Chapter 1

Dreams of Atonement

Lusamine came out of the bathroom, a towel around her waist and a towel around her chest as she had just finished her nightly bath. Her long blonde hair was still slightly wet, but it was nothing that she wouldn't be able to dry off with one of the towels around her.

She whistled a little upbeat tune to herself as she finished drying herself off and hung her towels up. She had herself quickly dressed into her nightgown and underwear as she was getting ready for bed. She trusted that the employees of Aether Paradise would be smart enough to not be peeping at her while she was drying off, but she always got herself redressed after a bath as quickly as she could, just in case.

After getting herself dressed in her nightly wear, she walked to the door and called out to her two children to let them know that it was time for them to go to bed. "Gladion! Lillie! It's 10 PM. Time to head to bed." she called out to her children, and waited to hear a response.

Usually when she called out to her two children, she would always get a response from at least Lillie, who would call up to let her know that they heard her and were heading to bed. Some days, Lillie would even race up to Lusamine's bedroom to get a goodnight hug and kiss from her mother before she went to bed. This time, however, Lusamine didn't hear any response, nor did she hear any footsteps of her children heading to bed.

Figuring that perhaps they just didn't hear her, she called out to them again, this time a bit louder. "Gladion! Lillie! Come give Mommy a hug before bed!" she called out. She waited for a whole minute, knowing that the two of them would have had to hear her after that call, but still, she didn't get any response.

"...Gladion…? Lillie?" she questioned softly as she began to slowly walk out of her room, not paying any attention to the fact she was still wearing just her underwear and nightgown. After a few seconds, she gave a little laugh. "Hohoh. I get it. You two are pulling a joke on Mommy. Heheheheh. Alright, very funny you two. Come on, it's time to head for bed now."

Still, as she walked, she didn't hear any response. Thinking that perhaps they had already gone to bed, and she just wasn't aware of it, she walked over to their room and gave a peak inside. They weren't in their beds… and their rooms were still tidy and neat, which showed that they weren't in there recently… Lusamine glanced out the windows to see if perhaps they were playing outside, but she didn't see them at all.

"...Gladion? Lillie?" Lusamine called out, apprehension slowly creeping into her voice. "...Come on, kids. This isn't funny anymore… you're starting to worry Mommy." Still no response. Lusamine was beginning to mentally panic. What if something happened to her children? What if one of the Pokemon took them?

"M-maybe one of the workers will have seen where they went." she reasoned with herself as she hastily rushed out of her house, not caring that she was still wearing just her nightgown and underwear until she went outside, the cold night air causing goosebumps to form on her bare skin.

It took her a few minutes to register, but as she continued to run around everywhere, she noticed that Aether Paradise had seemed completely deserted. None of the workers or researchers were there… the place was completely barren of the sounds of Pokemon chirping and hooting… it was as if she was the only one there.

"...H… hello?" she called out softly, looking around, receiving no response. "...Faba…? Wicke…? Wh… where is everybody…?"

She looked around and stared at the moon and the starry sky for the longest time. It had seemed that she was the only one there… but that couldn't be right. She specifically remembered seeing all of her employees working before she went to take her nightly bath. "...D… didn't I?" Lusamine questioned to herself as she looked down in thought, trying to recollect any details of what she did before taking the bath.

As she thought about it more and more, she began to realize she didn't recall anything up to the point of taking the bath… she didn't even remember the bath altogether… all she remembered was opening her eyes, and walking out of the bathroom after taking her bath…

"...That's it." she said with a reassuring nod. "...This is just a dream… I'm just… having… a bad dream… that's all…" After saying that, she began to head back to her house. She thought that perhaps if she tried to rest in this dream, she could maybe stop dreaming, or perhaps even wake up. It didn't make much sense, but she didn't have much else to do.

When she walked into her room, she was greeted by the sight of a young man, standing at about 5'9", and looking to be the age of 13, standing there quietly, looking at her as she walked in. He wore a pair of blue jeans and a blue jacket over a black shirt with a Pokeball print on it. His dirty blonde hair was straight, reaching for the bottom of his neck.

