Lillie, Lusamine and I - along with all of the other Aether employees on this level - all continue to stand frozen, glancing around as the alarms and crashes from below echo throughout the building. As I grip Feathers' Poké Ball in one hand, I feel Lillie's soft hand nervously take hold of my other. At last, a muffled voice echoes out across the facility from unseen loudspeakers - not a boring, automated voice, but the voice of a woman.
"Security incident reported at the docking bays. Security to the docking bays, please."

As the staff and visitors around us start to move, Lillie's the first to gather herself and speak up.
"Well, what are we waiting for? We need to get down there!"
Lusamine nods as the three of us make a start back towards the elevator.
"Yes, I need to know what's-"
The Foundation's president cuts her sentence short as the elevator platform comes to a swift stop at our level just before we reach it - carrying four unmistakeable figures dressed in loose black attire, each with a different vibrant hair colour. I knew it.

Before the railings around the elevator platform even lower, two of the four grunts jump straight over it before bolting down the corridor in the opposite direction, a couple of Aether workers shouting before taking off in pursuit of them. The other two grunts run off the elevator, confronting us.
"Yo yo, knock knock! What's up, Pres?"
The second grunt turns to notice Lillie and I. A scowl crosses his face, harsh and stark even though hidden behind a black bandana.
"You two again, too?!"
Lusamine stares coldly back at the two scoundrels, promptly retrieving one of her Poké Balls and holding it at her side. The first grunt laughs, cracking his knuckles and stepping forward with a Poké Ball in hand.
"Ohoho, it's a fight then, eh?"
The two grunts approach Lusamine, another crash from beneath us capturing my attention; but Lillie's mother stands her ground, unperturbed.
"I won't let you bring harm to the people or Pokémon here," she says firmly. She glances across at her daughter. "Join me, Lillie. Let's battle them together."
A small, reassured smile perks up on Lillie's face.
"Right!"

I watch as the mother and daughter position themselves opposite to the grunts and send out their Pokémon, Lusamine's Lilligant and Lillie's Ninetales landing on the ground in near-perfect unison. With the Team Skull agents occupied, I recognise my opportunity.
"I'm going to take care of things downstairs," I insist. Lillie nods.
"I'll try and meet you down there once everything's taken care of up here."
I make a start on running toward the main elevator but come to a quick stop and turn back to Lillie, pulling a Poké Ball out of my bag.
"Lil, catch!"
My girlfriend turns her focus back to me in the midst of battle, flinching slightly in surprise before catching the Poké Ball in her hands. Her attention returns to her battle momentarily.
"Oh, Ninetales, use Ice Beam on that Honchkrow!" She commands, before glancing down at the Poké Ball in her hands and then back at me. "Who's this?"
"Ember."
"Why are you giving me Ember?"
"Dunno how bad this attack is. If you need to get out of here fast, Ember's got you covered."
Lillie glances at her battle, and then back at me. "And what about you? How will you get out?"
I shrug, jogging onto the elevator platform. Pressing the button to go down to the docks, I smile at Lillie.
"Don't worry, I can swim."
Lillie sighs as the barrier railings around the elevator pop up and I'm taken down to the docks of Aether Paradise.

Seconds later, the platform decelerates and comes to a stop. I step off and glance around the scene across the docks and neighbouring cargo bays; the first thing I notice is the small crowd of Aether employees and Team Skull grunts ahead, and the second thing is the two jet-black speedboats that look to be hastily docked at the facility. The vessels are all too familiar to me - especially after my experience in pursuing one the other day. As I walk toward the crowd ahead, I consider the numbers that I'm dealing with here; two boats of that size can carry... maybe five or six grunts each, at max. That means that there could be between ten to twelve operatives here in total. Four of them went upstairs, two of them are ahead... damn, that could mean that there are still a few more around. But if they aren't elsewhere in the cargo bays, that can only mean that there are some down in the labs...

