With the golden sun on its way toward the oceanic horizon, Sam and Alice’s Charizards glided down the side of the mountain, using the rail of the lift as a guide. With the station at the base coming up quick, the Charizards banked to the right to avoid the trees, flying just above the ruins of the Tapu Village. With another swing to the left, Sam and Alice’s steeds flew toward the ocean and along the coast of the black-sand beach.
Sam’s eyes traced the broken street as it led up to the Abandoned Thrifty Megamart. There didn’t appear to be any sign of Nanu or even the Absol and its Pokémon army around. Reaching the slab ramp from the beach back to the mainland, Sam’s Charizard swooped up before landing onto the sand. Patting it on the neck, Sam swung off the seat and fell straight to the sand, Alice’s Charizard lowering her down to the ground.
“Sam?” She approached him. “Something’s not right. There’s no one here.”
Sam held his hand back to wait as he heard rustling from the bushes above. “Maybe that’s…”
As he walked toward the ramp, he kept his eyes at the top of it, and as expected, the Absol slunk up into view. Sam stopped, knowing the Pokémon would not let him advance another step further. He smiled a bit not seeing any Raticates or anything else by its side. Alice stayed behind her brother’s Charizard’s wing, watching safely.
“So, you’ve seen Nanu anywhere?” The Absol leapt down straight onto the sand, forcing Sam to get back and reach for a Poké Ball on his belt. “Hey, come on now! I beat the other trials! I’m just waiting for him!”
The Absol didn’t seem to care, baring its teeth and continuing to slowly approach, appearing ready to pounce at any moment. He stared into its eyes that squinted in territorial anger. Finally, after a couple of blinks, Sam then stayed still and relaxed himself; he suddenly got it. To Alice’s slight surprise, the Absol also stopped its advance.
Sam nodded, taking its response as a certainty. “Okay, I see now…” He detached a ball from his belt, leading the Absol to back away to give him and his first Pokémon some room. He then threw it out. “Go, Lurantis!”
The ball opened up, and his Pokémon formed from the white energy that spilled from it. Absol took another step back, the creature having clearly gotten bigger since the last time.
“Yeah, you remember her?” Sam taunted. “Come on, let’s see you try and land a Megahorn on her now.”
As if to heighten the suspense, a wind picked up through the trees, whistling as it blew through. Unbeknownst to any of the humans or Pokémon waiting there, a single white cloud floated just over the Megamart from above, high enough in the sky to appear just like any other cloud to Sam and Alice below. Resting on it were Fluttershy with Comfey around her neck, as well as Starlight and Lady on a sheet made from her magic.
“So…” Fluttershy wondered. “When are we supposed to–”
“Once Sam takes out that Pokémon,” Starlight responded, “the coast should be clear. Until then, we need to stay put.”
Below them in the forest, a pair of Alolan Raticates came out from the brush behind the Abandoned Megamart, squinting up at the cloud and noticing the tips of Fluttershy and Starlight’s tails poking out from the top of them. Chattering suspiciously, the two Pokémon waddled their way around to the front.
Sam pointed at his and his Pokémon’s foe. “Lurantis, hit Absol with X-Scissor!”
The Absol lunged its green-glowing horn at Lurantis’s gut. Lurantis leapt and turned to the right with just enough space to let the charge pass it and also swing its scythed arms up to the sides, slashing against its stomach and leaving a green-mark there that faded to red irritation.
“Yes, nice!” Sam punched the air with both fists.
Still in its lunge, the Absol twisted its body and landed so that its back legs swung around to reposition it back in front of Lurantis. Without waiting much longer, the Absol charged again horn-first. Lurantis just turned its head to see the horn stab its gut and throw it back toward the ramp, it’s lower back hitting first and swinging the back of its head into it next. Sam gasped as his Pokémon’s arms splayed out before they, along with the rest of Lurantis’s body, rolled down to the end of the ramp, completely unconscious.
“Ah–” Starlight was quick to stifle Fluttershy’s anguished cries with her forearm over her mouth.
Sam turned back to Alice as she looked around, neither able to find the source of the scream. With a loud growl, the Absol redirected their attention back to it, urging Sam to bring out his next Pokémon. Sam angrily brought Lurantis’s ball back from his belt and returned it inside.
“You just won’t let me have this!” Sam tore his next ball off his belt. “If only you knew what was at stake here!”
The Absol’s expression didn’t change. All it cared about was whatever Pokémon was inside that Poké Ball. With the sky getting darker by the minute, Sam quickly realized that bargaining with the creature was pointless.
With a flick, he tossed his next ball out. “Your turn, Salazzle!”
Bursting out from the ball, Salazzle plopped down onto the sand and screeched at Absol, remembering their last encounter with a resounding lack of fondness.
“Outrun this!” Sam shouted. “Salazzle, hit Absol with Sludge Bomb!”
With a hock, Salazzle spat large ball of toxic mucus out from its throat, splattering into Absol’s face and over the top half of its body. As Absol tried throwing its head side to side to throw the grime off its eyes and coughing any that got in its mouth, it thrashed about at the air, its claws turning magenta and flinging two bow-shaped auras of Psychic energy out from them.
The first raced across the surface of the beach, passing Salazzle but spraying sand into its eyes. Blinded, Salazzle could not avoid the second aura as it crashed into its body, hurling it back to Sam.
“Salazzle! You okay?” Salazzle rubbed its eyes with the palms of its hands before hopping back into the battlefield. Sam looked to the Absol, whose fur was still covered in Salazzle’s Sludge Bomb. To both Sam and Alice’s pleasant surprises, parts of its face and paws throbbed slightly, glowing purple with each pulse of the afflicted areas.
