Chapter Text
Maybe it’s a good thing I left Kanto.
It was late afternoon, and the sun beat down heavy. Anywhere else, this would’ve been horrible, but on Melemele’s soft, sandy shore, Sun didn’t mind it too much. The way the water sparkled was almost picturesque, and he wondered if Rotom-Dex would mind taking a picture. He took a seat and leaned back, his hat almost threatening to fall to the beach at the new angle. Looking up at the clouds, he smiled to himself… But the joy was over as soon as it came.
It wasn’t a personal thing, but lately he felt off. Finishing his island challenge, defeating the fresh Elite Four, AND dealing with all the Ultra Beast shenanigans was taxing. But what was even worse was how simple things were after that.
He talked about it with Hau one day, but he just didn’t quite grasp it. The idea of being bored with life was a completely foreign concept to someone who saw an opportunity in everything. When Sun consulted Lillie, she was hurt initially. After the saddest expression he’d seen on her face in months, he realized he had accidentally implied he was bored of everything, including his best friends, and quickly broke out an apology.
Trying his best not to seem like a downer, he brought it up in casual conversation to everyone he knew. All the trial captains, reformed Skull kids, every adult in his life. Answers varied from “You should be proud!” to a simple shrug or ruffle of his hair. Only Gladion offered a straightforward solution.
“Why not try your hand in another region?”
Sun’s jaw had dropped. “You mean, leave?”
The older boy seemed unphased. “If you want change, you have to look for it.”
“But… But someone has to defend the Champion title!”
“I can think of a few people who would be willing to save it for you when you got back.”
Sometimes Sun forgot how little Gladion feared saying it like it was. “My friends are all here! There’s too many people I would miss.”
Gladion side-eyed him, peeking through his bangs. “Video chat.”
Sun almost hit him with, “What about my mom?” but decided against it.
It was too simple-sounding, but it was practical. Start from scratch, go on a new journey, learn about new places and people and pokemon. Easy for him to say, he’s already gone out of town. And he came back every time.
But Gladion had a point. Yet, when Sun thought about it for too long, he got a headache and his stomach turned. He got the uncomfortable gross feeling that came with a cold, and the heartache he denied after watching a sad movie, and at the same time to boot.
Sun sat up a little, craning his neck to look past the waves and see just how far his line of sight went. Leaving Alola means leaving everything, though. I couldn’t. Could I? No. Definitely not. He wiggled out of his backpack, leaning against it like an impromptu pillow. For their sake, of course.
He sighed. Is this what it means to be at war with yourself? He could see it all play out in his head. He couldn’t take ALL his pokemon with him, and only taking 6 like usual felt too much like picking favorites. He did trust the others though. Maybe he could give them some of his, as a parting gift. He would walk up to the dock to meet everyone, ready to see him off. Maybe some of the trainers from the other islands would show up, if it wasn’t too much trouble. If everyone he met showed up, though, there’d be no room on the dock for him to leave! The silly thought of all those people on one tiny area made him grin. All those people missing me, huh? There would definitely be tears.
Then, the recently all-too-familiar feeling returned. His head pounded, and his gut tensed. That was enough fantasizing for the day. He stood up and lifted his bag, shaking the sand off the bottom so he wouldn’t be scolded for tracking it indoors later. Sentiments aside, it’d just be plain weird living anywhere besides here. The professors had told him months ago about the lack of Z-Moves to swing the match in your favor, and how certain pokemon even looked. Sure, this was stuff he’d always known in Kanto, but he was too young then to actually train. Despite being such a recent change, Alola felt like home.
Teenage angst can wait , he thought as he adjusted his hat. I have better things to focus on, like… He racked his brain for something to do. The sun was beginning to set, and he felt he at least needed to do one thing before heading home. Like… Visiting the research institute! Yeah, that’s it!
He dug around in his backpack for a pokeride. I haven’t seen the Professor in forever, she’ll be happy to see me again. She’s been so busy with the wormhole aftermath, I bet she could use some company. He lifted the device up, summoning a charizard into view. This should be a good time, right?
