Pokémon Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon (Part 2)

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

Gotta keep moving!

Fire and Grass

This thing doesn't look too strong, I'll likely win.
It does look cute though.

After chasing away the road-blocking Sudowoodo, we meet the Squad again. One of them (Dulse, in Ultra Sun) challenges Nic to a battle. They use Poipole, technically an Ultra Beast. It’s their only one, so it’s not too tough. They comment on the Z-Ring’s light, and they leave again. Nic goes down Route 6 and into Royal Avenue, where we are once again introduced to Battle Royal.

Of course they were gonna bring back Hiker David for this.

Then it’s across Wela Volcano Park to meet Kiawe at the top, and his trial goes the same; you’re asked to spot the differences between two dances. It plays new tricks on us regarding the questions and answers we must give. We still battle an Alolan Marowak, a Hiker, and then the Totem – this time, a second Marowak, but as a throwback to Sun/Moon, it can call for Salazzle to come help in battle. For our victory, Kiawe gives us the Firium Z and the Ride Pager for Charizard. Nice.

I think I had a good chance with my Water/Fairy starter,
until I saw the Poison-type show up. Uh oh.

This time, on our way to Route 8, we meet Mohn of the Poké Pelago, who invites us to test out the feature. That mode hasn’t changed much; the main differences are the inclusion of additional Pokémon that can come by on Isle Abeens, due to the larger Dex, and the possibility to find fossils in Isle Aphun.

Huh. I'm surprised there aren't more people reacting to me
busting into their homes for a chat or to steal stuff.

In the tunnel between Routes 7 and 8, we encounter the URS; its members say they’re meeting a scientist nearby. Route 8 has the same amenities; an Aether Foundation trailer, the Jurassic Park wannabe, and the motel where Gladion is staying. Colress is on this route too; wonder if that’s the guy the Squad is meeting. Hau is by the Pokémon Center, and he introduces the player to the Festival Plaza. Much like Poké Pelago, it wasn’t given a mandatory visit in Sun/Moon (unless you went there yourself through the touch screen’s menu), but the Ultra games make sure that you know about these modes. These games' Plazas include the Battle Agency, where you battle using borrowed Pokémon, and can use facilities to change your given team.

Need to find stuff here? Lemme bring out Mower Rotom...

Mallow’s trial involves finding ingredients in the forest; but there’s one fewer, Lana and Kiawe participate a lot more, and you have additional wild encounters while the recipe is brewed (and there’s no “pounding the ingredients” this time!). The boss is still a Totem Lurantis, but its called allies (Comfey and Kecleon) make it even more dangerous. With this victory, we get the Grassium Z, and the A-OK to challenge Kahuna Olivia, the rock-type specialist.

Olivia and Aether

Team Rocket? What would they even be doing in Alola?

We stop by the Dimensional Research Lab, getting the story about Ultra Beasts and rifts in the Alolan sky from Prof. Burnet. Through Diglett Tunnel, we meet more workers from the Aether Foundation, then Skull grunts. Nic then meets Looker when leaving Diglett Tunnel. He’s on vacation and mentions the previous stories we saw him in, and mentions Team Rocket in passing. Yeah, he’s gonna get embroiled into another big story, I bet. Nic can then check out the police station, where one officer acting strange is a Ditto in disguise. Nic is asked to investigate to find them around Konikoni City and stop their shenanigans. (…The implications are scary, but apparently, they’re harmless.)

A Crobat that confuses - a classic.

Here as well, Olivia asks the Trainer to meet her by the Ruins of Life, past Memorial Hill. It is within that graveyard that we meet Faba and another Aether employee trying to save a Slowpoke from Skull Grunts. Yet again, we’re sicced on the baddies and easily beat them. As thanks for the help, Faba once more invites us at the Hano Grand Resort. Then, it’s the encounter with Plumeria, near the Ruins. Burnet and Lillie show up, and so does Olivia, whom we battle and defeat, earning the Rockium-Z and access to Ula’ula.

Well, when it comes to champions, there can be only one...
(I'm only ever that competitive against CPUs.)

Extradimernsional intruder alert!

But first – the Resort. We arrive on a ceremony of two Pikachu getting married. …Cute, whatever. Fada is inside, and once more we’re taken to Aether Paradise, where wild Pokémon cannot be caught. Nic and Hau are introduced to Wicke, the friendly branch chief, and then to Lusamine, the President, who has the same banter with Hau that she had in Sun/Moon. Including her reaction to Lillie's mention. And the sudden earthquake, the appearance of a portal near the group, and Nihilego coming out. You either defeat it, or it leaves on its own.

