#the jellyfish creature was nihilego

[spaceumbredoggos]

Listening to Taylor swift at the moment. Here's another chapter of Aces and Oh's

Chapter Ten (I want you back, back.)

Kenz’s POV:

Mother ran off into the  woods, staggering with each step. “Wait!!! Mother!!! What are you doing?”

“Kenz. I just need time to process this.” Mother sat down at the forest’s edge, staring at the bottle of vodka in her hand. She stared at the pills in her other hand and sighed. “Have I really been that bad of a mother too you before I left?”

“You smacked me in the face when I screamed. You threw me outside when I was ‘acting like an animal.’ You called my step mom a slut. You spread lies… Okay, now that I think about it, I’m not 100% sure they’re completely lies knowing my dad. But, you abandoned me att the age of nine with the false promise of ‘Mommies always come back for their babies,’ which, newsflash, why the fuck would they ever leave? You almost killed my gran, who has done nothing but try to help you.”

“Well what has Jacob done--”

“Why does it even matter? What’s done is done. You’re on death’s door due to your own selfish ways. You drank until your liver couldn’t process the alcohol anymore. That’s how you get cancer.” I climbed up a tree as Mother gazed up at me. “Have I really hurt you that much? I thought you would be more forgiving.”

“The axe forgets, but the tree always remembers.” I lit a cigarette from Mother’s box that I stole and started smoking. Mother climbed up the tree and put out the cigarette and shook her head. “You have no jurisdiction to do that.” I immediately started smoking another, craving the nicotine like a desert craved rain. Mother gritted her teeth and tried to take the cigarettes away from me, but I transformed into a blazing skywing dragon and flew up into the air, clutching them in my talons. 

“Do you want to end up like me?”

“That was Father’s favorite line.” I roared, landing on the ground and transforming into the form of a hellhound. “Kenz, I’m sorr--”

She was cut off by a fearsome snarl from my throat. “I don’t want to hear it. Just because you have your whole ‘end of life crisis’ doesn’t mean I’m ready to have you back into my life. And how do I know you’re not tryna take advantage of every bleeding hearted good samaritan that comes your way?” I transformed back into my human form and collapsed in front of Mother. She rushed up to me to help me up, but I turned away. “I’m fine.”

“It’s all the cigarettes.” Mother took her box back and chucked them into the stream. “That’s littering. You’ll give the trout a nicotine addiction.” I dove into the stream to retrieve the box. I ate all the soggy cigarettes and started eating the box. Mother took the box out of my jaws before I could finish tearing it to bite sized pieces. “Wookie. Please talk to me. You’re scaring me.”

“Good.” I hissed, stalking a mouse that decided to come out of its burrow. “No!!!” Mother held me back as I started to make agitated fox noises. She put me down and sighed. “Kenz. What happened to you? You used to be so--”

“Trusting? Innocent? Someone you could convince to drop everything with a letter promising me a cat?” I felt the hairs on my back stand up. “Kenz--” “I don’t care what Atlas says. I’m not letting you in the house. You deserve prison and rehab. Not your adult children’s bleeding hearts.” I turned around to walk back to the shack, brushing away my footprints with each step. “I hope you don’t mean that.” Mother took a step forward, but turned away as I kept walking. 

The night sky was illuminated with a flurry of stars. I sighed. Forgetting the way to the mystery shack. No biggie. I’ll pull it up on Google maps once I find my way back into town. I sat down in the clearing, my legs exhausted. My mouth ached for a cigarette, but there was none left in my pockets. Stupid cravings. I eventually found one of Holly’s vape pens in the pocket of my shorts. I took a hit, gazing up high at the night sky. 

A stag pranced around in front of me. I ignored the creature as it started to approach me curiously. “Go on!!! I’m a big mean scary human!!!” I tried to make snarling wolf noises as I puffed out my coat to look like a fierce predator. The stag twitched his ears in amusement as he gave me a big sloppy lick on the face. 

“Ugh!! Seriously?”

“You always had a way with animals.” Mother chuckled as the stag trotted off at the sight of another human. “What do you want?”

“Need help finding your way back?”

“I don’t need you. I don’t need anyone.” I gazed at my phone, which was swiftly losing battery. “You inherited your father’s stubbornness and pride.” 

“What else is new?” I sat down, deciding that I should sleep through the night underneath the stars. “You don’t speak very highly of your father.”

“You never did ever since the divorce.” What if she knew some things I didn’t? I brushed away the thought as Mother sat beside me. I scooted away, flinching from her touch as she reached for my shoulder. I snarled, but Mother wasn’t scared. She picked a tick off my shoulder. “Thanks.”

“Remember the house in Connecticut?” Mother asked out of the blue. “Oh yes. It was my last sense of a somewhat normal family. Catching frogs in the summer. Making snowmen with cheetohs in the winter. Now, whenever I think of snow, I want to pull my teeth out. Although when I think of warm tropical sands, I want to stick myself in the rainiest of woods up a poisonous tree with bullet ants and toxic caterpillars.”

“You always were a climber.” Mother smiled. “There’s a certain advantage of being up high.” I turned my head away and towards the moon. I laid down, burying my nose into the sticks and mud. I rolled in the grass, getting the tangy smell all over me. Mother rolled her ice blue eyes as I chased after a firefly. The firefly decided to land on me, illuminating itself brightly. 

“What music have you been listening too?”

Is this her attempt of making a simple conversation? I rolled my eyes and let the firefly fly off. “Emo rock, some country, a lot of video game music which you would hate because it has no words, fanmade music for my favorite fandoms, whatever songs I find watching warrior cats maps.” I counted on my hand all the different genres. “Do you remember Kids by MGMT?” 

Mother’s words caused me to freeze. “What about Airplanes by The Local Natives?” Mother pulled out her phone and started to play Airplanes by The Local Natives. “You used to love this song.” 

“It was about the singer’s grandpa. Made me think of Grandpa JT.” I rolled my eyes as mother sighed with sorrow. “It makes me think about you.” 

Curiosity got the better of me. “What about it makes you think of me?”

“Well, it makes me think of all those carrides to the beach we would make in the summer.” Mother showed me a video she had saved of me telling her the muffin joke my cousin Reina had told me. “What I was gonna say was, you used to be so funny. Now you’re so sad and mean.” 

“Humor sorta lost its kick the last time I was in the psych ward.” I bristled at the memory. “You were in a psych ward?”

“I’ve been to five different ones.” I gritted my teeth. “And don’t you dare ‘Poor baby’ me. I made it out alive, didn’t I?”

“Do you still have that box with all the pictures on it?”

“It’s where I keep my pens and my change.” I turned away. Even the strongest of fighters need someone in their corner. I grimaced at the words on the box as I curled up to go to sleep. “You’re going to sleep out here? In the cold?”

“It would be much harder to travel at night. And I’m tired.” I closed my eyes as Mother nudged me. “Don’t you have night vision or a flashlight on your phone? And you can navigate by smell.”

“Well excuse me for having energy limitations.” I hissed, feeling a shift in the air. A strange acrid tang filled my nostrils. The air seemed lighter, thinning to the point of my ears starting to pop. Mother gazed up at the sky. “Wh-what is that?” Her voice quivered with fear as I gazed up at a crack in the sky. The tear opened up into a hole, and out popped a semi-translucent bluish white jellyfish creature. 

The scent of the creature reeked of the deep sea and burnt glass. I gritted my teeth as I tried to get my phone to turn on, but to no avail as the battery was dead. “What is that?”

“We need to get far away from here. And we can’t lead that thing towards the shack.” I growled, transforming into the form of a large nightwing dragon. “Hop on. It’s faster if I fly.”

“I--”

“I said HOP ON!!!!” Mother obliged as I flew towards the other end of the forest, leading the strange jellyfish-like creature deeper into the wilds. My wings grew sore as I collapsed onto the ground. I panted and transformed back into my human form. “You shouldn’t exert yourself like that.” Mother chided me, but I was too shaky with exhaustion to reply. 

The creature flew through the woods, aiming itself at me. “Don’t let it touch you!!!” I stood between Mother and the creature, transforming into a quadrepedal chimeric creature with traits from different creatures. I was unable to hold the form for long as Mother tried to nudge me to safety. “Save yourself, Mother.” I whimpered, gesturing for her to flee. “I can’t have that wretched thing attacking my baby.”

“I’m not your baby anymore.” I turned away as Mother grabbed her phone to call for help. The crack in the sky intercepted cell service, making any calls for help not go through. The jellyfish-like creature latched onto Mother. “Oh No!!!”

With a hiss, I transformed into an inky black wolf-like creature with large bat-like ears, electric blue rings like an umbreon, draconic wings with electric blue rings, jagged mule-deer like antlers, and navy blue barbs on my tail, wrists, and ankles. Without a second thought, I slashed the monster with my antlers, detaching it from Mother. The creature hissed and retreated back into the crack in the sky, but not before scraping me up with its tentacles.

I collapsed onto the ground with gaping wounds on my shoulders as I transformed back into my human form. Mother caught her breath, fairly beat up herself from where the monster latched onto her. Mother staggered with each step, frayed from the neurotoxins the creature injected her with. All I felt was pain as I vomited all over the crystalline clearing. 

“Wh-where are we?’ Mother asked, still conscious and talking despite the ordeal. She seemed clearer and less tired, and no longer reeked of alcohol, oxycontin, and cigarettes. She no longer had that edge to her that would set the most moistened tree completely ablaze. She no longer reeked with the fury and hatred of a thousand suns. No, her composure was filled with solace, care, and worry. 

