Pokémon Marked by Aether

[Diamondseed345]

The morning sun had never been so beautiful. The artistry of nature was something that mankind, nor any sapient species throughout the cosmos would be able to replicate. Whether that be a sunrise over the Alolan sea, the soft bioluminescent glow of an alien forest, or the crashing waves of the frozen lands of Sinnoh or Galar. Who exactly would this artist be?

Folks in the days of yore would have said that Almighty Sinnoh wove the tapestry of the Earth countless years ago. Others meanwhile, might say Arceus. There was a huge Monotheistic religion revolving around the supposed deity. In Alola, they'd say that the four gods control the world. Whatever the case may be, nature always had an unmatched Beauty.

Unlike the concepts of beauty and perfection Lusamine had, the beauty of nature had no human limits to it, in a way. Unlike her pursuit for a child as perfect as her no matter what, nature had no need to bring harm. It didn't have the sterile definitions Lusamine had given it either, with all the colors on the spectrum. Lusamines definition of Beauty, was white sterility. Cold, white and gold walls, with no emotion to them. But when it comes to the beauty of the human form, Lusamine thought she had been the magnum opus, and thought everything she managed had to be as perfect as her. Whether that be the stark white Aether Paradise, or her own children, be they blood related or not.

What caused his mind to be tainted? What caused him to be driven away? Did he not trust her? Where did she go wrong? Did she do something wrong?


All these thoughts went through Lusamines mind, as she watched the sunrise through her hospital window on Ula Ula. The Foundation hadn't been equipped to deal with these kinds of injuries, folks even said she was lucky to be alive. But her being Fortunate enough to survive didn't even cross her mind, as all she could think of was him. Her timid little angel, who at one point was perfect like her. Where did he go? Where was he?Did whatever harmed her hurt him too? It seemed that she had been suffering from a form of amnesia due to her injuries, as she could not remember that HE was the one that did this to him.

But that was not the only thing she couldn't remember. What Elio had once been was dashed from her memory. No longer was he the son of a Kantonian immigrant, she couldn't even remember Akari in any shape or form. He was her child, her son, her biological son. He was her youngest son, her perfect son, her heir. The heir to her empire, he was all that was on her mind. Her own looks, her desire to be perfect came last, that could be fixed later. She wanted him back, she wanted all of them back. Yet Something told her HE would come back to her, someway somehow. He had to, it would hurt her soul to the he was out in that cruel world alone. Not to mention the anarchy the region fell into due to the recent turn of events.

If he were to be hurt due to these recent events, she didn't know what she would do. But she knew someone who she worked with before, who she'd be able to use to find her "son." She'd do anything to have him back, he mattered more than those... heathens she was related to. She would have them back in time, but her youngest was her top priority.

But there was a large chance he wouldn't even have to come back on his own volition. A man in a hoodie, with sun glasses and a face mask, had come to visit her. A man who she had worked with multiple times before, and had intended to continue working with in the future.

He lowered his hood, and removed his face mask, revealing who he truly was. The leader of Team Skull in his full, and for once didn't have his golden chain out in the open. Maybe he didn't have his chain on, or perhaps it was hidden under his hoodie. Didn't matter, as neither of the two seemed to care.


"Morning Miss Prez. Been a while, has it not?"

"I guess it has..." her voice was muffled due to the bandages across her face.

"I have to say... when I first saw you like that, I thought you weren't going to make it."

"Oh ha-ha, like I haven't heard that from almost every doctor and nurse here..."

"Lets not talk about your injuries here prez. You called me here for a reason. What was that reason?"

"Yes yes... I can tell you why. But first, can you lend me my phone then?"

"Sure..."

He grabbed the phone off the desk, and had taken a gander at it for a moment. It had a golden casing, and surprisingly hadn't been enhanced by a Rotom. Alot of folks these days had a Rotom as a companion, partially to enhance their devices, partially as a companion. Hell, even that Kantonian kid had a Rotom accompany him in that fancy Pokédex of his. Though he brushed off those thoughts, and gave Lusamine her phone.

She pulled up the photo app, then proceeded to show Guzma A photo of her and Elio, before his memories came back to him.

"Do you recognize this child?"

"He looks familiar, I'll say that. That a younger photo of Gladion?"

"Not exactly... he's my youngest son. I lost him in Kanto years ago, and we were only reunited recently. I haven't been notified to his whereabouts as of late... he hasn't even come to visit me here. I want you to find him. If he's out there in Alola during all this anarchy, there's a severe chance he could get hurt. I want you to find him, and bring him home safe..."

"When did he go missing?"

Lusamine was silent for a moment, trying to get past the gaps in her memory.

"I... can't remember... all I know is that he went missing recently. But you know Gladion and Lillie have been missing for much longer."

"Yes Ms. Prez, I'm well aware of that."

"Well then..." Guzma said, getting up from his seat.

"Where do you want us to start?"

Lusamine immediately had a straight answer to this question. "Search the whole region... we don't have any knowledge of what happened to him, I have no knowledge. I... sent him to bed a few days ago, and I woke up in this place. It feels like there's an empty void in-between then and now, its strange. A good starting place might be in the refugee camps. Say the one on Mount Hokulani nearby, or by Hau'oli.
If he is anywhere, he would be bound to stay there. That is, if he isn't with his siblings."

"If he is with them, I already know where to look. We'd be able to collect them in one fell swoop."

"That would be preferable."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the region, the Aether ghost had been traveling south. Elio was intending to travel to Hau'oli, to buy supplies with what little amounts of money he had collected from the occasional battle. Trainer battles helped to keep his mind off of what he had become. Surprisingly, Lusamine hadn't hindered his skills as a trainer, even if he only had one pokémon now. He would sweep teams of three and four, with precision and efficiency. He always seemed to be in his own little world when in a battle, with an almost blank stare, but that smile. He always seemed to enjoy battles, though others thought that smile look on his face was a bit creepy, particularly Hau. But hey, whatever works for him, still worked now.

Eventually, he had made it to the outskirts of Hau'oli, yet due to traveling for all day and night, he had been exhausted. Luckily for him, on the outskirts was a small motel, but there was something he had noticed around it. Multiple tents had been propped up around it as well as the close by berry fields, where people still seemed to be working. Lots of people were in the area actually, though they were mostly refugees from the storm. Some of them had dirt all over their clothes, as they hadn't seemed to have washed them since the disaster. A couple of Red-Cross employees lending a hand. Some were cooking, some were helping to wash clothes, there was even a nurse from a pokécenter caring for injured pokémon from trainers who came to MeleMele.

"What the hell happened here?" He was slightly shocked to see how many people and tents had been in the area, completely dumbfounded. But then he remembered something Lusamine had told him, she told him that a hurricane had passed through the region. Did MeleMele get hit too? No no, it couldn't have. The area didn't seem devastated, the only sign of the storm he had seen was this camp.

Did they come here for refuge? How many other islands were hit? Were the others okay? Where were they?

Questions that had to be answered, but he had been too tired to do anything about it. It would be a good idea to rest at this motel, but he couldn't stay long. All that he needed was a drink and some sleep, but then he would need to keep moving. He was sure that the Foundation had learned of his escape at this point, so he felt that he couldn't stay in one place for very long. He wouldn't let them find him, because God knows what they do after what he did. He killed Lusamine. He. Killed. Her. Or at least he thought he did, and the thought of him being responsible for a humans death made him sick to his stomach. Even if Lusamine deserved death, or even worse due to what she had done to him, she was still a human being. He would have wanted to just sneak out after freeing Selene, snuck onto a boat and come home.

Selene, what he would have done to save her. He regretted not doing what he could to save her, but what was he to do? She was frozen in a block of ice, and Lusamine had snuck up on him. He didn't even know if Silvally would have been able to destroy the ice, but if it could, what would he have done? Carry the unconscious Selene out onto a boat? What if she was killed by it?
He had felt immense guilt for not even trying to help her, but what was he to do??

He couldn't do anything but run, yet the guilt was palpable. Who wouldn't feel guilty for having no choice but to leave their younger sibling behind?

'Get your mind off of it. You'll breakdown in the middle of this camp...'

He made his way into the hotel, to find that there was only one person inside. It was the receptionist, who seemed to be writing in some kind of log. He was an older man, one of a bigger build. Not fat, but burly you could say. Like those who participate in strong men competitions in other regions. Elio didn't really pay to much attention to the mans features though, as he noticed that there was a vending machine in the corner of the room. Elio was actually a little excited at the prospect of this, as he would actually be able to drink something that wasn't water for once.

When he thought he was the son of Lusamine, he could only have water. He didn't even get access to Tea, juice, or any kind of soda, so the prospect of being able to drink a Lipton was almost like living in luxury. Not like he had been living like that with Lusamine mind you.

But then he found that all his favorite drinks in the vending machine were... completely sold out! It was completely empty, even the Liptons were gone!

"Dammit!"

The man jumped from Elios sudden outburst, messing up his log slightly. No matter, he'd be able to fix that in time.

"Welcome young one, I presume you want a room here?"

"Oh, yeah... yeah, sorry about what I just did. How much is a room?"

"A room is 800 dollars."

"Cheaper than I thought it would be, there any reason?"

"Gotta help these refugees in anyway I can, so I made the motels rooms much cheaper. Usually the prices are much more than this."

Is that so?

"Well how high are they? Before the storm I mean."


"2400 dollars."

"Wow, that's expensive."

"Well hey, a man has to make money."

Elio handed him the amount of money needed.

