Pokémon Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon (Part 3)

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

Time to fight Lusamine.

Aether and the portals

Well, I guess I'm already proving to have a better chance
at beating Necrozma than you do, Dulse.

The doors to Lusamine’s room are guarded by the Ultra Recon Squad. They, too, want to get their hands on Cosmog. Dulse battles Nic, using his yet unevolved Poipole. Which gets defeated, of course. The big reveal: The Squad is working with the Aether Foundation to control Necrozma, who’s becoming dangerous. They were looking for Cosmog, because they need its power to open Ultra Wormholes to their home dimension, after which they want to send powerful Trainers through to battle the beast and calm it down. Lusamine, who is NOT a psychopath in this one, is helping, because she has Alola’s best interests at heart, even if the only solution looks very shady in retrospect. And, oh yeah – Colress, met on Route 8, is lending a hand with the process.

Her feelings stem from bitterness and anger rather than
insanity, so she feels... sanitized compared to the previous
version of her. Even her lines are sometimes changed to
be less rude when she talks.

…Honestly, Lusamine was one of those “love to hate” characters in S/M, even if the games implied that she wasn't herself and both her husband’s loss and the Nihilego neurotoxins caused her change. She is still horrible to her kids here, believing they both betrayed her (Gladion fled with Type: Null, Lillie took Cosmog), so she’s not a great parent, though some of this can be excused with stress. She’s still ready to experiment on, or kill, Cosmog if it means saving Alola, though! Her motivations and goals make more sense; catching an Ultra Beast could let her study and stop them, and perhaps find out where her husband disappeared. She hates Ultra Wormholes, but if beating Necrozma is what it takes to save Alola… Doesn’t change the fact that this feels like a downgrade, even if something bigger and stronger awaits down the line. (Also, she still has the frozen Pokémon in her lab, so there’s still some weird shit going on with her.)

Sorry ma'am, I gotta beat up all your cute Pokémon.

The President disappears through a teleporter, which Nic takes. He arrives in a secondary lab, where Cosmog is held in a crate. Everybody arrives (Lillie, Hau, Gladion, Guzma) as Lusamine restates her desire to go in the Wormhole and battle Necrozma if she must. At her children’s objections, she opts to demonstrate her strength by battling Nic. Her team is still made of cute Pokémon… which can still beat yours if you're unprepared. Upon her defeat, she tells Nic to continue his island challenge, after which she opens the Ultra Wormhole and jumps in with Guzma.

The kids leave the lab, with Cosmog transformed into Cosmoem, and report to Wicke about the President’s disappearance. Dulse and Zossie show up, angered that Lusamine is doing this on her own; but they mention that other Wormholes may be accessible through Poni Island's altar. They leave, and the kids get some rest before continuing their adventure.

When Nic walks out, Lillie has changed into her adventuring gear. She’s ready to explore Poni Island! Gladion gives them the Moon Flute and a Master Ball. Hau cann’t come along, he needs to catch up on his trials. I appreciate that the ensuing discussion is different from that in  S/M, mostly pertaining to Lusamine’s motivations. Lillie and our player character rejoin at the docks, with Gladion taking them to Poni Island.

Poni

And she has a pre-Elite 4 trial, this time!

Seafolk Village, still beautiful. Instead of the Chief of the Seafolk, we meet Mina, the Fairy-type captain. She's a bit spaced out, but she mentions that Hapu is more likely to know who the kahuna of Hapu is. Trainers in the Poni Wilds are a cut above the rest, but nothing insurmountable; and wherever Nic goes, the new Lillie joins. On the Ancient Poni Path is Hapu’s home, as denoted by Mudsdale in the front yard. The girl says there isn’t a kahuna on this island at the moment (again – shaking my damn head), then says there’s probably an answer to be found at the Tapu’s ruins. Nic obtains from Hapu’s grandma the Machamp Shove, to push large boulders around. Can’t sequence-break, the Canyon is guarded by a Black Belt who says Nic needs the kahuna’s approval before entering (even though there is no hakuna at this very moment!!!).

