence, eh, Looker?"

"Yes, it most certainly is." The detective adjusted his collar and vest. "This has most certainly been quite a day, hasn't it? I hope you're ready this time, Number 000."

Nanu's red eyes stayed on Guzzlord. He remembered a past time when he had to stop one alongside Looker and another person, a woman. Sadly, she wasn't here anymore. One less worry one could say would be the bright side to all of this for him. He spread his heels and straightened his back. He watched the menace carefully as his fists clutched on his sides.

"GROOOOAAAAAH!" Guzzlord unleashed a loud cry as an aura flared around its body. It could feel its Attack increase as the reddish-white aura engulfed it like flames.

Erza spread her heels on the ground, feeling her body a little cold and numb. 'My body felt so much shock from that impact. I doubt I can move as efficiently.' Her brow furrowed. 'No, that's not it.' She looked down at her arm, seeing toxic bubbles erode to the surface. Where they came from, she felt numb. 'I was poisoned. That shockwave pushed me towards to ground that had Toxic Spikes still. I need to hurry before-!' Before she had time to process the thought, her reflexes kicked in as she backpedaled from one of the pincers chomping down where she stood.

"(Erza!)" Aegislash exclaimed.

Amongst the few plates that hit the ground, Erza slid back, gripping the ground while on a knee. She lifted her head, having only one eye open and toxic bubbles eroded once again. 'That was too close. My bodily senses must have been dulled from the poison.'

The Guzzlord raise its pincer back into the air and snarled. Its spiked tail swayed to and fro as it glared at everyone.

Nic was about to go on the attack, but he was caught by surprise at his fast the black prism closed the gap between them. He evaded a swipe of his claws, then another. When a third slash came horizontally, Nic flapped his wings and hovered over. The beast's red eyed remained glued to him, even if he was faster.

With such a small gap, Nic conjured another Shadow Ball, firing it at intense momentum. When it reached the monster, it slashed clean through with another Night Slash, splitting it in two and making it continue towards the ground with massive, dark ruptures stirring dirt.

"(Give me my LIGHT!)"

Nic braced for the lunge, but Mega Charizard cut in front of him, meeting his Dragon Claw with the Night Slash-endowered hands. "(Did you forget about us?!)" he sniped.

"(Move aside! You light is not the kind I seek!)" He pushed with more force into Charizard, snarling with glowing red yes. "Graaaaah!"

Charizard snarled, the blue flames on his sides flaring up. He pushed back harder, keeping the two forces in a stalemate. Neither side was able to budge as their glowing claws gripped each other's.

With a close range and being interlocked, the beast was open for when Nic-Greninja jumped off the dragon's back, his own Night Slash once again active. "(Hrah!)"

"(Gngh! Power Gem!)"

He fired point-blank gemstones around Mega Charizard into Nic-Greninja. Rather than slash him, he parried the multiple projectiles that shattered around him. With his momentum gone, Nic swooped in and grabbed Nic-Greninja. He hoisted him higher, hauling him over his wings to ride him like a glider.

The prism's grip got tighter against Mega Charizard's claws, the pressure being enough to cut off blood if it weren't made of energy. He lowly roared again as he pushed even harder. It was taking Mega Charizard every ounce of muscle he had to keep him at bay.

"Mega Charizard!" Nic exclaimed.

"(I'm...fine! But this guy is...definitely no pushover!)" He sniped, the flames on his body flaring larger than before. His muscles tensed up as he inhaled. "(Just use this time to heal yourself! I'll keep him at bay!)"

Nic knew Mega Charizard as well as anybody. He was someone who most certainly doesn't give up the challenge. The way he was glaring at the prism was all the indication he needed. Personality and training aside, it was a logical point, too. He needed to use this time to his advantage and recuperate.

Nodding, he flapped his wings and jettisoned higher. Once he had a high enough vantage point, the lunar glow on his body returned, giving him energy, via Moonlight.

"(Come back down here! Light!)" The prism exclaimed, firing even more gemstones at Nic. With him healing, it was certain to work...only for Nic-Greninja to reach back and throw another razor-sharp Water Shuriken that grazed clean through the gemstones. The monster snarled angrily.

"(You'll try.)" the frog challenged.

"(But you won't get past us!)" Mega Charizard challenged, shoving his draconic energy claws further into the prism.

The beast's bloody gaze intensified on Mega Charizard. "(I'll eviscerate you!)"

---

"Mega Scizor, quick! Use Swords Dance!" Erza commanded. Mega Scizor crossed her huge pincers in front of her chest. Illusionary blue swords appeared around her and circled around her. Once they crossed overhead, a deep red aura engulfed her as her Attack sharply boosted itself.

The Guzzlord let out a heaping shriek as its massive pincers glowed brightly. It raised them high and brought one of them down onto Mega Scizor.

"Hariyama, Close Combat!"

Just before the massive appendage came down to crush Mega Scizor, Hariyama step in front, palms spread out. "(Bring it on!)" He challenged the appendage with a harsh palm thrust, causing a tremor in the air upon their stalemate. The muscular creature brought around his other arm and punched upwards, deterring the pincer. He pivoted and kicked, then rolled his side forward to do a double palm thrust that shoved the appendage back towards Guzzlord. The Ultra Beast let out a roar, but didn't seem all that fazed.

Hariyama took a deep breath out as a blue aura enveloped his body, reducing his Defense and Special Defense. "Stay strong, my friend." Hala insisted.

Olivia reached her arm out. "Probopass, Dazzling Gleam!"

Probopass let out a low groan as her solid frame suddenly exploded with light in all directions. The harsh flare wasn't anything like the Ultra Beast above, but the piercing lights were plenty enough to make the glutton veer away from harsh rays against his body.

Nanu stepped up, with Hapu in tow. "Guess it's our turn now, huh short stuff?"

"Righty-O! Saddle up dere, Flygon!"

Flygon screeched as he jetted past Hapu, sailing close to the earth alongside Krookodile. The two Ground-types had gleams in their eyes as the piercing light kept Guzzlord at bay.

"Krookodile, use Aerial Ace!"

"Flygon, quick! Dragon Rush!"

Krookodile's arms and legs glowed as streaks of air flew past his figure. He made a strong leap as his figure looked like a blur. Flygon's head glowed brightly before draconic energy exploded into a streaming draconic mass flying into Guzzlord. They crashed harshly, making a powerful explosion engulf the beast's surroundings.

"Got it!" Hapu chimed in.

"But will it be enough?" Hala questioned.

The smoke obscured everyone from being able to see what happened. The gargantuan monster that was supposedly within had yet to reveal its face. Yet as Krookodile and Flygon veered away through a jump, the former's eyes glimmered when he recognized something heading their way. Sadly, neither he nor Flygon had the chance to react when a glowing pincer swung around, smacking their sides with the force of a train.

Everyone gasped.

A second glowing pincer swung from the smoke cloud, smashing into Probopass. The force of the Hammer Arm was too intense to handle as it sent her fumbling through the air. The appendage continued its swing into Hariyama, slamming him into the ground.

"Hariyama, no!" Hala cried out.

The momentum of the swing finally ceased, allowing all the Pokémon to drop to the ground like flies. They slammed into the earth with painful thuds. A blue aura enveloped its body afterwards, indicating a Speed decrease.

"Probopass, no!" Olivia cried out to her Pokémon.

When the dust settled, all four of the Pokémon were sprawled across the ground, each one having little to no strength to even move upright. Others like Probopass and Krookodile that were especially weak to the Fighting-type attack were knocked out indefinitely. Flygon and Hariyama were barely able to get to their feet after that painful whiplash.

"No, dis is bad..." Hapu eyed her Flygon. The earlier Power Gem and Venoshock barrage pinned against them was one thing, but this was something even he couldn't take. They needed to act fast, otherwise they were goners.

"No time! Look alive!" Erza warned.

On cue, Guzzlord's body gave off a yellow and silver outline. Hapu immediately recognized this as Heavy Slam. Rather than jump in the air and come down like a meteor, it pivoted and drove its spiked tail down upon Hariyama and Flygon. It was slow-going, but the force of the impact reached them before their visions cleared. Instantly, they floored deep into the earth, the air from their lungs giving out long enough to render them unconscious.

"Flygon!" Hapu cried out.

"Grraaaaaaah!" Guzzlord raised its pincers in triumph. The intense aura around its body suddenly exploded into a thicker red shade. A pressure engulfed him that made him look more menacing than before.

Erza gnashed her teeth at the sudden Attack boost the monster got from taking down the Kahunas' Pokémon. With that kind of strength, even she was no fool. Taking that thing head-on would do no good. Especially given those pincers and jaws could grind anything to bits. "Curse you...!"

Aegislash glanced behind Erza. Immediately she responded by shifting to shield her back and took a streaming blast of poison. A toxic cloud engulfed her, much to Erza's shock.

"Aegislash!" She looked up to where the attack came from. To her horror, it was by Beast 1, who was still alive after that whole mess. Toxic bubbles erupted from Erza's face as she glared. "You again. I should have known."

"Kreeeee!" The Ultra Beast gave a shrieking hiss at Erza. It wasn't down just yet. And from the looks of things, it intends to finish what it started. Aegislash steadied herself before her, while Mega Scizor eyed out Guzzlord.

The Kahunas all looked up in horror before rushing out of the way of Guzzlord's foot. The impact trembled the earth, immediately befalling them all. They screamed in pain as they slammed onto their backs. Guzzlord snarled down at its prey as it closed in on them.

"No you don't!" Erza shouted. But before she could move, Mega Scizor beat her to the punch and rushed for Guzzlord's side in an attempt to distract it. However, the creature seemed far from interested as it nonchalantly swatted its own pincer at her body. Unfortunately for Mega Scizor she was slammed in her side, sending her flying into Erza. The knight caught her, at the expense of being thrown onto her back as well.

"(You cretins!)" Aegislash snapped, using a Night Slash to veer the parasite away. It worked, but the superior momentum above gave her leverage for a Power Gem. And with her body already in a swung position, she had little room as the gemstones pelted her, exploding upon impact.

"Aegislash, no!" Erza snapped.

The smoke cloud in the atmosphere was stiff for several seconds. Aegislash's metallic body dropped straight down to the ground with a cloud "clang". Within the mixed dust, Erza and Mega Scizor's shock grew when they saw the sword on her back, her eye being a large swirl.

"Aegislash..." Erza's shock was quick to turn to anger. She steadily arose to her feet and requipped an executioner blade. "Curse you!" Fighting the numbed nerves in her knees, she rushed for the parasite as it fired more poisonous liquid as an interception. She sliced through the stream, though residue from the bisection sprinkled along her skin, stinging like fire.

With herself distract, the Guzzlord strutted over and looked down at the many humans. As it eyed them with snipping pincers, they all strained to get to their feet. The ongoing battling drained them off all the stamina they possibly had. They couldn't even lift a finger if the wanted to. Truly a pity.

Nanu's ears still rung, but he could hear the distorted cries of the Ultra Beast that towered above them. One look at that face was enough to leave him in a small daze. He vividly remembered a situation similar to this that continued to plague him, even to this day. He froze in place with a look that spelled disappointment.

"It'll be okay...take care, Nanu."