"Excellent, here's the key to your room. Yours is the room closest to the lobby."

"Cool cool, thank you sir..."

Elio went to leave the lobby when the receptionist called for his attention again.

"Oi!"

He turned around. "You need something sir?"

"Yeah, there was something I wanted to ask."

"Ask away then."

"Whats with that... choker around your neck?"

"Oh... that."

'I was hoping nobody would ask about that...' Elio thought, scratching at the choker.

"I've been intending to remove it... its uncomfortable."

"Well why haven't you tried to remove it?"

"I've... had my reasons for that."

Elio left the lobby, and made his way into his room. When he made it in, he just let himself fall onto the twin sized bed inside. He was just staring at the Ceiling until he fell asleep.

His sleep was dreamless, no nightmares of the experiments, nor fake memories of being a street rat. Nothing, nothing but darkness. Might that be better? There's a chance that a dreamless sleep might be better for him.

Hours later as the sun was setting, his eyes fluttered back open. His mouth felt dry, and he still felt tired, tired and thirsty. Luckily for him, he had a solution to his, a way to kill 2 birds with one stone. He went into the bathroom, and turned the faucet on above the sink. He used his hands as a makeshift cup to hold water, and drank through it. The water was cool and crisp better than anything he had in a long time.

After that, he splashed the water on his face. He could feel the individual icey rivulets running down his face, it had felt invigorating. It was refreshing even.

He grabbed a washcloth and soaked it, and after wiping his face, he looked at himself in the mirror. Every time he had seen his new complexion, his heart would sink. No part of who he once was remained, apart from his facial structure. His skin, now almost a pure white, with none of the scars left from before. Even from the amputation, as the FFE had covered up any scar from before he was dunked in that vat of goo. His eyes still had that glow to them, even with the toxic green color. What could you call it now? Was it still ambition?

To him, it looked as if his face was shifting to that of others.

His
Gladions
Lillies
Lusamines
It then shifted back to his. He was one of them. Their clone in every way, other than genetics as well as shape. Their brother. Her son.

Who would he even be considered now? A Yö? An Elsa-Mina? Wae he even anyone? Could he even be considered as nothing but a shell or who he once was? He wanted to be a Yö, he even felt like he was one. But then again, it felt like he was an Elsa-Mina, and he unconsciously felt as if Lillie and Gladion were his siblings.

You could say he could've been both. Both minds, the Foundations Heir and the future Alolan champion, melded into one. Melded into one, like gummy candies melting into a glob in a Summers heat.

Never the less, Elio knew what he had to do, melded minds or not. He had to press on.

Chapters end.
_________________________

 

[Diamondseed345]

His sleep was dreamless, no nightmares of the experiments, nor fake memories of being a street rat. Nothing, nothing but darkness. Might that be better? There's a chance that a dreamless sleep might be better for him.

Hours later as the sun was setting, his eyes fluttered back open. His mouth felt dry, and he still felt tired, tired and thirsty. Luckily for him, he had a solution to his, a way to kill 2 birds with one stone. He went into the bathroom, and turned the faucet on above the sink. He used his hands as a makeshift cup to hold water, and drank through it. The water was cool and crisp better than anything he had in a long time.

After that, he splashed the water on his face. He could feel the individual icey rivulets running down his face, it had felt invigorating. It was refreshing even.

He grabbed a washcloth and soaked it, and after wiping his face, he looked at himself in the mirror. Every time he had seen his new complexion, his heart would sink. No part of who he once was remained, apart from his facial structure. His skin, now almost a pure white, with none of the scars left from before. Even from the amputation, as the FFE had covered up any scar from before he was dunked in that vat of goo. His eyes still had that glow to them, even with the toxic green color. What could you call it now? Was it still ambition?

To him, it looked as if his face was shifting to that of others.

His
Gladions
Lillies
Lusamines
It then shifted back to his. He was one of them. Their clone in every way, other than genetics as well as shape. Their brother. Her son.

Who would he even be considered now? A Yö? An Elsa-Mina? Wae he even anyone? Could he even be considered as nothing but a shell or who he once was? He wanted to be a Yö, he even felt like he was one. But then again, it felt like he was an Elsa-Mina, and he unconsciously felt as if Lillie and Gladion were his siblings.

You could say he could've been both. Both minds, the Foundations Heir and the future Alolan champion, melded into one. Melded into one, like gummy candies melting into a glob in a Summers heat.

Never the less, Elio knew what he had to do, melded minds or not. He had to press on.

But where would he he even go? Lusamine said that he had no family to go back to, what did she mean by that? Was he referring to Akari and Selene? Hala and Hau? He knew she had to be involved in his mothers and sisters disappearance, he knew what happened to Selene. But did she hurt them? He didn't want to think she did, but he knew it was a possibility.

He needed to know what happened, he had to know the truth, if she lied to him. She had no qualms lying to him when he was "hers." This felt no different. If she did... where could he go? Back to Aether Paradise? Even after escaping, Lusamines mansion still felt like home. Not a home away from home, but an actual home. A place where he could feel loved, and safe-

NO.

He went through so much at her hands, possibly had all connections to his "previous life" had been destroyed from what he knew. Hau, Hala, Akari, Selene, but what about Lillie and Gladion? He couldn't remember Lusamine saying anything about them being dead, Hell, they were the reason he was brought to Aether Paradise. Where would they be? Did they even try to find him? Now that he was out of that Hellhole, would he find them, or would they find him? Better question, would the Foundation find him before either could happen?

He had only one idea of who he could stay with, since Hau and Hala might not be an option, and Aether Paradise DEFINITELY wasn't. That idea, was staying with the professor. Kukui had basically been a father figure for him his whole life. Sure, he had Hala, but Hala felt more like a grandfather figure. But to him, both were family, even if they weren't bound by blood.

But just when any semblance of an idea was beginning to form in that fractured of his, his train of thought was interrupted by the news broadcast that had already been playing when he came in hours earlier. It had said something about... Lusamine? Elio didn't want to hear a thing about her, though something in the deep recesses of his brain drove him to investigate.

The live report seemed to be in a hospital, in front of a patients room. He recognized the reporter as the same one he had met a week earlier. He remembered how uncomfortable she had made him, with all the questions about the lie that was the life as a street-rat in Kanto. Would they still ask him about that now? Would he be lying if he were to give them what they wanted? Would they believe him if he told the truth?

"As you may know..." The reporter said.

"The President of the Aether Foundation, Lusamine Elsa-Mina, was the victim of a viscous attack. This attack is one of which she barely survived due to blood loss, the Aether Foundation wasn't able to do anything for her injuries, so she had to be airlifted to this hospital here in Malie City."

They opened the door, revealing Lusamine and her fall from grace, as well as a bodyguard that accompanied her. There had been a Soap Opera playing on the TV in the room, though it didn't seem like she had been very invested in the show. She still had the bandages over her face.

"Oh God... Mother!"

His eyes then seemed to pin for a moment.

"Did I just call her Mother again?"

He almost seemed to start panicking, though he managed to keep his cool.

He watched the interview, with his shock being kept inside, shock that Lusamine was still alive. He was quiet, patiently listening to what Lusamine had to say, as if he was hypnotized. What was discussed was what was typically discussed with Lusamine, except her schedule at the hospital was also discussed. She had apparently gone into Hypovolemic Shock soon after Elio had fled the mansion, and was currently too weak to walk. Sure, she was able to use her phone, or change the channel on the television, but she'd need a wheelchair to get around.

But then, she had mentioned something else, something completely off topic to her new situation.

"You... remember my youngest son... Elio, yes?"

"I believe so, why do you ask?"

"He hasn't visited me ever since I arrived here... not even a call."

"Is he usually like this?"

"No... I do remember him acting strange the last time I saw him though. He was... acting scared. This lead me to the conclusion that... for one reason or the other, he ran away."

"Well of course I would have been scared! You snuck up behind me!"

Tons of thoughts started to flow through the boys head.

'I thought I killed her!'
'How the Hell is she alive!?'
'Does she know where I am??'

But there was one other thought, an intrusive and unexpected one.

'I should have stayed with her... shouldn't I?'

"Why would he be scared enough of you to run away?"

"I... I don't know. I remember how shy he was... he always wanted to be alone, always spent his time alone in his room with his books."

Elios head started to hurt, and he almost felt light headed. Everywhere the needles had pieces his skull felt like it was pulsing.
The pain grew worse, and worse, until finally... it stopped suddenly.

"What did I do to drive him away?"

"I should have stayed with you... we could have been perfect together..." Elio mumbled, inching closer and closer towards the TV.

"Is there a chance that your kid was just a little brat? How could a kid that young even get off Aether Paradise?"

"I'm not a brat... I can be better... I can be perfect again..." He placed his hand on the screen, before pulling it back almost immediately.

"What the Hell?? Did I just say I was Perfect??"

He was only staring at the screen, at the faint reflection of himself.

"What... did I just do?"

A smile formed on his face as he stared at his reflection, one similar to Lusamines. One that asked "why the long face? You know what you are."

His expression then changed to one of distress.

"I must be delusional... I need sleep, that's all right??"

He tried his best to push out all the intrusive thoughts, about himself and Lusamine, and crawled back into bed.

He had his hands over his face as the headache came back, attempting in vain to soothe the pain. But oddly, it didn't take long for him to fall asleep, but it seemed that he woke up almost instantly.