I wouldn't expect tourists on the alleged most dangerous,
most wild island of Alola - but hey, if they have the
Pokémon to face the wilderness...

Not pictured on a still image: The Alolan Exeggutor at the
back, which headbangs like it's listening to an especially
intense death metal song.

In the Ruins of Hope, past the Poni Breaker Coast, we watch Hapu being sworn in as the new kahuna, succeeding her late grandfather. The newly-appointed kahuna knows where to summon Alola’s Legendary Pokémon, but it requires two flutes – Lillie has one, we need the other, kept on Exeggutor Island. Back at Seafolk Village, we ask the village chief, who'll take Nic to the island; but this time, Lillie can’t join. Exeggutor Island used to be a trial site, and still operates like one; you help three Alolan Exeggutor bothered by Pinsir. I’d almost expect a Bug-type Totem guarding the Flute! The palmtree Pokémon lend a hand afterwards as thanks. Nic gets the flute and returns to Seafolk Village.

Probably a Ground-type move, since Mareanie is
part-Poison.

Back to the Canyon’s entrance, blocked by one Team Skull Grunt gal and five guys. Once again, beating them all is the best battle we’ve had involving them in the whole game. The sore losers don’t move until Plumeria tells them to leave. She asks the duo to rescue Lusamine and Guzma, and hands over a Poisonium-Z.

Glad to have Machamp to help - not that he's useful in a lot
of places. Maybe access to some locked areas on the
previous islands.

Nic meets Hapu under the Vast Poni Canyon's dead tree. The Ultra Recon Squad shows up. Dulse claims he wants his people to be able to deal with Necrozma themselves, and wants to prove they can do it by defeating strong Trainers. He challenges the player again, with nothing but his Poipole. Get more, buddy! He loses, but the Squad is reassured by Hapu that if they need help, they can count on the people of Alola. We gotta reach the Altar of the Sunne!

This place would make a better Victory Road than Mount Lanakila, I swear. Strong Trainers, Lillie getting through her own Trial by walking the high bridge. More Trainers right at the exit of the Dragon-type trial; just an empty corridor with the local pseudo-legendary coming in for a battle. The Jangmo-o line, topped with a Totem Kommo-o that can call Noivern or Scizor for help. One victory, and the Dragonium-Z is ours!

Two dragons versus one fairy. I wonder who wins.

Necrozma Revealed

Nic and Lillie get to the altar of the Sunne, with Hapu behind them. The two get into position to play the two flutes… The music forces Cosmoem out of Lillie’s bag and evolves it into Solgaleo! (…or Lunala, in Ultra Moon, you know the deal.) We can climb onto this steed and fly into the Ultra Wormhole to defeat-

....I love how Solgaleo looks, but damn that cry is weird.

…Wait. Something’s not right.

...Uh oh.

Yeah, shit's gotten real.

A wormhole opens, and Guzma and Lusamine fall out. She tries to tell the kids to flee, right as Necrozma floats out menacingly; Necrozma floats menacingly out of it as well. This monster is too powerful. Nebby battles Necrozma around the altar, but the monster is victorious. It absorbs a defeated Nebby, taking on a new form (the one on the box art). The monster summons wormholes all over the altar and across Alola. Hala and his grandson Hau encounter a new Ultra Beast, Blacephalon, only for Tapu Koko to get in the way and fight against the threat. Every kahuna encounters one of these monsters.

Nic battles (Dusk Mane or Dawn Wings) Necrozma, but cannot catch it. The beast escapes through a wormhole that appears beneath it, at the same time stealing all of Alola’s light and plunging the islands into darkness. All looks lost, but the URS shows up. Dulse mentions that Necrozma seemed intrigued by Nic’s Z-Ring. Well, they have a Lunala (or a Solgaleo in Ultra Moon) that they can ride into wormholes, which they call Ultra Warp Rides. We can be sent into a wormhole to battle Necrozma and return the light.

