An Ultra Past Forgotten (Pokemon Sun & Moon)

Chapter 20

"Master Gladion, are you certain?!"

The blond paced slowly back and forth, speaking with Faba on the other end of his earpiece. "Yes. There is a pokemon trapped in Nihilego's world, of this I'm sure."

"Then that explains the appearances of so many Nihilego..."

"Faba, we need a way to enter the Ultra Wormhole. Do you still have that device you made for Mother? The one that opens wormholes?"

An audible gasp could be heard through the earpiece. "Young Master, you can't be thinking of... The president would never approve of you doing something so reckless!"

Gladion huffed, frowning in irritation. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm acting president, what I say goes. Get that device up and running, and make all the necessary preparations, we're going to need it."

Faba sighed in exasperation. "Of course, Master Gladion."

Gladion took off the earpiece, slipping it back into his pocket. He then looked to Chloe, who was sitting on a rock, absentmindedly staring out at the wilderness. She still had wet tear streaks down her cheeks from where she'd been crying, and her eyes were a bit red and puffy.

"Chloe, you okay?" the boy inquired. "Are you ready to go yet?"

The redhead looked at him, broken from her depressing thoughts. "Y-yeah." She stood, wiping her cheeks and eyes. "I'm ready." She sniffled a little, refraining from breaking down again.

Gladion carefully brought her into a comforting hug. "Are you sure? We can stay a little longer if you need more time."

Chloe gripped the front of his hoodie, managing a smile and resting her head on his shoulder. "Yes, don't worry. There's no point in moping. We need to go, we have to save Lucario."

The blond released her, smiling. "That's right. So, let's go to Aether. Faba's going to patch up a machine to open a wormhole for us."

With a nod, Chloe called out Braviary, and they set out. It was already late in the day, so by the time they made it to Aether, the sun was setting. Gladion allowed Wicke to take Chloe and their pokemon to grab some food, they were all quite hungry for some supper. Meanwhile, Gladion went to speak with Faba about their preparations. The kitchen area at Aether was huge, big enough for all the pokemon to go inside. There were containers and cupboards full of berries and basic ingredients to make pokemon food. But since it was all mostly meant for pokemon, Chloe had to get creative. With Wicke's help, she started fixing up a meal they could all enjoy.

It was a little while later when Gladion returned. "Mmm, something smells good." He sniffed at the tasty aroma wafting through the kitchen, stepping inside to see all their pokemon gathered around eating.

"It's the stew Chloe and I made," Wicke told him, smiling brightly. "It's something both people and pokemon can enjoy. Come on and grab a bowl, Young Master."

He walked past the pokemon, looking at the way they all gobbled up the stew in their bowls. Even Silvally was enjoying the meal. "How did you make this?"

The girl smiled, already pouring him a bowl. "Well, with so many ingredients for pokemon food, I used an assortment of berries to create something for all of us. I had to make sure all the berries would compliment each other's flavor, so Miss Wicke helped with that part. It was a combined effort."

The woman gave a bashful giggle. "Oh, I didn't do that much. This was all made from your ingenuity, Chloe."

With a small thanks, Gladion graciously accepted his bowl. As soon as he stuck a spoonful into his mouth, he froze momentarily. "Whoa, that's delicious." He immediately dug in.