He didn't wake in his bed at the motel however, but in a completely foreign land. No plants could be seen, nor a blue sky, but an inky black void could be seen overhead. The ground seemed to be made of linoleum, similar in its patterns to the design of the floor on Aether Paradise.

"Where am I?" Elio asked, not recognizing his new environment. But then, he could see something far in the distance, a large monolithic structure with a white light coming from its top.

Curiosity got the better of him, and he went to investigate this strange monolith. What he didn't expect to see though, was that the light came from what looked like a room on Aether Paradise, a bedroom to be exact. He could see a figure almost floating in that room, but upon closer inspection, he realized just who this figure was.

It was him, or at least a reflection of who he was. Their appearance had a half and half look it it, with one side of his body being Elios original skin tone, hair color, as well as eye color. The other side being what Lusamine had molded him into, the one that wore her complexion. He had been wearing the outfit which he usually wore before what happened at Aether Paradise, though here it seemed to be covered in dried blood.

The dried blood presumably came from him, as well as Lusamine, considering everything that had happened before and after his memories were wiped. But what he was wearing didn't matter, what mattered was what was happening.

Golden strings could be seen attached to their hands, arms, and head, supposedly the legs as well. though the strings attached to them seemed to have been cut,and they were just left to dangle freely. He was being directed to move through those strings, as they would be raised, and his arms would be raised. He couldn't yell what the "puppet" was being directed to do, but he could see who was directing him. Two pale hands, with the strings tied to the fingers, moving up and down to make the "puppet" move.

What did this even mean? Is there some external source trying to explain something to him?

Chapters end.
______________________

 

[Diamondseed345]

The room was quiet. The only sounds that were breaking the silence were the whirring and fans of the machines that dotted the walls. Scientists, many of them wearing hazmat suits, seemed to be scribbling down notes onto their clipboards. One was even typing some kind of report on a computer by the door... some kind of Dossier? What exactly were these folks on about?

Well they were all observing a strange entity in some kind of terrarium, one unlike anything seen on Earth. Its body wasn't flesh and blood, nor metal and wire, but appeared to be formed of dust, and gas. Sure, there were many pokémon that were known to be made of gasses, such as Ghastly, but this entity was different. This being was made up of mostly hydrogen, as well as Helium, but contained some heavier elements such as Iron and Calcium. It even showed the promise of having Psionic abilities like many species on Earth, and even a few individual humans.

The Scientists of the Aether Foundation designated it as UB-01 Cosmos, as it had the appearance of a Nebula come alive, and due to it falling out of a tear in Space. A tear in Space leading to the then theorized about Ultra-Space that the Foundation had torn open. There was no mistaking this creature for what it was... it was an alien, but nothing like the other Pokémon with extraterrestrial origin, such as Elgyem or Clefairy. It was from another dimension entirely, but not one on another level from our own. In actuality, the creature seemed to follow the same laws of physics as us, and presumably every other creature in our dimension.

One of the scientists motioned to the others that he would have to leave with the dossier, saying that he would need to give it to a branch of the Biology division as well as Cosmology division, so he would need to make some copies of it.

But less than a minute after he left the room, a woman in white approached him. She had blond hair in a ponytail and seemed to be wearing the clothes of a scientist, making it clear who this was. This was Lusamine, albeit a younger version of her. She was accompanied by Lillie and Gladion, one of which wore something completely different to what he wore in the modern day. Gladion had worn a stark white Collared T-shirt, and his hair was styled into a bowl cut. Lillie however, dressed mostly the same as she did in modern times. All that was different about her was that she didn't wear a beach hat.

"How goes your studies on the Alien Mohn?" Lusamine asked.

The scientist removed his helmet, revealing his identity. A scruffy looking man, with the same green eyes and Platinum hair as Lusamine, yet he had a much more scruffy look to him. He even had a small beard apparently.

"It goes well love, its Biology is just fascinating. Well it's lack of a biology that we are able to understand. It doesn't even have a nervous system! Even what pokémon we know are made of gas at least have some form of nervous system! This creature is completely alien!"

"Did you give the thing a proper Species name instead of that code designation?"

"Yes actually! I've come up with the name "Cosmog!" One for it being of Cosmic origin, one for the smog it gives off whe-"

A small explosion could be heard coming from inside the lab, and a bunch of Scientists came running out.

"The entity broke loose!!" One of them yelled, as the alarms started to blare.

"Hold on now!" Mohn yelled, motioned for one of them to slow down.

"What happened? What caused it to break out?"

"We attempted to use an incapacitating agent to test how its body would react to it. It did not react well!!" He went to run, but Mohn stopped him again.

"Hold on now sir, the little puff of gas isn't a threat, I'm sure of it. Why don't we go put it back in its terrarium together?"

"Mr. President... that thing is a threat! It literally broke free of its enclosure!"

"That THING is most likely scared because of what you tried to do to it!"

Mohn went back into the lab, but not before putting his helmet on, and Lusamine and the children watched from the doors window. The Cosmog was cowering in a corner of a lab, with its two gaseous arms over its face. Mohn was right, it was indeed scared.

"Hold on now little one..." Mohn said, holding his hand out. His voice was slow and calming, in an attempt to soothe the beast. "I'm not going to hurt you..."

It lifted an arm over its eye to see Mohn with his arm outstretched to it. It slowly reached over, and wrapped its gaseous hand around his. "See? Now we're getting somewhere."

Cosmog then began to smile a small amount.

"Pew!" Its body then began to glow, unlike anything it had done before.

"Wait What're you do-"

A white light engulfed the ultra beast and Foundation President, and when the light faded, only Cosmog remained. The dossier that Mohn had in hand was now scattered across the floor, the file now completely open.

"Mohn!?" Lusamine burst the door open, in shock from what just happened. She was searching for any sign of her husband, all the while Cosmog approached Lillie. She held it in her embrace, as it was clear it was scared and confused as to what just happened. They all were, and they could only watch as Lusamines search became more frantic.

But soon, Gladion broke the silence between the two siblings.

"What happened to Father?"

Everything then went black, and Gladion woke up in a cold sweat. He looked around confused, to find that he was still in Kukui's lab, in the loft specifically. Stereotypical Alolan music could be heard, as Kukui had set up an old Boombox to play it while he cooked dinner. Gladion was able to smell it, even from all the way up in the loft. It was the smell of frying potatoes, a scent that was slightly nostalgic for him, as it reminded him of his time doing small jobs for Team Skull. He would have stayed in Po-Town for a few days at a time back then, Guzma would treat him like his own son sometimes even. Guzma treated his underlings like that alot, would mostly make fried food.

Sure, food fried in grease is unhealthy, but it reminded him of what he felt was the best time in his life. When he had first broke the shackles placed on him not by the Foundation, but by his own mother. He was able to do what he wanted, say what he wanted, wear what he wanted, go where he wanted. Lillie didn't seem to have her shackles completely broken though.

She may have fled Aether Paradise, but she still acted how Lusamine wanted, wore the clothes derived from Lusamines obsession, said what she had wanted. But she went where she wanted, but not for herself, but for Nebby. She cared for the little Ultra-Beast, but not as a pet. She had seen Nebby as more of a companion per say. After all, she had saved its life, and it had saved her life. Time and time again, they had saved eachother from danger. Hell, Nebby had teleported itself and Lillie off of Aether Paradise and onto the mainland.

Perhaps that had something to do with Mohns disappearance? Not like that matters now. Mohn is most likely dead, either in some weird alien hive, or driven completely insane by the nothingness between the planets and possibly between the limitless abyss between the universes.

Gladion climbed down from the loft after putting on a tank top, to find that everything seemed to be business as usual. Hau and Kukui had been cooking what Gladion now realized was Potato Mochi, a recipe coming all the way from Sinnoh. Being in the kitchen while it was being cooked made his eyes sting, due to the chemicals in the oil being used, so he quickly left the kitchen.

He found Lillie trying to come up with some kind of strategy for getting Elio out of Aether Paradise, which seemed to be taking its toll on her. She had bags under her eyes, and multiple cups of coffee on the table. A map of the layout of Aether Paradise was splayed out on the table, with coffee rings scattered on the map. There was even weak points labeled in red marker?

Gladion sat down next to his sister.

"So... how goes your planning?"

"Well... I've got all the areas on the Paradise we can sneak into, and a plan on how to smuggle Elio out of the mansion!" She continued on and on about her plan, which started to sound like the ramblings of someone who had gone insane. Insane like Lusamine. Insane like mother.

"Lillie..." Gladion placed a hand on her shoulder. "You need to take a break and rest for a while. You're sounding like Lusamine..."

"No, I can't! Its our fault he's on Aether Paradise, we fled from our mothers grasp! She replaced us with Elio because of that! Whatever horrific experiments she had performed on him to literally change his skin color is our fault! We're to blame for it!"

"Do you not think I know that? I blamed myself for his disappearance! I was supposed to watch over him, I said I'll stay close by! Do you not think I feel the weight of this guilt too??"

"Gladie... I-"

"We both feel this burden! But we can't get him out if we don't have a proper plan! We aren't going to have a proper plan if you drive yourself insane from doing this!"

Gladion looked to the side, to see that Hau with a plate of fried Potato Mochi. Had he been watching this happen the entire time?

"How long were you standing there??" Gladion asked.

"Three minutes... dinner is ready. Smells good does it not?"

"Yeah, the smell is kinda nostalgic."