"How far from here is it?" "We're talking about light-years."
"...Oof, that's pretty far."

But if you want to level grind first, good luck – the light is gone everywhere, which makes it hard to see where you’re going. You can still ride Charizard around the islands to see how they’re impacted, but I wouldn’t recommend exploring in low visibility. But trust me, you’ll need to level-grind; what awaits in this wormhole is one of the toughest bosses in Pokémon history.

Into the Warp Holes

Nic talks to the Squad and asks to climb onto their Legendary Pokémon to reach their world. The portal into Ultra Space opens, and we enter the Ultra Warp Ride mini-game.

Also, the first time you do the Ultyra Warp Ride you are
forced to use the 3DS's gyroscope. ...Whyyyyyyyyyy.

You control the Legendary using the Circle Pad, within a corridor between universes. Your steed gains speed when you pass through yellow balls of energy – this will also allow it to go further. You must also avoid the blue, electrified balls, which will slow you down. Warp Holes come in five colors: White, Blue, Red, Green and Yellow. You can enter one on your own by flying into it, or if you’ve lost too much speed you’ll get sucked into the next one.

I know I should go into the white portal, but...
I wanna see what's in the double-ring one so bad!

There are four tiers of warp holes, noted by how many halos they have; none, one,  or two halos. Tier 4 warp holes have a flower-like bloom pattern around them. The higher the tier, the better what you can encounter. When you land in an Ultra world, you’re told how many light-years you travelled; better warp holes become more common the further you go. Each warp hole color leads to a different land: A cliff, a bay, a rocky field or a cave. White warp holes instead lead to special areas. However! The first time you go through a white warp hole, you land in the Ultra Megalopolis, the Squad's original world.

Lemme guess, Zossie is the newest recruit, then?
The Squad girl visiting Alola is practically a kid.

You are greeted by the other version's Squad (so, in Ultra Sun, I met Ultra Moon’s Alola visitors, Phyco and Soliera). Necrozma sapped all the light from this world, whose scientists attempted to brighten using technology, with limited success. Long ago, people of this world chipped at its body, eventually creating the Z-Rings found in the Pokémon world. And due to the broken form it was bent into as a result, the evil creature is less capable of controlling the light it has taken frm Alola. It awaits atop Megalo Tower. Nic climbs the tower and encounters the Necrozma-controlled Legendary, still sucking up light. A prism extracts from it, and the whole creature transforms into a giant illuminating dragon with detached wings: Ultra Necrozma.

Light =/= good.

Yeah, this thing can, and will, one-shot most of your team.
And will do so as long as you don't find a trick.

This should be the game’s final boss! Geez! Your Pokémon may be strong, but this thing is Level 60, gains a Totem-like boost to all its stats, and its base stat total is higher than Arceus’. Its typing is Psychic/Dragon, its Ability further boosts the power of super-effective moves, and it has coverage against pretty much all types (except maybe one or two), so it can tear into your team with ease. It’s likely to one-shot every single member of your team before you could even set up a plan. Don’t get me started on Photon Geyser, Necrozma’s signature move, which will use its current highest Attack stat (Physical or Special) and ignores most abilities. Pray you’re not Nuzlocking this game.

MunchingOrange's strategy was constantly swapping between
a Fairy-type and a Dark-type, nullifying the Necrozma AI's
regular use of its most powerful attacks, while his Dark-type
also had Intimidate, causing Necrozma to lose Attack as well.

There are two ways to beat this thing: Either you keep training your team in the Ultra Wormholes until they can survive one hit from this monster, then hope for the best… or you cheese it with strategies like Destiny Bond, Mimikyu's Disguise, swapping in Pokémon with immunities to attacks you know it’s about to use, or any combination of things that can give the upper hand early on or end the fight prematurely.