"Pfft, and you guys are supposed to be the security here?"
The pink-haired girl ahead and the taller, purple-haired guy next to her laugh hysterically at the pair of defeated Aether employees in front of them. The mixed group of Aether scientists, conservation workers and security officers step back uneasily, all of them silent in the face of their defeat. The sound of my footsteps echo out across the area as I stroll up behind them, catching the attention of a few of the Aether staff. One by one, the small crowd turns to face me. Eyebrows are raised and surprised whispers spread among the group as they disperse, clearing a path for me.
"It's the Champion!?"
"He's here!"
My firm, grey eyes remain fixed on the Team Skull agents ahead of me. I tip the brim of my cap lightly, not speaking a word. Finally, I come to a stop, the ceasing of my footsteps bringing silence to the room for a long moment. The grunts' laughter has long since stopped.

At last, the girl rolls her eyes and slumps forwards.
"Ugghhhh! Of course you're here."
The other grunt chews his lip, periodically clenching and unclenching his left hand. He doesn't break his gaze on me, but he clearly can't hide his nerves. A steady bead of sweat rolls down his forehead.
"Yeah, but it's two against one, yeah? Yeah?!"
The two grunts ready their Poké Balls again. Silence falls upon us all once more as we stare each other down, my eyebrows furrowing further as I glare at my opponents.
"You don't have to get your Pokémon hurt for no reason. Knock it off already."
My sharp words cleave through the air, but the female grunt doesn't take long to fire back.
"Pff! I don't care how strong you are, we're not gonna get bossed around by a sixteen year old- or are you seventeen...? Ugh, who cares!"
"Yeah! Ahah, yeah!" the other grunt laughs maniacally. "Let's do this, punk!"

I react immediately as they hurl two Poké Balls into action. The area around us is full of large crates, forklifts, and other heavy machinery... in an instant, I decide on the two best Pokémon for the situation, taking hold of two Poké Balls and sending them forwards to unleash Shizu and Delta. The calm Greninja and aggressive Dusk-Forme Lycanroc ready themselves as they survey their immediate adversaries; a towering Magmortar, accompanied by a Steelix that's just as big. Large, heavy Pokémon to use... especially in this sort of environment. This will be an interesting fight.

"Steelix, Stealth Rock!"
"Magmortar, use Focus Blast on that Greninja!"
The Steelix charges forward, slithering its massive iron body across the ground and launching a barrage of pointy stones at us. The Magmortar is big and sluggish in its movements, it's colossal frame trudging forward slowly as it tries to target Shizu.
"Shizu, move fast. Dodge that attack and move to a better vantage point," I command coolly. "Delta, advance on the Steelix and use Close Combat."
Upon receiving their orders, Shizu tenses his body and moves so quickly that he practically vanishes. The Magmortar throws forth its Focus Blast at thin air, missing Shizu by a mile while Delta charges forwards through the debris of Stealth Rocks, his four paws pounding against the ground as his armoured fur resists the damage from the sharp stones. I glance around at the Aether staff, some of which are sprinting away in different directions while a few others remain stuck on the battlefield.
"Everyone, get behind something!" I shout. There's a scuttling of footsteps as scientists and conservationists dash around and dive behind cover, and when I turn my eyes back to the battle I see Shizu reappearing in the air above a large cargo crate, flanking the Magmortar.

"Now Shizu, Water Shuriken!"
Taking advantage of his position in the air, Shizu crosses his arms and somersaults forward, throwing a fan of three Water Shurikens at the Magmortar.
"Guh-! Use Flamethrower, block it!"
The Magmortar, struggling to keep up with Shizu's insane pace, turns its heavy frame and spews a short-ranged gout of fire out of both its arms. The execution of this move was surprisingly well-timed, as it successfully evaporates two of Shizu's shurikens before they can hit their target. The third one, however, manages to land against the fire-type's shoulder, causing it to stumble backward in pain.

Delta's howl echoes through the complex as the wolf leaps into the air, mere moments away from beating the Steelix to a pulp with Close Combat.
"Steelix, Iron Tail!"
I don't think I've ever seen a Steelix move so fast before, and I watch in amazement as it somehow whips its giant tail around in time to smash Delta out of the air. The Lycanroc grunts in pain before crashing through the side of a big wooden crate, resulting in an eruption of dust and wooden splinters.
"Agh! Delta, you alright?"
The Lycanroc's angry growl echoes from within the crate, and half a second later, Delta leaps up from inside the box. He smashes straight through its ceiling, letting out a furious howl as his red eyes glare at his prey. Good, he's okay... but he must be a little banged up after that move. Do I have him pull back? He's in the perfect position to take down that Steelix, though...