Hau sat down next to them, holding the plate of Mochi in a way that asked. "You want any?" They both took a piece, as Hau turned the TV back on. Thievul News had been the only channel that played the past few days, ever since they had learned what became of Elio. They had studied the occasional reports of Lusamine where he had been involved in, which just horrified them more and more as to what he had become.

Though the report seemed to be in... a hospital?

"As you may know..." The reporter said.

"The President of the Aether Foundation, Lusamine Elsa-Mina, was the victim of a viscous attack. This attack is one of which she barely survived due to blood loss, the Aether Foundation wasn't able to do anything for her injuries, so she had to be airlifted to this hospital here in Malie City."

They opened the door, revealing Lusamine and her fall from grace, as well as a bodyguard that accompanied her. There had been a Soap Opera playing on the TV in the room, though it didn't seem like she had been very invested in the show. She still had the bandages over her face.

"Holy shit!" Gladion yelled.

"What happened to mother??"

"Well it seems something attacked her!" Hau replied.

"What're you three going on about??"

Kukui looked to the TV to see the injured Aether President on screen. "Woah... she's seen better days, hasn't she?"

"She has, but what did this??"

What was discussed was what was typically discussed with Lusamine, except her schedule at the hospital was also discussed. She had apparently gone into Hypovolemic Shock soon after Elio had fled the mansion, and was currently too weak to walk. Sure, she was able to use her phone, or change the channel on the television, but she'd need a wheelchair to get around.

"Well... she's certainly had to change her lifestyle, that's for sure." Kukui said.

Gladion nervously chuckled a bit. "Ain't that the truth?"

But then, Lusamine had a look in their eyes that the two siblings could recognize immediately recognize. One of hunger, but the kind that you wouldn't want to see in anyone. Then... she spoke.

"You... remember my youngest son... Elio, yes?"

"I believe so, why do you ask?"

"He hasn't visited me ever since I arrived here... not even a call."

"Is he usually like this?"

"No... I do remember him acting strange the last time I saw him though. He was... acting scared. This lead me to the conclusion that... for one reason or the other, he ran away."

"He's... missing? What could that mean?" Lillie asked.

Gladion seemed to put two and two together.

"There's only one thing it can mean... Elio is missing, mother looks like she was almost killed with how severe her injuries are. I don't know how to say this but... I think Elio escaped."

"What makes you think that??" Hau asked.

"If he wasn't missing, don't you'd think he'd be at mothers side?? He'd be at her side all the time most likely, tending to her needs. Do you think he'd be doing that if she said that Elio escaped??"

"Most likely not... but if he did escape, What're we to do? We don't know where he went!" Lillie asked.

"There's a chance we might not need to find him. He's likely going to come to us, and if not... there's probably going to be an update about the "youngest son" of the Aether Foundations President being spotted on the mainland."

"I hope you're right." Lillie said. "But if there is an update about his location... shouldn't we go find him?"

"Of course, why wouldn't we? All we'll have to do is wait."

Chapters end.
__________________

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

All right, as requested, I read a few chapters (up to Mother and Son)

Really liking how you write Lusamine so far. Super unhinged with an air of something utterly unspeakable to her, and it works very well. I do wonder why at this stage she's even mentioning her children in her autobiography when she's already disowned them and borderline denies their existence.

I'm curious what's up with Skull, since they're much more violent than usual.

Although one big thing here--please, get a beta reader. There are so many spelling and grammar and format errors that it's hard to read sometimes. For instance, you commonly put a character's dialogue and their actions on different lines when that should be all together. Spreading it out makes it seem as though far more characters are involved than they really are.

You have some very interesting ideas, so it's hard to see them bogged down by that. Keep at it and you'll have something golden!

 

[Diamondseed345]

It sounds like you..." she went out of sight for a moment, grabbing the mirror. "Want me to show you what you've become again?"

"No... no... please..." he was trying to break free of his restraints again, once again finding they wouldn't budge.


"NO-"

"Hush Elio... just calm down, no need for yelling." He looked away from the mirror infront of him, eyes locked shut, with his breathing becoming shallow.


"You've been gifted Elio... to be as perfect as me. Soon you'll be given more gifts from my foundation... some you couldn't imagine.

"I never wanted to be as perfect as you... I never asked for this to happen."
He looked as if he had actually started crying.

"I... I just want to go home..."

Lusamine looked away, perturbed by what Elio had just said.

"You..." She took the mirror, and gazed into it. What she saw was perfection, or at least what she thought perfection was. Why? Why didn't he accept the gifts she had given him? Why didn't he appreciate it? He was perfect like her, he could inherit her wealth, her empire, her position in the foundation... all of it. Why didn't he like that?

"You... you're JUST LIKE THEM!!" She threw the mirror at the wall, and the sound of it shattering echoed through the room.

"You never wanted to be perfect?? To have a loving and caring family?? To have riches and fame!?"

"I already have a family!" Elio snapped, shrinking into the bed he was trapped in. He was trying to stay away from the insane woman only feet away from him, though he couldn't get far at all.

She grabbed the shards from the broken mirror.

"I MADE YOU THIS WAY! I GAVE YOU A GIFT!!" She held the largest in her grip, as the rest fell through her hand. One even made a gash in her hand, she didn't care.

She marched over, grabbed the back of Elios neck, and leaned forward to see eachother in the shards reflection.

"LOOK AT US!! YOU AND ME, WE. ARE. PERFECT!!"


Elio was trying to squirm out of her grasp, seeing the fear in his own eyes and expressions only made him more determined.

"Get off of me!! Please!!" He was watching himself plead, he could see all the emotion in his wide green eyes. Fear, anger, disgust, a hodge podge of emotion, swirling in them. Lusamine changed her grip, and began choking him, and Elio realized something when he learned he couldn't get free. This might be a better fate for him than what she had in mind for him. "Perfect in mind and body." He was supposedly Perfect in body but not in mind, as he was still himself. He could die himself, but was death even a possibility for him? He hoped so, as he stopped resisting. She went to thrust the mirror shard into Elios neck, and he was bracing for the end.

But then, before Lusamine could thrust the mirror shard into his throat or drop it, the whole world went pitch white. Elio woke up back in the hotel in a cold sweat, heavily breathing. The light of the Sun was coming through the blinds of the windows somewhat, and was lighting the room somewhat in a soft golden glow.

"Was that... a nightmare?" His voice was shaking. He looked down at himself to see that he still had the clothes he had on when he escaped. The clothes Lusamine had provided for him as well as his stark white hoodie, as well as the crystal collar.

It was just a dream after all. He pulled himself out of bed, and went to check the time on the TV. 7:38 in the morning, not as many people were going to be awake at this time. The time made it clear on what he had to do: He had to get a move on.

"I better get moving." He said, as he went to grab whatever he could take out of the Mini-fridge, which he surprisingly hadn't picked clean when he first arrived. A couple granola bars, an uncrustable sandwich, and a water bottle is all he could take, considering he didn't have a backpack to carry all the food in. But hey, its filling at least.

When he left his room, he fled the camp surrounding it in a hurry, trying to keep any of the refugees from being able to recognize him. It would be likely that Lusamine had some kind of reward for his return. Wasn't that usually what happened with missing children cases? Elio was sure that his "case" wouldn't be any different, but unlike any of those missing kids that came before him, he didn't want to be found. He couldn't let what they did to his head happen again. He couldn't let what SHE did to him infront of the frozen Selene happen again.

He felt sick to his stomach thinking about what she had done, especially at the fact that he couldn't even do anything about it. But he couldn't help but wonder; did she ever do that to him beforehand? While he was under Anesthesia, or while he was sleeping?

He began to feel nauseous, so it was best not to think about that, it would just make things worse.

Then again, he would have to go through Hau'oli if he wanted to get home. Hau'oli, means hundreds if not thousands of people that could recognize him as the "son" of the most powerful woman in the region. But what choice did he have? Going around the other side of the island would take way too long. Aka, it would be way too risky.

Going through Hau'oli would be dangerous yet quick, but he could conceal his face using his hoodie, making the risk ever so slightly smaller. It was a big risk, but it was a risk he was willing to take.

Besides, he could fight if he had to, he had Silvally. Silvally was as strong as his first pokémon, if not stronger. A reliable ally in battle, but one that hadn't reached its true potential. Regardless if Elio knew about this potential or not, the Beast-Killer was possibly the only thing that could keep him from going back to that Hell at sea.

Though soon enough, he could see the skyscrapers of Hau'oli on the horizon, and then he was in the Capital city itself.

Hau'oli had always looked beautiful, no matter the time of day. Kukui had always said if Alola were to have its own "City of lights" like Lumiose in Kalos, it would be Hau'oli.

Large electric billboards on the sides of buildings advertised for many different things, candies, cars, tools, clothes, and always had a slight glare to them. Double decker tourist busses sped past, packed with people from all over the world taking photos of the Alolan sights. From Tandor to Orre, thousands if not millions visited Alola. Even with the storm that had happened recently, Hau'oli never seemed to change.

Elio scratched at his crystal collar, wondering if there was any way he could get rid of it. He didn't want to just toss it in the trash, as it literally had Emeralds embedded in it. It had to have some kind of monetary value. Question is, where could he sell it? There was a Jeweler somewhere in the mall?

Yeah, he was sure there was something similar in there. He did see a shop selling strange crystal orbs with symbols on them after all. He kept his hood over his head as he made his way to the mall and to the Jeweler, making sure to keep his face unseen. He couldn't be sure if they saw him though, what would they do if they did? Would they recognize him, and send him back to Aether Paradise?

No.

