Pokémon Sun/Moon (Part 5)

Pokémon Sun/Moon: Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4 – Part 5 – Part 6

Pokémon Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon: Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4

Aether Nightmare

That's fine, I'll just wipe out YOUR Pokémon in turn.

We’re dropped off at the artificial island’s dock and battle our way through the Foundation. The employees have a wide variety of Pokémon and are in general a much bigger threat – finally, some challenge. Nic joins Hau and Gladion to the elevator. One floor above, the team encounters Branch Chief Faba. The guy's sole Pokémon is defeated, easily, and Gladion strong-arms Faba into letting them go to the lower floors, where the conducted experiments might tear the fabric of reality apart. …Wait, what?

Of course, to get all of that information about Nebby, your
Trainer probably had to skim through tons of technobabble.

The Foundation knows about the intruders, so the trainers better act quick. The employees encountered on the lower floor talk about the organization developing new Pokéball types for non-Alolan Pokémon, and that Cosmog is the key to open Ultra Wormholes. Outside one lab, Gladion reveals that he stole Type: Null from the Foundation, where it was created to battle the Ultra Beasts. A binder reveals that the discoverer of Ultra Wormholes was Professor Mohn. Hey! It’s the Poké Pelago guy! In the same room, a computer says that Cosmog is an Ultra Beast – and that the “dangerous creatures” it threatens to bring to Alola whenever it teleports are more Beasts, but that it only ever does so when under serious stress. Which is exactly what Lusamine is trying to provoke. Oh no! The Foundation isn’t gonna be abusing lil’ Get-In-The-Effin-Bag Nebby The 1st on my watch!

A Ledian, at this point of the game, really?

Going downstairs was a trick, as this is a dead end. In another lab, Nic can read up on Type: Null's ability to change type using programs, since Ultra Beasts tend to have huge type weaknesses. A few floors above, after another battle, the team meets Wicke, who heals everyone’s parties and addresses Gladion as “young master”. Hmm… Farther, the group encounters Faba again, and double battles ensue. Lots of double battles in this place, really – all topped by one against Faba and an employee, who is quickly beaten, leaving the branch manager against two Pokémon. He didn’t think that through, did he?

The Skull playbook: Strike first, fast and hard, retreat as
soon as you realize your victim can punch back.

Defeated, the scientist lets the kids through to the open area of the Foundation, where they encounter… Team Skull? They were working with Aether the whole time? Guzma, at the end of the path, beats Gladion’s team. Nic can show off again. The fight in the Shady House was pitiful, but this one is much tougher, with the Skull boss having four Pokémon. Still, Guzma is defeated, so he lets Nic through.

Lusamine and the Ultra Beast

Says the woman who's a goddamn abusive monster.

Nic runs into the mansion, where he sees the President belittling Lillie. The big reveal: Lillie and Gladion are Lusamine’s children, and she doesn’t give a damn about them. They stole from the Foundation, sure, but she treats them like they no longer mean a thing to her. For all the friendly façade the President had been putting on, she’s revealed in all her abusive nastiness here. Geez, who’da thunk a Pokémon game, of all things, would tackle serious subjects such as family abuse? Animal abuse, all the time! But this?

Uh oh.

Yeah, this... this doesn't bode well.

That woman is consumed by her goal and she will stop at nothing, even destroying Alola, if it brings out the Ultra Beasts, so she can control their immense power. She keeps Pokémon in cryostasis not because they’re ill, but because she likes them that way and because she can. She is, officially, a fucking nutty bitch. …I’d apologize to Lillie, but she’d agree with me about her mom. Lusamine goes to her secret lab through a teleporter, and the kids run in after her. The experiment was ready, and she begins using Cosmog’s power to bring out the Ultra Wormholes. The sky goes dark, and wormholes appear over every Alolan island. Large monstrous creatures come through – but the Tapu of each island rises to battle the intruders. (The Ultra Beasts that appear differ between versions; the one example we’re given at this moment is Buzzwole in Sun, Pheromosa in Moon.)

That's Fairy, I'm Poison. Hopefully lil' Mareanie has
what it takes to win.

The jellyfish monster appears in the secret lab. Cornered by Guzma who came through the teleporter, the trainers are forced to battle. Nic gets burdened with fighting Lusamine. All her Pokémon are cute, but don’t be fooled – she’s a great Trainer. Her Pokémon have perfect IVs, EVs and Natures, so she’s a threat to unprepared Trainers. However! You don’t need to win this battle. No matter the outcome, Lusamine, seeing the Wormhole vanish, refuses to let go of her goal, and orders Guzma to jump in with her, and they both disappear into the wormhole. When the Wormhole and jellyfish are gone, Nebby is freed of its cage, and is revealed to have… changed into a cocoon-like form. Both the smallest and heaviest Pokémon, but Lillie will still carry him in her bag like it’s nothing.