Alice shook her fists in excitement. “Sam, you poisoned her! You got this, now!”
“Ready, girl?!” Salazzle cawed affirmatively at Sam’s query. “Finish her off with Venoshock!”
Opening its mouth up, a barrage of small purple spikes shot out of Salazzle’s mouth like a turret. With its vision no longer inhibited, the Absol stood on its hind legs and swung both of its arms in strong, controlled motions. Two more psychic bows, much stronger than the last, raced at Salazzle as it continued shooting its attack. Several of the spikes had already begun pelting into the Absol, who screamed with each spike that prodded into one of its poisoned spots. Holding its attack until the end, Salazzle was hit by both auras, creating an explosion in the sand that blasted it backward toward its trainer.
Sam was quick to catch Salazzle, grabbing it by its upper chest and letting it drape its arms around his. It wasn’t long before it couldn’t muster the strength to continue holding on, starting to slip out of Sam’s grasp. With the hold he still had on it, Sam fell to his kness and quickly laid Salazzle onto the sand to cushion the fall.
“Salazzle, no...” He stroked his Pokémon’s back appreciatively.
“Sam, look!” Sam looked back to the Absol where his sister was pointing.
Its legs wobbled as it tried to hold itself up, the poisoned welts on its face and paws having gotten even more swollen and glowing with an even brighter shade of purple. Sam and the Absol locked eyes as he held Sazzle close, refusing to move until he could see that it would still battle. With a gargling snarl, it took one step forward, only for its leg to buckle, sending it toppling to its side before it lied still, no longer wanting to get up.
Sam huffed a laugh as he hugged Salazzle tighter. “Excellent job, girl!”
As Sam returned his Pokémon to its ball, Starlight gasped as she nudged Fluttershy across Lady. “That’s it, that’s our cue!”
“Huh?” Fluttershy barely got her word out before Starlight charged her horn and teleported them all off the cloud.
Appearing before of the front doors on their hooves, Starlight, Fluttershy, and their Pokémon were immediately greeted by the two Alolan Raticates coming at them from both sides, hissing. Unable to help herself, Fluttershy screamed loud.
Alice looked up to the top of the ramp with Sam shooting up to his feet. “Fluttershy?!”
Both he and his sister sprinted toward the ramp, but as Alice ran up it, a weak whine forced Sam to stop. He looked back to the Absol, who, still poisoned, reached for him with one of its paws, knowing it didn’t have much time before it would succumb. Sam didn’t have to think much about it, running back to its aid. Alice reached the top, finding Starlight and Fluttershy battling an Alolan Raticate each with their Pokémon.
“Lady!” Starlight shouted. “Attack the Raticate with Moonblast!”
“Comfey!” Fluttershy ordered, adrenaline filling her cries. “Hit the big scary rat with Draining Kiss!”
Opening its mouth, Lady shot a silvery beam into the Raticate’s face, blasting it far and away from it. Comfey blew the other Raticate a kiss, casting its body in a bright light that was promptly and painfully torn off and receded into Comfey’s body. Despite seeing both Raticates swoon, weakened from the attacks, she was more terrified to see the ponies there at all.
“Stop!” Hearing Nanu’s voice off to the left of the building, Alice, Starlight, Fluttershy, and all the Pokémon looked in that direction. “Please, stop!” The Ula’ula Kahuna stepped around the building to face them, his hands up as a further gesture of ceasefire. “The hell are you trying to do?” Then looked left and right, finding someone among them was missing. “Hey, uh, where’s that boy?”
“Coming!” Sam came walking up the ramp, the Absol following with a hardly-noticable limp in the paw that tripped it.
“Eeee!” Flutteershy squealed, Starlight and Lady also looking frightened. “He didn’t beat it!”
“Calm down, Fluttershy, I did. I just gave it a Full Restore.”
“Oh…” Nanu seemed genuinely surprised. “That was nice of you.”
“It was in pain. What else was I supposed to do?”
“I mean, I was going to come down after you beat it and heal it up myself, but your friends over here got in the way a little.”
“Starlight, Fluttershy!” Alice scolded. “What are you even doing here? You know we were going to do this alone!”
“I’m sorry!” Fluttershy whimpered. “We just thought we could get you that Dusk Stone thingy so you wouldn’t have to battle him!”
“Wait, what?” Sam asked.
“We figured that once you defeated Absol,” Starlight explained, “the Megamart wouldn’t be guarded anymore and we could go in and get a stone for you and get right back to the Aether House. We just thought that would be the easiest option.”
“In life,” Nanu said, “there’s hardly ever an easy option, and the best things in life aren’t usually gotten through them. But it seems you’ve beaten the Absol, right?”
The Absol let out a dual-toned bark to affirm this.
Nanu then smirked. “Then that settles it. Now it’s time for me to face you. I’d ask if you were ready for your Grand Trial but… you already accepted that the moment you decided to face Absol here.”
“Hold on!” Starlight protested. “That Absol counted?”
“Yeah,” Sam answered, “but I figured that out before I sent my Lurantis out. Everyone, just stand aside. I have a battle to win.”
“But…” Starlight turned her body toward the sliding glass doors, Absol catching her from the corner of her eye. “What’s stopping us now from just being able to go in and–”
As Starlight charged her horn, the aura also appearing between the two doors to force it open, a single bow from the Absol’s Psycho Cut whizzed past her and shattered the aura in the doors, leaving them intact. Starlight and Fluttershy turned back around to see the Absol, as vicious and protective as it was when it faced Sam, its own horn glowing magenta.
