Pokemon Sun LP, Part 10: To Infinity and Beyond

So, last I left off, I was halfway through Vast Poni Canyon. A couple of steps afterwards and I meet this lady, Mina, whose house I think I went into in Seafolk Village, one where her parents talk about how their child really likes art. And, well, she's basically a bit of an absent-minded painter with paint all over her body. She introduces herself as a captain but also says that she doesn't really care about it, just about her art, so she just gives me the Fairium Z and toddles off. What a nice lady! Also, like Nanu and the lack of Kahuna on Poni Island, another reason for professor Kukui to want to revamp the system. Like, the Island Challenge system is cool and all, but the lack of organization really make it a flawed system.

Actually pretty freakin' cool, IMO

Also, apparently I'm just a short bit off the end, because after a short gauntlet of trainers (who are surprisingly high-leveled) and items later, and I enter a deep cavern where eyes are piercing towards me, with a trial gate in the way. So while Hapu is a newly-minted Kahuna, and Mina isn't doing her job at all, the Totem Pokemon are apparently still around ready to do their thing. The Totem Pokemon is the mighty pseudo-legendary Kommo-o, backed up by a cheerleading squad of Hakamo-o. As the last trial in the game, you'd think that they would make it hard... and it probably would've been, if I didn't have Tatl, the dragon-slaying Ribombee in my party. I just spam 4x-effective Dazzling Gleam and these fierce warrior dragons have to bow the knee to this tiny little flower pixie whose base stats barely clear half of a non-totem Kommo-o. Didn't even have to pull out the Fairium Z at all.

FEAR RIBOMBEE!

So after that absolute breeze of a trial, I get the Dragonium Z and the TM for Dragon Claw, before buggering off to the Altar of the Sunne. There's a bit of a long talk between me and Lillie about, well, general anime stuff and we've gone so far and Nebby has to be rescued, then we play the Sun Flute and the Moon Flute, a huge magical cutscene happens, and Nebby the Cosmoem transforms into... Solgaleo, the legendary Pokemon of the Sun! Man, it's a good thing that Lillie suggested that we 'wait until morning', otherwise I would probably get the wrong cover mascot.

Solgaleo roars and acts awesome and shit, and, man, I just like his design. No disrespect to Lunala, who I also think looks quite good, but it's just personal preference and I just like Solgaleo so much better. Which is weird because I generally like the less heroically-built legendaries, but hey, what're you going to do. Long story short, after a bit of a tearful reunion, Solgaleo uses his power to open a portal to Ultra Space, bringing Lillie and me along into this eldritch dimension where the Ultra Beasts came from. Or, well, just a whole bunch of Nihilego.

Solgaleo just... stays behind on the entry point while Lillie and I explore Ultra Space. Okay then, buddy. I really think that it's still hard to fathom that cute little Cosmog has transformed into this super awesome looking robo-lion, but hey.

Ultra Space isn't quite as super-kooky as Giratina's Distortion World is, but it definitely gives it a run for its money. It's just this... wasteland, with giant rock outcroppings and plants and weird fungi-esque things, with Nihilego just flitting in and out of existence. I really do like the effect they did with Nihilego just disappearing and reappearing like a freaking glitch in the universe... come to think of it, the whole Ultra Beast thing really gives me some MissingNo vibes. Obviously the Ultra Beasts have a lot more lore and story put into them, but an eldritch creature that breaks all reality? That's a Pokemon but at the same time not really?

In any case, we meet Guzma, who's just perched up a tree with a Nihilego floating nearby. We don't actually fight the Nihilego, but big bad Guzma is terrified out of his pants, talking about how he tried to capture the Ultra Beast himself, but the Ultra Beast instead... took over his mind or something? Really wished we actually had to fight Guzma mind-controlled by an Ultra Beast or something, to be honest, but eh. Guzma talks about how Lusamine is just 'gone', but this is anime world, so redemption is like a super-duper key factor.

MEGA REUNICLUS CONFIRMED

Still, Lusamine makes it somewhat interesting for us. She harps on and on about how beautiful the world of the Ultra Beasts are, how she's surrounded by the things she loves, how Lillie is definitely not a thing she loves, and how beautiful her beasts are, and there's like a half-dozen Nihilego swarming and floating around her. Considering that Guzma told us about Nihilego's mind-control powers, it's actually ambiguous how much of this is Nihilego's mind-control, and how much of it is just Lusamine being a crazy lady. Great job on the facial expressions too, by the way. There's actually a cool theme of parental entitlement -- which isn't something we really see a lot. "You used to be cute and listen to everything I say, but now that you're actually developing independent thoughts, you're no longer cute anymore!"

Then she pulls out a fancy brand-new Pokeball which I assume is the special Pokeball for Ultra Beasts, summons a sixth Nihilego... which then combines with her to form, well, a giant weird alien jelly eyeball goopy darkness fusion monster. That was actually unexpected! And, well, a hell lot more impressive than Lysandre's random Doctor Octopus tentacles at the climax of XY. Lusamine is just awesomely crazy.

