Serena was floating through the sunny sky on Serenity's head. The trainer looked like she had bags under her eyes while the Ultra Beast was shivering in a mixture of rage and fear.

"Ugh...I couldn't sleep at all last night." Serena moaned, sounding very tired.

I can't say I blame you. Between all that blood we saw and Tierno's vomiting, it was a bad night for everyone. I'm surprised anybody was able to sleep. Serenity replied worriedly. Serena could feel herself about to hurl and managed to control it.

"Yeah, and talking about it isn't helping..." she murmured groggily while holding her belly.

Sorry. Serenity responded apologetically.

"It's not your fault, Serenity. That fucking Titan crossed the line! I'm going to return the favor by killing someone he loves...if that someone even existed!" Serena exclaimed venomously. Serenity couldn't help but smile.

You remind me of him, you know? she inquired.

Serena grinned ruefully before saying, "That's what Mom always says. I would have loved to meet Dad again. I wonder if he is proud of me for following in his footsteps."

Oh, absolutely, Serena. I can safely say that you are the best thing to happen to us since his reign. Getting back on topic, though, I had thought that all the Titans were eliminated. But with Jason's reappearance and subsequent attempt at murdering you, plus everything that happened at the party, we have to be a lot more careful from now on. This is why I'd like to stay out of my Beast Ball at all times. Serenity stated sternly. Serena stroked her chin thoughtfully.

"I agree. It is too dangerous to be out without an Ultra Beast. I mean, I could have died yesterday if it wasn't for the Ketchums, Blondie, and that rogue International Police member. Which begs the question: why did they save me when everybody else was after me? That doesn't make sense at all. Red, Blue, and Jason killed my father, and yet Red's sons were the ones who protected me from Jason and Lance. Talk about irony..." she said, clearly flabbergasted.

Yeah, fate is clearly playing a cruel joke on us. I mean, come on! Ash, a Ketchum, is in love with you, a Yvonne! What does he think this is, some kind of romance play?! Serenity shouted, utterly disgusted. Serena flinched as she held her head painfully. Unbeknown to Serenity, a pink twinge crept across her trainer's cheeks.

Oh, Ash. Ash...why are you Ash? Why do you look so familiar to me? Why am I developing a crush on you, of all people? I mean, you are brave, strong, bold, kind, handsome...whoa, get a hold of yourself, Serena! He's a Ketchum! He wants the Ultra Beasts gone! I'm a Yvonne! I want the world destroyed! I can't trust him, never mind love him! she thought with mixed emotions.

Serena was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't hear a boy's voice yell out, "Turtonator, Flamethrower! Salazzle, Marowak, do your thing!"

Oh, for fuck sake... Serenity muttered to herself upon seeing a stream of red-orange flames, a multicolored dragon shaped beam of energy, and a spinning gray bone coming straight for them. She abruptly moved to the right, startling Serena.

"Whoa! What the...?!" she mumbled, shocked. The Flamethrower and Dragon Pulse waltzed past the duo, but the bone changed directions and hit Serenity hard, making her and Serena fall out of the sky and straight towards a volcano. The trainer screamed while clutching her hat, with more pain entering her head.

Meanwhile, in Hau'oli City, Ash, Pikachu, Gary, Lillie, and Snowy were on Latias's back, about to take off. Kevin and Maria were beside them, sitting on Predator's back. The brothers each had a duffle bag over their shoulder. Before they could do anything, Ash and Latias both heard a scream inside their heads.

"Ack!" they shouted, flinching. Greninja's Pokeball wildly vibrated on Ash's belt.

"Ash! Latias! You two OK?!" Lillie inquired, obviously worried.

"Pika?!" Pikachu added. Snowy, Gary, Kevin, and his Pokemon looked concerned too. The blue aura flared up around Ash's body, giving everyone the answer.

'Kiawe...Ash, we need to go at Mega speed now!' Latias growled angrily. Ash instantly nodded.

He was about to activate his Key Stone when a mysterious voice spoke telepathically into his and Latias's heads, 'Don't worry. I've got this. You just focus on your trial.' A slight smile crept across the duo's faces as the aura vanished, to everybody's confusion. Greninja's Pokeball seemed to have calmed down too.

