Chapter Text
Ultra Beasts were dangerous.
Gladion knew that, having seen Nihilego capture his sister and almost drag her into an Ultra Wormhole when they were mere kids. He could still remember it vividly, her screams of fear and pain as she pleaded and begged for him to help. Gladion — only eight and completely helpless — nearly lost his sister. Nihilego was dangerous, and so were all other Ultra Beasts.
Ultra Beasts were sweet and harmless.
Ash knew that, after having spent so much time with Nebby after swearing to protect it. The way its face would light up every time someone offered it star candy, the way it giggled and gurgled and cried like a newborn. It got along so well with everyone. Nebby was adorable and deserved love, just like every other Pokémon did.
The two didn’t get along that well over their contradicting opinions. They had completely different experiences with Ultra Beasts, after all. Gladion couldn’t understand how or why Ash let his guard down around an Ultra Beast — even Silvally was frightened for Arceus’s sake — while Ash could not understand why Gladion was so close-minded and unaccepting about the Very Harmless Nebby. Still, the two quickly got over it and shoved the topic aside.
Yet, right at this moment, the topic was in dire need of attending to. The group watched in horror as the white creature wormed out of the hole, long limbs extending when it was finally free.
“There it is, Lusamine! It’s UB01 Symbiont!”
Faba’s apparent delightfulness at seeing the foul creature made Gladion’s blood boil. Didn’t he remember the trauma he caused Lillie the last time he summoned this Ultra Beast? How Ultra Beasts tore their family apart, causing his father to disappear and probably die? It made him scowl that Faba thought so highly of this stupid creature.
Despite that, Gladion couldn’t deny that Nihilego was beautiful. It had a sense of charm and elegance — swaying around in the air, stars and glitters dotting its transparent head and legs. It had a magnetic pull to it, dangerous but charismatic. Yet, with all its beauty and radiance, it stared down at them with such arrogance, it made him way more uncomfortable than he liked, though he loathed to admit.
Gladion glanced over at his mother, annoyance increasing when he saw the childlike smile on her face. The Aether President quickly snapped out of it, telling Faba to ‘open his eyes’, though Gladion knew how much she secretly wanted this. Her fascination with them made her this way. Her husband’s disappearance was not enough to make her hate Ultra Beasts.
Ash pulled his attention away from the chrysalis-like thing in his hands, nodding at Pikachu. Though before he could do anything, Lusamine and Gladion acted. However, neither Clefable nor Silvally could inflict even a tiny scratch on the Ultra Beast. The raven-haired trainer watched in horror as Gladion flew backwards, body slamming into the metal bars along with Silvally.
“Gladion!” His family yelled, Ash unable to speak from the shock. The blonde’s grunt of pain made him wince. His heart twisted for the boy, and it added to his determination.
“Quick Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!”
“Pika-chuuu!”
Yet, the electric mouse still got smacked down, making Ash rush forward to catch him. That thing was powerful. He gritted his teeth in annoyance, watching the Ultra Beast somehow grow larger. Almost like it absorbed their Pokémon’s power.
The jelly-like creature suddenly swooped down, and Lillie let out a whimper of panic. Lusamine rushed towards her child, embracing her tightly in an attempt to protect her. Nihilego continued floating towards them, limbs extending out as it let out a hiss.
“Look! If you wanna take her, you’ll have to go through me!” Gladion snarled, stepping forward along with Snowy, Umbreon, and Silvally. He was not going to see the same thing happen to his family twice.
Ash’s heart leapt in his throat as he watched the blonde boy stand boldly in front of his family, pale arms stretched out, green eyes filled with anger and protectiveness. Lusamine seemed to realise what he was trying to do as well.
“Gladion, NO-“ Ash began, already stepping forward. His sentence was interrupted by his cry of shock.
Lusamine had also turned around, with a last-minute plan to push her son out of the way but alas, she was too late. The blonde let out a shriek of pain, something that Ash had never heard, and would never, ever like to hear again. The Ultra Beast grasped at Gladion’s shoulders with its tentacles wrapped tightly around his thin form as he struggled slightly. He groaned before his figure seemed to relax, almost like he had given up.
The Ultra Beast swooped down again, one of its free tentacles reaching out to grab something. Lusamine’s Pokéballs.
Umbreon growled first, starting to attack it with Dark Pulse. The Ultra Beast dodged it skilfully, swaying around in an almost taunting manner.
Silvally let out an angry cry, leaping at Nihilego. It grabbed onto Gladion’s crimson bag, snapping the bag off of Gladion’s waist due to the sudden force. Silvally fell to the floor with the bag, and the Ultra Beast pulled away like it was nothing, heading straight towards the closing Ultra Wormhole.