With a split second to make the decision, I give the order.
"Don't let up! Use Close Combat on it again!"
With Delta pouncing on his prey from above, there's no way the Steelix can swat him away with Iron Tail again - it's not manoeuvrable enough for that. With an earth-shattering roar, Delta pounces downward, readying his solid paws for the attack.
"Steelix, Iron Defense, quick!"
At the last second, Steelix steels itself and hardens its own body in preparation for the attack. But the grunt underestimates Delta's attack strength, and the Lycanroc has no trouble in breaking through the Steelix's defences as he delivers a flurry of bone-shattering attacks.

Steelix is sent backwards, its hefty body smashing into the ground as the impact kicks up a cloud of dust.
"Nice work, Delta!"
I turn my focus back to Shizu for a second, finding him pressed up against cover as he awaits his next orders.
"Alright, Shizu - run circles around the Magmortar and hit it with Water Shuriken again!"
Shizu nods, darting out of cover in the blink of an eye - but the Magmortar was ready for him.
"Now! Use Flamethrower! Burn it!"
Shizu's eyes widen as he notices the imposing tank of a Pokémon raise its arms, aiming steadily at him.
"Forget it, Shizu - dodge it!"
The speed at which my Greninja moves is breathtaking. As the Magmortar spews its flamethrower, Shizu manages to stay one step ahead of the attack. The flames licking at his heels, Shizu sprints across the cargo bay, showing off a demonstration of his expert acrobatic mastery as he jumps, flips and somersaults over crates and obstacles while the roaring fire melts the side of the steel cargo container behind him.

"C'mon, Steelix! Flash Cannon!"
My eyes dart back across at the Steelix, which surprisingly still has some HP left in it. Huh, looks like its Iron Defense kept it in one piece. Groggily, the weakened Pokémon fires a gleaming beam across the cargo bay; which seems to have been only vaguely aimed at Delta. Although my Lycanroc immediately drops and rolls behind a small nearby crate for cover, the dodge was hardly necessary as the opposing Steelix's attack would've missed anyway, instead tearing a hole through yet another shipping container just metres away from me. The splinters of metal and sparks fly through the air as I drop to the ground and slide into cover behind what's left of a large cargo crate, and I peek around the side to get a better view on Shizu.

The Magmortar wheezes in exhaustion, unable to keep up its flamethrower attack as it sprays the last of its flames clumsily over a nearby forklift. Shizu, completely untouched by the attack, slides to a stop and prepares to draw another fan of Water Shurikens... but my eyes stay fixed on the forklift. Half of the vehicle has been melted away by the fire, but that can only mean...
"Shizu, jump!"
My Greninja doesn't hesitate on the order. As his powerful legs propel him high into the air, the forklift that he was just meters away from violently bursts into flames. The fuel tank must have been ruptured; a detail that I noticed just seconds before it would've been too late. The powerful blast of the explosion staggers the overwhelmed Magmortar, providing an opening for a finishing attack.

"Delta, get over that cargo container and finish the Magmortar with Stone Edge!"
The Lycanroc nods and huffs in focus, bounding out of cover and leaping over the shipping container. I waste no time in making my next move on the Steelix, too.
"Shizu, switch targets! Water Shuriken on the Steelix!"
Both of my Pokémon execute their moves in perfect sync. As Shizu jumps through the air and throws a series of shurikens, Delta slams his paws into the ground and siphons numerous huge, sharp shards of stone which close in and smash into the faltered Magmortar with force, throwing the Pokémon off its feet. By the time its hulking body crashes to the ground, the Magmortar is already fainted. Another crash follows as the Steelix collapses in defeat, leaving both grunts with their asses effectively kicked.