If he could scowl any louder, he'd might as well curse to the world of the irony. 'Guess this as far as we get, huh?' He looked towards Looker, who looked at the Ultra Beast with as much frustration and grief he had. The weight of the situation felt just as heavy as that Heavy Slam. It was crushing. Gnawing. Everything describable to summarize the lackluster of hope they had.

The Guzzlord snarled as it eyed them first. With a low growl, its huge pincers snipped the air and grabbed both Nanu and Looker from off the ground.

"No...!" Olivia grunted. She wanted to move, but her body rejected the command. 'I can't move...this is hopeless!'

Guzzlord raised the two higher overhead, dangling them over its closed out. The yellow jigsaw fangs opened wide to reveal the shrapnel incisors waiting for them.

"Well, Looker..." Nanu wheezed. "Guess we had a good run, eh?"

"Don't say that! We can still fight!" Looker yelled out, struggling to break free. The grip was surprisingly strong.

Nanu respected that. He honestly did. But unlike his student, he was a man of reality. He just offered a smile at him, a sincere one. It wasn't often that he gave such an emotion, but this was one of those times where he could at least show a sense of gratitude.

Just before the pincers loosened their hold, the Guzzlord noticed a fast-moving, bright pink projectile heading its way. Too slow to react, its side was engulfed in a lunar and bright pink explosion. It cried out in pain as it gradually toppled over, losing its hold on Nanu and Looker.

"What the-?!" Nanu was in much shock as Looker. Before they were about to hit the ground, a bed of thin roots and bushes melded into a makeshift landing pad for them. They gagged from the shock, but unlike Guzzlord's painful fall, theirs watch much more pleasant.

"Kreeee?" Beast 1 lifted its head, noticing the collapse of its fellow Ultra Beast.

"What's that?" Erza whipped around with Mega Scizor, their eyes wide with surprise at the dust cloud drifting in front of the Kahunas.

The Guzzlord snarled angrily as it arose from its momentary collapse. Once its feet got underneath, it glanced around to see where its attacker came from. It barely registered the three shadows hovering overhead.

"(Thanks for all your waiting, yo! Sorry, but we had to take a short intermission!)"

Everyone's heads perked up as they recognized the chime and pink sparkles drifting down upon them. As they faded into their bodies, the fatigue and pain they've been feeling gradually faded away. Olivia found her strength to stand upright to gawk at the descending guardian over their heads. She was accompanied by two others beside her.

"Are those..." Hala's closed eyes gradually opened. "The island guardians!"

Tapu Lele beamed with pride. "(That'd be us alright! Now, you all sit back and enjoy the show! And let your fellow guardians deal with this overgrown bully for you!)"

Tapu Fini sighed. "(What she is trying to say is thank you for doing your best in our stead. You have our deepest gratitude.)" She turned and faced Guzzlord. "(Now then, allow yourselves to rest. It's the least that you've all earned for our selfishness. Allow us to correct that promptly.)"

Tapu Bulu snorted out his nostrils. "(Leave the heavy lifting to us. Just kick back like she said.)"

"The island deities are back up..." Erza's eyes widened in realization. "Wait, then that means-!"

---

The prism snarled angrily as he pushed against Mega Charizard further. His red eyes glowed with his growing rage. "(Die...already!)"

With Moonlight ending, Nic felt reenergized to keep going. Nic-Greninja's purple eyes saw something heading in their direction. "(Nic!)"

His vision showed what Nic-Greninja saw. An Electro Ball fired like a bullet into the prism's back, catching the latter by surprise. The impact discharged ions at point-blank that stung his armored body.

'(Now!)' With the momentary distraction, Mega Charizard opened his maw wide with a swirling, blue Flamethrower surging. He opened his maw wide and unleashed a boisterous blaze at point-blank. The eruption engulfed the prism's entire front, causing him to shoot back from the hot smoke cloud with dense char on his armor. He grunted in pain from the pincer strike.

Mega Charizard and the others turned towards their aid, as did the prism. They all saw Tapu Koko floating a short distance away, lightning crackling around his body. "(Hey, ugly. Yeah, I mean you.)" He jabbed at the prism glaring back at him. "(How's about you pick on someone your own size for once. Otherwise...get the hell out of my sight.)"

The prism looked back at him, his blood red eyes glowing. "(More light protectors? Why...why do you all keep me away from my property! That light is mine!)"

Tapu Koko's crackling lightning circulated into a stronger pulse that faded out into the atmosphere. The atmosphere brightened as static crackled in the background. With Electric Terrain all set, the Melemele deity spread his wing shields and glared at the beats.

"(Hey, now I'm talking to you!)" Tapu Koko snapped at Nic. "(You know, I don't really wanna say I trust you or anything, but if you're gonna be in this, just make sure not to get in my way!)"

Nic furrowed his brow. He knew that was, in a way, speaking Natsu's language of 'I could use a hand here'. It wasn't very subtle, but he got the message and nodded. "Yeah. Sure."

"GROOOOOAAAAAAH!" The prism expelled another bloodthirsty cry towards the atmosphere above.

---

Tapu Fini closed her eyes and concentrated herself. She moved her arms across like ocean waves and let out a high note. A bright pink, sparkling hemisphere expelled from her body, engulfing the surroundings in an enchanted dome that was Misty Terrain.

Guzzlord snarled angrily as it eyed all three deities. It opened its gaping out with an adhesive roar once more. The three stood in line without a look of remorse.

"(Shall we all agree to coordinate on this one then?)" Tapu Fini suggestion, her tone having an underlying layer of insistence.

"(You got it.)" Tapu Bulu nodded.

"(Whatever you say, bestie!)" Tapu Lele followed.

Guzzlord opened his maw and let out another cry. It waved its pincers around to furiously smack the deities, but they all hovered away from the violent tantrum it was setting off. "(We need to disorient him!)" Tapu Fini shouted, dodging another swing in the process.

"(Oh! I got this one! One sec!)" Tapu Lele drifted skywards, getting out of Guzzlord's colossal range. The beast's grizzly glare was fixed on her as she raised her hands up and faced him. "(Smile~! Flatter!)"

The hue around Guzzlord suddenly blanketed as a solemn light tranced it from above. It was so bright that it caught it by surprise. Confetti popped from the sides as noises and disrupting cries echoed throughout its head. It clutched its tiny head, shaking it dismissively while roaring in a daze.

"(Great work, now it's my turn!)" Tapu Fini reached her hands out, conjuring a mirror of water. "(Hydro Pump!)" She unleashed a boisterous jet of pressurize water right into the Guzzlord's dazed face. The jet smashed into the small head, creating a large misty explosion that engulfed the creature.

"GRAAAAAAAH!" It cried out in agony yet again as it started falling backwards. The momentum became too much for it as it crashed onto its back with another ruthless tremor.

Erza was taken by surprise, but was quick to overcome that by realizing she could use this time to her advantage. The island deities were doing their part in keeping the Ultra Beast contained, which led her to look back at Beast 1 and realize she could focus.

'I have to make this count!' She held out her arm and requipped the bag containing numerous berries. 'First, we'll deal with this accursed poison!'

Beast1 hissed as it saw Erza with the peculiar item. It's self-preservation instincts kicked in and launched another Venoshock. At the last second, Mega Scizor stepped in and crossed her pincers to shield from damage. "(Not so fast!)" She glanced back at Erza. "(I'll cover you!)"

"Thank you, Mega Scizor. I am in your care." Erza didn't waste another second as she bit into the Pecha Berry. Immediately, a familiar sweet taste filled her mouth. It was enough to make her want to squeal with delight...but she had to fight that urge for now. Once it went own her throat, she felt the numbness in her body gradually fade away. The poison was quick to expel thanks to the Pecha Berry's handiworks. As soon as her leg muscles were responsive, she hurried over towards her fallen Aegislash and kneeled over her. She requipped a Revival Herb she had on hand. 'Have to be quick.' She placed the herb over Aegislash's nonexistent mouth. The sword was unresponsive for a few short seconds, until the herb started slowly disintegrating into the ghost's body.

"(Gnnngh...what is this bitter taste I'm feeling...it's like I swallowed rust.)" Aegislash's vision gradually blurred to normal as she caught wind of her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was a redhead looking over her. "(Erza...)"

"You're awake. That's a relief." She said. "I suppose that means the Revival Herb was a success then."

She remembered everything that happened. It came to her like a lightning bolt. Immediately, she whipped around and realized Mega Scizor was close by, parrying Beast 1's gemstone blasts with flurries of glowing blue fists. "(I see...)" She looked over at her Trainer. "(Forgive me for failing you. I got careless.)"

"It'll be just fine." Whether she heard Aegislash's plea was uncertain, but she chose to stand affirm. "Listen, it's time that we end this. Let's defeat this cretin before anyone else ends up hurt."

Aegislash floated higher, her blade still stuck out. "(Yes, absolutely!)"

Beast 1 realized its gemstones were of little effect on Mega Scizor. It then noticed Erza with Aegislash, immediately hissing in defense.

"Mega Scizor, get back! We'll end this now!" Erza ordered.

Mega Scizor nodded. "(It's all yours!)" She jumped away, allowing Aegislash and the Mage/Trainer to move in front. The latter glared at the parasite as she requipped into her Lightning Empress Armor.

"Krreeeeaaah!" It hissed, firing one more blast of gemstones like beams at them.

Erza narrowed her eyes and twirled her spear overhead. She pointed it at the oncoming gems and a magic circle appeared in front. A dozen lightning bolts streamed out of the seal that met the gemstones in midair, creating a sparkling array of fireworks that blinded the parasite.

Not too far, Guzzlord was still dazed as it tried getting up. Tapu Bulu floated in front of it a few feet off the ground. "(Oh no you don't!)" He slammed his hooves into the ground, causing roots and thick bark to sprout from the surface. Vines quickly laced around the legs and arms, pinning the monster down.

"(Alrighty~ then! That's our cue!)" Tapu Lele chimed. "(All together?)"

"(It's the most effective solution, so I see no reason to decline.)" Tapu Fini nodded. "(Let's make haste, shall we?)"

"(Right!)"

The three Tapus raised their hands in unison, gradually gaining momentum before crying out at the same time. Their appendages slammed into the earth, unleashing bright pink shockwaves that rippled towards Guzzlord. Rainbow lightning shot up beneath that carved fissures towards it.

"(NATURE'S MADNESS!)"

The lightning and land ripples met Guzzlord, immediately exploding earth skywards, along with rainbow shockwaves. The Ultra Beast let out a painful cry as it was uprooted and thrown into the air from below. It was still deeply dazed, so it couldn't fully make out its awareness of what was happening.

All three Tapus turned towards Erza. "(Now!)"

"Right! End this!" She shouted.

Aegislash and Mega Scizor's eyes glinted as they braced themselves. The sword shot through the bright field in front of the parasite, whereas Mega Scizor lunged past the island guardians. They closed in on their disorderly foes with fierce vindication.

"Aegislash, Head Smash! Mega Scizor, X-Scissor!"

Aegislash tucked in her head and beamed at a faster rate than before. Her tip glowed with radiant energy that erupted into a glossy blue and white aura that engulfed her entire body. Her own silhouette appeared to be nothing but black. Mega Scizor crossed her glowing claws with a big X pattern following it. They both cried at the top of their lungs as they met their faces at the same time, denting so far into each that two explosions shook both the land and sky around the Kahunas and Erza. Beast 1's cries went hoarse as it spiraled through the air, while the Guzzlord depressed deep within the earth, nearly caving in the altar's leveled plains.