My mind was jumping like fleas on a rabbit from one thought to the next. Every single memory from Bill’s wicked words and claws came jumping back. I was reliving everything, spasming with each breath. Mother could only watch on as I held back the tears and tried to put on a brave face. “Kenz. Baby. Talk to me.”

“Mother… I’m…” But the word ‘fine” couldn’t come out of my mouth. I dipped my head, the tears cascading down my sighted eye as the blinded one failed to weep. For the first time, mother got a good look at the scars on my face. She gasped in horror and pity as I held back the urge to weep. “M-mommy… I’m sorry.” I sobbed, collapsing into her as I heard a pickup truck pull up. Atlas and Holly walked out, gasping at the sight of the ghastly wounds on mother and I.

“What happened?” Atlas asked as I babbled something along the lines of “Jellyfish monster.”

“Let’s get you two back to the shack.” Holly helped me in the car as I leaned on Mother, letting her rub my shoulders. “Mommy, am I gonna be okay? It hurts!!! Everything hurts!! I’m scared!!! I don’t know which thoughts are me or… or…”

“It’s alright, Wookie.” Mother sighed, cleaning out shards of glassy down from my wounds. “It’s gonna be okay. You were very brave. You saved my life.” Mother held my head in her hands as I for once, didn’t avert my gaze. “I-I was brave?” 

“Yeah.” Mother smiled. “I would’ve just accepted my fate at the tentacles of that monster. But not you. You didn’t think twice. You transformed into this terrifying creature and attacked the monster no question. You scared it off.” Mother cleaned out the debris from my wounds. “I’m so proud of you, Kenz.”

Maybe it was the neurotoxin coursing through my veins, but there was something on the tip of my tongue. “G-guys… There’s something I have to tell you… As a family. Don’t tell Ford. He’ll never let me hear the end of it.” 

“What is it?” Atlas asked, but before I could get a word out, I felt my sighted eye close as I passed out. 

[flightyquinn]

Random thought I have about Ultra Beasts.

As extradimensional creatures, they're supposed to differ in design from regular pokémon. In one developer's words;

With the Ultra Beasts, Ken Sugimori, who oversees the Pokémon designs, came up with the concept of doing things we typically avoid when creating new Pokémon. For example, taking the soft texture of a jellyfish and pairing it with glass, or taking something that normally looks small and weak—like a mosquito—and making it super muscular.

The thing is, I don't think they took this idea far enough. To someone not intimately familiar with Pokémon's design rules, they just feel like legendary pokémon. Their names (especially ones like Buzzwole) still sound like pokémon names, they still follow the core rules of Pokémon game mechanics, and the art is still in the recognizable Sugimori style.

I think they should have gone all-in on making them alien. Give them three types, or secondary types not shared with non-Ultra Beasts (even if those types are functionally identical). Change the art style into something noticeably different. Like a more realistic style, graphics reminiscent of an old PS1/N64 game, or something Geigeresque. Maybe even give the battle sprites an idle animation. List their category as something different from how pokémon categories work. For example, a Tarot theme where Nihilego's category is "IX - The Hermit", Buzzwole is "VIII - Strength", and Pheremosa is "II - The High Priestess", but then messing with the theme by making Celesteela "XXI - The Universe" instead of "The World" as one would expect, and breaking the pattern entirely with Xurkitree by having it outside the normal Tarot as "XXIV - The Inevitable." Basically, just make them more obviously not belong.

[aetherceuse]

⟢ - Notes on UB-01 SYMBIONT 𝐍𝐈𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐎

Biology

UB-01 Symbiont, Nihilego, appear similar to jellyfish-like Pokémon. Their bodies are made from a flexible glass-like structure.

These creatures range in size anywhere from three feet long, all the way to forty feet in length from the top of the bell to the tip of the longest tendrils.

Texture wise, the bell is smooth, and the tendrils feel like glass fiber.

It is a parasitic entity; it protects and feeds itself by capturing living organisms in its tendrils and trapping them within its bell. Nihilego are often spotted floating through the depths of the Ultra Deep Sea with the captured prey still entangled in their glassy, translucent bodies.

A Nihilego’s neurotoxin is meant to relax its prey so that it does not fight its way out of its grasp; though Nihilego are deadly creatures, with tough exteriors, their interior is extremely soft and flimsy. Therefor, they developed the neurotoxin as a means of subduing prey and lessening the chance of their internal structure being damaged by flailing and escape attempts.

Nihilego are sexless creatures that reproduce through budding.

Their lifespans are currently unknown, but some accounts have claimed that they have witnessed massive Nihilego that had been alive for 100+ years.

Behavior

Nihilego travel in large groups, or “blooms”, with the largest blooms holding upwards of one thousand at a time.

They often rely on the currents of the Ultra Deep Sea to carry them, rather than exerting energy.

When floating in the air, Nihilego move and undulate just as they would if they were in water— very slowly, and meticulously, with tendrils dragging along, prepared to capture prey.

It appears that these beasts evolved not only to protect their interiors from prey, but to prey on humans and ultra humans specifically. They are able to manipulate their tendrils into different shapes, lengths and forms to create optical illusions. They are often observed mimicking the look and behavior of little children to appear defenseless.

Nihilego have also been observed mimicking Tentacruel, Jellicent, Octillery and even Dragalge.

Nihilego can camouflage themselves by tilting upside down onto their bells, and keeping their tendrils still, to look like Cursola.

Nihilego appear to be able to release its hosts at will, similar to regurgitation.

They make quiet, whispering noises that travel through the currents of the Ultra Deep Sea; there is no recorded translation of what this communication means. Those capable of reading the minds and hearts of Pokémon, or those who can simply communicate with Pokémon, would be met with otherworldly jibberish.

Nihilego heartbeats are also rather loud as well, so much that they echo through the air and ricochet off of solid surfaces if enough Nihilego gather in one space. (The heartbeat sound heard in the Ultra Deep Sea OST)

Nihilego is capable of accessing and manipulating the memories of its host once it has attached to the cerebellum and spine, therefore furthering the parasitic drain, or creating a more potent, symbiotic bond.

Additional notes on neurotoxin

The neurotoxin wears away at the nervous system gradually, first by numbing the pain sensors, and then eventually eroding at the brain itself.

Many symptoms of a Nihilego sting resemble Irukandji Syndrome, which is characterized by severe pain, muscle cramping, hypertension, and potentially life-threatening cardiac complications.

If not treated by a professional, Nihilego stings can become fatal within 48 hours.

Permanent nerve damage after being stung by Nihilego is common.

Longterm symptoms post-sting include body aches, neuropathy, joint buckling, paralysis, problems with positional awareness, brain fog, psychosis, and loss of vision.

Nomenclature

The beast’s name is derived from the Latin words nihil and ego, translating literally into “I am nothing.”

The code name “Symbiont” is misleading, as Nihilego’s parasitic nature does not contribute to a symbiotic relationship between it and any other species.

[toxic-mothers-tourney]

Toxic propaganda: Lusamine (Pokemon)

She treated her two children like dolls and controlled every aspect of their lives. She was unloving, and the second her kids don’t like what she’s doing she’s ready to kill them. She disowns them, and calls them selfish and ungrateful.

Lusamine tries to control her children and mold them to be what she wants them to be. She has an obsession with rare creatures called Ultra Beasts, researching them endlessly and wanting to even merge with them. She tries to make herself and her children Gladion and Lillie to embody the traits of the Ultra Beasts, including their appearances.

Lillie ends up running away and taking her friend Nebby, a Pokemon being experimented on by Lusamine and her organization the Aether Foundation. Lillie gets put under the protection of Professor Kukui and his wife Professor Burnet, taken into their home. She helps with Pokemon research and slowly learns how to overcome her trauma about facing Pokemon and being controlled by her mother with the help of her friends. When Lillie changes her outfit, she feels relieved because her mother never allowed her to dress differently.

Gladion also runs away from Lusamine and the Aether Foundation. He joins Team Skull, a gang of misfits that do petty crimes around Alola. He's very protective of his younger sister Lillie. He uses his own Ultra Beast against his mother as she slowly turns more crazed in her quest.

Actual Quote: "Calling me mother? I don't have any children! Certainly not any wretched children who would run off and reject my love!" Ma'am you have TWO of them

Was an asshole to both her kids. Obsessed with hunting otherdimensional pokemon instead of caring for them. Forced her daughter to dress like the fucked up space jellyfish she was obsessed with.

Both her kids ran away at 10 years old because she liked aliens too much

Loses her husband in a wormhole, then goes COMPLETELY insane trying to keep everything else exactly as she wants it to be. She gets so obsessed with extradimentional beings that she explicitly styles herself and her (teenage) children after them. Her idea of "Pokémon Conservation" is VERY different than what most sane people would think of.

She becomes so obsessed with Ultra Beasts that she (presumably) drives Gladion away and becomes incredibly controlling of Lillie, even to the point of dressing her like a Nihilego.

"Trust me—children would all be much happier if they'd only listen to the adults around them." is what first hints at her controlling nature.

As the game reaches its climax, we also see Lusamine being emotionally and verbally abusive towards Lillie, from "Calling me mother? I don't have any children! Certainly not any wretched children who would run off and reject my love!" and "Back when you were small, you would listen to everything I said, without question. For a time, even you were adorable to me! … But you changed. You've become ugly." The later also expands on her being controlling for quite a while. We can assume similar things were said to Gladion before he ran away.