Panting lightly, I push myself up to my feet and dash out from behind the crate to see the two grunts quickly returning their Pokémon and stepping back.
"T-That was... insane, yeah? Yeah?! Aw, what the hell..."
The girl dashes past the other grunt, taking hold of his shoulder and dragging him along with her. "Ugh, quit being a baby! We need to regroup!"
With that, the pair of grunts sprint off into a neighbouring cargo bay.
"Hey, get back here!"
The team of Aether security pace after them, an entourage of other workers joining their side. Wiping the sweat from my brow, I step out and assess the scene. The cargo bay - or what's left of it - is a wreck. Smashed crates, debris everywhere, damaged equipment... damn! My eyes widen as I notice that the explosion from the forklift started a bigger fire than I realised, a carpet of flames spreading out across part of the area as the fire creeps up the side of a stack of wooden crates. I curse under my breath as I make out the figure of a scientist in peril behind the wall of smoke.

"Shizu, grab that scientist! Quick!"
My Greninja darts across the vicinity without hesitation, landing next to the man before scooping him up and leaping backwards through the air just seconds before a box bursts into flaming pieces of wood that shower down upon where the scientist was standing. Shizu hops across the tops of a few large crates, before dropping down next to me and placing the scientist carefully on the ground. The overwhelmed man looks up at me, speechless as Delta comes running back to my side. I flash a smile at him.
"You alright?"
The scientist breathes shakily before managing to respond.
"Y-yeah..."
Glancing across at the fire again, I see that it's slowly but surely starting to spread.
"Shizu, go take care of that fire with your Ice Beam."

After petting Delta's fur in appreciation for his work, I return him to his Poké Ball while watching Shizu extinguish the last of the flames with the chilling vapours of his Ice Beam. My hand grips that of the scientist's as I help him up to his feet.
"That should be everything taken care of here," I declare, stepping through the wreckage and debris as I make my way toward the elevator. "Uh, sorry about the mess..."
The Aether employee's trembling eyes watch me in awe as I leave.
"I... thank you! Thank you very much!"
A small grin spreads across my face, though I don't turn back around to show it. I return Shizu and wipe the sweat from my forehead as I continue towards the main elevator.

I'm not done here yet. Since the grunts up here haven't done much besides cause pointless chaos, my guess is that whatever Team Skull is after is down in the labs; besides, it's like the grunts I've fought so far have only been trying to keep me busy.
As I reach the central lift, I'm surprised when my attempt to call the elevator results in... well, nothing at all. I glance upwards; the elevator must have been taken to one of the higher floors while I was busy, and now it's refusing to come back down. I press the button again, and this time, an automated voice comes from the speaker.
"Elevator malfunction detected. Maintenance has been notified."
I sigh to myself. I don't have time to waste. Taking a step forward, I lean over the safety railings and gaze down the long, gaping elevator shaft.
"Hmmm..."

I take a step back, retrieving Jolt's Poké Ball and throwing it forwards to release the Alolan Raichu, who immediately begins to bounce gently on his tail and wave cheerily at the sight of me.
"Hey Jolt," I giggle, waving back. I glance back down the elevator shaft, and then back at my Pokémon. "You've been keeping up the practise on your psychokinesis powers, right?"
The famous Raichu beams at me gently, letting out a cute electrified squeak as he nods confidently.
"Good," I mumble. I consider what I'm about to do for a second. "Alright Jolt, I want you to head down to the bottom of this elevator shaft and get ready to catch me with your powers. Got it?"
Completely unfazed by my plan, Jolt joyously squeaks again and rides his own tail around in a happy loop. He tilts his head curiously, speaking another series of squeaks. I blink.
"What? No, I'm not that heavy, I- ugh, get down there already you cheeky thing," I chuckle.
Jolt giggles in amusement at his own teasing, before riding his tail and surfing down the elevator shaft. Leaning against the railings, I chew my lip lightly and watch him descend into the murky depths of the facility until moments later, Jolt's electrical squeak echoes up to me.
"Alright," I call. "I'm on my way."

I take a few steps back, breathing out sharply before clenching my teeth, sprinting forwards, and fearlessly vaulting over the safety railings. The rushing air howls past my ears and through my hair as I plunge into the depths of Aether Paradise, but I'm fully trusting of Jolt's abilities - even if his psychokinetic powers aren't dedicated to a specific move. I crack a grin as I plummet into free-fall, not just due to the pumping adrenaline, but more so because I can't wait to see Lillie's reaction when I tell her about this later.