The last thing Ash saw was one small, weak smile that Gladion had directed straight at him before he was ultimately dragged into the wormhole, disappearing in an instant.
“Gladion! GLADION! BIG BROTHER!”
Lillie screamed and fell to her knees, voice raw as she tried to wriggle out of her mother’s grasp. The room was silent — everyone was shocked to stillness — other than Lillie’s anguished weeps and cries. Lusamine tried consoling her daughter, barely holding up either, whereas everyone else just stared up in shock.
“Gladion...” The raven boy muttered, “he got taken...”
Ash couldn’t hear anything as the truth refused to settle in. His heart was drumming loudly in his ears, yet it all seemed so far away. He couldn’t feel, couldn’t see and- wow, was that a tear? He couldn’t tell for sure.
The boy with the cap let out a strangled noise, falling onto his knees, mirroring Lillie’s position. Pikachu cried out in shock, nudging its trainer desperately in an attempt to console him. But no matter how many ‘Pikapi!’s left his throat, Ash still did not react.
His mind was racing, Gladion’s hopeless smile flashing in front of him. Ash’s heart twisted again at the thought. The guilt rushed through his veins — if he had taken better care of Nebby, this wouldn’t have happened.
This was all his fault. He couldn’t breathe, he was responsible for this, he had to save Gladion, he needed to go through that wormhole and save—
“ASH!” The sharp voice made him look up in shock. Pikachu reached out to wipe away his tears — he didn’t even realise he’d been crying. Professor Burnet stared at him in worry and concern. She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, sighing.
“Why don’t you go home and rest? There’s-“
“Rest? Rest?! GLADION JUST GOT TAKEN, AND YOU WANT ME TO REST?!” The white-haired woman didn’t seem to even flinch at his tone.
“Ash,” she whispered, gripping his shoulder tightly. The boy breathed heavily, finally understanding Gladion’s hostility towards Ultra Beasts, this one in particular. He didn’t hate people easily, but this creature made an exception. It was foul and evil, and it took away the person he loved—
Wait.
Love?
Ash did not have time to process what he just thought before Professor Burnet’s voice cut through his mind again. “There’s nothing we can do right now. The machine is going to need some time to fix, and even then, I can't guarantee that the Ultra Wormhole will be stabilised. The only thing you can do is go home and sleep, Arceus knows you need it.”
“But... but I-“
“You need to rest, Ash, for when it counts,” she said soothingly, amber eyes still sharp. “Do it for me, okay?” The boy nodded numbly, knowing that the woman was right.
“Okay,” he muttered, distress still evident in his expression, “okay, I will.”
“Meanwhile, you should also figure out what happened to Nebby.”
“Yeah. I will, I will,” he whispered, breathing softer as he calmed down slightly.
“Good.” The professor hummed, nodding at Lusamine. She was red-eyed as well, no doubt having shed a bunch of tears. Who could blame her? Their family was ripped to shreds by another Ultra Beast situation. These things have got to stop, honestly.
Lillie walked up to him, holding out something shakily. The familiar bag was held before him, inside were a bunch of colourful discs and three Pokéballs; a Heal Ball, an Ultra Ball, and a Premier Ball.
“Umbreon, Lycanroc and Silvally,” she whispered the obvious, voice cracking. “I returned Silvally and Umbreon to their balls. They’re brother’s Pokémon and Silvally’s memories. I think you should hold onto them, he would want you to anyway. He trusts you.” Ash didn’t say anything, grabbing the bag tightly.
“...you care for him, don’t you?” The blonde stated knowingly. Ash flinched, mustering up whatever strength he had left to reply. A small ‘yeah’ rose out of his throat. He looked at the girl’s expression, feeling the guilt wash over him yet again.
“I’m sorry, Lillie. We’ll get him back. I’ll get him back.”
It finally dawned on the trainer. How much he cared for Gladion, how worried he was, how his heart was still beating at a rapid pace. Ash had admired the emo from day 1, and those feelings had evolved unknowingly. Sudden determination pumped through his veins at the realisation, and he stood up, carrying Nebby and Pikachu with him.
“I promise you I’ll get him back.”
The helicopter ride back was... intense, to say the least.
Ash had too much on his mind. He wanted to go into an Ultra Wormhole right now, no matter how dangerous, wanted to figure out what was wrong with Nebby, and if that meant he had failed his promise to protect it. He wanted Solgaleo and Lunala to appear out of a wormhole and carry him through, to let him save the person he had grown so fond over.
Funny how their relationship began like any other rivalry, how much his feelings have changed.