She clearly blames Lillie and Gladion for being "bad children" rather than take any responsibility for her actions. "The daughter who stole my Cosmog from me and the son who took my Type: Null! All I ever did was give you two all the love I had, and all you did was betray me! You have no right to ask for my attention now!" She seems to think she's been nothing but good to them, but this is disproven by Lillie telling her "You always do that… It's just like it was back at Aether Paradise… Only thinking of yourself and what you want…I am the one who is sick of you, Mother! Children… Children are not just THINGS that belong to their parents! Pokémon are not just THINGS that a Trainer can do whatever they want to! I am alive! Cosmog is alive! We are not things for you to collect! We're not made for you to just discard when you get bored with us! … That is terrible, Mother! You are terrible!"

Only when the story is retconned in USUM does she ever apologize for what she had done and try to change.

Lusamine's husband went missing and she proceeded to try and make her children "perfect" by making them as washed and willing to take orders as possible. This eventually led both of them to steal some of the pokemon she was trying to use to become alien satan and led her son to joining an actual street gang.

She also dressed up her daughter to look like the alien she eventually summoned and let metroid all over her.

Neglects her children in favour of unleashing Ultra Beasts that are basically bound to wreak havoc in the world; forces her daughter to look as much like a Nihilego as possible and berates her for becoming ugly when she decides to take control of her own appearance; guilt-trips her kids for "leaving her" when she controlled and berated and abused them until they ran away, telling them that all she did was love them. Just not a very good parent, really. She's careless towards Nebby, a Cosmog, too, risking its death to forward her plans despite her daughter's pleading not to.

lady is actually Fucking Crazy. she runs a corporation. she neglects her kids. she's got animal abuse going on. she potentially STOLE her own son's pokemon. I could go on

emotionally abusive. horribly controlling. may or may not be forgiven depending on which game you play. gave her kids ptsd. proclaims herself mother of pokemon under her care then abuses them also, all while being objectively very attractive. 10/10 no notes

[the-feral-one]

Wo-Chien knows about the existence of the ultra beast?

W: "The library does have computers that I have used to get information about the ultra beasts, but I am still unsure about them. To me, they're similar to the paradox Pokemon that reside in Area Zero. I do have opinions on them, though. Just like with the legendaries and mythicals that I have voiced my opinions on before, I hope you forgive me if I say that don't know much about them."

Nihilego - "From what I know, this creature resembles a jellyfish...and also has the silhouette of a child? It also has the ability to possess those that it lands on the heads of too...which I imagine is quite a painful experience for the target... I have read about how it managed to do that to a human, which also led to them fusing. I can't begin to imagine how terrifying that must have been for the human fused with the creature and for those that witnessed what happened."

Xurkitree - "A tall entity that resembles a stick-person made of thick wires. This creature is said to be capable of unleashing very powerful Electric attacks, and that it plants itself into the ground to...absorb more power...I think... Although this creature is said to be quite scary, I have heard that onlookers get a laugh at how it moves...and I want to see that. Hopefully I can get one of the Alola students to show me."

Kartana - "This one I have heard information on from the Alola students. It is a tiny creature, but it it said to be quite powerful, being able to cut down just about anything by spinning very fast and hurtling towards what it wants to reduce to ribbons. I have a feeling that, if I encountered it, I wouldn't last very long before being turned into little more than dust in the wind."

Buzzwole and Pheromosa - (he looks at the info on the paper he held, then backed away, wide-eyed) "Very tall fighting bugs. Sorry, but this is a no from me. I'm moving on to the next one."

Celesteela - (his eye goes wide again as he focuses on what the paper said) "An extremely tall creature that has rockets for arms. When I first found out about it, at first I couldn't fully grasp the fact that it was 30 feet tall...or that it had rockets for arms...or that when it blasted off, it was capable of burning down anything in a wide radius around where the creature stood... I'll be keeping my distance if I ever see it...!"

Poipole and Naganadel - "While looking through the information about these entities, I was surprised to see these two. The very small purple creature evolves into what resembles a hybrid of dragon and...wasp...? I won't get too close if I see it. I don't want to be on the end of that stinger..!"

Stakataka - "This one resembles a...skyscraper..? ..made of bricks..? ..with multiple eyes..? I have read that it's powerful...but I can't take my mind off how it can look at someone from all sorts of angles, or how it turns red when it's angry... Yes, this one is quite the puzzling entity."

Blacephalon - "An explosive creature who is capable of taking its own head off and blowing it up. I have heard of Pokemon and humans surrounding it have got injured from this sort of thing, and I have to say that...I hope that it doesn't choose to do that around me. I...wouldn't last very long if it did..."

Guzzlord - "A gigantic ravenous creature with a literal bottomless pit for a stomach. I have read that it's capable of destroying entire cities by stomping through them and eating everything in its way. Although this creature is a gigantic behemoth, I have heard that some of the academy students get a laugh over how, every time it makes its presence known, it...just screams. If I see them, I'm definitely keeping my distance, not just because of the creature's immense strength or the danger it poses...I also don't want to be deafened by the noise that it makes."

[quikyu]

How would you rank all the Ultra Beasts? Like, from most to least favorite?

Oooh.... very inch-resting question. I've vaguely thought about this before, but never actually thought to put my favorite ultra beasts in order!

Just a disclaimer first, though-- I don't actually *dislike* any of the UBs. At most I'm pretty neutral ;D

Rankings below :)

Nihilego

My absolute FAVORITE genre of pokemon generally tends to be the eerie-but-cute (and-maybe-dangerous-too) Creature. Nihilego is a faceless, incomprehensibly ominous head-crab-type parasite... that makes cute little sounds and twirls when it's happy and acts so so innocent!!! I love it!!! What a simple yet appealing design (being a cloudy, pastel blue with a bell that looks quite like a sun-hat), conveying a sense of uneasiness within it. It almost looks like a harmless little girl, but.. somethings still not right...? Maybe its the fact that its a parasitic glass jellyfish leaping For Your Face

It's appearance also makes me think about what it predates on in its home-world!?!

Anyways, she's my adorable, freaky little daughter. 10/10

2. Pheromosa

That being said, my second favorite genre of pokemon is pretty much just 'Girl,' and, Yes, the cockroach applies. I personally enjoy the idea of this little girlboss of a pokemon getting haphazardly Dropped into an entirely different galaxy, and just going "Ok" about it... How calm...

Very odd proportions, too-- I do wish the pokemon company had gone further with Bug Traits in the design, but I also personally love the eyes and crown, so I would miss those if they had changed it to be something less humanoid XD And while I love the distant, spiteful attitude it had in the anime, I also enjoy the idea of a more curious and playful buggy, who's just trying to make sense of a new world

I also keep on forgetting that Pheromosa's FAST!!! Very amazing quality to have. Much speed.

3. Kartana

I didn't know whether I liked Kartana or Stakataka more, so just pretend they're the same in terms of rank.

How is this a pokemon!?! A tiny origami samurai!?! CUTE!!! In my opinion, I think Kartana is one of the more peculiar UBs-- especially judging from how it acts in Pokemon Refresh in the SM games. I'd love to go more in depth about Kartana, really, but I don't know what to say XD It's a slicey, dicey, little guy. And I like it lots!

Paper-cut is an understatement!

4. Stakataka

Before I had much interest in Ultra Beasts, I probably would've said Stakataka is my favorite of the group. It's a real big block, is what it is, but I think it's rather endearing... it's a bunch of little giblets, coming together to make... a bigger giblet. Awesome!! It also reminds me of Guardians from Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and I really love those guys

I kind of want to ride it like a horse...

5. Buzzwole

Buzzwole is an INCREDIBLE pokemon. With the same strangeness as Pheromosa, it's a BUG, but rather than being elegant and graceful, it's... completely JACKED!?!? A mosquito on 'roids!! What kind of creature is this thing sucking the blood out of, anyway!?!

I picture Buzzwole as a typical nice jock-- very wholesome, but also very very dense. And also it's a huge mosquito-- did I mention that? Crazy. I want to be its friend.

6. Poipole

From here on out I don't feel as strongly on any of the Ultra Beasts. No problem, though-- I still have opinions!

I like Poipole's position as the "starter pokemon" of Ultra Space. Fun, in how, unlike a normal starter, it's still just as dangerous as the rest of the Ultra Beasts XD ("While spraying opponents with this venom, it laughs wildly!") It's a very cute, almost techno-looking pokemon, and once more the odd, vibrant colorations and body shape really sell it as an Alien. The concept art for it is also adorable, too!!

Ah.. wait... I think I'm starting to like Poipole more just from talking about it...

7. Blacephalon

Blacephalon has a very cool name! Asides from that, while I do like its colors, and the fact that its Head Explodes (which is VERY cool,) I've never really felt much for clown pokemon... It seems like a silly little goober, though-- It has eyes that can emote each side of its head! That's adorable!

Also it's as tall as Pheromosa, at 5'11". I did not know this. I am now terrified.

8. Celesteela

I can safely say that Celesteela is the kindest rocket I have ever seen. XD Just look at that sweet little smile! Of course, it's not really noticeable, when one zooms out to view the rest of the body. I want to like Celesteela more but... it doesn't really... move much? I can't detect much of a personality from it-- it's kind of just there. Sort of to be expected, though. Baby Celesteela, as portrayed in the anime, is very adorable though, and I would like 5 of them.

9. Xurkitree

Xurkitree sort of falls under the same category as Blacephalon for me, just in terms of vibes, I suppose. I appreciate its very joyful, carefree saunter, but nothing else really sticks out to me in terms of what I might like about it...

