(Above picture is Salvia.)
Lusamine was excited. It was her wedding day! She would be marrying the professor that had stolen her heart. His name was Mohn Aether. He was the kindest man on the planet!
She made sure that she had dressed in her beautiful wedding dress and did her hair in her favorite way: half in a bun and the other half in waves. After that, she called her bridesmaids in.
Her sister, Ellis was one of them. She quickly touched up any areas the Lusamine couldn't see. "There you go! You're all ready. You're going to be the most beautiful bride in existance. I fear you might have surpassed even my own beauty," Ellis said. She kissed her sister on the top of the head and hugged her tightly.
Her friends, Melissa Solstice and Andrea Juniper nodded. They had tears in their eyes. "It's going to be perfect, Lusa! Don't you worry, you'll be the happiest woman ever. You picked a fine man."
She quickly hugged both of them. Finally, she would be married!
-
"Honey? Lucy? Dear? What's wrong?" Mohn asked. His wife was sitting there, staring at the wall like it was her best friend.
"Nothing," she muttered and started staring at the floor.
Mohn raised his eyebrows. That was not normal in the least. He walked over and sat beside her on their couch. "Was it something I did? Have I been at work too much? Have I been spending too much time away from you?"
Lusamine scoffed. She was not a jealous person. "No."
"Well what is it? Do I have to go ask your friends?"
"Please don't."
"Then tell me."
"Fine. I'm pregnant."
Mohn smiled widely. "Really! That's..." he trailed off and hugged her. He was so worried that it was something bad.
"You're not mad?"
He smiled at her. "How could I possibly be mad? We're going to have a little baby!"
-
Lusamine thought her daughters were beautiful. Their names were Salvia and Rose. Mohn had just gotten a big promotion, too. Everything was looking up. Well, both of them were a bit sickly. But, everything else was perfect.
Rose often coughed. She sometimes had trouble breathing. Lusamine never left her side on those nights. She wouldn't let anything happen to her babies.
-
"I'm sorry, Miss Lusamine. There is nothing we can do. We can give her some pain medication and keep her asleep, but that's it," the nurse said. She didn't know what else she could say.
Lusamine looked at her. She was about to start crying. "Stop that now! My daughter, my 6 month old daughter, is dying, and you can't do ANYTHING! I don't care WHAT you have to do, DO SOMETHING!" she yelled. She was sobbing and ran out of the room. She picked up Rose. "Mama's got you. Don't you worry, It'll all be fine."
-
"Lusamine, come here," Ellis said. She hugged her twin sister tightly.
"I couldn't save her. I couldn't, Ellis! I-I'm a terrible mother!" she sobbed. "Salvia hates me, too! I can't do anything right!"
Mohn walked over holding Salvia at that point. "Dear, stop that right now. It's not your fault. Rose... I believe she is in a better place. It wasn't your fault Lucy."
"MAAAAA!" Salvia yelled. She reached for Lusamine.
Lusamine smiled briefly and took her daughter. She picked her up and hugged her closely. "I'll protect you, darling."
-
Salvia reached for her mom's hand. Her mom was always sad now. Salvia didn't like it. She just wanted her mom to smile. It had been months since Hana and Daisy had died. They had only lived a few months.
Salvia had liked them. They were cute. She liked holding Hana and Daisy. They liked to sleep and didn't pull hair like other babies she knew. She didn't know why they had died. They had been fine, and then suddenly, they got super sick.
Daddy liked to read to her. She liked it when Daddy would read to her. She liked it best when Mama would sing to her though. Mama hadn't sung in a while, though. Mama didn't sing when she was sad.
"Mama, do you love me?
Lusamine was shocked by this question. Of course she loved her daughter! "Salvia, of course Mama loves you! Why wouldn't I?"
Salvia looked up at her with her big green eyes. "Well, you're always sad. You cry and you're alone all the time. I just thought that maybe... I was making you sad."
Lusamine knelt down and hugged her daughter closely. "Salvia, I never stopped loving you, ever. I stopped promising this a while ago, but I will protect you to the best of my ability. I will love you and shield you from harm!"
After that, her mom got better. Lusamine would spend more time with her daughter and husband. She would sing. They built a pokemon protection center called Aether Paradise. Salvia made friends with a few of the girls that often visited, including Isabell Brunette, Wick Gerain, and Aurea Juniper. (Cyan only counted sometimes.)
-
Salvia was 11 when Gladion and Amaryllis were born. She loved them. She vowed to protect them. Gladion was very sickly and had to be taken to the doctor often. They said his prognosis wasn't good.
Salvia didn't believe them. He was the most stubborn baby she had ever seen. She knew he would make it on sheer determination if he had to. He wouldn't let something like an illness take him down.
Amaryllis was usually healthy. But, when she got sick, she got really sick. Sometimes it scared Salvia how... weak... a baby could be.
But, as time went on, both of them turned out all right. Her dad had even told her the news that she was going to have more siblings! She hoped they would be healthy. She wanted to take care of them, like she took care of Gladi and Ryllis.