However! The URS shows up to comment on the Ultra Beast. Lusamine already knows everything about these creatures, thanks to the Squad, which works alongside the Foundation. Dulse explains that their world has no light, as it was stolen by a creature known as Necrozma, which is said to be very powerful – but Lusamine assures us all that her Foundation will protect Alola should such a beast emerge. The President orders Wicke to take the boys back to the dock, to resume their island challenge.

Hello Ula’ula!

Yep. Orange picked the Water starter, therefore Hau evolved
his Eevee into a Grass-type. It's one of those details that I
like about his team construction - it changes beyond just
the starter, depending on what you chose.

Upon arrival on the third island, Rotom updates its Dex, and then Nic is challenged by Hau. This fight is much better than it was in S/M, as our rival has five Pokémon and better coverage against everything. He did start out with the starter Pokémon weak to the player’s, but he evolves an Eevee to the type strong against the player’s to compensate (ex. Flareon against Rowlet, etc.). Upon his defeat, he gives a Lycanium Z, to use with Lycanroc. I like Hau; he’s a great deconstruction of the friendly rival. He's always happy, but fights self-esteem issues born living his life being told about how great his grandpa, kahuna Hala, is, and wanting to top that. He’s got the right attitude treating Pokémon like a fun competition, but it turns into a hindrance to his goal of finishing the island challenge, and gets his mood down as he keeps losing against us; a trait emphasized in the Ultras, less present in Sun and Moon, is him learning to get serious when battling, so that he can put up a proper fight by the end. Great character development.

    "Perfect" my ass! This is like a French guy saying
"Tabernacle" or an American making poutine! It sucks!

The boys find Kukui in Malie Garden and talk about the Ultra Beast; the professor encourages them to finish their island challenge. Lillie's scenes are repeated, asking to bring Nebby to the Tapu’s ruins, going to the library, meeting Hapu and Acerola, and reading the legend of Necrozma and Solgaleo (or Lunala). Malie City has the Kantonian Gym, which mimics the Electric-type Gym of Kanto, with… limited success. The puzzle doesn’t work, and the trainers don’t all focus on the same type!

...Pathetic is still too kind a word for these morons.

We head to Ula'ula's first trial through Route 10, and – oh God, the Skull morons are STILL throwing all their gang signs at the bus stop. It’s not gonna sign back, you fucking idiots. A quick victory, and then Nic (and Kukui) climb onto the bus to the Hokulani Observatory. Up there, Kukui repeats his wish to see Alola have a proper Champion and Elite 4, which he'll set up on top atop Mount Lanakila, visible in the distance.

Wasn't expecting a puzzle like this to be integrated into a
Trial; this is leagues above the "sound and music trivia in
the dark" of the previous take on the adventure.

Time for the Electric-type trial! No battle against Molayne, but the event goes differently. Sophocles asks the player to gather the Charjabug around the observatory. The Charjabug are central to the new trial and its mini-game; you use panels to move the bugs around a grid to form “power lines” summoning the trial Pokémon. After forming a third line to create a Z the machine supposed to bring out the Totem goes haywire; but a small Togedemaru rushes to help and contains the sparks. The Totem, a larger Togedemaru, shows up to further help – after which it challenges the player. I love all the extra care and attention given to this entire sequence. Much better than in S/M.

Angry steel ball Pikachu-clone. I prefer the happy ones.

Kukui's putting me on the spot like this? Not cool, Prof.!

We get the Electrium Z from Sophocles, and a tutorial on the Ferstival Plaza's Battle Agency, a multiplayer battle mode in which you pick a rental Pokémon and a team to be a part of, then go and battle other players. (Not quite as useful without the 3DS’s Wi-Fi Connection…) Molayne also gives Nic the Masked Royal’s mask.

We find Kukui at Malie Garden, talking to Skull grunts. The following encounter with Guzma goes the same, with them arguing until Kukui pulls Nic into this, and Guzma battles the kid. He’s got Golisopod, but traded Ariados for Masquerain. Still not so bad. Defeated and bitter, Guzma leaves with his goons, but he spots Hau and tell the kid he might not get what he wants out of the island challenge.

The Sixth Trial

Still no saddle. Ouch, ouch, ow, owie.