“I’d rethink that if I were you,” Nanu warned. “I think the next time it does that, it’s hitting you.”
Starlight moaned with great sadness, her entire efforts all made pointless.
“It’s okay, Starlight,” Sam assured her. “I want to do this. Just please, the faster I can beat him, the faster we can get back to the House.”
Starlight glanced between Sam, the Absol and Nanu, unsure if one of them would relent. Taking Sam’s words to heart, she, Fluttershy, and their Pokémon walked out to the space to the right of the Megamart. With its path open, the Absol left Sam’s side and stood guard of the doors with both Alolan Raticates joining its side.
Alice quickly jogged back to join the ponies as Sam walked further in to stand between the front of the Megamart and the edge of the cliff to his left. Nanu walked over and stood directly before his challenger, and with that, the stage was finally set.
“Okay,” Nanu spoke, “you lost two Pokémon in that first battle. Judging from the lone empty slot on your belt, you caught another Pokémon since we last met.”
“I sure did.” Sam pulled Drampa’s ball from his belt and held it aside. “Would you like to meet him?”
“I’m dying to.” Nanu pulled one of the Ultra Balls from his belt and lobbed it out underhanded. “Go, Sableye!”
With that, Nanu’s small, gem-eyed sprite emerged from its ball, awaiting the Pokémon Sam held in his hand.
Sam threw his ball out next. “Okay, let’s do this, Drampa!”
With his Poké Ball bursting open, Drampa fell down from the white energy that burst out from it and floated down to the ground to face Nanu’s Pokémon.
“And here we go,” Alice whispered.
“Come on, Sam,” Starlight muttered.
“Let’s start this off right!” Sam threw a pointed finger out. “Drampa hit Sableye with Dragon Breath–”
“Fake-Out.” Nanu spoke.
As Drampa’s mouth filled with blue light, readying to shoot, it kept its eyes on Sableye, who strangely stayed in the same spot. Just as Drampa was ready to attack, another Sableye hopped up right in front of its face and clapped its hands loudly. The suddenness of the act broke Drampa’s concentration as the light in its mouth died out and it flinched away. Steadying itself, Drampa watched as Sableye ran back to the spot where it had originally stood, which was now empty.
“Figures,” Alice grumbled. “Gets a free first turn.”
“Alright, Sableye!” Nanu pointed his entire hand out at Sam’s dragon. “Use Toxic!”
Sableye and Drampa locked eyes, the latter waiting for some kind of move. However, Sableye’s eyes simply glimmered at the corners, the lights flashing into Drampa’s eyes. As it tried registering what had happened, Drampa’s stomach began to growl loudly, and with a moan, it’s head bowed lethargically down. Sam watched fearfully as several large rashy splotches appeared all over Drampa’s body that flashed with deep shades of purple.
“Hmph.” Nanu crossed his arms. “Perhaps if you didn’t use that Full Restore on Absol… never mind. I probably would have just used Toxic again.”
Sam’s lip quivered as more and more spots appeared all over his dragon’s body
“No, this is bad!” Starlight exclaimed.
“You’re right.” Alice could hardly breathe with the tension she felt in her chest. “If Drampa can’t even beat this Sableye, that’s going to be bad news for the rest of his Pokémon.”
“You really think Sam will lose?” Fluttershy asked.
“I have no idea, but if Nanu starts dropping his Pokémon like flies, he may very well.”
Sam seethed over the sound of his dragon’s painful moans. “Don’t give up now, buddy! No more cheap shots from here on out. Now, hit her with Dragon Breath!”
Picking its head back up, Drampa partially opened its mouth and filled it with blue fire. As it continued widening its maw, more and more fire filled the inside of it, transfixing Sableye where it stood. With a huff, a large ball of the fire shot its way at Sableye, breaking apart and swirling all around it upon contact.
“Holy crap!” Alice shouted. “I’ve never seen a Dragon Breath that strong!”
Nanu pressed his forearms in front of his face to block the heat from the wisps of flame that whirled near him. Drampa kept a keen eye on where Sableye had stood, unsure if it survived the attack. As the fires evaporated out, Sableye stood almost frozen in the stance it must have made as it was ravaged, its body arched back and its arms hanging down on both sides.
Rolling up straight, it began to walk out toward Drampa, only for right leg to not be able to hold its weight, making it fall over. As it tried to catch itself with its left hand, its left arm wouldn’t allow it to respond, so it fell flat on its stomach as it tried to recalibrate itself with its left leg and right arm, its only functioning limbs.
“Yes!” Starlight shouted. “He paralyzed her!”
“That’ll certainly help!” Fluttershy clopped her front hooves together.
“Let’s hope…” Alice refused to be as excited.
Happy with what it accomplished, Drampa’s celebratory smile went short lived, as the rashes on its body bulged and flashed again, getting slightly bigger as well.
Sam could hardly bear to hear his Pokémon wail, but he bared his teeth through it. “You got this, Drampa! Now you’re faster than her. See if you can finish her off with Thunder!”
With its fur racing with tiny volts of static, Drampa grew a vicious scowl, vibrating as it tried to contain the energy it created within itself. Unable to hold it much more, it threw its head up to the sky and let out a booming bark that shot a small yellow energy ball up into the sky through the treetops. Alice, Starlight, Fluttershy, and their Pokémon all glanced up in awe as the sky directly above them grew dark with the near-black cloud that expanded up above.
Nanu huffed nervously, his Pokémon still finding difficulty in keeping its balance. “Get ready for it, Sableye! I’m not sure if you can survive this!”