I kinda dislike that boss, to be honest. If you haven’t designed yourself a team that can take it on, you’re pretty much fucked. You can't know what you're fighting until you're fighting it, and get your ass handed to you. And training against it is a huge pain in the ass due to the darkened Alola. I don't hate the concept, but it could have been tweaked a bit.

Can it evolve? Oh, it can? Now I'm interested.

Anyway, let’s say it’s defeated. It falls to the floor and all the light it has stolen returns to Alola, brightening the world anew. Necrozma disappears into another world, while Nebby is sent home. Nic is joined by the second Squad. Their Poipole expresses interest in the Trainer, so they give it to him. Nice! There’s not much else to do in Ultra Megalopolis, but we can still return to it later (especially if we declined Poipole the first time). The only other reason to return is to switch which Legendary you want to do the Ultra Warp Ride on.

Guess it's just a goodbye with Solgaleo...
...and Lusamine and Lillie, of course.

Nic returns home. Dulse and Zossie confirm that Totem auras and Z-Powers are remainders of Necrozma’s light. The two choose to stick around. Lusamine realizes the wrong she did, and thanks the Trainer by giving him more Beast Balls. Nebby is weak, but the President of Aether promises to heal it back to good shape, even asking her daughter to lend a hand. Even Guzma seems to have learned good lessons out of all this! After everyone else has left, Mina shows up and announces that she has her own trial now – and that we should take it on.

Exploring Ultra Space

I’ll cover this right now. The wormhole still exists, so you can play the Ultra Warp Ride. White wormholes will take you to the Ultra Beasts’ worlds, where you can catch them! The wormholes closer to the start take you to the first beasts (Nihilego, or Buzzwole/Pheromosa), while you must go deeper to find the rest at higher odds (Xurkitree, Kartana/Celesteela, Guzzlord).

Ooh, that's a Hoenn bird. I'mma catch it.

Abomasnow usually have green feet. Ultra Space
Pokémon I have double Shinies of include Nuzleaf,
Drapion, Grumpig and Sigilyph. I've been trying to
find a shiny Audino for a long while.

The colored warp holes all lead to tiny areas with just one battle against a non-Alolan Pokémon. There’s 5 possible encounters in each area, for a total of 20. All Pokémon found this way will be Level 60. Another reason to explore these Wilds? Their Shiny odds start at 1%. Even if you only land in the first warp hole each time, one Pokémon out of 100 will be Shiny. The Shiny percentage increases depending on both the warp hole tier and the distance you travelled. 3-ring warp holes start at a 16% chance, and can go all the way up to 36% (more than one out of three) if you’ve gone further than 5,000 light-years! In my boxes in this game, I don’t just have Ultra Space shinies, I have freaking doubles of Ultra Space shinies. (Still no luck for a purple Audino though.)

But here’s the biggest reason to spend hours here: Something else is hidden in these Wilds. The odds of encountering something very special are at 3% at the lowest tier, and goes up the further you go, all the way to a 100% encounter rate in the fourth tier, if there’s any left to catch. I’m talking about Legendary Pokémon.

Even before I started hunting a few Shinies in Ultra Space,
I went and hunted down every single Legendary.
Holy crap that quest was awesome.

One aspect I’ve seldom discussed about the Ultra games is that they feel like the end of an era; past this point, all Pokémon mainline games and remakes are on Switch. The proper “handheld” era of Pokémon comes to an end with US/UM, and as a result, they also serve as an attempt at a proper send-off. Which may be why 37 Legendary Pokémon (no Mythicals), from Mewtwo to Yveltal, can be caught in the Ultra Wilds. No other Pokémon game has given you the ability to find and capture every major Legendary.

Yeah, the first half of the game is way too much like that of Sun/Moon and tedious to get through, especially if you played the prior games, but damn, this one part here? Makes it all worth it.

Alright, we can resume the island challenge and finish it… in Part 4!