10. Naganadel

Poipole's evolution! I simply don't like it quite as much, though. It's a little hard to look at right, and I've always thought it looked a little stiff. It's lost all of Poipole's personality :(

However, it has an amazing shiny!

11. Guzzlord

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH"

... That's it XD I never cared much for Guzzlord at all. Big hungry guy.

Anyways, that was a lot longer than I expected it to be XD Thank you for asking!

[robotrebelranch]

[ID: Pokemon trading card featuring Lusamine fused with Nihilego. She's a thin pale skinned woman with the upper half of her body inside of the transparent bell of a jellyfish like creature. Her hair is black with yellow streaks, her eyes are yellow, and she's wearing a sleeveless white dress with purple pantyhose and no shoes. Her tentacles are black with eye like markings on them. The illustration is a perspective shot where Lusamine's face is much closer to the viewer, her eyes and mouth are wide open in a deranged smile. One of her tentacle arms are reaching towards the viewer. The background is magenta with bubble like blobs scattered about. The illustration takes up the entire card with parts of her tentacles and body overflowing outside of the card's borders. It's a trainer supporter card labelled "Lusamine". The text in the middle says: "Put 2 in any combination of Supporter and Stadium cards from your discard pile into your hand." In the bottom right hand corner is in an orange text box that reads: "You may play only 1 Supporter card during your turn (before your attack)." In the bottom left hand corner, it says: "Illus. You Iribi." Underneath is the logo for the Ultra Prism set (a black triangle with a white blast silhouette) with "153/156" to the right. Underneath is the copyright for "2018, Pokemon" /END ID]

[alolynn-heart]

Lynn's  Element

// No.. Listen. I know Lynn's previous pokemon type affinity was bug. But with this new character rebirth I think water types are much more appropriate for her.

Maybe it's the island vibe I get from her? That or there is just something so enticing down in the depths of the ocean. Her own horoscope is a water element even. One that is known for it's bearers to be both intuitive and adaptable.

Lynn is extremely good at reading people. It won't be surprising to even see her dabble in tasseomancy. But her logical half of her mind tends to keep her from it.

And like water, she has a wide range of emotions to boot.

As for her water type pokemon? Well luvdisc is a given, seeing how he is the mascot of the delivery service. Like it's trainer they both prefer warmer climate/waters. Modeled after brightly colored discus fish they are symbolized with the notion of bringing both healing and luck.

Gorebyss represents her need to dive further. To go down deeper into that watery 'rabbit hole'. They become more vivid when they are swimming in the waters closest to Alola. While graceful and elegant, it also has the ability to stab when it desperately needs to protect or feed. It's supposed cruel actions almost seeming surgical in a way.

Finally there is her beloved sharpedo. This does sound like a strange pokemon for Lynn to have. However, she adores Ariadne with all her heart. Even bonding with it to use them as a riding Pokemon. "Bandit/Ruffian of the Sea" is a misnomer that means nothing to Lynn. Perhaps because of her time spent in a questionable organization she understands?

While yes, sharpedo are modeled after sharks, there are also hints of a sunfish within its design. The latter of which is commonly found in tropical waters. Sharks are usually symbolized with intelligence and instinct. Both traits that Lynn possesses.

Oh. And let's not forgot nihilego. Yes. It's technically not a water type. But this ultra beast are modeled after jellyfish. An oceanic creature known to have near-immortality.

[pokeprism]

So... Time to have a Pokemon design talk about the pokemons that are literally the reverse of the franchises main design philosophy, otherwise known as the Ultra Beasts!

They've been said to be inspired by real-world invasive species since 2017 when Shigeru Ohmori said so in a promotional guidebook that's hard to find nowadays apparently, but I digress!

(Basically I had a talk with my designated driver the other day and I wanted to explain this little guys and and about them in the same breath on Tumblr. So I will.)

Also will warn y'all that Ima get theoretical with what I imagine to be their design inspirations! All below the cut!

For a list of the easy ones, they (and their inspirations) are: - Nihilego, inspired by a few species of invasive jellyfish. - Buzzwole, inspired by mosquitoes. - Pheramosa, inspired by cockroaches (I would think the American and German varieties specifically). - Poipole/Naganadel, inspired by a few types of wasps (their shiny forms greatly reflect the typical yellow-jacket palette likely as a result). - Celeststeela, likely inspired by invasive bamboo plants.

There's specfically two ultra beasts that I deem to have more esoteric inspirations/designs, them being Stakataka and Xurkitree.

Stakataka's design seems VERY applicable to the concept of fort cities being invasive. Historically speaking (and regardless of region or era) fort cities have always been a threat to those neighbouring the fort cities, and taking that concept and making it literal living fortress is a neat way to personify (creature-ify?) this idea.

On the other hand, Xurkitree's design could be a neat way to personify a historical angle on urban power grids. From the historical angle that ISN'T of the old-man-yells-at-new-technologies variety, there's the fact that urban power grids were an undertaking in MANY cities around the world, and often caused a lot of disruption for both the inhabitants and those labouring to make them possible.

... Huh. With all of that said, I'm wondering if y'all could guess what my top three favorite Ultra Beasts are. See ya~!

[ultimatecutenesspeaks]

Bunny that it let keep that up Zuki together we will send this ugly jellyfish where it belongs now frillish water pulse again come on buddy you can do it I’m believe in you ! As soon frillish does it again as it super affective against the jellyfish as torracat use double kick once again

*Thanks to their combined efforts, they get the creature's health down to the yellow, taking a few of its attacks as well, but holding strong. And despite knowing that it wouldn't be very effective, Mizuki decides to take the risk with an Ember attack to hopefully inflict the jellyfish creature with a burn. Fortunately, taking that risk turns out to be the correct decision, and Nihilego is soon given a burn.*

[crechi]

[image ID: a close-up of the top of a jar; it has a mini figure of nihilego(a jellyfish pokémon) on the lid. /end ID]

[post text: i like to remind myself which jars are saltwater by putting anything resembling a sea creature on top. actually, several of the decorations i have are also visual reminders like that. /end PT]

I like to remind myself which jars are saltwater by putting anything resembling a sea creature on top. Actually several of the decorations I have are also visual reminders like that.

[aetherceuse]

✘ Any unpopular opinions about your muse? ( go off king ) ❀ Share a headcanon you have not shared.

Mun Interpretation | @infernalpursuit and also @turnecoat asked about the unpopular opinions

Rex’s Unpopular Opinions About Canon Lusamine: A God Damn Novel

Rainbow Rocket Takeover did not need to happen at the Aether Foundation in USUM. It should had happened elsewhere in Alola. On top of USUM already being a heaping pile of garbage in terms of ruining Lusamine’s character, the fact that they WENT OUT OF THEIR WAY to completely declaw her, and turned her into a damsel in distress as all of these antagonists from “ultimate victory” arcs rolled up and TOOK OVER HER ENTIRE OPERATION— what a way to completely trash our first female antagonist and make her completely useless. You still cannot convince me that all of these egotistical, charismatic villains looked at each other, went went “we have the ultimate weapons and Pokémon at our disposal, we could do whatever we wanted, we have the best bases in our worlds, so let’s go and break into Lusamine’s house and use that as a super cool hideout instead.”

Lusamine did not need to be a sympathetic villain. I am so, so, so, over the need to make all villains misunderstood and sympathetic. Again, a crime of USUM. “She just wanted to save Alola that is why she was doing all of that shit in order to get to Ultra Space—“ what a stupid way to force the Necrozma plot into existence.

Everything to do with Mohn vanishing and going to bean island (I can’t remember what that place is called) was stupid. “Woman goes into hysterics and goes insane because husband vanished” I am so tired of everything having to do with a man.

The Nihilego venom is not why Lusamine was crazy. Again. “Oh she wasn’t actually bad she was just being effected by the neurotoxins from Nihilego.” I have seen this theory very often, and there is no indication at all, at any point in SuMo, that Lusamine had been making enough consistent contact with Nihilego in order to get poisoned and driven mad. She is just like that. And that is what makes her so unnerving.

Pokémon, why are you so against allowing your female antagonists to actually be antagonists? You did not try to redeem Ghetsis. You did not make Ghetsis sympathetic. In fact, you went out of your way to reinforce Ghetsis being a terrible person in the Rainbow Rocket story. You went out of your way to put in the Celebi scene with Giovanni and Silver in HGSS to make the man WORSE, and you didn’t even have to do that. For fuck’s sake, you allowed Magma Courtney to be a little psycho in ORAS! Why did you ruin Lusamine, I am no longer asking, I am demanding answers.

MOVING ON, here is a general blog-related headcanon that I have not shared yet:

Silvally can mimic human speech like a very sophisticated parrot! It is very uncanny and unusual sounding though; Silvally’s beak was designed specifically to be able to pierce through the bell of Nihilego in combat. Lusamine is aware that the natural predator of jellyfish-like creatures is the sea turtle, but Nihilego is made of glass, therefore the Skarmory and Braviary genetics were chosen for that super sharp, steel beak.

[pop-goes-the-sneasel]

pls review the alien jelly nihilego

Oh dang, Nihilego!!!!!!

Nihelego’s another Ultra Beast – which as I discussed in my Xurkitree review, are a special class of interdimensional pokemon that inadvertently ended up in Alola from Ultra Space because of special portals called Ultra Wormholes. Nihilego was notably the first example of an Ultra Beast revealed to the public, then known simply as “UB-01 Symbiont”, and those of us who were paying attention during Sun and Moon’s marketing were very intrigued by this radically different design approach. It’s a faceless jellyfish alien! And it looks SO RAD!!!!