Starlight sneered in mild disgust. “Way to cheer your Pokémon on, you coot.”
With a grumble in the clouds, half of the center began to light up as it charged the oncoming attack. Finally, a titanic pillar of pure electricity rushed down from the sky, threatening to flatten Sableye down below.
“Sableye, now!” On its trainers word, Sableye pushed off as hard as its working leg could allow, diving away from the pillar with only a few moments to spare before it touched down.
To Sam and Drampa’s complete surprise, the outer wall of the electricity was only an inch or so away from Sableye’s foot, the stray sparks occasionally bouncing harmlessly onto it.
“No, way!” Fluttershy shouted. “Even when paralyzed it got away!”
Alice glowered over the situation. “Like the Kahuna’s Pokémon would let this be the least bit easy.”
“That’s it!” Nanu grasped the air before him in excitement. “Now, hit him with Dark Pulse!”
Sableye rolled over and hopped up, holding his good foot up to catch its fall and reeling its good arm back to throw a black orb that formed before its palm. Before it could land, it tossed the black aura out, where it curved around and struck Drampa in the side of the head, exploding in black smoke and purple light. Upon its foot hitting the ground, Sableye instinctively tried to prevent its tipping with its other leg, only for it to not respond and send itself sliding to the ground.
Sam opened his mouth to call his next attack, only for Drampa to roar out even louder, its pain becoming unbearable. “Don’t give up, buddy! She’s down now; you have her this time! Now, finish her with Thunder!”
Drampa charged its body quicker this time and launched the precipice of its attack up into the sky. The eyes of Sam’s friends were all on Sableye as it tried to hobble up onto its foot and attempt another evasion.
“Come on,” Starlight whispered. “Come on!”
The sky darkened just as Sableye’s hand came off the ground, wobbling as it tried to keep a stable stance. Sam looked up to the sky to see the light just begin to appear in the clouds as the thunder rolled through it, his eyes wide and his scowl furious.
“JUST DO IT ALREADY!” he shrieked.
The lightning pillar came down right as Sableye got still. It looked up to see that it had no more than a second to respond. It threw its body forward to lunge, but overexerted itself, losing its footing as it leaned too far in, slipping up and getting only a couple of inches forward before it was slammed by the lightning, completely disappearing behind its walls.
“Hoh!” Sam shouted, Drampa honking in reply.
The lightning refused to let up, Alice, Starlight, and Fluttershy starting to get excited.
“He got her!” Fluttershy shouted. “I think he got her.”
Alice shielded her face as best she could with her arm, still unable to see any sign of Sableye inside of it. “No, he definitely got her!”
Finally, individual bolts began to disappear at random from the pillar, Sam and Drampa finally able to see Sableye inside. As the attack faded away, Sam and his friends’ mouths hung open to see Sableye still standing with crooked legs and slung arms. Lady barked nervously as Sableye slowly lifted its head to look at Sam and Drampa.
Nanu was bemused by its slow movements, not willing to celebrate too early. “Damn. That was a really nice Thunder too. Too bad it didn’t work like you wanted it to. Sableye, finish it off quickly with Power Gem before the poison takes it.”
Sableye strained as it squeezed its shoulders in, trying to get the next sets of muscles to respond. After a few seconds of trying to get his limbs to move, it rested its head back down, accepting the futility.
Sam shuddered a breath as he looked to his Drampa, who looked back and gave him a light smile of assurance. With a final nod, it convulsed once more as its bulging, glowing rashes twitched and trembled before going still and appearing to deflate. With the poisoning having taken its toll, Drampa tipped over to its side and crashed to the ground, it mouth lazily hung open.
Fluttershy’s hooves went over her mouth, her eyes watering. “Oh no, Drampa!”
Sam walked over to his fallen Pokémon and knelt down to its exposed belly, placing his hand over one of the poisoned spots as it healed inward and resting his forehead beside it.
“I knew I wouldn’t regret bringing you along.” Sam took its Poké Ball out and pressed the center button against the body. “You can rest now, Drampa.”
With a flicker of the button, Drampa’s body turned a translucent red before it collapsed and was sucked inside. Sam stood back up and walked backwards to his spot, his eyes on Nanu and the immobile Sableye.
“Frankly,” Sam said, “I’m impressed Drampa lasted as long as he did. I can tell that you are too.”
Nanu nodded once. “As true as that may be, you’re still now one Pokémon down while mine are–”
“Don’t try psyching me out, Nanu! It’s also a miracle that your Sableye survived that, and it doesn’t look like its in any position to defend itself now. One last hit is all its going to take, and then we’re even once again.” Taking his next ball off his belt, he wound his arm back and slung it out. “Let’s go, Archen! Finish Sableye off with Ancient Power!”
The white energy of Archen’s ball fanned out upon its opening, Archen forming from it with its wings spread out. As it scooped upwards, it flapped its wings up, sending several fossils out from the ground where they rocketed out and struck Sableye’s face, chest, gut, and shoulders. By the second fossil that hit it, it was thrown off its feet and rendered unconscious, flopping to the ground on its back.
“Yeah!” Alice yelled, the ponies and their Pokémon also cheering and whooping Sam’s first takedown. “That’s the stuff!”
Nanu breathed out as he took his Pokémon’s ball out and aimed it, bringing his defeated Sableye back into it. As he put it back onto his belt, he faced Sam, his Archen flying back around and sliding to a stop near its trainer.
Nanu took out his next ball and studied it. “Yeah, I usually save her for last, but given what we’re up against, you may have forced my hand.” He casually lobbed it out. “Go, Persian!”