His face seemed hard and stern, his ocean blue eyes burning with some kind of unforgiving anger. Lusamine stared at the young man for a good few seconds before finally speaking, feeling a little shrunk from the eyes of the young man. "...H… hello there." she started. "...Can I help you with someth-"

Before she could finish, Lusamine's eyes widened as a million memories came flooding back. She no longer remembered her children being just little kids. Lillie was now the daughter that Lusamine slandered and disowned for stealing Cosmog and running away; Gladion was now the boy who stole her precious Type: Null project and ran off.

She remembered everything that had happened recently; going into the Ultra Space… fusing with the Ultra Beast that she had obsessed over so much… a fight to the finish with the boy that now stood before her, who would have let his Incineroar tear her to bloody shreds had her daughter, Lillie, not stopped him from doing so.

"...What's wrong?" the young man questioned, his voice filled with resentment that made Lusamine wince. She recognized it as the same resentment she had when she spoke to Lillie, about how she and Gladion betrayed her after she gave them their love, and how Lillie meant absolutely nothing to her now. "...You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"RM…? Is… is that you?" she questioned in surprise as she looked at the man who just stood there, glaring her down.

She began to very slowly approach, to which RM slowly began to reach for his pocket. "...Unless you want to live the rest of your life with only two limbs… I suggest you back off." he threatened, to which Lusamine gave a gulp and took a step back in response. RM gave a slow not and brought his hand away from his pocket, instead crossing his arms as he continued to look at her.

Lusamine looked down for a few seconds before quickly looking back up to RM, who's glare didn't change, his lips a slight scowl. "...I… heard that you became the first champion of Alola." she said, trying to find some subject to talk about to change the angry atmosphere. "...That's… that's really an amazing feat to accomplish… especially with just how recently you moved to Alola… I… wanted to go to the festival to see you… I really did… but-"

"I know." RM interrupted rather rudely, almost uncharacteristically of him based off when she had first met him with Hau. He seemed to have been a completely different person towards her. "...I know that you wanted to come to the festival. Your daughter told… oh… that's right… I forgot. She's not your daughter… you have no use for such an 'ugly, disobedient' girl like her, do you?"

Lusamine gave a little gasp hearing that, her entire being chilled by those words. "...Don't even try to act like I'm here for a friendly conversation." RM went on, his voice slowly rising as he continued to speak. "You think that I'd ever talk to you like I would talk to a friend? You think that I would give a damn about whether or not you went to the God damn festival?!"

Lusamine could feel herself tremble now. She couldn't deny that RM had every right to be saying these things to her, but the words still hurt regardless. "...I… RM…" she started, trying to think of something to say after those words. "...I… I'm sorr-"

"Don't you dare tell me you're sorry." RM interrupted once again, this time, in an even colder and more hateful way. "You lied to me once before when I first met you, and I was stupid enough to believe you… don't you dare lie to me again."

"I… RM…" She gave a sigh and closed her eyes as she looked down. "...RM… you're right… what I did… was horrible… inexcusable… I… I caused so much pain to you and my children…"

"Funny you call them your children." RM said with a sigh as he shook his head. "...Didn't seem like you thought they were back in the Ultra Space… when you said your own daughter meant absolutely nothing to you."

Lusamine was silent for a few seconds before letting a single tear escape her eyes as she could feel her eyes water. "...I've done so much… if… if there was any way I could take all of it back… I would… I'd love my children… just like I did back then… j… just like I do now… but… I can't take those years back… I can't erase any of the things that I've done…"

She looked up to RM again, trying to look for some change in his demeanour, but she found none. Instead, she saw RM looking down, his eyes hidden from her. She wasn't able to tell if he was considering what she was saying, or if he was just too disgusted to look at her anymore.

"...Please… understand… I'm sorry… for all that I've done to you, and my children… if… there was any way I could take it all back… I would. I'd stop myself from ever making those horrible mistakes."

RM was silent for a few seconds before giving a shake of his head. "...Unfortunately… there's no way to take it back… and the fate that's coming to you… I don't know if I'd wish it upon my worst enemies." he said honestly. "...But you chose to do what you did… and now… it's time for you to suffer the consequences." He walked out of the room with his eyes closed and his hands stuffed in his jean pockets, but stopped at the door and turned around to look at Lusamine again.