The Kahunas were left with shock of their own. They had gaping mouths as the dust past them, forcing them to cover up. It was quick to dissipate, revealing the two Ultra Beasts wedged deep within the earth, unmoving.

"Did that...really do it?" Hala quipped.

Nanu scoffed. "Looks like it."

Both Mega Scizor and Aegislash regrouped with Erza. The latter's body crackled with red static with an immeasurable recoil.

"(Are you alright?)" Mega Scizor asked.

Aegislash quickly shook herself from the effects. "(Yes...I am now.)" She looked ahead to see the Guzzlord and parasite stuck in the ground. "(It appears that it's over.)"

Mega Scizor looked up. "(For us perhaps. But there still lies one more trouble above.)"

Erza looked up towards the sky, knowing full well the fight was far from over. 'Nic.'

---

The prism let out a loud cry as he slashed the air with his claws, sending a Psycho Cut at Tapu Koko. The deity disappeared in a blur, via his Agility, and reappeared at a closer proximity with an Electro Ball in hand. He fired it with all his might at the prism, who barely dodged it. The hemisphere kept going behind him, but Nic-Greninja appeared out of the blue with his leg in a Return. With all his might, he kicked the empowered Electro Ball just like he did before, sending it winding back towards the prism.

Upon impact with his back, a brutal explosion of electricity swelled around him, sending him falling through the air in a disorienting daze. His bloody eyes glowed as he adjusted himself on command. He turned towards the sky and fired another Power Gem barrage towards everyone above.

"(Woah!)" Tapu Koko shifted through the air in an attempt to evade the onslaught of gemstones. Nic-Greninja twisted and rolled his body across the atmosphere to evade until Mega Charizard swooped in to save him.

Nic saw the beams heading his way, but he vanished via Teleport. He reappeared alongside his Pokémon as they watched the black prism drift back towards them.

"(Does this guy ever run out of steam?!)" Tapu Koko exasperated.

"(That's what we were finding out ourselves.)" Mega Charizard scoffed. "(No matter how much we hit him, he's just won't stay down.)"

"(Hmph! In that case...you'd better prepare yourselves! I've got something for this guy that'll keep him busy.)"

Getting the innuendo, Mega Charizard flapped his wings and pushed himself back, along with Nic. They looked up and watched Tapu Koko burst into the air, crackling lightning charging around his body that magnified from the static-filled surroundings. It got the prism's attention with how flashy it looked.

"(Light...?)"

"(Oh yeah, it's light alright! And guess what...it's for you!)" He flexed his arms, causing the compressed lightning to expel. "(Discharge!)"

Spontaneous lightning bolts flashed in all directions, hitting everything in their path. Nic spread his wings to create a Wide Guard to bunker himself and his Pokémon from the stray bolts heading in their direction. The prism's eyes glowed rainbow yet again as the lightning bolts headed his way, but the daze didn't keep him busy or very long as he let out another cry and swiped his arm, expelling another Psycho Cut. The slash cut into the lightning heading his way, but it didn't go clean through. The two attacks were at a stalemate for a few seconds until both collapsed, resulting in an explosion. Smoke quickly fumigated the atmosphere between the two parties that obscured all their visions.

Tapu Koko narrowed his eyes. "(You're mine!)" He zipped through the smoke, heading head-first towards the beast. He broke through the other side, screaming with all his might. "(You can't get away from me!)"

The prism's eyes glimmered brightly before he suddenly reached out at Tapu Koko. His eyes widened with a hefty gag when the cold, sharp claws clutched his body. He gagged loudly as how harsh and sudden the hold was. The prism didn't hesitate to reel his arm around and throw Tapu Koko away. As he traveled, the prism slashed another Psycho Cut that quickly caught up to him.

"(Dragon Claw!)"

Before the slash wave reached him, Mega Charizard intervened, blitzing with breakneck speeds with a dense green energy slash that cut into the Psycho Cut's trajectory. It dispersed around him, leaving Tapu Koko plenty of room to reaffirm himself.

"(You...!)"

"(Don't mention it.)" Mega Charizard scoffed. "(We're not in your way, right?)"

Tapu Koko was quick to glare ahead. "(Whatever. Just hurry and buy me room, alright?)"

The prism let out a beastly snarl. Nic unleashed another wave of Air Slash, while Nic-Greninja jumped off his back and unleashed yet another Water Shuriken. The prism exasperated a hefty scowl before slashing Psycho Cut waves repeatedly. The saws and the huge shuriken grinded against the kinetic slashes until another field of explosions erupted between them.

The prism said nothing as he watched the blaze carefully. Moving swiftly through it, Mega Charizard beamed ahead with another Dragon Claw, whereas Tapu Koko shot above the explosion and aimed his Electro Ball. Once targeted, he fired it like a speeding bullet at the prism.

His blood red eyes glowed as he glared at his oncoming attackers. "(You're in the way of my light!)" The Electro Ball zipped past Mega Charizard and beelined into him first. However, the prism violently backhanded the hemisphere, batting it in a manner like Nic-Greninja did with his Return. Everyone showed shock as the electric sphere bolted towards Mega Charizard.

"(Wha-?!)" Tapu Koko exasperated.

"(Incoming!)" Nic-Greninja warned.

Mega Charizard saw the hemisphere head his way and made haste slashing through it. The slash wave traced the electricity that crackled along his skin, but he followed through and sliced it into thin air. His arm and claws crackled with the tingling sensation for a few moments, but was quick to shrug it off.

"(You all...why won't you get out of the way?! I need...my LIIIIIGHT!)" The beast's body shook violently. He was nearing his limits. He could go stiff and cold any minute now. He needed to get his light back, no matter the cost. He suddenly whipped towards Nic, his eyes glimmering rainbow again before jettisoning after him.

'Heading straight for the head, is he? He's getting desperate!' Nic flexed his wings. He narrowed his vision and readied for when the prism got too close.

"(Give me my light!)" The monster reached out to him.

"(Did you forget about me?!)" With great speeds, Mega Charizard intervened, blocking the prism's path with his claws bared. The beast drew closer, with no means of slowing down. He was planning to go straight through him.

"GRAAAAAAH~!"

Mega Charizard's red eyes glimmered. Mere seconds before the grizzly beast was about to reach out and impale him with a claw, Mega Charizard brought a claw around and activated a Dragon Claw. The one arm was coated, holding the appendage in place as shockwaves pushed the surroundings away. There was a short stalemate before the beast's rainbow eyes shined brighter. Out of instinct, he brought his other claw back, as did Mega Charizard.

"(DIE!)"

"(We...)" At the last second, Mega Charizard balled the claws in his hand as the crackling returned. The rush from his reflexes kicked in as millions of ions rushed up his arm into the fist he was making. So much static collected that it burst into a fist of thundering electricity. "(WILL NOT GO DOWN!)"

The prism cried out as he swiped for him, but Mega Charizard, quite literally, beat him to the punch. He lunged for him with the lightning fist driven at Mach speed clean into his brain prism. Lightning discharged upon impact, highlighting the light dents made into the facial armor. He followed through and sent the beast soaring downwards, blitzing into the ground with streaming airwaves following the impact. Everyone watched with shock as the beast smashed into the landscape, picking up a wave of dust and debris that spread across the plateau.

Tapu Koko whistled with astonishment. "(Well...I'll be damned. Didn't see that coming.)"

"(Nic, was that...)" Nic-Greninja trailed off, his purple eyes wide with shock.

"Yeah, no doubt about it." Nic looked at Mega Charizard's fist, which was still coated with the same crackling lightning. "That was Thunder Punch."

Tapu Koko's eyes widened. He never expected something as unorthodox as his own attack to help give Mega Charizard a new move. And an Electric-based one at that. He'd be flattered if it wasn't for the situation they were in.

Mega Charizard looked down at the ground, glaring daggers at the sea of dust created from the impact. His draconic eyes could make out rocks shifting and a black silhouette stirring. His fists clutched again in anticipation. "(He's getting back up...)"

"(We need to end this now!)" Nic-Greninja scowled.

"(For once, I completely agree with you.)" Tapu Koko said. They needed a sure-fire way to take out this stubborn and desperate creature once and for all. If Mega Charizard was able to power up with his help, then there had to be a way for them to end this with all their combined strength put together.

That's when he got an idea.

"(Hey, human!)"

Nic glanced over at Tapu Koko, seeing the deity sped over in front of him. The look they both shared as they glared at one another was absolutely serious, if not sympathetic. He wondered what he wanted, but the deity just glared at him in silence. He knew he had an idea.

"What is it?"

His answer came in the form of Tapu Koko closing his wing shields. When he opened them back up slowly, a bright glow surrounded a floating crystal. The crystal itself had a bleached yellow shade to it that reminisced of Tapu Koko's pattering. The crystal floated closer towards Nic's hand, landing softly with the front's black, rune-like insignia facing him.

"Wait, isn't this...?" Nic shot a look back at Tapu Koko out of pure shock. He was genuinely surprised by this. "Are you sure about this?"

Tapu Koko nodded. "(Not sure myself. I'm just returning the favor, alright...so let's just make this work while we're on the same page. For now...I'm entrusting the guardian's power to you.)"

Everyone was shocked. Mega Charizard and Nic-Greninja glanced at Nic in anticipation of what he had in mind. The look on his face, oddly enough, was nothing short of an epiphany.

'Everyone deserves a chance.' He remembered what he said before. He'd rather not look like a hypocrite and turn down the offer if it meant both parties got what they wanted. While it wasn't in Nic's particular interest, this was an emergency. And drastic times called for drastic measures. If this was the one chance he had to ensure that everyone benefited from this mess, then as a Fairy Tail Mage, he'd might as well live up to that claim.

A small smile crept onto his face. "You're on. Erza! The Z-Ring!"

Below them, Erza heard Nic's outcry. She looked at the Z-Ring embedded in her wrist and realized what Nic needed. "Right!" She quickly uncuffed the bracelet, holding it tight before tossing it. "Here!"

The Z-Ring flew across the atmosphere. It drew closer towards Nic...but he still too far out of reach. Luckily for him, Nic-Greninja's long, sticky tongue snatched up the Z-Ring and pulled it back towards Nic. The tongue placed the Z-Ring in his other hand. He wasted no time in getting it on his wrist with a loud click.

Beneath them, a rupture was heard before the black prism jettisoned skywards for them. He shot up to the same altitude as them, glaring fractured rainbow daggers through the dented visor. "(You...will pay!)"

"I just hope this doesn't make me look ridiculous." Nic mulled, placing the crystal into the stone.

"(Trust me, it's a good pose. Just follow my lead, alright?)" Tapu Koko shifted in front of them, glaring down the ravenous beast. "(Alright ugly, you want light so bad, come get it!)"

Nic took a sharp breath. Nic-Greninja jumped off his back and landed on Mega Charizard's to allow the trainer to float upright. With a crack in his spine, Nic floated with a firm glare fixed on the prism. "Alright then...let's go!"

"GRAAAAAH!" The prism crossed his arms, gathering light particles for another Prismatic Laser.