You had this the whole time?

The kids leave the lab and find Wicke outside. Sure, Lusamine is a complete monster, but she’s still Gladion and Lillie’s mom, so they should at least try to rescue her. …And Guzma, too, sure, whatever. But to reach the other dimension, they'll need Alola’s Legendary Pokémon. On the next day, Nic leaves only to see Lillie in a new outfit and look. A complete 180 from “fragile princess to protect” all the way to “new adventurer”. Gladion found at the Foundation one of two flutes needed to summon the Legendary; he doesn’t believe in it, but thinks their mom wanted to catch that one, too. He also gives Nic a Master Ball.

Poni Island

Oh, this is so pretty. So many great sights around Alola.

Hau stays behind to catch up on his trials, while Nic and Lillie leave for Poni Island with Aether’s boat. It docks at Seafolk Village, where every house is a boat moored to the floating pier. New island, new Dex unlocked! We’re told about the village by its “chief”, and then we can explore. There’s a couple things of interest, like a free Aerodactyl, but it’s time to explore the mainland in search of the kahuna. The chief says that if somebody knows who the kahuna is, it’s little Hapu, one of the island’s few residents.

Really? Kukui didn't think about that when setting up the
new Island Challenge? He completely forgot that Poni
didn't yet have a kahuna? Or was he hoping a new one
would be found by the time we get there?

Machamp pushing these big blocks... well, like a champ!

On to the Poni Wilds – Lillie tags along, but mostly stays put. Trainers are a cut above here, with many of them being a lot tougher than anything encountered on previous islands. Some Ace Trainers have Z-Crystals of their own. Past the Wilds is the Ancient Poni Path, with Hapu’s home, and her trusty Mudsdale in the yard. When asked about the local kahuna, Hapu says that the island doesn’t have one. …what? The island challenge is going on while one island doesn’t even have the mandatory position filled? Shaking my damn head, I swear. But! She might have an idea. She escorts Nic and Lillie to the Ruins of Hope. But before that, we obtain from Hapu’s grandma the Ride Pager for Machamp, who replaces the Strength HM. We can push big boulders around now! The path to the canyon is blocked, thus we head to the Ruins, passing through the Poni Breaker Coast.

Sworn in with a dirty, groundy Z-Ring of her own!

Nic and Lillie reach the Ruins of Hope, home of Tapu Lele. Hapu's already there. The little girl receives a stoney Z-Ring from the ruins' idol. She has been sworn, by the sacred guardian of Poni, into being the island Kahuna, replacing her grandfather, who passed away a few years prior. (The island challenge has been missing a kahuna for years? Bad planning!) In all fairness, Hapu put in the work to earn the position, traveling across Alola to grow strong enough. She mentions that it takes two flutes to bring out the Legendary Pokémon of Alola; they have one, the second is on Exeggutor Island. Traveling to that island requires speaking with the chief of the seafolk. No trials yet, so let's get that out of the way.

For Exeggutor Island, this sure is lacking in wandering
Exeggutor. Are the 36-foot trees magically hiding in the
2-foot tall grass?

Exeggutor Island used to be a trial site, though! On arrival, Lillie gets spooked by an Alolan Exeggutor, and Nic defeats or catches the tall boi. 36 feet, yup, that’s a tall boi alright. Rain falls, and while they hide in a cave, Lillie opens up about how her mother used to be very loving, until one day she had a complete 180 and could only think of the Ultra Beasts. (We later learn that the event in which her husband went missing was also when Lusamine was infected by Nihilego’s toxins, going insane as a result. These circumstances, and their results, put Lusamine in Sun/Moon among the most memorable villains in the franchise.) Lillie admits that traveling alongside Orange let her find the self-confidence that was discouraged of her at home. And she has gained enough to think she’d like to become a Trainer!

The rain is followed by a meteor shower, a good sign. At the top of the island, the two obtain the Sun Flute. Great! Time to head over to Poni Canyon and…

Canyon

Eh, I'm playing as a Pokémon protagonist, I'll make
everything right before the Elite 4. It's what we do.

The road is blocked by Team Skull grunts; one girl, five guys. On Aether, they heard that the Trainers have a plan to save Guzma, so they battle Nic to learn about that plan and enact it themselves. (Yeah, like they have a chance.) A battle against just one female Grunt, and then against one Grunt with 5 Pokémon (representing the five male Grunts). Finally a decent battle! They refuse to get out of the way when defeated, but Plumeria, who had been watching, tells them to. The Skull Admin, repentant, is behind Nic and Lillie rescuing Lusamine and Guzma from Ultra Space, and helps them by handing over the Poisonium Z.