"Thank you...Guardian." Ash muttered to himself.

Back with Serena, Serenity had suddenly stopped falling before they hit the edge. The trainer staggered a little bit, but managed not to fall off.

"Ow...you OK, Serenity?" she questioned Serenity, holding her head.

I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was. To beat them is my real test. To kill them is my cause. I will travel across the land, searching far and wide... she sang, clearly dazed. Sweat fell down the back of Serena's head.

"Uh, Serenity?" she asked again.

Teach Ultra Beasts to understand the power that's inside. Pokemon! Gotta kill'em all! It's you and me! Ultra Beasts! I know it's my destiny! Ultra Beasts! Yeah, you're my best friend in a world we must destroy! Pokemon! Gotta kill'em all! A heart so true! Ultra Beasts! Our power will pull us through! You teach me and I'll teach you! Ultra Beasts! Pokemon! Gotta kill'em all! Gotta kill'em all! Gotta kill'em all!" Serenity continued. Serena didn't know whether to feel amused or annoyed.

"Um, Serenity?" she said a bit louder than before.

Every challenge along the way, with power I will face. I will battle every day to claim my rightful place! Come with me. The time is right! There's no better team! Arm in arm, we'll win the war! It's always been our dream! Pokemon! Gotta kill'em all! It's you and me! Ultra Beasts! I know it's my destiny! Ultra Beasts! Yeah, you're my best friend in a world we must destroy! Pokemon! Gotta kill'em all! A heart so true! Ultra Beasts! Our power will pull us through! You teach me and I'll teach you! Ultra Beasts! Pokemon! Gotta kill'em all! Gotta kill'em all! Gotta kill'em all! Serenity resumed her singing. Serena simply sighed in exasperation. Just then, she got hit on the head by the same bone. Serena yelped as the force knocked her off Serenity and sent her tumbling, back first, to the edge. She gasped upon realizing how close she was to falling into the lava and rolled over to prevent that from happening. Serena quickly stood back up while rubbing her forehead, which had a bruise on it.

"Ow...that hurts." she muttered to herself.

Suddenly, Kiawe yelled out, "Turtonator, burn that bitch to a crisp with Flamethrower!" Serena's eyes widened as she turned to see another stream of red-orange flames coming straight for her.

"Crap...Serenity..." She trailed off upon seeing Serenity still dazed.

"Shit...not again." Serena groaned, closing her eyes and bracing herself for impact. She waited for a few seconds, but the Flamethrower never came. Now very confused, Serena cracked open one eye. Who she saw opened her other one wide.

"T-T-Tapu L-L-Lele?!" Serena stuttered out, clearly startled. Tapu Lele was floating a few feet away with a turquoise force field in front of her body. She glared at a flabbergasted Kiawe, Turtonator, Salazzle, and Alolan Marowak.

'So, I see someone didn't get the memo.' she stated scathingly as the force field disappeared. Kiawe, Turtonator, and the Totems flinched while Serena looked very dumbfounded.

"Uh, well, you see, we were trying to-" He got interrupted.

'Trying to kill Serena when I specifically told you, Mallow, Lana, and Olivia not to! Geez, did you not learn anything from Ash's show of power yesterday?!' Tapu Lele exclaimed with a sneer. Kiawe shivered from the sound of that.

"But-But-But Calem had to die! Isn't this the same situation?" he stammered. Serena shot Kiawe a murderous glare. Tapu Lele, however, simply scoffed.

'Really? That argument again? Like Ash told you, you don't know the truth behind what happened in the Ultra Space eight years ago. Then again, almost nobody knows.' she replied sternly.

Tapu Lele then snuck a glance towards Serena and added, 'Not even your fake mother. Though, that's no fault of hers now..." The Guardian of Akala Island swiftly turned away from the fuming girl to stare down the stunned Nihilego.

'Isn't it...'Serena the Nihilego'?' Tapu Lele asked suspiciously. Serena, Kiawe, and the Pokemon let out a surprised yelp. Serenity, however, didn't seem to notice the tension rising.