Leaping out from its ball, Persian nimbly landed onto the ground and prowled for a bit, studying Archen closely. Archen growled as it walked by, Persian’s smug smile assuring that it would not attack.
“Fake Out!”
With lightning reflexes, Persian pounced on the ground just shy of Archen’s talons, scaring it into stumbling onto its behind.
“Again with this?” Starlight spat. “Do all his Pokémon have this move?”
Nanu ignored her, wanting to take advantage of Archen’s sudden vulnerability. “Persian, now hit him with Power Gem!”
Archen’s eyes widened as Persian stood over it, the gem in its head glowing brighter.
“Archen, hit her with Acrobatics!” Sam shouted.
Archen went onto its upper back, tucked its legs in and put its claws onto the ground beside its head. Kicking forward and pushing off the ground, Archen threw itself onto its talons and dove underneath Persian between its forelegs just as Persian’s repetitious stone lasers ricocheted into the dirt.
Before Persian could register that its target was no longer there, Archen gripped onto Persian’s armpit and swung up and around until it was directly above the back of its head. Persian was yowling in discomfort just as Archen kicked both talons into its head, forcing its face into the ground and sending Archen up into the air.
Fluttershy let out a joyful laugh as Archen, completely unharmed, got the high ground. “He’s so graceful!”
Pulling its face out from the crater left by both its Power Gem attack as well as its faceplant, Persian shook the dirt off its face and whiskers before turning around and looking up to Archen.
Nanu sighed, already displeased over the way this battle was going. “Geez, kid, you’re making it look like I’m hardly putting up a fight. I guess it’s time to up the challenge.”
With a shout, Nanu crossed his arms before his face, the Z-Ring and Darkinium Z inside it flashing brightly. With the glimmer caught in its eye, Persian stood on its hind legs and mimicked its owner’s pose. After putting their arms down and crossing them back out, Nanu fell his upper body in, dangling his arms down, while Persian simply maintained its more natural stance.
Nanu then jerked his elbows up one by one as if being pulled up by some phantom power, his Persian rolling up back to its back paws in similar motion. Finally, Nanu and Persian leaned back before throwing themselves back forward, their arms raised over their heads.
Z-Energy streamed out of Nanu’s back arcing and bending in all directions as the individual beams redirected themselves over to Persian, who absorbed its light with a loud purr. With Persian’s aura surging, blowing into Sam as he covered his eyes from the dirt and grass clippings, Archen looked more nervous at its foe beneath it.
“He’s really using his Z-Power now?” Alice wondered. “He’s that confident?”
“Sorry, Sam,” Nanu said. “I would have been happy to give you a grand finale and save this for the end, but I’m fighting to win this as much as you are, and this is just how it’s gotta’ be.”
Sam grunted anxiously as he awaited whatever move was coming.
“Now, Persian, use Black Hole Eclipse!”
With a roar, Persian’s forehead gem clouded into pure black, shimmering as well as it became outlined with a bright ring. At the end of Persian’s shout, the gem appeared to duplicate and separate from its head and fly up and hover to a stop just above Archen’s head.
Sam gasped, already seeing what was coming. “Archen, fly out of there!”
Archen tried to dive down just as the orb expanded into a spherical black shape, the winds immediately picking up and blowing towards its center. Archen flapped its wings for dear life, only to see that it was flying just as fast as the gravity was pulling it in, leaving it suspended.
“Archen!” Starlight and Fluttershy both cried.
Despite its efforts, the black hole was now proving too hard for Archen to resist, and as it was slowly pulled back, Archen closed its eyes and stopped struggling, letting itself get sucked in, the hole collapsing into a single bright point. After several seconds, the light exploded into a cloud of swiriling, lashing black auras that quickly faded as soon as they were exposed to the atmosphere around it. Archen was slung out of the center, getting thrown to the ground onto its stomach, and with a single bounce, it appeared to be still.
“No!” Sam banged his fists against his thighs. “God dammit!”
His fears were quickly subsided as Archen’s body began to tremble, its arms weak to pick themselves up, but it was movement nonetheless.
“He’s okay!” Fluttershy loudly breathed. “Oh, thank goodness.”
“Hardly,” Nanu calmly disagreed. “Even if Archen’s not as susceptible to Dark-type attacks as other Pokémon, the only thing that surviving a Black Hole Eclipse attack can mean is that it doesn’t have much fight left in it.”
Sam looked back down to see that Archen was already up on its feet, facing both him and a coolly determined Persian. Sam smirked and nodded at Archen, giving it the support to do the same in thanks.
“I think he’s got plenty of fight!” Sam threw his arm to the side. “Archen, attack Persian with Dragon Claw!”
With a shrill scream, Archen ran out at Persian with its left wing wound back, the tips of its claws igniting with blue fire. Persian let out a howl and charged for their joust. At the point of passing, Archen slashed across the side of Persian’s face and all the way down to the end of its upper body. Persian slid to a stop on weak legs as Archen spun around and also came to a drifting stop. To Sam and his friends’ confusion, Persian refused to turn back around, seemingly still recovering from the attack landed on it.
Nanu kept his face constant. “Persian, Thunderbolt.”
A glimmer of yellow light raced across the cat’s gem, and with the clouds from the Thunder attacks still partially lingering, a smaller bolt of lightning shot down from them and struck Archen before it could notice.
Sam’s mouth shot open as Archen threw its arms out, not even able to cry out in pain. With its eyes rolling into the back of its head, it fell forward and went to its stomach, now going completely still.
“Shit,” Alice whispered, reading the subtleties on Nanu’s face and knowing that they were now thinking the same thoughts.