Ash gripped the tiny cocoon in his hands tighter, trying to stay optimistic. Lillie was staring out at the window, an upset look on her face. Not that Ash blamed her — the siblings weren’t that close, yet their relationship was still in the middle of mending before it was forcefully ripped again by this incident.
“I wonder if Gladion will know what happened to Nebby...” Ash mumbled to himself, Pikachu sniffing the cocoon as he spoke.
“He might,” Lillie replied, shocking the two. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he did, with how familiar he is about Ultra Beasts and the Foundation’s database."
“Lillie, I’m sorry,” Ash said hurriedly. “We’ll get Gladion back, I’m sure we will,” Ash muttered in an attempt to console both Lillie and himself. The blonde smiled unsurely and nodded.
“Right.”
Ash then glanced at Lusamine, who was sitting at the front next to Hobbes. He wasn’t that good at reading people, but the Aether Foundation President had never looked so distressed. She kept fidgeting around, eyebrows creased in worry, shoulders hunched over. There was no doubt about it, he had to get Gladion back. If not for him, for them.
The next few minutes passed in a blur. They were in the helicopter, then they were suddenly walking, and then they were in the car back at Lillie and Gladion’s mansion home. Lillie walked out of the car, gripping onto Snowy tightly.
Hobbes leaned forward towards the window. “Well then, Master Ash. Safe travels.” Ash forced out a smile, praying it didn’t look as terrible as he felt.
“Thanks, Hobbes. See you, Lillie,” Ash said, looking at the blonde. Her features reminded him so much of Gladion, it hurt. He wondered how the boy was doing. Was he in pain? Cut that, he was. His stomach twisted at the thought, so he quickly shoved it aside.
Realising Lillie hadn’t replied yet, Ash frowned. “Lillie!” He called, and she perked up. “See you at the Pokémon School tomorrow.”
She laughed, the laugh sounding restrained and forced at the same time. “Right, right. See you,” she said halfheartedly, turning around to walk back into the mansion. The car started again, leaving Ash in his thoughts.
Right when the car turned out of sight from the mansion, Ash clenched his teeth, making up his mind. The Altar of the Sunne... Solgaleo and Lunala were there in his dream. If he could get there, on Poni Island, he could summon them and get them to help him save Gladion.
“Excuse me?” Ash asked, mouth moving faster than his brain. Pikachu laid asleep in his lap, unaware of Ash’s decisions. “Could you let me off here, please? And bring my Pokémon back to the house. Tell Professor Kukui I said not to worry,” he requested, passing his bag and Pikachu — he couldn’t drag him into another dangerous situation like this — to the man. Gladion’s bag was held safely in his hands. He felt that he needed a part of Gladion with him, else he would break down again.
The chauffeur didn’t bother questioning him, simply stopping the car. Ash quickly opened the door and waved hastily at the chauffeur, already turning back to sprint to the mansion before Pikachu could wake up and possibly drag him back. He knew where Lillie’s room was, he’d been there, after all. Knowing the girl, she wanted to go after her brother as well. Though she was more sensible than most, she and Gladion were very similar sometimes.
The boy reached the mansion, seeing a familiar figure sneaking around the backyard. Her hair was in a ponytail, and she was wearing clothes that he had never seen before but didn’t bother asking about it.
“Lillie!” Ash hissed, and she jumped, turning around immediately. Her figure relaxed once she saw who it was.
“Ash! You shouldn’t sneak up on me like that!” She huffed, crossing her arms defensively. “E-especially when I’m out taking my midnight stroll!”
Ash raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “You want to save him too, don’t you?” She slumped slightly, nodding in defeat.
“Then let’s go.”
"Go? Where?"
“To the place in my dream. The Altar of the Sunne. I bet I could get Solgaleo and Lunala to- no, I know I can get them to help. Oh, and also, you might want to bring lesser things,” he pointed out, chuckling. Lillie smiled sheepishly, placing her large bag on the ground.
“Okay. How’re we going to get there, though?” She asked, pulling out a small pink bag and a Clefairy doll.
“I...” Ash began, until realising that he had not thought about that. He shifted slightly, feeling the Pokéballs in the bag he was holding. An idea popped up in his head.
Pulling out the Premier Ball, the boy gripped it tightly before letting the Pokémon out. Silvally materialised in front of them, letting out a curious whine.
“...wanna help us save Gladion?” Ash asked, walking up towards the chimaera and reaching out to pet it. Silvally leaned into his touch, grunting in agreement.
Lillie and Ash shared a smile before hopping onto the Pokémon, taking off. They both shared one goal, to get Gladion back safely and soundly.
“To the Altar of the Sunne.”