Gotta kill'em all! Gotta kill'em all! Gotta kill'em all! Pokemon! she finished.

"SERENITY!" Serena shouted urgently. Serenity winced before snapping back to attention.

Sorry, old...habit... She trailed off upon seeing Tapu Lele flying over her.

...Oh. Serenity muttered. She suddenly flew directly above Serena's head and wrapped her now purple glowing tentacles around her body. Her eyes glowed red as the purple aura flared up.

"Tapu Lele...what an unpleasant surprise." Serena stated demonically. Tapu Lele simply smirked.

'Really, 'Serena'? Taking over such an innocent girl's body? That is even lower than what you did to her father, you disgraceful Ultra Beast!' she shouted, utterly disgusted. Everybody flinched.

"Do I look like I care about what's low and what's not? No. Now move out of my way. I got a trial to utterly demolish and a score to settle with that pathetic soul." Serena responded with a deadly glare towards Marowak. She scowled before motioning for Serenity to 'bring it on'. Tapu Lele never lost her smirk, though.

'Of course. You honestly should thank me, though, 'Serena', 'Serenity', whoever you are these days. If I hadn't been here, Kiawe surely would have burned your vessel alive. And that just won't do. Oh, not at all.' she said calmly. Needless to say, everyone looked rather befuddled.

"Why won't it do? I mean, you want us gone, don't you?!" Serena inquired valiantly. Tapu Lele chuckled and shook her head.

'Correction: I want the ULTRA BEASTS gone! I want Lusamine gone! I want Madame Boss gone! Serena, on the other hand...no. And you know why? Because this isn't who you truly are. Isn't it, dear?' she asked back. Serena was even more confused than before. And it didn't help that her headache had gotten much worse.

"Oh, come on, now you're just spewing nonsense. Not who I am? Please. Humor me. Who am I, really?" Serena queried while crossing her arms. At first, Tapu Lele didn't reply. She then looked up to the sky and smiled. Now curious, Serena glanced upwards. What she saw made her heart thump a few times. A red and white streak was flying directly over Serena's head, with a blue one behind it.

"Is that..." She trailed off once they were far away.

Tapu Lele stared down Serena's dazed face and stated in a calm manner, 'If you truly want to know who you really are, just follow your heart. The answers you seek will be there.' She quickly turned away from a flabbergasted Serena to face Kiawe and the Pokemon.

'Get ready, Kiawe. You have a trial to officiate.' Tapu Lele declared strictly. Kiawe and Turtonator both gulped. Marowak and Salazzle didn't seem fazed for some reason.

"R-R-Right. Serena, this is going to be a double battle. Furthermore, if your Beasts or the Totems fall into the lava, don't worry, the nets will secure them. But it counts as a defeated Pokemon, regardless. Are we clear?" Kiawe stuttered out, trying but failing to sound confident. Serena and Serenity were finally able to get a sense of their surroundings, and they saw an arena, which he and the three Fire types were standing in the middle of, suspended over the lava. The trainer's box was on the base of the volcano, and a giant, heat resistant net enveloped the lava.

"Whatever you say...pathetic." Serena responded, already sounding bored. Serenity unwrapped the tentacle from her trainer's body, making her aura and the glow in her eyes vanish. The duo went over to the trainer's box with an enlarged Beast Ball in Serena's hand while Kiawe and Turtonator walked to the side of the field as the referee. Salazzle and Marowak were already behind the red lines with the orange aura flaring up around them. Tapu Lele was hovering in the air, just watching the battle.

"The Trial of Kiawe begins now! This will be a double battle, which means that a pair of Pokemon will compete against each other. There will be no substitutions. The only way to win is by knocking out the opposing pair. Serena, send out your Pokemon." Kiawe stated.

"Guzzlord, stand by for battle! You too, Serenity!" Serena shouted as she threw her Beast Ball forward. It opened up, revealing Guzzlord, who let out a massive roar. Serenity flew over to him and stared down Marowak. Nobody seemed to notice the very faint red-orange glowing lines that suddenly appeared around Serena and the Ultra Beasts' bodies.

Strange...I feel more powerful than usual today. she thought with a devious smile. Kiawe put his arm up in the air.