Nanu put his arms behind his back as Sam forlornly returned Archen to its ball. “And now all you have left is your Ghost-type; the one Pokémon you came all this way to fortify. I don’t think I need to say that your odds of actually winning this thing have reached near-impossible levels, but I still look forward to seeing what kind of effort your Doublade can bring forth.”
Sam pulled Doublade’s ball off his belt, holding it out to the side as he prepared to make his peace. “The hell my Doublade and I have gone through this past week has been preparing us for precisely this moment. If impossibility had any impact in any of the battles we’ve fought, I wouldn’t be standing here right now. I can’t guarantee that we can actually pull it off, but I absolutely will give you the battle you and Doublade deserve!” Nanu smiled as Sam threw his ball out. “Let’s finally end this, Doublade!”
With the ball opening up and the white energy spilling out from it, Doublade cut itself out from it and reformed to a defensive X to face Nanu and his Persian. Alice and the ponies leaned in, eager to see Doublade’s final stand against Nanu’s remaining Pokémon.
Nanu closed his eyes and relaxed his head. “That was quite the inspirational speech you just gave. Perhaps I underestimated the spirit you and your Pokémon share.” His eyes then came open, feeling more serious and foreboding than before. “However, Doublade has never been the quickest Pokémon, has he?”
Sam seized up, his Doublade also taken aback by this.
“And that will be its fatal flaw!” Nanu pointed his hand forward. “Persian, hit Doublade with Dark Pulse!”
As Persian’s gem began to glow, it opened its mouth as a sparking black orb of energy formed before its face.
Sam coughed a breath out, working up a quick strategy. “Doublade, hit Persian with Brick Break!”
Sam threw his arms out as Doublade did the same with its swords, shooting forward at the large cat. Opening its mouth wider, the black orb was shot out, corkscrewing as it locked on to Sam’s Pokémon. Sam swung his left leg back and crouched as he hugged his forearms to his chest. Doublade responded by crossing back together and continuing its flight, the Dark Pulse striking it in both hilts. Even with the small explosion the orb left, Doublade was undeterred, coming in on Persian, it’s face quickly morphing into one of horror.
Flicking his left wrist out, Sam swung both arms with the bravado of a baseball batter. At the right moment, Doublade followed its trainer’s motions, and with its dual swing, Persian was launched off its paws and roughly landed and rolled to Nanu’s feet. He quickly got to his knees and turned his Pokémon onto its back, its lopsided eyes telling it that it was unconscious.
Doublade soared up and back down to its spot before Sam, returning to its original cross formation. “Atta boy.”
Doublade sharpened its blades as Nanu brought his Persian back to its ball and stood up to face him. The determination in Sam and Doublade’s eyes was palpable, and Nanu himself started to show very faint signs of worry. Alice, the ponies, and their Pokémon, on the other hand, still weren’t ready to appear hopeful just yet.
“Well,” Nanu said matter-of-factly as he took out his last Ultra Ball, “no more surprises from here on out. You’ve already met this guy before, and you can probably tell from that clue it may just be your hardest opponent yet. Either way, you’ve got places to be, so let’s stop waiting.” He tossed the ball out. “Go, Krookodile!”
The ball opened up, and Nanu’s red-bipedal crocodile fell out from the energy that shot out, landing on the ground with a squat.
Sam crossed his arms over his stomach, his Doublade also holding tight to its defenses. “Come on, buddy. If we can just survive this hit, we’re home free!”
“That’s not an unfair assessment,” Nanu said, “but if outlasting a single attack so you can go all out with your own Z-Power is the only thing you think you need to worry about, then I’m sorry for misleading you.”
Sam and Doublade loosened their stances, honestly confused.
“Krookodile, use Swagger!”
Alice’s eyes narrowed, her body going stiff. “Oh no.”
“Oh no?” Fluttershy questioned.
“Yeah, what’s ‘oh no?’” Starlight pressed.
Krookodile opened its mouth wide and let out a warbling shout that vibrated in a most unpleasant way in Sam and his friends’ ears, Lady covering her ears and Comfey’s tightly with its feelers. Upon hearing it itself, Doublade squinted its eyes into pure spite, seemingly unaware as it pulled its blades apart and began to shift and swing them in random directions. By the time the shout subsided, Starlight and Fluttershy saw Doublade in its unorganized and harsh state.
“What did it just do?” Fluttershy looked up to Alice, who was also horrified by Doublade’s state.
“He’s confused,” Alice answered.
“Confused?” Starlight’s fear seemed to diminish. “Is that all?”
“He can’t think straight, and if he tries to attack, he can end up hurting himself.”
Sam looked back and forth between his Pokémon and Nanu’s putting its fists up. Doublade responded with a forward-flipping slash of both swords, one of the blades only inches from his fists.
Sam yelped as he hopped back, bringing his arms in closer. “Okay, we’ll take it easy for now. If you can land an attack here, we’ll be in good shape! Now, hit Krookodile with Brick Break!”
Sam raised his arms over his head and Doublade raced out to meet Krookodile, Sam nervous by its uneven, curving path. Krookodile didn’t even seem worried, standing still and calmly. Sam’s arms trembled as he waited for the right time, and upon tensing his muscles, ready to chop down, Doublade brought its swords down too soon, slamming hard against the ground with an ear-piercing clink.
As both of its swords and its plaque scattered off, Nanu looked down on the sorry-excuse of a Pokémon. “At least you didn’t waste your Z-Power on that.”
Alice and the ponies felt weightless in their nervousness, becoming more and more uncertain of Sam’s victory.
