The flight to Mount Hokulani didn't go quite as expected, for Gladion got some bad news from Faba through his earpiece. Nihilego was in the area. The date would have to be put on hold.

Chloe groaned in annoyance. "This would happen now. I was looking forward to seeing the Minior."

Gladion sighed. "I know, but we can't let Nihilego get away this time. If we could just catch it and send it back to its own world, we could be done with this." He leaned around the girl to look at her, seated behind her on Braviary. "Don't try to approach it this time. It's proven to be aggressive."

Chloe nodded. "Right. This time, it's a fight. As much as I want to help Nihilego, defeating it is all we can do right now."

Wave after wave of anger suddenly washed over Chloe, followed by pokemon cries. The two directed their attention down to the path that led up to the observatory. There, they spotted a flock of Skarmory surrounding the invading Nihilego. Upon getting a closer look, there was something wrapped in the beast's tentacles.

"It's got a young Skarmory!" the redhead cried, pointing to the smaller bird pokemon trapped by the Nihilego. "And the flock is trying to save it! We have to help! Braviary, Steel Wing!"

Braviary swooped down amidst the chaos, his wings glowing white. With the beast focused on the Skarmory, it didn't notice the shiny pokemon diving in. Braviary's wing slashed across Nihilego, causing it to cry out in pain. Chloe could feel the fear from the captive Skarmory alongside the anger of the flock and the Nihilego. But even after the attack, the Ultra Beast only tightened its hold on the Skarmory, using Constrict.

The two trainers hopped off their ride as they neared the ground, and Gladion growled. "It's not working! It only tightened its grip!" Silvally came out of its pokeball, growling at the beast.

Chloe could tell the flock was worried for the captive Skarmory, and she got an idea. "We need to aim for its tentacles! Braviary!"

"You too, Silvally!"

"Use Crush Claw!" they shouted in unison.

Silvally's claws and Braviary's talons glowed red, and they both rushed in, each aiming for one of Nihilego's tentacles. As soon as their attacks landed, the beast finally released the young Skarmory.

"Now's your chance, Skarmory!" Chloe told the flock. "Team up and chase this Ultra Beast away! Braviary, Steel Wing!"

Many of the Skarmory followed Braviary's lead, using Steel Wing. They each swooped in, landing hit after hit on the beast. Nihilego finally let out a pained cry, weakened by the onslaught. Gladion had to hold back Silvally, allowing Chloe the chance to speak.

"Nihilego." The redhead's expression softened as she kneeled to hug the young Skarmory. "Stop this. Let us help you."

The Ultra Beast gave a ghostly chitter before its body started fading away. In mere moments, it disappeared. The two trainers and all the pokemon looked around, but there was no sign of Nihilego.

"Faba," Gladion spoke through the earpiece. "Nihilego just vanished. Got any readings?"

"I'm afraid not," the man answered. "It's signal just dropped off the radar. It's possible that it was pulled back to its own world. Sometimes, even without the use of any wormholes, a living thing will be forced back to its own realm. It's a means of time and space trying to correct itself, so to speak."

The blond gasped softly. "But...how is that possible? The Nihilego came out of an Ultra Wormhole. In the past, the Ultra Beasts had to return to their worlds via wormholes. Why isn't that the case here?"

"I don't know. It's a real mystery even to me. Perhaps there's something unnatural going on in Nihilego's world... I'll do more research and get back to you, Master Gladion."

After a brief crackle, Faba's voice faded out, and Gladion once again placed the earpiece into his pocket. He looked over at Chloe, who had all the Skarmory gathered around her. She was feeding the young injured one an Oran Berry to help it recover.

The boy smiled, petting Silvally before returning it. "Way to go, Chloe. Excellent work getting the Skarmory to help."

The redhead glanced back at him, smiling as a Skarmory came over and nuzzled the younger one. "It wasn't just me, the flock was eager to rescue this young one." She rubbed the bird's steel head. "I just gave them extra motivation is all."

"Skar!" the young bird pokemon happily cried. "Skarmory!"

It nuzzled Chloe before flying away with the rest of its flock. "They're so happy. I can feel their joy." She scratched her flying type's neck. "You did great, Braviary. Rest now." She returned him before facing Gladion. "We're close to the observatory, I figured we could walk."

Gladion nodded. "That's fine with me. We still have a little time to spare."

He took her hand with a light blush, unable to stop smiling. They walked together up the mountain path, already fairly close to the peak, looking at the occasional Skarmory or Fearow they passed. There were much fewer types of pokemon there, only ones able to thrive in the harsher conditions of Mount Hokulani. Night had fallen by the time they reached the observatory. Just as expected, there was a small group of other people that had gathered to see the Minior shower as well.

"We aren't the only who wanted to see this," Chloe stated. Her gaze shifted to the starry sky above, causing her to smile. "At least the sky is clear tonight. Perfect to see the Minior."