Nic crossed his fist, causing the Z-Ring to explode with a vibrant light pulse. The hue went dark around him as the insignia the crystal had emerged in front of him. Tapu Koko mimicked him to a tee and folded his hands over one another. The deity's beak claws and thumbs connected that Nic preceded with. A bright yellow aura crackled around the Lunala's body as the charge was surmounting to greater levels. Tapu Koko then raised his arms to his sides and wave a wave motion upon lifting them up to strike a pose, which ended with him having his left arm flexing and right arm pulled back.

With the hue being dark, there were only three sources of light around them: The prism's fractured silhouette, Tapu Koko's hemisphere of light, and Nic's Z-Ring. Everyone looked up from below as the ground beneath them started shaking violently.

"What's going on?!" Olivia gasped.

Suddenly, rock exploded beneath everyone and floated around them, as if defying gravity. They all stood frozen as the land beneath started to churn and cave into uneven shapes. Shards of rock stuck out of the ground that towered at immense heights.

"(Oh dear, is Tapu Koko really doing what I think he's doing?)" Tapu Lele chimed.

"(Yes...it would appear so.)" Tapu Fini looked up, looking equally as shocked as she was feared for what's to come. '(I never would have imagined that Tapu Koko out of all of us would be willing to perform this move. This must be dire.)'

The ground quaked so much that a fissure cracked open along the plateau. Overhead, Nic reached his left arm out with Taou Koko, forcing the latter's energy field around him to expel outwards. With one final eruption of rock and debris, everyone stepped back as a gargantuan yellow arm out of the earth, gripping the earth tightly.

"What...is this Z-Move...?" Erza didn't have the words. Not her, nor Mega Scizor and Aegislash. They were left equally as perplexed as she was.

The giant arm was accompanied by an equally larger arm that slammed down on the ground. Two muscular shoulders hauled out a headless, muscular body that continued to rise from below. Earth stirred beneath the feet as the giant yellow energy mass had a muscular frame for everyone to gawk at. The giant slowly arose, rivaling the heights in which Tapu Koko floated.

"GRAAAAAAAH!" The prism's body convulsed, as if reacting to the light the Z-Move was giving off. Light was leaking out of his fractured visor, making him blind with fury. "(MY LIIIIiiiiiiiIIIght!)"

With a unison grunt with Nic, Tapu Koko's body crackled with lightning as he closed his wing shields together to make a totem head. He sailed up and over the headless giant, mounting it to complete the set.

"(PRISMATIC LASER!)" The prism's body convulsed, showering everything once more with intense laserbeams.

Nic balled his right arm and brought it overhead. The giant mimicked the motion and stood against oncoming lasers.

"GUARDIAN OF ALOLA!"

The giant let out an earsplitting shriek as it drew its huge, muscular arm forward, obliterating any debris between it and the lasers with the fist. The punch met the laserbeams centerfield, creating another shockwave that rivaled a hurricane. Mega Charizard was forced to fly backwards from the sheer force of the shockwaves. He and Nic-Greninja looked just as shocked as everyone else.

Everyone who looked directly at the sight would have been blinded once again by the sheer might of it. The Kahunas, Erza, and the other Tapus all veered away as they focused on staying on their feet the entire time. It didn't help that some leftover debris and earth flew in their direction. Much of it flew passed them and overhead, but the situation wasn't any less easy for them.

Laserbeams constantly fired off the prism, but Tapu Koko's gargantuan fists was barely losing any momentum. The beast cried out as the laserbeams suddenly multiplied in strength, making a brighter flaring explosion that managed to make a stalemate between it and the fist. Nic clenched his canine teeth as he glared forward, his purple shaded eyes glimmering with the growing adrenaline.

"AAAAAAHHHH!" Nic cried out with all his might, causing Tapu Koko to actively respond and bellow out as well. The titan's fist clenched harder as the energy veins tensed up. The fist pushed harder into the laserbeams, slowly continuing its trajectory towards the beast. Air distorted between the two connected forces, enough that ions from the laserbeams were discharging on the spot. Both the prism and Tapu Koko glared daggers at each other that refracted light that grew to be too intense for either.

Ultimately, the two attacks finally collapsed upon themselves, causing the titan's fist to crumble away, whereas the laserbeams erupted at point-blank range on the prism. A blinding maelstrom of light pierced the skies of Alola, searing skywards as a grand pillar that outshined the sun's rays. The hue in the atmosphere blared with a shockwave of light that traveled all across the atmosphere. It went over the mountains, the seas, everywhere. Any clouds in the atmosphere over Alola instantly dissipated from the wake of the spearing explosion.

"GRAAAAAAH!" Within the realm of this light, the monster's black frame refracted more light, but his visor was a mess. He couldn't see what was happening. He desperately reached out towards the warm light, wanting to seize it...no matter what.

...and yet, he saw two silhouettes closing the gap. One had electrical fists, while the other had dark purple kunai. He wanted to move to stop it...but couldn't.

Nic-Greninja jumped off Mega Charizard's back, holding out his kunai on either side. Mega Charizard punched the kunai with Thunder Punch, conducting the electricity that mixed with the kunai. The force jettisoned Greninja through the light, carving through it with trailing purple static that followed the path of his mixed Night Slash.

"You're..." Nic started.

"(...DONE!)" Nic-Greninja's figure crossed the kunai across the prism, passing with bolts of purple lightning going off from the hundreds of tiny cuts along the prism armor. Time came to a stop as the kunai dissipated. He was in a standstill behind the prism before a discharge of darkness and lightning mixed and collapsed upon him, causing the painful cry to run hoarse. The bright explosion separated itself as the discharge took over, leaving a shadow behind Nic-Greninja's wake.

The shockwaves of the attack were so intense that even Tapu Koko found himself unable to stand upright. He cried out as he fumbled through the air towards Nic. "Here!" Nic teleported behind him, catching him before he got too far out of range. "You okay?!"

"(Gnnngh, I think so...)" he grunted. He eyed the dissipating explosion, watching the crackling darkness fade away.

The air was filled with smoke that fizzled for some time. The Electric Terrain around the atmosphere gradually faded back to a normal hue. The fizzled air gradually waned away into a few static streaks that thinned out. The cloud dropped the prism's body in a smoking heap, crashing with a dense depression upon impact with the plateau's misshaped formation.

Everyone staring didn't say anything. What could they even say? The shock of the situation alone was enough to render even the most mentally stable person in question. They didn't know which to be surprised more at, the fall of this grotesque monster, or the island guardians' Z-Move shown in person. Any of the two would be enough to slack a little jaw. They all witnessed the dust clear out, revealing the monster's body suppressed in the shards of the earth. His entire body was covered in dents and gashes that made his already disproportioned frame look nothing more than a bunch of shattered shards put together. The visor on his face leaked out thick pools of light like it was blood.

After what felt like an eternity of everyone looking on in stupor awe, the first to come to his senses was Nanu. "Is it over already?"

"Let's hope so." Looker muttered.

Nic flapped his wings and descended only a few feet. He shouldn't just throw caution into the wind until he was certain that whatever that thing was, it wouldn't be getting up. Mega Charizard caught Nic-Greninja and observed from the high vantage point given to them. They all eyed the grizzly beast carefully to see if he was truly down or not. Their eyes sharpened like daggers when they saw one of his claws twitch.

The beast's body twitched as he came around. The one thing he felt in an instant was pain that ran like fire throughout his entire body. He's felt it before, but this was far more intense. His brain prism gagged, shards of his face scattering across the ground. He moved his left hand to cover his broken face to prevent anymore light from leaking out. His groans were weak and cold. His breath became visible with specks of light frost.

"(Noooo...my...light is...fading...)" He tried to reach for Nic, but his right claw was numb with shock. It must have been paralysis by that Thunder Punch. If it weren't for his blurred vision, he could have seen the protrusion on it was sliced off by that last move. He tried desperately to move even a finger or one of his legs, only for them to go no more than a few inches off the earth and deplete yet again. With his body in this condition, there was no way he was going to be able to move on his own.

He moved his claw from his visor so he could see once more. Though light leaked out, he got a blurry image of the Island Kahunas and Erza in the distance. His vision traced skywards, seeing Mega Charizard and Nic-Greninja's silhouettes. But the most eye-catching figment that he immediately glued to...was Nic as he seemed like a moon itself. That light was so mesmerizing. So powerful. Enough light to radiate worlds. The longer he looked at it, the greater he felt his core shrivel from his overwhelming emotions. What he felt was no less than anger, that was a given. But if he were able to comprehend or admit to it...perhaps a better emotion was jealousy.

"GRAAAAAAH~!"

The entire airspace shuddered upon his outcry. Everyone took a step back to see what he would do next. To their surprise, a wormhole opened directly below him. His body gradually sank into the growing pit, with his hazed vision fixed solemnly on Nic. The latter reciprocated with his own glare as he watched the black prism disappear deeper into the dome. Everyone was caught off guard when a second wormhole suddenly popped up beneath Guzzlord and Beast 1's fallen figures. They began sinking into the tunnels as well.

"(Shoot! They're getting away!)" Tapu Koko moved to stop them, but Nic halted him. "(Hey, let me go!)"

"Let him go." Even as he spoke to Tapu Koko, Nic's fixation was still on the leaking visors on the prism. "We don't know where those wormholes lead to. Besides...I think there's been enough carnage done to both of us here."

Looker went to stop them, but a hand reached and grabbed his shoulder. He looked back at Nanu, who shook his head at him. The detective's face fell as he got the message.

The two wormholes gradually shrank away, leaving only a small burst of bright sparkles in their place.

A strong wind blew over the leveled canyons. Nic and Mega Charizard gradually lowered to the ground where the wormhole was and dropped down on their feet. Nic-Greninja dismounted and looked around, seeing the specks around them fade into thin air. The three shared an expectant look of displeasure and relief. For the most part, the worst seemed to have been avoided...for now.

With the realization sinking in, Nic felt a burning sensation on his neck. He looked up, realizing the sun had gotten brighter all of a sudden. The temperature arose a few degrees as well.

'That thing...I have a bad feeling about this.'

For now though, solace ran across the altar as the scuffle had finally drawn to its conclusion.

---

A few days went by after what had to feel like a hundred years' worth of hell. If there was a word to describe Alola at the time, the entire region's populace would probably say the same thing: Chaos.

A lot of media coverage went about the region regarding the battle that happened on Poni Island. A lot of the locals were still unable to make it through Ancient Poni Path without having to look at the wasteland that sat north of it. The Vast Poni Canyon was its own mess that they were getting new map layouts set. At least, that was what the reporters said. Others were speculating the reason behind that atmospheric eruption all over Alola. Researchers and scientists were flooding the altar for evidence of what the phenomenon was, but all they came across was just ruins.

"Marine life across the Alola region has made a drastic change in populace. Many of reefs along the shallows have been destroyed, causing many of Pokémon to relocate their habitats. As for the cause of this large-scale disaster, our scientists have conducted studies at what were left of the Altar of the Sunne to find Ultra Beast activity." The reporter turned her mic towards one of the scientists standing beside her. "So, were you able to find anything regarding the root cause of this phenomenon?"

The mic turned over to the middle-aged scientist. "Yes. We've found evidence that at the altar, there was a large mass of Ultra Space energy that grew out of proportions through a reaction spike."

"Now, if I'm not mistaken, the Altar of the Sunne is labeled as a sacred domain, right? This is where the Legendary Pokémon of Alola are known for having an impact. Is this true?"