It would be more complicated than that, the Foundation might send Guzma, and his goons to collect him. Even then, they wouldn't be able to just simply collect him then toss him on a boat to ship him away to Aether. He will fight until the end, and if he loses, there is no way he would go gentle into that good night. He would let them know that even as a husk of who he once was, his will to live was just as strong as when he first arrived so long ago.

They tortured him, experimented on him, tried to kill him, even split his mind into twain, and what did that get them?

A severely injured Lusamine, and potentially millions of dollars wasted. There is a large chance that the Foundation will be shut down if he brings the files he had on hand to the authorities.

A wonderful thought that is, to imagine Faba, Lusamine, Xerosic, and everyone who participated in the project to make him "perfect" facing justice for what they had done to him. For what they had done to so many people, for all the people silenced to keep the project a secret.

But in the end, something like that seemed like a faraway dream. The Foundation might take it back if he gave it to the authorities, or he might just be brushed off as some crazy kid.

Nevertheless, he had to focus on the task at hand. Soon though, he made his way inside the mall, and had made a beeline for the Jeweler, not caring for the show for kids about the dangers of Bewear.

"Antiques of the Ages" is what the place was apparently called. It doubled as a Jeweler, as well as a sort of Pawn shop for Antiques that people might have found.

Large crystal orbs were put on display behind the clerks. one a bright red, and one a deep blue. The red one seemed to have an "Omega" symbol embedded into its front, and blue with an "Alpha" symbol embedded into it. They gave off a feeling that perhaps there was more to them than meets the eye, but that wasn't the top of Elio's priorities.

His priority was the display of Jewelry infront of the clerk running the store. Gold rings, silver rings, rings embedded with gemstones, such as diamonds, and pearls.

"Hello young man, how may I help you today?" The clerk asked, startling Elio slightly.

"Oh... I wanted to sell something here."

"What might that be exactly? That... choker you're wearing?"

"Yeah..."

He took off the choker with some difficulty, but when he held it in his hands, there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. Something, or possibly someone was telling him not to sell the jewelry. The dull pulsing pain of his headaches started to return, and Elio was trying his best to ignore it.

A small part of him didn't want to give away the choker, it was a gift, was it not?
Your mother gave it to you as a gift, you should appreciate i-

NO.

She isn't your mother. Quit acting like she is, you know better than that. You're not her son, SHE made you look like her son. you're not who she made you to be, who she FORCED you to be, you need to be your own person.

"Are you alright kid?"

Elio was then brought back to reality.

"Oh, y-yeah! Here you go!" He went and handed the choker to the store clerk, and patiently waited for him to determine its value.

He was sitting on a bench nearby, waiting ever so patiently, when the clerk shouting startled him.

"Well I'll be damned! These emeralds are worth 5,000 dollars a piece!"

Elio took a moment to speak, lost for words.

"Are you serious??"

"Would I shout like that if I wasn't serious? C'mon back boy! We should discuss how we should transfer you the money!"

"Umm... I'm not so sure I should do that." Elio was backing away slightly.

"Oh don't worry, I understand, perhaps we could discuss it here, and now?"

"Yeah... that would be nice... but can I come back later? I need to get home..."

"Understandable!"

He started back, intending to grab a bite to eat at the food court on the first floor. But before he could even order, he heard someone shouting his name. A woman's voice, one he knew well, and knew what it meant immediately. It was Plumeria... they found him.

Get out of here!

Elio began to run, he had made alot of noise as he ran but even so he heard the sound of a pokéball opening and the hooting noises of her Salazzle. He heard Plumeria saying something that he couldn't exactly make out, but he figured it to be a command.

He didn't care what it was, as for all he knew it could gave been a code to keep him from moving, so thankful he couldn't hear what was said.

Just when he burst through the doors of the mall, he found that there was a whole group of Skull grunts waiting for him.

"Shit!"

Just when they were about to swarm him, he released the stolen Beast-Killer.

"Get em!!" Elio yelled. The Silvally tackled then began to maul one of the grunts, creating an opening.

Elio didn't hesitate and got through the opening, but not before quickly bringing back the Beast-Killer, and was running. He was running for his life, all the while the grunts had brought out their own pokémon, and he had Raticate as well as Salandit nipping at his heels.

But at a moments notice, he dove into a nearby Alleyway, and held his breath. He half expected to have a rag held over his mouth or to have a syringe in his neck again. He closed his eyes, waiting for the end.

Nothing...

Nothing?

He opened his eyes, confused as to what happened, only to see the Skull grunts running past. He breathed a sigh of relief, and slumped against the wall. His back had started to hurt slightly as it scraped against the brick wall, not that he cared.

He couldn't go back to that mall to get his money, it was too dangerous now. They knew he was on MeleMele now, in Hau'oli. He couldn't stay in Hau'oli, he had to get out, and fast.

He looked up at the sky, checking the position of the Sun. It was noon, as the sun was at its highest. He had time to get to Kukuis lab, plenty of time in fact, but that didn't mean he could procrastinate.

But he would have to wait to make sure the coast was clear, but for just how long?
When could he get moving again?

Chapters end.
_________________

 

[Diamondseed345]

Elio didn't hesitate and got through the opening, but not before quickly bringing back the Beast-Killer, and was running. He was running for his life, all the while the grunts had brought out their own pokémon, and he had Raticate as well as Salandit nipping at his heels.

But at a moments notice, he dove into a nearby Alleyway, and held his breath. He half expected to have a rag held over his mouth or to have a syringe in his neck again. He closed his eyes, waiting for the end.

Nothing...

Nothing?

He opened his eyes, confused as to what happened, only to see the Skull grunts running past. He breathed a sigh of relief, and slumped against the wall. His back had started to hurt slightly as it scraped against the brick wall, not that he cared.

He couldn't go back to that mall to get his money, it was too dangerous now. They knew he was on MeleMele now, in Hau'oli. He couldn't stay in Hau'oli, he had to get out, and fast.

He looked up at the sky, checking the position of the Sun. It was noon, as the sun was at its highest. He had time to get to Kukuis lab, plenty of time in fact, but that didn't mean he could procrastinate.

But he would have to wait to make sure the coast was clear, but for just how long?
When could he get moving again?

Then a light bulb went off in that fractured mind of his. Leaving the city through the use of the shadows, and by shadows I mean through the alleyways between the buildings. Sure, there's always the chance of druggies and rabid Rattata, but that risk would have to be taken. It would be preferable to have to deal with things like that than what Lusamine had planned for him.

Anything would be preferable than getting brain raped again. Even if he had to deal with a bit on the foot from a rabid rodent, besides, he had his shots a year earlier.

He got back up, having trouble for a moment as his hair had started to stick to the bricks, but he managed. He moved further into the alleys, the stench of garbage soon assaulting his nostrils.

A mix of different scents, mostly rotting foods, sandwiches, spoiled meats, the slightly sweet scent of fermenting berries. On second thought, the scent might just be that of Ethanol.

A Rattata came scurrying by his feet, with a Yungoos not far behind. Weren't those things introduced to Alola to control the Rattata population? Kinda ironic that those things exploded in population and didn't help too much with the rodent problem.

Elio passed by someone digging through a dumpster, presumably trying to find anything useful. He didn't pay them mind though, as he wasn't interested in Dumpster diving. Something in the back of his head made him even more repulsed by the thought of dumpster diving. Not for the risk of catching a disease, or possibly getting infected with a new one, and it getting named after him, no no. It was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, telling him that if he jumped in there, he would loose his pristine look.

He didn't care about his looks mostly, as he didn't have the time to shower, nor brush his hair in the way Lusamine had wanted. Not that he cared about what Lusamine wanted though, she was a goddamn psychopath.

Eventually though, he made it out of Hau'oli, and was walking along the street with his hood over his head again. On one side, was the lush interior of MeleMele, with all sorts of exotic plant life only found in Alola. On the other, was a white sand beach speckled with patches of tall grass.

He started walking through one of the patches while holding his hands out, letting the grass flow through his hands.
Wingull could be heard squawking above. Some could be seen nesting on the nearby extinct volcano, tending to their chicks. Some could be seen harassing Alolas local birds for their food mid-air, something the species did no matter the region. Elio was glad that they weren't Harassing him, like what they did to people in other regions.

He had heard a story about a flock of Wingull in Galar trying to take someone's pet Yamper, poor thing had been blinded in its eye. They wouldn't try to do that to him, right? Hopefully they wouldn't. He kept the ball containing the Beast-Killer in a tight grip, just to be safe.

The walk to Kukuis lab took about a half-hour, and Elio was trying to tune out the sounds of cars going by on the nearby street, and the calls of the Wingull, glancing out to the flowing ocean just feet away. A deep blue, beautiful garden you could say, but one that brought grim reminders.

Pain
Anger
Bloodshed
Menticide

But one good thing he was reminded of, was freedom. Riding the ocean brought him his freedom, yet also brought him to his Stark white prison.

Soon he had finally arrived at the lab, and realized that the shack had seen better days. Kukui hadn't taken down the boards from the storm, and moss had begun to grow over them. Lots of cigarettes butts and ash were on the floor. Thats odd, Elio didn't take Kukui for a smoker, did he start recently?

He stopped just outside the door, and sighed. Would Kukui be able to help him?
What would he think of him, the youngest "son" of the Aether Foundation President? Her PERFECT child, a fallen angel?


Don't think of her. You'll get sick again.
Why would you get sick? Are you sick of your own mother?