Perhaps surprisingly, Nihilego’s actually a Rock/Poison-type, though it’s not without reason. Nihilego’s body structure is apparently glass-like, with glass technically being a subcategory of rocks. The Poison half, meanwhile, comes from its ability to inject neurotoxins into other creatures by latching onto their heads like an ornate hat. Those subjected to these neurotoxins become uninhibited and violent, their minds gradually being worn away as their latent potential is forcibly brought out. Apparently Nihilego only does this as a feeding mechanism and is believed to be non-sentient, which actually makes it even creepier!

In the plot of Sun and Moon, Nihilego serves an important role due to its relationship with Lusamine. Lusamine is the president of the Aether Foundation, an organisation that seeks to provide shelter to hurt and endangered pokemon. However, Lusamine’s actual motives are to research Ultra Beasts, which she had apparently grown obsessed with since her husband’s disappearance into Ultra Space during his study of Ultra Wormholes. This obsession even leads her to forcing her daughter, Lillie, to dress in a manner reminiscent of Nihilego – an incredibly cool touch.

In Sun and Moon’s climax, Lusamine escapes into Ultra Space, leaving the player to go rescue her. When the player reaches her, she’s surrounded by Nihilego, and proceeds to merge with one into THIS wonderful monstrosity. Lusamine only uses this form to just have a regular pokemon battle, but it’s SUCH a striking visage and totally unlike anything from the franchise prior. It showcases how far Lusamine’s obsession has taken her, and even after being separated Nihilego’s poison continues to have some effect. Still, everything works out well enough. Apparently none of this happens in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon though????? wtf

Anyways, Nihilego’s vibes are absolutely superb. Translucency is rarely used in pokemon designs, yet it’s used to great effect here, and its facelessness helps it capture the feel of real-life jellyfish amazingly well. Its resemblance to Lillie works both ways, with Nihilego looking vaguely like a little girl, and is even said to act like one. It’s clear immense thought went into it as the very first Ultra Beast, and every aspect of it feels expertly crafted to communicate how otherworldly it is. I love it so, so, SO much.

Shiny Nihilego’s got a pleasant yellow colour, which has a slight angelic feel which seems appropriate for something so serenely alien. The deep gold of the translucent bits is also pleasantly distinctive.

But yeah, I adore Nihilego. It’s possibly my favourite Rock-type and favourite Poison-type, or at least pretty dang close, and it’s also my favourite of the Ultra Beasts by far. Considering how fantastic the Ultra Beasts as a whole tend to be, that’s high praise! It also helps that jellyfish are kinda my favourite real-life animal, and having a pokemon that actually represents jellyfish so well is wonderful. The Tentacruel and Jellicent lines are cool and all, but they don’t feel like jellyfish in the same way.

Finally some good fucking jelly/10.

[imjeralee]

Wallflower: Chapter 20 - Epilogue, SAVE ME

Raihan x F!Reader

Disclaimer: Do not own Pokemon

Summary: You’re an unassuming Pokemon breeder who works at the nursery in the Wild Area and he’s Raihan, the fearsome gym leader of Hammerlocke who has more than a million followers. You don’t want anything to do with him but he’s…persistent.

Rating: Mature/Explicit

Warnings: Lemon, smut, violence, language.

Extra note: This is the last chapter of Wallflower. I hope you enjoyed it!

EPILOGUE

SAVE ME

...

...

"Don't question the universe, that's my motto. Sometimes things just work out."

- Fargo, The Heap

...

...

Raihan leaves the locker room only to discover that she is not waiting for him in the lobby as she said and the gym trainer manning the area tells him that she left due to an emergency. Something doesn't quite add up because not only is it uncharacteristic of her to run off like that but he has a bad feeling about whatever 'emergency' it is. When he presses the gym trainer for more information, he tells Raihan that someone gave him a white envelope addressed to his girlfriend.

There's not much to go on here so Raihan leaves Hammerlocke stadium and tries to call her only to get through to voicemail. Shortly after, he receives a message - it's from Chairman Rose and it's been sent to himself and Leon - and he opens and reads it: Rose says there's something happening in Rose Tower and all employees have been evacuated. Rose would like them to check it out and Raihan responds to the group chat, telling them that he's on his way. It's too much of a coincidence - somehow he feels he will find his girlfriend there...

When he arrives at Wyndon, he sees a few locals running away from the direction of Rose Tower and outside, many employees are standing around, confused. All the lights in Rose Tower are switched off, the building dark and grim for a change. Raihan looks all the way up to the very top of Rose Tower where the sky above it is a deep grey and ominous clouds swirl in a spectacular, circular fashion. It's strange weather considering it's sunny everywhere else.

Raihan enters the building just in time to see the Champion at the emergency lift with Charizard. "Leon." Raihan quickly jogs over and stops before him with his phone in hand.

Turning round, Leon grins widely at him. "Raihan! You made it."

"Yep."

"Thanks for coming." Leon adds, as the lift arrives and the doors slide open.

"No problem, let's go."

Inside, Leon and Raihan stand side-by-side in the large space and Leon pushes the button that will take them to the top floor whilst Charizard meanders behind them, staring outside the glass window. They are so far up that the people down below resembles durants...

"I wonder what's going on," mutters Raihan; he checks his phone but there's nothing posted online yet. Whatever is happening, they're the first ones on the scene...

"We'll find out when we get up there."

"This is just like the old times," Raihan adds, and Leon chuckles and nods. "What do you do when you're not saving Galar?"

Leon blinks owlishly in response. "Charizard and I visit each city and when we finish, we do another round."

"So diligent." Raihan replies with a smirk, and Leon grins.

The lift arrives at its destination and the doors slide open, revealing the outdoor arena; they're greeted with an extremely chilly burst of air that batters them from all over and Leon's hat almost blows off if he doesn't hold onto it.

Stepping out of the lift, the doors close behind them and Leon, Raihan and Charizard look up and around, assessing their surroundings. The sky around the top floor is a perpetual drab shade of ash and thick clouds have obscured the view; the clouds have enclosed the entire arena with harsh winds whipping round and round with no end.

That's not all for the entire area has been obliterated: a bust pipe to the side spits out water and the ground has been fractured by an immense force. The pressure of the atmosphere here is suffocating and various bits and pieces of rubble and droplets of water can be seen hovering a few inches above the ground, crackling with little forks of electricity whilst debris fly around in the air in hypnotising circles. The floor beneath them trembles and in the very middle of it all, a massive creature hovers before them.

It resembles a jellyfish, silvery-black in colour with a bulbous head and various tentacles that reach an enormous length - it's a Nihilego, although its form looks very different than usual. It's in the middle of a rampage with it's dark, transparent tentacles wrapped around two familiar figures - it's Alicia and Raihan's ex-girlfriend. They're completely immobilised, the tentacles coiling around their bodies tightly.

In its fury, Nihilego lifts up one of it's massive tentacles and reaches for the ex-girlfriend who is still struggling and roughly seizes something out of her hand - it's a DVD - and Nihilego throws it to the floor and promptly smashes it under one giant tentacle. The impact causes the floor to shake and the ground splits, resembling a mosaic. Alicia's phone is not spared either; a tentacle pries it away from her clutches and as Rotom safely escapes from the device, the phone also shares the same fate as the DVD and is crushed to pieces.

They shriek with terror, struggling for breath but they're quickly subdued when the tentacles begin to tighten around them; the helpless girls spot Leon and Raihan in the back and shout for them, crying with distress.

"Raihan, help!" The ex girlfriend screams.

"Help us!!" Alicia yelps.

Although Leon and Raihan don't know what the context around this is, their main concern is the Ultra Beast. Nihilego's tentacles quickly clamps over the girl's mouths, muffling their screams and effectively silencing them though they wriggle and squirm furiously, trying to escape their confines.

His ex desperately tries to make eye contact with him but Raihan avoids looking at her altogether, aware that she must have done something to incurred the wrath of an Ultra Breast.

Raihan makes his way over immediately with Leon and Charizard, narrowly ducking from pieces of rubble that zoom towards their direction.

Once they're close, Raihan realises Nihilego is not alone - his eyes widen briefly when he spots his girlfriend and it's a bizarre sight - she's been sucked inside the creature, the upper half of her body absorbed into the bell whilst her legs dangle. Bathed in a strangely comforting and warm glow, her eyes are closed, her long lashes dusting her cheekbones; she almost looks....peaceful. Sleeping. She doesn't seem to be conscious at all. In the bubble, her hair floats around her, resembling swirling tendrils.

Despite the situation, he remains calm. He yells her name and the Nihilego turns to him; her body sways with the movement, following the gravity.

Facing off against an Ultra Beast....this sort of thing wouldn't happen to him, not in a million years. His Rotom stares at the massive creature in awe and takes a few shots. Now's really not the time though.

"Let her go." He demands, and the beast emits a metallic screech in response, waving its tentacles around in the frigid air. It decides to attack, stabbing a tentacle towards his direction.

"Raihan, look out!" Leon yells. Charizard is quick to respond on Leon's behalf, unleashing a barrage of flames which causes the Nihilego to spontaneously retreat and Leon hastily joins his side. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Raihan mutters. "Thanks, Leon."

The two avert their attention to the Ultra Beast that rises before them; Charizard's flamethrower attack barely grazed it.

Raihan approaches Nihilego once more even though Leon calls after him.

