Gladion looked to Chloe at his side. "Are you ready for this?"

The two were in the Lab area, standing before Faba, who had a large, complex machine with him. Gladion had his earpiece in, and so did Faba. They had been wired in a way that would let them keep in contact even beyond the wormhole, at least they hoped. Everything had been prepared for their trip to Nihilego's world.

Taking a deep breath, Chloe nodded. "I'm ready. Let's do this."

"Faba, turn it on," the blond ordered.

Faba did as instructed, flipping a few switches on the device. "Here we go."

The machine began whirring as it was brought to life. It emitted a bright light. Everyone shielded their eyes, and when the light dulled, like a seam coming undone, a tear ripped open in the air in front of them. The multiple colors swirling within it confirmed that it was indeed an Ultra Wormhole. The three stared in awe, astonished that it really worked and opened a wormhole with such ease.

Chloe gulped, slipping her hand into Gladion's. "Well, here we go."

Before she could take a step, an object could be seen emerging from the wormhole. "Chloe!" Gladion gasped out, immediately pulling her back. "Nihilego! It's here!"

They watched the Ultra Beast squeeze through the wormhole, wary of its presence. Gladion immediately called out his pokemon just to be safe. As for Chloe, she was frozen in place with wide eyes. She could feel the immense anger of the Nihilego. In one swift motion, the beast lunged forward, enveloping the redhead in its coils. She let out a panicked scream, dropping her bag as she thrashed.

"Chloe!" Gladion was quick to jump onto the Nihilego, trying his best to loosen its hold on the girl, but he wasn't strong enough to stop it. "Silvally!"

Just as Silvally started rushing to rescue them, the beast flew back through the wormhole, which closed up behind it. Chloe was still trapped in its tentacles when they emerged into a different world, and Gladion was still pulling at Nihilego, trying to pry it off his girlfriend. It ended up knocking him off though, and that's when he noticed their surroundings. Dark, crystalline stone made up everything around them, even the ground. It all glittered with a strange beauty, almost like glass. It was the place Gladion remembered well from when he had to rescue Lusamine.

"Gladion!"

Snapping his head around, the blond saw Chloe still struggling against the Nihilego. "Chloe!" He was on his feet in an instant. "Hang on!"

He gave chase to the beast, who was floating away with its captive. It was a frantic chase, and Gladion could see other Nihilego around, some being drawn to the commotion. The boy was out of breath by the time the beast finally stopped and turned to face him. Chloe gasped, seeing the incoming danger.

"Gladion, look out!"

A Nihilego suddenly came up behind him, engulfing him. The boy immediately started fighting against the tendrils that wound around him, but he couldn't break free. Without their pokemon, they didn't stand a chance. This couldn't be the end, could it? Chloe felt the beast tightening its grip on her, almost suffocating her.

"Glad...ion..." she choked out, gasping for air. "I can...hardly...breathe..." She was entangled in its coils, her strength leaving her as fearful tears started pouring from her eyes. "Please...help..." Her vision was beginning to go dark. It was then that the Nihilego attached itself to her head, causing her to scream. "No...! Stop it...!" She was fighting to remain in control as toxins began to enter her body.

Gladion stared with wide eyes, helplessly struggling to reach her but to no avail. "Chloe! Chloe!"

All hope was lost. There was nothing either of them could do. They were powerless to stop the Ultra Beasts. They would both soon be rendered puppets to the Nihilego that were parasitizing them.

A blue orb suddenly flew through the air, hitting the Nihilego that held Chloe. The girl was dropped to the ground, dazed and gasping for breath. Before Gladion could see where the attack originated from, another blue orb flew forward, striking the beast that captured him as well. He fell to his knees, and was quick to scramble over to his girlfriend. He pulled Chloe close, holding her in his arms.

"Chloe, you okay?" he frantically questioned. "Look at me. Are you okay?"

The girl met his gaze, looking dazed and weak. "I...think so..."

She collapsed against him, eyes half-lidded. He kept a firm hold on her, and looked to see where the attacks came from. A pokemon was there, standing up to the Ultra Beasts. It was a Lucario. Gladion stared with wide eyes. Is that...the Lucario? It saved us...