Trying to ignore the intrusive thoughts, he knocked on the door. A commotion could be heard inside, and Kukui was the one that answered the door.

"Hello, may I help you?" His face was concealed by his hood.

Kukui then seemed to flinch upon realizing who this was, upon noticing his obscured features.

"Elio?? Oh my God... get inside, quickly!"
He moved to the side, motioning for him to get inside. The other three were currently having lunch, and Hau seemed to be the first to notice Elio come in.

Hau dropped his Malasada, and got up from his seat.

"E-Elio?"

"Hau..." He stayed where he was.

"Is-is it really??" Hau seemed almost too shocked to say anything more. He quickly embraced Elio, getting a sharp squeak out of him.

"I... we thought you were done for! We saw you on the news, how you acted towards the Aether Foundations President... you called her mother!"

Lillie and Gladion watched the scene unfold silently, they themselves were actually too shocked to say anything

"Please don't remind me of her..."

Elio in turn, did as Hau did, wrapping his arms around his brother. He felt as if he was going to cry from all the emotions being reunited with his friends, and brother made him feel, but his subconscious kept him from doing so.

Crying didn't get him anywhere on Aether Paradise, where would it get him now? Nothing. It would get him nothing.

Out of the two siblings, Gladion was the first to speak up after the grandsons of the late Kahuna separated.

"Your skin... what did mother do to you??"

Our mother... what did our mother do to me?

"I... I don't want to talk about it..."

"Well why'd you come all the way back here if you were perf-

"Gladion, can you stop questioning him?? He literally just got here! What's good is that he came back to us, even if he looks a little... different."

Elio stayed silent as Kukui talked, while Lillie noticed something peculiar about him, and not the fact that he looked like he could be her brother. It was his eyes. He looked as if he was fatigued, as the Sclera had looked irritated and red. The emotions in his eyes... anger, sadness, ones that could not be described. It looked as if the Foundation had actually managed to break his will.

He had been staring daggers at Gladion the whole time.

"You said you would stay close... you were supposed to keep me safe... they took me... she..." He stopped, not wanting to break down infront of everyone.

"I know..."

"Guys, guys..." Kukui said, placing his hand on Elios shoulder. "Let me talk to him, alright? You're comfortable with that, right Cousin?"

"If you're not pushy I guess..."

"Go wait in the basement then... I'll go get us some drinks."

Elio went down into the basement, and sat on the table down there. He waited patiently for Kukui, seemingly twiddling his thumbs. Then, Kukui finally came down with two cups or coffee.

"You like Caramel Coffee, right Cousin?"

"It's alright I guess..."

Kukui set down the Caramel Coffee beside Elio, and sat down with his own.

"Now. I know you just got here but... we, no, I need to know what happened to you. You were gone for almost two months."

Elio stayed silent.

"I'm gonna start off with something easier. you don't have to touch on... what changed you, if you don't want to. How did you get to Aether Paradise? We saw you on the news in Lusamine's mansion."

"Don't say her name... please."

"Right cousin, I'm sorry. But my question still remains, what happened the day you went missing?"

"They drugged me..."

"Who do you mean by "they?" Who are they?"

"Team Skull..."

"They of all people did this? Well... I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"Why?"

"I... I'll tell you later on." Kukui didn't want to tell Elio about what happened to Hala. Not yet at least, his spirits already seemed low, Kukui didn't have the heart in him to make it even worse.

"Why did they take you to Aether Paradise, and not back to Po-Town?"

"Hired maybe... they wanted to know the location of Lillie and Gladion... I didn't talk."

"What did they do when you didn't talk?"

"Slammed my head into the table... hard enough to draw blood. Then, they brought me to the labs..."

He paused, before he spilled the beans.

"Injections... injections of glittering fluids... injections that made my veins burn... they made my wounds heal quicker..."

"What do you mean, they healed quicker?"

"Puffs of steam came out of the wounds... they healed back over, the Foundation noticed too..."

"God... I can't believe the Foundation would do this... why? Why would they do this to an innocent kid? You're only twelve for Pete's sake!"

"I don't know... but they did something after they noticed."

"What did they do Elio?"

"They cut my hand off..."

"Wait, WHAT?!"

"It was agonizing... my wrist felt like it was on fire... but then my hand regenerated from the bloody stump..."

"Like certain amphibians? It actually grew back??"

"Yeah... a mark where the amputation was performed was left, even after it healed. But when they gave me... her complexion, it dissappeared."

There was a long silence between the two. Kukui appeared disgusted by these revelations. Why? How? How could the Foundation do this?

"How... did you come to look like Lusamine?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes... we can use this information against the Foundation if we must."

"Fine..." It seemed like he held his breath for a moment.

"I was brought to the depths of Aether Paradise after the amputation... we were on metal bridges, with vats of a green and white Fluid. That was when I first saw her... she grabbed my arm then my chin, getting a good look at me. She ordered for me to put inside... I was then dragged to the edge of the platform, the vat below seemed even more intimidating up close. They ripped my clothes off, only leaving me in my underwear for some strange reason, then shoved me into the vat below. I could feel it binding to my skin and hair as I was struggling to stay afloat... it was almost as if I was drowning in not water, but goo."

"Did you try climbing out at all? Try to stop your change??"

"Do you not think I did that!?" Elio snapped.

"Faba shoved me back into that concoction! I almost drowned in that!!"

"Geez... sorry cousin, I didn't know you'd take it so hard."

"No... no... I'm sorry... I've been trying to keep from thinking of that day... I need to get it all out... it didn't change my eyes. They... they did more to change them..."


"It didn't change you all at once?"

"They injected the same stuff into my eyes..."

"Wait... injected? Like with a syringe, or eye drops?"

"What do you think it was?"

"Oh, I see... do you know why all... this was done to you?"

To make me perfect.

I'm not hers, I won't be perfect.

"All too well... had been trying to replace Lillie and Gladion with me, I... I was even brainwashed to think I was her son..."

"Is that why you called her "mother?"

"Yeah... and I don't think I turned out how she wanted me to be... they were going to brainwash me again..."

"Would you mind telling me what the process was like? If you remember it that is."

Elios eyes seemed to dilate for a moment, remembering the horrific moment.

"No... I'd rather not talk about that..."

"Whenever you're ready to talk about it, I'll be here for you. Alright cousin?"

"Alright Kukui..."

"Good, good. I made the others lunch recently, and you look like you haven't eaten in days... would you like me to cook you some more?"

"Yeah... that would be nice."

Elio got out of his chair, cup of coffee in hand.

Kukui got up as well, and placed an arm over Elio's shoulder, as they went back up to the ground floor.

Chapters end.
______________________

 

[Diamondseed345]

"How... did you come to look like Lusamine?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes... we can use this information against the Foundation if we must."

"Fine..." It seemed like he held his breath for a moment.

"I was brought to the depths of Aether Paradise after the amputation... we were on metal bridges, with vats of a green and white Fluid. That was when I first saw her... she grabbed my arm then my chin, getting a good look at me. She ordered for me to put inside... I was then dragged to the edge of the platform, the vat below seemed even more intimidating up close. They ripped my clothes off, only leaving me in my underwear for some strange reason, then shoved me into the vat below. I could feel it binding to my skin and hair as I was struggling to stay afloat... it was almost as if I was drowning in not water, but goo."

"Did you try climbing out at all? Try to stop your change??"

"Do you not think I did that!?" Elio snapped.

"Faba shoved me back into that concoction! I almost drowned in that!!"

"Geez... sorry cousin, I didn't know you'd take it so hard."

"No... no... I'm sorry... I've been trying to keep from thinking of that day... I need to get it all out... it didn't change my eyes. They... they did more to change them..."


"It didn't change you all at once?"

"They injected the same stuff into my eyes..."

"Wait... injected? Like with a syringe, or eye drops?"

"What do you think it was?"

"Oh, I see... do you know why all... this was done to you?"

To make me perfect.

I'm not hers, I won't be perfect.

"All too well... had been trying to replace Lillie and Gladion with me, I... I was even brainwashed to think I was her son..."

"Is that why you called her "mother?"

"Yeah... and I don't think I turned out how she wanted me to be... they were going to brainwash me again..."

"Would you mind telling me what the process was like? If you remember it that is."

Elios eyes seemed to dilate for a moment, remembering the horrific moment.

"No... I'd rather not talk about that..."

"Whenever you're ready to talk about it, I'll be here for you. Alright cousin?"

"Alright Kukui..."

"Good, good. I made the others lunch recently, and you look like you haven't eaten in days... would you like me to cook you some more?"

"Yeah... that would be nice."

Elio got out of his chair, cup of coffee in hand.

Kukui got up as well, and placed an arm over Elio's shoulder, as they went back up to the ground floor. Hau and Lillie had gone back to talking while Elio and Kukui were downstairs. Gladion however, was no longer with them, why was that?

Kukui sat Elio on the couch, while he brought the other two into another room for a private chat.

"I need you two to listen carefully, as I am only going to tell you this once. Elio has gone through alot thanks to the Foundation. He told me alot of what he was put through, but to be honest, I'm not sure if he has told me everything. It would be best for you to not bother him at the moment, as I think that he just wants to keep to himself for the time being."

"Yeah, I think we could kinda tell..."

Gladion could be seen coming down from the loft, with Elios bag on his back. He came over to where Elio was, and set the bag down next to his feet.

"I... figured you'd want these back."

Elio didn't say anything as he set his coffee aside, and picked up the bag. He was rummaging through the bag for awhile, and pulled out his Baseball cap.