-
Lillie and Jasmine were born. Lillie was named after Mohn's great-aunt, so her name wasn't spelled like the flower. Both of them were healthy girls. They were smart and strong, too. Salvia loved them. She, Isabell, Wicke, and Aurea would babysit them for a while so their parents could have date nights. They loved it.
Salvia had a happy family.
-
There was a really bad sickness that spread like a wildfire throughout all of Aether Paradise. Anyone sick was sent home. However, everyone in her family got it.
Salvia was 16. Gladion and Amaryllis were 5. Lillie and Jasmine were almost 3. All of them were sick. She had heard about some of the employee's deaths. She had heard about Wicke's parents deaths. She saw how sick they were getting. Salvia wished they were as healthy as she was.
She recovered first. It wasn't surprising, that was always the case. Lille was getting better, too. Jasmine hadn't changed in a week, and Gladion and Amaryllis had been getting worse.
-
Lusamine worked all through the night to make her children comfortable. She only stopped when Mohn physically pulled her away and forced her to sleep. She didn't want to let what happened to Rose, Daisy, and Hana happen to them. She wouldn't! She would save them!
She headed into the research labs. She just needed to make a cure. It had to work, or else... Lusamine wouldn't let that happen. It would work.
-
She never finished the cure. Jasmine died. A week after that, Amaryllis died. It tore her apart. It tore Mohn apart. It tore Salvia apart. Gladion never slept through the night. Lillie cried all day. They were broken.
-
Mohn decided he needed to do something. He needed to do something meaningful for someone else. He remembered Robert's story. He knew that something was out there, chasing them, and hunting them.
Mohn knew it was true. He just had to prove it before Melissa's family felt like his. He had to fix it before the rest of them disappeared. He could help them like he couldn't help his own family.
Salvia helped his research. She remembered Cyan. She remembered Robert. She had met Hilbert and Crys. She knew that their family was falling apart. She wanted to protect the last few. She would protect them like she protected Gladion and Lillie.
-
Mohn's research was proven correct. Ultra Wormholes existed. They couldn't create them, but they could detect them. The beasts that flew from them were dangerous. They were powerful. They were terrifying. They were given the name Ultra Beasts.
They started training their pokemon. Lusamine with her precious pokemon she had owned since her island trial days, Mohn with his favorite research assistants, and Salvia with a few of the pokemon from the conservatory that didn't want to go back to the wild. They wanted them to be ready for anything.
-
It was Gladion. There was something wrong with his eye. They were going to do surgery. He was only 5, he didn't want people to poke his eye. He cried for hours before.
"Mama! Daddy! Salvie! Amy! Please, don't let them poke me! I don't want them to poke me!" he cried.
Lillie would hug her brother. "Don't worry. Mama will save us!"
At that point, Lusamine cried with her son. She didn't want them to poke her son either, but it would save him.
She held him through the whole thing. When he woke up she was holding him. When he couldn't see well with his right eye, she helped him walk. She wouldn't let him go.
-
"What!?" Lusamine cried.
The person on the other end of the phone was crying. "Yeah, you heard. It came back. I-It got Ross and Sun. They don't think Moon's going to make it. It's been over a month. She hasn't woken up. Naomi is in a really bad place. Red... Red, too. It was the only time he left Mount Silver. He really bonded with Sun. He would stay over and watch them for days. He might have spent more time there than here. I miss them."
"Melissa, we're coming to visit. Don't tell Naomi, well, unless you think it'll help. I want to surprise her."
Melissa gasped. "Really, thank you so much!"
-
Lusamine told her family they were going on a vacation. They were excited. She didn't tell them where they were going. She just said that they were traveling the world and visiting some old friends.
"Who?" Salvia asked.
"A handsome champion might be on the list," Lusamine hinted with wiggling eyebrows.
Salvia turned the color of her namesake, a dark red. "I don't know who you could be talking about! Plus, the only 'handsome champions' I know are in relationships," she huffed.
Lusamine ruffled her daughter's hair. "Fair. That doesn't mean they aren't handsome, though," she said, smirking.
Salvia rolled her eyes. Sometimes...
Mohn held Lillie and Gladion's hands. (Only one with consent; Gladion was getting to the moody teenage years.) Salvia was walking along. She was wringing her hands nervously. She knew where they were. They were at Aunt Melissa's. They hardly visited anymore, and when there were visits there was usually bad news.
"Mom?"
"Yes, Salvia?"
"Did... something bad happen?"
Lusamine and Mohn's faces fell. "Yes," her dad replied.
"What?" Lillie asked. "What's bad?"
Gladion looked nervous. He couldn't image what could have happened, but they were visiting Kanto for it.
"Do you remember Red's cousins, Sun and Moon?"
"Yeah, Sun's awesome!" Gladion replied. They had visited them when they were in Kanto last time. He had become fast friends with the older boy.
"Do you remember... Cyan?" her mother added.
Salvia froze. She looked at them in terror. Tears started forming in her eyes. "Them, too? But..."
"Mom, what happened to Cyan!?" Gladion cried.
"He... an Ultra Beast killed him," she replied.
Lillie gasped. "Moon! She can't be... dead, can she?"