"It's Nihilego and Guzzlord vs. Totem Salazzle and Totem Marowak. Let the battle...BEGIN!" he exclaimed while he brought it back down, signifying the start of the battle. Marowak instantly spun his bone around and threw it towards Serenity.

Serena smirked before saying, "Hey Guzzlord, how about a game...of fetch? Crunch that bone!" Guzzlord stormed over to Serenity and stood in front of her with his teeth glowing white. He opened his mouth...only to be taken aback by a multicolored dragon shaped beam of energy that hit him hard in the head.

"Agh!" Serena groaned as her face became contorted in pain. The bone bounced harmlessly off the Ultra Beast's now yellow teeth and went back to Marowak. She then dashed for a momentarily startled Guzzlord with parts of her head shining silver.

"Grr...Guzzlord, Dragon Rush!" Serena growled angrily. Guzzlord charged straight ahead while releasing a blue, dragon shaped energy that surrounded his body. He and Marowak collided with each other, resulting in a struggle for power. Guzzlord was overpowering her when Salazzle fired another Dragon Pulse at him.

Serena noticed this and grinned viciously while she said, "Serenity, use one Power Gem on the Dragon Pulse and the other one on Salazzle!" Serenity proceeded to shoot a light blue beam from her right star, then quickly followed it up with another shot from her left one. The first beam collided with the Dragon Pulse, resulting in an explosion. Before Salazzle could even think about moving, the second one pierced through the smoke and hit her squarely in the chest, sending her crashing near the edge. As the dust kicked up, Marowak got distracted. This gave Guzzlord the chance he needed, as he completely rammed her straight off the cliff. Marowak landed on the net with swirls in her eyes. When the dust settled, Salazzle had also fainted. Kiawe and Turtonator both flinched upon seeing the two Totem Pokemon knocked out so easily. Tapu Lele, however, didn't seem the least bit fazed.

"Uhhhhhh..." Kiawe stammered, at a loss for words.

"Hey pathetic, quit dawdling!" Serena shouted, clearly annoyed. Kiawe and Turtonator winced from the rudeness.

"Salazzle and Marowak are unable to battle. Nihilego and Guzzlord are the winners. Therefore, Serena clears the Trial of Kiawe." he uttered in a defeated tone.

"Good going, you two! For that, I'm making a lot of Poke Puffs tonight!" Serena exclaimed happily. Guzzlord drooled at the sound of that, causing her and Serenity to giggle. Serena returned him back into his Beast Ball while the other Ultra Beast flew over to her side. Once the trainer sat down on her head, she floated towards Kiawe, who had a red wedge and Firium Z-Crystal in his hands.

"Thank you...pathetic." Serena stated harshly while snatching them away from him. She put the wedge on the amulet and the Z-Crystal inside the special compartment of her backpack. The duo then shot one more glare towards an unfazed Tapu Lele before flying away. Little did they know, an invisible Pokemon was following them.

Meanwhile, Ash, Kevin, Gary, Lillie, and their Pokemon were standing at the entrance to the Hokulani Observatory. Predator had been returned back to his Pokeball while Latias was standing in her human form.

"Are you ready, Ash?" Kevin inquired calmly. Ash instantly nodded.

Before they could go in, they heard a familiar voice call out, "LILLIE!" Lillie smiled as she, along with the others, turned to see Gladion and Misty walking up to them.

"Hey Gladion! Hey Misty!" she shouted back with a wave. When Gladion and Misty got to them, he wrapped his sister up into a brotherly hug, which she accepted.

"It's good to see that you're still alive. If you weren't, I don't know what I would have done..." He trailed off, obviously relieved. As they separated, Gladion went over to Gary.

"Gary, I admit that I've had my doubts about you, but you proved me wrong by protecting Lillie two nights ago. For that, I owe you one." he said humbly, holding out his hand. Gary instantly shook it and nervously scratched the back of his head.

"Well, no problem. After all, remember what I said on the boat? I will never betray Lillie. EVER!" he shouted, pumping his fist. Lillie's response to that was a kiss on Gary's cheek. Gladion nodded and stared Ash in the eyes.