“What do you mean she can’t see me?!”
“I’m sorry, but it’s just not a good time for her. Professor Burnet has been much too busy for visitors lately.”
The woman at the desk gave Sun a sympathetic look as he leaned over the counter, but it didn’t deter him. “I’m like, her adopted nephew or something. Plus, it’s been ages since we caught up!”
She tapped something on her keyboard before speaking again. “Your name is Sun, correct?”
“Mhmm.”
“According to the entry log, you were here last Saturday.”
Sun lowered himself from the counter, recoiling back into his normal height to give an awkward laugh. “Yeah… but that was different! This time it’s an emergency.”
“Define emergency.” It was clear that the receptionist was getting tired, but wanted to humor him a little longer. Her attention returned to the monitor
“Kukui crashed his boat.”
She gave an unimpressed glance in his direction.
“Lillie dropped her new pokedex into Poni Canyon.”
“Kiddo, you’re gonna need to try harder than that.”
“Okay, fine,” he groaned. Plan B. “I left my hiking shoes in her office, and I need them to get up Mount Lanakila. For champion duties.”
She sighed, pressing a button under her desk. The heavy metal *clunk* of the elevator signalled Sun that he could pass. “Make it quick, please.”
“Yes ma’am!” he beamed as he ran to the elevator. He pressed the button quickly, practically bouncing on his heels to do something . The quiet music from the elevator only seemed to heighten his mood. By the time the doors opened just enough for him to squeeze out, he was already walking down the hallways to the familiar room.
“Professor! Professor! Hey, I--” he swung open the door to her office to be greeted with silence, and a distinct lack of Burnet. He walked in cautiously, turning on the lights. “That lady wasn’t kidding about her schedule being booked,” he murmured to himself. Retracing his steps to the door, he realized that it wasn’t just her room; The entire lab was dead quiet.
Sun thought back to when the professor had advised him to not wander around the other floors. She said her office was fine, but to be wary of the lab, and ESPECIALLY avoid the upper levels. Guess I know where I’m going , he thought as he hopped back in the elevator. She probably meant something like “don’t go up there without me.” And if she’s already there, then I’m technically not disobeying her. I just have to find her.
The building was bigger than it looked. Too much time for Sun’s liking had passed, and he was no closer to finding her. Until--
CRASH!
“That’s probably not good,” Sun said to himself with a smile.
He started down the longest hallway yet, to the definite source of the loud noise. What could be in there? he wondered. Did they uncover a new pokemon? Is it an Ultra Beast, back for revenge? Maybe it’s just a coffee cart gone off the rails. OH, what if the new pokemon is the coffee cart? What if it’s an Ultra Beast that looks like a coffee cart, and it’s attacking! I better step in, just to be sure.
He opened the door with just as much flourish as he had when he first stepped into her office. “Professor!”
The scientist turned around, her white hair falling out of place. “Sun?!”
This room was in complete disarray. Papers were thrown about, metal tables were either pushed against the walls or completely knocked to their sides. Scuff marks dotted the floor and walls. Sun recognized some of the scientists, but none of them looked completely happy that he had barged in, and some even looked afraid when he did.
Of course, the main thing he probably should’ve been focusing on was the gaping black hole pressed against the far wall.
It wasn’t an Ultra Wormhole. It couldn’t be, it just didn’t look right. Instead of pushing something out, or trying to suck an Ultra Beast back in, it seemed to serve no purpose beyond trashing the room. Furthermore, it was just a simple black circle, pitch black, rimmed with gray tones. A literal black hole.
“Is this a bad time.”
“Sun, sweetie, you have to go.”
He began to walk inside. “What is it?”
“It’s…” she gestured vaguely. “Something. We don’t know. So, I’ll say again--”
“Is it a wormhole?”
“Not like what we’ve seen.” A frazzled scientist spoke up. “This, well, whatever it is, emits no energy, negative or positive, and we’re nowhere near a safe enough stage to test it.”
Burnet pinched the spot between her eyebrows. “Thanks for piquing his interest.”