"...Where… where is everyone?" Lusamine questioned. "...Where are my children? The workers? Wh… why are we the only ones here?"

"...What are you talking about?" RM questioned with a raise of his eyebrow. His eyes seemed to have a change of emotion in them. Still with that hatred of her, there was now a look of what appeared to be some kind of pity in his eyes. Seeing that pity, after everything that RM had just said, gave a very uneasy feeling to Lusamine.

"...This is exactly what's brought up as a result of your actions." RM continued on, his eyes looking more intently at her. As he did, Lusamine began to take steps back, feeling like some invisible force was slowly pushing her back. "...I'm going to continue on with my journey… become the strongest trainer that I possibly can… Gladion will venture forth with his Silvally, and continue to reach for heights he never knew existed… Lillie will go forth on her own adventure… find her own strength…"

Lusamine had backed up until she had tripped on her bed and fell back on it. As she laid on the bed, she felt some strange force press her down, keeping her from trying to get up. All she could do now is look helplessly as RM continued to look at her. "...But as for you… Lusamine…"

Lusamine's eyes widened and her eyes darted wildly around as she heard the familiar cry of Nihilego sound throughout the room. Before she knew it, her bed had suddenly become what appeared to be familiar white tentacles of sorts that began to grab ahold of Lusamine's body, slowly stretching across as it began to take her body by mere inches at a time.

Lusamine gave a horrified scream as she grabbed on parts of the tentacles with her hands and desperately pried at them as hard as she could to no avail. The tips of the tentacles were heavy and hard like rocks, securing their grasp on her, while the rest of the tentacle was flexible and soft, stretching along with the force she exerted on them so the tentacles wouldn't be pulled off, no matter how hard she tried.

Seconds of screaming and prying later, a small pair of tentacles shot up from the center of the bed and wrapped around her wrists, swiftly pulling her arms down to her sides and binding them before she had any time to process what was going on. In a complete panic, Lusamine began to desperately pull at her hands in an attempt to free them so she could hopefully continue her attempts to escape, but it was no good. They had her pinned down.

She looked back to the door and saw RM still standing there, his eyes now barren of any emotion as he watched what was going on without a single reaction. "H-help!" Lusamine called out to RM as she continued to struggle against the tentacles. RM made no reactions still. "Help me, RM! Please!"

"Why…? This is exactly what you wanted, isn't it?" RM questioned. "You wanted to have nothing but yourself and your precious Ultra Beast… and so, that's what you'll have. No children to disobey you… no enemies to try to stop you… you'll be one with your Nihilego forever."

"No! No!" Lusamine cried out in fear. "You can't leave me like this!"

"I'm afraid I don't have any other choice." RM said with an apathetic shrug. "Even if, for some reason, I wanted to help you, I couldn't. Neither could Lillie or Gladion… you've already binded your heart and mind with the Ultra Beast… it will always be with you, no matter what you do… and now… because of Lillie and I being sent to the Ultra Space ourselves… we'll be targets to the beast and its anger."

Lusamine tried to say something more, to call to RM, but a pair of tentacles swiftly wrapped around her mouth, muffling out anything that she tried to say. She felt her underwear become wet at her crotch as she began to wet herself out of fear. Her urine soaked right through her underwear and spread all throughout it, dripping unto the bed as well. She was too scared to be embarrassed by this, or even notice it.

"Farewell, Lusamine." RM said as he took ahold of the doorknob and very slowly and torturously closed the door. "Wasn't nice knowing you." Lusamine tried to cry out to RM to stay, but every scream she attempted to make was muffled out by the tentacles covering her mouth. In a matter of seconds, the slowest, most painful seconds Lusamine had ever felt in her entire life, the door was closed, and she was all alone in her room, being consumed by the tentacles of a creature she once obsessed over.

She wasn't exactly sure how long she remained held firmly by the tentacles, or how many times she tried to cry and scream for help. Her struggling led her to no results. Her tears only seemed to make the beast happier as its tentacles wrapped tighter around her.