Route 12 is made of impassable terrain, but we’re saved by Hapu giving us the Mudsdale Ride Pager. Three differences here: The empty beach south is upgraded into a Mantine Surf Spot; we meet Samson Oak on the way; and the power plant has a special magnetic field to evolve some Pokémon (it’s earlier than in S/M, where such a field is only in Vast Poni Canyon). Getting to Route 13 and the oasis, Nic (and Hau) meet Gladion, who asks them to keep Cosmog (and, by extension, Lillie) safe from Team Skull. Haina Desert is locked, so we go onwards to Tapu Village.

Give me time to finish my island challenge, and I'll go! I will
be able to tear through anything once I'm Champion! ...That's
not even remotely how it's gonna go, huh.

The island challengers meet the Recon Squad again, which opens up about its goals; Tapu Village is where the Tapus fought a monster stealing Alola's light, long ago. That monster? Necrozma, gone mad after the people from the Squad’s universe tried to take all of Necrozma’s light for themselves. The beast is locked down in their home dimension, in constant anger, and is at risk of escaping, hence why the Squad is looking for new ways to defeat it.

Route 15 is where the Trainers find the Aether House, with the boys arriving first, and Acerola afterwards. Outside, Lillie is being bothered by a Skull grunt who’s pitifully easy to beat. Lillie stays to rest in the House while Nic and Acerola head out for the trial.

I bet that Haunter is thinking, "damn paparazzis!"

The Ghost-type trial goes the same, using the Poké Finder to detect ghosts in the abandoned mall. We even fight the Gastly line again! The difference is Mimikyu appearing as Acerola and trying to convince the player to give up – which they refuse. The faker disappears, only to reappear as we investigate the backroom. This Totem Mimikyu summons Banette and Jellicent instead of the Gastly line.The Ultra games play with the expectations of those who played the basic versions, and throws twists. I like that!

Sweet, red meadow, with bugs and plants and fairies - the
lovely

The trial is won, we obtain the Ghostium-Z from Acerola, and the a-OK to fight Ula’ula’s kahuna. This opens the way to Haina Desert. But when we return, yep – Team Skull is waiting there, with Plumeria battling the player. They’ve gone into the Aether House and stolen the kids’ Yungoos, and tell Nic that if he wants it back, he must come to their hideout. Fine! That’s a trek through Routes 15-16-17, using the Sharpedo Ride obtained from Grimsley. Dexio and Sina’s trailer is still there, but since there are no Zygarde cells to collect, a scientist there tells the player to come back once they’ve caught Zygarde, which means we’ll find it somewhere in Alola. In Ula’ula Meadow, we encounter Faba, who says he is “checking on how Pokémon are doing” and reiterating Necrozma's threat.

Po Town, and Aether

I knew Team Skull were trash, but that's a bit literal.

Events in Po Town happen roughly the same, with the entrance blocked off by butthurt grunts who hate being reminded that they are losers; but Nanu arrives to let the player through regardless. Then it’s a battle against waves of grunts across the abandoned town, walking into the the Shady House, finding new passwords to reach Guzma’s room, and battle the Team Skull boss, who has three Pokémon to his team. After he’s defeated, we retrieve the Yungoos, and the grunts leave the place. Nic meets Nanu outside of the House, with Acerola coming by as well.

Ah yes, all the Dark-type trickeries. Guess Nanu is wise to be
using them considering he lives right next to Team Skull.
But hey, "the rent's real cheap".

Lillie and Nebby are missing from Aether House, having followed Plumeria to the Aether Foundation. Gladion shows up, hears that they're gone, and in a fit of rage, challenges Nic. His loss knocks some sense into him, and he forces the player and Hau to accompany him to the Foundation to rescue the girl. At the pier, Kahuna Nanu shows up and battles the island challenger. His Dark-type team isn’t very different from what it was in Sun/Moon – just a few levels higher, a trait shared by all noteworthy opponents. Nanu’s defeat confirms that we’re ready for the fourth and final island, and we’re given the Darkium-Z.

Anytime I partake in double battles in a Pokémon game, I
remember that one of my inroductions to the franchise's games
was Pokémon Colosseum. Now on the Switch 2!

The kids dock their boat at Aether Paradise. The employees are much tougher trainers than the Skull grunts ever were. At the elevator, the story goes the same: Lower floors locked, so upwards we go, we encounter Faba (who has just one Pokémon!), we defeat him, we access to the bottom floors, read about Professor Mohn and Cosmog’s abilities, this was a trap, but Wicke is on our side and lends a hand, we battle more employees and Faba in double battles, there’s a bunch of Skull grunts outside, Gladion is beaten by Guzma so we defeat the Skull boss instead, then we enter Lusamine’s mansion.

Look, when everything happens the same, why not speed through? Alright, I think we can resume in Part 3.