"Ash, I've decided to participate in the Alola League. After all, I do have the Pokemon that is specifically programmed to take on the Ultra Beasts." he declared determinedly. The group, minus Misty, let out a gasp.

"And I'm going to accompany him throughout Alola. I do want to see the region with my own eyes, and Gladion agreed to be my traveling partner." she added, blushing slightly. Ash, Kevin, Gary, Lillie, and their Pokemon flinched.

She smirked before whispering into Misty's ear, "Sounds like someone has a crush on my brother." Her face became even more redder than before while Ash, Kevin, both Pikachus, Latias, Gary, and Snowy sniggered.

"What did you say, Lillie?" Gladion inquired curiously. Lillie was about to reply when Misty suddenly covered her mouth.

"NOTHING! NOTHING!" she shrieked out, clearly embarrassed. Needless to say, Gladion looked very confused.

"Okayyyyy..." he mumbled to himself. Gladion quickly shrugged it off.

"Anyway, since we're already here, we thought we'd watch your next trial. We want to see just how strong you've gotten after your Sceptile annihilated Guzma and Darkrai. Not to mention Ash-Greninja and Kevin-Kong almost beating Silva-Phoenix." he stated with a smirk. The brothers, their Pikachus, and Latias smirked back.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Ash exclaimed confidently. The group went inside the Observatory...only to see Sophocles and Togedemaru arguing with a man. He had three layers of hair, with the bottom one being dark-colored, the middle one being brown, and the top being light-colored, and grey eyes and was wearing hexagon-shaped glasses with a grey frame, a blue jacket with red stripes around his forearms, a teal collared shirt with two stripes tied in a knot, a gray Z-Ring with a Steelium Z-Crystal etched into it around his right wrist, some black pants and shoes.

"No, Molayne, I'm not doing any trials until those criminals are out of Alola and those Beasts are completely eliminated!" Sophocles shouted angrily. Ash, Kevin, and their Pokemon flinched before gritting their teeth.

"Now hold on, Sophocles, you're being delusional! Ash and Kevin are not criminals! Even Professor Kukui does not think so. And Tapu Bulu specifically said that Serena will not die until after the League if nobody can beat her there. You have to do your trials for everyone's sake!" Molayne retorted.

"Oh, please. I bet Kiawe already roasted that bitch alive! Serves-" Sophocles got interrupted by a very hard slap across his face. His head recoiled in shock as he fell down on his bottom.

"Ow...What the hell?!" Sophocles groaned while rubbing his now red cheek. Togedemaru's cheeks started to spark with yellow electricity as they looked up. The duo was stunned to see Lillie and Snowy with very hateful glares on their faces.

"Great...Now you're siding with the criminals? I always thought the Yvonnes were liars..." Sophocles spat out. Suddenly, he got grabbed on the collar of his shirt and pulled back up by an enraged Gary.

"You have absolutely no right to be calling Lillie a liar, you imbecile! Especially not after everything she'd gone through!" he exclaimed viciously.

"Not to mention that you're calling her that in front of her brother. And I don't forgive shit that concerns my sister, asshole!" Gladion added, cracking his knuckles. Sophocles shivered from hearing that.

"Oh really, Gary, Gladion? And what had she gone through? Surely it can't be as bad as what we've been through, thanks to your fucking mother!" he responded valiantly. Lillie decided that she'd had enough at this point.

"Shut up, Sophocles! You don't know the shit I've been through lately! I almost died two nights ago! And guess who was behind it! MY FORMER FUCKING MOTHER! Yeah, that's how strained our relationship is. Hell, it might even be beyond fixing at this point. You want the truth? The truth is, Ash, Kevin, and Bonnie are not banned from League competition. And Ash, especially, needs this trial and the League to happen! He wants nothing more than to destroy the Ultra Beasts that are poisoning Serena's mind! He believes he can save her, given the right circumstances. We all do! Even the guardians put their faith in him! We just saw Tapu Lele protecting Serena from Kiawe, for Arceus sake! Why? Because she knows how much Serena means to Ash!" she shot back venomously. A hushed silence fell upon the group as Gary let go of Sophocles. The Trial Captain then stared down Ash.