"My old hat..."

I shouldn't wear it... Mother will be disappointed.

She isn't our mother, quit worrying about what she wants.

But a hat would keep us from being perfect. Why don't you want to stay perfect?


He looked as if he wanted to put on his hat, but something seemed to be stopping him. What might that be?

"Are you okay? I would have thought you'd put it on."

More silence, yet even though he wasn't speaking, his emotions could be conveyed perfectly. He wasn't in the mood to talk, and would wear the hat in his own time.

"Oh... I see." Gladion walked back to the others, but there was a thought that never left his mind.

Even if he had his memories back, this Elio was practically a different person. The Elio he knew was loud and full of energy, just like his brother.

He could picture who Elio once was in his head. Jet black unkempt hair, the sapphire blue eyes with a slight mischievous twinkle, as well as the slightly dirty clothes.

Was that boy gone for good, or was he still in there somewhere? Gladion wasn't sure, perhaps he would come back out at some point?

Elio had kept to himself over the next few days, staying in the basement and only coming up for food and to use the bathroom. The intrusive thoughts about perfection, about HER kept coming back.

He didn't talk about what happened with the others, only giving information to Kukui. But only then, it was barely anything more than what he already told him. He had been pretty much emotionally absent. Hell, he had almost been absent completely, physically and mentally, as it almost seemed as if he was completely different person, and he was almost never seen on the main floor by the others.

A small part of him wished he never went down to those labs, to be back on Aether Paradise. Wished to be back in Lusamine's arms, to not have his memories back. If he didn't go down there, he wouldn't have to remember all the horrors of the Foundation. The process of his memories being ereased, the innocent people being experienced on... his sister meeting the same fate as him.

What made him different? How could he escape, but the others couldn't? Most of them were older than him, and they couldn't escape, what made him so different? Did he have the skill to sneak around Aether Paradise? Or could it have been luck? Was it actually luck?

Did he escape due to blind fucking luck? He didn't want to think of it that way, but that had to be the case. The Foundation was a billion dollar corporation, they certainly wouldn't be pushovers when it came to security. Yet he didn't get spotted even once. It had to be luck, what else could it have been?

It couldn't have been luck, there had to be a reason he could escape without any trouble. Did they let him escape on purpose? No, no, they couldn't have. Lusamine wouldn't have acted the way she did if she intended to let him go free. That wouldn't make sense if that was what she intended.

None of it made sense to him, there had to be some kind of explanation for this, he just had to find it. But how could he? The Foundation was likely hot on his tail, and searching for him all over the island if not the region. Was it even wise to stay in Alola? He thought he heard Gladion and Kukui discussing it, and all the places they might be able to go.

Unova was one of the options they brought up, but there were many more. Kanto, Khalka, Kalos, Paldea, Orre, even Galar.


Eventually, he came up stairs, and could hear Gladion and Kukui discussing their options. Here though, it was about what towns would be best. He didn't really pay attention to it though, as he had only come up to grab a bite to eat.

Food was one of the only things that had brought him joy anymore after all that happened. Cheese helped to bring his mood up, especially mozzarella. You could say its a good thing that Kukui kept a stock of string cheese no?

But just as he went back downstairs, an angry pounding on the door made him jump, and almost fall down the stairs.

"Open up Kukui!" A familiar voice yelled.

"We know you have him! We know they're all here, even the Kahunas grandkid! Just hand them over, and things won't have to get ugly!" It was Guzma.

"How the hell did he find us!?" Gladion asked.

"Don't know Don't care! Hau, go get Elio!" Kukui yelled, pushing a chair infront of the door as the pounding got louder.

Hau grabbed Elio and brought him upstairs, and Elio went and got his bag on.

"Alright, you guys need to climb out the loft window, and get as far away from here as you can! Lillie, you grab Nebby and go, I'll distract them for as long as I can!"

Lillie grabbed Nebby and tucked it under her arm as Elio was the first up the loft. He sure as Hell was not going back to that Hellhole that was Aether Paradise, even if he wondered if he should have even left. It was too late to go back, and he was sure that Lusamine would make sure he couldn't comeback this time.

It was expected that Team Skull would come in through the barricaded door after finding a way to break it down, but most of them didn't expect them to find another way in. A rock had been thrown at the window, causing the window to break and the rock to land at Kukuis feet.

A skull grunt had stepped in, and Kukui didn't hesitate in pulling the trigger. The grunt was shot in the chest, and fell to the ground almost instantly as the sound of the gunshot echoed through the building. It had made Elios ears ring for a moment, but steam could be seen coming out of them seconds later so he continued uninterrupted, though the others were a bit slower. Another Grunt had stepped in, though they only served as a distraction as the sound of the door being torn down could be heard.

Guzmas Golisopod had ran in and tackled Kukui before he noticed it, and Guzma was just behind it.

Guzma picked Kukui up by the the shirt collar.

"You think you're better than me, huh!? You thought you could hide the children of the prez and get away with it!? Well I'll show you!!" Guzma proceeded to dropkick the professor, and the Golisopod held him to the ground.

He grabbed Kukuis rifle on the ground, and hit him HARD with the butt of it.

"Who's worthless now huh!? Who's worth nothing in life now?!"

"Kukui!!" Hau cried, letting go of the ladder just before he got up completely.

"Hau don't!!" Elio yelled, about to go back down with him, But he couldn't as Gladion grabbed his hand.

"C'mon, we need to run!!"

"We can't just le-!"

"He's gotten away from them before! He can handle himself!"

Lillie jumped out the window, as did Gladion and Elio afterwards. Elio however had Landed awkwardly, and steam could be seen coming off of his leg. Gladion had noticed it, but had no time to question it, as the three of them took off running.

Hau, during that scenario, had brought out Decidueye, which formed a leaf blade and proceeded to jump on the Golisopods back, and plunged the blade into its shell.

Hau meanwhile had socked Guzma in the jaw.

"Aggh!! What the-" he had been punched again before striking Hau in the face with the rifle. Plumeria, having stepped in a few moments earlier as Hau hit Guzma, grabbed him before he could hit the floor. Guzma picked up the pokeball that contained Decidueye after Hau dropped it from being striked, and brought back Decidueye.

"This'll catch a pretty penny... and you, kid? You don't wanna know how long we've been looking for you... and there is someone, that you are going to want to meet. Believe me... she wants to meet you very much as well..."

Chapters end.
_____________________

 

[Diamondseed345]

The room was dark, with the only sound able to be heard was the faint sound of ringing in Haus ears, as well as a splitting headache. The smell of salt was in the air, signifying that he was near the ocean, but just where? Was he dead? Where is Elio and the others? Are they okay? Is he okay? All these questions had been flooding his mind, seemingly unaffected by what could be considered a migraine.

Then, for a moment the headache had gotten even worse, as harsh fluorescent lights were turned on above. It had been blinding for a moment, but after the brief flash, he could make outbwhere he was. The room he was restrained in was pitch white, with water dripping in from the ceiling. But there was one thing that had confirmed his location, and that was the golden trident emblem on the door that Elio had known all too well. The emblem of the Aether Foundation.

Was he on Aether Paradise? What did they want with him? They had to want something, since after all, he wasn't dead.

He wasn't dead. They had a reason for not just killing him after all, just what the Hell was it?

He figured that he was about to find out, as he could hear the door being unlocked, and then being opened.

A tall red haired man had entered the room, and crouched to be on his level.

"I believe you know why you're here right now young man."

"Is this... about my brother?"

"Oh... the boy is your brother? The boy looks nothing like you..."

"Yeah, he doesn't look like me now... what happened to him?"

"I'm not the one that you should ask, me and my subordinates only played a small part of making him what Madame Lusamine requested to make him perfect.

"Wait... perfect?"

"You saw him on the news reports as of late, have you not? Galarian accent, Emerald green eyes, platinum hair, and a complexion like that of the president herself."

"God... what the hell did you do to him!?"

"Oh, it's quite a simple process mind you. Though I feel like I'm not the one that should explain it."

"What? Why?"

"Let's say someone... wants to talk to you personally."

Lysandre got back up, and walked to the door.

"Madame President! He's all yours!"

He exited the room, and for a moment time seemed to stand still. Hau had longed to follow after him, but being cuffed to his chair, what was he to do?

Time seemed to flow normally again, and SHE could be seen. Her face was covered in scars and stitched up wounds. Those eyes though... they remained the same. The crazed look in those eyes could never falter.


"Well well well... we've been trying to find you for quite a while. What was your name? Hau?"

"Why should I tell you anything lady? I've seen what you did to my brother!"

"Your brother? Oh I believe you're mistaken. He's my son."

"You're son? You forced him to be your son! He looked like me before you got your hands on him!"

"Oh really? I don't remember him looking like that in any way. He's perfect, like me."

"Perfect? That's what you see him as?!"

"Yes. He's the only one that survived all of the procedures without injury... and the metamorphosis we put him through made him perfect."

"Well he's gone! He doesn't want to comeback to you, not after everything you did to him! Is that why you brought me here??"

"Yes... in fact."

"Then What're you going to do!? Make me look like you as well?? Turn me into some kind of mutant??"

"Oh believe me, if I can't get my son back, the former would be preferable. But I've got something special planned for you."

"What is i-" she placed a finger on his lips to shush him.

"It's special... just you wait and see." Her face had contorted into a sinister grin as she got up, and talked into some kind of device on the wall. What she said didn't matter too much to Hau. All he could think about was Elio and the others.