“But, it’s the move I needed to guarantee my win,” Nanu said. “After a Dark Pulse from Persian and hurting its own self now, this move will surely finish it off. Krookodile, finish Doublade off with Earthquake.”
Krookodile stretched its arms up before slamming its hands into the ground, digging its claws into them. A faint blue light then traveled through every crack and break halfway between itself and Sam. It then threw its arms back and roared, the entirety of the ground the light covered exploding out from deep within the earth, blasting Doublade up with it.
“DOUBLADE!” Sam screamed.
Alice, the ponies, and their Pokémon looked up with mouths agape, stunned by Nanu’s cruel, but effective strategy. As the dirt and rock pieces fell back down to the ground and the heavy dust clouds were eased off the battlefield by the breeze, Doublade’s swords and plaque landed by Sam one by one, each metallic clatter more painful to hear than the last. Once the last of it settled and fell to the floor, Sam reached forward, hoping to see it at least attempt to get back up.
But it was completely still. Immobile. Unwilling to battle.
Sam, feeling his knees weaken and his heart sink, fell to his knees and hands, devastated and crushed.
“Oh, Sam…” Alice turned away and looked down in empathy.
Fluttershy brought her head down too, but her eyes remained dry. Starlight patted her back with her hoof, comforting her through their collective disappointment.
Nanu crossed his arms as he looked down on Sam. “You gave it your all, kid, but sometimes, you just can’t beat the odds. As Kahuna of Ula’ula Island, I declare myself the… hold on.”
Sam picked his head up, intrigued by Nanu’s distraction. With a slow, trembling breath, he saw as the cloths of one of Doublade’s swords pulled itself along the ground and grabbed hold of the plaque. To his mounting astonishment, the other sword lifted itself up and dug its point into the ground, keeping itself up. Sam slowly pulled himself to his feet.
“D– Doublade…” With the other sword bringing itself up, both blades then lightly hopped off the ground before they weakly reformed into an X formation. “Doublade!”
“Oh my gosh, he’s still in this!” Starlight shouted.
“Doublade!” Fluttershy screamed as she hopped around on her back hooves. “You got this, you can do this!”
“Son of a bitch.” Alice let out a chuckle, amused by the silliness of her doubt.
Even the mouths of the Absol and Alolan Raticates couldn’t stay closed. Krookodile tensed up once again, realizing the battle was no longer over yet. Doublade’s formation was still not entirely steadfast, but it was still far more controlled than on its last turn.
“So, yeah, scratch that I guess.” Nanu gave a tiny shrug. “Battle’s not over yet. Let’s go.”
“No.” Sam flexed his fingers out before balling them into fists. “This battle is over now!”
He crossed his arms in front of his face, causing his Z-Ring to spark to life, Doublade also holding its stance firmer. Putting their arms down and crossing them back up, Sam and Doublade both jabbed the air as the aura around the Z-Ring and himself flared hotter and hotter. With one final punch, Sam’s Z-Energy exploded off of him and swirled out at his Pokémon, fusing itself with the awesome power.
“Doublade was already a strong Pokémon,” Sam shouted, “but thanks to your Krookodile’s Swagger, you only made him even stronger.”
Nanu’s eyes went wide before he relaxed them back to his regular, tired-looking expression. “And you would really risk injuring your Doublade again with the power of your Z-Ring coursing through it?!”
“We don’t have much of a choice! We only have this one final shot to do this, but I think that boost you gave us should be more than enough!”
“We…” Nanu cracked a smile. “Then bring it on, Sam! Show this old man the true bond you and your Doublade share!”
“With pleasure! Doublade, finish Krookodile off with All-Out Pummeling!”
Doublade’s swords began to glow, and once it broke apart from its cross, it began slashing and swinging at the air, launching a barrage of aural fists and feet out with each one. Sam was nervous to see them fan out in multiple directions, Krookodile only getting hit by a few of them, but Sam stayed still, knowing the true strike was yet to come.
Once the last of the fists flew out, Doublade rocketed off toward Krookodile, Sam clenching his arms as he tried to find a formation with to attack. Doublade still found trouble finding Krookodile’s center, shifting left to right. With a grunt, Sam rotated his wrists as if flipping his swords around, before resting his fists atop one another, their outsides facing forward. Doublade appeared to follow through, swinging around and laying its swords atop one another, the blades both pointing out.
“That’s it…” he muttered.
Sam punched out with both fists, and Doublade increased its speed in one last burst, finally flying straight at Krookodile’s chest. Then, with a bellowing wail, Sam wound both arms closer in before lunging his foot forward and throwing them out wide. Right before the jab could hit, Doublade’s swords crossed in and right as they met with Krookodile, it slashed them out with one herculean motion.
Krookodile was blasted off its feet, and back into the bottom edge of the forest, its back breaking every tree it hit along the way. There was also a tremendous bang as the impact blew a shockwave that created a large crater where Krookodile and Nanu stood, sinking the ground right beneath his feet. Before the crater could also explode out from under him, he disappeared in a bright bubble pop, reappearing beside Alice and Starlight, who breathed a sigh of relief as she let the magic off her horn.
“Krookodile!” Nanu sprinted off toward the forest, following the line of felled trees left in the wake of Doublade’s attack.
Starlight and the Absol also followed him, passing by Doublade as it held its swords out, Sam still keeping his stance as he panted. Reaching the edge of the cliff to the black sand beach, the three of them found his Pokémon further down it, a large ridge left where it crashed and slid to a stop.
“Is he okay?” Starlight asked.