"Tell me, Ash, how desperate are you, really?" he asked seriously. Ash and Pikachu took a deep breath.

"Very desperate. And it's not just me. Pikachu's mate's life is on the line, and if we don't get to the next trial and beat that Mimikyu before the day after tomorrow, she basically dies. And this is one of the reasons why we need to do your trial, like, now." he answered in a stern tone. Pikachu's cheeks sparked at the sound of that. Sophocles let out a defeated sigh.

"Fine. I'll grant you your double battle trial...on one condition. If you beat it, I will continue and even face Serena when the time comes. Otherwise, I won't." he said determinedly. The entire group, including Molayne, rolled their eyes.

"Now you're just being selfish. But whatever. I accept." Ash declared firmly while clenching a fist. Sophocles nodded before motioning for the group to follow him. He and Togedemaru led them to a back room, where a black dirt battlefield with yellow lines and one trainer's box was situated at. Seeing the glowing yellow pillars around the room gave Ash and Pikachu a sense of nostalgia, taking them back to their Gym battle against Clemont. They smirked inwardly as they went over to the trainer's box. Sophocles took his position as the referee while the others sat down in the bleachers.

"So, this is your brother, eh, Kevin? He looks quite strong. I mean, beating a Darkrai is no small feat. Not to mention you two almost beating Jason." Molayne commented, clearly interested. The rest of the group chuckled.

"Oh, all I can say is, Sophocles has no idea what he's in for. Ash has never been this motivated before, and I used to travel with him." Misty responded. Molayne hummed to that.

"The Trial of Sophocles begins now! This will be a double battle, which means that a pair of Pokemon will be competing against each other. There will be no substitutions. The only way to win is by knocking out the opposing pair. Ash, send out your Pokemon." Sophocles stated. Ash took two Pokeballs off his belt and pressed on the white buttons to enlarge them.

"Sceptile, Lucario, I choose you!" he shouted while throwing them forward. The Pokeballs opened up, revealing Sceptile, who instantly put the twig in his mouth, and Lucario, who let out a low growl. Suddenly, Milotic popped out of her Pokeball, startling everyone near her.

"Why am I not surprised at this point? You want to watch Sceptile battle?" Lillie inquired teasingly. Milotic blushed before nodding in agreement. Sophocles pressed a green button on his belt. A mechanical door slid open in front of everyone, and a Vikavolt and a giant Togedemaru moved forward. They took a battle stance as the orange aura flared up around them. Misty turned pale while her teeth started chattering.

"Bug...bug...bug..." she stammered fearfully, hiding behind Gladion. Everyone in the stands, except for Gary and Latias, who were trying to hold in their laughter, looked worried.

"Uh, you OK, Misty?" Gladion asked.

"Oh, don't mind her. She's just afraid of Bug types." Gary replied nonchalantly. Gladion quirked an eyebrow.

"Really? Well, guess I'm not catching any then. Not that I was planning to anyway because of those disgusting Ultra Beasts." he reassured Misty. Lillie couldn't help but smirk. Sophocles put his arm up in the air.

"It's Sceptile and Lucario vs. Totem Vikavolt and Totem Togedemaru. Let the battle...BEGIN!" he exclaimed as he brought it back down, signifying the start of the battle. Togedemaru instantly released multiple bolts of electricity from his body, causing him, Vikavolt, and the entire field to glow yellow. Ash cocked an eyebrow upwards as the Stag Beetle Pokemon shot out a huge bolt towards Lucario.

"You think that will work?" he inquired while pressing on his Key Stone. It began to glow.

"Think again! Sceptile, MEGA EVOLVE!" Ash shouted, holding his fist up in the air with his Key Stone aimed at Sceptile. The Sceptilite started to glow, and a few seconds later, he began to glow as well. Once the glowing stopped, Mega Sceptile stood in its place and let out a massive battle cry. The Thunderbolt suddenly changed directions and ended up zapping him, which made most of the people, including Sophocles, Togedemaru, and the Totems, very confused.

"Uh, are my eyes playing tricks on me, or was that Thunderbolt supposed to hit Lucario but ended up hitting Sceptile instead?" Lillie asked. Gary had the answer to that question.