The cry of Nihilego was heard once more, and Lusamine looked up at what was the headboard of the bed, now the jellyfish 'body' of the beast as it began to very slowly pull the helpless woman closer to it, as if to consume her. Lusamine's screams became even more frantic as she attempted to beg to the Ultra Beast, but her pleas were muffled out just like her screams and cries. She gave one last muffled scream before she closed her eyes, knowing she had just a few seconds left before the Ultra Beast took her in.

Lusamine's eyes shot wide open, and she gave a scream of sheer horror as she sat up hastily in her bed, her breathing hard and her entire body drenched in a cold sweat.

She looked around her room. Nihilego and the tentacles that came from her bed were now gone. Everything seemed to have been in order. It was just a dream…

Though that didn't really change anything about how she felt about it. She looked at her hands, staring at them for the longest time. It was becoming so hard to see herself when she looked at herself... she could almost see the tentacle-like arms of when she fused with Nihilego.

Even if, for some reason, I wanted to help you, I couldn't. Neither could Lillie or Gladion… you've already binded your heart and mind with the Ultra Beast… it will always be with you, no matter what you do… and now… because of Lillie and I being sent to the Ultra Space ourselves… we'll be targets to the beast and its anger…

"I… I have to get out of here... away from my children… from everyone." she said as she ran to her closet to quickly throw on one of her dresses. "I can't let them get hurt because of my actions." She got a few changes of clothes and some food, just in case she wasn't able to find much… wherever it was she was going.

She had everything packed in a small suitcase. She wasn't bringing any of her possessions except for some food, some clothes and the 5 Pokemon that had been with her no matter what she had done. She would board a ship out of Aether Paradise and get as far away from her children as she possibly could. Perhaps if they weren't anywhere near her, the Ultra Beasts would have no reason to seek them out.

She was about to head out of Aether Paradise, but stopped herself as she looked and saw that she was right next to Lillie's room. With a little skip of her heart, she went to the door and slowly opened it. To her relief, unlike the dream, Lillie was still there, sleeping quietly on her bed.

Lusamine gave a sigh of relief seeing that her daughter was still there, and was about to continue going out, only to hesitate once more. This may well be the last time that she would ever see Lillie… the last time that she would ever get to say the things she had to say… even if she was asleep while she said them.

She walked into the room quietly, making sure that she didn't disturb Lillie's sleep. She didn't want Lillie to know what she was doing; she wouldn't understand. Throughout all of what had happened, Lillie still cared for her mother, and still sought a way to save her… but the RM in Lusamine's dream was right… there was no saving her anymore, and Lillie would only get herself hurt if she did so.

She stood quietly at the bed of Lillie, staring at her daughter as she ever so gently put her hand on her cheek. She immediately found herself remembering times when Lillie and Gladion were just children… nostalgic tears filled her eyes at the memories of the good times. She even found herself wishing that she could hold Lillie as a baby just one last time.

"...Lillie… thank you… for sticking by me, no matter what." Lusamine whispered. "...I love you… and I always will... no matter what happens to me… please… stay safe." She looked down to try to think of some more words, but she couldn't think of any more. Instead, she just gave Lillie a kiss on her forehead. "...Goodbye… my daughter…"

It felt like the longest walk that Lusamine was ever a part of. For the first time in her life, she genuinely felt alone. Aside from her Pokemon, there would be nobody there for her. She would be on he her own.

She dodged the sight of whatever employees might have still been in there. She was able to sneak her way to the docks, thankfully without any detection. Boarding one of the loan ships that was at the dock, she took one last, sad look at Aether Paradise before boarding the ship and leaving. She didn't know where she was going, nor did she know what would happen to her through her new adventure. All she knew was that she had to get away from everyone. It was for everyone's safety.

Would she be able to survive? Would one of the Ultra Beasts that were released from her actions come and find her? She didn't know, nor did she really care. As long as there was a chance that perhaps she could keep her children from having to face them, then she would gladly do it. If she did end up dying, to the very least she did so for the safety of her children, like any mother should.