Mohn shook his head. "No, no. Moon isn't dead. She just... hasn't woken up in almost... 2 months." Mohn realized how dubious that sounded. "She's in a coma."
"Sun?" Gladion asked.
"Naomi and Ross?" Salvia asked. She had gotten along pretty well with the parents.
Lusamine sighed. "No one knows. They're just... gone. No bodies or anything. Well, actually, there were a few of Sun and Ross's pokemon that were there, but that's it."
They ended up visiting Moon with Naomi. She looked so tiny on the large white bed with little machines keeping her alive. One never would have guessed that she was older than Lillie.
"Has she gotten any better?" Lusamine asked.
"They think she's going to wake up soon. Well, soon or... not at all," Naomi finished the last part very quietly.
Gladion touched her hand. "She's... stubborn. She'll make it."
Naomi smiled weakly. "You're right, Gladion. She will wake up. I just hope she remembers me."
They heard a gasp coming from the figure on the bed. She sat up with a start. "SUN!" she screamed hoarsely. She looked around at the people near her. She started panicking. She started hyperventilating. She fainted.
Naomi quickly pushed the button to call a nurse in.
Everyone else was sent out.
-
Lillie had been one of the few people Moon would stay near, so she would go over to Kanto for a few weeks at a time to help with all types of therapy. Gladion was kind of sad she didn't remember him. But, she didn't remember anyone, so he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he focused his efforts on helping find Sun.
Mom, Dad, and Salvia were creating a Pokemon that would be so powerful it could easily defeat the Ultra Beasts. It was going to be called Type Full. There would be 5. One for each member of their family.
Gladion would train his to be the strongest pokemon in existence. They would rescue Sun. They would rescue any of Sun's family that was there, like Hilbert, Sapphire, Emerald, Crystal, and anyone else.
-
The Type Full experiment failed. The pokemon were called Type Null. They were crazy. They went bezerk during one of the testing experiments. Gladion still snuck away to see them. He liked one. It was smaller than the others. He gave it berries sometimes. It stopped growling at him.
-
Lillie was away again. However, the Aether family had made a big discovery. They could create an Ultra Wormhole. The whole family was anxious to try it out. They would tell the results to the Solstice family.
Gladion wasn't allowed in the room. Salvia and Mohn were the head researchers, so they were leading the experiment. Lusamine was running security a few doors down.
Gladion was watching from the window to the room. It gave him a good view of what was going on. He could see his dad and big sister in their lab coats and set jaws. They were ready. They would open an Ultra Wormhole.
"Good luck!"
They were observing things. They were converting energy to the machine. Salvia hit a few buttons and Mohn played with some levers.
A shockwave spread throughout the room. The windows broke. The machinery was jostled. A tear had appeared in the air! Gladion stood up from where he was on the ground. He brushed the glass off and ran into the room.
"Son, get out, it's dangerous!" Mohn warned.
"Dad, I worked on this, too! I want to see what happens!" he protested.
Salvia rustled his hair. "Come on, Dad, I'll protect him."
Mohn smiled lightly. "Fine," he relented, "but NO touching! Am I clear?"
Gladion nodded and stood next to them. The tear got bigger. The whole room seemed to buzz with energy and electricity. Some shapes were appearing from the tear. They were long tentacles. More started flooding in.
Salvia, Mohn, and Gladion looked at each other in panic. That wasn't supposed to happen. "We have to shut it off!" Salvia cried.
Gladion lunged for the shutdown button. He was grabbed by a long fleshy tentacle. A screech was heard from a distance. Gladion yelled and scratched at the fleshy tendril until it let go. He had to get to that button!
He was grabbed again. He tried to escape, but to no avail. It was wrapped around him tight. Salvia grabbed him as he was being pulled backwards. She had a vice grip on his arm. She wouldn't let go of him for anything. Mohn had called his pokemon out and was trying to fight his way to the button.
A big fat arm appeared from the Wormhole. It had a long needle. There was a poisonous substance dripping from it. Gladion panicked. He knew what was going to happen. It was The Ultra! It would kill them! He growled at it and set his hands firmly on the tentacle. He ripped at it until it tore apart. The screeching was intensifying.
"Run!" Gladion screamed. Salvia was practically dragging him to the exit. "DAD!" he yelled. Mohn was still trying to get the button!
Mohn smiled. His son was so brave. He was so close to the button. He just had to get there, then he could stop the madness. He saw a long needle snaking in the direction of his kids. "SALVIA, GLADION, RUN!" he screamed. He knew what was going to happen if they didn't. He wouldn't lose another child.
He lunged for the button. The needle hit Salvia. A tentacle wrapped around him. He saw blood. He heard screams, his own among them. He saw nothing. He heard nothing. He was nothing.
-
Lusamine was broken. She had to find Mohn. She had to open an Ultra Wormhole. Gladion ran away. Lillie ran away. Why? How could they leave her? Couldn't they see she needed them? Couldn't they see she needed their father? Couldn't they see she needed Salvia?
Why did they leave her? WHY!? She had to find Mohn! She had to find her children! She would save them. She would protect her family!