"Mega Sceptile's ability is Lightning Rod. Any and all Electric type moves, even those aimed at another Pokemon, gets drawn to him instead. Also..." he started. The Thunderbolt fizzled out, and Mega Sceptile was just standing there with an arrogant smirk, which stunned those not in the know.

'He is immune to those moves and gets a power boost.' Latias finished Gary's thought for him. Everyone, especially Misty, was rather impressed.

Ash, using a preplanned strategy to his advantage? He's matured a lot since the day he stole my bike to protect Pikachu. she thought with a smile.

"Now Lucario, use Meteor Mash on Vikavolt! And Sceptile, Earthquake!" Ash commanded confidently. Lucario instantly jumped up in the air while Mega Sceptile raised a foot and slammed it down, causing the ground around him to shake violently. Everyone in the stands held on to the rail for safety while a terrified Sophocles and the smaller Togedemaru fell over on their bellies. The larger one took the brunt of the earthquake, knocking him up in great pain. He crashed onto the ceiling and came falling down to the floor with swirls in his eyes. When the earthquake ended, Lucario's palms became surrounded by a blue aura with yellow and pink stars. She then hurled her arms at Vikavolt. The Meteor Mash hit its mark, creating a huge explosion of smoke and dust. When it settled, Vikavolt was struggling to get back up.

Ash noticed this and exclaimed while punching the field, "Sceptile, finish this! FRENZY PLANT!" Mega Sceptile slammed his hands together and stuck them into the ground, causing giant roots to come out of it and move towards Vikavolt at a fast speed. He tried to dodge them, but they snared him and banged him into the ground, creating a crater. As the roots moved back underground, everyone could see an unconscious Vikavolt in it. Once the Electric Terrain vanished, a very shaken up Sophocles and small Togedemaru got up on their feet.

"T-T-Totem V-V-Vikavolt a-a-and T-T-Totem T-T-Togedemaru a-a-are u-u-unable t-t-to b-b-battle. S-S-Sceptile a-a-and L-L-Lucario a-a-are t-t-the w-w-winners. T-T-Therefore, A-A-Ash c-c-clears t-t-the T-T-Trial o-o-of S-S-Sophocles." he stuttered out, sounding very scared.

"Nice work, everyone! That was some good teamwork!" Ash exclaimed, clearly happy.

"Pika!" Pikachu concurred, nodding in agreement. Lucario and Mega Sceptile nodded back before he transformed to his normal form. Milotic was looking love-struck, which made Lillie and Snowy giggle. Molayne looked really impressed too.

Interesting. He might be able to save her after all...like Red did eight years ago. he mused. Latias, Kevin, Maria, Gary, Misty, and Gladion were smirking. Sophocles recovered from the shock and let loose a defeated sigh before walking up to Ash, who had just returned Sceptile and Lucario back into their Pokeballs, with a yellow wedge in his hand.

"Well, what can I say? You destroyed my trial...literally." he stated, gesturing towards the utterly decimated battlefield. Ash and Pikachu chuckled nervously and scratched the back of their heads.

"Not that I mind it since I can get it fixed anyway. Anyhow, here's your wedge to show that you beat me. You already have an Electrium Z-Crystal, so I don't need to give you another one. However, Mo might have something for you." Sophocles added. Right on cue, Molayne went over to him, carrying a spare Steelium Z-Crystal.

He handed it over to Sophocles while saying, "Here, take it as a gift for the hardships you're about to experience." Ash accepted them with thanks, putting the wedge on the amulet and the Z-Crystal inside a special compartment of his backpack.

"And as promised, I will continue to do my trial and even face Serena when the time comes. But I want you to promise me that you'll succeed in freeing her at the League." Sophocles said sternly. Ash and Pikachu both had determined smiles on their faces.

"Oh, we will do whatever it takes." he replied as they balled their hand or paw into fists. After saying goodbye to Sophocles and Molayne, the group walked out of the Observatory.

There was one thought looming over Ash and Pikachu's minds: Mimikyu...you messed with Sylveon and threatened to murder her. There will be hell to pay!