Nic and Lillie meet Hapu under a dead tree. The girl is happy of her new position, and challenges our Trainer. Well, we didn’t get the trials, but it IS her duty, so sure, why not. Hapu has a strong selection of Ground-type Pokémon, ending with her trusty Mudsdale. Upon defeat, she gives Nic the Groundium-Z and a stamp.

Big Hoss VS Kickplant

There is something weirdly fun seeing our Trainer being
carried like this.

Next up is Vast Poni Canyon, the second-to-last significant dungeon in the game (the last one being Victory Road within Mount Lanakila). The only place in Sun/Moon with a special magnetic field – if you were hoping to evolve Charjabug into Vikavolt, or Magneton into Magnezone, earlier than the fourth island, tough fucking luck. And that’s before I mention that two evolutions can only happen in Mount Lanakila/Victory Road: Crabrawler into Crabominable, and Eevee into Glaceon due to the Ice Rock in there. I hope you weren’t in a hurry to get those! There are some crappy game design issues in regards to where Pokémon can evolve here. The Ultras resolve some, but not all – the power plant on Ula’ula’s Blush Mountain also has a special magnetic field in US/UM, whereas the same plant in S/M doesn’t.

No kahuna (originally), and no trial helmed by a captain.
Geez, there's a few organization issues with this whole thing.

Ace Trainers, Backpackers and Veterans all over the place – this is an endgame area alright. Lillie follows Nic to the top of the caves, where she picks up her courage and crosses the high bridge, treating it like a trial. She succeeds! We can proceed. On another bridge, the Trainer meets Mina, the only trial captain of Poni, who congratulates the player on getting this far. She doesn’t have a trial thought up, though, so she just hands over her Fairium-Z and leaves. What, was it too hard to think of something for this one? La-zy! I know it’s a bit of a joke on the character since Mina is an artist, but – ugh, this bit is so disappointing. Especially after you go through it in US/UM and have to do something much better. …Actually, you have to do something, period.

The Legendary Altars

It's a longer trek through the canyon, fighting Veterans all the way to the entrance of the trial site leading to the altar. The fights are getting tough – it feels like we’ve been on Easy Mode through the game, with just a few, occasional curveballs. With all these Trainers beaten, it’s time to enter the trial site – with Lillie right behind.

Kommo-o does look pretty intimidating, I'll give it that.

The trial has no twists, just an empty cave hall with encounters against Jangmo-o, Hakamo-o, and the Totem Pokémon, the Dragon/Fighting-type Kommo-o. It can call its own kin for help, but this can bring out a Scizor. This one can be tough. This victory grants access to the Dragonium-Z Crystal.

We're about to summon true power here.

Beyond the trial: The Altar of the Sunne. Nic and Lillie climb up the stairs of the ruins, and place themselves on two pedestals, one on each side, each with a flute, which they play. Lillie’s bag containing Nebby flies off her back and onto the center of the ruins, and the Cosmoem is freed from containment. Magical energy from the ruins irradiates it, and it evolves into the box Legendary (Solgaleo for Sun, Lunala for Moon). Sorry Lunala, I’m a Solgaleo stan. This is a first for the franchise, the Legendary is obtained through evolution.

Redistributing extreme mass into... well... depends, it's
either a lion or a bat, really.

(…Story- AND gameplay-wise. Cosmog and Cosmoem can neither own nor learn any offensive abilities, making them worse than a Magikarp. Only Splash, Teleport, and the Defense-boosting Cosmic Power upon evolution from Cosmog to Cosmoem at Level 43. It’s like having a paperweight in your team. It then evolves into the Legendary at Level 53, which is a LOT of grinding.)

Nebby, look how much you've grown!
Well, there's no getting back in the bag now.

If I can just add this: I love that the Legendary was "with us" all along, following on the journey. Sure, it had comedic moments trying to escape from Lillie, but it had personality, we grew attached to lil' Cosmog, the same way we grew attached to Lillie. Nice twist on the usual formula.

Guzma has discovered true fear in here. And he has seen
what Lusamine has become. More than ever, we need to
become heroes.

Nebby can still summon Ultra Wormholes – but it controls that ability, and it can square off against what could come out. It can even carry people (on its back or in its wings, depending on the version) into other dimensions. It takes Nic and Lillie through a wormhole, and they land in a strange, unknown world – the Ultra Space. ….wait, is that Guzma? If he’s here, maybe Lusamine is, too. Dude is terrified out of his mind, but stays strong and is finally seeing hope of getting home with Nic's arrival. Maybe we can set everything right.

To be continued in Part 6.