Suddenly, Sun understood Hau’s excitement at opportunity. “I came to help, as a matter of fact.”
Burnet sputtered. “Absolutely not! This is too dangerous and unpredictable. That thing is as uncontained as you can get.”
Sun didn’t give himself much time for thought. “I’ve been around more dangerous things. Ancient godlike creature of light and darkness ring a bell?”
The Professor’s face hardened slightly; a rare expression that was only saved for the most dire, serious situations. “Sun, I mean it. Go. Home.”
A new figure approached from a different doorway. “Professor, the longer we stay here, the more agitated it gets. If you look at the comparison charts…”
The man in the lab coat went on and on, and Burnet’s attention was just divided enough that her authority slipped for only a moment, long enough for her to respond with a brief, “Alright.”
She took Sun by the wrist and led him out the unexplored door, followed by the room’s other occupants. A thick window, more like a one-sided mirror based on how he didn’t notice it earlier, separated them and the danger zone, and Burnet motioned for Sun to sit, and to not move. “So much for a welcoming party,” he grumbled.
“Any news on backup?”
“He said he’d be here any minute, but I don’t know if we have that long to decide what this is…”
Conversation trudged on as Sun kept his eye on the blackhole. Maybe blackhole isn’t the word. Maybe it’s just a wormhole that leads somewhere besides a traditional Ultra Dimension. Maybe… He eyed the group of adults. Maybe it would close, if someone put a plug in it, like how THOSE wormholes work.
He fidgeted in his chair, formulating the beginnings of a plan. If an object the size of Nihilego could close a wormhole, and Nihilego is only about yay big, then… Those tables! They have wheels on the bottom, I could push one into the hole, closing the gap!
He crossed his arms with a proud grin. And then I’ll have done something interesting again, finally. He stood up, keeping his attention focused on Burnet, who was already sour enough without dealing with him currently. Whatever she was hearing, she didn’t like it. But that was about to be solved.
She’ll totally be relieved once I fix this. I’d bet my hat that this is what’s been keeping her cooped up in here anyways. When was the last time she got a break? He slowly opened the door. Easy… easy…
Creeeeeeeaaaaak.
The squeaky old door cut through the silence like a knife, and Burnet was quick to react. But Sun was quicker. “Sun, what are you--!?” He dove out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him with all his might.
With a little too much might, as it were. The door handle remained in his hand, but unfortunately, no longer connected to the door.
The scientists took to the door, trying to pry it open but to no avail. Burnet quickly made for the window, seeing the door situation was occupied. It gave her a clear view of Sun, which didn’t calm her nerves any, but at least she could see what he was… wait… what was he doing?
She’s so stingy and grumpy today , Sun thought, taking putting the handle on the top of a table lined against the wall. It’s weird seeing her so wound-up, and it’s no doubt because of this thing. He turned the table, and pushed it to the center of the room, lining it up with the wormhole perfectly.
From behind the glass, Burnet watched in horror. “He has absolutely no idea what he’s doing.” She ran back to the door, pushing back the crowd. “Move, move!” Unclasping her necklace, she slid the ring in the crack of the door, trying to force the latch back into the wood.
Sun exhaled. “This should be enough to cut it.” He began to push the table forward, finding it heavier than he expected, yet he still made progress. He pushed, he shoved, he put his back into it. He was almost there, when loud footsteps echoed over the hum of the wormhole. The door Sun had previously entered from was practically slapped open, and a woman in a dark suit ran in.
“Wait!”
Sun turned, just as he gave the final push. “Oh, I know you! Hold on, don’t tell me, you’re--”
Time hit a standstill. Professor Burnet was finally able to open the door, and reached out. The woman in the suit continued running to Sun. But it was too late. The final shove of the table, with Sun still holding on, had set the wormhole off. He felt a pull, and suddenly remembered that Nihilego didn’t always just carry itself into wormholes. Sometimes, it carried others with it.
The last thing he saw was the determined but terrified faces of the women who tried to catch him, and then everything went white.