"If that were the case, then yes. We believe that the Legendary Pokémon are able to share a link with Ultra Space. And many believed to have witnessed Lunala over the altar. We believe that the dots connected once Lunala appeared at the altar."

"I see. And have you been able to find anything as to why the legendary Lunala appeared?"

"That's what we're looking into right now. Normally, Lunala and Solgaleo are known to inhabit other dimensions..."

A click of a remote button turned the television off. Erza sighed deeply as she sat along the edge of the queen-sized bed. She had enough about the social media for the past few days to know where this was going.

"I'm surprised that they haven't figured out the reason yet." She turned towards the small window, the blinds letting her get a partial view of the motel porch that's been edged into her skull the last few days.

"It's probably because of the International Police's doing and covering up the situation." Nic explained, doing crunches on the floor. "If I were them, I'd probably do the same to prevent an international panic...of course, that's easier said than done."

Erza hung her head, but smiled. "Well to be fair, part of that destruction was by us." She rolled her eyes towards Nic. "But then again, they're the ones who started it. And plus it's not like we were the only reason behind that incident."

Nic fell silent as he focused on his core getting worked. "I doubt they would. And even if they did, it wouldn't make any guarantees that everything will settle." He exhaled as he lowered to the ground. "Of course, none of the Kahunas or island guardians came after us after that incident."

"I heard they were rushed towards the hospital. Even after Tapu Lele healed them with her scales, they still suffered some pretty sufficient wounds. And I can assume can be said with the island guardians as well. I'd find it unlikely that they'll make contact with us for a little while."

"Let's hope so. Because after hiding in a motel for two days, you start to feel like you're suffocating." Nic huffed. It was really more about a question of interest. Now that he thought about it, wasn't that the same with Pokémon and Poke Balls? He was pretty sure his Pokémon would have said something if the inside of a Poke Ball did injustice for their accommodations. If he were them, he'd want to get out for some fresh air every now and again.

"But still." Erza's tone turned serious with her look. "What happened back there? Why did that...thing arrive when it did?"

Nic knew what Erza was talking about. The bloodthirsty, hungry look in the brain prism's glare still made him uneasy to sleep soundly the past few nights. "Your guess is as good as mine. It could have been an Ultra Beast, but..." he frowned heavily. "Something was different about it."

"What do you think that is?"

"I've been thinking about it since it fled. The way it came after me, like I stole something from it..." He remembered the many timed the prism accused him of having his 'precious' light. "It kept saying, how I had its precious light. And how it must have it."

"That does sound like a problem." Erza rolled her legs over the bed to face Nic. "Still, I would hate to think what could have happened if that thing had gotten loose in its search. "She put a hand to her chin as she pondered deeper. "Now that I think about it, it's even more coincidental just after you transformed into Lunala." Her eyes narrowed. "You think that there's a connection between these things?"

Nic stopped his crunches and sat up, his forearm resting on his knee. The more he thought about it, the more certain he felt unnerved by it. He could still remember how his instincts as a Lunala were yelling at him to stay as far away as possible from this thing. There could have been a list so long that it could fill a textbook at the endless possibilities within his head as to why that was, but he would certainly overheat his brain if he overthought it. There was enough of that done already throughout this little "honeymoon" of theirs.

'Whatever that thing was, the way that it looked...it told me that it'll be back.' Nic thought solemnly, his gaze drifting towards the ceiling light bulb directly above him. 'Is it after me...or Lunala? We'll have to look into this if we get another chance.'

Suddenly, a knock at the door made them jump to their feet.

"Who's that?" Erza asked. "The motel staff perhaps?"

"I don't know. Nobody else knows where we're hiding out." Nic responded, his brow furrowing heavily. He was tempted to unsheathe a Cut, but held himself firm.

Taking the gander, Erza approached the doorway with a hand ready to requip a sword if needed. She heard another knock and undid the lock to see who their visitor was. "Yes, who is it?"

The moment the door opened, their reflexes kicked in upon recognizing the familiar coat and black hair. Looker stood on the porch, frowning with a stern expression.

"You...!" Erza requipped a sword, pointing it at Looker's face. Nic got into a defensive stance as he readied to rush if needed.

Looker was taken back by the sword inches away from his eyes, but he half-expected this. "W-wait just a moment, please. Mr. And Mrs. Pularis." He insisted. "If you'll allow me a minute of your time."

Erza's eyes sharpened. "How did you know where we were hiding, tell me that first."

"I received a notice from Professor Burnet at the Interdimensional Research Lab about a signature around here on Route 13. I recalled how the signal was mildly weak and left a trail, so that's how I found you."

Nic mentally cursed. He should have figured they wouldn't let them off the hook that easily. His urge to draw a Cut grew ever so steeper. What stopped him was the anticipated look on Looker's face.

"I didn't come to arrest you both, I mean it. I came to inform you of something very important. My employer, Miss Lusamine, she asked me now to escort you directly to her. She wishes to see you in person."

"And, if we refuse?" Erza sniped.

Looker closed his eyes, sighing out his nose. "I understand your skepticism." He gave them a sincere look. "The choice is yours, but we at least want to try and clear some things up if all possible."

Nic and Erza gave each other suspicious gazes. They couldn't tell if he was being sincere or planning a trap. And considering their new reputations amongst the International Police and Alola to an extent, they'd sooner wind up in hell than allow the "law and justice" to rectify what they felt was the right thing to do.

But still, everyone deserved a chance. It happened with Tapu Koko, so perhaps they could stand to try and be reasonable as well.

"Which way is it?" Nic asked sternly.

---

The flight towards Aether Paradise was as smooth sailing as could get...well, as smooth as what it would feel like riding a Charizard's back. The whole time being escorted by a Pager Charizard like an uber along the way didn't sit well with Charizard's stomach. But he knew that it was doing its job. He couldn't fault it for that. Still, having Looker ride its back like it were a car made him want to launch a flame. After the skirmish on the altar, Nic couldn't blame him for feeling this way. But thankfully that firepower was kept in check the whole way.

Which reminded Nic of something. Now that Charizard knew Thunder Punch, that meant he no longer knew Fly. It benefitted in case of Water-types like Tapu Fini if it called for it, but at the same time, was it still a necessity? He's used Fly a lot to get around Kalos, but if the Pager Charizard here didn't know Fly and still carried people across the region, maybe it was a sign of change. He didn't dwell on it too much since they had more pressing matters than a move's mechanics though.

Upon reaching the roof of Aether Paradise, the three dismounted their riders. Looker looked on as Pager Charizard departed, while Nic returned his to his Poke Ball. They walked into the marvelous mansion that was the large roof of the building and walked along the large corridor, where Lusamine sat at her desk patiently, with Wicke and Professor Burnet on either side.

The three walked up to the front of the desk with frowns on their faces. The atmosphere felt anything but welcoming towards them. The depths of Nic's mind told him that this felt like a trap. International Police could be waiting outside if they stepped away. And after the hell they went through, his patience was as thin as paper.

"Thank you, Detective Looker." Lusamine said, gesturing for Looker to step away. The policeman nodded in understanding and stepped off to the side.

Taking another look at the people, they didn't seem too tense. Rather, they had an informative aura around them.

"So, you're Nic and Pularis. We've heard so much about you." Lusamine started, looking deeply at them.

Erza stepped forward. "You are Miss Lusamine, right?"

She nodded firmly. "Yes. I am Lusamine. I am the CEO of Aether Paradise." She gestured towards the people beside her. "Beside me are two of my closest acquaintances."

"A pleasure to meet you. I am Miss Lusamine's assistant, Wicke." Wicke politely bowed.

"Alola to both of you. Name's Professor Burnet. I work as head of the Dimensional Research Lab over on Akala island." Burnet chimed in.

"And I'm certain that you've already affiliated yourselves with International Policeman Looker." Lusamine added, looking over at Looker once more. The officer gave a solemn bow upon the gesture.

"Yes, we're fully aware. Thank you for the clarification." Erza stated. "We were told that you wanted to speak to us in person, did you not?"

Lusamine gave another affirmative nod. "Yes, I do." Her hands folded over the other. "But first, let me say on behalf of my associates and the Alola region for doing what you could for driving away that...monster. Even though the damage done was beyond comprehensible repair."

Nic hung his head. "Don't mention it...sorry for the altar."

Lusamine sighed. "What's done is done, I suppose. Still, I can't say that we fault you entirely for that." Nic and Erza gave her skeptic looks. "I'm sorry, did that come as a shock to you?"

"Er..." Erza cleared her throat, trying to make sense first. "Well, to be honest, I wouldn't exactly say that our kindship with Alola has been very...understanding. We've suffered many of setbacks, and I do apologize for coming off so blatant...but I can't exactly say that I find those words to be credulous."

"I see..." Lusamine closed her eyes. "I supposed that it's too late to give you formal condolences for this misunderstanding. We've been doing a large sum of investigating ever since that incident to find out just why all these Ultra Beasts attacked."

"And...?" Nic inquired.

Lusamine gestured towards Wicke. The assistant nodded. "Here, take a look at this." The screen flipped to what looked like the two surfers that Nic and Erza met back in the Ruins of Abundance. What shocked them were the two white "hats" that were sitting on their heads.

"What's this?" Erza raised a brow.

"This was found on one of the victim's phones that we've found just yesterday morning." Wicke explained. "The evidence was damaged, but we were able to extract the data and look through the photos. And, er...aside from their personals, we've found this. Recognize them?"

'Did these seriously mistake those for headwear?' Erza couldn't help but look at the picture, the first thing coming to her mind being that imagery of wearing one of those things as a hat. 'It doesn't even look like it's comfortable...is it?'

Noticing his wife beginning to go into one of her "deep thinking spells" again, Nic stepped up. "Yeah, we've encountered them before. Those surfers we've met in the Ruins of Abundance. We were trying to talk to Tapu Bulu...and they attacked."

"I see." Lusamine nodded sagely. "We thought it was peculiar as to why they were covered in black ink. That was the same substance as the raw neurotoxins that Nihilego exuberates on their prey."

"Nihilego?"

Wicke's eyes widened. "Oh! Right! You're not familiar with Alola's Ultra Beasts, are you?"

"We've caught wind of them as a species not being from this world. I assume that there's more to them?"

"Correct." Wicke clicked the remote, causing the screenshot above to turn into a double panel side-by-side. The panel on the right showed the white parasite's image, while the left side showed the hulking, giant beast. "To the best that we can summarize, Ultra Beasts are in fact Pokémon. However, like you said, they come from other dimensions and usually carry with them a distinct aura around themselves. Such energy enables them to give them a boost unlike what most common Pokémon aren't able to ascertain."

Nic and Erza's eyes widened. Immediately the thought of Totem Kommo-o and Guzzlord came to mind.

"We're still not sure why they have such an aura around them, but we believe it has to do with where they originate: Ultra Space. That's the supposed dimension where these Ultra Beasts reside in. Unfortunately, aside from glimpse through the Ultra Wormholes that they've gone through, we have had little to no fortune of seeing this with human eyes."

"So it's an unexplored dimension?" Erza looked down, putting a hand to her chin. "That does raise some concern."

Nic's gaze arose towards the images of the two Ultra Beasts onscreen. "So those Ultra Beasts specifically, do you know who they are?"