Gladion nodded in agreement, a small smile on his face as well. "Yeah." He looked around, wanting a more private place to view the Minior with her. "How about we go to a quieter spot, away from the tourists?"

Chloe tilted her head to the side, a little confused. "Uh, sure."

Before she could ask why, the boy quickly tugged her along, going around the side of the observatory building. There wasn't a single person in view, and Gladion didn't waste the privacy they had. He turned toward her and pulled her into a hug. The gesture made Chloe giggle, and she wrapped her arms around him in return, a light blush on her cheeks.

"Oh, so that's why you wanted to be alone." She pecked the side of his face before resting her chin on his shoulder, humming softly. "You're like me, I don't like expressing myself in front of lots of people either."

Gladion chuckled. "Yeah, but there's a little more to it than that." The redhead pulled back a little to look at him, a curious smile on her lips. The boy shifted his gaze down to her choker. "I've noticed something lately. You've barely taken off that choker since I got it for you. Does it mean that much to you?"

Chloe brought her fingers up to lightly touch the pokeball pendant that hung from the lowest part of the choker. "Of course it does. No one's ever bought me anything like this before. And being from you...well, that makes it even more precious."

Gladion couldn't keep from smiling at her words. "Well, you're precious to me." A dark blush crept across his face when he realized what he said. He was quick to clear his throat. "I-I mean...you know I..." He sighed at himself and suddenly leaned in, placing a quick peck on her lips.

The girl's eyes widened, completely astonished. Both of their faces were flushed, and for several seconds, they simply stared into each other's eyes. "G-Gladion..." Chloe muttered.

The blond sighed and released her from his hold, looking away in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself..."

He started to back away when Chloe reached out, grabbing him by the collar of his hoodie to halt him. She playfully smirked at him. "If you're going to kiss me, at least do it right."

Gripping his hoodie, she yanked him closer, closing her eyes and pushing her lips against his. Gladion was taken by surprise, but her soft lips were so enticing that he quickly relaxed, letting his eyes close. His arms gently wound around her waist, wishing for the moment to last. They were both so caught up in the kiss that they didn't realize they had company.

"Sa! Lazz lazzle!"

The cheerful cry made the couple pull apart, looking to see all their pokemon surrounding them. Neither had noticed the pokemon leave their pokeballs. Salazzle was especially happy, going right up to hug Chloe and Gladion.

"Salazzle..." The redhead couldn't help but smile, rubbing her partner's head. "All of you..." She looked up at the other pokemon. "So, you're all happy for us, huh?"

The pokemon all nodded and cried with joy, which made Gladion chuckle. "Well, at least none of them are against it." He looked at Chloe, affectionately tucking some hair behind her ear.

The girl giggled with delight, hugging him. When she released him, she looked at the others. "Since you all decided to join us, we can all watch the Minior shower together." She suddenly noticed Tyrantrum staring up at the night sky in awe. She went over to him, placing a gentle hand on his leg to get his attention. "What's up, Tyrantrum?"

The prehistoric pokemon glanced down at her, but kept his focus on the stars above. "Tyran...rantrum."

Chloe could feel the serenity emanating from him, following his gaze and understanding. "I get it. This view is just like it used to be back in your time." She gave a calm smile. "This world has always been new and scary to you, but the one thing that never changes is the sky filled with stars."

Tears suddenly started falling from the large pokemon's eyes. "Ty...ran...trum..."

Some of the other pokemon moved closer to comfort him. He lowered his head to Chloe though, and she hugged his snout. "I know you're homesick...but just remember, from now on, we're your home and family. We'll be here for you, Tyrantrum, all of us will."

Gladion joined the girl in comforting the prehistoric pokemon. "You're not alone, Tyrantrum. If anything, Silvally can understand how you feel." The synthetic pokemon stepped forward, locking eyes with the larger pokemon. "Silvally was born in a lab, and knew little about the world before traveling with me."

The two pokemon stared at one another, almost glaring. They'd had a bit of a rivalry before, especially when they first met. They didn't make a single sound, but Silvally approached Tyrantrum, and to everyone's surprise, he leaned forward to rest his nose against Tyrantrum's, as if to comfort him.

"Now, maybe we can all get along," Chloe said, taking Gladion's hand again. "How about it, everyone? Ready to relax and enjoy the view?"

The pokemon all responded with nods or excited cries. While Chloe and Gladion sat down side by side on the ground, the pokemon grouped together as well to watch the Minior. Salazzle leaned against Lycanroc, being all flirty, as usual, though the wolf pokemon seemed to be enjoying her behavior this time. Espeon and Umbreon sat together like best friends, and Ninetales joined them. Braviary perched on Tyrantrum's back while Silvally and Zoroark laid beside him. Seemed all their pokemon really had gotten closer, just as their trainers had.