After what seems like far longer than a few seconds, I begin to come to a gentle stop as I feel myself gripped by an unseen force. Jolt lets me hover gently above the ground, before playfully releasing me from his magical grip and letting me drop in a heap to the floor. I grunt as I feel the impact, panting heavily for a moment as I lay here. Jolt giggles fondly, floating over to me and swaying from side to side on his tail while he waits for me to get back up.
"Ngh... thanks for that, Jolt," I chuckle sarcastically as I push myself up to my feet. "But at least you didn't let me die. Thanks, buddy."
Jolt nods cheerfully, holding still before I reach out and return him to his Poké Ball.

I glance around at the various corridors, each leading to a separate labyrinth of laboratories. I look up at the elevator shaft that I just jumped down; I don't know how I'll get back up, but I'll figure that out later. I clench and unclench a fist, considering. For now, I need to decide on a corridor to take.

Fortunately, my decision is practically made for me as the distant chattering of voices echoes down one of the hallways. Grabbing Feathers' Poké Ball, I make a run down the corridor, turn a corner and let my feet skid to a halt as I find two Aether scientists backing away from another Team Skull grunt.
"P-Please, stop!"
The muscular, pink-haired punk snorts. "Bwaha, you think pleading will help you? Your Pokémon got crushed fair and square, you eggheads really are-"
His sentence is interrupted as a bright blue flash bounces off the corridor's white walls, the display of light accompanied by a single flapping of wings as Feathers exits his Poké Ball and walks at my side. The three pairs of eyes ahead of us all turn to face me.
"Huh-? How'd you get down here, punk?!"
The two scientists move aside as Feathers and I walk through, confronting the singular grunt. I smile lightly.
"I'll give you your answer if you tell me what you're doing in these labs."
A crooked grin spreads across the hulking grunt's face, exposing his gnarly teeth.
"Hah! I like your style, punk - but I'm gonna have to keep that a secret, ya hear?"
He reaches to his side, yanking out a Poké Ball. My eyes trail past him, studying the door that the grunt is guarding. I don't know what's going on in there, but I need to find out.

"Let's go, Krookodile!"
My focus turns back to the grunt as his Pokémon's heavy feet thud against the ground.
"Use Leaf Blade."
"Crunch it up with... Crunch!"
His eyes filled with an unbreakable focus, my partner Decidueye flashes forwards at his target while the Krookodile opens its powerful jaws. My Pokémon's foe leaps forward to execute its attack, but the calculation in Feathers' movements is pristine; the instant he's in range, Feathers cleaves his left wing upwards, smashing it into the Krookodile's jaw and causing its teeth to clash together in its mouth with a concussive amount of force. While his opponent reels from the impact, Feathers immediately whirls his body around and tears his other wing across the Krookodile's body with his Leaf Blade attack. The Team Skull Pokémon groans weakly, clutching its own body in pain before it collapses to the floor.

The grunt's jaw drops as he returns his Krookodile and fumbles around at his side for another Poké Ball.
"Uhhnm... your turn- eh?" The grunt pauses, realising his predicament. "Ughn, that was my only Pokémon left!?"
Feathers nonchalantly returns to my side, watching with me as the grunt stumbles backwards.
"So, can you step aside now?"
The grunt chuckles. "Sure, whatever! Later, punk!"
Feathers and I continue forwards as the grunt takes off down the corridor in the opposite direction. Neither me nor the scientists behind me bother to pursue him, although... where's he going? I didn't think there was anything down that way. It doesn't matter right now - with the grunt's Pokémon out of action, he won't be able to do any more damage.

The door ahead slides open as I press the button next to it and Feathers follows me in. This room looks like a computer lab, a fairly spacious workplace full of computer desks and whirring servers. A wall with a large glass window next to another door separates this lab from another adjacent one, but a pair of Team Skull grunts stand in front of it. Opposite to them stands two Aether scientists - one of them being Wicke. All eyes in the room turn to me as I enter, some of them filled with hope and others with dread.
"Master Sun!" Wicke exclaims.
One of the grunts instantly turn, thumping his fist against the window and gesturing frantically. It's not until I approach that I notice that there are three more Team Skull operatives in the adjacent room behind the window; two of them seem like regular grunts, but I immediately notice something unique about the third guy... though I can't explain what it is. He has short, dark blue hair that's shorter on the sides but is generally fairly messy. His particularly slim yet fairly muscular physique is exaggerated by the bog-standard black Team Skull tank top that he wears as he leans forward, tapping at a large computer in the room while his bland, navy-blue eyes reflect the light from the screen.