Wicke looked up to the monitor, using the remote to enlarge the parasite's frame. "This is UB-01: PARASITE, otherwise known as Nihilego. We label them based on the encounter of their species in order. For example..." She hit another button, changing the screen to Guzzlord. "This here in UB-05: GLUTTON. That's its codename. Its biological name is Guzzlord."

"UB-01, and UB-05." Erza muttered. "So you're saying there's three other types of Ultra Beasts amongst them?"

"Possibly more so than that." Looker stated. "There have been a few cases where Ultra Beasts have been located outside the Alola region. The island guardians are supposedly the ones to deal with them, but if they get too far out of the region, the International Police are called into action."

"And we're able to locate their whereabouts through the help of Professor Burnet's spatial detector." Lusamine finished, gesturing towards Burnet. Said scientist stepped up, offering another nod of acknowledgment.

Immediately intrigued by the spatial detector, Nic's eyes slightly widened. "So...that's how you've been able to track us this entire time?"

Professor Burnet nodded. "That it would seem. It looks like my spatial radar picked up on a faint signal coming from you specifically."

"Did it not occur to you that it could have been another Ultra Beast?" Erza furrowed her brow, offended at the assumptions of a threat.

"That's what we presumed to be the case. Take a look at this." Burnet turned and nodded towards Wicke, who clicked the remote to show another double panel of a large red dot, and a faint yellow dot. "This is the radar in which concentrated on anything that extends spatial energy." They watched as the red dot moved with no trail left behind, whereas the thinner dot traversed with a small energy trail. "Normally, what happens is that when an Ultra Wormhole opens, it unleashes a broad spatial energy that is easily detectable. And normally, these energy signatures don't normally go anywhere. The only instance that it would happen would have to do with the case of a Faller."

"A Faller, you said?" Nic questioned.

"Organisms that travel through Ultra Wormholes. They give off a very strong energy that's equal to an Ultra Wormhole's signature. So strong in fact, that oftentimes when they fall through, they get mistaken by Ultra Beasts as gateways back to their worlds." Looker explained with a deepening frown. "And unfortunately...some Fallers don't always make it back."

Nic and Erza exchanged looks with one another. From the sounds of it, it meant the unthinkable. If they were Fallers, and that Guzzlord mistook them for a gateway...the image itself would be enough to leave an unpleasant taste in their mouths.

"But your signature was different this time. That's the problem." Lusamine returned the attention to herself when he crossed her arms. "Your spatial signature was weaker by scale, yet the island guardians still reacted to you on a hostile level. Tell us, please. What exactly brought you here to Alola of all places?" She humbly frowned. "I promise you, we won't hear anything against you...at least until we hear out everything you have to say."

Nic and Erza's glares hardened on them. After what they've been through, they didn't trust that statement so easily.

"We won't call the International Police again. We just want to be sure to confirm the evidence wasn't on false accusations. You must have had your reasons for coming to Alola, did you not?"

Ultimately to get this conversation over with, Nic sighed out his nostrils. "If we tell you everything and if you don't find what you find plausible, would you still try and arrest us?" he backlashed, specifically towards Looker with a glare. "We know that what happened and at the canyons were by us, but that was based on self-defense. But if still want to try..." His glare sharpened. "Then I'd like to see who'll be at fault this time."

Looker took the threat seriously. He wanted to say something to defend the cause and reason why the International Police were here, but Lusamine held a hand up. "Rather than consult your frustrations on the authorities, perhaps focus them on me instead. They were called caused of my doing. If you find anyone who you should feel pay for this mishap, let it be on me."

"Miss Lusamine..." Wicke murmured.

"It's alright, Miss Wicke...I've been meaning to get this off my chest as well. You see, not very long ago, I want to that our views about people and this world aren't...very far off." She stood up from her seat, walking around and turning around to face away from them. "You see, how should I put this...? I guess you can say that I was very...prominent about findings a better view on a world, or perhaps a better-looking world is more like it. It costed me everything just to find that world. My reputation, my name...my own family's view on me..."

Nic and Erza exchanged another look with each other, getting a good idea of where Lusamine was heading with this story. "I eventually realized there were in fact other worlds out there, ones filled with beauty. I became so obsessed with finding a way to go there...I even called my own daughter ugly because she tried to get in the way. I scoffed at her, believing what I did was for the better. I didn't care what others said because their viewpoints were only one-sided and biased." She frowned heavily. "But..." She turned around, looking Nic and Erza in the eye. "That all changed when I made an encounter with one of those Ultra Beasts. Nihilego...it latched onto my head, intoxicating me into something that I couldn't even describe. I was...like my head twisted upon itself..." She clutched her arms tightly, her fingernails digging deeply. "I was looking for a new more beautiful world to escape to, but I ended up encountering creatures that...were anything but ugly."

'I see...so she was a victim, too...' Erza thought.

Lusamine whipped around, giving them both a serious look. "I can understand your impressions on us, especially with you, Mrs. Pularis. I'm sure that we've gone and made bad impression upon ourselves, but I want to promise you that I am willing to do everything I can so that I'm not like those beasts. I know what it's like to judge one's actions. I admit, what I did was...wrong. And I am still trying to make it up to my son and daughter as we speak." She stepped forward. "If Looker nor the International Police are willing to hear you out, I at least will. You can at least offer that much leniency, can't you?"

They could feel the sincerity in her words. It wasn't spoken on such a quenched tongue that it made her feel like she wanted empathy from them. It sounded like she really meant it. The look in her green eyes was all the proof that Nic needed to tell that she was coming off as direct as possible. She was giving them a chance. And, like déjà vu, they returned the favor.

Nic stepped forward, giving her a sympathetic look. "If you're willing to hear us out...then we'll tell you."

Looker cleared his throat. "Thank you very mu-"

"Not you." He gave the businesswoman his undivided attention. "Just you."

Lusamine nodded. "Thank you."

For the next hour, Nic and Erza proceeded to tell Lusamine everything regarding what happened on Earthland that brought them to PokeEarth. They spoke about their experiences upon arriving in Alola, as well as their objective to find that parasite – now labeled Nihilego – that put Brandish into a coma. They made sure to not leave a single detail out.

As Erza explained the details, Nic obligated to fill in the details with proof via his Mind Form's mental prowess. He projected what happened through his point of view as Erza went on explaining about coming across the victims controlled by parasites. The incident regarding Tapu Koko was shown when he rushed to the scene too late, and that's when the accusations on Nic and Erza started. The projections kept Lusamine and the others at bay from chiming in. They agreed to listen and nothing more. They watched how they fought Ultra Beasts coincidentally when Looker and Nanu arrived, as well as the mental mindscape in which Lunala appeared and showed them all what happened on that night.

By the time the illusion and Erza's explanation came to an end, Nic reverted back to normal. The looks on all their faces were priceless. They looked like they had trouble processing it.

After what felt like an eternity of silence, Lusamine finally spoke solemnly. "I see...so that was your story." Her folded fingers tightened. "So one of your colleagues was attacked by a Nihilego, and you came to Alola to find this culprit. I see..."

Wicke cleared her throat as she chimed in. "Er, don't forget about that Z-Crystal phenomenon."

"Yes, that as well...at least that explains why the island guardians sought you as a threat. Ever since that phenomenon last week, they've been on edge. They must have sensed your supernatural abilities and mistook you as a threat."

"You said that you came from Earthland, didn't you?" Burnet inquired, before putting a hand to her chin. "Then it seems...now I get it. That's where the misreading happened." She glanced at Nic. "You have the power to travel between worlds, don't you? The spatial detector must have been detecting your ever-present spatial energy that you give off, even though no portals were made around you. Of course, now it makes sense now!" She pinched the bridge of her nose as she laughed dryly. "Wow. Phew! Now this is a whole new game changer for my research."

"So we were mistaken as Fallers then?" Erza folded her arms, furrowing her brow. "That's a little disturbing to know."

Burnet clasped her palms together and apologetically smiled. "Please forgive me. We couldn't distinguish between any signatures. But at least this way, with these notes, at least we'll be able to distinguish spatial frequencies given off from Ultra Wormholes opening up and outlier spatial sources such as yourselves."

Nic crossed his arms. "I guess that works. Just try and not get the two mixed up."

Burnet smirked. "No probs."

Looker put a hand to his chin. "So you came to do an investigation on Z-Moves and capture the Nihilego to help your colleague." He wanted to find it incredulous, but the evidence Nic backlashed at him made it clear he wasn't being deceived. He didn't have much of a choice but to accept what happened.

"I see...my condolences about your friend." Lusamine said. "Well, unfortunately, we weren't able to find any readings on the Nihilego that did harm to your friend."

"We know. We saw it vanish along with the other Ultra Beasts." Nic said.

"But...we do have an alternative. We've have a fair share of past Nihilego incidents and have developed antibiotics and medicines to help with mental recovery. You said your employer was Arthur, wasn't it? I can give you the medicinal means and copies of the treatments that you can pass onto him. I know it's not the direct source, but I hope this is compensation enough."

Erza gave a polite bow. "Thank you, Miss Lusamine. We're grateful to you for being understanding of our reasoning. Please, excuse us for our behaviors before." She gave Nic a look to see what he would do. Much to her relief, Nic seemed a lot more...relaxed.

"Yeah...sorry for the trouble caused." He admitted.

Lusamine nodded and smiled. "It's alright. If anything, we should be the ones apologizing to you for the misconception. We've given you such an ugly reception. We'll try better if we can to make sure this doesn't happen again."

A loud cough was heard from the side. Everyone watched as Looker stepped forward. "Mr. and Mrs. Pularis...as an elite International Policeman, I want to say my apologies as well." He gave them all a defeated bow. "We understand everything now. Please, forgive my negligence and carelessness."

Nic frowned at him. It wasn't as sympathetic like Lusamine, but it wasn't hostile either. He looked directly at him without the cold glare like he would give any arrogant superior. "It's fine. Don't mention it." He rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry for everything as well."

Looker raised his head and nodded. "It's all understood. The evidence and your confirmation was all we needed. We'll clear up everything with you both and the warrants out for you." He gave another nod. "We hope that you'll be more patient and cooperative with future cases."

Nic scoffed lightly, but grinned. "We'll see about that."

"Again, we want to apologize for this misunderstanding. What we saw made us realize there had to be more. We still aren't familiar as to why those Nihilego multiplied, but thanks to your efforts, at least Alola was preserved."

"It's nothing to reward us for. We were doing our part as Pokémon Trainers and as Fairy Tail mages. It was the right thing to do." Erza stated. "Will that be all?"

Lusamine nodded. "That should about cover it. Thank you both for cooperating. If you give us a little time, we'll collect the materials and treatment plans for you. Feel free to stick around if you'd like."

"One more thing." Nic stepped forward, his tone taking a drastic turn for seriousness.

"What is it?"

"That black creature...what was it?"

Lusamine and the others fell silent. They looked just as lost as Nic was on the situation.

"That's the thing..." Looker stepped forward, holding a hand up. "We've tried looking into the Ultra Beast database for anything related to what we saw." His expression fell. "But unfortunately, we have no records of this entity."

Wicke held her hand up. "Um, I do apologize for this...but is it possible that it came from this Earthland that you're from? Like that black dragon from a year ago. You think that they're related?"

