Faba was in a panic, especially with all the pokemon giving him angry looks. He was working hard on getting the communications up, along with fixing the device that opened the wormhole. It had malfunctioned, which is why the portal closed so abruptly behind the pair. He had to work fast to be able to help the trainers trapped in Nihilego's world.

"Hang on, young Master Gladion, Miss Chloe!" he shouted, trying to reassure himself and the pokemon. "I'll have you out in no time!"

Chloe's pokemon had all come out of their pokeballs, joining Gladion's team. They were all very worried. Salazzle and Silvally were anxiously pacing and crying for Faba to hurry it up. The others were all sitting by, constantly waiting for a sign or something to let them know their trainers were okay. Tyrantrum, after having made peace with the present time he's in, laid quietly, flicking his tail while Zoroark and Braviary comforted him and kept him calm as best they could. He had gotten stronger, no longer rampaging whenever Chloe wasn't with him.

"Salazz lazz salazzle!" the lizard pokemon called furiously to Faba. "Sa lazzle!"

"I'm working on it!" the man yelled back. "I can't rush too much and mess this up." After a few more minutes, he grinned. "I think I've done it! Now, to test whether I can reach the young master when he's a world away."

~~~~~

Chloe groaned softly, clutching her rumbling stomach. Hours had passed, and they still hadn't been able to reach Faba, though the girl had fortunately recovered in that time. The two were getting hungry now, and as it turns out, the strange berries Lucario found weren't quite edible for humans. It gave the girl a grim thought.

"No wonder my parents lost their lives in this place," she mumbled, sorrow and fear in her eyes. "It must've been terrifying for them."

Lucario rested his paw over her hand, giving her a reassuring look. She managed to smile thanks to him. She then looked over at Gladion, who was still pacing and attempting to reach Faba.

"Gladion." His gaze landed on the redhead. "You're going to wear yourself out. Come sit down."

With a sigh, he did just that, taking a seat on the ground beside Chloe. "We should've gotten home by now. I'm sorry, I'm just...out of ideas."

A sad smile tugged at the girl's lips. "Don't apologize, it's not your fault." She leaned over to kiss his cheek. "At least we're together." She looked at Lucario and wrapped an arm around him, pulling him into a hug. "All of us."

Gladion tried to be optimistic as well. "If anything, at least we found Lucario. I just wish there was something we could do..." He trailed off, his eyes widening upon hearing static through his earpiece.

"Mas...Gla...on..." Faba's voice faded in and out.

"Faba? Is that you?" the boy asked, hoping for a clearer response.

"...ster...dion..." He was still breaking up, but through the static, his voice steadily became clearer. "Maste...Gladi...Master Gladion!"

A smile broke out on the blond's face. "Faba! I hear you!"

"What a relief! I'm terribly sorry, young Master, the devices I made for communications and opening the wormhole malfunctioned! But it seems I've successfully got them working again! Are you both all right?"

"We're okay, and we found Lucario too. All we need is to get out of here. Can you open up another Ultra Wormhole?" He noticed both his girlfriend and the pokemon had perked up, listening attentively.

"Of course, I'll have it open in mere moments. It should be in the general area where you first entered that world."

"We'll be there. See you on the other side, Faba." Silence fell, and Gladion looked to the others. "There will be a wormhole for us to pass through back where we first entered this world. Are you both ready?"

Lucario nodded along with Chloe, both smiling with relief. "Yes, let's go. I don't want to stay here a moment longer."

After making sure they left nothing behind, the trio set out. Gladion navigated them in the direction he remembered coming from. Of course, some curious Nihilego halted them.

Chloe growled in frustration. "Them again." She met the fiery gaze of her pokemon. "What do you say we teach them a lesson, Lucario?"

"Lucar!"

They high-fived, and Lucario took a fighting stance. It would be their first battle together, but they trusted in each other. "Let's show them what you got with Bone Rush!"

Lucario summoned a glowing bone in his paws, and leapt toward the nearest Ultra Beast, whacking it over the head. The attack was super effective, knocking that Nihilego out with a single blow. One of the other beasts rushed toward the pokemon from behind.

"Look out! Dodge it!"

With Chloe's warning and his own keen senses, the dual type ducked under the beast. "Now, use Meteor Mash!"

With his fist glowing white, Lucario landed an uppercut that sent the Nihilego flying. The last beast of the group moved in with its tentacles outstretched, ready to trap Lucario.

"Counter that one with Close Combat!"

Lucario landed a flurry of punches and kicks that stopped the beast from trapping him, and effectively sent it fleeing.

"Way to go!" the girl praised, impressed by Lucario's skill.