He casually turns his head toward the window as he notices the grunt banging on it. His deep blue eyes proceed to trail past the grunt and at me, catching my stare for a moment. Unlike everyone else, there's no change whatsoever in his demeanour as he notices me - no widening of his eyes, no narrowing of them either. His bored, flat facial expression doesn't shift; he just blinks once before turning back to the computer, tapping at the keyboard once more before standing up straight and turning around. His eyes catch mine one last time as he turns with the other grunts to leave, lifting the bandana around his neck to cover his face before walking out of the room behind the window.

My attention snaps back to the two grunts in the room with us as one of them chuckles under his breath.
"Who was that?" I ask, more demandingly than curiously.
"Him? That's my homie, Jun. He's one of the admins on our crew, get it?"
An admin... The only other of their admins that I know of is Rose, but she doesn't seem to be here. Why have they got an admin with them?
I stare firmly at the grunts. "What was he doing in there?"
The grunts' laughter sounds out across the otherwise silent room again.
"You'll find out sometime, don't you worry! But not right now - Go, Metang!"
"Make em' hurt, Persian!"
The two grunts throw their Pokémon into combat and I quickly respond by throwing Delta into the fray alongside Feathers. I turn to Wicke.
"Miss Wicke, please get behind something."
The two Aether scientists nod, getting out of the way and behind some desks as I turn my attention to the grunts and their Pokémon.

"Feathers, Spirit Shackle on the Metang. Delta, close in on the Persian and use Play Rough!"
"Metang, Flash Cannon on the Lycanroc!"
"Persian! Attack that Decidueye with Shadow Claw!"
The two Pokémon that I stand behind nod and immediately whirl into action. Feathers nocks and fires his arrow in the blink of an eye, tracking the Metang even as it zips behind a server mainframe for cover. The ghostly arrow still hits exactly where it should, though the server that it pierces protects the Metang from harm. Sparks and electricity fizz out of the technology as the Metang peeks out and fires a glittering Flash Cannon at Delta, who pauses in his sprinting approach to throw himself to the ground in avoidance of the metallic beam that instead impacts and smashes the glass window that separates the rooms. Tiny shards of glass burst out and shower the area, and I wince as pieces of glass graze the side of my face. I touch my cheek gently as the pain subsides, pulling my fingers away and glancing at the drops of blood on them.
"Master Sun! Are you alright?!"
My eyes focused on the battle, I nod. "I'm fine."

The enemy Persian barrels across the room at Feathers, but Delta is faster. The wolf pounces at his prey, grabbing the Persian and powering it through a computer monitor before pinning it down on the ground and executing the super-effective attack.
"Feathers, Spirit Shackle again!"
With a single push of his wings, the Decidueye thrusts himself across the room and fires off another Spirit Shackle, this one nailing the Metang right between the eyes. As my two Pokémon return to each other's side at the centre of the room, the grunts' Pokémon crash to the ground in defeat before being returned to their Poké Balls.
"Haah... hah! It doesn't matter kid, you're still too late!"
I scowl at them. "What?"
I make a start on chasing the grunts as they leave, but quickly decide against it.

Sighing, I return my Pokémon and turn to Wicke and the other Aether scientist.
"Are you alright?" I ask, gently squeezing my wrist and loosening up my arm.
Wicke nods. "We're okay, thank you."
I take a second to catch my breath. "Those grunts ran off somewhere, but the main elevator is out of order. Any idea where they might have gone?"
"Yes. They came from the other elevators in these labs that lead up to the cargo bay, so I expect that's how they'll try to escape."
I stare blankly. "There are other elevators that lead down here?" I ask. Wicke nods, and I sigh to myself. "Hmn, well that would've been good to know before I jumped down an elevator shaft."
Wicke blinks. "I- you did what...?"
"Nevermind, it doesn't matter," I reply urgently, shaking my head. "How do we catch them?"
Wicke gestures towards the window. "If they took the elevator down the hall already, it would be quicker to use another access lift that way - it's past that room, but the door there is locked."
There's no time here. If I want to catch those grunts before they escape, I'm going to have to move fast - but I'm not just going to leave Wicke down here. I nod firmly.
"Forget the door, that Flash Cannon made a door for us," I mutter, adjusting my cap and vaulting through the broken window.
"Good thinking. I'm right behind you!" Wicke chirps, climbing a little more carefully through the window and running through the corridors of the lab complex with me.