As though sensing his presence, her eyes slowly begin to open but they are entirely glazed over, her pupils blank. Her mouth moves slightly, her voice merged with the creature. "....Raihan...?"

He yells her name once more, trying to get through. His princess... His poor princess needs him. "It's okay, I'm here. I'm right here."

She can't seem to see him; the corner of her eyes begin to prick with tears before they trickle relentlessly down her cheeks. ".....I'm....I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, princess. Just focus on me, on my voice. You can do it. Come back. Come back to me."

She struggles feebly; she tries, hard. She tries so hard, trying to resist and to break free only for the creature to grow darker and murkier in colour and it appears to inflict pain on her. "...Ngh....!!!" She cries out, squeezing her eyes shut.

Raihan keeps a hand on Duraludon's capsule, ready to use him if needed. She keeps trying to escape but Nihilego's grip on her is too strong and she begins to curl into herself, trying to pull her knees towards her chest. He yells her name again, facing the creature directly. "Let her go. Let them all go."

She stops at once and looks at the two hostages in her grip, then her blank eyes land on his form. There's a brief silence before the Nihilego flails in response, releasing another unearthly, shrill shriek.

"....Let them go?" She mutters, before her eyes narrow furiously and her lips pull back, teeth clenching with fury and she screams, "NEVER!!!!!"

A massive shockwave bursts forth from Nihilego's body, tearing through the atmosphere and promptly throwing Raihan and Leon off their feet. Charizard swoops forwards, catching Leon and Raihan in mid-air. They are deposited back to their feet with the Pokemon at their side whilst Nihilego lets out another ear-splitting scream and begins sucking the girl further into its body.

"No!" Raihan yells; he releases Duraludon onto the field and Leon commands Charizard to join the alloy pokemon. Raihan doesn't want to hurt her, he can't - he won't. But at the same time, Nihilego is hurting her. The beast is quick to react, tossing out two pokeballs into the field, releasing her Metagross and Garchomp.

"It's no use; she's been completely taken over!" Leon exclaims, as Raihan grips Duraludon's capsule tightly in his fist.

"I can't hurt her, Leon."

"We need to find a way to separate her from Nihilego."

Her pokemon are the next obstacle; their eyes are glowing a deep red, a sign of their possession.

"Her pokemon won't go down so easily; they're all EV trained."

"Let's use Dynamax!"

"Metagross, use Bullet Punch. Garchomp, use Outrage." She commands, without waiting for either of them.

There's no way to run from this - they have no choice but to battle - Metagross and Garchomp, under Nihilego's influence, wear ferocious expressions as they face off their opponents. Leon and Raihan promptly recall their pokemon and as a storm of red light begins to gather around their Dynamax bands, their capsules begin to enlarge before they toss them into the air and their gargantuan pokemon appear, their forms taking up most of the arena.

A double Dynamax has never been attempted before; Leon promptly instructs Charizard, pointing at Metagross. "Use G-Max Wildfire!"

"Duraludon, use G-Max Depletion!" Raihan shouts, and Duraludon releases a massive amount of energy from its body, hurling it towards Garchomp’s direction.

Her two pokemon, diminutive in size compared to the Dynamaxed Pokemon, charge forwards regardless. The result of the four pokemon clashing together at the same time creates another shockwave that completely desiccates the walls of the arena and any glass within the vicinity is shattered into pieces; the wind finally escapes the area and dissolves upwards into the atmosphere, finally revealing the calm, blue sky.

Leon and Raihan are forced to shield themselves and once the dust clears away, the Nihilego is stunned, having been pushed backwards although her pokemon aren't as fazed due to their unnatural stats. Duraludon and Charizard have taken a huge beating and begin to return to normal size.

Alicia and the ex-girlfriend are now unconscious and Nihilego drops them; they flop to the floor in a sad heap. With the brief distraction, Leon rushes to retrieve the unconscious girls whilst Nihilego begins to recover. It wastes no time; seemingly focused on Raihan only, she lunges for him again until -

"Stop!!!"

It's Looker.

With briefcase in hand, he emerges from the emergency lift and heads towards the group. He has Growlithe with him and he unclasps his case, revealing a strange round contraption constructed entirely of metal; he pushes on a button and the machine begins to whirr furiously, a bright orange glow gathering within the hollow of the device. Looker sets it down and tells everyone to take cover.

The device shoots a huge beam of energy into the atmosphere and stabs into nothingness - Raihan and Leon watch as a thin slit appears from out of nowhere in mid-air; the space is torn apart and it soon grows larger to a circular portal - an Ultra Wormhole.

Nihilego stops, it's attention captured by the portal and promptly begins to make its way towards it. Looker hands Growlithe a small metal disc to hold in its jaws and the puppy pokemon rushes up and tosses it towards the Nihilego - the disc automatically attaches itself to the ultra beast and administers a non-lethal shock in an attempt to separate it from it's host.

Unfortunately, nothing happens and the Nihilego begins to pass through the portal regardless. Looker curses under his breath but Raihan is quick to get up, following after the beast - she's still trapped within - and he grabs onto her before he's pulled inside and the portal closes behind them.

....

An eerie calm settles over the outdoor arena.

Looker steps over shards of broken glass and picks the device up and off the floor.

The light's off and it has run out of power. Cursing under his breath, Looker glances up as Growlithe rejoins his side. "Good job, boy." He mutters, patting the puppy on its head.

A short distance away, Leon checks the two unconscious girls. They're still breathing and aside from some bruises, they're unharmed. He lifts them one by one over Charizard's back and ensures they're strapped onto him safely, then tells the flame pokemon to take them to the nearest hospital. Leon thanks him in advance, thanks him for his courage and Charizard nods and flaps his wings and shoots into the sky, disappearing from view.

Leon watches them then heads over to the remaining Pokemon - Raihan’s Duraludon, her Metagross and Garchomp. They look worried about their owners but Leon tries his best to calm them down. Once they’re reassured, he returns to Looker's side.

"Hi Looker, long time no see."

"Hello Leon." Looker says, and the two shake hands before they turn to gaze at the wrecked arena and the despondent Pokemon who have no choice but to wait for their masters should they come back, if at all.

The arena is utterly destroyed - the amount of destruction dealt by Nihilego is beyond comprehensible. Chairman Rose is going to be livid about this. They cut the small talk, assessing the damage.

"Looks like we weren't able to stop Nihilego. And I doubt they'd be able to return unless we fix this." Looker says, lifting up his powered down device.

"That machine can open portals, right?" Leon replies, and Looker nods.

"Yep." He expected nothing less from the Champion of Galar. "It needs a lot of electricity. I'd have the Bureau Heliolisks power it up but it'll take too long."

"I have an idea. Let's talk to Chairman Rose and ask if we can use the energy plant."

Looker nods once again. "Let's go."

They both begin to exit, although Looker heads towards the direction of the emergency lift and Leon heads to the water closet.

"It's this way, Leon."

"Sorry!"

...

Meanwhile.

When you wake up, you're lying on the ground and you're in a dark place.

And you wonder if this is hell until Raihan pops up in front of your view. Although you are surprised to see him, all you can do is blink slowly as you discover your arms and legs cannot move. In fact, your entire body aches and hurts and Raihan gently lifts you into his arms.

You're able to groan and blink, your head throbbing, but when you open your mouth, a wet liquid spills out from the corner of your lips uncontrollably.

It's blood.

Coughing, you choke and more blood leaks out and drips down your chin... and Raihan - oh, he looks so worried and afraid and it hurts you to see him like this. He uses the sleeve of his hoodie to wipe away the blood and then at your forehead to dab at the sweat as you squeeze your eyes shut, hissing with pain.

It’s Nihilego’s toxins. They’re lethal.

"....Hey." He murmurs, gently stroking your hair and cheek.

Your vision grows blurry, filling up with tears. "....Raihan...?"

"I'm here." He reaches for your hand and threads your fingers with his, pressing his lips over your knuckles again and again.

You wonder if you're dying but you're too scared to even think about it any further. You squeeze your eyes shut again and a hot, fat tear leaks out from the corner of your eye and down the side of your face and into your hair, near your ear. Gasping out, you croak, "I'm sorry."

His mouth moves but you can't hear him so well. " - Save your strength." is something along the lines of what he says, " - need to get you out of here."

You find you have no strength; you are so tired that all you can do is just lie still, staring up at the deep, dark abyss that surrounds you.

Turning your head just a fraction, you see the Nihilego that possessed you is sprawled over the ground, unmoving. It's returned to normal - a harmless, white jelly. Is it knocked out or dead? There are other Nihilego floating around but they don't seem concerned with you at all.

You try to move although he doesn't want you to but you assure him you want to sit up. However, the moment you inch from your spot and you're wracked all over with pain so you're reduced to lying over his lap regardless. He ensures you're comfortable as much as possible and you close your eyes as you rest. "....I'm sorry I let this happen." You murmur.

"It's okay."

You shake your head. "No...it's not."

"What happened?" He asks, stroking your hair.

"I got a letter saying they had the DVD and I was to meet them in Rose Tower on my own. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have went." You mumble; you struggle to speak somewhat, sucking in long breaths and exhaling shakily, "...It was Alicia and your ex-girlfriend. They were... recording me and they knew how I was adopted and stuff....and they said they'd make sure everything about me would be made public. I got mad...and I was scared too. The energy band warned me but I ignored it and...a portal opened. Nihilego came out and took over me."

"It's not your fault."