Nic looked down at the ground, reminiscing at the unnerving glare the beast gave him. Just thinking about it made his veins throb. "Doubtful. Acnologia didn't associate with others. He lived to kill all for himself...as far as I've known him anyway." He looked up. "Besides, that beast didn't have an aura around it like the other Ultra Beasts, but it still had Pokémon attacks. Power Gem, Night Slash, Psycho Cut...and that last one. Prismatic Laser. That's a new one on me. So if Ultra Beasts give off an aura like you said, how come it didn't expel an aura?"

Lusamine frowned heavily. "That's a good question. Perhaps it could be a different Pokémon from another dimension that had gotten lost and disgruntled. A Faller."

"You think there's more of him out there?" Wicke contemplated. She looked visibly worried for the possible case. For her sake, she hoped that wasn't the case.

"That's something that we'll have to research then, won't we?" Burnet chimed. "Looks like we're all gonna be having our hands full with this one, huh?"

Lusamine gave a slight chuckle. "That's true." She gave Nic and Erza another glance, solemnly smiling. "Thank you both. We'll see that Mr. Looker escorts you outside."

Nic and Erza remained quiet as they allowed Looker to pass them. The International Policeman didn't think to give them another accusing look after that display. It was like all the doubt was replaced by a humble understanding. It made the atmosphere around him more tolerable to say the least. They followed him out towards the outside of the estate, but they stopped upon seeing familiar faces that were waiting.

Erza gasped in surprise. She recognized the faces of Hala, Olivia, Nanu, and Hapu. All four had a few bandages around their bodies, but for the most part, they were walking upright. "The Kahunas."

Nic narrowed his eyes at them to see what they would do. He half expected them to come out and challenge them once again. But he was quick to brush away the notion since Lusamine and Looker promised to clear everything up for them. His gaze was as distinct as someone who was ready for any challenge that dared to come his way.

The Kahunas glared back at them in silence. Nobody said anything for what felt like an eternity. The sun kept radiating down from above, but it felt like they were standing in the midst of a blizzard with a deep chill running through the winds at the high altitude.

The first person to step forward was none other than Hala. "Nic Pularis. Erza Pularis."

They frowned at him, but waited for what they wanted from them. They were caught surprise when they all suddenly got on their knees and ceremoniously bowed before them. Their foreheads touched the ground as they were on their knees. It left even Erza astonished.

"We're terribly sorry for this misunderstanding! We were told everything while we were being treated about what happened" Hala shouted. "We've branded you without the right conviction! Please, forgive us!"

"Uh...y-you don't have to do this! Please, raise your heads!" Erza stammered. If anything, she felt flattered at such a gesture, but she felt equally as embarrassed to have such a humbling act befell them.

"We know, but this is the least that we owe for the trouble that has happened. We were told in on everything by Looker, and how you came here not to destroy Alola." Everyone turned towards Looker, who reached into his pocket with his phone. They all saw the microphone setting on that matched Nanu's phone. Nic put two and two together, but he kept a mental note of this act if he needed something to play off of in a similar case.

"We had no idea. We're terribly sorry." Olivia said.

"Yeah, same here. Didn't mean t'have such a big ruckus result in dem Ultra Beasts spawn'n. We thank you fer help'n us." Hapu followed, lowering her head a little closer to the ground.

Nanu groaned and eyerolled. "Had a feeling something was up. Sorry, kiddies."

Nic hung his head, sighing tiredly. "Look, just lift your heads already, would ya? What happened, happened. We're...kinda at fault, too. Sorry for this big mess made. We were honestly trying to stay as low as we could. We didn't mean to make this personal, honestly."

The Kahunas all lifted their heads, with Hala being quick to get to his feet. "Hmph, I see then." He smiled with pride. "So I suppose then that means that there is no bad blood. That's good!" He let out a hardy laughter. "That makes me feel rejuvenated to hear!"

"(Hey-o! What's up, home slices!)"

Everyone heard a chime from above. They all looked up towards the sky above, recognizing the familiar sense of a strong aura. The atmosphere brightened oddly enough as the sun beamed down on four deities descending between them. All their eyes widened upon recognizing their symbols and coloring.

"(Do you absolutely have to address them as such, Tapu Lele?)" Tapu Fini groaned.

Tapu Lele giggled. "(Aw, c'mon girl. I'm just yanking your chain. Besides, we didn't come to fight this time, so I say we're golden!)"

The deity groaned. "(Right...about that.)" She turned to look at Nic and Erza. "(As the island guardians of Alola, we have something that we would like to say as well.)" She turned towards Tapu Koko. "(Tapu Koko.)"

Tapu Fini moved to the side as Tapu Koko drifted forward, subtly clearing his throat. "(Er, right...)" He sighed outwards, psyching himself for some reason. Nic and Erza could see the flustered gaze he shifted from either side to see if anyone was watching. All eyes were on him, much to his chagrin.

"(How do I put this? Well...I suppose that...)" His gaze lowered some. "(Y-Y'know...)" He rolled his head away. "(I mean...I know that we may have been a little...presumptuous and...well, you're very strong, and I've been thinking about what you said back there and well...I just, uh...wanted...)"

A harsh shove by Tapu Bulu bucked him from behind. "(Ow! Hey!)"

"(Just say it already.)" He huffed.

Tapu Koko gave him a scoff as he rubbed his backside. When he looked back at Nic specifically, he had a more relaxed position. "(Listen...I'm...sorry about what happened.)" He sighed heavily, like a lead weight was lifted off his chest. "(I've made a false judgment and acted because of how I was feeling, not how I should have done. And after some deliberations, we've all feel apologetic for not giving you the benefit of the doubt sooner...or rather I did, until it was too late. I'm sincerely sorry.)" He bowed his head in shame.

"(Yeah, guess so.)" Tapu Bulu followed the gesture. "(I let my temper get ahead of me when I should have looked at who attacked me back there. My mistake.)"

"(I, as well.)" Tapu Fini ceremoniously bowed.

"(That goes for me, too! If my bestie is sorry, then that goes double for me, too!)" Tapu Lele chimed, following her bow.

Nic and Erza exchanged looks with each other for the umpteenth time. While the former understood perfectly with what they said, Erza took the hints in their gesticulations enough to know they were apologizing. "It's quite alright. Don't trouble yourselves over it. What's done is done.

Tapu Fini nodded with understanding in a hum. "(I'm appeased to hear that. Considering the vehement tailing we've done and did to bring you to, dare I say, see a new light? I suppose that's one way of looking at it.)" She said. "(Still, we've put a great deal on everyone gathered here. It's only fair that we try and set things right, if all possible.)"

"(What she said, plus two!)" Tapu Lele swiveled around, waving a hand at Olivia. "(Hey girl, keep it real, alright?!)" She flashed an animated wink at the Kahuna.

Tapu Fini gave her another despondent look. "(Perhaps that's a little too lowbrow for a start...you know, nevermind.)"

Tapu Koko floated closer towards Nic. "(So...we cool?)" He reached a hand out to see if Nic would shake it.

Nic looked at the hand with a blank expression...before snickering low with a half-grin. "Yeah..." His grin widened as he reached out, shaking his hand. "We're cool."

Tapu Koko gave a slight scoff in return. "(That's good.)" His hand returned to his side as he floated back towards his fellow guardians. "(Guess I won't feel as bad when we give you our little apology gift to you guys.)"

Nic blinked. "...an apology what?"

"(Look, just hold out your Z-Ring, alright?)"

Nic blinked as he looked down at the Z-Ring that was on his wrist. Over the past few days, everything moved by so suddenly that he had completely forgotten about the Z-Ring and Tapunium-Z on his left wrist. He felt like he should give the latter gem back to Tapu Koko, but since he didn't bring it up, he kept it as it was.

As the Tapus all got into a line, they waited for Nic to hold out the Z-Ring. He chose to give the benefit of the doubt and held it out like Tapu Koko instructed. The Z-Ring gave off a multicolored aura that carried it off his wrist, drifting towards Tapu Koko. They all watched with mild shock when the ring reached his abdomen...and slammed his wing shields together.

"Did it just...?" Erza blinked.

Static suddenly ignited around Tapu Koko's body as he chirped. "Ko-ko-koko-ko-ko-koko-ko-ko!" He did a weave to and fro, followed by a final spin before sending the Z-Ring through his break-like hands. Oddly enough, it had a yellow aura around it.

Tapu Lele grabbed it in her hands and retreated into her shell. She started dancing to her chime, her pink hairs chopping up and down. "Tapu! Tapu! Le-le-le-le-le!" Her shell popped open, spewing the pink glowing material at Tapu Bulu next.

Once he grabbed it, the shell around his horns slammed shut as he did slow rotations with his chant. "Ta-pu, Ta-pu, Ta-pu, Ta-pu, Bu-lu!" His cowtail whipped the glowing, green, Z-Ring towards Tapu Fini.

Finally, Tapu Fini grabbed it and her shell slammed shut. Her ear fins expelled water as she accustomed to acrobatics while spinning, making funnels of water behind her. "Ta-pu Fi-ni, Finifinifini! Ta-pu Finifini-Fini!" She finished with a strong spat of her shell opening, shooting the Z-Ring back towards Nic in a multicolored hemisphere.

The glowing ring gradually returned to being around Nic's wrist. However, unlike before when the glow faded, it had taken on a different shade and shape than before. They noticed how immediately that the white color scheme the stone had before turned almost full-on black. The spot where a Z-Crystal was supposed to go had two smaller diamond indents on either side. There was only a small amount of white where the mainframe of the Z-Ring was supposed to be centered. It was also notably larger than the previous form, too.

Nic looked down at his wrist with genuine interest. "What's this?"

Tapu Koko beamed with a sense of pride. "(Consider that our little apology gift, you see? And a damn good one too if I say so myself!)" He chimed. "(That's called a Z-Power Ring. We just refined the Z-Crystal's potency. If you ever come across a tight spot...feel free to give it a shot. Trust me, you can pull off some pretty slick moves if you have the right Pokémon and crystals on hand.)"

"(Perhaps it's best that we try and teach this to our fellow Kahunas as well.)" Tapu Fini offered. "(It'd be something productive to say the least. Besides, supposedly doing this will help us better get a better sense of human character.)"

Tapu Lele blinked, before raising a brow. "(Really? This is a suggestion from you, girl. Last I checked, you detest humans more so than any of us.)"

"(That's true...but I never said all humans.)"

Tapu Lele crossed her arms. "(Geez, you're so sketchy girl, I swear!)" She giggled mischievously in retort, making Tapu Lele huff even more at her manner of playing around. "(Go back into your lane and read the lines right next time!)"

Hala gave an approving nod. "It would seem that Tapu Koko has blessed you both with this power of trust. Be sure to do well remembering that this was because of us coming together. Once again, on behalf of Alola..." He spread his legs apart and bowed properly towards them. "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank us anymore than you already have. I'm just relieved we were able to put this matter behind us." Erza stated. "But now that you know why we're here, you wouldn't mind if we ask you more about Z-Moves and about these Z-Crystals, would you?"

"Heh, try us. Though can't guarantee the full disclosure." Nanu teased, shrugging with a smirk.

The doors behind Nic and Erza opened, revealing Wicke as she walked closer. "Mr. And Mrs. Pularis, come inside. Miss Lusamine has everything ready just like we've promised you."