Also, the fight against her? Her team isn't much different, just hella leveled up... oh, and those stat-boosting auras that Totem Pokemon have? Her entire team has it. And I honestly half-expected ally Nihilegos to start popping up in-between the fights, but thankfully it doesn't happen, because holy fuck I nearly lost this fight. A combination on carrying an underleveled Vikavolt, not stocking up on healing items and generally not being as prepared as I could've been really bit me in the ass. It's that jackass jacked-up Clefable of hers that's the biggest problem. Sure, it spams Metronome... but when you get moves like freaking Bolt Strike and Roar of Time in a row... plus I'm pretty sure the Clefable rolled a defense-boosting move early on because it's such a huge, huge tank to bring down. The Liligant and Milotic are actually relatively painless to murder, but the Mismagius has Pain Split which ended up being the thing that took out my poor Decidueye. And holy shit Bewear is just a huge, huge tank.

It's one of the most satisfying fights ever. Sure, it's not quite Cynthia or Steven Stone, but it's a very good fight. Really wished she had like Nihilego or one of the other Ultra Beasts as her sixth Pokemon, but hey.

A LOT more impressive in 3D, also when it deploys its claws

Lusamine-Nihilego, after being defeated, is about to attack Lillie with her own tentacles, but Solgaleo shows up, the nebula part of his face starts doing the thing it does in the game's opening cutscene, and it unleashes the mother of all roars that blasts Lusamine so hard she's separated from Nihilego. Lusamine's knocked down onto the ground, and I honestly thought they were going to kill her off. She gets a 'I'm proud of you actually' moment with her daughter now that her jellyfish-induced madness is gone, but then the swarm of Nihilego appear. I really wished, again, that we get to fight the Nihilego again but Solgaleo just peaces us (and Guzma) out.

Really wished they gave Nihilego a more threatening-looking appearance than what they actually did, but then that would probably sacrifice some of the faceless inhuman-ness of the bugger.

In any case, we return to the Altar of the Sunne, where Hapu is waiting for us. For a moment there it looks like Lusamine just disappears on her own before Solgaleo teleports us back to the real world, but apparently Lusamine's on for the ride. Hapu and Guzma bugger off the mountain, bringing Lusamine for medical treatment... which leaves me, Lillie and Solgaleo alone for a climactic showdown.

Which is... a lot more emotionally driven than I thought. Solgaleo, of course, wants to be buddy-buddy with us, but Lillie notes that even when she tried, she's no trainer and no battler, and she can't give Solgaleo what he needs as a trainer. I mean, it's a bit sudden for Lillie to thrust Solgaleo on us considering how she's in NEBBY NEBBY NEBBY mode for the entire game, but hey, free legendary!

The fight against Solgaleo is actually quite difficult, which is surprising considering how low Solgaleo's capture rate is (mascot legendaries since Generation V has had this problem and it's irritating to be honest). He just keeps spamming Sunsteel Strike and that hurt like a bitch. Of course, I eventually caught him in a simple Pokeball and gave him the nickname Nebby. Because, well, why mess with someone who already has a name?

And the tearful goodbye that she keeps saying to Solgaleo after I capture him is honestly quite well-written, not overstaying its welcome like most Lillie scenes tend to do. It's actually 'awww'-inducing, so to speak, especially the point when she's all like 'you have a new parent now, Nebby'.

As Lillie exits the scene, Nanu then randomly shows up, and apparently he's been crouching on the side of the altar since... since we returned from Ultra Space or something. Jeez, old man. He tells me that... the Alolan Pokemon League is all set! Which is surprising considering there is a huge chunk of Poni Island that I haven't romped around in. But hey, the Island Challenge is over -- with the anticlimax that is Mina and Totem Kommo-o -- and we kind of finished the Aether Foundation plotline, sort of. I mean, I'd rather we have more Ultra Beast presence in Alola like a bunch of mini-bosses in the islands or whatever, but hey, post-game!

Nanu spirits me off to the location of the League in Ula'ula Island. The giant Mt. Lanakila has an elevator, and who else to greet me but... Gladion? He thanks me for saving Lusamine, and notes that the only thing he can grant me is a good battle. And, aw, he apparently now cares for his Pokemon that his Golbat and Type: Null have both became a Crobat and a Silvally respectively. Friendship evolution! It's not quite as aww-inducing as when it was with Silver, since Gladion never strikes me as someone who abuses his Pokemon, but hey.

Still don't like him.

We exchange a few words with Gladion, and then I go through Mt. Lanakila itself... which, compared to Victory Roads of generations past, is surprisingly painless. It's ice-themed, so I was distracted by catching Snorunts and Sneasels and Vulpixes, and there's a little shrine with the Icinium Z randomly just sitting in a corner of the cave.

I exit to the summit, where it's Hau's turn to challenge me. Hau talks about how he tries to be stronger, and I do like him after the Aether plot where he's matured a little and realizes that, yeah, he's having fun, but he also wants to win... but he's not obsessed with it either. It's nice, how the strength-obsessed Gladion learns to care for his Pokemon, and how the fun-obsessed Hau learns to try and grow a backbone. Hau's Raichu blew back a couple of my team members, but he's still not that huge of a threat.

Golisopod learns the new move Liquidation, which is a very impressive water-type physical move! Finally, water-type STAB on my Golisopod!

That's where I think we'll stop off at this point. I'm not bringing Solgaleo with me through the first Legaue run, that's for sure, but considering I actually lost a couple of my Pokemon to freaking Hau, I probably need to level up my team to around the high fifties before I take on the league. Apparently according to Nanu, the challenger, which is me, needs to fight through the four kahunas in order... so Hala, Hapu, Nanu and Olivia are our Elite Four? Elite Four... four islands... four strong kahunas... That was actually telegraphed pretty blatantly and I didn't quite get that it was going to be the thing.

Man, this was a blast. Next up, the Elite Four and the champion.