You shake your head again and utter under your breath, "No, Rai, I wanted to hurt them. I wanted to make them pay. I did. I really did. I'd had enough. I was sick and tired of being pushed around....but I feel bad for what I did. I don't feel any better about myself for hurting them. If we make it out of here, I'll...I'll turn myself in."

He smooths your hair down with his large palm. "You were possessed by Nihilego. It wasn't you. Everyone saw that and they'll be the ones who will get into trouble, not you."

"But you're here because of me. I did this."

He shakes his head. "No, I'm here because I want to be here. And I don't know about you but I'm at my wit's end with this place."

"I'll try and get us out of here." You mutter, "...But I need to be under great emotional distress....that's what Looker said."

You wonder how you might be able to pull this off, squeezing your eyes shut and attempting to concentrate. But nothing happens, no matter how hard you try. You try to think of everything that’s happened to you, all the misfortune, all the times you’ve been miserable.

It doesn’t work.

Nothing happens.

You’re probably stuck here forever.

You will die from the poison, the cold and starvation. How awful.

As Raihan continues to hold you, you look up and around, spotting the various dim lights that glow in the area. They're from iridescent rocks stuck to the walls of this place - and it occurs to you that you're in Ultra Deep Sea, possibly thousands of light years away. You recognise it due to the hypnosis session you had with Looker. You're in a different dimension.

However, the source of light is not only from the rocks, you see weak swirls in the air that glow and twinkle and grow larger and larger... identical to a ripple in water; when it clears, it shows something you didn't think was possible -

You see an image of yourself within.

It's a hazy picture....very blurry, but there you are, seated at a laptop and looking at the screen. This 'other you' looks exactly the same as you, although her clothes are different and the place she's in is different.

She is reading something on the screen.

But all of a sudden, she looks away. She is confused and she is looking around as though trying to pinpoint something. To find something. She doesn't find it, whatever it is she is looking for.

The image of this 'other you' disappears after a short while.

Another portal opens, revealing another fuzzy image of you - except this time, this ‘other you’ is on her phone, also reading something on the screen. This 'another you' looks up at once as though aware of something. The 'other you' keeps looking around but cannot seem to find what she's looking for either.

The portal closes.

Raihan peers at you when he notices you are staring wide-eyed into nothingness. "What is it?"

"....I...I saw a parallel dimension. Not one but two." Raihan looks confused but you don’t elaborate. You don’t see any more parallel dimensions. The visions don’t come. And you and Raihan are still stuck here.

"I'm sorry, Rai..." You mutter deliriously; you apologise to him again and again.

You see him smiling and his mouth moves, " - be here for you. I'll always be here for you."

You're becoming so exhausted that your eyes slide to a close. It's getting hard to keep awake and you're afraid that this is it...Afraid that if you close your eyes, you'll be gone forever. You force yourself to keep your eyes open, focusing on him.

You love Raihan so much.

It can't end like this.

He brings out the best of you. You want to be with him...You haven't even moved in with him yet. You want to have so many memories with him, you want to do so many things together... you want to grow old together.

It's getting cold...

Raihan lifts you off the ground slightly and into his embrace, unzipping his oversized hoodie and wrapping it around you.

You slump against his chest as he holds you and he tells you what's on his mind.

He wants to be with you. He wants to spend his life with you. You're the one. You are so gentle and kind, so caring and loving. You're so cute and adorable. He's never met anyone like you before. Sure, people would describe you as a wallflower but he loves that the most about you.

You're quiet.

You're introverted.

So what?

You're perfect the way you are. You're insightful and deep, you make him happy in so many ways and he loves you. You're his everything.

When you let out a chuckle, he grins in return, leaning forwards to press his lips against yours. He gets blood on the corner of his mouth so you lift your hand and gently wipe it away. He clutches your hand and holds you close.

Even if this it, if this is the end... at least you are together...

...

Meanwhile.

Leon and Looker arrive at Chairman Rose's office.

They explain everything to him and Looker shows him the device - which requires a lot of electricity to work and the energy plant is their quickest option. However, the amount of energy needed will put everything to a stop - that's how much energy is needed to open an Ultra Wormhole. The device is the equivalent to the energy a Solgaleo or a Lunala emits in order to open a Wormhole, and they are pokemon they do not have at hand so the device is their only hope.

Rose agrees.

It takes a while to set everything up.

...

In the quiet suburbs of Wyndon, a couple are about to sit down in front of their TV when the ground begins to tremble, their lamp flashes before the TV switches off.

In Spikemuth, Piers' concert abruptly comes to a stop when their electric bass guitars and microphone stops working and all lights go off, bathing the hall in darkness.

In Turrfield stadium, Milo is mowing the pitch and grinds to a halt when his lawnmower powers down.

In Ballonlea, Opal is baking a cake when her oven switches off and the lights of her house go out.

In the Wild Area, a vast majority of the Pokemon lurking in the tall grass and trees stop what they're doing to look up at the sky.

Whilst some people poke their heads out of the window, some leave their house with their Pokemon and head to the streets, baffled. This phenomenon brings the people together - neighbours gather round, siblings talk to each other, friends send messages or call each other on their phones.

All across of Galar, a power cut sweeps over the entire region.

Raihan wonder how long they've been here.

He can tell she's growing uncomfortable; Nihilego's poison could be spreading. When he calls her name, she squeezes her eyes shut and coughs up blood again, staining her chin and the front of his hoodie. It doesn't show on his face but he is so worried; he remains strong for her, holding her to his chest, trying to ease the pain she is feeling. They need to get out of here, they need to, or else -

"Poi?"

Raihan glances up at the source of the noise.

A little purple blob pokes it's head out from one of the rocks, peering at them curiously. He doesn't know much about Ultra Beasts but he knows what this one is called. The strange creature slowly hovers out of its hiding place and floats towards them. It has glowing eyes and a tiny body and tail but otherwise....it appears docile and it squeals loudly, glancing at her before it looks at him.

He asks if it can help them.

Unfortunately it shakes its head but then circles them excitedly, flailing its little arms up and down. Looks like it's stuck here too and it's happy to see other people. Raihan watches as it begins spinning upside-down, balancing on the needle of its head.

"....A Poipole...?" She utters, as it breezes past them, "....What's it....doing here?"

"Poi." It says.

And she smiles. "Of course you can stay with us...."

It trills happily and jumps to perch on Raihan's shoulder before it spots his hood and nestles itself within.

The silence returns, but then...

A light appears.

It’s bright and it grabs everyone's attention; glancing over, a portal has opened nearby and Leon is on the other side with Chairman Rose and Looker, waving at them.

...

8 months later.

"Come on, Poipole."

The purple ultra beast lets out a high-pitched squeal of glee and floats after you as you head towards your house with shopping bags in hand. Null pads along beside you and attracts many stares from passerbys.

"Zzzrt, you've received a mezzzage from Doofuzzz and Glenn."

"Thanks, Rotom." Swiping the screen, you see Glenn has sent you a photo of himself with your Dragapult, Espie, Poliwag and the family Rockruff in the yard. Glenn is helping Dragapult file down his claws. Then you see mom and Sugarplum the Galarian Ponyta. You grin to yourself and then check the message Raihan has sent you.

It's a nude.

Motherfurret! You weren't expecting anything this raunchy from him, especially in broad daylight too! Your cheeks go red and you quickly swipe away, hoping no-one had seen but Poipole suddenly squeaks and turns round with his back facing you, hugging itself with its little arms and imitates kissing sounds.

"Oh, hush." You say, when it stops, turns back round and giggles. You ask Rotom to promptly dial the dragon tamer; it rings for a few seconds and then -

"Hey princess." You can hear him grinning.

"I'm outside and Poipole and Null are with me!" You exclaim.

He chuckles and purrs, "Are you coming back anytime soon?"

"Yeah...we're on our way back right now."

"Great. Door's unlocked, baby girl. I’ll be waiting for you."

Your cheeks go warm as you chuckle after hanging up and continue the journey except you increase your speed, walking at a faster rate.

Poipole and Null are the newest additions to your team; Poipole stayed with you after you were saved by Leon, Looker and Chairman Rose, clinging onto your shoulder when you were taken to hospital.

Although you had fused with Nihilego, there was another individual who was known to have successfully fused with an Ultra Beast - and the first to do so, actually - and it was a woman called Lusamine. She's not the only human who had merged with an entity before - a man named Bill from Kanto was the first recorded case. Although your fusion with Nihilego was quite severe, a cure was developed and provided from their research and extensive studies.

You were saved.

Raihan stayed with you the entire time when you were in hospital. Although he still had many matches going on, every minute of his spare time was spent by your side when you were unconscious and when you woke up, he was the first person you saw.

Mom and Glenn came to visit and they too, watched over your recovery. You remained in hospital for a month or so to recuperate, undertaking some physical rehab and psychological assessments but overall, you were fine and eventually discharged.

Before you leave hospital though, Looker arrives and you thank him for his help. He's glad you're safe but you're afraid that he'll take you away from Raihan and your family to some unknown facility where they'll do research on you.

But he doesn't do any of the sort - instead, he informs you there is a special squad that consists of individuals who are Fallers like yourself who can teach you to harness your energy, train your mind and they also specialise in tracking and hunting Ultra Beasts. He asks if you'd like to join the unit but you decline the offer. He tells you it's always on the table should you ever change your mind.

He has a parting gift for you - a Type: Null.

It's a pokemon that was manufactured by Macro Cosmos using stolen research and this one was successfully confiscated but Looker suspects they have more somewhere.