After turning a few corners and sprinting past various lab rooms, Wicke points ahead.
"The access elevator is just up here. It will take us straight up to the cargo bay," she explains. The elevator itself is right there and waiting for us, and the two of us dash into it before I hit the button that closes the doors and begins our journey upwards. Panting, I lean against the wall of the elevator.
"Sorry about the mess back there."
The kind Aether scientist smiles. "It's not strictly your fault, Master Sun. I'm in your debt for defeating the Team Skull invaders, after all."
I grin sheepishly. "Right, speaking of mess... I hope there wasn't a load of important stuff in one of the storage bays."
Wicke tilts her head. "Why?"
A second later, the elevator doors open and we run out into one of the few cargo depots. As we sprint towards the docks, we turn a corner and Wicke sees the sprawling turmoil that litters the remains of the cargo bay here in the docks.
"That's why."
"Ah..."

Turning my eyes away from the mess, I sprint onto the edge of the boatyard. Only just too late. The cool sea breeze blows through my hair as I stand and watch the two black vessels jetting away in distance. Glaring at the horizon, I reach to my side.
"Right, Emb-"
I pause as my hand fumbles around where Ember's Poké Ball should be. Oh, right. I gave him to Lillie...

Sighing deeply, I let myself slump to the floor, sitting with my legs dangling over the edge of the harbour. Whatever Team Skull came here for, whatever that admin was doing on that computer... well, they're gone with it now.
Wicke steps over to my side calmly.
"Master Sun?"
I reach up and pinch the bridge of my nose, irritated with myself. I shouldn't have been so distracted by the grunts.
"They got away," I sigh. Pushing myself back up to my feet, I turn back to Wicke. "But at least it's over now."
Wicke smiles gently. "Yes, thanks to you. We should go and find the President... is Lillie here too?"
I nod, glancing across the docks. There are groups of Aether workers all over the place now, a crowd gathered near the wreckage in the cargo bay to assess the situation.
"Yeah, she's here. She stayed upstairs to help the President, but the elevator-"
I pause as that familiar 'bling' sound comes from behind us, and we turn around to find the elevator conveniently return to our level as a group of maintenance engineers stand around it. Wicke smiles.
"It seems the elevator has been repaired. Let's go up and see them."

I cross my arms as the two of us ride the elevator back up to the entrance level of Aether Paradise.
"I'm guessing Gladion isn't here at the moment?" I ask.
Wicke shakes her head. "No... last I heard, he was training on Akala island," she answers. "Branch Chief Faba is also out on diplomatic affairs today. Seems he'll have his hands full when he returns, poor Faba..."
As the lift comes to a stop and we step off the platform, I find Lillie and her mother standing together towards the end of the corridor speaking with a security team. Looks like a heated battle went on up here. Groups of Aether staff run to and fro, some carrying toolboxes and others speaking into earpieces while repair crews assess the damage to the structure. Lillie turns, showing off a glowing smile as she sees Wicke and I approach before running towards me.

"Oh, Sun! Thank goodness..." she exhales, hesitating as she approaches and holding her hands close to her chest as she notices the traces of blood trailing down my cheek and forehead. "Are you okay? What happened?"
I close my eyes gently and smile, hugging her closely after she jumps into my arms.
"I'm fine, just took some bits of glass to the face."
Lillie is quick to pull some antiseptic wipes out from her bag, telling me to hold still as she wipes up the trickling blood.
"Hm, thankfully they're just some small cuts," she concludes. I glance past Lillie to see Lusamine approaching us too.