Nanu stared out at Krookodile, noting the uncomfortable stance its body was left contorted in that it didn’t seem to try to get out of. “He’ll be fine… but he’s not getting back up for this battle.”
The hairs in Starlight’s coat rose on end. “So, does that mean–”
“Go and tell him the good news. I’ll take care of him.”
With a light cough of stopping the first words of her response, she spun back around and ran back to the battlefield, Nanu pulling his Ultra Ball out and aiming it. Sam and Doublade relaxed themselves upon seeing her gallop out of the forest.
Sam stepped forward. “Is he–”
“He fainted!” Starlight blubbered, tears coming in her eyes. “You beat him! You won!”
As elation flooded his body from the toes up, Sam beamed brightly and intensely as Starlight refused to let up her speed as she dove at him. He caught her with his arms around her and spun around, the two of them laughing and hollering out to the sky.
“Sam!” Alice, Fluttershy, Lady, and Comfey also ran out to them. “Holy shit!”
The four of them added to their hug as they squeezed him from every side. Doublade came in at last, resting his blades on Alice and Starlight’s back as its free cloth arm wrapped around Fluttershy. Nanu and the Absol walked out from the forest and approached the group, his hands behind their back. Noticing him, the group broke their hug apart so they could face him.
Nanu placed his hands in his jacket pockets. “Well, I’ll be damned. I didn’t think your Pokémon would pull through like that, but it’s certainly not the first surprise this old man’s been given in the past few days. Either way, it’s still a win on your part, and to the victor goes the spoils.” Pulling one hand out, he presented Sam with a Darkinium Z crystal. “Congrats, Sam. You earned it.”
Sam grabbed Nanu’s hand and gave it a couple firm, slow shakes before he removed the crystal from it. He held it out to the thin band of sunlight left on the horizon, admiring the fanged wings icon inside of it.
“Do you need me to show you how to activate it?” Nanu asked.
“Uh…” Sam quickly put the crystal back into his pocket. “No, I think I got it.”
“Good. Truth be told, my back’s been killing me all day and yesterday. Imagine that, beating the old Kahuna because his back gave out in the middle of summoning his Z-Power.” Nanu let out a hoarse chuckle, Sam, Alice, and their friends frowning at the awkward situation that had come from this. He quickly settled down and looked over to the Alolan Raticates still guarding the door. “Okay, boys, you did good! Run along, now!”
As told, the two obese rats scurried off back around the side of the Abandoned Thrifty Megamart, Sam and Alice and his friends turning around to see it unguarded and open to them.
“Yep,” Nanu spoke, “it’s all open to you guys now. The Dusk Stones inside; they’re yours.”
“Hold on.” Alice turned back around. “You guys? We can go in too?”
“Sure, why not? Sam was the one who needed the Dusk Stone. I just didn’t want you to go in on his behalf and ruin the challenge.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Sam proudly walked toward the Megamart’s doors, Doublade following him by his side. “Let’s go get the stone and get to the House.”
“Hmm, right.” Starlight and Lady were next to follow him.
Fluttershy, Comfey, and Alice were next to lead, followed by the Absol, who trotted to get to Sam’s side. Just as Sam put his hands on the door, he felt the Absol’s face nudged into his side.
The others stopped and watched as Sam turned to face it. “Huh? What do you want no–”
It then poked its nose into the empty slot of Sam’s belt, keeping it there. Sam, the actions slowly dawning on him, lowered his hand to the Absol’s head, and upon placing the palm there, it looked up to him, clearly enjoying its touch.
“It looks like you’ve now earned the right to catch it.” Sam shot his head up to Nanu, who continued standing in the same spot. “After beating it in battle and watching you beat me, I think it would like nothing more than to take up that last spot on your team, if you let it, of course.”
“But…” Sam felt a flurry of emotions rush through him. “Isn’t this your–”
“I bred that Absol to be as strong as it could possibly be. It certainly did its job of keeping you and your friends outside of the Megamart’s walls until you were ready. It seems that it’d like a new purpose… of fighting by your side.” Sam could hardly move, save for petting the Absol’s hand as it pushed into it. “So go on already, catch it.”
“I, uh… okay.” Sam took several paces back, the Absol staying where it was to let Sam have this moment.
Reaching into his bag, Sam pulled out a Poké Ball and pressed the button on it, making it expand to fit in his hand. Sharing a nod, Sam looked into the Absol’s eyes as it threw the ball straight and true. The ball struck the side of the Absol’s horn and converted it to red energy that got sucked up inside the ball upon its opening and closed before it hit the ground. Sam slowly walked up to it as it shook, latching closed with a sparkle seeping from the edges after the third shake.
Sam picked up Absol’s ball and looked into it for a second before placing on the lone empty spot on his belt. He drew a long, pleasant sigh as his fingers ran along his six balls, his party completely formed.
“Okay guys, ready?” He put his fingers between the doors and pulled them open, unveiling the place at long last.
Even with the musty smell, the abundant cobwebs and visible layers of dust, and the lack of any natural light, Sam didn’t really care in this moment, and neither did his sister or their friends behind him.
“I’ll keep watch over the place while you go shopping,” Nanu said.
“No need,” Starlight replied. “Once we get the stone, I can teleport us right back to the Aether House.”
“In any case, I’m going to stick around for a while. You just do what you need to.”
“Alright,” Alice responded, “and thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. I’m the reason you’re only able to do this now.”
“Come on.” Alice joined Sam and Doublade’s side. “Let’s do this.”
Stepping inside its suddenly chilly, slightly murky atmosphere, the ponies followed them in as they marched off into the dark.