Although it was under his protection, it doesn't listen to him so he wasn't able to use it at Rose Tower. Looker has decided to entrust it to you; it needs a strong trainer and he believes you will take good care of it and raise it with love and affection so that one day, it can fulfil its potential, break it's helmet and evolve into Silvally. He also gives you the memories it needs to adjust its type at any given moment.

You thank Looker again and he notes how you have a Poipole and that they too, have a home somewhere in Ultra Deep Space. He has the technology to open Ultra Wormholes so you ask Poipole if he wants to go home.

Poipole declines, having decided to stay here with you and Looker gives you a beast ball for Poipole, then takes his leave. You occasionally send him photos of Poipole and Null's progress.

Although you dislike thinking about it, the incident at Rose Tower is not forgotten. Although the DVD was destroyed, it is discovered to be blank because Raihan's ex-girlfriend never found any incriminating evidence in the stalker's house despite the tip. Banette never hid anything and there is nothing in the stalker's house. The authorities decide two girls want to utilise this as an opportunity to blackmail although the girls maintain their innocence that what they were doing was nothing but a 'harmless prank'.

Regardless, they are both fined and sentenced to community service; Cheerleader Alicia is ultimately fired from Hammerlocke. You never hear from her again; she's too afraid to go near you nor will she bother you ever again, according to some sources.

On the other hand, Raihan's ex-girlfriend remains active on social media after her punishment and escapes true justice. She makes a public apology online but it's not truly heartfelt. By doing so, she protects herself from severe punishment although she loses a majority of her contracts, sponsors and supporters along the way. She does go off the radar for a while to lie low but no-one will ever know the ugly truth because she still has some loyal fans who will remain by her side and continue to support her, refusing to believe their idol is capable of hurting others.

Besides, you know for sure that you will never hear from her again. Like Alicia, she is deathly afraid of you. An online article about Raihan subsequently appears on Froakit written by a user called Wooloomyloo111, outlining a running trend that everyone who is associated with him seems to end up in jail or experiences some misfortune. They're not half-wrong.

You have good news about your friend. She wakes up in hospital and discovers that she is now jobless but the liberation enables her to reassess her life and she plucks up the courage to finally move to Galar with her Pokemon. Since you have moved out of Ballonlea to move in with Raihan, she takes over your lease and it works out well. She wastes no time in getting a new job and applies to be an aide at Professor Magnolia's laboratory and successfully lands the job.

And on her first day, she finally meets Leon in person. He goes to the lab regularly and he’s heading there again to pick up three starter Pokemon that he will gift to his little brother and his friend in Postwick, who are starting their own pokemon journey soon.

Everything seems to be working out fine so you dedicate more time in training your pokemon. Goomy decides he wants to evolve into a Goodra after he falls in love with Raihan's Goodra and Raihan's Dratini evolves into Dragonite and applies for a job as a delivery pokemon, bringing more income to the household.

Raihan also recently gets the house refurbished though you did your own paint job which took an entire weekend. He takes down his old photos of Eli and his ex and has them replaced with new photos. The group photo you took from the Dragon's Den is framed, along with the group photo taken after Rose's party, there is also a selfie with yourself and Raihan and finally, he puts up a group photo featuring Raihan, yourself, his pokemon team and yours. There is also the photo he took of you with the Butterfree.

You bring some of your photos too for the shelf but he sneakily gets rid of your photo with Morty.

From sleeping together, taking showers together, cooking together, you and Raihan are even closer than ever before. There is something satisfying waking up beside him every morning and it is also satisfying when you open your closets and cupboards where you see a mixture of your clothes and his in the lot.

You continue your job at the daycare but the amount of pokemon being left behind and uncollected begin to increase and often they are abused by their negligent trainers. You're sitting on the sofa and chilling with Raihan when you remember that some time ago, the thought of opening a sanctuary for abandoned pokemon had once crossed your mind.

Although you're afraid, the encouragement you receive from Raihan and your family gives you the courage to ask if your boss would allow adoption service considering the Wild Area nursery has space for additional pokemon most of the time. To your surprise, your boss agrees. You handle all necessary paperwork and the equipment needed, the extra food and water is all sourced on your own.

Cinnabar Island wasn't rebuilt in a day so it takes a while to start up but once the abandoned pokemon come rolling in, everything seems to fall into place. When you've got enough money, you will definitely open your own nursery. It's a goal you will work towards from now on, and Raihan and your family are there to support you.

You maintain contact with your ex-boss, telling her the good news. You learn from her that she has accepted Phantump and you are welcome to visit them anytime.

Something remains unresolved however: Driffie.

You've not seen him since. Occasionally, you'll head to the Wild Area where the wild Drifloon lurk around but you've never seen him. That day, you were really angry and you recognise that and you had even asked Raihan if you had made a mistake. Time heals all wounds, but it's too late because Driffie is gone for good.

Once you're at your house, you open the door and Poipole floats inside and Null squeezes in after you. You pat him affectionately as he helps you close the door.

"Rai, we're home!"

"I'm upstairs."

He must be in bed, waiting for you.

You recall Poipole and Null after storing away the groceries and make your way up to the bedroom, opening the door only to see it's empty. "Rai?"

Suddenly the door closes behind you and a pair of arms wrap firmly around your waist, pulling you up against a broad chest and he leans down, pressing his lips against your neck. You chuckle as he smirks against your skin and murmurs, "Took you long enough."

"Sorry to keep you waiting." You mutter as you turn round in his embrace as he peppers you with kisses and you wrap your arms around his neck as he walks you to the bed and drops you over the mattress, lips claiming yours roughly.

Whilst you kick off your pants, he yanks at your top however the doorbell rings and you stop kissing him to look up.

"Who could that be?" You mutter, as Raihan presses deep kisses all over your neck and mouth.

Having been interrupted, he reluctantly lifts himself off you and you pull your pants back up, leaving the room first and trotting down the stairs to the front door. It could be a Boy Scout, a salesperson or maybe just a visitor.

However, upon opening the door, you're surprised to see it is none of the sort and your eyes widen - it is a little purple balloon floating on your doorstep with a dirty pokeball wrapped around one stringy hand. It looks at you hopefully.

"....Floo..." It wheezes gently, blinking up at you.

"...Driffie?"

"Floo...."

"Oh, Driffie," you murmur, "Oh..."

You hear Raihan heading down the stairs before he stops behind you, half-dressed. "Who is it?" When he sees the balloon pokemon, he grins and joins your side, wrapping his arm around your shoulder.

"Floo-floo..." Drifloon exchanges glances between yourself and Raihan, then to his pokeball and lifts it up to you.

You emit a gentle sigh under your breath and accept the pokeball off him; it's badly beaten and battered... he'll need a new capsule. Your gaze softens before you hold out your arms. Drifloon floats towards you and into your embrace and you hug tightly.

Raihan watches you with a smile as you welcome Driffie into your home; you bring him inside with Raihan and close the door behind you.

...

Rose gazes at the city of Wyndon from his penthouse. He recalls the day the entire region lost power for a few minutes in order for the energy plant to generate enough power to be diverted to Looker's device that would open a Ultra Wormhole so that Raihan and his girlfriend could return safely.

He holds a document with the word 'Eternatus' stamped on it; it could hold the key in preventing Galar's energy crisis.

...

...

In Postwick, Hop leaves his house with Wooloo to meet Gloria. Leon will be arriving at Wedgehurst and he has gifts for them.

Their journey is just beginning.

...

[toxiicpunk]

"No injuries. Fortunately the police were able to clear out the area before the ultra wormhole manifested so I was the only one on site. As for cute..."

Roxie pulled a Beast ball out from her belt. Normally she wouldn't have had it on her person, but she had wanted to give the pokemon a bit of a walk today. opening it, out floated a jellyfish like-creature shining gold that quickly cowered behind the gym leader in fear of the stranger in front of her.

"Elesa, meet hat. My Nihilego."

"An ultra wormhole?! Does that mean an Ultrabeast-- Are you okay?! Did anyone get hurt?"

Somehow, Elesa thought that Roxie would be a lot less blasé about the whole a wormhole opened up and spat out an ultra beast situation. Those things were dangerous! She didn't personally know much about the whole "Ultrabeast" thing in Alola, but she knew enough.

Apparently though, she'd been so busy that she'd missed the meeting about one showing up in Unova. Somehow, that made her feel worse. Sure, every Gym Leader had to deal with their own problems in their respective areas, and Roxie was very capable, but still! She was allowed to be worried.

Elesa twiddled her thumbs a bit, then, after a moment of silence, asked, "... How cute is cute as a button? Can I see it?" Danger be damned if it was cute.

[doodledex-project]

Doodledex - #793 Nihilego

While Solgaleo and Lunala can reliably create wormholes, they aren’t the only source of them in Alola... for some reason the region is full of randomly appearing wormholes, and occasionally strange beings will fall through them! Named “Ultra Beasts” by the Aether Foundation, these creatures initially look like bizarre aliens... but are actually extradimensional Pokemon hailing from various worlds, all connected by a realm referred to as “Ultra Space”!

Hailing from the Ultra Deep Sea, Nihilego are jellyfish-like Rock/Poison types made of a strangely flexible glass-like material. Instead of drifting around waiting for prey to blunder into it like a real jellyfish, however, Nihilego seem to fulfill a different niche... they’re actually slightly parasitic! It will latch onto the head of a person or Pokemon, injecting a unique sort of “neurotoxin” that lowers the victims inhibitions and forces them into a state of excitement, then acts as if it’s harmless, causing the afflicted to ignore Nihilego and go after anything that might harm it!