Nic turned around, grinning. "That's great. Thanks." Wicke bowed before stepping off to the side. Nic looked back over his shoulder to glance at the Kahunas and Tapu. "See ya around."

Erza gave them a nod as well as she went back inside with Nic to gather the supplies needed. Once they departed, that left the Kahunas to turn and leave as well. The only ones who really stuck around were Nanu and Looker as their backs faced away from each other.

Nanu scoffed.

"What is it?" Looker inquired.

"Nothing." He shrugged. "Seeing you with such a solemn face is pretty out of ordinary for you. Doesn't really suit you, y'know?"

Looker hung his head and rubbed the top of it with a small snicker. "Suppose you're right...no, not just that. About everything." He straightened up and looked towards the sky. "I let my determination make a false judgment. And that lead to many of our best men to be outwitted. It seems that I still have much to learn."

"That so, eh?" Nanu raised a brow. "So tell me, what's going on in that head of yours? Don't tell me you're gonna retire like I did?" He turned to give him a straightforward look. "Look, don't run yourself down like I did, alright? Remember, the mission came first above all else."

"Yes...but I also allowed my insecurities to get the better hand this time. Supposed this could be where I try and think of learning from scratch." He turned around, giving Nanu a deep look. "I've been giving it some thought, but I've decided. I'm going to be stepping down as one of the elites, and have Anabelle take over."

"Anabelle? You mean your partner?"

"Yes. I've heard that her recent venture in Hoenn has been exhausting. Perhaps I'll invite her to Alola, seeing as how this is a popular vacation spot." He hung his head, grinning. "Besides, she could use a good deal of experience with Ultra Beasts. I'll just be her bodyguard and supervisor for a little while and see how it goes. Who knows, maybe in about a year or so...I can finally leave everything to her."

Nanu kept a brow raised, but a sneer crossed his face as he turned away. "I gotcha. Well do what you want..." He started walking away. "But I guess you still have responsibilities to do as well. Do what you can to pass that torch."

"I will." Looker gave him a sincere smile. "Take care of yourself...Number 000."

Looker heard the familiar name, but kept his path on the doors in front of him. "Yeah...same here." Even though it was small, a soft, genuine smile crossed his face. He ventured back into the shadows of the roof to the adjacent building for the elevator and walked through, the doors sliding shut behind him.

'Thank you for being alive, Looker. I was glad to have mentored you. You've grown into a proud elite officer. Keep pushing forward, for me...and her. I'm proud of you...I mean it.'

---

The sun had started setting along the horizon, painting the seawater with an orange hue. Splashed of a few Magikarp jumping out of the water caused the ripples to sparkle. With a cool air breezing along the sea, it carried several Wingull to shore and hovered over the inland's crisp white beaches below.

After a hell's worth of adventuring across Alola, Nic and Erza found themselves all cozied up on the two towels that Joey had packed them. They were in their vacation attire once more, with Erza's sarong complimenting her swimsuit and sundress. Nic sat back beside her, his gaze beaming above the sun to watch the Wingull circle around above them.

Closer to the water's edge, their Pokémon found themselves relaxing. Cloyster found himself cozy underwater, while Arbok drifted along the cool ocean water. The others had found suitable spots along the sand and on some rocks to lounge around and rest up. Staraptor and Talonflame roosted along a palm tree that was hunched too far over...with Kecleon dangling upside-down with her tongue wrung around the bark between them.

Erza found the sound of the ocean waves flowing in and out of the shores calming. "Now this is what I was looking forward to."

"I hear that." Nic exhaled, watching the Wingull glide along the drafts across the ocean. A nice, tranquil, secluded beach along Melemele Island, where no one could disturb them. For once after what felt like a week's worth of hell, they actually had something that the people around them before couldn't give them: Comfort.

"I can see why you hate people, Nic. Though I admit, after what happened today...I guess they aren't so bad after all." Erza chimed, adjusting her hands that supported her slouching body.

"Yeah...guess you're not wrong." He responded softly. "But I'm still not one for crowds. That's not me."

Erza looked back at him, offering nothing more than a glowing smile in the sun. "And that's just fine with me." She leaned closer to him, her smile turning into a smirk. "I like that about you. You hate people by nature, but you're willing to give them a chance. Not everyone is able to be as strong-willing like that."

Nic sheepishly looked way, meekly pouting with how close Erza was. "C'mon, you make it sound like I was a criminal my whole life."

"Technically, we were by the Magic Council at one time. And let's not forget the misunderstanding cleared by the International Police as well." She chimed back.

Nic could barely hold back an eyeroll. "You just had to roll out the technicalities, didn't you?" He shot a leer back, along with his own smirk. "Since when did you start getting on people's cases to where you had to be smug about it?"

"Who do you think I took the influence from?"

"Touche." He snickered as he looked out towards the ocean waters, watching as a lone Magikarp flopped high out of the water. In the light of the sunset's beaming gaze, he watched as the Magikarp glowed brightly. "Looks like everything's going full circle it seems. You'd think after our second day here that something like this would only be in a dream."

"You can say that again." Erza's eyes were glued to the shimmering blue light in the distance that grew in size. The Magikarp before exploded hundreds of light rays across the ocean water, emerging as a Gyarados that roared as it dove back into the waters with a large splash.

"It's been a long week, there's no denying that. But I feel accomplished enough to have this view." She shot him a glance. "Did you by chance get that information back to Arthur and the Cambire Foundation?"

"I made a quick jump straight to the Cambire Foundation. I left him a note along with the information and medicinal that Lusamine granted us."

"Even about Z-Moves and what else we've learned?"

"Don't worry, I've made sure to do that, too." He closed his eyes as he tilted his head. A small smirk crossed his face. "With that, we've done what we've came here to do. Now we just wait for Arthur to get that to Alvarez and see to Brandish's recovery."

"I'm sure Lucy will be very happy with all that we've done for her friend." Erza chimed, humming softly. "But you know, it's a little shameful."

Nic opened and eye and glanced at what she meant.

"I was honestly looking forward to more to this honeymoon than just strolling around for answers to our problems. But now that those problems are solved..." She folded her arms, huffing as she sat back on her towel. "We'll have to go back soon. A shame."

Nic kept an eye on his wife's mood. He didn't know whether she was goading him for something or it was her being serious. But she wasn't wrong about their agendas being based on reasoning. Now that they've completed the mission, what reason did they have for staying?

But far be it from Nic to try and ruin anymore of his woman's desires

"You know...Arthur said we should come here for our honeymoon, didn't he?" He chimed. "He never said anything about how long it had to last. Besides, I've already sent the stuff to him..." He leaned further back to watch the sunset. "So I say, we should enjoy ourselves for a little while longer. You said we've earned it, didn't you? Let's just let it last while we still can."

She gazed back at him, raising a brow. "Since when did you become less of a workaholic?"

"The same time you dragged me out of Arthur's office to pack for this honeymoon." He deadpanned. "I mean it...I think we can work with this view a little longer."

Erza's smile widened as she gazed lovingly at Nic. A very faint blush spread her cheeks. She leaned in, kissing him on the cheek. Once she was satisfied, she pulled away to see his slightly reddened face. "And I mean it when I say this, Nic. I'm proud to see how much you've grown since we've first met."

"Guess that makes two of us then."

They looked back at the ocean view, watching the Gyarados that splashed in the distance finding its way farther out towards the sea. Seeing it go into the unknown depths of the waters, it left a pit inside Nic's stomach. Images of that...thing filled his mind.

"(Give me my LIGHT!)"

Nic found his core unnerved with this painful feeling. Something was telling him that whatever the cost, no matter what point in the future it was, this thing would be back for him. 'I don't know what that thing was...but it looked angry...and in pain.' He knew those two emotions all too well. It ate at him even more. 'But...even though we may have caused it more pain, it couldn't be helped. It just means that next time he attacks, he'll likely be more vicious...'

If he could try and ease that pain, then he would...but he knew from experience that his way was the hard way. He'll just have to be ready for when that bad feeling comes to know what to do...but that will be for later. For now, the rest of his merriment with Erza awaited him.

"Hm? What are you spacing out for, Nic?" Erza questioned.

Nic raised his head towards the sky. "Just thinking what we should do next is all. It's been a long week...guess we can always improvise."

Erza raised a brow. "Isn't that your intuition's best asset?" She sat upright, giving him a smile. "How about what we do next is get into the Alola spirit?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" He shot her a confused look.

"Come on. You know what I'm talking about." She moved her hands over her head and tilted her head to the side. She moved her hands in opposite arches to signal the Alolan greeting. She saw Nic visibly twitch.

"Do I really have to?" he groaned.

"Please, Nic? Just this once." She cooed.

Nic sighed heavily. "Fine, just this once." He gave a meek smile as he lifted his hands overhead, moving them in opposite arches. "...Alola."

Erza smirked at him. "That's all I ask." She cleaned in, planting a long, deep kiss on his lips that made her feel more appealing than the oceanic view itself.

There were a lot of unsolved mysteries that had unfolded in a short time. But they could focus on that later. Right now, all they wanted was to focus on each other and enjoying their alone time they have right now as the Alolan sun beamed directly on Erza's hair, making its scarlet radiance burn brightly as she and Nic kissed deeper than before.

"(I think I can actually stand to get used to this view.)" Aegislash said, admiring the sunset.

"(I agree.)" Greninja nodded. "(Let's just hope we see more of these in the future.)"

As their kiss lasted, Nic and Erza's fingers found themselves intertwining once again.

---

The dark palace was completely abandoned. All that was there was pitch-black. Darkness overwhelmed the dimension. One couldn't see their own hand in front of them. This darkness was cold, and frigid. It was like a frozen jail of darkness that froze if you were engulfed in it. And for this jail, it only had one inmate.

The prism beast labored in breath, rasping in breath. Every exhale he took, a few light particles escaped. He felt so broken. So weak...his chance to get his precious light backfired big time. And it costed him more than what he imagined.

"Curses...CURSES!" He gagged, more of his brain prism's visor fracturing. At this point, the very last of the light he had gradually seeped out. He felt his body freeze up from his legs and making way up to his abdomen. "I was...too hasty...my light...it's still so far away..."

Even as he felt his strength fading, his mind was still painted with that blurred image of Nic as Lunala. That light. How another creature has his precious light. It made his breath grow deeper with anger and frustration. If he had the strength, he would roar with anger. But alas, all he could do was muster hoarse wheezes as his frame was forced into a hibernation.

"I will have...my light once more...next time...this pain...will go...away..."

As his voice drifted off, the last sparks of his light faded. Like precious oxygen needed to fuel a flame, it was all out. The beast's body went completely still as his slumber began.

But when he wakes up again, he would be ready to take back what was his. And his alone.

---

Well guys, it took me over a year, but I was able to finally get this done! I hereby declare that the Alola Arc is officially done! Wooooo...yeah. Well, by all means, I felt like I ended this arc on a good note (and partial cliffhanger), so I feel satisfied with the outcome! Also, I felt now was as good as time as any to have Charizard get a new move in.

Let me know what you guys thought about this arc. I'll be sure to get started ASAP on the next one. The Cosmog Arc! Sure some of you saw it coming, but it was meant to happen eventually. It'll be kept to a relatively short arc, similar to the Sophie Arc. I'll do my best as always!

Thank you guys once again for being patient with me. I hope to hear your thoughts as soon as possible! XD