Gladion's smile faded when he saw the approaching danger. "It's not over yet! There's a whole swarm of them!"

There were numerous Nihilego gathering, possibly attracted to all the noise. With no other options, Lucario continued to fight, but with their numbers, it seemed like they'd never beat them all. And worst of all, the beasts were trapping them, surrounding them on all sides. If that wasn't bad enough, Lucario was tiring.

"What do we do?" the redhead frantically asked. "There's just too many of them. Every time we make an opening, another Nihilego closes it off."

"Lu lucar!" Chloe turned toward the pokemon. "Rio rio!" He pointed to his Mega Stone armband.

Chloe gasped and looked at her left arm, the Key Stone in place on her matching armband. "Lucario...you really think we can do this? Am I up to it?"

The pokemon nodded, and the girl was reassured by the sheer determination and confidence she felt from Lucario. The pokemon that had watched over her as a child, and saved her life more than once---she had complete faith in him. For Lucario, Chloe was the daughter of his best human friend, and she'd grown quite strong, he could tell. He trusted in Chloe's judgment.

The girl lightly touched her Key Stone. "All right, Lucario! It's time to Mega Evolve!"

The stone glowed with a bright, dazzling light. The Lucarionite glowed in response to it. Gladion gasped, watching in awe as the pokemon was enveloped by a colorful light. After a moment, the light dispersed, revealing Mega Lucario in all his glory. He let out a mighty cry, striking fear into his opponents.

"It worked..." Gladion said with a gasp. "You two did it! You achieved a Mega Evolution!"

Chloe grinned with excitement. "We sure did! All right, Lucario, clear us a path using Bone Rush!"

After summoning a glowing bone, Mega Lucario swiftly moved in, landing attacks on multiple Nihilego. The powerful blows knocked them out, giving them an opening to run.

"Gladion, now's our chance!" She grabbed his hand and hurried behind her pokemon, who kept the path clear.

The few Nihilego that tried to stop them got a taste of Bone Rush, and the rest of the beasts gave up the chase. Before long, the boy pointed ahead of them, seeing an Ultra Wormhole, just as Faba had told him.

"There it is!" he cried, keeping a tight hold on Chloe's hand so they wouldn't get separated. "Let's hurry!"

Mega Lucario stopped and allowed them to pass him. There were a couple of Nihilego on their tails. Chloe halted, and so did Gladion, both looking back at the pursuing beasts.

"Lucario, stop them with Aura Sphere!"

The dual type created a blue orb of aura between its paws, and launched it at the Nihilego. The attack landed, knocking both beasts back. The trio took that opportunity to jump into the wormhole. They seemed to soar through a rainbow of colors, and while Gladion held one of her hands, Chloe reached for Mega Lucario with her free hand, clutching his paw firmly. She flashed him a smile that said she was never letting him go again.

After a few moments, they reached the exit, and were abruptly thrown onto a cold, metal floor. Quickly sitting up, they were met with the relieved, joyful faces of their pokemon teams. In the blink of an eye, a flash of light around Mega Lucario gave way to his normal form again. All of the pokemon smothered them with affection, and Chloe couldn't help but laugh when she saw the way Silvally practically stuck Gladion's face in his mouth just to be able to lick his cheek. The girl's pokemon soon turned their attention to Lucario, curious.

"Everyone, this is Lucario. He was my father's partner, and he saved my life when I was young. Now he's a part of our team, so be good to him."

Salazzle was the first to greet Lucario, and the others soon followed her lead. Even Tyrantrum gave a somewhat uncaring welcome, and Gladion's pokemon were more than happy to meet the new addition as well. Right away, Lucario and Zoroark bonded well, both having watched over their current trainers as children.

"Master Gladion, Miss Chloe," Faba spoke, smiling apologetically at the two as he clasped his hands together. "So sorry for taking so long on repairs. I'm glad to see you're both okay and have succeeded."

Gladion gave him a neutral expression. "Just try to make machines that don't malfunction next time. And another thing, just to be sure Lucario's presence in Nihilego's world really was the cause of the Ultra Wormholes, continue monitoring Alola for any readings relating to Ultra Beasts or wormholes."

Faba nodded. "Excellent idea, young Master Gladion. I'll be sure to do that."

"In the meantime," Chloe interrupted, "how about we all relax? I'll even fix us some dinner. Lucario's sure to enjoy a proper meal for once."

"Lucar!" the dual type heartily agreed.

Gladion smiled and placed a light peck on the girl's cheek. "That sounds like a great idea."

With Lucario back, Chloe felt like everything would be okay. Her parents could rest easy now knowing that their beloved pokemon had been reunited with their daughter. Alola was once again saved from the Ultra Beast menace, and now that their mission was over, perhaps a new journey could begin for Chloe and Gladion.