"Ah, Sun... I take it you were the one to drive off all of the Team Skull forces downstairs. Thank you so much for your help, truly..."
I adjust my cap slightly as I flash a grin. "It was no problem. I'm sorry about the damage, the battles got a little... extreme," I explain, my voice trailing off awkwardly. "Uh, how were things up here?"
"It went well. Lillie and I made short work of their Pokémon, preventing them from getting any further," Lusamine replies.
"Yes... although they just seemed intent on causing as much damage to the facility as possible..." Lillie adds sadly.

Suddenly, the voice of a lady comes from behind us, accompanied by fast footsteps.
"President, ma'am! Pardon me," the Aether employee blurts out, clipboard in hand. She approaches Lusamine in a hurry, leaning close to her and raising the clipboard to hide her face from us as she whispers something secretively to the Aether President.
Lillie glances back at me, holding out her hand as she catches my eye. I glance down at the Poké Ball in her palm.
"I didn't need to use Ember, but thanks anyway," she giggles.
"Oh, yeah..."
I take back my Charizard and return the device to my bag as the Aether employee nods to Lusamine before beginning off down the hall again with pace.

"What was that about, mother?"
Lusamine pauses for a moment. She holds her hand against her chin, considering.
"The staff downstairs just reported a massive breach in our network," she explains. The president's voice stays remarkably calm, though it's hard not to detect her anxiety nonetheless. "If they gained any of our research data, it could mean many things..."
"I believe that is what their mission was. They had an admin access a mainframe computer in the labs, but they refused to explain themselves..." Wicke clarifies, who has, until now, been standing silently beside me with her hands held calmly at her front. Lillie glances nervously between us.
"But... what if they came here to steal information about the Ultra Beasts? That would align with our suspicion..."
Lusamine nods slowly, her eyes narrowed just that little bit.
"Mhm..." She pauses, glancing up quickly. Worriedly. "Sun, Lillie... If we're right about Team Skull's plans, it could potentially lead to an interdimensional disaster unlike anything we've seen before. Please..." Lusamine breathes, taking a few steps. "... Please, find where those idiots are hiding and stop them, before they bring about something that they can't even comprehend."

"Mother..."
Lillie steps forwards slowly before embracing her mother tightly for comfort.
Wicke gestures tranquilly. "As the President has said before, the Aether Foundation is here to aid you however we can," she reminds. I take a deep breath out, rubbing my cheek as I make a few steps forward.
"I appreciate that," I reply. Honestly, I hope that we're wrong about all of this. I hope Team Skull has nothing to do with the Ultra Beasts and that this is all just an unfortunate coincidence... but this attack had to have been for a reason. They wanted something from Aether's databanks, and whatever it was, it can't be good. Regardless, with such a busy day still ahead of me, I don't know if I'll have the time to search for them thoroughly.

I glance back up at the three others. "So, what now?"
Lillie takes a step towards me. "I'm going to stay and help mom take care of things here. You should go back and see your dad. We've got everything under control now," Lillie insists kindly. As always, her sweet personality has others put first, a plan already set in her mind to help everyone else with the situation at hand. I smile.
"Alright. Take care of yourself, okay?" I reply as we embrace one another. We hold each other closely for a long moment before Lillie pulls away and takes me by surprise, standing up on her tip-toes and pressing her lips against mine. She smiles as she pulls back again, returning to her former position.
"You too."
The two of us blush as Lusamine chuckles from behind us.
"Thank you again for your help, Sun. I hope to see you again soon."

After waving a goodbye back to Lusamine, Wicke and my girlfriend, I hold Ember's Poké Ball in my hand and turn to leave, walking down the wide corridor and into the outdoors. As the fresh breeze and warm sunlight breathes over me, I throw forwards the Charizard's Poké Ball and get ready to take flight. My eyes fall briefly to the face of my watch, finding the time to be 12:47pm. I've still got about three hours before I need to leave for that meeting; that gives me plenty of time to head to the Altar with Dad.

I run a hand through my hair and stop to admire the expansive ocean view for a moment. My hand falls to pat the side of Ember's neck, the great beast grunting appreciatively as I do so. Time to head home.
"C'mon, Ember. Let's get out of here."