With a ghostly chitter, one of the Nihilego flew closer. It slung a tentacle out, shooting poison out. Lucario swiftly jumped in front of the trainers, taking the hit, which had no effect since it was a steel type. Lucario then used Meteor Mash, its paw glowing white before punching the beast, knocking it away. The pokemon shook off the bits of poison on its fur, then turned to look at the two.

"Lucar. Lu?" The pokemon moved closer, its red gaze glued to the girl who was fighting to stay conscious. "Cario?" It reached out, lightly touching her cheek to earn her attention. When she looked at it, Lucario immediately smiled, tears in its eyes. "Lu...car... Lucario!" It abruptly hugged her.

The girl's vision was fuzzy, but the feel of Lucario's fur and its scent flooded her mind with memories. She saw it clearly---the day she was attacked. The wormhole that opened in their living room allowed a Nihilego into their house. It had snatched up the young girl, and all she could do was scream and cry. It was Lucario who rushed to her aid. That calming scent, that soft fur that enveloped her---she remembered it now.

"Lucario...?" she mumbled, weakly smiling. "It's really you...you saved us...just like before...thank you..."

Lucario wiped his teary eyes, standing and scanning their surroundings. "Lu lucar."

Gladion watched the pokemon gesture with his paw. "You want us to follow you?" Lucario nodded. "All right. Let's get somewhere safe. Chloe, can you stand?" He steadily pulled her up with him.

"I...I can try...we have to go."

The redhead wobbled on her feet, her vision had cleared but her head ached. Nihilego hadn't had much of a chance to possess her, but her body was definitely still fighting off the toxins. Gladion kept her steady enough to run, following Lucario. They fortunately didn't have to go far to find a secluded and sheltered spot. It was like a cave in the crystalline rocks, and there were scraps of edible berry-like objects, which meant Lucario had been living there, surviving all those years.

It was only once they'd caught their breath and relaxed that there was something noticeable on Lucario. On his left arm, there was a black leather band around his upper arm. It had a thin, silver chain over the top of it, and attached to that chain was a Lucarionite.

"Is that...a Mega Stone?" Gladion inquired. He knew that Mega Stones were a rare thing, especially in Alola.

Chloe stretched her arm out toward the stone. "Does that mean my dad could use Mega Evolution?"

Lucario smiled and nodded. He then went over to the opposite end of the little cave, crouching to take something from between the rocks. When he came back over to them, he held a matching armband with a Key Stone attached to it. He held it out to Chloe, as if urging her to take it.

"You want me to have it?" she questioned before hesitantly taking it. "My dad's Key Stone...passed down to me."

She carefully slid it onto her left upper arm to match Lucario, smiling upon looking at it. She then brought the pokemon into a hug, thanking him. She was unsure whether she'd be able to make use of the Key Stone yet, but she wanted to learn how. With many of her memories back, she felt a strong bond to Lucario. He had been watching over her since she was born. The normally calm emotions she felt from him eased her worries.

The girl suddenly pulled away, clutching her head upon feeling it throb. The effects of Nihilego's toxins were still taking a toll on her. She steadily lowered to sit on the ground, in pain.

Gladion sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Take it easy, Chloe. Just rest for a bit, okay? You need to recover while I find us a way back home." He tried several times to reach Faba through his earpiece, but he couldn't seem to get a signal. He sighed in frustration. "So much for keeping in touch."

Chloe leaned into his side, resting her head on his shoulder. "Keep trying...we'll get home..." She was drowsy and still feeling weak.

"Lucar lu." The pokemon took something else from between the rocks before sitting on the girl's other side.

He carefully pushed the object under her hand. It was round and smooth, and Chloe didn't even have to look to know what it was. It was a pokeball---his pokeball. He was giving it to her as well, showing that he wanted to join her as a member of her team. With a tired smile on her lips, the redhead reached over, rubbing Lucario's head. In response, he leaned against her, wanting to keep her safe. Despite the circumstances, Chloe knew everything would be okay. They found Lucario, and they were all together.