She undid his leg restraints, and grabbed his arm, bringing him out of his seat.

Hau didn't say anything more as she brought him out of the room, and to the elevator.

He could only focus on that smile. That damned smile. Combined with that look in her eye, it was a look that Elio knew all too well by this point. Deep down, she wanted to make Hau into what she made Elio. The brother of her little boy, make them the heirs to her empire. There was even the chance that plastic surgery could be done on him. She could have twins! But she knew it was a distant dream, the rest of the Foundation expected her to do something about the brat that managed to evade them.

Soon, they made it to the surface, and when they got outside, the light was almost unbearable. It had been a known fact that the days were extremely bright in Alola, especially the midday sun. Hau had been accustomed to at least wearing sunglasses at midday, but this? It made him realize why all those tourists wore sunhats as well as sunglasses.

"Why... why did you do all this? Tutu... Elio, Kukui... why?"

"Oh, you want to know why I made sure that my son perfect? It's simple to be honest. When my two biological... children ran away, it felt like a part of my soul had been removed. That void had to be filled... and my new son helped me fill that void. But now he's gone..."

"With what you've done to him, I'd say he had good judgment to runaway."

"SILENCE!!" She struck Hau on the side of the head. "NEITHER ME NOR MY SON WILL BE RIDICULED BY THE COMMON PEOPLES!!"

"Alright just.. please don't hurt me..." Hau pleaded.

She brought him into the mansion, and past the teleporters, to see the sight that had horrified Elio barely a week earlier.
Only that now, there was a stain of dried blood on the ground. A dark brown stain that contrasted the pitch white environment of the room. Why hadn't she had it cleaned up by now?

"Oh god... what did you do to all of them!?"

"Don't you see? They're safe... safe and kept perfect, for all eternity..."

One of the pods stood out, but not the one that contained Selene. What stood out, was one large, central, that seemed empty. Why had it been vacant?

Lusamines grasp was almost like that of a vice grip, and that already hideous smile became even worse.

"I want to make you as perfect as my boy, but the rest of the executives within my foundation want otherwise. Perhaps one day... maybe, you can experience perfection."

She made a beeline for the pod, and Hau was pulling away as hard as he could. But with the difference of strength, he could only watch as the warp pad got further and further away. He could hear the sound of the pod opening, and he was then tossed inside it, the door closing behind him.

He started pounding on the door, all the while Lusamine had pressed a button on the external wall of the pod.

"Let me out!!" Hau shrieked, but Lusamine had only watched as the pod worked its magic. What seemed like water filled the pod almost immediately, and it immediately caused a stinging sensation all over his body. Gas seemed to be escaping from the pod, as the liquid nitrogen evaporated, but the amount that evaporated wouldn't nearly be enough, as Haus movements had begun to slow down.

The last thing he would see before freezing solid would be the that stare. The stare of the eyes of a woman who had abandoned her sanity oh so long ago.

Chapters end.
_______________________

 

[Diamondseed345]

The morning felt surprisingly calm considering everything that had happened in the past few days. First Elio had come back, then Team Skull had came to collect him. Kukui had sacrificed himself for them to get away, then Hau had to go get himself captured. Why had everything been going so wrong for them? Did they do something to deserve this? No. No they couldn't have, after all, they were alive weren't they? They had gotten their belongings out as well, or at least what was essential. Nebby was still alive, and noisy as ever

Lillie had taken to feeding the little Nebula potato chips, and it had taken a liking to them. During the little amounts of time that it was outside of its bag, it would be constantly chirping as to beg for more chips.

Elio thought the noises were annoying as it kept him from sleeping, but ultimately it was harmless. After all, if they were hiding in a cave who was going to hear them? Only the Zubats, and Lillie had kept enough repellent to keep those rodents away.

Yet even with the repellent keeping the Zubats at a distance, their shrill cries could still be heard.

"God... when are we going to leave this cave?? I'm probably gonna go deaf if I have to deal with those screeches any longer!"

"Don't you remember why we're in here Elio??" Gladion asked. "If Guzma and his cronies are still out there and we go back out, we're screwed!"

"We can fight them can we not?? We've fought them before and won, albeit before this whole fiasco!"

"We can't risk it! This isn't just about them stealing pokémon now, they're actively trying to harm us! If Mother gets her hands on you again... who knows what she'd do!"

"Don't you realize I escaped her before?? Even after she had me tortured! They bashed my head into tables, injected what felt like liquid fire into my veins, cut my damn hand off, white washed me, and then brainwashed me through shock therapy, and look at me now! I went through Hell and back, and I'm still alive! I'm still myself! If I managed to escape the headquarters of a billion dollar corporation, don't you think we could get away from a bunch of gangsters!?"

"I know where you're coming from Ellie, but don't you see we can't take the risk?? They're probably still out there searching for us, maybe even searching this cave as we speak!"

"Do you think I don't know that!? But if I managed to escape the grand design of the greatest minds of the Foundation, we can escape a bunch of goons!"

"How would we even do that!? If one of us goes to check and gets caught, they wouldn't come back!"

Elio went silent, deep in thought for a moment. "I have an idea..."

"Tell me. What is your glorious idea?"

"Why don't we have the Rotom dex go out and check? We can have its screens brightness turned all the way down, so that nothing can see it!"

"That's... actually a good idea." Gladion said.

"Why don't you get it out and suggest the idea?"

"I'll get right to it!" As Elio was digging through his bag, Lillie exhaled a sigh of relief, they had finally stopped arguing.
Why would they always argue? Was it due to the stress of all that occurred in the past few days? Lillie was sure that was the case, it was even starting to effect her to an extent.

Soon enough, Elio dug the Rotom dex out of his bag, and it activated in his hands.

"Greetings Rotom-E bzzt! Why are we in this cave?"

"That's... kinda why I brought you out. We need you to fly to the entrance of this cave... see if the coast is clear for us to come back out. If so... can you come back to us?"

"Of course bzzt! But why do you need me to check if the coast is clear?"

"It's Team Skull... they chased us in here, if they find us, we'll be 5 shades more fucked than we already are at the moment."

"Language bzzt! Either way, I'll go do that!"

Rotom then flew off away from the group, dipping and dodging out of the way of the Zubats all over the cave. Though after about 10 minutes, light could be seen coming from the mouth of the cave, it flew out into a sunny Alolan afternoon.

Something immediately seemed off about the environment. Not only the vandalized state of Kukuis lab, but there had also been a burnt out campfire close to the mouth of the cave. A cooler and a bunch of folding chairs scattered around the burnt out fire. There had even been a couple empty beer bottles laying around.

"Well they certainly could have cleaned up after themselves bzzt!" Even Though the area was completely trashed, one thing was clear. Noone was in the area, the coast was clear. Rotom immediately flew back into the darkness of the cave.

"Good news bzzt!" Rotom said excitedly.

"Are they gone?" Lillie asked.

"They sure are bzzt! Now I'd advise you three to pack up and to get out of here as quick as we can. Repellents won't stop a Zubat with Rabies!"

"Wait, repellent won't stop them?" Lillie replied.

"If they are overly aggressive, I believe they won't care about a bad scent bzzt!"

"That does make sense..."

Rotom flew back into Elios bag, as he had felt he had deserved a nap after that long flight.

"Welp..." Elio said, zipping up his bag, as he didn't have anything else outside his bag.

"Let's get ready to go."

It took about fifteen minutes for them to pack everything up, and almost took even longer due to the insistence of Nebby to stay outside of its bag. Though Gladion had managed to convince it to get in, due to bringing out Type: Null. Both Elio and Lillie had given him shit for intimidating poor little Nebula, but he too insisted that he had to do it. Nevertheless, they made it out. The light was almost blinding, Elio had winced as he wasn't able to see for a moment.

"Holy shit... was the sun always that bright!?"

"Well in Space I guess..." Lillie replied. "Our eyes just have yet to adjust."
Over the next few minutes, it didn't seem as bright, and Elio no longer needed to cover his eyes.

"Kukui is dead... Hala is dead... who do we go to now?"

"Maybe Nanu?" Gladion asked.

"No no, we shouldn't put him at risk, if anything, we should stay with someone who isn't... how do I put it? Not well known?"

"Actually... I have an idea."

"What is it bro?"

"You remember what I was discussing with the the professor, before everything on that day occurred?"

"You two were discussing options on where we could go if we had to leave Alola?"

"Yeah... I know a destination that could work perfectly, we only have to lay low."

"Oh, what might that be?"

"Your family is from Kanto... right Elio?"

"Yes actually, is that where you intend us to go?"

"If we go to Kanto... we could find your relatives, possibly set something up so that they'd let us live with them."

"That's actually a great idea! Thing is, we don't have any money... how are we gonna get to Kanto without any money?" Oh believe me... I have my ways..."

To be continued?
_________________________

 

[Diamondseed345]

I got inspired by Perfect son to make this


Special thanks to Togwtos, for making such an amazing story

Credit for cover art goes to Mackthecheese on Tumblr

https://mackthecheese.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F718520550867222528

View: https://www.tumblr.com/mackthecheese/718520550867222528/i-probably-shouldve-done-this-earlier-but-here?source=share


But first, content warning:

Spoiler

human experimentation
Dehumanization
Natural disasters
Torture
Mental illness (schizophrenia, implied PTSD, body dysmorphia)
Abuse (physical, mental, and sexual)
Drug use (used for human experimentation)

Implied divorce
Body horror

Cover art